48. Djibouti



Man, oh man. This digital camera has given me hours of fun. Practically obsessed with it.

47. Plane Trains and Automobiles




Saw it on Sunday. At first, I thought I had seen the movie. Later realized that I was confusing it with the movie Airplane. Steve Martin is good, a lot of things that are quite a bit overacted and over-the-top, and yet it had a certain appeal to me. I gave it a 7.2/10.

46. Adaptation.



A movie with multiple levels of self-reference. It also has this dizzying effect of taking about something that is just past, retelling what we just saw a few minutes earlier. I gave it 8.9/10

"You are what you love, not what loves you." -- Donald Kaufmann

45. Thus Spake Po

The hardest thing about doing the right thing for yourself is you usually have to do it alone.


[...] but it is likely that we fall in love with people who bring out the part of ourselves we want to see more of.

At some point, we have to give up the habit of measuring ourselves against our peers.



And did you get what
You wanted from this life even so?
I did.
-- Raymond Carver


Here are some of the obstacles that hold Phi Beta Slackers back. First, they use money as a measuring stick. They jump among high-priced jobs, believing the elevated salary is a proxy for respect. Second, they have a strong need to belong to the smartest crowd. Third, they continuously find something to prove. They keep finding new challenges, new crowds to win over. Eventually, there’s nothing left to prove, and they have to face the question, “Okay, I’ve proven I’m smart. Now, who am I? What am I going to do with my smarts?”

“After college, I worked for a year at an insurance company. I decided to go to oxford for a year, because, well, it was Oxford. I told the other women at work, and one said, ‘I wish I could just up and go to Oxford.’ So I asked, ‘Why don’t you?’ She said, ‘I would, but I bought a couch.’”

It’s not a point of pride with me.

Failure’s hard, but success is far more dangerous. If you’re successful at the wrong thing, the mix of praise and money and opportunity can lock you in forever. It is so, so much harder to leave a good thing.

I sometimes take a non-Aspirins at work. These come in handy when I get my headaches. I was overjoyed at finding that they had cracked open a new box. This cannot be a good sign.

43. Books Read

42. Enough for a lifetime

The memorial service for 9-11 was scheduled at 11am. They wanted everyone to gather by the flag pole starting at 10.45. I had a meeting in Bill's office at 10.30, and I hoped to be done before 11. I knew that Bill would want to attend as well. A part of me was hoping that I could attend with him, and get his perspective on things.

Dave reminded him of the memorial. "Oh, right. I had forgotten," Bill said. "No, I am not going. I have had enough of 9-11 for one lifetime." He looked around the room. "Are any of you planning to attend?" Dave and Becky sensed his tone and said no. I didn't have the guts to say yes I was thinking of attending. I thought that the meeting would get over and I could go quietly by myself.

But the meeting went on, well past 11. I heard from others that it was a small ceremony. That I didn't miss much. And I did get Bill's persepective on it anyway.

41.

What are you reading?

40. Reading List

Rapid chess improvement : a stud
DUE 09-07-03 RENEWED

Now due 09-22-03 794.12/DE LA MAZA,M
The world chess championship : B

DUE 09-17-03 794.157/WADE,R
How to beat Bobby Fischer / Edma

DUE 09-17-03 794.159/MEDNIS,E
Word of mouth : poems featured o

DUE 09-17-03 NEW BOOK/811.5408/WORD
Chess openings the easy way (MCO

DUE 09-17-03 794.122/DE FIRMIAN,N
The unknown errors of our lives


Better chess / Bill Hartston

DUE 09-17-03 794.12/HARSTON,W
Better chess for average players

DUE 09-17-03 794.12/HARDING,T
South Pacific

DUE 09-17-03 919.6/SOUTH 2000 (1st) e
Let's go. Hawaii

DUE 09-17-03 919.69/LET'S c2003 (1st)
Moon handbooks. Kauai

DUE 09-17-03 919.6941/MOON 2003 (5th)
Frommer's Hawaii from $80 a day