Conservatives say gays are ruining this country…

… and as more and more of them are exposed as closet homosexuals, I can’t help but agree.

You got me this time, you waskally Wepublicans.

The key to getting some work done

My entire life I’ve struggled with doing my work.  I’m not very good at consistently sitting down and working on something steadily.  I’ve always been the type to hold back for a while and then explode outwards with a flurry of work all at once.

Needless to say this has gotten exhausting over the years.  Also, I can’t really afford to work like this anymore.  If my first semester of graduate school taught me anything, it taught me that I need to work steadily and plan my time efficiently.

I think I finally found the key.  After resting this past Christmas break, I was really ready to get back to my work (which I hadn’t enjoyed in a while due to being burned out).  However, I held myself to certain time limits.  After a while, I would stop looking at whatever I was doing regardless of how I felt about it.

Here’s what I discovered:  When I was having a lot of fun and I stopped what I was doing, I was really eager to go back.  I had never experienced that before — whenever I’m normally done with my work I’m so sick of it I never want to see it again.  The key is to keep myself from getting burned out; the key is to stop while I’m still enjoying myself.  This reminds me a lot of the old adage about  parties:  “Leave while you’re still having fun.”  The same exact principle applies.

Not sure if this is helpful to anybody but me, but hopefully it is.  I’m slowly getting in the swing of steady, concerted effort.  Maybe I’m getting the hang of this grad school thing after all.

Zen and the art of sittin’ on yo’ ass

Tonight I attended a Zen meditation seminar (the technique known as “zazen” was taught — for those who don’t know what zazen is, you basically sit down). I found out about it from a flyer on the bulletin board outside of my office. I couldn’t resist — who couldn’t use a dose of serenity and a clear, empty mind now and again?

Learning the basics of zazen was difficult, but it was one of the most beneficial things I’ve ever done for myself. I found it extremely hard to just sit down and think nothing at all — to exert effort towards simply being still opened a myriad of issues (why couldn’t I sit still? what compelled me to move? why couldn’t I just focus? why couldn’t I just not focus for a change?). Being fully present in my body at all times — being awakened — these things are incredibly difficult for me.

So yeah… I got together with a bunch of hippies tonight, sat facing the wall, and stared at it for like an hour. It’s incredible how much you can really get out of it. Letting thoughts roll into, through, and then out of your mind can be very therapeutic — it’s a huge act of decompression.It’s as if all of the lurking issues, emotions, thoughts, and other mental objects that seize your energy and resources are freed and flee before your awareness for a mere, brief moment. You nod, they go on their merry way, and you on yours. What a great process to go through.

Organization in the Pgh

Back in Pittsburgh and enjoying a nice (yet brief) vacation with my mother.  She seems to be having a really good time; she deserves it if anybody does.  It’s always good to get away for a while.

I’m working on restructuring and streamlining my life at the moment — both with my belongings and with my time.  It’s not that I have much of either, I’m just notoriously bad at managing them.  So far I’ve put things into nice little plastic containers I picked up from Wall Mart.  The nice thing about having small living accommodations is that you have to get creative with how you use your space.  The other nice thing is that you realize how little you really need to stay afloat (and comfortable while you’re at it).

Hopefully soon I’ll be tidy and organized.  I’m hoping that keeping my living space in order will help me keep my time in order as well.  I need a massive overhaul if this semester is to be productive, happy, and sane.