Happiness is...
Book lights. No one awake? No problem. I can have my own little midnight party in the corner of the tent. I mean, it's not exactly a party when you're using the wee hours to read your graduate textbooks, but I like the feeling of getting it done regardless. So, sleep on, world. I won't disturb. I'll push the little toggle and read by the solitary little bulb of my companion. Good morning!
Showing posts with label Reading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reading. Show all posts
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Enjoy the weekend!!
Happiness is...
Doing homework for the first time all weekend. No, I have not been consumed with my reading. I put it aside and enjoyed myself the last couple days. And you know what? It feels awesome. So there.
Today, I have to be productive. I have several chapters to get through. But that's not the end of the world. I am happy to buckle down after a couple great afternoons. And I am able to wake up early and do it. Why? Because I wasn't stupid about my weekend. It was just right.
Yes, tomorrow's Monday, and the week gets going all over again. Boo. But for today, I am going to revel in my relaxation and get some of this done. No worries, just work. It's all about your attitude.
Doing homework for the first time all weekend. No, I have not been consumed with my reading. I put it aside and enjoyed myself the last couple days. And you know what? It feels awesome. So there.
Today, I have to be productive. I have several chapters to get through. But that's not the end of the world. I am happy to buckle down after a couple great afternoons. And I am able to wake up early and do it. Why? Because I wasn't stupid about my weekend. It was just right.
Yes, tomorrow's Monday, and the week gets going all over again. Boo. But for today, I am going to revel in my relaxation and get some of this done. No worries, just work. It's all about your attitude.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Ahead of schedule
Happiness is...
Getting ahead on reading. You likely do not understand what a colossal feat this is. Let me explain.
Graduate school is demanding and, at times, overwhelming. When I was at my interview the second year students told me that the work load was heavy and that they were always trying to keep up with reading. Because I was a 4.0 student in college and an ambitious young professional, however, this did not apply to me. I have always just been gifted. Man, did I underestimate this program. I have learned my lesson, pulled myself up by my bootstraps, and started working just as hard as the rest of them.
When my professor emailed us the assigned reading (approx. 200 pages) to be done by the first day of class---with only two days' warning mind you---reality slammed into me like a freight train. I have been struggling along the tracks ever since. But this afternoon, I finished a chapter that doesn't just get me to where I need to be next week, it gets me ahead. It's such a good feeling to be on top of my game! I feel like for once I can indulge in a little bit of a social life. Maybe I can even stop to cook a nice dinner. Regardless, I have time to breathe. Now, if only I can keep it that way. Here's to continued success with graduate schoolwork! Wish me luck.
Getting ahead on reading. You likely do not understand what a colossal feat this is. Let me explain.
Graduate school is demanding and, at times, overwhelming. When I was at my interview the second year students told me that the work load was heavy and that they were always trying to keep up with reading. Because I was a 4.0 student in college and an ambitious young professional, however, this did not apply to me. I have always just been gifted. Man, did I underestimate this program. I have learned my lesson, pulled myself up by my bootstraps, and started working just as hard as the rest of them.
When my professor emailed us the assigned reading (approx. 200 pages) to be done by the first day of class---with only two days' warning mind you---reality slammed into me like a freight train. I have been struggling along the tracks ever since. But this afternoon, I finished a chapter that doesn't just get me to where I need to be next week, it gets me ahead. It's such a good feeling to be on top of my game! I feel like for once I can indulge in a little bit of a social life. Maybe I can even stop to cook a nice dinner. Regardless, I have time to breathe. Now, if only I can keep it that way. Here's to continued success with graduate schoolwork! Wish me luck.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Libraries
Happiness is...
Libraries.
Seriously, who sat down one day and decided that the whole world should just share books? It's a brilliant idea. Just down the street you can find resources, services, and sources, all for common use. Even if you don't find exactly what you're looking for, they can retrieve it for you from another building.
So few things these days are really communal, but I know if I want to get a good read I can just borrow it from the library. All for free. Tell me something that can even compare.
Libraries.
Seriously, who sat down one day and decided that the whole world should just share books? It's a brilliant idea. Just down the street you can find resources, services, and sources, all for common use. Even if you don't find exactly what you're looking for, they can retrieve it for you from another building.
So few things these days are really communal, but I know if I want to get a good read I can just borrow it from the library. All for free. Tell me something that can even compare.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Word games
Happiness is...
Scrabble. I like words. I like games. Why not combine them?
Bananagrams... peel, peel, peel, bananas!
Words with friends. OH WORDS WITH FRIENDS!
Word games keep me on my toes, and they very easily keep me happy.
Don't give me no chess, no checkers, just give me my tiles.
Scrabble. I like words. I like games. Why not combine them?
Bananagrams... peel, peel, peel, bananas!
Words with friends. OH WORDS WITH FRIENDS!
Word games keep me on my toes, and they very easily keep me happy.
Don't give me no chess, no checkers, just give me my tiles.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Lessons from the Last Lecture
Happiness is...
The last lecture. A lot of professors give talks titled “The Last Lecture.” Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, audiences can’t help but mull the same question: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy?
When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn’t have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave—“Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams”—wasn’t about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because “time is all you have...and you may find one day that you have less than you think”). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living. Here are some of my favorite pieces of advice.
-If you can dream it, you can do it.
-Get in touch with your childhood. Play.
-Be prepared. All you have is what you bring with you. Always bring something to the table, because it will make you more welcome.
-Be a communitarian. Your rights are accompanied by your responsibilities.
-Look for the best in everybody.
-Watch what they do, not what they say.
-Don't complain, just work harder. Complaining doesn't work as a strategy, and the time we spend whining is unlikely to help us succeed. It won't make us happier.
-Never give up.
-Time must be explicitly managed, like money. Time is all you've got. And you may find one day that you have less than you think.
-A bad apology is worse than no apology.
-If nobody ever worried about what was in other people's heads, we'd all be 33 percent more effective in our lives and on our jobs.
-Go out and do for others what someone once did for you (pay it forward).
-You can always change your plan, but only if you have one.
-If at first you don't succeed, try again. Don't be afraid. The person who failed often knows how to avoid future failures.
-Sometimes with the passage of time and the deadlines that life imposes, surrendering is the right thing to do. Life. Is. Too. Short.
-Just because you are in the driver's seat doesn't mean you have to run people over.
The last lecture. A lot of professors give talks titled “The Last Lecture.” Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, audiences can’t help but mull the same question: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy?
When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn’t have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave—“Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams”—wasn’t about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because “time is all you have...and you may find one day that you have less than you think”). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living. Here are some of my favorite pieces of advice.
-If you can dream it, you can do it.
-Get in touch with your childhood. Play.
-Be prepared. All you have is what you bring with you. Always bring something to the table, because it will make you more welcome.
-Be a communitarian. Your rights are accompanied by your responsibilities.
-Look for the best in everybody.
-Watch what they do, not what they say.
-Don't complain, just work harder. Complaining doesn't work as a strategy, and the time we spend whining is unlikely to help us succeed. It won't make us happier.
-Never give up.
-Time must be explicitly managed, like money. Time is all you've got. And you may find one day that you have less than you think.
-A bad apology is worse than no apology.
-If nobody ever worried about what was in other people's heads, we'd all be 33 percent more effective in our lives and on our jobs.
-Go out and do for others what someone once did for you (pay it forward).
-You can always change your plan, but only if you have one.
-If at first you don't succeed, try again. Don't be afraid. The person who failed often knows how to avoid future failures.
-Sometimes with the passage of time and the deadlines that life imposes, surrendering is the right thing to do. Life. Is. Too. Short.
-Just because you are in the driver's seat doesn't mean you have to run people over.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
From Mitch Albom
Happiness is...
A few insightful musings from a powerful book: Read on. I'm not the only one who's put a little bit of thought into this.
A few insightful musings from a powerful book: Read on. I'm not the only one who's put a little bit of thought into this.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Memories
Happiness is...
Revisiting memories. I made the effort to clean my room tonight... and it was lost to looking through old journals and a box full of Spain. I'm okay with that. Someday, I actually will reduce the size of crap piled in the corners of my life, but until then I plan on cherishing it all. What do you say?
Revisiting memories. I made the effort to clean my room tonight... and it was lost to looking through old journals and a box full of Spain. I'm okay with that. Someday, I actually will reduce the size of crap piled in the corners of my life, but until then I plan on cherishing it all. What do you say?
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Blogs
Happiness is...
Postsecret... and all other amazing blogs. How do I waste time? I browse all of the various sites that I adore and remind myself of all the happy in the world.
Someday I want to be one of those blogs. We'll see if it ever happens.
Postsecret... and all other amazing blogs. How do I waste time? I browse all of the various sites that I adore and remind myself of all the happy in the world.
Someday I want to be one of those blogs. We'll see if it ever happens.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Que bueno!
Happiness is...
Libros en español. Me encanta leer, y si puedo mejorar mis idiomas... pues, es perfecto. Hazlo!
Libros en español. Me encanta leer, y si puedo mejorar mis idiomas... pues, es perfecto. Hazlo!
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