What I Wanted To Talk About, But Didn't Have Time To Say.

Ha! First of all, I want to say that I saw a UPS truck today... So I think I should get like, 5 extra credit points or something. Take that FedEx!

Hmm, what did I want to talk about in class yesterday, but didn't have time for... In "The Magus", I was really interested in how Conchis makes the point that men look at "things" and that women look at relationships between "things". That made me stop and think about how I view the world as a female. I don't know if I look at relationships because that's natural, or if I do because Conchis says I do. I tried to think of before "The Magus" and I think he's right, but not all of the time. I see things just for things sake, but I do think that males notice relationships less. And not in an "I think men are less intelligent" type way, I don't like hopping on the feminist men hating train, but I know we think differently. The way that Conchis used this fact as yet another piece in his game was very clever.

Soo, ya. That's what I would have added to yesterday's discussion.

Treading Water and Geometry: This is my Honors Class

"A circle is the reflection of eternity. It has no beginning and it has no end - and if you put several circles over each other, then you get a spiral." - Maynard James Keenan

The themes I've noticed thus far in Tracings is that swimming and circles are incredibly important. Just as we said there are only two stories that are told (searching for an island and the crucifiction of a god), I have noticed that shapes and swimming are common themes in everyone's life.

Also, I am reading into every little thing. I have the mania. And I hate that I love it, and love that I hate it. Example: My first reaction to the quote above is to make a bad joke about circling the drain, spiraling out of control, falling into an endless abyss, yada yada.

Then the training kicks in and I immediately over analyze what I just thought:
-Why were those thoughts so dark?
-What do I mean by "abyss"?
-Am I frightened by my spiral or excited about the journey?
-Do I have a fear of drains?
-Who in the hell is afraid of drains?
-Why would I even think that?!
-What is happening?


Thank you so much, Professor. This is my life now.


But, I noticed that I'm NOTICING things that I normally wouldn't. I'm seeing things in (and sometimes) out of context and I wonder "Why?".

I've noticed that I notice things. I see things that I normally wouldn't observe, and it sparks my brain. I try to piece things together on my own without being told the solution. I try to understand what people are doing and why, without asking them. I read into what they are doing, and then wonder if I'm anywhere close to the truth or if I'm just conjecturing. I'm analyzing things that would usually pass by without a second glance.

It's exhausting. My brain is not used to this, but I am really enjoying the challenge. I sketch my surroundings so as to remember events, journaling more, and I'm even trying the mind palace thing to try and compartmentalize thoughts and facts, seeing if it actually does help memory.

I'm turning into a regular:

Minus the getting it right part.

With all of the circling and darkness that I've been focusing on, I think it's high time for me to lighten up and just observe for a while. I'm not scared of the darkness, I've just been focused on it for a while. And now I'm just going to let things happen and watch and remember and read into things and take notes and re-analyze and yes. Just that.


-A

Quality

I don't understand the prompt. Define quality? And explain how to measure it? And then ask how we should measure it?

Is this real life?


I feel like there are levels upon levels of quality, each with a different category: Professional quality, student quality, life quality, family quality, quality time, opinions of quality, etc. You want me to define quality? Which one? It's a multifaceted diamond that would take a hundred graphs and a dozen essays to truly show what I think about quality.

The big thing for me is, as a graphic designer, when quality is "done right" you don't really notice. If something is in perfect form, you may admire it for being well done but it's not really a conscious thought, it's not instant award worthy. You notice quality most when there is an absence of quality. Bad quality attracts your attention immediately. Why? Because it's not good. Plain and simple, something doesn't work. When there is good quality, you enjoy it and you gain from it but you might not immediately know why. You will walk away feeling good but do you think "Man, that was some good quality (insert subject) right there!"?

Possibly, but most likely you just walk away.

I agree wholeheartedly with Pirsig's ideas, that quality is the "knife-edge" of experience, found only in the present, known or at least potentially accessible to all static patterns... At least I think I do. It's like trying to describe a color without using the colors name or talking about what air feels like. 

How do you measure what you can't even describe or define? 

I'm not fully sure what the Legislature is planning on doing, or how you can incorporate quality into the university system, so I'll leave that to thinkers with "more quality thoughts" than I. 


-A