Rating for 9/22: 3
Dan, it's good to see that things are looking more optimistic. As for myself, rating yesterday is tricky. I got up, ate a decent breakfast, rode to work, did my job well, rode home, immediately started making dinner the house (With Honors style), ate dinner, skated for exactly an hour, came back in to do the dishes, and then...I fell asleep. I totally passed out without meaning to. This happened around 8 pm. I fell alseep face down, fully clothed and with my shoes still on, with my arms and legs spread out like a flying squirrel. I guess I was just exhausted. I slept until 11:30 this morning, so all together, my body forced me to sleep 15 1/2 hours. Do I deserve a three, especially since I feel like I had no control over what happened? I don't know, it's not that important. I'll err on the side of being conservative, so as not to devalue high-scores in the system.
With regard to my general, daily activities, I decided to try a strategy that I've heard suggested by others. Every day I want to force myself to spend some amount of time, for example, 15 minutes minimum, on my projects. The reason I want to do this is because when I think about my personal endeavors, such as writing my novel or working on the computer program, their enormity can easily intimidate me and put me into an aggitated state. I want to combat that tendency by doing a little bit each day. Recently I've gotten into the habit of only working on those things when I have a huge chunk of time set aside with no distractions. Most days, however, I only have one or two hours, at the end of a tiring day to work on them. Consequently, it's easy for me just delay working on them until I have a day off, during which I can spend the whole day working on them. This has resulted in me wasting an hour or two everyday, that if they were to be added up, would probably constitute several days of lost work. This could also easily boost my scores by a point every day (of course, on a day like yesterday, which admittedly has been uncommon, there's nothing I can do to improve my score).
Friday, September 23, 2005
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Rating for 9/21: 3
Yesterday would have gotten a 3.5 if we were using half-points. I went to work, did well, and rode my bike in order to commute--as I said before, automatic three, at the minumum. The extra half point comes from skateboarding and trying to be as nice to Eva as possible while she's sick. The big thing that I didn't do was work on my novel. I need to move faster on that.
Yesterday would have gotten a 3.5 if we were using half-points. I went to work, did well, and rode my bike in order to commute--as I said before, automatic three, at the minumum. The extra half point comes from skateboarding and trying to be as nice to Eva as possible while she's sick. The big thing that I didn't do was work on my novel. I need to move faster on that.
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Rating for 9/20: 3
I agree with Kyle--I'd love for you to keep up the system Dan, but if not, that's totally understandable. At least you still posted, even if it wasn't part of the rating system.
My day yesterday was so-so, more on the good side though. I continued to study Joyce, had a lovely coffee with Eva in the afternoon, spent time contemplating some very serious personal stuff (not bad stuff, just, perhaps, spending time thinking more about what it means to be a human being), rode my bike, was inspired by Scott Buchannon and Stringfellow Barr, and contributed to what turned out to be a great birthday for Ben. I screwed around a little, but overall, it was ok. I skated for a while too.
Dan, you know the quick and easy explanation that I've heard a lot of people give as to why St. John's exists is that it's a place for cultivating the habits and skills of the mind to properly engage the question of what it means to be a human being. And I agree that that question is essential, and not at all obvious or simple.
I agree with Kyle--I'd love for you to keep up the system Dan, but if not, that's totally understandable. At least you still posted, even if it wasn't part of the rating system.
My day yesterday was so-so, more on the good side though. I continued to study Joyce, had a lovely coffee with Eva in the afternoon, spent time contemplating some very serious personal stuff (not bad stuff, just, perhaps, spending time thinking more about what it means to be a human being), rode my bike, was inspired by Scott Buchannon and Stringfellow Barr, and contributed to what turned out to be a great birthday for Ben. I screwed around a little, but overall, it was ok. I skated for a while too.
Dan, you know the quick and easy explanation that I've heard a lot of people give as to why St. John's exists is that it's a place for cultivating the habits and skills of the mind to properly engage the question of what it means to be a human being. And I agree that that question is essential, and not at all obvious or simple.
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Rating for 9/19: 4
Before I talk about my day, I want to encourage Dan to continue posting. Why not post? Is it because it takes too much time? If that's the reason, remember that you suggested resurrecting the system as a means to stimulate the participants in their respective pursuits of virtue. It's meant to increase productivity, among other things. So posting is like running--even though it literally takes some time away from other things, it ends up making you more productive when you're working, so the benefit outweighs the cost, understanding time and energy as cost and improved overall performance as benefit. Are you suspending the posts due to shame? The system is weak if it only works during prosperous times. It should force you to be accountable for your endeavors, whether or not they are succesful, especially when they are not succesful, because that's precisely when you need the boost that the system is meant to provide. Keep up the volley damn it.
About my day: I figure that if I ride my bike and put in a day of work, that day must get at least a 3, no less. In addition to doing those things, I made a good dinner for the house, cleaned almost everything before I actually finished, and began reading before eight. I'm studying Joyce's early literature to emulate his use of language in my novel. I took a bunch of notes and observed several helpful points of style. I also brainstormed for the computer game. The only negatives yesterday were that I got up too late again and rushed through my morning routine, and that I became drowsy while I was studying and ended earlier than I had planned.
Before I talk about my day, I want to encourage Dan to continue posting. Why not post? Is it because it takes too much time? If that's the reason, remember that you suggested resurrecting the system as a means to stimulate the participants in their respective pursuits of virtue. It's meant to increase productivity, among other things. So posting is like running--even though it literally takes some time away from other things, it ends up making you more productive when you're working, so the benefit outweighs the cost, understanding time and energy as cost and improved overall performance as benefit. Are you suspending the posts due to shame? The system is weak if it only works during prosperous times. It should force you to be accountable for your endeavors, whether or not they are succesful, especially when they are not succesful, because that's precisely when you need the boost that the system is meant to provide. Keep up the volley damn it.
About my day: I figure that if I ride my bike and put in a day of work, that day must get at least a 3, no less. In addition to doing those things, I made a good dinner for the house, cleaned almost everything before I actually finished, and began reading before eight. I'm studying Joyce's early literature to emulate his use of language in my novel. I took a bunch of notes and observed several helpful points of style. I also brainstormed for the computer game. The only negatives yesterday were that I got up too late again and rushed through my morning routine, and that I became drowsy while I was studying and ended earlier than I had planned.
Monday, September 19, 2005
Rating for 9/18: 2
I want to clarify one of the points that I made in my last post: instead of saying that I won't consider how well formed my plans are, I should have said something like, I won't penalize myself for a plan that turns out to be objectively less wise than some other plan. Quality planning is a huge part of scoring well; I was just trying to make the point that I'll do what I can with the resources I have, which includes knowledge for making plans, but I won't take away points if some other course of action that I couldn't have known about would have been better.
About yesterday: yesterday I wanted to work on my novel, but I didn't. That's the main reason that I gave myself a two. I basically hung out, found an awesome sports bar where I watched the Eagles game, and spent some time skateboarding. The skating was good, and I got a ton of exercise doing it, and combined with my usual bike riding, I gave myself a 2 instead of a 1 to reflect the exercise. Plus I enjoyed yesterday, and it's always good to enjoy a day. I realized yesterday that my bike is to me as Brian Westbrook is to the Eagles--no matter what's going on, or no matter how bad I'm doing, I can always count on my bike to boost my score a little bit.
I want to clarify one of the points that I made in my last post: instead of saying that I won't consider how well formed my plans are, I should have said something like, I won't penalize myself for a plan that turns out to be objectively less wise than some other plan. Quality planning is a huge part of scoring well; I was just trying to make the point that I'll do what I can with the resources I have, which includes knowledge for making plans, but I won't take away points if some other course of action that I couldn't have known about would have been better.
About yesterday: yesterday I wanted to work on my novel, but I didn't. That's the main reason that I gave myself a two. I basically hung out, found an awesome sports bar where I watched the Eagles game, and spent some time skateboarding. The skating was good, and I got a ton of exercise doing it, and combined with my usual bike riding, I gave myself a 2 instead of a 1 to reflect the exercise. Plus I enjoyed yesterday, and it's always good to enjoy a day. I realized yesterday that my bike is to me as Brian Westbrook is to the Eagles--no matter what's going on, or no matter how bad I'm doing, I can always count on my bike to boost my score a little bit.
Saturday, September 17, 2005
Rating for 9/16: 3
I'd like to articulate three principles that I plan to use for my ratings. The first is that my scores will be a function of how well I applied my will, without regard to the outcome. So, for example, if I decide to research possible internet providers, and I spend the day looking without finding anything useful, I'll still rate the day well, because I did what I was capapable of doing, namely, researching instead of sitting around, and the fact that I didn't end up finding anything won't affect the score. Or, if I bike to the library to return a book, and when I arrive it's closed due to some freak accident, I won't penalize myself for returning a book late. Those examples sucked, but I think they made the point. The second principle is that, in almost every instance my scores won't consider whether or not my goals were well formed. So, for example, if I were still looking for a job, and I decided that it would be a good idea to create a profile on a job search website, and spent the time uploading my resume, and then I found out that the site sucked and no one ever finds jobs by using it, I'd still reward my initiative for creating the profile, even if it turned out to be useless. I will penalize myself, however, if I fail to utilize the knowledge that I gain in future situations. So in the future if I used that website again (I don't know why I would), I would penalize myself for wasting time. Again, bad example, but I think I made my point. The reason for that one is that I can't be expected to know everything a-priori--I'll make mistakes, and hopefully learn from them, but I interpret the rating system as only taking into account how well you use the resources that you have on hand, and at the time, i.e., energy, knowledge, money, time, etc. The third principle is that my rating will reflect how well I did what I was trying to do, not how much work I did per se. This brings me to yesterday's rating. Yesterday was meant to be a day of rest, so I'm not penalizing myself for not working, since I wasn't supposed to. However, I do think it's possible to do better or worse when relaxing. For example, I find reading and playing video games equally relaxing, but the former is obviously more beneficial, so I'd rate myself higher if I relaxed all day by reading instead of playing games. Well, yesterday I did both, more on the side of virtue than vice, but only barely, hence the three.
I'd like to articulate three principles that I plan to use for my ratings. The first is that my scores will be a function of how well I applied my will, without regard to the outcome. So, for example, if I decide to research possible internet providers, and I spend the day looking without finding anything useful, I'll still rate the day well, because I did what I was capapable of doing, namely, researching instead of sitting around, and the fact that I didn't end up finding anything won't affect the score. Or, if I bike to the library to return a book, and when I arrive it's closed due to some freak accident, I won't penalize myself for returning a book late. Those examples sucked, but I think they made the point. The second principle is that, in almost every instance my scores won't consider whether or not my goals were well formed. So, for example, if I were still looking for a job, and I decided that it would be a good idea to create a profile on a job search website, and spent the time uploading my resume, and then I found out that the site sucked and no one ever finds jobs by using it, I'd still reward my initiative for creating the profile, even if it turned out to be useless. I will penalize myself, however, if I fail to utilize the knowledge that I gain in future situations. So in the future if I used that website again (I don't know why I would), I would penalize myself for wasting time. Again, bad example, but I think I made my point. The reason for that one is that I can't be expected to know everything a-priori--I'll make mistakes, and hopefully learn from them, but I interpret the rating system as only taking into account how well you use the resources that you have on hand, and at the time, i.e., energy, knowledge, money, time, etc. The third principle is that my rating will reflect how well I did what I was trying to do, not how much work I did per se. This brings me to yesterday's rating. Yesterday was meant to be a day of rest, so I'm not penalizing myself for not working, since I wasn't supposed to. However, I do think it's possible to do better or worse when relaxing. For example, I find reading and playing video games equally relaxing, but the former is obviously more beneficial, so I'd rate myself higher if I relaxed all day by reading instead of playing games. Well, yesterday I did both, more on the side of virtue than vice, but only barely, hence the three.
Friday, September 16, 2005
Rating for 9/15: 4
Yesterday I performed well at work, while continuing to take in a lot of new information. Right after work I went to the gym and lifted weights for an hour. After that I went home and made dinner for the house. Following that I thourougly cleaned the kitchen, listened to some Debussy, and read the final couple of pages in Franklin's autobiography. The only thing that prevents yesterday from being a 5 was that I was lazy in morning and didn't get off to a proper start (i.e., snoozed past my wake up time and skipped breakfast).
Yesterday I performed well at work, while continuing to take in a lot of new information. Right after work I went to the gym and lifted weights for an hour. After that I went home and made dinner for the house. Following that I thourougly cleaned the kitchen, listened to some Debussy, and read the final couple of pages in Franklin's autobiography. The only thing that prevents yesterday from being a 5 was that I was lazy in morning and didn't get off to a proper start (i.e., snoozed past my wake up time and skipped breakfast).
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Rating for 9/12: 4
There isn't any good reason why I haven't been posting--I just haven't gone to the library in the last few days. Even though my neglect in that respect has been shameful, I had an excellent day yesterday. Before I start, I wanted to say that I'm pleased to see what looks like an increase in everyone's average scores. Points for my day yesterday:
* I started training at Cafe Normandy, a French restaurant on Main Street in Annapolis. Even though I don't have any prior restaurant experience with which to compare my experience there, the job seems like it'll be great. Good pay, flexible hours, nice environment, and all the staff that I've met so far have made a favorable impression on me. I did well during my training and took in a lot of information. I even took two table, both of which were fine.
* I had my built in point-scorer--my bike. Simply by riding from home to work and back again, I got a good work out and enjoyed a beautiful day.
* When I got home from work, I resisted a powerful impulse to sleep, and instead, I took care of some petty business stuff and worked on dinner for the house. Although I only made pasta, sauce, and some vegetables, none of which required much time or skill, the meal turned out well.
* After dinner I finished part three and began part four of Franklin's Autobiography. Being at part four means that I'm about 98% done with the book. As it did the first time, reading that book has motivated and inspired me. Definitely on my favorites list.
Negatives:
* I was a few minutes late for my first day of work, which was only partially my fault. The Compromise Street Bridge was raising just as I got to it, so I had to wait about five minutes for the boats to pass before I could continue biking to work. I should have left earlier, in order to anticipate the possibility of the bridge being drawn, but at least I'll know for the future to plan for that. Management didn't even notice though, (I don't think), and my day went well notwithstanding my tardiness.
* I mislead my housemates later in the day when I want to watch the Eagles game. The details are insignificant, but the upshot is that I should have been more clear with them about my plans, because I left them waiting due to a misunderstanding. I also didn't plan well for getting home, but I ended up finding a way.
There isn't any good reason why I haven't been posting--I just haven't gone to the library in the last few days. Even though my neglect in that respect has been shameful, I had an excellent day yesterday. Before I start, I wanted to say that I'm pleased to see what looks like an increase in everyone's average scores. Points for my day yesterday:
* I started training at Cafe Normandy, a French restaurant on Main Street in Annapolis. Even though I don't have any prior restaurant experience with which to compare my experience there, the job seems like it'll be great. Good pay, flexible hours, nice environment, and all the staff that I've met so far have made a favorable impression on me. I did well during my training and took in a lot of information. I even took two table, both of which were fine.
* I had my built in point-scorer--my bike. Simply by riding from home to work and back again, I got a good work out and enjoyed a beautiful day.
* When I got home from work, I resisted a powerful impulse to sleep, and instead, I took care of some petty business stuff and worked on dinner for the house. Although I only made pasta, sauce, and some vegetables, none of which required much time or skill, the meal turned out well.
* After dinner I finished part three and began part four of Franklin's Autobiography. Being at part four means that I'm about 98% done with the book. As it did the first time, reading that book has motivated and inspired me. Definitely on my favorites list.
Negatives:
* I was a few minutes late for my first day of work, which was only partially my fault. The Compromise Street Bridge was raising just as I got to it, so I had to wait about five minutes for the boats to pass before I could continue biking to work. I should have left earlier, in order to anticipate the possibility of the bridge being drawn, but at least I'll know for the future to plan for that. Management didn't even notice though, (I don't think), and my day went well notwithstanding my tardiness.
* I mislead my housemates later in the day when I want to watch the Eagles game. The details are insignificant, but the upshot is that I should have been more clear with them about my plans, because I left them waiting due to a misunderstanding. I also didn't plan well for getting home, but I ended up finding a way.
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Rating for 9/7: 2.5
The internet was down again yesterday, so, like last time, I'm skipping straight to the most recent day. Yesterday was interesting--I felt like I was working and focused for much of the day, but I just couldn't accomplish anything. It's hard to rate a day like that. I feel like I'm stuck in some kind of hell trying to set up my internet, with Verizon playing the role of Satan. The good: I got up early, got a lot of exercise, finished the novel that I was reading, and had an enjoyable day, despite my lack of productivity.
The bad: Not only did I not achieve anything in terms of getting employment or setting up the internet (logistical things), later in the day I just gave in to the temptation to relax, eat chocolate chips, play on the computer, and read Ben Frankliln's autobiography. Not only were the activities themselves lazy in nature (except for reading), the way that I basically gave up for the day was especially shameful. I had one of those ubiquitous moments where I thought, "f*ck it, today was a joke, so I'll just make sure to get up early and be excellent, with a clean slate, starting tomorrow morning". That line of thinking is garbage and one that I'm trying to habituate myself not to slip into that mindset. The main reason why I'm giving myself a 2.5 is because of the fact that I basically gave up; otherwise, the day wasn't that bad.
There's one thing that occured to me yesterday that I think the other participants will appreciate--one of the best things for having a virtuous day is having built-in, routine factors that contribute to excellence no matter what else is going on. For me the best example of that right now is my bike. Everyday I'm forced to ride my bike because I don't have another mode of transportation. Because of that, everyday I'm guaranteed to save money because I don't have to buy gas or insurance, get at least 20 minutes of moderate exercise, and enjoy the pleasure of the ride itself. The ride from my house to the library is beautiful--I cross over a draw bridge into the old part of the city, there's creeks and bays all over, and the architecture and landscaping is lovely. In highschool, my morning bike ride, albeit less scenic than my current route, was often the highlight of my day. And as Dan knows, I've had the same bike since 10th grade, and I haven't had to put anymore than a few dollars into it during that time for new tubes.
The internet was down again yesterday, so, like last time, I'm skipping straight to the most recent day. Yesterday was interesting--I felt like I was working and focused for much of the day, but I just couldn't accomplish anything. It's hard to rate a day like that. I feel like I'm stuck in some kind of hell trying to set up my internet, with Verizon playing the role of Satan. The good: I got up early, got a lot of exercise, finished the novel that I was reading, and had an enjoyable day, despite my lack of productivity.
The bad: Not only did I not achieve anything in terms of getting employment or setting up the internet (logistical things), later in the day I just gave in to the temptation to relax, eat chocolate chips, play on the computer, and read Ben Frankliln's autobiography. Not only were the activities themselves lazy in nature (except for reading), the way that I basically gave up for the day was especially shameful. I had one of those ubiquitous moments where I thought, "f*ck it, today was a joke, so I'll just make sure to get up early and be excellent, with a clean slate, starting tomorrow morning". That line of thinking is garbage and one that I'm trying to habituate myself not to slip into that mindset. The main reason why I'm giving myself a 2.5 is because of the fact that I basically gave up; otherwise, the day wasn't that bad.
There's one thing that occured to me yesterday that I think the other participants will appreciate--one of the best things for having a virtuous day is having built-in, routine factors that contribute to excellence no matter what else is going on. For me the best example of that right now is my bike. Everyday I'm forced to ride my bike because I don't have another mode of transportation. Because of that, everyday I'm guaranteed to save money because I don't have to buy gas or insurance, get at least 20 minutes of moderate exercise, and enjoy the pleasure of the ride itself. The ride from my house to the library is beautiful--I cross over a draw bridge into the old part of the city, there's creeks and bays all over, and the architecture and landscaping is lovely. In highschool, my morning bike ride, albeit less scenic than my current route, was often the highlight of my day. And as Dan knows, I've had the same bike since 10th grade, and I haven't had to put anymore than a few dollars into it during that time for new tubes.
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Rating for 9/5/05: 2.5
When I got to the library yesterday to rate 9/4, the internet was down, and I guess the IT guys were taking a day off for labor day. Some might consider this a bad omen--we'll see. I want my commentaries to be fresh, so I'll skip straight to 9/5.
Yesterday I got up late again, which I've been doing since returning from San Francisco. I think I'm still on PST, and I'm ashamed every morning when I finally rise, wash, eat, and then glance at the clock only to realize that the day is half over. This discourages me right from the start, not to mention the fact that I suspect that it makes a person lethargic to get up so late, even if they get their necessary quantity of sleep (I could be wrong about that). As the day went on, however, I was pleased with my ability to rebound in terms of my mentality. I achieved, and stustained for much of the day, a tranquil state of mind that was focused, yet not tyranical with myself. I took an extra long route on my bike ride home for the exercise and to enjoy the outdoors. In terms of concrete productivity, yesterday was difficult because of the holiday. I wanted to set up a bank account here, but I couldn't because the bank was closed. I wanted to contact Verizon about getting an internet connection, but I couldn't because no one was there. Combine these set-backs with the fact that the internet was down at the library meant, and I didn't get much done. I did organize my loan paperwork and get a fair amount of reading done in Vinland, a novel my dad picked up for me in Scotland.
I should stop, this isn't meant to be a journal.
When I got to the library yesterday to rate 9/4, the internet was down, and I guess the IT guys were taking a day off for labor day. Some might consider this a bad omen--we'll see. I want my commentaries to be fresh, so I'll skip straight to 9/5.
Yesterday I got up late again, which I've been doing since returning from San Francisco. I think I'm still on PST, and I'm ashamed every morning when I finally rise, wash, eat, and then glance at the clock only to realize that the day is half over. This discourages me right from the start, not to mention the fact that I suspect that it makes a person lethargic to get up so late, even if they get their necessary quantity of sleep (I could be wrong about that). As the day went on, however, I was pleased with my ability to rebound in terms of my mentality. I achieved, and stustained for much of the day, a tranquil state of mind that was focused, yet not tyranical with myself. I took an extra long route on my bike ride home for the exercise and to enjoy the outdoors. In terms of concrete productivity, yesterday was difficult because of the holiday. I wanted to set up a bank account here, but I couldn't because the bank was closed. I wanted to contact Verizon about getting an internet connection, but I couldn't because no one was there. Combine these set-backs with the fact that the internet was down at the library meant, and I didn't get much done. I did organize my loan paperwork and get a fair amount of reading done in Vinland, a novel my dad picked up for me in Scotland.
I should stop, this isn't meant to be a journal.
Sunday, September 04, 2005
I appreciate the spirit of Dan's call to reinstate the five-point system, so I've decided to particate again. Because of my logistical circumstances, I'll rate each day during the afternoon of the following day, so, for example, my comments and rating for today will appear in a post written tomorrow afternoon. Good luck to all participating.
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