Do Not Go Gentle Into Monday Morn

          I memorized “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” this morning, for absolutely no rational reason. Mainly, it was because I was in a bad mood at having to get up at 5:10 in the morning, and a poem that says “rage, rage” four times seemed appropriate, even if I was raging at the rising of the light instead of the other way around. It’s a good poem to memorize, especially because if you know the title, you’ve already memorized about a quarter of the lines.

            No, that wasn’t actually a very important fact, but I was trying not to start out with some version of “Hello again; it’s been another week!” – which I have now included anyway. Well, you can’t win them all.

            In any case, PT was actually pretty good once everyone woke up. This morning we had swim PT, which consisted of a few laps, a few exercises, and two relays. The relays are a good way to get people to put in effort, but they also mean that you don’t do anything for about a third of the workout, other than waiting for someone else. Still, I enjoy swimming. Class also went well; I haven’t studied the War of 1812 in a while, but it brings up good memories from various classes throughout the years. They also passed out awards last week in lab for ROTC, and I ended up getting a few for academics and my PRT, which was nice. I hope I can keep it up for future semesters!

            I came back in time to shower, change, and get some work done before heading to my Expos class. We’ve now turned in the initial draft of our first paper and are talking about revision. In addition, we’re having the expected plagiarism brief; we’ll probably talk about it during the next class. As many times as I’ve heard this talk, some things about it still strike me as a little off. If you don’t know or don’t remember, plagiarism is a very big deal in academia – you get the idea that “once you start down the plagiarizing path, forever will it dominate your destiny.”*

            I understand the importance of integrity and original work, but the near-paranoia about plagiarism that occasionally manifests in the academic world still puzzles me. How, exactly, can you 'own' an idea? I believe in objective truth, which means that you don’t invent truth; you discover it. I understand wanting credit for your work, but the concept still strikes me as bizarre sometimes.

After Expos today I went to Hebrew, where we talked about life in a kibbutz and watched part of a documentary. It was very interesting – I think I’m going to go to the library and watch the rest – but it was also very depressing. I can’t imagine growing up and only seeing my parents a few hours a day, and we spent a while in class discussing various issues and their varying effects on people. We thought a lot of the ideas were pretty strange, but then, we grew up in the antithesis of a socialistic society, so I suppose we’re predisposed not to understand.

            A few interesting things have also happened outside of class. Last Saturday was Cultural Rhythms, and Under Construction performed in the matinee and the evening show. It went great, and after we performed in the matinee, we saw two other groups performs: an African dance group and a Chinese martial arts group. We had a great time. Since we were performing, though, I didn’t have my phone on me, so I couldn’t take pictures for you. Sorry!

I’ve also temporarily taken on the responsibility of leading Bible study for UC; we usually have about an hour per week where we connect the songs we sing to passages in scripture and seek to focus on the meaning behind the words. It was great to be able to serve, and of course my dad helped me since he does this for a living. I can’t over-stress how much of a blessing this group is to me. We had a great Bible study and a great rehearsal – and afterwards we enjoyed a few tricks by a brother of one of our members, who’s a magician.

            Overall, I still feel like I’m behind on work; I can’t seem to jump ahead. As soon as I get one thing done, another pops up, but hopefully everything will get done before its time. It’s hard to believe that midterms are already beginning, even though I don’t actually have any. In a way, I want the semester to go quickly, so that I won’t have to worry about my classes and I’ll get to see my parents, but in another way, there will always be things to worry about, and I’ll only be speeding towards times of longer separation. I suppose I’ll compromise and attempt to be content with the actual speed of things.

So, have a great week, maybe memorize a poem or two, and remember – don’t plagiarize!

PS – I also watched Frozen this weekend, and I’ve had “Let it Go” stuck in my head for three days now. It’s a very cute movie, but a very dangerous song – “no right, no wrong, no rules for me.” Self-will needs to be guarded against, not coddled. The movie gets this right, but everyone singing the song seems to forget it.

PPS - I forgot to mention that I also went to a talk on Defense Intelligence at the Kennedy School - that's a picture of Michael Flynn, Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency with David Sanger, National Security Correspondent.

*Ah, thought you had me there, didn’t you? I’m fairly sure this quote falls under the banner of “common knowledge,” but if you haven’t seen Star Wars VI, this is an allusion to a quote from Yoda.

Three Days, Free Days

           President’s Day meant a three-day-weekend, and I think everyone needed it. For me, Thursday was the low point in last week. Instead of just snowing, it rained on and off all day long, which made for very slushy, very inimical weather. Besides that I was trying to get a bunch of things done, and more things kept appearing that needed doing, and my physics lab ran half-an-hour late due to technical difficulties. I had hoped that the devices in physics labs would like me better than their chemistry counterparts, but it wasn’t meant to be. The day ended with the 12:30 am submission of a grant application before I finally got to sleep.

            I’ll get to the weekend in a second, but I wouldn’t want to skip Valentine’s Day. They had candy hearts in the dining hall – the last time I remember having those was 1^st grade! Apparently it’s a tradition in UC for the guys and the girls to get together and do something cute for the other group. And this year, everybody forgot, which led to a series of awkward secret meetings and conversations.

“How are you guys doing with the song?”

“The song – oh, yeah, we’re doing great! What about the girls?”

“Oh, yeah, it’s great! Ah - let’s just do sectionals a little longer, okay?”

“Sounds good, okay!”

Everyone turned a blind eye to the fact that we obviously weren’t in sectionals: half of our tenors are girls, and they were with us. We did eventually get the song learned, and just as we were finishing up, the guys came into our room with an awesome rendition of “My Girl” – or in this case, “Our Girls.” We coupled this with our own performance of “Just the Way You Are.” It was really sweet. And we also had truffles, which make everything better.

Saturday, though, was the real high point of the week. It takes a lot to get me to decide to do something – without a lot of prior planning, I’m liable to just stay on course. Apparently, this is the metaphorical version of mass: conformation to inertia. So I was pretty excited when I determined that I was actually going to go into Boston for the morning.

I visited the Museum of Fine Arts, but I got there before it opened, so I spent thirty minutes just walking around and enjoying the scenery – there were some monuments in that area, and an adorable little bridge over a half-frozen stream with lots of squirrels and ducks and geese to take pictures of. The museum itself was also splendid; I didn’t get to spend nearly as long as I would have liked, and I want to go back (it’s free for Harvard students). The most popular exhibit was the impressionists – Van Gogh, Monet, Degas, Cézanne, and others. I hadn’t been to a museum in forever, and I had a great time.

I had lunch in Boston and then headed back to Harvard to visit the Harvard Museum of Natural History (HMNH) and Peabody Museum (both also free). They were much smaller than I’d thought, but very interesting. I’ve never seen so many skeletons and stuffed animals on display before. Those displays were more for education than pleasure – now I’ll know a wombat if I see one – but they were enjoyable as well.

The only really weird part was seeing a human skeleton standing next to those of various primates in the Hall of Mammals. It was kind of sad looking at all the stuffed animals, imagining how much power and magnificence they would hold if they weren’t dead. But a human skeleton used to be a person, a person with dreams and wants like mine, who could communicate with me if they were still alive. Who knows? Maybe that’s where my skeleton will end up someday.

As I walked back from the HMNH a light snow had begun, and the street was quiet enough that the hush of the new-fallen snow could be appreciated. It was a perfect, peaceful ending to my holiday. After that it was supposed to be back to work, since it was only early afternoon, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it, so instead I gave up on my other goals for the day and finished my short story instead. It turned out longer than I’d thought – 49 pages, single-spaced – but I like it, which is more than I can say for some of my writing when I’m done with it, so I’m happy.

The rest of this weekend has been spent drafting papers, working through a take-home physics quiz, and reading through chapters and articles for various classes. We had a social for UC last night that I went to for a little while, which was pretty fun. And now it’s time to sit down, plan out the rest of the week, and make sure everything gets done. But my feet are propped up on the heater and comfortably warm, my sweats are soft and comfy, and at the moment I’m very calm and satisfied with life, and with the weekend in general. So I’d say, in the overall balance, this week was a success.

Rhythms and ROTC

            Well, I finally started the day by getting up before eight! ROTC started this morning – we had our Physical Fitness Assessment (PFA), which consists of sit-ups, push-ups, and the run. It was inside, which was lovely, since the track was covered in snow and it was twenty degrees outside, not counting wind. I did well, and afterwards we had class and then headed back to Harvard for breakfast.

            I like this semester’s NROTC curriculum better than last semester’s. The course is called “Seapower and Maritime Affairs”, but it’s actually Naval History. I’ve always loved History, but I haven’t had the chance to take any classes since my sophomore year of high school, so I’m looking forward to it.

            In Expository Writing, we’re already preparing for our first paper, one on Persuasion. I liked the book, though I wouldn’t have had time to read it if I hadn’t needed to. Today the entire class was a long discussion about the book. One of the things I love about Harvard, and college in general, is the increased focus on discussion, prompted by interesting material and participation as a percentage of the final grade.

            Physics and Hebrew are also going well; I’m starting to get into a rhythm, though lately that rhythm has included more procrastination than was strictly necessary. There’s a four-day weekend coming up, though, which should allow me both to enjoy a day off and reach my goals with regard to work.

            Our a cappella group auditioned for a spot in Cultural Rhythms, a big annual event in Harvard, and made it! In fact, they said they wanted us not only for the larger matinee show, but for the evening show as well! Under Construction had never gotten a spot in the matinee show before, so we’re all very excited. We’re also excited about our upcoming tour to Taiwan – we’re learning new songs and sending out support letters. Everything is happening really fast!

            I’m filling my time with all of this, church, and the Christian groups at Harvard, and maybe looking into diving into a few new extra-curriculars this semester as well. I’ll let you know if I do. Right now my free time is occupied with a short story I’m writing. I haven’t written anything in a long time, but I’ve always wanted to write a Sherlock Holmes-style mystery, and I finally made up a plot one night and decided to go ahead and put it on paper – or on my Google Drive, as the case may be. We’ll see if I have time to finish it.

            I’ve also been using my free time to memorize more Hebrew, and now I’ve added Arabic to the mix as well, though my pronunciation leaves a lot to be desired. I just want to build up a base that I can use for this summer, when, if everything goes well, I’ll be taking an intensive Arabic course. So, outside of a constant flow of work, it’s been nice for the past couple of weeks – lots of sitting around and sipping tea and studying.

            It’s still very cold, though it hasn’t snowed today, which means I’ve been spending a lot of time in my room, thankful for my fully-functioning heater. The ROTC lab was cancelled last week due to snow, though, so I do give the Boston Winter credit for letting me sleep in last Wednesday. Harvard didn’t cancel classes, even though some were cancelled anyway because the professors were unable to drive here. One more note on that – if you ever move up here and go to buy a coat and boots, remember that these are the main articles of clothing most people will see you wearing every day for months. Make sure you like them! And yes, I love my coat and boots – I couldn’t do without them.

            Well, I need to go to Hebrew, and I’m sure you all have things to do, so I’ll leave you to it. I wish you a safe and joyful week, and I’ll talk to you again next week! Happy Valentine’s Day and Happy Presidents’ Day!

            PS - Yes, I'm attaching still more pretty pictures of the snow! Note the half-buried bicycle...

Snow Days and Schedules

            So, it’s back to the old routine of fitting everything into the schedule. First come the classes. Then the labs. Then the sections. Then the extra-curriculars. Then the study time and meals. And then the breaks and socializing, if there’s any time left. That remains to be seen.

            I wouldn’t say classes started gradually, but they came in staggered waves, so I had more time to spend with friends. This meant a lot of dinner meetings and a Super Bowl party with my a cappella group (the girls’ chatting was punctuated with the occasional “Yes! YES!” and “no, No, NO!” from the other side of the room). And my a cappella group also sang at the church I attend here which was pretty cool. Everyone couldn’t come, so I ended up soloing for one of my favorite songs. Afterwards I went to a kick-off event with Cru and got to help out and meet new people. It was a great evening.

            It’s been kind of crazy lately, scheduling wise. I’m still not sure when my ROTC class is; we’ve changed it about three times, and I think it’s still in flux. I don’t know when my physics lab time is, but that notification could be coming soon. And we haven’t set a cappella rehearsal times yet, but I’m hoping they’ll be better than last semester’s. Keep your fingers crossed.

            On the other hand, the work is all rolling is as if it were the middle of the year already. We’re starting to plan out policy papers for my National Security of Middle Eastern Countries seminar, and I’ve already finished my first physics p-set. ROTC starts with a lab at 6:30 tomorrow morning, although class is delayed by a week while we figure out which day it’s on. And in Hebrew we’ve picked up where we left off last semester; we’re now studying history and reading selections from Altnueland (not in German – in Hebrew).

            I had Expository Writing (Expos) for the first time yesterday. Now, if you don’t already know this, I love writing and literature. I want to be a good story teller, and I understand the importance of effective communication on all levels and how essential that is to making a difference in the world. Still, spending half an hour on a nine-word sentence seems a little much. I doubt it took Jane Austen that long to write it.

            I don’t enjoy writing and painstakingly revising essays, but I’ve done it before, and there is an immense satisfaction that comes with looking at a piece of writing and knowing that it’s well-crafted. But I can’t write for writing’s sake. As horrible as it would be to have an important idea and not be able to express it, I think it’s much worse to speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have nothing to say. Thus, writing about how someone else writes isn’t really my forte.

Still, I am convinced that in every aspect of life, whether it be a philosophical treatise, a novel, or a calculus textbook, we can catch a glimpse of the enduring truths that define the universe, that all connect somehow to the One who gives them significance. And so I will sit and talk about one semi-colon for half my Expos class and then dive into the reading to see what truth I can glean. And when I find that truth, I will want to write.

Okay, diatribe over. As you can tell, I haven’t exactly figured out my thesis yet. I’ll let you know if I find one. In the meantime, I’m trying to deal with the constant dings and rings that tell me people are emailing and texting me more things to add to my to-do list. The semester has barely started, and already I want a break. Though this week is better than last week, now that I’m past the rough adjustment from vacation at home to work at school.

I know I’m not the only one who sometimes thinks that school is interrupting the learning process. I enjoy studying – I do. At the moment, I spend most of my free time memorizing Hebrew vocabulary; I’ve made it into a sort of mind-game, and I look forward to playing. (It wasn’t assigned; I started over the break.) If there weren’t so many deadlines, I would probably feel the same way about Jane Austen and Herzl and Physics and National Security in the Middle East. As it is, I think to myself at least once a day, “Wouldn’t it be lovely if I could devote a few years to just studying…?” And then I wonder what exactly has gone wrong.

Not that I think there’s much to be done about it; that’s how life is. If you need to service large numbers of people, and you need to be able to tell how much they’ve learned, and if not everyone is terribly self-motivated, you need an education system that does things this way. And I appreciate all the efforts that go into allowing me to do this; this is probably as close to ideal as things get in this life.

And so it’s really up to the student; like so many things in college, it’s a choice. Go equation-hunting or actually learn the theory in Physics? Scribble off the assignments or actually learn the language in Hebrew? Scrape by and meet the requirements or try to grow as a person in college? And though it isn’t always easy – in fact, I can’t remember a time when it was – the answer is pretty obvious.

Make it count.

 

PS: These were taken yesterday, during the milder snowstorm. Can you spot the squirrel?