May, 7, 2002 archives

more than you ever wanted to know about shaving your head. (via mefi, where the reviews of the site are a bit mixed, but there is a lack of any better advice. going electric seems like a good call to me.)

the call for participation for apachecon 2002 (in vegas this year) is out. (ignore the bits of the web page that refer to apachecon europe. they just haven't been updated yet.)

the article functionality of my weblog was broken. this is what allows me to mark a long entry as an article so only the first paragraph appears on the front page and in the rss feed, and adds 'more' to the link below the entry.

this was the essay i wrote, about twelve years ago, that served as my college application essay and the essay for the national merit program. this is from a not-quite-final draft, i think, judging from the number of obvious typos that i fixed when typing it in.

(besides testing this article functionality, why put this up? to save it for posterity. i have an unhealthy fascination with everything i've ever written, and my “early works” are in short supply.)

My life is a mix of a bowling ball, an egg, and a watermelon. That may seem like a strange analogy, but I cannot think of a better one. Like a bowling ball, my schoolwork and academic performance has been solid as a rock, with only a few holes that enable me to get a grip on it. It has been decorated with numerous nicks, scratches and dents, but these are not the result of abuse and punishment as one might first conclude. Instead, these are the rewards of hard, consistent work, akin to the many academic awards I have lain claim to since early in my life. The watermelon seems to dominate my life, and it represents the real-world education gleaned from a stream of jobs. On the outside it may not look so great, but inside, or in close scrutiny, it is sweet, quite beautiful, and definitely worth living for. Working at a fast-food restaurant is very unappealing to some, but I have found of heard of no better place to interact with people in both long- and short-term relationships. I've worked my way up through several jobs, each more challenging and rewarding than the last, and have found each to have its own indigestible part, like the seeds of a watermelon. Some parts seem to have more seeds, but the sense of accomplishment is greatest when the work is hardest. Last, but definitely not least, is the part of my life that is an egg. It may not appear exciting on the outside, just as the watermelon may not, but inside is a golden center, my friends and family. That is the ultimate prize of my egg, for it sustains and nourishes me. But in turn, it is supported by the vast egg white, the interests I hold dear to me, though not all-important in comparison to the golden prize. Music and sports, family and friends. Those are the attributes I must take care and handle the most gently, for if it shatters, it's a real mess, but if served right, it's a real delicacy. These three objects, these tree parts of my life, are what I juggle in my life and take great precautions to keep out of each other's way. For in a collision, none would escape unscathed. The egg would be shattered, the watermelon would be split asunder, and the bowling ball would be the nucleus of a great big mess. That is the direction I hope to lead my life away from. The watermelon will come to dominate my life more and more, as the bowling ball becomes only an old friend of life, to lean on in times of need, not an active participant. The egg will continue to grow, giving life to my life. And still, the three will remain seperate.

i just had to bring up writing. here's a standalone paragraph from my (oft neglected) writing notebook, from jan. 20, 2001:

change is an evolutionary process. the constant application of force to an inertial existence. revolutionary change is standing in the same place and looking in a different direction. it can precede evolution, or be a part of it, but it isn't a vital component.

(more from the notebook tomorrow, maybe.)