This Is Nothing

Insane Graduate School Edition

2/10/2008

Bookended by Crash Test Dummies

I’ll cover a short period of time that somehow ended up being bounded by two Crash Test Dummies songs: 1)Afternoons & Coffee spoons, 2) The Psychic. I really dig how life can match up with themes like that.

1)Afternoons and Coffee spoons
Oh man, I forgot how much I love T.S. Eliot. I chose to write a report on “The Wasteland” in highschool, and I’ve kept my pencil-lined and noted copy around ever since. So I got to rediscover “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” covering themes like. . . .

Measuring your life in cycles of coffee consumption:
For I have known them all already, known them all:—
Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons,
I have measured out my life with coffee spoons;


And nailing what I really wish for my life:


No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be;
Am an attendant lord, one that will do To swell a progress, start a scene or two,
Advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool,
Deferential, glad to be of use,
Politic, cautious, and meticulous;
Full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse;
At times, indeed, almost ridiculous—
Almost, at times, the Fool.


2)The Pyschic
Went to a psychic faire this Saturday with Sarah—neither of us really knowing what to expect, but figured it would be a fun “what the heck” sorta thing to do. Everyone was really nice there, but it can be a little tough not to let your science training shine through. These things are the exact opposite of science, which did make it a bit refreshing. I got a quick 15 minute reading while I was there. There was a lot I didn’t understand because her mind shifted around—a lot like a T.S. Eliot poem does—but there were parts I could understand and get behind. The two words she said came to her over and over again were “global focus” and she said she could see me reporting something in front of a panel, something important, like I was maybe warning against something. But also that she saw me inspiring young people, that all my doubts about being in science would be my strength when helping others with their doubts. Also that writing would be important. It sounded a lot like teaching . . . we’ll see. Anyway, the upshot of it all was that I should focus right now on lightening up and not being so serious. When the future comes, it will be a question of totally loving something or hating something.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home