Saturday, December 17, 2005

Confessions of a mind with too much time on its hands...Part 1

--Except minds don't have hands. That's the sort of thing that you realize when you have too much time to think about it.
--Water is the most vital substance on earth. We can't live without it. Beyond that, we enjoy it so much that we carve out holes in our backyard, fill them with water, and jump in. But, on the other hand, water seems to be the bane of our existence. In Genesis, water ultimately symbolized chaos, and I think that's a pretty accurate description. The Gulf Coast can vouch for that. And then, it rains some, then the water freezes on the trees, the trees fall, and millions of people are left in the dark. What's life without a little irony?
--Why is Stanford University "the Cardinal"? Are they too good for a plural mascot? Are they above such conformity? Is it a pseudo-intellectual plot to get bored sports fans to ask this very question, and ultimately decide it is because Stanford is special? And why is their physical mascot a plush tree with eyes? Is there a cardinal hiding somewhere in the tree? Do we even know that they're referring to a bird in the first place? A Church clergyman would be much more interesting than a bird. Or maybe "the cardinal directions"...
--Stanford's playing Virginia Tech on TV right now. What in the world is a Hokie?
--I'm now convinced that all single people experience a common phenomenon: they wake up one morning and decide that, because they are single, and have been for X amount of time, they will forever be single. (I'm not sure how this conclusion is reached, but it is nearly inevitable.) Soon after, they convince themselves that there are more important things in life, and that they are silly for worrying. Then they go further in that direction, imagining their life as a noble single person, able to accomplish so much good for the world because of the lack of the dating/marriage distraction. Then they realize that that wouldn't be all that much fun half of the time, without close companionship to give and receive. In fact, the thought is pretty distressing. They then shake their head, realizing the futility of worrying about something that will likely take care of itself, and go back to business as normal.
--A friend told me tonight that going to Furman for one semester has made her feel like she doesn't belong in her hometown. I know very few people who have not experienced a major ideological change since being at Furman, and one consequence of this is a feeling of betrayal to the ideas that once encompassed you and your old friends. The temptation to avoid is believing that you are suddenly "right" and they are "wrong." Unfortunately, I've seen some give in to this temptation, and it comes off simply as arrogance.
--WKRP Cincinnati was the Sports Night of its time.
--What is the point of dragging two college basketball teams to a preseason tournament thousands of miles away so that they can play in front of 500 locals and dedicated fans? It's inconvenient for the players, the fans, and the people actually trying to make money off of the venture. It's as simple as supply and demand: is there a great demand for Virginia Tech/Stanford basketball in Las Vegas, Nevada? Or even better, how about South Carolina and Furman in Alaska? That certainly brought the big bucks in.
--I'm heading to bed. Always remember to brush your teeth, kids.

posted by Taylor @ 9:25 PM