The Book: I borrowed The Paradox of Choice by Barry Schwartz about two months ago and I didn't get around to reading it, but I figure I should read it and return it before I'm known as the black hole of non-returnables (I just returned a bunch of stuff Diego lent me over eight months ago.) Anyhow, that's not the point. This book is interesting, positing the theory that even though we as a people might want as much choice as possible, the fact is that we as a society have so much choice that it's causing us distress. Wasted energy from trying to find the absolute best choice, spending too much time on meaningless decisions, mental distress from worrying about things after the fact, and the real danger of making a bad choice that shouldn't have been wholly yours to make in the first place. I came in a skeptic but found myself agreeing with Schwartz's points a lot more than I thought I would. I have barely spent any time reading it and I'm 75 pages in, so it's that rare find I like so much: a well-researched, thoughtful book that's not painful to read.
The Movie/DVD: I watched a LOT of movies last week, what with my Peach being away and needing breaks from studying. I could talk about any of them, but I think I'll focus briefly on The Phantom of the Opera from 1925. It's melodramatic and the print is understandably faded, and I wouldn't say I particularly enjoyed it. But the sets are GORGEOUS, and even though it's more quaint than spectacular you do get a sense of awe from some of the larger scenes. And Lon Chaney, Sr. is magnificent. Just a wave of his hand or a shrug of his shoulders and you don't need anything else. A classic more in the remembering than in the re-watching, but still worth a watch for film nerds like me.
The Food: The McRib is back, baby! (Warning: Flash.) Not a hoax, not a dream, not an imaginary story! I know some people are vegetarians and some others wouldn't set foot in a McDonalds if you paid them, but to me, there's something special about delicious pork meat on a bun with pickles and onions. Oh, McRib. Why can't you stay forever...
The Real Life: Yeah, still with the studying. It's a killer, and I'm sure how well it correlates to the exam, but it is kind of nice to know how much stuff I remember, and how much is coming back to me with so little memory-jogging. I actually find myself liking Resonance and Speech Science a lot more than I did during the classes, and am almost interested in re-reading some of my old textbooks purely for enjoyment's sake. Yes, I know. Nerd. What else is new?
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2 comments:
McRib?? Seriously? I thought I knew you...sigh.
Choice is a very overwhelming factor in life.
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