NaBloPoMo finale

Going out with a bang, or at least a pop: I thought of two things to blog about today.

Number One...I've written before that the most satisfying and enjoyable activities are usually periodically painful and/or not fun while they are happening, such as training for the triathlon, assigned or contract writing assignments, and school in general.

I hadn't been to school in about two weeks because of illness and holidays, and I was kind of not looking forward to going in today for some reason. I guess I've been feeling overwhelmed by the project that I'm helping with...the bottomless chasm of neuroimaging. But I went, and within a few minutes of the start of the lab meeting, I was totally energized by the discussion, even though it was on area of research I'm not very interested in, relatively speaking. It reminded me that if I decide on a PhD (and I'm moving further in that direction), it will be the most intense, nerve-wracking and intermittently painful and exciting experience, yet I think it will be one of the most satisfying experience I could undertake. (Another grad student recently described her doctorate as "the most humiliating 6 years of my life." Am I sure I want to sign up for that?)

Anyway, it turns out that my previous take on the "pleasure formula" is more widely true for me than I thought. The activities that always seem like fun in the moment (like lounging on the couch all day, watching movies and reading magazines) are not very satisfying. The stuff that is ultimately satisfying is often not entirely fun in the moment, and often there's a big juicy goal to be achieved in the end. I'm sure this outlook is true for other people (Ray believes he's wired the same way), but I'm not sure how common it is. Glad I know this about myself, but geez, it took me long enough!

Number two...I had been adding to a list of potential blog topics for this month, and I only got to a portion of them, mostly because they are only partially fleshed out. Here are the leftovers:

Top 5 favorite Seattle food items: palmier, croissant, bread at De-Lite Bakery, chicken fresh rolls at Tamerind tree, wedge salad at Gordon Biersch, steak/black bean/plaintain/garlic entrée at Mojito, little pizzas at Black Bottle, stout mud pie at Rockbottom, Red Mill cheeseburger,
Baby room décor
Photos of eyes
School, potential research areas
5 inanimate objects I’d take if there were a fire: propeller, glass bowl, Baciu painting, Thinker, tree plate
Lukewarm turned recommendation for Angels in America, the Conversation,
Draft posts
Rejected baby names: Torrance, Ramona,
Upload my Miis
Best gifts I’ve ever given: Russ & Daniel “snakey”, Karis’ wigs, Karsten’s “kitty”,
Poem about
Annoying things: paper towels with patterns,
Music picks
5 talents I wish I had
5 best smells: chlorine,
Sammy photo
Addicting things: online mahjong, Ninja Warrior
August’s fall palette (colors)
Weird expressions: “Kick in the pants” to describe August
The pressure of 8 pm...freetime!
Why do my potluck dishes always go horribly wrong