OK, I've mentioned him before. A couple of times, actually. But I just cannot get over how good of an author Brandon Sanderson is. Last night, I came home for about a week to babysit my little siblings while my parents are off frolicking in San Diego (well, maybe Dad's not actually frolicking the whole time; he is at a conference). In conjunction with that, I finally had an opportunity to read the latest in the Alcatraz series by Brandon Sanderson. My little brother Thomas got it for Christmas, but it didn't finish cycling through the rest of the family before I returned to college. Reading this book was an experience I was looking forward to immensely. For those of you unfamiliar with the series, an altogether too large a portion of the world, the Alcatraz series is an urban fantasy series kind of like Harry Potter in overall plot structure: Teenage boy, struggles growing up with his powers and not realizing it for what it was, comes of age and is suddenly faced with the prospect of saving the world. Only Brandon Sanderson does it about 10 times better. One thing you need to understand, though, is he approaches it through comedy. DO NOT attempt to read any of these books while drinking or eating. It isn't safe. About the only books I've laughed out loud more while reading are Dave Barry ones, and probably not even all of those. Honestly, these books are just good to have around for those days when you just need to have a good laugh. Sanderson knows how to write comedy. Admittedly, though, many of the subtler jokes rely on being a well-read individual, but not terribly so.
Besides the humor, Sanderson writes amazing books. While I enjoy them for the comedy, I love them for what he is able to do with the writing. The deeper meanings in his works, hidden behind the facade of the wit, are what truly set these books apart. I could not put any of them down while I read them the first time. Brandon Sanderson does an excellent job at tapping into the human psyche, in a way I hadn't seen since Orson Scott Card's Ender and Shadow series. I quite honestly think that he is the best author currently writing. Period. I don't care if you like fantasy or not, at least give his Alcatraz series a try. If you do like fantasy, and you haven't picked up a Sanderson novel yet, do so soon. It's probably best to start with Mistborn, although I personally favor Elantris.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Toy Story 3
Sorry it's been so long. I've actually had a post ready for a while now, but I need to wait for the right time to publish it. I thought the moment would have come a lot sooner, but it hasn't, and the few of you that actually enjoy reading this blog for whatever reason deserve something.
But first, a message from my good friend and roommate Taylor Abegg-Lawerence: "Dear world: Barf barf barf barf. Love Taylor."
Yesterday, I finally watched Toy Story 3 for the first time. Mock and ridicule me all you want for going this long without seeing it; I know I deserve it. When my family watched it over Christmas break, however, I was off doing something with friends, and, although they watched How to Train Your Dragon three times, they didn't want to watch Toy Story 3 again. Yesterday I saw it, though, and my top 25 movies list needs some adjustment.
Toy Story 3 got me in a different way than Up did. With Up, I was most impressed with the first 15 minutes or so and spent the rest of the movie thinking it was a good movie. With Toy Story 3, I spent the large majority of the movie thinking it was a good movie and that Pixar had managed to avoid the "we have no story, but we'll still make a lot of money off this movie just because it's part of a great series" problem so many films have today, but I didn't think it was something all that special. Then I got to the last five minutes of the movie. It may just be a reflection of some stuff I'm going through right now, but in the last five minutes, when we really get to see Andy as something more than just a static character, I felt that Pixar had modeled him off of me.
Let's do a comparison, shall we? The whole premise of the movie is Andy moving out to college. They mention in the movie that Andy is 17 years old. Well, when I came to college, I was 17 years old. Check one. The opening scene of the movie is a depiction of a typical Andy playtime scenario. While I used sticks and completely imaginary characters as opposed to action figures, I used to create similar scenes. Check two. Andy has kept these old toys, hinting that though he might not play with them anymore, the stories he used to create with them still had a place in his imagination. The sticks I used to play out mock battle scenes fell by the wayside, but the stories I imagined proliferated. Check three. Andy has a great time revisiting those old games when he donates his old toys to Bonnie. Whenever I spend time with a small child, I immerse myself in their games and am able to play their games as fully as they do. Check four. All in all, the ending of that movie hit me like a brick. I was able to see myself as Andy (something that I think is not uncommon for most people). What a great ending to a great saga. Pixar did it yet again.
But first, a message from my good friend and roommate Taylor Abegg-Lawerence: "Dear world: Barf barf barf barf. Love Taylor."
Yesterday, I finally watched Toy Story 3 for the first time. Mock and ridicule me all you want for going this long without seeing it; I know I deserve it. When my family watched it over Christmas break, however, I was off doing something with friends, and, although they watched How to Train Your Dragon three times, they didn't want to watch Toy Story 3 again. Yesterday I saw it, though, and my top 25 movies list needs some adjustment.
Toy Story 3 got me in a different way than Up did. With Up, I was most impressed with the first 15 minutes or so and spent the rest of the movie thinking it was a good movie. With Toy Story 3, I spent the large majority of the movie thinking it was a good movie and that Pixar had managed to avoid the "we have no story, but we'll still make a lot of money off this movie just because it's part of a great series" problem so many films have today, but I didn't think it was something all that special. Then I got to the last five minutes of the movie. It may just be a reflection of some stuff I'm going through right now, but in the last five minutes, when we really get to see Andy as something more than just a static character, I felt that Pixar had modeled him off of me.
Let's do a comparison, shall we? The whole premise of the movie is Andy moving out to college. They mention in the movie that Andy is 17 years old. Well, when I came to college, I was 17 years old. Check one. The opening scene of the movie is a depiction of a typical Andy playtime scenario. While I used sticks and completely imaginary characters as opposed to action figures, I used to create similar scenes. Check two. Andy has kept these old toys, hinting that though he might not play with them anymore, the stories he used to create with them still had a place in his imagination. The sticks I used to play out mock battle scenes fell by the wayside, but the stories I imagined proliferated. Check three. Andy has a great time revisiting those old games when he donates his old toys to Bonnie. Whenever I spend time with a small child, I immerse myself in their games and am able to play their games as fully as they do. Check four. All in all, the ending of that movie hit me like a brick. I was able to see myself as Andy (something that I think is not uncommon for most people). What a great ending to a great saga. Pixar did it yet again.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Sometimes, You Just Have to Dance
There are just those times in life when stuff is just going well. And then something really exciting happens. And then your favorite song comes on. Those are the times when you just have to dance. Just get up and bust a move or two. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.
Okay, no, no, not really. I've never just had to dance in my life. But hey, it was a title for a post, and it certainly got your attention didn't it? Who wouldn't want to read about the sudden transformation of David Sorensen to a dancer? That would be breaking news. Almost like the rumor that spread without prejudice about me having a girlfriend. Let me just clear that matter up right now: David Sorensen does not have, and has never had, a girlfriend. The world has not yet ended. You don't need to worry.
Yeah, basically I have nothing to write about and so I'm kind of just going with any life updates you might possibly want to know about. Except I don't really have a life, so I don't have any updates to tell you about. Too bad. Well, I guess...nope, nothing at all remotely even close to interesting. Sorry. Welcome to my life. It's really quite boring, but I like it. I don't do very exciting things, but it doesn't matter to me because what I do is enjoyable.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Apology
A point that I have come to know many times was reiterated today: I get way, way too worked up about sports. Whether I'm playing or watching, I let my emotions go. Through sheer force of training, I thankfully don't release profanities, but that doesn't make my conduct any more acceptable. When things don't go well, or don't happen the way I think they should, in a game, I get downright angry. As if I wasn't frightening enough already, I become a towering mass of vindictive bitterness. Many of you have seen this for yourselves. And that is what today's post is about. Today, along with that realization that I've had many a time, came the realization that I do a horrible job of apologizing to the people who I affect when I get like that. I'm sure I've ruined the experience of many a person through my wrath, too many for me to remember them all. I wonder how many people have vowed never to sit by me at a sporting event or play a game with me ever again. I'd like, therefore, to publicly apologize to all of you. My conduct is unacceptable. I'm sorry for the games I've ruined, the anger I've caused, and the disturbances of harmony I'm responsible for. I'm sorry I haven't apologized before now. I am working on this; progress has been made, and I hope I will continue to progress. Thank you for those of you who have put up with me despite this, and especially thank you to those of you who have been brave enough to call me out on it. I hope one day to be able to play or watch any game with anybody and not become enraged. I'm not anywhere near that yet, but I will keep working on it.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Emotion
DISCLAIMER: This is one of my most scatterbrained pieces of work ever. If you thought some of my previous rants and raves were bad, wait until you read this. I could take time to polish it up, but frankly I just don't care enough. I put this down to put my own thoughts into words to help me look at the issue in a new light. Whether or not you get anything out of this is of no concern for me. I wouldn't post this at all if it weren't something to write about, and I want to keep Dania happy with me.
It's a funny thing. On one hand, it can be absolutely crippling. On the other, it can be what gets us through the day. From an evolutionary standpoint, it can be downright baffling. Often, it detracts from the cool intellect that is so great for adaptation and survival. Because of emotion, humans have a remarkable ability for spite. Most observed organisms do not exhibit spiteful behaviors: ones that harm the other individual at the cost of harming that individuals fitness. In a very real sense, natural selection is a very level-headed process. It's a pure cost-benefit analysis. Behaviors are selected for benefits to the fitness of individuals. Spiteful actions seem to not make sense, unless the action would harm the other individual's fitness more than their own and therefore there would be a net gain by that individual. Many human behaviors caused by emotion, however, do not have this effect. For example, I watched the film Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps with my roommates the other day (I do not recommend this film unless you have some sort of filter; although it is PG-13, it has some very strong language). It depicts the story of several Wall Street insiders who, through their thirst for vengeance, cause the stock market to crash--the film is set in 2008, but it is not an actual representation of the events that led to that crash. In the end, everyone involved ended up worse off. Such behavior should theoretically be selected against, yet it persists in humans.
Examples such as this are way I am a firm stoicist. I do my best to keep my emotions in check at all times. It's part of why I am sometimes labeled as a pessimist (part of it is because I kind of am). I rarely express positive emotion, so I must think every thing is not going well. However, if you notice, I also rarely express negative emotions. Emotion often is an enemy of logic, so while I do my best to understand my own emotional reactions and, to be blunt, manipulate the emotions of others, I keep my own emotions in check. I honestly think I make better decisions because of this. At times when my emotions do run away from me, as has happened all too often in the past couple of weeks--to both positive and negative extremes--I try to refrain from action. Passionate emotions tend to impede judgment, and decisions made while under these extreme emotions can often lead to unintended consequences.
I do not wish to put forward a full on condemnation of emotion, however. While emotions can lead to poor decision-making, it is partially emotion that makes good decisions a desirable goal. I also recognize that stoicism can be taken too far. When we abandon all emotional reaction and go based off purely cold intellect and reason, we can arrive at horrible conclusions. Look at Johnathan Swift's A Modest Proposal if you need any proof of that. The work is an wonderful example of satire, but when you look at the idea he puts forth, it makes absolute perfect sense. Removing emotion entirely can lead to horrible ideas like breeding children for food.
The answer, then, is a healthy mix. It is one of life's great difficulties. I know that I have not yet arrived at that healthy balance. The exact mixture between intellect and emotion that we should use is elusive. Much like the old game Lemonade Tycoon, the key is experimentation. The trouble is that likely by now you have found a combination that seems to work pretty well for you. My formula seems to work rather well right now, and adjusting it might lead to a decrease in effectiveness. I am also fairly confident, however, that my current formula is not ideal, and as circumstances change I will have to adjust the balance. In the end, I'm willing to risk it because I'd rather live with a bunch of human beings than a bunch of programmed robots. It makes life worth living. Yes, humans have a remarkable capacity for spite, but they also have an astounding ability for altruism, and the source of both types of behavior is the same.
It's a funny thing. On one hand, it can be absolutely crippling. On the other, it can be what gets us through the day. From an evolutionary standpoint, it can be downright baffling. Often, it detracts from the cool intellect that is so great for adaptation and survival. Because of emotion, humans have a remarkable ability for spite. Most observed organisms do not exhibit spiteful behaviors: ones that harm the other individual at the cost of harming that individuals fitness. In a very real sense, natural selection is a very level-headed process. It's a pure cost-benefit analysis. Behaviors are selected for benefits to the fitness of individuals. Spiteful actions seem to not make sense, unless the action would harm the other individual's fitness more than their own and therefore there would be a net gain by that individual. Many human behaviors caused by emotion, however, do not have this effect. For example, I watched the film Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps with my roommates the other day (I do not recommend this film unless you have some sort of filter; although it is PG-13, it has some very strong language). It depicts the story of several Wall Street insiders who, through their thirst for vengeance, cause the stock market to crash--the film is set in 2008, but it is not an actual representation of the events that led to that crash. In the end, everyone involved ended up worse off. Such behavior should theoretically be selected against, yet it persists in humans.
Examples such as this are way I am a firm stoicist. I do my best to keep my emotions in check at all times. It's part of why I am sometimes labeled as a pessimist (part of it is because I kind of am). I rarely express positive emotion, so I must think every thing is not going well. However, if you notice, I also rarely express negative emotions. Emotion often is an enemy of logic, so while I do my best to understand my own emotional reactions and, to be blunt, manipulate the emotions of others, I keep my own emotions in check. I honestly think I make better decisions because of this. At times when my emotions do run away from me, as has happened all too often in the past couple of weeks--to both positive and negative extremes--I try to refrain from action. Passionate emotions tend to impede judgment, and decisions made while under these extreme emotions can often lead to unintended consequences.
I do not wish to put forward a full on condemnation of emotion, however. While emotions can lead to poor decision-making, it is partially emotion that makes good decisions a desirable goal. I also recognize that stoicism can be taken too far. When we abandon all emotional reaction and go based off purely cold intellect and reason, we can arrive at horrible conclusions. Look at Johnathan Swift's A Modest Proposal if you need any proof of that. The work is an wonderful example of satire, but when you look at the idea he puts forth, it makes absolute perfect sense. Removing emotion entirely can lead to horrible ideas like breeding children for food.
The answer, then, is a healthy mix. It is one of life's great difficulties. I know that I have not yet arrived at that healthy balance. The exact mixture between intellect and emotion that we should use is elusive. Much like the old game Lemonade Tycoon, the key is experimentation. The trouble is that likely by now you have found a combination that seems to work pretty well for you. My formula seems to work rather well right now, and adjusting it might lead to a decrease in effectiveness. I am also fairly confident, however, that my current formula is not ideal, and as circumstances change I will have to adjust the balance. In the end, I'm willing to risk it because I'd rather live with a bunch of human beings than a bunch of programmed robots. It makes life worth living. Yes, humans have a remarkable capacity for spite, but they also have an astounding ability for altruism, and the source of both types of behavior is the same.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
D.C. Project
I was sitting in my kitchen last night, just kind of goofing off and relaxing after the week, when Dania started chatting with me. She mentioned the fact that she still hadn't gotten over Dona Nobis Pacem, and I said I felt the same way after the band completed the DC Project. That got me thinking, reminiscing, and laughing about that experience. For those of you who aren't familiar with the DC Project, it was an undertaking of the Timpview High School Band. Dr. David Fullmer, the director of the Timpview Band, received an invitation for the band to participate in the National Cherry Blossom Parade in April of 2008. Previously, the Timpview Band had helped to commemorate the 60th anniversaries of both Pearl Harbor and D-Day. As part of those trips, Dr. Fullmer had every participating member of the band go through a rigorous process to prepare them and help them understand more about what those events meant in the history of the world. Upon receiving the invitation for the Cherry Blossom Parade, he decided it was time for the Timpview Band to do another similar project.
Those that went on the trip met twice a month from September through December at six in the morning, once for a music rehearsal and once for a lecture about various wars. That bumped up to every week from January until we left. Additionally, we had pass-offs for memorization of music and historical documents, and occasionally an extra rehearsal on Saturday mornings. Homework for the project was a significant length research paper on a topic of our choosing and watching several movies depicting the various wars. For eight months, we devoted a large portion of our time and energy into this project. It culminated with a week spent in Washington D.C., which I can honestly say was one of the best weeks of my life.
We had performances at the Air Force Memorial, the World War II Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, and Gettysburg. Each one was special. Because of the time spent learning all the information we did, the entire project meant a whole lot more. It is my most treasured memory of high school. The tenderest moment on the trip was I was walking along the Vietnam Memorial wall, and I happened upon a letter wrote by one Natalie Cooper. She was writing on behalf of her father, Gary. I wish I had remembered the name of the fallen soldier she addressed the letter to. I do, however, remember reading the words "He doesn't know I'm writing this." This young girl, who seemed to be no more than 14, knew what a sacrifice her father and his fellow soldiers made. She understood and wanted to express appreciation. She had the capacity to see how much it meant for her father, and expressed her love of her father in that note. That moment, beyond anything else I experienced on the trip (and believe me, there was a lot), made it all worthwhile. It remains one of the more profound experiences of my life to this day.
There are a multitude of other experiences I could share. It was quite simply one of the best weeks of my life, and a lot happened during it. It had such an effect on me that when I received an invitation to attend the National Youth Leadership Forum on National Security: Exploring American Defense, Diplomacy, and Intelligence, I jumped at the opportunity to return to D.C. I was not going to pass up the chance to go back and visit those places again and relive the moments. I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in that, and grateful that I had a director who did his best to help us young, stupid teenagers discover what it was really all about.
Those that went on the trip met twice a month from September through December at six in the morning, once for a music rehearsal and once for a lecture about various wars. That bumped up to every week from January until we left. Additionally, we had pass-offs for memorization of music and historical documents, and occasionally an extra rehearsal on Saturday mornings. Homework for the project was a significant length research paper on a topic of our choosing and watching several movies depicting the various wars. For eight months, we devoted a large portion of our time and energy into this project. It culminated with a week spent in Washington D.C., which I can honestly say was one of the best weeks of my life.
We had performances at the Air Force Memorial, the World War II Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, and Gettysburg. Each one was special. Because of the time spent learning all the information we did, the entire project meant a whole lot more. It is my most treasured memory of high school. The tenderest moment on the trip was I was walking along the Vietnam Memorial wall, and I happened upon a letter wrote by one Natalie Cooper. She was writing on behalf of her father, Gary. I wish I had remembered the name of the fallen soldier she addressed the letter to. I do, however, remember reading the words "He doesn't know I'm writing this." This young girl, who seemed to be no more than 14, knew what a sacrifice her father and his fellow soldiers made. She understood and wanted to express appreciation. She had the capacity to see how much it meant for her father, and expressed her love of her father in that note. That moment, beyond anything else I experienced on the trip (and believe me, there was a lot), made it all worthwhile. It remains one of the more profound experiences of my life to this day.
There are a multitude of other experiences I could share. It was quite simply one of the best weeks of my life, and a lot happened during it. It had such an effect on me that when I received an invitation to attend the National Youth Leadership Forum on National Security: Exploring American Defense, Diplomacy, and Intelligence, I jumped at the opportunity to return to D.C. I was not going to pass up the chance to go back and visit those places again and relive the moments. I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in that, and grateful that I had a director who did his best to help us young, stupid teenagers discover what it was really all about.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Thai
This semester I am taking a first-year Thai class. When it was time for registration back in October, I had an extra slot in my schedule, and I decided I wanted to take a language class. Unfortunately, the majority of beginning language classes are taught at 9 in the morning. My neurobiology class is also taught at 9 in the morning, and there was no way I was going to give up that class. Luckily, with persistent searching I found a Thai class offered at 12 and decided to take that. So far, it has been my favorite class this semester. It's so nice to have a class that consistently challenges and engages my brain. Most of my classes move too slowly for me, and I find teachers going over and over material I learn the first time around. In Thai, however, we move along pretty well and keep adding new stuff in. For a guy who has pretty much been on cruise control as far as schooling goes for a long time, it is a breath of fresh air. I'm enjoying it so much, I figured I'd share some of what I learned with you. Keep in mind that the romanization is not perfect, but it gives you an idea.
Sawad-dii khrab (Hello)
Phom chuu David khrab. Khun chuu arai khrab? (My name is David. What is your name?)
Khun mii chuu leen mai khrab? (Do you have a nickname? In Thailand, part of the culture is having a nickname given by the parents to each child)
Khun sabaidii mai khrab? (How are you?)
Phom sabaidii/ruay ruay/mai sabai/bpen wad/bpuad hua/bpuad thoong khrab. (I am fine/so so/not feeling well/have a cold/have a headache/have a stomachache)
Chookh dii khrab. Leew phob gan mai khrab (Good luck! See you later. You don't say goodbye much in Thai, but if you did you would say laa goon)
Yin dii thii dai ruu jag khun khrab (Nice to meet you)
Well, that's some of the basic phrases. I've learned a lot of other stuff as well. Bear in mind that if you are a girl you need to replace all the Phoms with Dichans and all the khrabs with khas. Also, I'm too lazy to figure out how to do tone markers, and the tone in Thai can make all the difference, so be sure you get someone to demonstrate it for you before you attempt it. It really is quite a cool language.
Sawad-dii khrab (Hello)
Phom chuu David khrab. Khun chuu arai khrab? (My name is David. What is your name?)
Khun mii chuu leen mai khrab? (Do you have a nickname? In Thailand, part of the culture is having a nickname given by the parents to each child)
Khun sabaidii mai khrab? (How are you?)
Phom sabaidii/ruay ruay/mai sabai/bpen wad/bpuad hua/bpuad thoong khrab. (I am fine/so so/not feeling well/have a cold/have a headache/have a stomachache)
Chookh dii khrab. Leew phob gan mai khrab (Good luck! See you later. You don't say goodbye much in Thai, but if you did you would say laa goon)
Yin dii thii dai ruu jag khun khrab (Nice to meet you)
Well, that's some of the basic phrases. I've learned a lot of other stuff as well. Bear in mind that if you are a girl you need to replace all the Phoms with Dichans and all the khrabs with khas. Also, I'm too lazy to figure out how to do tone markers, and the tone in Thai can make all the difference, so be sure you get someone to demonstrate it for you before you attempt it. It really is quite a cool language.
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