Translate

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

symmetria

Meet my pet Peeve:
He likes to think he's pretty great.

Actually, I don't really have a "pet peeve".  You can ask me what my pet peeve is, and I won't give you an answer.  Not a whole lot of stuff bugs me beyond belief.  I guess I'm fairly tolerant of those stupid little things that people hate.

Probably because I do all of them.

But the reason why I drew a picture of a green monster-looking thing is because today in calculus class, we were discussing a surface that had symmetry.  And suddenly, every other word said in our discussion was this:

"symmetrical"

According to the online dictionaries, "symmetrical" is a valid word.  But I don't think that it should be.  Think about it.  "Symmetrical" is a word used to describe an object that has symmetry.  So we needed to turn the word "symmetry" into an adjective.

Which is why the word "symmetric" exists.  It's an adjective, derived from "symmetry".
So isn't "symmetrical" just redundant?  You took a word, and double-adjectived it? (Yes, i just nouned "adjective"...and then I nouned "noun"...but at least I didn't double-noun anything...)

I guess my major tiff with the word "symmetrical" is that "symmetric" sounds better (to me) and it's shorter and means the same thing...and it's only a first-degree adjective...
But apparently "symmetrical" is in the dictionary, so I can't really call people out and say, "'symmetrical' is not a word", which is too bad. Because it sounds dumb.

Is it valid to say, then, that my "pet peeve" is the word "symmetrical"?  It may have just become one, after all...

Perhaps I'm what some might call a language "elitist".  And I would have to correct them, and say language "aficionado" is more correct. 

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

videre

I did something the other day that I haven't done for quite some time. 

I was talking to a boy (oooooOOOooooo...that's not what it was, though.  I've done that often :P) and the conversation turned to what his favorite poet was.  I was expecting some answer along the lines of Robert Frost or Emily Dickinson, or if I was lucky, Langston Hughes.  Instead the response was "Billy Collins".  I was like "Who is that?"

Turns out he's a contemporary poet.  He has this book called Horoscopes for the Dead.  I read the book in its entirety in about half an hour (a terrible pace to be reading poetry, I know, but I prefer to read poetry with a pen in hand...and I don't think my friend would have appreciated it if I marked up his book...)
It had been a while since I had read poetry, especially the contemporary stuff.  So it was refreshing yet slightly alien to read it then.  There were a few poems that stood out to me, although I must admit that on the whole, I don't think Billy Collins will really become one of my favorites.

Something remarkable, though, was the way that Collins was able to point out the seemingly arbitrary things in life and make them something new and thoughtful.  Like lawn chairs, perpetually unused.

Two of the poems that illustrated this awareness of life quite diligently were "Thieves" and "As Usual" (look them up, if you want)
Here are excerpts:

The magnolia will flower,
and the bee, the noble bee--
I saw one earlier on my walk--
will shoulder his way into the bud.
(from "As Usual")

I considered myself lucky to notice
on my walk a mouse ducking like a culprit
into an opening in a stone wall,
a bit of fern draped over his disappearance,
(from "Thieves")

I found myself wondering what motivated Collins to mention, in the middle of his discourse on the bee, the fact that he had seen one earlier.  I mean, we all see bees, probably on most of our walks. (Although winter walks maybe not..) So why bring it up, like some noteworthy event?
Especially in a poem titled, "As Usual".  Mmmm....good stuff right there.
But it got me thinking about all the things that we see on a daily basis--the noble things, even--that go completely unnoticed to us.

As Sherlock Holmes would say, "You see, but you do not observe!"
Observe: Benedict Yumberbatch
This idea was then reinforced in the opening line of "Thieves": "I considered myself lucky to notice".  How many things are we so fortunate to witness that are completely trivial to us?  I saw a bird die once, and I considered myself lucky to be there, and I've considered myself to notice dragonflies battling the wind, but I've never before considered myself lucky to witness birds taking flight, or grasses bending in the breeze.  Or even the delicious snow that has been falling so bountifully lately.

Why not take some time and notice things, then?  And then consider just how lucky you are to have shared that moment with the universe.

And if you're feeling like it, write a poem about it.
I currently have one under construction concerning the snow.  I'll be sure to post it when it's ready to meet you. :)

Monday, January 21, 2013

dilectus

As I'm sure you've noticed by now, today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  It's one of the easier days to remember because we have school off and other things like that to point out that today we should be doing something out of the ordinary.

So, what did we use this opportunity to do?

Well I for one attended to my tomes of homework. I'm not really proud that this is how things ended up, though.. There are so many better ways to commemorate Reverend King.

I'm not going to focus on telling you facts about King's life. You all probably know that he was an African American supporter of the Civil Rights movement in the 50's. You all know that he had dreams, that he gave speeches and wrote letters from prisons he was placed in because of his nonviolent acts of civil disobedience.
He was a pretty influential guy, right?  So why do we dedicate an entire day of our busy lives to him?  The only other people who have a US Holiday to their name are George Washington and Christopher Colombus. The idea for MLK day was originally proposed in 1979, but the bill didn't pass. Many people were opposed because the federally-paid holiday would affect the budget, plus King was a private citizen who had never held public office.  This mode of honoring him would seem to break tradition.

Eventually MLK day was signed into law in 1983 and was first observed in 1986.  Some states were reluctant to observe the holiday, though.  The bill had been met with an overwhelming (veto-proof!) vote in congress, but many states tried to find loopholes such as combining it with other holidays or changing its name.  The holiday wasn't officially observed by all 50 states until the year 2000.

That's thirteen years ago, people.  Most of us were alive then, and there were some states still stubbornly avoiding honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Aside from the cost concerns of a holiday and the fact that it has probably the longest name of any US holiday, why would a state go so far to avoid this holiday?

Well, to answer that, we really need to understand what this holiday is recognizing.  Obviously Reverend King is best known for his involvement in the Civil Rights movement. He was also an inspirational speaker on many other topics (I encourage you--and myself--to read more of his speeches and writings) but no doubt MLK day chiefly recognizes his belief in civil equality. In fact, Martin Luther King Day has been observed in places outside the US- including Hiroshima, Toronto, and Jerusalem under various circumstances.  Each of these observances have been in honor of King's work for civil rights.
So believe it or not, there are still people who oppose civil rights.  In the 21st century.  And some of those people hold public office.  So they were elected by yet more people who seem to oppose the ongoing fight for civil rights.

Is it just a race thing?  As sad as it is to admit, there is still a great deal of racism in the world.  You read about slavering ending with the Civil War, and then the Civil Rights Movement, and think to yourself, "I am so glad that we have finally moved past that as humans."
Well, unfortunately, we haven't.  It has taken us so long to get this far, and we still have so far to go.


I met a man on campus the other day and spoke with him for a while.  He was Saudi Arabian, and was studying here before returning to his country for a graduate degree.  I asked why he came here, and he told me that he had originally gone to London, but that the people there were too racist.  He moved to the United States instead.

Now, before you pat yourself on the back for being a city on the hill, realize that we're pretty racist here, too.  Not necessarily against Saudi Arabians, but there is a lot of intolerance toward Mexicans and South Americans because of immigration struggles.  There are many hate crimes committed against Muslims.  And there are still instances of outright white-supremacist racism.  It's active and it's here, and sometimes it's us.

And of course you're thinking to yourself "well I'm not the problem..."  But sometimes it's hard to realize that maybe you are.  Do you stereotype every Spanish-speaking person you see as "Mexican"?  Believe it or not, many people take offense to that.  Take a minute to think about the things you assume.  You can even have a conversation with people you know about the racially inept things people do, both that you've seen and that you've experienced.  It might not be the easiest of conversations to have, but it will be eye-opening for everyone involved.
Another thing you can do to really honor Martin Luther King and his efforts is to view the day as an opportunity for civil service.  In various areas around the nation, MLK day has become "Martin Luther King Day of Service" and citizens are encouraged to spend the day volunteering to make a difference.  There are so many things you can do in Reverend King's name to commemorate the occasion.  I personally would promote the continuation of the fight for civil rights (it's an ongoing process. So many people worldwide and here in America are denied rights!) or some other public involvement.  But really doing anything to promote peace and understanding throughout your community would easily mark the day.  After all, one of my favorite quotes from Reverend King is this: 

Love is creative and redemptive. Love builds up and unites; hate tears down and destroys. The aftermath of the ‘fight with fire’ method which you suggest is bitterness and chaos, the aftermath of the love method is reconciliation and creation of the beloved community. Physical force can repress, restrain, coerce, destroy, but it cannot create and organize anything permanent; only love can do that. Yes, love—which means understanding, creative, redemptive goodwill, even for one’s enemies—is the solution to the race problem.

The biggest part of today is to carry on doing good.  To continue the pursuit of our happiness and our dreams.  You can kill a man, but you cannot kill what he stood for if that notion and that dream is carried out in the heart of the people.  Not the hearts, but the singular, shared heart of a community unified in mind and in goal.

So I know we're all caught up in important things today.  I still have homework to attend to. I didn't actively commit to civil service today.  But that doesn't mean that I didn't take some time to reflect on my life and the lives of those around me, and whether we are living the best way we can.  And it also doesn't mean that I can't continue to pursue the dreams of this nation and this world another day.  I can serve someone tomorrow.  I can extend love to another person any day this week.  Every single effort we make to do things like that will take us closer to our inevitable goal:


Our goal is to create a beloved community
and this will require a qualitative change in our souls
as well as a quantitative change in our lives.
-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

qualitas

Time for a confession:

Even though I really love this blog and enjoy making posts and writing things, I still sometimes feel silly for having a blog.

In my head, blogging is still a little bit frivolous. Perhaps because the majority of the blogs I am aware of are the cute little mommy blogs that seem to be so popular in my culture. And those do not interest me at all. I see people post things, and think "why do I care what you made for your "hubby's" birthday dinner?" or "believe it or not, I'm not really intrigued by the details of your toddler's potty-training". And so there are times that I'm a little bit ashamed to be in the same group of 'bloggers' as all those blogs that I think are a bit silly.

(but to those with mommy blogs: don't think I'm hating. Who knows if I'll change my mind in a decade or so when it's actually applicable to me...)

This is how it feels:
o92sl 
Sometimes I feel like the one on the left, and It's like, "Yes, the whole world should read this post.  It is a masterpiece".
And then there are those posts where I wonder, "Who would read this? This is definitely the worst post on the blog thus far".

Unfortunately the only thing I can really do about this is to keep writing.  And keep posting.  And hope that the frequency of fantastic posts will increase, thereby decreasing the occurrence of lackluster posts.

Any fellow bloggers feel like this sometimes, too?

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

educationem

Baaaaugh. I feel like it's been forever since I posted last (indeed, a whole week).  I've been having a small case of writer's block, really.

But that's ending today. Not because I have a good idea now, but because I'm sick of it. So I'm going to write stuff whether it's good or not.

Ha, whether it's good or not...
See, I used to be an avid writer.  Throughout most of middle school I thought I wanted to grow up and become an author.  So I would write stories all the time.  I had a particular preference for stuff set in medieval times and also science fiction.  Kindof a weird match, but true...I was really quite steampunky, looking back.
I was going through some old writings I found recently and was like "Woh, this was written forever ago!  I think I was a better writer five years ago than I am now..."
Which, when it comes to fictitious writing, may very well be true.

Once upon a time in ninth grade, I got sick of English.  I think part of it was that I got bored with the teacher and a little distracted by myriad other things, but I stopped enjoying writing assignments (and really, stopped doing them altogether) and since then I've been largely focused more on maths and sciences than writing.

It doesn't really help that my high school writing career largely involved analytical and technical writing.  I still enjoyed it and succeeded at it, but it wasn't as inventive and didn't always consist of a whole lot of myself.

So frankly, it's a bit strange to me that now I'm in university, studying mechanical engineering (where all my classes are math and science-based) I've kindof resurrected my former writing self.  Of all times to do so.

Perhaps it just goes to show that now I've finished all my required English and Art classes for the rest of my foreseeable educational journey, I have to get my fix some other (optional) way.

I just think it's interesting that when it comes to science versus art, the only ground seems to be middle ground.  You really can't have one without the other; even in individuals it's somewhat impossible to devote yourself to becoming entirely immersed in one while completely avoiding the other.
"Ohai, I'm Leonardo da Vinci, and I'm the boss of Art and Science."
It almost seems as if the further you delve into one area, the deeper you go in others as well.  Like the more you know about anatomy, the better you are at drawing people.  And the more experience you have with music, the easier it is to understand sound waves and sound interference. 

So I guess as long as you're learning something, you're gradually learning everything. Which is a pleasant thought to me.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

dominus

So it's now the third day of the semester, and an interesting pattern developed over the past two days as I went through syllabus after syllabus.

They all included the word "master".

And it wasn't even in the context of "In order to pass the final, you will have to pray to your Master" or "I am the ENGR2210 Master, I will decide who will pass and who will fail."

No, it was always along the lines of mastering the subject material.

And really, that's nothing unusual to be said, but I guess after being beaten over the head with in first in Statics, then in Calculus and Electronics and Physics and Graphics (Yes yes...you're all jealous of my kick-butt schedule) it made me think about the phrase a little more...than anyone really should, I guess.

Master. Mastery. Mastering...
In terms of education and syllabi, it's really not that strange. It means that you have gained an understanding of the subject and you can use it and not look silly in front of the nerds.

But then I started thinking about it in different terms.  I like to do this with words, really...and sometimes it's enlightening, and sometimes it's confusing, and sometimes it really doesn't get anywhere at all.  I guess we can decide where this one ended up after I describe it to you.

Master, as in "Master and slave"
Initial reaction: "slavery is bad!"
Then: "waiiiiit a minute.  I could enslave physics?  It could do my bidding?  Ooooh."  NOW this syllabus is getting somewhere.


"Physics! Solve this paltry homework conundrum!"
"Yes, Master..."
Suddenly, the world is becoming mine, and I'm realizing just how important education is, if it allows you to enslave Physics.  Calculus and Electronics, too.  Pretty soon I could be the master of lots of things!

Master, as in "Master's Program"
Yes...but this isn't a master's program...this is a sophomore-level engineering class...
But I suppose getting a good grip on this stuff is not a bad idea either way.  To get accepted to a master's program. So far off, but so much to think about...

Master, as in "Master, the Tempest is Raging"
Initial reaction: "RAAAAAAGING."   This tempest, Lord. 'Tis furious.
Then: Well, I suppose He mastered physics, too.  And calculus and electronics and graphics and statics...
I mean, to take a raging tempest:
I have labelled some stuff here (e.g. propagating waves :D), but it's very minimal.
I have not yet mastered all the physics...
And make it pleasant. Peachy, even:
Net Force: 0  Net Torque: 0
Net Celestial Fruit: Peach.
You kindof have to be a master of Physics and Statics to do that.  And in order to Master those, you have to master Caculus.  And when there's lightning, knowing a thing or two about Electronics probably wouldn't hurt, either.
As far as graphics, though...I'm pretty sure the Big Guy has a supercomputer.  And one heck of a laboratory.  And a huge white board in the sky for math...

But we can talk about Heaven and science later.


Anyway.  This semester is a promising one, if any of those three 'Masterings' comes true...
Most likely that of a Masters' Program.

...but I really wouldn't be disappointed if my mastery of science resulted in weather control or enslaving physics...

Monday, January 7, 2013

diversis

Today's remarks stem from a comment by a friend on facebook.  She was persuading people to branch out more in their musical worlds and experiment with different things rather than all the pop music they play at clubs and on the radio and such.  She pointed out that often an "indie" or "alternative" song will gain a lot of popularity (thereby becoming overplayed, to the dismay of hipsters everywhere) and people will love it because "it's so different."

This brought me to a theory of mine that I've hoped to be true for quite some time now.  It is this:

Nobody actually loves pop music.  Stuff like Ke$ha or Dubstep or Nicki Minaj...Sure, most people will listen to it, but in my nice little theory, they don't actually like it as much as they appear to do.
You could ask them what their favorite song is, and they would probably name some Bob Dylan song because it reminds them of spending time with their Grandfather.
But lyrics like "When I touch mic I see the men scatta/Scatta, as if I had a clutch on a magnum" (repeated about ten times to the tune of screaming over a techno cacophony) don't really give us those fond connections we're seeking.  Since we're imagining everyone running away from our singing as if they're about to be mortally wounded.
 
So, according to this theory, why is pop music popular?  Well, it's popular because the individual is confused and thinks that the masses like it.
The masses appear to like the music because they, acting as individuals, assume that this is the popular music that will make them look cool and make them fit in with the masses.  So they listen to this music, and other individuals see them with their "YOLO" and "swag" (formerly known as being "fly"), and those other individuals get the feeling that this is what they must do to appear popular and fit into the group as well.
And it becomes a terrible vicious cycle of terrible music, and then these ridiculous artists with little actual talent rake in millions, and their fangirls go on and on about how deep the lyrics are.

And it drives me crazy.

In my world, where this theory is ideally correct, I like to think that deep down, where our inner person is buried, people like to listen to stuff like local artists, or classic rock, or even the occasional classical music.
Mozart says "Me gusta"
Where the song is not there to prove how intense of a person you are, but that you're actually a person.

Unfortunately this theory is not entirely correct because there are some people who like pop music because they actually like it, and there is some pop music out there that is not absolute garbage.  Even I have a short list of pop songs that I find acceptable and even enjoyable.

So what's the point in sharing an incorrect theory with the world?
Well, I think that this theory might not apply absolutely (ie: the claim that nobody actually likes pop music) but that it still applies partially to many things in life.

A cliché example is walking out of a movie.  You might feel awkward to stand up, disrupt everyone else's movie experience, and leave.  You might be afraid that everyone will think you're being ridiculous, that seeing and hearing whatever might be on the screen has offended you. They probably think you're acting like a baby who can't take anything mature.

I'm not lecturing on what should and shouldn't make you uncomfortable; that's entirely up to you and your personal standards and integrity, and it's different for each person. What I am saying is that if something rubs you wrong or represents you in a way that is not yourself or the person you want yourself to be, then by all means abandon it.

And if that's pop music, don't be afraid to listen to a different station when your friends are in the car.  Maybe they'll enjoy it too.
If that's wearing a particular style of clothing, wear what you think best suits you.  If beanies suit you better than fedoras, wear beanies. Even if your friends appear to favor fedoras.
If that's going to a different university than all of your friends, don't be afraid to go where you think you'll fit better, or where your program of interest is stronger.

Don't be afraid to be the first to step out of the mainstream and do what suits you.
You might just have people agree with you and follow your example. And maybe enough people like you can make a change.

Saturday, January 5, 2013

librorum

I went to the bookstore the other day while my sisters were clothes shopping.  I used to be a bit of a book addict when I was younger, in fact I would often be grounded from reading because I would opt to read a book rather than do my chores or homework or sleep...
But it had been a long time since I had stepped foot in a bookstore (not including the university bookstore, because that doesn't count since every book in there is heinously overpriced and written by some presumptuous professor...) and at first, I was a little unsure of what to do there.  
X ALL THE THINGS - Buy ALL the books!

Obviously, my tastes in literature have changed since I was a young girl scurrying excitedly around the fiction shelves, so I took my time to peruse the shelves, pausing in the philosophy and religion section, then moving toward the sport section to see what kinds of soccer books they had, then finding myself in the leather-bound journal section (which is a section that involves looking at ALL the books, and feeling them and smelling them and loving them...Every book should be leather-bound.) But I did reconnect with my dormant bibliophile.

Unfortunately, I did not end up taking any books home with me, as I'm at university right now, and don't really have much money or space for all the books I want to have.
Plus there's a lending library that I frequent.

But one day, I do plan to obtain a large and beautiful library of my own, with a cozy chair by the fire.  And a dumbwaiter, because it's quaint, and because I'll probably spend hours in that library, and someone will need to send me sustenance without disturbing me.
How to obtain a library
That might just be the way to go, really.  Because his books are old, and old books, in addition to being relatively hard to find, are THE BEST.

This brings me to the slight dilemma called: what kinds of books will I put in my beastly library?
Well, there are three kinds of books:

"Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and a few to be chewed and digested."
    -Francis Bacon


So we have those books that look interesting, and you pick them up and get a few chapters in, and find that they're really not that interesting or worthwhile, and you don't even finish them.  They don't have to taste bad, they're just not something you want to finish, for whatever reason.  Maybe you're even too full already.
Then the books that you read entirely, and you get something out of them, but then you're done with that book (and possibly that author) and you won't necessarily choose to read it again until you're obligated to do so.  They're like vegetables.  They're probably good for you, but you have to grow up with people making you eat them before you really care for them.
Finally, we have the books that you can never really get tired of. The authors you always turn to. They take you forever to read because you enjoy them so much, and continually pause to go "aaaaahhhhh" and revel in the sentence you just read.  They're books that are made out of pure bacon.
And really, I would want to select bacon-quality books for my library.  And get multiple copies, too, so I can annotate them, and then annotate them again, and then other people can annotate them...

The only problem here was already identified by our friend Francis Bacon.  Only a few books are bacon books.
And yes, I can list plenty of books right now that I would consider to be literary bacon, but  when you think of the outrageous number of books there are in the world (even if you're only counting those printed in languages you can read)...there is an unfortunate bacon shortage.

Which is why being well-read and having an extensive library means having vegetable books too.
Vegetables are not inherently unenjoyable, they're just not bacon.  And as delicious as it might be, having an entire library filled with copies of The Great Gatsby and the works of Oscar Wilde wouldn't necessarily be the best of libraries.

But there will definitely be two copies of Gatsby.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

diem

Now that we've all made it through New Year's celebrations and the ensuing hangovers (whether alcohol-induced, sugar overload, just general lack of sleep, or otherwise), I must ask: Was it really worth it?

We endure all this partying and hooplah and stressful preparations and issues finding a date (or at least someone to grab and kiss at midnight) and then trying to get home safely...just to welcome in the new year.

And I'm sure the majority of you kindof failed at actually welcoming the new year. What did you do on the first day of the new year? The day that was so important to you only two days ago? Sleep in, recover, spend hours on the internet posting "happy new year" on various social networks, eat some junk food, watch some television...
I must say that I am not exempt from having wasted my first day of the new year. I barely treated it like anything special, even though society continues to insist that it is something special.


Frankly, it's actually rather arbitrary. Who's to say where one year ends and another begins?  Life is more continuous than that.  Why do we celebrate a new year on January first as opposed to February first?  Or maybe the first day of spring?

Unfortunately, a lot of things in life feel arbitrary.  High school graduation, for example, is merely one's success at jumping through all sorts of silly hoops and following the law for twelve or thirteen years. (It is, after all, illegal to not be in school.)  Getting a degree is a series of further hoops to jump through.  Many holidays, although rooted in tradition and rituals, are now foolish and arbitrary.  Valentine's day. April Fool's. Saint Patrick's. Halloween.
The only reason any of these days are different from the day before or the day after is because of the meanings we as societies assign to them.

In spite of the arbitrary nature of the day, and among all the things that a new year means to us are some of the better things to celebrate. It's a humanistic holiday. There is hope for the coming year that it will be better.  Intent to improve our lives and become better versions of ourselves. Reflection on all we've learned from the past year, everything we've done and everything we've made it through. Moving onward and upward personally, emotionally, socially, and intellectually, both as individuals and together.

So maybe next year don't focus as much on all the partying, the late-night shenanigans, the  ball dropping, the parades, and the countdowns.  Take just a minute to think about what the new year means most to you. What will you hope for? What will you make happen? What have you learned from the past? What will you change, and what will you keep? 
And perhaps the most important: What is that better version of yourself?  What will you become?

And then take that first step and seize the first day of that new year. Don't let it just slide by like nothing important needs to be done.

And don't worry, you can still start this year off.  Take advantage of Now.

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

pars

So, it's New Year's Day.  Happy 2013!

Something you may not know is that the number 2013 has three prime factors: 3,11, and 61.

So my 2013 is going to have three prime factors as well. This is one of the few posts that I'll be talking pretty much exclusively about myself. :P Not super enjoyable (for either of us, I think) but I think appropriate.

Prime Factors of 2013:

1) New people.
Meeting new people is always a good thing. Right now I have so many opportunities to get to know people from different places and lives that have something in common with me, whether that's my education, my sports interests, music...
I want to reach out and see more of the world through other people.

I also want to be able to do more to help the people I meet. Never let an opportunity for service pass you by.
2) Religion.
I want to deepen my understanding of my own religion but also of other religions worldwide. I want to be religiously tolerant and understanding. I want to know where people are coming from in their beliefs and customs. 
3) More reading.
You can never be too well-read.  And there are hundreds of books that I've been wanting to read and have never gotten around to, as well as books that I think I need to reread.  Not to mention books (and articles and websites and any other literature) about things I want to learn about.  Even though I'm attending university right now, I'm tragically limited to only 18 credits or so, so if I want to learn about everything that I want to learn about, I must read furiously.

So there you have it.  I think this should be manageable for 2013, to remember three big things to focus on.  (Much better than, say, 2012, which has prime factors of 2, 2, 2, 2, 503, and 2.)

What are your prime factors of 2013 going to be?