I love riding on Friday morning more than any other morning I think. Maybe it's just because I don't have class on Friday and I'm already stoked that I have a whole two days to not study and not feel guilty about it. But Fridays always seem less stressful and more exciting and adventurous than the other days of the week.
My first note from the day is that right at the beginning of my ride I was stopped next to a cop at a red light. After sitting for a moment and seeing that no one was coming on the cross street, the cop drove through the red light and on his merry way. No lights or sirens, just drove through. Now, many people know that I have little to no respect for cops and that I see them just as glorified bullies looking for their daily boost in self esteem after they leave/drop out of high school, and many people don't understand why. Well friends, this is why. Once again it has been observed that if you distribute even a little authority to undeserved minds and personalities, they will abuse it until the day that power is stripped from them. Thank you fine officers of the CPD for proving this point to me this morning.
On a happier note, I found some new places today that I think deserve noting, if only so that I don't forget them. First, I saw a Gamestop on the corner of Broadway and Irving Park while I was riding past down Broadway this morning; I have a friend coming up/over from Indiana this afternoon and I'm sure he will appreciate knowing that there is one kind of close to school (closer than the Best Buy in the Hancock building where we've been going, anyway). Secondly, I found a new Borders! I always get excited when I find new bookstores (I think it's a little part of my nerdy-ness kicking in). It was a really nice one in Boy's Town. I only stopped in and looked for a moment, just because it's Pride weekend and with all the parade preparations and people flooding the sidewalks it was a little busy. But I'll definitely have to go back and check it out again sometime. Thirdly, as I was riding back up to Rogers Park on Clark, I found a Swedish Immigration museum that I had no idea was there. I didn't have a chance to check it out today, but I think that would be a really great experience for me to get back in touch with my Swedish roots, so that's also on the to-do list.
I believe that's all for today. Hope you, Terrie Chen, the one person following this blog, if you read this, have a great weekend!
Friday, June 25, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Interconnectedness
As I was walking on Sheridan across the street from the entrance to campus today, I saw my favorite desk receptionist from when I lived in Simpson Hall this past academic year. I gave him one of those "what's up" head nods, and when he saw me he gave me an expression of recognition and returned with "what's up man." I was absolutely shocked that he actually remembered me from the brief, albeit frequent, moments of scanning into the building last year.
When I retold this story to my friend Tom, he revealed to me that the desk receptionist's name was Kevin and he was Tom's girlfriend Jade's older brother. Who would have thought.
The Buddha said "He who experiences the unity of life sees his own Self in all beings, and all beings in his own Self, and looks on everything with an impartial eye." This tells me that everyone is connected and, to quote the NBC show Life (which I love and adore), "even as we exhale those around us inhale." It just amazes me when this "Small World" effect comes into play in real life. This should be a lesson to distribute compassion and kindness throughout our worlds, since we are interconnected with it. For instance, if I had been rude to Kevin or ignored Kevin's kindness as I was swiping my ID at the desk, my positive relationship with Tom's girlfriend would be influenced by my neglect of kindness toward her older brother. We must realize that we are all connected, every one of us. If we are able to see ourselves in everyone and come to realize there is a part of everyone, a piece of humanity, within ourselves, we will take a step toward enlightenment and a fulfilling life. This is something that I must strive to remember and practice every day.
When I retold this story to my friend Tom, he revealed to me that the desk receptionist's name was Kevin and he was Tom's girlfriend Jade's older brother. Who would have thought.
The Buddha said "He who experiences the unity of life sees his own Self in all beings, and all beings in his own Self, and looks on everything with an impartial eye." This tells me that everyone is connected and, to quote the NBC show Life (which I love and adore), "even as we exhale those around us inhale." It just amazes me when this "Small World" effect comes into play in real life. This should be a lesson to distribute compassion and kindness throughout our worlds, since we are interconnected with it. For instance, if I had been rude to Kevin or ignored Kevin's kindness as I was swiping my ID at the desk, my positive relationship with Tom's girlfriend would be influenced by my neglect of kindness toward her older brother. We must realize that we are all connected, every one of us. If we are able to see ourselves in everyone and come to realize there is a part of everyone, a piece of humanity, within ourselves, we will take a step toward enlightenment and a fulfilling life. This is something that I must strive to remember and practice every day.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Mile 0.0
One of the things my Univ 102 professor suggested that all of the premeds do was to keep a journal of our experiences so that we had a tangible reminder of our thoughts, feelings, etc. for later recollection, say for the dreaded med school interview or for application essays. So, instead of that, I've decided to go green and compile them into this little blog. This will be the ongoing story of my little adventures and experiences that I think are relevant enough to remember later on. And so, since I've newly discovered a love for biking just this summer, I've titled this post Mile 0.0. This is the beginning.
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