Newton's First Law

I know, I know, you are thinking "Physics? Really? I'm done with this blog for good." But, before you depart, hear me out.

First, I don't think it is really the entire first law (it's been about thirteen years since I took physics. I could never have a real discussion about Newton's Laws.  Sorry to all the physics people who had such high hopes).
Second, I am really writing about something completely unrelated to physics.
Third, I blame this all on SI 643, in which we have had lengthy discussions on the importance of transfer in learning. This one is dedicated to a terrific professor, Sir Isaac Newton, and Namifiers everywhere. (The terrific professor is not Sir Isaac Newton. That takes me back to good old linguistics and syntax and...never mind.)

To begin with, a very brief and muddled synopsis of the first part Newton's First Law*: Objects in motion tend to stay in motion. Again, not the exact Law, but the part that I remembered the other night, while getting ready for bed, after not having thought about it for 13 years. Cut me some slack.

Now, what does it have to do with anything? Well, the other day I was thinking about what I want in a job, and thinking about how I need to use my time more effectively. I thought about a job I had, where there was always a lot of stuff to do. All day long, it was go, go, go. Then, I had this other job, where there was a lot of downtime. Now, you would think that when I was working the super busy job, I would go home, sit down, and relax, right? WRONG! I would go home, and...BE PRODUCTIVE! When I had the relaxed job, I would go home and...waste a lot of time!

Why is that, you wonder? Because of Newton's First Law. Objects (or people) in motion stay in motion. Objects not in motion stay not in motion...er...you know what I mean. When I am busy at work, I stay busy after work. This is a beautiful thing, especially since I possess minimal quantities of self-discipline in regards to time management and really have to impose discipline by external means. (Another topic altogether). When I am slothful all day, I continue to be slothful all evening.

And you thought physics had no real-life applications. Transfer**, my friends.


*note: the rest of Newton's First Law states that objects will remain in motion/not in motion unless some force is exerted on them. Something like that. That's the basic idea anyway. I highly encourage you to talk to someone who knows more than me, so they can correct all of my misinformation.
**Transfer is basically the idea of applying something we learn in one setting to another setting.

Tis better to give

My six-year old nephew has decided to become a fan of my current alma mater. This despite the fact that his dad has attended 3 different universities and was raised in the town of another one. Well, I found some apparel for my school on sale, and there was a shirt just his size. I was headed to his house that day, which was terrific, because I was dying to give him his surprise. I think I sped (not much, just a few miles faster) the whole way, because I was so excited to show him his shirt. And boy, he was pretty pleased too. It was a fabulous moment.

I just love giving that perfect gift. I don't care if it's a holiday or not, I just love knowing that someone is going to light up at the sight of it. Even small things, like a shirt (that really cost me hardly anything, it was a great sale) that just make someone's day. I think it's because when I get gifts like that, it always makes my day, and life is just so much better because of it, and I love being able to share that with other people. And it always cheers me up, too. Seriously, it's even better than eating chocolate.

Although, a gift with chocolate...you just can't go wrong there.

Holidays

I am a fan of obscure holidays. And by obscure, I mean the "National Eat a Banana with your Feet" kind of obscure. Not obscure like Veteran's Day (which should definitely NOT be obscure, thank you kindly), which is a very real and significant and beautiful day of commemoration that we are just callous enough to ignore, unless we happen to be in retail and need an excuse for a sale (no offense to retailers--I appreciate sales).

No, I am referring to those holidays that you think, "That's a real holiday? You made that up." Because, most likely, someone did, but somehow it became "official." My theory is these holidays didn't exist before the internet--I mean, how on earth would you communicate with people that March 22nd is wear mismatching socks and a funky hat day? There was no Google search, and it would take way too much time to lobby the calendar companies to add it to their calendars. But, lo, the power of the internet--random and obscure holidays at our fingertips. It's a beautiful thing.

So what got me thinking about this? Well, someone casually mentioned that I had missed National Squirrel Appreciation Day (January 21st), which got me thinking about my favorite squirrel-obsessed dog, Penny (I have a serious case of puppy love for this animal, who is watching for squirrels in this photo, by the by). So then I had to see if this was a legit holiday, via our trusty friend Google. And, it was. Which made me wonder if I could send my brother a card for National Squirrel Appreciation Day, as a joke, (he is the boy that belongs to the dog). Which led to the discovery of Chocolate Cake Day on January 27th--yes, you can send e-cards for this wonderful day. Well, far be it from me to ignore a perfectly legitimate reason for eating chocolate cake (I made some delicious chocolate cupcakes--glorious--and shared with my co-workers)!

All of this led to serious contemplation (i.e. the topic flitted through my jumbled thoughts on the walk to my car after class) of this type of celebration. My thoughts were (roughly) as follows:

Man it is freezing. Chocolate Cake Day. You know, I think people make up holidays to justify doing something that they feel guilty about--like eating chocolate cake. It gives them an excuse. Assuming, of course, that you need an excuse to eat chocolate cake. But I guess it is a reason to do it guilt-free. Or maybe we have them so that we do something we know we should, but don't. Like appreciate squirrels. Or at least pay attention to them. It is so cold! This would be a fun blog post. Oh, I need to remember to mail that check. And I have that assignment due tomorrow. Mmmm, chocolate cake. What holiday would I create if I were to create a holiday? Pizza day? Nah. What do I like to eat, but always feel guilty about? Or like to do? Stay at home and read all day and wear pajamas--lounge day. There you go. Or I could make Send a Letter Day, so that I'd finally write a letter to Grandma. Why is it I never have time? It's not like I'm spending that much time with school--I could, of course. I should. My toes are freezing! Thank heavens for scarves. Scarf Day! I wonder what other days are coming up...."

As you can see, it was a very lively conversation. I'm sure you wish you could have been there to participate. Although, the conversation doesn't really have to end there.

And, meanwhile, if you are wondering what holidays are coming up, here are some links you can check out: (I make no promises about how good they are--besides, you can google too, right?)
http://www.brownielocks.com/february.html
http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/february.htm
http://familycrafts.about.com/library/spdays/blfebdayslong.htm - (Please note that today is the founding of Hershey's, which just calls for a chocolate bar, right? And the irony of it also being Toothache day...Seriously? Was this planned?)

Happy celebrating!

Credits
the fella who brought squirrel appreciation day to my attention
Squirrels--especially the fat ones on campus
Penny the Squirrel Hunter
Richard, the boy who raised the Squirrel Hunter
Chocolate Cake
Google, the guru of all it knows and provider of such wonderful resources (like blogspot!)
cold weather and parking permits I'm too cheap to buy, the inspiration for my mental conversations
SI, just because here I am
Procrastination, without which I would be diligently doing homework rather than blogging