Randomness for 2009

This is usually the time and place where I post resolutions for the new year: eat better, lose weight, practice more, find a significant other... you know. Same old. Stuff I usually aspire to do on a day-to-day basis anyway, then fail at, then wake up the next day and start over again. Rather than bore you with that, I'll share a few thoughts that have popped into my brain in the last few minutes.

Why is time personified? Think about it for a second. We kill time, save time, borrow time, use time, waste time.... when really it's an abstract concept used to organize events in a linear fashion. Our culture's sense of time isn't even universal--I believe it is the Hopi Indians (correct me if I am wrong) who see all events as happening at once, or rather in a cyclical fashion rather than a line with a definite "past," "present," and "future." Our culture places a lot of importance on time; everything is scheduled, predicted, forecast, recorded. Every day is a new day, every year a new chance, new leaf. The Hopi Indians see it as the same day happening over and over and over.

I want to go to Canada this quarter. I've never really been, and the idea of shopping/sightseeing in a place I've never been is highly appealing. I just have to make time to get a passport so I can actually go up there. Which reminds me I need to get a hold of my birth certificate....

My parents were kind enough to get me Photoshop CS4 for my birthday, so now I am not only an amateur artist but a spoiled amateur artist. I really like the workspace layout--very easy to use and user-friendly (synonyms?). There are also some neat new features that I will be continuing to experiment with. I just wish I was a better artist and could take more advantage of all the tools at my disposal. I feel like it's a bit like giving expensive oil paints and top-quality brushes to an eight year old. Granted I've improved a lot with practice, but I constantly see artists who far outstrip me talent-wise. Well, onward and upward, I suppose.

Stargate Atlantis, one of my favorite TV shows ever, has its series finale tonight. The show's plot will be wrapped up in one or more straight-to-DVD movies, which is reassuring, but I'm not sure that I will be able to find another show starring an actor as likable and, let's face it, hot as Joe Flanigan (who plays the character Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard). Fortunately, my roommate is still working through Season 2, so I'll get to re-watch episodes with her and futher familiarize myself with Stargate lore for the fanfics I'll no doubt write (I am actually working on one now, but don't tell anyone).

My wrist, which has been sporadically painful for the last year, is finally about to be diagnosed. I went to a sports doctor yesterday and had it X-rayed; he's going to call me on Monday with a proper diagnosis and treatment. He thinks it's a problem with the soft tissue, which I suspected. The X-rays are mostly to ensure I haven't fractured it somehow. Whatever it is, I'll just be glad to finally know what's causing the mystery pain. I'm a pianist, I can't afford to just let this problem pop up when I might have a concert or something to play in.

My number of piano students has doubled in the last week (from 2 to 4). I don't charge a lot--only $10 per weekly lesson--but it's nice to have a little cash on the side, to help pad my trips downtown for bagels and other culinary delights. Hurray, Bellingham.