Riding the Waves
chaoticutopia | March 15, 2008Well, I’ve probably set a new record for myself--2 weeks without a post. As you might imagine, I’ve been a little busy lately. For some reason, midterms really snuck up on me and hit me hard this spring... suffering a head cold and an internet outage in the middle of it didn’t help much. Throw in the fact that I’m in the middle of redecorating my living room, and you’ll see that I’ve barely had time to sleep, let alone blog.
Not that I’ve had much exciting news to blog about--the highlight of my last week was sorting through my massive book collection, trying to pare it down to the point…
chaoticutopia | February 29, 2008It is rather fun to have a birthday on February 29th. Today is my 8th birthday, which is pretty weird, considering my young son will have his 8th birthday later in the year. For him, it’ll be the same old birthday. For me, it’s, well, the same old birthday, but it only happens once every four years. Other leap babies, who are today turning 16 on their 4th birthday or 84 on their 21st birthday or just 4 on their 1st birthday, have their own opinions. For me, it is simply an excuse to post a themed collection of otherwise random links.
So... what’s the deal with Leap Day?
John at Cosmic…
chaoticutopia | February 29, 2008
Leap through Labor to Leap through Labor to Leap
I created a bit of ambiguous poetry recently, and I simply couldn’t resist trying another. And well, it is Leap Day, after all... which is also my birthday, so it seems like a good time for a "free choice" fractal. That said, I couldn’t bring myself to simply post the art and line. I’d fidget all weekend wondering if anyone understood it. Even if I do explain, it still may not make any sense.
When I initially started to create this fractal (from a formula ambiguously named Andrextrandom) I called it "Flight", for several reasons. Most…
chaoticutopia | February 20, 2008"A feminine text cannot fail to be more than subversive. It is volcanic; as it is written it brings about an upheaval of the old property crust, carrier of masculine investments; there’s no other way. There’s no room for her if she’s not a he. If she’s a her-she, it’s in order to smash everything, to shatter the framework of institutions, to blow up the law, to break up the truth with laughter.
For once she blazes her trail in the symbolic, she cannot fail to make of it the chaosmos of the personal--in her pronouns, her nous, and her clique of referents.... On the one hand she has…
chaoticutopia | February 6, 2008I hadn’t planned to write another post full of complaints. I’m a mother; I intrinsically hate whining. Yet, here I am, with nothing but frustration and disappointment (and an awful pun in the title) to share. Here it is, in a nutshell: I missed my lab in the field yesterday. It was one of those moments where life is chaos, pure and simple. I left for Boulder early, only to face slippery roads (covered in several inches of slush from Monday’s snowstorm) and heavy traffic. I made it to the park-n-ride where I catch a regional bus at what would normally be a reasonable time. If the busses were…
chaoticutopia | January 28, 2008I don’t know what it is... maybe weeks with holidays in them will naturally cause writer’s block. Indeed, writers probably need an occasional break from their craft, just like anyone else. Unfortunately, they tend to feel more like a block than a break. I’ve had a few things lined up to write about, mostly the usual environmental science news along with a few oddities, and, naturally, a Friday Fractal. That’s where my recent block/break forced itself on me. I finished the fractal, no problem. I’ve been working on a large fractal art project lately, so those come easily. The fractal was fine;…
chaoticutopia | January 21, 2008I really ought to be working, writing or replying to comments, perhaps reading for my literature class. Instead I find myself lured outside into the bitter cold. My cat, however well his white fur blends with the snow-covered ground, must be freezing on such a night. Yet there he is, perched on the fresh-cut pine of our back fence. So, there I am, following, trying to see what he sees. Aha... it must be the moon:
But here the camera lies, for what a beautiful moon it is. Mars is nearby, but the lens won't pick it up. If the clouds were much thicker, the eye probably couldn't either. Mars isn…
chaoticutopia | January 8, 2008For those who know my blog well, you might think this is going to be another apology for a lack of posts. Surprise... it isn’t. No, honestly, I’m just pondering the nature of time and complexity again, or at least how it applies to this thing we call life. It seems like we’re obsessed with being on time: hurry up and wait; walk, don’t run, but aren’t you supposed to be there by now? Sounds stressful. Yet, if there is anything I’ve learned about life, it is that stress is a waste of time. Are we all caught in some fantastic Catch-22? Or is there a way out?
All right.... this isn’t really a…
chaoticutopia | January 2, 2008So, here we are, in another year. I found 2007 to be something of a wild ride, and I don’t have a very strong desire to look back and review the year. Then again, I don’t really care to make a bunch of predictions and promises about the coming year, either. I can say it will probably be a little chaotic. Years usually are. Don’t worry... those little unexpected variations in life are exactly what makes life so interesting. So, rather than your usual "Year-in-Review" or list of the usual "New Year’s Resolutions" here instead are a handful of unexpected oddities to greet 2008:
First, when it…
chaoticutopia | December 20, 2007I’m beginning to think I should have been born a bear. I keep fighting the urge to hibernate. It must be seasonal effective disorder. I’d always attributed the stress I get this time of year to holiday plans and cramming for finals--you know, poor timing. This year, in hopes of curing those winter blues, I started Christmas early, and paced my studies well. Yet, I’ve still been tired and, well, mopey. For instance, I’ll hear a song or see something familiar, and start crying for no particular reason. Or, just when I think I have free time, I’ll fall asleep right where I’m sitting.…
chaoticutopia | December 12, 2007
Are you looking to tell someone to "adapt" this Christmas? Or perhaps you’ve been seeking the perfect gift for the nerd in your life, one that merges science and art. In either case, you’re in luck.
The Chaotic Utopia Curio Shop has just opened, after much anticipation. Just in time for the holidays, the shop (via cafe press) has an odd variety of gifts in addition to the Adapt Fish stickers. There are fractal t-shirts, jewelry boxes, clocks, and even an "I see fractals in my coffee" mug.
So, wether you’re looking for last-minute stocking-stuffers or just like looking at fractal art, come…
chaoticutopia | December 12, 2007Oh, the hustle and bustle of the holidays... Here, I was psyched and ready to go: prepared for finals, term papers either written or outlined, Christmas shopping done, baking ingredients bought... and what happens? I get sick, naturally. So, instead of writing and responding to comments, I’ve spent the past few days curled up in a feverish ball wishing for a magic cure, or save that, a swift death.
But... the snow finally came. After a few warm and even rainy weeks, Colorado has been blanketed in that fine white powder that our state is known for. The snow was so powdery and light that it…
chaoticutopia | December 4, 2007The winds are blowing off of the Rockies, hitting the Front Range with brute force. The winds make walking around campus either fun or near impossible, and shake my townhome with enough force to rattle the ornaments on the mantel. The odd thing about the winds is the warmth.... it isn’t the slightest bit chilly. Still, the leaves have fallen from the trees around the school buildings, left to now dance around in the breeze. That shaking mantel is covered in tinsel and lights.... nevermind the warmth; it’s nearly the holidays!
So, here’s an odd assortment of things to do on a windy Tuesday…
chaoticutopia | December 1, 2007I've been trying to find a snowflake to photograph for this week's fractal, but our skies are clear. Maybe this is it:
Via Kevin & Kell by Bill Holbrook.
chaoticutopia | November 10, 2007All these sets of knowledge were laid out before me, like packages tied in brightly colored papers and curling ribbons, each as enticing as the last. These weren’t just ideas, like the pictures on the pages of catalogs, but complete structures; laws and theories and all the understandings that led to their constructions. Bright packages of knowledge, each a puzzle unto itself--how was I to choose among them?
To open them all would be certain madness--yet how could I resist? Oh, to be no longer limited to catalog poses, to grasp the real thing. If I opened them all at once, would I be…
chaoticutopia | November 10, 2007It’s been quiet around here, lately... partially, I’ve just been too busy to post, but it would be inaccurate to say I haven’t had any free time. On the other hand, I’ve been lost in deep thought, trying to understand the path I’m on... what I’m studying in school, both the content of my current classes as well as my overall path. It’s been an interesting few months... I feel as if my life has turned upside down, and many of my priorities have been rearranged. One love stands true, however... my love for writing. So while I’d like to describe all that I’ve learned recently--that I love math,…
chaoticutopia | October 31, 2007...or, what happens when pagans skip biology class:
Happy Halloween!
Comic by Shivian Montar Balaris at Oh My Gods
chaoticutopia | October 29, 2007Shelley tagged me for this one some time ago, but it was poorly timed. But with Halloween just around the corner, what better time could there for morbid quizzes?
$3675.00The Cadaver Calculator - Find out how much your body is worth.
So, there you have it... my corpse is worth over three and a half grand. Woohoo! If you’re the type who always checks the organ donation box on the driver’s license applications, and you haven’t tried this before, consider yourself tagged.
chaoticutopia | October 10, 2007I may study it, but sometimes chaos and uncertainty become too much to bear. I didn’t explain my absence in the last announcement, and this may not explain much more. Last week, my father had an operation to remove a tumor in his kidney. The surgery was intensive, but successful. We’re grateful that he was in the hands of excellent surgeons. I’m afraid I was holding my breath inside and my emotions back for so long, to let them out is something of an overwhelming release. All of the stress from school and work combined couldn’t equal the apprehension I felt then, nor could any words truly…