From the Glacier
Philosophy, Science, Mathematics and whatever else

New Post Category!

I added a new category to my posting, because I have been so frustrated at work lately.

It all started when I decided to start working to pay my bills. I know, stupid me. But having kids and such like makes income a little more important than other things, like personal fulfillment. So I work a stupid shit job I hate. Not being able to leave well enough alone, I sit in the break room at lunch and read. Lately it has bee a book on matrices and transforms, in an effort to brush up and increase my understanding of eigenvectors so I can revisit a book of lectures on quantum mechanics by Dirac. Long story short, every one of my co-workers likes to comment “that’s stupid” or “why are you wasting your time” or some other such bullshit. Then there is one particular co-worker that likes to comment on the appearance of every young woman that happens to wander by. Finally, on Wednesday, I told him to shut the fuck up. I am sick of hearing it. Who fucking cares what anyone looks like when they walk in the door? I certainly don’t. Plus, he’s married, in his mid-forties, and that creeps me the fuck out. So I catch hell for saying this. Finally, there is a gentleman from another company that has similar interests in literature and continental philosophy as myself. The other day he came into work and we were discussing Updike, briefly. After he left another co-worker said that “he’s gay for you”. Because he reads. Let’s let this sink in. Because he can fucking read.

So let’s summarize. Education is stupid. Reading is gay. If you are interested in anything other than breasts, money and the fruits thereof, or cars, you are dumb. I’m sick of the abuse I take for being the way I am. I’m sick of sticking out like a sore thumb for trying to better myself mentally. I’m sick of listening to idle chatter about transitory bullshit that so-and-so just bought. I’m sick of people. I’m sick of little d democracy, and the lowest common denominator. I’m sick of a perverse culture where any sort of sexual comment or thought is expected to be entertained and spoken aloud. And finally, thanks to my wife, I’m really really sick of trad blogs, but that is rant for a whole other day.

9 Responses to “New Post Category!”

  1. Preach it, brother.

  2. Oh, there’s more preaching brother Simone, there’s more preaching. As an aside, every time I close my eyes I see matrices, determinants and transforms. Creepy, really.

  3. Very creepy, but it is the sickness and it is a sickness that must be indulged.

  4. Could we perhaps say “a sickness unto understanding”?

  5. I see you sort of cross-posted something similar with “smig” at cf. Perhaps without quite the editorial slant, however.

  6. Mike,

    Prior to attending TAC, I lived in a trailer in the woods with no electricity. I made about $100 month and worked (as a landscaper) with a former Speed addict. Your description of your co-workers reminds me of him. It can be very difficult. I hope you find a pleasant means of paying the bills.

    One final note. At TAC, I would frequent a biker bar in Ojai. There was a man who always wore this blue down jacket. I would tell him about some of the paradoxes and other quandaries in my studies. He would sit and listen and then say a sentence or two. I learned a lot from him.

    Not sure what the point is exactly…but this website outlines it:

    http://www.believers.org/believe/bel208.htm

    Finally, please do not take this a slight to you. I deal with similar things as well. Yesterday, for example, someone in a much higher position, who undoubtedly gets paid more than I do, asked me to help them on something…to do their work. My first reaction was to lash out. The second was to quickly tell them where they could go to learn how to do what they need. The third was to have my boss deal with the situation. My boss dealt with it.

    And a post-note…

    You may be able to include your co-workers in your studies.

    “If you look down on a whole bunch of train tracks and you see these trains zipping around, and you can run them forward and reverse and see why they go in the certain paths…what would you make of this one train that goes wherever it wants to? This train will sometimes just hang out and suck up gallons of water at the water tower. Sometimes the train will seek out other trains and crash into them. What is up with that train?”

    For me, the clearest evidence of free will is sin. The clearest evidence of God’s existence is anyone who avoids sin.

  7. Jeff, don’t take this as a slight either, but I can’t tell whether you’re criticizing, offering friendly advice, or just typing. I do math in my spare time. My co-workers do not. Lastly, I’m not quite sure what the protestant link was supposed to mean.

  8. OK


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