TJ Does Stuff

Moving

Tue, 24 Jul 2012 11:31:35 -0400

I will no longer be updating TJ Does Stuff on Tumblr. It’s a great site, but I don’t think it’s the place for me. You can continue to read my musings on twitter and the new TJ Does Stuff.

A lot of my facebook friends with kids have their baby as their profile photo. Just the baby, no...

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 10:12:28 -0400

A lot of my facebook friends with kids have their baby as their profile photo. Just the baby, no parent. These friends also only talk to one another, usually about the cuteness of the baby or the stresses of being a young parent. When I look at comments, it looks like facebook has been taken over by scores of 10-month-olds. O_o It’s rather unsettling.

Just finished the Great Gatsby. I was told to reread it from the perspective of Nick Caraway being...

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 10:04:58 -0400

Just finished the Great Gatsby.

I was told to reread it from the perspective of Nick Caraway being homosexual, and I just don’t see it. There is a random sentence that seems to imply a sexual encounter between Nick another male. Being from men’s boarding school and Yale in the days of all-or-mostly-male admission, I think Nick simply harbors some affinity for casual sex with other men. Gay? Probably not.

Sexuality is a very complex thing, but that’s a post for another day. I can see Nick as pansexual or even romantically asexual. That is, I can see him having an all-or-nothing sexuality that allows him to see the beauty in everything. It also gets him closer to god — Dr. TJ Eckleberg and Owl-Eyes.

Musings on Yaron Segal

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 17:27:00 -0400

Dear MIT,

For those of you that don’t know yet (do you live under a rock or just in the MIT bubble?) Segal was a postdoctoral assistant in MIT’s PVLab. Over the month of March, Segal was in contact with what he thought to be a Colorado mother and conspired with her to perform sex acts with herself and her 2 underage children. He was arrested in a sting operation for travelling with intent to have sex with a minor and held, without bail, because he was a flight risk (Segal was an Israeli citizen). For these crimes, he faced up to 30 years in prison and a possible $250,000 fine.

He was found dead in his Colorado cell with a handmade noose — possible suicide.

We, as a community, have been mourning the other two suicides that happened this year, but this one we quickly switch to blaming Segal for his crimes. “Good,” we say, “He had it coming; one less pedophile in the world.”

Let me insert a quick disclaimer here to say I, in no way, support Segal’s actions. What he did disgusts me, as I’m sure it disgusts you. In my opinion, sex acts need to be safe and consensual. Sex with a minor blurs both of those lines in a way that is unarguably wrong, and blurring those lines is the ultimate crime, in my opinion.

This piece that I’m writing is about getting help. Segal killing himself did not bring any more justice to the world. It did strip the world of a pedophile, but it also stole a leader and mentor. He had many demons that I cannot come to terms with, but he needed help.

Reach out, MIT, to your fellows. We’re all in this crazy thing called life together and need to be good to one another. Help yourself, and help others if you think they are negatively impacting the health and happiness of themselves or others. I use this scandal to get my message out there because I think more of you will read it and apply my message – Get help. Help someone.

Love,

New Reading List!!

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 10:08:00 -0400

I have run out of great books to read. After I am done rereading my first — love Master of the Game by Sidney Sheldon — I’ll be tackling a few books that have been challenged in American schools…because screw society, that’s why.

I’ll be reading these, but probably not in this order…

American Psycho — Brett Easton Ellis

Lolita — Vladimir Nabokov

1984 — George Orwell

Tropic of Cancer — Henry Miller

Yet another midday musing

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:35:00 -0500

Thanks to Spotify (if you don’t have Spotify yet, get it) I’ve been listening to a lot of albums that I was in love with when I was about 13 or 14. 1) Jeez, I had questionable taste in music. 2) Have you ever wondered what would happen if T-Pain hadn’t ruined auto tuning and other forms of electronic music? Used sparingly, it’s a wonderful addition to a song.

Just something to think about.

Midday musings

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 12:04:02 -0500

Fun fact - the Flintstones were the first couple to be showed in bed together on American television.

Funner fact - Most of the episode of the Flintstones revolve around Wilma and Betty, opting a largely bitchy manner, trying to ruin any fun that Fred and Barney have.

Funnest fact - my brain hurts…

Rant.

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 17:32:00 -0500

I hate that facebook tells me when people have read an article, but won’t allow me to comment on them having read that article. Horrible. Also, it’s creepy that I can’t just READ an article…it means that articles with the most titillating names get read more often. I’ve decided to bypass all of this by googling the name of the article and source instead of following links.

At least people are reading.

2 am musings

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 02:27:33 -0400

http://goo.gl/99YWO <—read this

but tl;dr A constitutional amendment facing voters in Mississippi would declare a fertilized human egg to be a legal person, effectively branding abortion and some forms of birth control as murder.

My musings? Can’t we put all of the insanely right-wing people in their own little society? That way, when it crumbles, they can see that gays and minorities helped build their society, and abstinence-only education doesn’t work on their daughters, and so on and so forth…

Sorry that this isn’t completely thought out (2:30am, gimme a break!) but I’d love to see comments and whatnot to stimulate conversation.

Born to Study

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 01:56:34 -0400

This is my brass rat. There are many others like it, but this one is mine. My brass rat is my best friend. It is my life. I must master MIT as I must master my life. Without me, my brass rat is useless. Without MIT, I am useless. I must study hard and true. I must study harder than my enemy, who is trying to outshine me. I must invent before he invents. I will. Before William Barton Rogers I swear this creed: my brass rat and myself are defenders of my diploma, we are the masters of our course load, we are the saviors of my degree. So be it, until there is no problem sets, but sleep. Go Tech.

Apparently, on this day in 2010, I was so depressed I had to...

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 18:37:08 -0400

Apparently, on this day in 2010, I was so depressed I had to hide from the world. #myjourney

Some days I look to the sky and thank God for life, the world, and everything in it. Some days I...

Sat, 27 Aug 2011 00:52:44 -0400

Some days I look to the sky and thank God for life, the world, and everything in it. Some days I look to the sky and see a cloud shaped like a taco. <3

To all my Midwestern friends and family

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 10:16:21 -0400

Hurricane Irene is supposed to reach me Sunday night/Monday morning with Category 1 status or less. I PROMISE to take all precautions in being safe and to notifying you all of my whereabouts. The earthquake a few days ago jammed up the phone lines so be sure to check Facebook and my Twitter before getting too worried. I love you ALL. <3

HELP NEEDED :) @Google fanboys, inquire within...

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 23:22:00 -0400

Okay, I changed my mit.edu password earlier this week. I was using Gmail to manage my MIT account. I can see, but not send messages. Last time, it was as simple as just changing the password on my gmail profile, but I can’t seem to find it. Please halp :)

EDIT — Found it :)

New #hashtag...If you tweet, I suggest you participate

Sat, 30 Jul 2011 14:24:19 -0400

Has someone been a bitch? For no reason? On twitter? In real life? Well, we are now the Bitch Police! You can ticket someone for unnecessary bitchiness!!

#ticketedforunnecessarybichiness. Isn’t it wonderful? It’s for the trolls that are too smart to troll but troll anyway on the fringes of troll society.

DO IT. <3

Highway Unicorn - Road to Love

Sun, 17 Jul 2011 12:27:32 -0400

Highway Unicorn - Road to Love:

I think the bass and drums in the chorus are inspired by Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing”. Tell me I’m not the only one that hears it. (I hear it around 1:23) Wikipedia says it’s inspired by Springsteen, but I still hear Journey.

Why today is a good day...

Sun, 10 Jul 2011 17:12:09 -0400

1) I woke up feeling rested even though I remembered tossing and turning.

2) I didn’t get a headache.

3) I won a free drink.

It's been a journey

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 00:49:00 -0400

Some of you know about the part of my mind that isn’t at peace with itself. Well, this time back in the hometown is going to be part of the Journey to assuage these thoughts. Step 1: Visit places that hold some powerful memories.

I did this by cycling down a road I remember driving down when I was younger and looking at my house. They’re very different, yet oddly the same. I think Step one is completed…On to figuring step 2…

Get your hot rods ready to rumble...

Sat, 04 Jun 2011 00:19:09 -0400

…’cause we’re gonna fall in love tonight.

INDIANA UPDATE!

Hey everyone :) I’m enjoying my time back home. I have work and interesting education-related stuff to do, AND a whole new Gaga album to listen to.

I wish you all the best of luck in your endeavors. <3

Tan lines

Tue, 31 May 2011 11:16:25 -0400

The lines I want are:

1) Friendship bracelet - left wrist

2) Brass rat - right ring finger

3) flip flops - both feet

Bring it on, summer!