Smooth Sailing

"The winds and waves are always on the side of the ablest navigators. "

Author: Edward Gibbon
Source: Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (ch. LXVIII)

I wanted a photo to complement one of my favorite quotes. It serves me as a reminder to be optimistic, and that in every problem or shortcoming, hides an opportunity to better myself and/or my situation. It is up to me to find that opportunity and use it to my advantage. It can be hard to see at first, if I ever do in fact see it, but typically, when things settle down, I am usually in a better position than I was to begin with.

Sometimes its very hard to see, and that can be unsettling itself. At the same time, its hard to tell if I'm blinding myself with optimism, but that doesn't really matter so much. What matters is if I have a good feel for something. I could be in a really shitty situation, but as long as I am aware of it and have a plan, everything is fine. It is nice to have a plan--a plan means I have clear understanding of the situation or that I have "Situational Awareness"--Navy term, heard it way to often.

When problems come up, It helps to quantify things. No matter what it is, it can be quantified... arguably. But some things are just not worth the energy or time. I find comfort in numbers. There's truth in them. They can sometimes lie, but they can also be reviewed, studied, corrected, edited, and revised.
It also helps to have a Big Picture. As long as the Big Picture doesn't change or is in jeopardy, things can't be and don't seem so bad.
The one thing that I worry about that will most affect my Big Picture is the car. I need it to run for at least 4 more years-- 3 more years of school, and at least a year into looking for, and starting a career. It's been acting up on me. On one of my wilderness outings, I bottomed out on a pot hole/canyon that was full of water. The flex hose to my catalytic converter has a leak--causing the car to sound incredibly rude-- and the only way to lawfully fix that is to replace the whole catalytic converter. Not cheap. More importantly is the tie-rod problem. That got jacked up too. If I were to get everything taken care of in stages, the tie-rod comes first, but since the safety inspection is past due and my car won't pass emissions testing without fixing the converter, I fear the service station will feel obligated to fix both. I guess it's one of those things I'm just going to have to swallow.

Anyway, getting the car to run top notch is Priority 1. It is THE method of getting to and from school and work. Without it, life would get uncomfortable very fast.

So I ended up with an A- in physics. I don't feel too bad about it. Its not an A, but its not a B+ either. Cumulative GPA: 3.702
I was at a 3.705 at the beginning of the summer session. Its going to take every breath in me to stay above 3.7 by the end of fall semester. I hear Physics II is not so bad, and the same for Calc III, but I have no idea about Statics. I guess its a few elements of Physics I in greater detail. Hopefully I wont be distracted by any cuties next time around. I know a few people that will be in my classes, so that's kinda comforting. I haven't had the problem of being distracted so much at all up until this past summer session. Could it have been because Spring was in the air? Usually there is only one female in a class of 32 guys, which may not sound right, but it's the way I prefer it, especially now when I know how a number of females can influence me.

Ill add love to the Big Picture when Im done with school...maybe.

Fair winds and following seas!