Life is Pain, Highness!

My psychology teacher asked the class if anyone liked pain.  No one raised their hand obviously.

People don't like to think about pain.  It reminds them of a painful event that happened to them and consequently makes them feel sad.

In today's world, it is not "ok" to be sad.  So people have developed ways to forget about all the painful things that have happened to them.  Until... they are reminded...

I was just sitting in my Calculus class using the Mean Value Theorem to prove that 2 cyclists who start a race at 8:15 am and finish the race at the same time (2 and a half hours later) go the same speed at the same time at least once during the race when, I had a thought, an uncontrollable thought.  Something seemingly harmless-- the Dallas Cowboys and their new quarterback.  Then I thought about the reason why we have to use our back up for the next 6 to 8 weeks.  It was right then and there that my right arm went limp and I felt the need to hold up my arm with my left hand.  Thinking about Tony Romo's clavicular fracture made my mind go back in time.  Not necessarily back to the exact moment when I broke my clavicle (because I didn't know that I had shattered it at the time; I though I had just bruised it) but I was transported back to the moment after I stepped off the ice, took off my shoulder pads, and felt my shoulder-- looking for the bone that was there just a minute before.  As soon as I knew that my bone (that should be there) was, in fact, not there, I was unable to breathe without encountering pain.

This is why Westley in The Princess Bride says "Life is pain."  He understands there is no getting around it and therefore no using trying to hide the fact that he is enduring pain.

But there is another thing that I haven't quite touched upon...yet.

This, seemingly depressing quote, comes from one of the greatest comedic films of all time.

This is not to say that all life is pain.  But that we shouldn't think that we can avoid or escape all the pains or sufferings that life brings us.

However, we think that we should be able to avoid pain or at least escape past pains because, after all, they happened in the past and cannot be affecting us now.  When we do this, we set ourselves up for even more pain later because it will resurface and it will be much worse.

Westley has the right idea.  Pain and sadness are a part of life.  He doesn't avoid it and he certainly doesn't seek it out.  He doesn't bury it deep down and he doesn't dwell on it either.  He welcomes pain and sadness because it is just a part of life and he deals with them properly.

We all can take a lesson from Westley.


because deep down we all want to be a fencing pirate who beats giants and has an immunity to iocane powder, right?

All of this calls to mind the saying: "Don't take life seriously.  No one gets out alive anyway."

Our thoughts and prayers are with Declan Sullivan and his family.  Rest in peace.

Bedtime

Wait...

ok. thats better.

I just put on my glasses because it is time for bed I feel more smarter more intelligent when I wear them.

I was just in Texas, at my old high school, at SMU, at IHOP, at my home...  I was with my family, my dog, my friends, my old teachers...  I was free from the stresses of school and I was free to be myself.

I am back at school.  I am going to bed so I can get up for my 8:30 Chemistry Lecture with Prof. Shrek.  I am going to bed so my mind can rest before I have to stuff it with information about the Gas Law, phase diagrams and other Chemistry junk.



I am falling asleep by the moonlight and I can't help but think of the things to come:

the next Notre Dame home football game, the next Psychology lecture, the first snow (followed soon after by the campus-wide snowball fight), the ice hockey, the grotto in the winter, the ice cream store, the hot chocolate, the next friend I'll make, the performance of Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead...

Then I think of the things I love:

I love the grotto.  I love Notre Dame.  I love home.  I love my dog.  I love Texas.  I love my family.  I love my friends.  I love God.

Goodnight everyone!

The blog can't even handle me right now!

I wanted to write a very deep post talking about what life actually is but instead I've decided to live it.


I was going to talk about life an use an old proverb that one of my professors used during class:


"One day while walking through the wilderness a man stumbled upon a vicious tiger. He ran but soon came to the edge of a high cliff. Desperate to save himself, he climbed down a vine and dangled over the fatal precipice. As he hung there, two mice appeared from a hole in the cliff and began gnawing on the vine. Suddenly, he noticed on the vine a plump wild strawberry." 


I have decided to take the strawberry, eat it, and relish in the moment.


Hakuna Matata!


Tomorrow, I am going back to the greatest state ever.  Today... well who knows?


I have already gone to mass at the basilica, participated in a extremely fun psychology experiment, done my laundry, and cleaned up my room.  Now?  Well, maybe I'll play some racquetball, go to Burger King, watch football, play football, or chill with my Stanford hall mates!


Whatever I am up to, I will have no worries!


See ya soon Texas!  It's been way too long!


go molly!

This week's theme music

This is a big week.


Hence the "Ecstasy of Gold"


Three tests, the week before fall break.  The song "says" it all.


Not enough time to have a "good" post.


Good night all!  


Sweet dreams

Po-po shut us down

Random thought of the day...

There was one time in my life when I completely pulled off a costume.

I dressed in a police uniform and addressed grown men and they, in return, addressed me as "Officer."

As soon as I heard that, I couldn't keep from cracking a smile so I quickly darted through a nearby doorway.

But the power associated with that word, specifically when directed to you, is unbelievable.

Power

It sometimes escapes our consciousness.  But power is something everyone strives for.  To be the person in power, the one in control.  Not just control over others.  But control over yourself.

However, one may decide to give up the power he/she has over oneself.  When people give up the power over themselves, they lose control.  The idea behind this is that they believe they are still in control because (after all) they were the ones who decided to give up that power and therefore they can take it back whenever they want to.

This illusion that one can just choose to lose control over oneself and still be powerful tricks everyone.  Including myself.

I like power.  I like to be in control of myself.  I know that if I lose power over myself that I can't suddenly get it back.  So why do I decide to lose control?

I don't think it is a matter of me deciding to lose control as much as it is a matter of not being able to find it.

It is not as easy as putting on a police uniform and suddenly having the "power."  Some people can find the power in things that they do or how they look or where they are or who they are with.  The best way to find the power is by looking at yourself for who you really are and being happy with it.

This quote in no way applies to this topic but it just sounds way to cool. 

"And Shepherds we shall be

For thee, my Lord, for thee.

Power hath descended forth from Thy hand

Our feet may swiftly carry out Thy commands.

So we shall flow a river forth to Thee

And teeming with souls shall it ever be.

In Nomeni Patri Et Fili Spiritus Sancti."

Oh Sheesh Y'all Twas a Dream

I fell upon this video...



Then I went to my English class where I watched this video...



After that, I found this video while doing homework...



Long story short, I have had the Inception theme music in my head all day.  It has been accompanying my life through each class, every meal, every walk to and from class, and in my room.

For those of you who don't know me, dreams are a big part of my life.  I can remember my dreams very well (most of the time) and those dreams have a significant impact on the way I conduct myself.  My dreams have put me on emotional roller coasters that I have no business being on.

What is so sneaky about dreams? It happens when you are asleep, when you are caught unawares. [Now I'm not talking "daydreams" here]  When you are asleep, many of your sensory (and some other) neurons are turned off.  This would explain the dream where one is naked because your sensory neurons that normally feel clothing are turned off and aren't sending the signal to your brain that "I feel clothes on me."  This "lack of message" is transmitted into the dream and since you don't feel the clothes on you, you don't have any on.

This leads to one of the theories of dreaming: that your brain fires random neurons to keep the neurons "sharp."  Neurons are like muscles, you need to exercise them to make them stronger and better.  Your brain "exercises" them by firing them while you are asleep and your brain also interprets those random firings as dreams by connecting the random firings of neurons to certain sequences of neuron firings that "encode" memories.

Another theory is the problem solving theory.  That you dream to help work through problems.  This theory definitely has some truth to it because I have worked out problems in my dreams in the past.  Granted the way I worked it out in the dream isn't the proper way to handle real life circumstances but it still was a way to work it out!

The last theory is that dreaming is for wish fulfillment.  This is the Freudian idea and because of that I refer you to someone who has read Freud's book...zak...or the book itself.

So that is my side comment on dreams.

Brandon likes it in his dreams. (FOGHORN)

The Plan

Ok, this might sound crazy but, I want to follow my dream.

I want to be a hockey player.  Since I was 2 years old, I've wanted to play hockey professionally.  Now, I want to play for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

This isn't going to be a philosophical post.  This is just me planning out my life for the next 4 years.

I am planning on being the "Rudy" of my era.  I want to be the dark horse.
I am a Texas boy, Pre-med, Bio major (for now) and I want to be on the Division 1 hockey team that plays teams like Michigan, Minnesota, Boston University, Boston College, North Dakota, and Alaska.

To get to this point, I have to change my lifestyle.  I will get in shape (or in better shape than I am in now), eat right (which is so hard when there is Sbarro, BK, Chipotle, and 5 Guys so close), and study hard so I have time to focus on hockey.

I realize this is going to be difficult and I know there will be days where I don't want to run in the morning in the freezing South Bend weather.  But if I want to be the one playing during "Hockey Night in South Bend," this is what I have to do.

I am getting my ipod ready, bringing out the running shoes, the warm-ups, and the "can-do" attitude.

But seriously the running part is nothing I need to worry about.  I mean, I have the most beautiful campus in the world to run around.  I have no complaints.

This doesn't mean I will stop blogging.  In fact, I will keep you updated on my status as a potential Notre Dame hockey player (along with sharing my random experiences and thoughts).

(I am stealing this sign-off from one of my best friend's blog)

Chris is getting down to business...hockey business...