The Big Apple
Monday June 29, 2009 by Eric Allen
Hey Everybody!
It’s been forever since I last blogged. Part of that was due to stuff I can’t really talk about in a public forum, and part of it was due to my laziness. Mostly, though, I’ve just been busy. After finishing up my undergraduate research and classes with a bang, I headed down to New York City to begin my summer internship with Bloomberg.
For the first two weeks I was sleeping on the floor at a friend’s place in Brooklyn (Thanks, Travis!) because Columbia’s summer housing hadn’t opened yet. For the last four weeks I’ve been living in a four-person suite with an amazing kitchen. It’s really awesome. It takes about forty minutes to get to work, but it’s so worth it. Nice neighborhood, close to the amazing Fairway Market, single room, and housecleaning!
In fact, I’ve discovered I like cooking for other people. I’ve sort of ended up as the head of household around here, and as such am mostly in charge of cooking, cleaning, and shopping. And I love it! Sometimes it bugs me that my roommates don’t even bother to help clean up after a meal, but I don’t think they’d wash the dishes well anyway. Alexei and I cook many of the meals together, but this week he’s off in Austria somewhere, so I’m on my own. Only four days till I get to see my girlfriend again. Oh, that’s the best part!
I get to see my girlfriend every weekend this summer. That’s quite a contrast with last summer, where I didn’t see her until I got back to school in the fall. She’s up doing research at RPI in Troy, and the Megabus is only $17 each way. I get on at 6:20 after work, and I’m at her place by 10pm. She visits me sometimes, too, like last weekend when my parents came in from California.
So, six out of twelve weeks in and I’m already planning for the end! My travel schedule in August is kind of insane, but the big highlight is Costa Rica. I met a guy last spring who travels a lot, and so now I have a travel buddy to go somewhere with. I haven’t been out of the country in almost a year and a half, so I’m really looking forward to the trip. I come back from Costa Rica straight to RPI to begin my fifth semester, technically the middle of my junior year. Not only can I see the end of the summer, but I can see the end of college so near. People keep telling me the real world sucks, but I still can’t wait to get out there and make things. Change the world, too.
That’s all for now!
-Eric
Fits and Starts
Tuesday April 21, 2009 by Eric Allen
I’ve come to understand that my productivity level fluctuates wildly from week to week. I tend to have one- or two-week periods of very high productivity, during which I’m putting in maybe 40 or 50 hours per week of good, solid, productive work. Then I have weeks like this one. I’m so unmotivated and uninterested that I can’t even get myself to code! If I’m not coding, you know something’s wrong. I used to be terrified of these periods of unproductively because I always worried my strength would never return. Over the last couple of years, though, I’ve hit enough rough patches to know that things will get better, often in only a few days.
My struggle now is with my own feelings about being unproductive. Analytically, I can see that this is simply how I operate, and forcing myself to “be productive” during down weeks is counterproductive. Emotionally, though, I feel terrible. I hate myself for being unproductive, because what other virtue is there in life? I’ve built much of my life around productivity and efficiency, so when that’s gone what’s left? How do I explain to my teammates and professors that this week I’m just not going to get much done? I’m generally insanely productive, but I feel like that’s a burden, almost. I feel like people expect me to be completely productive all the time. If I’m not, I fail. So during these down weeks I end up suffering a great deal of self-doubt and self-loathing while I force myself to be marginally productive, prolonging the down period. It’s bad behavior, I know, but how do I fix it?
I’d like to ask you, my handful of readers, what you think about productivity. Would it be okay for me to admit to people who depend on me that this is just a bad week? Am I allowed to suffer downtime? Can I take leisure time and not feel guilty about it?
Two weeks with no iPhone
Thursday April 9, 2009 by Eric Allen
A little over two weeks ago I was giving my girlfriend a hard time about how much time she spent reading blogs on Google Reader. After a bit of cajoling, she responded “fine, I’ll give up Google Reader if you’ll give up iPhone for a week!” Now this seemed like an absurd challenge, but after a bit of negotiation, we had a deal. She wouldn’t use Google Reader or go directly to blogs, and I would only use Phone, SMS, and Calendar functions on my iPhone. Anything less and I’d start missing responsibilities. Anyway, if either of us cheated the challenge would be extended (for both of us) by one week.
A few days into the challenge she ended up on Ben Cashnocha’s blog via Twitter, and actually read the article there. I called this a violation, so we were at two weeks. Two weeks with no real smartphone functions! Two weeks with no email, no web, no games, no weather, nothing! I held off getting a real PDA until sixth grade, and I’ve had one continuously ever since (I don’t bring one on camping trips, though). So, this PDA sabbatical was quite an interesting experience.
For the first few days I had to keep tight control of myself lest I end up checking my email on the way to class. After that, it got easier. By the end of two weeks, I think I’ve actually broken some of my bad PDA habits. I actually walk to class now without distracting myself the whole way with infoporn. I’m more mindful of the world around me, and I waste less time doing stupid things with my iPhone to keep myself busy. When I first got an internet-connected PDA (seventh grade), I though it would be great to have something I could be productive with in little five- or ten-minute periods of downtime. As it turns out, I’m better off cooling my heels and relaxing instead of constantly trying to be productive. I never would have realized that if I hadn’t accepted the challenge.
Taking a break from constant internet connectivity has been a very healthy thing for me to do. I’ve learned a great deal about myself and how I deal with the world. Who would’ve thought? My wonderful girlfriend deserves a lot of thanks for putting me up to this crazy challenge.
Sick for a week
Saturday April 4, 2009 by Eric Allen
I don’t remember the last time I was sick for a week straight. Last Saturday (the second day this year of gorgeous spring weather) I came down with a cold. I thought I had it nixed by Monday night, but I relapsed on Thursday and have been practically bedridden since. This stinks! My girlfriend keeps pressuring me to “not be productive,” but boy is that a struggle. I’m always productive!! So many projects, so little time. Anyway, I spent almost the entire day today in bed, and I think I’m finally recovering. I think I might well enough to go the Unitarian service in Albany tomorrow, but it looks like I finally got my girlfriend sick enough that we won’t be able to go. Oh well, there’s always next weekend!
I hate being sick.
