The reason

I'm starting this to remember all the important things. The facts, the curiosities, the ideas, the advice, the anecdotes, the jokes, and hopefully some wisdom too. I respect eloquence and great writing, the cute turn of phrase, the unexpected metaphor, but these are not my strengths. So the words here will mainly come from others, sprinkled here and there with personal thoughts.

I'm also doing this to try to keep myself on a path that's at least somewhat parallel to a life of letters (or at least not completely orthogonal to, heh). It is so easy to lose sight of the world amidst the sections and problem sets and applications that never never end, and there are so many wonderful, fascinating things out there! It's sometimes hard to recall why I go to school, and more and more it seems like just a means to get a job (especially during internship/interview season, sigh), but I believe, I want to believe, that this is not just a means, it is the journey that is truly satisfying. A life in academia would be glorious, but right now I can't see myself there, so this is the best I can do for now.

Alas, it's time for class, I'll return later with some hopefully less cliché material..