A Cup of Tea

[thestick]

Right. Friends. This is a strange corner of the internet where this thread can exist without massive levels of sarcasm, trolling, and derailing. Helps that this forum is small enough that everybody kind of knows everybody, and the civ reporting tradition means that we often get fairly intimate glimpses into each other's heads.

How major is this city? Does English ability decrease as you get further away from the city?

Huh, English isn't required in grades 8-12? Is it a requirement for college entrance?

What do you do besides teaching and travelling? How are you learning Korean?

Oh, sounds fun. How long is the trip, one week? Still looking for good ideas for the next Japan trip, whenever that is. Any other details you're willing to share?

Also, yay, more naval nerds. Have any time/ability for a PBEM of Order of Battle: WWII or the Operational Art of War or something? Or a Rule the Waves succession game?

For Kure, are you talking about the Yamato Museum, or the nearby JMSDF Museum? Are you going to try to visit the JMSDF ships or headquarters? Seems they're open to visitors on Sundays. Any time or ability to see Etajima?

...that's a radical concept re: identity. And an interesting position to gaze at us puny mortals from. I've always been taught that there is an ideal connection to one's inner life, an ideal number of social scientists to hang around, etc. The concept that there might not be is a bit disorienting.

I do suspect that a problem with conceiving identity as a collection of social roles is that I feel like I've lost a sense of self. That if stuck on a deserted island, I would have nothing to my name. And that social roles are what is fit for public consumption, and doesn't get into the inner thoughts and anxieties of a person. Then again, a strong sense of self may lead to stubbornness and a refusal to change... gah.

[Mardoc]

Also, yay, more naval nerds. Have any time/ability for a PBEM of Order of Battle: WWII or the Operational Art of War or something? Or a Rule the Waves succession game?

I'm pretty sure Chevalier already knows about it, but maybe I can recommend the blog Naval Gazing to your attention?

[darrelljs]

This is a strange corner of the internet where this thread can exist without massive levels of sarcasm, trolling, and derailing.

You just jinxed it .  I said the same thing in the political thread and then all hell broke loose.

Darrell

[Bobchillingworth]

Then again, a strong sense of self may lead to stubbornness and a refusal to change... gah.

I think if you're self-aware enough to recognize this as a potential issue, you should have the autonomy to prevent it from becoming actively harmful. That said, change isn't inherently valuable, and even typically "negative" traits can be worked around, if you can't / won't change; I'm particularly introverted IRL, but having acknowledged this fact many years ago I've been able to grow a successful career and reasonably comfortable lifestyle by taking it into account when developing my ambitions.

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

Right. Friends. This is a strange corner of the internet where this thread can exist without massive levels of sarcasm, trolling, and derailing. Helps that this forum is small enough that everybody kind of knows everybody, and the civ reporting tradition means that we often get fairly intimate glimpses into each other's heads.

How major is this city? Does English ability decrease as you get further away from the city?

Huh, English isn't required in grades 8-12? Is it a requirement for college entrance?

What do you do besides teaching and travelling? How are you learning Korean?

Oh, sounds fun. How long is the trip, one week? Still looking for good ideas for the next Japan trip, whenever that is. Any other details you're willing to share?

Also, yay, more naval nerds. Have any time/ability for a PBEM of Order of Battle: WWII or the Operational Art of War or something? Or a Rule the Waves succession game?

For Kure, are you talking about the Yamato Museum, or the nearby JMSDF Museum? Are you going to try to visit the JMSDF ships or headquarters? Seems they're open to visitors on Sundays. Any time or ability to see Etajima?

...that's a radical concept re: identity. And an interesting position to gaze at us puny mortals from. I've always been taught that there is an ideal connection to one's inner life, an ideal number of social scientists to hang around, etc. The concept that there might not be is a bit disorienting.

I do suspect that a problem with conceiving identity as a collection of social roles is that I feel like I've lost a sense of self. That if stuck on a deserted island, I would have nothing to my name. And that social roles are what is fit for public consumption, and doesn't get into the inner thoughts and anxieties of a person. Then again, a strong sense of self may lead to stubbornness and a refusal to change... gah.

It's been a busy couple of days, sorry - finalizing preparations, saying goodbye to friends, etc. One of my friends is leaving for Thailand the DAY I get back from my trip, and she'll be gone all through February! We won't see each other until March. And she's leaving Korea to return to her home in Egypt forever in August. :

Basically I don't have a lot of details left to share. Thursday morning I"m taking the bus from my city over to Busan, where I'll have about 24 hours to poke around. I've been to Busan before, but I haven't seen the famous Buddhist temple by the sea, so that's on my list. Friday, I'll hop the ferry across the strait of Tsushima to Fukuoka, arriving there in the evening. I'll have that night to explore Fukuoka, then the next day it's on the train to Hiroshima. A couple of days there, including, yes, the Yamato museum, and hopefully the MSDF museum if I can. Plus the usual Hiroshima things - my grandfather fought the Japanese in WW2, so it'll be a pilgrimage of sorts. Old enemies coming together. 

From Hiroshima, back on the train to Osaka, halting for a day at Himeji castle, then taking a day trip to Kyoto. From Osaka to Tokyo, again, pausing for a day and a night at Fuji. A few days in Tokyo exploring and then fly out to Seoul, where I'll spend another couple of days before bussing home. With the JP Rail pass and staying in hostels and capsule hotels it's all very affordable. Less than $1000 for the whole trip, not counting food. 

I think if you're confused on your own identity, maybe a good exercise would be to imagine yourself on a desert island. Or any solitary state: You owe nothing to no one. Your only needs are your own. Who is thestick then? 

Maybe you can't do that - maybe it's impossible to conceive. But if that's so, then I would argue that that's a important clue to your identity right there. You might be a person who defines themself by their relation to others - there's nothing wrong with that. It's just who you are. 

Also, yay, more naval nerds. Have any time/ability for a PBEM of Order of Battle: WWII or the Operational Art of War or something? Or a Rule the Waves succession game?

I'm pretty sure Chevalier already knows about it, but maybe I can recommend the blog Naval Gazing to your attention?

Haha, good instincts - bean and I have actually known each other for years (on the Internet, even though we're both from St. Louis). You can find him holding forth on all sorts of interesting topics in the comments of the blog Slate Star Codex , which is also the greatest blog on the Internet. 

Then again, a strong sense of self may lead to stubbornness and a refusal to change... gah.

I think if you're self-aware enough to recognize this as a potential issue, you should have the autonomy to prevent it from becoming actively harmful.  That said, change isn't inherently valuable, and even typically "negative" traits can be worked around, if you can't / won't change; I'm particularly introverted IRL, but having acknowledged this fact many years ago I've been able to grow a successful career and reasonably comfortable lifestyle by taking it into account when developing my ambitions.

This is also true. 

For me, I think one of my strongest traits, and I think one that's useful to anyone, is the ability to reflect on oneself clearly and without bias. Look at yourself as you are, not as you want to be. Some things you can't or won't change about yourself, and that's fine. Just be who you want to be (and more importantly, know who that is, and why).

[superdeath]

Lets revive this:

Lately things have been getting a bit better for me. I took a gal out and had a great time, she even likes video games/Magic! Now if my physical/mental health would quit going south... everything would be alright

[Charriu]

Oh don't worry about yourself. From what I have read from you here you seem to be a great person that I would love to hang out with. Don't undersell yourself.

[GeneralKilCavalry]

Oh don't worry about yourself. From what I have read from you here you seem to be a great person that I would love to hang out with. Don't undersell yourself.

Superdeath is the friend that you just absolutely have to bring on a roadtrip.

I've been stuck in a state of apprehension for the past few months or so. Just starting on my road towards academia, applying to grad school soon, and I'm getting very mixed messages, both from peers, professors, and my experiences in my field. Each day comes with its own ups and downs. Anyone here work in a university/research institution?

[darrelljs]

I bailed on my PhD when a good job offer came my way, while my lab mate continued and when into Academia. His work life is significantly better than mine. Don’t get me wrong I have a great job and love what I do, but he’s still at the cutting edge of some very cool tech. Anecdotal, YMMV, everyone’s experience is unique, doesn’t apply if you are a history major, etc.

Darrell

[Mardoc]

I bailed on my PhD when a good job offer came my way, while my lab mate continued and when into Academia.  His work life is significantly better than mine.  Don’t get me wrong I have a great job and love what I do, but he’s still at the cutting edge of some very cool tech.  Anecdotal, YMMV, everyone’s experience is unique, doesn’t apply if you are a history major, etc.

Darrell

I did something similar.  In retrospect my only regret was not bailing three years earlier.

I think it depends mostly on how much you care about the specific thing you're working on - at least in engineering.  I went in with an attitude of 'I can like anything' rather than a focus on one specific thing about the world I wanted to understand and explain.  In retrospect, I ought to have taken that attitude to industry to get paid to understand something worth money, rather than taking the flexibility of academia.  I should have recognized as a warning sign that the schools were using research topics as one of the key selling points, and I was ignoring that to look at the stipend and apartments.

If you'd rather have an extra $30K for your lab equipment than $10K in salary - if your idea of a relaxing Saturday afternoon is to catch up on the literature about your field - if it really matters to you which problem you work on - then academia is for you.  You may not start off in the exact topic you want but it's a lot easier to bend your career to that question.   If you're working to fund your life, or to generically improve the world, you'll do better in industry.  If you want to split the difference, a Ph.D can give you some leverage on choosing your role in industry - this only works if your favorite topic is something also worth money.

All of the above is for engineering specifically.  I've a friend who went into history, and he put in a ton of effort to end up in a position that, while history, is not at all about the topics he loves, and also has geographic limitations and no tenure.  On the other hand, if he'd been luckier, he could have had his dream job, and I haven't seen any sign of him wanting to compromise and go into the corporate world, so it's still better than his alternatives.  Engineering has the advantage that industry wants PhD's, which leaves the competition for professorships a little less rigorous.