Just wanted to let my four faithful readers know!
I moved my blog. In an attempt to create a new platform and try to begin writing as a side job. Also, to work towards communicating to a broader audience. As well as, try to add in getting me into grad school. Ta-Dah!
www.theopaulson.com
Check it out. Add it to your google reader or other wonderful things you read blogs from.
I will no longer be posting here but will keep it active for a bit so everyone can find me.
Cheers.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Changes?
Hmmmm
Decided to go all in on this blogging thing (thanks to my man Brian Wroblewski's unending encouragement). I will be updating and changing a few things. I might do a few small posts until it the new awesomeness is up. Stay tuned!
Tee hee
Decided to go all in on this blogging thing (thanks to my man Brian Wroblewski's unending encouragement). I will be updating and changing a few things. I might do a few small posts until it the new awesomeness is up. Stay tuned!
Tee hee
Friday, February 18, 2011
Choices or Luck?
Life appears to be a serious of choices. What to eat, what to wear, where to go, how to get there, etc etc etc.
The older you get, it appears that the less choices you have.
If you already have a job- the where you are going and what you are doing is mostly decided for you each day. Sure you can take the scenic route to work, buy a new car, put in different tunes, but honestly... window dressing foo.
Sure, you can start smoking crack and beat up your boss... but really... most of us make mundane choices due to the circumstances we are in.
So luck plays a huge role in our lives. (Of course, luck favors the prepared, hard-working sun of a gun).
How many of you have that friend with the wonderful job, awesome salary, stellar (seemingly) life? Who always seems to be in the right place at the right time.
Or the friend who always seems to be between jobs and struggling? What's the difference between the two?
I say between 50-75% Luck. Think about it.
Right now, I am waiting to hear back from Grad schools about heading off to get a PhD in Sociology. I have choices. Which schools to apply too, how to apply, what to write about etc etc. My grades and scores all set. So now I wait. (Well, Emory said no so I wait on three more schools).
So now I chalk it up to luck. If my scores are good, my recommendations quality, my personal statement worthy... it takes people to say, YES, to me. People with lives, standards, ideas, pre-concieved notions, and brilliance.
So now I wait for my lucky turn. That moment where someone gives the Paper Version of me a chance and says YES.
So what are my choices? Wait.
Wait on the Lord oh my soul
Wait on the Lord oh my soul
Wait on the Lord oh my soul
Be strong and take heart
Be strong...
..and wait upon the Lord
What if I do not get in? Well, thats for another post. That is a whole nother set of choices.
The older you get, it appears that the less choices you have.
If you already have a job- the where you are going and what you are doing is mostly decided for you each day. Sure you can take the scenic route to work, buy a new car, put in different tunes, but honestly... window dressing foo.
Sure, you can start smoking crack and beat up your boss... but really... most of us make mundane choices due to the circumstances we are in.
So luck plays a huge role in our lives. (Of course, luck favors the prepared, hard-working sun of a gun).
How many of you have that friend with the wonderful job, awesome salary, stellar (seemingly) life? Who always seems to be in the right place at the right time.
Or the friend who always seems to be between jobs and struggling? What's the difference between the two?
I say between 50-75% Luck. Think about it.
Right now, I am waiting to hear back from Grad schools about heading off to get a PhD in Sociology. I have choices. Which schools to apply too, how to apply, what to write about etc etc. My grades and scores all set. So now I wait. (Well, Emory said no so I wait on three more schools).
So now I chalk it up to luck. If my scores are good, my recommendations quality, my personal statement worthy... it takes people to say, YES, to me. People with lives, standards, ideas, pre-concieved notions, and brilliance.
So now I wait for my lucky turn. That moment where someone gives the Paper Version of me a chance and says YES.
So what are my choices? Wait.
Wait on the Lord oh my soul
Wait on the Lord oh my soul
Wait on the Lord oh my soul
Be strong and take heart
Be strong...
..and wait upon the Lord
What if I do not get in? Well, thats for another post. That is a whole nother set of choices.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
When dreams shift...
Let's just say these past 12 months have been full of shifting dreams. It was about this time last year that I finally felt like I knew what I was to do next. Go back to school to get a PhD in sociology. Work in the field of Sociology as a professor working on these issues that plague my soul each day.
Why?
I love working on complex social issues and creating simple changes with a lasting impact. I feel like this route is perfect for achieving my goals and dreams.
Then something happened... yup Pregnant with #3! (not me, my wife).
So dreams shifted... can we make this happen still? Should we? Should I change which schools I am applying to?
That is when we decided that the best course of action would be to relocate to Atlanta. That's when I found Emory University. Up until that point, I had looked west coast and around Chicago. But Emory is stinking great. From the fact that they do everything they can to have a green campus including encouraging students to bike to school with some neat incentives. To their impressive history in actually engaging the world around them. That, and their sociology program is top notch.
Lets just say Emory moved up to the top of my list.
Then today happened.
Yup. Got that DENIED letter. The, oh no, now I am sad letter.
So now what? Random email to the dean of the grad school later.... I wait.
Wait on the next two schools (University of Chicago and University of Georgia).
Maybe find one more school to throw in my application last minute.
Either way, dreams are shifting again.
This poem has been running through my mind lately. I have no idea when I last read it. Probably in 8th grade to be honest. But it resonates with me. The cadence, hilarity, and simplicity of it has stuck with me throughout this application process.
A Dream Deferred
By Langston Hughes
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
Well, back to selling fruit and vegetable packaging and hoping that I can take one step closer to realizing my dreams.
Why?
I love working on complex social issues and creating simple changes with a lasting impact. I feel like this route is perfect for achieving my goals and dreams.
Then something happened... yup Pregnant with #3! (not me, my wife).
So dreams shifted... can we make this happen still? Should we? Should I change which schools I am applying to?
That is when we decided that the best course of action would be to relocate to Atlanta. That's when I found Emory University. Up until that point, I had looked west coast and around Chicago. But Emory is stinking great. From the fact that they do everything they can to have a green campus including encouraging students to bike to school with some neat incentives. To their impressive history in actually engaging the world around them. That, and their sociology program is top notch.
Lets just say Emory moved up to the top of my list.
Then today happened.
Yup. Got that DENIED letter. The, oh no, now I am sad letter.
So now what? Random email to the dean of the grad school later.... I wait.
Wait on the next two schools (University of Chicago and University of Georgia).
Maybe find one more school to throw in my application last minute.
Either way, dreams are shifting again.
This poem has been running through my mind lately. I have no idea when I last read it. Probably in 8th grade to be honest. But it resonates with me. The cadence, hilarity, and simplicity of it has stuck with me throughout this application process.
A Dream Deferred
By Langston Hughes
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
Well, back to selling fruit and vegetable packaging and hoping that I can take one step closer to realizing my dreams.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Helping the Poor...
Just read this great Freakonomics article about what happens to the losing super bowl team T-shirts.
The argument in this article (A flood of free T-shirts may or may not hurt local textile manufacturers and ends up hurting the people they are trying to help) is a great discussion highlighting a very central idea: Helping the Poor is actually quite difficult.
How do most people help the poor?
Toss a few bucks into a red kettle with neato bell ringer person.
Give to Red Cross.
Give to a local food bank either with cash gifts or excess food.
You know... easy stuff. Helping the poor in a simple sense of giving is easy. I can give small amounts of money readily (and we all should). We choose to tithe 10% to our church who uses a good amount of their budget to support local and international projects. But it still is simple and easy.
How do we solve the problem of people being unable to eat daily?
A crazy combination of increasing job opportunities, changing how micro and macro economics functions, increase access to wealth for producers (instead of distributors), etc etc etc etc...
I could keep going and make a big ol long list. Helping the poor in some small ways is relatively easy and everyone should give some of their excess to help the poor. But what about your neighbor who is about to get kicked out of their house? What about the large amount of people living around the world on less than $2 a day?
Helping the poor is complex. But the root of the problem?
Most of us frankly don't care enough.
As evidenced by our daily choices. So how do we change? Begin with seeking out and understanding the stories of those who are poor. See where that takes you... changed my life.
The argument in this article (A flood of free T-shirts may or may not hurt local textile manufacturers and ends up hurting the people they are trying to help) is a great discussion highlighting a very central idea: Helping the Poor is actually quite difficult.
How do most people help the poor?
Toss a few bucks into a red kettle with neato bell ringer person.
Give to Red Cross.
Give to a local food bank either with cash gifts or excess food.
You know... easy stuff. Helping the poor in a simple sense of giving is easy. I can give small amounts of money readily (and we all should). We choose to tithe 10% to our church who uses a good amount of their budget to support local and international projects. But it still is simple and easy.
How do we solve the problem of people being unable to eat daily?
A crazy combination of increasing job opportunities, changing how micro and macro economics functions, increase access to wealth for producers (instead of distributors), etc etc etc etc...
I could keep going and make a big ol long list. Helping the poor in some small ways is relatively easy and everyone should give some of their excess to help the poor. But what about your neighbor who is about to get kicked out of their house? What about the large amount of people living around the world on less than $2 a day?
Helping the poor is complex. But the root of the problem?
Most of us frankly don't care enough.
As evidenced by our daily choices. So how do we change? Begin with seeking out and understanding the stories of those who are poor. See where that takes you... changed my life.
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