journal for 2003-05-19
bad arguments
I like arguing. It’s one of the reasons I wanted to be (and enjoyed being) a philosophy student. The problem is that lots of people can’t argue worth a hill of beans. The worst are people who think they really know how to argue but don’t. They’re even better when they think “winning” means being correct, instead of determining the truth.
So, on that note: I got into an argument this weekend. Someone on the RPG-theory list brought up religion, I made some semi-humorous comment, and it got stupid. For your entertainment, here is the whole thing. Ugh.
int-fiction
Someone on the ifMUD was supposed to run a speed IF this weekend, but stood us up. I mumbled something about, “Well, I could’ve done it, if I knew,” and this of course led to me getting shanghai’d into it. I don’t like the guidelines I produced, and I’m not sure anyone else does, as there have been only two entries. Whatever!
I’ve got like a zillion open projects at the moment, which is stupid. I need to finish the microgame and finish the SwashComp game. Then I need to do some serious planning for the games I really like at the moment: Agency and Old Timer.
I need to publish at least one real, complete, not-shitty game.
fitness
Weight loss proceeds, kind of. I’m starting to really hover around 220 pounds. To drop further, I know I must change my diet. I picked up two protein bars this weekend, and I ate the first one today, for lunch. It was good. I could definitely do that every day, I think—but I’ll probably continue to go out with the guys now and then. It’s nice to be social.
I know I’ve got a lot more muscle (relatively speaking) than I did when we joined the gym. I wish (too late) that I had been taking body measurements, then. My weight isn’t my central concern, my size is. I’d like to achieve a relatively nicely-proportioned physique. I know where I’m trying to go, but I don’t know where I started. It’s hard to know exactly what kind of progress I’ve made.
At least I can see some muscles, now, when I stand cross-armed. I feel good about that.
programming
I picked up a book on Lisp recently. (I’m getting the impression that saying LISP is passé.) Despite the incredible overtones of “Lisp is the best thing ever, you pathetic little non-Lisp programmer,” I really like it so far. I need to start playing around with writing Lisp, soon, or I’ll forget the stuff I’ve only learned in theory. Still, it’s pretty awesome that I now understand why there are so many bananas in Lisp.
I’m scared to find out how OO Lisp (CLOS) works, though. Scared.