Metacognition [Get Organized]: My Desk.

First off: this blog assignment was a life saver. I've been telling myself to clean my previously cluttered desk for weeks already but have never really gotten around to doing it. And it was about time. To put things simply, it had gotten to the point where I refused to do my homework on my desk because there was no clean space. Sure, cleaning and organizing my desk was no easy [or fun] task, but the results were well worth it.

The first time I read this assignment, I knew exactly what I would have to do. And I'd be lying if I told you that I was excited about it. I was dreading it, actually. Yeah, I needed to do it...but over break? Why?! I couldn't understand. But it was an assignment so I got myself, well, forced myself to start working immediately. I told myself that I could do a little each day if it got too boring or if something came up, but to at least start my work so I got somewhere. Once I stood face to face with the mess, I became discouraged. "This is going to take hours!" I remember thinking. There were so many books, papers, cd's, and items sprawled around my desk, I didn't know where to begin. Once I had returned to a clear mind, I decided to start easy. Instead of focusing on every little detail, I would separate things into two piles: what I would keep, and what I would need to throw away.

This process was quick and in no time, my desk was clear and almost half of the things that were previously on my desk were in the garbage. The rest, what I needed, was in a pile, but a manageable pile none the less, on the floor. I instantly felt lighter and happier. The worst part of something I had been dreading for weeks turned out to be not so bad after all. And in only 10 minutes, I had made such an impact.

Next, I decided to tackle the little things. I looked at what I had collected. To my surprise, I saw some things in the pile that had oddly gone missing for weeks and I had been searching for for the longest time! Missing flash drives, an ID card, even some money, suddenly back in my possession! The excitement of finding these things and the look of such an improved space made me very optimistic and determined to finish my task at hand. Besides, I had planned on working for a maximum on 45 minutes on this today and I was confident that I would be able to finish it all in that time or less!

The next part of my cleaning and organization process was to put all the things I wanted to keep in a sensible fashion that would help keep things organized and clean for a long period of time. I didn't want to just take all the things that had been on my desk and re-position them back on there. Sure, I had thrown out some stuff...but maybe some of the things I was keeping didn't have to be on my desk. I wanted to keep the clutter to a minimum so I could easily fit my laptop, books, and daily homework on my desk when needed. By the end of my organization process, almost 3/4 of my stuff was put in a more appropriate place and the rest, the essentials, were nicely organized on my desk.

Once I had completely finished, I felt great. Such an awful task turned out to be kind of fun...and I had gotten some "lost" items back and of course, peace of mind. I was also surprised at how little I actually had that needed to stay on my desk: 80% of the things that were on there when I started should not have been there. It was funny how when I looked at all the things, I had no idea how I could organize all of that, when in reality, most of it had been misplaced junk. After cleaning and organizing my desk, my mind is clear and ready to take on other, more important tasks. I never realized how much stress and anxiety such a small process could inflict on someone. Even though I didn't really think about it directly, every time I passed my desk at home, it would make me feel more stressed...and I definitely did not need that to worry about during the week with all the homework, tests, and projects to deal with. Now I know that I can't leave unenjoyable things to simmer in my mind, because it only makes it worse by adding more and more stress and worry the more you put it off. I realized that I must get things over with right when I come face to face with them so that I have to peace in my mind that I don't have to deal with it later. And besides, the unenjoyable things usually turn out to be better than you think, just like this organizing exercise. My success with this project definitely leaves me excited and optimistic for the projects I'll be faced with in the future.

iMedia: "The Persistence of Memory"

The Persistence of Memory is a painting done by artist Salvador Dalí that, in my opinion, could be one of the most thought-provoking and interesting painting I've ever seen. This was painted by Dalí in 1931 and is considered one of his most recognizable works. It is currently held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and has been there since 1934.

To me, this painting is definitely significant. There are so many little underlying parts and details to be examined in here. For me and probably for most people, the clocks are the most interesting. At first glance, it's like "What?!" I wasn't really sure why they looked so fluid and soft. It also, in a way, plays with your mind, since clocks are so precise and strict. Clocks have fine lines, precise markings, and solid, specific rules. They're mechanical. So when you see something like this painting, it makes no sense. It makes you think "How can the hands of the clock move? Where did the markings go? How can it be bent and tangled like that?" and even deeper things like "If our clocks suddenly became like that, what would constitute time? Is time mechanical or is it fluid?" I soon came to understand that Dalí was getting at something very similar through his painting. The sagging pocket-watches suggest the irrelevance of time during sleep and the being in the middle of the painting resembles, at least to many, a human being asleep. Basically, when we're asleep and unconscious, time doesn't pertain, only memories do. To me, this actually makes sense. It's actually pretty easy to see that distortion of time, especially when you attempt to think about your own dreams; it just doesn't all add up in the confines of time. I think it also could have been a visual depiction of Einstein's theory of relativity. Einstein basically said that time itself is relative and not fixed. I think that could definitely work in the context of the melted clocks and the irrelevance of time.

A couple other interesting things I noticed in the painting is the use of light and the insects on two of the clocks. I thought it was really interesting how Dalí used light to show a contrast between obvious and not-so-obvious things. I think that the parts that are in the light, like the rocks, platform, and ocean are things that are constant, obvious things that are considered set-in-stone. Conversely, I think the shaded parts like the clocks and the being all, in a way, position toward this dark hole in the painting which shows that they're more creative and fluid ideas that are not as constituted as the light objects.Finally, the insects are definitely an interesting and probably disturbing point of the painting. If you look closely, there is a swarm of ants on the orange watch and a single fly on the clock right next to it. I think that signifies that regardless of how time is viewed or constituted, it will eventually lead to death.

I think this painting is really interesting and full of different ideas and details to explore. I think it can give viewers a new, visual way of viewing time and some questions to ponder. I also think that it dates back to some older ideas about the relativity of time and can show the viewers some of the thoughts and ideas that were going on in this time period. I think this is an essential work of art to be seen by anyone who's remotely interested in art because it's so abstract and full of little tiny details to be discovered.

Connection: Edmund and Rod Blagojevich

Edmund, one of the most distinctive characters in King Lear, has a very profound personality. He's cunning, clever, and crafty but also corrupt, manipulative, and deceiving. It's easy to say that whatever he does has only one purpose: to benefit himself, regardless of how it affects others.When I started to think about who I could connect him to as a modern day example, politicians started running through my head. I mean, most politicians are corrupt these days, no? Well, I didn't have to "search" far from home. In fact, I decided on our very own ex-governor, Rod Blagojevich.

Rod Blagojevich..there's so much to him that can be connected to Edmund. They both did things that were intended to benefit their own interests and lied many times to cover their tracks. Edmund had several, major offenses. For one, he created a letter and convinced everyone that Edgar, his innocent brother, had written it. He was successfully able to pull Edgar away from Gloucester, his own father, and make Edgar the town criminal in everyone else's eyes. In turn, it made him look more powerful and make him seem like a hero for trying to capture Edgar. Secondly, when Gloucester so importantly confided in Edmund to keep the secret that he would go help the king, Edmund betrayed him and told Goneril and Regan about it. That, in the end, killed his father, and Edmund seemed to care very little about it.Blagojevich had his own offenses...many, for that matter. Generally, he used his position of power to extort other politicians and businesses for self-gain and profit. When caught, he lied and denied everything even though there was significant proof of what he had done.

But what is the most intriguing similarity is that they both knew how to manipulate the public and remain in good graces to some extent. Edmund, though having done such terrible things, was able to keep everything quite secretive from the masses and even came out being admired and fought for by Goneril and Regan. His cunning and clever personality was the main reason why his twisted plans were able to work. He was able to convince people that he was a do-gooder and would never have any reason to do any wrong. The same idea goes for Rod Blagojevich. Though proven guilty and convicted, he still has a cheerful personality and great charisma. And, it seems like people still kinda like him! He has been on numerous commercials, t.v. shows, talk shows, and radio programs even though he's essentially a criminal.

So, why does this connection matter? Well, it shows us that such profoundly deceiving individuals are not only found in literature; they are among us as well. And this doesn't mean that they're the people who seem the most obviously bad: it could very well be the most outgoing, well-dressed, intellectual person. So, we should take note of the themes and ideas literature gives us, because more times than not, it reflects something in our own, modern society.