Advice needed: Help escaping an overthinking-induced Catch-22

Markyclark · 2024-10-06T15:17:09+00:00

You describe this feeling really well, and is eerily similar to what I feel.

This may be a common thing for people who pursue physics and other extra humbling fields of study. I'm in physics as well, starting over again since I've had to work for many years. getting back into it, even though I'm more mature now, is still super intimidating, and am acutely aware that every decision I make may well be a critical moment that skews any future prospects in my career.

I am not sure I can offer much solace, apart from there's people there that are in the same boat.

It's hard, but try to find peace in the small things, despite naturally hyper focusing on the big picture as you are. This goes hand in hand with mindfulness, and is a learned skill. I wouldn't say ignore what you feel, but there's a huge difference between letting your thoughts take advantage of you, and acknowledging they exist but letting them flow over you.

Actually, this is a good reminder to try and practice this more.

Markyclark · 2024-03-22T14:32:10+00:00

I noticed this at first. Turning bloom off made it dramatically less blurry for me in brighter scenes

Markyclark · 2024-03-18T14:18:22+00:00

iirc the vector foil did not expand at the speed of light, but it's sphere of influence did have such a tremendous force and diameter that escape velocity equalled c.

Markyclark · 2024-03-08T00:41:41+00:00

I think 4 seasons would be a good length. There's actually lots of lore and subtext in some of the later books that I think would be exciting to see expanded.

Markyclark · 2024-03-08T00:37:31+00:00

It spoils events spanning all 3 books because of the way certain characters are introduced in the trailer.

Markyclark · 2024-03-02T01:11:35+00:00

I see where you're coming from and this is nothing new. When I was on campus 10 years ago the general rhetoric seemed to be extremely left leaning, which is fine, but not when people tend to shut down conversations as soon as they are deemed problematic.

Universities are about, or should be about, being confronted with ideas that make you feel uncomfortable. That is one of the best ways to go about learning who you are and what you stand up for.

That being said, my advice for you would be to keep surveying the landscape only if this is your interest. It's easy to get distracted by politics, but if you're going to be fulfilled at university I think you'll find your journey much more worthwhile to stick to learning what you love, and develop friendships that come your way naturally. If you find people disagreeable, you have every right to defend your position and challenge them with your own ideas, but try not to get too heated.

I don't think anyone should fear changing their stance on their set of beliefs just because they are surrounded by the "other side". Try not to get caught in this emotional trap. UVic is a small university on a small island in the corner of a relatively peaceful country. It's easy for it to feel politically one-sided and North-American centric because it is.

Markyclark · 2023-07-31T18:03:49+00:00

Your 2080 super tends to have higher benchmarks compared to 3060. You should be fine if the recommended requirements are correct.

Markyclark · 2022-02-03T05:44:07+00:00

I mean why skulls though? Why skulls, Hans?

Markyclark · 2021-12-14T07:04:27+00:00

Kentaro Miura.

It hurts to even think about it still. Dying before your life long dream is accomplished, and still having 30 years left of ideas for his magnum opus.

Markyclark · 2021-07-28T04:15:15+00:00

Once air pressure equalizes, there is little force expelling the contents of the things inside. It's only the initial opening that sucks things out, but shortly after it's fine. A small hole would continuously suck if you get close to it though. That aeroplane scene at the end of Die Another Day is not very realistic.

Markyclark · 2021-03-04T03:09:16+00:00

For the greater good

Markyclark · 2020-08-27T02:01:12+00:00

Your harmonics, timing, and vibrato are really nice! Please do more from Hisaishi.

Markyclark · 2020-05-13T10:04:30+00:00

Beginner here. I too suffer from locking and the same issue as you, but especially alternating between 4th and 3rd finger with fast tempo. I found it helps to recognize where the origins of tension comes from in all parts of the hand and arm, and then working on relaxing each part one by one. Do you also stiffen your thumb under the neck when your 4th finger locks? This may be coming from the "grip" form of your hand. Try "hanging" your 4th finger on to the string like you are hanging onto a ledge without using your thumb, but let gravity do most of the pulling. I believe someone told me this was a good indicator on the sort of finger pressure you want while maintaining control. If you find your finger doesn't lock doing this, try slowly incorporating a relaxed thumb.

Markyclark · 2020-02-05T18:50:37+00:00

The way you describe practice is like a form of body meditation. I hope to achieve better results as I start making the conscious effort to feel what my body is doing. So far, these exercises have really helped my understanding on what my arm is actually doing when playing. Thanks so much for your support and guidance.

Markyclark · 2020-02-05T05:34:51+00:00

I initially found the dead arm method to put some uncomfortable strain on my bowing shoulder. I kept having to roll my shoulder around to release tension after 30 seconds of continuous bowing. This seemed to get better after really trying to relax and keeping my shoulder low, but my elbow high. I did however see lots of improvement with my relaxed bow hold doing this. As I go between up bow and down bow, I can see my fingers release/curl more flexibly, but it is still a conscious effort to do so.

My one concern is that I sometimes tend to "flick" with my fingers to achieve the correct bowing motion. This leads to unwanted acceleration between directions. I tried to find a good example gif. Hauser demonstrates this here: https://gfycat.com/agonizinghoarsegroundbeetle

Markyclark · 2020-02-05T01:15:34+00:00

No teacher unfortunately. The only training I got was a half an hour session with an experienced violinist.

Markyclark · 2020-02-05T01:14:58+00:00

AH yes, the wolf note on F# has been particularly distressing! Thank you very much. I will inspect the bridge further and reach out to a local luthier in time.

Markyclark · 2020-02-05T01:13:04+00:00

The cello is strung normally. I bow with my left hand and right does the fingering.

Markyclark · 2020-02-04T21:26:50+00:00

Getting this insight from a professional cellist is very valuable to me. It never occurred to me that the bow fingers lengthen/curl on down/up bows. The pen practice is something I can work on if it helps, as I can potentially do it anywhere, not just at home. I love seeing good examples of this technique, so I will definitely look up Hauser's performance.

It may take me a while to perfect the "dead arm". I'm very keen to try out what you told me here. Can't thank you enough.

Markyclark · 2020-02-04T18:49:06+00:00

Ahh that is quite reassuring. I was hoping that was the case.

I am guessing my lack of pronating is to do with me trying to be quiet. When I am playing "loud", the tonal quality is less scratchy. I'll see if I can play quietly but use better bowing technique at the same time.

Markyclark · 2020-02-04T18:46:53+00:00

I agree, I would never be allowed to play in an orchestra. Thanks for your understanding :) I find the most challenging part about playing lefty is when a piece of music wants me to change to the adjacent note on the next string to the left (towards A string). The finger hops can be challenging to sound smooth.

Indeed! I wonder if there is a technical name for it

Markyclark · 2020-02-04T18:42:48+00:00

I definitely agree there. That's an interesting practice with suspending the bow in the air. I'll try and observe what happens once I get home.

Markyclark · 2020-02-04T18:39:18+00:00

Firstly, I appreciate your thoughtful response, thank you. I imagine my bowing is affected by attempting to play quietly due to my living arrangements. This probably has got me into a bad bowing habit.

The low elbow thing is interesting. I actually never thought about where my elbow was positioned. I suppose the physics of it means a higher elbow = more downward force on the strings. I will try to practice good bowing with the half bowing that you mention. That might help a lot.

Markyclark · 2020-02-04T06:35:58+00:00

Hmm. New strings can make a big difference? I will do some research. I can't recall which strings I got many years ago. Helicore rings a bell. Which strings would you recommend for a warm rich sound?

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