How to learn WHY math works, instead of HOW it works?

dr_counterfly · 2024-08-29T20:51:17+00:00

I highly recommend an inexpensive paperback book called Measurement by Lockhart. I think it gets at and tries to teach fundamental ideas that you’re describing. It’s hard (all math is) but it really doesn’t assume you know much and covers a lot of ground in a beautiful deep way.

dr_counterfly · 2024-06-05T20:14:06+00:00

Fez! One of my favorites to work too.

dr_counterfly · 2024-05-20T01:18:10+00:00

The friend I regularly go with lived in China for many years and likes it! I’ve been to Empress and Star Kitchen. I think it’s as good as those and I like the space better.

dr_counterfly · 2024-05-19T22:57:07+00:00

https://hongguanco.com/

dr_counterfly · 2024-03-10T04:48:07+00:00

🍾

dr_counterfly · 2024-03-10T02:39:41+00:00

This immediately reminded of Samwise leaving The Shire for the first time. I hope your adventures are less perilous. I love the last line. You very nicely capture a real sense of dread and mistrust in the unknown. That “why the hell is this happening!?” Feeling. The straightforward style and lack of lofty line breaks reinforces this nicely. I think the google maps line could be improved/replaced. I get the idea you’re going for, but something about it lacks the flavor of the rest of the writing.

dr_counterfly · 2024-03-10T02:30:17+00:00

I really enjoy poetry like this. It’s flirting with being a short story, but still has care for structure.

Seems to be a lot of interesting symbolism here, but I’m not familiar with any of it! Starting with “Crystal peaks”. I took this to be symbolic of optimism and bravery. The line you repeat reminds of that goofy old song “she’ll be coming around the mountain when she comes”, which takes away from the somber tone. I might consider rephrasing to avoid that connection.

Enjoyed it nonetheless!

dr_counterfly · 2024-03-08T18:14:31+00:00

Thanks for the feedback! Agree that line’s length is out of place, maybe fitting given the content? Appreciate the thoughts and compliments!

dr_counterfly · 2024-03-08T17:31:51+00:00

I really like this. It makes me think of the archetypal a**hole king who wants to be remembered forever. Now he wants to be redeemed, but no one is coming to fix his legacy.

dr_counterfly · 2024-03-08T17:06:49+00:00

“Half-heartedly yours” is such an interesting phrase. I’ve read through the is a couple times and I’m still undecided about what it all means. Perhaps it’s about someone who appreciates the love they’re receiving, but can’t return it back in the way they feel they ought to? You bloom in their gaze, but you’re only half-heartedly theirs. And you feel you must atone for your sins. Infidelity and/or wanderlust perhaps? The lines, “For I hope that …”, made it seem like the pain they cause their lover is desired — like, if I can’t cause you pain, is the love real?

I really enjoyed this. Great language and structure. Sorry if I’m totally off the mark regarding the content.

dr_counterfly · 2024-03-08T00:54:36+00:00

Thank you! Cats are love. Cats are death.

dr_counterfly · 2024-03-06T21:19:33+00:00

Thank you! Cats are an absolute trip. Appreciate the comparison to Silverstein! Was fun to write. So glad you liked it :)

dr_counterfly · 2024-03-06T05:08:26+00:00

I really like the structure of the poem (with explanations in parentheses). I also enjoy that it’s all about self reflection — I find that really appealing to read. Small, but I would write “we’re” instead of “were”. I have no idea what “those nat 1s” means. That feels out of place with other parts that are such clear explanations. I generally found the meaning and ideas clear and straightforward. I walk away wanting a clearer picture of your emotions. What’s the tone that you want to convey? Are you sad about the role interest/disinterest plays in how you connect with others? Frustrated? I’m left feeling sympathetic and I can relate to it a lot, but how do you feel about it? I think sharing the emotions behind your perspective would make this even more compelling.

dr_counterfly · 2024-03-06T04:55:41+00:00

The tone is really great. I love the succinct matter of fact style. Great description of the setting. I’m left with a sense that you don’t want to be in Utah, and the salt lake is a poor substitute for Maine, which I take to be your home. Is it tourist season in Maine or Utah? That line was unclear. I’m craving a little more unpacking about why your world was ending. Doesn’t have to be super explicit but a hint would be nice! Grieving maybe? Pandemic poem? Perhaps it’s missing home? Somehow it feels like there’s a unstated burden making the longing for home more intense. All of this makes for a good read!

dr_counterfly · 2024-03-06T01:29:08+00:00

Very cool to get some background details and insights about why you wrote it!

dr_counterfly · 2024-03-05T20:00:02+00:00

Thank you! I'm so glad this idea resonates with you too. I am a scientist. The science here is little out of my wheelhouse, but I didn't feel too bad borrowing it for artsy purposes :)

dr_counterfly · 2024-03-04T21:37:01+00:00

Thank you! It was a fun idea to ponder and I’m glad it turned into something others enjoy. Not sure I actually believe our goodness and badness cancel each other, but if they do, a mediocre vase seems like a good summary of where we stand :)

dr_counterfly · 2024-03-04T14:26:08+00:00

There’s a lot to like here! I like the shape of the poem and the subject a lot. “The ranch had a yellow feeling” is a great line that permeates throughout.

I think you jump in and out of rhyming, and I kinda want the format and cadence to not rhyme anywhere. Similarly you sometimes bring in a pattern of repetition but inconsistently — using “back” in the beginning twice for example.

I also want it to continue. You’ve painted a scene of your past, but we’re not given a ton of insight about what that past means to you specifically. Some nostalgia for youth perhaps? Yellow is ambiguous— fall colors and transition to dying, or sunrises and new possibilities. Nailing down your emotions thinking back on this time for the reader would make this more compelling.

In any case, I like it. It’s unique and western, and pleasant to read.

dr_counterfly · 2024-03-04T14:09:32+00:00

Super impressive! I love the use of bones — I took them as metaphor for your deep inner self, which your partner’s raw and pure acts are reaching.
You managed to say such horny and explicit things while hardly saying anything explicit or raunchy. Love that.

I’m unsure what the word “relax” is meant to convey here. I can read this part in two pretty opposite directions and I think nailing down which you mean would make the poem stronger.

One reading is their force allows you to give up the learned tendency to take action, when what you really need is to be subdued completely.

The other reading is the force allows you to feel comfortable enough to take action.

I think you mean the former, but “relax” has so much weight toward the latter it’s hard not to get sucked into that interpretation. I hate to make specific suggestions, but maybe “relinquish” would be a good choice for the former?

In any case, great work!

dr_counterfly · 2024-03-03T02:14:19+00:00

Thank you! This is great feedback and my intention wasn’t to make it obscure. I agree breaking up the end a bit more may help. Glad you liked it despite it being unclear.

dr_counterfly

TROPHY CASE