Had a philosophical sort of discussion yesterday with Pat. Good stuff; more would be better.

One of the things we considered was things that have intrinsic value.
That is, ultimate ends of a sort - things that are good for their own sake, and make other things valuable.

Scratching truth from that list in retrospect, I am thinking:
Love, because it is willing what is most good;
Justice, because it is to give each their due;
Happiness, because it is always the end of desires;
and Persons, because they are subjects, and a part of their purpose is to exist.

I am least certain about happiness.
I am least satisfied by my understanding of persons.
Offhand, other things I would consider are: truth, wisdom, and freedom.

Any thoughts?

Discernment continues to move along.

Starting to lean towards Loyola Chicago for medical school.
Might send them a letter of interest or even intent.
It'd be nice if they offered me some money.
Crap, I have to send them financial aid stuff!!!

Been feeling the desire to be active outdoors recently.
This means discgolf, golf, and hopefully some coming-up knife-throwing and tennis. Roller hockey would be freakin' sweet, too.

Fenced on Friday. Piece came off, though I covered it up well. I doubt I'll keep it long.
I really do like fencing.
Still thinking of making a big commitment to doing it regularly & getting on the serious tourney loop.

Today I am getting hair attached to my head. That is, a transparent patch of polymer with hair attached to it will be taped to my scalp.

I have been very dubious about doing this. I still am, and I kind of regret making the purchase.

At this point, though, I may as well give it a shot.

I am bothered sometimes by my alopecia. Ideally, it should mean nothing to me, because it does not affect me in any truly significant way.

Really, though, I don't think it's a big deal either way. Nothing worth much of a sacrifice over or feeling guilty about spending some money on fixing up.

My dad wants me to do this - he's paying half and encouraging me to try it out.

We'll see how it goes.

Weirdness.

I got World of Warcraft.

It is super enjoyable.

I am excited to come home and play it every day (keeping in mind that I've only had it for 6 days now).

I am doing OK not letting it take over my life.

Tom was home over the weekend, and we played a lot together. This made it harder to do other things, but it was also a lot of fun and good bonding.

I went to a friends' place for St. Patrick's Day. They are now a wilder group of friends, from elementary school. The Morowsky brothers: the older one is named Nick and was a very close friend in the 5th grade. Alex is his brother, and would often play with us. They and their other friends are all really into WoW (well, not the ladies...). Alex in particular was extremely excited that I play now.

I go the hook-up, yo.

I went to a driving range with family twice over the weekend.

Maybe I'll do more golfing this summer.

Hmm. So much I'd like to do.

Time will limit me.

Any of you guys golf?

I experienced some crazy women tonight.

Upon reflection, I am re-resolved to be more loving.

Today and in several of my recent meditations, I have been drawn to develop a new habit. Whenever I meet or deal with people or act on people, I want love to be at the center of my motivation.
I want to meet a stranger and before anything else, think and feel, "I love this person."
I want to face challenges and temptations and opportunities with my first and last consideration being genuine love.

...and when I see a woman break down in front of me and cry, I don't want my first thought to be, "what should I do so that I don't get embarrassed" or "did I do something wrong?" It should be "I love this person. What is best for them? What can I do to help?

I failed to do this today. I don't feel guilty about it - I don't think I was really prepared or ready. I am disappointed in myself though, and more firmly resolved to be a more loving person.

Besides myself perhaps, the only person for whom my first instincts were love was Kristy. She wasn't being crazy, really, but I think it was good that I was there for her.

People have problems and need each other.

I am considering some dangerous but exciting notions.

My brother Tom brought World of Warcraft home yesterday.
Can I get it without overdoing it?
Ideally, I could use it as an incentive for doing healthy things.

...I have grown weak. No regular exercise in the last few weeks.

Also, the idea of a motorcycle or a street-legal dirtbike persists.
I know it is super dangerous, but perhaps for just a year or two, during medical school.
We'll see how things work out. If I end up in St. Louis and living a ways from campus...
VROOM.

WOW and bikes - amazing.

I played Smash & a role-playing game with a group of friends yesterday.

Afterwards, I began to realize how much I've missed them.
Good times. I should spend more leisure time with friends rather than entertaining myself alone.


I also finished the first season of 24 today. It was good. I was especially pleased with the ending.