Fourier Analysis is a mathematical tool which can do a number of things: separate out signals from noise; help identify patterns or trends in data; filter out all unwanted data and focus on a single signal; use approximations to make generalizations; make approximations of real world signals (think electronic music); combine harmonics to get a stronger signal. That's what I'll be trying to do here!! Won't you join me with your comments?

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Diet, Curse, Loathe

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Liz Gilbert's bestseller! It was a great summer read and I of course used it as an excuse to indulge myself in Bar-B-Q, Prime-Rib, Tex-Mex, Dr. Pepper and Pecos Cantaloupe! I consider Texas my "Italy" in terms of being a food mecca!

And I admit to having adopted some of her great phrases:
  • "That’s the thing about a human life-there’s no control group, no way to ever know how any of us would have turned out if any variables had been changed". (As a scientist, this one appeals to me and I use it regularly now to try and keep from second-guessing myself all the time!)
  • "Some days are meant to be counted, others are meant to be weighed." (Again, I guess it is my scientific bent, but this one gives me a very definite image and helps me gain perspective!)
  • And this one sums up my life philosophy in a much more poetic fashion than I could ever come up with: "Tis' better to live your own life imperfectly than to imitate someone else's perfectly."

The last one gives the reason why following her journey is all wrong for me. Oh I would love to spend a year in narcissistic self-indulgence. And in fact 4 months is likely far to short a time for me to achieve any of the goals that she set for herself on each of her quests. But the paths she chose are definitely not for my feet to trod, at least not at this point in my life.

So I have set out on my own quests and am in the process of laying the groundwork for my own journeys. And yes, the first one also involves the intake of food, but not the indulgence as it seems I have already been doing much too much of that. I don't expect to have near as much fun as Liz did, and I make no promises as to the inspirations I might encounter on my quests. But in the end I do hope that my path will lead to as happy an outcome, though I harbour no hopes of ever achieving a best seller or having Julia Roberts playing me in a movie!

However, should some miracle occur, I have always been told I look a lot like Meryl Streep...