Hello, Ashley Here!

[Ashley]

Hi everyone!

My name is Ashley, and I decided to join the forum--on my real name, that is. I tentatively signed up a few days ago with a variation of my name, said to heck with it, and then signed up again with my true identity (I apologize to the moderator!). I've been reading around for a week or so, and I figured I might as well register so that I can join in talking .

I'm a 19 year old college student in the U.S.,and I am majoring in Health Science with a minor in Psychology. I'm most likely looking at entering a graduate program in either Behavioral Neuroscience or Clinical Psychology--but not completely sure, yet! I just know that I love learning about the relationship between mind and behavior, and I'm convinced that in a healthy human, there's an incredible amount of control by the first towards the second.

I became acquainted with Ayn Rand four years ago while reading Anthem in a High School English class. A friend gave me his copies of The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, but they ended up on the bookshelf until college. Last year I met my boyfriend, who encouraged me to finish Atlas. I did mostly out of sheer curiosity (I knew I liked Anthem, but even with a love of reading, Atlas looked daunting). The second time I met him, he was wearing a shirt that said "Richard Halley: School of Music" and refused to explain the meaning; he stated only that I would find out in due time what his shirt meant. Of course, I did find out, and I am quite glad I did!

The first thing that attuned me to Objectivism is that I've never bought into the popular social scene or "way of life." I don't drink, I don't party...none of the college hullaballo. And I really figure I'm not missing out. My interests include reading in bed all day, playing the flute voraciously, and drawing all the time. Oh, and I also occasionally rant about how much I love sushi.

Another reason I am interested in Objectivism is because I've fought to battle my own past demons, amongst them, depression and an eating disorder. Rand's philosophy is definitely something that's helps carry me through the rough times, and helps me better enjoy the good times.

An experience that has definitely convinced me of the viability of Objectivist philosophy was the methods I began to use in recovery from the eating disorder, namely honesty and individualism. In treatment, I did a lot of therapy-work to find out where I messed up (and where other people messed up and I wasn't accountable), how I could fix my present, and what I could look forward to in the case that I did choose to change. It has been a pretty rewarding journey, and one I'm still travelin' on. I've come to the conclusion that I cannot have both an eating disorder and a productive life--so I think I'm on the right track.

So, long story short: I'm here !

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Ashley,

A very warm welcome to you.

Feel free to talk to anyone around here. OL is full of friendly people.

I find your comments on eating disorder interesting for a personal reason. I don't know if your disorder was from too much eating or too little since you didn't say, but I am now reading a very interesting book called Passing for Thin, Losing Half my Weight and Finding Myself by Frances Kuffel for my "waiting on others" reading. (This is reading I do when I give someone in my family a ride, say to a doctor's appointment, and have to wait on them.)

Ms. Kuffel discusses her feelings in a very entertaining manner of being quite fat, starting from childhood, then adapting to gradually becoming thin. It's basically a journey of letting a new person we have chosen emerge while letting go of the old one holding us down. Nobody can do that with 100% of themselves, of course, but we can with parts of us. Her book is interesting because she is very honest about the irritation involved in letting go of the "fat girl" worldview and needing to learn about things like femininity, and how to deal with and feel about the people all around her who push her in these directions depending on her body size.

Anyway, I hope you have a good time around here.

Michael

[Michelle]

Yo.

[DavidMcK]

Hi Ashley, and welcome.

[Guyau]

Happy to hear your story, Ashley. Hope the flute playing and drawing go on with you through the years.

Wishing you continued achievement personally and professionally.

–Stephen

[Michelle]

Hi everyone!

My name is Ashley, and I decided to join the forum--on my real name, that is. I tentatively signed up a few days ago with a variation of my name, said to heck with it, and then signed up again with my true identity (I apologize to the moderator!). I've been reading around for a week or so, and I figured I might as well register so that I can join in talking .

I'm a 19 year old college student in the U.S.,and I am majoring in Health Science with a minor in Psychology. I'm most likely looking at entering a graduate program in either Behavioral Neuroscience or Clinical Psychology--but not completely sure, yet! I just know that I love learning about the relationship between mind and behavior, and I'm convinced that in a healthy human, there's an incredible amount of control by the first towards the second.

I became acquainted with Ayn Rand four years ago while reading Anthem in a High School English class. A friend gave me his copies of The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, but they ended up on the bookshelf until college. Last year I met my boyfriend, who encouraged me to finish Atlas. I did mostly out of sheer curiosity (I knew I liked Anthem, but even with a love of reading, Atlas looked daunting). The second time I met him, he was wearing a shirt that said "Richard Halley: School of Music" and refused to explain the meaning; he stated only that I would find out in due time what his shirt meant. Of course, I did find out, and I am quite glad I did!

The first thing that attuned me to Objectivism is that I've never bought into the popular social scene or "way of life." I don't drink, I don't party...none of the college hullaballo. And I really figure I'm not missing out. My interests include reading in bed all day, playing the flute voraciously, and drawing all the time. Oh, and I also occasionally rant about how much I love sushi.

Another reason I am interested in Objectivism is because I've fought to battle my own past demons, amongst them, depression and an eating disorder. Rand's philosophy is definitely something that's helps carry me through the rough times, and helps me better enjoy the good times.

An experience that has definitely convinced me of the viability of Objectivist philosophy was the methods I began to use in recovery from the eating disorder, namely honesty and individualism. In treatment, I did a lot of therapy-work to find out where I messed up (and where other people messed up and I wasn't accountable), how I could fix my present, and what I could look forward to in the case that I did choose to change. It has been a pretty rewarding journey, and one I'm still travelin' on. I've come to the conclusion that I cannot have both an eating disorder and a productive life--so I think I'm on the right track.

So, long story short: I'm here !

Drawing has always been a side-interest for me. I don't put much time into it, but I still have most of my art materials and it can be quite calming to do a basic preliminary sketch in graphite for a few hours. I prefer the stark textures you get with charcoal, but that stuff gets so messy!

When I was little, and was writing my first stories, I always included pictures with them (well, hell, so do most kids, but I put a lot of effort into mine). Boy, that was fun: there is a certain kind of satisfaction I got from writing and illustrating my own stories that I could find nowhere else.

[sbeaulieu]

Welcome to OL, Ashley!

Bravo on conquering your demons ;)

Always enjoyed the flute, but have never picked one up. Pencils, on the other hand, I'm very familiar with. I've been decent enough to draw a mascot a few years back which is now mainstreamed and official. A rather nice accomplishment for a small passion.

I feel your anxiety for picking up big books! I read L. Ron Hubbard's Battlefield Earth some years back - great sci-fi read! I find myself just as daunted about picking up Atlas Shrugged. Soon, I keep telling myself...haha!

Enjoy OL...I know I have.

~ Shane

[Chris Grieb]

Welcome Ashley! Being daunted by Atlas occurs to many of us. You sound very impressive.

[Philip Coates]

Ashley, anyone who loves sushi is definitely a good person. Especially if they read in bed all day, as long as you don't do both simultaneously.

(The meowing sounds a bit strange, though.) :-)

Part of the Objectivist ethics is that Uni is the best kind of sushi.

[Selene]

Ashley:

Damn girl. Way to really enter a room!~

My compliments.

Thank your boyfriend for us and where the hell is he! lol

Welcome.

Adam

[Ashley]

Michael,

Thanks for the welcome! It sure does seem like a friendly place.

Sounds like a good read--Ms. Kuffel hit the nail on the head about that journey. I would say that I have had a hard time, too, letting go of the "fat-girl" mindset. When you get too sick with an eating disorder, you literally cannot think straight from the nutritional deficiencies. I had to overcome a distortion in which my standard of "fat" was seriously deranged.

I'm grateful for CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy). When someone explained to me that thoughts can drive behaviors and emotions, a light bulb clicked. I'm much more careful to question those kind of thoughts and reframe them now.

Let me know how the book is when you finish it; I might pick it up.

Michelle,

Yes! Being able to "show" what you're talking about in words feels great ('specially when you have some talent to do them!). I do this when I'm writing notes in class--drawing out little doodles to help me focus on what concepts mean.

Shane,

Congratulations on the mascot! May I ask what your mascot was?

I had a really compact version of Atlas that had minuscule print when I first read it (it was about 700 something pages). Now that I have a larger version, it is much easier re-reading Atlas. If you can, try and find one of the paperbacks that's the 1000+ version of it. Bigger text=easier to read. Try it out in chunks; think of it like a series of books all compacted into one big edition .

Phillip,

Ew! I would have to vaccuum all the rice pieces out of my sheets. I try to keep them separate, haha.

The meowing is a talent I picked up on when I was in middle school. I have been a cat person for most of my life, and at the time I had a kitten named "The Squish" (yes, there's a story behind the name). One day The Squish was meowing at me, so I meowed right back! It's pretty realistic--tricks most cats, excepting the semi-wild toms. I just love getting a good laugh out of people when someone's looking around going, "Where is that CAT?"

Haha...Uni? I've never payed attention to brands! Where does one find "Uni?"

Adam,

Thanks! Just being my silly self, per usual.

He's busy taking summer-classes! He's going to grad school in the fall for mathematics.

Edited July 18, 2009 by Ashley

[Michelle]

Michelle,

Yes! Being able to "show" what you're talking about in words feels great ('specially when you have some talent to do them!). I do this when I'm writing notes in class--drawing out little doodles to help me focus on what concepts mean.

I had a really compact version of Atlas that had minuscule print when I first read it (it was about 700 something pages). Now that I have a larger version, it is much easier re-reading Atlas. If you can, try and find one of the paperbacks that's the 1000+ version of it. Bigger text=easier to read. Try it out in chunks; think of it like a series of books all compacted into one big edition .

I still do some sketches for a story when it involves an odd/complex setting or if I'm trying to emphasize the physicality of a character. They work until the production notes are finalized, at which time I throw them away.

Good lord! My portable paperback of ATLAS (third copy: I re-read my first two copies so often that they just fell apart, so I got a nice hardcover edition for home reference) is 1000+ pages in tiny Bible print. I can't imagine how small the font on your copy must be.

[Michelle]

I can't sympathize with being intimidated by the size of ATLAS. I've been reading Tolstoy and Dostoevsky since I was 13.

[Philip Coates]

> Where does one find "Uni?"

Ashley, Uni is sea urchin...sort of slimy and not every sushi place carries it...seasonal. I also love Unagi (eel).

[sbeaulieu]

Shane,

Congratulations on the mascot! May I ask what your mascot was?

I had a really compact version of Atlas that had minuscule print when I first read it (it was about 700 something pages). Now that I have a larger version, it is much easier re-reading Atlas. If you can, try and find one of the paperbacks that's the 1000+ version of it. Bigger text=easier to read. Try it out in chunks; think of it like a series of books all compacted into one big edition .

Ashley,

333rd's mascot is the Mad Duck. The old version was a take on the Red Baron (Air Force). A competition was held to introduce either a new or revised mascot. A vote for keeping the Mad Duck and revising it won over. In 2004, there was a big push for getting our Airmen fit. So we decided on a buff duck. So, I sketched one up...first a futuristic-armored duck, then a shirtless duck with a chain with a the tattoo 333 on the shoulder. The final draft was a duck with a t-shirt with the comm badge on the chest, and the 333 on the sleeve of the shirt.

Of note, recently unveiled was my duck at Keesler AFB (site of Katrina's visit in Biloxi). An art student did a bust of it (they added shades).

Mad Duck Unveiled

I'll try to get a picture of the mascot, but it's a tough find on search engines...

~ Shane

[Selene]

http://www.fantasyprintshop.co.uk/WolfPak-Mad-Ducks-72-013_ANHWI.aspx Edited July 19, 2009 by Selene

[sbeaulieu]

http://www.fantasyprintshop.co.uk/WolfPak-Mad-Ducks-72-013_ANHWI.aspx

Those were probaby SAC pathes from flying units. Alas, I was in the AETC command...not much flying there...haha!

~ Shane

[Selene]

http://www.fantasyprintshop.co.uk/WolfPak-Mad-Ducks-72-013_ANHWI.aspx

Those were probaby SAC pathes from flying units. Alas, I was in the AETC command...not much flying there...haha!

~ Shane

I was looking at a post newsletter. http://www.scribd.com/doc/1518448/US-Air-Force-AFD061108017

Keesler Air Force Base, Biloxi, Mississippi