Support From Environments: Huge Animals and Hobbies

For one class, I (along with two group members) built a wind turbine which would convert wind power to mechanical work. It works well. Interestingly, the design we used for our turbine blades came from observing how whales have ridges in their fins that reduce drag as the tilt their fins at severe angles. We didn't actually do the observing, but we adopted the idea. All that to say, due to the success of our turbine (it works), the word "whale" has taken on a new meaning. I believe it is beginning to replace "cool", "wicked", "ill", "sick", "rad", and (reaching into the voluntarily forgotten past now) "groovy". "Whaling" no longer means to raise your harpoon and take to the seas; it means that whoever is "whaling" is definitely a winner. If you take ketchup packets and napkins from fast food places without eating there, you're totally a "whale". If you tell your friend you're going out "whaling", you'll probably end up balancing a spoon on your nose in the pouring rain. Sour Skittles are so "whale". Laptops that have so much hard drive space and RAM that I couldn't possibly get one for any other reason to say that I have one—hardcore whale. 

Another new development: I realized I can do homework AND skateboard in my free time. I've been skating more, which is good for me in two ways. Firstly, it's exercise (which I need more of at this time). Secondly, I've been getting better at it and it's actually fun, which means it makes a good break from completing a restless mountain of homework that never stops expanding. Well, I've been getting a few tricks down and I'm working on more. It's amazing how the marginal utility from doing one more trick never seems to decrease. If I do a kick flip, I would definitely enjoy one more, and one more after that, and another. The exhilaration, or "natural high", that skateboarding gives me is a good motivator. The college environment also encourages me to go skating with other people, which is always more conducive to good skating than doing it alone. If I completely forget how to skate, I'll always remember the lesson I learned from skateboarding: community can be encouraging, supportive, and constructive. I'm always surprised at how much a new skater learns when surrounded by other skaters.

Separately, I registered for spring semester classes. Fortunately, the AP tests I took gave me credit for quite a few classes. Next semester I will be getting ahead in my general education requirements, as well as starting on a business minor. For that, I throw a fist up and yell "WhalePower".