In life, lots of things seem to come in trios. There are the three main sciences of physics, chemistry, and biology. There are the three main characters of Harry Potter: Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Three essentail ingredients of bacon, lettuce, and tomato to form the famous BLT. A minimum of three Kit-Kats eaten (this rule is impossible to break-I seriously challenge you to eat just one or two). Three courses of food: dessert, dessert, and dessert. Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation also makes a very interesting contribution to our rule of threes.
This is certainly a motto to live by! Waffles (dessert) and friend/family before work!
And there's one more significant type of three that I haven't mentioned. It's the three great comedies of the past era. They are How I Met Your Mother, The Office, and Parks and Recreation. We've already covered the first two on this blog and I've already referenced the show in a very direct and not so subtle manner, so of course we're looking at Parks and Recreaton!
Quote: "Never half-ass two things. Whole-ass one thing."
Sometimes I think that people are afraid to put a few small profanities in quotes or stuff. But it can make for some pretty memorable moments when used effectively. Granted, the word "ass" is probably the tamest "bad word" that could be used. And for the situation, it actually feels appropriate. If you've ever watched the show, you know that Ron Swanson is a man with a tough exterior but has a lot of wisdome inside and cares deeply for the people closest to him in life. In this situaiton, he is giving some much needed advice to a stressed out Leslie Knope. Not that it needs much explanation, but he's telling us to put all of our effort into one thing rather than splitting out energy.
I'm pretty guilty of half-assing two things. It freaks me out when I have a major assignment that's due relatively soon and I have nothing finished for it. So, my solution is to switch between stuff. However, sometimes that can interrupt the my groove of essay writing or my calculus focused mind and actually decrease my efficieny. So sometimes, it's best to focus on one and then move to the next.
Of course, it's super easy to apply this to different things than just coursework. This can be applied to social lives, pursuit of passions, and activity in extracurriculars. I see this most applicable to extracurriculars, and I'm almost certain every freshman (at least at Penn State) experiences this! When we first come here, we put our names down on every organization that seems somewhat interesting! However, we all very, very quickly realized that maybe it's not feasible to try and be a member of literally 10 different organizations. So, even though I love Harry Potter, I had to drop it from my laundry list of clubs with a solemn heart.
The quote is really applied to high-strung perfectionists and overachievers like Leslie Knope. Even though I'm a procrastinaor (at this point, aren't we all?), I think that I'm pretty similar to Leslie in that I might be too ambitious... All I remember is in senior year my principal had to sit me down and tell met that it was not feasible to take 6 ap courses when I would also be busy applying to colleges and scholarships among the other usual stuff that took up my life. But did I listen to him? Absolutely not! It worked fine for me then, but even I could tell that I had to split up my attention and something that I wouldn't have found acceptable to turn in years ago suddenly seemed acceptable enough. Although I think it's healthy to not have too high of standards for everything I do, I shouldn't have lower standards so that I can feel better about doing less work.
So, I have to learn to lighten some of the things of my life so that I can whole-ass stuff again.
Literary Equivalent:
The Epic of Gilgamesh is probably the best example I think of right now, even though it is a slight stretch. I really enjoy the Epic of Gilgamesh not because it's a spellbinding story, but just because it's the first piece of recorded literature we have. So when I read it, I can't help but think of the centuries that have passed since it was written down in stone so long ago!
Anyway, in the story Gilgamesh is pretty lazy and all around sort-of a bum. But, he searches for immortality because it suddenly dawns on him that he can die when his counterpart dies. He goes on an epic quest and actually gains the flower he needs for immortality. However, a snake eats it before he can use it. If you're thinking that's a pretty weak plot device... I totally agree. However, considering that no other story was written down, the bar for quality writing was pretty low (and by low I mean literally nonexistent). While he way away, his kingdom suffered without leadership. So now Gilgamesh realizes that he can achieve eternal life by being a great king for his kingdom and that he can achieve an eternal life by having his name forever remembered.
It sorta connects to the quote because Gilgamesh realizes that he needs to stop fooling around and dedicate his life to being a great king. He is not able to try and be selfish and achieve his goal from literal immortality, but rather through altruism and demonstrating his capabilities as a leader.
So, I really want to watch Parks and Recreation now but I have decided that I can't half-ass studying for my calculus quiz. Therefore, I am not going to watch it. It will be very difficult. Extremely difficult. Keep me in your thoughts as I go through this tumultous time.
#MyPrioritiesInclude three things, and three things only. pic.twitter.com/mUfmNBkKd8— Parks and Recreation (@parksandrecnbc) February 6, 2018
Source: Parks and Recreation Twitter
This is certainly a motto to live by! Waffles (dessert) and friend/family before work!
And there's one more significant type of three that I haven't mentioned. It's the three great comedies of the past era. They are How I Met Your Mother, The Office, and Parks and Recreation. We've already covered the first two on this blog and I've already referenced the show in a very direct and not so subtle manner, so of course we're looking at Parks and Recreaton!
Quote: "Never half-ass two things. Whole-ass one thing."
Sometimes I think that people are afraid to put a few small profanities in quotes or stuff. But it can make for some pretty memorable moments when used effectively. Granted, the word "ass" is probably the tamest "bad word" that could be used. And for the situation, it actually feels appropriate. If you've ever watched the show, you know that Ron Swanson is a man with a tough exterior but has a lot of wisdome inside and cares deeply for the people closest to him in life. In this situaiton, he is giving some much needed advice to a stressed out Leslie Knope. Not that it needs much explanation, but he's telling us to put all of our effort into one thing rather than splitting out energy.
I'm pretty guilty of half-assing two things. It freaks me out when I have a major assignment that's due relatively soon and I have nothing finished for it. So, my solution is to switch between stuff. However, sometimes that can interrupt the my groove of essay writing or my calculus focused mind and actually decrease my efficieny. So sometimes, it's best to focus on one and then move to the next.
Of course, it's super easy to apply this to different things than just coursework. This can be applied to social lives, pursuit of passions, and activity in extracurriculars. I see this most applicable to extracurriculars, and I'm almost certain every freshman (at least at Penn State) experiences this! When we first come here, we put our names down on every organization that seems somewhat interesting! However, we all very, very quickly realized that maybe it's not feasible to try and be a member of literally 10 different organizations. So, even though I love Harry Potter, I had to drop it from my laundry list of clubs with a solemn heart.
The quote is really applied to high-strung perfectionists and overachievers like Leslie Knope. Even though I'm a procrastinaor (at this point, aren't we all?), I think that I'm pretty similar to Leslie in that I might be too ambitious... All I remember is in senior year my principal had to sit me down and tell met that it was not feasible to take 6 ap courses when I would also be busy applying to colleges and scholarships among the other usual stuff that took up my life. But did I listen to him? Absolutely not! It worked fine for me then, but even I could tell that I had to split up my attention and something that I wouldn't have found acceptable to turn in years ago suddenly seemed acceptable enough. Although I think it's healthy to not have too high of standards for everything I do, I shouldn't have lower standards so that I can feel better about doing less work.
So, I have to learn to lighten some of the things of my life so that I can whole-ass stuff again.
Literary Equivalent:
The Epic of Gilgamesh is probably the best example I think of right now, even though it is a slight stretch. I really enjoy the Epic of Gilgamesh not because it's a spellbinding story, but just because it's the first piece of recorded literature we have. So when I read it, I can't help but think of the centuries that have passed since it was written down in stone so long ago!
Anyway, in the story Gilgamesh is pretty lazy and all around sort-of a bum. But, he searches for immortality because it suddenly dawns on him that he can die when his counterpart dies. He goes on an epic quest and actually gains the flower he needs for immortality. However, a snake eats it before he can use it. If you're thinking that's a pretty weak plot device... I totally agree. However, considering that no other story was written down, the bar for quality writing was pretty low (and by low I mean literally nonexistent). While he way away, his kingdom suffered without leadership. So now Gilgamesh realizes that he can achieve eternal life by being a great king for his kingdom and that he can achieve an eternal life by having his name forever remembered.
It sorta connects to the quote because Gilgamesh realizes that he needs to stop fooling around and dedicate his life to being a great king. He is not able to try and be selfish and achieve his goal from literal immortality, but rather through altruism and demonstrating his capabilities as a leader.
So, I really want to watch Parks and Recreation now but I have decided that I can't half-ass studying for my calculus quiz. Therefore, I am not going to watch it. It will be very difficult. Extremely difficult. Keep me in your thoughts as I go through this tumultous time.
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