Landon Julson
Period 4
Self-Reflection and Predictably Irrational

    In chapter nine the main focus was about our impulse to chase worthless options even if we know they do not fulfill our true joy or happiness.  It had to do with how we tend to not close the door on our alternative activities even if that is the best thing for us to do.  The story connected these two thoughts on the Chinese commander Xiang Yu and how his-self and his troops awoke to their ships burning.  He didn’t order them to tend to the ships, he had them fight onward closing the door on the thing that didn’t matter or could not be saved.  This explains why we buy things that are unneeded for everyday living. Example being a new car, the best cell phone, or even what sports we decide to drop/stay involved in.  We as human tend to forget to spend time on the things that might be more important. According to Predictably Irrational “It’s a fool’s game, and one that we are remarkably adept at playing.” which means that we all do this even without thought or reason, and by saying that we are remarkably adept at playing means that we are really good at it too.  This ties itself into the first chapter by saying that we don’t have an internal meter to tell us how much things are worth or how much time and effort we should put into irrelevant things.
    I connect to this chapter because I do spend time and money on things that should not be a main priority for me.  I like to have fun with my life and like to have new and well working things.  For example I love to snowmobile, therefore once the snow flies it is my main goal to get out and ride as much as I possibly can.  When it comes to snowmobiles there is a happy medium for how nice of a sled you have.  I decided to upgrade 10 years from my old one last year and it really wasn’t necessary for riding but it was something that I wanted.  My non-existing internal meter did not tell me what was a priority or not.  The lesson that I learned was that it really was worth it because I get to ride and have run on a newer and faster sled.  But the real lesson is that I didn’t really need the new one, because there was probably more important things for me to spend my money on and spend my time doing.
    The TV show I will compare to is Michael Waddel’s hunting show.  He is a man about 35 years old and he films whitetail hunts for a TV show.  This show is fun to watch and interests me because I share a common hobby.  Just like me, Michael has a brand new bow and brand new equipment.  What this tells the average audience is that to shoot the big ones or be successful you need to have the best of everything when we all know this isn’t true.  We know that we can go hunting with a 150 dollar bow and kill animals but what’s the fun in that when you can go with a 900 dollar nice bow.  See when we watch the professionals do something we tend to mimic them causing us to spend more money on things that are not needed.

Landon Julson
Period 4
10/16/12

Self-Reflection and Blink


    In the chapter Listening With Your Eyes they talked about how people tend to thin slice with little information before they actually receive all of the information or all of what they came to hear/get.  In the first chapter they talked about thin slicing and what it is and how it works.  Strangely enough we all do it on a daily basis without thinking about it.  In my chapter they talked about how there was an orchestra tryout and they wanted to have the player’s separated from the judges so the judges would only be able to judge on what was heard not seen.  This was in a time where you wouldn’t find a woman winning or getting 1st place in anything like this.  The best part was that when the performers were behind a curtain the judges picked a woman to play their lead role.  They were stunned when they saw her step out from behind it.  If they wouldn’t have had the curtain between them the woman wouldn’t have been chosen because the judges would’ve thin sliced and booted her out without hearing what she really had.
    I’ll be honest I connect to this chapter because I thin slice people all the time.  I’m not perfect but we all thin slice without knowing it.  An example I’ll share is sophomore year.  I was in an electricity class and the only other sophomore that I knew came in and sat next to me and was my partner.  At first I had first though judgmental thoughts of him and they lasted for a week or so.  Once I really got to know him it turned out that me and him were very much alike and we’ve been friends since that class.  He still is one of my best friends to this day.  I think this shows a point that when people thin slice they actually miss the reality or the things in people that they would never see unless they learned something about them.  If  I would’ve thin sliced I would be down someone who is a brother to me. The main lesson is don’t thin slice, and try not to be prejudice against others.
    The film I choose is Miracle because in this one small snippet it shows how thin slicing affected the players and they main point of the game.  Incase you don’t know what Miracle is it is a movie about the U.S.A. hockey team and how they go on to beat the Canadians in the biggest game of the Olympics.  Anyways, two of the characters were college rivals, whose names I cannot remember.  They had this grudge against one another and they decided that in practice they would fight it out in the middle of a play they were running.  The coach let them duke it out until he came over and yelled at them, showing them that they are no different from each other than they think they are.  They looked at each other in the eyes and noticed that they are the same person just with a different upcoming and college.  In the end they became good team mates and were on each others line.  This shows that thin slicing just because of a cross town rivalry can lead to a negative impact on a team or group of people.

Landon Julson

Period 4

9/27/12

 

This I Believe

 

            I believe that hard work will eventually pay off over time in anything that you work on.  It seems that the more effort I put into daily tasks and things that I want completed turn out better in the long run than they do if you just “half-ass” it.  I feel that when you’re younger, around the age of 14, it is helpful to have some type of job and learn that when you strive for excellence and put hard work into something, good things will come out of whatever you’re doing.  From past experiences I have learned that when you have a job it will suck going to work and since my work is more hard and dirtier than other work, it makes me want to give up on it and stop doing it. But in the back of my mind there is that mindset that I’m getting paid at the end of each week for the time I put in doing the things that I do.  What it has taught me is that even at the hardest times putting in more effort is the way to get what you want faster.  When I go to baseball practice or games and see people just go through the motions it makes me mad because most of us are there to get better and become a stronger team.  Sports are a thing that one day can work in your favor and other days against.  Sometimes people drop out of sports that they just tried because they were bad, when really they just didn’t put the time and effort into it that they should have or had the opportunity to.  Having bad days in sports only makes you better for the next game or time that you get to do something over.  I’m not going to lie, I struck out so many times in the last 4 years.  Just this last year I started focusing more on the basic mechanics and working for my goal of hitting good and having a decent average.  The work that I put in has paid off because I don’t strike out as much anymore and I put the ball in play and have a more comfortable approach to each at bat.  So for anyone who is struggling to get by or feel like they can’t do something, just try.  And don’t try with a “half-assed” attitude I mean try hard and work your best and put all that you have into everything that you do.

Landon Julson

Period 4

 

Perception of Time Writings

 

 

1.      Past-Positively Focused:

 

-Fishing

-Hunting

-Camping

-Dogs

-Family trips

-Grandma and grandpa’s house

-Elementary school

-Yellowstone

-Lake Chippewa Campground

-Biking

-Skating

 

2.      Past-Negative Focused:

One thing I remember completely failing at was basketball.  I was so bad at basketball when I played in 4^th and 5^th grade it wasn’t even funny.  I remember going to practice and putting in the work and it never paid off in the games.  One of the worst games I had my 5^th grade year was when I got the ball and had an opportunity to make a basket, and of course I missed it even though I had no pressure for the shot.  I decided that since I was so bad that I should quit and never try it again, and to this day I will never play another game of organized basketball.

 

3.       Present-Hedonsim:

I am the world’s biggest procrastinator with school.  I never have any ambition to do my homework or study when I am at home.  I have so many other things that I can do to have fun with my life instead of schoolwork.  The last thing I look forward to doing after a day of school, lifting, and then work is to come home and do my homework.  I always live for the fun things in life and do things during my day to make even the worst places (like school) seem like it goes by faster than it does.  I play lots of baseball and love to hunt and will put time from school and being home with my family to do those fun things because someday I won’t be able to do the things that I can when I am young.

 

 

4.      Present-Negative Focused (Fatalism):

 

I try to not put my mind on the negative aspects of life right now because there will always be another day to do something or get something right even on the worst of days.  I play lots of baseball and with baseball you can make a life comparison because one day you can have a terrible day on the diamond but the next day or even next inning or at bat you can come through and have success.  Sometimes that success is really big and will brighten your whole day or game and sometimes it will just be small enough to let you know you’re doing fine.  I think that it doesn’t help us any on a day to day basis to think about things that bring us down. Just live for the best things and forget about the ones that will have a negative impact on you.

 

5.      Future-Goal Oriented:

-Paychecks

-Patience while hunting

-Working out

-Saving money

-Planning for education after high school

-Sports

-Trying hard

 

6.      Future-Transcendental:

 

I’m not really sure how to react to this one, I mean I really think that it does matter what happens when I’m alive because I really don’t want to live a dull boring life of just not caring.  Even if I get rewarded after I die for doing nothing with my life I would still like to be someone that people will remember.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Landon Julson:

               

                Some of the successes and things that I have accomplished over the years have come from me growing up around them.  When I was younger my family did a lot of fishing and hunting.  All of my family hunts and fishes so being around it from the start made me who I am today.  I remember when I was about 5 we used to vacation on a lake in Hayward called Nelson Lake.  The thoughts and memories of being in my uncle’s huge boat and fishing all day were some of the best ones yet.  I think that is why I still like to fish when we go camping and this summer is when I caught the nice Northern Pike that is photographed above.  When I got older my dad started taking me hunting with him and teaching me little by little how to be successful at it.  As I reached the legal age to hunt I got my own bow and gun and started hunting on my own.  I also love to play baseball.  I play for three different teams in the course of 1 year starting with Memorial, Eau Claire Legion, and lastly Momentum.  It takes a lot of time, hard work, and dedication.  My family supports me 100% during the times that I play even on my best days and my worst.  They will always be there for me whenever I need them.  I live with my mother, father, and little sister.  I have an older sister who is married and has a 2 year old son and is expecting another soon.  My family is the type of family who does not get very far from one another.  I have 6 close relatives that live on my road and my road is not even a mile long.  So there is always someone looking out for the other.  I think it is nice having family as close as they are because if there is something wrong or something that is needed things get done quicker and makes it easier.   I work every week at my father’s automotive shop working on anything that I can.  My days range from cleaning up around the shop to working on cars.  When I first started working there my dad would not let me do anything like working on cars because I was just too inexperienced at the time.  What I do now has progressively gotten more sophisticated since I am old enough and can be trusted with the knowledge that I have gotten from working there.  In the summer I do more tire repairs, oil changes, a/c work and when needed the more internal engine fixes.  My dad doesn’t keep an overlook on me as much anymore because I have proven to him that I can do things and get them done the way he wants them to be.  It’s a better time working there when I can do bigger jobs because you feel like there is actually a purpose to being there instead of cleaning and putting stock away.

I. How would you characterize your academic performance? Have you found an area of academic focus (arts, technology education, business education, mathematics, etc.? Have you participated in any academic opportunities such as dual-credit courses? BYA? How have you grown as a student?

I think my academic performance is good, I try hard in every class that I have. My area of academic focus would have to be technology and math. Ive grown as a student by becoming more hardworking and willing to try harder than I would freshman year.

II. Describe your extra-curricular involvement, including any leadership positions you may hold or may have held.

After school I lift weights and play baseball in the spring.

III. Describe your work experience. Where? How long? Responsibilities? Promotions? What experience have you gained from your work?

I work at my dads auto shop (Julson's Auto). Ive been working there for over 2 years. I do anything when I'm there depending on what is available to do, usually anything from cleaning to working on cars.  I recently got a raise, and have learned that working hard pays off over time.

IV. List and describe any volunteer experiences you have had.

I have volunteered to umpire little league baseball and help with baseball camps.

V. Describe your interests.

I am interested in baseball.  There is not one day that I'm not lifting, swinging, throwing or thinking about playing.  I also enjoy hunting.  I put lots of time into it and usually succeed and do well every year.

VI. What are you really good at? Or how is one of your skills/talents evident in something else you do? Use a specific example of something you have done where this skill/talent is evident.

I am good at hunting.  Every year maybe 2 months before the season I plant food plots and set up cameras to watch and scout the deer.  I also start shooting my bow and guns making sure I am ready for the season.

What four (4) words would you choose to DESCRIBE yourself (and your personality; explain WHY):

Hardworking: I work hard at my job and put noticable effort into things that I do.
Respectful: I am a respectful young adult and treat others the way I'd like to be treated.
Responsible: I can be counted on by anyone to do anything.
Good listener: I listen well and am good with directions.
If I or anyone else were to write a RECOMMENDATION for you, what would you definitely want said about you?

That I have a good work ethic and am prepared for anything no matter what it is.

Is there anything unusual about your life experiences that you would want included in a recommendation?

 

No.

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