This post originally appeared on The Jump in July, 2006.

I was popping around journalist Claudine Ko’s blog the other day and she was running down a list of things she wanted to accomplish ‘whenever.’

One goal was understanding String Theory, which she followed with the parenthetical thought (probably never.)
Coincidentally, the next day there was a NOVA episode covering that exact topic on PBS … Ok, Claudine, I thought, I’m going to watch this and maybe I’ll kinda get it, because PBS specials have a way of spoon-feeding major thought processes so that even I can understand advanced physics… at least for a minute.

Sadly, I underestimated the complexity of String Theory. Ya, String Theory is the mind-f**k equivalent of making Indian korma sauce at home. You try it.

I often draft lists of things I want to accomplish ‘whenever,’ but I’ve found I work better, both professionally and personally, with short-term goals. Ergo, copious lists. Train for a 5K. Save $40 this week. Finish that travel article on Atlanta before the next millenium.

My short-term list for the week, then, includes finishing Joan Anderson’s A Weekend to Change Your Life (it’s an autographed copy) and make a really great pasta primavera for my friends. I wonder what I’m doing in the other four dimensions.

‘Writerjax‘ left this comment on 26 Jul 06

Nate made this comment: It’s about bloody time!

Brian Greene wrote great book about String Theory. There are a couple of String theory for idiots books out there.

String Theory rocks!

There’s another theory out there that believes there are an infinite number of universes, from this, they theorize, somewhere there is an exact copy of you. Moreover, they have lived the exact same life as you. Because there are an unlimited number of universes, every choice you ever had to make (from getting coffee or getting married) has been played out…