rorschach bell.

greetings.
we're going to try a little something with this post. i'm quite curious to see how it turns out. a little background first.

no doubt many of you have seen or heard of inkblot tests, more formally titled rorschach tests after their creator. the idea behind the test is that a participant is shown an ambiguous shape and the participant projects meaning onto it and says what the object "is." of course it's not really the shape of anything. it's completely random. the meaning it has to the viewer is only that which the viewer projects onto it. dig?

so i was eating taco bell today, as i often do, and on my way to my seat grabbed some extra hot sauce and napkins for today's post. here are the rules. as you scroll down the page, you'll be shown six sauceblots. your job is to decide what you think each is, and write it down. the blots will be numbered, so when you're done, post your numbered answers as a comment if you could be so kind. the only rules are that you only look at one sauceblot at a time and that you don't look at anyone else's answers before you have your own. we don't want their answers influencing yours.

and yes, they may not be exactly symmetrical. in an ideal world they would be, but with the resources as hand, we'll make do.

so... go ahead. start projecting meaning.

scroll down.

sauceblot one.

stop.

scroll down.

sauceblot two.

stop.

scroll down.

sauceblot three.

stop.

scroll down.

sauceblot four.

stop.

scroll down.

sauceblot five.

stop.

scroll down.

sauceblot six.

you're done! now remember, make sure you've recorded your answers before you go any further so that you don't see the answers that other people have placed before you put your own down. thanks! i look forward to seeing what everybody says. i'll post my answers as soon as i finish posting this whole thing.

thanks all, see you next time.

pizza.

i plan on eating more pizza in the next little while.

owain phyfe.

hey friends. it's been a while.

this is a quick post to share a bit of writing I did in one of my psychology classes. we were asked to write a quick paragraph or two about ourselves to help other people remember us. did i get a bit carried away? perhaps. on the other hand, they'll probably remember better for it. and as many of you may not really know me very well, i thought i'd post it to help introduce myself.

About... me.

The name is Trace Lund. Trace as in a synonym for residue; Lund as in the Swedish university. I’m a junior or senior depending on how you view my credits, as many psych majors are. My main interests in psychology are abnormal and developmental psych. Hopefully by the end of my academic journey I’ll be able to obtain a doctorate. But how knows? Maybe I’ll wind up being a traveling minstrel instead. Ideally, I’d be able to do both. I play a few stringed instruments, as well as general percussion, so it’s a fair possibility, really. I could travel the nation—nay, the world—spreading delightful music and programs designed to help all those willing to hear my words on psychology.

So. Hopefully you weren’t looking for anything to profound. I think the mental image of a mandolin-playing psychologist with a monocle (and possibly a traditional Victorian garb) may prove to be more helpful in remembering this than my age or town of origin.

i'm sure they'll all want to be in my group now. and no doubt this was very insightful for you. hopefully your new year is going well. maybe i'll post something worthwhile in the near future. maybe.

and here's the link to explain the title.