One Step Forward on a Treadmill

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December 31, 2004

Happy New Year 2005!

Yay it's New Year's Eve and I'm gettin ready to go out!

But now let me look back on 2004.

Ummm...so I had some good times with Mike and Brent...good times.

Good music? Franz Ferdinand (their self titled album), Janet Jackson (all nite), Yeah Yeah Yeahs (their album), Scissor Sisters (their self titled album), Interpol (antics), the Shins, and ummm...how about Björk (Medulla) and Röyksopp (see previous entry). Don't wanna forget my northern european favorites. Sigur Ros's untitled album was just too slow and emotional for me. I need something more upbeat when I'm doing homework, like their first album.

Movies? I loved the third installment of Harry Potter! The prisoner of azkeban is my favorite so far! Kinsey was allright...so was Closer, Supersize Me. The michael moore film was good...but it just kinda bothered me that he could do that someone can be so persuasive in a movie, he just made it clearer how someone can do it, if anything, and some people didn't approve of it.

Books? HAH! I don't read anything but magazines, the newspaper, weblogs, and textbooks.

And I simply don't watch TV anymore so I don't know anything about TV shows.

Well! Time to go to Hannah's!

Happy New Year's Everyone!
(By the way it got above 70 degrees down here...I was sweating!)

Posted by piep0058 at 06:23 PM | Comments (3)

December 30, 2004

And the Adventures Keep Coming

Here's another online quiz I found on Blaine's blog...notice how I've added a link off to the right to his blog.

Posted by piep0058 at 10:52 PM | Comments (2)

Yup, I'm a sex fiend.

Posted by piep0058 at 10:48 PM | Comments (6)

Death

So I decided to visit my grandfather in the hospital today. He's doing allright, he's going in so they can adjust his pacemaker. He's gonna get a whole new one actually. At first I felt that it's kinda sad because I see it going to be the end of him. But then after reading the paper while they [my dad and him] talked about football or whatever I realized that I'm really not saddened by all of this.

I mean, yeah, it'll be sad not to see my grandfather. But death is a part of evolution. From the moment we are born we are in the process of dying. We are designed to live and to die.

So what makes life all worth it. I mean...people always talk about the meaning of life and blah blah blah.

One meaning, and this isn't the only meaning I can come up with, but it's the one I'll choose to explore right now, is that life is the fight against entropy. The second law of thermodynamics states that the entropy of the universe may never decrease for any process. However, for a given system (such as a living cell), the entropy of that cell is decreasing. There is so much order that goes into maintaining a cell. The reason life exists is because of maintaining this order through the use of lipids in cell membranes and protein synthesis, etc. I've been in biomolecular engineering too long...

I am not implying whatsoever that this discourse should govern the choices we make in society. However, if one wants to look at life and see something, one could see it as a process to lessen the disorder of the world we live in (and make the universe more cluttered).

So if you want to feel accomplished in the world before you die, go clean up your room. Or build a really really tall skyscraper (which happens to be my dream, with my name on the top of it!). Or, you know, just inspire happiness in the lives of others and you've done a good job. Because we all know how much happy people like to clean and organize things.

Posted by piep0058 at 10:08 PM | Comments (0)

Just when I thought I was cool

I took this quiz, and here are the results:

You're not a Hipster!
Take What sort of Hipster are you? today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Personality Test Generator.

I don't know about buying a house...but I might actually do it. I'd prefer a loft, though.

Posted by piep0058 at 02:48 PM | Comments (2)

Everything you ever wanted to know, even if you didn't care

I was looking at Colin's Xanga...and I saw this, so I decided to do it. I'm too lazy to link to his site, sorry.

X's are true statements.

Have you ever...
[X] been drunk.
[X] smoked pot.
[X] smoked cigarettes.
[X] kissed a member of the opposite sex.
[X] kissed a member of the same sex.
[X] rode in a taxi.
[?] been dumped.
[ ] been fired.
[X] been in a fist fight.
[X] had a threesome - kissing or otherwise
[X]snuck out of your parent's house.
[X] been arrested.
[X] made out with a stranger.
[X] stole something from your job.
[ ] celebrated new years in times square.
[ ] been to japan
[X] went on a blind date.
[X] lied to a friend.
[X] had a crush on a teacher.
[ ] celebrated mardi-gras in new orleans.
[X] been to europe.
[X] skipped school.
[X] thrown up from drinking.
[X] lost your sibling.
[X] played 'clue'.
[X] had a sleepover party.
[X] went ice skating.
[?] cheated on a bf/gf.
[?] been cheated on.
[X] had a sweet sixteen.
[X] had a car.
[X] drove.

Do you...
[ ] have a bf.
[ ] have a gf.
[X] have a crush.
[X] feel lov[ER]ed.
[ ] feel lonely.
[X] feel happy.
[X] have a dog.
[X] have your own room.
[X] listen to rap.
[X] listen to rock.
[X] listen to soul.
[X] listen to techno.
[X] listen to reggae.
[ ] listen to country.
[ ] sing in the shower
[X] paint your nails.
[ ] have more than 1 best friend.
[X] get good grades.
[ ] play an instrument.
[ ] have slippers.
[ ] wear boxers.
[ ] wear black eyeliner.
[X] like the color blue.
[X] like the color yellow.
[ ] have long hair.
[X] have short hair.
[X] have a cell phone.
[ ] have a laptop.
[ ] have a pager.

Are you...
[X] ok.
[X] bored.
[X] happy.
[X] bilingual. (actually tri, working on quad)
[X] white.
[ ] black.
[ ] mexican.
[ ] asian.
[ ] short.
[X] tall.
[ ] grounded.
[ ] sick.
[ ] lazy.
[X] single.
[ ] taken.
[ ] looking.
[X] not looking...have somebody in mind
[X] talking to someone.
[X] IMing someone.
[ ] scared to die.
[X] tired.
[X] sleepy.
[ ] annoyed.
[ ] hungry.
[ ] thirsty.
[ ] on the phone.
[ ] in your room.
[X] drinking something.
[ ] eating something.
[ ] in your pjs.
[X] ticklish.
[X] listening to music

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A - Age: 21
B - Band you're listening to right now: Modest Mouse
C - Career in future: Resarch in Chemical Engineering
D - Dessert of choice: Tiramisu
E - Easiest person to talk to: Ezekiel, Rob
F - Favorite song at the moment: So Easy by Röyksopp
G - Gummy Bears or Gummy Worms: Gummy Bears
H - Hometown: Born in Creve Couer, MO...grew up in Manchester, MO
I - Instruments: Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute, Cello, Violin, Piano
J - January or July: January
K - Kids: HA...singular, please. Two at most.
L - Longest car ride ever: 14 hours to Destin!
M - Masturbation sessions a week: Minimum: 1, Maximum: 20
N - Number of siblings: 4
O - Oranges or apples: Apples
P - Phobia[s]: claustrophobia
Q - Question of the month: Where are those CK briefs with the blue waist band?
R - Reasons to smile: I love my residents! Yay for Money!
S - Song you sang last: Queerest of the Queer by Garbage
T - Time you wake up: 9 a.m.!
U - Unknown fact about me: I can solve a Rubik's cube.
V - Veggie you hate: If it's edible, I'll eat it.
W - Words of Wisdom: It's nice to be important, but more important to be nice.
X - X-rays you've had: 39 when it comes to actually using a device aimed at me.
Y - Yummy food: Artichoke Ramekin
Z - Zodiac sign: Libra!!!

Posted by piep0058 at 10:59 AM | Comments (8)

December 28, 2004

I hate Reunions

So while I was at Mike Duffy's I ran into not one, not two, but three people that I graduated with.

First up, Lisa: of course she pretends not to know me, but smiles when we make eye contact. Actually it took me like 5 minutes to remember her name.

Then, Matt McCourt: says hi, eats with his family.

Lesley Young: does the most talking. we actually touch! oh my god. and i am all gross too. i feel bad for her being so nice to me! My hair made me look like a homeless person...or just someone who is trying to make a statement.

Anyhow it was great. Now it's time for more alcohol.

Posted by piep0058 at 08:01 PM | Comments (0)

December 27, 2004

Röyksopp!

So if you've been wondering what i've been listening to lately...it's been Röyksopp. My favorite tracks are "So Easy," "Eple," and "Röyksopp's Night Out." For some reason the music just puts me in such a chill mood. It really relaxes me...and not in the way Sigur Ros calms me to sleep. This makes me want to relax with someone and get to know them better. This has nothing to with sex whatsoever. I'm just thinking about going to a club and listening to this music in a side room or something. It sorta inspires wonder into my mind. I heard it first playing at the Loring Pasta Bar...then Neel actually was able to spell it out for me. The guys are Swedish...hence the umlauts.

I can definitely see why people would want to use drugs and listen to this music.

Now, if you just hate any sort of trance music...you probably won't like it. There's a lot of trance music I don't care for either...but this is different. Makes me feel like I'm at some exclusive party in New York.

And oh...don't expect to find it at Wal*Mart.

Posted by piep0058 at 10:55 AM | Comments (0)

Yay! Merry Christmas!

Ok so I'm back home in missouri...it aint so bad.

Thursday night when I got back I went out for drinks with Neel and Jimmy to Absolutli Goosed. Does that sound gay to you? Well, it does to me, and boy were there a lot of lesbians there. I felt like it was Twilight all over again. But no one tried to pick any fights with me at least. So I got a delicious martini called a "green goose" (grey goose citron, midori, pineapple juice). I liked it so much I had 5 of them the next day.

Speaking of the next day...Christmas Eve was a blast. I got totally drunk, came out to my brother. And just had a great time being drunk, going to church, and laughing my ass off. I really had a lot to drink...like 5 glasses of wine, 5 of those martinis I was talking about.

Christmas wasn't too bad (compared to last year). My sister still got in a fight with my parents about sitting down on Christmas morning to open up presents. At least my mom didn't cry this time. That's good. And my Dad didn't make any obscene comment about homosexuals like last year. I got some hot jeans, a hot shirt (that I had to exchange for a smaller size), a hot french coffee pres, a hot digital camera, and a hot star-shaped candle.

However I got no ipod. Sad! I'll just have to get it myself!

Posted by piep0058 at 09:44 AM | Comments (0)

December 23, 2004

College Parties...gotta love 'em

Ok so since I officially have no more duties for the rest of the year, I decided to treat myself to a little fun after checking out all the rooms in Comstock.

And what a party. I'm so used to people knowing I'm a homo. It's just funny when they talk about me getting on some girl. ha ha! I love being the token homosexual at the straight party. It coulda been worse...but I actually had a good time. I was so intrigued by the hot sauce that I ate someone's leftover chicken meat off of their already-been-chewed-on bones to get some leftover meat. Mmm mmm good.

Anyhow I head back to Missouri in 4 hour or so...so...sleep anyone?

Posted by piep0058 at 03:05 AM | Comments (3)

December 22, 2004

Moscow on the Hill

so on my last night in Minnesota, I decided that I'd go out to Moscow on the Hill. sooooo gooood. I was so pleased. good food, good atmosphere, good service. 5/5 stars.

and oh were the martinis good.

i wish i could have had more than 2...god i'm such an alcoholic...but I had to come back to comstock to check out the rooms and make sure the windows were closed and the heat was on low, etc etc etc. but i wanted to stay longer soooo badly you don't even know. unless you're a certain person. somehow i can't stop smiling.

i head back to Jesusland [Missouri] tomorrow. i'm excited.

on the down side of things i got in an accident today. yeah, it sucks. i have this little dent on my car's back bumper and i just want to have it taken care of but it's complicated cuz i'm going back to Missouri. the insurance agent would need to look at it first before we do anything.

Posted by piep0058 at 09:47 PM | Comments (1)

December 21, 2004

CHEN 4005

YAY I'm all done with school for the Fall 2004 Semester. It's been fun times folks. And oh man was the final fun. I feel confident I got 3/4 problems on the exam. The three I did were really easy. But the fourth one... goddamnit!

The class was kinda weird, I really didn't feel as though I learned anything...I mean I know I did learn how to deal with flow and transfer and heat exchanger problems. We'll see how I do in the class.

And...I got an A- in 4101 which means it's time to get crunked up. But I'm on duty tonight so I can't. I think I'll just watch Love Actually.

Posted by piep0058 at 08:35 PM | Comments (0)

December 20, 2004

HIST 3471

Ok three finals done, one last one to go.

So I again repeated the process of going out last night before a final. Am I crazy? Probably. But, I'll be allright. After all, it was just Japanese history.

Now I am not a history major. This is basically the first one I've ever had. So I have nothing to compare it to. And I will have nothing to compare it to. I just need 2 or 3 more classes outside of my major. One will probably be something about mythology for the humanities. Then I'll take a few geography classes, cuz we know I love geography! Fucking home schoolers. I was so close to winning in Missouri. I coulda given public schoolers some hope in the world.

Modern Japanese history was a lot of fun though. I'm glad I took it so I can tell everyone else just how easy history is.

CLARIFICATION: Back in middle school I won my school's geography bee three times and went to the state competition twice and both times went to the finals. In 1997 I got 7th and in 1998 I got 4th. What questions knocked me out? One was about some travel route that nobody had ever heard of that went through the southwest to trade silver. The other was about the Green Revolution. It's not like anyone else knew the questions I had. I totally woulda won if I got down to the final two as well.

Posted by piep0058 at 07:05 PM | Comments (9)

December 19, 2004

New Picture!

Ok check it out...I have a new picture...

This one is of me at Kris Erickson's birthday party where I got slightly drunk and decided I would start teaching straight boys how to dance. Enjoy.

Posted by piep0058 at 08:35 PM | Comments (2)

December 18, 2004

Best Day, Ever!

Ok so I just finished my CHEN 3701 final exam. It really wasn't all that bad. I was having such a good time doing the final. I knew how to do all the problems. Multiple choice problems were kinda tricky. But I guess that's to be expected. What I hate, though, are the multiple multiple choice problems with multiple answers. It's just hard to get the combinations right.

Overall the class was kinda weird. Wei-shou did a good job lecturing...but a lot of the information was just so jumbled around. It was hard to determine exactly what we needed to know for the exam (which, when you get right down to it...is basically what people learn).

So I went with Blaine to Alejandro's party last night when I probably shouldn't have. Considering there were major disasters on the floor and with residents. God why can't people just be non-destructive for just a little while in their lives? This is ridiculous. I don't know how to deal with this.

But somehow...I've been managing to keep smiling. Gosh I fear my high hopes will be shattered soon...but that's ok.

Posted by piep0058 at 09:55 AM | Comments (1)

December 17, 2004

CHEN 4101

Wow I'm done with CHEN 4101, Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics. Sweet. It's a good feeling...but I'll feel even better when I find out what my grade is.

Overall the class wasn't bad at all. I thought the homework really sucked, but the exams were rather simple. I mean, I think there was a lot of tedious work in the homework that I know how to do I just have no desire to sit through it and actually do it. I'd rather just design a computer program so that I won't actually make any mistakes and I can compute a lot more problems much faster and efficiently.

But I guess that's just the engineer in me talking. Efficiency has always been a big motivator in my life. Isn't it for everyone though? Making things easier, doing less work, getting more out of what you put in...doesn't everyone share these dreams?

The harder I work now, the less I'll have to work in the future. Theoretically. I'm not finished, but I have to go the mall! I'm gonna pick this up tomorrow after I'm done with my CHEN 3701 final.

Posted by piep0058 at 05:31 PM | Comments (0)

December 15, 2004

What a Toy!

At Comstock we're doing this toy drive, toys for tots.

Well, look at this toy. I saw it in the toy box today.

What kind of a kid would really want to play with such an item. I mean, I realize that there are some kids that are interested in dead people...I mean, even I was interested in dead people. At my seventh birthday party my sister made me touch my dead grandpa. At first it was scary. Like, I wanted to puke my birthday cake all over his corpse. But it felt so funny that I was actually intrigued. I started to get this dream of being a mortician when I was in elementary school. (this was the phase right before I wanted to be an architecht.) I know I wanted to be just like Mulder wheeling away a corpse on gurney. That sounds hot to me.

But what if the kids parents saw the kid playing with it. Would they be all "Awww Cute!" or would it be more of a *blink blink* and a blank stare? I don't even know.

Posted by piep0058 at 02:49 PM | Comments (2)

December 14, 2004

I'm Gambit!

The one guy who EVERYONE wanted to see in the movies! Gambit just kicks ass. If he can't obliterate someone by hucking kinetically charged cards at them, he can beat them to death with his quarterstaff. AND he's a pimp. So what are you doing on this site, anyway? Shouldn't you be out stomping people's shit in right now?

The picture I am too lazy to embed.

Which X-Man are you?

Posted by piep0058 at 03:16 PM | Comments (0)

Enduring the Stress of Juku in Modern Japan

ok here's my final paper for japanese history. yeah, i know, it's a piece of crap...but then again...i'm in engineering, so i don't really give a damn.

The education of a nation’s youth is of the utmost importance in today’s society, and certainly this is no exception in Japan. The country’s education standards are some of the highest in the world, and its students are among some of the hardest working. In any developed nation, education is the key to an individual’s economic success, where those with the higher education reflect a higher degree of economic success. This desire for economic success is the primary motivation for individuals in any developed country to achieve an education. Japan, however, has taken this motivation to the extreme. Whereas most elementary, middle, and high school students in the United States will spend an average of seven hours a day in school, many students in Japan have chosen to attend private tutoring classes that continue for many more hours above their mandated school hours. These private tutoring classes, called juku and yobiko, while not required by law for students to attend, still attract a majority of junior high students. In 1993, Sixty-seven percent of all ninth graders attended some form of tutoring outside of regular school hours. Counting regular school hours and juku combined, a student that attends juku in addition will spend close nearly ten hours a day in the classroom. This represents nearly six percent of their total wake hours. When one factors in commuting, eating, studying, and sleep, this limits the free time of the students to nearly nothing. The only free time that exists for students that attend juku lies on the weekends. In comparison to the United States, the average American middle school student receives an average of four to five hours of free time per day during the week. This poses the question, why do Japanese students give up their free time to work and study tirelessly in their schools and attend juku outside of class? What causes juku to be so popular when students could be spending their free time doing other things, similar to students in western nations?

In determining the answers to these questions, a list of texts has been useful in gathering information to create an answer. Examining Adolescent Leisure Time Across Cultures, by Suman Verma, has been helpful source in acquiring statistics about leisure time in Japan, as well as statistics on student opinions on studying and enjoyment. The Japanese High School, by Shoko Yoneyama, has also proven valuable as a source for history and development of the current Japanese educational system. For a primary source, an editorial by Casey Shoenberger titled, “The Japanese School System: Counting Out Predictable Cogs,” has given a first hand account at the pressures of the Japanese school system on its youth.

The demand for juku among junior high students is indirectly related to the hiring traditions of major companies. Currently in Japan most of the hiring for companies is done through rankings of universities. In fact, most companies prefer to hire directly out of college because they see those with prior experience as being “tainted.” It is more desirable for a company to hire a fresh college graduate so that he can be molded into the employee that they want. Anyone unlucky enough to lose his job during the middle of his career is basically condemned to part time jobs the rest of his life. However, Japanese workers in the post-war industrialization negotiated for lifetime employment, a concept known as shuushin-koyou. With this guarantee, although workers cannot necessarily switch occupations so readily, there is little or no chance of them ever losing their current employment.

These hiring traditions began in the post-war era as the government of Japan pushed for high-speed economic growth. School knowledge became the discriminating tool between the less able and the more able students. Soon after this practice of education competition was implemented schools began to change their curriculum. This is evident as the number of students who could not keep up with their studies increased substantially. The necessity to sort students uniformly created the demand for standardized exams.

In addition to the guarantee of lifetime employment, the government and major companies in Japan have created a ranking system for universities. Tokyo University is blatantly the top choice of the government and nearly every major company. In the government bureaucracy alone, Tokyo University graduates comprise two-thirds to ninety percent of those positions. Furthermore, one-third of all company presidents in Japan have graduated from Tokyo University. The high probability of garnering a top job through Tokyo University has made it the most selective university in Japan. Consequently, the entrance exam for Tokyo University is also one of the most challenging of all entrance exams. Over the years this relationship between academic hierarchy and employment hierarchy has become more evident. Companies will hire by the competitiveness of the entrance exam of the university.

The popularity for juku is fueled by the competitive nature of the college entrance exams. Performing well on these exams is aided by entrance into competitive high schools, which, like colleges, have their own entrance exams. As shown before, the college one chooses can determine one’s future employment opportunities, making getting into the right college essential to an economically secure future. Furthermore, since high school prepares one for entrance into these universities, that also makes entrance into the elite high school just as important. Juku supply this demand to enter the elite high schools through rigorous tutoring for the examinations. In fact, the entire juku curriculum has simply entrance examinations in mind.5 The result creates students who will accept all information without question. The tutors are training the students to answer questions well for the exam. Even if something might not be right, it is in the students’ best interest to accept it without question because that will help them do well on the exam. With this design of not questioning authority, the system of “exam hell,” where entrance exams determine one’s future, has been kept in place, keeping the demand for juku high as well.

The direct motivation for students to enroll in juku lies almost entirely among outside forces, such as family and competition with other students. Forty-one percent of junior high students report that they would rather be doing something else rather than attending juku. Despite such lack of enjoyment, many Japanese students still enroll themselves in juku. The reason lies in the commonly held belief that everyone has the same mental ability. Confucian ideals emphasize attaining higher educational achievement as the primary method to achieve social status and self-fulfillment.6 Furthermore, the ideals of bunbo-ryodo contribute to the popular notion in Japan that “idleness is the parent of all vice.” The idea of bunbo-ryodo emerged out of the samurai class in the sixteenth and seventeenth century supporting the ideal that young men should be skilled with both the pen and the sword.6 This fear of idleness is evident when the government shortened the school week to five days, eliminating Saturday classes, in an effort to give students more leisure time. The response was simply a shift to more work during the school days. Net time spent at juku, free-time activities, and with the family did not differ.6 In fact, many people criticized the law as being a “fatal mistake,” as did the governor of Tokyo, Shintaro Ishihara. He represented the concern of many parents that their children would fall behind by wasting the extra time on the weekend. The popularity of juku thrives on these ideals of that students should constantly be occupied, and that it is their duty to better themselves through education.

The desire of students to attend juku is rooted in their desire to succeed in an economic system that rewards those showing the best academic potential immediately prior to entering their college education. Even if one receives a better education at a lower-tier university, one will lose a position to a perhaps less-qualified applicant from a top-name university. One’s ability is measured supremely upon the difficulty of the entrance exam of one’s college. Subsequently, those that can perform better on exams are able to attain higher positions, hence the need for juku to tutor students in exam material. When this is combined with the commonly held fear that idleness of adolescents leads them into trouble, this pushes students to be constantly occupied with studies or other activities, limiting their own free time to nearly nothing. In addition, the system where information is taught without question in preparation for entrance exams causes students not to question the system. This combined with the standards for hiring maintains the undesirable system of “exam hell” in place. As long as the government and companies continue to rank universities, the demand for juku will never decrease.

Posted by piep0058 at 02:12 PM | Comments (5)

December 13, 2004

Rest in Peace, Joe's Maroon Backpack, 1999-2004

Yes, folks, the stories you heard on the news are true. My backpack died today. It was sad, I couldn't even get my books out. The zipper just fell apart with my books and notes trapped inside.

And...a moment of pretending to be serious and quiet...

Now that that's over, let's check out some new bags!

choice A

choice B

choice C

I'll admit I am partial to a certain choice. But I don't want to spoil the results.

Anyhow...which one?

Posted by piep0058 at 03:19 PM | Comments (3)

December 12, 2004

procrastinate! yay!

ok so guess what! i have some books that i need to start my paper...and what am i doing? writing in this blog! yes! thank god for the internet, now i officially get no work done. between talking online, reading the news online, blogging online, reading others' blogs online, i have just given up about 2-3 hours of my day.

but it's a great joy of mine. to me, there's nothing better than to have nothing to do. i love going to get some coffee and reading the paper on a sunday morning. or even a saturday morning. or any morning come to think of it. i could sit and drink some coffee or a latte and just read the news all day if it weren't for those pesky classes.

what does this do?

oh my god it's blue!

Posted by piep0058 at 02:46 PM | Comments (2)

December 11, 2004

So close!

So I had yet another eventful night last night. It was great. I still have my perfect record for never having to use the Adirondack system (where we document things). And then...just about an hour ago...someone puked up their breakfast into the bathroom and it REEKS! SOOOOO NASTY! So I'm cleaning it up...le sigh.

What's even worse is that I stepped in it barefoot.

And I was all dressed up to go to the pasta bar. Crap, I was so disappointed.

Posted by piep0058 at 03:56 PM | Comments (0)

December 10, 2004

Duty Calls!

Last weekend to do duty ever! So exciting! I know there won't be any problems on the floor or anywhere, right?

In between rounds I plan on working on my Japanese History final paper and listening to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

So I went tanning again today...this time for a theoretical 12 minutes. I swear they left me in there for 20 minutes. I was seriously getting worried...I'm all red now...well, just slightly red. I should be ok by tomorrow.

Well, I guess I should get a writin'!

Posted by piep0058 at 08:19 PM | Comments (0)

December 08, 2004

Dead

I rocked the house on my transport exam -- I think. So that makes me feel good.

But class was just so boring today. We were talking about stuff I already knew how to do!

And we had our holiday staff dinner. the food was good, however, my cheese was not. sad. I shoulda goten plain cheese or something cuz the onion/chive jack cheese I got wasn't really the greatest. Now the smoked bacon cheddar, that was delicious.

Who wants to start my Japanese history paper about juku? I do! I do!

Posted by piep0058 at 10:41 PM | Comments (0)

December 07, 2004

My Travels...

create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.

Posted by piep0058 at 10:19 PM | Comments (0)

man oh man

my mission: get as brown as possible. sound crazy. yes, it is.

but i just have to prove to people that Minnesota isn't the iceblock that everyone thinks it is. my family has such a crazy notion that Minnesota is so unbearably cold and they think i am crazy cuz i love it up ehre so much. well, i'm going to show them it's a tropical paradise.

stage 1

stage 2

think it's possible in 2 weeks? i think so.

Posted by piep0058 at 08:43 PM | Comments (0)

December 06, 2004

My Ass Hurts!

I know what you're thinking...and NO! I did not have any butt sex last night.

Let me start from the beginning:
Joe was pissed. And Joe drank. Joe feels better now, but Joe has a big welt on his back.

It all started in my room. I had a ton of vodka, a ton of amaretto (so basically 8 shots over the course of an 90 minutes or so). Got a ride to the 90s where I proceeded to have 2 more (rather strong) drinks. And we all know my little stomach hates excessive amounts of alcohol. Hence, I puke in the bathroom, get kicked out, take the bus home (it was free, YAY!). For some strange reason though, I got off at Anderson Hall on the West Bank. Why? I don't know. I guess I pulled the yellow cord a little too soon and felt compelled to actually get off just cuz I felt bad for pulling it. Who cares.

After walking the bridge (which looks so far when you're so drunk) I started down the stairs next to Coffman...and we all know how much fun it is to go down those stairs when it's snowy out. Well, I fucking fell down those stairs. Unfortunately I don't remember much else. But at least I didn't require any assistance.

And I feel good today!

Posted by piep0058 at 03:24 PM | Comments (5)

December 05, 2004

Fun at the Mall

Yay the light rail opened all the way to the mall and in celebration i drove down 35W and 77 all the way there. Well, I had to get some other supplies that aren't at the mall...so I guess that's ok. If you ask me it'd be super weird to walk to Targhetto on Lake Street from the Lake Street Light Rail Station...you have to walk across a major intersection with 55. It's not very appealing...but I could do it if i didn't have a car...but I do have a car so why not just drive somewhere to get stuff.

I met up with Rob, Dubs, and Jess there and we shopped around a bit. I got a cool hoody from Hollister so now even I can pretend I am some hot surfer from California.

I also got some cheese! (and oops, I forgot to get some chocolate! I guess I'm doing Southdale tomorrow)

We headed over to IKEA after that -- I needed to get some toys. I also got two little glass tumblers cuz they were just 50 cents! Sweetness!

And now I'm debating doing the 90s tonight...I'm gonna say no for now, I don't think I can handle it. It'll either make me feel a lot better or a lot worse. And I know if I stay here I'll be just fine. But sometimes just fine just doesn't cut it.

Posted by piep0058 at 07:12 PM | Comments (3)

December 04, 2004

Light Rail!

Yay! The light rail is open all the way! I love these things...I honestly cannot stop myself from talking so much about expanding it around town. That was the best thing about Europe. I love being able to walk everywhere. Minneapolis is similar, people are able to bike around a lot (at least compared to St. Louis). But we all know Tulsa, Oklahoma, is the best place to go biking.

Anyhow...I hope in time that more U.S. cities will adopt a more pedestrian-oriented or at least a more pedestrian-freindly environment. The German city of Freiburg, even with a mere 100,000 residents (think Sioux Falls), has a tram system and a developed downtown pedestrian zone (as in no cars). (not to mention a strange gutter system).

One of my great pleasures in life is walking around and taking pictures...not necessarily tourist pictures, just pictures of strange views, inspiring views, or just things that are cute. I could do that all the time in europe...however getting around anywhere in the U.S. (midwest at least) requires a car. I'm hoping for a change.

Posted by piep0058 at 03:38 PM | Comments (7)

Every Night I Burn

It was another uneventful night of duty. I don't know why nothing ever happens when I'm on duty. It's just that everyone knows that I'm a badass when it comes to confrontation and nobody's gonna mess with me!

*rolls eyes* sometimes my sarcasm is just too much.

So I have basically 9 days to create a paper for modern japanese history...this one is about juku. I know I should be able to find some good periodicals about them...but if anyone wants to help me out...please be my guest. Cuz right now I'm sorta panicking because I have never had to write a paper in college...ever. I need sources! Time to make a visit to Wilson Library!

When you get right down to it...I don't believe I've ever really used Wilson library ever! I've studied there back in the [really sexual] years when I lived in Middlebrook. But except for that one project about the Tuskegee Syphillis Trials, (which were really gross, by the way), I have never actually done research there.

Posted by piep0058 at 12:46 PM | Comments (1)

December 03, 2004

Yay

So, as usual, I was reading Coffee Grounds. The author is from New Zealand...and I saw a story about this in one of his entries.

I love New Zealand!

Posted by piep0058 at 10:06 PM | Comments (0)

Poetry

Time to spill some emotion...not that I really have any emotion to spill...but this is my fantasy, allright? And so, in my blogging tradition...here are some haikus that might describe where normal prose fails:

ringing and ringing
people are in need of help
who's able, answers

darkness sweeps the ground
we walk into it blindly
it clutches our hearts

we try to break free
but when no one else answers
darkness is comfort

it lasts for a while
the feeling that someone cares
one finds happiness

but it proves short lived
because darkness causes pain
despite its comfort

weakness of my mind
the challenge to solve problems
the limit of time

it all overwhelms
makes simple tasks into chores
from clear to opaque

Posted by piep0058 at 09:49 PM | Comments (1)

Good times...supposedly

So I'm on duty tonight. Scary, yeah. Actually I know tonight is gonna be super fun and cool and nobody is gonna be out and about drunk.

Tonight should be productive, I have to do some bulletin boards, and there's no better time to do them than when you're on duty. It's not like I can really get homework done...it's Friday, for Christ's sake.

I had a thermodyamics midterm today. I was basically shaking through most of it but I feel confident that I'm going to get most of the points. I shake a lot of times while nervous...and I don't think I'm alone. Well, thank God I remembered the binary tangent rule correctly and the Gibbs-Duhem Equation. That should take care of most of the points...the rest is algebra which isn't really graded in engineering classes...thank God.

Even though the exam is over and done with...why am I still feeling all nervous? I still have this cloud of anxiety over my head. And I want it to go away. But I fear things will get worse before they get better.

Posted by piep0058 at 07:00 PM | Comments (0)