Category "School"
May 05, 2007
Spring Jam 2007: Just Tragic
Okay, I'm not actually enrolled in any classes at the University of Minnesota anymore. In case you don't recall, I officially graduated May 5, 2006. That just so happens to be exactly one year ago today.
That doesn't mean I don't participate in University of Minnesota activities, i.e. Spring Jam and Homecoming. I really only live a few blocks away from the U still. Thus, I still feel like I live on campus.
Long story short, most of my friends are still enrolled at the University, and since they are still juniors, seniors, super seniors, they still feel it's their duty to start drinking round 10 a.m. on Saturday morning for these festivals.
Saturday was no exception. I'll admit I'm somewhat hesitant to crack open a beer before noon, but somehow the coordinated t-shirts everyone had on somehow made it seem okay to do so. Peer pressure, gotta love it.
Consequently, this was my status at 2 p.m. Erik J is to my left.
Apparently the whole theme for Spring Jam was "Big Lights, Big Cities." Some people chose London, others chose New York... get the picture? We chose Tijuana. I like to think it was good to mock the people who actually put effort into making a real big city theme. This one was much more appropriate for a Dinkytown duplex.
And nothing says Mexican fun more than a piñata! This is me trying to put the rope over a branch.
Good Fun.
I have not worked at abercrombie in a really really long time! They asked me work at the Southdale adult store the other day. I might as well take it... Honestly Beyoncé doesn't even know the half of all the bills I have to pay. She's all caught up with her armpits anyhow, she wouldn't know the difference.
Okay listen. The bills have finally started to come in like an avalanche. The car, taxes, insurance, rent, down payments, credit cards, eating out... just when I thought I was going to be able to save up some money for a down payment here, the money starts to roll out again. Oh well, maybe next month. From now on I'm bringing my lunch to work. Although the temptation of going to Noodles & Co. for lunch is just too much sometimes. I'll just have to excel at making gourmet sandwiches for a while.
Posted by piep0058 at 02:58 PM | Comments (0) | School
Category "School"
July 24, 2006
New Title: No Longer a Senior
In one week I begin my career. I will no longer be "in college." For those of you that didn't know, I was recently hired to work at 3M to do research. I know, fantatstic right? This is the job I wanted: I get to do research, I get to stay in Minnesota, and I get to work on new technology.
So where have I been the past month and a half. All over the world. It's a very funny story and I should like to tell it in chapters in the subsequent entries. I think an aptly named title might be: A Step Forward on a Treadmill.
Posted by piep0058 at 03:20 AM | Comments (0) | School
Category "School"
March 09, 2006
So 4 Months Later...
I have the urge to blog right now. I haven't been in such a good mood in a long time. Well at least the past month or so. Really. I don't feel like blogging when I'm busy/angry, it doesn't yield good writing.
I leave for Acapulco tomorrow. That's a plus.
The weather today is super nice. I'm going to wear shorts to the airport tomorrow. And I'm going to ride the light rail too.
I know that there is someone out there that I love. Another plus.
I'm not all cranky because of miscommunication and not meeting unspecified expectations.
And that Rihanna song (SOS) makes me feel good too.
I gotta say now that 4401 and 4402 are over (Chemical Engineering Unit Operations) I really have a better outlook on life. I have more time. I get to do the things I want. I get to sit around and wait to find something to do. I haven't been this bored since before school started. Unfortunately, my body has suffered from it. I haven't gained any weight, per se, but I do feel a bit flabbier than I'd like. And now that the weather is getting warmer, I'll be able to get outside and get active again (so I don't have to spend as much time in the computer lab or at my computer writing lab reports). I can feel the life trickling back into me after being dormant for so long.
On the downside, I don't have a job yet. But I'll find one. I know I'll get one.
Another downside: I'm broke. Anyone want to hook a brotha up with some cash money?
Posted by piep0058 at 05:09 PM | Comments (32) | School
Category "School"
September 24, 2005
Resurrection
Yeah, I've been dead for a while. School is making me panic.
CHEN4401 is taking up every extra second of my life.
CHEN4501 is fun but still time consuming.
GEOG3101 should be a good time.
CHEM5221 is okay, but boring.
BIOC3021 is an easy A.
I have more to say about each classes...
But Saturdays are busy days for me. Comstock Front Desk and Loring Pasta Bar. Sexy times, I know.
I got some pictures from my Asian Birthday Party last night. It was good times. Nothing says turning 22 than wearing a kimono and drinkin' sake (which is disgusting by the way).
Posted by piep0058 at 04:03 PM | Comments (0) | School
Category "School"
April 14, 2005
Catching My Breath
Oh man, time to take a break. That's right, I'm done for the week (disregard my two lectures tomorrow). And you know what that means. I'm going out tonight! Oh god, the Saloon is so lame sometimes. I wonder if there will be a day when I don't want to go there. Like, even though it's not exactly the cleanest place in the world...it's still the ideal bar to go to if you want to be around homosexual men. Well, this will be my first Thursday night going to Boom! so I'll see how that goes. Boom! then Saloon. It's a winner.
But the weather right now is just too great to just sit around and do nothing. I'm gonna go for a walk or do something outside. Not staying in here, that's for sure.
Posted by piep0058 at 03:47 PM | Comments (1) | School
Category "School"
March 22, 2005
Spring Break is Over
And what do I have to show for it?
Well I did laundry. I retrieved my bicycle from Mariucci Arena (FINALLY!) I thought it had died. Close, I just had to put air in the tires.
Cups of Coffee in the past 11 days: 8
Cups of Coffee in the past 24 hours: 4
Opportunities in front of me?
So I got the job with the Bioinformatic Summer Institute. Now what?
I still have yet to hear back from Seagate Technology even though I know they loved me to death and I will almost certainly be offered the job.
So what do I do?
My sister told me to follow my gut. She thinks that I want to do something deep down inside of me. I, however, am still searching for what I want. Here are my options:
Props to Seagate:
They're a private company. When I graduate I will certainly be guaranteed placement within their company. Furthermore, I would gain placement with a company in Minneapolis. Does that sound awesome or what? I wouldn't have to worry about going to a non-gay friendly city or part of the country. I'd be making a lot of money within a year and I'd be able to buy a house or a loft or something and start livin' it up in fabulous Minneapolis. This would equate to around $8,000 for the summer, working basically the whole summer.
Props to Bioinformatics:
So this is my chance to go to grad school, but is this something I really want? At least I know I would have the option to apply if I took this position. And if I choose not to enter into grad school, I could most likely gain placement at a biotechnology company somewhere. So I have a job no matter what, just not a guaranteed job in Minnesota. Total pay: $5,000; thus, looking strictly at the money, Seagate would be the better choice.
Honestly, biotechnology interests me more. There, I admit it. For some reason computer engineering just isn't my thing. That doesn't mean I'm not interested in it, I'd LOVE the experience working at Seagate. Circuitry is something I really need more experience. I think I've answered my own question: I should do the bioinformatics. I've already put so much work into getting recommendations for this job, now why not enjoy it.
I hate making decisions. It wasn't this hard to decide on college. I knew I wanted to go to Minnesota right when I first laid eyes on downtown from 35W. This decision though, seems so permanent, as opposed to my college decision, which was basically simply going to be four years of my life. This is the whole rest of my life.
Have I made a decision? No. Just last night I was convinced I was going to take the Seagate job. Who knows, maybe my attitude and interest will change. I'd bet money that I'll change my mind at least five times in the next few days. I'm going to talk to Prof. McCormick to see if he can help me out.
Posted by piep0058 at 01:09 AM | Comments (8) | School
Category "School"
February 15, 2005
The Good Old Days
I guess it's just cuz I'm at the front desk, but for some reason looking at all these old pictures from the University of Minnesota Archives is really entertaining me right now! Especially the ones of all the places I'm used to seeing everyday.
My how things have changed. The doubles wing on Comstock. The Pearcy Wing of Amundson. The front desk of Walter Library. The West Bank. It's all just nuts to me. It's also nuts to see how things can get so ugly.
At least Walter has been restored. But Amundson? Burton? The West Bank? (well, the west bank was never really that attractive). What the hell happened? Why are things so ugly? I don't understand how people could not have seen it coming. I mean, this is near Riverside Plaza standards. What were they thinking?
Maybe I am being a little harsh. But honestly, can't they make things just a wee bit more aesthetically pleasing? Just take out Anderson, Belgen, Social Sciences, Heller, Ferguson, Rarig, and Wilson.
I think I phrased it best this way: If I were filming a horror movie I would definitely do it on the West Bank. North of Washington Ave. is okay. Carlson, the HHH, Regis, and Barker Center, and Middlebrook are okay. Take out everything else.
I'm done bitching about bad architecture.
Posted by piep0058 at 09:19 PM | Comments (0) | School
Category "School"
January 28, 2005
Hour 40
So I was a dumbass and decided to pull an all nighter last night. The CHEN 4102 wasn't even that hard! I just decided I'd hang out at Tim's and watch Mean Girls (a movie I have been wanting to see for a long time). The movie was good, but it bothered me that the gay character wasn't dancing with anyone in the end. I know, right!
But beside that small point the movie was entertaining, actually, especially the imagination scenes. Just because it was hard to tell what was imagination and what was real.
So far classes are ok. Cussler is a great professor, he really seems to challenge students to think in class. This is definately a change from the 3 Greeks (Tsapatsis, Kokkoli, Kaznessis) that I've had in my previous 3 courses. Cussler actually puts you on the spot to solve simple problems. These aren't the simple problems of 4001. I could easily fall asleep in 4005 just because Tsapatsis, is, well, kinda quiet. Cussler is so loud he doesn't even need the microphone. Kokkoli tried to put students on the spot but she was more or less waiting for volunteers, and she shouldn't wait for volunteers especially on really simple questions about mass balances. Just call on someone! I liked Kaznessis the best out of all of them, but maybe that was just because the material he taught didn't seem to drag on.
Process analytical though...oh my god...if I didn't stop to get coffee before that class I would totally be dozing off all the time.
Derby and McCormick are allright. So far so good!
Anyways, I get to have the fun of working Friday and Saturday at the Loring Pasta Bar! When am I going to catch up on sleep...
Posted by piep0058 at 03:34 PM | Comments (0) | School
Category "School"
January 23, 2005
The First Week
So the first week wasn't so bad. I remember the first week of classes last semester. I was freaking out. I think the content of my classes this semester is actually harder, but somehow I'm managing to brush it off my shoulder like it's nothing. Maybe I'm getting smarter, who knows.
I tried to watch Latter Days on Tuesday night but was interrupted several times because of a fire alarm that went off in Comstock. They ganked a fire extinguisher and played around with it so much that the detectors went off and then the alarms. So I had to mop up the floors from all the extinguisher dust, and I missed the middle hour of the movie. Anyways, these are the two guys I missed.
The week went remarkably well actually. It kinda sucks to have homework again. But I guess it all will work out in the end. It's back to having no life.
But sometimes I want a life so badly. I'm going to have to tell myself I can't have one.
Posted by piep0058 at 01:20 PM | Comments (0) | School
Category "School"
January 19, 2005
The first day
So school is back and with a vengeance. Monday, Wednesday and Friday are going to suck for a while because I have 4 classes right in a row from 10:10 to 2:15. And I have to take all these classes along with all of the other chemical engineer majors. I guess we will all starve then.
At least we will starve for the first 6 or 7 weeks. After that we get to drop the process analytical lecture and just attend the lab. Which means we get to have an hour to ourselves from 12:05 to 1:25.
I think this is just the schedule to slim down. Assuming I don't binge eat at dinner. And I'm going running again! YAY!
Posted by piep0058 at 04:04 PM | Comments (2) | School
Category "School"
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) | School
Category "School"
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) | School
Category "School"
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) | School
Category "School"
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) | School
Category "School"
December 14, 2004
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) | School
Category "School"
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) | School
Category "School"
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) | School
Category "School"
November 29, 2004
anxious for finals?
i don't know about you, but i cannot wait for finals to be here. by then i will have had my japanese history paper done. i won't have anymore of these dang homeworks. and i can blog and blog and blog about anything i want.
and i won't be so tired all the time.
front desk time!
Posted by piep0058 at 06:59 PM | Comments (0) | School
Category "School"
November 16, 2004
Sleepless in Minnesota!
Workin the front desk is hard. I get no work done. And to top it off...I'm writing here to waste some time. That's ok -- I still have quite a while to get all my homework done. It's not like I really need sleep anyways...ohhhhh but I love sleeping! There is nothing better than laying down in a warm soft bed and sleeping. Anyone who disagrees can suck it.
The more sleep I get the more together I am. The more focused I can be. The better I remember information. The more content I am with life. The less stressed I am. The more enjoyment I get out of life.
And people wonder why sleep is so important for me. Well it's not like I'll be getting much tonight, if my CHEN 4005, 4101, 3701 homework has any say in the matter.
Posted by piep0058 at 11:23 PM | Comments (1) | School
Category "School"
November 08, 2004
somehow i have the strange feeling something bad just happened
i just had my chen4005 midterm and as i'm looking at the solutions, there's a problem i don't even remember.
i swear, there wasn't a problem there...they must've put my exam together wrong or something. this will be really bad luck if it just happened to me. there's 1 of 2 options. It's there and i just didn't see it or some lazy grad student is gonna fuck me over because he didn't put my exam together correctly. This is so not cool, it's not even funny. oh well.
let's hope i do well...
i have been soooo stuck around campus lately it's not even funny. although i did buy the hottest shirt yesterday. i was walking around uptown and saw it and i knew that i just had to get it. it's kinda gay (10% spandex...) but that's ok! It's not like i'm wearing this...it's something more like this.
Now it's on to chen4101 midterm on wednesday. haha...i can't remember how to spell wednesday. (inside joke).
Posted by piep0058 at 11:47 AM | Comments (0) | School
Category "School"
November 07, 2004
31 Days Left
In other words, that means basically 7 weeks (basically) left before school is over and It's time to head back to Missouri. I'll admit, the idea is somewhat entertaining. As much as I fear heading back into a "red state" somehow just being at home will be kinda comforting. It's hard dealing with bills and school and work all at the same time. I'm in the constant fear of not paying all my bills on time or getting homework in on time or being late to work or some kind of a disaster happening. I know I worry too much most of the time...but it's simply hard to let go.
Oh gosh, how can I stay inside when the sky is so blue like this? It makes me feel all Martin Luther King-ish like I have a dream or something.
Posted by piep0058 at 12:58 PM | Comments (0) | School
Category "School"
October 28, 2004
not another all nighter
so i'm preparing myself to start the 4005 transport homework and i'm scared. i don't wanna be up all night doing it again. plus i only have 3 red bulls. i'd definitely need 4 to do it all.
so my plans this weekend went down the drain. i was kinda hoping to go to carleton for the change in scenery. but now that i can't...where am i gonna go? i really wanted to take a road trip somewhere. i just can't stay in the cities! I'm gonna go to Eau Claire. hahaha. There has to be some party to go to!!!
I really don't want to hang around here Saturday night because that would imply that i would need to go to the gay halloween party...which really isn't my thang. We all know that sometimes I can be a party pooper. I need to at least have a few drinks. I realize that I can't drink a ton like i did that one night. but i was hoping to be drunk for a long time. I don't want to just go out to the bars. no thank you.
Posted by piep0058 at 08:21 PM | Comments (0) | School
Category "School"
October 22, 2004
Buckingham Pi Theorem can Lick My Nuts
oh man oh man. i did not sleep a wink last night! the closest i got was watchign music videos while drinking a Sobe Adrenaline Energy Drink. I downloaded George Michael's "Flawless (go to the city)" and it's really really lame. but at the same time, it's a fun song.
but at least i finished the assignment. did i really know what i was doing? no...but...ummm...i don't really care. i think i made educated decisions.
i'm remarkably alert considering i didn't get sleep last night. it must be because i'm still jacked up on those energy drinks. they seriously give me the runs. it's gross.
i'm thinking of doing a program called "assassins" where everyone on my floor tries to "kill" everyone else and the last one left wins the big prize. here's how it would work, i would arrange everyone on the floor to have name. Noel from Comstock last year did the idea with marshmallows. basically you use your marshmallow to hit someone else. that person is then "dead" and the successful assassin takes the name of whomever the victim was trying to kill before his death. eventually it would go down to two people. There would, of course, be the need for "safe spaces" such as one's room, the bathroom, and UDS, where people were immune to assassin attacks. everywhere else is fair game to be killed.
this way, people get to know one another by wanting to kill them for a big prize!
Posted by piep0058 at 03:44 PM | Comments (6) | School
Category "School"
October 18, 2004
Whatever happened to Nick?
Every now and then I think of Nick...remember him? Well he sticks out in my mind as quite a unique character. I was actually going to write a journal entry wondering what he was up to.
The last thing I had heard from him was that his mom was snooping around in his room and found pictures of well...sexy men. Then nothing. Nothing for about 4 months. I was kinda worried that his parents took away anything for him that could lead him to become gay, like, for instance, the internet or his cell phone.
I was really worried that his parents sent him to some anti-homosexual treatment facility, much like this one.
But I think the most likely situation was that he just got freaked out about being gay and that separating him from his family.
But I ran into him today as I was off to study for my biomolecular exam that did not go as well as I had hoped (I wanted 100%) but still, i didn't fail, just, I could have scored better. It was so great to see him. Not that I want to go out on a date, he's pissed me off a little too much (oh, but he's so cute!)...but just that nothing really bad happened to him. He said he and his mom don't really talk about the whole gay thing. It's like he's become Mary Cheney or something. I would like to hang out with him though and take him to the Saloon or something. I bet he would love that!
Posted by piep0058 at 06:11 PM | Comments (1) | School
Category "School"
October 04, 2004
So that was fun...
I just had my mass transport midterm. not fun. i really should do better. i mean, i knew the material, and i think i got an average score. but i hate getting the average score. i think i can do better though. I'm kinda worried that I'll get a B though.
well, we'll see when things actually boil down. cleaning up puke really isn't that bad. it just smells.
but i gotta go work on my thermodynamics homework. and it ain't cool. the work never ends does it. there are a lot of tasks to be completed today.
Posted by piep0058 at 11:18 AM | Comments (0) | School
Category "School"
September 30, 2004
Sigh of Relief
so i guess it turns out that my homework for chen4101 is not due until Monday! yaaaay. that's a good thing. A real good thing. Makes me so happy.
I've hit a barrier. What to do, what to do, what to do...makes me want to shoot myself in my head sometimes. I know everything will be ok in the end. Thank god I'm on duty this weekend, I need to get my faculties intact -- because right now, I'm going fucking insane. And you wouldn't even know it, would you?
Oh well. Go get me the gun...Azrael in the house tonight. Don't forget about my retainer from Cinnabon's.
Posted by piep0058 at 11:10 PM | Comments (2) | School
Category "School"
September 29, 2004
school is hard
so i have homework to do. and it's really difficult. i really need to work hard on understanding it...or i'm gonna flunk out. i can do it.
i don't even have the mental capacity to tell you how much fun the franz ferdinand concert was. my mind is too occupied with fluid momentum right now.
but. i will get things done. eventually. and i'm slipping back into the melancholy world. i feel like Azrael Abyss. Like, the darkness is supposed to consume my soul... or something. How else am i going to get my work done? I definitely can't do it when it's so bright out.
Posted by piep0058 at 11:44 PM | Comments (3) | School
Category "School"
September 17, 2004
another week, in the dust
yay. friday is here. and i'm one of those corny people that is all excited about it. gosh, how trite am i...sad.
a revised view of my classes:
tennis: still the best.
chen3701: boring but easy...i think?
chen4005: hard and boring.
chen4101: somewhat difficult but do-able.
hist3471: unsure of the material i need to know...hmmm.
so what am i going to do tonight? kill bill maybe? i kinda feel like going out to eat...i haven't gone out in a while. and i was so used to eating out all the time. oh my god this will be my last weekend of me being 20 years old. now that is strange. maybe i should go to southdale and then to the macaroni grill and then back to watch Kill Bill Vol. 2.
sooo tired, i should nap...then i might be a lil' more bitchy.
Posted by piep0058 at 02:59 PM | Comments (4) | School
Category "School"
September 14, 2004
am i motivated or what?
so today was supposed to be my worst day ever! but it was great! i love tuesdays! i wake up at 7 a.m. and go to class non-stop from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. it's tennis, 3 recitations next door to each other, and then japanese history! woo woo! i was so attentive.
and then, i went running around lake harriet all by myself. it was a "good run" (meaning that i went pretty far and didn't have any pain). of course, i could have pushed myself further, but i didn't; i figure 2 miles is far enough.
so i have to work the front desk tonight. isn't that sucky? actually i'm super excited and i can't wait.
Posted by piep0058 at 06:52 PM | Comments (0) | School
Category "School"
September 11, 2004
back to school
and i'm feeling kinda productive. i've done laundry. started doing some chen3701 homework (cuz it's really easy, no thought involved, i just copy what's there).
but i'm feeling kinda overwhelmed. i gotta work at the loring pasta bar tonight and then at caribou tomorrow. gosh, working at caribou is gonna be really kinda wierd. i haven't been there in so long. seriously it's been almost 4 weeks.
so my opinion of my classes:
tennis: fun, easy, short, involves physical activity (a good thing).
chen3701: easy, shorter than you think, professor is nice. wei-shou hu is now my favorite professor. i want to work in his group.
chen4005: difficult? we'll see. brand new material for my mind
chen4101: difficult? but not new material.
hist3471: japanese history is fun, but reading so much is kinda hard on my mind.
ok that about sums it up. i guess it's a good thing i'm not taking a language. i really did want to take russian or swedish. so that i could maybe go to russia or sweden. but oh well, some other time? grad school? will i live there? why not iceland?
Posted by piep0058 at 03:48 PM | Comments (5) | School
Category "School"
September 09, 2004
classes? piece of cake
so maybe my classes won't be that hard. i'm still thinking i'm going to be totally blown away...well not with the material just with the amount of it. speaking of which i should do homework, perhaps...how about tomorrow night? hahaha. i should get more motivated sometime.
oh well. in other news, i bought and AWESOME KILL BILL POSTER. now i just have to decide where to put it.
so volleyball last night was ok. it was kinda wierd to have the pasta bar crowd around with the residents...i felt like i was corrupting them...oh well.
i should probably stop by today and talk to khanh and tell him i can't work much anymore. so hire someone else. i don't care who, just do it. le sigh.
but it's basically the weekend! so that's good.
Posted by piep0058 at 02:17 PM | Comments (0) | School
Category "School"
September 08, 2004
The Second Day
so i'm in the middle of my second day of school. i was getting kinda worried about everything, but now i realized what i must do: quit my jobs. it's just a fact of life. i need to worry about school, not work.
so in case you were wondering why i hate kids, this is why. you need quicktime to actually view the video. thanks to jimmy for putting this in his profile.
so how am i going to tell them that i want to quit? i dont' know!
Posted by piep0058 at 12:06 PM | Comments (14) | School
Category "School"
September 07, 2004
first day of class
so today was, well, ok. tennis is great. it sucks that it's so far away. but at least i have my bike.
but what am i gonna do when it snows or it rains? i'm not biking in that!
CHEN3701 looks pretty easy and the professor is really nice. it sounds like a review of biology so far...and we know how exciting that was.
ooo, i can't wait for japanese history!!! it's gonna be so exciting.
Posted by piep0058 at 10:29 AM | Comments (0) | School