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New News
1) Test Results: B+, B+, A Paper Results: A, A
2) A computer broke down in the lab where I volunteer as a research assistant, so instead of starting on a new task, I'm still transcribing videos.
3) 3M prepared a delicious feast for dinner tonight and I was lucky enough to be invited to join them. Yum! Then we play-tested Conga a couple times before battling it out in teams in a really tough game of Cranium. Limerick is only spelled with one "m", not two. And the only "L" is at the beginning, Mike.
4) Got my voter registration confirmation in the mail today, so I'm all set to support the anti-Bush at the polls.
5) I ordered a PDA last Friday, $59.99 for a Handspring Visor Deluxe. It's a bit out-dated, but more than adequate for my needs. I preferred it over some other old PDAs that I looked at, because it has a backlight, runs on a couple AAAs, and has room for expansion modules, from 8MB memory modules, to a pedometer that will count your steps.
6) My classmate from BLCU, Yesuna, celebrated her birthday October 9th, Happy Belated Birthday! : )
7) On Sunday, I'm planning to present 3M with a list of possible activities for our Seattle trip. I want to get some feedback before I start structuring itineraries.
What I've Been Up To
I've been preparing for and taking tests this week and last. I still have three more to go this week, and a paper to write over the weekend to turn in on Monday. I have fallen asleep with the light or radio on numerous times. I took photos of Cirrus on the weekend. My mom's starting to print photos from her time in China, I look forward to seeing them. Shasha still has about a week's worth of photos on her computer, speaking of Shasha, I miss her a lot, I haven't had time to call her when she's not at work due to my busy schedule. Oops, it's almost 9:30, I gotta shower so I can read at least a few pages before I wake up at 3:00 and not only have to turn off the light, but prop my book open so the drool will day. By the way, my dentist says that my mouth seems to produce more saliva than the average human mouth.
Adam Out
Oh yeah, hisashiburi desunee is Long Time No See in Japanese romaji.
What's Kept Me Away For A Couple Days
Someone has noticed that this is my first blog of the week, and that someone is me. I've had a bit of a cold, a bit of ancient Egyptian art related article analyses paper due, buying plane tickets, and on top of that eyelids that refuse to stay open during the 2:00 hour. And even though I'm feeling much better and I turned in my paper last night, now I have to polish another paper and prepare for a couple exams last night, which means there's an extension of my busy status and will return to more regular blogging once my workload lightens a bit.
END
]]>
Big Log Blog
Do not even attempt to start reading unless you have three minutes to kill...
After my Philosophy class, I usually go hang-out in front of the classroom for my next class and work on Chinese exercises or read. Well today, I met two people while just doing what I usually do. The first guy, Olzhas, actually asked me if I was working on Chinese on Wednesday, but today he saw me again when I was in the bathroom getting tissue for my runny nose. And then he came and sat down next to me and offered me a doughnut, twice, which I politely refused. That's how I met Olzhas (Kazakh name), the PSEO student studying poli. sci. who's hobby is drafting. He is interested in finding some Kazakhstani students, and uses the U's people search to search for the equivalent of Kazakhstan's "Jones'" "Smiths'". Since he's only got one lead so far, I guess that there aren't many Kazakhstani students here at the U, or that they don't have very common names.
The second person I met is David, whose parents fled from Iran in the 70s. I told him that I had just finished reading about Persepolis and he told me about a current situation involving a house that his grandfather owned in Iran which his family's relatives have been residing in for some time. He is interested in going to Iran someday, but until he can grow a full beard and learns to communicate in Farsi, he feels that it's not very safe for him to travel there. The other interesting thing I learned about David is that he's majoring in Food Science. It may sound like a simple subject, but it's scope is quite grand. Food science includes aspects of biology, law, health, marketing, and more. Just think about every aspect related to food that you can and you'll start to understand what all is involved in Food Science. Turns out he's in that class that I wait for and in the row in front of us I saw that really fun girl from my social psych class, I think her name is Melanie, because I think I remember it was something like Melody.
Michelle treated to me to Perry Pizza's lunch special to pay me back for Annie's last Friday. The slices are huge and I wolfed down both a pepperoni and a sausage slice in addition to the breadstick and pink lemonade included in the speacial. Michelle only managed 1 and 1/4 slices and was quite impressed that I finished every last crumb. Skinny guys can eat; we don't have a lot of fat pressing against our stomachs, and so our stomachs can expand to allow for even two huge slices of Perry's Pizza. I'm not trying to brag, I was stuffed after I finished eating and it's going on 5:00 now and I am still feeling sated. I guess I'm like a snake and after consuming a large meal I can go many hours before eating again.
During lunch we talked about the winter break trip to Washington (state) and I suggested that we could give Mike #1 gifts of money towards a plane ticket for Christmas. (Mike #1 wants to go, but doesn't know if he can afford it.) Michelle thought it's a great idea and said she'd bring it up with Mike later.
Before my last class of the day I listened to a crazy guy named Jeb preaching about how we're all going to hell and how he used to get it on with Margaret in the back of his father's 1957 Cheverolet Bel Air. When I first arrived, there was a crowd of ~ 100 students creating a ring around him with about 10 or 12 feet between them and him. But the crowd crept toward him in spurts and when I left he was on the receiving end of a big group hug of students who he had just told are going to hell.
One more piece to the story is that, before he found god, Jeb lost about half his brain in an accident. Shocking!
After class I went to Wilson to get those articles that I need to write my second paper of the semester. When I went to get my articles copied, guess who's voice I hear? Yep, none other than good, old copy center Mike, otherwise known as Mike #1. He copied only the pages that I requested in an efficient and professional manor. He should be given a raise as soon as possible. If you are responsible for how soon he receives a raise and you are reading this, stop whatever you are doing and do whatever it takes to see to it that copy center Mike W. gets a raise of no less than $0.25 per hour.
I leave for M.G. in one and one half hours. I'll keep myself busy until then playing with pixels and rocking out to a variety of music I like.
]]>Dear, Michelle
Remember eating at Annie's last Friday? (Refer to entry for Friday, September 17) Remember...
P.S.
P.S. Michelle...
Holding On Hold
What I'm not experiencing in "out of sight, out of mind", I'm more than making up for in "longing makes the heart grow fonder." No further comments.
Little Rice Ball Comic Strip #1 Finished
I have just published my first XNG comic strip on the web (Xiao Nian Gao, Mandarin for Little Rice Cake[Ball])...
Personality Feedback Report for Me
This report presents my self-reported score on the five major facets of adult, normal personality: Extraversion, Openness to Experience, Agreeableness, Neuroticism, and Conscientiousness...
Dear, Michelle
Remember eating at Annie's last Friday? (Refer to entry for Friday, September 17) Remember... You owe me seven dollars and change! GIVE ME MY MONEY!!!
P.S.
P.S. Michelle... I'm just kidding. Well, I'm kidding about having energy related to that money you owe me. I'm not kidding that you owe me seven dollars and change. NOW, GIVE ME MY MONEY!!!!
Holding On Hold
What I'm not experiencing in "out of sight, out of mind", I'm more than making up for in "longing makes the heart grow fonder." No further comments.
Little Rice Ball Comic Strip #1 Finished
I have just published my first XNG comic strip on the web (Xiao Nian Gao, Mandarin for Little Rice Cake[Ball]). It marks my first major piece of pixel art and also my first comic strip. I've been working with Adobe Photoshop Elements and learned a few tricks. Now I just need to generate some more content... Oh yeah, a link. Let me know how you respond to it. Right now XNG can pretty much go in any direction, he has yet to form a stable personality, vocabulary, psychopathology, etc. In other words, the world is like an oyster, because that's all it really is.
Personality Feedback Report for Me
This report presents my self-reported score on the five major facets of adult, normal personality: Extraversion, Openness to Experience, Agreeableness, Neuroticism, and Conscientiousness.
My scores are compared to others in the class. The average for each trait is 50 and the standard deviation is 10. A score of 50 is at the 50th percentile, a score of 60 is at the 84th percentaile and a score of 40 is at the 16th percentile.
Less than 40 Very Low (well below average)
40-45 Low (below average)
45-50 Slightly below average
50-55 Slightly above average
55-60 High (above average)
More than 60 Very High (well above average)
Trait Score
Agreeableness 45.33
Conscientiousness 60.92
Extraversion 51.09
Neuroticism 41.21
Openness 63.49
Looking at this, I see that my outlying traits are Very High Conscientiousness and Openness, and also Low Neuroticism.
Maybe I'll say more about what that means later.
]]>Animal Quiz:
Which of the following is a native Australian canine?
A) Ding Dong
B) Dingo
C) Koala
D) Kou Jiemi
...
Q:Comic Strip, Coming Soon? A: Likely.
So I've got my idea for my semester art project...
Sex Before Marriage Was Illegal Once
Why did they ...
Cheers!
]]> Today's entry is dedicated to humor, without which, life would only be good, not great.Animal Quiz:
Which of the following is a native Australian canine?
A) Ding Dong
B) Dingo
C) Koala
D) Kou Jiemi
A) Well, maybe if you are 8 years old and you actually mean "Dingo Dog".* Then again, no, you're still wrong!
B) Correct
C) Incorrect. A canine is an animal of the family Canidae, especially a dog. No, even a rabid koala is not a canine.
D) It's the next best answer to B, the jury's still out on this one.
* Click here to see why this is funny.
Q:Comic Strip, Coming Soon? A: Likely.
So I've got my idea for my semester art project. It's a comic strip created using pixel art and starring the only real marketable character I've got, the little rice ball. I'm going to be working on a variety of backgrounds and talking with my friends for inspiration on material. Don't hold your breath though, I have to study up on making pixel art and find out which software is going to work the best for my project. If you have any information regarding the creation of pixel CGs, you are more than welcome to contact me.
Sex Before Marriage Was Illegal Once
Why did they have to go and take away my excuse for being a 24-year-old virgin? No, but seriously, it's crazy to think that premarital sex was once illegal, but now look at what kinds of proposed amendments to the U.S. Constitution we have today: one to make flag burning illegal (I don't think it should be illegal, but I do encourage people to dissent lovingly and constructively, not hatefully and destructively), another to ban homosexual marriage. And then there's abortion, guns, pollution, etc. So what can the citizens of the United States of America do about it? I don't think there's an easy answer and I don't have time to write out a difficult answer right now.
Cheers!
]]>Open-Minded(ness) and What I Did In Classes Today
Open-Minded(ness) was, I feel, the best characteristic of a wise person that I offered in Philosophy discussion...
Fun With Smoke-Detectors and Tacos
I went over to my friend Michelle's place last night for some food and fun...
Open-Minded(ness) and What I Did In Classes Today
That was, I feel, the best characteristic of a wise-person that I offered in Philosophy discussion. Considering it's an 8:00 class, I was a little surprised to find myself engaging myself in the discussion.
Perception class was as fascinating as always, we continued exploring olfaction which is a pretty interesting sense, when you consider that a familiar smell can recall for us some pretty vivid associated memories, but trying to remember or create a mental "image" of a smell seems impossible. I started thinking about the way Shasha smells, and of course I remember that it's a unique smell, but I couldn't find any words to describe it. Thinking about those odors did lead me to recall times when I smelled those impossible-to-describe smells. :)
Remember watching movies in class? Well I watched an old Nova (PBS, anyone know what I'm talking about?) on Sigmund Freud with a couple hundred other Personality Psych students. The video quality was awful, but it was interesting and the fact that there will be test questions based on the video kept me busy taking notes. Did you know that Freud used cocaine? Now you do. There was even audio of Freud commenting on Psychoanalysis. He's got a voice like that ludwig-or-something duck that was on those educational Disney videos that dealt with science, music, etc.
Fun With Smoke-Detectors and Tacos
I went over to my friend Michelle's place last night for some food and fun. When I arrived one of the Mikes was working on some hamburger for tacos and the other was standing on a chair using a broom to push the button on the smoke detector that was going off for apparently no reason other than to create an interesting entry for me. Michelle went to track down someone to deal with it and while she was out, the Mikes threw the breaker switch off to shut up the alarm. Michelle came back with a C.A. (Community Advisor) who overstayed his visit by repeating what he said at the beginning over and over again with different words. I was getting very anxious and was just about to say something when he finally left. Just so you know, the other people in the room also thought that he was hanging out way more than was necessary. I'm running out of blog writing time, so I'll say that I put my little rice ball cursor set on Michelle's computer, ate tacos, played Battle of the Sexes (The 2 Mikes formed the men's team, Michelle and I were the women [I played a damned good women, too. Just because I knew what mach three and mpg means, doesn't mean that I was out of character; I did plenty of bitching at the guys and ate chocolates when we answered incorrectly, etc.], afterwards Michelle took a shower (unannounced) and so the Mikes and I played a round of Scrabble (that broom-wielding Mike cleaned up, while the other Mike and I were close in scores that were all over 100), watched Law & Order: SVU (without captions that block people's faces, thanks Michelle!), and I ate a chocolate chip/chunk cookie that Michelle baked last night. Time's up, gotta run!
Why I Say It's True That She's The Most Amazing Girl In The World
Please draw your attention to the following premises...
Today's Academic Achievements
Here are a list of Adam's academic achievements for September the 20th, in the year 2004 common era...
My Computer Became Even Friendlier
All it took was a little time, artistic talent, creativity, and...
I've Got Lawyers, But Not Lawyer-Friends, Yet...
Shasha's interested in Law School and I'm interested in...
Washington State Or The United Kingdom
So I'm looking at two choices for winter break...
How's that for ya, Mike. A nice, meaty entry, or should I say entree using a French accent?!
]]> Today's entry is dedicated to rice cakes, not the dried, taste-lacking Western variety, but the ooey-gooey Chinese variety.Why I Say It's True That She's The Most Amazing Girl In The World
Please draw your attention to the following premises, which I believe to be true, that logically lead to the conclusion that she's the most amazing girl in the world.
I would only say I love you in French to the most amazing girl in the world.
I said I love you in French to Shasha.
_________________________________
Shasha is the most amazing girl in the world.
Feel free to try to disprove one or both of my premises, but please use the comments section to do so, that's what it's there for people. : )
Today's Academic Achievements
Here are a list of Adam's academic achievements for September the 20th, in the year 2004 common era.
Philosophy Paper #1 Draft: Turned-In! And I must admit, it looks sharp, printed with my laser printer on 92 brightness paper, sweet.
Art of Egypt Quiz: Took it the first time in a hurry and got a 76%, took it again today (questions shuffle, so I wasn't answering all the same questions) and got a 93%!
My Computer Became Even Friendlier
All it took was a little time, artistic talent, creativity, and I made my computer a little more user-friendly today. I made an animated mouse cursor set, using my little rice ball (xiao nian gao) character which served as my Chinese Language Scholars student group website mascot and also happens to be a manifestation of Shasha's personality.
I've Got Lawyers, But Not Lawyer-Friends, Yet...
Shasha's interested in Law School and I'm interested in being nearby while I work on a graduate program (yes, maybe law school) at the U or wherever in a couple years. So the other day I was looking at the U's law website and I found a photo and a caption of a girl from China who is a graduate of Shasha's university, Renmin Daxue. So I thought it would be cool if Shasha can communicate with this girl. Tomorrow I'm going to write her an e-mail stating my case and inviting her to talk with Shasha about applying for law school, the challenges of law school, etc. I hope my invitation will be well received and maybe I'll make a new friend too. I'll let you know either way.
Washington State Or The United Kingdom
So I'm looking at two choices for winter break. One, to go to Seattle, Washington with my good friend Michelle and at least one Mike. The other, to go to the U.K. to visit one of my Chinese friends who is studying in Aberdeen, Scotland. I've got a week to decide, and won't be an easy decision (actually I don't even know what's possible for the U.K. yet, I'm waiting for a reply) so don't be surprised if you see more about this in the coming entries.
How's that for ya, Mike. A nice, meaty entry, or should I say entree using a French accent?!
]]>Breakfast at Tiffany's and Lunch at Annie's
I ate lunch with Michelle today...
Breakfast at Tiffany's and Lunch at Annie's
I ate lunch with Michelle today (we eat lunch together on Fridays), I got to meet Sara, Michelle's favorite co-worker, before we left for Annie's. It was beautiful, so we ate outside. I gobbled down a cheeseburger and at least a fair share of the huge basket of fries that we ordered. The waitstaff were a few strokes above par and I enjoyed the meal and conversation very much. When it came time to split the bill, we did that thing where one person pays for his share (me, in this case) and then the friend forgot to bring her credit card and she's short on cash (Michelle, in this case). It was no big deal, I just swiped my card again and got an "I'll write you a check," from Michelle.
I just left somebody a message
When I got back from class tonight I found a brief e-mail from Shasha saying that she sent me a longer e-mail (which I didn't receive) and also her cell phone number, which I just tried calling. I got a recording of a british-sounding woman telling me that the person I'm trying to contact is unavailable and that I can leave a message after the beep. After the beep I left a short and sweet message for Shasha (I kept it clean in case it's not her voicemail). I hope she gets it. It was a nice surprise to find her words, but I really want to hear her voice even if it's only, "I can't hear you, what? what? I can't hear you, try calling me again."
Overwhelmed
Ever have the experience where you have so much to say, but...
Overwhelmed
Ever have the experience where you have so much say, but you need to spend your time reading, so that you stay on top of your coursework? No? Well that's what I'm going through right now. So, to relieve this tension, I'm just going to throw out some headlines and call it a day.
So here are the headlines for September 15, 2004:
* PSY 3101 Comedy Club Opens
* Old Habits Deleted
* I Thought Macs Were Supposed To Be Easy
* Squirrels Vs. Rats
It's a day.
Current Art Project
Well, it's not one of the projects I had in mind before the start of the semester...
The Meaning Of Life Or Of The Title
So what, you might be wondering, is Septmas? ...
See ya!
I'm tired, sweaty, and oily...
Current Art Project
Well, it's not one of the projects I had in mind before the start of the semester, but I have started drawing doodles and hanging them up on my wall. My media are BIC black ball point pens and MaxBrite 92 Brightness 20-lb. paperweight multi-purpose paper. I only began this unofficial project on Monday so other than saying the drawings are abstract, and both include faces, I'm too busy and tired to describe them any further. I will probably post shots of them up on my website when I get caught up on all my reading (I'm doing pretty well, ahead of the game in most of my classes). Oh, one interesting thing is the technique I'm using where I don't lift my pen very much, especially for the initial face. After the line doodle is complete, then I use scribbley lines to add some contrast to the whiteness of 92 Brightness 20-lb. MaxBrite multi-purpose paper.
The Meaning Of Life Or Of The Title
So what, you might be wondering, is Septmas? Why, Christmas in September of course! I know it must be Septmas today because it's not my birthday and I got a bunch of presents today! :D In the theme of Christmas in September I'll share what I got in an adapted version of "The Twelve Days Christmas"
On the first day of Septmas, Michelle gave to me
A pre-folded campus map
On the second day of Septmas, Michelle gave to me
two message boards
and a pre-folded campus map
On the third day of Septmas, Michelle gave to me
three CD wallets
two message boards
and a pre-folded campus map
On the fourth day of Septmas, UPS gave to me
four oreck toys
three CD wallets
two message bpards
and a pre-folded campus map
On the fifth day of Septmas, Michelle gave to me
five fingers high (an innocent "high five"!)
four oreck toys
three CD wallets
and a pre-folded campus map
On the sixth day of Septmas, Michelle gave to me
six (+/-1) inches of pen
five fingers high
four oreck toys
three CD wallets
and a pre-folded campus map
On the seventh day of Septmas, Michelle gave to me
seven gold chocolate balls
six (+/-1) inches of pen
five fingers high
four oreck toys
three CD wallets
and a pre-folded campus map
What? You thought there's more? Seven's all you're gonna get for Septmas. Afterall, "sept" is the French word for "seven" (and you thought I forgot EVERYTHING that I learned in four years of jr./sr. high school French).
See ya!
I'm tired, sweaty, and oily. God, I'm sexy, too bad Shasha isn't here! Time for a shower, see ya next Septmas!
Near Death Experience
I almost stepped into the path of a ...
It's Official
I am now an official research assistant....
Room Sweet Room
My room is a bit more comfortable now...
Near Death Experience
I almost stepped into the path of a biker and lost my life outside of Blegen today. Here's a recap from my perspective... I looked left, saw people standing and no bikers coming. I then looked right and saw some bikers approaching, but they were far enough away that I had time to cross. I take a step and turn my head to the left as I proceed and !!!!! There's a girl on a bike and we graze each other and her blue water bottle gets knocked loose. I apologized profusely and picked her water bottle up and returned it to her. I'm glad we weren't hurt and it'll be a long time before I only look both ways once before crossing that path of near-death!
It's Official
I am now an official research assistant. Today I was introduced to the materials for part of the experiment for which data has already been collected. Now it's my job to help process data by transcribing experimental sessions recorded on video. I began my first transcription today and it was slow-going at first, but it was fun and challenging and I'm excited to go back into the lab on Wednesday for round two.
Room Sweet Room
My room is a bit more comfortable now that I put up a poster, two photos, a drawing, and a wall calendar (which I can use dry-erase pens/markers on to keep track of important dates and deadlines). Oh yeah, my fridge stocked with juice, soy milk, yogurt, bagels, and fresh fruit helps too. ;-d
Gshasha Gupdate
No word yet, I don't expect to hear from her until she gets back in a week or so. At least I can put an end to this ridiculous use of letter-themed headlines.
Last Day of Classes The First Week of the First Semester of My Last Year as an Undergrad
Today, time just seemed to fly by...
First Payday Since Return to U.S.
$324.79, just enough to...
Weekend Plans
Besides working...
*Note to self: Try to avoid eating a big meal and then sitting around for about an hour. This leads to intense drowsiness and you know how calm and relaxing your Learning & Behavior Prof.'s voice is.
First Payday Since Return to U.S.
$324.79, just enough to cover my next Visa bill. : s I'm happy to report that Panera has kept me at my previous payrate (which I expected them to do, since I do one hell of a job, but with new management one can never tell...) and with two exemptions (in the past I claimed 0), I only saw 10% of my check taken out for taxes. I don't expect to earn enough to have to pay any taxes next year, so I thought I might as well earn some interest on my earnings.
Weekend Plans
Besides working and packing up the luxury items that I wished that I had with me this week, like a 100% denier-polyester-filled pillow, I hope to cover the rest of the reading that I need to do in order to be prepared for round two of my classes. For entertainment I will chat with my mom and go for walks with my canine counterpart, Cirrus.