I am such a pig! I feel like I am eating all the time. It seems like every couple hours I get hungry again! Here are the food items that I most commonly eat these days (some of the links are kind of cool):
3-4 bowls of cereal for breakfast, usually Frosted Mini Wheats, Cheerios, or Raisin Bran with Silk Enhanced Soymilk.
Either 2 pieces of domino's pizza, or one piece and then a 6" Subway sandwich later.
2 poptarts.
Turkey, Swiss Cheese and Lettuce wrap with no dressing.
More cereal when I get home.
If I'm feeling 40% motivated I'll boil up some spaghetti.
If I'm feeling more than 40% motivated, I'll boil some broccoli (probably my favorite vegetable) and rice or noodles or something.
PB&J toasted sandwich.
Sometimes I get to go out and have other meals too, like burritos, or Indian food a few weeks ago. At least I'm trying to eat healthier though so that probably compensates for me eating more. And I'm riding my bike fairly often, so that's good too I suppose.
On an unrelated issue, WHAT SHOULD I BE FOR HALLOWEEN? A few friends told me a few weeks ago that I should be Kip Dynamite, but now that I've cut my hair short I don't think I can pull it off. I need ideas though please!
10.27.2005
10.26.2005
Gettin' Stuff Done, Turnin' Stuff In
I feel like it's all downhill after today. We had our first full draft of a 15-page paper due in International Organizations today. I have been working on it for like two weeks, but I am SO SLOW at writing papers that even after writing up to the very last minute I was still about a page short. I don't think it is a very good paper and it needs a lot of work, but luckily I will have plenty of opportunity to fix it. A second draft is due in about a month and then the final due shortly after that. Anyway, I am very releived to have it out of the way for now so I can concentrate on the mountain of other crap that has piled up for me to do. I have a paper for my writing class due on Friday, and annotated bibliography for my World Language Policy class due on Friday as well, and then for my writing class I have to read a whole book this weekend in all that spare time I have. It never ends.
On a super excellent note though, I got back my take-home midterm for World Language Policy today and I got an A+!!! He said that both of my short essays were Excellent!! So that was excellent, pretty much made my day, except for the whole being done with the huge paper thing...
Tonight I'm going to a Chinese movie with the regular Chinese crew I think. That should be fun, but I really should be doing actual homework during that time.
Last night Dad drove down to give me a check for what was left after selling the jag and paying back what I owe him for it. He also brought a bill for my car insurance for the next six months. Check: $400, Insurance Bill: $399.02. So in the end I came out one car down and $.98 richer! Sweet! hahaha
On a super excellent note though, I got back my take-home midterm for World Language Policy today and I got an A+!!! He said that both of my short essays were Excellent!! So that was excellent, pretty much made my day, except for the whole being done with the huge paper thing...
Tonight I'm going to a Chinese movie with the regular Chinese crew I think. That should be fun, but I really should be doing actual homework during that time.
Last night Dad drove down to give me a check for what was left after selling the jag and paying back what I owe him for it. He also brought a bill for my car insurance for the next six months. Check: $400, Insurance Bill: $399.02. So in the end I came out one car down and $.98 richer! Sweet! hahaha
10.25.2005
Bathroom Grafitti
I found something cool in a bathroom stall in Norlin today. Right next to a fairly detailed and graphic drawing was this poll:
What has GWB done well in his time in office?
1. Given the Daily Show lots of good material
2. (an inappropriate comment about his daughter's preferred forms of entertainment)
3. (my favorite) Defended our country against dinosaurs.
4. and then the rest were stupid. I mostly just like the dinosaurs comment.
What has GWB done well in his time in office?
1. Given the Daily Show lots of good material
2. (an inappropriate comment about his daughter's preferred forms of entertainment)
3. (my favorite) Defended our country against dinosaurs.
4. and then the rest were stupid. I mostly just like the dinosaurs comment.
Campus at Night
I love CU's campus. I love it in the morning when the air is crisp and clear and the sun is shining red on the flatirons above. I love it in the summer when it is hot and dry and sunny. I love it in the winter when it becomes blanketed in inches or feet of my favorite kind of precpitation. I love it in the middle of the day when the sidewalks are swollen with students migrating from class to class (ok, so I like it a little less when I am trying to weave my way through them to get to class on time). And I love it on beautiful fall nights like tonight.
I was in the library until fairly late tonight. The library has no time though as it is never really darker or lighter in the library unless you are sitting near a window, which I almost never do. I prefer the semi-circle shaped computer lab on the third floor which looks into the big study room. It is always cool and dark in here with the sound of about 50 students feverishly typing away on their various papers and homework and whatnot, some just checking random this and that on the internet. Even at such a big school, I still manage to see people I know in this little computer lab almost every time I'm there.
The clock in the corner of the screen says it's 11:00 pm and my brain starts to quit. I can't work on my paper anymore because I am too distracted by the thought of going home and going to bed. I'm not even tired yet and I feel like I'm on a roll with my paper, but alas early to bed, early to rise... I always thought it was a good mantra. So I save and close my work, pack up my things, put on my coat, and head down the stairs and out the rotating door (luckily the books in my bag didn't set off the alarm today).
It is a clear night and warmer than I was anticipating it to be. It was downright chilly this morning with frost on everything, but it warmed up nicely in the afternoon and it lingers still. There are still people sitting, talking, smoking, skateboarding through the sundial plaza behind the library even this late. I walk around Norlin (the library) heading towards the quad lawn and my car. I was lazy this evening and drove to campus, but I don't feel to guilty about it; I usually bike or take the bus, and my car gets good gas mileage anyway, it can't hurt to drive every once in awhile. It has always bothered me that only the east entrance to Norlin is open in the evening, forcing me to walk all the way around the building. I've never liked the east entrance, the one with the sundial. I've always preferred the view of the quad from the west entrance better, plus the west entrance is closer to all the places in the library that I go to most often. (See Campus Map)
As I round the building I arrive at the lawn. The sidewalks are all lit with the streetlamps overhead. The Humanities building is to the right, I kind of miss having class in that building because it was newer and nicer than most others, but it did also lack the personality of my new favorite building, Hale Science on the corner of the quad (which also has my favorite bathrooms on the whole campus). Even at just after 11 at night there are still people walking and biking on campus. One couple, both with long hair and bundled up more than seems necessary, is walking towards humanities. What could they be going there for? Is it even open still? Maybe they are going to the rec center which is in the same direction, yes, that is probably where they are going.
I love how quiet and peaceful the campus is at night. In the distance you can hear an RTD bus roaring up Broadway, but you can hear the wind through the autmn leaves in the trees. I walk past this one tree that is at the corner of the sidwalk that goes between Macky and Hellums and the one that goes diagonally from McKenna towards the UMC. This tree has been my favorite one on campus for the past couple weeks as it's leaves have been changing. It was a beautiful reddish color on the outside with bright yellow underneath. It is beginning to loose its lustre now though as the leaves accumulate beneath it. Macky is as beautifully lit as ever, one of my favorite buildings on campus at night. I walk across the lawn, littered with leaves from the old trees above which have probably seen millions of students and teachers walk below their branches over the years. Norlin looks ominous down towards the end of the lawn with reddish lights adorning the entrance behind those big pillars. I think about how it is unfortunate that CU doesn't have any graduate programs that really appeal to me and how I'll miss being on this campus, but hopefully there are other pretty campuses elsewhere in the world too.
I walk past Old Main and try to imagine what this school must have been like back when it consisted of just this one building which was at the time located on a remote hilltop far from town. Now it is practically the center of town in my mind. I see computers in one of the windows of the old building and wonder if the first students and teachers and administraters to live and study here could have ever imagined how much this place would change. Next is McKenna Languages building where I have Spanish class. I cross the bridge over the pond where some guy is talking about how he has to see the world series tomorrow and some girl hanging on to his every word with this disgusting smile on her face. There are too many of these kinds of people at CU I think. They are sitting on the edge of the bridge and I think about how easy it would be to push them right into the gross pond and I smirk.
At the end of the bridge I walk by Hale, my favorite building. I have two classes here and my mondays, wednesdays and fridays both start and end here. Like most the other buildings I have walked past, it is mostly lit up from inside. Sure, it's wasteful, but it sure looks regal. With the light from the buildings and the sidewalk lamps above, it is neither dark nor light out, but somewhere strangely in between those.
Well, I'm at my car now. I haven't received any parking tickets, I guess I read the parking meter right that it is free to park there after 5. I hop in my car and head home, but I'll be back tomorrow.
I was in the library until fairly late tonight. The library has no time though as it is never really darker or lighter in the library unless you are sitting near a window, which I almost never do. I prefer the semi-circle shaped computer lab on the third floor which looks into the big study room. It is always cool and dark in here with the sound of about 50 students feverishly typing away on their various papers and homework and whatnot, some just checking random this and that on the internet. Even at such a big school, I still manage to see people I know in this little computer lab almost every time I'm there.
The clock in the corner of the screen says it's 11:00 pm and my brain starts to quit. I can't work on my paper anymore because I am too distracted by the thought of going home and going to bed. I'm not even tired yet and I feel like I'm on a roll with my paper, but alas early to bed, early to rise... I always thought it was a good mantra. So I save and close my work, pack up my things, put on my coat, and head down the stairs and out the rotating door (luckily the books in my bag didn't set off the alarm today).
It is a clear night and warmer than I was anticipating it to be. It was downright chilly this morning with frost on everything, but it warmed up nicely in the afternoon and it lingers still. There are still people sitting, talking, smoking, skateboarding through the sundial plaza behind the library even this late. I walk around Norlin (the library) heading towards the quad lawn and my car. I was lazy this evening and drove to campus, but I don't feel to guilty about it; I usually bike or take the bus, and my car gets good gas mileage anyway, it can't hurt to drive every once in awhile. It has always bothered me that only the east entrance to Norlin is open in the evening, forcing me to walk all the way around the building. I've never liked the east entrance, the one with the sundial. I've always preferred the view of the quad from the west entrance better, plus the west entrance is closer to all the places in the library that I go to most often. (See Campus Map)
As I round the building I arrive at the lawn. The sidewalks are all lit with the streetlamps overhead. The Humanities building is to the right, I kind of miss having class in that building because it was newer and nicer than most others, but it did also lack the personality of my new favorite building, Hale Science on the corner of the quad (which also has my favorite bathrooms on the whole campus). Even at just after 11 at night there are still people walking and biking on campus. One couple, both with long hair and bundled up more than seems necessary, is walking towards humanities. What could they be going there for? Is it even open still? Maybe they are going to the rec center which is in the same direction, yes, that is probably where they are going.
I love how quiet and peaceful the campus is at night. In the distance you can hear an RTD bus roaring up Broadway, but you can hear the wind through the autmn leaves in the trees. I walk past this one tree that is at the corner of the sidwalk that goes between Macky and Hellums and the one that goes diagonally from McKenna towards the UMC. This tree has been my favorite one on campus for the past couple weeks as it's leaves have been changing. It was a beautiful reddish color on the outside with bright yellow underneath. It is beginning to loose its lustre now though as the leaves accumulate beneath it. Macky is as beautifully lit as ever, one of my favorite buildings on campus at night. I walk across the lawn, littered with leaves from the old trees above which have probably seen millions of students and teachers walk below their branches over the years. Norlin looks ominous down towards the end of the lawn with reddish lights adorning the entrance behind those big pillars. I think about how it is unfortunate that CU doesn't have any graduate programs that really appeal to me and how I'll miss being on this campus, but hopefully there are other pretty campuses elsewhere in the world too.
I walk past Old Main and try to imagine what this school must have been like back when it consisted of just this one building which was at the time located on a remote hilltop far from town. Now it is practically the center of town in my mind. I see computers in one of the windows of the old building and wonder if the first students and teachers and administraters to live and study here could have ever imagined how much this place would change. Next is McKenna Languages building where I have Spanish class. I cross the bridge over the pond where some guy is talking about how he has to see the world series tomorrow and some girl hanging on to his every word with this disgusting smile on her face. There are too many of these kinds of people at CU I think. They are sitting on the edge of the bridge and I think about how easy it would be to push them right into the gross pond and I smirk.
At the end of the bridge I walk by Hale, my favorite building. I have two classes here and my mondays, wednesdays and fridays both start and end here. Like most the other buildings I have walked past, it is mostly lit up from inside. Sure, it's wasteful, but it sure looks regal. With the light from the buildings and the sidewalk lamps above, it is neither dark nor light out, but somewhere strangely in between those.
Well, I'm at my car now. I haven't received any parking tickets, I guess I read the parking meter right that it is free to park there after 5. I hop in my car and head home, but I'll be back tomorrow.
10.23.2005
Ding Guppy
Here is a snippet of a conversation I was having with my friend Justin, or "Ding" as he is better known (part of his Chinese name). Ding just got a job working at PetCo and today was his first day selling fish. So I asked him what kind of fish he would recommend for me if I were looking for a friendly fish.
Me: now that you are basically a professional fish salesman, if I were hypothetically in the market for, say... a playful, yet smart fish that's, um, good with children, what kind of a fish would you recommend me?
Ding: buy a beta
Ding: they require the least effort on my part
Me: lol
Me: but what if I have a terrible fear of beta fish, so it must be anything but that
Ding: get a guppy
Ding: it rhymes with puppy, so you know it's friendly
And then I began laughing kind of uncontrollably, which is fine usually, but I was in the library and I think the people next to me thought I was crazy.
Me: now that you are basically a professional fish salesman, if I were hypothetically in the market for, say... a playful, yet smart fish that's, um, good with children, what kind of a fish would you recommend me?
Ding: buy a beta
Ding: they require the least effort on my part
Me: lol
Me: but what if I have a terrible fear of beta fish, so it must be anything but that
Ding: get a guppy
Ding: it rhymes with puppy, so you know it's friendly
And then I began laughing kind of uncontrollably, which is fine usually, but I was in the library and I think the people next to me thought I was crazy.
Fixed-Gear Dreams
I didn't do a single productive thing today. I drove down to the National Western Stock Show Complex for the Veloswap this morning. Veloswap is a huge bicycle swap/sale/convention shindig where you can buy pretty much any bicycle-related thing you want for pretty cheap. Over the past three years or so I have been slowly getting more and more into biking and for the past couple months (actually probably more like the past year and half, but more so since getting back to The States) I have been wanting to get a road bike and get into road biking. While I would love to get a nice, top-of-the-line carbon fiber bike like the Specialized Roubaix, this bike is both way out of my budget and probably way more bike than I need anyway.
But now I have my heart set on a much more practical and in some ways better goal, a single-speed, or probably a "fixie" bike. As the name implies, a single-speed is just any bike with only one gear, including most kids bikes, BMX bikes, cruiser bikes, etc. A Fixie, a.k.a. fixed-gear, a.k.a track bike, is also a single-speed but the gear is directly fixed to the wheel so you can't coast; when the wheel is turning, so are the pedals, much like an exercise bike. While you can theoretically turn just about any type of bike into a single-speed or a fixie, it is most commonly done on older road bike frames. The main reason for doing it on older frames is because newer frames, since the 1990s or so, usually have a vertical rear drop-out design which is not as conducive to having only one gear (because without the derailer used in geared bikes, it is harder to adjust the chain tension). Fixed-gear bikes are often associated with bike couriers who like fixies for their easy of maintenance and operation. With far fewer moving parts compared to similar geared bikes, they are much easier to maintain, are faster, and more responsive. I think they just plain look better too. By getting rid of all those extra gears, shift levers, cables, and derailers (the thing that shifts the chain between gears), these types of bikes have a much cleaner and sharper style which really appeals to me. They also have a unique style because they tend to use vintage frames. And because most fixies are rebuilt using older frames, they are much more unique and individual than any new stock bike I could buy.
Of course, there are some potential cons to buying a fixie road bike. When I first told some of my friends that I was thinking of getting a fixed-gear, several of them told me I was crazy and that I would probably die on one. Because you can't coast, you always have to pedal. Most cyclists are unaware of just how much they coast and will likely automatically want to coast the first few times they ride one. When they accidentally stop peddling, it is like suddenly applying the rear brake and can sometimes cause a painful crash. This is also a problem when going downhill because you have to keep pedaling as the pedals go faster and faster as your speed increases. It can be tiring and difficult. Then there's also the disadvantage of not being able to shift into a lower gear when going uphill. For all these reasons several friends have said I am crazy and have tried to discourage me from going this route, but the more they call me crazy and the more I see these types of bikes around Boulder, the more I want one.
Anyway, so I drove down to Veloswap half thinking I might buy one of these there. After paying the $8 to get in, I took a few laps around the complex. There were hundreds of different booths selling new bikes, used bikes, mountain bikes, downhill bikes, road bikes, cruiser bikes, biking clothes, bike parts, and anything else bike-related you can imagine. Interestingly, however, there were very few single-speed or fixed-gear bikes. So I took another lap looking for bikes with frames that could be easily converted to single-speed (meaning they have horizontal or semi-horizontal rear drop-outs) and didn't see many of these either. But it didn't matter much because it didn't take me very long to realize that even here, supposedly the cheapest place to buy bike stuff all year, I still couldn't afford anything. I found one frame that caught my eye, just the FRAME, a beautiful 1950's hand made chromed Italian one, selling for about $400. For a second I started thinking about the few hundred dollars that I have left after selling the Jag and paying back my loan, but then I remembered that I will need that to pay my bills this month. So I took one more dream lap, looking at all the things I would buy if money weren't an issue, and then I left.
So then after a short drive through Denver trying unsuccessfully to find the new Denver store of the Smiling Moose Deli, I went home and spent most of the rest of the day looking at bikes and bike-related things online. It seems that along with these unique bikes comes a unique subsection of biking culture. Many geared-bike riders seem to think that single/fixed-gear riders are at least partially crazy, and single/fixed-gear riders seem to be kind of proud of that and think that they are in some way better or cooler than geared-bike riders. I also found lots of information about how to build single/fixed-gear bikes and stuff. Here are some of the better sites I found today:
I also found lots of different forums and sites for fans of fixed-gear bikes to get together and feel cool. It seems like there are a lot of people in the Denver area into it too. I am also watching about 20 different eBay auctions for different bikes and bike frames now. I think it would be more fun to buy all the parts individually and build my own bike rather than go to a shop and buy one that's already been built. So that's what I did today. Tomorrow I'm going up to Dad's house again to see the Jag off. The shipper was supposed to get it on Thursday but got delayed and couldn't come until tomorrow. Hope everyone's having a fantastic weekend.
But now I have my heart set on a much more practical and in some ways better goal, a single-speed, or probably a "fixie" bike. As the name implies, a single-speed is just any bike with only one gear, including most kids bikes, BMX bikes, cruiser bikes, etc. A Fixie, a.k.a. fixed-gear, a.k.a track bike, is also a single-speed but the gear is directly fixed to the wheel so you can't coast; when the wheel is turning, so are the pedals, much like an exercise bike. While you can theoretically turn just about any type of bike into a single-speed or a fixie, it is most commonly done on older road bike frames. The main reason for doing it on older frames is because newer frames, since the 1990s or so, usually have a vertical rear drop-out design which is not as conducive to having only one gear (because without the derailer used in geared bikes, it is harder to adjust the chain tension). Fixed-gear bikes are often associated with bike couriers who like fixies for their easy of maintenance and operation. With far fewer moving parts compared to similar geared bikes, they are much easier to maintain, are faster, and more responsive. I think they just plain look better too. By getting rid of all those extra gears, shift levers, cables, and derailers (the thing that shifts the chain between gears), these types of bikes have a much cleaner and sharper style which really appeals to me. They also have a unique style because they tend to use vintage frames. And because most fixies are rebuilt using older frames, they are much more unique and individual than any new stock bike I could buy.
Of course, there are some potential cons to buying a fixie road bike. When I first told some of my friends that I was thinking of getting a fixed-gear, several of them told me I was crazy and that I would probably die on one. Because you can't coast, you always have to pedal. Most cyclists are unaware of just how much they coast and will likely automatically want to coast the first few times they ride one. When they accidentally stop peddling, it is like suddenly applying the rear brake and can sometimes cause a painful crash. This is also a problem when going downhill because you have to keep pedaling as the pedals go faster and faster as your speed increases. It can be tiring and difficult. Then there's also the disadvantage of not being able to shift into a lower gear when going uphill. For all these reasons several friends have said I am crazy and have tried to discourage me from going this route, but the more they call me crazy and the more I see these types of bikes around Boulder, the more I want one.
Anyway, so I drove down to Veloswap half thinking I might buy one of these there. After paying the $8 to get in, I took a few laps around the complex. There were hundreds of different booths selling new bikes, used bikes, mountain bikes, downhill bikes, road bikes, cruiser bikes, biking clothes, bike parts, and anything else bike-related you can imagine. Interestingly, however, there were very few single-speed or fixed-gear bikes. So I took another lap looking for bikes with frames that could be easily converted to single-speed (meaning they have horizontal or semi-horizontal rear drop-outs) and didn't see many of these either. But it didn't matter much because it didn't take me very long to realize that even here, supposedly the cheapest place to buy bike stuff all year, I still couldn't afford anything. I found one frame that caught my eye, just the FRAME, a beautiful 1950's hand made chromed Italian one, selling for about $400. For a second I started thinking about the few hundred dollars that I have left after selling the Jag and paying back my loan, but then I remembered that I will need that to pay my bills this month. So I took one more dream lap, looking at all the things I would buy if money weren't an issue, and then I left.
So then after a short drive through Denver trying unsuccessfully to find the new Denver store of the Smiling Moose Deli, I went home and spent most of the rest of the day looking at bikes and bike-related things online. It seems that along with these unique bikes comes a unique subsection of biking culture. Many geared-bike riders seem to think that single/fixed-gear riders are at least partially crazy, and single/fixed-gear riders seem to be kind of proud of that and think that they are in some way better or cooler than geared-bike riders. I also found lots of information about how to build single/fixed-gear bikes and stuff. Here are some of the better sites I found today:
- http://www.fixedgeargallery.com - Lost of pictures of different fixed-gear bikes.
- http://www.grinderbikes.com - Located in Denver, does fixies.
- http://www-icycling.net/movie/erl4men.mpg - A cool video of four guys doing some amazing things on some fixies.
- http://www.onegear.com/pm - A blog of someone who rides fixed-gears.
- http://www.salvagetti.com - A shop in Denver that seems to specialize in lots of vintage single/fixed-speed bikes, I should go there.
- http://www.thefge.com - Kind of a funny site for the girls, a bunch of pics of guys on their single-speed/fixed-gear bikes in just their underwear or some just comando style.
I also found lots of different forums and sites for fans of fixed-gear bikes to get together and feel cool. It seems like there are a lot of people in the Denver area into it too. I am also watching about 20 different eBay auctions for different bikes and bike frames now. I think it would be more fun to buy all the parts individually and build my own bike rather than go to a shop and buy one that's already been built. So that's what I did today. Tomorrow I'm going up to Dad's house again to see the Jag off. The shipper was supposed to get it on Thursday but got delayed and couldn't come until tomorrow. Hope everyone's having a fantastic weekend.
10.20.2005
Funny Story
Ok, this story isn't mine and it happened a long time ago, but I was reminded of it today and thought I would share it with everyone.
One of my classmates on study abroad in China got a job at a bar in Nanjing for awhile. One night she was working and a Chinese couple walked in. They looked a little lost or confused or something so this friend, who we will call N, walked up to them and asked them if they needed any help or anything. They responded and N thought that they were asking, "Where can we sit?" She told them, "随便 (sui bian)", which means basically, "wherever you want."
They looked at her with a rather confused look and N, realizing that maybe she hadn't understood their question asked them for clarification. "Wait, what did you say?" They said again, "Where's the bathroom?"
Embarassed, N then pointed them to the back and made it clear that no, you cannot urinate or deficate wherever you wish, but in fact there is a designated room for that.
One of my classmates on study abroad in China got a job at a bar in Nanjing for awhile. One night she was working and a Chinese couple walked in. They looked a little lost or confused or something so this friend, who we will call N, walked up to them and asked them if they needed any help or anything. They responded and N thought that they were asking, "Where can we sit?" She told them, "随便 (sui bian)", which means basically, "wherever you want."
They looked at her with a rather confused look and N, realizing that maybe she hadn't understood their question asked them for clarification. "Wait, what did you say?" They said again, "Where's the bathroom?"
Embarassed, N then pointed them to the back and made it clear that no, you cannot urinate or deficate wherever you wish, but in fact there is a designated room for that.
You Really Can Get Anything on eBay
Babies for Sale
For some morbid reason I found this kind of humorous. Yes, I am evil.
For some morbid reason I found this kind of humorous. Yes, I am evil.
10.18.2005
What I Learned in School Today
Rock 'n Roll music in Chinese is 摇滚音乐 (yao gun yin yue), which literally means to rock and to roll music or rocking rolling music or something to that effect. How 'bout that! Of course when the teacher was trying to explain rocking and rolling, I thought she meant a cartwheel because she was like, "so yao means to rock, like side to side, and gun means to roll," so I thought, "what happens when you roll after rocking side to side? Sounds like a cartwheel to me." I don't think the teacher thought it was funny, but I wasn't trying to be funny anyway, I really thought it meant a cartwheel!
I learned that Hindi and English are in the same large language family, hence the name Indo-Europoean. We watched a movie in my Language in US Society class that talked all about the history of English. It was very fascinating to see how similar it was to German way back in the day before the French took over part of England and Frenchified it. The film made me want to hopo on a plane to England and go study all the different accents there. One thing I didn't understand is how the linguists know what English actually sounded like hundreds of years ago. I guess they can conjecture to a point based on regional dialects of English, but it still seems kind of fishy to me.
I learned that Hindi and English are in the same large language family, hence the name Indo-Europoean. We watched a movie in my Language in US Society class that talked all about the history of English. It was very fascinating to see how similar it was to German way back in the day before the French took over part of England and Frenchified it. The film made me want to hopo on a plane to England and go study all the different accents there. One thing I didn't understand is how the linguists know what English actually sounded like hundreds of years ago. I guess they can conjecture to a point based on regional dialects of English, but it still seems kind of fishy to me.
10.17.2005
Sleep Is Awesome
A friend of mine says that sleep is for the weak. That's all fine and dandy that she is able to function on 2-4 hours of sleep per night, but that just doesn't cut it for me. I have always been on the early bird end of the sleep spectrum, preferring to go to bed early and get up early. Of course, it fluctuates. When I have a roommate, for example, I tend to go to sleep later and consequently wake up later, but since having my own room again I am again going to bed early and getting up early. Last night I went to bed around 10:00 pm and woke up at 5:00 am. When the alarm went off on my phone I saw that there was a text message from said friend about a homework question. Since she sent it around midnight and it was now 5:00 am, I didn't think that she would be up but responded anyway. Needless to say we were both pretty surprised that the other one was up. She couldn't believe that I was getting up at 5:00 am and I couldn't believe that she still hadn't gone to bed at 5:00 am!
I know, it's kind of crazy, but I just like being up early better and I don't really like staying up that late. I had time this morning to go to the store to buy milk, have a leisurely breakfast, and surf the net a bit and I still got to school at 8, plenty of time to do my homework.
Apparently I've always been somewhat of an early bird/old man though. My mom says that even when I was little, as soon as I learned to read 9:00 on the clock, I would wait up and as soon as I saw those numbers I would say, "mom, can I go to bed now?" because that was my bed time and I thought that meant I had to stay up that late. So, basically I've always been weird.
I know, it's kind of crazy, but I just like being up early better and I don't really like staying up that late. I had time this morning to go to the store to buy milk, have a leisurely breakfast, and surf the net a bit and I still got to school at 8, plenty of time to do my homework.
Apparently I've always been somewhat of an early bird/old man though. My mom says that even when I was little, as soon as I learned to read 9:00 on the clock, I would wait up and as soon as I saw those numbers I would say, "mom, can I go to bed now?" because that was my bed time and I thought that meant I had to stay up that late. So, basically I've always been weird.
10.16.2005
Fall Break Wrap-up
Fall Break is over and it's back to school tomorrow. Here's what went down:
- On Thursday I had Indian food lunch buffet with Amanda and Alvina. This was probably the high point of the weekend, even if it did come to a rather pricey $10. It was worth it
- Met Raissa and her friend while she was down here on Friday night. We were gonna go to Arby's but they were already closed, luckily Taco Bell was open and right next door. I had a Baja Chalupa for $1.79
- On Saturday I decided to drive up to Dad's house for the day. First of all, I hadn't seen him in a few weeks. Secondly, I really had a hankering to drive and I thought going to Dad's house was as good of an excuse as any. Thirdly, I had to work on a huge paper that I have due Wednesday and since I can't concentrate at home and since the library at this fine institute of higher learning was closed (the rec center was still open though, go figure), I thought maybe I would be more productive at Dad's. Michelle was there and Raissa stopped by too on her way back up to Ft. Collins and Dad took us all out to dinner. So the unemployed man was treating the three of us broke people. It was grand.
- Today, Sunday, I tried to be as productive as possible, but I was really distracted and didn't get as much done as I should've. I sold my Jag on eBay today and so I couldn't help but check up on the auction about every 3 minutes. I know, the watch pot never boils, but I couldn't help it. The saying proved to be true though and the car sold for just the reserve price I had set, which wasn't really what I wanted for it. I was hoping that once it hit the reserve more people would bid and it would at least get into the $9,000 territory, but it didn't. As such, this Jag ownership experience has been a costly one. In the end I came out about $3500 in the hole on it. But I am relieved to be getting rid of it and not have to pay dad back for the money he lent me to get it anymore.
Are you from CO?
I stole these from someone else, but some of them are kind of funny. Some of them are not funny.
You know you are from Colorado when....
People move onto the highway at 15 miles an hour.
You have absolutely no recognizable accent.
If the humidity gets above 25%, you consider it "muggy".
You only go to Central City when friends are in from out of town.
You have been skiing less than 10 times in your life
You think 5-points is a ghetto.
You are the third car to run a red light after it has changed.
You say things like "I don't care how big Golden is,it's still a one-horse town".
You think only stupid people get lost in your town.
When giving directions, you never say "Turn left, turn right", it's always go West, then South.
During a thunderstorm you wonder "which I-25 underpass is flooding".
You never plan a picnic between 3:30 and 6:00 in Spring or Summer months.
If it rains more than 2 days straight you compare the weather to being in Seattle.
You voted for higher taxes to fund Coors field, but voted down taxes for public transportation.
You have a broken windshield.
You see no reason to travel to Aurora.
The only RTD bus you've been on is the 16th Street shuttle.
You carry your $3,000 mountain bike on top of your $500 car.
You thought "Californication" would be banned by Amendment 2.
You think "South Park" is a place to stop for gas on your way to Buena Vista.
You have a business degree and are frying burgers at a McDonald's in Vail.
You have a flat tire in your refrigerator and your garage.
You own a big dog named Aspen, Buck, Cheyenne or Dakota that wears a bandanna.
You cast out your fishing line while white-water rafting.
You've never seen the tourist attractions in your own city.
You think a pass does not involve a football or a woman.
You are 82 years old and take up snowboarding.
Your real Y2K fear was running out of Celestial Seasonings tea and trail mix.
The entire top of your head is bald, but you still have a pony tail.
You personally wouldn't pay $10 per head to drive up Pikes Peak unless it was the only mountain on earth, but you tell all our house-guests to do it.
You get depressed after one day of foggy weather.
You think that formal wear is ironed denim.
North means "mountains to the left;" south is "mountains to the right;" and east and west are where all those damned liberals keep moving in from.
You go anywhere else on the planet and the air feels "sticky" and you notice the sky is no longer blue.
You consider a three-piece suit to be a pair of shorts, a sweatshirt and Birkenstocks.
You see your East Coast relatives now more than when you lived there.
You think gun control is a steady hand.
You can run up 10 flights of stairs without huffing and puffing.
You've stood on solid ground and looked down on an airplane in flight.
You know what the "Peoples Republic of Boulder" means.
You're a meat eating vegetarian.
You think the major food groups are Boulder Bars, tofu and Fat Tire Beer.
You've been tear gassed in a riot to celebrate your local sports team's victory.
You can drive over a 12,000 foot pass in 4 feet of snow, but can't get to work if there are 4 inches of snow.
You know the correct pronunciation of Buena Vista.
When you visit friends at sea level, you can drink a case of beer and not get a buzz.
Your car insurance costs more than your car.
You have surge protectors on every outlet.
April showers bring May blizzards.
You see someone riding a Harley in a snowstorm, and you look closer to see if it's anyone you know.
"Timberline" is someplace you have actually been. Many times.
You know what a "Chinook" is. You know what a "rocky mountain oyster" is. You know what a "fourteener" is. But you don't know what a "turn signal" is.
A bear on your front porch doesn't bother you nearly as much as a Democrat in Congress does.
Your golf bag has a 9-iron, a 3-wood and a lightning-rod.
People from other states breathe 5 times as often as you do.
Having a Senator named Nighthorse doesn't seem strange.
Thunder has set off your car alarm.
A sudden loss of cabin pressure is not a big deal.
"Where we're going, we don't need roads!"
You know where Doc Holliday's grave is.
You can recognize the license plates of all 50 states on sight.
Driving directions usually include 'Go over ____ Pass...'
You've used "checking for ticks" as an excuse to get someone naked.
You've gone skiing in July. You've gone sunbathing in January. They were both in the same year.
You get a certain feeling of satisfaction from knowing that California and Texas are both downstream
You know the elevation of a town, but not its population.
You never pack away your coat and sweaters.
You can name only two people you know who were actually born in Colorado.
You call tumbleweed "groundcover".
You love your Broncos, your Avs, your Rockies, Nuggets - well you can't have everything.
You or someone you know plays golf 12 months of the year.
You don't have AC in your home, but you use it in your car all winter long.
If it snows in the morning you expect it to be gone by lunchtime.
You can name the states that make up the Four Corners.
You know what and where the Continental Divide is.
You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from Colorado.
You know you are from Colorado when....
People move onto the highway at 15 miles an hour.
You have absolutely no recognizable accent.
If the humidity gets above 25%, you consider it "muggy".
You only go to Central City when friends are in from out of town.
You have been skiing less than 10 times in your life
You think 5-points is a ghetto.
You are the third car to run a red light after it has changed.
You say things like "I don't care how big Golden is,it's still a one-horse town".
You think only stupid people get lost in your town.
When giving directions, you never say "Turn left, turn right", it's always go West, then South.
During a thunderstorm you wonder "which I-25 underpass is flooding".
You never plan a picnic between 3:30 and 6:00 in Spring or Summer months.
If it rains more than 2 days straight you compare the weather to being in Seattle.
You voted for higher taxes to fund Coors field, but voted down taxes for public transportation.
You have a broken windshield.
You see no reason to travel to Aurora.
The only RTD bus you've been on is the 16th Street shuttle.
You carry your $3,000 mountain bike on top of your $500 car.
You thought "Californication" would be banned by Amendment 2.
You think "South Park" is a place to stop for gas on your way to Buena Vista.
You have a business degree and are frying burgers at a McDonald's in Vail.
You have a flat tire in your refrigerator and your garage.
You own a big dog named Aspen, Buck, Cheyenne or Dakota that wears a bandanna.
You cast out your fishing line while white-water rafting.
You've never seen the tourist attractions in your own city.
You think a pass does not involve a football or a woman.
You are 82 years old and take up snowboarding.
Your real Y2K fear was running out of Celestial Seasonings tea and trail mix.
The entire top of your head is bald, but you still have a pony tail.
You personally wouldn't pay $10 per head to drive up Pikes Peak unless it was the only mountain on earth, but you tell all our house-guests to do it.
You get depressed after one day of foggy weather.
You think that formal wear is ironed denim.
North means "mountains to the left;" south is "mountains to the right;" and east and west are where all those damned liberals keep moving in from.
You go anywhere else on the planet and the air feels "sticky" and you notice the sky is no longer blue.
You consider a three-piece suit to be a pair of shorts, a sweatshirt and Birkenstocks.
You see your East Coast relatives now more than when you lived there.
You think gun control is a steady hand.
You can run up 10 flights of stairs without huffing and puffing.
You've stood on solid ground and looked down on an airplane in flight.
You know what the "Peoples Republic of Boulder" means.
You're a meat eating vegetarian.
You think the major food groups are Boulder Bars, tofu and Fat Tire Beer.
You've been tear gassed in a riot to celebrate your local sports team's victory.
You can drive over a 12,000 foot pass in 4 feet of snow, but can't get to work if there are 4 inches of snow.
You know the correct pronunciation of Buena Vista.
When you visit friends at sea level, you can drink a case of beer and not get a buzz.
Your car insurance costs more than your car.
You have surge protectors on every outlet.
April showers bring May blizzards.
You see someone riding a Harley in a snowstorm, and you look closer to see if it's anyone you know.
"Timberline" is someplace you have actually been. Many times.
You know what a "Chinook" is. You know what a "rocky mountain oyster" is. You know what a "fourteener" is. But you don't know what a "turn signal" is.
A bear on your front porch doesn't bother you nearly as much as a Democrat in Congress does.
Your golf bag has a 9-iron, a 3-wood and a lightning-rod.
People from other states breathe 5 times as often as you do.
Having a Senator named Nighthorse doesn't seem strange.
Thunder has set off your car alarm.
A sudden loss of cabin pressure is not a big deal.
"Where we're going, we don't need roads!"
You know where Doc Holliday's grave is.
You can recognize the license plates of all 50 states on sight.
Driving directions usually include 'Go over ____ Pass...'
You've used "checking for ticks" as an excuse to get someone naked.
You've gone skiing in July. You've gone sunbathing in January. They were both in the same year.
You get a certain feeling of satisfaction from knowing that California and Texas are both downstream
You know the elevation of a town, but not its population.
You never pack away your coat and sweaters.
You can name only two people you know who were actually born in Colorado.
You call tumbleweed "groundcover".
You love your Broncos, your Avs, your Rockies, Nuggets - well you can't have everything.
You or someone you know plays golf 12 months of the year.
You don't have AC in your home, but you use it in your car all winter long.
If it snows in the morning you expect it to be gone by lunchtime.
You can name the states that make up the Four Corners.
You know what and where the Continental Divide is.
You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from Colorado.
10.13.2005
What I Learned in School Today (ok, so it was yesterday...)
I learned that when the Korean alphabet was designed (in the 1950's I beleive?), they designed the "letters" to be graphical representations of the mouthshapes of the sounds that they represented.
Click here to see the website I got this from.
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I learned that there are 509 languages spoken in Nigeria. The education system is set up so that the first language of instruction is the local mother tounge, then they begin to learn English in primary school, in secondary school they learn their mother tounge, English, and one of the three larger national languages (Hausa, Yoruba, Adamawa). Some also learn French or Arabic. But there is no real unifying language. English is the official language of government, and it is taught in school through high school, but because only about 50% of the population even goes to school, not even English is spoken widely enough to make it a common language. So how to Nigerians in the south talk to those in the north? Who knows...
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Old Chinese movies from the 1930's suck. Our Chinese teacher sucks. CU's Chinese department as a whole pretty much sucks.
Click here to see the website I got this from.
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I learned that there are 509 languages spoken in Nigeria. The education system is set up so that the first language of instruction is the local mother tounge, then they begin to learn English in primary school, in secondary school they learn their mother tounge, English, and one of the three larger national languages (Hausa, Yoruba, Adamawa). Some also learn French or Arabic. But there is no real unifying language. English is the official language of government, and it is taught in school through high school, but because only about 50% of the population even goes to school, not even English is spoken widely enough to make it a common language. So how to Nigerians in the south talk to those in the north? Who knows...
----------------------------------
Old Chinese movies from the 1930's suck. Our Chinese teacher sucks. CU's Chinese department as a whole pretty much sucks.
Fall "Break"
Today is the beginning of CU's exclusive "Fall Break." Fall Break is kind of a new thing that apparently was put in place after some riots a few years ago because students said that their lives were too stressful and they needed a break, so the school took two days away from our Thanksgiving break and put it here in the middle of October. I like a long weekend as much as the next day, but TOO STRESSED?! That's ridiculous. I am pretty sure that students at this school work a lot less than at some other schools that don't riot and don't have a fall break, but whatever.
Anyway, it's not going to be much of a break for me. I have a 15-20 page paper due on Wednesday that I pretty much have to finish this weekend. I have annotated bibliographies due for research papers in two other classes (meaning that I have to have all of my preliminary research done). I have a take-home test consisting of two short essays due on Monday. And then of course there is all the class reading that I have been getting behind on. Then I suppose I should find some time to go to work too since I'm broke again/still, although I'm not sure that they have a whole lot for me to do even... So as much as I would have enjoyed doing something fun and exciting for this long weekend, I am going to have to spend just about every free minute I have in the library.
One good thing though, I am going to have Indian food today with Amanda and Vina (yummy!), and I think there might be some Chinese food and go-karting planned for later in the weekend, but I'm not sure.
Anyway, it's not going to be much of a break for me. I have a 15-20 page paper due on Wednesday that I pretty much have to finish this weekend. I have annotated bibliographies due for research papers in two other classes (meaning that I have to have all of my preliminary research done). I have a take-home test consisting of two short essays due on Monday. And then of course there is all the class reading that I have been getting behind on. Then I suppose I should find some time to go to work too since I'm broke again/still, although I'm not sure that they have a whole lot for me to do even... So as much as I would have enjoyed doing something fun and exciting for this long weekend, I am going to have to spend just about every free minute I have in the library.
One good thing though, I am going to have Indian food today with Amanda and Vina (yummy!), and I think there might be some Chinese food and go-karting planned for later in the weekend, but I'm not sure.
10.11.2005
Aborrezco Trabajo de Grupo
Hoy tuve que dar una presentación en mi clase de Español. Normalmente no me molesta dar presentaciones en clase, no importa en qué idioma sea. Generalmente las doy bien, no me pongo nervioso, comunico bien la información que quiero comunicar, y todo sale bien. Pero las presentaciones indivíduas y las de grupo son distintos. Aborrezco las presentaciones de grupo (de veras, odio todo tipo de trabajo en grupos).
Primero, es dificil eligir un tema que les interese a todos los miembros del grupo. En esta clas fuimos dividios en groupos de cuatro (menos nuestro grupo que tuvo que acomodar un estudiante mas, haciendo que tuvimos 5 en total). Aunque me habría gustado hacer nuestra presentación sobre algo lingüistico o internacional o algo así, pero como a mis compañeros de grupo les interesaba mas el arte y tales cosas, quedamos con el catedral muy famoso de Barcelona, "La Sagrada Familia" como nuestro tópico. Yo si lo ví cuando fui a Barcelona hace tantos años yañ me impresionó, la verdad es que no me interesa much este topico. Pero, supongo que no importa much que me interese el tema, con tal que pueda dar la presentación con éxito.
Segundo, es demasiado dificil coordinar un grupo. Es dificil encontrar una hora en que todos puedan preparar la presentación. Es dificil coordinar quién va a hacer qué. También es dificil hacer que toda la presentación tenga buena "flow," ¿sabes?
Pues, de todos modos todo salió muy bien y creo que nuestra presentación pareció bien interesante. Gracias a Dios que no tendremos que hacer otro!
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So, the basic gist is that I had to give a group presentation in Spanish class today and that while I don't mind giving presentations usually, I hate group work. The presentation went fine, but I still hate having to do work in groups, it's always a pain in the butt.
Primero, es dificil eligir un tema que les interese a todos los miembros del grupo. En esta clas fuimos dividios en groupos de cuatro (menos nuestro grupo que tuvo que acomodar un estudiante mas, haciendo que tuvimos 5 en total). Aunque me habría gustado hacer nuestra presentación sobre algo lingüistico o internacional o algo así, pero como a mis compañeros de grupo les interesaba mas el arte y tales cosas, quedamos con el catedral muy famoso de Barcelona, "La Sagrada Familia" como nuestro tópico. Yo si lo ví cuando fui a Barcelona hace tantos años yañ me impresionó, la verdad es que no me interesa much este topico. Pero, supongo que no importa much que me interese el tema, con tal que pueda dar la presentación con éxito.
Segundo, es demasiado dificil coordinar un grupo. Es dificil encontrar una hora en que todos puedan preparar la presentación. Es dificil coordinar quién va a hacer qué. También es dificil hacer que toda la presentación tenga buena "flow," ¿sabes?
Pues, de todos modos todo salió muy bien y creo que nuestra presentación pareció bien interesante. Gracias a Dios que no tendremos que hacer otro!
------------------------------------
So, the basic gist is that I had to give a group presentation in Spanish class today and that while I don't mind giving presentations usually, I hate group work. The presentation went fine, but I still hate having to do work in groups, it's always a pain in the butt.
10.10.2005
To Snow, or Not To Snow...
I was getting so excited yesterday when the weather reports were saying that a big snow storm was headed our way. NOAA (the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration), which is located RIGHT HERE in Boulder was predicting something like 6-10 inches of snow overnight for Boulder with more following the next day. When I went bed last night I was fully expecting to wake up to a whole bunch of snow, so imagine my disappointment when there was no snow, just lots of rain... Oh well, I'm sure it will snow here eventually, it usually does.
10.09.2005
I Almost Falled Down Too!
Mom drove down to Boulder yesterday and we planned to go to breakfast this morning. I was going to meet her at my Grandma's house which is just a few blocks away. I was running a little late and it was drizzling when I left so I was thinking I should drive over there instead of ride my bike, but the the environmentalist voice inside my head convinced me to go ahead and take the bike anyway because it really isn't that far. So I get on the bike and start heading down the street. As I often do, I was riding down the street with no hands. Normally this isn't a problem, but I was wearing these new shoes that I bought at Savers for $12 that have a really hard sole that gets slippery when wet. As I went around the corner, those dang shoes slipped right off my pedals resulting in a horrifically embarassing crash. I flew over the front handle bars and slid on the asphault a few feet on my shoulder. After a breif, "Ouch!" I got up, picked my bike up, put the chain back on which had fallen off, brushed off my shoulder, and got back on. But then I realized that my glasses had fallen off my face in the accident. After several minutes of searching the road for them (hard to do when you need the glasses to see), I finally found them and was on my way. My arm hurts a little now, but for the most part I came away unscathed.
Lucky for me there was nobody around to witness it. This is the second time I have crashed on my bike as a result of riding no-hands (the first time being when I was riding no hands, eating chicken, and my sweater got stuck in the back wheel), and lucky for me both times there were no witnesses. Although I am pretty glad nobody saw them, in a way it is also kind of unfortunate because I'm sure both incidents would've been very comical indeed.
Lucky for me there was nobody around to witness it. This is the second time I have crashed on my bike as a result of riding no-hands (the first time being when I was riding no hands, eating chicken, and my sweater got stuck in the back wheel), and lucky for me both times there were no witnesses. Although I am pretty glad nobody saw them, in a way it is also kind of unfortunate because I'm sure both incidents would've been very comical indeed.
10.07.2005
Who's Really Fighting the Holy War?
Did we go to Iraq because God told Bush to? Check out this article from Al Jazeera:
http://www.aljazeera.com/cgi-bin/news_service/middle_east_full_story.asp?service_id=9677
http://www.aljazeera.com/cgi-bin/news_service/middle_east_full_story.asp?service_id=9677
Comment on Comments
Just a note on how to leave comments on this blog, when you click on the comments link at the end of the post, you will be taken to a new page where there is a text box on the right to type in. Below it are three options, Blogger, Other, and Anonymous. If you do not have a blogger sign-in name, click Other or Anonymous and you won't have to sign in or anything.
I love getting comments, so comment often!
I love getting comments, so comment often!
10.06.2005
Commitment Issues?
So, I can't seem to commit to just one blog. In fact, this will be my 4th blog on the internet now. I really don't need another blog, but I like all of Google's other tools so much that I thought I had to give this blog tool of theirs a try.
I have only been playing with it for a few hours and already I'm in love. I am pretty sure I won't be posting at my old blog(s) anymore because this one is way cooler and better.
Also (VERY IMPORTANT), simply by using the Google search bar to the right and/or clicking on the links below it, you can give me money! That's right, now you can help me out financially without even really doing anything. It can't get any easier than that. So next time you need to find something on the internet, I would love you forever if you came here and did it from here!
That's all for now, I'm off to keep playing with my new blog!
I have only been playing with it for a few hours and already I'm in love. I am pretty sure I won't be posting at my old blog(s) anymore because this one is way cooler and better.
Also (VERY IMPORTANT), simply by using the Google search bar to the right and/or clicking on the links below it, you can give me money! That's right, now you can help me out financially without even really doing anything. It can't get any easier than that. So next time you need to find something on the internet, I would love you forever if you came here and did it from here!
That's all for now, I'm off to keep playing with my new blog!
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