| Thursday, 1-27-05. Partly cloudy and cool | |||
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I realize I haven't been posting much lately. The beaurocracy and borrowing limits at the financial aid office have left me in incredibly hazardous financial territory, and both of the backup plans I had have hung me out to dry. That, coupled with my rather intense schedule this semester, has been taking up most of my time, so I haven't been concerned with much else lately. I hope everyone else is doing a lot better than I am at the moment. Wish me luck or send me money, I can use both in equally heaping portions.
German word of the day: Leer - Empty |
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| Friday, 1-21-05. Sunny and cool | |||
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The sun sets, thus ending the first week of the semester. It's been a bit hardcore, as we basically started off on major projects as soon as we were done introducing ourselves. In an amazing stroke of luck, I managed to get into all 4 of the classes I wanted. The downside is, I'm in class for 7 hours non-stop, with no lunch break. I had a few free minutes to myself this evening, so I made an online painting.
German word of the day: Mehrheit (f) - Majority |
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| Tuesday, 1-18-05. Sunny and cool | |||
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Well, as of this morning, the semester has officially been kicked off. To say the traffic going to the campus was insane is an understatement of magnanimous proportions, as it was at a stand-still for 10 blocks branching out in every direction. Following a brief session with a kind academic counselor this afternoon, I was finally able to figure out a long-term plan for exactly what math classes I need to take. I haven't been able to buy a parking pass yet, so the old bicycle was my proper mode of transport throughout the day. Even though I hadn't performed the feat for several months, I even managed to make the hill up to my street on my way home. I was not, however, spared the usual ill, exhausted feeling that plagued me for the rest of the evening as a result. The bike's front tube also seems to have some sort of leak, as it is flat 30 minutes after one pumps it up to full pressure.
German word of the day: Gutgebaut - Well-built |
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| Sunday, 1-16-05. Partly cloudy and cool | |||
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When ants attack? Ever since I first moved into this place, there has been a steady stream of dead ants coating the odd stucco mantles that go up to all my windows. I sprayed around the window frames yet again, but I'm not sure if the spray really curbs the ants from coming inside, or if it simply makes them sick enough as they come in to die on the sills. I also managed to vacuum the floors, as the pile of dust under my computer chair (from the plastic wheels grinding down the cheap concrete floor) was getting very much out of hand.
I went up to Justin's last night and we were all treated to a rather exquisite 5-course meal pioneered by his brother. What followed was an extremely rousing game of Risk, and then a philosophical chat into the wee hours of the morning. It's always nice to get new perspectives on life and meaning, as one can only do so much within the confines of one's own brain. Today B came over and we saw The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, which I highly recommend. Tonight I get to head over to the storage space and take apart the last gigantic metal shelf so I can empty it out by the 18th. German word of the day: Sechseck (n) - Hexagon |
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| Tuesday, 1-11-05. Partly cloudy and cool | |||
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I've been watching the 10th anniversary DVD for Shawshank Redemption over the last couple of days. Wow. It's movies like this that make me think seriously about writing screenplays or going into directing. The music, the imagry, the choice of shots, the characters, the story... put them all together in just the right way and you have a little jewel that will stand the test of time. I can't precisely remember when I saw this movie for the first time, but something tells me it was on TV and I was still living with my folks. It's definitely one of my top 5 favorites.
German word of the day: Stimmung (f) - Mood (atmosphere) |
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| Sunday, 1-09-05. Overcast and cool | |||
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Yet again, I was kept company up at Justin's place in SR this weekend. It was a nice trip, complete with monopoly, trump, getting to know B's dog Jackson, banana bread, a trip to Oliver's, and a load of boxes and shelving from the storage space. On the way back up the hill to my studio this evening, I realized something odd: I've been driving in California just as long as I was a driver in Oregon. It may seem trivial, but that fact made me take pause for a minute. In my mind, the time I spent after I earned (bearly) my learner's permit to the time I moved down here feels twice as long as the empty years I feel I initially spent here. Life becomes rather unconventional when perception is thrown in the mix.
German word of the day: Schottenrock (m) - Kilt |
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| Thursday, 1-06-05. Sunny and cool | |||
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The end finally came. This morning my dad and I brought the truck over from the east bay to an auction yard on the east side of the city. The drive over from Berkeley was a bit sad, humorous, and telling, as the rear-view mirror of the truck came off the windsheild in my hand just as I attempted to adjust it before departure. I tried to keep my spirits up, but I mainly just felt numb, probably because I had little sleep the night before. Before donating it, I took a handful of photos and some video down by the waterfront for posterity. Then we signed the donation paperwork, I gave the old red beast a salute, and that was it. Old soldiers really do fade away.
After taking a nap I ended up keeping myself occupied watching movies for most of the afternoon. This is an odd day. German word of the day: Starr - Numb |
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| Wednesday, 1-05-05. Mixed weather, mostly cool and rainy | |||
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Home again, finally. The drive down was considerably less challenging than the drive up, as. Instead of persisten snow, I mainly dealt with persistent light rain. It was a rather odd trip, as I spent so much time doing the same general things that it leaves me feeling like the trip couldn't have been longer than a couple days. All in all, it was a very much needed break in my routine, and it's always a pleasure seeing everyone. Here's some random statistics from the trip:
Total miles driven: 1460 Cups of egg flower soup and full orders of fried rice consumed: 2 each Nights up until at least 4 am: 6 Trips to Bi-Mart: 2 DVDs watched: 3 Times I visited with my grandmother: 3 Batches of my world-famous cookies made: 1 Jicama shots consumed by Luke and Michael: approx 6.5 Games of Rise of Nations: Too many to count German word of the day: Wiederholen - To repeat |
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| Saturday, 1-01-05. Overcast and cool | |||
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Good riddance, 2004. What a bloody f*cking awful year that was.
Following the constant insistence of Alli, I attempted to check out a cheap-food Japanese-themed restaurant downtown in the driving rain and 33-degree weather last night called The Jail... but, to no avail. After I called at 7 to make sure they'd be open (to which I was assured they'd be open until 9), I arrived at 7:30 to a building with all the lights out and not a soul in sight. What in the hell, indeed. Instead, I nabbed some egg flower soup and pork fried rice at Lok Yaun. Best in the world, but, as Michael pointed out, beware of everything else on the menu. Instead of going bar hopping or driving around aimlessly like past new years, I decided to toss my hat into bunko at Mike and Sandy's this year. It was my first time playing, and it was quite memorable. Erin was in town from her Peace Corps mission in Ukraine, and Neil had flown in from Perdue. My game was mixed, though I did have an 8-game winning streak toward the end. After bunko came the usual intoxicated karaoke and fireworks, then goodbyes and cleanup until 2 (or was it 3?) am. This morning we all creeped out for breakfast, saw Ed and Carolyn off, then visited with the Gettlings until I had to head out to meet Nana for lunch and a quick computer fix-it session. My sleeping patterns have suffered a bit on this trip, so we'll see how many months it takes me to start waking up at 7 am sharp again. German word of the day: Reis (m) - Rice |
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