| Saturday, 8-27-05. Sunny and warm | |||
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We found out where the fruit flies have been coming from.
My sister, being the kind of person she is, loves throwing parties. The last one, in July, was partially touted for its tub of sangria, amongst a vast collection of other mind-numbing drinks. The tub, which was apparently almost emptied by the end of the evening, was loosely covered, kicked under a table in our solarium, and forgotten about... until today. I will not begin to describe the foul mass inside, but it wasn't pretty. After taking that down to the street to be hosed out, I also discovered a second source: a forgotten garbage can near the sangria tub. Both have since been hosed out thoroughly, and will sit on the front steps to dry out until they are deemed safe to bring indoors... which may take a year or two. I went for that bike ride this afternoon, exploring a reservoir park down by San Mateo. The snake-like path was so-so, providing mostly repetitive scenery and little opportunity for riding at higher speeds, but it was decent. Afterwards I stopped off at the folks' and made mom her favorite kind of cake. German word of the day: Dachrinne (f) - Gutter |
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| Friday, 8-26-05. Sunny and warm | |||
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Is San Francisco's infamous summer/winter over? The local anomaly that brings late-fall temperatures and cloudy skies in August paid us a visit over the last week and a half, but the skies now bring only the beating sun. I spent a bit of time this afternoon disassembling my mountain bike for a tune-up, and ended up cleaning off about 2 pounds of black muck that have accumulated over the last couple of years around the chain and gears. I also replaced the front tube with my previously-preferred thorn-proof variety, as I've had about a dozen flats with the thinner regular grade tubes I've been using since just before I moved to SF. I took 'er for a spin when I was done and the beast rode and shifted like it was straight out of the store. By then it was too late in the day for a ride, but I'm looking very much forward to treating myself to one tomorrow.
German word of the day: Anomalie (f) - Anomaly |
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| Wednesday, 8-22-05. Overcast and cool | |||
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Insanity ensues. I've had considerable trouble arranging my schedule with all the classes I need to take, but I am far from giving up. The big hitch currently is finding a CAD class with an opening, as I've been swapping between both of them hanging on to the pant leg of the instructor for a seat.
Bureaucracy gone mad, or bureaucracy making me mad? I went to re-take a class that I had previously received an I in, but the computer said it was an illegal repeat. I filled out a late withdrawal form, but the cranky student affairs staff woman says I can't turn it in without a reference letter, which is impossible for me to provide at this point. It didn't help that the form I was given by the department chair was five years old. I was then referred to a gentleman in admissions who could change the I to a non-passing grade, but after four attempts with long waits in line, I have discovered he is perpetually "on break." I will attempt a few last ditch attempts to find the bastard today, and if not, killing will ensue. In the meantime, I still haven't added into the class and the dean might cancel it because I'm the one person keeping the class above the minimum attendance requirement. In other news, I installed some cheap towel racks at the folks' this evening, as they will be remodelling the bathrooms within a couple years and the house did not come with any. Have I mentioned how nice it is to visit them now? No more dog-eat-dog parking search, no more stink of raw sewage following me down the sidewalk, and no more bothering them to come down nine floors to open the security door for me. Excellent. German word of the day: Ankündigen - To advertise |
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| Sunday, 8-21-05. Sunny and warm | |||
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What was I thinking? Today I drove down to the folks' place to help fix up a few things. I ended up spending most of the daylight hours replacing a corner board in a gate, and re-hanging it with new hinges. Included in my labor package was replacment of all the horrible thick nails in and around the gate frame I could find, with galvanized counter-sunk screws. The gate swings beautifully now, and I was treated to a barbecued steak dinner before dropping them off downtown and passing out around 11 pm.
German word of the day: Türangel (f) - Hinge |
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| Wednesday, 8-17-05. Overcast and cool | |||
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These are busy times. I've spent the last three days since I arrived back from southern California to catch up on critical errands, and, though my schedule at the college is still in utter chaos, hopefully things will become a bit more solid soon. I also nabbed the work-study job being webmaster and office worker for the architecture department. I have yet to determine whether the role of this job will be a blessing or another unwanted source of stress, but it feels pretty casual thus far. The folks are in Alaska on a cruise right now, so I've been taking care of the new house in their absence. It's nice to drive there and hang out for a bit, even if it is just to put the garbage on the curb.
German word of the day: Urlaubnehmen - Take a few days off |
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| Sunday, 8-14-05. Mixed weather, depending on location | |||
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It's over, I am home. Though it pushed the limits of workplace difficulty, my summer job measuring banks for new as-built drawings did have one major benefit: it allowed me to see parts of California that I have either never seen before, or only vaguely remember from my youth. I really liked the vibe I got from touring around San Diego, and I drove out to Coronado to see The Del and stroll the beach before heading north. I stayed far too little, yet far too long visiting Michael at his aunt's house before getting stuck in horrible LA traffic for two hours. Alli and I didn't end up getting together, and, though I was pretty bummed, I ended up arriving home around 11 pm. I was greeted by an overwhelming infestation of fruit flies here in the house, which I have yet to vanquish. These f*ckers are going to die.
German word of the day: Verachten - To despise |
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| Thursday, 8-11-05. Sunny and hot | |||
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Today was rather forgettable. Work was long, and we ended up staying hours past the closing time of the bank in San Diego to measure outside. After nearly getting lost looking for dinner, we ended up waiting for what seemed like an hour at a nice Italian place in downtown La Mesa before finally being seated and served. Both of us are exhausted, and I seem to have picked up some sort of severe stomach ailment that has grown exponentially into the evening. In dire need of clean socks, I spent a bit of time over at a local laundromat, where I passed out for a half hour sitting in a chair, before driving back to the hotel and collapsing in bed sometime past midnight. Are we having fun yet?
German word of the day: Bay Windows (n) - Erkerfenster |
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| Tuesday, 8-9-05. Sunny and hot | |||
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Tuesday, August 9, sunny and hot
There is no blue sky here. The only blue sky one is ever allowed to see is straight up. Everywhere else the eyes may fall, it is yellow and dense-looking. What kind of a world is this?
For one night only, we have the pleasure of staying in the thriving cultural center of Covina. Sarcasm aside, it holds up to our previous locale of Colton like a magnet-tip titanium screwdriver. There is a large pool on the premesis that I enjoyed this evening, and the ice machine on our floor actually works. I think I'm going to spazz out with retarded joy. Ah yes, there's a great sign on the edge of the parking lot of our hotel. Cherish it like you would cherish a bag of all-cherry skittles. I know I did. German word of the day: Zufrieden - Satisfied, content |
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| Saturday, 8-6-05. Sunny and hot | |||
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Today was supposed to be the day that I'd hang out with Alli and spend the night in LA. Like an idiot, I assumed our previous understanding that we would do just that was still good, so today I drove the 80 miles to LA... only to find out she actually had to work and that I wouldn't even be able to see her for two seconds. I felt like a moron, (and even worse, a moron who just wasted a couple gallons of gas) but I drowned my sorrows in an excellent Thai fusion dinner at a place called "Soho." The drive was moderately scenic, and I found the highway carpool lane engineering to be rather innovative. Before heading back I filled up on gas and was propositioned by a drug addict to have my windsheild wiped with a gross rag. As we all know, you can't say you had a good time until you've been propositioned by a drug addict to have your windsheild wiped with a gross rag... so I felt complete.
German word of the day: Gartenbau (m) - Horticulture |
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