Saturday, March 19, 2005
The Sweet Familiar
AHH, back in NYC again. Not for the week, of course, but to even spend a day in the city is such a relief. Tomorrow I'll be flying down to Florida for a visit with Mom, certainly not to cavort on the beach with co-eds.
Last night I hung out with my friends in the 'burbs and drank wine (from a box) while playing poker. I'm a little worried that poker is becoming a frequent pastime for our group and for some reason we have to play for money too. It's a fun game and all, but why must I spend money simply to hang out with my friends?
I came into the city this morning via the train. Dad and I had a pleasant day. I helped him perform some routine maintenance on his computer and we went down to The Angelika to see Gunner Palace, a documentary about the war in Iraq. While there was some fascinating footage of our soldiers and Iraqis in action, I felt the overall presentation was confusing. The filmmaker provided a narration which felt cheesy at times, and the events shown in the course of the film seemed entirely random. A documentary should try and tell a story, even if it's following numerous persons who may not be connected. Comparing this film to the superior Control Room shows how much better this movie could have turned out.
After the film, we walked down to Katz's Deli for dinner. I got the pastrami and I loved it. Walking out, we couldn't help but notice the baked goods for sale next door and ended up eating éclairs for dessert. Sadly, they had cream inside instead of custard but I still enjoyed it. The food in the real world is simply 100 times better than the dorm food I've been forced to accept on a daily basis. Even if I couldn't spend time with my friends and family on break I would travel just to eat decent meals for a change.
I was deeply unsettled by one thing, though. While driving back uptown from the Houston area, we drove past Astor Place and the Cube was gone! In its place was a white frame, almost like an outline of the original cube was holding its place. I was worried that some prankster had damaged the cube or some wealthy asshole had purchased and moved it somewhere else. A quick web search when we returned turned up this page which has a picture of city workers taking the cube away. It seems it just needed repair. Glad to hear it won't be gone for long and that lots of other people were upset to see it go. I also learned the real name of the cube: The Alamo.
Fuck that shit, it's still the Cube in my book.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Last night I hung out with my friends in the 'burbs and drank wine (from a box) while playing poker. I'm a little worried that poker is becoming a frequent pastime for our group and for some reason we have to play for money too. It's a fun game and all, but why must I spend money simply to hang out with my friends?
I came into the city this morning via the train. Dad and I had a pleasant day. I helped him perform some routine maintenance on his computer and we went down to The Angelika to see Gunner Palace, a documentary about the war in Iraq. While there was some fascinating footage of our soldiers and Iraqis in action, I felt the overall presentation was confusing. The filmmaker provided a narration which felt cheesy at times, and the events shown in the course of the film seemed entirely random. A documentary should try and tell a story, even if it's following numerous persons who may not be connected. Comparing this film to the superior Control Room shows how much better this movie could have turned out.
After the film, we walked down to Katz's Deli for dinner. I got the pastrami and I loved it. Walking out, we couldn't help but notice the baked goods for sale next door and ended up eating éclairs for dessert. Sadly, they had cream inside instead of custard but I still enjoyed it. The food in the real world is simply 100 times better than the dorm food I've been forced to accept on a daily basis. Even if I couldn't spend time with my friends and family on break I would travel just to eat decent meals for a change.
I was deeply unsettled by one thing, though. While driving back uptown from the Houston area, we drove past Astor Place and the Cube was gone! In its place was a white frame, almost like an outline of the original cube was holding its place. I was worried that some prankster had damaged the cube or some wealthy asshole had purchased and moved it somewhere else. A quick web search when we returned turned up this page which has a picture of city workers taking the cube away. It seems it just needed repair. Glad to hear it won't be gone for long and that lots of other people were upset to see it go. I also learned the real name of the cube: The Alamo.
Fuck that shit, it's still the Cube in my book.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Friday, March 18, 2005
Spring Break: Report and Break!
OK, I had one class today and now Spring Break has begun. Before I leave, here's a quick update on my academic status:
Japanese 102: Perfect/Near-Perfect grades on all homework, quizzes, and tests so far. Confident A.
Japanese Drama: Midterm was an A-. More tests and a paper to come. Hopeful B+ or better.
Japanese Religious Studies: Midterm was a B. Paper and final to come. Hopeful B+ or better.
Critical Thinking: Two tests so far, an A- and an A. Two more tests to come. Confident A.
Acting I: Who knows? We haven't had class since March 1st and we've never received a grade on anything.
Trip to Japan: No news since submitting all of my paperwork.
Anyway, I'll be in NYC this weekend and next weekend with a trip to Florida in between to see my mom. I'll try to blog somewhere in there. Things are warming up here in Albany so I'll bet the weather is even nicer elsewhere. Later!
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Japanese 102: Perfect/Near-Perfect grades on all homework, quizzes, and tests so far. Confident A.
Japanese Drama: Midterm was an A-. More tests and a paper to come. Hopeful B+ or better.
Japanese Religious Studies: Midterm was a B. Paper and final to come. Hopeful B+ or better.
Critical Thinking: Two tests so far, an A- and an A. Two more tests to come. Confident A.
Acting I: Who knows? We haven't had class since March 1st and we've never received a grade on anything.
Trip to Japan: No news since submitting all of my paperwork.
Anyway, I'll be in NYC this weekend and next weekend with a trip to Florida in between to see my mom. I'll try to blog somewhere in there. Things are warming up here in Albany so I'll bet the weather is even nicer elsewhere. Later!
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Thursday, March 17, 2005
They Have No Idea
A funny thought struck me on bus ride back home tonight. I was on campus kinda late for an AGA meeting so the 9:50 bus I got on was full of students heading out to partake in St. Patrick's Day drink specials. However, it seems that many of them had already imbibed a few spirits before they got on the bus. One girl in particular was so drunk she actually looked miserable, which she was because after a mile she casually threw up on herself and one of her friends. They wisely decided to leave the bus immediately (hopefully to catch a bus going back to campus so she could sleep), but in disembarking the poor girl fell flat on her face and was still on the ground when the bus pulled away. Her other drunken friends were so busy chatting that they didn't notice she had thrown up or gotten off. They immediately got off the bus but we had already traveled at least half a mile. I sure hope at least three of those four ladies make it home tonight.
But I digress. What was my funny thought? I was sitting on the bus wearing a long coat and my "geeky" wool hat. These girls were dressed to impress drunk guys with their breasts, midriffs and toes on display. I know they were looking at me and thinking I was some kind of nerd or prude. Little did they know that I've seen and experienced things they can't possibly imagine. Sure they get drunk every week, maybe stoned too, but I've ingested and absorbed substances they've never even heard of. I've seen the Infinity, man. Hell, I've been the Infinity. So think twice the next time you think you spot a dork wearing a cap with ALASKA written on the side. He might show you a thing or two about the beyond.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
But I digress. What was my funny thought? I was sitting on the bus wearing a long coat and my "geeky" wool hat. These girls were dressed to impress drunk guys with their breasts, midriffs and toes on display. I know they were looking at me and thinking I was some kind of nerd or prude. Little did they know that I've seen and experienced things they can't possibly imagine. Sure they get drunk every week, maybe stoned too, but I've ingested and absorbed substances they've never even heard of. I've seen the Infinity, man. Hell, I've been the Infinity. So think twice the next time you think you spot a dork wearing a cap with ALASKA written on the side. He might show you a thing or two about the beyond.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Let's Time Waste!
Since I don't have any news to report, here's some fun Flash games to waste your time and tickle your fancy.
Metaphysik - Use the arrow keys to control the ball. Easy to learn, hard to stop.
The Bounce - Oddly enjoyable yet nonsensical game where you use a bouncing giraffe to collect stars and avoid red things. There's French involved too!
The Mystery of Time and Space - This game takes a long time but thankfully you can save your progress. Point and click, try to unlock the doors and let the plot unfold.
NANACA-CRASH! - This is the most addictive one of all. You smack a guy with your bike and see how far he flies. The instructions are in Japanese so I'll give you a quick briefing: click and HOLD the mouse button to choose the angle, then release the button to set the power (the bigger the red zone, the more power you use). Once the guy is airborne, you have three Aerial attacks that will keep him flying, as well as a rechargeable downward attack. Just watch the word "Aerial" and if it changes color, you can use it. The people on the ground all do different things, just watch what happens. Oh, and if it says "Special" in big letters, quickly click on the "Special" box in the corner. My personal best is 3690.11m.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Metaphysik - Use the arrow keys to control the ball. Easy to learn, hard to stop.
The Bounce - Oddly enjoyable yet nonsensical game where you use a bouncing giraffe to collect stars and avoid red things. There's French involved too!
The Mystery of Time and Space - This game takes a long time but thankfully you can save your progress. Point and click, try to unlock the doors and let the plot unfold.
NANACA-CRASH! - This is the most addictive one of all. You smack a guy with your bike and see how far he flies. The instructions are in Japanese so I'll give you a quick briefing: click and HOLD the mouse button to choose the angle, then release the button to set the power (the bigger the red zone, the more power you use). Once the guy is airborne, you have three Aerial attacks that will keep him flying, as well as a rechargeable downward attack. Just watch the word "Aerial" and if it changes color, you can use it. The people on the ground all do different things, just watch what happens. Oh, and if it says "Special" in big letters, quickly click on the "Special" box in the corner. My personal best is 3690.11m.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Academic Update
I got my Religious Studies exam back from last week. I got a B, which isn't too bad. I'll take a B because this is some next-level shit. I mean, when the teacher tells you that "the Buddha body is everywhere and nowhere," what are you supposed to say? How can I write that down and study it later? Whatever, I'm not complaining about a B.
Acting class was formally cancelled today and I have a sneaking suspicion it might be cancelled on Thursday as well. I'm not too broken up about this, because I've used the extra time to study or research shit in the library, but if we miss three straight classes going into Spring Break, that's well over two weeks with no instruction. That's gotta radically change the syllabus and push all kinds of deadlines back. I'll roll with it, I just hope the teacher is getting better, not worse.
As far as the classes I did attend, I had two tests today: a wee Japanese vocabulary test and a serious PHI112 exam. Both went very smoothly and I expect both grades to be A. Kazu also said the PHI112 exam was "piece of cake," which I find comforting because we spent a lot of time studying for it. He needed a lot of help to understand these concepts and it seems I got him there. If he gets a B+ or better, I'll feel pretty good about myself. After all, I am hoping to teach after college, right? If I can teach basic Logic to this Japanese guy, surely I can teach English to Japanese kids.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Acting class was formally cancelled today and I have a sneaking suspicion it might be cancelled on Thursday as well. I'm not too broken up about this, because I've used the extra time to study or research shit in the library, but if we miss three straight classes going into Spring Break, that's well over two weeks with no instruction. That's gotta radically change the syllabus and push all kinds of deadlines back. I'll roll with it, I just hope the teacher is getting better, not worse.
As far as the classes I did attend, I had two tests today: a wee Japanese vocabulary test and a serious PHI112 exam. Both went very smoothly and I expect both grades to be A. Kazu also said the PHI112 exam was "piece of cake," which I find comforting because we spent a lot of time studying for it. He needed a lot of help to understand these concepts and it seems I got him there. If he gets a B+ or better, I'll feel pretty good about myself. After all, I am hoping to teach after college, right? If I can teach basic Logic to this Japanese guy, surely I can teach English to Japanese kids.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Monday, March 14, 2005
Tardy Ramblings
I phoned this in last night but it never appeared on the site. I assumed it had been lost through some glitch so I threw together my cheesy Nô pun. I came home from class today and suddenly, here it is! Listen and enjoy, I say nothing of consequence.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Sunday, March 13, 2005
Nô Homework
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