Abrupt return to rain, rain, and more rain in Davis (for the past few days), breaking tomorrow, then followed by more rain.
I like rain, I just don't like to be in it, after dark, with mad skidding bikers (mostly guys) who're going too fast for their own good all around.
And Lucy, don't think I won't take you up on that suggestion. If it turned out that some of psychology higher division courses do occur in huge lecture halls and if it turns out my time permitted (since I don't know how much free time I'll have next quarter yet, exactly), I might actually sit in on a few, take notes, and not have to take tests.
The not having to take test part, needless to say, sounds particularly appealing at the moment.
More twitching in the dorms. There was a presentation in the first floor lounge last night about majors and minors (why do they name these things the same way as music? Why does the word 'major' and 'minor' mean so many things?). I didn't go because I was trying to do bio, which I need to fulfil my major requirement.
20060228
20060227
Recap: Schedules, again
Last round of options before my spring quarter schedule is ironed out, last round of emails suggesting certain classes and "extra credits" for your specific major and possible minors. That's another difference between highschool and college, I suppose: in highschool you have the holes in your schedule, but not that many classes you really wanted to take, whereas in college, there're always so many classes you really, really wanted to take, but you have limited amount of credits before you have to graduate and limited amount of time to go with it.
I have to remind myself to not sign up for anything else, no matter how interesting it sounds or where it might lead me, because the extra hour or two would get overwhelming very shortly after the first midterm and there are way too many things I need to factor into my spring scheduling that even one extra, un-looked for classes may mess up.
Ah the scheduling. Ah the mass of chaos that ensues in each and every freshman dorm.
If that sounded poetic in anyway, I assure you it was not on purpose.
I have to remind myself to not sign up for anything else, no matter how interesting it sounds or where it might lead me, because the extra hour or two would get overwhelming very shortly after the first midterm and there are way too many things I need to factor into my spring scheduling that even one extra, un-looked for classes may mess up.
Ah the scheduling. Ah the mass of chaos that ensues in each and every freshman dorm.
If that sounded poetic in anyway, I assure you it was not on purpose.
20060226
Recap: Faire
Went to the Davis Farmer's Market for the first time yesterday, yep, first time in all the time I've been here, and I have to admit, it's pretty amazing.
It's, at the lack of a better way to put it, like a sort of renaissance fair in disguise. There were your usual stands: fresh fruits and vegetables, plants and herbs in little pots and cups (which of course, I looked over very thoroughly), then there were your acceptables: home-made dolls, hand-painted linen, and so forth. And THEN you have the other factors, the balloon man, the little snack bars, the musicians and yes there were musicians, the street musicians out to earn a bit of money and the music majors who take out a stand and some music from their backpack and starts playing, and people gather to listen. They are actually very, very good. This one guy was playing the violin while I was there (no he did not look anything like Nick, Lucy), and we have the flute and the banjo (or at least I think that's what it was). There were of course the little stands, like those you see during the Moon Festival event at Memorial Park, where propaganda is at work. A fire department booth was handing out plastic fire helmets to little kids. Then there were the dog booth and the cat booth and lots of animals, kids included, everywhere.
The general atmosphere...I was surprised I didn't see a juggler.
It's, at the lack of a better way to put it, like a sort of renaissance fair in disguise. There were your usual stands: fresh fruits and vegetables, plants and herbs in little pots and cups (which of course, I looked over very thoroughly), then there were your acceptables: home-made dolls, hand-painted linen, and so forth. And THEN you have the other factors, the balloon man, the little snack bars, the musicians and yes there were musicians, the street musicians out to earn a bit of money and the music majors who take out a stand and some music from their backpack and starts playing, and people gather to listen. They are actually very, very good. This one guy was playing the violin while I was there (no he did not look anything like Nick, Lucy), and we have the flute and the banjo (or at least I think that's what it was). There were of course the little stands, like those you see during the Moon Festival event at Memorial Park, where propaganda is at work. A fire department booth was handing out plastic fire helmets to little kids. Then there were the dog booth and the cat booth and lots of animals, kids included, everywhere.
The general atmosphere...I was surprised I didn't see a juggler.
20060225
Recap: A list of oddities
First of all:
Now back to the unrelated:
___________________________________________________
Working in the DC has one irrevocable benefit--that in order to finish the shift on time everyday, everyone has to work as a team, and everyone is at the same standing, from highschool dropouts to graduate students in law to forty-something mothers working two jobs. There is something nice in that, in the fact that if you finish your assigned station early, you go and help out the others and if you get behind, other people come and help you, without asking, the smile at the end all the necessary thanks as the lights are turned off and the machines are disassembled. It means that during the rush hour, when people come by hundreds (not even joking), you and the other workers in your station reach such a level of synchronization that you don't need to look up from the tray in front of you to reach out and known where the plate is being handed to you, or see where you're handing it to, knowing that another pair of hands is right there. And it always is. That sort of dependability in a team is immensely comforting. Everyone did their job.
And part of doing that job means helping cleaning up the tables where people eat, afterwards, because people do really strange things there and there're almost NEVER enough people to keep them clean during the entire dinner shift.
Here is my list of odd things I've encountered while cleaning up the tables, most of them involving the small vase that usually hold a spray of flower to make the table look nice:
- mysterious white substance in vase
- vase holding a spray that looked like all of the flowers have been GNAWED off, not even kidding. Chewed looking thing.
- vase with no flower, but holding 3 spears of asparagus (yes, cooked)
- upside-down salt-shakers
- mysteriously empty shakers with no lid, locating the lid half way across the DC
- mysteriously empty shakers with no lid, and never finding the lid (oh gods I hope no one ATE that)
- vase holding what looked like copper sulfate turning into copper hydroxide that, on closer inspection, is revealed to be a blend of the blue Powerade (powerrade? powerraid?) drink, mixed with milk, with the flower stuck in it
-cucumber slices, at really strange places
- ice cream sprinkles, at really strange places and ALL OVER THE PLACE
- flowers, stuck upsidedown into vases,
- flowers, completely shredded and stuck to the bottom of the vase, causing some minor issue trying to remove the wad of shredded flower from the bottom of the vase,
- ketchup, at really strange places
- frenchfries, in vases
I am of the opinion that the list will only grow longer over time, being somewhat in awe of the things that people can come up with, while eating dinner with their friends.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNA!
Now back to the unrelated:
___________________________________________________
Working in the DC has one irrevocable benefit--that in order to finish the shift on time everyday, everyone has to work as a team, and everyone is at the same standing, from highschool dropouts to graduate students in law to forty-something mothers working two jobs. There is something nice in that, in the fact that if you finish your assigned station early, you go and help out the others and if you get behind, other people come and help you, without asking, the smile at the end all the necessary thanks as the lights are turned off and the machines are disassembled. It means that during the rush hour, when people come by hundreds (not even joking), you and the other workers in your station reach such a level of synchronization that you don't need to look up from the tray in front of you to reach out and known where the plate is being handed to you, or see where you're handing it to, knowing that another pair of hands is right there. And it always is. That sort of dependability in a team is immensely comforting. Everyone did their job.
And part of doing that job means helping cleaning up the tables where people eat, afterwards, because people do really strange things there and there're almost NEVER enough people to keep them clean during the entire dinner shift.
Here is my list of odd things I've encountered while cleaning up the tables, most of them involving the small vase that usually hold a spray of flower to make the table look nice:
- mysterious white substance in vase
- vase holding a spray that looked like all of the flowers have been GNAWED off, not even kidding. Chewed looking thing.
- vase with no flower, but holding 3 spears of asparagus (yes, cooked)
- upside-down salt-shakers
- mysteriously empty shakers with no lid, locating the lid half way across the DC
- mysteriously empty shakers with no lid, and never finding the lid (oh gods I hope no one ATE that)
- vase holding what looked like copper sulfate turning into copper hydroxide that, on closer inspection, is revealed to be a blend of the blue Powerade (powerrade? powerraid?) drink, mixed with milk, with the flower stuck in it
-cucumber slices, at really strange places
- ice cream sprinkles, at really strange places and ALL OVER THE PLACE
- flowers, stuck upsidedown into vases,
- flowers, completely shredded and stuck to the bottom of the vase, causing some minor issue trying to remove the wad of shredded flower from the bottom of the vase,
- ketchup, at really strange places
- frenchfries, in vases
I am of the opinion that the list will only grow longer over time, being somewhat in awe of the things that people can come up with, while eating dinner with their friends.
20060224
Recap: The horrors of chem
This is not an entry about the horrors of chemistry in itself, nor is it about my midterm. It is, in fact, about the unexpected side to the chem building, and how oddly ominous the unvisited corridors could be.
Since I am in the general chemistry class, that means I have the questionable priviledge of attending one of those 500-people lecture hall-ed classes, which means that taking the test would mean (if they can find the rooms for it, and for an 8am class, they usually can) breaking up into our lab session groups (20-30 people) and wait for the online announcement that will tell us where we're taking the test, this time.
My session is assigned to room 371, the chem building and, having never been to that part before,I decided to leave a bit early since...well, midterms are very lenient on tardiness.
It was very empty in the chem building, which is a complex somewhat smaller than the Arts and Humanities complex (AKA the Deathstar, for those of you who knows what I'm talking about) but equally bewildering for a first-timer. I located the staircase, which happened to be one of those that are enclosed within walls, narrow, and had doors that automatically slam shut. I tried to close the door gently to no avail--it slammed shut right after I entered the claustrophobia-inducing space.
And the stairs were empty, smelt of chemical reactions, and they ECHOED, ladies and gentlement, ECHOED.
The corridor I eventually found myself in didn't so much have windows as oddly indented, glassed-over slits on the walls so that when I first looked at it, I was under the impression of peering down a striped tunnel. There was something wrong with the air conditioning system, which emitted a high-pitched whine. My footsteps echoed there too, and since I don't usually make that much sound walking, it was unnerving. And of course, the entire area was completely empty.
It was worthy of a trashy adventure novel, except nothing unfortunate happened to me along the way aside from the general knowledge that I was about to take a midterm.
Next Halloween, plan a trip to the o' chem building at twilight. There is something decidedly freakish about the backpart (none-lecture-hall part) of the building.
[edit 10:52]
Ah yes, Miller Hall. Possibly the only dorm where guys win persuasive arguments with each other by screaming "THAT'S THE OPPORTUNITY COST!" down the hallway.
Geekiness factor increases with the arrival of the finals week.
Since I am in the general chemistry class, that means I have the questionable priviledge of attending one of those 500-people lecture hall-ed classes, which means that taking the test would mean (if they can find the rooms for it, and for an 8am class, they usually can) breaking up into our lab session groups (20-30 people) and wait for the online announcement that will tell us where we're taking the test, this time.
My session is assigned to room 371, the chem building and, having never been to that part before,I decided to leave a bit early since...well, midterms are very lenient on tardiness.
It was very empty in the chem building, which is a complex somewhat smaller than the Arts and Humanities complex (AKA the Deathstar, for those of you who knows what I'm talking about) but equally bewildering for a first-timer. I located the staircase, which happened to be one of those that are enclosed within walls, narrow, and had doors that automatically slam shut. I tried to close the door gently to no avail--it slammed shut right after I entered the claustrophobia-inducing space.
And the stairs were empty, smelt of chemical reactions, and they ECHOED, ladies and gentlement, ECHOED.
The corridor I eventually found myself in didn't so much have windows as oddly indented, glassed-over slits on the walls so that when I first looked at it, I was under the impression of peering down a striped tunnel. There was something wrong with the air conditioning system, which emitted a high-pitched whine. My footsteps echoed there too, and since I don't usually make that much sound walking, it was unnerving. And of course, the entire area was completely empty.
It was worthy of a trashy adventure novel, except nothing unfortunate happened to me along the way aside from the general knowledge that I was about to take a midterm.
Next Halloween, plan a trip to the o' chem building at twilight. There is something decidedly freakish about the backpart (none-lecture-hall part) of the building.
[edit 10:52]
Ah yes, Miller Hall. Possibly the only dorm where guys win persuasive arguments with each other by screaming "THAT'S THE OPPORTUNITY COST!" down the hallway.
Geekiness factor increases with the arrival of the finals week.
20060223
Recap: More Untitled
The most dominant species on earth by number and mass are nematodes and ants. Mother nature has bestowed some sort of gift upon them that made them unbelievably successful in terms of evolution.
Size matters, just not in the way you usually think of it, that's all.
One last midterms to go, and whatever follows, will follow. Happy Thursday.
Size matters, just not in the way you usually think of it, that's all.
One last midterms to go, and whatever follows, will follow. Happy Thursday.
20060222
Recap: Untitled
It has finally happened.
During today's lecture, in the last part when we're suppose to go over what might be on the test instead was spent on a lecture on work ethics and the philosophies of science and, I quote, "it's the truth if no one has proved it wrong." I actually made a noise, in class. I'd like to think of it as a noise of despair but for those who were present, I will honestly say that it was something between a strangled cough, a laugh, and a groan, all mixed together and coming out very high-pitched because I was determined that I WOULD NOT make a sound but it escaped me anyway.
People would've stared, except most of them within hearing range were braindead already. Most of them within the room were so. The professor's lectures kill brain cells.
For some reason, I'm reminded of 10th grade math.
On the bright side, next week should be a breeze after this one. Theoretically.
"I recently had my head examined
Rx wrote
I got a jaw problem
A pain in my mouth
Trying to talk to me
or spell me something
(but I am illiterate)
There is a need for people who
find meaning in everything"
Anyone know where this is from?
During today's lecture, in the last part when we're suppose to go over what might be on the test instead was spent on a lecture on work ethics and the philosophies of science and, I quote, "it's the truth if no one has proved it wrong." I actually made a noise, in class. I'd like to think of it as a noise of despair but for those who were present, I will honestly say that it was something between a strangled cough, a laugh, and a groan, all mixed together and coming out very high-pitched because I was determined that I WOULD NOT make a sound but it escaped me anyway.
People would've stared, except most of them within hearing range were braindead already. Most of them within the room were so. The professor's lectures kill brain cells.
For some reason, I'm reminded of 10th grade math.
On the bright side, next week should be a breeze after this one. Theoretically.
"I recently had my head examined
Rx wrote
I got a jaw problem
A pain in my mouth
Trying to talk to me
or spell me something
(but I am illiterate)
There is a need for people who
find meaning in everything"
Anyone know where this is from?
20060221
Recap: So it is
[8:30]
Out on the floor lounge right now (funny how Molly’s first class today is earlier than mine yet I’m sitting here typing stuff and she’s still sleeping), am too lazy to get backpack and go down to the first floor since after doing another practice test and some other minor stuff I’ll probably schlep over to the chem. Study session because the TA, feeling bad for forgetting a session last time, promised an extra study session for us as well as some practice test, which the teacher refused to give us this time.
I’ve heard that this current chem professor used to be very nice and gave out easy exams but for some reason started making really hard exams this quarter (“used to”, as referring to the previous quarter). The harder exams I do not mind as much as the fact that the quality of his lecture, everyone agrees, have not improved a bit.
Dear professor, if you are going to give us “conceptual midterms” that quiz us on the first element that was purified by man that occurred round 14 BC or something (do not remember the time specifically, but was on the previous midterm and the answer was Au and the reason was because gold is such a nice, stable thing), then please also give out lectures that are as “conceptual” as your midterms are and do not tell us “I just want you to understand the main concepts behind these equations, everything else’s just explanation.”
That is, as the clock ticks on, my one grievance against the chem professor. At least he knows his materials, even if he is awful at explaining it.
Out on the floor lounge right now (funny how Molly’s first class today is earlier than mine yet I’m sitting here typing stuff and she’s still sleeping), am too lazy to get backpack and go down to the first floor since after doing another practice test and some other minor stuff I’ll probably schlep over to the chem. Study session because the TA, feeling bad for forgetting a session last time, promised an extra study session for us as well as some practice test, which the teacher refused to give us this time.
I’ve heard that this current chem professor used to be very nice and gave out easy exams but for some reason started making really hard exams this quarter (“used to”, as referring to the previous quarter). The harder exams I do not mind as much as the fact that the quality of his lecture, everyone agrees, have not improved a bit.
Dear professor, if you are going to give us “conceptual midterms” that quiz us on the first element that was purified by man that occurred round 14 BC or something (do not remember the time specifically, but was on the previous midterm and the answer was Au and the reason was because gold is such a nice, stable thing), then please also give out lectures that are as “conceptual” as your midterms are and do not tell us “I just want you to understand the main concepts behind these equations, everything else’s just explanation.”
That is, as the clock ticks on, my one grievance against the chem professor. At least he knows his materials, even if he is awful at explaining it.
20060220
Recap: Ground
Yesterday there were so few people in the DC that we closed early. I got back by 9pm, which was nice. There were so few people that I managed to keep the salad bars relative free of spilt dressing and stray vegetable and YES THAT EVEN MEANS THE SHREDDED CARROTS! Let this day be remembered as the day of victory against shredded carrots. It was a moment of triumph for all salad bar runners (more of a walker, last night, actually) everywhere.
Entire issue with the people who were suppose to replace me this weekend not being able to, either with premotion or food poisoning, but it wasn't my fault and no one yelled at me because the management was reasonable and knew it wasn't my fault, so everything's fine and this replacement shift:
Wednesday 4:30-9:00pm
Is canceled for me. Yay.
Also, Lucy, I'm back partially because I had to work last night and finding a replacement for yourself THREE nights in a row (as seen by my issues with findin people for two nights in a row) is astronomically difficult. Add in the factor that I have a midterm tomorrow and I still have no memorized the classifications and examples of viruses I figured: one extra day at school? I'm gonna need it.
We have a new hairnet rule which states that all people who comes near the food, so long that the cap can't COMPLETELY cover your hair, will need a hair net. Let me mention that guys look really strange in hairnets. On an entirely different topic, apparently guys do make jokes about relationships with their guy friends and possibly having their biologically impossible babies. Either that or it's just the people from work and I need to find a different group to observe.
First-
-Time to play the psychiatrist to a complete stranger. Who's probably in his early forties and is apparently having a very bad day on in a horrible life and randomly started ranting to me while I was wiping down the salad bar with the sanitizer solution. But he smiled before the end of the shift, so it was alright, and he felt bad about the whole thing so when we're ending the night he came by, rinsed out all the dirty towels in the kitchen that I was cleaning, and took them to the dish room for me, which was very good of him.
I saw him as I was leaving. He smiled at me and said, "Take care."
Perhaps this is even a greater accomplishment than the victory against shredded carrots.
I still don't know his name but, right now, I don't think it matters.
Entire issue with the people who were suppose to replace me this weekend not being able to, either with premotion or food poisoning, but it wasn't my fault and no one yelled at me because the management was reasonable and knew it wasn't my fault, so everything's fine and this replacement shift:
Wednesday 4:30-9:00pm
Is canceled for me. Yay.
Also, Lucy, I'm back partially because I had to work last night and finding a replacement for yourself THREE nights in a row (as seen by my issues with findin people for two nights in a row) is astronomically difficult. Add in the factor that I have a midterm tomorrow and I still have no memorized the classifications and examples of viruses I figured: one extra day at school? I'm gonna need it.
We have a new hairnet rule which states that all people who comes near the food, so long that the cap can't COMPLETELY cover your hair, will need a hair net. Let me mention that guys look really strange in hairnets. On an entirely different topic, apparently guys do make jokes about relationships with their guy friends and possibly having their biologically impossible babies. Either that or it's just the people from work and I need to find a different group to observe.
First-
-Time to play the psychiatrist to a complete stranger. Who's probably in his early forties and is apparently having a very bad day on in a horrible life and randomly started ranting to me while I was wiping down the salad bar with the sanitizer solution. But he smiled before the end of the shift, so it was alright, and he felt bad about the whole thing so when we're ending the night he came by, rinsed out all the dirty towels in the kitchen that I was cleaning, and took them to the dish room for me, which was very good of him.
I saw him as I was leaving. He smiled at me and said, "Take care."
Perhaps this is even a greater accomplishment than the victory against shredded carrots.
I still don't know his name but, right now, I don't think it matters.
20060219
Recap: Untitled2
Meanwhile, back to Davis...
This is my work schedule, as I'm aware of it at this moment, for the next...oh 7-8 days.
Sunday (tonight) 4-9:30pm
Wednesday 4:30-9:00pm (though may last to 9:30, I'm not sure)
Friday 5:30-8:30
Saturday 4:30-9:30
Sunday (next) 4-9:30
As far as I know, that means aside from my Friday's shift, which ends early, I won't be online at my now-established 9-10-ness on all the other work days.
Amount of school email is scary.
Still need to do laundry.
On the other hand (though, it could be on the same hand, depending on how you look at it), I've obtained my parents permission to take classes at De Anza this summer. Not to transfer to Davis, because of all the transferable classes, the only ones I've got left are those that you need to take the entire series at one school (meaning you can't take A at Davis, then B at De Anza). I'll be taking random things. For the sake of my well-established masochistic tendencies.
My to-do list for this summer (and sadly enough, yes I already do have one) is getting WAY too long.
Still shorter than my to-read list though.
This is my work schedule, as I'm aware of it at this moment, for the next...oh 7-8 days.
Sunday (tonight) 4-9:30pm
Wednesday 4:30-9:00pm (though may last to 9:30, I'm not sure)
Friday 5:30-8:30
Saturday 4:30-9:30
Sunday (next) 4-9:30
As far as I know, that means aside from my Friday's shift, which ends early, I won't be online at my now-established 9-10-ness on all the other work days.
Amount of school email is scary.
Still need to do laundry.
On the other hand (though, it could be on the same hand, depending on how you look at it), I've obtained my parents permission to take classes at De Anza this summer. Not to transfer to Davis, because of all the transferable classes, the only ones I've got left are those that you need to take the entire series at one school (meaning you can't take A at Davis, then B at De Anza). I'll be taking random things. For the sake of my well-established masochistic tendencies.
My to-do list for this summer (and sadly enough, yes I already do have one) is getting WAY too long.
Still shorter than my to-read list though.
20060218
Recap: Untitled
Beautiful day. Cold, but still nice.
I wonder what it will be like to not think about academics for 24 hours, but somehow, I don't think my mind can quite manage it.
Maybe more later but if not, then that's it. Over and out.
I wonder what it will be like to not think about academics for 24 hours, but somehow, I don't think my mind can quite manage it.
Maybe more later but if not, then that's it. Over and out.
20060217
Recap: Home for the holidays
[13:15]
I am writing this on a train, as in I am on a train and I am writing this. There is no internet connection which is why I'm typing this up in wordpad, then posting it later. Also, the train is making me somewhat sleepy. Then again, that may be just because I want to sleep.
Oh, and I'm taking the train home this weekend, just in case the train-thing seemed random. No, I have not developed a sudden affection for trains, though looking at the countryside this way is rather nice and crossing the bay on the train is very awesome.
Today is also very cold in Davis, but from what I heard from my parents (and soon to be found out first hand), it is a bit like that every where. But, Davis, since I've experienced that already: the snow elevation's at one thousand feet and from 8AM, when I had chem, to 10AM, when I returned, it had actually gotten COLDER. Yes, my friends, it has gotten chillier and before I left for the train station I put on a sweat shirt over my sweater and then put on the black jacket that you all are probably very familiar with. I did not wear the sweatshirt while biking back from my class and actually felt like I was freezing.
Strangely though, this weekend (as I went through downtown on my way to the station) is apparently when all the trees start to bloom (sorry Kate, but you missed it). I meant all the trees that flower in the spring were, for some reason, flowering on this God-forsakenly cold day, so that parts of the campus looks...white and fluffy, which aren't words I'd generally associate with a university, but you'll have to trust me on this one.
But, ye gods, did I mention how cold it was?
First-
Trip home from college by myself. As you can see, my independence was clearly defined by that jar of jam.
All hail the jam.
[edit 15:57]
Around the region of Fremont, the conductor announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, if you will look toward your forward left you’ll see a big bunch of snow.”
So I looked forward left, toward where the hills are annnnd there was a big bunch of snow.
This is officially in folks, it’s not the Sacramento region that’s suddenly experiencing a cold snap (the carpet in my house is ICY!)
Also, someone have moved into my room while I’m away. Many someones, in fact, that are getting into the wood. So it’s another round of phone calling for me.
[Edit 16:13]
Finished round of phone calling. First two numbers my father supplied were wrong and the people were non-too happy about being disturbed. Phobia conquered in the year 06: 1. Public speaking. 2. Talking to irate strangers.
It’s been a very productive year, and it’s only February.
Parasites. Right over my window. Nice.
Good to know that lives go on without me. Ha ha oh GOD that was bad.
I am writing this on a train, as in I am on a train and I am writing this. There is no internet connection which is why I'm typing this up in wordpad, then posting it later. Also, the train is making me somewhat sleepy. Then again, that may be just because I want to sleep.
Oh, and I'm taking the train home this weekend, just in case the train-thing seemed random. No, I have not developed a sudden affection for trains, though looking at the countryside this way is rather nice and crossing the bay on the train is very awesome.
Today is also very cold in Davis, but from what I heard from my parents (and soon to be found out first hand), it is a bit like that every where. But, Davis, since I've experienced that already: the snow elevation's at one thousand feet and from 8AM, when I had chem, to 10AM, when I returned, it had actually gotten COLDER. Yes, my friends, it has gotten chillier and before I left for the train station I put on a sweat shirt over my sweater and then put on the black jacket that you all are probably very familiar with. I did not wear the sweatshirt while biking back from my class and actually felt like I was freezing.
Strangely though, this weekend (as I went through downtown on my way to the station) is apparently when all the trees start to bloom (sorry Kate, but you missed it). I meant all the trees that flower in the spring were, for some reason, flowering on this God-forsakenly cold day, so that parts of the campus looks...white and fluffy, which aren't words I'd generally associate with a university, but you'll have to trust me on this one.
But, ye gods, did I mention how cold it was?
First-
Trip home from college by myself. As you can see, my independence was clearly defined by that jar of jam.
All hail the jam.
[edit 15:57]
Around the region of Fremont, the conductor announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, if you will look toward your forward left you’ll see a big bunch of snow.”
So I looked forward left, toward where the hills are annnnd there was a big bunch of snow.
This is officially in folks, it’s not the Sacramento region that’s suddenly experiencing a cold snap (the carpet in my house is ICY!)
Also, someone have moved into my room while I’m away. Many someones, in fact, that are getting into the wood. So it’s another round of phone calling for me.
[Edit 16:13]
Finished round of phone calling. First two numbers my father supplied were wrong and the people were non-too happy about being disturbed. Phobia conquered in the year 06: 1. Public speaking. 2. Talking to irate strangers.
It’s been a very productive year, and it’s only February.
Parasites. Right over my window. Nice.
Good to know that lives go on without me. Ha ha oh GOD that was bad.
20060216
Recap: Untitled
I need to find the time to sit down and read a book. In all honesty, not reading something that is not textbook or reader or handouts for this long is starting to make me twitchy, and the only time I can think of where I may be able to do it is while traveling between Davis and Cupertino (more than an hour! More than two hours of time on a Friday!) but there is, of course no way that either one of my parents will let me read in a car. Though motion sickness is not an issue, they do have good reasons.
I am desperate enough to consider audiobooks. Yep, that's how bad it is.
I am desperate enough to consider audiobooks. Yep, that's how bad it is.
20060215
Recap: Pomology entomology
Half way through the week already. Well, almost. In any case I think that's a call for celebration so I might actually go and take a break and wander around campus or something...except I have a quiz tomorrow and I still need to see what the deal is with genetic mutation of west nile virus (someone remind me to scan in a page of my biology case study book here at the end of the year, the stuff in it is...hard core. I mean we get the actual DNA sequence of the virus (which is actually a retrovirus and uses RNA, so the DNA is the complementary strand to the RNA) and have to compare the base-pair mutations).
Chemistry suddenly retrogressed back to anions and cations, leaving me to wonder at the inconsistencies of the book, of the professor, of life in general. It was a philosophical moment.
Chemistry suddenly retrogressed back to anions and cations, leaving me to wonder at the inconsistencies of the book, of the professor, of life in general. It was a philosophical moment.
20060214
Recap: Untitled
The trend with the not-relaxing Tuesdays continues and by the way, said my biology professor, you guys have a mid term next Tuesday, so hopefully you've been thinking about that.
Hopefully.
Nothing too interesting as of now. Mostly just short on time and trying to keep up with the scheduling. Ah college. Not so much with the prophetic soul.
[edit 18:54]
When I was walking down to dinner, I past by these two girls who were obviously trying to get a guy's attention. Thinking nothing of this, I continued walking past until the girls started to get more verbal by calling the guy's name.
"Mike! Hey Mike! MICHAEL!" One girl screamed.
At which point I sort of started cracking up and had to walk away very quickly as to avoid a trip to the mental hospital.
Hopefully.
Nothing too interesting as of now. Mostly just short on time and trying to keep up with the scheduling. Ah college. Not so much with the prophetic soul.
[edit 18:54]
When I was walking down to dinner, I past by these two girls who were obviously trying to get a guy's attention. Thinking nothing of this, I continued walking past until the girls started to get more verbal by calling the guy's name.
"Mike! Hey Mike! MICHAEL!" One girl screamed.
At which point I sort of started cracking up and had to walk away very quickly as to avoid a trip to the mental hospital.
20060213
Recap: 360 seconds
Hello Monday, nice to meet you too. Again.
Let's see...workload's increasing significantly this week, academics not withstanding since apparently I have two midterms next week. Chemistry and biology. Same week. Well that should be fun. (Yes, notice the trend with sarcasm, I really cannot tune it down right now.) Possibly need to spend more time on homework during the weekdays this week so when I go home for the weekends I won't have to lug all my textbooks and notebooks with me which, I can tell you from experience, is actually pretty heavy if you have to get it up and down stairs. So--cheers, to the start of another week!
And the ongoing war against shredded carrots continues. I'm sad to say that I think the carrots are winning.
Let's see...workload's increasing significantly this week, academics not withstanding since apparently I have two midterms next week. Chemistry and biology. Same week. Well that should be fun. (Yes, notice the trend with sarcasm, I really cannot tune it down right now.) Possibly need to spend more time on homework during the weekdays this week so when I go home for the weekends I won't have to lug all my textbooks and notebooks with me which, I can tell you from experience, is actually pretty heavy if you have to get it up and down stairs. So--cheers, to the start of another week!
And the ongoing war against shredded carrots continues. I'm sad to say that I think the carrots are winning.
20060212
Recap: Lights
Lantern festival today. Of course the dorm's not going to let anyone have an open flame of any sort. I'm considering leaving my flashlight (perhaps with a coloured paper covering the bulb end) on all night and have Molly conclude that I'm insane. But she probably does that already so I don't suppose there's a worry there.
It's sort of funny, because I think I'm making her feel bad since whenever she comes back during the weekdays, I'm nearly always in the room (when I don't have classes) studying. She's started trying to study during the day time too but it is a task that takes a lot of practice and even more amount of patience.
Maybe more later. Or if not, out for now.
It's sort of funny, because I think I'm making her feel bad since whenever she comes back during the weekdays, I'm nearly always in the room (when I don't have classes) studying. She's started trying to study during the day time too but it is a task that takes a lot of practice and even more amount of patience.
Maybe more later. Or if not, out for now.
20060211
Recap: Cheers to getting off work early
It means I remembered having not made a blog post yet today. It also means we have to work twice as hard while we're there to get off early. It means exhausion but also the greatness of getting home early on a Saturday.
Thank you, Yusuke, for covering my Saturday night shift.
Thank you, Jackie, for covering my Friday night shift.
I will not get in any trouble with management at work so long that I get back by Sunday next week.
Also, during tonight's shift, I learned Polish from Jackie, who's Polish by ethnicity. Polish sounded somewhat like Russian (meaning I was mispronouncing almost everything, but Jackie did not seem to mind because I was amusing her so much). Also, learning Polish when you're working at the 1st/2nd busiest kitchen at the DC during a night shift...Gary, I blame you, entirely. Yes.
Kate came and visited me today at Davis, also, thereby claiming the dubious honour of being the first friend to visit me there. This sadly involved too much walking so her back is probably staging a protest some times about now. With petition forms and signs and acronyms. Also, for future references, the painkiller that I DO have is Ibuprofen (I kept thinking Buprofron for some reason, but that obviously was not it, nor is it even a word).
Thank you, Yusuke, for covering my Saturday night shift.
Thank you, Jackie, for covering my Friday night shift.
I will not get in any trouble with management at work so long that I get back by Sunday next week.
Also, during tonight's shift, I learned Polish from Jackie, who's Polish by ethnicity. Polish sounded somewhat like Russian (meaning I was mispronouncing almost everything, but Jackie did not seem to mind because I was amusing her so much). Also, learning Polish when you're working at the 1st/2nd busiest kitchen at the DC during a night shift...Gary, I blame you, entirely. Yes.
Kate came and visited me today at Davis, also, thereby claiming the dubious honour of being the first friend to visit me there. This sadly involved too much walking so her back is probably staging a protest some times about now. With petition forms and signs and acronyms. Also, for future references, the painkiller that I DO have is Ibuprofen (I kept thinking Buprofron for some reason, but that obviously was not it, nor is it even a word).
20060210
Recap: Light in February
When entering the classroom for chem discussion today, I find myself completely alone in a dark room. Given my previous experiences this month, my first reaction was: Did I miss something in the schedule, AGAIN? But while entering I recalled seeing one of the guys from my discussion session (by the way, chem sessions=periods where the TAs, i.e. Teacher's Aid or Teacher's Assistant, hands out practice problems for you to do and go over main concepts covered this week) arriving so that was marginally reassuring.
Marginally.
And then people from the discussion showed up. Which was much more reassuring. At this point we are still standing in a large-ish, very much dark room, and I thought that I should probably turn the light on before people stumble around anymore than they're already doing. The only problem is that I don't know where the light switches are so--sidling around the walls of the chem room, attempting to find the light switch, I came across three switches that looked like likely candidates. Before I reached out and actually flipped them the other direction, I remembered Lusine's story with the calc room from last year, and looked around somewhat warily. There were no computers in the room. The only thing that was plugged in was a projector which is off anyway. Seemed okay, so I flipped the switches.
And all the lights actually went on.
The horror the horror. Hey it's Friday, I have to write SOMETHING that involves a climax, however minimal.
No, not really. More like just a note to myself that this is my first time in college of leaving a class early because the person in charge wasn't here.
Marginally.
And then people from the discussion showed up. Which was much more reassuring. At this point we are still standing in a large-ish, very much dark room, and I thought that I should probably turn the light on before people stumble around anymore than they're already doing. The only problem is that I don't know where the light switches are so--sidling around the walls of the chem room, attempting to find the light switch, I came across three switches that looked like likely candidates. Before I reached out and actually flipped them the other direction, I remembered Lusine's story with the calc room from last year, and looked around somewhat warily. There were no computers in the room. The only thing that was plugged in was a projector which is off anyway. Seemed okay, so I flipped the switches.
And all the lights actually went on.
The horror the horror. Hey it's Friday, I have to write SOMETHING that involves a climax, however minimal.
No, not really. More like just a note to myself that this is my first time in college of leaving a class early because the person in charge wasn't here.
20060209
Recap: Untitled
Must do something about the amount of ants. The number of them is truly insane.
Molly is coming down with something, having spent some time each day coughing. There seems to be another strain of the flu going around as I recall the amount of coughing, sneezing, and sniffling during the bio midterm. (But it may have just been because of the 500 something people there, and the lecture hall, which seems to amply sounds.) I am growing very fond of my vitamin C pills. Ascorbic acid is a wonderful thing.
Completely unrelated (at least I bothered to warn you): I will never cease to be bothered by situations where I get the right answer, then go back and cannot remember HOW I got that answer, no matter how hard I try, and every logical answer that my mind suggests are the wrong ones.
Maybe I got it by mistake.
That is a very lucky mistake.
Those are darn lucky mistakes.
[edit 20:05]
Me, being continuously mystified by the online quizzes.
Molly is coming down with something, having spent some time each day coughing. There seems to be another strain of the flu going around as I recall the amount of coughing, sneezing, and sniffling during the bio midterm. (But it may have just been because of the 500 something people there, and the lecture hall, which seems to amply sounds.) I am growing very fond of my vitamin C pills. Ascorbic acid is a wonderful thing.
Completely unrelated (at least I bothered to warn you): I will never cease to be bothered by situations where I get the right answer, then go back and cannot remember HOW I got that answer, no matter how hard I try, and every logical answer that my mind suggests are the wrong ones.
Maybe I got it by mistake.
That is a very lucky mistake.
Those are darn lucky mistakes.
[edit 20:05]
Me, being continuously mystified by the online quizzes.
20060208
Recap: Psi squared
Progression with regards to marigold:
Mealy bug has transitioned to aphids, which have then lured a colony of ants over, who herd the aphids. The only thing, I have concluded, that is more disgusting than a plant covered with strange green clumps is a plant covered with black, moving mass.
Spring is the season of the anthropods, I tell you, and the few insects that belong in the same class as lobsters but masquerade around as anthropods anyway.
Also, Lucy, 'Nick' wears glasses. Or at least I think he does because he just randomly showed up wearing glasses yesterday. Take the sketch that you have and add lenses with squarish-frames and you get the general idea.
I feel like I ought to be doing many many things, but all of them are optional, such as studying.
Oh well, probably will go do them now anyway.
Mealy bug has transitioned to aphids, which have then lured a colony of ants over, who herd the aphids. The only thing, I have concluded, that is more disgusting than a plant covered with strange green clumps is a plant covered with black, moving mass.
Spring is the season of the anthropods, I tell you, and the few insects that belong in the same class as lobsters but masquerade around as anthropods anyway.
Also, Lucy, 'Nick' wears glasses. Or at least I think he does because he just randomly showed up wearing glasses yesterday. Take the sketch that you have and add lenses with squarish-frames and you get the general idea.
I feel like I ought to be doing many many things, but all of them are optional, such as studying.
Oh well, probably will go do them now anyway.
20060207
Recap: Limiting resource
After some deliberation while attempting to sleep last night I realized that I should stop with the 'recap' part of the recap because there're only so many hours in a day and so many minutes I can spent on writing random stuff and not end up ignoring one thing or the other, such as I have been doing.
They're far too long and far too rambling, anyhow. For instance, I might finish off yesterday's event by mentioning there's an issue with vaccination (new nurse again) which extended all the way to my titration checm lab. And I might mention that people were staring at me a bit oddly when I went to the bank this morning, but see, these two sentences did not take nearly as much room as the other posts did.
So? More time to spent other things, because there always have been other things and I daresay there always well be. Tuesday mornings not withstanding.
First-
-time making a deposit into my checking account by myself. I feel very grown up, yes. Aside from the odd looks.
They're far too long and far too rambling, anyhow. For instance, I might finish off yesterday's event by mentioning there's an issue with vaccination (new nurse again) which extended all the way to my titration checm lab. And I might mention that people were staring at me a bit oddly when I went to the bank this morning, but see, these two sentences did not take nearly as much room as the other posts did.
So? More time to spent other things, because there always have been other things and I daresay there always well be. Tuesday mornings not withstanding.
First-
-time making a deposit into my checking account by myself. I feel very grown up, yes. Aside from the odd looks.
20060206
Recap: Quicksilver
Hg used to used as a poison too, I hear.
Chemistry has taken a sudden acceleration. We went from "This is molar ratio" one day to "calculate the transitional kinetic energy" the other and now we're suddenly onto the uncertainty principle. I keep looking for the transition except, of course, there's none. After puzzling over this I concluded that it's simply a part of life: life is uncertain and random--if you can find transitions for the stages in it--well, it wouldn't be random anymore, would it?
Yesterday at work was surprisingly slow because of the superbowl (most people probably stayed in front of a TV and ordered pizza or something, but I had an incident with gloves and ceramics and salad dressing and spilt white salad dressing all over my black pants. In the salad bar. In front of many people. I think I'm destined to feel stupid continuously this year, but then again.... So afterwork I was laundering my pants in the sink and one of my floormates was looking at me funny becuase I don't think she'd ever seen any one do laundry in the sink before....
At least I did not break or injure anything, myself included. I just feel bad enough about the salad dressing that I've decided I'll never complain about shredded carrots again, even though I realized I'll be dealing with them every week from now on.
Alas, alas, it's a Monday.
[edit 9:51]
This is why we college students refer to the reg mechanism as someone would refer to a monster from hell.
Remember me complaining about how the class I took at De Anza, Elementary STatistics and probability, is suppose to be transferable for Elementary STatistics here, but the advisor told me it's not? Well I looked online at the information website that tells you which class from which college is able to replace (by transfer articulation agreement) which class from UC, Davis and I have, STA13, Elem Statistics, replaceable by MAT10, Elem Statistics and Probability, which was the class I took.
My reg starts at 12:30, I have hepB appointment at 13:30 and midterm afterwards and the department advisor won't see me unless I have an appointment and I don't know when the heck the local academic advising centre is open (but supposidely not till 15:00?)
Monday is not the best of days for me. I have a class in 5 minutes and it ends at noon. Stats. Stats. And it's a math class for what forsaken reason there is. Was.
Ah. Cheers.
[edit 11:04]
I have received credit, apparently, for STA13 on January 16th of 2006. Don't ask me why or how, I'm just glad it happened. Consequently, it means I'm done with math classes for the rest of my undergrad career.
The short version of this is me, going from local academic centre to computer (i.e. De Anza online reg system and Davis online reg system) to department advisor (more biking, yay. To the person who originally told me that MAT10 not transferable. And, dear readers, this is why I always double-check everything, it's not the fact that I don't trust you, but that I've been trained to paranoia).
Also I've found upon my initial search that they've posted the finals date for the spring classes so you can find out when they are BEFORE you register and... I have no finals (that I know of) on the 7th, 8th, or 9th of June. My first one is organic chemistry on the 10th (Saturday, but oh well, you can't have everything). I also seems to have my chem and bio final on the same day, but at this point, I'm not about to complain about anything. At all.
Happy to have solved issues in one hour with nothing worse than a tendency to talk too fast and a headache.
I have the hour because apparently the lit teacher's not done with the interviews yet so there's no class today which, for some reason, I don't ever recall being notified about which made me feel, of course, stupid (this is official now: February is my "Oh My God I'm An Idiot Month), but like I said, everything is more or less fine right now and I'm not about to complain.
Chemistry has taken a sudden acceleration. We went from "This is molar ratio" one day to "calculate the transitional kinetic energy" the other and now we're suddenly onto the uncertainty principle. I keep looking for the transition except, of course, there's none. After puzzling over this I concluded that it's simply a part of life: life is uncertain and random--if you can find transitions for the stages in it--well, it wouldn't be random anymore, would it?
Yesterday at work was surprisingly slow because of the superbowl (most people probably stayed in front of a TV and ordered pizza or something, but I had an incident with gloves and ceramics and salad dressing and spilt white salad dressing all over my black pants. In the salad bar. In front of many people. I think I'm destined to feel stupid continuously this year, but then again.... So afterwork I was laundering my pants in the sink and one of my floormates was looking at me funny becuase I don't think she'd ever seen any one do laundry in the sink before....
At least I did not break or injure anything, myself included. I just feel bad enough about the salad dressing that I've decided I'll never complain about shredded carrots again, even though I realized I'll be dealing with them every week from now on.
Alas, alas, it's a Monday.
[edit 9:51]
This is why we college students refer to the reg mechanism as someone would refer to a monster from hell.
Remember me complaining about how the class I took at De Anza, Elementary STatistics and probability, is suppose to be transferable for Elementary STatistics here, but the advisor told me it's not? Well I looked online at the information website that tells you which class from which college is able to replace (by transfer articulation agreement) which class from UC, Davis and I have, STA13, Elem Statistics, replaceable by MAT10, Elem Statistics and Probability, which was the class I took.
My reg starts at 12:30, I have hepB appointment at 13:30 and midterm afterwards and the department advisor won't see me unless I have an appointment and I don't know when the heck the local academic advising centre is open (but supposidely not till 15:00?)
Monday is not the best of days for me. I have a class in 5 minutes and it ends at noon. Stats. Stats. And it's a math class for what forsaken reason there is. Was.
Ah. Cheers.
[edit 11:04]
I have received credit, apparently, for STA13 on January 16th of 2006. Don't ask me why or how, I'm just glad it happened. Consequently, it means I'm done with math classes for the rest of my undergrad career.
The short version of this is me, going from local academic centre to computer (i.e. De Anza online reg system and Davis online reg system) to department advisor (more biking, yay. To the person who originally told me that MAT10 not transferable. And, dear readers, this is why I always double-check everything, it's not the fact that I don't trust you, but that I've been trained to paranoia).
Also I've found upon my initial search that they've posted the finals date for the spring classes so you can find out when they are BEFORE you register and... I have no finals (that I know of) on the 7th, 8th, or 9th of June. My first one is organic chemistry on the 10th (Saturday, but oh well, you can't have everything). I also seems to have my chem and bio final on the same day, but at this point, I'm not about to complain about anything. At all.
Happy to have solved issues in one hour with nothing worse than a tendency to talk too fast and a headache.
I have the hour because apparently the lit teacher's not done with the interviews yet so there's no class today which, for some reason, I don't ever recall being notified about which made me feel, of course, stupid (this is official now: February is my "Oh My God I'm An Idiot Month), but like I said, everything is more or less fine right now and I'm not about to complain.
20060205
Recap: Heavy justice
Job training yesterday was interesting, for the second session we got a lecture (an interactive one, no less) on EEO, which, as I found out, stands for Equal Employment Opportunities.
An entire lecture on diversity, on how people who are different don't get special treatment, but equal treatment, how the person who's chosen for the job has to be, in spite and not because of the differences, the best person for the job.
An entire lecture on how we should appeal to higher authority if we see something happening that shouldn't be happening. Ironically, my entire second session class was of people about my own age, who, as you might imagine, will always have some natural prejudice against authoritative figures
I have nothing against authority, but as I sat there through the hour I wondered if the lecturer realized how many of us consider "appealing to higher levels of authority" as a last resort. It's not merely the fact of losing the comradship of your coworkers/fellow students, or whatever the case may turn out to be, but it's also the fact that unavoidably, the "higher levels of authority" seldom know the problem as intimately as those who live around it. They inevitably, because of their limited time, resource, or whatever, pick the most straight forward route possible and often fail to account in all the details, the subtle factors that contribute to the final outcome, not of just this one case, but of work-relations on the long run. Justice is dealt, eventually, but then usually with a harsher word than what was strictly necessary because justice does not understand, it seems, the importance of careful observation, analysis, or tiptoeing because justice has all the subtility of--dare I say it--an blind elephant in a parlour.
Justice is not graceful, it treads heavily enough that everyone hears of its approach.
But perhaps that is for the best too, for there are enough who would heed the footfalls, large, stomping sounds that they are.
I'm sorry, that's not much of a recap, is it?
Hem. Please deal with it. If not, the exits are located somewhere the form of a little left-poiting arrow near the top left of this browser and/or at the little "x" at the top right. Thank you for visiting. You have a nice day now.
First-
-bottle of Snapple ice tea consumed. Peach flavour. I feel closer to the American culture already. Hem.
[edit 13:04]
Identified the marigold killers as mealy bugs; thanks, Ian.
As that rubbing alcohol is not readily available and that I only have 1 (maybe 2) infected plants, I suppose I'll be following the most basic control procedure: by squishing them.
[edit: 21:37]
Remembered to add, today's the day, I think, that I've set as Adriel Medon's birthday. Happy birthday, Adriel.
An entire lecture on diversity, on how people who are different don't get special treatment, but equal treatment, how the person who's chosen for the job has to be, in spite and not because of the differences, the best person for the job.
An entire lecture on how we should appeal to higher authority if we see something happening that shouldn't be happening. Ironically, my entire second session class was of people about my own age, who, as you might imagine, will always have some natural prejudice against authoritative figures
I have nothing against authority, but as I sat there through the hour I wondered if the lecturer realized how many of us consider "appealing to higher levels of authority" as a last resort. It's not merely the fact of losing the comradship of your coworkers/fellow students, or whatever the case may turn out to be, but it's also the fact that unavoidably, the "higher levels of authority" seldom know the problem as intimately as those who live around it. They inevitably, because of their limited time, resource, or whatever, pick the most straight forward route possible and often fail to account in all the details, the subtle factors that contribute to the final outcome, not of just this one case, but of work-relations on the long run. Justice is dealt, eventually, but then usually with a harsher word than what was strictly necessary because justice does not understand, it seems, the importance of careful observation, analysis, or tiptoeing because justice has all the subtility of--dare I say it--an blind elephant in a parlour.
Justice is not graceful, it treads heavily enough that everyone hears of its approach.
But perhaps that is for the best too, for there are enough who would heed the footfalls, large, stomping sounds that they are.
I'm sorry, that's not much of a recap, is it?
Hem. Please deal with it. If not, the exits are located somewhere the form of a little left-poiting arrow near the top left of this browser and/or at the little "x" at the top right. Thank you for visiting. You have a nice day now.
First-
-bottle of Snapple ice tea consumed. Peach flavour. I feel closer to the American culture already. Hem.
[edit 13:04]
Identified the marigold killers as mealy bugs; thanks, Ian.
As that rubbing alcohol is not readily available and that I only have 1 (maybe 2) infected plants, I suppose I'll be following the most basic control procedure: by squishing them.
[edit: 21:37]
Remembered to add, today's the day, I think, that I've set as Adriel Medon's birthday. Happy birthday, Adriel.
20060204
Recap: For the love of bureaucracy
I have a green slip of paper, an appointment verification, from my last hepB shot, where the nurse told me to come in anytime after Feb. 1st for my next shot and that no referral is needed because, she terms it "it's a 'self' serve' sort of thing." Meaning, I suppose, that the supplies needed for the shot were all present and in order and the only thing needed to be done was for a nurse to get a needle and stick it in my arm. Up to this point it made sense.
So, figuring that whilst taking a break from studying I'll just get over to the student health centre and get the shot yesterday, I walked over, presented the paper, and the lady (an older, more respectable matron than the one who dealt with me the last time, I might add) looked at me and asked, "Do you have an appointment?"
I glanced down at the slip of paper, which, under appointment times, said, "Any time after Feb. 1st" and replied, "Oh the last nurse told me just to come in after Feb. 1st."
She squinted at the other side of the paper, where the previous nurse had scribbled, "Bring vaccination records" because the UC system and the health center seemed to seldom be on the same page, and asked "Do you have your records with you? Your vaccination records," she added unnecessarily as I began digging throgh my backpack for the record I stuck in my agenda (which is the large kind).
Deep inhalation. I found the records and handed them to her. She looked at them over, looked at my green slip, and asked, "You're here for the hepB shot, right?"
Me, tryig not to sigh, "Yes."
Her, squinting at my records, "You've already completed the series, you're fine." Implied: You don't need more shots what the hell (this is from the expression on her face) are you doing here?
Me, thinking this is I should try to visit health centres on the same weekday every time, so I don't need to deal with new people and therefore new rules, "I didn't convert. I did a blood test and they told me I don't have the antibodies yet and that I need to get the shots again."
Her, deeply suspicious, "And did you get the blood test here?"
Me, reminding myself to be rspectful to my elders, "No, I got in Kaiser, where I was before I got enrolled here."
Her, even more suspicious because I suppose the Cowell Health Centre and Kaiser Permanente does not get along much. "Uh-huh...well you're going to need an appointment for this."
What eventually happened is that I got scheduled for my shot at 13:30 Monday. Which, translated into hours of schedule, means that on Monday I'll have classes from eight to nine, ten through twelve, my appointment for class registration starts at twelve thirty, my vaccine appointment is at one thirty in the afternoon, I have a midterm at three o' clock sharp and a chemistry lab from four to seven.
Ladies and gentlemen, Monday is going to be a busy day.
I stand with Garfield. The cartoon cat, not the dead president.
So, figuring that whilst taking a break from studying I'll just get over to the student health centre and get the shot yesterday, I walked over, presented the paper, and the lady (an older, more respectable matron than the one who dealt with me the last time, I might add) looked at me and asked, "Do you have an appointment?"
I glanced down at the slip of paper, which, under appointment times, said, "Any time after Feb. 1st" and replied, "Oh the last nurse told me just to come in after Feb. 1st."
She squinted at the other side of the paper, where the previous nurse had scribbled, "Bring vaccination records" because the UC system and the health center seemed to seldom be on the same page, and asked "Do you have your records with you? Your vaccination records," she added unnecessarily as I began digging throgh my backpack for the record I stuck in my agenda (which is the large kind).
Deep inhalation. I found the records and handed them to her. She looked at them over, looked at my green slip, and asked, "You're here for the hepB shot, right?"
Me, tryig not to sigh, "Yes."
Her, squinting at my records, "You've already completed the series, you're fine." Implied: You don't need more shots what the hell (this is from the expression on her face) are you doing here?
Me, thinking this is I should try to visit health centres on the same weekday every time, so I don't need to deal with new people and therefore new rules, "I didn't convert. I did a blood test and they told me I don't have the antibodies yet and that I need to get the shots again."
Her, deeply suspicious, "And did you get the blood test here?"
Me, reminding myself to be rspectful to my elders, "No, I got in Kaiser, where I was before I got enrolled here."
Her, even more suspicious because I suppose the Cowell Health Centre and Kaiser Permanente does not get along much. "Uh-huh...well you're going to need an appointment for this."
What eventually happened is that I got scheduled for my shot at 13:30 Monday. Which, translated into hours of schedule, means that on Monday I'll have classes from eight to nine, ten through twelve, my appointment for class registration starts at twelve thirty, my vaccine appointment is at one thirty in the afternoon, I have a midterm at three o' clock sharp and a chemistry lab from four to seven.
Ladies and gentlemen, Monday is going to be a busy day.
I stand with Garfield. The cartoon cat, not the dead president.
20060203
Recap: Silver bells and cockle shells
I keep trying to go and visit the greenhouse, but it's never open when I'm there so, fed up with that (still got to visit the field though, since I have the lock combination), I finally emailed the teacher and requested a schedule for when it's going to be open. We'll see what happens.
Also coming to the realization that none of the oranges in our DC ever have seeds. EVER. My first reaction, being cynical, was "oh they probably are worried that we'll have trouble with seeds and then will choke on them and will sue them or something." My second reaction, after a moment of though, was to realize that maybe it's just because the DC wants to make our lives easier because most people hate having to spit out seeds whilst eating a nice fruit. Two choices about what to think, no way to prove it and so what a person thinks and feels depends on what he/she decides.
I've been very lucky with the oranges though. No sour ones yet. Which brings me up to the contination of my on-going war against the strange things that are still up on the marigold.
While watering them yesterday, I was talking to Krista, and we were discussing the sad state of my plants (being attacked by pestilence,etc.) and to show her what I was talking about I took out my reg card and pried off two of those bugs from the marigold to show them to her, she took the card, stared at them, then turned to David (i.e. one of the 2 guys taking over our lounge) and says, "Hey, David, you want a friend?"
David, who has been more less keeping a tab on our conversation, inquires, "Why?" He then thinks about it for a moment and asks, "Is it because all my friends are ugly, is that it?"
My reaction: "..." There is very little I could've said at that point, since I know almost nothing about him beside the fact that he plays the guitar and is taking over our lounge.
Krista has a reply ready though. She handed the card back to me, looked at him, and says, "No, it's because you're ugly."
Me? I left with my reg card to wash off the bugs. Ugly little critters that they are.
...
From this point on, for everyone who's still following this and LUNATICS, please ignore my work schedule as posted in LUNATICS. I'll just post my shifts as they come and if no new posts show up about them, assume I'm still working then and there. This weekend I'm working:
Today: 17:30-20:30
Sat: 10:00-13:00 (training, this Sat only)
13:-14:30 (training, the rescheduled one, also this Sat only)
16:30-21:30
Sun: 16:00-21:30
With another bio midterm (which really ought to be called a quarter-term, since we have 4 of them) next Monday, which is why I'm done with all of my homework for the weekend (except studying, obviously) already.
Speaking of schedules, I have to register for my spring quarter classes next Monday. Yessirree. Have to decide and plan out schedule already and they don't tell you when the final is for each class until the classes actually start, but once again, we'll see.
And first jobs aren't usually this...chaotic. It depends a lot on where you work, in my case my coworkers agree that yes, here you'd have to figure out what's going on yourself because no one else tells you. In which case I really have only my own ineptitude to blame. Working in a library for instance, is a lot easier, but the library doesn't accept first-years as employees. Like most other campus jobs.
Mother still reminding me about internships. I looked. Plant-bio, being plant-bio, means field work. The first two internships I saw, one's in Virgin Island and the other's in Ecuador and mother probably was thinking something like Davis-lab work. Which probably exists, but I'll need to ask professors about it. Imagine her reaction, though. Out of country internships. AHEM.
Also coming to the realization that none of the oranges in our DC ever have seeds. EVER. My first reaction, being cynical, was "oh they probably are worried that we'll have trouble with seeds and then will choke on them and will sue them or something." My second reaction, after a moment of though, was to realize that maybe it's just because the DC wants to make our lives easier because most people hate having to spit out seeds whilst eating a nice fruit. Two choices about what to think, no way to prove it and so what a person thinks and feels depends on what he/she decides.
I've been very lucky with the oranges though. No sour ones yet. Which brings me up to the contination of my on-going war against the strange things that are still up on the marigold.
While watering them yesterday, I was talking to Krista, and we were discussing the sad state of my plants (being attacked by pestilence,etc.) and to show her what I was talking about I took out my reg card and pried off two of those bugs from the marigold to show them to her, she took the card, stared at them, then turned to David (i.e. one of the 2 guys taking over our lounge) and says, "Hey, David, you want a friend?"
David, who has been more less keeping a tab on our conversation, inquires, "Why?" He then thinks about it for a moment and asks, "Is it because all my friends are ugly, is that it?"
My reaction: "..." There is very little I could've said at that point, since I know almost nothing about him beside the fact that he plays the guitar and is taking over our lounge.
Krista has a reply ready though. She handed the card back to me, looked at him, and says, "No, it's because you're ugly."
Me? I left with my reg card to wash off the bugs. Ugly little critters that they are.
...
From this point on, for everyone who's still following this and LUNATICS, please ignore my work schedule as posted in LUNATICS. I'll just post my shifts as they come and if no new posts show up about them, assume I'm still working then and there. This weekend I'm working:
Today: 17:30-20:30
Sat: 10:00-13:00 (training, this Sat only)
13:-14:30 (training, the rescheduled one, also this Sat only)
16:30-21:30
Sun: 16:00-21:30
With another bio midterm (which really ought to be called a quarter-term, since we have 4 of them) next Monday, which is why I'm done with all of my homework for the weekend (except studying, obviously) already.
Speaking of schedules, I have to register for my spring quarter classes next Monday. Yessirree. Have to decide and plan out schedule already and they don't tell you when the final is for each class until the classes actually start, but once again, we'll see.
And first jobs aren't usually this...chaotic. It depends a lot on where you work, in my case my coworkers agree that yes, here you'd have to figure out what's going on yourself because no one else tells you. In which case I really have only my own ineptitude to blame. Working in a library for instance, is a lot easier, but the library doesn't accept first-years as employees. Like most other campus jobs.
Mother still reminding me about internships. I looked. Plant-bio, being plant-bio, means field work. The first two internships I saw, one's in Virgin Island and the other's in Ecuador and mother probably was thinking something like Davis-lab work. Which probably exists, but I'll need to ask professors about it. Imagine her reaction, though. Out of country internships. AHEM.
20060202
Recap: Listen my children and you shall hear
No, not nearly.
Actually, very, very far from "nearly" and made even further by the events of what actually happened, so here's another story for the future records.
It was very dark and I was biking over to Oxford Circle, where I was told the safety training session was scheduled at. It was uneventful aside from the fact that it had rained earlier so A) I was somewhat paranoid about the wet ground and biked VERY carefully B) I was slightly worried about the possibility it raining again later because late night--rain--bike--not fun. And then I got to the place somewhat early, as it is my habit to do, and stood outside for a while studying for bio (yes, I was reading words like "phosphofructokinase" while standing out there) and when the time was about there I entered and asked the girl who worked at the front desk if the safety training's upstairs and she said "Yeah."
Thus I went upstairs, and found all the rooms empty and dark save one, which was a dining room and was also empty. I was the only one upstairs. Naturally I went downstairs again and looked around for anyone who I might marginally recognize who might come to this insane, insane night-time training session. Finding none, I was naturally unsettled and went to the front desk again, and the other girl had left and the manager was standing there so I went up again, just to double check, and asked "The safety training tonight's upstairs, here, right?"
The manager stared at me like I was insane and answered. "There's no safety training here tonight." She looked at her watch, then helpfully added, "We don't schedule training sessions this late here, ever."
This was about the stage where I paused and checked whether the world is insane, or if I am, then upon remembering that both are at the same time anyway and therefore wouldn't be able to be used to formulate a useful hypothesis about the general insanity of what was happening, I explained to the manager that the safety training, I was told, have to be made by appointment at the Human Resource Center, and the nice lady there end up scheduling me for this nighttime session--which she insisted was nighttime and which was why I was scheduled for it because I couldn't make it to the other sessions this week--and now that I'm here and apparently no one else is--what should I do?
Being very helpful, she got through the lines and let me call the manager from MY work place, to attempt to figure out what's happening. The line was busy.
Yay.
Eventually, after waiting a few more minutes (five past ten) just to be sure that yes, something was definitely not right, I ended up biking BACK to Segundo where I worked and talked with the managers there where I found out that yes, I've been given the wrong schedule and could I possibly schedule my training session some other time?
One of the managers, trying to make me feel better, told me of how he was "screwed over by the Human Resource Centre earlier just that day" because he was suppose to cover someone else for interview at three/four, and the place someone ended up scheduling him for two so he got called in the middle of his microecon midterm. It did not make me feel better by much, but I take this as another experience that I can learn something from. I.e. when someone tells you something that doesn't sound right, double check with that person and then with someone else. Paranoia does pay off, apparently, at least in thise sort of circumstances.
Oh and also biking around by yourself randomly, late at night, is not all that exciting. Such a disappointment (ahem).
But I got to sleep before 1am. I'm very happy about that.
Note: Critters attacking marigold are nasty. Have far too many legs. And are fleshy. And the only working way of getting rid of them discovered thus far have been squishing them with the tip of my pencil which is utterly revolting but absolutely necessary.
Note2: Am failing bio quiz because I couldn't remember which side of the equation acetaldehyde goes on. Note to self to study ALL previous investigation activities, and not just the recent ones.
Aside from that: Hope you feel better soon Lucy and I will NOT be kidnapping anyone, even for you, I'm sorry.
Actually, very, very far from "nearly" and made even further by the events of what actually happened, so here's another story for the future records.
It was very dark and I was biking over to Oxford Circle, where I was told the safety training session was scheduled at. It was uneventful aside from the fact that it had rained earlier so A) I was somewhat paranoid about the wet ground and biked VERY carefully B) I was slightly worried about the possibility it raining again later because late night--rain--bike--not fun. And then I got to the place somewhat early, as it is my habit to do, and stood outside for a while studying for bio (yes, I was reading words like "phosphofructokinase" while standing out there) and when the time was about there I entered and asked the girl who worked at the front desk if the safety training's upstairs and she said "Yeah."
Thus I went upstairs, and found all the rooms empty and dark save one, which was a dining room and was also empty. I was the only one upstairs. Naturally I went downstairs again and looked around for anyone who I might marginally recognize who might come to this insane, insane night-time training session. Finding none, I was naturally unsettled and went to the front desk again, and the other girl had left and the manager was standing there so I went up again, just to double check, and asked "The safety training tonight's upstairs, here, right?"
The manager stared at me like I was insane and answered. "There's no safety training here tonight." She looked at her watch, then helpfully added, "We don't schedule training sessions this late here, ever."
This was about the stage where I paused and checked whether the world is insane, or if I am, then upon remembering that both are at the same time anyway and therefore wouldn't be able to be used to formulate a useful hypothesis about the general insanity of what was happening, I explained to the manager that the safety training, I was told, have to be made by appointment at the Human Resource Center, and the nice lady there end up scheduling me for this nighttime session--which she insisted was nighttime and which was why I was scheduled for it because I couldn't make it to the other sessions this week--and now that I'm here and apparently no one else is--what should I do?
Being very helpful, she got through the lines and let me call the manager from MY work place, to attempt to figure out what's happening. The line was busy.
Yay.
Eventually, after waiting a few more minutes (five past ten) just to be sure that yes, something was definitely not right, I ended up biking BACK to Segundo where I worked and talked with the managers there where I found out that yes, I've been given the wrong schedule and could I possibly schedule my training session some other time?
One of the managers, trying to make me feel better, told me of how he was "screwed over by the Human Resource Centre earlier just that day" because he was suppose to cover someone else for interview at three/four, and the place someone ended up scheduling him for two so he got called in the middle of his microecon midterm. It did not make me feel better by much, but I take this as another experience that I can learn something from. I.e. when someone tells you something that doesn't sound right, double check with that person and then with someone else. Paranoia does pay off, apparently, at least in thise sort of circumstances.
Oh and also biking around by yourself randomly, late at night, is not all that exciting. Such a disappointment (ahem).
But I got to sleep before 1am. I'm very happy about that.
Note: Critters attacking marigold are nasty. Have far too many legs. And are fleshy. And the only working way of getting rid of them discovered thus far have been squishing them with the tip of my pencil which is utterly revolting but absolutely necessary.
Note2: Am failing bio quiz because I couldn't remember which side of the equation acetaldehyde goes on. Note to self to study ALL previous investigation activities, and not just the recent ones.
Aside from that: Hope you feel better soon Lucy and I will NOT be kidnapping anyone, even for you, I'm sorry.
20060201
Recap: Il y a un homme
First of all, going off of Lucy's comment to yester's post:
Shredded carrots.........$24,365.54
Fishing out shredded carrots from your sleeve while reading your chem text...priceless.
There are something money can't buy, for everything else...etc.
Happy Wednesday.
Now, this brings me back to today's story, which actually happened yesterday and the day before but yesterday was sort of the breaking point for it. It's so...strange and amusing I have to share it.
Remember during my senior year how I once drew a "real-life" sketch of a fictional character that I created (for those of you who remembers this name: Alec) and then how Soniya said it looks EXACTLY like this girl and ranted to me, repeatedly, about how she HAS TO show me this girl (whom, by the way, I never saw and probably will never see).
And then remember, Lucy, in the beginning of this year where I mentioned that I 'saw' another character, Zach, in the dining commons? I never saw him again, but that was creepy too.
So what I'm getting up to is that the other day, I looked up from getting out my notebook in the bio lecture hall, and saw Nick. Now for those of you who'd seen the original sketch, the very first one done on the left-over-from-physio notecards, where I didn't shade in the hair and so it looked like Nick might as well be blonde? That is exactly what the guy (I don't know him) looked like. Complete with the expression because he was looking for his friends in the 500-people lecture hall. This is both more and less strange than the last-year Alec-incident because Alec is entirely pictured in my head and Nick's sketch is originally based on a photo of a real life person (random googling, FYI, ask me if you want to know exactly what I did), which made it marginally better to have some flesh-and-blood being looking like that. but it's still unnerving to have someone who looks so MUCH like a cartoon you drew. I mean, he was about the right height and built too and the only thing wrong was that A. his hair was light brown, not black, and B. he was dressed too normally in jacket and jeans.
Get a hold of yourself, Lucy. (AHEM.)
And then (why I denoted yesterday as a breaking point), yesterday, I saw him again right before the bio lecture and for some reason he was wearing this really strangely coloured sweater over a shirt. It looked like a DRESS SHIRT. I have no idea what or why he was dressed like that for, but I couldn't help but to start laughing to myself. Of course I was doing it quietly, but I was under the impression that the person who sat next to me thought I was completely wacko.
I can't blame her. I felt sort of wacko. Not the city in Texas.
Noted: soap water has no effect on the strange things that are currently afflicting my marigold.
[edit 20:53]
In an email from my mother tonight:
Your statement for education fee for tax have sent
today by some office not your school. So you do not
need to query this thing.
And that brings an end to my Tuesday's story, of how I inquired and biked, and received the grocery receipt. Next time my parents tell me to do something ahead of time I think I might tell them to wait. Just a few day longer.
But I am very experienced now. Yes. And I have a photo of Dutton Hall.
Shredded carrots.........$24,365.54
Fishing out shredded carrots from your sleeve while reading your chem text...priceless.
There are something money can't buy, for everything else...etc.
Happy Wednesday.
Now, this brings me back to today's story, which actually happened yesterday and the day before but yesterday was sort of the breaking point for it. It's so...strange and amusing I have to share it.
Remember during my senior year how I once drew a "real-life" sketch of a fictional character that I created (for those of you who remembers this name: Alec) and then how Soniya said it looks EXACTLY like this girl and ranted to me, repeatedly, about how she HAS TO show me this girl (whom, by the way, I never saw and probably will never see).
And then remember, Lucy, in the beginning of this year where I mentioned that I 'saw' another character, Zach, in the dining commons? I never saw him again, but that was creepy too.
So what I'm getting up to is that the other day, I looked up from getting out my notebook in the bio lecture hall, and saw Nick. Now for those of you who'd seen the original sketch, the very first one done on the left-over-from-physio notecards, where I didn't shade in the hair and so it looked like Nick might as well be blonde? That is exactly what the guy (I don't know him) looked like. Complete with the expression because he was looking for his friends in the 500-people lecture hall. This is both more and less strange than the last-year Alec-incident because Alec is entirely pictured in my head and Nick's sketch is originally based on a photo of a real life person (random googling, FYI, ask me if you want to know exactly what I did), which made it marginally better to have some flesh-and-blood being looking like that. but it's still unnerving to have someone who looks so MUCH like a cartoon you drew. I mean, he was about the right height and built too and the only thing wrong was that A. his hair was light brown, not black, and B. he was dressed too normally in jacket and jeans.
Get a hold of yourself, Lucy. (AHEM.)
And then (why I denoted yesterday as a breaking point), yesterday, I saw him again right before the bio lecture and for some reason he was wearing this really strangely coloured sweater over a shirt. It looked like a DRESS SHIRT. I have no idea what or why he was dressed like that for, but I couldn't help but to start laughing to myself. Of course I was doing it quietly, but I was under the impression that the person who sat next to me thought I was completely wacko.
I can't blame her. I felt sort of wacko. Not the city in Texas.
Noted: soap water has no effect on the strange things that are currently afflicting my marigold.
[edit 20:53]
In an email from my mother tonight:
Your statement for education fee for tax have sent
today by some office not your school. So you do not
need to query this thing.
And that brings an end to my Tuesday's story, of how I inquired and biked, and received the grocery receipt. Next time my parents tell me to do something ahead of time I think I might tell them to wait. Just a few day longer.
But I am very experienced now. Yes. And I have a photo of Dutton Hall.
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