I'm out on the highway, feeling the engine roar as I accelerate, soaring past miles and miles of my Missouri - grasses green and golden and all the late-summer wildflowers, cresting gentle hills, passing through shadows the setting sun casts through the pines, and I feel free... ordinary... native.
It is a strange and wonderful feeling.
September 04, 2009
C'est la vie
Since I stalkerishly keep track of the Google searches people are using to get to my blog, I've noticed in recent days that a number of people have been ending up on the posts I wrote last Spring about my Spanish Composition class. Their search terms? "Latigosa translation" "Meaning of Recontrafranco" "Viboresca Spanish definition".
... Suddenly I realized. These are college students, using the same textbook I used, using Google as a Dictionary. And here I've provided them a neat little roadmap: my comments on most of the stories, my translations of a few key lines and difficult words, etc. :P
C'est la vie...
... Suddenly I realized. These are college students, using the same textbook I used, using Google as a Dictionary. And here I've provided them a neat little roadmap: my comments on most of the stories, my translations of a few key lines and difficult words, etc. :P
C'est la vie...
September 02, 2009
Japan - Raw Experiences
I know I keep saying, "Tomorrow, Tomorrow" about Japan. But the truth is that it was so different, so fascinating, that I don't know where to begin. I'm trying to unravel my memories and the things I brought back with me. Some days I cling to the material objects I brought home as souvenirs, because the rest of it seems too ephemeral, too far away.
The whole thing lacks cohesiveness. It exists as a whole, don't misunderstand. If I sat down now I could talk and talk and talk and show pictures and videos and cards and candies and fireworks and paper fans and prattle off words and, after a month, I could tell you about Japan. But it's tangled in my mind, and untangling it is not something that can be rushed through. I can't tell you the ten best parts, nor show you the ten best photos. It is all tied together, one giant mass of raw experiences.
That doesn't mean I'm not working with it at all. Today I thought about the video I plan to make, combining video clips I took while in Japan. I gathered those clips today, strung them all together on Windows Movie Maker, and watched. When all was said and done, I took 36 minutes of video in Japan, mostly in the form of five to ten second clips.
- Traffic
- The funicular rising to Mt. Koya
- The water flowing in and out of the Koya Dofu, like a sponge
- Crabs scuttling around Miyajima at low tide
- Flowers blowing in the wind
- Passing sunlit forests by bus
- Mists climbing Mt. Misen
- The reflection of the Golden Pavilion
- Tokyo's most crowded alley
- Waterfalls
- Windchimes in Kanazawa
- The tide coming in around Miyajima's floating shrine
- Clouds enveloping an island in the inland sea
- Miniature rivers in Kenrokuen
- Crowds in the Tokyo subway
- A tame deer attacking in search of food
- The turbulent waters under the Shogun Bridge in Nikko
- Crowds leaving Tokyo Disney Sea as it closes
- A firework festival
- Crows in a graveyard in Kyoto
- The waves on the shores of the lake of the dead
- Bubbling, sulfurous pools of Mount Fear
- Summer fireworks with Mayumi and Mitsuki
- The world's busiest intersection
- A white moth, fluttering in circles over the red earth
- Rainwater hitting the roof of shrines
- The steaming source of the hot mineral waters of Yumoto Onsen
- The Japanese bath in Sanboin
- Karaoke Boats
- The Illuminated Earth in Yokohama
- A giant mechanical spider
- Ginza from the Sky Bus
- A duck feeding in the marshes on Yumoto
- Matsuri Gion procession
- Rushing past houses and rivers and dams on the train
- City bells and strong winds in Mutsu
- The top of the waterfall in Takayama
- The Japanese river Styx
- Lavender Fields
- Looking over Yokohama from the Ferris Wheel
-------------------------------------------------------------------
"The novel looked ragged and unfinished, like the hull of a ship rotting on the beach."
- Turning Japanese, David Mura
A white moth, fluttering in circles over the red earth.
The whole thing lacks cohesiveness. It exists as a whole, don't misunderstand. If I sat down now I could talk and talk and talk and show pictures and videos and cards and candies and fireworks and paper fans and prattle off words and, after a month, I could tell you about Japan. But it's tangled in my mind, and untangling it is not something that can be rushed through. I can't tell you the ten best parts, nor show you the ten best photos. It is all tied together, one giant mass of raw experiences.
That doesn't mean I'm not working with it at all. Today I thought about the video I plan to make, combining video clips I took while in Japan. I gathered those clips today, strung them all together on Windows Movie Maker, and watched. When all was said and done, I took 36 minutes of video in Japan, mostly in the form of five to ten second clips.
- Traffic
- The funicular rising to Mt. Koya
- The water flowing in and out of the Koya Dofu, like a sponge
- Crabs scuttling around Miyajima at low tide
- Flowers blowing in the wind
- Passing sunlit forests by bus
- Mists climbing Mt. Misen
- The reflection of the Golden Pavilion
- Tokyo's most crowded alley
- Waterfalls
- Windchimes in Kanazawa
- The tide coming in around Miyajima's floating shrine
- Clouds enveloping an island in the inland sea
- Miniature rivers in Kenrokuen
- Crowds in the Tokyo subway
- A tame deer attacking in search of food
- The turbulent waters under the Shogun Bridge in Nikko
- Crowds leaving Tokyo Disney Sea as it closes
- A firework festival
- Crows in a graveyard in Kyoto
- The waves on the shores of the lake of the dead
- Bubbling, sulfurous pools of Mount Fear
- Summer fireworks with Mayumi and Mitsuki
- The world's busiest intersection
- A white moth, fluttering in circles over the red earth
- Rainwater hitting the roof of shrines
- The steaming source of the hot mineral waters of Yumoto Onsen
- The Japanese bath in Sanboin
- Karaoke Boats
- The Illuminated Earth in Yokohama
- A giant mechanical spider
- Ginza from the Sky Bus
- A duck feeding in the marshes on Yumoto
- Matsuri Gion procession
- Rushing past houses and rivers and dams on the train
- City bells and strong winds in Mutsu
- The top of the waterfall in Takayama
- The Japanese river Styx
- Lavender Fields
- Looking over Yokohama from the Ferris Wheel
-------------------------------------------------------------------
"The novel looked ragged and unfinished, like the hull of a ship rotting on the beach."
- Turning Japanese, David Mura
A white moth, fluttering in circles over the red earth.
The Faroese Coincidence
So, it had been a while, pretty much all summer, since I had experienced any of the psychotic coincidences that characterized last Spring. Remember, the mutual friends I had in common with the Norwegian guy studying here, the many uncanny similarities between Danial and I, that I knew the exact area this one guy lived in Brazil, that I'd been to Elisa's Naantali, etc...
Another one just hit. And I think it will have more of a useful effect on my life than the others. You see, it turns out that I am not the only person in the world who is learning Faroese. I am not even the only American learning Faroese, or the only Midwesterner. In fact, there are two other people here in my home state of Missouri who are learning this odd but awesome language - and they live a short twenty minute drive from Columbia!
Enter Kristel and Zac. They approached Uni in Uni's Meebo chat, and Uni thought he'd put us in touch with one another, since we all live in the same state. As it turned out, we live close enough to meet weekly! Kristel even used to be an MU student, so we decided to meet at nearby Memorial Union, which we both knew well.
So far it's awesome. They're very nice and we've had fun together. We have the Lockwood text from the MU library (which they repaired over the summer - the new binding even matches the title on the cover :D), and they are planning to order the famous 'new' books any day now. What I'm trying to figure out is what's the most unlikely part of the whole situation:
A.) That I exist
B.) The they exist
C.) That despite living twenty miles away from each other, we met through Uni, who lives thousands of miles away from any of us
:)
Not only is this all fun, it is giving me the motivation to actually work on Faroese, both because I have people to be accountable to, and because I sort of take the whole thing as a sign. Faroese is not easy and it's not even always fun, but I'm starting to get there. I'm at least starting to understand the complicated framework on which everything hangs - and, once you can visualize the framework, the language becomes possible. I remember when this started to happen with Finnish.
Uni and I have put in a lot of long hours working on my pronunciation, and I'm actually starting to learn. It's a thin line, though, since I don't want to forget how to pronounce German and Norwegian on the way, so I'm trying to break it up and speak those every once in a while. The spelling doesn't seem quite as chaotic as it used to - patterns are starting to emerge. And it amuses me greatly that however I mangle a word initially, Uni always seems to say, "You sound just like people from ____oy!!"
September 01, 2009
Mini-Onigiri with Hint of Lemon
Onigiri are a traditional and delicious Japanese snack consisting of a ball of sticky rice, handrolled around a salty or sour filling, and then wrapped in a thin layer of crisp seaweed. Today I was craving the basic idea of Onigiri, especially the delightful texture, but I didn't have Japanese rice, any of the traditional fillings, good quality Onigiri seaweed, or the dedication to do things 'exactly right'. So, I played around and invented these Mini-Onigiri with a Hint of Lemon.
I found them delicious, and shared them with some friends. They were extremely apprehensive at first - I think it was their first time eating seaweed. But they were all amazed by how much they enjoyed it, and kept asking me if there was some sort of sauce in it. Nope! Just yummy sticky rice. (and a hint of lemon)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is what you need:
1 cup uncooked calrose rice (or Japanese rice. Just make sure it can get good and sticky)
1 teaspoon-tablespoon of oil
1 teaspoon of salt
A bit of lemon (I cut four very thin slices from a real lemon. Just lemon juice or peel would be okay I'm sure - add to taste)
Some seaweed (the low quality, sesame oil covered, snack variety works fine. Just make sure it comes in at least small flat sheets, so you can use it to wrap the rice)
A Rice Cooker (or you can try cooking the rice in a pot. You're on your own)
First, you'll need to cook the rice. If you're confident in your own sticky-rice-cooking skills, feel free to skip this section - but do add the oil, salt, and lemon whenever you feel is appropriate. Otherwise stay with me. Heat the oil in your rice cooker. Add the uncooked rice and stir until the hot oil is coating each grain. Let cook like this for a minute or two.
Add the water and the salt. Stir. Turn the rice cooker to the warm setting and let sit for a few minutes, if you like to soak your rice. I did, the first time I made this recipe. After that, turn the rice cooker on and let it cook.
Most rice cooker turn themselves to the warm setting when the rice is finished. When the rice is almost finished, (there's still a bit of liquid and a lot of steaming), add the lemon. You don't have to stir it in or anything, (in fact, don't, unless you just put in peel or something else you can take out before eating) just leave it on top of the rice and shut the lid. The aroma and taste of the lemon will permeate the rice nicely.
When you're finished, let the rice cool until you can handle it easily with your bare hands. Then, take a bit (about a handful), and press it between your hands. It should hold shapes relatively easily, since it's sticky rice. Make a circle - oval -triangle - whatever, then take a strip of seaweed and fold it over the outside of your riceball. You don't need to fully wrap the onigiri, so that no rice shows, although you can if you want. Normally I just wrap a square of seaweed around one edge, so I can hold it and get a bit of salty crunch. Repeat until you've used up all your rice and seaweed, and you should have a lovely place of rice balls.
Wash your hands, since they'll be sticky. Onigiri are finger food, and you're supposed to hold them with the seaweed wrapper. Enjoy!!! ^^
I found them delicious, and shared them with some friends. They were extremely apprehensive at first - I think it was their first time eating seaweed. But they were all amazed by how much they enjoyed it, and kept asking me if there was some sort of sauce in it. Nope! Just yummy sticky rice. (and a hint of lemon)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is what you need:
1 cup uncooked calrose rice (or Japanese rice. Just make sure it can get good and sticky)
1 teaspoon-tablespoon of oil
1 teaspoon of salt
A bit of lemon (I cut four very thin slices from a real lemon. Just lemon juice or peel would be okay I'm sure - add to taste)
Some seaweed (the low quality, sesame oil covered, snack variety works fine. Just make sure it comes in at least small flat sheets, so you can use it to wrap the rice)
A Rice Cooker (or you can try cooking the rice in a pot. You're on your own)
First, you'll need to cook the rice. If you're confident in your own sticky-rice-cooking skills, feel free to skip this section - but do add the oil, salt, and lemon whenever you feel is appropriate. Otherwise stay with me. Heat the oil in your rice cooker. Add the uncooked rice and stir until the hot oil is coating each grain. Let cook like this for a minute or two.
Add the water and the salt. Stir. Turn the rice cooker to the warm setting and let sit for a few minutes, if you like to soak your rice. I did, the first time I made this recipe. After that, turn the rice cooker on and let it cook.
Most rice cooker turn themselves to the warm setting when the rice is finished. When the rice is almost finished, (there's still a bit of liquid and a lot of steaming), add the lemon. You don't have to stir it in or anything, (in fact, don't, unless you just put in peel or something else you can take out before eating) just leave it on top of the rice and shut the lid. The aroma and taste of the lemon will permeate the rice nicely.
When you're finished, let the rice cool until you can handle it easily with your bare hands. Then, take a bit (about a handful), and press it between your hands. It should hold shapes relatively easily, since it's sticky rice. Make a circle - oval -triangle - whatever, then take a strip of seaweed and fold it over the outside of your riceball. You don't need to fully wrap the onigiri, so that no rice shows, although you can if you want. Normally I just wrap a square of seaweed around one edge, so I can hold it and get a bit of salty crunch. Repeat until you've used up all your rice and seaweed, and you should have a lovely place of rice balls.
Wash your hands, since they'll be sticky. Onigiri are finger food, and you're supposed to hold them with the seaweed wrapper. Enjoy!!! ^^
Universität Bonn
I have been date and prerequisite checking like mad. It looks as if my crazy plan of studying abroad in German, Spain, and Norway is actually going to work. Last Friday I went to the Journalism School to ask some questions about my sequence, and I also met with the Study Abroad Adviser for Journalism. None of it's going to be easy, but she said it would probably work out. The main problem is going to be applying for my Spanish Visa when I'm in Germany. :S I really don't want to be passport-less for a month in central Europe. But I'll do what I have to do.
Today I went and talked to the adviser for Germany. It's come to my attention that it may not be the easiest thing in the world to prove that I've fulfilled the prerequisites for studying in Germany, thanks to the whole class skipping thing. Also, my German teacher last semester, who was awesome and would totally write me a letter of recommendation, is IN Germany this year, so it may be hard for me to get a hold of her if I need such a letter.
But those are relatively minor issues. Otherwise it looks pretty good. The German adviser is nice, although I got the feeling that she deals with a lot of students who don't know what they're getting themselves in for with Study Abroad. (Probably a direct result of strongly encouraging everyone to do so. They'll learn a lot, yes, but they'll probably have some rough times adjusting to doing things by themselves, meeting deadlines, etc)
Also, she doesn't speak German, which means that it's very much up to me to figure out all the fancy German on the University of Bonn's websites. Probably a good thing - I can't hope to pass a class if I can't even decipher it's name. Still, they pretty much use the fanciest words they can, which makes it an interesting exercise in breaking down compound words.
https://basis.uni-bonn.de/qisserver/rds?state=wtree&search=1&category=veranstaltung.browse&topitem=lectures&subitem=lectureindex&breadcrumb=lectureindex&k_semester.semid=20092&idcol=k_semester.semid&idval=20092&purge=n&getglobal=semester&text=Wintersemester+2009%2F09
When I am in Pamplona, I will be studying Journalism. I should have a class or two of availability left after I max out my Journalism abroad credits, though, and I'm filling those with Spanish. On the other hand, in Germany and Norway, I really can't take any classes for Journalism or Spanish. If I see an opportunity to knock out a Spanish credit, I'll take it, regardless of the weirdness of studying Spanish in Norway, but still, it's only one credit.
Which means I'm pretty much free to drool at the other course offerings. This is my chance to take Anthropology, Art History, Psychology, even... OTHER LANGUAGES!!
This wildly exciting thought first occurred to me when, still trying to get my bearings, I stumbled upon an Italian class. I've always wanted to actually study Italian, I thought! And Russian too! I also clicked on the Asian studies section to look into that Japanese class I've always wanted to actually take. And... Wow.
Just Wow.
Want want want want.
Especially Tibetan. I mean come on.
And suddenly I have this image of myself in Bonn, the former capital of Germany, eating Brötchen every day, and studying German (natürlig) alongside Art History, Italian, and Tibetan. It could happen.
Five Other Reasons why Universität Bonn is awesome:
1.) It Saves my Eurocentric Dignity
By some awful twist of fate, University of Navarra (Pamplona) and University of Bergen are both very young schools. Disturbingly young, actually, for European countries. After all, they're supposed to be thousands of years old, the site of dozens of historical events, and the alma mater of all of history's greats, right?
Add to that the interesting fact that University of Missouri Columbia is the oldest University this side of the Mississippi, and you have the threat of an irony that just cannot be allowed to happen. "Yes, I've studied in three European Universities, and my Midwestern University was older than any of them! Plus Brad Pitt went there!"
But lo! The day is saved by Bonn! Founded in 1818, it is a whole 21 years older than my University of Missouri-Columbia.
And Forget about Brad Pitt - he didn't even graduate!
Let's talk real notable alumni:
2.) Nietzsche
The Famous Philosopher!
3.) Goebbels
The Famous Nazi!
4.) Karl Marx
The Famous Communist!
5.) The Pope
Enough Said.
Today I went and talked to the adviser for Germany. It's come to my attention that it may not be the easiest thing in the world to prove that I've fulfilled the prerequisites for studying in Germany, thanks to the whole class skipping thing. Also, my German teacher last semester, who was awesome and would totally write me a letter of recommendation, is IN Germany this year, so it may be hard for me to get a hold of her if I need such a letter.
But those are relatively minor issues. Otherwise it looks pretty good. The German adviser is nice, although I got the feeling that she deals with a lot of students who don't know what they're getting themselves in for with Study Abroad. (Probably a direct result of strongly encouraging everyone to do so. They'll learn a lot, yes, but they'll probably have some rough times adjusting to doing things by themselves, meeting deadlines, etc)
Also, she doesn't speak German, which means that it's very much up to me to figure out all the fancy German on the University of Bonn's websites. Probably a good thing - I can't hope to pass a class if I can't even decipher it's name. Still, they pretty much use the fanciest words they can, which makes it an interesting exercise in breaking down compound words.
https://basis.uni-bonn.de/qisserver/rds?state=wtree&search=1&category=veranstaltung.browse&topitem=lectures&subitem=lectureindex&breadcrumb=lectureindex&k_semester.semid=20092&idcol=k_semester.semid&idval=20092&purge=n&getglobal=semester&text=Wintersemester+2009%2F09
When I am in Pamplona, I will be studying Journalism. I should have a class or two of availability left after I max out my Journalism abroad credits, though, and I'm filling those with Spanish. On the other hand, in Germany and Norway, I really can't take any classes for Journalism or Spanish. If I see an opportunity to knock out a Spanish credit, I'll take it, regardless of the weirdness of studying Spanish in Norway, but still, it's only one credit.
Which means I'm pretty much free to drool at the other course offerings. This is my chance to take Anthropology, Art History, Psychology, even... OTHER LANGUAGES!!
This wildly exciting thought first occurred to me when, still trying to get my bearings, I stumbled upon an Italian class. I've always wanted to actually study Italian, I thought! And Russian too! I also clicked on the Asian studies section to look into that Japanese class I've always wanted to actually take. And... Wow.
Just Wow.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Want want want want.
Especially Tibetan. I mean come on.
And suddenly I have this image of myself in Bonn, the former capital of Germany, eating Brötchen every day, and studying German (natürlig) alongside Art History, Italian, and Tibetan. It could happen.
Five Other Reasons why Universität Bonn is awesome:
1.) It Saves my Eurocentric Dignity
By some awful twist of fate, University of Navarra (Pamplona) and University of Bergen are both very young schools. Disturbingly young, actually, for European countries. After all, they're supposed to be thousands of years old, the site of dozens of historical events, and the alma mater of all of history's greats, right?
Add to that the interesting fact that University of Missouri Columbia is the oldest University this side of the Mississippi, and you have the threat of an irony that just cannot be allowed to happen. "Yes, I've studied in three European Universities, and my Midwestern University was older than any of them! Plus Brad Pitt went there!"
But lo! The day is saved by Bonn! Founded in 1818, it is a whole 21 years older than my University of Missouri-Columbia.
And Forget about Brad Pitt - he didn't even graduate!
Let's talk real notable alumni:
2.) Nietzsche
The Famous Philosopher!
3.) Goebbels
The Famous Nazi!
4.) Karl Marx
The Famous Communist!
5.) The Pope
Enough Said.
August 31, 2009
Enough Already
I'm starting to get quite sick of certain repeat elements in my education. Currently, the dominant frustrations are: the concept of "unlearning", Wikihatred, and wise master Yoda.
--------------------------------------------
Unlearning
I have been in so many classes now where they tell us that the time has come to "Unlearn what we have learned". It sounds dramatic, of course, and it strikes fear into the hearts of many, which I suppose is the intent. I groan. If I was really going to be unlearning everything I learned in the prerequisites, they wouldn't be prerequisites, would they?
Why would I go to school for 18 years (K-Undergrad Super Senior) if I'm spending half of each year unlearning the year before? Stupidity.
English is the worst about this, because in English, it's true to a certain extent. First they tell you to start being creative and coming up with other words for 'said', then they tell you that's foolish, don't try to make your work any more flowery than comes naturally. And I can sort of see where they're coming from. But from the sound of things, they want to completely rewrite your knowledge of the English language every year. And that's just not what happens.
On the other hand, I wonder if they don't sometimes mean that, rather than deleting our previous knowledge, we are merely augmenting it, rewriting it in such a level of increased detail that some people feel as though it's a different set of knowledge whatsoever. In which case we need a technology update - we are no longer handwriting or even handtyping things, where we need to redo a page to add a detail. We work on computers - we can just click between the lines and resume where we left off.
I don't know about you, but I flatter myself by considering my brain more like a computer than a rudimentary writing tablet.
----------------------------------------------
Wikihatred
Otherwise respectable teachers start looking like baptist preachers when they get in on this subject. Yes, certainly there are some students who use Wikipedia very irresponsibly, but I feel like there is a lot of ignorance on the part of teachers about this subject as well.
They tell you that their six year old nephew can edit Wikipedia. I've heard this statement from enough people, in enough contexts, that I don't think they even have a six year old nephew, and I really don't think he edits Wikipedia. I think instead it's a statement made in fear and misunderstanding, a hyperbole.
The truth is that Wikipedia is rather strict. Sure, if there's a long list of names of people who invented Photoshop on one page, you might get away with slipping your name in. But when is it really going to matter?
It depends on why you're using Wikipedia.
I would not use it to fact check an individual or to write a report on a political candidate - basically, in any way that A.) Someone would have a motive to put false information on Wikipedia and B.) I would suffer negative consequences from using this false information. Which is a lot of ways.
But if I am sitting around wondering about, for example, the History of Time Zones, or Wasabi, I will check Wikipedia. And Lo! The information is correct. It's not an excuse for a textbook, of course, but if I am a bit curious about a given topic, it's a fine source for me to indulge my curiosity.
Another way I frequently use Wikipedia is to get an idea of the broader context that a given thing fits within. In my opinion, Wikipedia's hyperlinks are invaluable. I can spend half a day going from one page to another, and another. Everything in our world is interconnected, and Wikipedia does remarkably well at illustrating those connections.
Wikipedia has features that would never be found in a more serious reference book. For example, on most pages, it also lists references to popular culture that mentions a specific topic. If I was looking for that information for, say, a school report, I would fact check it elsewhere, of course. Still, where else am I going to go for that feature? It is entirely a product of the Wiki system.
And Wikipedia is NOT as easy to edit as everyone says. Going back to the Photoshop Staff reference - yes, such a thing is possible. But I have tried to update Wikipedia five or six times. I've only had two edits go through. One was about my dorm on campus, a subject of little importance and one I had a good deal of knowledge on. Plus I cited newspaper and magazine articles. The other was to fix a typo.
All of my other updates have been thrown out - not even because they were silly or rediculous, but often because the information was deemed 'not crucial', or my references were not considered academic enough.
Just try it sometime. See how long your edit lasts before it is rejected.
Better yet, instead of trying to break the system, look at the discussion page for any article, and watch others go back and forth, debating the content, trying to bring it to a level of maximum accuracy.
I wish even one teacher would try to take a balanced look at Wikipedia instead of declaring it the next great Satan.
----------------------------------------------
Wise Master Yoda
This last peeve of mine differs from the others in that it is less of an attack on a worrisome trend in modern education and more of a personal irony. Horrible writing, I know, to end this post with the weakest of the three grievances, but there you are.
I've never seen Star Wars. Oh, go ahead and freak out, I know that it's weird that I haven't seen it, seeing as I'm not only a human being but also well known to be a consumer of alternative culture. But seriously, I haven't seen Star Wars, except for, arguably, Episode One and Three, on separate occasions, when the movies were on in the background and received a whole 5% of my attention.
And except for Yoda. You know, the space ship is sinking and Luke (?) makes it come out of the mud and Yoda says all those things you see on shirts all the time. "Impossible is Nothing.... Do or do not, there is no try... That is why you fail..."
Yeah. I knew from the moment the screen looked like a misty swamp and I heard robot beeps that I was in for my third, special, in class viewing of this scene, and this scene alone. The first time was in sixth grade, eight years ago. Enough already.
--------------------------------------------
Unlearning
I have been in so many classes now where they tell us that the time has come to "Unlearn what we have learned". It sounds dramatic, of course, and it strikes fear into the hearts of many, which I suppose is the intent. I groan. If I was really going to be unlearning everything I learned in the prerequisites, they wouldn't be prerequisites, would they?
Why would I go to school for 18 years (K-Undergrad Super Senior) if I'm spending half of each year unlearning the year before? Stupidity.
English is the worst about this, because in English, it's true to a certain extent. First they tell you to start being creative and coming up with other words for 'said', then they tell you that's foolish, don't try to make your work any more flowery than comes naturally. And I can sort of see where they're coming from. But from the sound of things, they want to completely rewrite your knowledge of the English language every year. And that's just not what happens.
On the other hand, I wonder if they don't sometimes mean that, rather than deleting our previous knowledge, we are merely augmenting it, rewriting it in such a level of increased detail that some people feel as though it's a different set of knowledge whatsoever. In which case we need a technology update - we are no longer handwriting or even handtyping things, where we need to redo a page to add a detail. We work on computers - we can just click between the lines and resume where we left off.
I don't know about you, but I flatter myself by considering my brain more like a computer than a rudimentary writing tablet.
----------------------------------------------
Wikihatred
Otherwise respectable teachers start looking like baptist preachers when they get in on this subject. Yes, certainly there are some students who use Wikipedia very irresponsibly, but I feel like there is a lot of ignorance on the part of teachers about this subject as well.
They tell you that their six year old nephew can edit Wikipedia. I've heard this statement from enough people, in enough contexts, that I don't think they even have a six year old nephew, and I really don't think he edits Wikipedia. I think instead it's a statement made in fear and misunderstanding, a hyperbole.
The truth is that Wikipedia is rather strict. Sure, if there's a long list of names of people who invented Photoshop on one page, you might get away with slipping your name in. But when is it really going to matter?
It depends on why you're using Wikipedia.
I would not use it to fact check an individual or to write a report on a political candidate - basically, in any way that A.) Someone would have a motive to put false information on Wikipedia and B.) I would suffer negative consequences from using this false information. Which is a lot of ways.
But if I am sitting around wondering about, for example, the History of Time Zones, or Wasabi, I will check Wikipedia. And Lo! The information is correct. It's not an excuse for a textbook, of course, but if I am a bit curious about a given topic, it's a fine source for me to indulge my curiosity.
Another way I frequently use Wikipedia is to get an idea of the broader context that a given thing fits within. In my opinion, Wikipedia's hyperlinks are invaluable. I can spend half a day going from one page to another, and another. Everything in our world is interconnected, and Wikipedia does remarkably well at illustrating those connections.
Wikipedia has features that would never be found in a more serious reference book. For example, on most pages, it also lists references to popular culture that mentions a specific topic. If I was looking for that information for, say, a school report, I would fact check it elsewhere, of course. Still, where else am I going to go for that feature? It is entirely a product of the Wiki system.
And Wikipedia is NOT as easy to edit as everyone says. Going back to the Photoshop Staff reference - yes, such a thing is possible. But I have tried to update Wikipedia five or six times. I've only had two edits go through. One was about my dorm on campus, a subject of little importance and one I had a good deal of knowledge on. Plus I cited newspaper and magazine articles. The other was to fix a typo.
All of my other updates have been thrown out - not even because they were silly or rediculous, but often because the information was deemed 'not crucial', or my references were not considered academic enough.
Just try it sometime. See how long your edit lasts before it is rejected.
Better yet, instead of trying to break the system, look at the discussion page for any article, and watch others go back and forth, debating the content, trying to bring it to a level of maximum accuracy.
I wish even one teacher would try to take a balanced look at Wikipedia instead of declaring it the next great Satan.
----------------------------------------------
Wise Master Yoda
This last peeve of mine differs from the others in that it is less of an attack on a worrisome trend in modern education and more of a personal irony. Horrible writing, I know, to end this post with the weakest of the three grievances, but there you are.
I've never seen Star Wars. Oh, go ahead and freak out, I know that it's weird that I haven't seen it, seeing as I'm not only a human being but also well known to be a consumer of alternative culture. But seriously, I haven't seen Star Wars, except for, arguably, Episode One and Three, on separate occasions, when the movies were on in the background and received a whole 5% of my attention.
And except for Yoda. You know, the space ship is sinking and Luke (?) makes it come out of the mud and Yoda says all those things you see on shirts all the time. "Impossible is Nothing.... Do or do not, there is no try... That is why you fail..."
Yeah. I knew from the moment the screen looked like a misty swamp and I heard robot beeps that I was in for my third, special, in class viewing of this scene, and this scene alone. The first time was in sixth grade, eight years ago. Enough already.
Rose Bush
It's cold suddenly, as it shouldn't be in Missouri until October at the earliest.
And one day it drizzled, also a rare event. We felt as though we were walking through misters at an amusement park. One boy said he wished it would just rain, it would be better. I had to disagree. My socks were dry. :) Still, even our rains are more of a summer phenomenon. It was strange for it to be so cool so early and so wet so late.
On that drizzly day, I had to go to the student health center between classes. I debated running back for my jacket, then decided to push through. I took a funny turn, one I wouldn't have taken unless I had taken the middle road further than average, debating whether or not to head back to South.
And in an artificial canyon sheltered from the wind by two buildings, I came across a rosebush. The bright red flowers and deep green leaves were covered in silver droplets.
I had time, I stopped and stared. Two minutes went by. Then the wind came through a gap between the buildings and rustled the branches of my rosebush - the droplets lifted in a silver mist and washed over me.
And one day it drizzled, also a rare event. We felt as though we were walking through misters at an amusement park. One boy said he wished it would just rain, it would be better. I had to disagree. My socks were dry. :) Still, even our rains are more of a summer phenomenon. It was strange for it to be so cool so early and so wet so late.
On that drizzly day, I had to go to the student health center between classes. I debated running back for my jacket, then decided to push through. I took a funny turn, one I wouldn't have taken unless I had taken the middle road further than average, debating whether or not to head back to South.
And in an artificial canyon sheltered from the wind by two buildings, I came across a rosebush. The bright red flowers and deep green leaves were covered in silver droplets.
I had time, I stopped and stared. Two minutes went by. Then the wind came through a gap between the buildings and rustled the branches of my rosebush - the droplets lifted in a silver mist and washed over me.
August 29, 2009
My Life/Japan Stuff Coming: Tomorrow
Today Zahra and I went to Rock Bridge. I showed her around and we clambered all over the stream with remarkable surefootedness. ;) Then we studied a bit sitting on a large rock and utterly at the mercy of the sun, which seemed to regulate the temperature more than normal today.
I also cleaned a bit in the morning. It thrills me when my stuff is arranged nicely. But not in a satisfaction sort of way, more of a giggly, feel like I'm living in a hotel room kind of way. I never keep my stuff organized. I have a hard time remembering that this is my stuff. But it's also very nice to live in. In some ways it takes a lot of upkeep... or does it really? My mom always said that I'd never save a dollar driving around on empty, and she's right, of course, and I feel like it might apply in this case as well. If my room is a cesspool and I'm working each day to clear a walking path, does it ultimately require any less upkeep time than a more orderly room? A puzzle for the ages. So far I'm winning the struggle to be organized, just barely. And next week I get more money, which means printer plug ins and paper, a rolling organizer thing (which will help a lot... no more excuses for ANYTHING to just sit around), a paper towel holder, and a water boiler.
Tomorrow I've a bit of homework and I'm on call in the evening, but I'm also planning a writing frenzy. I want to finish the email to Liisa I'm more than halfway through, and I want to start writing about Japan. It's started hitting me. It was absolutely amazing and then I needed to concentrate on other stuff when I came home, so I distanced myself from it and it became not quite real. Now I'm having some sort of flashback. I can start remembering.
I also cleaned a bit in the morning. It thrills me when my stuff is arranged nicely. But not in a satisfaction sort of way, more of a giggly, feel like I'm living in a hotel room kind of way. I never keep my stuff organized. I have a hard time remembering that this is my stuff. But it's also very nice to live in. In some ways it takes a lot of upkeep... or does it really? My mom always said that I'd never save a dollar driving around on empty, and she's right, of course, and I feel like it might apply in this case as well. If my room is a cesspool and I'm working each day to clear a walking path, does it ultimately require any less upkeep time than a more orderly room? A puzzle for the ages. So far I'm winning the struggle to be organized, just barely. And next week I get more money, which means printer plug ins and paper, a rolling organizer thing (which will help a lot... no more excuses for ANYTHING to just sit around), a paper towel holder, and a water boiler.
Tomorrow I've a bit of homework and I'm on call in the evening, but I'm also planning a writing frenzy. I want to finish the email to Liisa I'm more than halfway through, and I want to start writing about Japan. It's started hitting me. It was absolutely amazing and then I needed to concentrate on other stuff when I came home, so I distanced myself from it and it became not quite real. Now I'm having some sort of flashback. I can start remembering.
August 25, 2009
First Image from Japan
Still don't have time to properly write anything, or even dig through and find the top twenty most amazing photos or anything like that, but I thought I'd give all of you who are waiting patiently a little teaser.
This is photoshopped. But I own both pictures, and the text (and other things, mainly my lack of skill) makes it obvious that it's photoshopped, so I think it's okay. XD The background is a picture I took in Yokohama when it was all lit up at dusk. The foreground is a shot of Mayumi, her grandmother, and me. They were absolutely fabulous hosts.
This is photoshopped. But I own both pictures, and the text (and other things, mainly my lack of skill) makes it obvious that it's photoshopped, so I think it's okay. XD The background is a picture I took in Yokohama when it was all lit up at dusk. The foreground is a shot of Mayumi, her grandmother, and me. They were absolutely fabulous hosts.
August 23, 2009
The Quiet Before the Storm
Classes start Monday. My God, that's tomorrow! I've been here for so long already that it's hard for me to believe that classes haven't started yet, but on the same token I'm getting used to life here without them. And that's dangerous - especially this weekend, when we're not completely swamped with reslife stuff and being tempted by freetime. That said, today I have to lead the first community meeting for our floor, and finish my syllabus and lesson plan for tomorrow. I also need to do a little bit of housekeeping and figure out where all my classes are, send a schedule to my mother, etc. And I haven't completely wasted the weekend. I cleaned my room pretty nicely, to the point where other than a bit of evil chaos under my bed, things look nice, and I can find everything, and it's actually relaxing to walk in. And I got to meet Zahra, which was lovely. :) I really hope she has a good experience here.:D
And finally I did a bit of grocery shopping, buying Nutella, seaweed, and a few of my favourite snacks from Japan from Chong's Market downtown. I bought Pepero (which is almost Pocky), Choco Boy Mushrooms (which are almost Mushroom Valley Mushrooms), and Korean Shrimp Flavoured Cracker (which are/is almost Japanese Shrimp Flavoured Cracker). So far I've only eaten the Pepero, which I remember happily eating all through last year. It tastes hard, dry. The chocolate is thin. Just - not quite as good. XD But happily I can get real Japanese Pocky at Wal Mart for only 2-3 times the price I paid in Japan. So it's all good. Mushrooms and Shrimp Crackers are more elusive, however, so I hope the knock off brands pull through. :) I wanted to buy Naan and Furikake as well, but I'm really quite thoroughly out of money until September, so I'll wait. :) And thank God for my meal plan.
And finally I did a bit of grocery shopping, buying Nutella, seaweed, and a few of my favourite snacks from Japan from Chong's Market downtown. I bought Pepero (which is almost Pocky), Choco Boy Mushrooms (which are almost Mushroom Valley Mushrooms), and Korean Shrimp Flavoured Cracker (which are/is almost Japanese Shrimp Flavoured Cracker). So far I've only eaten the Pepero, which I remember happily eating all through last year. It tastes hard, dry. The chocolate is thin. Just - not quite as good. XD But happily I can get real Japanese Pocky at Wal Mart for only 2-3 times the price I paid in Japan. So it's all good. Mushrooms and Shrimp Crackers are more elusive, however, so I hope the knock off brands pull through. :) I wanted to buy Naan and Furikake as well, but I'm really quite thoroughly out of money until September, so I'll wait. :) And thank God for my meal plan.
August 19, 2009
Pilgrim's Progress
"Am I young enough to believe in revolution?
Am I strong enough to get down on my knees and pray?
Am I high enough on the chain of evolution
To respect myself, and my brother and my sister
And perfect myself in my own peculiar way?
I get lazy, and forget my obligations
I'd go crazy, if I paid attention all the time
And I want justice, but I'll settle for some mercy
On this Holy Road through the Universal Mind"
- Kris Kirstofferson, Pilgrim's Progress
Am I strong enough to get down on my knees and pray?
Am I high enough on the chain of evolution
To respect myself, and my brother and my sister
And perfect myself in my own peculiar way?
I get lazy, and forget my obligations
I'd go crazy, if I paid attention all the time
And I want justice, but I'll settle for some mercy
On this Holy Road through the Universal Mind"
- Kris Kirstofferson, Pilgrim's Progress
August 16, 2009
First Day of Real Work
Today the sorority girls, and a few other kids, mainly a handful of international students, moved in. It was a pretty long day, starting at 6 am. The worst were the two hours I had to spend outside in the middle of the day, directing traffic. I was the only one from my hall's staff working that location, so they more or less ignored me since they were more used to working with each other. It rained quite badly during this time.
Even though I had my umbrella the streets were flash flooded to over my toes, and moisture came in sideways so that even my hair was covered with droplets, and my pants were absolutely soaked. When people would come to talk to me, their windshield wipers threw cups of cold rainwater straight at me. Oh, Missouri rainstorms. The whole atmosphere was frantic and depressing, the skies were so grey and wet that it was hard to see. Before the rain started there were only a few of us doing the traffic, and we could yell orders from about ten cars down. After the rain started we had to be five feet apart, and had to run back and forth giving directions. Even at five foot I was lucky if I could either hear them yell or see how many fingers they were holding up. Still, I was working and it was just part of my job. I was in clothes that could get wet, it wasn't freezing cold outside or anything like that. I felt much sorrier for those who were moving in, whose wardrobes and pillows were getting drenched.
I think the secret to my sanity throughout the day was that whenever things got really slow and the staff was just sitting on the sofa watching golf for an extended period of time, I would steal away to my room for ten minutes and have a snack in peace and quiet. When I woke up this morning I cooked a cup or two of jasmine rice, and when I had a few minutes I added to that the chicken I sauteed the other day, and a teaspoon from a Cantonese spice packet I've had for a startlingly long time. It was, perhaps surprisingly, quite yummy.
I'm on call for the first time tonight - I'm actually the first one of us to be on call. It involves carrying a pager and if anyone gets locked out of their room or has some other problem, they page you and you rescue them, and no one cares if it was 4 am and you were fast asleep. You also have to make a few rounds of the building and make sure everything's okay. I've been on call for almost an hour now and I've done my first walkabout. There were some boys with their music on extremely loud and their door open, so I asked them to either turn the music down or shut the door. They shut the door. Not a big deal. :)
Even though I had my umbrella the streets were flash flooded to over my toes, and moisture came in sideways so that even my hair was covered with droplets, and my pants were absolutely soaked. When people would come to talk to me, their windshield wipers threw cups of cold rainwater straight at me. Oh, Missouri rainstorms. The whole atmosphere was frantic and depressing, the skies were so grey and wet that it was hard to see. Before the rain started there were only a few of us doing the traffic, and we could yell orders from about ten cars down. After the rain started we had to be five feet apart, and had to run back and forth giving directions. Even at five foot I was lucky if I could either hear them yell or see how many fingers they were holding up. Still, I was working and it was just part of my job. I was in clothes that could get wet, it wasn't freezing cold outside or anything like that. I felt much sorrier for those who were moving in, whose wardrobes and pillows were getting drenched.
I think the secret to my sanity throughout the day was that whenever things got really slow and the staff was just sitting on the sofa watching golf for an extended period of time, I would steal away to my room for ten minutes and have a snack in peace and quiet. When I woke up this morning I cooked a cup or two of jasmine rice, and when I had a few minutes I added to that the chicken I sauteed the other day, and a teaspoon from a Cantonese spice packet I've had for a startlingly long time. It was, perhaps surprisingly, quite yummy.
I'm on call for the first time tonight - I'm actually the first one of us to be on call. It involves carrying a pager and if anyone gets locked out of their room or has some other problem, they page you and you rescue them, and no one cares if it was 4 am and you were fast asleep. You also have to make a few rounds of the building and make sure everything's okay. I've been on call for almost an hour now and I've done my first walkabout. There were some boys with their music on extremely loud and their door open, so I asked them to either turn the music down or shut the door. They shut the door. Not a big deal. :)
August 14, 2009
The End is Near
We're in the home run stretch of actual training. Of course, this doesn't quite mean a break - we kick off the year with one of it's most stressful events: move-in day. For now it continues to be tough, but things are coming together. My bulletin board is almost done. It's huge, but it filled up faster than I expected.
I picked up my textbooks, and got to my storage bay today to bring everything I was missing to my dorm room. I also went on a trip to Wal Mart to get other things I needed. It was a pretty stressful Wal Mart trip because I was on a tight budget. You see, I dipped into my August money in Japan, so I'm not working with much cash at all at the moment, and I had a pretty long shopping list. About 1/3 of the items are things I will need regularly (aka groceries), 1/3 are things I will need occasionally, including at the beginning of the year (aka laundry detergent), and 1/3 are things I need (new!) for this year (aka landline phone).
I went 16$ over budget, and came to 116$, but I bought:
- Five cheap ceramic microwaveable bowls
- A set of four ziplock tupperware containers
- Dish soap
- Dish sponges
- Dish drying rack and tray
- 8 rolls of paper towels
- Laundry detergent
- A set of towels - 2 full size, 2 hand, 2 washcloths
- A pretty nice bathmat
- A plug-in thing that makes the bathroom smell good. :)
- Super cheap landline telephone
- Clear push pins, coloured push pins
- Nice stapler set with stapler, staples, and staple remover
- Pair of scissors
- A big white binder
- Pilot G2 Pens (One set of black, one set of multicolour, see note below)
- Canned carrots and mushrooms
- Granola bars
- A few bars of candy, and gum
Note: The only things that I really consider luxuries are the pens I picked, at about a dollar per pen. But they are really nice and should last me the semester for sure.
I am trying to get everything in the room. It's starting to get interesting, but I know that I now have everything I will have, so it will be okay. I moved the table in and set it up. It goes very nicely in my last available corner, and I think the room needs the additional bulk, but it's not yet in a super functional location. I may wait until Laura and Tabi move in (not long now!!) and ask their advice on room arrangement. It would be nice to have the table in the center of the room, even though I like my empty hallway now. :P
I emailed my Figgies (refuse to call them Figlets, the official term. My Co-Fac calls them Figgers). Four of them have replied and they seem cool. I already feel attached to all of them although I have no real reason to. :P The P.A. luncheon was today and my Co-Fac and I had a good discussion. As soon as FIG move in is over I'll have time to write up the syllabus, even though we agree that a very flexible syllabus is best.
I picked up my textbooks, and got to my storage bay today to bring everything I was missing to my dorm room. I also went on a trip to Wal Mart to get other things I needed. It was a pretty stressful Wal Mart trip because I was on a tight budget. You see, I dipped into my August money in Japan, so I'm not working with much cash at all at the moment, and I had a pretty long shopping list. About 1/3 of the items are things I will need regularly (aka groceries), 1/3 are things I will need occasionally, including at the beginning of the year (aka laundry detergent), and 1/3 are things I need (new!) for this year (aka landline phone).
I went 16$ over budget, and came to 116$, but I bought:
- Five cheap ceramic microwaveable bowls
- A set of four ziplock tupperware containers
- Dish soap
- Dish sponges
- Dish drying rack and tray
- 8 rolls of paper towels
- Laundry detergent
- A set of towels - 2 full size, 2 hand, 2 washcloths
- A pretty nice bathmat
- A plug-in thing that makes the bathroom smell good. :)
- Super cheap landline telephone
- Clear push pins, coloured push pins
- Nice stapler set with stapler, staples, and staple remover
- Pair of scissors
- A big white binder
- Pilot G2 Pens (One set of black, one set of multicolour, see note below)
- Canned carrots and mushrooms
- Granola bars
- A few bars of candy, and gum
Note: The only things that I really consider luxuries are the pens I picked, at about a dollar per pen. But they are really nice and should last me the semester for sure.
I am trying to get everything in the room. It's starting to get interesting, but I know that I now have everything I will have, so it will be okay. I moved the table in and set it up. It goes very nicely in my last available corner, and I think the room needs the additional bulk, but it's not yet in a super functional location. I may wait until Laura and Tabi move in (not long now!!) and ask their advice on room arrangement. It would be nice to have the table in the center of the room, even though I like my empty hallway now. :P
I emailed my Figgies (refuse to call them Figlets, the official term. My Co-Fac calls them Figgers). Four of them have replied and they seem cool. I already feel attached to all of them although I have no real reason to. :P The P.A. luncheon was today and my Co-Fac and I had a good discussion. As soon as FIG move in is over I'll have time to write up the syllabus, even though we agree that a very flexible syllabus is best.
August 13, 2009
Training Update
Wednesday was the worst day of training for me. I felt discouraged, tired, almost fell asleep in some of the meetings. Today, however, I knew as soon as I woke up that I was on the upswing again. I had more energy, more optimism. We're starting to get tiny increments of 'free time' that we can use to put up bulletin boards, etc. So, I actually see work getting done, and I feel like things are possible. Our schedules are starting to come together, with our floor meetings, staff meetings, and on-call times accounted for. I've unpacked a slight majority of my things, and all the chaos left fits under my bed, leaving me with a pretty nice living environment. Tomorrow I have managed to find time and friends to travel to my storage bay and get a few things I forgot, and then we're going to Wal Mart where I will buy a few new things I've decided I need (stapler, paper organizer), as well as things I used up at the end of last year, like laundry detergent.
We are learning a lot, but I think part of the craziness of training is probably to prepare us for how crazy it might be during the most stressful parts of the year, and make us grateful for the freetime we have in the less stressful parts. By now I have pretty much given up on having personal time - my brain is sort of in crisis mode. I just now found myself with 45 minutes before the next event, and at first I felt lost, directionless. I'm using the time to write this blog post, clean my rice cooker, and shower. When I click on the start button and see things I do when I'm bored (like Stumble, Storybook Creator (Scrapbooking), and Rosetta Stone), it has almost no reaction on me. Not "I wish I had time for it". Just a very deep acceptance that I don't. Not right now.
We are learning a lot, but I think part of the craziness of training is probably to prepare us for how crazy it might be during the most stressful parts of the year, and make us grateful for the freetime we have in the less stressful parts. By now I have pretty much given up on having personal time - my brain is sort of in crisis mode. I just now found myself with 45 minutes before the next event, and at first I felt lost, directionless. I'm using the time to write this blog post, clean my rice cooker, and shower. When I click on the start button and see things I do when I'm bored (like Stumble, Storybook Creator (Scrapbooking), and Rosetta Stone), it has almost no reaction on me. Not "I wish I had time for it". Just a very deep acceptance that I don't. Not right now.
August 11, 2009
Mid-Training Update
Staff training is pretty intense, but more useful and relevant (at least it seems to be so) than I feared it might be. I feel like I'll use a lot of the information we're learning about. All in all, the whole thing seems more serious and more work than I ever realized as a resident - and that's probably part of the job, acting like it's all easy. :)
Since training is from 7:30 - 10:00 every day, and they really encourage us to get 7-8 hours of sleep, that leaves me with about 90 minutes each day for personal hygiene, keeping my room tidy, continuing to get my stuff organized, cooking (I am starving by the time training ends, and cooking is my relaxing comfort activity :D), and, oh yeah, anything we're supposed to do like making schedules to send our Student Coordinators, or doing work on our bulletin boards. Ahhh!! Okay, so we don't usually have too much in that last category, and I am surviving, probably because I am getting about 7 and a half hours of sleep each night, cooking pretty simple things, and putting showering and things with looming deadlines first. It's all a test about how we manage our time, I know it! :D
My room depresses me, though, because I have a goal to be organized this year, and I think it would be a big help if I thought of my room as an organized and tidy place from the get go. But I really have no time to finish unpacking - I can't rationalize making it a priority. As a consequence, I'm getting more and more used to the sight of my room in shambles.
I'm also an idiot and forgot several important things either at the lake or my storage bay. The lake things are mostly small (shampoo? duh...), and I'm just buying most of them, since I won't be back there for a while, but the storage bay is almost accessible (except that it's only open during the day and I can't go alone...), and the things I have in it are a bit bigger (towels, for example), so I'm having a hard time with the idea of buying them.
I also have to buy a landline phone, and want to buy a printer (doesn't matter how basic), and a rolling file cart thing like Laura Thal has. It's awesome. Also a dish drying rack, since I have a bathroom now, and some ordinary office supplies like notebooks and new pens. The ones I have with me went to Japan and are almost out of ink.
Tonight I made cheddar broccoli macaroni (from a mix) in my rice cooker, and also wanted to cook some chicken breasts. Since I brought my big skillet, but not my spatula or even my wooden spoon, I improvised tonight and cooked with chopsticks for the first time. It worked quite well for stirring and not even terribly for flipping. The hardest part was definitely cutting them into smaller pieces to see whether they were done, but even this wasn't too bad. I think the tender and thin cut of chicken that I used helped, but I just sort of stuck the ends of the chopsticks in there and moved them apart, ripping the chicken more than cutting it. On further reflection it would probably be better to cut meat (or whatever) into small pieces BEFORE cooking them, if using chopsticks. Oh well. It was yummy.
The other people in the South Staff are awesome. A few of them are hilarious, and I think that we will all work well together.
So, things are going okay. Even though I'm sure the next year will bring times that are even more stressful, I am eager for the residents to arrive and the year to begin. I think it will be more energizing to be doing the real thing, interacting with real people, instead of just talking about theory and bracing ourselves.
Since training is from 7:30 - 10:00 every day, and they really encourage us to get 7-8 hours of sleep, that leaves me with about 90 minutes each day for personal hygiene, keeping my room tidy, continuing to get my stuff organized, cooking (I am starving by the time training ends, and cooking is my relaxing comfort activity :D), and, oh yeah, anything we're supposed to do like making schedules to send our Student Coordinators, or doing work on our bulletin boards. Ahhh!! Okay, so we don't usually have too much in that last category, and I am surviving, probably because I am getting about 7 and a half hours of sleep each night, cooking pretty simple things, and putting showering and things with looming deadlines first. It's all a test about how we manage our time, I know it! :D
My room depresses me, though, because I have a goal to be organized this year, and I think it would be a big help if I thought of my room as an organized and tidy place from the get go. But I really have no time to finish unpacking - I can't rationalize making it a priority. As a consequence, I'm getting more and more used to the sight of my room in shambles.
I'm also an idiot and forgot several important things either at the lake or my storage bay. The lake things are mostly small (shampoo? duh...), and I'm just buying most of them, since I won't be back there for a while, but the storage bay is almost accessible (except that it's only open during the day and I can't go alone...), and the things I have in it are a bit bigger (towels, for example), so I'm having a hard time with the idea of buying them.
I also have to buy a landline phone, and want to buy a printer (doesn't matter how basic), and a rolling file cart thing like Laura Thal has. It's awesome. Also a dish drying rack, since I have a bathroom now, and some ordinary office supplies like notebooks and new pens. The ones I have with me went to Japan and are almost out of ink.
Tonight I made cheddar broccoli macaroni (from a mix) in my rice cooker, and also wanted to cook some chicken breasts. Since I brought my big skillet, but not my spatula or even my wooden spoon, I improvised tonight and cooked with chopsticks for the first time. It worked quite well for stirring and not even terribly for flipping. The hardest part was definitely cutting them into smaller pieces to see whether they were done, but even this wasn't too bad. I think the tender and thin cut of chicken that I used helped, but I just sort of stuck the ends of the chopsticks in there and moved them apart, ripping the chicken more than cutting it. On further reflection it would probably be better to cut meat (or whatever) into small pieces BEFORE cooking them, if using chopsticks. Oh well. It was yummy.
The other people in the South Staff are awesome. A few of them are hilarious, and I think that we will all work well together.
So, things are going okay. Even though I'm sure the next year will bring times that are even more stressful, I am eager for the residents to arrive and the year to begin. I think it will be more energizing to be doing the real thing, interacting with real people, instead of just talking about theory and bracing ourselves.
August 08, 2009
Moving In/Pandora Radio
Staff training has started, and we had a bit of free time tonight, starting around 8. :D I am continuing to get my room organized. I have so much space!! I think I'll even be able to move in my table.
I cooked some rice (finally!), with chicken broth. I realized that I don't have any salt, just every other seasoning on earth. XD Must have left it at the lake... oh well. With that I ate my mom's leftover Thai chicken. It made a nice first meal.
I just discovered Pandora Radio. I actually like it. You enter in a song that you like, and it tells you other songs you should like based on that, and here's the clencher - WHY you should like them. I never knew all these musicky words that explain what I like to listen to, so it's very educational.
To start with, I put in The Cranberries as a band I liked, and it gave me an old favourite: Thank You by Dido. :)
I cooked some rice (finally!), with chicken broth. I realized that I don't have any salt, just every other seasoning on earth. XD Must have left it at the lake... oh well. With that I ate my mom's leftover Thai chicken. It made a nice first meal.
I just discovered Pandora Radio. I actually like it. You enter in a song that you like, and it tells you other songs you should like based on that, and here's the clencher - WHY you should like them. I never knew all these musicky words that explain what I like to listen to, so it's very educational.
To start with, I put in The Cranberries as a band I liked, and it gave me an old favourite: Thank You by Dido. :)
Sulfur
Well, I got home from Japan and spent a night at Laura's house, and then two nights at the lake with my family. I spent today moving into my new dorm room. What can I say - it's awesome. I just took a shower in my own, private shower. :) There are a lot of things I have forgotten, though, like towels, so I had to use the small one I brought up from Florida and still have in my suitcase.
It smelled funny. Not like mildew, though. I couldn't figure it out...
Sulfur. From the hot springs in Nikko. On another planet, in another lifetime.
It smelled funny. Not like mildew, though. I couldn't figure it out...
Sulfur. From the hot springs in Nikko. On another planet, in another lifetime.
August 01, 2009
The Japan Trip Comes to an End
I am still in Japan. This is probably the only post I`ll make from the country, and I think that`s a good thing! I wouldn`t want to have flown to the other side of the world only to lounge around online. I have so much to say about my trip! It`s been utterly fantastic. At the same time it`ll be good to go home. I`m dead tired, and I`m KNOWN for my long term stamina. We`ve pushed ourselves hard, and that can`t go on forever! I also need processing time - time to look through photos, write glowing reviews for the wonderful places we stayed, ate, or saw, time to remember, reflect. You might say I`m super-saturated. ;)
I`m also starting to feel the pressure of the rapid approach of real life. I need to write emails to my FIG students. I got on blogger and all of the blogs I follow, including those of dear friends who I`ll need to catch up with, have moved on and have dozens of unread posts for me. My email inbox is overflowing. I`m super excited about next year, but I have two days to go from Japan to staff training, so that`ll hurt a bit!
I know this post is terribly disappointing for any readers wanting to hear about Japan. Soon, I promise. :D
I`m also starting to feel the pressure of the rapid approach of real life. I need to write emails to my FIG students. I got on blogger and all of the blogs I follow, including those of dear friends who I`ll need to catch up with, have moved on and have dozens of unread posts for me. My email inbox is overflowing. I`m super excited about next year, but I have two days to go from Japan to staff training, so that`ll hurt a bit!
I know this post is terribly disappointing for any readers wanting to hear about Japan. Soon, I promise. :D
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