November 2003 Archives

When I was talking with a really good friend of mine from the
States, I relaized that he had only a very general idea of where I
live. I now think that many people wonder, so I am throwing up this
reference map toshow everybody where I am.

I think I will have a job tomorrow, which is good news, even though the
pay isn't great. I am studying hard for my classes now. Not much else
to say. Today was just a work and study day. More on the way
tomorrow...

I did not post last night due to last minute studying for my inorganic
chemistry lab final. I think that the studying paid off, though, and I
should have a pretty good grade to complement my poor ones. I got quite
a bit done today, and for that I am quite happy. I did not get as much
studying done as I would have liked. I have class all day tomorrow, so
I have a feeling precious little will get done as far as studying goes.
Dodgeball game against 6 Kelsay was a complete flop. We got completely
beaten; it was disappointing. That is the first time we have been
swept. I think I need to work on my accuracy and endurance; which seem
to be somewhat universal problems. I think I might start running again
(groan) so I have enough strength to last through the entire game at
full performance. Running is the one surefire way to help that.
I talked with an old youth Pastor today on the phone. It seems he was
up in Anchorage taking his kid to the dentist when I called him. He is
kind of weak on the maintaining contact with letters and email. I
figured I would try his number and see what I got. He tried to convince
me to go up to the Alaskan Bible Institute, but I am not so easily
persuaded. As I told him, I have beer down here .
Actually, I could care less about alcohol, but I still have my
reservations about A.B.I. Anyway, time for bed, Arigato.
PS. Check out the photos page for updates and the link on the left
about my roommate. Recent additions...

Regretfully, tonight I have not been able to get the article online
that was published in the Gateway on Thursday. I am working on this,
however, and it should be up tomorrow. But, I am borrowing the scanner,
so I cannot guarantee anything. I am sort of gearing up for my lab
finals which start next week. They are absolutely critical if I hope to
pass my classes. I am hoping that they go absolutely flawlessly. That
said, I am sure I can expect some serious errors. That is the way of
things for me lately.
I had a good fight with Denton today when things took a turn for the
weird, and somebody got the bright idea to "cage rage". So, I figured
I'd give it a go, and I have to admit, it was pretty fun. Denton laid
quite a haymaker on my chin, so I have a pretty good bruise, but
because of the cage, I doubt that happens very often at all. I think I
might take a picture of the shiner and throw it up here for grins... He
wants a rematch. I nailed him prety good.
I actually got XBox Live! up and running. It has been such a long time
since I was on. Due to networking issues, and running cable out to the
TV, thus far I haven't played around with it, but I decided to give it
a try today, and using Ryan's 50 footer and my 40 footer, we actually
got it setup. Quite a bit of good fun. I am looking forward to playing
a little tomorrow. After all, I do have lab finals to think about.
We had our floor dinner tonight. It was actually quite welcome since we
basically had Thanksgiving dinner, which I won't be having this year
during my traditional time. It reminded me a little of home around this
time. Of course, I had to do dishes, but whatever... The stuffing was
certainly tasty, and we had so much cake left over, I think I can scam
some more off tomorrow. Anyway, it is 4:16 AM. I gotta go to bed....
Night.

Perhaps the response to the Gateway was a bit premature, as I am sure
they were baiting. However, that said, somebody needs to stand up
against this kind of crap, and though I will probably be mocked for it,
I did. Boo hoo. I had an amusing and utterly pointless day. I
unfortunately did not accomplish anything substantive the entire day,
which is unfortunate. I have a lot of things to get done, but maybe I
needed a nice slow day to do nothing, so I can buckle down the rest of
the week.
I spent a little time today to write my Senators and my Representative
to the US House about my opposition to the attack on marriage. I figure
every little bit helps. Time to hit the sack for another day. Tomorrow
is going to be busy to make up for my sloth today. Good grief. Ciao

I spent this afternoon crafting a furious response to the Gateway's
obscene ad. I hope to have the ad and my response (hopefully published)
on this page by Friday or so. Things are starting to get crazy with
finals coming down the pike. I found out today that I may be stuck in
Alberta 5 days after I get done with exams. I think I am going to call
the airline and beg. Not that I have any problems whatsoever with being
here, but I don't want to miss any potential time relaxing at home in
Michigan.
I am disappointed with recent court decisions in the US with regards to
gay marriage. More on that tomorrow. I want to get some sleep, so
goodnight all.

This morning started a little early, due to church, but it was all
good. I did get enough sleep that I didn't pass out during the middle
of the sermon. The Pastor there is excellent, and if I can figure out
how to get there, I think I'll go next week. It is a mammoth church,
and I think they have thousands in attendance because they have
multiple sermons.
He spoke on money today, which was interesting because I have little.
It was an excellent sermon, and one quote stands out especially
(caution: I may have murdered this) "A man's life can be defined by two
things, his watch and his wallet." Wow. Quite a succinct way to make a
profound point. Money and time are the two most basic things a person
has to give, and what he does with them, defines his life. Powerful.
I went out to brunch with my Aunt and an important governmental
official in Alberta. He will remain anonymous to protect the guilty.
No, he was really a great guy and I was grateful to both him and his
wife for their wonderful hospitality. I would welcome seeing them both
sometime in the future. After brunch my aunt took off and I spent the
afternoon doing boring stuff -- cleaning the room, laundry, dishes,
etc.
We played our game tonight and got spanked. "In the Middle" was quite
good, and showed some serious flaws in our game play. We have much to
improve. Should prove to be fun and challenging. Most everybody was
icing various appendages after the game, most commonly the arms or
shoulders.
Must get more sleep than I have as of late. I have a lot to do yet on
my biology report, but at least I am a good ways into it. I will have
to finish tomorrow afternoon. So, with that, farewell.

Our team triumphed over all challengers this Saturday. The Mac Daddies
reign supreme at the moment. In case their is general bewilderment, the
Mac Daddies refers to the 9th/10th floor dodge ball intramural team.
Sooo much fun. It would have been better had I not totally thrown out
my my arm during the warm up for the second game. That was an
interesting (read: painful) experience that I do not recall having ever
experienced before. We pasted our nicknames on our shirts using hockey
tape. My nick is Merlin from Top Gun. I think our next game is
tomorrow.
I went to my lab this morning at 9 AM, and I can't help but say that it
sucks to lose a Saturday morning. I wound up spending it centifuging
plasmids, which is all well and good, but I would rather sleep. And
speaking of biology, I have a lab report due on Tuesday, so I was
plinking away at that today. I have my article and stuff, but I have to
go to the library to get it and copy it off. I also prepped my graphs
and they look pretty decent. I just have to get a lot of typing done on
the main body of it.
I watched the Matrix Revolutions tonight and I definitely would say I
have mixed feelings on it. The directors made some serious sacrifices
in the plot and characterization to make a statement about the world
and choice. I will write more on the topic I think, but not tonight, I
would rather discuss it after sleeping on it. My aunt was here today
from out of town, so we went out to the grocery store to do some
shopping. It was so nice not to have to carry back armloads of
groceries. There are some serious benefits to having a vehicle. We are
supposed to meet tomorrow to go to church and then get soem lunch, and
I am looking forward to it. I will have to miss going to the water
park, but I can use the ticket later, and my aunt will not be up again.
I can't really afford to spend an entire day at the park right now
either. I have to get the rest of the lab report done, and my prelabs
for chem and biology. Before I get really incoherent, I think I am
going to cut this one off. Night everybody...
PS. Threw on a bible verse at the bottom that changes everyday, NIV
version. If you prefer Spanish, just let me know.

By my own personal determination, repeated failure can shatter dreams
and goals like no other. While I am aware that this is quite common
knowledge, it always feels different when you experience it yourself.
In this matter, I am probably stupid. I think I will continue on with
my studies as if my studies were going excellent. I think at this
point, however, I am going to need an action plan if I want to
satisfactorily pass all of my classes at the end of the semester. I am
now absolutely determined to do well, as I have a good chuck of change
invested in this and I don't have the money to turn back now. If that
means I make an ass out of myself, well, then so be it.
I have much to do tonight. Principally among my tasks are working on my
lab report and doing the entirety of my stats assignment, which is due
tomorrow. I have Safewalk from 5 - 8 tonight, so I have my work cut out
for me. I can't wait. I am hoping that it clicks with me and it goes
fast, but if it does not, then God help me. I am in for it.
I am aware that many of you would like to see some more pictures on
here, which I am working on, but that kind of stuff is on the back
burner while I assess (and cry) over my current scholastic situation.
It's a war now, and I've lost the first salvos -- there's no time for a
vacation now.
I got my organic chemistry midterm back today, and found out that I
scored 9% below the class average. Something has to give here, and it
is not going to be my ego. Now that my grades are universally low, now
is the time to figure out what to do about it. Any suggestions? I am
dying to hear about them (maybe literally). Send me an email. You can
get my address from my contact page. Adios.

Sleep deprivation seems to be a chronic problem afflicting nearly all
higher learning institutions. I have slowly become aware that most
students desperately want more sleep, but then foolishly deprive
themselves of it. I myself have struggled with the issue. It is a tough
world out there when you are prone to fall asleep 10 minutes into a
crucial lecture. I fear there is no easy answer to this problem, save
caffeine and electroshock therapy.
I took my chemistry midterm today, and I actually think I may have
passed it. Unbelievably, I may have actually passed the class average.
This one certainly went better than the last, which I think the prof
had planned as a "shock and awe" demonstration. She shocked me right
into a stupor, and hence, never got around to the awe state...
Whatever. As long as I pass my classes, I guess I am satisfied.
My aunt is coming up on Friday, which is good news for me. I could use
a fern, which is difficult to lug around on a bus/train. I am also
looking forward to seeing family and going out for real food for once.
Hopefully I will be able to get most of my biology lab report done
tomorrow and my stats homework as well, but somehow I doubt it. I am
supposed to Safewalk from 5 to 8 PM, and so that leaves me with
precious little time to tackle difficult problems. I need to at least
finish my prelab and stats crap. Not only do I have Safewalk, I have a
meeting with a business guy from College Pro, to see if a little
training and a business plan (entrepreneurship) could increase my wages
next summer by a bit. I am hoping to avoid as much much loans as I can.
Scholarships seem to be out of the question, so...
So here we are again at the end of the night. I complain about lack of
sleep and I am posting this as 12:30 AM. Time to say buonos noches.

My thoughts have turned to what kind of career I might choose if I fail
in university. As you might imagine, life at the University is very
good at inspiring a parachute plan. I sometimes wonder if that is what
it is best at doing. Surely thousands of students before me have
despaired at midterms and final exams, worried about their future,
hesitant about continuing with their studies. I know that after a few
hours of organic chemistry and maybe the results of midterm, my dreams
broaden to the glorious careers of counterwork at McDonald's, drainage
systems technician, and small time scam artist. It is these thought, I
think, that push me to continue with my studying. The thought of those,
while very nice, somewhat "unfaltering" jobs somehow conjures up enough
horror in my confused mind to push me into studying further.
I think the dilemma is somewhat exacerbated by the scholastic
institution I attend. As we are in the heart of cattle country, I have
long suspected that the university takes its lessons from that industry
too seriously. As a result, we now have what I affectionately label,
"Meatgrinder U". Whose goal is to process what it considers a very
fatty piece of meat into something that would be tasty to a vegetarian.
Thus, even the best part of the meat only survives as ground round,
mangled and dazed, and the rest is well... pushed off into the
illustrious future of the proletariat. The downtrodden of the world.
I have a solution for myself. Since the university is obviously no
longer interested in the fat, I'll go to someplace that is! Where you
might inquire, is that? Government. Yes, the one place that still
values inefficiency and burgeoning bureaucracy. Perhaps I can become a
mindless civil servant, pushing papers labeled "A" to the "B" pile.
Sure, not exactly fascinating, but an easy slide into mediocrity. With
the liberals at the helm, my job will never be threatened, my workload
reduced by the year, and I will get a fat retirement to boot, at 35.

Today was interesting. My capers were both funny and pathetic. I went
with Eddie to find a computer and I think I succeeded. It is a one
sweet computer. A 2.4 GHz Toshiba Satellite, with DVD/CD-RW, 512 megs
of RAM, wireless LAN. All for a cool $2,300 CAD. All I can say is, I am
jealous. I picked out a mouse I would like. I know it is wrong to
covet, but... lol. We got that at Staples, after convincing him that it
was pointless to go to London Drugs for the same thing/same price.

So far the weekend has been off to a good start. The floor got insanely
drunk on Friday night, and I couldn't help but be amused as I heard
them retching in the bathroom at 3 AM.
We did go to RATT as I stated yesterday evening, but it was a horrible
experience. Sad to say, I have never had such a bad waitress in my
life. Not only was she rude to us, she did not bring me my order,
groused about our choice of payment, and then, to boot, when it was
obvious we would not tip her. She stole her own! It was only 50 cents,
but who has the gall to just force their patrons to tip. She definitely
deserves to be written up for the Gateway's Burlap Sack (a column that
gives well deserved citizens an experience tied up in a burlap sack and
beaten (verbally)).
I was planning on going to West Edmonton Mall today, but things didn't
pan out there. I wound up walking with the FC, Al, and Willie to a
sports shop where I picked up some ice skates. A splurge to be sure,
but I figure they will get plenty of use here. I bought them used, and
the total came out to be $55. Not bad for something I can sell pretty
easily later.
The Golden Bears played hockey tonight, and the game was good and
cheap, $4. I am amazed by how small the sports are here in comparison
to something one would find at U of M. Still, it is nice to be able to
get front row seats, and not have to buy an $80 ticket 3 years in
advance. The Bears won, but they won by a small margin because the
Manitoba team had an awesome goalie.
I realized tonight how bad of a cook I actually am. I am ashamed.
Culinary lessons are sorely needed by myself, as tonight's forays into
the kitchen almost resulted in a Lister-wide fire evacuation. If you
ask for a steak, or any other food item, I serve it in only one color.
Black. If you check out the pictures, you will see that I made some
additions. Well, I think I'll be calling it a night. Salut.

The end of a long week has finally arrived, and it looks like most
people are heading home for the holiday weekend. We don't have classes
until Wednesday, so I have some time to get caught up on studying and
all that good stuff. I have got all kinds of plans for this weekend,
including vegging out. I am very interested in that. I am hoping to get
my biology report done. I need to get a pretty good grade on that. The
last one was a "learning experience". I also have to clean the "pad".
Do some laundry, all those fun housekeeping tasks I would rather not
think about. I have gotten out of Safewalking for two weeks in a row
now for a lack of a partner. I am somewhat surprised, but I should be
safewalking next week. I am thinking that the last two times have been
flukes, but that's nice. No walking in the cold for me! And on that
note, apparently it is supposed to warm up in Edmonton this weekend.
Forcasters are predicting temperatures as high as 4° C. Woo hoo!
Heatwave!
I am going to do some page additions this weekend. I have some photos
that (I think ) are pretty cool, so I will be throwing them up in short
order. It is about time that you guys got some new ones. I apologize to
everyone who has written me and not gotten a reply yet. Trust me, I am
working on them. I have just been a little busy lately. I should be
throwing something in the mail this weekend. I'd like to get them out
tomorrow morning ideally. I think I am going out to RATT for a little
while tonight. RATT stands for Room At The Top, it is a restaurant at
the top of the Student's Union Building. I haven't been there yet, and
I am interested in checking it out. Probably play a good game when I
get back. It has been ages since I have done that... Seeya.

That, um, went badly. I haven't posted in the last couple of days
because I have been fine-tuning the art of "cramming". Not that it did
me much good --- more about that later. It is a sunny cold day in
Edmonton.

Good Grief! So much work to do tonight. I am thinking about using
Esperanto to talk with my roommate, may be easier than English in the
long run... Anyway.... I have my Microeconomics midterm tomorrow, and I
must do well! My last round wasn't so good, so these I must ace. I have
to hit the sack now... Äœis morgaÅ­!

Well, I guess that it is getting rather late. I am doing a fair bit of
studying this week. I am dedicated to acing the second set of midterms,
and I mean Ace! I kind of have to at this point... Anyway, I hope it
goes well. Not much to say today. I went to Save-On foods, picked up
groceries, and whatnot... Lot's of un, or it would have been, had I not
lost my coffee cup there --- that was my favorite one. I can get it
back, but it is kind of out of the way to pursue any time soon.
Probably next weekend.
I have a clip here of Liang talking, so you can hear his voice in
addition to seeing his picture. If you all get really into the voice
thing, I will record mine a little too, just for kicks. Anyway, I am brushing my teeth and hitting the sack, so remember to write! Bonne nuit.

So there is my new
roommate, unfortunately for you, the guy next door to me (Ryan) has a
digital camera that is unusable at the moment due to problems with his
motherboard. Until that is fixed, a good picture could be quite a ways
off. But there is Liang Liang or "Eddie".

Today has been another somwhat slow Saturday accentuated by brief
moments of change. I got very little sleep last night due to a cold I
seem to have contracted within the last few days. I found myself
tossing and turning until around 5 AM, bleary eyed, I surrendered to my
fevered urges and gulped down a healthy dose of Ny-Quill. This would
almost have done it, had Ian not yelled at 9:20 in the morning
something about leaving for the mall. Oh well, I got at least 4 hours
of somewhat solid sleep. I had some echinacea tea and some lozenges,
and I just kind of plowed through the rest of the morning. My roommate
Liang Liang arrived today, sometime around 3 PM if my memory serves me
correctly. He is a "decent chap". He is from a Northwestern province of
China, and has come to the U of A after two years of studying at a
private Chinese college. He said that he wanted to learn more about
other cultures and whatnot. His English is minimal, but sufficent, so
things should work out alright. I think the adjustment will be hard on
me. I am a character, and often times I go to bed much
later than I think he is used to.
I have been readin organic chemistry and other study materials today. I
can't wait for my midterm when I can show off my newfound knowledge of
halogenation of alkanes.
They let me off my Safewalk shift tonight at Le Fac, because no partner
signed up. A relif, becasue I cannot imagine three hours in the cold
with my chest...
I have been reading tonight on the 'net, as it is my favorite pasttime,
and I stumbled across three intriguing articles that I am interested in
investigating further. One, The Passion by Mel Gibson is a must see. It
promises to be a fascinating film, although, to my understanding, it is
only in Latin and Aramaic, which could present a problem. It will have
no subtitles. I also so a trailer for the movie Luther, and while
looking at that, I saw a quote that Luther had made that is directly
contradictory to what the Bible teaches. Perhaps you may have heard it
before, "Be a sinner, and sin boldly, but believe more boldly still. "
Paul directly addresses this in Romans 6:1. Luther committed the Bible,
or very large portions of memory, but somehow he managed to miss this?
I think that this subject deserves a great deal more study. I have
generally heard only good things about Luther (except that he was very
anti-semitic), but now I would like to know more. This
site has an essay that is very negative towards Luther, but it does
have the look of being well researched. In this matter, I think my
attitude would be that of the university's motto, "Quae cum que vera"
or "Whatsoever is true". I would like to continue believing the best
about Luther, but his writings are disturbing. Anyway, it is time for
me to sleep. I am popping another "healthy dose" of Ny-Quill. wan an.

So, it is Friday night, or Saturday morning, however you prefer to
think of it. I can't say much about the past few days. Just kind of
life as normal with a few notable exceptions. 1. I am going home on the
17th of December or something like that. I can't wait, it has been a
long time since I have been in the US and it promises to be a lot of
fun. I can't wait to see some family and friends again, go out for
dinner, eat at home, sleep in a bed that doesn't resemble one from the
Flintstones. I am hoping to do everything I can in that time, as I have
to be back in Edmonton by January 4th, because classes start the
following day.
2. I went out to the Powerplant on campus for the first time. I was
actually quite happy with the experience in general. It still doesn't
meet quite what I would like in a pub, but it has many great things
going for it. Good prices on the drinks, close to me, good food, and
not too smoky of an atmosphere. Something tells me I'll be going back.
3. I am getting my roommate tomorrow, and I still have absolutely no
idea who he is. So, that said, Saturday should be an interesting day. I
am also doing laundry tomorrow, and I think I am going to WestEd. I
have only been there once since I have been here, and I could do with
another round. It is a nice way to kill a few hours with friends, and
hopefully, they might have some cheap hoodies. THe weather is cold
here! I have to have warmer stuff.