I like weekends. Fun stuff can happen on weekends. Like some weekends, this one was packed, tiring, and great!
Friday, shockingly, did not include the MBA in anyway, except that I did have a subsitute. Instead, I went to Planet Wisdom youth conference.
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As you can see, the trip from San Jose, where I met the group, to Brentwood, was quite a trip. Notice the disclaimer that the trip can take up to 1 hour 30 mins in traffic. Longer really, if you stop for in-n-out. My plan, when I posted from my phone, was to have a nice little semi-live stream. Then the conference just piled on top of me, and I didn't have that kind of time. Now I do.
Within 30 minutes of leaving, the trip had taken on a unique River Youth flavor. My youth pastor, Kyle, has a deathly allergy to any kind of nuts. The edible kind, not the mental kind. Can someone be allergic to themself? Anyway, one of the other adults who was driving, Audury, gave the guys, who were all in one car, some snacks. Pretzels and bananas. Not bad right? As we hit some traffic, Kyle decides it is time for a snack. He grabs a pretzel, and with it almost into his mouth, asks "Is there peanut butter in this?". I knew the weekend was gonna be great.
When we stopped in Livermore for dinner (Double-double, with sauteed onions, fries, and coke.), I decided that I needed a break from the boy's car, so I was going to ride with some of the ladies. Lis, the other woman leader who came, Becky, Betit, and Lauren. The conversation was much more civil, but the driving wasn't too good. Kyle drove skilfully, if crazily. Lis, on the other hand, was following a GPS, and this particular GPS gave some interesting directions. Suddenly we left the highway, and were on some backroad, passing pastures, vineyards, corrals, houses with trailer hitches, wheels, and duct tape, and tons of windmills. I liked the windmills. We eventually got back on to the highway, only to take an exit, drive paraell to the highway for 5 minutes, then getting back on to the highway. THE SAME EXACT HIGHWAY!!! When we finally arrived, we were late, so sat in the very back row, but not in the balconey, because it was closed. Except not.
The speaker was Mark Matlock, and he spoke on "The Hero's Jourony". I really appriciated when he finished inviting people to begin the journy, and spoke on how to continue the journey. That is much more relevant to where I am in my life, and more practical than what happens at most camps and conferences, where the speaker is mostly abstracts and calls to Christ. The band was a not mainstream Texas band called Dutton, which means nothing. I know they are not mainstream, because they don't have a wiki page. There were also 2 guys, "The Skit Guys". Pretty funny, but I really loved when they began ad-libbing. Much more organic.
On lunch break, we decided to play Ultimate Frisbee. If you don't know how to play, too bad! I'm not going to explain it. Trying to choose teams was going to be hard, because there were 7 girls, 5 boys, but all the boys were athletic, and all the girls were short. I made a heroic choice, and decided that we would do boys vs. girls, but I would be on the girls team. BWHAHA! We demolished those guys!!
The sleeping arrangements were......crazy. Not the arrangements so much, but the effects of those arrangements. Aside from the typical bored male talk, there was a critque of my hairyness, and how that earned me my own queen bed, and Kyle jumping from a half-wall, wearing his sleeping bag, and bouncing off the bed. Hilarious at 1:30!
On the ride home, I rode with Audrey, who was following Lis, who was following Kyle. Right out of the parking lot Kyle went a different way, so then we were just following Lis. Lis was following her GPS, which once again led us down the road less traveled by. Our dinner was great. We stopped in Livermore again, but this time got authentic mexican place. 4 tacos, for $1.50 each. So good! I knew the place was legit, because the cable hookup was dangling from the wall, and all the commericals were in Spainish. The ride the rest of the way home was good, the group of people in the car lent themself to good conversation. Lis took us through downtown Livermore, but that was on purpose. As we were leaving Livermore, we were following Kyle. He was over in the left turn lane, then zoomed across 3 lanes to the right turn lane. Lis followed him, slightly frantic, then Lis went absolutely manic when Kyle camly moved into the straight lane, and gave us a little wave as we turned. Crazy.
This Sunday was a bit different compared to most Sundays. My church occasionally has an event called "Kindness San Jose", or "Loving San Jose", which is the whole church going out and trying to bless, and help, and love as many people as possible. I was part of the car wash team, which was pretty cool. It was funny how many people with dirty cars would just pass by, and that the first few people were suspiscious of our sign proclaiming "Free Car Wash!". I think it should have read "Free Car Wash! Really!". I also got to go up on stage and share about the carwash to the congregation, and was only 1 of 3 who got to do so. I was dubbed "cute" and a "born speaker", depending on who was asked.
That is it for this weekend.
Have a great one!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
Two Quick Articles
Thought that this is a great challenge to all you new Facebook design haters.
I don't really care, because I don't use Facebook. HAH!
http://www.slate.com/id/2214447/pagenum/all/#p2
This is a great article, and I highly recommend the videos too. This is art of the next generation! I hope to see more stuff like this happening.
http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2009/03/kutimans-pionee.html
I don't really care, because I don't use Facebook. HAH!
http://www.slate.com/id/2214447/pagenum/all/#p2
This is a great article, and I highly recommend the videos too. This is art of the next generation! I hope to see more stuff like this happening.
http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2009/03/kutimans-pionee.html
Monday, March 23, 2009
Warning: Excessive Fun Can Have Side Effects, Including Aches, Bruises, and Cuts
I knew that this weekend was going to be fun and productive, and fun. But I did not expect this much fun.
Friday!! I got up, ate, did other morning things, then marched off to the bus stop, with pillow and blanket under my arm, and my bag on my back. I arrived at the station, and realized that I only had a $20 bill, and my fare was only $3.50. I walked up to the little snack shack right by the station, and asked for change, feeling vaugely confident about the day. I should have realized that things were going to be nuts when I was told that there was not change for a 20 there, so I would have to run down the block to a bagel shop, in less than 5 minutes. I did so (and got a cranberry bagel), and ran back, with 2 minutes to spare!
Upon arriving in Monterey, I walked to CFFO (Center For the Future of the Oceans), which is a branch of the MBA that is focused on policy, advocacy, and conservation, for a meeting about my SOC project. I was early, so I stashed my bag and pillow under some stairs, and sat down to read. A woman walked out of the CFFO building, walked towards me, akwardly looked at me, and finally asked if I was Chris. (This just in! I am Chris) Our meeting was good, informative, but not just in the way that it was intended to be. Before I go off on my little boring bit, I am going to be a prototype for a national camgpain by other insitutions like the Aquarium, which will utilize the massive force that is the concerned public, and volunteers in particular. Should be interesting. Now for my bit. One of the big take-aways for me was that there is a bit of a dilemma for someone who wants to make change on a small-scale. I could have either gone about it on my own, assembling my data from the Internet, and having absolutely no rules, except those that I set, or I could have used resources from a well-established group, like the MBA. I chose the MBA path, and now I am founding out what the pros and cons of that are. I instantly have a good reputation behind me, I have terrific resources, great support, but I have to fit my actions within a strict bureaucratic framework, and I have to play by a certain set of rules. Time will tell how this will play out.
As I walked to the Aquarium, I got plenty of odd looks, perhaps due to my extremely fashionable hat. Or, it could have been because I was carrying a pillow and blanket under one arm, and eating my bagel with the other, while carrying a large backpack. Dunno.
Volunteering was fun. I worked a station which is basically really small stuff, plus a microscope, plus a big TV screen. I don't usually work this station, but I actually did pretty well, and had fun. If I had any questions there were two other guides there as well, so I could easily ask them. One of funniest moments was at a touch pool. These two girls walked up, and they looked pretty similar, but were dressed in fairly individual styles. I asked them if they wanted to touch any of the animals in the pool, and they answered in almost perfect sychroninization. "No, thank you." Somewhere a little lightbulb went off, in that part of my brain that realizes that people are twins. I attempted to engage them a couple other times, and everytime I got the same kind of wackily polite, simultanious rejection. So funny really.
After shift I contentedly sat in the guide lounge eating my chili (thanks Mom!!), and when I finished, I went upstairs to find my boss (Jeffery) to ask when I should show up to help out. Jeffery immediately put me to work, and I didn't stop until SOC students showed up. (Except for dinner)
The sleepover was great fun. I got to see some people I remembered (which was not many), to talk with older SOC'ers about what their life is like now, and to do some heavy-duty interpretation. I actually got to talk about marine animals, and conservation, to an audience that was totally listening, and was comfortable with what I had to say. SO AWESOME!!! The sleeping part was not as great. I only had a blanket and pillow (for complicated reasons) and the ground was uncomfortable, cold, and I didn't actually "lay down to go to sleep" until about 2:15 a.m. I woke up at 6:30ish, and the rest of the morning was unremarkable. (Except for the fresh chocolate muffins)
Immediately after dropping the girl Dad was giving a ride to Gilroy, we drove to paintballing. Fortunately for us, the field we were playing at was in Morgan Hill, so the drive was nice and short.
Before I continue with the paintballing saga, I feel the need to share about one of my favorite parts of living in an apartment complex. There are "cart vendors" which walk around, or ride their bike, and sell a variety of Hispanic culinary favorites. I love them! My favorite is these chips which can have lemon and chile poured/sprayed on them and chipped ice with syrup. So good, and I have no clue what is in any of it.
Paintballing was great fun, but I want to talk a couple of my favorite, or most memorable moments. Matthew Ma., who played last time, wanted to play a game called "Single Flag", in which one flag is set in the center of the field, and then the teams have to grab the flag, and take back to their side. My team consisted of Jesse, myself, and 3 adult males who were new to the group. The other team was Jose, Paul, Warren, Dad, and Matthew. Except for Matthew, the rest of that team is really good. My team was more marginal. Jesse appointed himself tactitican for our team, and the key point in his plan involved me running up and grabbing the flag. I liked this plan. We started about 50 feet away from the flag. On "go!" I ran forward, vaulted the wall of a bunker, and ducked down inside. My team ran up and provided covering fire, and Jesse gave me the go, and I jumped the other wall, grabbed the flag, and ran back to the fence. Game over! Perhaps 3 minutes had elapsed. The other team decided that sides of the field should be switched. The second game went more or less the same, I ran up, grabbed the flag, ran back, done. They decided that they didn't like Single Flag.
The other fun moments included holding off 3 men, only to get hit by Dad in the wrist, and then in the head. The very last game we played was 3 teams of 3 or 4. Craziness! Having to worry about two sets of men shooting at you, that really pushed my little brain, so unaccustomed to such things, pretty hard.
After a night of 3 hours of sleep, my body was already pretty tired, but paintball cut me down to nearly exhausted. I was looking forward to Sunday being a day of rest and recuperation.
Sunday was not a day of rest, for young men's small group, instead of the usual study time, we went to a park and played ultimate frisbee. On the day that had gusting winds, and saw dead fronds falling from palm trees. Of course. This game was great fun, but very physically demanding, and tiring. Today the amount of body parts that don't hurt could be counted on one hand. As I was limping to the bus, I had a quick encounter with an IPTP. The weather was perhaps 50 degrees, but windy, and I was wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and my fashionable hat. As I limped past the bus stop Weatherman was sitting at, he asked if I was cold. "Nope." "Bet you're acclimated to Ohio or somewhere like that!" "Pretty dang close. Iowa." "So this doesn't bother you?" "This is a beautiful spring day!"
The bus ride home was uneventful, and so far today has been pretty tame.
That's all for now!
Have a great one!
Friday!! I got up, ate, did other morning things, then marched off to the bus stop, with pillow and blanket under my arm, and my bag on my back. I arrived at the station, and realized that I only had a $20 bill, and my fare was only $3.50. I walked up to the little snack shack right by the station, and asked for change, feeling vaugely confident about the day. I should have realized that things were going to be nuts when I was told that there was not change for a 20 there, so I would have to run down the block to a bagel shop, in less than 5 minutes. I did so (and got a cranberry bagel), and ran back, with 2 minutes to spare!
Upon arriving in Monterey, I walked to CFFO (Center For the Future of the Oceans), which is a branch of the MBA that is focused on policy, advocacy, and conservation, for a meeting about my SOC project. I was early, so I stashed my bag and pillow under some stairs, and sat down to read. A woman walked out of the CFFO building, walked towards me, akwardly looked at me, and finally asked if I was Chris. (This just in! I am Chris) Our meeting was good, informative, but not just in the way that it was intended to be. Before I go off on my little boring bit, I am going to be a prototype for a national camgpain by other insitutions like the Aquarium, which will utilize the massive force that is the concerned public, and volunteers in particular. Should be interesting. Now for my bit. One of the big take-aways for me was that there is a bit of a dilemma for someone who wants to make change on a small-scale. I could have either gone about it on my own, assembling my data from the Internet, and having absolutely no rules, except those that I set, or I could have used resources from a well-established group, like the MBA. I chose the MBA path, and now I am founding out what the pros and cons of that are. I instantly have a good reputation behind me, I have terrific resources, great support, but I have to fit my actions within a strict bureaucratic framework, and I have to play by a certain set of rules. Time will tell how this will play out.
As I walked to the Aquarium, I got plenty of odd looks, perhaps due to my extremely fashionable hat. Or, it could have been because I was carrying a pillow and blanket under one arm, and eating my bagel with the other, while carrying a large backpack. Dunno.
Volunteering was fun. I worked a station which is basically really small stuff, plus a microscope, plus a big TV screen. I don't usually work this station, but I actually did pretty well, and had fun. If I had any questions there were two other guides there as well, so I could easily ask them. One of funniest moments was at a touch pool. These two girls walked up, and they looked pretty similar, but were dressed in fairly individual styles. I asked them if they wanted to touch any of the animals in the pool, and they answered in almost perfect sychroninization. "No, thank you." Somewhere a little lightbulb went off, in that part of my brain that realizes that people are twins. I attempted to engage them a couple other times, and everytime I got the same kind of wackily polite, simultanious rejection. So funny really.
After shift I contentedly sat in the guide lounge eating my chili (thanks Mom!!), and when I finished, I went upstairs to find my boss (Jeffery) to ask when I should show up to help out. Jeffery immediately put me to work, and I didn't stop until SOC students showed up. (Except for dinner)
The sleepover was great fun. I got to see some people I remembered (which was not many), to talk with older SOC'ers about what their life is like now, and to do some heavy-duty interpretation. I actually got to talk about marine animals, and conservation, to an audience that was totally listening, and was comfortable with what I had to say. SO AWESOME!!! The sleeping part was not as great. I only had a blanket and pillow (for complicated reasons) and the ground was uncomfortable, cold, and I didn't actually "lay down to go to sleep" until about 2:15 a.m. I woke up at 6:30ish, and the rest of the morning was unremarkable. (Except for the fresh chocolate muffins)
Immediately after dropping the girl Dad was giving a ride to Gilroy, we drove to paintballing. Fortunately for us, the field we were playing at was in Morgan Hill, so the drive was nice and short.
Before I continue with the paintballing saga, I feel the need to share about one of my favorite parts of living in an apartment complex. There are "cart vendors" which walk around, or ride their bike, and sell a variety of Hispanic culinary favorites. I love them! My favorite is these chips which can have lemon and chile poured/sprayed on them and chipped ice with syrup. So good, and I have no clue what is in any of it.
Paintballing was great fun, but I want to talk a couple of my favorite, or most memorable moments. Matthew Ma., who played last time, wanted to play a game called "Single Flag", in which one flag is set in the center of the field, and then the teams have to grab the flag, and take back to their side. My team consisted of Jesse, myself, and 3 adult males who were new to the group. The other team was Jose, Paul, Warren, Dad, and Matthew. Except for Matthew, the rest of that team is really good. My team was more marginal. Jesse appointed himself tactitican for our team, and the key point in his plan involved me running up and grabbing the flag. I liked this plan. We started about 50 feet away from the flag. On "go!" I ran forward, vaulted the wall of a bunker, and ducked down inside. My team ran up and provided covering fire, and Jesse gave me the go, and I jumped the other wall, grabbed the flag, and ran back to the fence. Game over! Perhaps 3 minutes had elapsed. The other team decided that sides of the field should be switched. The second game went more or less the same, I ran up, grabbed the flag, ran back, done. They decided that they didn't like Single Flag.
The other fun moments included holding off 3 men, only to get hit by Dad in the wrist, and then in the head. The very last game we played was 3 teams of 3 or 4. Craziness! Having to worry about two sets of men shooting at you, that really pushed my little brain, so unaccustomed to such things, pretty hard.
After a night of 3 hours of sleep, my body was already pretty tired, but paintball cut me down to nearly exhausted. I was looking forward to Sunday being a day of rest and recuperation.
Sunday was not a day of rest, for young men's small group, instead of the usual study time, we went to a park and played ultimate frisbee. On the day that had gusting winds, and saw dead fronds falling from palm trees. Of course. This game was great fun, but very physically demanding, and tiring. Today the amount of body parts that don't hurt could be counted on one hand. As I was limping to the bus, I had a quick encounter with an IPTP. The weather was perhaps 50 degrees, but windy, and I was wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and my fashionable hat. As I limped past the bus stop Weatherman was sitting at, he asked if I was cold. "Nope." "Bet you're acclimated to Ohio or somewhere like that!" "Pretty dang close. Iowa." "So this doesn't bother you?" "This is a beautiful spring day!"
The bus ride home was uneventful, and so far today has been pretty tame.
That's all for now!
Have a great one!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Do Weeks Have Themes?
I love weekends! I love the week too, but weekends have the potential for so much variety.
For this weekend I will have a quick rundown, and then random musings, stories, and ideas from that same time.
Saturday-Alex had a "Scout" baseball game (Scout means that all the players are handicapped), then the whole family went to a funeral for a man who went to our old church.
Sunday-Church, (Bagel Shop Sunday) then a parent's meeting after service, which meant that all the youth were aimlessly hanging around, looking for anything to do. After that was done, we all went shopping at Target.
Monday-Alex and I rode the bus to San Jose for a dentist appointment.
Tuesday-Not much really.
Wedensday-More of the same.
On to the random stuff.
Alex got a baseball bat, so one evening we went to the park and hit a few. The memories came rushing, both mental, as well as muscular. I haven't mentioned this before, but I lived in Iowa before moving to California 5 years ago. Part of why I haven't mentioned it is because it was not an enjoyable time in my life. Except for the sports. I learned how to play basketball, baseball, and football there, thanks to a few men who set aside much of their non-working life to teach the 15 or so boys around my age who lived in or close to my town of 550 people. The rush, the crowd (or whatever you call a audience of 25), the team atmosphere, the competition, the skills, that moment when all eyes turn on you, that feeling you get right after a great play, the letdown of losing a close game, muffing the catch, missing the block, and swinging at that high 3rd strike. I love it. I miss it. Playing with Al was pretty fun too!
I love helping people, and wanting to tell someone, to brag about what a great thing you did. As soon as you tell, you feel like a bragger, but if you keep it to yourself, it glows inside you, and warms you.
I am an eater. I like food, and if I don't eat enough often enough, then I get very hungry and have to eat a lot. At the funeral, I hadn't eaten for several hours, which is a long time for me. So when I saw the food at the reception, I was thrilled. My first plate was moderate, not heaping, just full. As soon as I sat down, I got kiddded, mocked, and criticized for the amount of food on my plate. I was hungry!!
This is a great article about narcissism.
http://www.slate.com/id/2213740/pagenum/all/#p2
We all went to the library today, by as a whole we checked out over 110 items. I personally got about 15. Reviews will be forthcoming.
I have begun to realize what a formidable group my family is in public places. Alex, who acts like a handicapped person (rightfully so), me, I imagine I am hard to catagorize, and then Mandy, Nick and Beth. The three littles typically are fairly uninhibited in their behavior, which can be surprising in today's society of unwritten rules and expectations. Poor Mom. I'm sorry.
I don't know if this is me, or if it is real, but I am noticing a lot of "children's" books that are really good. Funny, thought-provoking, surprising, engaging and creative. Perhaps I just have so much around me, that it is soaking in.
I got a new phone two days ago, and I am pumped! My old phone sounded like I was talking to people, but the people were rolling around in piles of wax paper. My new one not only sounds great, but it has a camera, and not-awful ringtones. It also is very, very tough. It meets army specs for a whole truckload of bad stuff. Everything short of a bullet it seems.
Tommorow Mandy and Mom are going to a ballet in San Francisco, so I will be staying home with Nick, Beth, and Alex. After that, I will be going down to Gilroy to fill up my CO2 tank for paintballing, doing laundry, and preparing for a crazy weekend.
Can't wait!!
That's it for now!
Have a great one!
For this weekend I will have a quick rundown, and then random musings, stories, and ideas from that same time.
Saturday-Alex had a "Scout" baseball game (Scout means that all the players are handicapped), then the whole family went to a funeral for a man who went to our old church.
Sunday-Church, (Bagel Shop Sunday) then a parent's meeting after service, which meant that all the youth were aimlessly hanging around, looking for anything to do. After that was done, we all went shopping at Target.
Monday-Alex and I rode the bus to San Jose for a dentist appointment.
Tuesday-Not much really.
Wedensday-More of the same.
On to the random stuff.
Alex got a baseball bat, so one evening we went to the park and hit a few. The memories came rushing, both mental, as well as muscular. I haven't mentioned this before, but I lived in Iowa before moving to California 5 years ago. Part of why I haven't mentioned it is because it was not an enjoyable time in my life. Except for the sports. I learned how to play basketball, baseball, and football there, thanks to a few men who set aside much of their non-working life to teach the 15 or so boys around my age who lived in or close to my town of 550 people. The rush, the crowd (or whatever you call a audience of 25), the team atmosphere, the competition, the skills, that moment when all eyes turn on you, that feeling you get right after a great play, the letdown of losing a close game, muffing the catch, missing the block, and swinging at that high 3rd strike. I love it. I miss it. Playing with Al was pretty fun too!
I love helping people, and wanting to tell someone, to brag about what a great thing you did. As soon as you tell, you feel like a bragger, but if you keep it to yourself, it glows inside you, and warms you.
I am an eater. I like food, and if I don't eat enough often enough, then I get very hungry and have to eat a lot. At the funeral, I hadn't eaten for several hours, which is a long time for me. So when I saw the food at the reception, I was thrilled. My first plate was moderate, not heaping, just full. As soon as I sat down, I got kiddded, mocked, and criticized for the amount of food on my plate. I was hungry!!
This is a great article about narcissism.
http://www.slate.com/id/2213740/pagenum/all/#p2
We all went to the library today, by as a whole we checked out over 110 items. I personally got about 15. Reviews will be forthcoming.
I have begun to realize what a formidable group my family is in public places. Alex, who acts like a handicapped person (rightfully so), me, I imagine I am hard to catagorize, and then Mandy, Nick and Beth. The three littles typically are fairly uninhibited in their behavior, which can be surprising in today's society of unwritten rules and expectations. Poor Mom. I'm sorry.
I don't know if this is me, or if it is real, but I am noticing a lot of "children's" books that are really good. Funny, thought-provoking, surprising, engaging and creative. Perhaps I just have so much around me, that it is soaking in.
I got a new phone two days ago, and I am pumped! My old phone sounded like I was talking to people, but the people were rolling around in piles of wax paper. My new one not only sounds great, but it has a camera, and not-awful ringtones. It also is very, very tough. It meets army specs for a whole truckload of bad stuff. Everything short of a bullet it seems.
Tommorow Mandy and Mom are going to a ballet in San Francisco, so I will be staying home with Nick, Beth, and Alex. After that, I will be going down to Gilroy to fill up my CO2 tank for paintballing, doing laundry, and preparing for a crazy weekend.
Can't wait!!
That's it for now!
Have a great one!
Friday, March 13, 2009
I Am A Type A Personality
I had a stark realization today at the MBA. I am a type-A personality, even compared to some other type-A'ers. This may not come as a shock to most, or even all of you, but I just thought that I was a bit more out-going, a bit more confident. Today I was teamed with another type-A'er, Bruce, and the combination of the two of us must have been overwhelming for more than one guest. There are plenty of outgoing, knowledgeable volunteers on the shift, but most of them are a bit more reserved, a bit less rambunctious. Interesting.
My shift typically has some kind "enrichment", which is when we learn about something the MBA. Last week some questions had been raised about the rotation of animals in the touchpools, and Dan, the staff member assigned to our shift, got some answers for us. (Once a month in the down season, twice a month in the busy season) Poor Dan spent all of his time, around 25 minutes, answering questions that were raised by his previous answers. I loved the democracy of the whole thing, almost half the shift had at least one question.
The day-long test of my childcare skills didn't go badly. That said, the amount of humble groveling, unquestioning obedience, and fear and trembling was generally lacking. Thanks to Marge and Ernie for bringing meals! Ernie, a friend of Mom's from high school, brought by Boston Market. Boston Market it turns out, is basically Thanksgiving, with excessive plastic packaging. I found out that I don't like Thanksgiving food, except for on Thanksgiving. I think my love of the day is less about the food and more about the fun that accompanies that food.
Someone wrote LEODY on a part of my bus.
Everything is so green around here. After the rains have come and gone, and the world is no longer gray, and not yet brown, it looks so idyllic.
Big props to Jon Stewart and Jim Cramer. Cheers to Jon for his willingness to take off his funnyman hat, and be serious for a bit. Cheers to Jim for his willingness to stick his neck out, even after being warned by Martha, and his willingness to take some blame, and shed some light on the issue.
Sticking with my little Twitter theme, I thought this was pretty good.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/03/13/police.social.networking/index.html?iref=werecommend
One more cool thing. Grand Central, an online telephone service, was bought and is being re-released as Google Voice, which will be free. Voice mails can be transcribed, and custom messages can be recorded for particular callers. All free. Wondering how this will make money.
My shift typically has some kind "enrichment", which is when we learn about something the MBA. Last week some questions had been raised about the rotation of animals in the touchpools, and Dan, the staff member assigned to our shift, got some answers for us. (Once a month in the down season, twice a month in the busy season) Poor Dan spent all of his time, around 25 minutes, answering questions that were raised by his previous answers. I loved the democracy of the whole thing, almost half the shift had at least one question.
The day-long test of my childcare skills didn't go badly. That said, the amount of humble groveling, unquestioning obedience, and fear and trembling was generally lacking. Thanks to Marge and Ernie for bringing meals! Ernie, a friend of Mom's from high school, brought by Boston Market. Boston Market it turns out, is basically Thanksgiving, with excessive plastic packaging. I found out that I don't like Thanksgiving food, except for on Thanksgiving. I think my love of the day is less about the food and more about the fun that accompanies that food.
Someone wrote LEODY on a part of my bus.
Everything is so green around here. After the rains have come and gone, and the world is no longer gray, and not yet brown, it looks so idyllic.
Big props to Jon Stewart and Jim Cramer. Cheers to Jon for his willingness to take off his funnyman hat, and be serious for a bit. Cheers to Jim for his willingness to stick his neck out, even after being warned by Martha, and his willingness to take some blame, and shed some light on the issue.
Sticking with my little Twitter theme, I thought this was pretty good.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/03/13/police.social.networking/index.html?iref=werecommend
One more cool thing. Grand Central, an online telephone service, was bought and is being re-released as Google Voice, which will be free. Voice mails can be transcribed, and custom messages can be recorded for particular callers. All free. Wondering how this will make money.
I Couldn't Believe This
Hey readers,
Just wanted to post a link to a mind-blowing story.
Thanks to Wired!
http://www.wired.com/politics/law/magazine/17-04/ff_diamonds?currentPage=all
I will have a real post on the bus ride home today.
Just wanted to post a link to a mind-blowing story.
Thanks to Wired!
http://www.wired.com/politics/law/magazine/17-04/ff_diamonds?currentPage=all
I will have a real post on the bus ride home today.
Monday, March 9, 2009
New Things
This week has been pretty quiet so far, with a few fun things, and a few new things that I have been given.
New things: haircut, shoes, paintball gun. Yes, I finally did pick up my gun from Aaron and I love it. Thanks to Dad for a great idea. He suggested that I could airbrush my gun to be camouflaged, using his airbrush. I was really pleased with how it came out, and had fun painting it too. Pictures of before are here and pictures of after are here.
New things: haircut, shoes, paintball gun. Yes, I finally did pick up my gun from Aaron and I love it. Thanks to Dad for a great idea. He suggested that I could airbrush my gun to be camouflaged, using his airbrush. I was really pleased with how it came out, and had fun painting it too. Pictures of before are here and pictures of after are here.
Sunday was pretty fun, the young men spent some time planning their summer overnight paintball adventure.
Tomorrow I might either go to Coraline with Alex, or go to a paintball shop, and then to a military surplus store to pick up some stuff for a game that will be on the 21st.
This Wednesday my folks are going down to Watsonville, leaving all of us children here at home, while they enjoy a lovely get-away night. I will have a report on how that goes here on the domestic/boring end.
There will be some kind of update when something interesting happens.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Awesome!
First, some really exciting news!
At SOC Tuesday night, I found out what I will be doing next year. My official title will be "Intern-Education Department", first Education intern ever. My role will be fairly expansive. I will help train the Ambassadors (I am currently the senior Ambassador), I will help the Ambassadors with any problems they have, I will help them with their conversation project, I will be the liaison between the Ambassadors, the Mentors (the adult volunteers), and the staff, I will help assemble the PowerPoints for the meetings, and the year-end meeting. This is very exciting to me!
This is an article I found that was very interesting, and pretty funny to me. It was striking to me how hard to replicate the human touch is. I loved listening to the audio clips, highly reconmmend doing so.
http://www.slate.com/id/2212800/pagenum/all/#p2
I also need to rave about a great book I just finished. Moral Politics, How Liberals and Conservatives Think, by George Lakoff. Mr. Lakoff is "cognitive linguist" at UC Berkley. Much of the book looked at what shapes the conservative and liberal position on issues, how the language used in discussion shapes the discussion, and why conversatives and liberals give each other that look questioning what planet the other is from. Such an interesting lens through which to look at politics. Great stuff!
I have been riding the bus a bit recently, and I have noticed a few classes of people on the bus.
The Babe in the Woods-This rider doesn't realize what kind of people are around him or her, and smiles happily at others, talks loudly on the phone, moves over for others, not pay attention to any commotion, and repeatedly request a stop, then shout "Sorry, wrong one!!".
The Woody Allen-This rider realizes exactly what kind of people are around him or her, and huddle in the corner of their seat, not touching anything until they get off, avoid eye contact, speak, if at all, on the phone in hushed tones, look at every passenger as if they want to do awful things, and in general look meek and defeated.
The Unwilling Rider-This rider most likely is riding to save money, or because they don't have a car, or because they got their license revoked. Typically seen brooding in a seat, glaring at those around them, complaining about the tiniest problem with the driving, listening to music just loud enough for those around them to hear, but too quiet for the driver, and muttering "50 in a 35 zone, 50 in a 35 zone" over and over.
The Commuter-This rider is the best kind to sit next to, they will leave you alone, they smell nice, and are quiet. They typically carry briefcases, wear a tie, use a headset or Bluetooth for phone calls, take exactly half of the seat, thank the driver, get up and off in a courteous manner, with plenty of "excuse me's", and never offer their seat up.
The Crazy-This rider has many variations, but typically listen to music, eat food, or read the newspaper. Other identifying characteristics include unidentifiable smells, an encyclopedic knowledge of the bus system, an unsettlingly friendly demeanor, and a constant moving, in search of "The Best Seat".
The Battle-Scarred Veteran-This rider is rarely seen, due to its amazing ability to move silently onto the bus, and exit, without drawing any attention to itself. Characteristics are rumored to include clothes patterned to match the upholstery on the seats, the ability to ride in the same seat as another passenger, knowledge of every bus driver's first name, and being able to jump out the window, instead of requesting a stop.
The Tourist-Any rider with luggage not riding to the airport is a tourist, and as such is shunned by other non-tourists. Common features include a total inability to stow their luggage somewhere convinent, repeated phone calls asking where they should get off, getting up to look at a route map, often for the wrong route, talking to the driver, and unnessecary smiles at other riders
The Loud Talker-Typically juveniles, in groups of 3-10. Identifying features include the ability to talk so loud that even music turned up all the way on headphones is still drowned out, to talk about absolutely nothing for 2 hours straight, at least 3 times the lung capacity of regular riders, which allows them to talk longer without breathing, and the insidious desire to draw other riders into their inane conversation.
Anyone can fall into these catagories, and there are exceptions, sometimes riders in multiple categories, sometimes new catagories are discovered, but typically these hold true.
This very moment, I sit on a couch, "babysitting". In reality I am hanging out at a different house, mooching a neighbor's Internet, and listening to hear if anyone wakes up.
That's all I have for now.
Have a great day, and report new catagories of riders if you spot one!
At SOC Tuesday night, I found out what I will be doing next year. My official title will be "Intern-Education Department", first Education intern ever. My role will be fairly expansive. I will help train the Ambassadors (I am currently the senior Ambassador), I will help the Ambassadors with any problems they have, I will help them with their conversation project, I will be the liaison between the Ambassadors, the Mentors (the adult volunteers), and the staff, I will help assemble the PowerPoints for the meetings, and the year-end meeting. This is very exciting to me!
This is an article I found that was very interesting, and pretty funny to me. It was striking to me how hard to replicate the human touch is. I loved listening to the audio clips, highly reconmmend doing so.
http://www.slate.com/id/2212800/pagenum/all/#p2
I also need to rave about a great book I just finished. Moral Politics, How Liberals and Conservatives Think, by George Lakoff. Mr. Lakoff is "cognitive linguist" at UC Berkley. Much of the book looked at what shapes the conservative and liberal position on issues, how the language used in discussion shapes the discussion, and why conversatives and liberals give each other that look questioning what planet the other is from. Such an interesting lens through which to look at politics. Great stuff!
I have been riding the bus a bit recently, and I have noticed a few classes of people on the bus.
The Babe in the Woods-This rider doesn't realize what kind of people are around him or her, and smiles happily at others, talks loudly on the phone, moves over for others, not pay attention to any commotion, and repeatedly request a stop, then shout "Sorry, wrong one!!".
The Woody Allen-This rider realizes exactly what kind of people are around him or her, and huddle in the corner of their seat, not touching anything until they get off, avoid eye contact, speak, if at all, on the phone in hushed tones, look at every passenger as if they want to do awful things, and in general look meek and defeated.
The Unwilling Rider-This rider most likely is riding to save money, or because they don't have a car, or because they got their license revoked. Typically seen brooding in a seat, glaring at those around them, complaining about the tiniest problem with the driving, listening to music just loud enough for those around them to hear, but too quiet for the driver, and muttering "50 in a 35 zone, 50 in a 35 zone" over and over.
The Commuter-This rider is the best kind to sit next to, they will leave you alone, they smell nice, and are quiet. They typically carry briefcases, wear a tie, use a headset or Bluetooth for phone calls, take exactly half of the seat, thank the driver, get up and off in a courteous manner, with plenty of "excuse me's", and never offer their seat up.
The Crazy-This rider has many variations, but typically listen to music, eat food, or read the newspaper. Other identifying characteristics include unidentifiable smells, an encyclopedic knowledge of the bus system, an unsettlingly friendly demeanor, and a constant moving, in search of "The Best Seat".
The Battle-Scarred Veteran-This rider is rarely seen, due to its amazing ability to move silently onto the bus, and exit, without drawing any attention to itself. Characteristics are rumored to include clothes patterned to match the upholstery on the seats, the ability to ride in the same seat as another passenger, knowledge of every bus driver's first name, and being able to jump out the window, instead of requesting a stop.
The Tourist-Any rider with luggage not riding to the airport is a tourist, and as such is shunned by other non-tourists. Common features include a total inability to stow their luggage somewhere convinent, repeated phone calls asking where they should get off, getting up to look at a route map, often for the wrong route, talking to the driver, and unnessecary smiles at other riders
The Loud Talker-Typically juveniles, in groups of 3-10. Identifying features include the ability to talk so loud that even music turned up all the way on headphones is still drowned out, to talk about absolutely nothing for 2 hours straight, at least 3 times the lung capacity of regular riders, which allows them to talk longer without breathing, and the insidious desire to draw other riders into their inane conversation.
Anyone can fall into these catagories, and there are exceptions, sometimes riders in multiple categories, sometimes new catagories are discovered, but typically these hold true.
This very moment, I sit on a couch, "babysitting". In reality I am hanging out at a different house, mooching a neighbor's Internet, and listening to hear if anyone wakes up.
That's all I have for now.
Have a great day, and report new catagories of riders if you spot one!
Monday, March 2, 2009
There Are All Kinds Of Crazy
This week was filled with various kinds of craziness, and it was quite enjoyable. I like craziness. I think I will just jump right in.
Friday always has the potential to be crazy, but it can sneak up on me, pop out of no where, or, it can sit next to me on the bus home. The bus ride home is always more exciting, more people, who are more talkative, and there is a far greater probability that one (or more) of those people is interesting. My IPTP for last week was Michael. He sat down next to me after looking around the bus and muttering a curse under his breath at those who did not want to share a seat with him. His feelings about this, as I found out later, well, I will let the man speak for himself. "Man, you paid for one seat, man, if you want 2 seats, you better pay for that **** man!" Michael had a distinct odor, not quite a stench, but not a scent. I can describe it as B.O., with undertones of pot, alcohol, and bad breath.
I wanted to highlight some of Michael's interesting conversation. Among some of Michael's odditys were his dissertation on how "country" Prunedale is, "This place is like some **** out of Twilight Zone or some **** like that man! ******* country man, look out there, what ******* year does that look like?", a rant against someone in the backseat listening to music without headphones "Man, turn that **** down, or get some headphones, that's what they make them for man! ****! I hear that **** enough in my hood, I don't need to hear that on the bus!", angry musings upon our delay at a stop for nearly 20 minutes, "****! What is going on up there?!? When I get off, I'mma ask the driver, 'What the **** was that about man?'" Michael also asked for 2 dollars to ride the bus back to his house (I obliged) and he asked 5 or 6 times where I was getting off. Amazingly enough, my answer was the same every time.
One more funny thing on the bus. There were 3 Japanese girls (women?) on the bus, and each of them had 2 pieces of luggage. They had most of it stowed under seats, or on seats, but one piece was sitting next to a seat, in the aisle. As it would happen, that luggage was across from the rear door, which has 4 steps leading out and down. The first turn the bus went around, that luggage slid right into that door! I did not laugh out loud. I did not feel bad though, since any application of common sense would have forseen such an event.
Saturday was pretty quiet as I remember. We watch Casablanca and the day before we had watched Guys and Dolls. There is something far more elegant about old movies, when the brainstormers were not trying to think of a movie which could bring in people, but think of a movie with a story, that will stay with you after you leave. I would have liked living in the '40s and '50s. Except for the music.
Church on Sunday was good, not remarkable, but good. We rushed home, in order to be on time for a baby shower for one of our neighbors. Silly us. For the first 30 minutes, we were 1 of 2 families that invited that were actually there. Then the other family left, and we were alone, then more people came, and the numbers went up to 10ish. This was an hour after the party "started". I forgot to explain that the host family, and all the guests, were Hispanic, oh, except for us. It would have easy to tell that I was white, because I brought my chess board, and was playing for a while. The party lasted around 8 hours, but we went home after 6, then went back to get some dessert. The food. I had a tamale (pork). It was great! Fresh out, melt-in-your-mouth texture, satisfying flavor, not too hot, but enough to be authentic, great boquet too. That was the first course. The entree was posole, which seems to be the equivilint of hamburgers and hot dogs for Hispanic parties. I have had posole several times, and it has never been the same. Sometimes more spicy, sometimes with a hint of chocolate (very Aztec), sometimes the broth is dark, sometimes light, the meat can be beef, chicken, or pork. Yesterday's was a fairly light broth, not very spicy, with pork as the meat. I like pork. I do not like pork skin, or pork bones. At all. Despite these few negative qualities, the food was great, the one new thing was radish in salsa. Really good. Dessert was fruit salad, with shredded coconut, and lots of some kind of milky liquid that didn't exactly taste like milk, pink jello thing, that almost tasted like tapioca. Good stuff. The two crazy things: it seems like all Hispanic hostess feel the irresitable urge to try to "fatten me up" in just one meal (I weigh 150-something), and every Hispanic event we have showed up to on time has run over by several hours. We cannot get into our heads that showing up on time is pointless, because everyone shows up 1-3 hours late. I think it is hilarious.
Amazingly enough, that is all the craziness I have for now, but I will have more, I can just feel it.
Have a good day!
Friday always has the potential to be crazy, but it can sneak up on me, pop out of no where, or, it can sit next to me on the bus home. The bus ride home is always more exciting, more people, who are more talkative, and there is a far greater probability that one (or more) of those people is interesting. My IPTP for last week was Michael. He sat down next to me after looking around the bus and muttering a curse under his breath at those who did not want to share a seat with him. His feelings about this, as I found out later, well, I will let the man speak for himself. "Man, you paid for one seat, man, if you want 2 seats, you better pay for that **** man!" Michael had a distinct odor, not quite a stench, but not a scent. I can describe it as B.O., with undertones of pot, alcohol, and bad breath.
I wanted to highlight some of Michael's interesting conversation. Among some of Michael's odditys were his dissertation on how "country" Prunedale is, "This place is like some **** out of Twilight Zone or some **** like that man! ******* country man, look out there, what ******* year does that look like?", a rant against someone in the backseat listening to music without headphones "Man, turn that **** down, or get some headphones, that's what they make them for man! ****! I hear that **** enough in my hood, I don't need to hear that on the bus!", angry musings upon our delay at a stop for nearly 20 minutes, "****! What is going on up there?!? When I get off, I'mma ask the driver, 'What the **** was that about man?'" Michael also asked for 2 dollars to ride the bus back to his house (I obliged) and he asked 5 or 6 times where I was getting off. Amazingly enough, my answer was the same every time.
One more funny thing on the bus. There were 3 Japanese girls (women?) on the bus, and each of them had 2 pieces of luggage. They had most of it stowed under seats, or on seats, but one piece was sitting next to a seat, in the aisle. As it would happen, that luggage was across from the rear door, which has 4 steps leading out and down. The first turn the bus went around, that luggage slid right into that door! I did not laugh out loud. I did not feel bad though, since any application of common sense would have forseen such an event.
Saturday was pretty quiet as I remember. We watch Casablanca and the day before we had watched Guys and Dolls. There is something far more elegant about old movies, when the brainstormers were not trying to think of a movie which could bring in people, but think of a movie with a story, that will stay with you after you leave. I would have liked living in the '40s and '50s. Except for the music.
Church on Sunday was good, not remarkable, but good. We rushed home, in order to be on time for a baby shower for one of our neighbors. Silly us. For the first 30 minutes, we were 1 of 2 families that invited that were actually there. Then the other family left, and we were alone, then more people came, and the numbers went up to 10ish. This was an hour after the party "started". I forgot to explain that the host family, and all the guests, were Hispanic, oh, except for us. It would have easy to tell that I was white, because I brought my chess board, and was playing for a while. The party lasted around 8 hours, but we went home after 6, then went back to get some dessert. The food. I had a tamale (pork). It was great! Fresh out, melt-in-your-mouth texture, satisfying flavor, not too hot, but enough to be authentic, great boquet too. That was the first course. The entree was posole, which seems to be the equivilint of hamburgers and hot dogs for Hispanic parties. I have had posole several times, and it has never been the same. Sometimes more spicy, sometimes with a hint of chocolate (very Aztec), sometimes the broth is dark, sometimes light, the meat can be beef, chicken, or pork. Yesterday's was a fairly light broth, not very spicy, with pork as the meat. I like pork. I do not like pork skin, or pork bones. At all. Despite these few negative qualities, the food was great, the one new thing was radish in salsa. Really good. Dessert was fruit salad, with shredded coconut, and lots of some kind of milky liquid that didn't exactly taste like milk, pink jello thing, that almost tasted like tapioca. Good stuff. The two crazy things: it seems like all Hispanic hostess feel the irresitable urge to try to "fatten me up" in just one meal (I weigh 150-something), and every Hispanic event we have showed up to on time has run over by several hours. We cannot get into our heads that showing up on time is pointless, because everyone shows up 1-3 hours late. I think it is hilarious.
Amazingly enough, that is all the craziness I have for now, but I will have more, I can just feel it.
Have a good day!
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