Archive for the 'School' Category

for the class of two double-O five

April 14, 2005

I recently discovered Paul Graham’s “What You’ll Wish You’d Known,” a speech that was originally written for a high school graduation ceremony, but that works just as well for those graduating college any time soon (For example: NOT ME ).

What do you want to do with your life?
“People are always asking you this, so you think you’re supposed to have an answer. But adults ask this mainly as a conversation starter. They want to know what sort of person you are, and this question is just to get you talking. They ask it the way you might poke a hermit crab in a tide pool, to see what it does.”

Or, as I’ve heard it put before, they’re not asking because because they expect you to have your life planned out, they’re actually looking for ideas.

You can dooo eeeet!
“Don’t get demoralized. Don’t think that you can’t do what other people can. And I agree you shouldn’t underestimate your potential. People who’ve done great things tend to seem as if they were a race apart… In fact I suspect if you had the sixteen year old Shakespeare or Einstein in school with you, they’d seem impressive, but not totally unlike your other friends.”

This has been a strong belief of mine that many people are actually strongly opposed to. You tell some people that the student body at MIT is just like any other and there’s a good chance you’re gonna see some palm to face action in the near future. It’s like insulting a religious institution: “HAVE YOU NO SHAME,” they would cry as I am banished from society in the name of protecting impressionable young minds.

Perhaps my favorite tidbit from Mr. Graham’s speech is actually in the footnotes, in reference to the oft repeated high school teacher mantra…

Behave like adults!
“I wonder if they’d like it if you did. You may be loud and disorganized, but you’re very docile compared to adults… Imagine the reaction of an FBI agent or taxi driver or reporter to being told they had to ask permission to go the bathroom, and only one person could go at a time. To say nothing of the things you’re taught. If a bunch of actual adults suddenly found themselves trapped in high school, the first thing they’d do is form a union and renegotiate all the rules with the administration.”

Posted by red @ 5:53 am in School

Well,

April 2, 2005


Well,

A new quarter begins. This one will be pretty neat, methinks. I walked into my ES X335 class with wonder: it felt like High School again, but with a filipino Mr. Lunsford. "The Filipino/a American Experience" is a seminar oriented, not lecture oriented class, and boy does it feel like sitting down back at Morse, in a very good way.

I’m only taking 13 units this quarter, so it seems like it’ll be a bit easier than of late. This seems like a good quarter to get into two different internships. I’ve already started my first quarter at UGS, the on-campus printing company run entirely by students, and I’m really excited to get an interview pretty soon with Big Images, a wide format printer on Broad St. run by the guy who used to live in my room. If I get the internship, it’ll make my day. The guy told Jim he’s looking for somebody to learn the ropes so they can eventually be an actual employee. If all goes well, I’ll be able to stay in the area after graduation next year, and that sounds swell!
Posted by Ben @ 10:18 pm in School, Work

Sigh. It’s finally over.

March 19, 2005


Sigh. It’s finally over.

Finals week was a monstrous labyrinth. Fire, ogres, pain sticks, hot MAGMA!!! And I survived. With black hair, no less.

That’s right. Kristen helped dye my hair black. It’s pretty freakin’ cool.

Mom told me about the new Moby album coming out next week, and lo! and behold! Two hours later I have it! Tis pretty decent. Very 80’s new wave.

Now, I’m in that part of the year where it’s the all-of-a-sudden death stop. Going going going in class, and then STOP. I don’t want to do anything with my days, but I feel I should be doing something. Sigh...

It’s not so bad, though. Just rainy.
Posted by Ben @ 11:45 pm in School, Music

the die has been cast

April 22, 2005
well, its official now: i’m graduating this year. it seems like people are normally excited about graduating early, but i’m actually kind of bummed. most of my friends are graduating next year, and it would’ve been fun to walk with them. and to have an extra year to figure out what i’m going to do with my life. and to finish up the 9 freaking credits i still need for the poli sci major. but oh well. i may have no clue what’s going on in my life, but as long as God does, everything is ok.
Posted by Daniel @ 7:35 pm in School, Work

i hate my life

April 19, 2005
it is now nearly midnight, and i just got back from the library, where, with the exception of a short break to get some food, i spent the last 6 and a half hours. i was working on my brief for law & society when i got to library. i’m still working on my brief. my partner and i have different ideas of what research is, so splicing the part that he did into what i’ve got is going to be a little tricky. i can’t blame him too much though... he still put quite a bit of work into this, and the class isn’t even in his major. anyways, the brief is due at 8:00 tomorrow morning, which means i need to get back to typing.

i’ll leave you with the following statement, to balance out the hatred expressed in the title: i love caffeine.

--update--
it is approximately 2:49 in the morning. my brief is finished, and i no longer hate life. although i’m sure that i’ll be hating it again when i have to get up at 7:15. oh well.
Posted by Daniel @ 5:50 am in School

hmm...

April 15, 2005
its been an interesting sort of day. i got my IPE midterm back... i had been really worried about it. but i rocked it hardcore. on a 4.0 scale, i got a 4.3. i also got my digital camera in today, which will be fun to play with. i’ll try and get some pics up before the weekend is over.



on the other hand, it looks like i’m going to be getting squat for financial aid next year. i’m going to try and do some tweaking with stuff, maybe switching one of my classes from upper- to lower-division so i don’t have enough crap to finish the first degree. we’ll have to see how that goes.
Posted by Daniel @ 7:47 pm in School

bummer

April 14, 2005
well, i didn’t get the RA job that i applied for. it’s kind of a bummer, but i wasn’t really expecting to get hired, so its not a huge letdown. it just means i need to look that much harder for the money i’ll need to stick around at college.



anyways, time to finish rewriting a paper. and then run. because lets face it, i am a glutton for punishment.
Posted by Daniel @ 8:58 pm in School, Work

jeah~

April 23, 2005
Never thought I’d be so happy to get a 70%!!



EE40 Midterm 2 Results:

Average: 57/100

80-100 - 15

70-79.9 - 25

60-69.9 - 17

50-59.9 - 27

less than 50 - 42

I remember walking away from this 16 page exam thinking that I’d get a 50% if I was lucky.





CS61A Midterm 3 Results:

Average: 28.02/40

Me: 36



4 points were deducted from my score because I misread a question. You know, it’s a lot less frustrating to lose points because you misinterpreted a question, as opposed to having absolutely no idea of how to go about solving it. For instance, I had a quiz for EE20N last Wednesday, and I handed it in COMPLETELY blank. Actually, I didn’t even hand it in, I just stuffed it into my bookbag, threw my head down in shame, and ran outta there with tears streaming down my face. *sniff*



My predictions:

CS61A ~Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs: A

EE40 ~Introduction to Micorelectronic Circuits: B

EE20N ~Structure and Interpretation of Signals and Systems: C



And off to the coffee shop I go!
Posted by Eugene @ 3:03 pm in School

dude, where’s my car?

April 23, 2005
I mean, my EE40 lab partner? He should have been here 20 minutes ago. We’re working on this light detector thing that flashes a green LED in the dark, and flashes a red LED when it detects light. Circuit analysis sucks, but I guess circuit design licks less balls. I stepped on some poor dude’s phototransistor and I think I crushed it. I better hightail outta here before he finds out.



I hate the semester system! Somewhere deep inside my soul, school is officially over. My mind is already on vacation - ever since it burned to a crisp sometime during the 12th week. That’s how long a quarter is, right? The quarter system sounds sweeeet.



I’ve spent the last few days cyber-stalking people on xanga. Something similar to what I used to do on friendster, but xanga is much more interesting because you get to peer into their minds. Ok, that doesn’t sound as interesting as it does creepy. I basically compiled a list of links to the blogs of people whose lives I deem are worth reading about. Though most of the blogs made the list because I liked the style of writing, I’ve come to realize how boring my life is. I need to travel or something. Or something.



Hmm. Is it just me, or is traveling only fun when you talk about it afterwards over a cup of tea? I’ve had my fair share of traveling, and half the time I am usually a little bored. I’ll put more thought into that later, I think I’m going to head home. It’s 10:45a now, I don’t think he’s coming. Damn, I came all the way to Cory Hall for NOTHING. This is the second time this week - on Tuesday I came here for my EE20N lab, and nobody showed up because it had been canceled that week. This was at 8am. To put things into perspective so I don’t sound so damn whiny, it’s a 20 minute trek from my apartment to Cory......



ALL uphill....







I should quit being so whiny.



Wednesday: ~3 hours

Thurday: ~2 hours
Posted by Eugene @ 6:25 am in School, Travel

nothing much

April 20, 2005
Nothing much happened today. Not even a respectable study session. Meh.



Yesterday, I had quite the ironic experience. I basically missed all the lectures I had that day (I only had one at 9:00a) because my keys were missing in action. It was also street-sweeping day, the one day out of the entire month where if you didn’t move your car to make way for the street-sweepers (the existence of which I have yet to confirm), you get nailed with a $36 parking ticket by the jolly fat woman spilling out of a tiny golf cart. Luckily, I keep my car keys separate from my house keys, and so moving the car presented no problems. Unluckily, I failed to remember that fact as I proudly walked out of the front gate, noticing (not without an air of superiority I might add) the white slips of paper flapping on the windshields of cars owned by my "lesser" neighbors. The gate slammed shut behind me.



Two minutes later, I was sitting on the cold sidewalk curb, humming "If I Had a Hammer," picking at the skin on my toes with my face tucked in between my knees. I must’ve been locked out for a good half hour before someone finally came outside.





Quote of the Day:

I am a coward inspired by words out of context, later to fear the context that borne the words.





Time Studied

Monday: 0 hours

Tuesday: 4 hours
Posted by Eugene @ 4:22 am in Quotes, School, Health/Well Being

one more post before i actually get some work done

April 20, 2005
It’s that time of year. Saturday was Cal Day, when all the clubs and school organizations came out in their little booths, and newly-accepted freshmen swarmed the campus with their parents. I swear, I think I’ve been walking to school (as opposed to bicycling) more often these days just to watch the show. Almost everywhere you look, you can spot an angry teenager. They’re angry for being forced to walk around with their parents in front of the very people they must convince of their coolness for the next few semesters. They’re angry because mom and dad are decked-out from head to toe in blue and gold Cal gear.



"MOM! Take off the the hat, you’re embarassing me!"



"Dad, can you put down the camera for a few seconds? Jeez!"



If you stop and listen carefully, comments like these can be heard all over.





Recently I’ve been getting to think that maybe I should concentrate on my CS classes and not worry so much about how I perform in my EE classes. After all, isn’t it better to learn as much as possible from the subjects that interest me, than to spread out the limited resources my poor excuse of a brain can muster, only to constantly worry about my overall GPA? I mean, we’re talking about a mere 15 blips/second here... Obviously, there are things to be learned in all of my classes so I won’t irresponsibly neglect the "uninteresting" ones, but it would be nice to satisfy my interests to their fullest. I always talk about how I love vacations because then I am able to selectively read things - things that weren’t shoved in front of my face. Maybe this way, I’ll have the best of both worlds. Wishful and naive thinking you say? Perhaps so. This seems to be one of those crossroads where you can’t tell which path is the correct path before actually reaching the final destination. Excelling in CS will act as evidence I made the right decision; however, emerging from the dust as a mediocre programmer most certainly grants anyone the right to call me a lazy-ass punk.





Finally, here’s an essay from the Heel Tribune that made my day.



E = MC Touch Me Right There, Oh God,Touch Me Right There

Tuna (USC)

Posted April 14, 2005 at 06:44 PM



"I like men with clean socks and big graphing calculators."

When you hear the word fetish, you generally think "Ewww. Feet. That’s disgusting." After all, just go to Google and type in the word, "feet." The most popular site is Wu’s Feet Links, featuring links to things like "Foot Vixens" and "Foot Babes." I freely admit I have a sick, twisted fetish and it is not for feet. Actually, to be truthful, feet make me want to vomit. If I could show you a picture of my boyfriend’s feet, peeling and disgusting, with a mysteriously black, rotting toenail, you would see why feet make me want to shove a plunger down my throat until I retch.



My fetish is far more sophisticated than feet. Complete math nerds turn me on. I was recently at a "man pageant" at USC and one of the "stud muffin" contestants solved a Rubix cube in under a minute as his talent. I am pretty sure that I experienced my first orgasm in my seat, which depresses me since I have had sex before.



My boyfriend is a Mechanical Engineering major, which to me, a Print Journalism major who would otherwise have very limited contact with mathematics and science, means I get to hear him talk about mathematics and science almost constantly. This leaves me in a perpetual state of horniness that really never gets alleviated thanks to the fact that he is not a dirty, dirty tramp like me. But, anyway, I can totally empathize with people that go to Wu’s Feet Links and gaze at pictures of red-lacquered toe nails on smooth white feet in strappy black high-heeled sandals and get off. I get off when my boyfriend starts talking to me about differential equations.



I failed algebra in eighth grade. I never made it past pre-calculus in high school. I don’t ever have to take mathematics again, thanks to the wonderful GE requirements of USC. God bless them, by the way. But, when I hear him talking about simulation problems in his differential equations class, I have a weird desire to jump him and screw his brains out on top of his computer desk.



You don’t understand, so I will give you a for instance in the hopes that my fetish will gain mainstream acceptance and recognition, and perhaps even a website with video clips of hot boys talking about fractions. (This will stop me from peeking at web casts of math problems and subsequently moaning in the computer lab. This generally gets me strange looks.)



Example: We will do our homework together in the library or at my apartment. He’ll be working on physics or differential equations. I’m writing a paper. (I am in a perpetual state of "writing a paper" because I foolishly signed up for USC’s "advanced" General Education program, Traumatic/Thematic Options.)



He’s having trouble with one of his problems and in a flustered voice, turns to me, pencil in mouth, hair ruffled, and says, "I’m so confused, (insert complicated explanation about why he is confused here.)"



I immediately put my notebook down and scoot next to him, being the helpful girlfriend I am. Despite the fact that I understand absolutely nothing of what he said past "I am confused," I ask him to explain his problem to me so he can perhaps see where he went wrong. As he is talking, I am melting, literally, into a pool of horniness that cannot possibly be equaled/paralleled/surpassed by any fourteen-year old boy furtively watching scrambled porn in his bedroom in the middle of the night.



He finally talks himself into figuring out his mistake and sweetly says thank you, kissing me on the cheek and returning to his work. I, however, am forced to return to my paper, hormones taking control of my brain and my body quivering with delicious anticipation for the next complex problem he doesn’t understand.



Conclusion: Not all fetishes are sick and weird, relying on feet in strappy sandals. Some fetishes are actually beneficial to the community at large, because, well, engineers need love too. So, if you play Halo, take advanced calculus 2, and can solve a Rubix cube in under a minute, I just want you to know that somewhere out there, probably lurking in a library peeking at your homework, a girl wants to screw your brains out because of your talents.









Is it true?!?! Is it true!?!
Posted by Eugene @ 2:34 am in School, Quotes

too relaxed

April 20, 2005
Man, I am waaay too relaxed right now. I didn’t really get any studying done today and I have lots of shit to do. Oh well, at least I’m enjoying it. For the first time since I started school, I’m coming to realize that there are many things more important than a grade. Before, when I would fuck around, my schoolwork would be continuously nagging me in the background, and I wouldn’t be able to enjoy anything. It really sucked.



Why the hell does everyone work so hard at the things they hate to do, anyway? Granted, we can’t have everything our way; doing things we despise (every so often) is probably good for you - but still... Why do we repeat the same tedious process over and over day after day? To put food on the table? To pay the rent? To put your kids through college?



Most of us have valid, admirable reasons to grit our teeth and do what must be done. For certain, not all of us are in this position. The rest of us are either in debt, or are trying our hardest to live an extravagant a lifestyle as financially possible. What are we trying to prove through these actions? And to whom? How much of what we deem necessary in our everyday lives are things that we are taught to want? Why is it so embarassing for some people to use coupons? How the fuck can some people drive around in an $80,000 Benz, and come home every night to a ghetto-ass apartment? Don’t even get me started on those designer furniture stores... *shudder*



I dunno. I know I’m materialistic just like everyone else. It’s just that when you think about it, it doesn’t make any sense. Recently I’ve been thinking that true freedom lies in a lack of materialistic want. And then something occurred to me. Maybe those crazy bums on Telegraph aren’t as crazy as we all think. Maybe the people who have achieved this great state of mind were labeled insane by society, and are trapped in the mental institutions as I blog at this very moment...



Whatever. I know I have a tendency to be overly judgemental, so I’m just going to stick with my masterplan and quit worrying about other people. I’m going to become as minimalistic as I can possibly become and not work so much. Hopefully by that time, I’ll find something or someone to devote my time and interest to. We only have one short life to live, and there’s no way in hell I’m going to spend it buying shit just so that other people can approve of me.



Saturday

Couple hours here and there

Total Hours Studying: ~4 hours





When people say that they do not care what others think of them, for the most part they deceive themselves. Generally they mean only that they will do as they choose, in the confidence that no one will know their vagaries; and at the utmost only that they are willing to act contrary to the opinion of the majority because they are supported by the approval of their neighbours. It is not difficult to be unconventional in the eyes of the world when your unconventionality is but the convention of your set. It affords you then an inordinate amount of self-esteem. You have the self-satisfaction of courage without the inconvenience of danger. But the desire for approbation is perhaps the most deeply seated instinct of civilized man. No one runs so hurriedly to the cover of respectability as the unconventional woman who has exposed herself to the slings and arrows of outraged propriety. I do not believe the people who tell me they do not care a row of pins for the opinion of their fellows. It is the bravado of ignorance. They mean only that they do not frear reproaches for peccadillos which they are convinced none will discover.



- William Somerset Maugham
Posted by Eugene @ 3:13 pm in School, Quotes

no more midterms!

April 16, 2005
My EE40 midterm wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be, but if you consider how much material we were tested on, I guess it evens out. The hardest part was going into the exam having actually covered all of it. I went it with a broad and shallow understanding, when it should have been broad and deep. Oh well, I still have time until the finals.



I’ve been so busy that I didn’t realize Jack Johnson had come out with a new CD until a few weeks after it happened. "In Between Dreams" isn’t all that bad, but I think I prefer his older stuff. Breakdown, Good People, and Never Know are particular favorites of mine.



I finally did something tonight that didn’t involve coffee, books, or study groups. Eric visited Berkeley from San Jose, and we went out to dinner with Mike Lim. Afterwards, we were walking around campus and Mike gave us the tour. He pointed at one of the dorms and explained to us that it was an all-male dorm. For some reason, I heard him say it was an all-female dorm, so I announced to the both of them that I would "make a note of that" and even went as far as pretending to scribble it down on my imaginary notepad with my imaginary pen... Damn, I must have sounded pretty gay. We had a few good laughs...



Thursday

10:00a-1:30p

9:00p-11:00p

Total: 5.5 hours



Friday

2:00p-3:30p

Total: 1.5 hours
Posted by Eugene @ 3:32 am in School, Music

take that!

April 14, 2005
KILLED my 61A midterm tonight. Finished twenty minutes early - double check included, post-exam insecurities sold seperately. Now I have to cram for my 40 midterm tomorrow at noon. Having a hard time sleeping because I had 3 cups of coffee today.



... and switch.



One of the things I like to believe, is that ultimately, we have a choice in everything we face. For lack of a better example (my brain is pooped), consider the "super-set" of all choices: to live or not to live. If you choose to live, then you’ve chosen to deal with it. It’s as simple as that. Or is it? I don’t know. Logically, the answer is yes. To construct a simple, logical sequence in your mind is to come up with the conclusion that nobody has the right to complain about anything, since they always have the option of suicide.



I’ve been telling myself that because the things that I do or don’t do are unquestionably up to myself, I will never complain (to the best of my ability...) and just do whatever the hell I want. I’ve made decisions accordingly in the recent past, and I won’t say that I didn’t feel guilty about them. I dunno. In the same way I scoff at liberal ideas and yet surround myself with liberal friends, something about people who sacrifice themselves for "the greater good" appeals to me. Is it evolutionary psychology at work, or is it something else? Maybe it all ties in in the end with my "weird" tendency to believe that nothing is sincere unless you had full control over the action: to KNOW and exist in a state of pure, freedom-of-choice, allthewhile making choices that may occasionally seem irrational. Pure intention, without a hint of determinism. Now that’s what you call, "freedom."



In any case, I think it’s important to remember that no matter how much shit you need to get done, you can only do things one step at a time. Like a discrete-time signal. Damn you EE20N, stop offering me your sweet metaphors.



Man... I have a feeling my EE40 midterm is going to be hard.



Tuesday 1:00p-2:00p, 3:30p-11:30p

Total: 9 hours



Wednesday 10:30a-5:30p (straight!), 9:30p-11:30p

Total: 9 hours
Posted by Eugene @ 6:42 am in School

what to major in?

April 12, 2005
When I started here, I hated computer science and I loved electricity and magnetism, so I naturally chose an emphasis on electronics...



Damn it, circuit analysis is unbelieveably boring. I can’t really see how it could interest anyone. Whatever class I take, I’m usually able to find some aspect of the subject that interests me, but with only one month till finals, I find myself clueless as to how anyone could be remotely interested in this stuff. At least now I can cross out "Option I - Electronics" from my list.



As for "Option II - Communications, Networks, and Systems" - not feeling it either. My Signals and Systems class is raping me - and it is thoroughly enjoying the process. Not a hint of guilt on its part. How evil. I was considering concentrating on Signal Processing and landing a job in Defense, but now I’m having second thoughts.



CS61A, on the other hand, has resparked my interest in CS. I’m back to square one, the square I was in 3 years ago when I took my first C programming class. Who knew programming could be this interesting? I still have some doubts though. Am I able to plow through all this code for hours at a time because I’m unconciously avoiding my other classes? Or is it genuinely capturing my interest? All of this hopping around and reconfiguring my navigation system isn’t too reassuring either. Am I being swung this way and that way by something as trivial as how good the lecturer happens to be this particular sememster? One thing is for sure, LISP is really cool. It looks so simple, but can do so much.



So as of today, "Option IV - Computer Science" it is. At least until next sememster, that is.



* New Feature!

Monday, 4/11

Study Hours Logged: 12p-2p, 5p-11:30p

Total: 8.5 hours
Posted by Eugene @ 4:18 pm in School

ok, for real this time

April 11, 2005
I’m burnt out. I have an EE40 midterm on Wednesday, and a CS61A midterm on Thursday. I’ve been studying my ass off for them since my EE20N midterm kicked my ass last week, and I just realized that come Thursday night when I’m officially done with midterms, I’ll need to kick it up a notch for the finals.



Ahh, finals week. Yes, you are one week long. So why are all my finals taking place during the first TWO days?



Crap, I have to take a piss and my roommate is in the shower. He responsibly asks me whether I need to use the bathroom before he goes in, to which today I foolishly replied, "nah, go ahead." What’s so disgusting about peeing in the sink anyway? It’s not like you mix up yogurt in the drain before eating it.



Okay, he’s out. And so am I.
Posted by Eugene @ 3:50 pm in School, Health/Well Being

For my birthday I got a kick in the ass

February 12, 2005

Me: have an essay due...yesterday
Brian: You’re going to have to start running if you’re going to hit eighty-eight miles per hour.

Yay for older brothers! :-D

Posted by kelsey @ 7:06 pm in Quotes, School

Dec/31/1969 7:00:00 PM

December 11, 2004
i’m graduated!
Posted by weezerpants @ 8:14 pm in School

Senior Project

April 21, 2005

Noah and My Senior Project, a Storage Area Network, is finally online! Check out the local Gentoo distfiles (and portage, but rsync isn’t online yet) and debian apt mirrors available here:

http://san.csc.calpoly.edu.

Posted by red0x @ 5:58 am in School

Freedom

April 21, 2005

As you know, I’ve been working nights at the local community college. School has started to really pick up; I’ve never felt more swamped with school than I do this quarter. As you can imagine, with school and working nights, I haven’t been sleeping much. So, on Monday, I asked for the months of May and June off of work. My boss asked if I could work weekends. I was able to go in on Wednesday and tell him, “Not a chance.”

Long story short: I won’t be working May or June. How cool is that?

Posted by red0x @ 4:53 am in School, Work

SAY GOODBYE TO THE SEA

June 29, 2004
Today is my last day on open water; tomorrow we dock in Honolulu. I’ve haven’t been sleeping much slimply because I want to experience every conscious hour possible. I’ll probably end up taking a nap soon though.

I put the final touches on my projects today and turned them in. Yay! All that is left to do is pack, which shouldn’t take long; I’ll do it some time today.

I doubt that I’ll understand that the curise is over until I am on the airplane back to Oakland. Everyone who is not staying in Hawaii (I would’ve if I had more billage) is flying home on the same five hour-long flight. That should be fun. 

So, I’ll be back in the states Wednesday, and I’ll be back in SLO a few days afterward. I think Sean and I are stopping off at his mother’s residence before we head back, and I’m not exactly sure how were getting back home.

I’ll be posting all the way home (Sean’s mother has internet access), but this is the last entry sent from the ship (computers are being shut down). I think I’ll watch the sunrise tomorrow.

Well, until I am back in the states.
Posted by bpalsea @ 11:00 am in Travel, School

MIDWAY, FINALS, AND GRADUATION

June 27, 2004
I’ve been very busy over the last four days, I’m sorry I haven’t written an entry for a while.
 
On the 22nd I stood bridge watch and got to steer the ship (sweet). All that’s involved in steering is lining up a directional indicator with the heading that you want; you spend most of the time staring at a small display of numbers. The radar and instrumentation on the bridge was very cool; the LWO (liscenced watch officer), Mr. Elliot, showed me some cool sea charts of Midway.

We stopped in Midway for about six hours on the 23rd. Midway is just a small atoll few islands and a barrier reef. There’s no doack there so the ship had to anchor and people were shuttled to the boat in small, sluggish lifeboats. The island is a giant wildlife reserve, and it was covered (literally) with molting juvenile albetross (large, clumsy looking seabirds that sit on their legs with their big feet sticking out in front of them).

I spent most of the time there snorkeling or swimming in the still waters of the atoll. Under the two piers were the only places that I found fish, but some other folks saw turtles and sharks under them as well. Everyone hung out on the North Shore beach, swimming or tanning. The ride back was fun, our lifeboats were kicked around by some small swells and everyone got soaked.

I spent most of my time each day (until yesterday night) studying or taking tests. I didn’t get much sleep, but I think I did pretty well on everything.

Last night a graduation ceremony was held for the graduating Cal Poly seniors on board. It was fun, Sean lit up a fat stoggie to celebrate (he walked). The A buddy of mine gave the opening speech which involved, in no small part, my adventures getting lost in the wilderness four years ago (he was one of the few people on the ship I told about that). I was completely caught off gaurd. That story will follow me forever.
Posted by bpalsea @ 6:32 pm in Travel, School

ALL OVER AGAIN

June 21, 2004
6/19 . . . one more time!

We re-crossed the international dateline today. Today was kind of a repeat of yesterday.

Since it was the nineteenth again I made sure that Chelsea, my Div Com, was soaked with water again. She was watching like a hawk me the whole day as well as during formation. I recruited two friends from Division A (all of the Cal Poly kids are split into divisions A & B) to dump two buckets of water on her I had set up earlier in the day. It went off almost perfectly. She definitely wasn’t expecting two buckets. Hahahahaha. I can still remember her scream when the second bucket hit her.

I finally got a lot of work done today. Which is very good considering the amount of crap that I need to finish by the end of this week. I probably will be spending most of my time on Sunday doing lots of school work; first on the list is preparing two presentations that I need to do.

I am a little bummed out how busy I’ll be this coming week since it is really going to be the last full week of cruise. I am flying back to the states from Hawaii on Wednesday and finals are Saturday so I’ll have a little free time before the cruise is finished, but it’s still winding down. At least I’ll have a bunch of new friends to hang out with when I get back.


Man, talk about cries for attention. Although I was involved in several other students birthday soaking, Chelsea?s was the only soaking that I set up. I was asked to do all of the others. I guess that it was tough luck for me that so many kids on the ship happened to be chasing after her, and on top of that she kind had something going on with the head cadet on the ship (found that out later).
Posted by bpalsea @ 4:06 pm in Travel, Holidays, School

NOT MUCH TIME LEFT

June 22, 2004
6/19... the first time around

Well, there is a little less than two weeks of time left on this cruise, and during that time (much less than that time actually) I have to prepare two 1/2 hour presentations, write two ten page reports, and study for three finals. Busy busy busy, but I am still feeling crappy. Hopefully I ’ll feel better tomorrow so I can get some serious work done.

The highlight of the day was during formation. My division commander (div com) Chelsea, has her birthday on the twentieth. When it’s your birthday on the ship you usually get a bucket of H20 dumped on your head during formation, but since Chelsea’s birthday is on a Sunday (when there is no formation) I decided to give her an early birthday present myself. She couldn’t have been more surprised, and everyone had the initiative to start singing happy birthday to her right after she was soaked. I forgot about my nausea for at least an hour after that.


I don?t remember feeling that nauseous. I think half of it was caused by angst over the cruise almost being over, and the fact that I had to spend a nice chunk of it getting everything done since I procrastinated my final projects. Oops. I really didn?t want to go home yet.
Posted by bpalsea @ 8:20 pm in Travel, Holidays, School

LAZY DAZE

June 14, 2004
Today was the first day that I didn’t really do anything at all except physics homework. I also slept through my alarm and through my physics class for the first time. Whoops.

My mattress is finally dry, so I’ll finally get to sleep in my own bed again (I’ve been sleeping in random open beds around the ship the past two nights).

It seems that the less I do in a day the less energy I have. I haven’t started working out again since my void ended, and I’m way behind on salsa moves. Oh well, still having a great time and grateful for each day.

Things are heating up as we head for Saipan. It is a tropical island that is owned by the US and is the furthest south that we’ll be going. Supposedly the water temp. is in the mid 80’s right now, just the blueness of it makes me want to dive over the railing.

This evening the stars were finally the out in the manner I had been waiting for all trip. For a short while the sky was very clear and there were so many stars out that it was hard to identify any constellations. The differences between life on this ship and life back home are too numerous to count. The fact that there are so many differences dramatically illustrates the endless number of possible ways a person can live. The people you interact with, your routine, none of it is as concrete as you think. There are limitless amounts of people you could be, and still be you.

To all my buddies back home I hope that finals week has gone well for you. I’ve had thoughts of you now and again (actually only when I’m really bored doing homework . . . HAHAHAHA). See you all in a couple of weeks.



Even on the ship, you could settle into a routine/ experience a rut. When this happened I kinda made it worse for myself by getting angry because of my boredom. ?Your on a ship in the middle of the ocean, there is no reason you should be bored!? Of course that line of ?reason? never convinces the boredom to evaporate.
Posted by bpalsea @ 12:31 am in Travel, School

DAY OF DEJA VU

June 9, 2004
Today seemed like the same day twice in a row. I was going to do some homework and type on the computer this evening, but I realized that I didn’t need to since I had already done so earlier this morning.

I think I am pretty much over my cold, over that final ’I loose my breath after I run up a couple of stairs’ stage. I am not getting sick again. I missed three salsa lessons and had to stop working out because of my cold. I went to salsa tonight and was way behind. It was still fun, but I am still thinking too much. I am stuttering as I try to remember the moves.

We arrived in Okinawa today ahead of schedule. The ship sliced through the water at top speed (around 20 knots) to get Todd (a Cal Poly student) to a hospital as fast as possible. He had gotten appendicitis and went under the knife earlier this evening. He should be fine, I hope.

I saw one of the most glorious sunsets today. My friend Kyle and I were playing a game of chess on the Helo deck and drinking some Korean green tea. Since we’re in Okinawa a day early our dock isn’t clear yet, so the ship is currently anchored several miles away from shore. It happens to be under the flight path for planes landing at the airport. So as the sun was setting into a fleet of puffy white clouds the lights of Naha (the city on the island) began to twinkle . . . as passenger planes and F4 phantoms flew overhead. Very Surreal.

I never went to many salsa lessons or worked out again for the rest of the trip. Once I got out of the habit I couldn’t get back into it, which kinda bummed me out a little. Here again I see the reoccurring theme of attempting to design my trip to fit a preexisting idea. I didn?t go back to salsa because I was behind. I should have gone back because I enjoyed it, the same goes for working out.

A large number of planes flew over us while we floated outside of Naha because they were using the ship as a means to get inline with the runway.
Posted by bpalsea @ 9:23 pm in Travel, School

WISHES COME TRUE

June 6, 2004
In the early afternoon some of the CMA & CP students (including me) were given a tour of the Hyundai Samso Shipyard, 5th biggest in the world. Everything was soooo big here . . . two oil tankers were being assembled in dry dock and nearby stood two Goliath Cranes that could lift thousands of tons.

The tour was too short though. We all were spirited, via bus, to the maritime museum. An exhumed shipwreck from the 15th century was on display, as well as scale models, ancient cargo (teapots, peach pits, etc.), and ancient sailing tools. The old Korean ships were flat bottomed with wooden anchors so they could just sit on the beach after the tide went out. I made an ink print of a sailboat; it got a little smudged and I won’t being wearing one of my pairs of khakis on this trip anymore (ink stains).

After that I meet up with some friends (from the ship and from the Korean academy) at what I thought was going to be a concert at an outdoor stage by the water (with no idea what to expect). It turned out to be a series of performances protesting the import U.S. GMO/fast foods into South Korea, feminism, and environmental protection in Korea. A few Korean Maritime Academy friends served as interpreters so we knew what was going on. A famous underground singer sung passionate songs about a women’s plight. It seems that the position of women in S. Korea is very limited compared to that of men (no women politicians, restricted mannerisms, subservient attitude). The performance art was extremely stimulating visually, and traditional drumming was on hand to add to the event. My friends and I ended up dancing and drumming in a circle with the performers in front of everyone at the end of the show. A news crew was filming the event and the camera was on us many times. I guess they were interested in our reactions to the performances condemning the American food industry.

Afterward our three Korean friends took us to a bar/cafe called Miller Time (no joke) where we payed high prices for imported MGD; the food was great though, the owner gave us free squid jerky (very common here). Then are Korean our friends took us to a Karaoke joint were we sung and danced for hours. We exchanged email and I was a little sad when I had to leave.

Hanging out with Korean youths was what I wanted to do most tonight (and get some Green Tea candy too). I can’t complain on the rest of the trip.

When my peers and I first arrived at the Hyundai factory we were shuffled into an auditorium where, after a brief welcome speech was given by a company representative in broken english, we were shown an advertisement movie (probably meant for investors) listing the advanced technologies and efficiency of the company. It looked as if it was made in the late eighties, but we all clapped at the end anyways. On an interesting note, on of the Korean students sitting next to me told me that he was surprised that I was allowed to talk photography will we’re being driven around the shipyard (again, in buses). I only took a couple anyway.

The performances that I saw at the outdoor theater were awesome. It was an entirely novel experience to watch plays/farces in another country (which involved a hilarious song about avoiding junk food and eating traditional food). When the female star took the stage she was meet with rancorous applause and a section of the audience (made up entirely of women) cheered while waving purple sashes in the air. Outside of the audience a large semicircle of men watched silently with folded arms. As I previously mentioned, several different performing troupes took the stage during a period of about two hours. The last group, who used some traditional dance and drumming, based drums around for the audience to use at the end of their show. Nobody was moving to drum with the performers so me and my friends grabbed some drums and started drumming with them as we all skipped in a circle. I could tell from many of the faces surrounding me that this was unexpected, but soon everyone became comfortable. I was beating my Tupperware-drum so enthusiastically it shattered into pieces by the end of the drumming session.

The squid jerky, which seemed to serve the roll of beer nuts in Korea, was ubiquitous in bars. The jerky was super tough; I think that it was burnt with a torch or something before it was laid out (as opposed to being smoked or dried.) It was tougher than shoe leather and very salty/fishy, and I ate it as often as I could. Hahaha.

Our little group of Korean friends were quite the singers (at least they were very enthusiastic). We forced them to sing Korean pop songs (they wanted to sing only American songs. They, like everyone else we meet, loved American music. We took turns singing songs and I threw down some slick dance moves while a friend of mine sang Billy Jean. It was a blast.
Posted by bpalsea @ 3:40 am in Travel, School

BUSTED

August 30, 2004
Today didn’t start out as a very good day. I got up early to finish some physics homework (which, it turns out, I didn’t need to do), and wasn’t conscious until after lunch (which I went to after a nice long nap).  I spent most of the day studying for my big test tomorrow (which was supposed to be today but got postponed).

I was in a bad mood for most of the day because I am still a tiny bit sick, and because I got in a little bit of trouble for something stupid. I couple days ago a list was posted near the messhall. On it was everyone’s name and a number that indicated how they were getting home form Hawaii. I had to talk to Sean about what our plan was so I didn’t sign it immediately, in fact I forgot to sign it. So, this morning I had to go see the PDO (personal development officer) and he told me that I have Captain’s Mast in a week or two. That’s where you appear in front of the captain and some officers and they go through this whole performance which results in you getting a couple of hours extra duty.

It’s really not a big deal, but I absolutely hate it when something harmless results in a disproportionately grave consequence (like loosing a toenail when you stub a toe). Anyway, I was pissed off all day, but by the afternoon I felt better. The whole anxiety trip that has been bugging me for the past week or so seemed to have burned it self out. Sometimes you just have to feel crappy to get over feeling crappy.


So I am feeling a little more comfortable today, I think I’ll be feeling the same way tomorrow.

I took lots of naps during the trip. The constant rocking motion made it very easy to crash. Plus I never knew exactly when the next time I?d have the oppurtunity to nap.
Posted by bpalsea @ 8:15 am in Travel, School, Health/Well Being

ONE TEST DOWN

August 30, 2004
I spent most of the day studying for my tropical ecology test which turned out to be a big essay test (6 pages in one hour). I think I did fine though, it was just kinda of a pain to take. It’s nice being on a ship when you have to study though, plenty of nice atmosphere. After dinner I went to the same knot tying class again to refresh my memory, I can tie seven or eight knots now.

After that some CMA kids projected the movie Big Fish on the rear of the aft house and a bunch of people watched it. It was a warm night again so everyone was very comfortable outside. The moon was out and the low clouds resembled flying pirate ships out of Peter Pan. After the movie I had a socializing session with friends.

I gotta cut this entry short because I need to study now. See ya.


The warm nights I spent alone or with friends out on the stern of the ship were unforgettable. I really felt like I was on a vessel flying through the ether. At night it was very to imagine that the ship was sailing through the clouds.
Posted by bpalsea @ 7:48 am in Travel, School

Just three things

April 11, 2005
Today, as I passed the gas station, there was a fleet of four red PT Cruisers fueling up. One of those minutes I wished I had my camera. Cracked me up.

Never let a girl like me get bored. Tonight, no homework, taking a break from blanket making (sister Suzie’s birthday present), I painted my finger nails silver-white, not bad, good color with my skin. However, being bored, I added a crimson racing stripe to each of them, quite distracting. Also there is no remover in this house, so I am stuck for a bit. Maybe they will make me type faster. Zoom!

Lastly, I chopped my hair off. Cute so far, lets see how it handles when I have no time to deal with it in the morning. Good stylist, I might keep this one.
Posted by anonymouce @ 2:27 am in Health/Well Being, School, General

Seattle

April 14, 2005


If the humor of this scene misses you, this should help. Frank Moss of the State Department is demonstrating the RFID-esque chips in the new US Passports (to be issued within the next year or few) to a crowd, including John Gilmore, a founder of the EFF.

I’m up in seattle for the next few days at CFP, and I’ve definitely been learning/seeing/geeking a lot. I’ve had the fun opportunity to reconnect with the EFF, who I met while working defcon this year. Considering the almost stereotypical "oh shit, I’m graduating, now what?" hysteria that’s engulfing my waking life, this con has been a godsend. Who knows, I might even have a future in this stuff someday...
Posted by KK, The Inexplicable Brown Man @ 6:58 pm in Photos, News/Politics, School

May/04/2005 12:00:00 AM

February 17, 2005
You know that moment where your captor removes the barrel of her gun from your forehead, puts the safety on and smiles at you?

I just had one of those.

It looks like I will be able to get my credits without having a completed research project, which means I’ll be able to graduate and sleep without a regimen of trucker speed and sedatives to get me through the days and nights, respectively.

on that note, I go home and sleep now, dammit.
Posted by KK, The Inexplicable Brown Man @ 3:38 pm in School