:: Pedantic Platitudes ::

:: Wednesday, December 31, 2003 ::

Happy New Year's Eve!!!

Today, I went to work, and I was assigned to do some reporting. I started writing a story about a fascinating man who regained his vision after 40 years of blindness. It was cool to write a story again. I hadn't expected to write any stories this week because I thought I was going to do all copy editing, but I'm quite glad to have the opportunity to write again.

After work, I had dinner and watched some television. Then, it was time to celebrate the new year in New York! They showed the ball drop live in Times Square on CNN, so we counted down as if it was the new year. We also drank sparkling apple cider.

Soon after it was 2004 on the East Coast, my friend called, and we all headed to Los Osos to meet up with some other friends. We got a bunch of firewood and drove to Grover Beach, where we rang in the new year with a bonfire on the beach.

It was quite fun. We each had our own bottle of sparkling apple cider to drink (no alcohol, of course), and we kept warm by the fire. It was a beautiful evening, with the stars visible and the air calm, not freezing and windy, like it often becomes on the beach.

We counted down to midnight with our official cell phone times, and exclaimed the arrival of 2004 with loud cheers. All around us, we could see fireworks. Our location on the beach allowed great views of the surrounding cities, so everywhere we turned, we could see fireworks being set off in Pismo Beach in the north and Santa Maria in the south, as well as in Arroyo Grande and the Five Cities area.

It was so neat to see fireworks this evening. Each year before, I had stayed in Morro Bay, where nobody sets off fireworks and half the population of senior citizens is asleep before midnight on December 31. It was a nice surprise on the beach to see such celebrations everywhere.

We stayed at the bonfire until it was nearly out, and after that, those of us who weren't leaving to go to sleep went to my friend's house in Los Osos, where we chatted into the night. It got so late that we were hungry, so those of us who still hadn't gone to sleep went to Morro Bay in search of food. At my friend's house, we enjoyed snacks and chatted even more until the sky started to become bright again - the first dawn of 2004. I finally went to sleep at about 8 a.m.

Quote of the Day: "My bladder isn't connected to my brain!"

:: SL 8:58 PM [+] ::
...

Today, I went to work. I did some copy editing for the features desk, and it was a really busy day, so I did a lot of work during my eight-hour shift. I was looking at the computer screen for so long that my eyes began to feel tired afterwards.

I wrote a lot of headlines and sub-heads, and I also trimmed the stories to make them fit in the appropriate spaces, which was a difficult task because you can't just randomly cut stories - the story still has to make sense.

Tonight, I studied my Chinese and watched a little bit of a video tape of the musical Cats. I'm not sure what the appeal of that musical is. It ran for such a long time on Broadway, but it doesn't seem to have a plot. It's just a bunch of anthropomorphic cats prancing about on stage and singing about how they each have a different, bizarre name. Plus, I don't like cats in the first place.

Quote of the Day: "We've got a party of a lot; could you set the tables?"

:: SL 7:18 PM [+] ::
...

Today, I went to work at The Tribune newspaper. It was nice to see my coworkers again. A few of them had left the paper, but many were still there. In the morning, I went to a meeting to discuss follow-ups and coverage of last week's earthquake. I was then assigned to write a story about retrofitting regulations in various cities in light of the earthquake. However, after calling half the people I needed to for my story, I was told that I was needed for copy editing, so my story was picked up by other reporters, and I went to copy edit for the features department. Apparently, the old features copy editor had left to go to another newspaper, so they were in the process of hiring a new copy editor.

I copy edited for the rest of my shift. Then, I found out that Rent, the hit Broadway musical, was in SLO-town for today and just today! I actually knew it was coming to town over the summer, but I didn't realize that it would be here when I was home, so I didn't get tickets. Unfortunately, I found out that tonight's show had been sold out for quite some time. However, I found out that they were doing for this performance the neat thing they do at the Broadway show, which is to sell 20 front-row tickets two hours before the show for only $20! I was excited by the prospect of getting tickets, so I called my sister, and as soon as my shift ended, we drove to the Performing Arts Center at the other end of town to wait in line for tickets. I figured that since it was pouring rain, fewer people would be in line. Unfortunately, there were people who had camped out by the ticket booth since last night, so I was probably the 40th person in line. So after the 20 $20 tickets were sold, we waited to try to get tickets from people who had cancelled their tickets and were not going to see the performance that night. I saw some of my friends in line, too, and we chatted.

We ended up waiting for three hours under this little covering from the rain, freezing and shivering. After a while, the lady in the box office came out and said that there were absolutely no tickets left to sell. But I wanted to see this show, so I wouldn't give up. I felt really bad for doing it, but I went around asking people if they had extra tickets. Apparently, there were a lot of people with extra tickets. Some girls who were waiting behind us in the ticket line were able to get two tickets for free. Finally, my sister and I were able to find people with extra tickets to sell, and they were nice enough to sell them to us at the ticket's price. Too bad the seats weren't together. My sister was in the orchestra, and I was in the balcony. The seat wasn't too bad. I had an unobstructed view of the stage. At intermission, my sister noted that practically an entire row of seats was empty, so we sat together in the orchestra for the second act. It was much better from there. Before and after the show, I saw a bunch of old classmates and acquaintances.

Rent was simply incredible. I have the "Best of Rent" CD, so I knew some of the songs, but seeing it performed onstage was just beautiful. The musical had some important messages, such as the need to live for today because life is short, appreciating friends, and understanding the importance of love. It was such an emotional experience; the story could coax some feeling out of the most hardened heart. The performers were incredible, also. I would gladly see the show again.

It was a pretty big deal that Rent was performed here. We never get big-name shows here in the first place, and Broadway tours rarely make one-performance stops because of the time it takes to set up and take down the sets. In addition, Monday is usually the day off for the performers. It was so great that Rent came to town.

After the show, I went with my sister and her friend to Denny's to eat, since we didn't have dinner yet. I got a turkey/bacon/tomato sandwich, but they didn't give me a little piece of lettuce, like I had requested. We conversed, and then we went home.

Quote of the Day: "It stunk, so I told my children to stick their fingers in it."

:: SL 7:15 PM [+] ::
...

Today, I had resigned myself to a day of studying. My friends were getting together to hang out, but I wasn't able to get transportation. However, in the middle of the afternoon, my friends "sneak-attacked" me at my house, and they swept me away on a day of fun. It was so kind of them to do so. We went to my friends house and played Dance Dance Revolution. It was most enjoyable. They even had a Kylie song - Love at First Sight!

After my friend went to her house to change, we went to Sylvester's for dinner. I had a great hamburger from the place. I miss the old days of Sylvester's and a Los Osos walk with friends. We then headed to SLO-town, where I got a Jamba Juice with my new Jamba Card (yay!). We then visited Barnes and Noble.

At 7, we met up with another friend and went to see the new remake of Peter Pan. It was such a magical movie. Seeing it in live action made it seem more magical than the animated Disney movie. It could have very well been a Disney film, however, because of how wondrous it was. It made me want to fly and never grow up. I tried to notice the subtle psychology behind the tale, and it was most fascinating.

After the movie, we "sneak-attacked" (my friends have recently come upon this new obsession) one of our friends, who is a bit unwell. We chatted at his house and had a good time. When I got home, I studied some more and went to bed early because I have to work tomorrow morning.

Quote of the Day: "Female strip clubs are demeaning for women, and male strip clubs are demeaning for... women."

:: SL 3:58 PM [+] ::
...

Today, I spent the afternoon studying Chinese. I also took some breaks, playing a video game and walking out to the street market that they have in Morro Bay on Saturdays. I also started reading Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. I then listened to the soundtrack of the musical Les Miserables; the songs are starting to grow on me.

This evening, I went to visit a couple of friends in SLO-town to catch up on how we spent our Christmas weeks. I stopped by when they were playing pool at the SLO Brewing Co., and my friend and I went to Starbucks, where my friend got coffee. Then, we headed to Barnes and Noble where we walked about chatting. Then, some more friends stopped by, and we clogged up an aisle in the bookstore and chatted.

Tonight, I studied some more Chinese and watched an episode of Saturday Night Live, a show I haven't watched in ages.

Quote of the Day: "I'm a woman; don't hump me!"

:: SL 11:15 PM [+] ::
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It's Friday, and that means it's time for the disturbing Shockwave animation of the week!!!

There are so many disturbing Shockwave animations out there, but this one really puts the "shock" in Shockwave...

It's Orange Ted!

:: SL 11:59 PM [+] ::
...

Wow, the sun was actually shining today. It was actually kind of warm when I walked out this morning. However, the wind started to blow, and it became cold – almost as cold as a regular day in Boston during the wintertime. It was cold all day and all night. I wish the weather was California warm again.

Today, we had visitors. My father's old college friend and his family stopped by for lunch. My father's friend had a son who is a senior at UCSD and a daughter who is four years older and is now a teacher in Garden Grove. We drove down to the waterfront because they wanted to get some clam chowder. They also saw and decided to get fried salmon and chips (fries). This was in addition to an extravagant gourmet lunch my mother cooked. She also spent last night and this morning cleaning up the house; it wasn't messy to begin with, but my parents wanted to be sure it was perfect for the guests.

During our late lunch, my sister and I started watching Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark on DVD (part of the set she received yesterday for Christmas). It was great; I loved the escape scene with the giant rolling boulder at the beginning, as well as the ingenious staff and pedant concept that Indy uses to discover the location of the Well of Souls. I love the Indiana Jones movies. They are such a wonderful adventure!

After the movie, I went with my sister to the public library, where I saw the mother of one of my old friends. We conversed for a bit, and I browsed some of the items available at the library. I found the original cast recording of The Lion King, the Broadway musical. We then went to Rite-Aid, where I looked at Christmas lights, but they didn't have the all-blue lights set I was looking for, so we left.

Tonight, I couldn't go to SLO-town to meet up with my friend because I can't drive myself due to a lack of car insurance and everyone else was busy, so I took the bus. The fare wasn't bad at all, and I felt good for helping the environment by taking public transportation. However, for the entire trip, I was the only passenger. The bus driver still stopped at every stop, and nobody got on for the entire 45-minute trip. I guess nobody really goes out the day after Christmas. So, as good as I felt about helping the environment by taking the bus, it was probably even worse because buses use a lot more fuel – at least a lot more than a regular passenger car. But then again, the bus would have had to go through the whole route anyway, whether it had a passenger or not, so taking another car really would have polluted more. Oh dear. I should stop the overanalyzing.

My friend and I went about downtown SLO-town, shopping at a couple of stores. I got a used Daniel Bedingfield CD from Boo Boo's Records, as well as a Disney daily calendar for my sister. We went back to my friend's house, where her family celebrated the last day of Hanukah. There was a wonderful dinner, and they lit candles and sang songs, opening presents afterwards. It was a delightful occasion. My friend and I had dessert – chocolate ice cream and this tasty marzipan bread – and we chatted while listening to Carmina Burana (the opera you often hear during dramatic moments in movies or TV), as well as this interesting music you would likely hear in a lounge. After chatting some more, my friend kindly drove me home, and I spent some time playing video games, using the computer, and studying Chinese.

Quote of the Day: "I got a vase; why do I always end up with vaginal presents?"

:: SL 11:58 PM [+] ::
...

Merry Christmas!

Today, I got up early to watch Walt Disney World's Christmas parade, which was being televised on ABC this morning. Unfortunately, something went wrong with the channel, and the screen was all gray and fuzzy, even though all the other channels were just fine. I watched Sharon Osbourne's talk show for the first time instead. Her guest today was some random guy and Dame Edna from Australia! It was a rather amusing program. Later, ABC cleared up, and I started watching the Disney parade. However, my father announced that we were going on a trip, so the whole family packed into the car and headed off for a trip.

We ended up driving along Highway 1 up to Cambria, where we saw the beach, and promptly drove back, stopping at the Morro Bay beach to look at the waves as they crashed angrily in the continuously stormy weather. After our little excursion, we had a small lunch. I started playing Super Mario Brothers 2: Yoshi's Island, and then I proceeded to watch more television. My sister started watching My Fair Lady, and I watched a little of it. I then started making my traditional double-layer pumpkin pie, which has a cool cheesecake-style layer and a spiced-up pumpkin layer.

After studying some Chinese, I watched a Disneyland television special that aired on The Travel Channel a couple of months ago but didn't have a chance to see until now. We had a wonderful turkey dinner, with lots of delicious side dishes. The gravy was most excellent, too. Ooh, and we had sparkling apple cider, too. Yay! For dessert, we had the double-layer pumpkin pie I made earlier in the day. Later, we ate carrot cake and opened presents. I got a really cool Disney Treasures DVD set, and my sister got the Indiana Jones DVD set. We then watched a little of Finding Nemo.

Quote of the Day: "And then there was that time the squirrels crapped all over the nativity scene."

:: SL 1:11 PM [+] ::
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This Washington Post review of the upcoming live-action Peter Pan film takes a fascinating look at the psychology behind J.M. Barrie's classic.

:: SL 10:53 PM [+] ::
...

It's Christmas Eve!!!

Today, I slept in after staying up pretty late studying the night before. The abusive family that lives on the first floor of my grandparents' house was being particularly noisy again this morning, making it rather difficult for me to sleep. The television was blaring, and an angry male voice yelled (presumably to his children), "Get out of my [expletive deleted] house!" How delightful.

This afternoon, I spent an excessive amount of time watching television. I watched snippets of Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame and E.T., in addition to the cartoon version of Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas. It's nice how the channels are playing so many family-friendly films during this week. While watching TV, I studied my Chinese. I have completed reviewing approximately a fourth of what I need to know for the final.

Tonight, I was in a rush when my sister and I were heading out to get a recipe ingredient, so I grabbed and wore my sister's black sweatshirt, which she got after volunteering at the CIT wrestling tournament last year. Even though I was out for just minutes, I had two people ask me if I wrestled. I answered with what I thought was a clever repartee: "No, but my sister does."

I studied some more Chinese, and my sister and I later watched Mickey's Christmas Carol, which we watch every Christmas Eve. I love the song in that cartoon, and it's so touching when Tiny Tim says, "God bless us, every one!" Charles Dickens' classic really does reaffirm the importance of kindness and charity.

Quote of the Day: "That was rude; I never walked out when [he] wouldn't shut up."

:: SL 10:04 PM [+] ::
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Greetings from the student union of Cal Poly! Interestingly, the other computer here won't let me access blogger.com because the website has "forbidden content," which is absolutely ridiculous. Luckily, this computer will let me post on my blog.

Today, I got up early (after being awakened by a pretty strong aftershock from yesterday's huge earthquake) and went with a friend to Los Osos, where we met up with a bunch of friends for a Christmas get-together at the Los Osos Starbucks. I enjoyed the cookies my friend baked, since I didn't have anything for breakfast and didn't want to get anything from Starbucks. The "Santa's whiskers" cookies, which had sprinkles of coconut flakes and chunks of cherries, were especially delicious.

After general joking and conversing, we decided to head into SLO-town to play Dance Dance Revolution at Cal Poly's student union. 'Twas much fun. Unfortunately, the arcade was closing early, so we all headed downtown, where the streets were crowded with last-minute shoppers. Traffic was really bad.

We walked about downtown SLO-town, ran some errands, and went into random stores for some shopping. After looking at a lot of random fun things, we stopped at Pizza Solo for Solo Stix! Yay! They are most tasty. My friend had to leave early because she's going to visit her boyfriend up north, but we stayed and finished our snack/lunch.

When I got home, I resumed reviewing Chinese characters. This evening, my sister started watching the film Mary Poppins, and that was nice to see again. We had wonderful fruit tonight: guavas and kiwis. It's so nice to have real fruit again.

Apparently, Arnold Schwarzenegger was in Paso Robles today. It's still weird to me that he's the governor. I still see him as a mere film actor, not as governor.

Quote of the Day: "This is my baby's first Christmas, and you're building a gingerbread whorehouse?!?!"

:: SL 6:59 AM [+] ::
...

Today, I experienced one of the most terrifying moments of my life. A 6.5 magnitude earthquake centered around San Simeon, about 30 minutes from Morro Bay, hit the Central Coast this morning. I was at my grandparents' house, on the second level, and all of a sudden, it hit. I had no idea what was going on, but I was being jostled around. It was frightening. The ground was shaking so hard, and things were crashing everywhere. The rumbling and crashing sounds were deafening.

I have never experienced an earthquake like this. My father says that in the 20 years that he has been here, there has not been an earthquake this strong. The epicenter was so close to our area, and we really felt it. In the house following the earthquake, light fixtures were swaying, and books, plants, collectibles, etc. had fallen from bookshelves. Some valuables were broken. My cell phone isn't working right now.

National network news channels are covering this breaking story. Finally, people are learning about our area! Pity that it is in such a negative light.

This afternoon, my friend and I went to hang out at the house of another friend, who is away on vacation. We watched some television, fed the pets, and just hung out. Another friend joined us later on, and we headed to San Luis Obispo, where we had dinner at Cabo San Luis, a Mexican restaurant. The chicken burrito I ordered was pretty good. I think I went overboard with the salsa from the salsa bar, though. It was a bit spicy. We then stopped by downtown SLO-town to hang out. We went to Starbucks, and while my friends got drinks, I got a Cranberry Bliss bar, which was pretty good. I enjoyed the sweet cream cheese frosting on top, as well as the chunks of white chocolate.

We read random books at Barnes and Noble, and we ran into a brother of one of our friends. We drove him back to his home in Los Osos and stayed to visit our friend and her baby. It was the first time I saw my friend's baby, and he looks to be a sweet one. We enjoyed quesadillas, and we started making a gingerbread house from a kit. It was so much fun. We read the instructions and made the frosting and built the gingerbread house and decorated it with tons of candy. I strove for perfection with my decorations, and it turned out quite beautifully, if I may say so myself. We shared much conversation and laughter. 'Twas one of the best times I've had in a long while.

We stayed pretty late into the night, and my friend graciously drove me back to Morro Bay. Alas, this whole not having car insurance thing is driving me nuts. If only I had known it would cause such a hassle. I used the computer for some time and then went to bed.

The earthquake was the talk of the day. It was huge, and two people died as a result of it. Paso Robles got the worst damage, with the historic clock tower building destroyed. Images of the Pan Jewelers storefront were flashed around the world. It was even shown on Taiwanese news, which my parents were watching. We've had aftershocks running throughout the day, and they are felt well. I'll never forget the frightening experience of today's earthquake.

Quote of the Day: "Guy should be like Kleenex; soft, strong, and disposable."

:: SL 12:05 PM [+] ::
...

Sorry for the delay... the Saturday update and the Super Saturday Feature are both up now.

:: SL 9:39 PM [+] ::
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"It's the saddest holiday ever. It's an unwelcome time for me; very unwelcome." -Martha Stewart.

Poor Martha!!!

:: SL 5:40 PM [+] ::
...

Today, I wasted time by playing video games on my old Super Nintendo game set. The game was Super Mario Brothers 2: Yoshi's Island. I very much enjoy playing this adventure game. I then studied some of my Chinese. After watching some network news channels freak out about the latest terror alert, I watched a show on E! television about the "Oops!" moments of celebrities.

I then went to see my sister's piano recital at a church in Los Osos. It was about an hour long, and it featured many different holiday carols performed by students of all levels. After that, my sister went to Starbucks because she wanted a drink, and then we went to Ralph's supermarket to get some ice cream. I got this new strawberry cheesecake flavor.

After watching some more television, I hopped on the computer and chatted with some friends. My sister then drove me to San Luis Obispo, where I went to visit some old friends from the summertime for a movie night. We watched this French film with subtitles. I didn't get to finish the movie, though, because my sister wanted to go home. At least I got to see some old friends.

Quote of the Day: "Will you be my mistress?"

:: SL 5:38 PM [+] ::
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It's time for the Super Saturday Feature, where we put the pedantry in Pedantic Platitudes!

This week's sentence:

The wince-inducing facade of exquisite intumescence resulted from the quotidian binge-eating sessions, tempered by a resolute repudiation of corporeal kinetics.

Translation: Time for a diet!

:: SL 9:38 PM [+] ::
...

Alas. It has rained the past two days. Such dreary weather.

Today, I was supposed to go with my sister to a Key Club DCM hosted here in Morro Bay, but it was abruptly cancelled, so I stayed home and played video games. My sister wanted to go shopping in Santa Maria, so we got into the car and drove there. Although I just went yesterday, my sister had stayed home to watch the family business; today was her turn to go out. We went to the mall, and I got a present for my mother at Mervyn's.

We then got dinner to go at a Chinese restaurant and headed home. We stopped at the Madonna Shopping Center in San Luis Obispo, and then we went downtown, where I got a present for my father at Barnes and Noble. We also stopped at Jamba Juice, where I got a Strawberry Tsunami smoothie. Finally, we got home, and I played a video game, used the computer, made a new CD featuring holiday music from Disneyland park, and studied my Chinese.

Quote of the Day: "GODcha!"

:: SL 5:22 PM [+] ::
...

It's Friday! That means it's time for the disturbing Shockwave animation of the week!

You've heard about it; now here's your chance to see it for yourself! Lobster Magnet!!!

:: SL 2:08 PM [+] ::
...

Today, I went to an orthodontist appointment in Arroyo Grande. My orthodontist needed to see me again after yesterday's appointment because he wanted to fit a new retainer. I normally go to the San Luis Obispo office, but he was at his Arroyo Grande office today. We first went to the San Luis Obispo office to pick up the new retainer from the work lab, and then I took that to the Arroyo Grande office to be fitted.

After my appointment, my parents and I went to Santa Maria, where we went shopping at Costco. I saw a bunch of stuff I wanted, and I ended up getting the new Indiana Jones trilogy DVD set. There was a rebate, so it ended up costing just a little over $30. What a great deal. I also sampled a bunch of different foods from the little tables set up to showcase various food items at the warehouse.

We then headed to the mall in Santa Maria. We got a bunch of See's chocolates to go and shopped at various stores. I didn't buy anything because I didn't see anything I liked. Finally, we went to a Chinese food buffet; the food was pretty good, and there was a huge selection available. I especially liked their honey chicken. They also had a great selection of fresh fruit. It was so wonderful to have fresh watermelon and honeydew again!!!

When I got home, I used the computer for a little bit of time and then proceeded to watch The Lion King: Special Edition on DVD. My sister purchased it earlier this year. I watched the new scene, entitled "The Morning Report," and I was pretty disappointed. The song wasn't memorable, and the animation was really bad. The song just didn't fit into the movie. However, I'm sure it fits into the plot better in the Broadway musical, for which this song was written.

Quote of the Day: "I'm doing alright; would you like fries with that?"

:: SL 2:06 PM [+] ::
...

Greetings from California!!! It's nice to be back. Today, I slept in because I was so tired. Then, I got up and went to the high school, where I watched my sister conduct a Key Club meeting during the school's lunchtime. Then, I stayed for the journalism class, where my former journalism advisor asked me to give a short presentation about newspaper and journalism style. I then went and visited some of my old teachers in high school.

After visiting the high school, I went with my sister to the middle school, where she is a math tutor. She wanted me to go with her to help her with her job. Unfortunately, I had an orthodontist appointment at 4 p.m., so my mother and I went to SLO-town. I went to my appointment, which only took about fifteen minutes. Ironically, I actually spent more time waiting to be seen by the doctor than being seen. Following my appointment, I went to visit my grandmother's English teacher, who recently had a heart attack and is now recovering in a nursing home. She looked really healthy, and she is very lucky to have survived her health ordeal.

Tonight, I went to FARMERS MARKET!!! There, I met up with some friends, and we had dinner at Mo's Steakhouse. I enjoyed a tri-tip sandwich, which apparently originated from and is only available on the Central Coast.

After spending some time on the internet at the Two Dogs Café, my friend and I walked down the promenade by Pizza Solo, where we ran into a couple of our friends. After putting something away at the parking garage, we returned to converse with them. We talked until we met up with a couple more friends at Starbucks. We chatted for quite some time in the coffee shop, and it was a most enjoyable time. I also got a Jamba Juice! Yay! I got a Mango-a-Go-Go. I enjoyed catching up with many of my old friends. We finally headed over to the theater to get in line early for the 10 p.m. showing of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.

We finally got into the theater and got nice seats all together. We made fun of the advertisement slide show prior to the movie and enjoyed the trailers for upcoming movies. There was also a preview for next year's Spider-man 2. The final installment of the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy was enjoyable. It dragged a bit near the beginning, but things started getting suspenseful. The conclusion was satisfying, if not a bit drawn out. At times I felt I was watching the same movie for the third time, but the imagery was spectacular. I really liked the "girl power" scene; it was a nice change of pace from an otherwise male-dominated film.

Quote of the Day: "Guys love buildings; if you want to get a guy's attention, be a building!"

:: SL 6:45 PM [+] ::
...

At nearly, 5 a.m., I finished all my packing and left Leverett House and carried my ponderous luggage to the T, where I headed to the Boston Logan International Airport. I had over packed, and it was such a pain to carry everything. It was so incredibly busy at the airport; I have never seen so many people packed into that airport. The line to check in stretched all the way down the hall, and had I waited in the line, I probably would have had to wait a couple of hours. However, I used the self-service check-in machine, so I didn’t have to wait in the long line. At the airport, I ran into my roommate, whose flight left later than mine.

Unfortunately, I did have to wait in the line for security. That was an even longer line. They tried to accommodate those persons whose flights were leaving soon by pulling them out of the main line into a shorter line, but even in that line it was 7:10 when I got through the security. I thought for sure that I was going to miss my flight. I ran to the gate, and luckily the airplane had not left. In fact, the flight was delayed because so many passengers were unable to get through security in time because of all the people.

I tried to sleep for most of the flight. The in-flight movie was Finding Nemo. Unfortunately, an obnoxious child was sitting across the aisle, and he would not stop chattering loudly, so I kept waking up at moments. I seem to have such bad luck.

I arrived at LAX (yay California!), and then I got on a smaller plane to San Luis Obispo. I arrived in Morro Bay at about 2 in the afternoon. Ah yes, it's good to be home. I took a shower, and then chatted with my dad's aunt and uncle, who were visiting from Santa Barbara, and then with my sister, who had just gotten home from school.

Tonight, we went to dinner at Tahoe Joe's. I love their cheesecake! Although it wasn't as good tonight as it was before, it's still some of the best cheesecake anywhere. At home, I watched some television and rested. I then typed up some notes for my presentation tomorrow and then went to bed early because I've got a big day tomorrow.

Quote of the Day: "I believe in gosh, so I won't go to heck."

:: SL 9:21 PM [+] ::
...

I don't have anything against the third Lord of the Rings film; if anything, I'd like to see it succeed. However, many of the critics write in such an amusingly sardonic manner that I can't help but to share...

From another not-so-kind review of the upcoming Lord of the Rings film:

"Why is hero Frodo (Elijah Wood) often so wan and floppy, as if in need of smelling salts? Why is he so slow to notice that creepy mini-nudist Gollum is no friend? And his pal Sam (Sean Astin) calling him "Mr. Frodo" starts to seem like a joke."

:: SL 10:08 AM [+] ::
...

Today, I got up early one last time for the final meeting of my cognitive psychology class. We wrapped things up and had a mini-review in class. Following class, I went back to my room to write an essay I needed to apply for my major. I finished writing my essay, and rushed to Chinese class, where we enjoyed chocolate during our final class meeting.

As soon as Chinese class concluded, I rushed over to the undergraduate office of the psychology department to get a signature and to submit my completed application. I then went to the Loker Grill to get a hamburger because I had not had lunch yet. After my "lunch," I quickly went back to my room to take a nap because I needed the sleep.

However, I had not been asleep for more than 20 minutes when my roommate woke me up and informed me that everyone was going to dinner, so I got up and went to dinner with everyone who was still here on Tuesday night. The Leverett dining hall was closed for vacation, so we went next door to Winthrop House, where we had dinner.

Following dinner, I went to a meeting with my former academic advisor from freshman year and another advisee of hers. We met at the Starbucks in The Garage, but I didn't get anything because I don't like coffee and I just had dinner. We chatted for a while. I then went to Newbury Comics, where I browsed CDs. I found in the used CDs section a copy of the soundtrack from Disney's The Little Mermaid from its original release. I collect Disney soundtracks, and that was quite a find.

Tonight, besides hanging out with my friends, I cleaned up my room for vacation. I also packed my bags for my trip home and did some laundry. I was hungry, so at one point I went out for some pizza. I had anticipated staying up all night because I had to leave so early in the morning, so I entertained myself by doing odd jobs and listening to music. I'll be home in less than 12 hours!

Quote of the Day: "Sorry, I'm just feeling your testicles."

:: SL 9:45 AM [+] ::
...

Today, I had classes until 6 p.m. I managed to pay attention, even though it's almost vacation! After my last class, I hurried to the Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School of Government, where I saw the last installment of the Hardball Battle for the White House series with Chris Matthews. Senator Joseph Lieberman, who was Al Gore's running mate in the 2000 election, was the guest. He's running for president for 2004 as a Democrat, and he's a centrist, whose views border on Republican. He finally decided to come on the show this Monday to conclude the series. I got really lucky this time and got a really good seat right in front, so I saw everything really well.

It was a good time to hear him speak; he was just coming off missing former running mate Al Gore's endorsement and the capture of Saddam Hussein. Lieberman supports the war greatly, so in many ways his views on foreign policy mirror that of Bush's. I was surprised that he was running as a Democrat; so much of what he said seemed as if it would come out of the mouth of Bush. Chris Matthews, at one point, called him on this; Matthews asked, "If Howard Dean was the Democratic candidate for president and Bush was the Republican candidate, who would you vote for?" Lieberman did say, however, that he would support whoever was the Democratic nominee – hopefully himself. Lieberman was a good speaker, though; he had some good lines – when a clip of the grizzled Saddam Hussein getting an oral inspection played on a screen, he quipped, "Look, he's getting better health care than some Americans!"

Tonight, I went with my friends to see the movie The Last Samurai. It was the most amazing movie I've seen in a long time. I highly recommend that everyone go see this incredibly moving film. The story was so endearing, and the samurai themes of honor and loyalty – a fight until the bitter end – explored in the story are quite praiseworthy. The Last Samurai was a great look at the Japanese culture, which has always fascinated me. The visuals were remarkably stunning, also. I was impressed by the simple beauty that the movie depicted. We all walked out of the theater in awe by the breathtaking work of art. Again, I urge everyone to go see this epic film.

Quote of the Day: "She likes skinny white boys with no muscles who complain and sing about how depressed they are."

:: SL 6:01 PM [+] ::
...

I found this video to be rather amusing.

:: SL 7:06 PM [+] ::
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Today, I wrapped up some Chinese homework for the end of the semester and then did reading for my psychology tutorial. I then finished writing my response paper on that reading.

It started snowing really heavily again today. Basically, chunks of snow were falling from the sky. It piled up on the ground pretty quickly.

Tonight, I went to Memorial Church in the middle of Harvard Yard for a Christmas carol service. This was the first time I had been inside Memorial Church, and I found a marvelous sight inside. It was all decked out in poinsettias and glowing candles, and I really felt the holiday atmosphere.

The choir and orchestra started to perform traditional carols, some more obscure and religious ones, too, and there was a magical feeling in the church, especially when the audience members, as instructed, began singing along with the choir. Add the snow falling visibly through the windows, and you have a true holiday celebration.

I then met up and had dinner with a good friend of mine whom I haven't seen in quite some time. We talked and laughed and shared wild gossipy tales. We then headed over to Mather House to have ice cream, since Leverett wasn't serving any today in its dining hall. It was rather fun enjoying my cake cone of vanilla ice cream outside while the snow was falling heavily on me and my ice cream cone.

Tonight, my friend and I went to Adams House to watch the premier episode of Ivory Tower, "Harvard's own soap opera." It was rather amusing because it featured characters based on various Harvard stereotypes (the nerd, the jock, the bitchy girl, etc.).

A lot of my friends then converged for a holiday get-together and tea party! It was so much fun; we exchanged gifts, ate snacks, and drank tea. We laughed and joked in the festive manner endemic to holiday parties. 'Twas fun to the max.

Quote of the Day: "I enjoy riding the elevators in the nude; it's such a rush."

:: SL 6:48 PM [+] ::
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Welcome to the Super Saturday Feature, where we put the pedantic in Pedantic Platitudes!

This week's pedantic sentence: He competently endured the intellectual gravity of the portentous rendezvous, deftly fielding the bombardment of pointed inquiries and tendering prompt rejoinders.

Translation: He responded.

:: SL 10:45 AM [+] ::
...

Today, I slept in way late. I did manage to catch lunch, however. I then spent much of my afternoon trying to clean up my room in time for vacation. This evening, I spent some time with my friends, and then we went to dinner.

Tonight, a bunch of us went to see a production of Gilbert & Sullivan's The Gondoliers, a hilarious operetta/musical comedy. Because it was closing night, there were quite a few random jokes not originally scripted. I enjoyed myself thoroughly, and the music, provided by an orchestra that included two of my good friends, was catchy and bright.

Quote of the Day: "Look, bitch... I don't know you, so... I'm gonna try and keep this cordial."

:: SL 7:03 AM [+] ::
...

It's Friday, and you know what that means! It's time for the disturbing Shockwave animation of the week!

So last week we featured the mind-numbing and basically all-around frightening Badger (Yes, indeed I've got it stuck in my head... Badger! Badger! Badger! Badger! Badger! Badger! Mushroom! Mushroom! Snake... oh wretched snake!), and we're back again this week with a new one!

This week's bad Shockwave animation is Donkey... another one featuring an animal... and you thought the badger one was bad...

:: SL 9:15 PM [+] ::
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Hobbit sexuality?

Reviews are out for next week's Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, which is supposed to be an Oscar-worthy finale to an epic trilogy. Some reviews, like this one, haven't been so kind. I found amusing and disturbing (both at the same time!) the following from the review:

"Oddly, though there are a couple of misty love scenes, and one bruising kiss, there is something peculiarly homoerotic in Jackson’s trilogy. Some of this can be put down to good old-fashioned fellowship between the pretty boys, but the relationship between the Hobbits, particularly fat Sam and saucer-eyed Frodo, is played like a teenage crush. "I can’t carry it for you," says fireman Sam to Frodo. "But I can carry you."

The Hobbits are the most adolescent of the creatures, and hence the most vulnerable, but Frodo finds himself on a relentless journey towards maturity, which takes him away from his true love. Near the end, when he goes to Another Place, Frodo observes: "Dear Sam, you need not always be torn in two." In the next scene, Sam is seen behaving in a ruggedly heterosexual manner. "

:: SL 6:44 PM [+] ::
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Today, I went to the final section for Science B-29. We enjoyed baked goods, chocolate, and apple cider. I then had lunch with my friends Alex, Alex, and Alex, and then I headed to Science B-29 lecture. It was a nice final formal lecture. Next Monday will be a review section.

Following Chinese, I made a phone call to clear up some issues regarding my newspaper assignment next year. I’m so excited about going to Miami this coming summer! Then, I went to the Leverett library to finish a reading a psychology study. After falling asleep in the comfy chair at the library, I caught the tail end of dinner, where I saw a lot of my friends, and we played telephone.

Tonight, I worked on my paper for my sophomore tutorial. The paper was an analysis of this fascinating psychology study on the linguistic development of Korean children who had been adopted into French families. The children learned French, became completely fluent in the language, and forgot all the Korean they ever knew. The study put these individuals in an fMRI, and scans of their brain activity while listening to sentences spoken in French and Korean were analyzed. The results showed that the adopted subjects showed no more activation in the brain when listening to Korean than the control group of native French speakers, even though the experimental group had learned Korean early in their lives. This was more evidence of the brain’s remarkable plasticity.

I took a study break to hang out with my friends, and we went to the Quincy Grille, where it was quite busy tonight, and ordered food and conversed and laughed and had a great time. I decided I felt like eating pizza, so I went to Tommy’s to get a slice. Afterwards, I returned to my room to finish writing my paper, and the sun was out before I finally went to bed.

Quote of the Day: "With a fatal crack overdose comes great responsibility."

:: SL 6:44 PM [+] ::
...

Time for some more gratuitous song lyrics!!!

I wish that I could be eleven again
That E.T. was my friend
You know that life was so simple then
Times have changed
Never be the same
The memory remains
And the melody's inside my heart

Got a little crush
Ooh, I just can't get enough of that stuff
It's such a rush, oh whoa whoa whoa, 1980 me
Got a little crush
Ooh, I just can't get enough of that stuff
It's such a rush, oh whoa whoa, 1980 me

From the most poptastic song I've heard in a long while: "Crush (1980 Me)" by Darren Hayes.

:: SL 8:22 AM [+] ::
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This morning, I got up early to go to my cognitive psychology class. It was fairly interesting material about numeric cognition. I then went to section for my Justice class and Chinese, where I was the only person there for about ten minutes until three other classmates showed up. It was a really wet day; the rain was falling so heavily that I got soaked walking back to my dorm.

At lunchtime, I enjoyed my meal with a good friend of mine who is writing her own romance novel, so we shared humorous ideas. Meanwhile, the "Roving Reporter" from The Harvard Crimson showed up, and she asked us a question and took our picture. I wonder if I'll be in the publication tomorrow.

Today, I started working on my paper for my sophomore tutorial in psychology. I read a study and prepared to write an analysis of it. In the late afternoon, I headed over to Radcliffe Yard, where I went to hear Eve Ensler speak. Eve Ensler is the award-winning playwright and author of The Vagina Monologues, a groundbreaking work famous around the world. She is such an incredibly talented woman. Her speech began with some stories about her experiences writing The Vagina Monologues and what has happened to her since it became a huge hit. She then told heartwrenching stories about women who had been severely mistreated and oppressed in various cultures. Her language concerning the severe mistreatment of women worldwide was so descriptively detailed and delivered so emotionally that the audience was captivated and moved to action.

Eve Ensler also performed two new monologues she had written for a new production. They were powerful and moving. She compared the problems concerning the ozone layer with the problems women face. Damage to the ozone layer can have disastrous effects on humanity's existence, and violence against women, she said, can have the same effects. Eve Ensler is an incredible speaker, and she delivers her words with such passion and feeling. I thoroughly enjoyed her speech and was enlightened to the plight of women.

Following her speech, there was a reception next door with very fancy catered food. Eve Ensler was there, so I got to meet her and have her autograph my copy of The Vagina Monologues, which my friend inspired me to purchase a couple of years ago. Eve Ensler wrote, "Sam J – Bless you. May you always bless vaginas. – Eve Ensler." That, including the fact that she considered me a "vagina-friendly man," totally made my day.

In the evening, I worked some more on my paper and did some reading for my final Science B-29 section tomorrow morning.

Quote of the Day: "Jell-o… it's the best thing to come out of horses since Seabiscuit."

:: SL 7:48 AM [+] ::
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Everyone enjoys a little Mickey Mouse news once in a while.

:: SL 4:51 PM [+] ::
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Today, I went to Justice, section for cognitive psychology, Science B-29, and Chinese. After Chinese, I did some e-mail administration and got caught up on the day's news. At 4, I went to hear MIT professor Noam Chomsky speak about Israel/Palestine issues. Noam Chomsky, described as "the greatest intellectual alive today," is a founder of modern linguistics and a major figure in the history of mind-related studies; he is also very involved in social issues and causes, and that was why he was speaking here today.

Tonight, I had the best dining hall dinner ever. The dining hall and serving area was beautifully decorated with holiday decorations, and the tables had white tablecloths and poinsettias in little pots. The meal was absolutely wonderful. There was turkey with gravy, dressing, mashed potatoes, diced squash, and a most wonderful pasta with broccoli and chicken breast. In addition, I had canned peaches, which are so sweet and juicy and smooth, and in the dining hall there was a table set up with a tea showcase, where they introduced at least five different types of tea leaves from around the world that we could spoon into teabags and steep in hot water. Finally, they had fancy chocolate cake to end the whole meal. It felt like the dining staff went all out tonight.

Dinner was made even better by the fact that I found out that my friend has a Taiwanese heritage, and so we shared memories of our trips to Taiwan and our love for the culture. It was so neat to talk to someone who understood Taiwan! Talking about our favorite Taiwanese things vicariously took me to the island nation, and now I want to visit Taiwan again! It hasn't been a year since I last went to Taiwan, but it seems like so long ago. Ah yes, and the premier of China visited Harvard today to give a speech. I didn't have a chance to go protest because it was in the morning when I had classes. Boo. China is evil. Human rights violations!!!

Tonight, I did some psychology reading. Later in the evening for a study break, I visited a couple of my friends and got snacks at Quincy House's Brain Break. I then went to bed early because of my early class tomorrow.

Quote of the Day: "You can do a lot of cool stuff when you take her pants off!"

:: SL 1:19 AM [+] ::
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Check out The Surrealist Compliment Generator! I've found it to be wildly amusing. Here are some favorites:

Your dashingly colored toupee twists my right boot into a state of ennui with the speed and dexterity of many lemon meringue-coated conquistadors.

If you were a camel your humps would be esoterically bald from overuse.

If I were to combine your blood, toes, and hair, it might not be you, but it would be enough for my basic desires.

You are truly a wristwatch in a world of lumps.

Send me your hang nails. With great eagerness I will knit them into divine papal integuments.

Your sweet voice is like the snap of a bra strap upon a sun burnt back.

:: SL 9:17 AM [+] ::
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Wow, my writing reached a new level of craptitude today in my Justice paper.

This morning, I toiled to finish my big Justice paper, which was due this afternoon at 3 p.m. and not a second later. I managed to finish just on time and trudged through the slush to turn it in on the other side of campus. I then had a pseudo lunch that was uber-delicious because I hadn't eaten anything all day.

I then met with my TF for Chinese class, and we reviewed some new vocabulary words. I then headed off to dinner with my tutor, who was meeting with everyone to check on how they were doing so far in the year. Following dinner, I took it easy by doing light work. At 9, I went to a cheesecake study break hosted by our tutor. There were many different types of cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory. I tried the chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake (which was kind of like chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream) and this wonderful caramel walnut cheesecake.

There, I ran into a good friend of mine, and we were going to go out and buy Pirates of the Caribbean on DVD, but we were delayed, but we still managed to have social time with a large group of people. We had a wonderful time chatting and laughing. We then headed for a random walk into Harvard Square in the evening. We stopped by the CVS convenience store and also the Au Bon Pain bakery. We returned to their dorm and chatted for a little longer.

I finally returned to my room and went across the hall, where my roommate was hosting a screening of some films he made during high school. A bunch of my friends were there, and we all snacked on sweets and watched the videos and the subsequent outtakes. I then returned to my room and worked on some Chinese homework and a response paper for some cognitive psychology reading.

Quote of the Day: "I really like colons!"

:: SL 8:28 AM [+] ::
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Alas, the snow is becoming dirty and slushy, and it is a pain to walk anywhere outside as the snow is melting. Snow is pretty when it's falling but not when it becomes slush on the ground. The ground is also slippery with ice, so one mis-step could result in wetness and potential injury.

In other news, students in colleges and universities across the country are taking final exams before heading off to winter vacation. Alas, we are in the minority because we have our finals after winter break, so we have that stress lingering over us as we try to enjoy the holiday season.

Today, I went to all my classes from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. I also met with my Justice TF to discuss my paper, which is due tomorrow. I also headed to the IOP in order to pick up my ticket for tonight's event.

Tonight, I went to the final installment (unless Joe Lieberman gets his act together) of Hardball with Chris Matthews. Today's guest was Democratic presidential candidate General Wesley Clark. I really didn't know much about General Clark before tonight, and I was wondering why he is so popular. However, he did an excellent job on tonight's show, which once again was taped live and aired on MSNBC. Chris Matthews gave him some really easy questions, and Clark took advantage of that, speaking with confidence and style. He seems as if he could do some good in the White House. He did a meet and greet following the show, and I got to shake hands with him.

When I got back, I went to a study break that had the most delicious fresh fruit ever. We don't get very much variety in fruit here in the winter, so it was so refreshing to enjoy watermelon, pineapple, grapes, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries. There was also creamy Godiva ice cream; the white chocolate with raspberry flavor was the best.

I finally settled down to write my big paper for Justice that's due tomorrow. It was a pain to start, but once I got the ball rolling, at least I could put words down on the page.

Quote of the Day: "From the people who brought you red hair ... now comes falafels, the Parthenon, and democracy!"

:: SL 5:40 PM [+] ::
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"More recent findings indicated that short sleepers (those who typically sleep 6 or fewer hours out of every 24), as compared to long sleepers (those who sleep more than 9 hours), were more psychologically maladjusted, anxious, less creative, more neurotic, and more prone to hallucinate."

Gee, maybe I should start getting more sleep!

:: SL 8:27 PM [+] ::
...

Wow, it finally stopped snowing, but there is so much snow on the ground it's impossible to get anywhere! Today, I worked on my Chinese vocabulary and writing, as well as finishing my lab report for cognitive psychology. After dinner, I went to a surprise birthday party for one of my good friends. We enjoyed chocolate sweets and ice cream cake.

This evening, I went with a bunch of my friends to Finale, a fancy upscale restaurant in Harvard Square that specializes in desserts. It's been around for a while now, and everyone says great things about it; I mean, one only needs to look at the display case outside to know that the restaurant really perfects the art of making desserts. Each creation features a dazzling array of colors and textures, and garnishes grow up from the dish into majestic spires.

My friends decided to go to the restaurant because the Leverett House formal, which was supposed to be tonight, was cancelled because of the heavy snow. This was the first time I've had a dessert at Finale, and my friend and I ordered a cheesecake. The cheesecake came in a cool round shape and had a crispy chocolate garnish, a milk chocolate Finale logo nugget, a rock sugar shape, and plump, juicy cranberries to accompany the dish. It was beautiful.

This dish cost us an arm and a leg, but it was nothing compared to two of my other friends, who got a dessert that cost $30 – a plate of many different varieties of chocolate creations. Even though we only got desserts and drinks, the total came to over $80 for six people. Wow.

Tonight, I also did reading for my sophomore tutorial in psychology and then wrote a response paper based on that reading.

Quote of the Day: "As foretold by the prophecy and seen on TV...!"

:: SL 1:56 PM [+] ::
...

Welcome to the Super Saturday Feature, where we put the pedantry in Pedantic Platitudes!

Today's pedantic sentence:

The glorious milestone of a forum for personal expression and documentation of daily occurrences merited commemoration characterized by much conviviality and jubilation.

Translation: Birthday party for Pedantic Platitudes!

:: SL 12:20 PM [+] ::
...

Happy Birthday, Pedantic Platitudes!

One year ago, I started this blog. How quickly time passes! It seems like just yesterday I was sitting at my desk, typing out my thoughts for the very first time. Now, I reflect upon a year of (almost) daily writing.

So much has happened in one year! There were moments of disappointment and sadness, but there were many more moments of greatness and happiness. In this past year, I went to Taiwan by myself, I worked full-time as a journalist for a summer, and I made new friends, among other exciting adventures. I tried new things, I've learned more, and I've become wiser.

Here's to another great year for Pedantic Platitudes!

"Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes,
How do you measure, measure a year?"

-From the musical Rent.

:: SL 12:19 PM [+] ::
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Wow, I don't think I've ever seen it snow for such a long time! It started snowing so heavily late last night, and by the time I went to bed a substantial amount had already piled up on the ground. Then, it snowed as heavily all night, and it has snowed all day today. There is snow everywhere. Taking advantage of this fact, a big group of people built an igloo in the courtyard this afternoon.

Today, I actually got up earlier than I usually do on weekends. I then proceeded to work a little bit on my website using the program Dreamweaver. I then started working on learning some new Chinese vocabulary. The words are a lot harder to write this time!

Dinner was nice; a lot of us were there, and we had a great time. Although the dining hall was short-staffed, they still worked really hard to get us a meal. Tonight, I went to see my roommate's band, Low Tech Sexy, play at the Leverett Coffeehouse, which is where they set up tables and chairs so you can enjoy snacks while listening to students perform things from poetry to music.

After helping to take down the music equipment, I went to a birthday party for a former entryway-mate. It was cool to see a lot of the people who were in my entryway last year and catch up with how they were doing. We had snacks and played games and danced to music. I then came back to my room and finished studying Chinese.

Quote of the Day: "We had to paint our chickens with White-Out to see where their joints were."

:: SL 9:03 AM [+] ::
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One of the more disturbing things I've seen all week: Badger.

(File this one under Bad Shockwave Animations.)

:: SL 10:49 AM [+] ::
...

Wow, what a long day. Today, I finished up my big Science B-29 paper and went to section for that class. It was interesting to hear everyone talk about their projects. I never knew HotOrNot.com could be used for a scientific purpose! Following class, I had lunch with my friend Alex, and then we went to lecture for Science B-29. It was an interesting scientific look at religion.

I went to Chinese and was going to meet with my Justice TF afterwards, but she had scheduled our meeting at a time that precluded me from taking a nap. I killed some time online, and then I went to meet with my TF, who didn't show up. At least my trip all the way to the yard in the cold was redeemed by the fact that there was a fancy reception in the room where I was supposed to meet my TF, so I got some fancy catered snacks, including starfruit! I didn't think I'd ever see starfruit here, but there it was, and it was delicious!

I headed back to the Leverett dining hall and caught up with my friends Alex and Alex. We discussed websites, and afterwards Alex helped me set up a domain name for my new website, which will debut soon. I went back to the dining hall to have dinner, and then I met up with a bunch of friends to go see the movie Election, which was playing for 25-cent movie night. It was quite enjoyable and hilarious; I had forgotten how funny it was.

Following the event, we went to Tommy's Value to pick up some milk and cookies. We heated the chewy chocolate chip cookies in the microwave, and they were delicious. I then went back to my room and went to sleep because I was so tired.

Quote of the Day: "It's raining Mensheviks!"

:: SL 9:14 AM [+] ::
...

Another great advancement in the wonderful world of science.

:: SL 6:44 PM [+] ::
...

Today, I went to my cognitive psychology class, section for Justice, and Chinese. After Chinese, I went to a group meeting with my Justice TF (teaching fellow), and we discussed the upcoming paper we have to write.

I then had lunch with my good friends Alex and Alex. Alex and I then discussed our research project, which is due tomorrow. After talking to him, I started working on my paper. I also did some thinking for my Justice paper.

At dinner, I met with another group and my Justice TF to discuss our papers. I finally got back to my room and resumed working on my Science B-29 paper, until I got distracted by reading random blogs online.

Tonight, I went to a quick study break hosted by my friend Kate in Mather House, and that was a happening party. She baked some really delicious gingersnap cookies, which I enjoyed.

I finally really settled down to write my Science B-29 research paper and spent the rest of the night finishing it.

Quote of the Day: "How many Muppets had to die to make your coat?"

:: SL 8:14 AM [+] ::
...

Today was a long day of classes. There was Justice, then section for cognitive psychology, then lecture for Science B-29, then Chinese, then office hours with Professor Sandel of Justice.

At dinner tonight they were showing Finding Nemo! I got to the dining hall just as the movie was starting, and I ended up staying to watch the whole thing. What a great movie! Even the sound wasn't good and everyone was talking in the dining hall, there were still captions, so I could read the lines in the movie.

Tonight, I went to Lamont Library and did reading for my moral reasoning class. It was pretty dry. Afterwards, I went to The Grille with a couple of fun friends, and we enjoyed Krispy Kreme donuts (plain, glazed) as a nighttime snack. I then studied some Chinese and went to sleep early because I have an early class tomorrow morning.

Quote of the Day: "At least you can't spread disease by running around naked."

:: SL 9:30 AM [+] ::
...

It's snowing!!!

:: SL 9:25 AM [+] ::
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Wow, I can't believe I've blocked over a thousand pop-up ads already with my pop-up blocker!

I woke up this morning and looked out the window, and it was snowing!!! It was really pretty, with the flakes drifting down gently. Strangely, the sun was shining brightly. Eventually, the snow subsided when I headed out the door to go to class, but the ground was still really slippery with ice. Cognitive psychology class today was cool because we were talking about language acquisition, which is a topic of interest to me.

I then did some more mad studying for my Chinese exam in the afternoon. It began to snow again, and I was reminded of a few cheery holiday tunes. Following lunch, I trudged all the way through the cold to take the test. The test was tedious. It was so long that most students had to stay after class to finish. Alas.

After finishing the test, it was dark outside. I went back to Leverett, had dinner, did some website designing, and then spent the rest of the evening catching up on Chinese homework.

Quote of the Day: "I did not imply a causality between an inability to hear and an affinity towards bright colors!"

:: SL 8:54 AM [+] ::
...

Today, I went to all my classes, starting with Justice at 11 and continuing until the end of my psychology tutorial at 6 p.m. I got lucky and was able to procure a ticket to the Hardball event tonight at the Kennedy School of Government. Today's guest with Chris Matthews was Democratic presidential candidate and front-runner Howard Dean, former governor of Vermont.

This was the sixth show in the series, and it was the most popular, since Howard Dean is doing so well in the polls. A ton of people showed up, and it was quite difficult to find a place to watch the taping. Chris Matthews really grilled Howard Dean today on the show, but I thought Dean still came out on top. Even though some of his responses weren't all that popular, he was still so charismatic that at the end you left with a good feeling about this candidate.

Tonight, I studied madly for my Chinese exam tomorrow. I took a big study break in the middle of the night when a huge group of my friends congregated to have tea and snacks on this fine evening. It was a bit raucous but as always a ton of fun. I then continued studying Chinese.

Quote of the Day: "Scurvy... Arrgh!"

:: SL 4:03 AM [+] ::
...

Wow! It's good to be back! I have to catch up on how everyone is doing, though; I'm still amazed at how I went four days without a computer or internet access. It felt weird to not blog for so long. Now it's time to update my blog.

Today, we got up early, had breakfast, and headed back to school. It had been a wonderful vacation, but it was time to return to the hard work. The traffic was really bad today. At many places, the traffic resembled that of Los Angeles and Southern California. We passed by the city of Hartford, and the skyline was just beautiful. The buildings downtown showed that skyscrapers can still be beautiful. Eventually, we made it back to school in the early afternoon.

After unpacking, we decided to go out for lunch. The campus was still fairly empty, and the dining halls were not all open yet. We went to Boston Chowda for lunch, and I got a Caesar chicken wrap with clam chowder. It was quite delicious. I had never been to this restaurant before.

In the evening, I did reading for my psychology tutorial. More and more people returned from their vacations, and I saw a lot of my friends and caught up with what they did this past weekend. I finished the night by starting to study for my big Chinese exam on Tuesday.

Quote of the Day: "It's like playing the Teletubbies theme song at the concert of a death metal band called Satan's Orifice."

:: SL 1:48 PM [+] ::
...

Today, we were going to have lunch with another new friend in Yonkers, but my friend's cousin had to go back to Princeton University, where she goes to school, so we all piled into one car and took the drive from New York down to Princeton, New Jersey.

It wasn't too long of a drive. I was surprised that an approximately two-hour drive landed us halfway down the state of New Jersey. On the way, we passed by New York City and Manhattan with all its gloriously tall skyscrapers. The skies were clear today, compared to yesterday's wet and overcast weather. We could see how the Empire State Building stood up so majestically – a beacon to the world.

We went to the house of my friend's uncle, which is in Princeton, New Jersey because my friend's mom had to drop off some items. After meeting the family, we made the quick drive from their house to Princeton University. From far away, we could see the spires of the tower above the trees.

We took the bridge across their artificial lake/river used for crew practice; the body of water looked very natural, not manmade at all. We then drove to my friend's cousin's dorm. After taking a look inside her dorm room, which was very nice (very reminiscent of the rooms inside Matthews Hall in Harvard Yard). It really looked like the dorm they showed in the film A Beautiful Mind, which is set at Princeton University. My friend's cousin said she actually saw John Nash passing by on campus.

Following lunch, my friend's cousin took us on a quick tour of the campus. It is beautiful with its gray stone buildings, which had incredibly intricate details. Their on-campus church had stained glass with such rich colors, and there was even a castle in the middle of campus! Because the university is so isolated from any big city (even though there is nearby train line that can take people to New York City), there is a convenience/grocery store on campus, something we don't have at Harvard University. Another cool thing about Princeton University is that the students get free laundry; that is, there is no charge to use the washing machines.

We shopped around the U Store, which sells official Princeton merchandise, and then we headed back to New York. We passed by Newark, which had really pretty tall buildings, and Manhattan. The setting sun cast a golden glow on all the tall buildings, and it gave the city such a magical feeling. The view really was incredible. We crossed the George Washington Bridge across the Hudson River and made our way back to New York.

Tonight, my friend showed us her yearbook. Then we went and had dinner at a small Chinese restaurant that was pretty good. We all shared different dishes in a family-style meal. Then, we got to meet Chris, my friend's best friend from high school. He really was the lively character my friend described him as, and we had an enjoyable conversation at the coffee shop. Finally, we returned to my friend's house, where we settled down for one final night in New York.

Quote of the Day: "You know what's creepy about Massachusetts? The Amish."

:: SL 6:11 PM [+] ::
...

Today, we got up early to go to New York City! Alas, it was a rainy day, a sharp contrast to the beautiful weather of yesterday. I can now say that the weather has been horrible every single time I've been to New York. We took the train from Crestwood to Grand Central Station in Manhattan. The fare was a bit much, I thought, but the train got there pretty quickly, and we met up with another friend of ours who lives in New York at the station. We then proceeded to visit the New York Public Library, the front of which appears in the film Spider-Man. We went inside and toured the incredible reading rooms, which were paneled with wood and had beautiful paintings on the ceiling. One special exhibit room had original paintings of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart, who is famous for his portraits of the president.

We then walked to Rockefeller Center, where they film the Today Show on NBC. We saw the tall building in the background, and there was the huge skating rink with the gold statue in the background. It was picture perfect, except for the pouring rain. There were actually people skating on the ice, despite the wet weather. The holiday music was playing in the background, and if it had been light snow falling instead of the heavy rain, it would have been a scene right from a movie. We walked up towards Fifth Avenue, and there was a beautiful cathedral to our right and a long line of upscale stores along the street. Eventually we passed by a cafe, where my friend introduced to us the black and white cookie, which is available only in New York. We ate our cookies after we found a subway to go to Chinatown, our next destination. The cookies were good, but they were too sweet. They were like a giant sugar cookie with sugar frosting on half of one side and chocolate frosting on the other half of that side. The subway fare has increased significantly! I was last in New York City in the spring, and the fare for an all day pass was only $4. Now, it's $7! We figured that we would only be making one round trip, so we loaded our subway passes with $4 for two one-way trips instead of purchasing a day pass.

We arrived in Chinatown and met up with another friend from school. She was also in New York for the weekend visiting a relative. We went shopping for a little bit along the little stores, and then we went to Little Italy, where we found a nice Italian restaurant for lunch. I shared a chicken Caesar salad with a friend. We then went back out to Chinatown, where my friends did some more shopping. We also were able to get some bubble tea; I really miss this drink, which is popular in Asia. I've only had the milk-tea variety, so this time I tried something different by ordering my tapioca pearls in a passion fruit, green tea drink. It was too sweet initially, but once the ice cubes melted, it was perfect... quite an exotic flavor and drink.

Subsequent to that, we hopped on the subway again and went to Times Square. It had been crowded all day in the city, despite the rain, but it was even more crowded at this time and place as everyone was getting off work and going out for shopping on "the busiest shopping day of the year." The sidewalks were jammed with people, and we moved slowly along the street. By this time, the sky had darkened, so the billboards and signs were all lit up brilliantly in true Times Square fashion. We made it to a couple of shops, and we even stopped at the Toys "R" Us store, which was so jammed we could hardly move. I've never seen a store so busy in my life. How interesting we would find ourselves in the busiest place in the busiest city on the busiest day.

The rain and the crowds were getting really bad, so after a quick visit to the Hershey's chocolate store and the Disney Store for shopping, we parted with our friends staying in New York City and walked back to Grand Central Station. On the way, we saw the Chrysler Building glowing through the fog in the sky. It was truly beautiful; I was glad to see one skyscraper today, considering that the clouds had obscured many of them through the day. We took the train back to my friend's house in Yonkers, and we had a delicious dinner cooked by my friend's dad. It was chicken breast in a salty French sauce, accompanied by rice and corn. Soon after dinner, we went to bed because we were so tired from walking around all day.

Quote of the Day: "Anyone who isn't Helen Keller can read that!"

:: SL 7:22 PM [+] ::
...

Today was Thanksgiving. We all got up early this morning and packed into the car. We drove to the countryside of Pine Bush, which is in upstate New York. We went there because my friend's aunt was hosting Thanksgiving dinner. We drove a long way, and there was beautiful scenery to be seen. I had never been to upstate New York, so I enjoyed all the sights, although I think it would be even more beautiful if there were leaves on the trees. We crossed several bridges and went up several winding mountain roads.

We got there in the early afternoon, and we met my friend's aunt, grandmother, and extended family, which included her cousin Andrew, who is a super-hyperactive seven-year-old child. This kid dominated all conversations and would say such random, non-sequitur comments that we were all in stitches. At times we were frightened, at times we were wildly amused with horror. It was quite an experience.

The Thanksgiving dinner, which we actually ate during the mid-afternoon, was delicious. The family had the meal catered, and we had turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, biscuits, green beans, gravy, and this wonderful cranberry sauce that had strawberries in it. I suppose the strawberry/cranberry sauce would be delicious on some vanilla ice cream. Andrew continued to say crazy things throughout the meal, much to our mirth. We had pumpkin pie and apple crumb pie for dessert.

Finally, we went outside and played with my friend's aunt's cute dog. Their house is quite isolated out there in the countryside, so it was so quiet outside. There was a beautiful lake surrounded by trees out there in their backyard, and we actually saw some wild deer with white tails grazing out there before they were scared away by the dog.

It was starting to get dark when we left to return to Yonkers. I was full from the Thanksgiving meal, so I was asleep for most of the trip back. Back at my friend's house, we had a nice dialogue with her family. I worked and some homework and went to sleep soon after.

Quote of the Day: "Your skin is so soft!" "Do you want a massage?!"

:: SL 5:32 PM [+] ::
...

Today, I went to a couple of my classes. In Science B-29, we watched a film about remarkable adaptations in the plant world, and it was narrated in such a humorously dramatic way that we all laughed. It was also kind of creepy to see some of the plants trapping the insects, which had no way out after they were stuck.

After Chinese class, I rushed back to Leverett, where I met up with two of my friends, one of which had her dad drive us to Crestwood in Yonkers, New York. Yonkers, where my friend is from, is a city just a little north of New York City. There was a lot of traffic initially because of all the people leaving for Thanksgiving weekend, but it did clear up after we got out of Massachusetts. I slept for much of the trip because I was so tired, but we got to my friend's house at about seven in the evening; it was a drive that took between three and four hours. We settled down and put our stuff away; we then met my friend's cousin, who is a freshman at Princeton University. She's a very friendly person who is originally from Louisiana. Then we had dinner, which consisted of spaghetti and meatballs.

Following dinner, we watched a video that my friend had made during her senior year in high school. It was rather humorous, with one of her friends donning a wig and pretending to be Barbara Walters. We had a lively conversation into the evening, and then we went to bed because we were tired from the day's journey.

Quote of the Day: "My shoulders are wide - like a linebacker."

:: SL 2:04 PM [+] ::
...

Well, it's time for a vacation! I am going to Yonkers, New York with a friend this weekend, and we're likely to be going into New York City, also. It's my first Thanksgiving not celebrated at home. Alas. I am sad, but I am still looking forward to this opportunity for rest and relaxation!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

:: SL 12:30 AM [+] ::
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Weird news from near home... Man steals, swallows child's ID bracelet, SLO police say.

:: SL 12:27 AM [+] ::
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It's official!!! Summer, 2004: MIAMI!!!

:: SL 9:20 AM [+] ::
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While I finish up studying for my cognitive psychology exam, which begins in an hour, I'd like to share some psychology with the Thatcher illusion. She looks fine... until you flip her the other way...

:: SL 4:38 AM [+] ::
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Even though we have school until Wednesday, the campus is already starting to weed out. Many people are taking this whole week off or leaving early for Thanksgiving, so a lot of my classes are less than full. It seems kind of weird... there's that end-of-the-year feeling where everyone is so done with classes and is ready to leave.

After having stayed up all night to study for my test, I ate breakfast and went to take my test in cognitive psychology. Following the exam, I went to Chinese class, and then I had a small lunch in the Leverett dining hall. I then talked with my scholarship coordinator, and I finally decided where I'm going for my internship for next summer. It looks like I'll be going to The Miami Herald! It should be a ton of fun. Apparently, four other Knight Ridder scholars will be going there as well. I've met all of them, and they are all wonderful people, so I know I'll enjoy the experience. I just hope I can stand the humidity and the heat! That, and I have to find my own transportation and housing. Challenges!

After taking a long nap that took up most of the afternoon, I had dinner in the dining hall and proceeded to ride the subway into Boston, where I went to see a play starring Nathan Lane at the Huntington Theater near Boston University. The play was called "Butley," and it's about a British professor, Ben Butley, who is having the worst day of his life: His wife asks for a divorce, and then his gay lover abandons him for another man, all in one day. The play was sold out tonight, but I signed up on the waiting list, and after waiting forever, I was able to get a ticket due to some cancellations. I really lucked out; I got the second to last ticket available right before the show started. The seat wasn't too bad, either.

Nathan Lane plays the title character in this "tragi-comedy," and indeed it was tragic and comedic at the same time. The play was so well-written; the metaphoric language and biting wit made the play truly entertaining. Nathan Lane (who, of course, has starred in many theater productions and movies, including The Producers, The Birdcage, The Lion King, and a cameo role in Austin Powers 3) did an amazing job in conveying the emotions of the character and in making the audience laugh. I had a great time. The only problem was that Nathan Lane chain-smokes throughout the play as his character, so the second-hand smoke was getting a bit noxious. Following the show, I was able to get Nathan Lane's autograph. He seems to be a very shy and quiet person, despite his dramatic stage presence and over-the-top characters.

Tonight, I did my laundry, worked on the computer, packed for vacation, and wrote a response paper for my moral reasoning class. I really wanted to go to bed early, but once again, there was too much work to be done, so I still went to sleep really late. Alas.

Quote of the Day: "I feel the need for cream."

:: SL 4:38 AM [+] ::
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Sigh. My friend said it the best when she said, "So much beauty, so much pain."

:: SL 4:47 PM [+] ::
...

Today, I went to my moral reasoning class. Then, I went to an interview/dialogue evaluation for my Chinese class. The premise was that I was applying for a job as an English teacher in a Chinese-speaking country, and I had to explain my experience and skills so they fictional company would hire me.

I then went to Science B-29 and Chinese class, ran some errands such as purchasing and mailing a birthday card for my father, and attended my two-hour psychology tutorial. We met at a later time for this week's session, so we all got dinner at the dining hall and had our class over the meal.

Tonight, I did mad studying for my cognitive psychology exam tomorrow. There's so much material to cover! I wasn't sure if I could get it all done; it looks to be a late night. Lo and behold, a huge distraction comes along: My friends decide to have a big tea party, so I was dragged along to the soiree featuring the aforementioned drinks, as well as dried fruits and nuts.

We then decided to head over to the Quincy Grille, where we had a blast being loud and crazy. I brought my materials to study, but that sort of went by the wayside when we started a lively discussion about "which animated Disney character are you most similar to?" and began eating the snacks we ordered. Finally, I returned and studied studied studied into the early morning for my psychology exam.

Quote of the Day: "I finally realize the inherent logical fallacy in the lyrics of this pop song; I am shocked, concerned... even dismayed."

:: SL 4:46 PM [+] ::
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I don't know why I felt compelled to post a photo of this delicious-looking dessert.

:: SL 4:18 PM [+] ::
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Today, I got up and had a quick lunch. Then, my friend and I worked on collecting data for our project on the role gender plays on pedestrian/driver interactions. It wasn't as cold as it was the last time we collected data, so it was bearable. After collecting the data for much of the afternoon, I took a nap (yes, on a Sunday) because I was tired.

This evening, I had dinner with some friends. There was an ice cream toppings bar, so I excitedly made my own Sunday sundae with vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream, and strawberries. For extra chocolate, I sprinkled a few M&Ms on top.

Tonight, I worked on reading and responding to this week's assignment for my psychology tutorial. I then studied some more Chinese because of a quiz tomorrow. Finally, I started studying for my psychology exam, which will be administered on Tuesday.

Quote of the Day: "Last week it was so cold I had to blow-dry myself."

:: SL 4:18 PM [+] ::
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Welcome to the Super Saturday Feature, where we put the pedantic in Pedantic Platitudes!

Here is this week's pedantic sentence:

The antediluvian fogy utilized gruesomely violent aggressiveness to articulate his categorical antagonism toward due societal progression.

Translation: Hate crime!

:: SL 4:33 PM [+] ::
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I can't believe I still haven't seen Brother Bear. I don't think I've allowed so much time to go by following the release of a Disney full-length animated feature before going to see it. Maybe I'll find some time to go see it over Thanksgiving break.

Today, I worked mostly on learning how to write a ton of new Chinese words. It took a while, but I made some serious progress. In the evening, I took a couple of study breaks, first with some friends to have crepes from this little, horrendously-overpriced restaurant. Granted, the food was excellent, but it was still way too expensive. I ordered a cheese crepe, and my friends had a chocolate/banana/almond crepe and a lemon juice/strawberry/almond crepe.

Later, I some other friends wanted to get some Baskin-Robbins ice cream, but when we got there, it was closed, so we went to the nearby convenience store to get a pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream (chocolate chip cookie dough). We also got some ice cream cones and "magic shell" chocolate sauce, which hardens into solid chocolate soon after being poured on ice cream. We then went back and enjoyed our ice cream while not really watching an episode of The West Wing. After that, I stayed up into the late morning doing work.

Quote of the Day: "Fo' shizzle my nizzle; that was so bling-tastic."

:: SL 4:18 PM [+] ::
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What a long day. For some reason, my neck hurt all day, and I couldn't turn my head to the left. I had a 90-minute section for Science B-29, including a quiz. Then, I stopped for a short lunch break with a ham and cheese sandwich and milk. There was lecture for Science B-29 and Chinese class following that. Finally, I went to a two-hour review session for a cognitive psychology test next Tuesday. I then went to a quick psychology study to finish my study pool credit. I now have enough for my psychology class. Yay!

Dinner was enjoyable with several friends, and we helped one of the members of our group come up with characters and ideas for a lurid "romance novel" set in a tea shop called "SexualiTea." Following that, I went to see a student production of Rogers & Hammerstein's South Pacific. The people worked hard, and it showed, but something about the musical didn't click with me. The dialogue was either written or delivered horribly, and the songs were a bit lackluster, although the band worked hard. The story wasn't particularly engaging, either, although admittedly I did cheer with the rest of the audience when the lovers were reunited at the end. At least the sets and lighting were quite noteworthy and spiced up an otherwise dull musical.

Tonight, I visited some friends to watch a couple of episodes of Blackadder, the hilarious British comedy. We also enjoyed pizza and lively conversation. I then went to bed relatively early because I was fairly tired.

Today, I have been moved to make a decision of whether to fight the passive-aggressive behavior of another with passive-aggressive behavior of my own, and although I am upset, I have concluded that I will not stoop to such ridiculousness. I think I am the better person for doing so.

Quote of the Day: "So much beauty, so much pain."

:: SL 2:41 PM [+] ::
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The Cat in the Hat is let out of the bag, but it doesn't look to be a hit, says this review. How fitting. I never saw how this could work in the first place. The book is such a Dr. Seuss classic that it would be hard to translate into a full-length movie, and add that to the fact that this film is live-action, when it probably would do better as a cartoon. Alas. Poor Dr. Seuss.

:: SL 9:49 PM [+] ::
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"As a giant screen displayed images of Mr. Bush, Jake Wayne, 5, could be heard asking, 'Is that Bush, Daddy? Does he kill people.'

His father, Mike, laughed, and said, 'Yes. Yes.' "

I thought the above quote speaks volumes. I found it in this New York Times article about Bush's visit to England.

"Calling You Bush Insults the Plant World," was written on one protestor's sign.

"It's absolutely disgusting, the thought of him being in Buckingham Palace," said Judith Thomas, 66, who sat with her cane. "The queen should have refused."

:: SL 7:07 PM [+] ::
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Today, I went to cognitive psychology class, section for Justice, and Chinese class. There were a lot of students in Chinese at the 11 a.m. class, for some reason. Last Tuesday there were only three students, whereas there must have been 15 today. I then went to an appointment at the Bureau of Study Counsel and ate lunch with a couple of friends.

In other news, I took a nap this afternoon. I then went to a tea at the masters' residence at Lowell House. It was a delightful affair, with tea lightened by milk and sweetened by sugar. There were also several baked goodies, including a chocolate fudge with mint-flavored frosting on top, sugar cookies with white chocolate chips, and wonderful sandwiches and sweet bread pudding.

Following that, I went to dinner, where they served wonderful herbed salmon. It was part of this "American foods" celebration with foods from various states around the country. Dinner ended, and I checked my e-mail for the first time today. A flood of messages awaited me.

Tonight, I went to a birthday party for one of my friends. We socialized, listened to music, and ate this delicious homemade lime pie. I then spent time with some other friends, drank tea, ate dried fruit, and went to The Collective, which is located in the basement of Quincy House. Various student bands perform there in a cool, underground environment. I then returned to my room to study for my Science B-29 quiz tomorrow.

Quote of the Day: "Sex is religion, and religion is sex; don't forget to say your prayers."

:: SL 6:54 PM [+] ::
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I don't know where I find such crazy websites like The Sound of Music Drinking Game.

:: SL 10:31 PM [+] ::
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Britney Spears becomes a champion for self love as she sings a song about masturbation on her new album In The Zone. One small step for female empowerment, one giant leap for the concept of using sex-related songs to show "edginess" and "maturity" as a "grown-up" performer.

:: SL 6:37 PM [+] ::
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Today, I went to my classes - four consecutive hours of sitting and listening and writing. It was pretty interesting, but I was tired today and had forgotten to wear my watch, so it felt as if the classes were dragging on.

In other interesting news, this afternoon I took a nap.

Following dinner, I proceeded to work on some homework, when I came upon a wonderful way of distracting myself from my work by going to the house masters' open house, where they served wonderful food (including the incredible Monkeybread) and gave visitors the opportunity to sing along to songs played on the piano. I declined on that aspect.

After finishing up my homework, I tried to go to bed a little earlier because I have to get up early again tomorrow morning for cognitive psychology.

Quote of the Day: "So, on the pregnant/non-pregnant scale, how are you?"

:: SL 3:47 AM [+] ::
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Today, I went to my early cognitive psychology class. Following that, I had breakfast at the beautiful Annenberg Hall, where they had slices of honeydew melon; that was exciting because good fruit is so hard to come by these days. It was then time for my Chinese class, and I did well on the quiz from yesterday. I then ran into a couple of good friends, so we went to Mather House to have lunch. The Jell-o at Mather House is really good because they put in bits of fruit in it. After that I took a nap.

In the afternoon, I did some reading and homework. Tonight, I met up with a fellow Knight Ridder scholar who is also here at Harvard, and we went to dinner with a former Knight Ridder scholar who is now at the university at the Kennedy School of Government. We went to Uno's Pizzeria, where there was a pizza special. The meal was really good. We also got free dessert from the manager because he made us move for another group. I got a cheesecake with strawberry topping.

After stuffing myself with pizza, I went to a little tea party with my friends. I had apple-cinnamon herbal tea. We joked and had a great time. I then spent the rest of the evening writing up a response paper for a reading assignment in my cognitive psychology class.

Quote of the Day: "In the bathroom, somebody smears menstrual blood all over the walls; I've seen homeless people who are cleaner than that."

:: SL 1:12 PM [+] ::
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Pictures from the 80s dance are back!

Um, wow.

:: SL 8:44 PM [+] ::
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Today's quiz in Chinese class wasn't too bad. I think I did pretty well.

My sophomore tutorial in psychology, which meets until 6 on Mondays, was interesting today, too, because it was more structured than it usually is. I guess I like lectures more than random, free-flowing discussions.

Tonight, I went to the fifth installment of Hardball with Chris Matthews: Battle for the White House at the Kennedy School of Government. The guest was Presidential candidate Carol Mosely-Braun, and Chris Matthews grilled her on all the usual questions: Iraq, social policies, etc.

They wanted me to ask a question during the show, so I did so and made it onto national television in front of millions of viewers! I was really nervous, but I think I sounded alright. My question was, "If you do not get the Democratic nomination, what issue on the Democratic platform do you think is the most important to further?" My parents taped the show, so we'll see how it turned out.

After the show, I went back and ate dinner. I then worked on some homework before going to bed early because I have my early cognitive psychology class tomorrow morning.

Quote of the Day: "The Chinese language is quite tasty, too!"

:: SL 8:44 PM [+] ::
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Today, I worked on this week's reading for my psychology tutorial and studied for my Chinese quiz tomorrow.

Tonight, I was supposed to take a new Knight Ridder Scholar out to dinner with another fellow Knight Ridder Scholar, but he cancelled sick, so I had dinner in the dining hall. Following dinner, I wrote up my response paper for my psychology reading.

I went to a couple of study breaks tonight. The first offered delicious and oh-so-soft challah bread and flavored cheese, and I enjoyed that with sweet apple cider. Then, I went to a study break held in the entryway of some of my friends who live in the other tower.

As soon as I walked in the door, I was amazed. On the table was a literal buffet of desserts. I don't believe I've ever seen so many colorful and succulent desserts and snacks assembled in one location. There was strawberry cheesecake and lemon cheesecake, honey-BBQ buffalo wings, chocolate-dipped strawberries, pumpkin bread pudding with caramel sauce, pastries with sweet cream cheese and a strawberry on top, tiramisu, and a giant apple tart. For drinks there was hot apple cider and chilled chai tea. The sight of all the goodies was awe-inspiring.

I tried a little bit of everything, and needless to say I was riding on a huge sugar high thirty minutes later. I returned to my room and started working on my lab report for my cognitive psychology class. I worked on this assignment for the rest of the evening.

Quote of the Day: "The situation is escalating; I'm going to court. I think I'll go out and smoke a Newport."

:: SL 5:18 PM [+] ::
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Welcome to the Super Saturday Feature, where we put the pedantry back into Pedantic Platitudes!

Today's pedantic sentence: The non-fecund and vertiginous dialogue betwixt the latitudinarian acquaintances concerned the hoary uncertainty: Is it preferable to imbibe copious amounts of male ejaculate fluid or a popular whitish condiment prepared from eggs and vinegar?

Translation: Semen or mayo?

:: SL 7:28 PM [+] ::
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And here I find myself quoting lyrics from J-pop songs...

"Voyage" by Ayumi Hamasaki

Bokutachi wa shiawase ni naru tame kono tabiji wo yukun da
Hora egao ga totemo niau
Iroaseru koto naku yomigaeru hakanaku utsukushiki hibi yo
Mabushii umi kogareta kisetsu mo
Yuki no maiorita kisetsu mo
Itsu datte furimukeba anata ga ita
Bokutachi wa shiawase ni naru tame kono tabiji wo yuku
Daremo mina ienu kizu wo tsureta tabibito nan darou
Hora egao ga totemo niau
Nando michi ni mayotta no darou
Sono tabi ni atatakai te wo
Sashinobete kureta no mo anata deshita
Bokutachi wa kono nagai tabiji no hate ni nani wo omou
Daremo mina ai motome samayou tabibito nan darou
Tomo ni ikou akiru hodo ni

We're on this journey in order to become happy
Look, a smile really suits you
Oh those fleeting, beautiful days, brought back unfading
The season when we longed for the bright ocean
And the season when the snow fell
Whenever I turned around, you were always there
We're on this journey in order to become happy
I wonder if we are all travelers with wounds that can't be healed
Look, a smile really suits you
How many times did I loose my way?
Whenever I did, there was a warm hand
And you were the one who held it out to me
What will we think at the end of this long journey?
I wonder if we are all travelers searching for love
Let's go together, until we've had enough

:: SL 7:25 PM [+] ::
...