Archive for the ‘Thoughts’ Category

New Dedication/Return from Neck Surgery

Monday, September 1st, 2008

Today, I’m recommitting myself to writing at least 3 times per week, with the most regard for the present.  I have been stalling to write new posts because I feel like its a problem if its not chronological.  It worked earlier to post stuff from memory, but I’m too far behind to catch up now, so here it goes.  As I get ambitious, I’ll fill in the blanks retroactively…especially about the Olympics.  I may also post several smaller writings in a day as ideas come to my mind, just as a way to stay better organized.

In the past few days, I have been resting mostly.  I watched, via either ripped off DVD’s or my own personally downloaded files: Entourage: Seasons 1-4, Lost: Seasons 3-4, Batman: The Dark Knight (camcorder to the movie theater version), NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams Podcast, and Kung Fu Panda (legit version).  I’m not kidding.  I watched 35 episodes of Entourage in a row … 22-23 min each.  I miss the Olympics for the nationalism, amazing displays of Athleticism, and paradoxical Chinese capitalist ticket scalpers.

If there isn’t a date at the beginning of a new post, assume that it is taking place in the present!

Existentialism

Friday, July 4th, 2008

Saturday June 14:  ALL day working on this blog thing.  First actual day of posts.  This is kind of
existential, writing in the present and past tense at the same time.  I’m writing this on June 23rd, but
won’t post it until…(see date above).  I’m not on drugs.

*Update - Jan 11, 09* I have spent another full day messing with this and realized that you can change the “published on” date.  I’ve been corrected all of them, but will save this one because it is important to the point of the post.

Excited about the 4th!

Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008

Wednesday: Very excited for the 4th of July.  More than I ever have been in the states.  Don’t get me wrong,  I like the fourth and all the fireworks and stuff.  It just is more personal when most everyone around you couldn’t care less.

On the bus, first a man fell asleep on me.  Then another man approached me and asked the time.  We chatted and ended up exchanging numbers.  He said my Chinese was pretty good!  haha.  Drove past the pants building.  Meeting up with Jeremy Pennycook!  Staying out all night at Propaganda, a foreigners bar that I have avoided thus far.  I’m leaving the dorm at 2254.  I’ll let you know what happens tomorrow!

Real Milk and “the Dog”,

Monday, June 23rd, 2008

Return from Inner Mongolia.  Class has been pushed back to 10 o’clock because we didn’t arrive by train until around 8am.  I didn’t preview very well for the next set of vocab, so I sorta bomb the tingxie quiz (this literally means hear write).  The rest of class is fine.

I go to the store to buy real milk!  It was sooo good to drink and to make oatmeal.  I ‘m going to stop eating out so much and just eat oatmeal from now on.  I’m starting to forget the American money conversion and just think in RMB.

On the train, I had an awesome dream about a public bus running into a gas tanker tractor trailer.  The collision happened on Melrose Drive at UT near the the library around the blind corner, but the bus was definitely Chinese public trasportation because the driver was honking like a maniac.  Mom was there too, but without very much of a role to play…i can’t really remeber.  So gasoline spilled everywhere and was catching on fire and I was trying to stomp it out.  In doing so, some of it splashed into a parked car.  Not on it…but in it. Specifically, under the drivers seat and on a pair of shoes.  I eventually put them out and was trying to put them back in a row so that they looked untouched, but they must have been obviously burned.  Mom told me not to do anymore becasue it was dangerous, but I, for some reason felt responsible.  Anyway, at this point, Dog the Bounty Hunter approaches me and rudely asks what I’m doing in a strangers car.  I get confident all of a sudden and the camera goes 3rd person.  I’m a bigger bount hunter than the Dog.  I have large straps, cargo pockets, and combat knives all over me, and I tell him to mind his own buisness, which he does.  The end.

New Bike! Foriegn Realization

Thursday, June 12th, 2008

Thursday: Today I bought a bike for 305 kuai (50 USD) with another student. His limited Chinese and my severly limited Chinese somehow made it work. I know how to say “that one, how much money?” There wasn’t very much bargaining because it was their cheaper version, but they threw in a basket and a bell for free. I tried for about 20 minutes to have them raise the seat up higher, but I guess they couldn’t find or order any long seat bars. It was definitely made for tiny Chinese people, but the locking kickstand, sprocket gaurd, and splash gaurds on both wheels are nice. It cuts down my commute time to class from 18 min to 6! And now I have a key for my dog bottle opener keychain!

I went to a restauant with three other people without a translator. We ended up pointing to pictures we thought looked good (nothing with eyeballs) but were pretty clueless all around. The service wasn’t very good, especially after we had to ask for plates twice. The first sets were wrapped in plastic supposedly making them cleaner, but for an extra charge. I was pretty proud that we didn’t fall for that trick! I think what we ended up eating was liver, but we’ll never know. Next time I’ll bring someone that can speak Zhongwen (Chinese — pronounced jong). Lesson: Don’t fool myself about ability to survive comfortably and independently at this point.

Later I ran on the university’s track and noticed the Chinese flag flying from the pole. That was really weird for some reason. I did do 4 laps in about 4 min 30 seconds … it wasn’t a US mile track, haha.