I did not intend to spend two days in Ypsi, but I'm glad I did.
Sunday did not as planned in any way. I had wanted to get up, go to church, go to lunch, then go to Ypsi. Instead, I woke up around 1pm to hear that it was time for yard work. Hrm. I think I did something wrong to the chainsaw, because it's not working right, but I guess the blades could be dull? I dunno.
I love my friends. I go out every once in a while to see my friends Adam, Courtney, and occasionally Ali (when he's in town) in Ypsilanti. Sunday, I got there around 4 (planned to be there around 3 -_-), and the majority of our time was putzing around, and I like that. I finally won a game of Monopoly over there!!! And it was because I had all four railroads. People were hitting those spots unusually often that game, and my early luck in getting all four helped fund my green-space monopoly. Though I don't think the green really paid off.
We roamed around EMU for a while after that. Ali had this really awesome camera with him, it's serious business, and was snapping shots the whole time. It was fun to look at those afterward, especially in cases where he had the rapid shot pics going, and they were like tiny animations. There was Courtney spitting water like a fountain, Adam and I playing hackey sack, Adam climbing a wall (with one shot making him look really epic), and in general, us walking.
Later, after getting ice cream (or was that before roaming? I don't recall), we settled in, and they had me try some wine. They had three red wines for tasting, and today, they sent me home with a whole bottle of the one I liked the most- Casillero del Diablo, a cabernet sauvignon from 2007- as a birthday present! Awww. They like that one the best too.
Wasn't planning on spending the night, but that's how things happened. It was hot. Good LORD IT WAS SO HOT LAST NIGHT. Still is! But we've got a high of 60 tomorrow to look forward to, so I'll live. I ended up with my socks half-off my foot, and pulling my shirt up just so much that it wasn't so warm... and so my belly could say hello. I'm kinda glad their cat isn't very much of a lap cat, because I don't think I would have responded too kindly to it in that stuffy apartment.
The next day (today!) was more putzing. The three of us guys played videogames and screwed around while Courtney still had to work. After a few hours of that, though, we decided to go hang out at the Subway on WCC's campus, where Courtney works. We grabbed a booth, spent her lunch break with her, and then just... stayed. At some point, Adam and I played more hackey sack in the vacant end of the cafeteria, but there was a bit of scribbling in sketchbooks that I'd like to write in a new paragraph.
Some time in February or March, I modeled (yes, nude) for Adam and Ali. They frequently hire their own models, since they can't be as choosy in their Art Studio (a three- or four-credit class). Generally speaking, they have two go-to models; Brennan, a guy with a body like a friggin STATUE, and Samantha, a chick with a rather more natural build. They've hired and sketched the two of them often enough that I'm sure I could identify them, if they were nude. Their heads are generally left blank, like mannequins, so I wouldn't be much help there... But one day in high school, Adam said he wanted to draw my face, so when he offered me money a while ago, I said yes!
Well, Adam is intending to write and illustrate a big ole fantasy story, and now my face is in it. The character with my face is like, 7 feet tall, though, and a bit more solid in the arms. I'm a little tickled by my presence in his sketch book, and I feel really fortunate/honored too. Not everyone gets to be the basis for a fictional character. I also stumbled upon a sketch I thought he'd just tossed or ignored, because Adam said to me after I'd done this one pose, that he and Ali had Samantha do it, and they really liked it. The pose itself was me holding this broomstick (sans broom) and resting my arms on either end, with my right arm being a little "heavier" so it was slanted, and the intention was to make that into a polearm. So a couple weeks later, seeing the sketch of Samantha in the same pose, I thought mine was done with. I spose I was a little disappointed...
But it turns out they're companion pieces! I was flipping through, and there I was in all my fantasy-nude glory. Both sketches have been fleshed out, so to speak, and they're both really cool! The difference is in the style, though. I was more "earthy and jagged" while Samantha's avatar was "ethereal and quasi-angelic".
I love the detailed thinking that goes into drawing. Like that polearm picture? I have horns, because Adam told me that male animals (playing up the "earth" side of things) had horns as displays of dominance in a pack, and all these other little details. We could seriously talk for hours about his Grand Story, which he's been imagining, crafting, and totally reworking for at least six years. I never know which incarnation of certain characters we end talking about, but the easiest things, and most fun in my opinion, is the mythological side of things, rather than the linear stuff. I'm almost inclined to go rewrite some ideas I had into my own mythology. I love heroes, I love magic, I love quests, pantheons are cool, muses, fates, underworlds, overworlds, world trees, it's all just so awesome. In fact, I'm getting ideas just writing about thinking about writing! XD
Quick recap of what I know is coming up for me:
Tomorrow, appointment.
Monday, U of M interview.
Next Tuesday, election.
Visiting Grandpa this weeked?
If I missed anything, lemme know!
Sean
Sean
Monday, April 27, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
100 push ups, 200 sit ups, 6-minute miles (running)
Even if I were able to do all of that, I would still probably be disqualified from military service.
Sounds like it came out of left field, but I realized the other day that it's been lurking in the back of my mind since I was in high school. I never took it seriously, but I think because of that attitude, it was easier for me to learn about it. Sci fi shows play into that too-- Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Stargate, Firefly, ANY spacefaring shows really, and World of Warcraft (a game I play). They all use military terms and ranks (largely naval, although I feel a good look at NASA is in order, since our real space programs are linked largely with the Air Force instead!), and I would look to see how they lined up, then get wrapped up in the real world stuff. My online reading habits are a spiral of sorts. I read one thing, find something related, and keep going on like that. Here are some things I learned:
Am I considering service? Not realistically. Unless my asthma disappears in the next four years, even my mildest daydreams couldn't come true. So here's my Crazy Aspiration of the Week: be in better shape than the recruitment tests can score.
Wouldn't that be a kick? I'm taking each branch into account, so I basically have four things to work on: push ups, crunches (I'm counting sit ups in there, since they're closely related), running, and pull ups. Notice a pattern? If you didn't click the links, each one led to a regimented plan for people who DON'T do those exercises to START doing them. Slowly at first, and much more eventually. The biggest problem I have is with running. I started that program once already in the fall, and I stopped after week 2 when my feet hurt like crazy. Legs were fine, feet in agony. I have crappy shoes for running, and that's an easily solved problem... If I felt like spending $200 on running shoes >_<. But I have friends who used to be in track, and one of them said they'd go with me to help find shoes, so I have hope this time. Another reason I'm keen on getting some exercise is that yet another family member was diagnosed with some form of diabetes. My mom came home the other day with meds and a diagnosis of pre-diabetes. So, that being the FOURTH blood relative with it, I regretfully give up Coca-cola FOREVER. I love it, oh, how I love it. But I have to have Diet or Zero now. *sigh* It doesn't matter which tastes better... you'll never be able to remove the taste of LIES. It's not real Coke!!!!! AUUUUUUGH!!!!! But weight loss is the answer to soooo much. Diabetic prevention, asthma, high blood pressure and several other cardiac issues... Weight loss, man. I realize my aunt and uncle are not morbidly obese people with diabetes, and that losing weight isn't a cure-all, but in some cases (like mine, I imagine), it's a step in the right direction. And I need to get serious about this stuff. My maternal grandfather having it wasn't a huge thing, since no one else had it. It was just "family history" then. My reaction to Marian's was along the lines of "Hmmm, that's on the other side..." When I heard Alan was on meds for it, I had a Scooby Doo "Ruh roh!" moment. And finally my mom. I -know- I have to take steps to protect myself, but I'm not -feeling- any urgency, ya know? Even now, as I finish a can of Coke, I can tell myself I'm slowly committing suicide, and it's not sinking in. I hate that. I don't want to have to convince myself, it'd be much less hassle if I felt the fear of self-inflicted, possibly lethal damage, instead of just some vague proto-shame drifting around the edges of my mind (which is more of a weight-related issue than any concern of diabetes).
About a year ago, I volunteered to be a part of a study of "men's relationships." I was paid $50, and agreed for a follow-up interview. That time has come, except now I'll be paid $60. Not bad. But the interview I did the first time was bullshit. It was computerized, but the questions felt like they were leading me instead of asking, and it turned out so ass-backward, I wouldn't be surprised if the first question this time would be "So! How's life been as a murdering rapist since the last interview?" I don't even know what I could have POSSIBLY said for them to ask me some of these questions!! I would be more surprised if it WERE actually about "men's relationships" instead of a bullshit cover for "How Men are Always Sexually Aggressive Apes." Absolute worst case scenario, I breeze past some terrible question and I later have to call an ex-girlfriend to ask if she'll testify in court to the fact that I did not rape, mutilate, or kill her. If there's any truth to this study and what these douchebags at U of M (U of M of all places giving me all this hell!), I hope they meant it when they said it'd be confidential, and that they only kept a record of my name to contact me. That way I can just click a whole bunch of random answers and still get sixty bucks without any trouble.
The day after that happens, I'm going to be a co-chairman of the election inspector team in district 25 of Redford for some small-time vote. I don't even know what it's for, but this guy I know sits as the chairman for practically every election now, and asked me to co-chair. I've been an election inspector three or four times before, for the primaries and other things, so it's not a big deal, and I think as a co-chair, I'll get something like ten bucks more =). It takes ALL DAY, but in a small vote, it's virtually a hundred and five dollars to sit on your ass all day. I'm not gonna argue with that. Especially not with a hundred and fifteen =D.
Hey, maybe I'll buy a decent pair of running shoes.
Sean
AHHHH, POSTSCRIPT!
Dad: I said I read that the games for the DSi (not the DS itself, but the ones dependent on the brand newest features of the DSi) were boring. I didn't realize how it sounded when I said it, but I wasn't trying to rag on the DS. In fact, after a year or so of Japanese studies, I will probably buy one, since there are games in Japanese to help students learn to read and write the kanji--- not the basic letters, but the 2000+ single characters that mean entire words and phrases.
Sounds like it came out of left field, but I realized the other day that it's been lurking in the back of my mind since I was in high school. I never took it seriously, but I think because of that attitude, it was easier for me to learn about it. Sci fi shows play into that too-- Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Stargate, Firefly, ANY spacefaring shows really, and World of Warcraft (a game I play). They all use military terms and ranks (largely naval, although I feel a good look at NASA is in order, since our real space programs are linked largely with the Air Force instead!), and I would look to see how they lined up, then get wrapped up in the real world stuff. My online reading habits are a spiral of sorts. I read one thing, find something related, and keep going on like that. Here are some things I learned:
- The oldest you can be to initially enlist in the Army is 42
- The oldest you can be to initially enlist in the Marines is 28 (29 for the Reserves)
- The Air Force (generally) allows the fewest medical waivers of the military branches, followed by the Marines, while the Army allows the most (National Guard policies vary from state-to-state)
- The most common enlisted pay grade is E-4, the highest rank based on service time (usually at least 24 months)
- UN peacekeeping forces are made up of volunteer military personnel. Out of the thousands of soldiers in blue UN helmets, about twelve people are American.
- The Michigan Militia is nowhere near "well-armed" or organized enough to be what they say they are.
Am I considering service? Not realistically. Unless my asthma disappears in the next four years, even my mildest daydreams couldn't come true. So here's my Crazy Aspiration of the Week: be in better shape than the recruitment tests can score.
Wouldn't that be a kick? I'm taking each branch into account, so I basically have four things to work on: push ups, crunches (I'm counting sit ups in there, since they're closely related), running, and pull ups. Notice a pattern? If you didn't click the links, each one led to a regimented plan for people who DON'T do those exercises to START doing them. Slowly at first, and much more eventually. The biggest problem I have is with running. I started that program once already in the fall, and I stopped after week 2 when my feet hurt like crazy. Legs were fine, feet in agony. I have crappy shoes for running, and that's an easily solved problem... If I felt like spending $200 on running shoes >_<. But I have friends who used to be in track, and one of them said they'd go with me to help find shoes, so I have hope this time. Another reason I'm keen on getting some exercise is that yet another family member was diagnosed with some form of diabetes. My mom came home the other day with meds and a diagnosis of pre-diabetes. So, that being the FOURTH blood relative with it, I regretfully give up Coca-cola FOREVER. I love it, oh, how I love it. But I have to have Diet or Zero now. *sigh* It doesn't matter which tastes better... you'll never be able to remove the taste of LIES. It's not real Coke!!!!! AUUUUUUGH!!!!! But weight loss is the answer to soooo much. Diabetic prevention, asthma, high blood pressure and several other cardiac issues... Weight loss, man. I realize my aunt and uncle are not morbidly obese people with diabetes, and that losing weight isn't a cure-all, but in some cases (like mine, I imagine), it's a step in the right direction. And I need to get serious about this stuff. My maternal grandfather having it wasn't a huge thing, since no one else had it. It was just "family history" then. My reaction to Marian's was along the lines of "Hmmm, that's on the other side..." When I heard Alan was on meds for it, I had a Scooby Doo "Ruh roh!" moment. And finally my mom. I -know- I have to take steps to protect myself, but I'm not -feeling- any urgency, ya know? Even now, as I finish a can of Coke, I can tell myself I'm slowly committing suicide, and it's not sinking in. I hate that. I don't want to have to convince myself, it'd be much less hassle if I felt the fear of self-inflicted, possibly lethal damage, instead of just some vague proto-shame drifting around the edges of my mind (which is more of a weight-related issue than any concern of diabetes).
About a year ago, I volunteered to be a part of a study of "men's relationships." I was paid $50, and agreed for a follow-up interview. That time has come, except now I'll be paid $60. Not bad. But the interview I did the first time was bullshit. It was computerized, but the questions felt like they were leading me instead of asking, and it turned out so ass-backward, I wouldn't be surprised if the first question this time would be "So! How's life been as a murdering rapist since the last interview?" I don't even know what I could have POSSIBLY said for them to ask me some of these questions!! I would be more surprised if it WERE actually about "men's relationships" instead of a bullshit cover for "How Men are Always Sexually Aggressive Apes." Absolute worst case scenario, I breeze past some terrible question and I later have to call an ex-girlfriend to ask if she'll testify in court to the fact that I did not rape, mutilate, or kill her. If there's any truth to this study and what these douchebags at U of M (U of M of all places giving me all this hell!), I hope they meant it when they said it'd be confidential, and that they only kept a record of my name to contact me. That way I can just click a whole bunch of random answers and still get sixty bucks without any trouble.
The day after that happens, I'm going to be a co-chairman of the election inspector team in district 25 of Redford for some small-time vote. I don't even know what it's for, but this guy I know sits as the chairman for practically every election now, and asked me to co-chair. I've been an election inspector three or four times before, for the primaries and other things, so it's not a big deal, and I think as a co-chair, I'll get something like ten bucks more =). It takes ALL DAY, but in a small vote, it's virtually a hundred and five dollars to sit on your ass all day. I'm not gonna argue with that. Especially not with a hundred and fifteen =D.
Hey, maybe I'll buy a decent pair of running shoes.
Sean
AHHHH, POSTSCRIPT!
Dad: I said I read that the games for the DSi (not the DS itself, but the ones dependent on the brand newest features of the DSi) were boring. I didn't realize how it sounded when I said it, but I wasn't trying to rag on the DS. In fact, after a year or so of Japanese studies, I will probably buy one, since there are games in Japanese to help students learn to read and write the kanji--- not the basic letters, but the 2000+ single characters that mean entire words and phrases.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Part 2
As of Saturday, my birthday is officially over. The way I've come to celebrate things isn't new, but I didn't figure out I'd been doing it until this past Christmas. It's become more than one day. Christmas for me starts Christmas Eve, and doesn't end until all gifts are exchanged, so, for instance, my Christmas went from the twenty-fourth to... I don't remember. I wanna say New Year's, but that was when I gave Jon a little knife thing, and I'm pretty sure Christmas with the grandparents was some time after. But as I said, birthday's done now.
Saturday I got to hang out with my dad. Grandpa, as far as I am aware, is still having problems with bleeding, so we didn't see him, and I thought Grandma was gonna be out a while longer, and she was not. But after Monsters versus Aliens 3D (which I enjoyed), we got some dinner and afterward, grabbed Nova and took him over to hang around with us. He was out of sorts, which sucks, but I think he appreciated being out and about, even if he didn't like the water we got for him (he would stick his paw in the bucket, as if he was fishing something out of it). I like the dog most when we're just hanging out at home, because sometimes, like today, he'll get reeeaaal close and just -look- at ya, maybe a little expectantly. That means he wants you to pet him, and if you're sitting down, he'll sit with you, as long you've got a hand in contact with him. Nova is a good dog, even if he sucks at listening.
I don't know how it manages to keep happening, but every time I go to St. Andrews, it feels a little more bleak. Not the church-sharing thing we're possibly gonna do, but in terms of people. I keep losing my church friends. My first friend was Click Thomas, the first person in the congregation (as opposed to Fr. Henry, who I don't count in that number) to reach out me in a real way. And he's neat! He was a paratrooper, a manager at Ford for years, and is one of two people who taught me about investing (although whether I'll be able to use that knowledge or not has yet to be seen). I haven't lost him, but Click's got scleroderma, and it's not exactly smooth-sailing right now. He's just gone a lot (not as bad as me, though x_X). Fr. Henry left first, then Craig Perkins, then Steve Trudell... Click isn't my only friend left, but he'd leave a noticeable gap for sure. And it sucks. With everyone else, it's small talk. I don't hate or even really dislike anyone, but I hate small talk.
For Marian; if the idea of poking yourself in the eye doesn't deter you, I'd say go for contacts, if you hate glasses so much. I'm not trying to spook you or anything, but that lady on your Myspace is painting a real rosy picture of it all. You have more of a risk of infection because of contacts, but that's not as scary as it sounds, since apparently only 5% of wearers actually develop problems like that. I'll tell ya what, though, as soon as it looked like I was getting pink eye (in both sides -_-), I ditched my contacts forever. I didn't get great clarity, either, but I have slight astigmatism, and at the time, the super-convenient lenses for astigmatism weren't common. I stick with glasses now primarily because I like to indulge in a good eye rub more often than I was allowed with contacts (ie, never), and secondarily because it doesn't take me 5-8 minutes to put glasses on.
Sean
Saturday I got to hang out with my dad. Grandpa, as far as I am aware, is still having problems with bleeding, so we didn't see him, and I thought Grandma was gonna be out a while longer, and she was not. But after Monsters versus Aliens 3D (which I enjoyed), we got some dinner and afterward, grabbed Nova and took him over to hang around with us. He was out of sorts, which sucks, but I think he appreciated being out and about, even if he didn't like the water we got for him (he would stick his paw in the bucket, as if he was fishing something out of it). I like the dog most when we're just hanging out at home, because sometimes, like today, he'll get reeeaaal close and just -look- at ya, maybe a little expectantly. That means he wants you to pet him, and if you're sitting down, he'll sit with you, as long you've got a hand in contact with him. Nova is a good dog, even if he sucks at listening.
I don't know how it manages to keep happening, but every time I go to St. Andrews, it feels a little more bleak. Not the church-sharing thing we're possibly gonna do, but in terms of people. I keep losing my church friends. My first friend was Click Thomas, the first person in the congregation (as opposed to Fr. Henry, who I don't count in that number) to reach out me in a real way. And he's neat! He was a paratrooper, a manager at Ford for years, and is one of two people who taught me about investing (although whether I'll be able to use that knowledge or not has yet to be seen). I haven't lost him, but Click's got scleroderma, and it's not exactly smooth-sailing right now. He's just gone a lot (not as bad as me, though x_X). Fr. Henry left first, then Craig Perkins, then Steve Trudell... Click isn't my only friend left, but he'd leave a noticeable gap for sure. And it sucks. With everyone else, it's small talk. I don't hate or even really dislike anyone, but I hate small talk.
For Marian; if the idea of poking yourself in the eye doesn't deter you, I'd say go for contacts, if you hate glasses so much. I'm not trying to spook you or anything, but that lady on your Myspace is painting a real rosy picture of it all. You have more of a risk of infection because of contacts, but that's not as scary as it sounds, since apparently only 5% of wearers actually develop problems like that. I'll tell ya what, though, as soon as it looked like I was getting pink eye (in both sides -_-), I ditched my contacts forever. I didn't get great clarity, either, but I have slight astigmatism, and at the time, the super-convenient lenses for astigmatism weren't common. I stick with glasses now primarily because I like to indulge in a good eye rub more often than I was allowed with contacts (ie, never), and secondarily because it doesn't take me 5-8 minutes to put glasses on.
Sean
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Birfday
24 hour days were not designed for modern man, I'm thinking. Here's Day 2.0, or, if you prefer, the Metric Day; 30 hours. Right now, I'm 20 on, 10 off, or somewhere about, so if a 30-hour day were put into effect, I'd have it down pat!
I've had to remind myself I wasn't 22 until yesterday, and for a surprising stretch of time-- the first time I remembered I was still 21 was late February.
And that up there is as much as I've kept of my first drafts of this very post for over a week. I've gone through a few subjects-- more musing, more about career stuff, but I don't feel like writing that. I'm gonna try and stick to the reasons I made this blog; to inform you all of what's going on in my life. If it's self-centered, so be it, but my original intent was not to stroke my ego or anything.
Church-
Easter Sunday was the first time I'd been back to St Andrews since an early Wednesday in Lent. It's mostly out of laziness, but I think I know another reason that I've sort of been ignoring. Fr. Hawkins is good guy, but his version of announcements is not conducive to a smooth liturgy, and it kinda bothers me. I am not alone in this feeling. If Grandma and her friend Debby had "commented" any louder, I imagine they would have gotten a new reputation as hecklers.
Grandma did say it the best, though. "It's a like a vestry meeting in the middle of a service." I agree. We have a bulletin with all of the pertinent information in it, we don't need to tack on another 15-20 minutes to a service. Easter was the largest example, and it actually changes my exaggeration into an estimate. It will be the last time, however, as Fr. Hawkins is leaving. Easter was his last day with St. Andrews. I wonder what'll happen next.
Japanese/school/future/relevant miscellanea-
Mark Kane and I went to the doughnut place for more Japanese study. He informally tested me on the half of the hiragana chart, and I did really well. The other half I didn't study as thoroughly, but I'm a good guesser, ehehehe... I learned today how to write my name in katakana, although we haven't ventured that far into that script. The eventual trick will be the kanji, the thousands of single characters that can mean whole words. That, thankfully, will be MUCH later.
A month! I start school in 35 days! I'm really aching to go. I still have a book to buy, but other than that, I'm ready!
I had to grin when I found out Chris was going back to school for anthropological linguistics (if I heard/remember that right). It's cool how things happen that way, eh?
I found this website called Lang-8, a place where aspiring language students can post "journal entries" in the language they're trying to learn, and have native speakers correct your grammar. Even as a supplemental tool, it sounds awesome. I've already signed up for a little profile, but until I learn Japanese WORDS, I'm afraid it'll be dormant.
Birthday-
I made some poor decisions, I admit. Two doughnuts were far too many to have before going to Outback, where they threw a free sundae at me. I felt slightly ill coming home. Nothing happened, but I felt pretty crappy, or like I was about to enter hibernation or something. I had asked that no one mention it was my birthday to anyone at the restaurant because I knew they'd give me more food, but my mom and my Grandma Hannan are about as subtle as Little Boy and Fat Man. After a while I (carefully) rolled myself back to the car, and made it home.
My mom got me a couple things. The first was a pair of really cool chopsticks, and then Battlestar Galactica on DVD. All of it, save the last half season, which I don't think is on DVD yet. I was pleasantly surprised, and not long after, I watched the miniseries. =) Grandma Haggard gave me a $35 gift card to Subway, which I will hopefully use today, and Grandma Hannan threw $50 at me. It's been a pretty good haul!
And that's that so far. I'll keep ya posted.
Sean
I've had to remind myself I wasn't 22 until yesterday, and for a surprising stretch of time-- the first time I remembered I was still 21 was late February.
And that up there is as much as I've kept of my first drafts of this very post for over a week. I've gone through a few subjects-- more musing, more about career stuff, but I don't feel like writing that. I'm gonna try and stick to the reasons I made this blog; to inform you all of what's going on in my life. If it's self-centered, so be it, but my original intent was not to stroke my ego or anything.
Church-
Easter Sunday was the first time I'd been back to St Andrews since an early Wednesday in Lent. It's mostly out of laziness, but I think I know another reason that I've sort of been ignoring. Fr. Hawkins is good guy, but his version of announcements is not conducive to a smooth liturgy, and it kinda bothers me. I am not alone in this feeling. If Grandma and her friend Debby had "commented" any louder, I imagine they would have gotten a new reputation as hecklers.
Grandma did say it the best, though. "It's a like a vestry meeting in the middle of a service." I agree. We have a bulletin with all of the pertinent information in it, we don't need to tack on another 15-20 minutes to a service. Easter was the largest example, and it actually changes my exaggeration into an estimate. It will be the last time, however, as Fr. Hawkins is leaving. Easter was his last day with St. Andrews. I wonder what'll happen next.
Japanese/school/future/relevant miscellanea-
Mark Kane and I went to the doughnut place for more Japanese study. He informally tested me on the half of the hiragana chart, and I did really well. The other half I didn't study as thoroughly, but I'm a good guesser, ehehehe... I learned today how to write my name in katakana, although we haven't ventured that far into that script. The eventual trick will be the kanji, the thousands of single characters that can mean whole words. That, thankfully, will be MUCH later.
A month! I start school in 35 days! I'm really aching to go. I still have a book to buy, but other than that, I'm ready!
I had to grin when I found out Chris was going back to school for anthropological linguistics (if I heard/remember that right). It's cool how things happen that way, eh?
I found this website called Lang-8, a place where aspiring language students can post "journal entries" in the language they're trying to learn, and have native speakers correct your grammar. Even as a supplemental tool, it sounds awesome. I've already signed up for a little profile, but until I learn Japanese WORDS, I'm afraid it'll be dormant.
Birthday-
I made some poor decisions, I admit. Two doughnuts were far too many to have before going to Outback, where they threw a free sundae at me. I felt slightly ill coming home. Nothing happened, but I felt pretty crappy, or like I was about to enter hibernation or something. I had asked that no one mention it was my birthday to anyone at the restaurant because I knew they'd give me more food, but my mom and my Grandma Hannan are about as subtle as Little Boy and Fat Man. After a while I (carefully) rolled myself back to the car, and made it home.
My mom got me a couple things. The first was a pair of really cool chopsticks, and then Battlestar Galactica on DVD. All of it, save the last half season, which I don't think is on DVD yet. I was pleasantly surprised, and not long after, I watched the miniseries. =) Grandma Haggard gave me a $35 gift card to Subway, which I will hopefully use today, and Grandma Hannan threw $50 at me. It's been a pretty good haul!
And that's that so far. I'll keep ya posted.
Sean
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