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maybe i've found it? Saturday September 27
at breakfast at the courier cafe this morning i started to tell nathan and ashley briefly about my ealc 298 (an ethnographic approach to contemporary east asia) class, and why i really like it. and for the first time in my life, i think i have found something that i want to do.
now, i'm not saying that i've found my career path, but i am saying that i have found something that at least matches the goals i've currently set. let's examine in further detail:
- i have always said that no matter what i do, i would like to do something different every couple of years.
- if i ever stop learning, i'll have lost the game of life.
- japanese isn't particularly special. it's just the first of more to come, i hope.
- i really like to travel, but hate tourism.
- i love to explain, and i want to write a book sometime.
so, why have i not thought about being like nancy, my professor for 298, who is a social anthropologist who does the following things:
- travels to korea at a moment's notice to present paper topics
- speaks english, korean, and japanese
- is old in collegiate terms and still connects well with students
- writes books
- teaches eager students like myself?
it seems almost too obvious, that there's got to be something wrong with it. or i'm going through a phase. yes, that's it, mark, you're going through a phase. well, whatever. chalk this up as one of the first things i've ever thought of doing that i would want to do -- and the biggest part of it? in academia, you study and research what is of interest to you, and write about it. you're not stuck, well, doing the same thing all of the time. you're just getting paid to learn and comprehend the world, and then share it with everyone else.
republicans Friday September 26
so, maybe it's just because i live in a liberal college town, but i honestly at this point have to ask the world: is there anyone left that still has faith in george bush or donald rumsfield?
i'm not asking this as a question to provoke a political debate, i just want a simple yes or no answer. you can leave it in the comments.
points to ponder:
- we're running out of fresh troops, so we'll be rotating in reserves in iraq. good call.
- bush wants, what, another $80 billion? my favorite onion headline recently: bush asks for $80 billion to fight war on criticism
- i have a better weapon of mass destruction after eating mexican food than can be found anywhere on iraqi soil.
- bush seems to think that UN stands for useless nitwits. too bad, as they seem to be our only exit strategy.
so yeah, who's still standing next to bush proud? that's my question. and don't get me wrong, i support our troops: that's why i want to bring them home. i have little respect for the "rally around the flag" effect, and "support our troops" as a means for deflecting criticism is to miss the point of policy criticism entirely.
brilliant. Sunday September 21
funny? Thursday September 11
as seen in the design building second floor bathroom, well above the urinal:
"what are you looking here for? the joke is in your hand..."
for some reason, bathroom art is always so clever, yet so raw at the same time.
the saga continues... Tuesday September 9
it's time to update the cute girl from math class story.
nathan called me this morning asking if i wanted to eat lunch at home of gourmet, the stellar msg-loaded chinese joint next to espresso in champaign. we walked in, ordered, and sat down at a booth by the window. after a few minutes of disappointingly sub-par hot and sour soup (which is usually one of the home of gourmet highlights), i noticed that the girl seated in the booth directly behind me had a familiar voice, and then proceeded to use her own name in the conversation she was having with someone else. and it was the cute girl from math class.
and then it all made sense. the last time i really saw this girl was spring 2002, when i was dating heather....this girl must be able to smell girlfriends on me or something, because this is the first time i've seen her since last year. well, cute girl from math class, if you're a stalker enough to read this website, i am sorry to inform you that just because cara isn't around doesn't mean i'm getting around. i don't mind if you eat at the same locations i do, but let's just keep it at that. you can have home of gourmet on monday, wednesday, and friday, and i'll get it on tuesday-thursday and every other weekend. fair?
excuse the digression.
since i hadn't noticed the girl until i was back-to-back with her, i still hadn't seen her. when i got up to leave, i had the home of gourmet folks pack up my extra garlic chicken, and in a sleek, sly head turn, i staked it out. i would like to say ahead of time that such properties of a woman's body are unique, individual, and special, and whether or not a girl is her proper weight has no bearing on her worth as a person. but, in this particular configuration (as you will see lateron) i feel i have the right to say something:
she got fat.
yikes.
she's not so cute anymore.
it must be at least thirty pounds.
right now you're thinking i'm an ass.
so here's the justification.
the last time the-now-not-so-cute girl and i met up was at the freer pool, where i had been swimming with todd. this was prior to japan, and thus at that time i was still weighing in at about 185 (as opposed to the current 170-175). as a result, when i had finally introduced myself to her back then, i then proceeded to get out of the pool -- and exposed how built i wasn't. a lot of people seem to think i'm muscular based on my build when they see me with a shirt on...don't be fooled. i think she was, and i think she came to realize at that exact moment that it's all belly. you can say "whatever" if you'd like, but you didn't see her facial expression. i did. i honestly think that's why i never heard from the girl after that.
i don't know if she saw me come in and out today. doesn't matter either way; but if she did, my only wish is that she thought best not to judge my belly by its cover. i think that leaves us with only one conclusion:
mark 1, formerly cute sorority girls 0.
try layin' off the beer, sweethaart.
best buy i ever made Friday September 5
i've often said that the digital camera was the best purchase i've ever made. i'd like to add to that statement by saying that the digital camera, along with the $60 product service plan from best buy, have been the best purchases i've ever made.
last night, after a good, long year together, my digital elph suffered a small injury. for no particular reason, a small piece of plastic that held the memory door shut snapped off, with no hope for a reglue. sadly, this meant that the camera only functioned when i held the spring-loaded door shut -- just a minor annoyance, as i have to hold the camera when using it anyway.
knowing the stories of jon hutcheson, though, who wisely told me that the service plan makes best buy work for you, unlike the usual they-bend-you-over approach that they take. thus, i hauled out my receipt, accessories, and documentation and headed down to best buy.
$21.50 later, i am the proud owner of a brand-new SD100 canon digital elph. the next one they had in the S series was S400, and that would have required a hefty $150 upgrade. maybe i'll get that one next year, as my service plan is still active for another three years.
i like the new camera. less dust. better resolution. cooler features.
