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fifty years have ridden off into the sunset
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I'm sorry but I'm just thinking of
the right words to say
I know they don't sound the way
I planned them to be
But if you wait around a while
I'll make you fall for me
I promise, I promise you I will
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| 9:25 PM, Saturday, May 31, 2003 |
For those of you who don't frequent 8-bit Theater, you'll need the 8-bit cast to understand this.
According to specs, Thief is my alter ego, but there's a healthy dose of Black Mage somewhere in there. This confirms it.
Except I'd mock whoever said that first, then go on a murderous stabbity rampage.
-David
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| 7:20 PM, Friday, May 30, 2003 |
She told him she'd rather fix her makeup than try and fix what's going on
But the problem keeps on calling, even with the cell phone gone
She told him that she believes in living bigger than she's living now
But her world keeps spinning backwards and upside down
Don't say so long, you're not that far gone
Don't spin today away, 'cause today will soon be gone
--"Gone", Switchfoot
Mood: Contemplative
Music: Switchfoot
Song: "On Fire"
I think I need to have days like today more often. Sometimes it's nice to have a day to just relax and kick back, and realize that life is good. :-) The Beautiful Letdown rocks, btw.
-David
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| 9:29 PM, Tuesday, May 27, 2003 |
I was out and about today and went into Tower Records looking for a copy of Jars' Platinum. Instead I found Switchfoot's new album, The Beautiful Letdown, for SIX BUCKS.
C'mon, people, six bucks for that? Wow. Like I could resist.
Music. Kaelis happy.
Oh, and I used some of that leftover birthday money to get Air Force One, K-19: The Widowmaker, and The Shawshank Redemption on DVD. That's what I call a good day's work.
-David
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| 9:42 PM, Friday, May 23, 2003 |
Here's "odd" for you. Kevin Reitzel is in MA for the Fierce. Black Rider Tour for LotR TCG and there was a bounty tournament tonight in Somerville. So I go, having no TTT cards at this point, but I get an Eowyn BoHD starter (store was out of Legolas ... bleh) and I'm putting my name down and I see a familiar one just ahead of me on the list.
So we go through the tournament (which I did horribly at, btw; I won my first game by luck and my next two I dropped because of stupid mistakes on my part) and by the end I've figured out where I know the name from. It's JainaMSolo from forums.starwars.com ... so that was a bit of a surprise. What are the odds of showing up to an LotR tournament and running into someone you know from online, and only from online?
... well, okay, so it was a kind of major event, and yes, I knew she played LotR, but still ...
Anyway, so that was kind of cool. Her reaction was funny when I told her who I was. Oh, and I ended up getting a pair of Final Counts through trading, and a Sting, Baggins Stick. If I still played, I might care a little bit more. ;-) I should mention that this was my first tournament, ever, so I'm not too displeased with the outcome.
High point of the day: setting off Devilry of Orthanc in a DRAFT game. That was cool. Unfortunately I didn't bring any Parallax Arguers with me.
-David
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| 3:16 PM, Thursday, May 22, 2003 |
Harvard
You're the best -- you know it, as does everyone else (except for US News and World Report every few years). You might not be hip, you might not be pretty, but you're smart as a whip and you never need to do another impressive thing in your life.
Which Ivy League University is right for YOU?
brought to you by Quizilla
-David
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| 11:43 PM, Wednesday, May 21, 2003 |
George Bush's resume is scary. Scary scary scary. Don't forget to check out the peace protest link, either.
-David
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"Well, I'm back."
--Sam, The Return of the King
Basically I stayed off the 'net since Friday to study and finish up ministry work. Chem actually went really well; I found out late last night that I got a 167/200 on the final, when the average was only 138; and that brought my grade up to a B. Physics: A-. Calc: B- *ugh*. Haven't gotten my ESE grades back yet.
I don't think I'm going to keep my scholarship. I have a flat 3 right now, I'd need an A- in ESE to get a 3.33 and something tells me I'm not going to get it. :-(
At least my finals are over, though; and I'm back in Boston. With my own room, no roommate, and ... okay, the weather was better on Long Island, and so was the company. But I still have few objections to being here.
Friday, took my Calc exam (sigh), then jetted over to Stanley's place for a quick birthday party. After that, went back to my room and chilled for an hour or so, then headed off to devo.
After devo, Bryan told me his roommates were all gone since they were done with their finals, so Gerard, BJ, and I grabbed my sheets, computer, speakers, some clothes, Bible, and a couple of other minor things and I moved into Bryan's room. That was cool. Very cool. So I roomed with him Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday. Good stuff. :-)
Got up around 12 Saturday and around 2:45 Rachel picked us up and we headed off. After several stops along the way :-p we finally made it to Staten Island and the Apontes' house for Danny's birthday party. I have to say that watching the Spanish dancing people were doing was one of the more amusing parts of the night, although playing Mao when only four people actually knew what they were doing was pretty funny too. All in all, good times, and one of the better closing pieces to a weekend that I've known.
Sunday, the whole SB ministry went over to Roger's house for brunch before services, then to church. Around this time I realize that I've gotten absolutely NO studying done for chem, and that's the exam that concerned me most. I hadn't even looked at the book since the second midterm.
Oops. So after we get back from services I hit the books as hard as possible, which isn't very hard to be honest as I've never been particularly good at studying. Oh well.
Monday, got up around 9, hit the chem books again, more studying, then rushed off to the exam at 2. Banged that out in an hour and a half then went and complained about it with Mike and Adam. Still and all I did pretty well so I have no complaints.
12:45, I log onto AIM and hit the boards for a quick checkup on whether everything has hit the fan in my absence. Around 1, I start to head off to bed. 1:05, Emma logs onto AIM and asks if I have five minutes to call her.
... that was probably a mistake. That five-minute call turned into three hours, and ... yeah. I got to bed around 4:15, fell asleep around 4:40, and got up at 7:30 for my ESE exam at 8.
*sigh* But I got it over with, then moved some more stuff around. Mom came around 1:30, and we moved my desk chair and fridge to my cousins' house, then we packed up my room, vacuumed it out, checked out, and headed over to Roth Quad cafeteria to pick up six cases of Coke and a case of PowerAde so as to not waste the $200 left on my meal card.
Have you ever lifted a case of 20 oz. Coke bottles? They're 30 pounds apiece, and Mom is just over 100 pounds. It was ... interesting. Meanwhile I carried two outside at the same time as they only could bring five of the cases to the loading dock, and my arms are STILL feeling it.
Dropped the case of PowerAde off at Bryan's room and picked up my sheets and speakers, then headed off home. I fell asleep most of the way; can you honestly blame me? Got home and ate dinner, then finally got to just relax and realize that school's out for the next three and a half months.
Wow.
-David
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| 4:43 PM, Friday, May 16, 2003 |
Dance of Death part II completed. Calculus went down fighting and I think I've been left with some serious bruises. But the point is, it's done.
Mike, Adam, and I went back complaining about the exam the whole way ;-)
So now we get to study for chem. Greaaaaaaaaaaaaat. Well, if nothing else we're getting good lessons in what not to do next semester. Don't enroll in the classes that have the less-than-brilliant people in them, because you get too bored to go to lectures, then you have to teach yourself the entire book over finals week.
Erm, oops. Well, anyway. It's not that bad, I guess. I just know that I really don't want to have to deal with Calc IV next semester, yet I am. Why'd I choose EE as a major, anyway? I could have been a nice safe writing major or something.
I guess it's better than math though.
Packing to go home ... it seems almost more final than packing to go away to college was. During the year, it didn't seem like I'd adapted that well to college life; but looking back I guess I've done so, more than I thought. For the year to fly by like it has, and to have a feeling of leaving my life behind here on Long Island, I suppose that I've adjusted better than I thought.
I'm going to miss it here.
-David
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There was a lunar eclipse last night; most of you probably already know that. So around 10 I put down my calculus book; I walked outside and watched the moon start to disappear. And I wanted someone to share it with. Bleh.
You have no idea how much I miss you.
-David
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| 9:43 PM, Wednesday, May 14, 2003 |
So I was talking with Jia and Gerard today, and Jia asks when Saving Private Ryan came out. "6 years ago," I reply, and suddenly it hits me that 2003 is half over. College just started a week ago, it seems like, and yet the year is half gone. I think I've taken this year for granted.
In other news, I finished the first part of my Dance of Death today. Physics went down without a whimper; I wish I could say the same for calc and chem, which are my dances Friday and Monday.
Wow. The year is half over, and I've barely begun to work.
... wow.
That's ... yeah. Wow.
But I did get an email from Steve today about the DVD of The Matrix only being $12.99 at Best Buy, so we went down there and hit it up after church. Good stuff. Can't watch it until Monday night; too busy with finals. But it's tempting.
Yeah ... so that's my life.
-David
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| 7:13 PM, Sunday, May 11, 2003 |
Right, so I get up to do the whole physics thing again today.
*sighz* Well, I got some stuff accomplished, anyway, and learned the basic ASL alphabet. Which was neat. Talked with BJ for a while about some various stuff. And hey, I forgot to mention this yesterday, but spring has officially come -- the grass is too long, flowers are out, and stuff.
Today was a dreary, grey day though. I think it's time to get a new weather system.
-David
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| 6:59 PM, Saturday, May 10, 2003 |
Physics review.
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
8 solid hours of classical physics.
Do you have any idea how insane that is? I'm drained. It didn't help that I stayed up until 4 a.m. cutting things apart in JK2 because of this sweet mod I downloaded. 5 hours of sleep, 8 hours of physics. I'd rather it was the other way around.
Well, at least I had an interesting discussion over (a short) lunch with a Jewish friend of mine about the Tanakh and the prophecies that lead into Christianity (or from his viewpoint, don't ;-) He made a rather interesting point regarding the second coming of Christ: for Christians, it's the second coming of the Messiah, but for Jews, they believe it will be the first. But we're still waiting for the same thing.
Sort of. But Mark 16:16 keeps banging through my head. As well as just about all of 1, 2, 3 John. Mostly 1 John 2:22-23 though.
Anyway, that's my day. Up at 9, physics review which ate the WHOLE DAY, and now I have to find dinner. Ugh.
No more studying today.
-David
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| 9:04 PM, Friday, May 09, 2003 |
Well, today was a bit of a crap day. For a few reasons: working on physics lab from 11:30 to 3:30 among them, then finding out that JEP from fsw.com had to leave due to some stupid internet filter that won't allow her to access the boards; then one other thing which I don't think I should go into.
*sighs*
So maybe I should have stayed in bed. But as I was going to dinner, I was walking past Roth Quad today and I saw the goose that had a broken leg again. But its leg was now mostly healed; it was still bent, and you could see where it was broken, but the goose was able to walk around a little, though it had to sit down to pick at the grass.
I guess it made me feel okay about the day, all in all.
Be still, let your hand melt into mine
The part of me that breathes when you breathe is losing time
And I can't find the words to say I'll never say goodbye
And I'll fly with you through the night
So you know I'm not letting go
I'm not letting go
My tears like rain fill up the sky
Oh my love I'm not letting go
I won't let you go ...
Take care, JEP -- we'll miss you. My little sister. *sniff*
-David
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| 10:15 PM, Thursday, May 08, 2003 |
Today was the last chem lab of the semester.
I'm saying "last" a lot.
Never thought I'd miss chem lab, but we had some great times in there ... it won't be the labs I miss so much as the people I think. Ah well ... there'll be more times next semester. Still and all, it's been a good run.
-David
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| 10:05 PM, Wednesday, May 07, 2003 |
It really seems like my life here is drawing to a close as this semester ends. Tonight, went out for dinner for our last mentorship meeting, and basically closed out the semester. Last night was, as I said, the last Life Talks. Tonight there's a meeting about how to check out of the rooms; next Weds. will be the last Bible class I'll be going to on LI until fall, and next Friday is the last devo on LI for the semester.
Wow. That's kinda sad. I think I'm really gonna miss all my family out here.
*sighs*
Well, the meeting tonight was fun, and we planned for some people down here to take a trip up to Boston sometime in the summer. And I'll be coming down to LI at least twice, so it won't be that bad. Went to some kind-of Chinese place and it actually wasn't that bad, so I'm not complaining. And the fortune cookie said, "You find beauty in ordinary things. Do not lose this ability." I really loved that, I have to say.
*sighs again*
We'll see.
I know Em's heard this quote already, but too bad:
"No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other's worth."
-- Robert Southey
-David
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| 11:22 PM, Tuesday, May 06, 2003 |
So today was the last Life Talk for the semester.
I'm sad.
Someone hold me.
-David
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| 2:10 AM, Sunday, May 04, 2003 |
Friday night: no roommate. Stayed up until 4 am listening to music and playing Starcraft. 'twas good stuff. Except ... um ... Saturday morning I had to get up at 8:30 and head into the Bronx with Leia and her family. The city council changed the name of Pond Place to William Valcarcel Place in honor of ... well, William Valcarcel, who was lost in Tower Two on 11 September 2001. Today was the official unveiling ceremony.
So I set my alarm clock, except I set it for 8:30 p.m. Fortunately, I asked for some help from the Big Guy to get up the next day ... so I got up fifteen minutes late. Not that bad.
Ran outside at 9 and met them outside the building. Working on 4 hrs 45 minutes of sleep here, so I'm dead tired, but oh well. Anyway, we drove into the Bronx and met the rest of the family, which was ... interesting. I won't go into it. About half an hour into it Leia's cousin Jessica finds out that I'm 18. Her next question: "And you're going out with a 13-year old?"
... apparently I was beet red.
For the record, no, I am not going out with a 13-year old. Of course, if you ask anyone who met me that day, they won't know that, because Leia's father and uncle were not helpful in correcting misconceptions.
*sighs* So then Leia and I stand around for a while discussing the various people that a certain someone not present is going to kill for this.
Anyway, a little later someone comes running in to report that someone, nobody knows who and nobody will ever know who, has taken down the veil over the new sign. So Jason - Jessica's boyfriend - me, Leia's father, uncle, and cousin go to investigate.
Yup, someone took the veil down. Why? *shrugs* Dunno. Anyway, we rigged up a garbage bag on a rickety ladder, and Jason got to go up the ladder, secure the garbage bag on, and loop a rope around it to prevent the bag from flying off.
Except the problem now is that there's no way to pull it off from the ground.
Time to put those Stony Brook engineering classes to use! Of course, that means ... I ... get to ... go up on the ladder.
Joy.
When you're standing six feet off the ground, on the top step of a ladder that's seen better days ... no, better aeons, and someone knocks your foot trying to hold your leg, it's scary. Anyway, someone hands me a piece of twine so I cut a hole in the bag, loop the twine through it, tie it around the rope, and done.
Anyway, the politicians made my skin crawl, except since I was standing behind them and there's cameras trained on them I had to keep this fake smile plastered on my face. Ugh. Anyway, the speeches were over with after twenty minutes or so, and the family gathered around to pull the string so the garbage bag would come off. And hey, it worked!
Good to know that those $16,000 a year are going to good use. Sort of.
Anyway. More ceremonies, more pictures, more politicians, then went to lunch and just chatted for a while. Bro-man got kicked by a certain 13-year old female who shall remain nameless, and then got complained at by said girl for knocking her on the head.
Didn't get to see aforementioned certain someone who had NYSSMA recitals, however. Ah well. Hope those went well, and we missed you. Me, especially.
That finally over with, we headed home and I got back to the dorm around 4:20. Got to G's place for cooking around 4:30 and realized I didn't have black beans or ginger, so made a quick run to the Chinese grocery store on 347. That place is actually really nice -- I'm impressed. They do a good trade, and it's clean and well-lit; lots of Asian grocery stores aren't. And I'm Asian, so I can say that. Anybody who's not Asian says that will receive some serious rebuking.
Got the fish all prepared and stuff, cooked it, and headed over to the commons for the potluck. The fish turned out really well; I'm quite pleased with that. Had a chill time with the saints and stuff. Amusing anecdote of the day:
Me: I still haven't seen X-Men 1 actually. Someone offered to loan it to me, but it's on VHS and I don't have a VCR.
Rachel: So why not go to someone else's place?
Me: None of the brothers on campus have a VCR.
Rachel: Oh ... true. Isn't there a way to copy it to DVD?
Me: Yeah, if I had a VCR.
It's alright, Rachel, you know I love ya, even if I do usually see you when you say really stupid stuff. ;-)
Hung around and had fun with Taboo and Pictionary for an hour or so, then headed off to X2 at the Loews with something like ten other people. Huge group, and the show was sold out, but the theater was only about half-full. Interesting, but we weren't complaining. Chilled for a while waiting for the movie to come on. BJ puts on Rachel's sweatshirt 'cause she mentioned that they were on sale but she couldn't find any in his size, and he responds with, "I can fit into a small." Yeah, Bryan, but the bottom is at your waist and the sleeves are about three inches too short.
Moving on. There was this preview for a movie about a gang of criminals getting revenge on the guy who sold them out and stole the money from a gold heist. Dumb concept, but when their plan went off successfully (I assume that's when it was) one of them in a crowded airport screams, "Yes!!!!!", quite loudly. Everyone looks at him, and he smiles this really dopey grin and says, "I got the Holy Spirit!"
11 people burst out laughing. Everyone looks at us. :-D
Anyway, watched X2 and it was actually pretty cool, even if I still haven't seen X-Men. Kaelis liked, although it's not the sort of movie you go to and then spend three hours discussing the nuances of the ending afterwards. End of the movie, Bryan says, "I was wondering why I was blazing hot. I forgot I had your sweatshirt on."
This is to Rachel, who's 5'3" or something. BJ is 6'2". How do you forget that you have someone's sweater on when said someone is a foot shorter than you?
Headed back to campus after that and hit the room. Still no roommate. Kaelis has speakers up and lights off.
A great day, even on 5 hours of sleep.
-David
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| 10:22 PM, Friday, May 02, 2003 |
So other than the aforementioned complaint, my day has actually gone very well. Got up the earliest I've been up in quite some time (9:15 ... pity the poor Kaelis) and went shopping with Gerard for food for the potluck thing tomorrow. Made a few wisecracks about his choice of food to bring (frozen macaroni & cheese) because "he has two exams next week." Yeah, G, we know.
After that, spent the time in the CAD Lab (bleh), then headed off to church devotional. Had a seriously good time there; I love devo. Music makes my soul feel completely perfected. Sitting next to BJ makes it even better ;-) bro-man is encouraging. Lookin' forward to rooming with you next semester, BJ.
-David
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I hate programming. After spending the last three and a half hours working in the CAD Lab on three programs (and being so tired of C by the end that I deleted the wrong one and had to recode it all), I never want to see the inside of that lab again.
By the time we got out, Mike and I were saying stuff like "You have a car full of garages ... "
Yeah, it's that bad.
-David
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| 5:20 PM, Thursday, May 01, 2003 |
So ... picture this:
A chem pre-lab lecture, where a couple of aspiring college students have just decided to go grab lunch.
So we went over to the SAC, grabbed something, and headed back so we wouldn't miss the rest of the class going upstairs for the actual lab. I had a sandwich from the deli and a bottle of Coke, he's got a burger, fries, and one of the large cups of Coke.
Now, to understand just where these two guys are coming from, you need to realize a couple things. First, chem lectures are incredibly boring. Second, they're at 1 in the afternoon. Hence, lunch.
You also need to understand that the lids for the large sodas have not quite fit properly for the last two weeks.
So we sat down in the lecture hall and proceed to begin eating. I hear this "Aw, hell," and I look up and see him trying to wipe Coke off his shirt. He's found that the lid doesn't quite fit. Yup.
Well, that kinda sucked for him. Two minutes later I look up, just as he raises the straw to take a drink ... and tips the cup. Predictably, Coke rushes out from around the lid and now gets his pants wet, too.
This was amusing. Not highly amusing, but certainly more interesting than the prof.
So then I take another bite, and I look up as he starts to dump ketchup from one of those plastic containers onto his burger. I'm watching this, and he pushes a little too hard on the container, and it snaps. "Oh, sh**. Gimme your napkin." The container, in snapping, splattered ketchup over his pants. So now he's got Coke on his outer shirt, and both Coke and ketchup on his pants. He runs off to the bathroom to wash it off, and I'm laughing so hard tears are forming. The people behind are highly amused, and it gets bad enough that the prof stops the lecture and looks at me until I stop laughing long enough for him to go on.
Hilarious. Best chem lecture we've had, especially since we then went upstairs with him handling semi-dangerous chemicals. We were forming nylon, so I have this ball of nylon that's still wet. It's sitting there drying on a piece of paper and he starts bending the paper then pulling the edges out to flick the nylon up. So at one point it bounces off his shirt.
The nylon very quickly gets put down.
Amusing day.
-David
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