surfin' the wave of the net!

July 12, 2004

I have been having the weirdest dream everyday since I have been here. I am with some Japanese girl and we seem to be going around a city entering buildings and stuff. I always wake up at 4.30 am because it relates to some part of my dream. And then I am fully awake past 7.30. I basically lay down in my bed till 8 so that I could hear my alarm go off. I thought I might shave in the morning but when I got up, I didn�t feel like shaving any more. So, I had a relatively quick shower and got ready for work. I planned on getting there about an hour early so that I use the internet before I had to start working. I took some of the postcards with the intention of posting them en route.

When I got out and before I started pedaling, it was so nice out.. At least my skin was not sticky. And then within 5 minutes of biking, I felt the stickiness setting in. It took me 15 minutes to get there. I wore shorts because I did not want to be sweating in my trousers. But I carried along a pair of jeans in case Masao didn�t want me to work in shorts with chemicals. By the time, I got there, I felt yucky because I was sweating and I had showered less than 30 minutes ago! I also think I might have to use the longer extension for the seat because I feel like I am cramped for space. And of course, my butt hurts. I think if I had more leg extension space, the ride might be easier. It�s hard on my back with the heavy back pack, and then bending towards the handle bar to steer.

This time when I reached the university, I didn�t find Masao at his office. So, I could use the internet calmly. For some reason, I always check Coe email first. And I did get a reply from Britta with her address. I wonder if any more wild happenings have occurred. She did tell me that she was going to be sober and un-wild for the rest of the summer when I talked to her at Andi�s house. We�ll see about that prediction..hehe.. Also got an email from Sara updating us to what was going on there. I also chatted with Andi�s mum for a while. She was asking me about how things were going here and about the country and stuff. Andi realized late that I was chatting with her mum, and they had to go eat. So, we chatted for a couple of minutes and then she was off. I think she might hang out as much as possible with Urs before he leaves for Germany. There�s hardly anyone left at the Ziffer residence with Magaret gone as well. I wonder what Andi does all day apart from see her friends. I might get to chat with Andi a bit more after Urs leaves. I ended up chatting with a lot of people actually. I also chatted with Doll for a while before she had to leave to hang out with Meghna because she was in town. They are going to see The Terminal. I saw that movie with Andi and we liked it. It�s a different romantic comedy and doesn�t end the way you normally would assume. I also got a hold of Miho and told her that I was going to come up to Tokyo sometime this weekend. I told her to alert my other friends there. I talked to Ben early and he sent me an email with his travel plans for this weekend�s trip down here. I sent an email to my parents telling them I got here safe and sound and they could call me at work only because my room phone can�t send or receive calls. I also told most of the people to check my blogs out because I put my Japan journals and pictures up there.

Masao got to the office around 10 am and told me that I was going to make some barium borates. We were to make some glasses in the bulk glass formation range first for test runs and then try to extend the glass formation of barium and calcium borates while I am here. But first I was supposed to do the calculations for the preparation of the precipitate. I decided to use my old spreadsheets and edit the info from there. First, I had to balance the equation which I eventually got help in because my balancing was incorrect due to a mis-write of a chemical. And then it took me about 20 minutes to go through every single calculation and edit everything. And then finally, the spreadsheet was ready and the tough part of the glass making procedure had finished.

We went out to eat for lunch again. We first tried the Chinese restaurant again to taste some other Chinese food but they were too crowded. So, he decided to take me somewhere else. We walked for about 20 minutes till we got to a traditional Japanese -restaurant. It was another sit-on-the-floor place. Masao suggested that I try Dango soup. Dango is made from wheat flour and is chewy. We had some iced tea and a sort of fruit wine called Zacuro in a really small glass. The wine quantity was like that of a shot glass. We had salad before the main course. The salad was really good. We had to use chop sticks for the salad. They don�t have any silverware. So, we first ground up sesame seeds to garnish the Dango soup. While eating this meal, I got hit on (read flirting) by some old Japanese women. That was sooo funny! The soup had boiled veggies, eggs and a shrimp. And after I was done with that, I could have stopped there. But nooo..there was more food to be eaten. The chopsticks were slowing down my otherwise brisk eating pace. I had a sweet piece of eggplant. I also had my first full fish in Japan. It was pretty small and was supposed to be eaten fully. It was very tasty! I think it had a ginger after taste to it. Then we had boiled corn and other boiled veggies. There was a sort of pickle made from young bamboo which was good. And the coup de grace was a gelatinous dessert which had beans in it. I wish I had taken my camera with me so that I could have photo graphed my first authentic Japanese food.

I was unbelievably stuffed yet again. What, it�s the third or fourth time? We still had a relatively uphill walk back to the university. My tummy was tight..hehe.. I am mighty lucky I haven�t puked yet. It�s a darn good thing that I eat so much at lunch which allows for a light dinner. We got back and we talked about the nuclear situation in the present day world. He pointed out that Japan although highly developed had no plans on nuclear weapon production. He was surprised by the budget consumption of the defense every year in India and Pakistan. He knew about the nuclear information supply by the Pakistani scientist to Iran and North Korea. He didn�t know that Pakistan is planning a massive nuclear test in the next month.

So, after the 2 hour lunch, I got back and started making the two solutions for tomorrow�s glasses. I got to be in the cool A/c room for an hour. The method for the solutions is different from the alkali metal prep. All we do this time is weigh the two powders separately and then put them into a Teflon beaker and pour in distilled water slowly. The weighing was done to a much greater accuracy. I think this is the reason why he gets such amazing results. The reaction occurs in the drying oven while the water boils and evaporates. After I made the solutions, I was done with work for today.

So, while he was cleaning up, I wrote up the process and aims for the stay here in my notebook. I was done by 5 pm. I think I would normally work till 6 pm. I talked to Mammi and Ben for quite some time. Me and Masao tried calling Nigeria but we never got through to anyone. I think I will try to call mum and dad tomorrow a bit earlier so that they call me back. The operator has to connect calls coming in for Sojo. I don�t think they have an extension system. He bought me a drink to rehydrate me. My cold water was almost done. And then he worked on a paper while I started sending emails. I sent Inga, Britta, Jessi, Bhavya, and Andi emails. I also replied to Kit to tell him that I got here. And then I chatted with Nastasha and Ben till I left. Tash sent me her prom pictures. She looks so mature, and beautiful. Both the girls are growing into beautiful creatures.

I spent a lot of my free time in between stuff posting all my pictures online. I posted about 33 pictures and gave brief descriptions.. Well, since I am sending this word doc to other people I could list the blog site. Its http://joyzpixie.blogspot.com and as I keep taking more pictures I will be putting them up. I hope people can access this website.

I left for my apartments at 8.45 pm. I thought I had been there for about 12 hours, and I was sticky, so I just want to get back to the cool and dry bed room. Before I got to my room, I bought a small pair of shampoo and conditioner for $3. I might as well buy it since I don�t want my hair to be yucky. I thought I might shave tonight before sleeping but I�ll do it in the morning hopefully and not put it off anymore. I don�t look that bad, but I should keep myself groomed here. At least a bit..hehe.. I took a shower to get the much needed feel of clean and then ate a small dinner because I was still full from lunch. Well, I think it�s time to head to bed.

Japanese alimento italiano?

July 11, 2004

I got up at 11.30 today. I then all I did was journal all afternoon. I think I will go out in the evening and grab some dinner when I am out.

Well, I thought I was being lazy staying in the apartment all day. So I decided that I would get some ready to eat dinner from the FamilyMart downstairs. I got some Japanese vermicelli kind of stuff which was a bit spicy. I also got a filled puff of some kind. So, it was a 500 Y meal which I supposed was decent. I wanted to get on the internet and didn�t want to spend 400 yen again. So, I biked down to Sojo University so that I could use the internet for free there. It was also the first time I biked down there. It took me about 15 minutes compared to the 60 minute walk. It would have taken me lesser time if I didn�t have to stop at the crossroads. It was nice and cool before I started biking and halfway through it felt that it had suddenly gotten humid. Musta have been the exertion because I was biking pretty hard. This was also the first time in a long time that I have biked hard, so my muscles were getting tired easily. It should get better soon.

I got to Sojo and found Masao at his office reviewing a paper that he was sent from a journal. I used the net for a while to check some of my email and post the blogs I have been writing offline. They are pretty long and will take some patience to read. I still have to post most of my pictures. I am going to use the new blog I set up specifically for pictures. I was there for about an hour and then Masao asked me if I had eaten dinner. I told him that I had a little something. So, he took me out to eat. I left the office planning on coming in early the next day to do a bit of emailing.

We walked down and saw that the curry place was closed and then we went down further to a pasta and pizza place. We ordered two large specialty pizzas which had sausage, pepperoni and strands of a pepper. It was a thin crust, and the dough was soft. It was a bit oily but pretty good. Masao is trying out stuff with me which makes me happy. I took a sneak peek at the bill total. $40 for 2 people! Holy Shit! Well, I guess it�s not that bad, I have paid that much before. But that was a once in a while kind of eating out. I told him that beer and pizza was an American staple and we should try it. He didn�t want me to imbibe alcohol before my bike ride back to my apt. Sound decision.. I got back around 9.45 and did some journaling to catch up with today�s happening. I feel sleepy already so I�ll probably hit the sack soon.

A day of exploration

July 10, 2004

I woke up again at 4.30 am and then at 7.30 and then at 9. It�s weird for it repeat in the exact same way as the previous morning. I finished up the journey part of my dairy so that I could post it on my blog when I went out to explore. I left around noon to downtown Kumamoto to walk around the mall. I carried the laptop, with maps and my cd player to listen to. I parked my bike somewhere in the middle of the mall and then walked to the end to start exploring. I wanted to buy Kumamoto postcards so that I could send them to my friends. I will also send one home.

After an hour of browsing, I start looking for some place I could get some grub. It was expensive everywhere. I thought about McDonalds but after looking at the size of the burgers, I knew that it wouldn�t fill me. So I looked at KFC and came to the same conclusion. I then found a smaller eating joint where I could get a chicken curry with rice, soup and salad for 490 Yen which was about $4.60. It was plenty food and moderately priced. I went in to see that I had to use some machine to get a ticket for the food. I told the lady there I couldn�t read Japanese but I knew what I wanted. I took her outside to the picture of the food I wanted and she took me inside and told me which buttons to press. It all worked out. My first all Japanese encounter. The service was very quick because she had the food ready in a couple of minutes. I ate the salad with chopsticks because there was no fork. But she had given me a spoon for the soup and rice and curry. It was the right amount of food and after a satisfied stomach, I did more exploring.

I went into this electronics store to look at prices of stuff there. Everything was about 50-75% more expensive than the US. I looked at digital cameras and CD players. If I find a good deal on an mp3-CD player, I�ll buy it. I went it a store which sold sharp objects. There was a knife with a sheath that I wanted to buy but it wasn�t sharpened. I asked him how much a longer sharpened knife/sword cost and he told me that it would be $700. By the way, by asking I mean writing down on a piece of paper in English. I carried a small notebook and a pen in case I needed it and I apparently needed it quite a lot. It was pretty expensive but I felt like I could spend that much because I wanted a sword because it would be cool. But I don�t think I will buy it, I much rather spend it on other stuff here. I was looking around for souvenirs to take back. I kept seeing these chopsticks or it could be hair pins.. I dunno.. I know that badminton is pretty big here. So I went searching for badminton equipment. I found them but Yonex racquets were $200+! Damn! I quickly found my way out. I went into a few more stores but didn�t really find anything that I wanted to buy then. Last but not the least, I entered this mege department store. This was bigger than the Marshall Field�s in downtown Chicago. It housed every haute couture brand name imaginable. I knew that I wasn�t really going to buy anything in this store unless something was moderately priced. I think I need to go shopping with someone who knows where to get the best deals. I wanted Masao to introduce me to his daughter because she was home on vacation and apparently had a lot of free time. I thought she could show me around since she should know her home city pretty well. But I haven�t met her yet. She just graduated from an American university and is now prepping for her medical exams in Japan. So, I assume she can speak good English. I went to the bottom two floors of the super store and saw it had food. I tried several tasters they had put out. I just walked around looking for tasters. They also had whole section devoted to desserts. After this store, I went to the cyber caf� to check email and stuff. I used my laptop there because I could. They have free drinks at this place which was cool. I put up the first of the blogs and sent a few emails. I was there for an hour and then decided to head back to my apartment.

I got back around 6.30 and ate dinner. I tried the grapefruit juice but it was too bitter for me. So, I think I am going to throw it away. I finished Digital Fortress by Dan Brown in a single sitting last evening. It was pretty good. It�s scary to realize that we do not have any privacy in our lives and Big Brother is always watching. I watched a bit of TV, wrote my journal and then went to bed.

Walking the distance

July 9, 2004

About the next day.. I woke up first at 4.30 am when dawn first broke and then at 6.30 am and then finally at 8 am. After I showered and got ready, I started writing about my journey so that I could put it on my blog. I wrote till 9.50 when I packed up to leave and wait for him downstairs in front of the handimart. He came in right on time. I think the Japanese are very punctual or maybe it�s just him. We first had to go to the apartment office because they wanted a photocopy of my passport. From there he asked me if it was ok that we walked to the university today. I said yeah assuming it wasn�t a long walk. While walking I asked him how long a walk it was to the university, he said that it was about an hour. We didn�t head straight there either because we had to make a pit stop at a bank to break some of my dollars into yen. I got 60 dollars worth of yen. And then we took another detour while he showed me where a highly western mall was in case I was interested to come back to it and look around. We went into a few shops and then we head to his university. While at a book store, he started flipping through a soft porn Japanese magazine equivalent of Playboy in the US. He then started doing ooo�s and aah�s and asked me if I wanted him to buy it for me. He thought that kids my age love this kind of stuff. I suppose for the most part, but then there are exceptions. I don�t particularly like porn. It was a surreal experience; I had never expected this from him. But then I have realized that pornography is not a big deal for them. It was absurdly humid out there and I was getting worn out pretty easily with my heavy backpack. I checked later and my shirt underneath my back pack straps was completely wet. Yuck! The air here is so incredibly sticky. He asked me to keep track of the route we were talking so that I would make it back to apartments.

The route that we took was pretty scenic which was cool. We reached Sojo and I noticed it was located on a hill. Masao said that since we had been walking for so long, we would take the elevator up. I was very happy with that suggestion. We took this really cool elevator that moved side and up at about 45 degrees. I can�t recall what Masao called the elevator. We walked by Sojo�s cafeteria and he said that most of the students hated its food. He bought me a drink when we got up to his office. They have these cool vending machines everywhere which is a great business idea with people getting dehydrated due to the weather.

We got to his office and I checked my mail for the first time after I left Chicago. There were a few mails waiting for me. Bhavya sent me a late bon voyage, and I got an email from Andi saying that my call right before I took off made her think about me. I also got an offline message from Doll telling me that she missed me. It�s nice to know that I am important to some people. I guess I like to hear it sometimes. I hooked up Komal�s laptop to the internet and kept it running the rest of the afternoon so that people could message me. I got an email from Ben about his trip down here the second weekend.

After I sent an email to Doc telling him that I got here safe and sound, Masao took me out to eat. He gave me a running commentary about the different departments. We also talked about what I was going at Coe and basically a bit of research related stuff. He also asked me about the places I had been to. He was basically trying to get to know me better. We walked over to a nearby Chinese restaurant. This one actually had the sit on the floor seating which was very cool. Both of us tried the spicy meal which had tofu and pork in it. It was excellent. We had soup and rice with it. I was beyond stuffed!
We got back and started talking research. He was going to present a paper on sodium borates and their anharmonic properties. He printed the paper out and I started reading it trying to understand what anharmonic properties were. He then showed me around his lab and the different methods he employed to determine the physical properties of the glasses he made. He specialized in velocity of sound measurements on painfully homogenous cylinders of glass. He got extremely accurate data; his data was many times better than data we got at Coe. He had an air conditioned room for chemical and physical analysis of the glasses. He used the Archimedes principle to determine density of the glass cylinders he made while we at Coe use Boyle�s law. Using this method was trickier than using a pyc. He also had acoustic stuff to measure the speed of sound. Most of his equipment was custom built at Sojo University. That was interesting to see. It�s different from Coe because most of the things we have is manufactured and not custom built for us except the glove boxes and roller quenchers. I told him how we plate quenched our glasses and he thought that it was better than his plate quenching process. Ours was definitely quicker and cooled the glass more rapidly. The glasses he makes are easy to make and don�t crystallize. So he doesn�t have to worry about quicker cooling processes really because he makes glass in the bulk glass forming range. I have to use quicker quenching methods because I am making glasses outside the bulk glass forming range trying to extend glass formation range. I think I will be making Barium and Calcium borates while I am here because he thinks that will use the short time I have here best. I didn�t know July 20 was a national holiday which means that I don�t work on that day too. Which means that I have an extended weekend when Ben comes over. I am contemplating going to Tokyo to visit some of my friends that weekend too.

Masao wanted to buy me a bicycle so that I didn�t have to walk an hour everyday to get to work. He bought me an all terrain bike which had shimano gears for $100. He thought that was cheap and he didn�t mind buying it for me. I am lucky! We also found a cyber caf� that I can use after work if I want to use the internet. It was in the mall area which was close to my apartment. So I could go over if I felt like it. I could use it if I wanted to chat with anyone at Coe or family elsewhere. I wish I had internet at my apartment but I suppose this also works. Using the caf� is about $4 an hour. After that I rode back to my apartment and went grocery shopping so that I could eat in my room sometimes. I bought some liquids and bread and jelly and yogurt. I also wanted to try some Japanese beer, so I bought a couple of cans of local beer. I smiled when I saw Budweiser in the beer section. So I had bread and jelly and yogurt for dinner that night. While eating, I watched a women volleyball match between Japan and Italy. I wrote for the rest of the night before I went to bed at 10 pm because I was tired and sleepy by then already. I don�t think I have slept this early in a long time. Actually I can�t remember the last time I went to bed that early.

The first night in Japan

Post Journey 8 July

I started looking around for Masao even though I didn�t know what he looked like. I hoped he would recognize me. After waiting for 10 mins, I decided to move around on the platform. I saw a man sitting through 2 trains so I walked towards him. I think he finally recognized me with the Coe shirt and foreign looking Indian appearance. Masao is a relatively short man who looks like he is in his sixties. I also realized that he might have arthritis like my grandmom because his hand�s deformities resemble that of my grandma. We took a taxi to my apartments and it was conveniently placed above a handimart. He bought sandwiches, yogurt, an apple filled something and OJ. He showed me some things in the apt like how to operate the AC and stuff. And then he left saying that he will be back tomorrow morning at 10 in front of the Handimart to take me to the university.

I went down and bought a soap to shower with next day. I also walked a bit further to buy a towel. I should have brought these with me. Too bad because a single soap was $1.5 and the towel was 10 bucks. I realized how expensive this place was pretty soon. After getting back from my brief shopping, I unpacked and made sure everything was ready for tomorrow morning. I also hoped to God I would be able to wake up before 10 without an alarm. I think my exhaustion was the only reason why I fell asleep that easily even though my bio clock read 9 am.

Before I start on the next day�s experiences, I wanna talk about the apartment. On the first floor, there is a glass door that opens up with a special card. This is to keep unwanted people out of the apartments. And the door of the apt opens with the actual key. When I first looked in the apartment, it looked like the size of an apt in a big city in Japan like Tokyo. It was narrow and deep. The walk to the bedroom was about 3-4 feet across. And then the bedroom was about 15x13 sq.ft. There were separate rooms for the pot and shower. And there was a small kitchen on the left of the walkway. In Japan, people don�t wear shoes in the main part of the house. So, I had to take my shoes off to walk towards the bedroom. There is a washing machine to but the instructions are in Japanese. I don�t know if I want to mess with that, but eventually who knows, I might play around with it to figure it out. The kitchen had a small stove. It was stocked with utensils and stuff. The pot was the most interesting part of the toilet. When flushed, a tap on the top on the tank opened and poured water into the tank through a hole on the top to fill it up. The water pouring in doesn�t overflow because the top is shaped like a bowl. The tap�s present so that we can wash our hands after we are done. Ingenious! The bedroom had a table, bed, shelves, a huge closet, a TV and VCR. Beyond the bedroom was a small balcony. After figuring out how to keep the air conditioning running, the room�s humidity level dropped by several magnitudes! Now, after I get drenched in the humidity, I can cool off here because it�s dry and cool in the bedroom. And I am thankful I got the laptop because apart from this and reading books there is nothing else I can do in the apartment. The programming on TV is in Japanese. I can watch the occasional sports I guess. The telephone doesn�t allow for incoming or outgoing calls. It�s a phone that people can use if they are waiting downstairs and they want you to come down and let them in. So, essentially nobody can call me when I am in my apt. So in conclusion, the apartment is small and cozy and the right size for one person. I asked Masao the next day about the cost of renting an apartment like the one I have. He said that it was about $600 for 2 weeks with deposit. Pretty expensive, I know I couldn�t afford that!

Joy the Traveller

July 7, 2004

Andi and her mum came to drop me off at the airport. We left at 9.10 because they assumed that the worst of the rush hour traffic would be over and they were right because we got there in plenty of time since there were no traffic congestions or anything. The topic of discussion in the ride to the airport was prices of the houses in Batavia. I was amazed to hear what some houses were sold at. Although, I do think Batavia being a relatively safe neighbourhood especially near Andi�s home is a reason for the high prices. I think there was something wrong with Andi because when we said good-bye something didn�t seem right but I didn�t have time to talk to her about it since her mom was waiting for her outside. Andi couldn�t stay with me at the airport because they have to get back home since Felix was leaving the same afternoon. I guess that worked out since I didn�t really have to wait to board the plane. I got an express check-in and then the security check was a breeze. I got to the departure gate in 10 minutes.

I called Kristin while I was checking in to see where she was and what she was doing. Unfortunately, she was in Terminal 5 while I was in Terminal 1. And there wasn�t time for her to come and see me since her flight departed 55 minutes after mine and she wouldn�t have enough time to get back. She was with a large group of 15 people going to Hong Kong outskirts to do volunteer work. I hope she had a safe flight. I also blogged while waiting to board. I actually did a 5 min blog which maxed the amount of time I could audioblog. I filled up on the last few days since I couldn�t sit down for a sustained period of time to do a long blog. I talked to Doll for a bit just to tell her that I was boarding the flight was going to leave in some time. I also called Komal because I hadn�t talked to her for a long time and wanted to tell her that I was going to Japan for a couple of weeks. I also messaged my parents and they called me back immediately and we talked for a few minutes. They were also leaving for Nigeria the next day with a day�s worth of stopover at Dubai. They will do some shopping. I wish I could also go through Dubai and see the shopping malls and arcades it�s famous for. Robi�s schooling in India has commenced too. Now, he is a non-resident Indian where ever he goes.

We were allowed to board the flight at 11.40 am but the plane did not take off till 12.20. I assumed at that point that we were running a bit late. I actually talked to my parents while I was in my seat. And then I shut my phone off, and that would be the last time in a couple of weeks that I would be able to use it. I didn�t feel as nauseous while take off as I normally feel but then that could have been due to the different posture I was in. And there begun the 13 hour non stop flight to Osaka, Japan. We were served two lunches and a snack during the flight. Actually, the food was pretty good and I was hungry. The snack was Chinese noodles which were really tasty and the smell lingered on for some time after they were served. I slept for a while although it was partial sleep most of the time. I did watch a couple of movies: The Whole Ten Yards and Jersey Girl. I think I am going to junk my cd player when I get back. It hardly recognized any of my cds again. So, I had to listen to the music on the channels in the plane. Actually, most of the music was popular tunes so it wasn�t all bad. 7 hours into the flight, I decided that I needed to get up and stretch. So, I stood and walked around for the next hour. I read a couple of magazines while standing. One of them was Runner�s World which had a lot of interesting things I needed to know while running. It had a lot of good tips and new techniques.

The plane arrived early which was amazing because we apparently made fantastic time while in air. When I saw out of the window it seemed all sunny and bright so I assumed that it was warm outside. The humidity level took me by surprise while exiting the plane. Luckily the airport was airconditioned, so I was dry for the next 15 minutes while I went through customs and baggage claims. I was really surprised to the efficiency of the custom officials because I was in a long line yet I got through in less than 10 minutes. I only had to wait for the bags for 5 minutes and they were out and carts in Japan were still free so I decided to use it while I still could.
Now, the apprehension about the train travel had returned because that was the next thing to do. I went out to search for some place to use my japan rail pass exchange order to change to a rail pass. Luckily the JR place was right outside the door so that was easy and the girl who handled my pass knew enough English to communicate. She gave me directions to the train station and an English map of their rail lines in Japan. It was a good thing that I wore cargo pants for the journey because all these things were going into its many pockets. It was particularly convenient because I had to flash the pass all the time to get through the gates. I got to the right platform because there were English being flashed along with Japanese on all the signs. And I would point to the name of the city I wanted to go to and the people there could guide me to the right spot. Since, I got to Kansai International earlier than expected, the train schedule that Masao sent me did not have the right times. I decided to take the risk and extrapolate the times from the existing schedule I had and from the overhead information LCDs. The first train was the Airport Express Haruka from Osaka-Kansai International Airport to Shin-Osaka Station. The airport was pretty far from Osaka. It was a 50 minute journey. I remember being very excited to be on the trains and on the last leg of the journey. I took some pictures on this train. I also noticed that the train conductors and everyone else were very respectful to each other and they bowed all the time. The seats were very comfortable; actually they were better than the ones on the planes. And 50 minutes later, we arrived at Shin-Osaka station. I had to take the Shinkansen Bullet train called the Hikari Rail Star from Shin-Osaka to Hakata. This was the longest of the individual train travel times. It was a 2 hour and 45 minute journey. I was excited because this was my first bullet train journey. I managed to get my 3 bags from the first train to the next in 7 minutes because the train left pretty soon. I got there just in time. And by that time, I was sweating due to the humidity. It took me some time to cool down after I got on the train. I was trying really hard to stay awake but it wasn�t working because I was tired and it was night time in the US. So, I did have a bit of jet lag. I did nap for a while but never for too long. I liked the country side of Japan with the paddy fields and interesting houses. They also had a mesh sort of thing going on in the hills; I couldn�t ascertain what they were. These trains don�t stop at all stations and they are fast! I remember trying to take pictures of the country side and we were zipping by too fast. We finally arrived at Hakata and I had to get off quickly because they would stop at the stations very briefly. And then I found the last platform for Kumamoto. This time I took the Ariake express train. By this time, it was dark here already. And this was the last train to my destination. I slept through most of this train journey too because I couldn�t keep my eyes open. And finally, I got to Kumamoto and got off the train.

I started looking around for Masao even though I didn�t know what he looked like. I hoped he would recognize me. After waiting for 10 mins, I decided to move around on the platform. I saw a man sitting through 2 trains so I walked towards him. I think he finally recognized me with the Coe shirt and foreign looking Indian appearance. Masao is a relatively short man who looks like he is in his sixties. I also realized that he might have arthritis like my grandmom because his hand�s deformities resemble that of my grandma. We took a taxi to my apartments and it was conveniently placed above a handimart. He bought sandwiches, yogurt, an apple filled something and OJ. He showed me some things in the apt like how to operate the AC and stuff. And then he left saying that he will be back tomorrow morning at 10 in front of the Handimart to take me to the university.

I went down and bought a soap to shower with next day. I also went a bit further to buy a towel. I should have brought these with me. Too bad because a single soap was $1.5 and the towel was 10 bucks. I realized how expensive this place was pretty soon. .

Audio Blog from Chicago O' Hare

This is catch up for the few days before I left.

fireworks!

We walked over the local high school to see the fireworks with the 20 people. It was a amazing sight to see so many people gather from neighbouring localities. I normally don't see anyone on the roads or outside the house when I am here. I took some pictures of the pictures and stuff. It didn't last as long as I thought it would. Another thing I have noticed that Andi doesn't like holding hands or show that we are dating among big groups of people if we are around her home. She has done that a couple of times already, but never before this visit. It just seemed a tad bit odd but there must be a reason for that. whatever. It was a relatively good evening. We used the roads as "wide sidewalks" because so many people were on foot. I got to talk to Felix a bit more and some with Magaret. I went to bed early again because everyone went to bed.

Met an old friend!

Yeah, I met Andi's ex last night. It was interesting. I was wondering if he had become buff-er from the last time I saw him but nah. he just got bigger, I actually look better than he does..funny. But then I am also trying to get into shape and be fitter than what I normally am. I want to be noticed, and I think a sure fire way is to lose weight and gain muscle. We played risk all night. It's a fun game and good bonding experience. Urs won the game but only narrowly. After Urs left, Andi asked why Magaret liked me rather than all her guy friends. She said that I was nice to her and treated her like a normal person. I was happy because I think the family needs to like you. We went out for a walk and then got back to find that Andi's parents were still watching the movie in the basement. She lay on me till her parents got done with the movie. I kinda miss making out with her but I guess we rather not risk it at her parent's place especially with so many people around. Althought, that never stopped us before. I don't know if it's a sign to worry about. I went to bed around midnight again and got up at 9.30. Andi and her family went to Church and saw Magaret being dedicated to the Equador mission trip. During that time, I met Kiran. It was fun seeing him again. His face hasn't changed but he looks more manly now. We kinda got caught up but I will be seeing him again after I get back from Japan. We just drove around for a while getting lost in the process. But we found our way back. We ate at the Red Lobster. It was fantastic food. I hadn't eaten sea food in a while so it tasted good. We also had a Sam Adams each. It's a bit more bitter than Corona but I liked it. We got back around 2.30 and he talked to Andi and her mum for a bit. Right now there are 20 people downstairs. 11 from one family! We are going to eat with them and then go to see the fireworks. I did get to talk to Doll for a bit and told her about my meeting with Kiran. I called Britta but she was busy with something apparently. I'll try her again later. And I like Kiran's car. He got a really good deal on it because it was "hail damaged" although I couldn't see any damage. All in all, it was good day. But the day is not done yet. Lets see how the day ends.

do I really want to buy more stuff?

I got up at 10 today because of the long day yesterday. I talked to Felix about my research for a while in the morning after I woke up. We had banana-walnut pancakes which were very good. Then, after Andi and Magaret went off to do some yard work and cleaning of a few houses, I went out with Felix and Ely. We went to a music store and a sporting goods store. And then had ice cream at this upscale ice cream store. It was very good! I had white chocolate with Oreos. And then we head back home as it started to rain. Andi called Urs and we are going to play Risk. This is the first time that I will be meeting her ex-boyfriend. The reason for most of my summer stress. Should be interesting. She is still frustrated as to why I can't just think of her ex as her friend. I guess I don't know. I am getting better, well, atleast I didn't choke. It is my first experience with an ex-boyfriend, and I guess there is a certain sense of insecurity but then when have I been completely secure in this relationship. It's kinda hard to do when your girlfriend tells you certain things about our relationship. Anyway, she just left to pick him up..the time is almost here.

Chicago - the windy city

As it turned out in the end, it was just the two of us. For some reason, whenever it's stuff to do when we go out with just the two of, she automatically assumes it going to be boring. To anyone else, this might seem odd, but it's happened to me so many times, I should be getting used to it. We used the train in the morning and go to downtown Chicago at 10.30. The whole way there she was half asleep, it seemed to me that she wanted other people to come, especially Urs. When her mom asked her in the morning if anyone else was coming, she said a very dejected no. I am still trying to see some excitement in her because I came to see her, but none yet. The main reason is that she much rather be spending time with Urs because he is only here for another 10 days. We walked around to Michigan Avenue when we got off the train. I bought a cd of Lostprophets at Virgin records. Andi bought a tank top at H&M. That was all the shopping we did. Then we walked over to Navy Pier and took a few photographs near the fountain there. The Navy Pier wasn't as nice as the one at San Francisco. And then, we went over to the Taste of Chicago. This was a showcase of all the restaraunts in Chicago. Most of the big food portions were 8-9 tickets, and others ranged from 3-6. We bought 33 tickets for $21. We got to try out a lot of different kinds of food that we have never experienced before. We also saw 2 shows of extreme diving which was very cool. I took a lot of pictures of the diving and a video of the 80 foot dive. We also saw a bunch of people from New York performing on the side walk. They were doing a lot of acrobatic stuff, and I have this amazing video of a guy going over 10 people in 1 jump. It was stupendous. By that time, our feet were tired and Andi was really tired and out of it. We then head over to the Swing Dance thing and did the 30 mins refresher and then danced for a couple of hours before having to head back home. So, after an hour ride back home where Andi slept on my shoulders the whole way. It was a good day and it was nice to go around just with her. Of course, I love doing stuff with just her although I don't know if I can say the same about her. She tells me that she likes to do stuff with just me but quite a few times like this, we were alone because no one else could come. We didn't talk as much because she was tired and listless and just plain out of it. It would have been an exciting day if she was more alive. I wish she really showed me some appreciation of coming to visit her when I could have comfortably flown out of Cedar Rapids to go to Japan. She apologized for being listless through out the day before going to bed. She has had a long week and hasn't been able to sleep for the amount of time she wants to.

Is there something different about my girl?

Me and Marty left at 5.30 and got on the road soon after he dropped off his game at Family Video and I picked up a rose at the Hy-Vee florists. He took a different more scenic route there. We stopped at Hardee's and I ate a burger which was my first junk food in over a couple of weeks. I have been eating healthy and safe food for so long, I hope my stomach adjusts to the different kind of food in Japan. We talked all the way to where I was going to be picked up. He told me more about Sara, and I told him more about Andi..how we met, our first moves..hehe.. I called Andi's home 4 times in between 8.30 and 9 because they were supposed to call Andi to tell her to pick me up. But, that didn't really work out, so her parents came and picked me up. And when I was being picked up, Andi called but we couldn't talk due to bad reception. When I realized that there was no one home, I called Doll to help me and Marty with directions to Andi's house in case they didn't come to get me. Well, we did also get a bit lost but that's adventure. I got to her house, I met Felix. He seems like an interesting guy, I might get to talk to him a bit more. I dunno, maybe try to get to know him the way I got to know Carlo. I know I am going to miss Carlo very much here:(. After Andi got back, we went out for a walk. She seemed very restless from the way she was walking and talking. She wouldn't tell me what was bothering her. Well, she did tell me that it was weird for her to have both her boyfriend and ex-boyfriend around at the same time. We are going into Chicago today and I thought it might be just the 2 of us but I think she wanted to ask if Urs and someone else wanted to come along. I don't know why she would ask him to come along if things are going to be awkward. anyway, her mind works in strange ways. Felix is going to come with us though and that should be fun. I don't know about Magaret. Well, I told her last night that if I knew that Urs was going to be there around the time I was planning on coming, I probably would not have come. I could have flown straight out of Cedar Rapids and saved myself a lot of hassle but anyway I am here. I hope she makes me feel that this trip to her house is worthwhile and enjoyable. The weirdness happened to me as well when I introduced Andi to Kristin for the first time. It was sooo awkward for me, but it did get better or rather I saw much lesser of Kristin than I wanted to. We might do a few touristy things and go to the Taste of Chicago for food and then swing dancing in the night. I talked to her mum for a bit after getting there. But lets see how time here progresses..I hope to God it's enjoyable.
And oh yeah, about my girl looking different, she has contacts and seems much fitter and slimmer.. She looks wonderful! Damn, makes her more irresistable.

the last blog from my room for about a month

I got back early from the poster session and finished up packing. I am taking a lot of shit: a lot of books and clothes. I might dump some off at Andi's house if I think it's too much. I withdrew a couple of hundred bucks to keep cash on me. And now my room looks sooo clean. I hope I didnt miss anything. I have all my essentials.. On the way back from ATM, I saw Matt and Amanda and they told me that they will be ready to beat me in RB when I get back. I gave some of my food away and threw away the other stuff that will go bad. I called Andi after getting back to tell her that I will be there earlier than what I told her. Well, I guess if I need anything else, I'll just buy it later. I also shaved, so my face is smooth again after a week. Although, my hair has grown tooo long and I am going to get it cut in the next couple of days. I should look good after that. I feel good due to all the workouts and running and playing racquetball.. I feel fit which is awesome! Anyway, time to sign off from my computer. I will miss my baby (read computer)... Byeeee room and Coe, for 28 days!!

[Listening to: Memory - Sugarcult - Palm Trees And Power Lines (3:46)]

money pours

I did get my second cheque for Japan today and it has been deposited. So I am rich for another month before school fees cause a gigantic leak in my balance. I got Andi's message and missed call last night. She called me when I got into bed and I would have answered it if I wasn't so sleepy and tired. I figured I would call her in the morning with the details about when I was getting there. And I was right, she was hanging out with friends last night, so its a good thing I didn't call after I talked to Doll. I called early and talked to Andi's mom for quite some time and then spoke for a few minutes with Andi. Well, if I was getting there at 10 she would have picked me up but with me getting there an hour earlier, I dunno. I know her mum can definitely come and get me. Andi has a long day ahead of her, first an orthodontist appointment for her braces and then cleaning up of a house. She will be going to a friend's house in the evening, so thats the reason I don't know if she can pick me up. I found out which courses I was taking next semester so that I could order the books early. I finished up my drinks. I still have to give away food like grapes and baby carrots to anyone who wants to take them. I got a couple of messages from my parents and I replied to them. I don't know if they got them or maybe they went to bed before they got it. Anyway, I'll email them or ask them to call me.
About the paper, I have added more stuff in the paper including the references I've used. Now, the rest is really upto Greg to finish which essentially means that he has to finish his section and add it to my paper. Hopefully, this goes well because today is my last day here. I will leave my cellphone number with him in case he needs to call me. I sent the paper to Doll for a review, and that helped because she picked up some typos which I might have missed. Thanks Doll:)! Well, I will be leaving at 5.30 today which means I have to leave after the presentations and finish my last minute packing. I also will leave my room a bit clean so that I have something nice to come back to..although I will be moving into my new room pretty soon after I get back. This is the last month of fun, so I am going to squeese it for all its worth till there is no drop left. I am so glad to leave to Japan away from all the craziness and stress. Although, it will probably will be a different type of stress which includes travelling in a non-english speaking country where most of the population can not speak english.. Still I can't wait:)!!

Handwriting personality analysis of President Bush

Bush: Betrayed by handwriting
ROHIT KARIR, TIMES OF INDIA

[ THURSDAY, JULY 01, 2004 01:52:12 PM ]

Link to the article on timesofindia.com

Let's face it, it's not too difficult to analyse a person through his handwriting, who consistently says the opposite of what he intends ("the death tax is good for people from all walks of life!") and coins strange words (subliminable, resignate, transformationed, Hispanos, arbolist).


President George W Bush is such a larger-than-life figure that even three words and an exclamation mark are enough to gauge his "axis" of character.

A Politicians Hand: The handwriting of the Texan-American, who once said, "For Nasa, space is still a high priority," is typical of a politician � energetic, angular hand, tent-like 't' and a slight right slant.

Talkative: The 'g', open at the top, means that the cowboy is talkative � nobody gets a word edgeways in White House meetings, when Bush holds court on "evil" Iraq and North Korea.

Courteous: He has a quality, which probably only Laura Bush is aware of. Her husband, Bin Laden listen up, is good-natured and courteous in manner. This is because his terminal strokes are upturned and have a right slant. Perhaps the FBI and the CIA can reform the world's baddies by asking them to forge and fuse Bush's slants and strokes.

Inappropriate Show Of Emotions: The capped crescent exclamation mark at the end of the three words, considering his choice of words, shows that Bush has a need to be emphatic in situations, when understated power will do just as well. It also indicates that he does not know how to marry emotion with occasion.

Mind Prone To Strain: The connecting strokes, in Bush's handwriting, are always present, so that all letters in a word are connected. This includes capitals connected to succeeding small letters. Mr President, you might not know it, but you have a logical, well-ordered mind. Notice, also, the spacing of your letters, which is crowded; and that they are never extended. It means although you have a good brain it's narrower than a bee's bum. It's also a mind, which is prone to mental confusion and strain, a fact thrown up by the crippled drawing of 'e's in all the three words.

Bush is given to dramatics: The 'd' in the word 'freedom' is in upper case (whereas it should have been in lower case) and has a small slash inside the loop. Handwriting that uses flourished upper casing in the middle of a word indicates that person likes to draw attention to himself.

Not Quick To Adapt: Bush's 'm' and 'n's are angular do not appear as 'w' and 'u' � these are characteristics of a person, who finds difficulty in adjusting other people's opinions. On the other hand it also reveals that Bush has simple tastes.

Hasty: The president's writing is not completely legible � ill-formed 'r' and 'o'; similar looking 'e' and 'i'; and merged letters ('d', 'o' and 'm') in the word 'freedom'. The capital 'R' in 'Reign' is not fully-formed. These handwriting features reveals that he tends to be hasty and in a constant race to catch up with his thoughts. It also shows that he is not a deep thinking person and has no patience with details. Instead Bush has good instincts and mostly stands by them. But he sees no point in looking at a decision from six different sides - he likes action. And mostly, he "gets them" � his hooked convex-curved 't' � that's why.

Don't Misunderestimate Him: Superpower honcho Bush likes to write his 'i's without dotting them. He might not know it, but this is a clear indication that he forgets important details and is careless. But that's alright. As he keeps reminding us � never "misunderestimate" him � 'i' dots be damned!

Does money buy happiness?

I got paid for the month of June, a total of $1180 something. I had been waiting for that for a few days. I should be getting my per diem check for Japan tomorrow in the afternoon. That's around $1275 I think which roughly translates to $100 a day for the 13 days I am there! Which hopefully will go mostly towards food which means I should be able to save some money.
         As for the update on my paper, me and Doc emailed back and forth about my paper. I had questions about where to get certain information. I found a couple of honors paper which had the information I needed. I just need Greg's section of the paper containing the results for the paper to look sort of complete. I think we will be getting more NMR analysis done on our glasses when Greg goes over to Canada sometime this month. I don't know if we are doing more Raman studies of the high alkali content borate glasses or not. I think we should so that we have a complete set of physical data to analyse. I emailed Scott to see if he knows what happened to the book which contained the raman procedure that we used at Iowa State last summer. I need that to give a more definitive description of the method in the paper. Tomorrow is the last day I am going to be here, so I need to finish the paper so far as possible with multiple edits. I have a nagging suspicion that I have to work on it after I get back to Coe at the end of July.
         I remembered that I had to try out the aerials with Kiki so I went into workout at 5. I saw Amanda and Matt on the way and they told me that they would play with me if I did a quick run. I ran for 15 minutes sprinting the last lap, so that was about 2 miles. And then I played RB for about 45 minutes. Amanda was off today but luckily Matt was good, so we did have a good couple of games. This time they scored before I did and actually overtook me in points at some point. But I came back with serves and won both the games. I got back to see that Jessi had called me again. I keep calling her back but she is never there when I call her. I want to see her tomorrow before I leave. I think I am going to call her and make sure I see her. I called Kiki to make sure we were still on, but she told me that she had a migraine so we could practice. That sucks! I could have exercised and played more if I knew that before. But it's ok..I am still sore in my calves and butt and upper thigh. Playing RB is quite a workout, but then I need to play everyday to condition my muscles to that sort of torture. I do play everyday but the weekends. And now after tomorrow, I can't play for about a month. That will suck and I will it sorely. Atleast I can still run, although I don't know about weights anymore. I finished my hot dogs with beer. and then drank some milk and V8 to replenish me.
         I tried to finish packing my suitcase. I think its mostly done. I have to pack other stuff like chargers, music and stuff like that. I also have to dispose of the perishable food in my fridge. I talked to Doll for a long time about what went on the last couple of days and the trip to Japan and stuff. She told me that one of her friends is coming back from India. I hope the reconnection is goes well. I told her that I was going to see Kiran this weekend and she was very excited! Well, so am I!! Well, I thought I was going to talk to Andi today giving her details about my arrival tomorrow. But I think she is hanging out with her friends tonight and I don't want to disturb her. So, if she doesn't come online and tell me to call her in the next 30 mins, I'll just call her or email her tomorrow.

[Listening to: Summertime - American Pie - Music from the motion picture American Pie (3:46)]

some competition?

I saw Amanda and Matt at lunch today. Amanda tells me that she will "kick my ass" in racquetball when I get back to Coe..hehe..We'll see about that. I am sure Matt and Amanda will be worhy adversaries soon because they play hard. Amanda has the killer instinct in this game because she doesn't shy away from killing the ball when she has the oppurtunity. You know, they might actually beat me when I play them next month because I will have no practice for a month. I guess it should be interesting because they improved a helluva lot in just 10 days, saying anything else would be an understatement. Me and Amanda give so much of shit to each other, it's more fun that way. Well, I have hit her quite a few times....

Alimento Italiano

I went to bed earlier than usual, ie. before 1 am. I got up at 8.15 without the alarm, I was very surprised. Actually I was kinda scared initially because I thought I have overslept again. At work, I typed up a bit more and I have been waiting for Greg's results section to put in. I emailed Doc yesteday asking him a few questions about the paper. I just sent him another email telling him that I can't find the notebooks or papers dealing with the Raman studies from last summer or NMR studies from Canada. I am waiting to see what he says. I don't want to write about something I don't fully comprehend yet. We had Italian food from Biaggi's. It was good, and I made sure I didn't over eat this time because I still wanted to run and workout in the evening before swing dancing with Kiki. I should be done dancing by 7.45 as far as I know and I will try to complete my packing.

This is for you babe!

"When You Say Nothing At All"

It's amazing
How you can speak
Right to my heart
Without saying a word,
You can light up the dark
Try as I may
I could never explain
What I hear when
You don't say a thing

[CHORUS:]
The smile on your face
Lets me know
That you need me
There's a truth
In your eyes
Saying you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says
You'll catch me
Whenever I fall
You say it best
When you say
Nothing at all

All day long
I can hear people
Talking out loud
But when you hold me near
You drown out the crowd
(The crowd)
Try as they may
They can never define
What's been said
Between your
Heart and mine

[Repeat chorus twice]

(You say it best
When you say
Nothing at all
You say it best
When you say
Nothing at all)

The smile on your face
The truth in your eyes
The touch of your hand
Let's me know
That you need me

[Repeat chorus]

(You say it best
When you say
Nothing at all
You say it best
When you say
Nothing at all)

The smile on your face
The truth in your eyes
The touch of your hand
Let's me know
That you need me

(You say it best
When you say
Nothing at all
You say it best
When you say
Nothing at all)

            --Ronan Keating

[Listening to: Love Is The Movement - Switchfoot - Learning To Breathe (5:10)]

A must-see

I found this video while randomly going through blogs. You should see the entire video. Amazing, electrifying talent! For all you out there who has ever played Mario. This is bound to crack you up. I watched the whole thing with people watching it around me. We were all in hysteria! Enjoy

http://gprime.net/video/blindfoldedmariopianist2.php/

I am SORE!

I must have been very tired last night because I slept through my alarm in the morning. I woke up at 9.45, and saw that Bhav left me a message but she had already left before I replied to her. I got ready quick and head out to work by 10.15. My upper left thigh was pretty sore. It must have been from the marathon racquet ball I played yesterday. There is a lot of jerking involved and I hadn't played for a while. While Matt and Amanda have been playing every day, and so their muscles are used to it. And they are much fitter than I am. Anyway, I got to work and finished the experimental procedure section of the paper and started on the discussion. I asked Greg to try to finish the results section by tomorrow so that I can include that in. The high point of the day was the video of the guys playing Mario video game's music first blind folded and then takes him blind fold and goes crazy on the piano. I found some more blogs that I will add to my watchlist. My cd player is pissing me off because it doesnt play the last tracks with out pausing. I don't know what's wrong with it. The rechargeables in the cd player lasts only for 5-6 hours on a full charge. It's nowhere close to the advertised 18 hour capacity. I think I will look around for another mp3 player and this time buy it from a store so that i can take it in and get it serviced if there is a problem. I chatted with andi briefly before she had to go to baby sit. I went running at 5.45. I ran for 32 minutes sprinting the last 80 metres!!! Thats 4 miles!! I think I need music while running because after 15 minutes of running, it becomes monotonous and I need something to keep my tempo. I tried doing math in my head but that lasted only for 10 mins. I couldn't lift much because my arms were kinda sore again which was weird. I however did play racquet ball again. I had a good workout playing because I actually had to move to score points. I am still missing shots I don't think I should miss. I got back, watched TV, and started packing. Since I am leaving on thursday, i thought I might get a head start. I have packed all my shirts and trousers/jeans. I will be taking about 20 t-shirts and 4 pairs of long pants. I still have to gather the rest of the stuff that I will be taking. I chatted with Jessi for a while because I haven't seen her in a few days. I will catch up with her after I try out aerials with Kiki tomorrow. Kiran, one of my friends from way back when in hyderabad is moving near Chicago. I will see him on Sunday and catch up with him after a loooong time. This should be fun! Andi messaged when she got back from the baby sitting. She is wiped after today because she was busy all day and had only 4 hours of sleep. I have never seen my girl function offa 4 hours of sleep in the 10 months I have known her. I have actually had quite a few days when I slept for less than 5 hours...

[Listening to: Pink Triangle - Weezer - Pinkerton (3:58)]

A full day I'd gather

I talked to Andi last night when she asked me to call her around midnight. We had a long talk about me and my reaction with Urs. She got very frustrated with me getting pissy whenever I heard she was with him. She explained things again, and this time it actually got in my head and I felt much better. It's funny that she gets pissed and doesn't want to talk to me when I am mad at her. If it was me, I would get to the bottom of the problem. She just avoids confrontations all the time. I keep reiterating the fact that communication is essential in a relationship. I get frustrated too when she keeps things from me and bottles them up inside because she rather not talk about it as the situation might get uncomfortable. She does say the things on her mind, it just takes a lot of patience for me to wait for her to come to me. I told her that I wouldn't call her for the rest of the week unless she wanted to talk to me. If she wants to hang out with her ex, she can because he is leaving in a couple of weeks and the fact that she hasn't seen him for a year since she last summer that they broke up. I know the feeling as I realized yesterday that it was similar to when I met Bhavya in January 2004 at Hyderabad. I spent more than half the time there with her just hanging out. If I am insecure about this relationship just because she is spending most of her time with her ex-boyfriend at home, she could be too because of the amount of time I spend with my female friends and how close I am to them. And the fact that all of them are good looking and physically attractive. I don't know if she knows that I find her absolutely irresistible and thats more than what I can say for my other friends. From what I was told, she had asked people what the deal was with me having so many female friends early when I was getting to know her. I found that rather amusing. Doll called while I was talking to Andi but I didn't take the call because I knew Andi would be pissed if I kept her on hold. I called Doll back after I was done talking to my girl. She called to see if I was feeling better. I remember messaging her in the afternoon when I was vis-à-vis early in the attempt to simmer down. Doll was rather subdued for some reason. I told her that I was fine, and talking to Andi helped. I talked to her till 2.30 because I didn't have to get to work early as Doc was not around.
               I actually woke up easily at 8.30 and got to work earlier than everyone else under Doc. I started on my monster paper which is supposed to comprise of all the information we have gathered about alkali borates made by the solution method. I have realized this summer that what I do is more of physical chemistry and a bit of physics involved in the analysis of the glass. I got through the abstract, introduction and a third of the experimental procedure. I am aiming to finish the procedure and start on results. I hope Greg finishes his data acquisition and tweaking to get molar volumes and packing fractions as well because I have to include those graphs as well. Apart from that, I started browsing through recently updated blogs. I found a lot of blogs that will be on my watch list. I might list them on my blog as well. After I got back from lunch, I talked to Ali for a while. I think she is flirting with me because she wants me to come to birthday celebration even though she doesn't really know me because we had sustained contact at Kevin's party for the first time. I think a girl is flirting if she is being overly friendly and is doing a shit load of smiling. I left work at 4.30 and I don't remember what I did till I left to the racquet center. I got there to find Amanda and Matt playing RB. And I hadn't played for a few days. So, I decided to play with them. Amanda actually likes to play with me now because I play hard with her. She has improved a helluva lot, damn! I actually had to work for my points a bit. She is the toughest girl I have ever played. I like playing with someone who is competitive and wants me to play hard. She is also picking up more of my tough serves. I played Matt after her, and he is quick! We did threes after that. I played for over 90 minutes straight and it was a fantastic workout. I didn't feel like running after that because my leg muscles were tight. I think I am going to keep playing with them because it is helping me getting back into the groove. I am serving hard and low now which turnout relatively consistently. I am still missing shots I should not be missing but I assume that will change after enough practice. I got back from playing to find that internet was down which was a bummer. So I watched TV while eating hot dogs and drinking beer than Dustin got me. The beer was good, it was actually wheat ale I think. I went over to Jon's room and downloaded some of his music and I have been listening to it since then. I read a few of the magazines that I picked up at the mail room. The Maxim issue this month is pretty interesting, it has a hilarious survey and a lot of scantily clad personalities. I will write about the survey sometime tomorrow when I have more time. Although I think I will get some of my packing done tomorrow night because I might leave for Andi's on Thursday. She wants me to go to a swing dance thing at downtown Chicago. I will also be going to the Des Moines swing dance with Kiki on Wednesday. She got her DVDs of aerials. I will go over sometime tomorrow evening and try them out with her. I talked to my cousin and Doll for a bit. Doll still cracks me up sometimes with her protracted innocence about amm..you know..stuff..hehe

[Listening to: Memory - Sugarcult - Palm Trees And Power Lines (3:46)]

Yahoo! News - New Text-Messaging Speed Record Set

Yahoo! News - New Text-Messaging Speed Record Set


One for the text messaging nuts!

I might have a new allergy

Fighting the awkward feeling I have when I call Andi, I did call her. And then I heard that she was hanging out with her ex again at home. The moment I heard his name, my voice choked and I couldn't get myself to talk to her any more then. So, I talked to Carlo since he is leaving tomorrow. It was good to catch up with him and promised to keep in touch by the internet. I actually will try hard to meet him when I go to Italy next summer. He has been an awesome friend, I have never connected with a guy so quickly. I felt like if I had seen him more, I would have gotten to know him very well. It took me over an hour to shut myself down after calling her. I have never lost control of my emotions like this for sometime. I couldn't talk. I couldn't stop the cussing in my head. I paced around in the room listening to loud music for about 30 minutes. After I folded my laundry, I started gaining control. And then soon, I was basically shut down and my head turned quiet. It sapped a lot of my energy out in the process of cooling down. I have realized that I have never felt good on the mention of Urs since she first talked about him. It almost seems like I have an allergic reaction to his name. Seriously, this shouldn't be affecting me like this, and I don't know why I keep feeling like that. It could be the fact that I feel Andi is not making any time for me, and the time I get to talk to her is when she is half asleep. And she has been hanging out with him a lot, geez, every time I have called he is around or she is with him or going to see him. She keeps telling me not to worry, but that isn't making me feel any better. I am finding it very difficult to deal with this alone. I would feel better if she made some quality time to talk to me. Or maybe im me or something. It feels like I am forgotten. I guess that happens when you have friends around but when you are alone, you think about the other person. Doll's surprised that we don't have contact even once a day when I told her that I talked to her every third or fourth day. She thought that's how it went if two people were dating.
            I wonder if I am being taught a lesson. Life's a bitch, deal with it and learn from your mistakes. Andi is the only uncontrollable( and huge) variable in my life now. I control other spheres in my life with the things I do or don't do... But I guess thats life, not everything goes as you plan. I have noticed how most of the things in the past year are directly or indirectly related to Andi, and it's giving her a lot of credit. But its true. My grades are up, I actually made the Deans' list twice with tough classes. Friends I have made or had issues with are also related to her. Dancing classes was her idea, and I loved it. My parents actually realizing that their lil kid is maturing quick, and is capable of making tough adult decisions including relationships. It's funny how she has become the most important person in my life after family.

[Listening to: Everything You Want - Vertical Horizon - Everything You Want (4:16)]

first brunch in a couple of months

I felt like sleeping in till noon since I do it every weekend. But I was going to do brunch with Kristin and some of her friends. So, I had to wake up at 10 so that I could get there by 11. I got there and saw that I was the first person there after Matt. I helped cut the veggies for the omelettes. Kristin made omelettes, Liz made hash browns and Matt made the sausages. It was a good home cooked meal. Kristin does omelettes pretty well. We just stood around talking. It's really funny that when I get along with Kristin and talk to her, he sort of quieten downs. It almost seems like I am a threatening presence around her. But when it seems like we are not talking or something, he gets friendly with me. Another thing I have noticed about their relationship is that they don't touch each other at all. I touch Kristin in a manner of poking or tickling more than Kristin and Matt touch each other. No holding hands, no kisses even on the cheek. The relationship seems purely emotional which is wonderful, I don't ever see that. I know how alone time is good for a relationship, so whenever we are not in a group, I leave them alone. Sunny and Kristin also know how to make sure their boyfriends are not left alone. They were together all day when we were hanging out. I say these guys are lucky. Kristin and Sunny are two of the most wonderful people I have ever met, I am really lucky to have them as friends.

[Listening to: You Wanted More - American Pie - Music from the motion picture American Pie (3:52)]

talking is good!

Britta came online sometime earlier to tell me that she was sick of talking to people on the phone. So, we just chatted for a while. She told me about her time at home since I talked to her last. She is a wild thing..hehe.. She has been having a lot of fun and I dont think she thought it was possible. But as luck has it, the most unlikely things come to pass. Go Britta! She is attending a bridal shower tomorrow, that should be interesting. And then the moment I called and her phone started ringing, she msged me and told me to call her. and talk about coincidences, hahaha.. This is not the first time, its almost like I can read her mind or we are on the same wavelength. amazing. We talked to her for quite sometime and things fell into place. Lately, I really haven't been able to get a hold of her, but its ok because if I really need to talk to her, I'll tell her. I told her about the analysis of my last cell phone bill. I talked a grand total of 1600 minutes out of which Doll was about 500 mins, Andi was 350 mins, both of them forming the majority of the time used when I called them. I have realized that I spend a lot of time in the evening talking to my friends, and its all good! It seems like I talked to Doll every second or third day from my bill. Both Britta and Doll saw the pictures I posted today. I think the website is a good way for people to check my pictures without me having to worry about sending attachments and all. Maybe I will go to bed soon because I am eating brunch tomorrow morning with Kristin and some of her friends. I will get to see her before I leave for Japan. Well, she is going to China and it will be amazing for her. Both of us going abroad the same day. I might get to see her on July 7 because she is flying out of O'Hare at 12.55 pm and I depart at 12.00 pm. That will be fantastic!

[Listening to: A Tendency To start Fires - Bush - Razorblade Suitcase (4:04)]

Kristin and Matt. They look good together. Well, they are actually perfect for each other. I know both of them very well, Kristin from freshman spring and Matt from research and physics classes. 

Kristin giving me the cute smile and Sunny caught unawares at the buffet line in Metro Buffet. 

Thats me, Sunny and Alex in the car on the way to lunch. We are checking out the cool flip out LCD screen on my camera. 

The lovely couple who came down to visit us from Seattle! That's sunny and her boyfriend. 

We ate lunch at the Metro Buffet. From the top left clockwise, Me (joy), Sunny (Mary), Alex, Matt, and Kristin.  

a ray of sunshine

Mary got here at 11 in the morning. I went down to meet her and she looked different. She has been growing out her hair since I have seen her last. I like her look with the long hair, very cute. I also met her boyfriend Alex. He is a cool guy and I liked him from when I met him. He has a strong handshake, not many guys give firm hand shakes anymore. We found Kristin and hung out for a while at the Cosmos office. I saw their spankin' new G5's. They have 3 G5s with 19 inch flat panels and 1 G5 with a fantastic 23 inch wide flat panel display. This is stuff to drool over if there was any thing to drool over. A grand total of $16000 for these 4 computers, baby, they ain't cheap. We then went to Metro Buffet to do lunch. We tried a lot of stuff and we liked the food. I paid for lunch as my treat. It wasn't very expensive for the 5 of us, just $35. It was sunny and her boyfriend, Kristin, Matt and me. We then went shopping to Target and just fooled around. I love these girls, they have so much of kid left in them. They were playing with the toys we bought as kids, pressing tummies to hear the voices. Even Alex partook in this touch based fun. We then head back to Coe and went to the apartment where Kristin was staying since being here. We just chilled and talked and then started the mayhem. We started playing card games which involving hand slapping, ground tapping, vicious grabbing of spoons. We played spoons and 31. Spoons was so much of fun, it was funny how I kept getting in Matt's way to grab a spoon. Sometimes I was so quick that I grabbed two spoons at once. We had so much of fun! And then around 6, Sunny decided that they needed to get back since they were driving back to Rochester. I told her that I would go visit her at Seattle sometimes since she has been down here twice to meet me. I talked to Kristin about trying to go there maybe after she got back from Ireland. We were totally fine today, we laughed and poked and tickled each other. By the way, there was a lot of tickling and poking between me, mary and kristin. felt like old times! So, I am still getting mixed signals about our friendship. I guess I stil have to talk to her and figure stuff out. I got back and watched the Seige. And now, i am blogging. Britta called me but I missed her call. She said that she would call me back after she was done talking to someone on the phone. I think I might call Doll because she called me yesterday and I couldn't talk to her because I was partying.

[Listening to: Pink Triangle - Weezer - Pinkerton (3:58)]

CNN.com - Moore defends 'Fahrenheit' - Jun 25, 2004

CNN.com - Moore defends 'Fahrenheit' - Jun 25, 2004

Say, more heat for Fahrenheit..hehe..get it? What a pj!

buddies!

I woke up to sunny calling me in the morning to tell me that she was on her way down. She should be here anytime soon. And then, I saw Bhavya's messages and got really excited that I could finally chat with her. I also got her reply to the email I sent her. She has been checking my blog out. Her summer doesn't seem any different from her normal college life schedule because she is as busy as ever. If emails and weekends chats are all we can do, I think it's ok since that was primarily what we did during my freshman year. And her mom bought her a digital camera, so she has no excuses now regarding pictures. She wil have to take em and send them to me. I have 1 picture with her in the 5 years I have known her. Pretty amazing, huh? I have been chatting with her for a while..

[Listening to: Cold Hard Bitch - JET - Get Born (4:03)]

crazy night!

Marty drove me over to the theatre where we were going to watch Fahrenheit 9/11. We had to wait there for 30 mins to get in! And we saw a lot of coe people including staff and faculty. Due to the controversial nature of the movie, the manager of the theatre gave a disclaimer and also said that if he didnt get the movie in his theatre, this movie probably would not have shown in Cedar Rapids. This documentary TRASHES Bush, yup..that basically sums up the movie. I am pretty sure that this movie was biased and in some cases, quotes may have been taken out of context. But overall, this was very informational and sensationalist in nature. I don't think a republican could have lasted 5 mins through the movie. People clapped, cheered, jeered, flipped the President, it was all happening here. One of the most interesting parts of the movie was about the enlistment in the Iraq war and where they are getting most of their recruits. And the fact that only one out of the 550 congressmen's son was in the Iraq War. Mike Moore went out and tried to get other congressmen to sign up their sons but they all either refused or mostly ran away. Seems like a cowardly bunch since they are the ones who passes the decision on going to war. This movie was very intense, it made me say "what the @$#&?" quite a few times. However, it showed Saudis in a bad light although they were talking most about their business interests in the US. they apparently have a $850 BILLION invested in the financial and industrial US. they have over a trillion dollars in banks in the US, so if they were ever to remove their money, there goes the US economy. I wonder if Andi would want to see this movie with me, I would like her to give me the other side of the equation.
            I got back and went to Kevin's party. I had a few glasses of wine and some other stuff. And then, when the girls came, the craziness started. We all were grinding for a long time! And girls flashed. Ali flashed me thrice! It was a wonderful evening and night. I got to see Kevin and I went up to say hi to Kristin. I think I will call her later next week and I need to talk to her about stuff and get things straightened out. The reason for the party was because Sean came down to visit Joe and Kevin. How many friends would do that for you, drive 4 hours in the case of Sean and 8 hours in case of Kristin, just to see friends? Mary came down to Cedar Rapids primarily to see me. We are lucky.. I got to bed after 3!

[Listening to: Let You Know - Hoobastank - (3:39)]

CNN.com - Czech company?creates pot-flavored beverage - Jun 25, 2004

CNN.com - Czech company?creates pot-flavored beverage - Jun 25, 2004

This is hilarious! Pot flavored alcohol, what will they come up with next? tobacco flavored beverage for the smokers? This is so outrageous, it's absurd! damn!

postcards?

While going past the library in the morning, it hit that I never removed andi's postcard from the Rule of Four. I had checked it in a few days back, I found out that someone at the front desk had checked it out after me. But he found the postcard and left it in lost and found. So, I retrieved it and got it back to my room. I also got a postcard from Kit today that he sent from Washington DC. That was a nice gesture. I should ask him to send me his snail address so that I can send him a postcard from Japan. I didn't really do anything in the morning because the stuff I needed to use was already being used by other people. I made the 5.0 in the afternoon and it made glass!! I actually go a Tg for this one. I was surprised and so was Doc actually. He doesnt know what's going on in the structure for this trend. He was happy with the results. I talked to him because I wouldn't see him before I left for Japan. He gave me my perdiem check of $1276 for 13 days! I should be saving money from this trip. I should also get a big paycheck at the end of the month. All that is left to do is my paper which had to be a comprehensive account of everything in the solution method relating to alkali borates. That's a huge paper and I am supposed to do it by next thursday and hand in a relatively complete account! I think Greg will be helping me with the data acquisition.

[Listening to: For the Moments I Feel Faint - Relient K - The Anatomy of the Tongue in Cheek (3:47)]

got some time..

I just got talking to Andi. We talked about what went on during the past two weeks. And like usual, she was half asleep through the last part of the conversation. She admitted that she understood why I felt the way about her and her ex. I sort of told her what was going on in my head because I thought she ought to know. I know it's hard for her to balance her friendship with ex with our relationship. But I think it is normal for me to feel this way given the circumstances. And now comes the issue of when to talk, I am busy till 4-5 with work and then I exercise. So, I am done and am free post 8 but that's when she is out doing stuff or hanging out. And, the idea of talking to her being half asleep is losing its charm.. But if that the only time I can get, that's the only time I get. But then I am getting used to the calls in the night, and there is only another week here. I think what I told her earlier might have made her sad, but I had to tell her how I felt. If I wanted to bottle up my emotions, I probably could. But since we are being honest with each other, communication is good. I don't want her to bottle her feeling either. If she has a problem with anything that I am doing, I expect her to tell me so that we can discuss it. Bottling of emotions is bad, just like a dormant volcano waiting to erupt. But then there are always exceptions to the rule.

[Listening to: Don't Leave Home - Dido - Life For Rent (3:46)]

my mind's a turmoil

Ok..now, I have to sort through my thoughts since Andi has been back. Before she got back, I missed her but I was really good and happy all of the last two weeks. I had a few of the best weekends ever, even the setbacks at work couldn't get me down. And I got Andi's postcard the day she was supposed to get back, and that the euphoric high. And since, my mood being going sorta downhill. It started with her call at midnight when I got to bed. Her phonecall that woke me up was fine..and then she told me that the first thing she did was run with the younger people at home and go across town and see her ex-boyfriend. And then, they hung out at a sports bar. And the time she got to call me was past midnight. She got back early enough to atleast have called me and told me that she was back in town. I was actually waiting for her to call. I realized that they had been back when I saw her mom login in to AIM. The mention of her ex-boyfriend set it off. I couldn't really talk because I was on the verge of sleeping and my mind was mostly offline for the night, and I couldn't concentrate on the conversation. So, next morning I emailed her and said hi properly this time. I got back from work early and called her because she told me that she was free during the day. Only to find out that she couldn't talk to me because she was leaving to go and hang out with her ex-boyfriend. And then there was a party that she was going to with him. All the activities isn't what is bothering me because if it had been anyone but Urs, I could care less. And then she hung out with him all evening from what I got out of the short conversation I had with her just now. He is over at her house now. Now, the thing that is bothering me is that I haven't been able to talk to her properly since she has been back. and she is spending a LOT of time with Urs. I know he is there for a month but the gray area with ex-boyfriends is very thin. I trust her but when ever she tells me that she is with Urs, it makes my chest feel tight. I just wish she made time for me. I know I would have for her. If it came between talking to andi if at that point I hadn't talked to her for a while, and hanging out with a friend, it would be a no brainer for me. I want her to hang out with her friends and have fun. But this now just doesnt feel right to me. She told me about her ex-boyfriend and related stuff especially about the breakup, and thats the reason my mind's not at ease eventhough I trust Andi. Something to break trust can happen in a split second. I know that pretty well, so I try to stay away from such situations if possible or be careful otherwise. I am now worried about my stay there before I leave for Japan because Urs will be around for sure. And I know its going to be awkward with him with Andi around, although I am curious to meet him in person. I wonder how she would react if this was happening to her. I have noticed that Kristin and Matt chat or talk everyday even if it's for 10 minutes. I called Andi and sounded pretty bad, and I felt crappy because of the way I sounded.

[Listening to: ben folds five - selfless, cold and composed - Ben Folds Five - (6:10)]

busy bee

After work, I played racquetball with Jon. It was a good warmup for the rest of the time at the racquet center. I then ran briskly for 5 mins and sprinted about 280 metres in 40 seconds. I then walked the 280 metres and saw that I made it in 2 m 20 secs. I can normally do that running in 1 m 10 s. So I think I do a good pace. I then played with Amanda. She is a tennis player and her skills come into focus when playing RB. I have never seen a girl kill the ball the way she has. It's been one of the most intense couple of games with a girl. I think if she keeps playing, she will be a very capable player. I did however win both the games because I serve hard and low and then haven't been able to come up with a good counter yet. I hurried back because I had to shower because I met Jessi to go the movie. We met Jenna there and it was really good to see her. Kill Bill 2 wasn't as gory as the first one. Jessi was very impressed with Uma Thurman and now is her role model. The three of us talked and then I saw Marty there. So, I talked to him for a while and then heard they were watching Fahrenheit 9/11. So, I went and bought a ticket for tomorrow. I think it will be a good movie/documentary. I wonder if it will make me as sad as Bowling for Columbine. I got back and went over to Jessi's for a while. I then felt like talking to Andi so I left. I called Andi sometime back and her ex-boyfriend was over and they were hanging out. So, she says she'll call me back at 11.30....

[Listening to: Last Train Home - Lostprophets - Start Something (4:03)]

Found this on a blog!

"Women might be able to fake orgasms. But men can fake a whole
relationship."
Sharon Stone

"There are a number of mechanical devices which increase sexual arousal, particularly in women. Chief among these is the Mercedes-Benz 380SL."
Lynn Lavner

"Hockey is a sport for white men. Basketball is a sport for black men. Golf is a sport for white men dressed like black pimps."
Tiger Woods

"Clinton lied. A man might forget where he parks or where he lives,
but he never forgets oral sex, no matter how bad it is."
Barbara Bush
(Former US First Lady, and you didn't think Barbara had a sense of humor)

"Ah, yes, divorce, from the Latin word meaning to rip out a man's genitals through his wallet."
Robin Williams

"According to a new survey, women say they feel more comfortable undressing in front of men than they do undressing in front of other women. They say that women are too judgmental, where, of course, men are just grateful."
Robert De Niro

"There's a new medical crisis. Doctors are reporting that many men are having allergic reactions to latex condoms. They say they cause severe swelling. So what's the problem?"
Dustin Hoffman

"It isn't premarital sex if you have no intention of getting married."
George Burns

so close!

I made the 4.0 in the N2 environment glove box and it seemed like it made wonderful clear glass and lot of it. But then when we ran the DSC, it didn't give us a Tg. So, it didnt make glass. Apparently the 4.0 wants to make crystal more than glass. I will be trying a 5.0 just to check but somehow I don't think that will make glass. We also did a 2.0 and got a good density result. I am now in a work mode, because I stayed till 12.45 doing density instead of going to lunch at 12.

Jessi called and asked if I wanted to go see Kill Bill Vol.2 with her and Jenna. I want to see the movie so I think I am going with them. I haven't seen Jenna in a while so I get to meet up with her.

maybe that was rude

I think I might apologize to Jessi for talking to Britta while I was at her place. The reason I talked to Britta then because she started watching a movie and I had seen it before... I wonder if that was rude or ok..After I was done talking, Jessi went to bed rather quickly. That is what prompted the thought last night.

8 more days at Coe

Since I slept before midnight for the first time this summer, I got up at 7.30 effortlessly. After I got to work, I checked up on the solution that I had made before the softball game. It was still bubbling, so I had to wait for that to dry out. This is the last glass in the borate family to make because I don't think even this composition can make glass. And compositions beyond R=3 was attacking the platinum crucible which was a bad thing. So, I switched to the carbon crucibles. We had chinese food for the wednesday luncheon which was great. But then food is good on wednesday anyway. Mario and Matt talked about their trip to China. It was a fun talk because they showed us a lot of pictures to places they had been and its history or significance. And after that Doc had a meeting where he wanted us to show the results we got so far. We are now almost done with the alkali borate family and are moving on to alkaline earth borates. He also gave us the friday before July 4th weekend off. So, I can leave early friday if I want to. I cleaned the crucible which had the green stains from reacting with the precipitate and found that it lost .08 g which is quite a lot actually.
I got back from work at 4.30 and tried calling Andi but she had to leave to hang out with her ex-boyfriend. I called Britta but couldn't talk to her then because her mom was expecting a call. So, I napped for about 30 minutes before Jessi called me to tell me that she was on her way from work. I got ready and went down to Gage to meet her. We ran for 17 minutes again at the same quick pace and I was pretty tired at the end of the run. We lifted weights for a while and talked. I introduced her to Matt and Amanda after she reminded me too. That's because we seem them exercising at the racquet center everyday and I talk to them and its the courteous thing to do. I got back and took a shower and ate. I watched X2 for a while before Jessi headed over to the Writing Center to work off her hours. I went down there and hung out with her to give her some company and I didn't feel like being alone. So, we basically talked again.
I have realized that she is the only friend that I had since freshman year that I haven't had any problems with. We have always been open and frank in our friendship. She asked me why marijauna was illegal while cigarettes and alchohol was legal. She gave me a convincing argument for the legalization of marijuana. I couldn't think of anything to counter it. Although, she thinks marijuana could be made legal, she is personally against doing any form of drugs herself. She draws the lines at drugs at marijuana. Weed apparently is not habit forming, cigarettes are more habit forming and dangerous to health. Alcohol had the same numbing sensation as weed yet it's legal. I want to talk to someone against the legalization of marijuana and hear their counter argument.
Britta called me while I was at the writing center and I called her back when I was at Jessi's apartment later. I talked to her for half an hour because she had to get to bed early. She had to take her mom to Wichita for a doctor's appointment. She is having fun there and it's good to hear. I'll call her sometime in the next few days again. I got back and went to talk to Matt and Andi called when I wasn't in the room. When I got back I saw her missed call and message and called back. But I think I woke her mom up and felt bad about it. I left a message for her anyway. I watched the rest of X2 because I wasn't sleepy at midnight.

miss my girl

I am still working at peterson but I feel like talking to Andi. Unfortunately, I still have stuff thats going on that I can't leave..damn..I might call her before I go running if she is around. She called last night but I couldn't talk to her properly because I was half asleep. That's a complete reversal for the first time EVER because she is usually half asleep when I talk to her in the night.

searching for cerulean

I was always curious to about the meaning or definition of cerulean. My interest was partially due to a screen name and then I also noticed that Trillian was developed by Cerulean Studios. This is the definition I found when I searched Yahoo!. Cerulean is Cerulean2485's favorite color. It makes sense now.

cerulean
SYLLABICATION: ce ru le an
ADJECTIVE: Azure; sky-blue.
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin caeruleus, dark blue; akin to akin to caelum, sky.

lotsa sports!

Today's research was pretty mundane. The 3.5 didn't make glass because the DSC did not yield a Tg. So, we are going to try 4.0 the last and then move on to alkaline earth borates. We emailed Kodama to see if he had the details about the starting materials to use. I guess we wait for his reply to move beyond lithium borate. We got our asses whooped in softball yet again, a 10-1 defeat which seemed better than the ass kicking 24-3 we lost last summer. I got to talk to Kiki for a bit because she played for the economics department. And then, me, Greg and Jon played quite a few games of racquetball which was awesome. The last two games with Greg were the best of the lot because I actually got a workout. I think I will be playing more with them from now on. I will try to convince Amanda to play with us as well because I know Matt wants to. I haven't seen any girl kill the ball the way Amanda does, although its her tennis techniques coming into play. I tried running but I couldn't because my sides started hurting. It was probably due to the fact that I ate barbeque stuff an hour and a half before attempting to run. I did do weights though. I got back and watched some TV. So, this day has been good so far. I called Britta to see if she was around, but she wasn't. I also think Andi gets back tonight, although I don't know when. I'll probably get to talk to her tomorrow.

[Listening to: Open Your Eyes - 12 Stones - 12 Stones (3:11)]

I got mail!

I got a postcard, I got a postcard, from my girl! I feel special and happy all over, yaayyy! Makes my day all better:).

Doll read cerulean2485's monologue. She thinks that cerulean2485 really cares for me and has a fun humor streak . I concur. I really care for cerulean2485, a LOT! Who is this mystery person?

[Listening to: shelter - Sonicflood - Cry Holy (4:25)]