A Clip Show Trip

Hello folks! I’m back from the trip. Actually I’ve been back for a few days but the Christmas shopping has taken its toll on my blogging time. So, without further adieu, here is my trip in blog form (a very quick rundown):

Day 1: at the airport and Half Moon Bay, or A.K.A. celebrities and a lost boy

First off, I hate the security at the airport. If I had to take any thing else off I wanted tips. Any way, we were waiting for our plane and then the girls started to screetch and shout and in that painful noise were the words “Todd” and “Survivor”. So I guess Todd from Survivor walked by. That drug all the girls across the terminal for a while. Amongst all for that noise, there was the announcer voice saying: “we have a lost child, wearing…” and lucky us, he was sleeping under the chairs right by us, so we waived the police over and all was right with the world for the time being.

Half Moon Bay was amazing. The resort was spectacular and the view right out my window was the beach and cliffs. Very picturesque, so what did I do you might ask? Took pictures, and loved it. We went on the hotel tour and talked with every one and did all the work business, then it was time for dinner. The first thing that I will say about this is that I was very nervous about my manners and such. That was not a problem however. The food was spectacular. After dinner we went out to the patio area of the hotel and had a sort of informal meet and greet with some of the hotel staff. And that I had to be there for, so unfortunately I did not get to see my Aunt L. that evening, but it was still fun. Lots of crazy stories circulated about with every one, some about things that were over heard in the club lounge (including a former Adult Film Star having inappropriate conversations and a girl that was actually from my Optics class there screwing the boss at her work). So the next thing that we did was go to the Club Lounge to get in on some of the interesting happenings, but sadly they were done upon our arrival. So we hung out there until close and had some wine. Then it was to one of the rooms to watch a movie. That lasted approximately 10 minutes. Every one was so tired that the movie had just started and then the party died. I went across the hall to my room and went to bed.

Day 2: Half Moon over to Frisco

The next morning I woke up, went to the Club Lounge for a bite to eat then I went to the patio area to just watch the waves all morning. A very leisurely start to the hectic day. We departed Half Moon Bay and drove to the hotel in San Francisco. The ambiance there was much less laid back, and not as much fun at the property as the other. We had a few hours of free time, and the hotel being only a couple of blocks from China Town, that is where we went. Walking and laughing and buying useless and gross and fun souvenirs. I bought some good tea as well. Fantastic tea in China town. Then it was the usual business of meet and greet hotel staff and tours and the like. After that dinner. The food I was a little disappointed in. Not as good as Half Moon, but still an excellent steak. The free time that evening we went down to union Square and most every one was running and screwing off, spreading the Christmas cheer (or annoyance, either/or). The stores were closed, but the walk/adventure was compleate with pictures and pot smoking bums and a waterfall of piss left by an embarrassed fellow who didn’t know we were about to walk up those stairs.

Day 3: the tour and to home

When we awoke we all met in the club lounge for breakfast. Sometimes I think fancy can get ridiculous. I ate oatmeal out of a martini glass. ‘Nuff said. After breakfast we went on a bus tour of San Francisco. There is not much to say, because most every one reading this has been there done that. The walk on Fisherman’s Warf was fun, and also the home of the next celebrity sighting. The guy was apparently on some rap show on tv that I have never seen, so I will spare you those details as well (just the gardener from “Desperate Housewives”).

Then it was pretty much uneventful all the way home. Now I’m tired, so that’s it. I will fill in more details as they come, but that’s the trip in a nutshell. I will have pictures up soon, and this site looks like it may not provide what I want, so I may just have a link to another site with them.

Good night all.

T

The Dust Settles

Well every one, finals are over. The tests have been taken and the dust is yet to settle. By that I mean the grades have not been posted, so the results are still unknown. They should be good from how I felt about the tests, but I have been tricked before. The Optics test went well I think, and there was miraculously enough time to finish this round. I feel decent about that one. The Calculus test went fine as well, but there were a couple of solutions that popped into my head on my way to the car, but the professor is pretty liberal with partial credit.

I’m here at work till 1am today, then it’s off to San Francisco and Half Moon Bay tomorrow. This is going to be a welcome break. Though it is a work trip I actually have to take tours and learn things about the hotels, but there is free time. Those latter two words are rarely in my vocabulary, so I plan on using it to its full extent. I am going to bring my camera so there will be a new round of pictures to show every one on my return. At night I plan on reading, then some reading and after that more reading. I am currently working on Beowulf. I am a little ashamed to admit that it was the movie that made me want to read it. Now you are probably thinking the same thing. “What a poser” are probably your thoughts right now; but let me explain. I did enjoy the movie, although when I was watching it I was thinking “this is good, but if the poem has been around for hundreds of years, this can’t be all there is to it.” And I was right. The book is fantastic. Much better than the movie (of course). There is one thing that you will have to keep in mind though; it is very quick and not much detail (it is technically a “poem”).

And most of you (who care) are now also wondering “weren’t you just reading Don Delillo’s Falling Man?” The awnswer is yes, so let’s do a book review now shall we:

Falling Man by Don Dellilo. This book was great from cover to cover. As I have said before, Delillo’s books are not to be read for action or plot, because frankly both suck. The best thing is the way he writes. The term “wordsmith” is rarely used, but perfectly fitting here. The book is about the changes in peoples lives after 9/11 and that’s all. The book however discusses the concept of individuality and how we go from a collective group to the outside of that group, and the steps we take back and fourth. Also the routines and repetitions that we do on a daily basis, that bring us to a sense of normalcy, and the breaking or changing of those. The two concepts are most heavily contrasted by the character Keith, one of the survivors of the falling towers, and Hammond, a fictitious terrorist that hijacks one of the planes. In addressing the two issues he points out the loss and gain of the “self” or individual that we have when we are part of a mess of information and just manes and numbers, to being outside of that and what we find in ourselves there. Fantastic read if I don’t say so myself, and I do.

T

On The Eve Of Battle...

Good evening everyone. I have some slow time here at work, so I figure I will give everyone the usual check in. Yes, I do have a final tomorrow, but I have studied so much I think my brain is actually full. Grey Matter real-estate is at an all time high with premium mental interest rates. For those of you who I have not complained about this to yet, my study guide for Optics is 170 pages long. That is just the study guide. That is not a study guide; that is technically a novel if you as me. Or a text book in its own right.

Needless to say I have not been outside very much in the last few days. I have been walled up in my little study hole pretty much non-stop. I do feel ready for the test however, so “bring it on” I say, “I have studied for you, and you will know you were in a fight, that’s for sure”. The test is tomorrow, and then I have a day and a half to get ready for the next final on Wednesday. After that I am free. Free for a couple of weeks, then to do it all over again. Only a few more semesters to go then I am done. The light is at the end of the tunnel and approaching rapidly. The only thing after that is to decide what to do with the rest of my life, which is a good situation to be in. Or maybe not, considering the gravity of the choices at hand. I have never known exactly what I want to do with the rest of my life, so the choices are many. Maybe.

I am also on the recovering end of the sniffles. If that is not a typical pain in the ass of the season I do not know what is. It started in my sinuses, and went to my chest. Try not to be too envious, because I can get you one for Christmas if you want. In fact I think that is what Santa’s “lump of coal” is referring to. A metaphor of the cruelest kind. When you think about it, coal in winter is not a bad gift, because you can heat it to make you warm. So, I believe that this “lump of coal” is actually the Flu. That’s right- if you are a bad kid, Santa will come and empty his nose in your face while you are sleeping. Isn’t that worse? I thought so. And being that everyone gets sick around the holidays, does that mean that we were all bad at one point? Very likely I think.

I have had so many cough drops that my skin drips of Hall’s Vapor Action. I now move about in a fine mist of relief, save maybe the dogs to whom I am Tear-Gas in hair gel. The Flu and getting sick go hand in hand in with the word “winter” my head. That’s not the only thing mind you, I do find other thoughts associated with winter. So let’s try some free association shall we:

Winter- snow and snot rags.

Christmas- caroling, presents and snot rags. Oh, and family and pajamas.

New Years- snot rags and hang-overs (I mean, just he Flu Mom).

Skiing- frost on my skin. (No snot rags that time, but sure to follow).

Snow- irritation (shoveling, driving in and getting everything covered in). And snot rags.

Thanksgiving- turkey, gaudy sweaters, little children (just from the extended family, you know the screeching and diapers making life hell below the knees?), snot rags.

Christmas shopping- slippery parking lots at the mall and other people’s snot rags.

Snot rags- snot rags.

Notice a little pattern? Me too. I will be glad to see the spring rains. Now its off to home, to get sleep for the big day tomorrow, and study more the next. I shall let all of you know the outcome.

T

End of the Semester and Other Stuff

Good afternoon/evening/morning every one. There is a lot to say and not a lot to say, depending on how bored you want to be. Tomorrow is my last day of actual classes, then the dreaded finals ensue. So lets go over the last of the school checklist for the next few weeks shall we:

Calculus III- this class is winding down, however there is only one actual day left, and he still has a bit to lecture on. Not only that, the professor also is planning a quiz on the last day. That’s right, you heard me, the last day. How bad is that? This course is getting poor reviews from me, rest assured. In fact, I think that all of my classes this semester will be getting bad reviews. This has been an unnecessarily bad semester, due to disorganized professors.

Modern Optics I & II- the final lecture was today, and tomorrow will be a quick review of what to expect on the final. This is probably the hardest course I have taken to date. This is good, but this professor also has a home work assignment due on the day of the final. Classes are over mind you, and we still have home work. B.S. I say! B.S.! but there is nothing to be done about that now. Just complain later. Other complaints fall on deaf ears.

Lab for PS & E II- done. That’s the last of it. Just a quiet exit.

Now for other things. The term “burned out” fails to describe my current state of being. I am in great need of a break. And thank you to From Russia with Love and my parents who in recent days have had to put up with my ornery attitude and lack of energy, and also show me never ending support no matter how grumpy and tired and brain fried I may be. After finals my attitude will improve (hopefully, unless it dwindles more under the thought of a new semester a couple of weeks over the horizon) and we can all enjoy the holidays. Right after finals I am going on a company trip to San Francisco where I will meet up with my Aunt L. and also get pampered Ritz-Carlton style (I say style, because those hotels are nothing but and this entire trip is comped!). From Russia with Love will not be able to join me unfortunately be cause it is technically a “work trip” and she is no longer employed there. I will have enough fun for the both of us Hon, I promise!

Movies:

I went to No Country for Old Men. This movie was fantastic to say the least. And for every one that is going to see this movie and has not yet, the following may contain spoilers. Fist off, one of the fundamental things about westerns is the lawlessness and the gun slinging “wild wild west” type of setting they are all in is an essential part of this movie. I need to state the obvious because of the creative genius that this movie takes with it. In western movies the hero, usually a sheriff or marshal or some sort of law man, is fighting the people who are the “lawless” and “wild” terrorizing the innocent, but at the same time when he brings order he is also bringing about the end of his “era” to say. Moreover he is creating his own obsolescence, driving this “era” into the modern and civilized where his type of justice is no longer needed, instead you have courts and trials and not shootouts for example. All of this is important in understanding Tommy Lee Jones’ character. The movie sort of starts of on that kind of a note with the narrator, a friendlier and better time having past. Tommy Lee Jones’ character is a sheriff in 1980 Texas on the trail of a man who stumbled across a large amount of money in the aftermath of a drug deal gone bad in the desert, and also the killer after him trying to reclaim the money, and all sorts of moral ambiguity follow. The flexibility of morals, or just the definition of what is right and wrong, are in stark contrast to Jones’ character. His past time of good and bad being in black and white are gone, and the man he is trying to protect (Moss) is motivated only by greed, or is it a finders keepers type of idea he has? Or is it wrong to steal from bad people? Either way, he is a sort of protagonist in the story that we are rooting for (sort of), even though having essentially stolen the money from dangerous people and therefore his morality is also blurred (or is it? when and from who, is stealing acceptable?) . The killer also inhabits his own morality and code of ethics, which makes sense only to him in his crazy mind, and you finally have a comparison between “crazy” and “normal” ethics, and the blurred lines in between. The sheriff (Jones) is the only one with a traditional sense of good and bad, and is merely an observer of the events that unfold, and how he finally realizes that he is now “obsolete”. There is also the power struggle of the “hunter” and the “hunted” that goes on interchangeably with all of the characters in the film, and you are wondering the whole time who will come out on top? And to me, the final realization is that you are now wondering (in Jones’ character’s shoes): with people being as bad as they are, does it matter?

That will do it for me tonight folks. I must now retreat to books and study for my quiz tomorrow. The last day of class. Ugh.

T

The Friday Evening/Satudray Morning Post

Happy Friday folks. It’s the end of the week for me, and only three days left of classes. The finals are still on the horizon, however the “not having class” thing will give me enough time to prepare.

Work is a little heavier this week. The actual work is slow (hence my blogging) but there was a girl here who got demoted and we had to divvy up her shifts, and I got a couple of them. So needles to say, I’m here more than I planned on but I do have a bit of free time.

Time for the check list:

Modern Optics I & II- the make up alb was today. The one I chose to make up was a really easy one (not because I just wanted to. It was my lowest score. But I had done a less that wonderful job on the report) so it took me about 2 and a half hours instead of the normal four and a half or more. And the score should be excellent (I have learned a lot about lab reports since then).

Calculus III- blah. Nothing exciting or note worthy since my last post.

The “No RockStar” thing is spectacular. I have not had a drop since the original post. And honestly I feel much better. No crash from the energy drinks, and I am more alert and functional. I also sleep a bit better. That’s always a plus.

And back to the original subject of this post. The school to work and home to sleep then over again routine has got me very burned out. Speaking of burning out- I’m done for the night. More tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Bad Weather and Good Times

Well folks, its one of those days just after the snow storm when every thing out side is covered in slush (snow’s retarded cousin). The kind of slush that you look out the window at and just feel wet up to your knees and the overwhelming distaste for the outdoors sets in and walking from place to place seems the biggest chore. The only practical solution, sitting inside and reading with a warm cup of tea, is the only one that is not do-able.

There is a lot of material to cover so let’s get started shall we. I think school first:

Lab for PS & E II- the actual labs are finished up. There is a make up that I will be attending next week. Not because I have to mind you, just so I can replace a bad score that I got. Just a little bit to help my grade.

Calculus III- this class situation is interesting. The quiz scores that I have are pretty good, although we had one today that leaves a little to be desired but the rest are satisfactory. The mid-term grades are all fine and acceptable. The only thing that is left is the final, and that has me a little nervous. Every thing else here is just tedious typing that you may just glaze over.

Modern Optics I & II- this class has been whooping me from side to side and front to back. Fortunately I think that I have been doing a good job of whooping back. The test results still have yet to come back, but I feel fairly confident in them. The final grade should be good, final exam permitting. The labs for this course have finally ended. That puts me in an indescribable state of glee. The last one has been turned into a lecture/demo, so it will be an easy full credit. There is also a make up section for this one as well which I also plan on attending, just to boost my scores. This one will be nicer (having done the lab itself already) and significantly less painful.

Other things- they have been going well. From Russia with Love is doing fine, just working and off on her little adventures in between her two jobs and time with me (which she does not get much of, and when it’s there its mostly just eating and sleeping. This will be improving as well in the coming weeks sans-school).

Thanksgiving was fantastic. We went to my Aunt M’s place in Heber and relaxed and enjoyed the company of family and friends. It was good to see all of my cousins again, hear the crazy stories they have, of a life more exciting that mine. The up side to that is when I am done with school that will improve. Well, I can’t say more exciting because I like my shoes, and would not want to walk in theirs. I just find other peoples lives fascinating at times.

We also went to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra last night. From Russia with Love and I got to the restaurant very early to hold a table for the rest of the party that was all arriving from work, and within about an hour the all finally trickled in. then after dinner we went to the show. The light show was spectacular. So many bright colors. The music was good as well. It brings to mind a question that I have pondered many times: what could make classical music better? The answer is a thundering base and flames. The stuff they had at first I was a little un-impressed with, but over all the show was good.

And now movies. I have been to a couple since I last updated, so here we go:

Beowulf: the movie was entertaining. The only complaint that I have is with the CGI. The entire movie was animated, but not in the usual way. What they did is put the actors in blue suits and had them act the movie, then they went through and filled in every thing with the computerized cartoons, or computertoons as a have come to call it (the actual process is called motion capture). The draw backs are that a lot of the acting they did through the facial expressions is a little lost, and the eyes seem to be staring off into no space like they are blind (a bit more distracting in 3D, because I wanted to peek over my shoulder a couple of times to see what they were looking at). That is a little detracting, but the 3D is cool, especially with the dragon at the end. That was awesome. Apperantly the story line was changed up a bit, but knowing the changes they made, it was for a better movie. To leave it unchanged and true to the book (as I understand the story to be, I have not read it yet) would drag the movie out for another hour or so, with more cast to deal with, and a lot more history of the current characters. If nothing else, it had Angelina Jolie’s ass in 3D. I smell an Oscar for that alone.

Hitman: the trend of making video games into movies is one that I am liking. The lack of originality in movies lately is staggering almost. With the video games there is an over-the-top weirdness that comes with them, specifically a more in depth (and tacky at times) storyline. This can make for a good movie. This one had lots of good action with a vary stylized type of film making that brought the video game feel to screen very nicely. Definitely not a thinker type of movie, but lots of shoot’em up spy caper fun.

That will do it for me this evening folks. Work is a harsh mistress, and now she beckons.

T

The Quick and The Busy

Well I ended up with a few minutes to kill here at work, so I figured I would update this thing at least once more before Thanksgiving.

There is not a lot to say. From Russia with Love’s play King Lear closes tonight. That will make her happy. Don’t get me wrong, she loves acting, but this has been a little stressful for her. I took her flowers after the play last night. I always thought that was supposed to be a tradition for closing night. Boy oh boy how incorrect I was. Apparently it is kosher to bring them at any time you attend the play. So when I went and sat through the thing I showed with no sorts of greenery. How embarrassing. But at least I brought them at some point right? Sometimes it’s the thought that counts.

We are going to see Beowulf tomorrow night, and I am thoroughly excited about that. I will let you all know what I think (of course, isn’t that all I do here?).

And school is just dandy as hard candy. The test I had in calculus went “so-so”, or let’s just say that I am thankful for partial credit. Optics has a test on Wednesday that has got me stressed out of any sort of common sense. I can’t even think about it without messing my shorts.

That will just about do it for me folks. I hope I can write again before the holiday, but no promises.

T