mikman52's Xanga

Good Living

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 03:56:53 GMT

This past week and a half has been so ideal. Family and Friends.

August 29: Tim's Party
-Federal Hill, Beirut, Funny Dog, Cigars, Roof Deck, Peanut Butter Cookies, Gin Bucket, Crab Chips, Twentysomethings

August 30: Lani's Party and Jenk's Party
-Awkward Dancing with Relatives, Line Dancing, 'Didn't You Get Burned?', Charleston
-Rock Band, Rock Band, Rock Band, The Toxic Avenger, More Funny Dogs, Grilled Cheese, 50" TV

August 31: Lunch with Nana and Maryland State Fair
-Restaurant Near Loch Raven Dam, Awkward Encounter with Uncle Bud
-Endless Candy, Turkey Leg, Corn Dog, Asian Meat on Stick, Cows, Quilts, Wright Flyer, Oddly Shaped Vegetables

September 1: Labor Day with Timonium Castros
-Crabs, Burgers, Grilled Chicken, Bees, Shellfish Allergies

September 2: Work Day #1/2

September 3: Work Day #2/2
-Dinner at Hooters with Filipinos, Tour of 5208, Reminiscing about Victorio

September 4: Jury Duty and Thirsty Turtle
-Got to leave after 30 minutes
-Chilling at Stamp just like the old days
-Warcraft, Pregaming, 9 People in Casper's Car, No Line, ...(it gets hazy here)..., Journey, Sweet Caroline, Cluck U, Watching People Throw Up Next to Cluck U, Laughing at Steve eat Thermo, Hearing Steve Puke in the Trashcan

September 5: Hangover and PA
-Hearing Casper Throw Up 234,239,429 Times in the Morning, Fresh Prince
-Wendy's, Random Road Trip to Pittsburgh with Parents, Marriott Courtyard, GPS

September 6: PA, Fallingwater, Cumberland, Rocky Gap
-Traffic, Crappy Food at Fallingwater Cafe, Pictures, Small Town Disappointment, Spicy Wings, Nice State Park, Heading Home

September 7: Crab Feast
-Utter Disappointment w/ Funny Tasting Crabs, watching putis dance, Super Long Nap

September 8: Back to Normal

Poo

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 02:35:56 GMT

It's amazing how much time I spend pooing at work.

I hate to look like a slacker...I don't wanna be caught surfing the internet or watching YouTube videos, nor do I want to be seen taking a quick snooze in my seat.

So when my mind becomes numb from reading, or if I get sleepy/bored, I simply poo.

Between all the times I genuinely have to poo, and the times when I simply don't want to/can't work, I put in a good share of the day in the stall.

I've got the whole routine down too. I inspect the seat to make sure there are no urine splatter marks. Then I wipe the seat down thoroughly and flush the sheet down, along with poo particles from the previous person.

Then I start to layer the toilet seat. 3 strips of toilet paper, each containing 4 squares. One strip at the back, and one on each of the two sides.

I then commence the pooing.

Pooing isn't a waste of time, actually. I get a lot of thinking done on the toilet. In fact, I try to think of what I'll write about next on Xanga.

But its absolutely disgusting how many people walk in and take a piss and walk out without washing their hands. I'd have to estimate about 30-40% of people do such things. So be sure never to shake anyone's hand.

It's also funny when people with swollen prostates (is that the thing where its hard to pee?) come in and try to pee. They clear their throats and sigh for the task ahead. Then, there is silence. Then a few sounds. Drip. DripDripDripDropDrip. Then they zip their pants back up and walk away (did you know...1/3 of them don't wash their hands?!). I shouldn't make fun of swollen prostate people. There is a reasonable chance I'll have one eventually. And then it won't be funny.

Pooing at work has other benefits. For example, I never have to poo at home, since I squeeze every last bit of poo out at work. Thus, I never have to buy toilet paper. I hate pooing at home anyway, since my toilet is one of those round ones. How do you poo on those?! I know I have a big butt, but those toilets are smaller than that hole near the ear that some people have that is mysterious (you know what I'm talking about).

Ah...

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 03:48:13 GMT

CHOO!

It was like Christmas. Or like a sneeze. Graduation, that is. So much built up anticipation. Time seems to decelerate. And then, its gone. As if the memory was just a subliminal frame in the movie of my life.

And now I find myself in the working world. Memories of the past seem to age more rapidly than the future making its way to me. College seems like a lifetime ago. Was that really me? Did I really do those things? Why can't I imagine my current self in those memories?

I look at people's Facebook status updates with condescending thoughts. "How immature." "How shallow." Yet secretly I yearn to be like that again.

-----------

I started working at my career this past Monday. I'm still training, so I haven't really gotten into the meat of my job.

In college, I thought the working life would be simple. No homework, and payment to do work.

Well, as it turns out, it IS simple: no homework, and payment to do work.

Maybe too simple.

Work: 8-5
Rest: 5-6
Dinner: 6-7
Free Time (TV/Videogames/Internet): 7-9
Get Ready for Bed: 9-10
Sleep: 10-6
Get Ready for Work: 6-8

Hm...so if I start working out, that'll bring me down to 2 hours of free time.

And then if I start taking graduate classes part time, it'll bring me down to...
wait, what?

Eager

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 04:58:53 GMT

You know that feeling in the middle of summer where you just want school to start so you can start off on the right foot and keep ahead in assignments and readings (yes, I know, that never actually happens during the semester)? As I face the 40-year-long semester ahead of me this summer, I encounter that same feeling. Except 1000 times as strong. So strong, in fact, that I've started reading some MIT course materials for free online, in the hopes of getting a head start on my job.

http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/home/home/index.htm

Relief and Memory

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 13:58:17 GMT

I was so worried I would get a D in one or more of my classes. I would have been in the graduation ceremony, and had a graduation party, but not graduated. Turns out, I got an A in the classes I was most worried about. And a B in the class I thought I'd get an A in.

I got back from Kenya and Tanzania 5 days ago. So many stories to tell people, but I often don't know where to start. I'm afraid memories will slip away. Right now, I can look at the 1400 pictures I took and remember the circumstances under which I took each and every one of them. I can remember how the situation 'felt.' I can remember what was outside of the picture boundary. But as I look at pictures from past vacations, I vaguely remember what the picture was of and where I took it. I want to start a retrospective journal about my trip. But I'm too lazy. I might type it into Xanga, but I wouldn't want to lose it if Xanga goes down.

Maybe I'll save it in my computer and copy and paste for you all to see.

Oh. And my parents decided to get internet and cable! For a long time we had dial-up, and we stopped that a couple years ago. I only had cable TV for the first three years of my life, and when I lived on campus.

ANIMALS!

Tue, 20 May 2008 16:59:10 GMT

In preparation for Africa (and to procrastinate my studying), I've been browsing some animal videos on YouTube.

And I realized that animal fights are awesome.

Iron Man

Mon, 19 May 2008 19:49:33 GMT

As stupid as this sounds, I think Iron Man played a small role in me deciding to major in Aerospace Engineering.

Not the movie, the comic. But if the movie came out 5 years ago, then that would have also. Because it was awesome.

Other things that contributed to my choice:
-Ace Combat video game series
-A bunch of pamphlets about modern airplanes that my aunt gave me
-A toy model of an F-18...I don't even remember where I got it
-Top Gun
-The movie "Armageddon" (eh...not as much)
-My brother selling origamis in elementary school, leading me to do the same, leading to my interest in paper airplanes
-LEGOs (I'd have to say this was one of the bigger ones)
-Star Wars movies and video games (that last space mission in N64's Shadows of the Empire was awesome!)
-A few other things I can't think of right now
-Playing Pilotwings 64 at Pippen's house in middle school

It seems that pure fascination is what drove me to pick my major. I look at people who major in the arts and see a parallel: choice driven by passion; by the heart.

Not to look down upon certain other majors or anything, (I'm sure some people are very passionate about their own majors), but I often find myself wondering...how the funk did some people end up with their major?
Are people really that fascinated with 'Logistics and Supply Chain Management?'

Although, someone might wonder, "are people really interested in airplanes?"

Gifted and Talented

Sat, 17 May 2008 02:03:58 GMT

When I was in elementary school, there was a program called 'Gifted and Talented.' I wasn't in it. But really, one did not have to be gifted nor talented. They just had to do well in their classes.

I sucked at elementary school. I wonder why.

I wonder what those kids are doing now.

In 5 days, I will (hopefully) graduate. I must say, I'm rather worried about not graduating. Realistically, the odds of it happening are pretty small. But the implications that would follow would be disastrous.

Assuming I will graduate, I'm pretty excited about this summer. Graduation, grad parties, new camera, vacation to Africa (by the way, I hate it when people say 'vacay'), new car, cousin's wedding in CA, then all of July to do nothing. I'll be moving to northern VA to start work at SAIC. I'm quite surprised to be excited to start work.

Pretending

Thu, 15 May 2008 03:55:08 GMT

I hate know those situations when someone decides to read something out loud to me so I can hear it. Like I'll be studying in a group, and then my friend will find a 50 word paragraph from a textbook and decide to read it to me. Then I have to pretend like I'm paying attention. Why can't they just say, "here, read this."

I also hate it when people read me comics from a newspaper out loud. Or even the first couple sentences of a funny newspaper article.

Even worse are those times when people decide to tell me a story that's only kind of interesting, so they try to add excitement in their voice, and I kind of zone out but just smile and nod...and then I put on that stupid expression on my face that says, "Oh really? Awesome!" when I really just wanna walk away.

Also annoying are those times when the same person tells me the same thing for the 2nd/3rd/4th time, but they forgot that they told me. It takes them a few minutes to say it, but I don't want to hurt their feelings. So I just listen and look interested.

You may be wondering, "what is the point of this article?"

I'm wondering the same thing.

You know it's exam time when I update my Xanga.

Time Travel

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 03:24:58 GMT

In the middle of December 2007, a few days before break, I spent countless hours studying at the Catholic Students Center on campus. They give out free hot chocolate, coffee, candy, cookies, and other snacks during exam weeks so that students have a comfortable, quiet place to study. I spent many of those hours listening to an album by Blockhead, called "Uncle Tony's Coloring Book." It is a mostly instrumental album; limited lyrics, ideal for studying.

Just now, I played that album for the first time (maybe the second) since then. Upon hearing the tracks, I was bombarded with a ton of feelings and sensations from those days in December. I could smell the smoky smell from the CSC's fireplace. I could taste my extra-chocolaty hot cocoa and Famous Amos cookies as I studied. I could see the dim lighting provided by the sparsely placed table lamps, illuminating the power strips littered on the floor, which were in turn feeding a steady stream of electrons to laptops and lamps. I could feel the hope of getting past the last few exams and spending my winter break with my family.

Just now, I realized that I felt those sensations for the first time when my grandfather was still alive. Just now, I felt those sensations for the second time after he passed away.

Just now, I realized I have to start my homework.