tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113288052011-04-21T13:46:41.954-07:00Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.comBlogger381100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1124719623252938592005-08-22T06:47:00.000-07:002005-08-22T07:22:27.373-07:00Wo ai Zhongou ye ai Riben!<br />China is fantastic and the women are beautiful...who said that? So my program ended successfully and now I'm in Japan participating in a conference hosted by Harvard business school in Tokyo. It's hot here! My friend Bunsuke is very kind in hosting me for 5 days in the heart of the action in Tokyo where he lives-such an exciting place! I was a little nervous that I would miss him when he came to pick me up in the airport-demo un ga yokatta! (I was lucky). He picked me up and we went to his home by train which was a little more trouble than taking a shuttle bus, but a lot cheaper apparently. After lugging my 3 awfully heavey bags back to his home awkwardly through downtown Tokyo, I met his family (Dad, Mom and younger brother). Then, we went to Roppongi Hills (a ritzy shopping center/hotel for foreigners) where even the native got a little lost in finding representatives from Harvard to help us check into the conference. After that exciting experience, we went to a matsuri in Asabusa, where we picked up incredible tap beer and cheap Takoyaki - octapus awesomeness (what it should be called in English). I met up with Andre from Macalester and some friends of his and Bunsuke's. We all drank a little more...and a little more and then I stopped, but they kept going and we went out to karaoke. My ears heart after that experience, because we picked up annoying female who drove me up the wall. She will remain nameless-for now. After that, Bunsuke and I JUST caught the last train home before they closed down and it was a good thing too, since we would have had to walk 1:00 home. We prob. got to bed around 2:00, but I couldn't fall asleep because Bunsuke's room was a furnace and I couldn't figure out how to open any window---AHHHHH. That was fun, but even better was waking up at 7 to get ready for the conference. Bunsuke gave me some formal wear to wear since I didn't bring any. I really appreciated it! We looked really spiffy when we got to the Grand Hyatt in Roppongi where the opening ceremony was held. There I met Nao and another one of Bunsuke's friends. Man he is mote mote. We heard from some really distinguished speakers such as the ASEAN general secretary, some key sponsors of our conference in Tokyo, etc. During the conference, all my Japanese Mac friends were sending text messages to each other on keitais. I felt pretty left out. Everyone in Tokyo has a keitai (cell) and when I get on trains, it doesn't matter how crowded it is, everyone is checking their phone messages. After the first day of the conference, I went out with some new friends and we found some decently priced food which was oishii! We drank merrily and then went our separate ways. Hiroshi pointed me in the direction of Komazawa eki and then my own adventure started as he went his separate way and I went mine. I had no clue what Tokyo train system was like. Now I know it's like a maze wrapped up like briars around Tokyo tower. I had a good time nevertheless asking my way around and hisashiburini Nihongo wo tsukatte. I met someone on a train who got off at the same eki as me. He was a musician and recently toured with his band. He is going to Riugaku in Australia to work on his English. We exchanged contact info for when I come to Tokyo next spring. After getting off at the eki, I stepped in a noodle shop to ask directions. The people were soooo nice to me, that they first sent the owner of the shop off on his bike to find out where the place was, then someone walked me there! I love Japan! I got some great Japanese practice in as the guy walked me home. I ran into Bunsuke and we went back. I anticipate another good, but exhausting conference experience tomorrow. Oyasumi~nasai~<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-112471962325293859?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1120479184704142602005-07-04T20:15:00.001-07:002005-07-04T05:13:04.706-07:00Beijing is amazing! I'm here for 68 days of which I've already spent 20 getting used to the culture etc. It is such a beautiful place despite all the pollution and traffic problems. I especially enjoy the scenery around Weiminghu lake (nameless lake) on Beida's campus (PKU), but so far one of the most beautiful places I've been has been the place closest to where I live presently-Summer Palace! It is gorgeous! I'm staying with a homestay family which has worked out well so far. We all get along from what I can tell and they are very patient with my Chinese which they say has been improving consistently. My "Mom" enjoys talking, so every day, we talk for an average of 1:00 regardless of what time it is. She is eager to help me with my Chinese, practice her own English and teach me things about Chinese culture as well as find out more about American culture. She is really sweet! The father is also very nice, but extremely difficult to understand. He is from Beijing which means he puts an 'r' at the end of everything he says and slurs his speech. He has a very shrill voice even though he slurs his speech and speaks very quickly. He is an actor and in the movies and clips he's shown me, he articulates very well, I wonder why he can't for me sometimes. He is a good guy though. I want him to teach me how to rap in Chinese. Apparently it is a very old skill that the Chinese have had for years and they use two wooden blocks to keep the beat when they rap called Kwaiban(r). Amazing!!!! I'm absolutely thrilled by every aspect of the culture even though sometimes I'm annoyed by parts. For instance, when I'm riding on the side of the road on my bike, passing cars will honk at me. In the beginning I thought it was because they thought I was some crazy foreigner who didn't understand the rules of traffic. I quickly realized that there are no rules in traffic, for bikes at least-very dangerous! I'm glad I bought a helmut! So what's the reason for everyone honking as they go by? Well, it's apparently a warning that they give the bikers one after another-so annoying but rather considerate especially when bus drivers do it! One horn today was so loud that I nearly fell off my bike. Sometimes, I am tempted to throw a gesture at very inconsiderate people, but I remember that even if I were to sink to that level, that they would be meaningless here. Apparently both hands clasped together wiggling, one on top of the other is the worst insult one can produce since it symbolizes a turtle which is the worst insult you can call anyone in China. My friend and I laughed when our Chinese friend told us that and then we tried explaining why we were laughing:)<br />Every week I am in class from Mon to Tues 12:30-4:30 with occasional required movie showings afterward and mandatory meetings with our Chinese language partners (who are college students themselves) for 90mins a day. All this is helping my Chinese! I still feel that I can never get away from the presence of foreign culture in China. I was climbing the great wall yesterday and decided to do it away from my classmates who were all speaking English, but even after I did that, I ran into at least 100 foreigners on our section of the Great Wall speaking English, French and Russian. Apparently my friend Eric saw a French soccer star (Agni?) filming a pepsi comercial on the great wall, but I missed that! I hiked up a really steep portion with my teachers and we went all the way to the end where you can see a portion of the Lao (old) Great Wall. This is part of the wall that was not renovated in 1986 by the government. We hiked along this until we came to a great look out point where we all took photos. Even there, there was some obnoxious American spouting English. My goal over break is to get away completely from foreign influence and be completely immersed in Chinese culture. I hope it works. For my one week break from classes, I plan one going to Xi'an where the terracotta warriors are, then to Shaolin temple where the monks are that George Lucas modeled the jedi knights after, then to the place I want to go to most: Jiou Zhai Gou. From pictures and reliable sorces, this seems to be one of the most beautiful places in China! I can't wait.<br />I'll continue this later, right now I think I'm running my internet cafe bill up to nearly a $1, so I'd better go. Relatively speaking, (us)$1 is worth a lot here! I can get my hair cut, or buy a watermelon, or buy a bike bell.<br />Zaijian<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-112047918470414260?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1120479172207584452005-07-04T20:15:00.000-07:002005-07-04T05:12:52.213-07:00Beijing is amazing! I'm here for 68 days of which I've already spent 20 getting used to the culture etc. It is such a beautiful place despite all the pollution and traffic problems. I especially enjoy the scenery around Weiminghu lake (nameless lake) on Beida's campus (PKU), but so far one of the most beautiful places I've been has been the place closest to where I live presently-Summer Palace! It is gorgeous! I'm staying with a homestay family which has worked out well so far. We all get along from what I can tell and they are very patient with my Chinese which they say has been improving consistently. My "Mom" enjoys talking, so every day, we talk for an average of 1:00 regardless of what time it is. She is eager to help me with my Chinese, practice her own English and teach me things about Chinese culture as well as find out more about American culture. She is really sweet! The father is also very nice, but extremely difficult to understand. He is from Beijing which means he puts an 'r' at the end of everything he says and slurs his speech. He has a very shrill voice even though he slurs his speech and speaks very quickly. He is an actor and in the movies and clips he's shown me, he articulates very well, I wonder why he can't for me sometimes. He is a good guy though. I want him to teach me how to rap in Chinese. Apparently it is a very old skill that the Chinese have had for years and they use two wooden blocks to keep the beat when they rap called Kwaiban(r). Amazing!!!! I'm absolutely thrilled by every aspect of the culture even though sometimes I'm annoyed by parts. For instance, when I'm riding on the side of the road on my bike, passing cars will honk at me. In the beginning I thought it was because they thought I was some crazy foreigner who didn't understand the rules of traffic. I quickly realized that there are no rules in traffic, for bikes at least-very dangerous! I'm glad I bought a helmut! So what's the reason for everyone honking as they go by? Well, it's apparently a warning that they give the bikers one after another-so annoying but rather considerate especially when bus drivers do it! One horn today was so loud that I nearly fell off my bike. Sometimes, I am tempted to throw a gesture at very inconsiderate people, but I remember that even if I were to sink to that level, that they would be meaningless here. Apparently both hands clasped together wiggling, one on top of the other is the worst insult one can produce since it symbolizes a turtle which is the worst insult you can call anyone in China. My friend and I laughed when our Chinese friend told us that and then we tried explaining why we were laughing:)<br />Every week I am in class from Mon to Tues 12:30-4:30 with occasional required movie showings afterward and mandatory meetings with our Chinese language partners (who are college students themselves) for 90mins a day. All this is helping my Chinese! I still feel that I can never get away from the presence of foreign culture in China. I was climbing the great wall yesterday and decided to do it away from my classmates who were all speaking English, but even after I did that, I ran into at least 100 foreigners on our section of the Great Wall speaking English, French and Russian. Apparently my friend Eric saw a French soccer star (Agni?) filming a pepsi comercial on the great wall, but I missed that! I hiked up a really steep portion with my teachers and we went all the way to the end where you can see a portion of the Lao (old) Great Wall. This is part of the wall that was not renovated in 1986 by the government. We hiked along this until we came to a great look out point where we all took photos. Even there, there was some obnoxious American spouting English. My goal over break is to get away completely from foreign influence and be completely immersed in Chinese culture. I hope it works. For my one week break from classes, I plan one going to Xi'an where the terracotta warriors are, then to Shaolin temple where the monks are that George Lucas modeled the jedi knights after, then to the place I want to go to most: Jiou Zhai Gou. From pictures and reliable sorces, this seems to be one of the most beautiful places in China! I can't wait.<br />I'll continue this later, right now I think I'm running my internet cafe bill up to nearly a $1, so I'd better go. Relatively speaking, (us)$1 is worth a lot here! I can get my hair cut, or buy a watermelon, or buy a bike bell.<br />Zaijian<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-112047917220758445?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1120479290772207442005-07-04T20:13:00.000-07:002005-07-04T05:14:50.773-07:00Beijing is amazing! I'm here for 68 days of which I've already spent 20 getting used to the culture etc. It is such a beautiful place despite all the pollution and traffic problems. I especially enjoy the scenery around Weiminghu lake (nameless lake) on Beida's campus (PKU), but so far one of the most beautiful places I've been has been the place closest to where I live presently-Summer Palace! It is gorgeous! I'm staying with a homestay family which has worked out well so far. We all get along from what I can tell and they are very patient with my Chinese which they say has been improving consistently. My "Mom" enjoys talking, so every day, we talk for an average of 1:00 regardless of what time it is. She is eager to help me with my Chinese, practice her own English and teach me things about Chinese culture as well as find out more about American culture. She is really sweet! The father is also very nice, but extremely difficult to understand. He is from Beijing which means he puts an 'r' at the end of everything he says and slurs his speech. He has a very shrill voice even though he slurs his speech and speaks very quickly. He is an actor and in the movies and clips he's shown me, he articulates very well, I wonder why he can't for me sometimes. He is a good guy though. I want him to teach me how to rap in Chinese. Apparently it is a very old skill that the Chinese have had for years and they use two wooden blocks to keep the beat when they rap called Kwaiban(r). Amazing!!!! I'm absolutely thrilled by every aspect of the culture even though sometimes I'm annoyed by parts. For instance, when I'm riding on the side of the road on my bike, passing cars will honk at me. In the beginning I thought it was because they thought I was some crazy foreigner who didn't understand the rules of traffic. I quickly realized that there are no rules in traffic, for bikes at least-very dangerous! I'm glad I bought a helmut! So what's the reason for everyone honking as they go by? Well, it's apparently a warning that they give the bikers one after another-so annoying but rather considerate especially when bus drivers do it! One horn today was so loud that I nearly fell off my bike. Sometimes, I am tempted to throw a gesture at very inconsiderate people, but I remember that even if I were to sink to that level, that they would be meaningless here. Apparently both hands clasped together wiggling, one on top of the other is the worst insult one can produce since it symbolizes a turtle which is the worst insult you can call anyone in China. My friend and I laughed when our Chinese friend told us that and then we tried explaining why we were laughing:)<br />Every week I am in class from Mon to Tues 12:30-4:30 with occasional required movie showings afterward and mandatory meetings with our Chinese language partners (who are college students themselves) for 90mins a day. All this is helping my Chinese! I still feel that I can never get away from the presence of foreign culture in China. I was climbing the great wall yesterday and decided to do it away from my classmates who were all speaking English, but even after I did that, I ran into at least 100 foreigners on our section of the Great Wall speaking English, French and Russian. Apparently my friend Eric saw a French soccer star (Agni?) filming a pepsi comercial on the great wall, but I missed that! I hiked up a really steep portion with my teachers and we went all the way to the end where you can see a portion of the Lao (old) Great Wall. This is part of the wall that was not renovated in 1986 by the government. We hiked along this until we came to a great look out point where we all took photos. Even there, there was some obnoxious American spouting English. My goal over break is to get away completely from foreign influence and be completely immersed in Chinese culture. I hope it works. For my one week break from classes, I plan one going to Xi'an where the terracotta warriors are, then to Shaolin temple where the monks are that George Lucas modeled the jedi knights after, then to the place I want to go to most: Jiou Zhai Gou. From pictures and reliable sorces, this seems to be one of the most beautiful places in China! I can't wait.<br />I'll continue this later, right now I think I'm running my internet cafe bill up to nearly a $1, so I'd better go. Relatively speaking, (us)$1 is worth a lot here! I can get my hair cut, or buy a watermelon, or buy a bike bell.<br />Zaijian<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-112047929077220744?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1118554489530052632005-06-11T22:29:00.000-07:002005-06-11T22:34:49.533-07:00Well, I'm off at last after a wonderful going away party held by my friends. Thanks Matt! That was awesome! I love my friends! I'm in the middle of finishing a presentation for a conference I'm going to at the end of August in Tokyo. I'm really nervous! I hope everyone's having a super summer! If your reading this, then please let me know how your summer is going. I never get comments anyway. I will hopefully be able to upload pics while I'm in China, so please check 'em out!<br />peace and amore<br />wo ai nimen<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-111855448953005263?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1116054064269945012005-05-14T00:01:00.000-07:002005-05-14T00:01:04.273-07:00<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13787560/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos10.flickr.com/13787560_aac77ac623_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13787560/">Kavita and Sven</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/90174017@N00/">sillywizard03</a>. </span></div>The cheeky girl and Sveedish Sven! Somewhere inside me is crying to hear the song again....<br clear="all" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-111605406426994501?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1116053918206780782005-05-13T23:58:00.000-07:002005-05-13T23:58:38.210-07:00<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13786962/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos9.flickr.com/13786962_c677006bcd_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13786962/">Friendliest Motel EVER!</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/90174017@N00/">sillywizard03</a>. </span></div>Our last stop :)<br clear="all" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-111605391820678078?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1116053869696282332005-05-13T23:57:00.000-07:002005-05-13T23:57:49.700-07:00<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13787555/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos13.flickr.com/13787555_60831b0829_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13787555/">The end of our journey</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/90174017@N00/">sillywizard03</a>. </span></div>Back at the Trailhead and everyone is wiped!<br clear="all" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-111605386969628233?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1116053797548911292005-05-13T23:56:00.000-07:002005-05-13T23:56:37.550-07:00<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13786966/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos9.flickr.com/13786966_3c52236a1e_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13786966/">TONY-B!</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/90174017@N00/">sillywizard03</a>. </span></div>Going down was more exhausting than going up---WTF?<br clear="all" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-111605379754891129?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1116053738678742072005-05-13T23:55:00.000-07:002005-05-13T23:55:38.680-07:00<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13787558/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos14.flickr.com/13787558_837e20f43c_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13787558/">More wasteland</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/90174017@N00/">sillywizard03</a>. </span></div>Out here in the fields<br />I fought for my meals<br />I get my back into my living<br />I don't need to fight<br />To prove I'm right<br />I don't need to be forgiven<br /><br />Don't cry<br />Don't raise your eye<br />It's only teenage wasteland<br /><br />Sally ,take my hand<br />We'll travel south crossland<br />Put out the fire<br />Don't look past my shoulder<br />The exodus is here<br />The happy ones are near<br />So let's get together<br />Before we get much older<br /><br />Teenage wasteland<br />It's only teenage wasteland<br />Teenage wasteland<br />Oh..yeah<br />Teenage wasteland<br />They're all wasted<br clear="all" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-111605373867874207?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1116053623463147782005-05-13T23:53:00.000-07:002005-05-13T23:53:43.466-07:00<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13786964/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos11.flickr.com/13786964_bcb70fc5ae_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13786964/">Magnificent view</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/90174017@N00/">sillywizard03</a>. </span></div><br clear="all" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-111605362346314778?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1116053553019038192005-05-13T23:52:00.000-07:002005-05-13T23:52:33.023-07:00<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13785922/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos12.flickr.com/13785922_640fe66d51_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13785922/">Shamey and me</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/90174017@N00/">sillywizard03</a>. </span></div><br clear="all" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-111605355301903819?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1116053517945199192005-05-13T23:51:00.000-07:002005-05-13T23:51:57.950-07:00<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13785923/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos11.flickr.com/13785923_17801a1580_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13785923/">Group at Summit</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/90174017@N00/">sillywizard03</a>. </span></div>Sorta Chilly at the top which holds the world record for wind speed = 231mi/hr! It's got the most inconsistent weather patterns in the world (i think) but we managed to get some pretty incredibly good weather on our hike!<br clear="all" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-111605351794519919?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1116053359563527922005-05-13T23:49:00.000-07:002005-05-13T23:49:19.566-07:00<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13785926/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos11.flickr.com/13785926_0f73c7954f_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13785926/">Kavita and Anna</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/90174017@N00/">sillywizard03</a>. </span></div><br clear="all" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-111605335956352792?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1116053247778896062005-05-13T23:47:00.000-07:002005-05-13T23:47:27.780-07:00<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13787557/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos14.flickr.com/13787557_0516faaeec_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13787557/">At the highest pt on the east coast</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/90174017@N00/">sillywizard03</a>. </span></div>WE MADE IT!<br clear="all" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-111605324777889606?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1116053191444405152005-05-13T23:46:00.000-07:002005-05-13T23:46:31.446-07:00<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13787556/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos14.flickr.com/13787556_431764c747_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13787556/">Wasteland</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/90174017@N00/">sillywizard03</a>. </span></div>This part was tricky going up because it would snag at your feet and try to twist them off!<br clear="all" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-111605319144440515?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1116053125181032352005-05-13T23:45:00.000-07:002005-05-13T23:45:25.183-07:00<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13786967/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos10.flickr.com/13786967_e22eb4ccbf_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13786967/">Meg and Juliano</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/90174017@N00/">sillywizard03</a>. </span></div>If you squint really hard you can see them-I swear they're there!<br clear="all" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-111605312518103235?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1116052998305243132005-05-13T23:43:00.000-07:002005-05-13T23:43:18.306-07:00<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13783090/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos14.flickr.com/13783090_451a738356_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13783090/">Kavitaravine</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/90174017@N00/">sillywizard03</a>. </span></div>Kavita and Juliano, except I stink at taking photos sometimes so only 10% Juliano and mostly kavita. Sorry John!<br clear="all" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-111605299830524313?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1116052903432547072005-05-13T23:41:00.000-07:002005-05-13T23:41:43.433-07:00<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13785924/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos14.flickr.com/13785924_e008d97c55_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13785924/">Perdy View</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/90174017@N00/">sillywizard03</a>. </span></div>A vision on our spirit quest. Man that peote was good!<br clear="all" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-111605290343254707?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1116052856328148722005-05-13T23:40:00.000-07:002005-05-13T23:40:56.330-07:00<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13785925/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos10.flickr.com/13785925_1dc93d9278_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13785925/">mt. goats</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/90174017@N00/">sillywizard03</a>. </span></div>I wish I had more to say other than Yay! What a sweet trip!<br clear="all" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-111605285632814872?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1116052791379998332005-05-13T23:39:00.000-07:002005-05-13T23:39:51.383-07:00<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13785927/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos10.flickr.com/13785927_f047d87e04_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13785927/">A, K &amp; G under the twin peaks</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/90174017@N00/">sillywizard03</a>. </span></div>These guys were so fast, I could barely keep up with them. Rumor has it my sister is one mt. goat as well, so maybe you could all race.<br clear="all" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-111605279137999833?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1116052713999309012005-05-13T23:38:00.001-07:002005-05-13T23:38:34.000-07:00<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13786963/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos10.flickr.com/13786963_4dd72b5c3e_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13786963/">Tordar</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/90174017@N00/">sillywizard03</a>. </span></div>Take it off! Take it off! ...<br clear="all" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-111605271399930901?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1116052683613154352005-05-13T23:38:00.000-07:002005-05-13T23:38:03.616-07:00<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13786964/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos11.flickr.com/13786964_bcb70fc5ae_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13786964/">Magnificent view</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/90174017@N00/">sillywizard03</a>. </span></div><br clear="all" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-111605268361315435?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1116052660771575342005-05-13T23:37:00.000-07:002005-05-13T23:37:40.776-07:00<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13786965/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos11.flickr.com/13786965_a6340e3b1e_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13786965/">At the trail head</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/90174017@N00/">sillywizard03</a>. </span></div>If only we had known what we were getting ourselves into...:)<br /><br />This marked the start of our awesome hike up Mt. Washington. Please use it in contrast to the same shot taken several hours later after our long hike.<br clear="all" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-111605266077157534?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1116052432069411152005-05-13T23:33:00.000-07:002005-05-13T23:33:52.076-07:00<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13787559/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos11.flickr.com/13787559_add324f0fd_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/13787559/">A manly shot</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/90174017@N00/">sillywizard03</a>. </span></div><br clear="all" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-111605243206941115?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1111912835400350492005-03-27T00:00:00.000-08:002005-04-03T19:57:11.016-07:00I can't imagine a better spring break for this year! (pics are soon to come!) It was just great despite some minor setbacks to the journey like bad weather conditions and calory panic. Other than these, it really couldn't have been better! We had planned with the intention of going to the Smokey Mtns in NC to hike some of the AT, but weather did not permit this. So, as a last minute decision, our fearless leaders told us about the Eagle Rock Loop Trail in Arkansas. I'm sure we all had our reservations about this, but it turned out to be the right choice as far as I'm concerned. Among my fabulous companions were Sara, Laura, Megan, Nancy, Rachel, Leah, Rebecca and Matt. Just fab!<br /><br />I<br />We packed our bags and got ready for a 16 hr car ride. Thank goodness for music and good books and great conversations! We weren't all acquainted with each other before we started, but during those trails we became the closest of friends. I feel that I learned a lot from every member of the trip. On the first night, we stopped in Nevada (Nuh-vay-duh) to cook our first of many delicious hobo dinners. Easy mac is so tasty after 10 hrs in the car! After a couple more hrs of driving, we were all dead tired and pulled into a promising RV lot that was advertised from a neon sign.<br /><br />II<br />I woke to find my hair was frozen to my pillow in the morning, but the sun was out!! We thought this was sure to be a friendly omen meaning the rest of our trip would be sunny...boy was we wrong! When we got to Albert Pike Camp Ground, it was gorgeous out! Everything was great, except we'd forgotten to bring an RV with hookups like the others from Texas. So, we had to go to the other less populated side of the grounds to pitch site. We ate like royalty that night! The main course was Chat Masala (like curry) with rice. We topped this off with some local ales and wussy drinks. We got enough dry firewood kindling to build a cabin out of if we had had the energy. We sat around it sipping our southern suds and listening to stories.<br /><br />III<br />Good times were had until the morning when it began to rain. We found ways of enjoying this too though after we got dry. Gathering pancake material, we stood around laughing and flipping organic patties. We found out that we had arrived at Albert Pike just in time for prescribed forrest burning and tornado season! Well, seeing this, we decided to kick it in Hot Springs for a while and wait for the poor weather to pass us by. Hot Springs is popular among tourists. We ate at Maggie's Pickles Cafe on mainstreet. This lovely place was named after the owner's beagle and was famous for its fried pickles. I had the best sandwhich I've ever eaten here! Others also had sensational food. My sandwich was called the Maggie Special. After that, we got blue bell ice cream and hiked to the top of the Hot Springs Nat'l Park which Matt believes to be the smallest Nat'l Park in the country. I believe him. We stood over the springs absorbing steam that emanated from the mountain to numb the anxiety that academics had caused us all at Mac. It appeared that spring came early to the park just from all the warmth. It was beautiful and smelt good too.<br /><br />So after some good times in hot springs, we left, but we couldn't leave the Hot Springs loop. We just kept driving around and around cause we're just cool like that. Well we spent a long time deliberating over where to spend the night. Our options ranged from the side of the road to a motel. Naturally, given my Dad's weather report of extremely bad weather conditions (tornados), some of us were inclined to want to stay at a motel. Others who were hardcore (everyone except me), wanted to sleep in a shelter on top of the mountain which had a lot of room open for wind and rain to come in. Granted that would have been fun in some ways, I'm still glad that we decided to spend the night at the hot Springs airport. OMG This is a story in itself which I hope others can elaborate better on than I will here cause it was awesome but unfortunately cyberspace blogg supervisors frown upon me wasting space so I move on. I will say that we met a great man. Possibly the most generous man that ever was, is and will be in times to come in Hot Springs. This man, Howard offered to be our chaperone despite the fact that we were all complete strangers to him. He looked in the phone book for every last motel or hostile option that would possibly host us for the night. Chances are our trip would not have been as memorable if he had not finally resolved to let us sleep in the homeland security section of the airport. As much as I disliked being the one closest to the outside door in this section that we made our beds, it was pleasant to be able to get a crack of fresh air during the night.<br /><br />IV<br />Well, we woke up fully rested (riiiight) and started on our way back to Albert Pike camp ground when we finally decided that we weren't going to be boistered around by some mean tornado or pretend tornado. We loaded up the van and drove back toward the original destination. We paid a visit to the local ranger station in Glenwood near Albert Pike and heard that we could get badges if we completed the full course of the Eagle Rock loop trail. Well this was all we needed for the extra motivation. Not long after we began our fateful...lovely journey up the mountain. Little did we know-we began our hike up the wrong side of the loop which we found out a couple of miles later. We got in a spantastic view of the lil' missouri river though and a parking lot before we headed back down to out van which we cursed as we passed on our way to the correct side of the loop.<br />Finally on the right track, we made our way over boulders and colorful moss. It was all very picturesque until we entered some charred black parts which were ...still picturesque above waistline. We all marveled over how well the fire had been controlled. When we first heard that there were burnings taking place, I was a wee bit frightened. Just imagine if we had made it half way round to find our way blocked completely by walls of FIRE! Sounds like an 80s rock concert. Unfortunately that didn't happen. We had to cross some streams which I thought would all be small at first. It seemed like they kept getting wider, deeper and less accessible to people without chocos. We camped out 2 miles into the trail and set up tent and tarps. This night was great fun! We were all worried about the possibility of rain so our two tarp experts thought long and hard about ways to engineer their construction taking into consideration wind etc. When that was done and all my cheap tent stakes were bent in the ground somewhere (no hard feelings, I swear) we made a fahr (fire in southspeak). By this time a lot of accents had already been established. Leah, Sara, Laura and Rachel for sure had them at that point, but I think Megan and Nancy held out till later that night to cement them. When they got them though, they stuck for a few days at least! We ate pretty heartily, but I forgot what...shoot. I'll get back to it later.<br />We sat around the fire and told stories and had s'mores mmm! When bedtime came, we all prayed to Gaduu Garruyu that he/she would protect us from rain, fire and tornadoes. It worked! Gadu was gracious and spared us.<br /><br />V<br />We woke up and almost immediately faced the hardest task on our hike: Fording a wide stream. When we got across, we bushwhacked our way back to the main trail and found the good ol' white rectangles which we were so familiar with. Yippie! We hiked a good deal before we came to a sweet lookout point. Then we got to a parking lot where we met a nice guy---->Nate. After talking with him, we kept on our course until we came to a stream where we stopped to have a bite. It was from this point on that we faced the most physically demanding and rewarding portion of our hike...<to be continued> (nothing like leaving ya'll on a cliffhanger...heehee)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-111191283540035049?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1111142019817870552005-03-18T02:33:00.000-08:002005-03-18T02:33:39.816-08:00<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/6770091/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos6.flickr.com/6770091_b9f1cb53ee_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/6770091/">DSCF0189</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/90174017@N00/">sillywizard03</a>. </span></div>I really like the ripples in the puddle. This was right after the string of warm weather we had here and the wind was picking up that afternoon. It was a preview of spring for sure. I just finished playing a friend in racquetball and he beat me. I think I'll get him back tomorrow!<br clear="all" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-111114201981787055?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1111141754850903992005-03-18T02:29:00.000-08:002005-03-18T02:29:14.850-08:00<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/6770090/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos7.flickr.com/6770090_2e5baa1f9d_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/6770090/">A Special Heart</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/90174017@N00/">sillywizard03</a>. </span></div><br clear="all" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-111114175485090399?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1111140644863249392005-03-18T02:10:00.000-08:002005-03-18T02:10:44.863-08:00<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/6768839/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos6.flickr.com/6768839_1be85bd1c8_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/6768839/">&quot;That's Enough!&quot;</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/90174017@N00/">sillywizard03</a>. </span></div>This is an advertisement I did for Dr. Obsatz, a sociology professor at Macalester College. He created a film that seeks non-violent conflict resolutions within the school environment. It is a very powerful piece of work. If you are intereseted in it, you can go to his website to learn more ----> www.angeresources.com<br clear="all" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-111114064486324939?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1111140509820528812005-03-18T02:08:00.000-08:002005-03-18T02:08:29.820-08:00<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/6768838/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos5.flickr.com/6768838_601f7d85aa_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/6768838/">blimpoid copy</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/90174017@N00/">sillywizard03</a>. </span></div>Well, I got a scuba license last year and think it is one of the coolest things I've done at Macalester, but I can't use it anywhere here that's worth while with all the equipment. Does anyone like to scuba and want to go to FL with me? If only money grew on trees and crested the windows like the ice crystals on those cold mornings and fluttered by as abundent as pollen on those snuffy spring afternoons.<br clear="all" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-111114050982052881?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1111140171523496452005-03-18T02:02:00.000-08:002005-03-18T02:02:51.523-08:00<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/6768840/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos8.flickr.com/6768840_ba86495e47_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/6768840/">Crazy Doodle</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/90174017@N00/">sillywizard03</a>. </span></div>This is much smaller than I had intended, but it's still a crazy little doodle nonetheless. Any comments/suggestions?<br clear="all" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-111114017152349645?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1111138420928901342005-03-18T01:33:00.000-08:002005-03-18T01:33:40.926-08:00<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/6767553/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos7.flickr.com/6767553_1e344f87bf_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/6767553/">Metro Tsunami</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/90174017@N00/">sillywizard03</a>. </span></div>This was something intended to arouse questions about existence and fate...any comments?<br clear="all" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-111113842092890134?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1111137552124476622005-03-18T01:19:00.000-08:002005-03-18T01:19:12.123-08:00<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/6765517/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos3.flickr.com/6765517_f839e65320_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/6765517/">Shakespeare_in_love</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/90174017@N00/">sillywizard03</a>. </span></div>I made this on my trip home to CT for winter break freshman year. I was just twisting around some doodles I had done in photoshop and then I thought I saw two faces locked together by the lips, so that is what I decided to portray.<br clear="all" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-111113755212447662?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1111137460413156332005-03-18T01:17:00.000-08:002005-03-18T01:17:40.413-08:00<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/6765293/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos5.flickr.com/6765293_b7f6fc1258_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/6765293/">autumnleaves</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/90174017@N00/">sillywizard03</a>. </span></div>I can't wait for it to snow! It's supposed to snow 10" over night here, but there is no evidence of that yet...<br clear="all" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-111113746041315633?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1111137363977811792005-03-18T01:16:00.000-08:002005-03-18T01:16:03.976-08:00<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/6765515/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos5.flickr.com/6765515_ee8462e4dc_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/6765515/">beach-bike dancers</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/90174017@N00/">sillywizard03</a>. </span></div>I don't know where my mind was when I made this, but it contrasts two of my passions: adventuring and dancing and that is why I like it.<br clear="all" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-111113736397781179?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1111136789391052162005-03-18T01:06:00.000-08:002005-03-18T01:06:29.390-08:00<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/6765516/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos4.flickr.com/6765516_cb8e33657c_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/6765516/">Spring Break '04 trip</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/90174017@N00/">sillywizard03</a>. </span></div>This is the crew I went to KY with last year. They were a lot of fun and I hope that my trip to NC this year will be just as awesome!!<br clear="all" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-111113678939105216?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1110358237739856812005-03-09T00:50:00.000-08:002005-03-09T00:52:02.773-08:00<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/6178153/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos5.flickr.com/6178153_ae20483368_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90174017@N00/6178153/">DSCF0193</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/90174017@N00/">sillywizard03</a>. </span></div>It seems like only yesterday when the campus was full of snow, but now spring break is quickly approaching<br clear="all" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-111035823773985681?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11328805.post-1110353994735734372005-03-08T23:05:00.000-08:002005-03-09T00:10:03.746-08:00Well, I'm posting again thanks to my friend Matt's constant urging. ありがとうね！I just got off the phone with my parents and they told me that the CT shoreline is being blizizzard on right now! Apparently this huge tree fell near our house and it has caused a major power outage in its wake. What an inconsiderate tree you might think, but then I guess the CL&P (power company) is rather inconsiderate for setting up power lines near any sort of natural growth since it is clearly infringing upon nature's course.<br /><br />I have enjoyed this semester! I have probably done more partying than last semester already but am somehow managing to stay on top of studying, at least somewhat. I finally met some of my boony neighbors on the other side of St. Claire. They are super neighbors-Shoko, Ninya and Sayoko. There house is awesome decorated with Sayo's artwork that she made in art classes here. I went over the other day for a fondeu party and helped slice some cheese. Then we made margaritas and had a jolly old time. The second set made me a little woozy, but I enjoyed the company so it was all good. I sat around with them and Andre who had somehow been locked out of his room on the other side of campus. I still don't believe I convinced him to walk all the way over to the language houses with me. We were awed by the sight of the damage that some dumbbutt drunk driver did to the fence next to the Jamaica house. It is truly awesome! There car took out a light post, a tree and a half and some of the metal chain fence. It failed, however in taking out a fence post since those are solid steel or aluminum or some other hardcore metal. It did leave some trace of the car's color hitched under the bark of the trees though that I used to link the scene to a sight I saw at a party.<br /><br />I went to this party on Dayton and Fry that was fun, but the basement, where all of the action was, was too smoky so I didn't stay too long. I had great fun with a friend earlier in the night though. I went with her and my housemate Qin to check out the Snelling Dance Studio and take classes. We went and took Salsa, Vienese Waltz and Rumba lessons all for $20! SO MUCH FUN!!! I'm trying to encourage people to go with me again. I felt like the classes were a little crowded because the rotations among men and women partners became a little too zigzaggy for most of the women (who had to rotate) to remember. We all had fun though! Most of the women were older than 50, but even so, I learned a lot from them since they were regulars and could tell me about little tricks they had learned from taking dancing like keeping your body lilted slightly away from your partner so you don't bump knees and other rhythm things. Dancing is amazinG!<br />I'm particularly stoked about a couple of things coming my way!<br /><br />First of all I declared a major today in I.S. I'm really pleased that Samatar is not turning out to be the egotistical intimidating jerk that everyone always makes him out to be. He is my advisor and we get along ok so far.<br />Besides declaring, I am trying to solidify plans to study abroad in Japan this following year in the spring. If that works, I will be really pleased! As it stands now, I am going to Beijing for most of the summer and will attempt to learn the language and become proficient with it. I just have to find a way to raise $7000. Then my Japanese professor Tam just today mentioned a program that will take place in Beijing and Tokyo this summer. It is a conference that will host prime ministers, economic advisors, other high standing individuals and professors to give talks about the cultural future of Asia (mainly Japan). This sounds so cool and I would recommend for anyone who is reading this to go check out the site-----> http://www.hpair.org/hpair2005<br /><br />Speaking of my professor Tam, a funny thing happened in class: I usually sit near Jesse and Alex, but today it was a bad choice. The setting was already comic before the thing happened because Jesse had smuggled a ridiculous amt of donuts from cafe mac into class and was eating them. Then when he was bored he began to doodle some weird scene with a woman and a crab at a beach that was somehow irrisistably funny. I thought I would have trouble controlling some giggles, so I decided to ignore him for a while. Meanwhile Tam began to talk about the issue of women being oppressed in Japanese society in Meiji Japan. He mentioned some authors for those of us who wanted to do research on the topic. Then he began talking about Crap boating and how women were mistreated in this industry. Alex and jesse and I looked at each other with disbelief. Could he really be saying that? Then he said it again. We turned away from each other worried that someone would lose their cool and cause a chain reaction. Then he wrote 'Crab' on the board and we knew what he was talking about. He said the word again pointing at what he had written. The way he said it was still abrupt though and sounded like crap, so we began to giggle again. Then he looked over at us as he continued his lecture using the word in a context that was even more amusing. His eyes fixed on us at one point as he said it for the fifth time. I lost it. I couldn't contain the laughter. Then Jesse and Alex lost it too.<br /><br />So that is one long post. I was bored. Write me comments!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11328805-111035399473573437?l=mactiedster.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Banjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02677597406175090215noreply@blogger.com0