30Oct07
One of the pastimes I’ve adopted to unwind after school is watching recorded sermons which I download off the net. Due to my infection with the geek multi-task/ADD bug (acquired from years of IMing, tabbed browsing and multiple media viewing) I have a hard time just sitting and watching something so I play hearts or solataire while I listen. It gives me something to occupy my hands and keep things moving without requiring enough attention to distract from the teaching.
I play a fair number of games during a 1.5 hr sermon and I listen to a handful of them per week so it was inevitable that I’d get a good game eventually:
You’ll notice that in 5 rounds I shot the moon 3 times. I’ve been trying to win with four Shoots in a row but so far this as is close as I’ve managed to come. The fourth shoot is REALLY hard in Microsoft hearts since you don’t pass any cards.
30Oct07
I find it rather scary that when someone runs up the stairs in my apartment the whole building shakes. I tell myself that I’d survive a major earthquake. I might not even be lying to myself.*
*morbid humor, I’m not really in danger.
27Oct07
I’m a big fan of the private space industry and so I found this Wired interview with Peter Diamandis, sponsor of the X-Prize to be quite interesting.
25Oct07
I’m making progress. I finished my second essay for Women in Literature, a film reaction paper for Political Science and my first draft of my capstone economics paper. Just 6 weeks until I come home!
22Oct07
I’ve suffered a lot of irritations and hassles in the last week or two and having allowed myself to dwell on them, I managed to discourage myself. But amidst these difficulties, God had been blessing me beyond what my actions deserve. I’ll give just one example because I really need to get back to writing papers.
I’ve gotten mail from my friends and family. In particular a box arrived from my mom earlier this week containing among other tasty treats, homemade gingerbread. Gingerbread is one of my all time favorite edible substances and I’ve already devoured what I’ve been sent. I also got a chance to share some with some Japanese people who have never tasted it before which was kind of cool.
19Oct07
It’s the season for midterms and school has been providing me with lots of assignments to procrastinate on.
I just got back my paper and my midterm exam from my Chinese History class. I’ve been a bit worried about them because I was unsure how harshly the teacher would be grading and because we’ve covered a huge amount of material in class and I haven’t been able to memorize it all.
Thankfully when I received my results they were much better than I expected. I got an A on my paper and 104 out of 100 possible points on the exam meaning that if all goes well for the rest of the semester (and it should) I’ll only have to get a 76 on the final to get an A in the class. While I don’t expect to score that low, it’s comforting to know I’ve got a head start.
I also turned in my first draft for my second Women in Literature Essay and received almost unanimously positive feedback. Part of that I’m sure is the reluctance of my Japanese classmates to criticize. The teacher has the draft now and I’ll know on Tuesday what she thinks.
Midterm craziness will continue next week. I’ve got exams in Gender and Antiquity and History of Modern Business, a short paper due in Political Science, Journals and the final draft of my essay due in Women in Literature, and a quiz on Thursday in International Monetary Economics. That’s just the stuff I can recall right now; I’m sure there’s more.
My economics capstone paper is also nearing its deadline. While the final submission date isn’t until the eigth of November, the first draft is due on Tuesday and I’m scrambling to get traction on it. It’s become one of those big ominious projects that feels impossible to start. So far my attempts to work on it have mostly disolved into distraction and procrastination. That will change now that I have a deadline coming up. As Johnson once said, “The gallows doth wonderfully concentrate the mind.”
I can’t wait to be done. As of today it is 50 days until I fly home.
17Oct07
Despite my heavy workload, I’ve managed squeeze in some enjoyable activities in this week. On Saturday, I went to Yamanashi prefecture with Teru, to pick grapes and go hiking, afterwards we went to Odaiba.
Last night (Tuesday), I went to a reception for Bridging Scholarship Recipeints. It was kind of fun getting to meet some of the other students and the sponsors. I got to talk to the Morgan Stanley guys again which was nice. I also chatted with one of the high up guys in McDonald’s Japan with whom I discussed marketing of coffee in Japan (It was interesting). I also met executives from Shinsei Bank and several other corporations.
Overall, things seem to be going decently well. I’m keeping up on my classes and staying within my budget. Nevertheless, I’m eager to get home. I’m still counting down the weeks. Right now I’m at 7.
09Oct07
Burt Rutan is putting the finishing touches on his first tourist spaceship, Spaceship 2. He recently had an interview published in Discover in which he discusses some of the challenges and opportunities posed by private space travel.
08Oct07
Yesterday, I got ready for church, planning to ride my bike to service as usual. Unfortunately, when I went to get my bike, it was gone.
I had to walk a half mile to the nearest police station. Fortunately, the police officers were helpful and patient with my nearly non-existent Japanese skills. After a half hour or so of clumsy conversation I was able to relate the necessary information, then it took another half an hour or so to fill out all the paperwork.
Hopefully my bike turns up soon. I really need it.
07Oct07
As always I’m terribly busy. Fortunately though, I have something to keep me going. There’s a carrot dangling in front of my nose, tantalizing in its nearness. I graduate in less than 2 months now and I’m counting down the days.
