Arrrggggghhhhh!

My lovely wine opener broke! It's a giveaway of EA's favorite restaurant in Padva, and it's a reminder of good food there and my trip to Italy. The cork for California wine was sooooooo tough that this cute little Italian corkscrew was beaten down ...

My Legs

I realized today that I hadn't seen my naked legs. Yeah, of course, I don't take a shower with clothes on, but while taking a shower, I don't wear glasses. The point is, to be honest, I was surprised at my legs reflected on the mirror in the fitting room, like, "Wow, these are my legs?!"

SR took me to a store to buy a simple black dress and a pair of open-toe high heels. Actually, this was DM's idea. The other day, I told him that I'm involved in a high society here. Out of blue, he asked me, "Do you have any formal, say, black dresses? High heels?" And I answered, "Well, I have a dress, kind of. It's not black though." Next day, he emailed me, saying, "SR will take you to a store to buy a black dress and a pair of shoes. Accept my gift for you." I thought he's doing too much to me. But you know, at least I know, he's a tyranny. Actually, I was glad that he's caring about me and my career. Thanks, DM.

So, SR, who is a friend of DM and CM and living a couple blocks from my apartment, kindly took me to a store. It was fun to shop with her. We were demanding shoppers, saying, "Nay, this is too busy," "Nay, their heels will kill me," and something like that. But at the end, we found five potential dresses, and a couple of pairs of heels. I put on one by one and asked SR's judgement. "Nay, it doesn't go with those shoes," "Nay, out of question," and so on and so forth. Anyhow, in the end, we came an agreement and bought a nice black dress and a shiny pair of heels.

My point is, my legs. I hadn't thought of or seen closely my legs for long because I usually cover up my legs by wearing pants. I'm not a big fan of skirts anyway. So, my opinion about my legs is ... my legs are bony :(

Maybe Not Good

I've been having fun to hang around in the newsroom of the Register-Guard. That's not good. Yeah, in terms of my research (if you can call it research), it's OK to observe the newsroom as much as possible and to talk with people as many as possible. But, mm, I have something else to do, but I realized that (maybe too late to realize) going (commuting?) to the Register-Guard is time-consuming. And after coming home, it takes time, you know, I have to write fieldnotes and transcribe recordings. I need the whole night to do those, man! But it's still fun to meet people, especially outside of school :P

One Week in a Second

Jeez, I can't believe that it's one week past since I posted a blog last time. I've been busy this week, doing fieldwork, reading, writing papers, meeting people, going to a party, drinking ... Man, I haven't started grading undergrad papers, reading more papers, filling out an IRB application form and so on and so forth. I'd better kick my butt.

SAL from Tokyo

Yeah! YO kindly sent me another box of Japanese stuff. Man, I don't have enough words to express my gratitude. Thanks a bunch, YO.

This time, she recycled a hilarious box to put stuff in. The box was originally a box of snacks, and the surface of the box was featured with Tamuken, a Japanese comedian. When I opened the mail box and found the box, I was totally surprised and laughed my head off. Man, I like her sense of humor.

Observation and Interview

Phew, I went to the Register-Guard three times this week. I like this fieldwork practice, and in fact, it's fun to see people outside of school. Furthermore, they are friendly and talkative, and that's helpful.

So, I've been enjoying the fun part of fieldwork--hanging around the newsroom and talking with people, and ... I've been having a hard time with the hard, time-consuming and horrible part of fieldwork--writing fieldnotes and transcribing interviews. Because of this laborious part of fieldwork, I barely had time to post blogs this week. I'm supposed to go back to the paper a couple more times next week. Man, I will miss blogging again!

Mah-jongg

Mah-jongg is fun! Why didn't I try to learn how to play mah-jongg before?! My cute Chinese friends taught me how to do tonight. I have to appreciate that we share Chinese characters, otherwise, it is almost impossible to learn what those tiles mean on the spot. Actually, our Indian friend had a hard time to understand them. Poor S.

My Chinese friends are in their 20s (Man, they are too young to be my friends!), but they have played mah-jongg since they were little. Thus, they have a 20-year experience of playing mah-jongg, wow!

Crap

Viva crap! It's good to see flops on and off to appreciate good movies more. It was me to suggest to see "Untraceable". Sorry, SA, for forcing to see this, hee hee. We had another option: "National Treasure." Man, it might be a huge budget crap. So, I chose the low budget typical Hollywood FBI detective flop. But it was fun to go out Saturday night, anyway.

Oh, the sad thing is that Diane Lane looked old in this movie :(

Correction!

The doctor applied to my wart was not liquid hydrogen, but liquid NITROGEN. Thanks YO for pointing it out. Phew, I wasn't exposed to radiation.

Bomb in My Head?!

I got liquid hydrogen!

When the doctor poured something from a container to a paper cup, it suddenly emitted smoke or steam. I was scared to see it because the doctor told me that he would apply this to my head. Man, my head will melt. In reality, my head didn't melt, and it is still on my neck, phew.

I saw a doctor today because a wart in my head had been bothering me since the spring break. I thought the doctor would prescribe a medicine, but non-non. Instead, he applied liquid hydrogen which I was frightened with. Though the doctor told me that it might stick but it didn't hurt me at all. The wart is still in my head, but the doctor told me that it would be gone in a couple of weeks.

The doctor told me that people normally experience this kind of body change--aging skin--as they get older. Man, I'm getting older, and that's for sure :(

Italy!

Well, going back to Italy sounds good to me. Good food, good wine, good weather ... But it is sad to think that they have to live separately another three months until the end of this term. Her husband will leave here for Italy (their hometown) tomorrow. We had a farewell lunch together. See you SN, hopefully in Italy! Actually, I'm expecting they welcome me to Firenze :) Oh, Firenze!

Speaking of Italy (or Italian), I told this to IN, I met an Italian in the library. Yeah, as you know, I'm almost living in the library especially last term because I didn't want to stay at home. I think he is also almost living in the library because I frequently see him. I spoke to him one day because I got an inspiration that he is an European and I want to have an European friend. I love Europeans! I was right. He is an Italian. While speaking to him, he acted polite and gentle and ... cute. Mm, he's good, that's what I thought. That happened last term. Then I saw him again this term in the library, of course. So, I spoke to him again (Now, he recognizes me), and I found he was with his girlfriend. Actually, he introduced her to me. Oh man, he broke my heart in the beginning of the new term :( I'm glad my scar is shallow, phew.

Today, I told this story to IN (she's Italian) and she told me that the guy is kind of a player. IN knows him. What a small world! IN told me a story about him: He came to the States with his Italian girlfriend and broke up when he found an American girlfriend. IN is funny to tell me that he is a typical Italian guy. Well, I disagree with her because MA, my Italian buddy, is a serious guy in terms of relationship. But, J, the name of the Italian guy, might be a "typical" Italian as IN says :(

Japanese Americans

Japanese Americans had a hard time during WWII. Because of Japan's Pearl Harbor attack, people who have Japanese ancestry were discriminated and sent to concentration camps. Japanese American students that time were rejected to be given diplomas from the university. Today, to make up for that, there was a ceremony to honor those ex-students of this university. I only attended kind of a panel discussion, but I felt something uncomfortable. I think honoring discriminated people is a good thing. But Japanese Americans at the panel were all successful people, and I wonder how about other Japanese Americans who experienced the same situation and couldn't succeed in later their lives. Not everyone can be successful, right? I think it's more important to look at people who can't make their lives normal after that national discrimination against them. I thought the university honored (successful) ex-Japanese American students because it can take advantage of them. It may ask for donation or whatever because they are successful. Actually, they are medical doctors, lawyers, university professors and so forth. In a sense, they are powerful in the society. I felt that I saw another American hypocrisy :(

No Shoulds

There was the fourth session with my counselor. I told him about anxiety which I always feel in the first week of every term. This term, there is another big issue: He is in the same class.

I told my counselor about how I felt in class. Well, simply put, I was upset. Though I tried to think, "It's just a beach ball, it's just a beach ball ...," it was not easy to control my mind or get rid of him from my mind. Actually, he has stayed in my mind since then, damn it.

I went like, "Yeah, doctor, I know I should not fight with this beach ball, right? I should observe and accept it ...," and then he cut in, saying "Don't say should." "Should" makes you feel obligated, pushes you to the edge, narrows your perspective and has other negative effects on your mind. I am always impressed by his reasonable explanation. He also told me to change the way of thinking by simply switching "should" with "would like to." That is, I could think my situation in the class in the way like, "I would like to accept my situation. I see him there. Oh, I'm upset, but I would like to understand my feeling instead of trying to get rid of it. Then as time goes by, this uncomfortable feeling becomes less and less ..."

Mm, interesting, isn't it? If I consulted with a psychologist when I was much younger, I would have chosen to be a psychologist as my career.

Yeah, It's Paul Thomas Anderson

Welcome back, SA, from North Carolina! So, we went to the $1 theater to celebrate our reunion (?) and the new term.

Tonight, "There will be Blood" was on. Mm, I enjoyed the movie, but it was difficult to see the intention in the movie. You goes like, "What the hell is it about?!" Yeah, it is absolutely a Paul Thomas Anderson movie. We had to put the plot straight by discussing in the car on the way home, and we reached an agreement (or our conclusion) that the main character of the movie is the current United States and what he does in the movie is what the United States is doing to the rest of the world. Well, you never understand the plot of the movie by reading this blog. But again, the movie itself is good. Furthermore, Daniel Day-Lewis' performance is awesome. It's worth seeing, anyway.

Reggea Nite

I didn't want to stay at home. I wanted to talk with someone. So, I decided to go to the hall. Luckily I had an excuse to go there. My excuse was that I had to return the CD. Furthermore, tonight's show was reggae. If I was lucky enough, I could sneak into the hall to see the show.

Anyhow, I came to the office of the hall. Unfortunately, people who I know were not there tonight. I chatted with a guy (T) at the office for a while, and he offered me beer. Why not! We went downstairs to have a couple of beer, talking stupid things. It is great to have someone to talk to. And T was a good, patient listener. I realized my loneliness was fading away.

T was funny to tell me that I was already in the hall so that I could see the show. And I did. Luciano and Mikey General were performing. I hadn't heard about them, to be honest, but it was good to move your body to the reggae music anyway. Oh man, I feel much better now :)

Suicidal

Mm, I think I realized that I'd been such a daredevil (or asshole) to registered three courses (all of them are three-hour seminars) this term. If I keep three courses, I will definitely kill myself. So, I began to think which course to drop, but the answer is obvious. The sociology class on Tuesdays. Jeez, I like the instructor and class, which is small, and therefore, comfortable. Well, before dropping the course, I'd better talk with the instructor about my situation.

Apart from coursework, my research assistant assignment was not a bad April Fool joke. The professor who I was assigned to didn't seem to be as bad as many students describe. But I sensed something confusing in his way of thinking while talking with him. Today's meeting was quite short. We will talk more tomorrow. And there'll be an orientation (what's that?!) on Friday. And there'll be the big ceremony which his project is for on Sunday. Damn, I have to see him (almost) everyday?!