Dr. Hannibal Lecter in the Attic

I realized soon after I moved in here that the house owner is pretty into alternative music. Indie rock that I never heard before, world music including Korean pop, exotic Middle Eastern music and high-tone cheesy Indian music, etc.

Recently, he often play Bach and opera. I love Bach, and I sometimes like listening to opera, which makes me feel cultured and high society. But that a white, single guy in his 40s is listening to Bach and opera in the attic makes me doubt that he may be a serial killer. Yeah, I know I've got a lot of impact from "The Silence of the Lambs" series.

Coffee Shop Refugee

Going to my favorite coffee shop in my neighborhood is kind of my routine. I went there yesterday and found it was packed. I had to come home.

I tried again this afternoon. Again, it was packed. Ah, Dead Week has started. That makes good sense. A familiar barista spotted and waved to me. I said to him, "I'll be back," and left.

I came home. But I wanted to spend some time out of the house, reading. I decided to go to a Starbucks a little away from downtown, thinking that the shop must be less busy. I drove there. I stayed on the left lane to make a left into the parking lot. I was seeing the shop. The shop was right there. Before getting to the shop, I had to turn left onto freeway. Damn it, I was on a left-turn lane.

I drove farther and farther away from the Starbucks on freeway. I knew there's another Starbucks around an exit. So, I got off at the exit and drove to the Starbucks. I didn't even dare to go in the parking lot because I saw it was packed, ugh.

This time of the year, during the weekends, shops are busy, busy, busy because of Christmas shopping. Coffee shops may be also busy serving those Christmas shoppers. The last Starbucks that I tried is located next to a big shopping mall.

I ran out of coffee-shop ideas. And, I was running out of gas, too. Damn. I got back on freeway to a cheap gas station, filled it up, and came home.

Now, I'm having a cup of coffee that I brewed myself. I just wanted to have coffee out of the house, reading. But it ended up with a long trip in vain. What a day.

Dying PC

My PC is doing really bad. Power supply is unstable because the adapter doesn't stay still. Now, my PC has to sit on the table in order not to move the adapter. Otherwise, my PC can't get power at all and easily go out of power because my battery lasts only 30 minutes or so. I can't use it on my laps anymore because it makes the connection between the adapter and my PC unstable. What a laptop!

Early Oshogatsu from Japan

Oh ho ho ho ho, kagami-mochi flew here. Oshogatsu came a little early. Of course, these are gifts from YO, who is supporting my Japanese diet here.

Tenkasu, fantastic! I decided to make negi-yaki with tenkasu for lunch today.

Tenkasu Negi-yaki

Tenkasu negi-yaki made of tenkasu and okonomi-yaki power that YO sent me. Itadakima~su!

Japanese Fall in Hippie Town

I have a lovely adviser. I often wonder why he is doing professor because he is more a gardener and fisher than a professor. As part of his gardening project, he grows persimmons, Japanese ones. Every fall, well, it's winter, he gives me his persimmons. Ohhhh, kaki, yum!

I appreciate his persimmons, but more than them, I appreciate that he thinks about me. I'm lucky to have this thoughtful adviser.

Last Class!

I'm soooooooo glad that this term is over! Well, I have the final to give next Tuesday, but it's nothing, compared with giving a lecture.

Today, I gave another midterm (I can't call this the final) in my small class. I took a stick-and-carrot tactics. My carrot was sushi (salad rolls), and my stick was of course the exam.

I love my students. They were impressed by my sushi, even though making sushi rolls is a piece of cake for me. "Did you make these?!" "Oh, I'm gonna take a photo of those," said students. They think making sushi rolls is craftwork. How lovely they are. Anyhow, they seemed to like them because only two pieces of rolls were left after the exam.

What else made me happy was that some students told me they enjoyed my class and learned a lot. Ohhhh, they just made my day. They may have just given me lip services, but it was good enough to make me happy.

This experience gave me an illusion that I may like teaching. No, no, no, no, no. I should keep in mind that this class was special. This class was small and a group of nice students. Usually and in reality, classes are groups of nasty students, ugh. Look at my other class! Some students are good, nice and polite, but some are nasty, rude and stupid. I'm not a babysitter, man. They have to know that.

Stupid kids aside, tonight, I don't want to ruin my experience. I had the best class ever in my short teaching life.