are the engineers just lucking out?

2005-01-13

I haven't been sleeping enough this week, for some annoying reason. I have trouble going to sleep at night, and I keep waking up before 5:00, which is aggravating, since I have to get up at 5:30 anyway--there's not enough time to go to sleep again before the alarm goes off. This morning I was completely exhausted before 8:30, though it wasn't from not sleeping enough or from the gym--it was because I started thinking about math, and it wore me out. I'm just going to say it and risk your ridicule: I don't GET math. I can do the basic add, subtract, multiply, divide stuff, but when it comes to algebraic equations or, dog forbid, Geometry, I am hopeless. In high school, I was the kid who, after the math teacher finished demonstrating some kind of equation, would raise her hand and say, "But WHY does that work? WHY does x equal that?" And what I was trying to get at was, who made THAT up, and why do we have to go along with it?? [Hi, Juan. Experiencing chest pains yet, you big engineer, you?] Teachers either didn't understand what I was asking or didn't have time to deal with it (which, I don't blame them--they had a lot of kids to educate), and of course the other students were all SHUT UP SHUT UP, so I never got an answer to this question; hence, my math skepticism has continued unabated. I didn't flunk math, by the way--I got Bs in everything but Geometry, in which I "earned" a C through guessing and cheating--but it was a struggle. Francisco and I had a big math conversation [HIM: You can know mathematical principles are true because planes fly and bridges don't collapse. ME: Meh--that's just luck] this morning after I brought the subject up, and he thinks if I took some kind of math refresher course [BOY: Don't let him sucker you in!], I might start to feel differently about the whole thing. It's not a bad idea, though I do not use complicated equations in my daily life and will therefore not have much practical use for them. Maybe I'll look for a class after we've moved--I don't have time for that nonsense right now. Oh math, why must you be both so mysterious and absolute?

Yesterday I got all excited when I read the One Ring Zero website and saw they'll be in Raleigh on February 5. I called Francisco and asked him if we could go (meaning, will he go with me, because I'm going anyway) and he was all for it. I then went to the website of the bookstore they're performing at, and it says they'll be there on February 2nd, which sucks if it's true, because that's a Wednesday and I'm not a fan of leaving the house on weekday nights. I know it's ridiculous and geriatric of me, but I'm just not into that. It would be different if I lived in a city, so that going somewhere would involve walking a couple of blocks, but it'll probably be an hour of driving each way to go to this thing, so now I'm all, "Dammit...I guess I'll go anyway, because it's not like those guys will be coming back any time soon, but why couldn't it be on the 5th, which is a Saturday?" I mean, if it IS on the 2nd--at this point I have no idea. Note to self: Find out, you weirdo.

Oh, another concert thing? Apocalyptica will be in the US in March, but they'll only be playing New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. I've been toying with the idea of going up to see them in New York (March 15), but I doubt we'll end up doing that, since it would cost a lot to fly up there and stay a night or two. Apocalyptica has a message board, and someone was talking about the New York show and said tickets are $10, and I was thinking, buh? They're coming all the way from FINLAND and tickets are only $10? That's Gotta be wrong.

When I first started working here, one of my students' parents dropped by to give me a gift (I was shocked--that never happened at my last place of employ), and it was a Hot Pot; basically a large electrical thermos that boils water and keeps it hot, and dispenses the hot water via vacuum pump. The instructions were all in Korean but Francisco figured out how to use it, though we really didn't, until a couple of months ago when Francisco dug it out of the closet and it suddenly became indisPENsible. We're drinking a lot of herb tea and, in Francisco's case, cocoa. Anyway, I saw a very similar Hot Pot when we were in Seattle, and that thing was $100! Who knew it was so expensive? Not me, that's who. I hope I was very effusive in my thanks to those parents; I can't remember, as it was a long time ago.

Okay, here's a great weblog for you: Bad News Hughes. Atomic pointed him out on Monday (I think), and I read all his archives a couple nights ago like a big creepy stalker, because the blog is just so damn good. Go look!

Were you aware...41 other countries have lower infant mortality rates than the United States? And one of those countries is...[wait for it] CUBA? Were you further aware that women are 70 percent more likely to die in childbirth in America than in Europe? The United States government would be well advised to fix up our health care system, is all I'm saying. We're pretty good with weird-ass, complicated procedures like heart transplants and stuff like that, but not so great with the basics. Those statistics are from the NY Times; yesterday's edition, in case you're curious.

I think yesterday I sort of promised to update on the Baby Jesus purchasing endeavor, but I don't really have an update to give. I still haven't succeeded in buying my first Baby Jesus, but the office is closed on Monday, so I'll have a full three day weekend to scour the stores for Baby Jesuses, and I will take advantage of that time. Most stores have probably put away their xmas stuff by now, but I'm hoping a few stores might leave the stuff out for the 3-day weekend. We shall see. I'll hit some antique stores as long as I'm out, because they might have some interesting old Baby Jesuses, and they sell seasonal stuff all year round, right?

Other places I should check are garage sales and estate sales, and though I sometimes enjoy attending garage sales (except for having to find them and get there right when they start, lest the good stuff be gone already), estate sales make me a little uncomfortable. They offer Way better stuff than garage sales, but I always feel funny around the people running the sale, like my very presence is saying, "I can hardly wait to root through the possessions of your dead relative and buy whatever I don't think is crap". Probably I should just get over it, because I bet some elderly people have huge stashes of Baby Jesuses they're hoarding from the rest of us. *shaking both fists in the hypothetical direction of old people*

I'm done for the day.

Love,
E |

cats-kittens

come over some time & see me - 2011-02-25
let's not say goodbye - 2011-02-23
the Rachel Zoe collection - 2011-02-10
I feel happy today - 2011-02-04
the tiny snow stalker - 2011-01-25

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