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:: My Urban Eyes ::

All that I see, and then some.
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Learning curve, commence.
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:: Friday, December 24, 2004 ::

December 24, 2004

But It Doesn’t Feel Like Christmas Eve



They are playing Miracle on 34th Street, though. That helps. I think I do this every year, though, the “It doesn’t feel like Christmas” bit. Maybe this year more than most, though. The tree only has lights, an angel topper, and a few indestructible ornaments due to our kitty. There isn’t a flake of snow outside; it was washed away in the pouring rain last night.

Oooo, an Airline marathon. I’ve only ever seen parts. Let’s see how it is…

Oh, here’s an ad for a new show coming up in January—“Caesar’s 24/7”, about the casino. It’s billed as a new “real life” series. That’s when you know reality tv has gone too far, when they start calling it “real life television”. ~shakes her head~

I’m putting together a present for a friend, and it’s so much fun! I hope she likes it. She reads this blog, I think, so I’ll say no more. She’ll just have to wait! Bwahahaha.

My itinerary for break is set! Well, last second changes can always occur, but the way it’s looking now:

December 26th – Bus to Long Island to be with Glenn
December 26th-29th – With Glenn
December 29th – Bus to Albany
December 30th – Train to Toronto
January 6th – Train to Albany

I love the train, hate the bus, but you do what you gotta do, ne? The long bus ride will be more than worth it. I’m looking forward to the train trip—it feels like an odd vacation of its own. I’m also looking forward to it because it will be the longest trip I’ve made alone so far. I emphasize the so far. ^_^

So… I’ll be in Toronto, effectively, from December 31st to January 5th. Laura, let me know what dates work for you, I really want to meet you!

I’ll be sending postcards from Toronto… if anyone wants one just holler! Best getting me your addy by other means, though, not in a comment post here, just in case, ne? ^_^

These poor people at the airlines. Dealing with people under stress is not fun. The holiday customers at Harry and David were a different animal than I’m used to, and people traveling are under great stress, to be sure. These poor employees, they go through so much. Heaven bless those with that kind of patience.

In an hour I get to go online, yeaa! (I’m writing this entries ahead of time, if you couldn’t tell.) Mom’s been on the phone with my aunt forever, but did I expect any less? I should really sleep more tonight, but I want to talk with people! That means so much more than sleep. Busses are made for sleeping, trains are made for sleeping.

Saw Ariell today, which was an amazing joy. I’m awful at keeping in touch, but Ariell and I always seem to get together each break, for which I’m grateful. I hope she remembers to give me blank CDs, there are so many cool programs I want to give her. ^_^

Random thing! The phrase “happy holidays” doesn’t have the same punch as “merry chirstmas”. I think it’s the wimpy h’s. At Harry and David’s yesterday I said “happy holidays” to stay politically correct, but every now and then a customer would say “merry chirstmas” to me. I always took the opportunity to return it.

OMG, it’s the fireplace!!! Do you guys have it? It’s basically a channel that plays this picture of a real fireplace with old time christmas music playing in the background. Go look and flip now, see if you have it! Go, go! I’ll wait here, no worries.


:: Kazen @ Always Doing 10:18 PM [+] ::
:: ... 0 comments



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:: Wednesday, December 22, 2004 ::

Christmas is a Comin’



…and I’m going to be travelling, yea!!! So far it looks like this: I’ll be going down to Long Island from December 26th to December 29th, then I’ll bus back to Albany so I can train to Toronto on December 30th and stay until January 6th. I’m going to look into tickets tonight, try to finalize my plans. I’m afraid that the train tickets are going to be more expensive than I’m anticipating. If it’s too much, I’ll stay on Long Island longer and go to Toronto after New Years… though I desperately want to spend the holiday there. Bhairavi said something about a pajama party… sounds like so much fun! ^_^ So Toronto people (especially Fyre!), let me know how these dates look for you! ~crosses her fingers~

Watching more poker on tv. I’m bad. When I get to Glenn’s I’m going to try and convince him to play with me for chips… his folks must have some chips somewhere. I hope, anyway. ^_^ I don’t think playing for slips of paper would have the same appeal. Raising someone to only have your “chips” scatter because of a draft doesn’t seem very romantic. (Smoky dark poker room romantic, not You’ve Got Mail romantic.)

They seem to be running through a whole bunch of eps that may be old to most, but new to me. I love the look of the ESPN shows (did I say this before?)—they make the casino look dark and mysterious, even smoky, which is quite a feat considering there’s no smoke in there. :P

Worked Monday at Harry and David, going back in tomorrow as well. Lemme tell ya, Christmas season is so much better than the summer. During the summer plan (what the company wants us to make, usually a percentage over last year’s business) was around a thousand dollars a day. If we make a thousand dollars an hour this week, we need to pick up the slack. On Monday in order to match the year before we needed to make $29,000… that just blows my mind.

My favorite part was being able to work register constantly. I’ve gotten pretty speedy at it! Oddly enough, cash sales take less time than credit. That’s probably for two reasons—our modem takes a while to validate each card (it may get queued with four registers going), and cash purchases tend to be smaller.

Some people buy so much! A thirty dollar tower for fifty people in their office. A cheesecake for every last one of their friends. A thousand dollar purchase is not unusual, and if people call ahead to reserve what they want, it can go even higher.

And there are men working in the store now, gasp! One of them is kinda cute, too. -_^ They’re mostly hired muscle, doing heavy stocking both in the back room and on the floor. I don’t even know if they get register training. “Can you move boxes? Great! You’re hired!”

Ooo, writing these in Word first makes me more verbose. :P

I’m scared to go out sailing on PP, with my connection, but I’m really glad I can sign on. You guys are what keep me sane… I love youse guys! ~huuuug!~

Random thing before I go—has anyone seen Ocean’s Twelve? I didn’t hear as much fanfare about it as I thought I would, at least right after the open. Any good?

:: Kazen @ Always Doing 8:38 PM [+] ::
:: ... 1 comments



Comments:
WHO HOO! Toronto! Actually, there's a PP gathering in Toronto on the night of the 30th. Interested?
 
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:: Saturday, December 18, 2004 ::

21k Weak



At home. Gotta love the dial up connection. ~gag~

I haven't been able to change the set up over to my computer yet, as someone tried to update this comp but failed miserably. So I'm the one sitting here, waiting for Media Player 9 to load. Yarrgh.

I've been home not 12 hours and I'm sick of it already... ~sigh~

:: Kazen @ Always Doing 7:34 PM [+] ::
:: ... 1 comments



Comments:
poo
 
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:: Friday, December 17, 2004 ::

Not an Atypical Story



Lately I've been getting into poker. Not to the point where I'm playing cash games or anything, but I'm trying to learn more about the game. I first got into it with the World Series of Poker on ESPN a little over a year ago... Glenn and I would watch it together, and he'd tell me stories about the players.

Glenn knows me really well. If he went into long technical lectures about the odds for each hand and why so and so folded I would've turned the tv off. But hearing the stories behind players' nicknames and famous hands they've played kept me interested.

So know I know enough to play fake hands with Glenn and win one now and then. Last night, while procrastinating, I learned the basics of seven card stud, razz, and omaha. I loved the options of omaha, it felt freeing, especially heads up. At a table it must be a different monster, though. Seven card stud was a bit of a pain, as I don't know how to process all that information yet (four of the cards dealt to each player are face up... it's a lot to keep track of). Razz is an interesting study, I think--you want me to make the worst hand I can? I enjoyed thinking about things backwards. When else can you think, "Oh, crap, I got a pair of kings. Better fold."?

Tonight I actually read a few articles to try and increase my knowledge base. I don't know if it helped my game at all, but some of it was good reading. I think the psychology of poker, tells and the like, are very interesting. I found myself drifting towards those articles more often than not.

Glenn said I'm getting good at poker, and while I think he's sincere, I also think he has an ulterior motive--to get me to join his buddies' $10 cash game. I'm hesitant (obviously!), but I'd like to play for chips sometime, as I've never had a chance to sit at a table and read players (and conversely, be read). I'm curious as to how it would go. Especially if Glenn is at the table... I think I would read him decently well. ^_^


PS - New gape, bottom left. ^_^

:: Kazen @ Always Doing 1:29 AM [+] ::
:: ... 0 comments



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:: Thursday, December 16, 2004 ::

Finals are Fini!



Woo! I'm so happy finals are over now. My theatre final went meh--the multiple choice section was easy, but I had a problem with the essay... maybe because I didn't read the plays. :P I should still get a good grade in the class, though, we'll see.

Tonight Bhairavi and I will try to work our way through some of our alcohol, in celebration! Oooo, maybe this is a night to do Drunken Drinking on Puzzle Pirates, ooo, the possibilities!

Wait, I think I hear something... from the freezer! It's ice cream! It's calling my name...

/me runs off

:: Kazen @ Always Doing 5:09 PM [+] ::
:: ... 1 comments



Comments:
Isn't ice cream for DURING studying? ;)

Congrats Kaz Kaz!
 
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:: Wednesday, December 15, 2004 ::

Hell has Nearly Passed



Only one more final to go. Thank God. Pulled a near all nighter last night to finish my Soc paper... a little over ten pages, and organizationally flawed, but the research and heart were there, I think. I'm kinda glad I won't see the comments, though. :P

All that's left is Theatre... I hate my Theatre class. Haven't studied yet. Tomorrow, tomorrow.

YPP has a new update, yea! After finals tomorrow I want to go sailing to far off lands to check stuff out, but I think Glenn will be here... and he won't take too kindly to that. :P Friday, then.

When I update people seem to visit the site! Yeaaa!

I'm trying to arrange something where I can work at Harry and David for a couple days next week. I have to be dropped off and picked up, so I'll work as long a day as I can... hopefully 16 hours (did I really say that?). I think it will be a ton of fun, believe it or not. Over the summer the mall was so dead I wanted to shoot myself. Right before Christmas I will have the option of working cashier non stop, or stocking non stop... okay, sounds werid to be saying that, I admit. But when during the summer the most exciting thing you can think to do is straighten the gummy shelf, it sounds wonderful. ^_^

And talk about quick money. I'm debating if I should use it to enjoy myself in Toronto or to pay for the bulk of a nice digital camera. Decisions decisions. ^_^

:: Kazen @ Always Doing 10:35 PM [+] ::
:: ... 4 comments



Comments:
Hun, don't wanna break your plans, but legally, I don't think Teh Boss can schedual you for longer than 10 hours (and with that including your 1/2 hour federally mandated lunch break, it's 9.5 hours of pay). But if the store is really busy when you're supposed to leave, you can sometimes squeeze in an extra hour or two. I did it plenty last year...

just want you to know...
-e
 
Awww! Darn laws ruining my fun! Thanks though, Elizabeth, very good to know. ^_^
 
TORONTO?

When when when when?
 
Fyre, you will be the first to know when. ^_^ It will either be over New Years or not over New Years, but that's all I know... before Jan. 14th for sure (I have work on the 14th and 18th). As soon as I get info, I'll let you know... I'd love to meet you!!!
 
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:: Monday, December 13, 2004 ::

University Libraries Rock, Except When They're Broken



Okay, okay, I know I should be working. But this keyboard types too well to pass up the opportunity for a quick blog entry (say what you want about the innards of a Dell machine, but their keyboards kick butt).

I'm working on my 12-15 page paper for Sociology. My subject--bilingualism in Asian American children. Is bilingualism good? If yes, how so? Should it be encouraged in public schools, and if so, what method of teaching is best?

Both good and bad stuff happening here... the evening is getting better as it wears on. I had a hard time getting started, but once I sat down I got a couple of pages out. I came across a reference to an article that would be a great help to my paper, in a common journal, to boot. So I packed up my massive expanse of spread out papers and hoofed it down to the periodical section. When I got to the photocopier with the journal I found out I had enough money to make three copies... not enough. I made the three, then ran upstairs to put more money on my card. The machine you use to add more money was broken! But, a sign informed, the Science Library also had a machine.

So I hoofed it over (not bad, five minutes, but it's cold and damp tonight! ~whine whine~). I got to the machine there, put in my card, put in a dollar bill... but the machine wouldn't accept it. It whirred with hope, but never took the money. I turned to the circulation desk.

"Yeah, it's broken."

Turns out that when the main library machine crashes it tends to take the Science Library machine down with it. Great. No copies for Karla. Lesson of the night--have $20 on my podium account at all times!

Worked in the Science Library for a while. I really liked the individual study carrels over there, more than the ones at the Main Library. They were more roomy, more room to spread out. The shelf was a little high, though--I had to put all my stuff a little over the edge to see it. I still like the Main Library better overall--it has a warm silence as oppossed to the Science Library's cool (as in cold) silence. More feet shuffling and fewer lights buzzing.

When the Science Library closed I went back to the main library, where I am now. I really wish we had a 24 hour library... that would kick butt. Do many universities have them? Granted, one am is fairly late for a library to be open, but still. They used to be open until two am during finals week, but not anymore... what happened with that?

I've had a lot of luck in finding really cool and good articles online. The online database here has really expanded. I think there were only two articles I couldn't find in PDF format, and the library has hard copies for those. Perodicals will reopen tomorrow morning, and I'll be there.

I'm really liking the info I'm finding, too. It's interesting stuff. I come across other cool articles in the meantime, stuff dealing with learning Japanese as a second language or teaching English as a second langauge... I should e-mail myself a ton so I can read them over break.

I have my planning final to do to... yarrrrgh. Not fun. It should be a simple "sit down, shut up, and write" thing, but I'm still not looking forward to it. Due tomorrow at 5:30, so I'm writing that as soon as I get my forward progress with the Soc paper typed up.

Woah, I'm rambling, but that's what blogs are for, right? Maybe it's the itsy bit of caffeine in the Arizona green tea I just finished, too. I'm surprised I haven't had to dip into my Mountain Dews yet. Just wait for four am. -_^

I'm going to have to walk to my dorm soon... but it's cold! And with all the news stories about girls getting assaulted at weird hours lately, I'm more on my toes than usual. Granted, those incidents have happened downtown for the most part, but UPD is well known for covering up on campus problems. Wish me luck.

:: Kazen @ Always Doing 10:27 PM [+] ::
:: ... 4 comments



Comments:
you know, if you're going to leave us hanging on something like that, you should post when you get back to your dorm with "made it" or something similar...
worried about you ;-),
E
 
Eep, I forgot, sorry!

I made it, yeaaa! ^_^
 
As an Asian American, born in the US, perhaps personal testimony could help to enrich your paper. I went to elementary school in Elmhurst, Queens, New York City, at P.S. 89. Elmhurst's zip code was listed as the most culturally diverse in the country at some point. My kindergarden class was all Korean. An interesting choice by the school, but probably a policy developed out of necessity due to the limited English capability of the Korean students there just entering the public school system. It was kind of interesting for me because my Korean was lousy at best, and I'd often zone out when my teacher gave instructions for assignments in Korean. Sometimes she'd notice I wasn't paying attention and ask (in Korean) if I understood what she was saying, and I pretended I did. In the interest of saving time, she'd sometimes skip following up in English, so I was left on my own to read the instructions printed on the sheet. You could argue that my lack of bilingualism in an environment where it was expected of me forced me to become literate more quickly than my bilingual classmates, and probably also my peers of strictly American heritage in other classes. Or maybe not. Draw whatever corollaries you like.
- Jab
 
/me is going to begin stalking your blog now that her links work.

Wheee!!!
 
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:: Saturday, December 11, 2004 ::

New Photoblogs!



These will be going in at left momentarily. I went photoblog crazy while procrastinating on this paper and found some really cool stuff. I've really been getting into the NYC photoblog scene, and these all fit the bill.

Cornershots - mostly photos of buildings, but the best are those where people are interacting with the built form. Kind of new, let's see how it evolves. ^_^

Tozzer - also kind of new. Also lots of shots of buildings, but much more interesting--patterns in glass, a guy who looks like he's stuck in an office building, and so on. Some great portraits too, like a delivery man sitting on the back of his truck.

The Streets Are Alive - "non-photography" is the credo here: break rules, it will create good and interesting photographs. Also check out the parent site, no rules street photography.

Enjoy! ^_^

:: Kazen @ Always Doing 10:11 PM [+] ::
:: ... 0 comments



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:: Thursday, December 09, 2004 ::

~Sniffle~



I just watched Jon Stewart's Are You Okay? monologue again... and cried again. It's from the first Daily Show after September 11th, and it is one of the best speeches I have heard, ever. I really recommend you watch it if you haven't seen it already (Real Player stream). I forgot just how powerful it is.

:: Kazen @ Always Doing 12:46 PM [+] ::
:: ... 0 comments



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Random Everythings



Finals stink.

Final papers stink even more.

Having a 21k connection this January will stink.

Reading day is good :)

My boyfriend is better. ^_^

The end.

PS - Added a current gape at left, from gaping void, also linked at left. ^_^

:: Kazen @ Always Doing 8:29 AM [+] ::
:: ... 0 comments



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