Home Free

Free at last!

So what does a brain-dead seminarian do after going through 11-weeks straight of non-stop studying? Sit, eat leftover Mexican, catch up on the San Francisco Giants' sorry winter transactions, and watch BBC World News on PBS. I've thought about reading for pleasure, but then it reminded me too much of reading for school.

I just made the switch over to Blogger beta. There are a few changes that I really like. Maybe I'll explore it a bit more later when I feel more motivated to do something.

Oh Crap, It's Finals

Yesterday, I came down with the stomach flu. It's been tearing through Baylight like crazy. Surprisingly, I feel a lot better now (so maybe it wasn't the stomach flu). Anyway, it's finals week, not exactly the best time to get sick. And it's never good to have problems with the bowels... especially when taking tests.

I think my physiology of aging final exam at Cal speaks to that. On the blackboard it said "No bathroom breaks." So I had the decision to either submit my final exam early with about half of the questions answered or crap in my pants. I decided that taking an F on the final and hoping for the best was the best option. I ended up with a C- in the class. For any Cal biology students out there, you know how ridiculous it is to get a C- in physiology of aging (the class is touted as an easy A by Cal biology standards), but all things considered, I think I won.

Anyway, I went to take my Hebrew test. The last one of the quarter, when I had the stomach flu. I had major flashbacks to my senior year at Cal. The bathroom at the seminary is one long corridor down from the classrooms. Thankfully, my innards were cooperative even when my brain wasn't. I don't think I did too hot on the test. Oh well. I'll definitely do better than a C- in Hebrew.

And then there was four

Big sigh after finishing the 15 page behemoth. It goes out in the mail tomorrow. I've got Hebrew, Communication, Church History, and Grief Counseling left with a week to go. Now, I have a normal courseload. Seriously, next quarter's going to be a cakewalk after going through this craziness.

Five Classes!

A week and some change and my workload has reduced to five classes. Eyes on the prize baby. Eyes on the prize.

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

I can see it!

My printer is now printing my 12 page Church History paper about the development of the theology of sex in the early church fathers. Summary: Augustine wasn't so into sex but Polycarp didn't seem to mind all too much.

I mailed in my systematic theology paper like a week ago too... so now I have six classes (I started with seven classes) worth of work I still need to do/turn in until December 11 (I still have a final exam for church history).

Hair Cut

Yesterday, when Alinna came back home and saw my haircut, she frowned and said, "You look like a shorn sheep."

Apparently, my hair was so long for such a long period of time that I look naked and sad now. To give a better picture of how drastic it was, there was about an inch and a half of hair on the ground. It probably didn't help that I was shivering a little because it was so cold yesterday afternoon.

Many thanks to my family and Steve and Jeff for coming all the way out to Mountain View to cheer me on and support me on Sunday.

Four Weeks to Go

My quarter of hell will be over four weeks from now. There's a simultaneous elation and fear that comes with that. Four weeks and it'll be over! FOUR WEEKS AND IT'LL BE OVER. All things considered, I think I'm in better shape than I was four weeks ago.

Then again, I practically slept all-day yesterday. After coming back home from subbing yesterday, I slept for 3 hours. Woke up. Read a book for class. Watched Heroes for the first time. Went back to sleep after 3 hours of being awake. It was really nice to slow down and remind myself again that I need not push through without thought for anything else including my health.

Back from Paradise

Just came back this morning from a great mini-vacation to HAWAII!



We did two things while we were there: Relax and eat. Goodness, we ate.

Here's a quick sampler platter around the island of Oahu:

Can't go to Hawaii without having a plate lunch. This place serves up some of the best. Rainbow Drive-Inn. Yum. Forget supersizing. Just ask them to pour brown gravy on just about anything. Double yum. The mix plate was a good way to go.



Then it's off to a pretty fancy dinner at Alan Wong's. The appetizer with the soup served in the martini glass just looks cool. It was tasty to boot. The foie gras sandwich sitting on top of the glass wasn't bad either.



Cool off a bit with a combination of a pineapple soft serve bowl courtesy of the Dole Plantation



And a shave ice from Matsumotos



Stop for a mid-drive snack at the Shrimp Shack. Coconut shrimp and pan-fried garlic and butter shrimp. Ooooh these were tasty!



And back to Honolulu for a couple of drinks at Duke's. Alinna will testify to the tastiness of the Lava Flow.

Reflections from Malaysia

I realize I haven't posted anything from my trip to Malaysia yet.

Here's a picture of my small group during my time there.

From left to right: Me, Gildo (Mozambique), Ranno (Estonia), Brad (mentor from USA), Renier (South Africa), Charles (Tanzania), Remo (India).

I think the picture best summarizes what I learned from the trip: There are cross-cultural missionaries from everywhere in the world. In one of the messages, I had learned that only 36% of the world's Christian missionaries come from the continent of North America. I had heard that the Christian movement was shifting away from the West, but I had no idea that it had already shifted significantly.

Otherwise, I met a lot of really important people. It seemed like everyone had a business card. "President of such-and-such ministries," "CEO of such-and-such company." There were just a lot of important people. So you can imagine my feelings of inadequacy when I would meet somebody new (which was all the time). After shaking the person's hand, he or she would had me their business card, I'd look at it, see that they were really important, and follow it up with, "Hang on, lemme make you my business card (which would be a piece of paper torn out of my notepad with my name and email address on it)." Oh well.

On a related note, I just finished writing a newsletter that talks briefly about the trip. If you'd like a copy, gimme a holla.

Nutzo Quarter

In my haste to graduate after the Summer of 2007, I had somewhat stupidly scheduled an insanely crazy schedule this quarter.

Early Church History
Hebrew
Grief Counseling
Communication
Field Education/Internship

This schedule isn't terribly bad... until you add the two distance learning classes that carry over from the summer. Basically, I should have finished these two classes during the summer, but I just didn't because it was summer (and partly because I had to prepare for the 10 message camp).

Systematic Theology
Biblical Foundations of Mission.

Seven classes. I don't think I've ever taken seven classes except maybe in high school. Just for some perspective, the "normal" seminary student takes three classes per quarter. Some of my classmates are starting to call me the "double seminarian."

My Mouse Is Broken!

For like a month now, my mouse has been broken. The little trackball thing in the middle wouldn't scroll down. But the curse has been lifted!



Many thanks to Jason for pointing me to the website that told me how to do it. The Apple site says to just use water on a rag. Lemme tell ya. IT DOESN'T WORK!

Get the isopropyl alcohol, put it on a paper towel. And just rub it on the trackball over and over again until it works again! Yahoo.

Let it Snow!

Yesterday, according to the news, it snowed in Tahoe! Five inches! Mid-October and it's snowing!

Anybody interested in making a trip out to Tahoe this year?

One Quarter Down, Four More to Go

I haven't been posting very often recently and it's basically been because I've been busy finishing my summer quarter. Apparently, what most seminaries forget to tell you is that while an M.Div may take 3 years to complete, it would be 3 years, full-time, including summers. There's this weird expectation that, "Of course you'll take summer classes." So, while at times I wonder about the academic excellence required at the seminary level, I will admit that it is a gruelling 3 years.

I am kinda on the 3 year track. I started back in September 2004. I'm now slated to finish my schoolwork at around this time next year. Four quarters left to go (now that I've finished my final research paper for the Gospels class). Fall '06, Winter '07, Spring '07, and Summer '07 and I'll be done.

Yes, there will be a graduation ceremony. It'll be sometime in early June next year. It'll be more than likely on June 2nd at St. Patrick's Seminary in Menlo Park. I'll post details as they come. I won't be completely finished with everything then (I would still have a summer quarter to go), but hey, it's better than waiting one more year for the ceremony to come around again.

The Benitez Dilemma

After a merciless drubbing on my fantasy baseball team thereby ending my playoff hopes (the score was 0-10), I have now turned my attention to the football season. I guess I could continue playing fantasy baseball, but then the highest placing I could get would be 7th. I just don't think my ego could take playing fantasy baseball when 7th place is in stake.

So... on to football. My team isn't superstar laced, though I think it may be one of the deeper teams in the league. Basically, I'm expecting to get whomped on early in the season, but then as the injuries start racking up, I hope to make my push.

It also looks like I have a bit of a RB controversy in the makings right now for week 1 (a la Mike Shanahan). My RBs are Ronnie Brown, Willie Parker, Reuben Droughns, and Dominic Rhodes. Two of them are playing tonight at the season opener. There are two RB slots on my starting squad. Who do I choose?

Ronnie Brown is going against Pittsburgh, Willie Parker against Miami, Droughns against New Orleans, and Rhodes against NY Giants. I've essentially illiminated Rhodes from my list for this week. That leaves with three: Brown, Parker, and Droughns.

Brown's going against Pittsburgh, but then I picked him up as my first round pick. I really don't want to bench a first round pick especially in the first week. But well, I don't know. I think I'm beginning to understand Felipe Alou's mindset when it's a close game in the 9th inning. Do you go with what you think is right? Or do you go with the guy you paid a lot of money to?

Parker's going against a mediocre Miami run defense. But with Pittsburgh's running backs, the question seems to always be the same, who's going to get the touchdowns?

Droughns, well, Droughns is probably the weaker of the three but he's also going against the weakest defense of the three.

Which two do I choose?

Oh and by the way... I hate ESPN for taking away Monday Night Football. We've got ABC, PBS, NBC and a pair of rabbit ears. No cable. Boo.

ADHD Cure from the '50's and '60's

Pure awesomeness. Makes me laugh everytime I watch it.

Bed Manners

Sleeping in the same bed with someone else has taken a lot of getting used to.

For a while, I used to sleep on the right side with Alinna sleeping on the left side. The Giants' Beat LA sign from when they still used to play at the 'stick and a picture of SBC Park still grace the walls of the right side of the bed. But anyway, we slept that way for a while until we realized that when we sleep, we sleep facing away from each other. That is, we were sleeping facing outward.

So, we came up with a brilliant idea. Why don't we switch sides of the bed so that we would face each other when we go to sleep! So, I would sleep on the left side of the bed while Alinna would sleep on the right side. That way, when we sleep on our favorite side of our body, we'd face each other.

Well, it hasn't quite worked out as planned. While I face her now, she still faces outward. She changed the direction she faces. So now, I get to see the back of her head. What to do!

Of course, it probably doesn't help that I now wear a black football mouthguard when I go to sleep to keep me from grinding my teeth at night. I'm sure that looks really attractive.

This week in fantasy baseball: Losing to Elbert 3-6 (in 6th place and fighting for a playoff spot)

Frugality

Cheap or Frugal?
So a while ago, I went to the Recycling Center to recycle the small collection of cans and bottles that we had amassed. Over four pounds of glass bottles, a good number of aluminum cans, and a few soda bottles. Drove out to the other side of Sunnyvale, went to the Recycling Center, pulled up by the curbside drop off point, dumped and separated the junk, and I get a receipt from the lady working there.

I go to the building next door where I guess they handle the sales. I had the lady there the receipt, she punches a few numbers in the computer... $2.61. I don't know. This gives me little incentive to recycle. If it weren't for being indoctrinated in elementary school and watching Captain Planet, I would want to throw bottles and cans directly into the garbage can. I'd completely ignore the note on the label of each bottle saying "Please recycle this bottle", and laugh like the bad guys in Scooby Doo.

Regardless, it was $2.61. What did I do with that booty? Went to the Oroweat Bakery Outlet just down the street. Thomas English Muffins and Australian Toaster Biscuits. Remember those? Do they still sell the Australian Toaster Biscuits in normal supermarkets? I haven't seen them around in years! They're much softer than those hard English things....

Note: I have since gone to the recycling center one more time. The total? $4.37. Is it worth it?

Team Speakers

Been away for the last week.  And now, well, I'm just plain wiped.

CEBC camp.  6 days.  10 messages.  CRAZY.  Never heard of such a thing.  Tiring as expected.  But surprisingly, had a good time too.  Junior high boys are a lot of fun.  And these junior high boys, well, they were almost freakishly good.  Never met such well-mannered kids.

Thanks friends.  Wouldn't have been as fun without you guys.

Going to the Dentist

So, I went to the dentist earlier this week. A rather non-event, certainly not worthy of a blog post. Except for the fact that it was my first trip in over 5 years. The last time I went to the dentist was for a teeth cleaning right after graduating from college.

With some trepidation and Alinna's prayers of "Lord, no cavities please, we can't afford cavities", I went. Results? Nothing. Not one thing. A little gum recession because I brush too hard, but I knew that already.

And I quote from my new dentist. "It'd be good to brush your teeth like this... but then what can I say? Five years and it looks like you're already doing a good job."

In honor of Chase Utley's 34-game consecutive hit streak, I am proud to announce to the world that I have a 17-year consecutive no cavity streak.

This week in fantasy baseball: Tied with Jason 3-3 (currently in 6th place... a playoff spot perhaps?)

Celebrity Face Recognition

So, as I am innocently going to check up on my fantasy baseball team... something catches my eye on Yahoo! news. Apparently, there's a website called www.myheritage.com that specializes in building and making family trees. Well, the website has a fun little app called celebrity face recognition.

Myheritage.com has a database (a pretty wide one i might add) of about 3200 celebrity faces with which they'll match your face. Basically, you upload a picture of your face and it'll compare it to its database of celebrities and tell you the top 10 celebrities you most look like.

Who do I most look like? I look like Pol Pot. I look like a murderous dictator! To add insult to injury, the following celeb was Ruhollah Khomeini. I think it's the eyebrows.

This week in fantasy baseball: Beating Mike 8-2

How One Family is Combatting the Heat

Hilarious.  Well, I guess if it works for car windshields... why not homes as well?

Us?  We're boring and conventional and have a fan.


This week in fantasy baseball: Beat Ted 6-4 (in 7th place)

YouTube Junkie

I've officially joined the bandwagon and become a YouTube junkie. That's right. When I should be studying/reading/listening to lectures for school, I'll often be surfing around YouTube for things in the past that have just made me laugh out loud. Jon Stewart Daily Show clips, the episode on Fresh Prince where Will and Carlton enter the dance competition, clips from my favorite Japanese television show Karakuri TV, and the Joe Mikulik incident.

And so, for your viewing pleasure. Oh... it makes me laugh every single time I watch it.

I Got Issues...

with Photobucket ever since I changed up the blog.

I'm just testing the picture resizing on photobucket.  Hopefully it'll pick up that the dimensions have changed.

Another picture from Williamsburg.  I think this is on my top 5 city signs I'd like to have.  It's up there with the immigrant family crossing sign on the freeway between Orange County and San Diego.

Wannabe

Oh, the picture on my profile... that's my best attempt at being Ben Tao.  I'm wearing his law school gown and his glasses.



And for good measure, here's a picture of me and Jason on that same trip to Williamsburg doing the whole North/South standoff thing.


This week in fantasy baseball: Losing to Ted  4-6

Getting with the Times

I have finally changed the look of the blog. I've found that they don't make my old template anymore on blogger. It's the end of an era.

These changes are not merely cosmetic. This isn't the E-equivalent of a Botox treatment. I've been struggling recently to change up and update the stuff on my template (switching comment box servers, adding an RSS feed, making the title of the blogs show up, and well, I can't remember the other stuff). I finally got fed up with it and scrapped the old html.

So! While the blog is in a bit of a transitional time, as it is evident by the pictures from photobucket that have not resized to conform to the new dimensions and the titles of the blogs showing up twice, the blog is new and improved!

Meanwhile in other parts of Hideyo's life, I have officially made the jump from regular soda to diet. I am now a consumer of Diet Coke with Lime. This too is the end of an era. Gone are the days of drinking a 1 Liter Mountain Dew or Pepsi right after playing basketball.

This week in fantasy baseball: Beat Dong 5-3 (currently in 7th place... at the half way mark I am within grasp of a playoff birth)

The End is Coming!

The End is Coming!

Unbelievable! I went to get some academic counseling at Menlo Park and among many other things, I filled out the paperwork to graduate in Summer... 2007. A year early yes, but at least it takes away another piece of paperwork that I'll have to do later.

Anyway, this is all to say that the end of my divine schooling is coming close. We mapped out my schedule from now until Summer 2007 and saw that it could all fit. 3 years and one quarter. Not bad considering that I took one summer off (last summer), got engaged, got married, moved, worked on and off throughout the time, and attended the Northern California extension campus for nearly 2/3 of my education. It can be done!

This week in fantasy baseball: Losing to Joonho 4-5 (I'm seeing a trend... maybe my team just sucks)

Pre-engagement Counseling?!

Pre-engagement Counseling?!

I had never heard of the concept until about a year ago when I heard of some friends of mine doing it or considering doing it. Just yesterday, it come up in a conversation as I was enjoying a burger from Kirk's Steakburgers on DeAnza. The initial reactions from most everybody at the table were the same, "What the...?!" But then, a strange thing started to happen... people started rationalizing the idea, even saying that it might be a good idea.

Most of those who crossed over to the "I think it might be good idea" camp said something to the effect of "It'd be a better time to get the counseling, especially before any serious commitments are made" or "It'd be better to know that it'd work before getting engaged" etc. etc..

I couldn't help but continue to think that it's a bit ridiculous, but I had a hard time figuring out why. I think someone at the table asked me as a future pastor of America if I'd do pre-engagement counseling. I think I responded with something like "Mumblemumble yeahidon'tthinkso mumblemumblemumble." Very confident I am.

Aside from the whole "It takes the suspense away" point of view or the "That's weird" stance or the "What do you do when it comes down to premarital counseling then?" perspective I had a hard time figuring it out. Any thoughts?

This week in fantasy baseball: Lost to Minho 4-5 (but bumped back up to 9th place!)

Times are a Changin'

Times are a Changin'

I realize that Alinna's already posted this stuff, but what the heck, everybody likes to see pictures on blogs.

Many congratulations to Nao and Mark on graduating.




Though I do have to say, Davis was a lot hotter than Richmond.


I don't know though. Would you rather deal with the extreme heat of Davis or extreme police surveillance of Richmond. I realize that more police are supposed to make me feel safe, but somehow that night I felt the exact opposite.

Oh and for good measure, the transformation of Alinna... her Japanified.


The end product of a night of trying to figure out how to put a yukata on.

This week in fantasy baseball: Beating Minho 5-4 (dropped to 10th place)

Rockin' Priests

Rockin' Priests

Fuller's Northern California Extension Campus is actually a borrowed campus from St. Patrick's Seminary in Menlo Park. It's a Catholic seminary, as in priests-in-training study there. Beautiful campus. I should take and post pictures of it later. It's quiet and pretty big. In fact, I'm pretty sure that the upper floor of the main building is the school's dormitory.

Anyway, on Wednesday and Thursday nights and Saturdays, Fuller students like myself take up portions of the campus and study there. A few Saturdays ago, as I was taking my Systematic Theology class I started to hear a pulsating sound. It didn't take long before I realized that it was music coming from upstairs... one of the dormitories of a soon would-be priest (who's probably got a pretty nice system set-up). At this point I start to zone. I'm not listening to the lecture anymore. Instead, I want to find out, what kind of music do Catholic priests listen to? After about 30 seconds, I realize that it's a song I know! Something rock... priests listen to rock! Priests listen to...

THE RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS! That other song from their Californication album... Scar Tissue!

Yes, you read it here first.

This week in fantasy baseball: Tied with Elbert 3-3 (still sitting in 9th place)

Relay for Life

Relay for Life

This Saturday, I'll be running/walking with a group of friends for a charity called Relay for Life.
Basically, it's a fundraiser and memorial set up by the American Cancer Society for those who have lost loved ones to cancer. 24 hours in Mountain View. Good cause.

You can visit the team website for our relay team.

Or you can sponsor Alinna and I by going to our website and making a payment by credit card, it's real simple.

There's more information on the websites too if you want to check it out. Please think about giving some money to a worthy cause!

Sorry... no Craigslist finds this morning. I gotta get to work. Last two weeks of school.

Gleanings from Hillsdale

Yesterday's Subbing

So yesterday, I subbed. Two stories from that experience...

1) One kid, African-American, the only one in the class, tried to act super-hard. Pushed kids around, made them do things for him by using scare tactics. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I wanted to go up to the kid and say, "What's up, San Mateo. Six-five-oh, what... six-five-OH!"

2) One other kid, clearly wasn't doing work, but when I'd walk by and sit down with him to work on the assigned worksheet, he was clearly capable. Not a stupid kid. Just unmotivated to do work. We're working on a math problem and he stops, "Hey, I don't usually do work in this class. I usually just draw, and it's cool. Can I just do that?" Gotta hand it to the guy for being open and honest.

This week in fantasy baseball: Lost to Mike 4-5 (currently in 8th place)

The South Bay Craigslist Finds of the Day
1. Computer Desk $30 (San Jose)
2. Weber Grill $20 (Los Altos)
3. Wine cabinet/bar $75 (Menlo Park)
4. Kitchen Cart on wheels $20 (Palo Alto)
5. Iron Magazine Holder $15 (Sunnyvale)

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day

Alinna and I have successfully gone through our first Mother's Day. Question for all you faithful bloggers out there... what do you do for Mother's Day when you have two mothers in the area? My mother in law in a stone's throw away and my own mother is an hour's drive away. Two mothers. What am I to do?

This year: Had Mother's Day dinner with the Satake family on Saturday night and had Mother's Day dinner with the Chiu family on Sunday night.

This week in fantasy baseball: Losing to Mike 4-5

The South Bay Craigslist Finds of the Day
1. Cedar Chest $50 (Saratoga)
2. Nightstand $60 (San Jose)
3. Pine Bunkbeds $50 (Los Gatos)
4. Kitchen Utility Table $30 (Santa Clara)
5. Armchair and Ottoman $50 (Santa Clara)
6. 10 Colorful Japanese Bamboo Coasters $5 (San Jose)
7. Smoker $60 (Sunnyvale)

Sad

Sad

This week in fantasy baseball: Losing to Mike 4-5

The South Bay Craigslist Finds of the Day
1. Pair of side tables $40 (Mountain View)
2. Retro Toy Storage Box $10 (San Jose)
3. Boudoir Bench $50 (Sunnyvale)
4. Portable Kitchen Island $60 (San Jose)
5. Bread Box $10 (San Jose)

Tagged

Tagged

1. Four Jobs:
a. Church planter
b. Warehouse stocker
c. Delivery guy
d. Substitute teacher

2. Four Things I Wish I Had Done Earlier:
a. Hang out with Alinna
b. Snowboard
c. Bartending School
d. Learn to Speak Japanese

3. Four Places I Have Lived:
a. El Sobrante
b. Berkeley
c. Date
d. Alhambra

4. Four Countries I Have Been To:
a. Canada
b. Japan
c. Mexico
d. ...

5. Four Countries I Would Like to Visit:
a. Italy
b. United Kingdom
c. Germany
d. China

6. Four of My Favorite Dishes:
a. Tacos from the Taco Truck on Fair Oaks in Pasadena
b. 3 Tacos and a Cerveza from the Taco Stand in Tijuana for $2
c. Anything from when Alinna Goes on a Baking Binge
d. Anything on a Grill

7. Four Sites I Visit Daily:
a. Gmail
b. ESPN
c. Yahoo! Fantasy Sports
d. Craigslist

8. Four Software Applications I Cannot Live Without:
a. Firefox
b. Word
c. Excel
d. iCal

9. Four Things I'll Never Forget:
a. Fishing with Grandpa
b. Japan.
c. Jet Li's house!
d. Seeing Alinna walk down the aisle

10. I Tag....
a. slee
b. danny
c. superbruce
d. cal

This week in fantasy baseball: Losing to Mike 2-5

The South Bay Craigslist Finds of the Day
1. Pottery Barn Desk and Chair $50 (Los Gatos)
2. Black CD Tower $30 (Cupertino)
3. Small Drawer Units $50 (Mountain View)
4. 3 Steel Canisters $10 (Sunnyvale)
5. Honeywell Air Purifier $30 (San Jose)

Tired

Just Tired

A whirlwind of seemingly everything this last week. Finally have some time to just sit, be still, and not have to do something all the time. In honor of my day of doing nothing, I will not post anything profound. For all of you at work right now, also not wanting to do anything... have no fear, I looked around on Craiglist and found the picks for your enjoyment.

This week in fantasy baseball: Beat Ted 6-4 (still in 9th place)

The South Bay Craiglist Finds of the Day
1. Magazine Rack $3 (Cupertino)
2. Antique Tool Box $25 (Mountain View)
3. Table $20 (Mountain View)
4. Iron and Wood Magazine Rack $15 (Mountain View)
5. Cherry Bookshelf & Cherry Computer Desk with Hutch $50/$75 (Cupertino)
6. End table $45 (Mountain View)
7. Antique Steamer Trunk $50 (Campbell)
8. 3-Seat Couch $89 (Santa Clara)
9. Oak Wine Rack $20 (San Jose)
10. Modern Storage Bench $90 (Palo Alto)

The Best High Schools

Newsweek's Best High School Rankings

After being directed to the website from Bob's blog, I started searching around for schools I recognized. The top 1000 public high schools in the nation. That's a lot of high schools. I combed through the first 500 and after seeing Hickville, Nebraska a few times and Yockle, Kansas as cities housing some of the top high schools, I started to gain false hope that a high school from the WCCUSD would get in. I saw Albany High in the list. Surely, El Cerrito isn't that far away from Albany. But I was wrong. My dreams of seeing my high school there... dashed.

For those of you who don't want to bother with clicking the hyperlink above, here's how Newsweek ranked the schools:

By dividing the number of AP and IB tests taken at a school by the number of graduating seniors, we can measure how committed the school is to helping kids take college-level courses.

With that as the measure of excellence, it's no wonder the WCCUSD didn't crack the top 1000. I took 3 AP tests over the course of my high school career at El Cerrito: Calculus AB, English (the non-lit version), and US History. It wasn't until I went to Cal that my eyes were opened to the world of college freshmen coming in with 100 million AP units. And there I was, naively thinking that the only AP tests out there were Calculus, English, Biology, US History, European History, Spanish, and French. Blast you Hickville, Nebraska and your AP Tractor Pull!

This week in fantasy baseball: Beating Ted 7-3

The Craigslist South Bay Finds of the Day
1. Walnut Computer Desk $50 (Mountain View)
2. Pottery Barn Chairs Set of 5 $50 (Los Gatos)
3. Spanish Style Table with Set of 6 Chairs $80 (Los Gatos)
4. Crate & Barrel Dinnerware Set Service for 6 $30 (Campbell)
5. Baker's Rack $35 (San Jose)
6. Eureka Bagless Vacuum $25 (Menlo Park)
7. Iron Magazine Rack $30 (Menlo Park)

The World of MySpace

The Nebulous World of MySpace

Not to sound completely anti-social, but what's the point of MySpace? I asked the same thing about Friendster a while back and decided not to join in. I guess I just don't get it. Are people looking to hook up through it? Cyber-stalk? A few weeks back, Dean was over and he was telling me about the virtues of Friendster. He asked me if there was anybody from high school I wanted to check up on. I just drew a blank. Maybe I just don't care? I don't know. I feel like an old man hollering with his gums saying, "What's been all this hootin' and hollerin' about MySpace?"

This week in fantasy baseball: Beating Ted 6-4

The South Bay Craigslist Finds of the Day
1. 4 Drawer Dresser $40 (Cupertino)
2. Nightstand $60 (San Jose)
3. Nightstand $25 (Sunnyvale)
4. Charcoal BBQ/Smoker $10 (San Jose)
5. Humidifier $15 (Mountain View)

First Day at School... Again

I don't know how many times I've said this now, but today was my first day at school, as a substitute teacher. Yes, I am officially employed by the San Mateo Unified High School District. Today was an assignment at Burlingame High. Generally, a very well-behaved set of classes. You could say that I was pleasantly surprised. A couple of incidents, but not too much. The biggest incident was probably showing up 30-minutes late for first period. (Note: I hate the city of Burlingame... the place makes no sense to me) I ended up driving around Burlingame for about an hour. Why? Because Google maps directed me to turn at a street that wasn't marked.

So around and around I went, looking for a street sign that didn't exist. I started wandering around the general vicinity, found a set of buildings that could be a high school, got excited, and drove in that general direction only to find that it wasn't Burlingame High but San Mateo High. Wrong high school. I ended up finding the high school after calling the Burlingame High office. Good thing I had their phone number.

Afterward, Alinna asked me how it went. I got the feeling like she was glad and a bit disappointed at the same time. Glad that the kids didn't give me a hard time and possibly disappointed because the kids didn't give me a hard time. I think I lucked out this time though. No way all the classes are going to be like this one.

The week in fantasy baseball: Beat Dong 5-4 (currently in 9th place)

The Craigslist Finds of the Day
1. Black computer desk with stool $40 (San Jose)
2. Kids' table, chairs, storage bench, lamp $50 (San Jose)
3. Wardrobe closet $20 (San Jose)
4. Cherry Wood Boudoir Bench $25 (Mountain View)
5. Large Weber BBQ $10 (Mountain View)
6. Bathroom Wall Shelf $3 (San Jose)
7. Smoker/Grill $75 (San Jose)
8. Zojirushi Hot Water Pot $30 (Santa Clara)

Surfing the Radio

I never thought that this would happen, but on my car radio I'm staying on my FMII stations. Housed there are KISS 98.1, KBLX 102.9, and KFRC 99.7. Old people stations. I haven't changed the presets on my FMI stations but time and again, I skip over to FMII and listen to the music geared toward the more mature crowd.

Of course, I'd stay with 106.1 and 94.9 if they played something other than garbage. But again, old people used to say the same thing when I would listen to KMEL or KYLD back in the day. And now, I've become that old person... at least in music.

This week in fantasy baseball: Tied with Dong 4-4

The South Bay Craigslist Finds of the Morning
1. Serving Table $50 (Los Gatos)
2. Dining Table, 4 Chairs, Coffee Table $50 (Palo Alto)
3. Black Steamer Trunk $15 (Palo Alto)
4. Kenmore 18 Cu Ft Off-White Refrigerator $75 (Sunnyvale)
5. Le Creuset Black 3.5 qt Casserole Dish $69 (San Jose)

Adventures on 101

So, I drove on 101 today. Alinna tells me never to drive on 101. It doesn't matter if it's 5PM or 5AM. Her motto is "Just say no to 101." Why? Because inevitably there will be traffic. But well, I drive on 101 to get to San Mateo today.

I must admit, it was an infuriating experience. If there's just traffic I don't mind all that much. Well, at least I don't think I do. Anyway, the fact that it got slow in some parts didn't bother me all that much today. What bothered me today were all the stupid drivers on 101 today. I've heard it said that SoCal drivers are jerks, but NorCal drivers are just stupid.

What constitutes stupidity in my mind? Everybody driving at the same speed regardless of what lane it is that they're driving in. It doesn't matter if they're in the exit lane or the fast lane (it was 9:05 when I hit 101 so the carpool lane was available too), they're driving at 55. It's even more infuriating when you look past that initial car in front of you and see not another car for tens of yards.

Classic scenario: I'm driving in the number 3 lane. There's a car in front of me driving at 55. In the number 2 and the carpool lane, there are cars driving at 55 as well. It looks like they're the cleaning bar on an etch-e-sketch. All at the same speed, all approximately in the same positions. If you're moving at the same speed as the car beside you in a slower lane, move to the slower lane. Expanding 101, Caltrans work crews, blah blah blah. Just observe the rules of the road and 101 should run smoother.

Speaking of driving at the same speed... Asian moms are notorious for being bad drivers. Aside from not being able to see over the steering wheel, one of the most common complaints is that they drive too fast in parking lots. But au contrare. If you closely observe the driving skills of the typical Asian mom, you will find that it's not so much that they drive fast in the parking lot as much as it is that they're driving at the same speed in the parking lot. It doesn't matter if they're driving on San Pablo Ave, Lawrence Expressway, or the Ranch 99 parking lot. You'll see the Asian mom clocking in at 25 miles per hour.

This week in fantasy baseball: Tied with Dong 4-4

The South Bay Craigslist Finds of the Morning
1. Tan Dresser $25 (Mountain View)
2. Off-white Chair and a Half $50 (San Jose)
3. End table $35 (Palo Alto)
4. Barbeque Grill $30 (Sunnyvale)
5. Room heater $30 (Milpitas)

Mad Hot Ballroom

Many thanks to Julio for recommending this movie and Meghan for letting us borrow it. Mad Hot Ballroom. Great movie. And things the kids are saying, there's no way you could ever even try to script that stuff.

This week in fantasy baseball: Losing to Dong 3-6

The South Bay Craigslist Finds of the Morning
1. Wooden Kitchen Cart $25 (San Jose)
2. Dark Oak Bookshelves $20 (Campbell)
3. Antique Swingarm Lamp w/Shade $22 (Palo Alto)
4. 3 Tier Dessert Server $30 (Sunnyvale)
5. 4 White Kitchen Canisters $15 (San Jose)

Sore

Alinna keeps saying that I think I'm 19. This Sunday, I played basketball at Terman Park and when I came back home, I bloody blisters on my feet, had a hard time walking straight, and was sore all over. Alinna's also been noticing that I "sleep in the morning like dead things." What I can't seem to understand is how my left shoulder is more sore than anything in my body. Maybe it was all the long passes. It was ridiculous. Our team was like the Run TMC Warriors team. Not a whole lot of defense but a whole lotta cherry picking.

This week in fantasy baseball: Beating Dong 4-3

The South Bay Craigslist Finds of the Morning
1. Folding bookcase $25 (San Jose)
2. TV Stand $70 (Mountain View)
3. Large Mirror $5 (Santa Clara)
4. Portable Jump Starter $40 (San Jose)
5. Bathroom Shelving $15 (Los Gatos)

In a Cave

Lately, I've been feeling like I live in a cave. I had no idea what was going on in the world. Just yesterday, I was looking through CNN's website and I found out about the stuff going down in Nepal and the student arrests in Kansas and Alaska. It's so crazy. It felt crazy, like there's no order in the world anymore. I just had no idea.

This week in fantasy baseball: Lost to Jonathan 2-7 (pretty demoralizing when you lose to a dead team)

The South Bay Craigslist Finds of the Morning
1. Oversized chair $40 (San Jose)
2. Wood coffee table $35 (Santa Clara)
3. Barbeque tool set in case $25 (San Jose)
4. 27 Mason jars $20 (San Jose)
5. Crate & Barrel 52 piece dining set $60 (Cupertino)
6. 6 Glass cups $5 (Sunnyvale)
7. Roomba Vacuum $35 (Menlo Park)

No Time

No time to post right now just a quick update...

This week in fantasy baseball: Losing to Jonathan 3-7

The South Bay Craigslist Finds of the Day
1. Coffee Table $45 (San Jose)
2. Folding Oak Bookshelf $10 (Palo Alto)
3. Kenwood Room Heater $25 (Sunnyvale)
4. Emile Henry 3.5qt Casserole Dish $30 (San Jose)
5. Marble Rolling Pin $10 (Santa Clara)

The Wonderlic

Step aside Vince Young. In an interview yesterday for a bartending job, I had to take the Wonderlic test. I had heard about it and how it brought Vince Young's stock down for the NFL draft (because he's as dumb as box of rocks), but this was the first time I had actually seen and taken the exam.

Interesting little thing. 50 questions to be answered in 12 minutes. In the introduction to the test, it says that it doesn't expect you to finish the entire exam in the time allotted. Instead, I was expected to skip around and finish all the problems that I could. A lot like an IQ test, it asked questions like which of these shapes are not like the others or which of these words doesn't fit or continuing the number pattern, what's the next number?

I take the test, finished probably 2/3 of it, skipped around a bit. The test wasn't hard but it wasn't easy either. So side by side comparison of Vince Young and me.

Vince Young Hideyo Satake
Wonderlic Poor Freaking awesome
Height 6'5" 5'8"
Weight 233lbs. 160lbs.
Arm Strength Good 20 yards max
40 time 4.58 Slow as molasses
College championships 1 Last place finish in IM Softball

I don't know. It looks like a toss up. Maybe I should enter the draft.

In related news, has anybody seen this Travis Ishikawa guy on the Giants? Could he be the first Japanese-American in the majors? He's only got one at bat on his record and yesterday he was on the on-deck circle when the game ended.

The week in fantasy baseball: Losing to Jonathan 3-7

The South Bay Craigslist Finds of the Morning
1. 3 Panel Shoji Screen $40 (San Jose)
2. Large steamer trunk $40 (Mountain View)
3. Toastmaster 4 toast toaster $6 (San Jose)
4. Chicago Cutlery Kitchen Knives and Block $20 (Menlo Park)
5. Water dispenser and water $10 (Menlo Park)

Googling

Many thanks to Dean and Julia for bringing Alinna and I into the land flowing with milk and honey (or ice cream and gummies) known as Google headquarters. Yes, we went googling. That place is like food Disneyland. A full cafeteria with tasty food and hidden snack station/drawers everywhere. I made off with a very full stomach, a Naked OJ, a cup full of cherry gummies, and a lime. Alinna left with an equally full stomach and handfuls of potato chip bags. Oh, and we had google do our laundry while we were eating. Pretty sweet deal. I felt like a kid visiting the Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory.

A few notes from the visit to Googleland. They only Japanese toilets. Move aside American Standard. Google has Toto toilets. And yes, some of them have bidets. I really wanted to ride one of the motorized scooters, but out of fear of bringing undue attention to my "Visitor" badge and Alinna being afraid for my life, I kept quiet about my desires. And the Googleplex is an interesting building full of really cool-looking people and really nerdy-looking people. There are average looking people too. It's just that I've never seen a place where cool and nerdy hung out or worked together. Bizaare.

This week in fantasy baseball: Losing to Jonathan 3-7

The South Bay Craigslist Finds of the Morning
1. Closet $30 (San Jose)
2. Coffee Table/Hope Chest $75 (Palo Alto)
3. Coffee Table $50 (Palo Alto)
4. Dining Table and 4 Chairs $70 (Mountain View)
5. Airguide Ships Clock with Barometer and Thermometer $25 (San Jose)
Bonus:
6. Used Professional Kitchenaid Stand Mixer $100 (San Jose)
7. New In-Box Classic Kitchenaid Stand Mixer $100 (Mountain View)

Job Searching

So an Asian guy walks into a bar...

...and turns right back around and out the door. Why? Because he saw nothing but really big, burly white men sitting on the bar stools with either an equally big, burly white guy serving them drinks, or a big breasted white woman doing the same.

That's me today. I was looking around for work as a bartender here in the South Bay so I did what any nerdy Asian guy looking for a bartending job would do. I searched for local bars on the internet, looked up the directions to the places on google maps, and hopped in my Integra in search for jobs.

There are a good number of white dive bars out here in Silicon Valley. I was pretty surprised. Here in the land of Chinese and Indians, I've finally found where the white people are hiding out (note: they're also hiding out in the city of Los Gatos).

So anyway, I don't think I'll be working at one of those bars. It's not that I'm afraid of white people. I'm afraid of big, burly white people, especially if there are a good number of them concentrated in one place without a minority in sight. I especially get the heebies if they're all wearing leather or denim vests exposing their tats. Yikes.

Still looking.

Bad Bedmate

Alinna says I'm a bad bedmate. Apparently, I toss and turn in such a way that I end up swaddling myself in the sheets and comforter when I'm sleeping. Of course, this means that at around 3AM, Alinna finds herself shivering with nothing keeping her warm except for her pajamas. Not cool.

It's at 3AM then that she wakes up and tries to pull some of the blankets out her way. Unfortunately for her, I have a 50 lbs. advantage... and for those of you who know me fairly well, you know that I won't wake up even if Alinna's pulling real hard on the blankets that are wrapped around me. I just don't feel it.

Any suggestions?

This week in fantasy baseball: Losing to Jonathan 0-7

The South Bay Craigslist Finds of the Morning
1. Coffee Table $30 (San Jose)
2. Nightstand $5 (Palo Alto)
3. Wine barrel tables (2) for $50 (Palo Alto)
4. Dresser and nightstand $30 (Palo Alto)
5. Table and 2 Chairs $25 (San Jose)

Opposable Thumbs

Opposable thumbs are important. On Friday, I accidentally cut my left thumb with a kitchen knife. After freaking out, twisting to my left and right thereby leaving a CSI-like crime scene of blood in the kitchen, Alinna calmly told me to raise my thumb over my head to slow down the bleeding.

For the next hour or so, I had my left thumb raised over my head like Hacksaw Jim Duggan. In honor of the great wrestler, I let out a few deep gutteral "Hooo-oooo"'s. I don't think Alinna got the reference.



So anyway, for the last few days, I've had to go about without using my left thumb. I don't know how monkies do it. Truly amazing creatures.

This week in fantasy baseball: Beat Joonho 7-2 (currently in 6th place). I won, I won! My pitching super-sucks but Chris Shelton is leading the way.

The South Bay Craigslist Finds of the Morning (Extended edition)
1. Bathroom Floor Cabinet $20 (Sunnyvale)
2. Vellux Queen Blanket in Green Mist $15 (Mountain View)
3. Dining table and chairs $90 (Santa Clara)
4. Alabaster Glass Bathroom Light Fixture $50 (San Jose)
5. Sofa $99 (Menlo Park)
6. Igloo Cooler and Jug $15 (San Jose)
7. Iron Magazine Rack $10 (Sunnyvale)

Groundhog's Day

This week has been Alinna's spring break, hence why I haven't posted the last two days with Craigslist finds. I know I've already posted that, but I can't say it enough. It's been great having her home almost all day.

You can find out about our day yesterday on her blog. In short, we went to the Giants game and sat at Club Level seating with Ryan and Karen. Great thanks to Jeff for hooking us up with the tickets. One thing, Alinna forgot to mention, sitting at Club Level means that you sit with the bosses of companies of the Bay Area. Sitting right in front of us was this guy named Jeff who went by the name of "El Jefe." That's right, the boss. You could tell that he was very boss-like... authoritative, takes command kind of guy, at least I'm sure he's like that at work. But on a sunny Thursday afternoon, he was just Jeff, a guy watching the Giants game in casual clothes, having the time of his life. Ryan noted that next time we get these tickets we should bring our resumes. Ya think anybody's looking for a personal assistant with bartending skills?

This week in fantasy baseball: Tied with Joonho 4-4 (thank you Matt Morris for bringing my whip down.

The South Bay Craigslist Finds of the Morning
1. Light Brown Recliner $39 (Milpitas)
2. Williams-Sonoma Mixing Bowls and Spatulas $30 (Sunnyvale)
3. Bakers Rack $30 (Los Gatos)
4. Pottery Barn Cafe Style Dishes 31 pieces $40 (San Jose)
5. Kitchen Cart $20 (San Jose)

Day O' Fun

Everyday this week is a Saturday. At least it feels that way. Alinna's off on Spring Break. Me? Well, I have classes on Wednesday nights and Saturday from 8-3, so I guess technically, Saturdays don't feel like Saturdays. But you get the point. Monday, Tuesday, most of Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday are Saturday in our minds! (sorry to all those who are reading this while working)

On this not so fine, rainy, and windy Tuesday we went on an excusion to Berkeley. At the end of the day we tallied up the fine eating establishments we graced: Cafe Strada + Top Dog + La Burrita + Fat Slice + Love at First Bite Cupcakery = A whole lotta fat and oil. On the car ride back home, my stomach was on a spin cycle. While Alinna was peacefully taking a nap, I was frantically squirming around, trying to keep from having to go to the bathroom.

We also went wine tasting in Alameda. Yes, that's right, Alameda. Rosenblum Cellars. Not exactly a picturesque setting for a winery, but they do make wines there and a mighty tasty Zinfandel at that. At least I think so. I don't think Alinna digs it nearly as much as I do. The 2004 Paso Robles Zin was a bold wine with flavors of raisin and plum and hints of pepper. Ok, now I just sound like a wine snob. For anybody who wants to try out some wines, I think it's a good place to go. Complementary (read: free) tastings and the wines aren't bad. Pleasantly surprised.

This week in fantasy baseball: Losing to Joonho 0-8 (my pitching's getting rocked again... I knew it was bad when Alinna looked at my team ERA and said, "Honey, I don't know much about baseball but I know that that's a bad ERA)

The South Bay Craigslist Finds of the... Day
1. Entertainment Center $25 (Santa Clara)
2. Wood file cabinet with two drawers $25 (San Jose)
3. Dark walnut desk $10 (Mountain View)
4. Bagel Toaster $10 (Sunnyvale)
5. 8" Tortilla Maker $10 (Mountain View)

Day of Shopping

Yesterday Alinna and I went out shopping to Valley Fair and Santana Row. Armed with our arsenal of gift cards, we went around looking for good deals. Yes, we are still living off the fat of the land known as our wedding.

We discovered a while ago that while the Macy's registry is limited to housewares, luggage, and bedroom, if you decide to return something you'll get a Macy's gift card that can be used anywhere in the store. In other words, we can get clothes! And anybody who's known me for a good amount of time knows that me wardrobe hasn't changed a whole lot over the last 6-7 years. I still wear that blue hawaiian shirt that I donned for my missions card. Watch out world! I may venture beyond the world of free t-shirts!

By the way, at the end of the day I got a new pair of shoes, a couple of books (including Game of Shadows), Alinna got a new shirt, and we got a table lamp. Total cost: $50 (because gift card money doesn't really count).

This week in fantasy baseball: Lost to Minho 1-8 (Currently in 11th place)

The South Bay Craigslist Finds of the Morning
1. Oak Entertainment Center $35 (San Jose)
2. Bathroom Space Saver $40 (Santa Clara)
3. Iron Magazine Rack Stand $60 (Palo Alto)
4. Vintage Magazine Rack $65 (Palo Alto)
5. Dryer $70 (Sunnyvale)
6. Steel trash can $15 (Santa Clara)

Taxes

Forgot to post this picture when we took it.  This is us a few weeks ago right after finishing our taxes donning our tax clothes.  You can only see our hats but we were looking pretty smokin' wearing as many colors as there are Lucky Charms marshmellows. 



And now I'm really gonna watch Elf.

I Can See Clearly Now...

The rain has lifted! What a beautiful day it's been today. And what am I doing? Posting on my blog indoors. Walking to my car from class today, I was tempted to wash my car. It just looks dirty... yes, despite the showers. But then, what if it starts raining again? My labor would be for naught. And I'm frustrated enough as it is especially after class today. It was just one of those class periods where I walked away looking down shaking my head wondering if it was worth $200 (every class costs roughly $1000, and this particular class meets only 5 times over the course of the quarter on every other Saturday). No need to pour fuel to the fire.

I think I'll retreat away and watch Elf. Thanks Dong and Janice for the solace I'll find in the movie.

This week in fantasy baseball: Losing to Minho 1-8

The South Bay Craigslist Finds...
1. 3 Teak Barstools $75 (San Jose)
2. Wood Kitchen Cart $40 (Cupertino)
3. Nightstand $35 (Cupertino)
4. Cuisinart 4 Slice Toaster $35 (Santa Clara)
5. Krups Espresso Maker $50 (Palo Alto)

Will the Rain Ever Stop?

It's crazy out there. It feels like it's been raining nonstop for the last month. Then again, it's been a great excuse over the last month so that I won't have to run and stay in shape... and it's starting to show. Last weekend, Kei commented saying, "Hey, have you been gaining weight?" Kei! Mr. "I just gained 15 pounds in one week in North Carolina."

In related news, I'm still looking for work as a bartender. I never realized how hard it is to get your start as a bartender. Yesterday, I started as I was looking for work, applying to a bunch of different places in Sunnyvale I was given some advice on how to get my start in the field.

"Maybe if you catch the eye of a hiring manager and she thinks you're cute, you'll get a hire."
"Dude, it's hard to get your start unless you're a good looking woman with big boobs."
"Just lie on your application and say that you have experience bartending... that's what I did."

Well... I'm not cute, I'm definitely not a woman with big boobs, and I have a hard time lying... and I'm a terrible liar. Hmm... keep applying and hope somebody takes a chance on me!

This week in fantasy baseball: Losing to Minho 2-8

The South Bay Craigslist Finds of the Morning... well not anymore
1. Nightstand $15 (Sunnyvale)
2. Rolling Luggage $25 (Los Gatos)
3. Garment Bag $25 (Sunnyvale)
4. Kitchenaid Mixer $95 (Palo Alto)
5. Whirlpool Dishwasher $50 (San Jose)

Theological Snobbery

It's really a terrible thing when you read Christian articles in magazines or on websites and the first thing that pops up in your mind isn't "Oh, that was so refreshing," or "How insightful" but rather "That is so theologically incorrect."

Since getting internet hooked up into the iMac, I've been trying to recreate my old bookmarks list from the computer that died a few quarters ago. In the process, I've stopped at some of the websites (your blogs are among them). I thought I'd take a bit of respite by just reading up on some of the webzines put on by Christian organizations. And it made me cringe. It really made me cringe. As a byproduct of my seminary education, I've become a theological snob.

I'm reminded of the beginning of 1 Corinthians 8 where it says that "Knowledge puffs up but love builds up." I'm afraid I'm puffing up rather than building up. Lord help me.

Sweater Anybody?

This Gap sweater has been lying around in our place for a little while now and nobody has claimed it.  Is it yours?


In related news,  I was going to post a picture of me smiling with a glass of sex on the beach because I had just recently tried to make it using homemade mango flavored vodka.  I had Alinna do a blind taste test with two identical glasses of sex on the beach only one used mango flavored vodka and the other regular vodka.  In the two person test panel, it was a unanimous vote.  Mango flavored vodka wins.  How is this related?  I was going to post the picture of me with the winning drink.  Unfortunately, I'm still trying to figure out how to use this Mac and in the process accidentally deleted the picture.  Luckily the picture of the sweater was spared.

This week in fantasy baseball: Losing to Minho 1-8

The South Bay Craigslist Finds of the Morning
1. Wood Desk $50 (Palo Alto)
2. Wood Cupboard $10 (Mountain View)
3. Fireplace Tools $20 (Cupertino)
4. Iron Book Display Rack $5 (Menlo Park)
5. Kenmore Refridgerators $100 & $75 (Palo Alto)

And for kicks... wouldn't this be cool in your place?  Your very own diner booth.  Only $60 at Sunnyvale.

Housewarming

Much love to the ChangLis. You guys have a nice house and I hope Alinna and I helped warm it up a bit into a home. Crazy to think that our friends are starting buy property.

This week in fantasy baseball: Losing to Minho 0-10

In a Hurry

Don't have time right now to make a real post... but...

The South Bay Craigslist Finds of the Morning
1. Desk with Drop Down Table $25 (San Jose)
2. Dresser $50 (San Jose)
3. Ethan Allen Square Cherry Coffee Table $45 (San Jose)
4. Iron Firewood Holder $20 (San Jose)
5. Paper Towel Holder and Napkin Holder $8 (San Jose)

Opening Day

Giants lose and Carlos Zambrano (my fantasy ace) gets tagged for 5 runs in 4 2/3 innings. They say that opening day is a great day because it's so full of hope. Oh dear, this opening day was not so good to me. It's a good thing that it's a 162 game season. On a related note, the Baylight fantasy league has been seeing much waiver wire movement in the last two days. Going through free agents like I go through toilet paper.

This week: Losing to Minho 2-8

The South Bay Craigslist Finds of the Morning
1. Cherry Entertainment Center $70 (Cupertino)
2. White Couch $30 (San Jose)
3. Poang Armchair and Ottoman $60 (San Jose)
4. Cherry Desk $99 (Los Altos)
5. Bamboo Stools $15 (Los Altos)

The Great Exchange

We celebrated my mom's birthday on Saturday. When we called her asking what she might want/if she wanted us to pick up a cake, she said that all she wanted was us to come over and celebrate with the family... well, that and five bottles of the red wine we served at the wedding.

We show up with the five bottles, my brother takes them, puts them into my parents' liquor cabinet, and then I remember that there's liquor in that liquor cabinet. My parents don't drink heavy liquor, or at least I can't recall them ever tipping back on martinis, manhattans, and old fashioneds, but for some reason there are bottles of gin, bourbon, and whiskey among other things. Maybe I should clarify. It is likely that the Tanqueray Gin is over 20 years old. The same can be said of the Seagrams Whiskey and DiSarono Amaretto.

My eyes get big, my dad tells me to take them, but not to get pulled over by a CHP officer on the way home because some of the bottles are already opened. We give them five bottles of wine, we get upwards of 10 bottles of liquor. It's a very good deal.

Speaking of deals...
The South Bay Craigslist Finds of the Morning (Weekend edition)
1. Oak Colored Buffet $50 (San Jose)
2. Dresser $50 (Campbell)
3. Crate and Barrel Wine Bar $50 (Cupertino)
4. Rotating CD Storage Racks $20 (Sunnyvale)
5. Wood End Table $15 (Santa Clara)
6. French Iron Magazine Rack $60 (Palo Alto)
7. Coat Rack $35 (Palo Alto)

And for your viewing pleasure...
A Stone Buddha on sale at Craigslist only $50

A New Obsession

As faithful readers of this blog (all one of you) may have realized, I have incorporated a new item into my morning routine: The Craigslist search for furniture. The finds haven't been spectacular recently, but I'm just assuming that there's a lull right now with the great deals. I'm afraid today may be the same. It's not that there isn't quality stuff, but rather that people are asking too much. Ahh well.

But for me, the greatest fun comes not in finding the deals, but in finding the crazy stuff. This "crazy stuff" category doesn't include the ice machine or the mini-fridge from a few days ago. I think this chair encapsulates the idea of "crazy stuff". I mean who would buy that, let alone pay $85 for it? An even better question, what compelled the original owner to pay who-knows-how-much for it retail? It's a crazy world out there.

A few nuggets of wisdom I've gleaned from the week of doing faithful Craigslist searches for deals:
1. "Antique" = old/beat up
2. "Cute" = ugly
3. "Colorful" = gaudy
4. Don't trust any posting without a picture attached.
5. You can always try to underbid a post. (Alinna and I paid $65 for a table set that posted for $75)
6. Willow Glen/Cambrian is in San Jose

The South Bay Craigslist Finds of the Morning
1. Ikea Loveseat $75 (Campbell)
2. Wooden Coffee Table $20 (Santa Clara)
3. Corner Hutch $95 (Willow Glen)
4. Cherry Mahogany TV Stand $40 (San Jose)
5. Set of 4 Tan Chair Pads $25 (Mountain View)

Staying Alive

I'm actually on schedule with my classwork. Nevermind the fact that this is only the first week. But it feels great to be on par with a class and be exactly where I should be with the essays (or rather essay because I've only had one assigned so far) and the readings. I can't recall the last time I wasn't behind in reading in a class. This novelty may not have occurred since high school. Ahhh, high school. 5 days down, 10 1/2 weeks to go.

The South Bay Craigslist Finds of the Morning
1. Washer and Dryer $50 (San Jose)
2. Bakers Rack (Milpitas) or Bakers Rack (San Jose) $40
3. Pine Table and 4 Chairs $50 (Campbell)
4. Woven Hamper $18 (Mountain View)
5. Dresser $30 (Campbell)

Extra: 6. CD Cabinet $85 (Milpitas)

ESPN

I hate how ESPN's webpage is slowly becoming a subscriber website. It used to be that ESPN had all these great articles online that any person could access. But oh, the greed. Now there are "IN" logos everywhere. Actually, what really gets me is when I see an article that I want to read and it doesn't have the "IN" logo right beside it only to find out that it is indeed an Insider article and I'm not allowed to read it. This happens a lot especially in their fantasy page. Give me my Neyer and Karabell articles!

On a related note, I think I've been more angry recently. If it's not ESPN it's SBC or Chinese moms in Camrys and minivans at Ranch 99 or Marina... or Chinese grandmas pushing grocery carts into my ankles at Ranch 99 or Marina... or the fact that English is of no use at Ranch 99 or Marina. Maybe I should stay away from Ranch 99 and Marina.

Reunification

The standstill has finally come to an end. We have internet! The last three months have kind of felt like the whole North/South Korea conflict with the phone as the DMZ. Neither side budged and no resolutions came to pass. We just tried to do this whole Clint Eastwood staredown, hoping that one would bow out. Many thanks to Netgear for tiding us through the conflict. I don't know how I would have been able to keep in touch with people and turn in papers without you. You may now have your bandwidth back.

The South Bay Craigslist Finds of the Morning
1. Cherry Armoire $100 (San Jose)
2. Desk $65 (Palo Alto)
3. Mirror $25 (Mountain View)
4. Jute Rug $40 (Mountain View)
5. 32" Panasonic TV $95 (Menlo Park)

Sorry guys, the finds this morning aren't all that great. Perhaps another morning.

24 Crazy

Alinna and I have officially become couch potatoes. Though our TV channel selection is limited to ABC, NBC, PBS, and Telemundo, we have not been thwarted. With the help of the generous lending of the Chens, we are now in possession of 24 Season 4. So where will you find us at about 9PM? On our chairs, stretched out with the ottomans, blanket over the top cheering on Jack Bauer and perpetually looking over our shoulders for Nina Myers. WWJBD?

The Craigslist South Bay Finds of the Morning
1. Wooden Storage Box $40 (San Jose)
2. Dishwasher $100 (Sunnyvale)
3. Coffee Table $25 (San Jose)
4. End Table $50 (Palo Alto)
5. Love Seat $40 (Menlo Park)

Fantasyland

Every fantasy sports league I've been in have been uniquely different with its own league culture. The league with my high school friends would probably be best described as casual. Hence, it looks as though we're not doing a baseball league this year. Interest has waned in the last few years.

The league with other Fuller students proved to be stingy. I don't think there were any trades that were pulled off. Everybody just tried to get by using the waivers to fill in the gaps or holes in their team. I think I received one trade offer the entire baseball season. It was a ridiculous trade, I can't really recall what it entailed but I was seriously considering it just for the sake of seeing a trade go through in the league.

I'm now in a league with my church here in the South Bay, Baylight. The season hasn't started yet, but I would best describe it as intense. Trade rumors are flying around and so is the trash talking (though it seems to be all directed at one guy in the league).

Baseball season's just around the corner and I'm finally back in the Bay Area to watch some Giants baseball. Play ball!

South Bay Craigslist Finds of the Morning
1. Cherry Chest/TV Stand $39 (Milpitas)
2. Kitchen Table & 4 Chairs $50 (San Jose)
3. Nightstand $50 (San Jose)
4. Nightstand/End Table $25 (Cupertino)
5. Mini-fridge $60 (Mountain View)
6. Ice Machine (because how often do you see one of these selling?) $75 (Menlo Park)

The end of the short lived vacation

Back in the grind... well sort of. Started classes again today with an 8-3 today. 5 students in the class. I've never been in a class this small. Ever. Feels so strange. It's kinda like a small group, yet it's so not because I'm paying $1000 for it.

This quarter is going to be an interesting one. My Saturday morning/afternoons are shot. Every Saturday, from 8 to 3 for 10 weeks I'll be going off to class. Outside of that, I have one class on Wednesday nights. That's it. It's hard to feel like I'm in school when only one weekday is spent in a classroom (nevermind the fact that Saturdays will also be spent in class).

Oh yeah, I'm still looking for bartending jobs.

The South Bay Craigslist Finds of the Morning (well sort of)
1. Roll-Top Desk $50 (Sunnyvale)
2. Wooden Blinds $5 (San Jose)
3. Folding/Stackable Bookcase $20 (Mountain View)
4. Wooden Table and 4 Chairs $40 (Santa Clara)
5. Granite/Wood End Table $30 (Sunnyvale)

The South Bay Craigslist Finds of the Morning

1. 4 Tier Wine Rack & Bar $40 (Palo Alto)
2. Nice Dining Table with Four Chairs $50 (Mountain View)
3. 4 Shelf Bookcase with Glass Doors $50 (Santa Clara)
4. Clothes Cabinet $50 (San Jose)
5. Canvas Chair $15 (San Jose)

The South Bay Craigslist Finds of the Morning

1. Couch $75 (San Jose)
2. Wine and wine glass rack $20 (Menlo Park)
3. Dining table and chairs $75 (Palo Alto)
4. Hall Table with Drawers $50 (San Jose)
5. Folding Bookcase $25 (Mountain View)

Happy shopping.

On vacation part 2

Thought I'd be helpful with the free time that I suddenly have... so I looked around on Craigslist and thought that I'd contribute to society by providing a Craigslist great finds post for the South Bay. Craigslist is so much like Ross... you gotta sift through all the junk to find the great treasures. Wouldn't it be great if someone sifted through all the junk for ya? For all you South Bayers looking for that additional end table or that cool room accessory or that monster couch, here is my help.

South Bay Craigslist Furniture Finds of the Morning
1. Cherry wood side table $35
2. Pine wood and wrought iron bar setup with stools $300
3. Japanese shoji screen $38
4. Pier one hamper $50
5. Giants club level seats Mar 30 & 31 ( I know it's not furniture but I wanted to have five finds of the day)

On vacation

I'm done with my first quarter at the Northern California extension! It was a rough ride this quarter with the schoolwork (Alinna will tell ya) but it was done.

So, I'm on vacation now for a week. Well sort of. Class will begin again starting this Saturday. So, I've officially got three days of vacation left. What have I done with my vacation? I started my New Testament Gospels survey course. I opted to take it as a distance learning course, meaning that I get a CD full of MP3 lectures and learn at my own pace given that I complete all my coursework by September 15th. It's self-paced learning all over again. My last attempt at self-paced learning was back at Cal with CS3S where the motto was self-paced is no-paced. I'm banking on the assumption that I've matured since then and that I'm an adult now with adult like self-control and responsibility. I guess it's a litmus test to see how I've grown in 5+ years.

I'm sure you guys are all sick and tired of the SBC stuff I keep posting but I just got a call from them yesterday saying that it's very likely that they're going to postpone us again. Again! Seriously, how long does it take to expand the network over an area? It's not that they're setting up the network because they service this neighborhood. What we've heard is that our area's oversaturated. I'm no engineer but I'm pretty sure that it doesn't take three months to build on an already existing network. And now it may take four months. If you live near the southern part of Sunnyvale and are thinking about going to SBC DSL... BEWARE!

Phone number change

In the blink of an eye, I lost my cell phone. Well sort of. My mom played re-po man this weekend and took my phone. I no longer have a cell phone of my own. Instead Alinna and I will be sharing her cell phone number. Oh, and you could call either of us on our land line as well.

Sorry guys... been on studying lockdown. It's finals week and I'm on the grind.

In honor of those who have xangas:

Currently working on: Term paper on Postmodern Christology with an Evangelical Response.

A Conversation with My Mom

Tonight, my mom called me on my cell phone. Here's a quick excerpt from our conversation.

Mom: How are you two?
Hideyo: Good. We're doing well.
M: Have you fought yet?
H: Yeah.
M: Are you two still hot? Are you still a hot couple?
H: Yep.

Just a natural progression in topics. How we're doing to if we're fighting to if we're hot. No nonsense. Just gimme the info that I want to know.

SBC... the Legend Continues

A brand new month and still no internet. Well, legal internet. NETGEAR still works from time to time, though when it was crazy windy, NETGEAR did not feel like sharing. Maybe the wireless waves got blown away in the transfer.

But SBC is still lagging on the internet. The crazy thing is that I see those white SBC vans everywhere now. They're parked everywhere around 667 Kodiak Ct.. Our internet has been lagging for a month and a half now and all SBC can say is "Sorry, we're having technical difficulties." No details as to what those technical difficulties may be. "Technical difficulties" is one of those blanket terms that are used when you have no idea what's wrong. A wire somewhere may be frayed. Technical difficulties. A DSL line is not installed into the building. Technical difficulties. The guy in charge of flipping the switch so that your phone line also gets DSL may be sleeping on the job. Technical difficulties. Or we're sick and tired of having you call us so we're going to smite you by withholding your internet. Technical difficulties.

Sigh. I thought about being like David Carradine and walking around the neighborhood looking for SBC vans saying non-sensical proverbs with no affect while beating people up... but then I realized that I don't know kung fu and I'm not white. Sigh.

Graduation.

I am now an officially licensed bartender. My official studies in the area of mixology are over. I graduated with a 97% on the written test and a 100% on the pour test. Twelve drinks in a shade under five minutes. Not bad. Now goes the job search. While I am busy scrambling to get caught up in my theological studies this quarter, I will be looking to be hired by a fine eating establishment.

For the millions of people who are getting married this year and want to serve drinks, here's my offer!

Who wants a drink?

First Day at School... Again

Well, except this time to bartending school. I'm going to one in Mountain View. Two weeks of instruction, Monday to Friday, 10AM-2PM. Started today. It's pretty cool. You can keep on coming to the bartending school without charge until you complete the written exam (recipes) and pour exam (12 random drinks in 7 minutes). It's just two weeks of instruction, unlimited practice until you pass the exams, free refresher courses after graduation, built-in job placement. $450. I think that's better bang for my buck than Cal was. I suppose the same could be said about my real schooling right now... but I don't want that unnamed school's higher ups finding this post and hunting me down.

In one class, I've learned to quick pour with accuracy, memorized 27 drinks, learned how to work behind a bar, and clean up. Not bad I think.

So, there's one other new person this week for the 10-2 class. There are other students, but they're there for either their (that's three different "theres") second week or practice runs for their upcoming exams. The other new person gets to class kinda late so she walks into the classroom while everyone's sitting down listening to the lecture part of the class. And everybody notices her. Not because she's later than everyone else, but because she's noticably better looking than anyone else in the room. Turns out that she's some Filipina model/actress. Yeah... how am I supposed to get a good paying bartending job if there are people like her in the area? I've got no chance. Not surprisingly, I'm having that nostalgic feeling I had when I was in a lecture room full of geniuses in PChem and BioChem.

Enter the Sudoku

I just entered Sudoku-land. I've heard about people doing Sudokus but I never saw a Sudoku until yesterday. Cruising around, I found a Sudoku widget for the Mac. After installing it, I opened it up and looked at it blankly. What am I supposed to do?

So I did what any ordinary person would do in the third millenium. I looked up the subject on Google. (This sounds surprisingly a lot like my best man speech for Ryan and Karen) There was a really helpful webpage and it was the first entry on the Google search. Good job Google. What did we do in the days of AltaVista?

So now I know how to do them. Sort of. The setting is still at easy. Maybe I'll bump it up a notch later today.

Many thanks to whoever "NETGEAR" is for being the only non-password protected wireless router in the area. Your signal is faint, the internet is a bit slow, but you have eased my anger against SBC. I be an internet pirate. Arrrrr.

The Thorn in My Side Known as SBC

SBC gave me a call yesterday asking me about my phone service. He had no idea what was coming to him. I promptly told the guy that our phone is working great... our internet, however, has been delayed. Yadda yadda yadda. He patches me in to the internet people.

I talk to a person involved with the DSL operations of SBC. I talk to her about how I'm disappointed with the service we've received. I talk to her about how I received a phone bill in the mail a few days ago. I talk to her about how we don't really want the phone service but we got it only because we want the DSL. I ask her if she could credit us the amount billed to us for the phone. DENIED.

Apparently, SBC phone and SBC DSL are to be treated as two different companies. Thus, because it's a phone bill, the internet people can't give me credit.

Hideyo: So, are they two different companies?
SBC Operator: With the regulations they are treated as two different companies.
H: Are there two different sets of shareholders with two different owners?
S: No, but they are to be treated as two different companies.
H: So, you can't give me credit because they are to be treated as two different companies?
S: Yes, that's right.
H: Even though the money all goes to the same man?
S: Sir, they are to be treated as two different companies.
H: I don't think that's right. It all goes to SBC. I'm paying money for a service I don't really want to begin with... all so that I have to wait in line until I can get internet service.
S: Sir, can you hang on for a sec?
*Click* *Click* DIALTONE

The SBC operator hung up on me. I knew I should have gotten her name at the beginning of the conversation! She hung up on me! Arghhhh! I hope that conversation was recorded for quality assurance as they say at the very beginning of every phone call. SBC, the internet better be up and running on February 24th!