I will be liveblogging ABOUT THE DNC LIVE FROM MY COUCH.
9:48: Did I just hear "Born in the USA" from Springsteen? That's awesome! I love Springsteen! Way to reach us blue-colla' folk, Obama.
10:00: You mean there are two senators from Illinois? I just realized that.
10:03: I'm watching a live feed of a video being played? Jimminy Christmas.
10:09: This movie is boring as hell.
[Here, my dad and I have a brief argument on the respective ages of Obama and Michelle]
10:25: The booing isn't classy, folks.
10:28: Hey, I've been a student who sleeps three hours regularly. Obama's talking about me!
10:29: Shit yes! I love my grandma! Obama loves grandmothers! He gets me! He really gets me!
10:34: Oh my God: 10 years?! Seriously? Obama drank the Gore-kool-aid! He drank it and he liked it! Well, ho'kay, lets see how it goes.
10:35: HE READ MY 1SKY EMAILS! HE'S TALKING ABOUT THE 5 MILLION NEW GREEN JOBS!
10:36: Finally, a Democrat who isn't the teachers' union's bitch.
10:37: That's almost like a draft: "We will pay for your college if you serve the government for a brief period of time." Finally. Someone willing to force the youth of today give something back.
10:39: "Now, many of these plans will cost money." Hoo-boy.
10:41: Look! A blue-collar worker blinking away tears! An MSNBC-dream come true!
10:45: Could you pronounce the word "Taliban" again? It made me giggle the first time around.
10:46: Oh wow. FOX News just got beat down with that bit on Patriotism. "These are too serious times" for such debates, indeed.
10:47: Man, he is annoyed about that patriotism stuff.
10:48: Gang violence in Cleveland, you say? Hunters in rural Ohio, you say? Tell me more!
10:50: Barack has been reading PowerLine, it feels like.
10:51: It's okay, Barack. I never thought this election was about you, anyways.
10:52: [Jon Stewart's gay aristocrat voice] Change coming to Washington? How delightful!
10:54: I'm enjoying the Yes We Can-speech references. Also, what an incredible man, MLK, Jr. Heck, I am enjoying all of this.
10:56: Wow. Good speech. Thank you, everybody. Thank you so much for this.
...11:08: FOX News is kind of hilarious.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Oops
Okay, this is nothing as exciting as Prom Night o' Catastrophe, but I thought I should share my adventure of today.
So, I was assigned to take any of the students who were interested to the laundromat downtown. It's not too far, but I'm supposed to take the mini-bus and meet them in front of the dorms. Now, I had already tried such a trip yesterday, but nobody showed up. And today was no different. After asking around all the lounges to double-check that no one was interested, I get back in the bus and drive off to park it and turn in the keys.
These buses are larger than normal cars that I'm used to driving. And they remind you of this when you learn how to drive one. And they tell you that you'll probably forget at some point how much larger it is.
If it were the size of the vehicles I am used to driving, I wouldn't have swiped that parked car, taking out its left rear lights.
But since it was in fact larger than the vehicles I am used to driving, I misjudged that right-hand turn and heard a crash. I wondered, "did I hit something?" I looked at the faces of the people around me and concluded, "I hit something." I go to park the car, hustle back towards the parked car, see that I sure did take a nice bite out of it, head back to my room to write a note to put on the car, and leave it under the windshield wipers, where someone else had already left a note saying "your car was hit by a Brewster Academy van."
I go back to the summer programs office to tell them what happened, and when I get there they're already on the phone with an officer, and I'm told to grab the paperwork from inside the van and head back to the scene of the crime. I get there, and the officer says that he was considering arresting me for leaving the scene of the crime. I meet the nice folks whose car I hit (and the woman's 90-year-old mother), and after a bit, the officer realizes that I did in fact leave the note, which clears me of the hit-and-run allegation that was the general consensus of the witnesses.
Although maybe it would have been fun to be on the lam.
To be continued?
So, I was assigned to take any of the students who were interested to the laundromat downtown. It's not too far, but I'm supposed to take the mini-bus and meet them in front of the dorms. Now, I had already tried such a trip yesterday, but nobody showed up. And today was no different. After asking around all the lounges to double-check that no one was interested, I get back in the bus and drive off to park it and turn in the keys.
These buses are larger than normal cars that I'm used to driving. And they remind you of this when you learn how to drive one. And they tell you that you'll probably forget at some point how much larger it is.
If it were the size of the vehicles I am used to driving, I wouldn't have swiped that parked car, taking out its left rear lights.
But since it was in fact larger than the vehicles I am used to driving, I misjudged that right-hand turn and heard a crash. I wondered, "did I hit something?" I looked at the faces of the people around me and concluded, "I hit something." I go to park the car, hustle back towards the parked car, see that I sure did take a nice bite out of it, head back to my room to write a note to put on the car, and leave it under the windshield wipers, where someone else had already left a note saying "your car was hit by a Brewster Academy van."
I go back to the summer programs office to tell them what happened, and when I get there they're already on the phone with an officer, and I'm told to grab the paperwork from inside the van and head back to the scene of the crime. I get there, and the officer says that he was considering arresting me for leaving the scene of the crime. I meet the nice folks whose car I hit (and the woman's 90-year-old mother), and after a bit, the officer realizes that I did in fact leave the note, which clears me of the hit-and-run allegation that was the general consensus of the witnesses.
Although maybe it would have been fun to be on the lam.
To be continued?
Friday, June 27, 2008
The [Now Resolved] Horror Story of Prom Ball '08.
Hi darling loves. Want to hear a prom horror story?
I've already mentioned this to a few of you yesterday but I happened upon this blog a few minutes ago and decided it would be quite a story to tell.
Well. Yesterday was the promenade ball at my high school. My brother is a senior and as a good older sister I was fairly involved with the process. (I received a frantic phone call from him about an hour before he was supposed to leave to pick up his girlfriend saying, "I checked my tux yesterday and it looked fine, but I just looked at it again and I have SOY SAUCE all over the front of it. What do I DO!?" . . . Heads up: Tide On The Go does wonders for sanity. The funniest part about it is that, as I was walking out of the drug store about five minutes later, I happened to look in the window of the shop next door, and what do I see? My brother. Getting a manicure. So I walk in and I say to him, "helloooo" and he says, "HOW DID YOU SEE ME?" to which I reply, "Well. . . you are the only male and the only Indian in this entire place. . . and you happen to be wearing a bright red shirt and are sitting smack in front of the window closest to the parking lot. How could I NOT see you?" Um. I love it. Basically.)
Well. . . post-dress madness, Peri and I accompanied the kids to take group pictures at the pond and stood around chatting it up with all of the proud parents whose adoration for their fancily-clad children shone brighter than the morning sun.
It was all fun and games until Mike and his girlfriend Jessie arrived with their parents, the group them all looking frazzled as hell. Apparently, they had just come from Jessie's friends house where they had intended to take pictures before taking pictures with Mike's group. I wanted to hear how the photos went there because Jessie's group of friends happen to be the (current) seniors I know best and am most friendly with from my old high school. Well. Um. Apparently things didn't go too well.
When they got to the house, they noticed there were police cars and ambulances all over the street. They went to the backyard where the pictures were supposed to occur to find- not kids, but paramedics and cops.
Apparently, this group was taking pictures on the girl's second story balcony, looking all pretty and stuff, when the balcony suddenly just collapsed and plummeted like, thirty feet to the ground, bringing all of the kids down with it. Three girls were sent to the hospital- one of my friends with a foot fractured in multiple places- and everyone else was all bruised and ripped up in their prom gowns and tuxes.
Talk about worst life, man.
So these girls go to the hospital and are pretty badly hurt and so disappointed they missed prom ball after they were so excited about it and spent all this money on it and stuff. But you know what? Prom must be like Christmas. I just talked to my brother (he's at the apartment in the city with 14 of his friends for post-prom madness) and he told me that apparently, someone's Father peer pressured the hospital to just like, load the girls up on not some, but ALL of the morphine drugs and let them go to prom. And the hospital consented. So, fractured foot, collapsed balcony and ripped dresses aside, the girls eventually got the prom ball and had a fucking fantastic time.
The end.
Love you all.
Até. . .
I've already mentioned this to a few of you yesterday but I happened upon this blog a few minutes ago and decided it would be quite a story to tell.
Well. Yesterday was the promenade ball at my high school. My brother is a senior and as a good older sister I was fairly involved with the process. (I received a frantic phone call from him about an hour before he was supposed to leave to pick up his girlfriend saying, "I checked my tux yesterday and it looked fine, but I just looked at it again and I have SOY SAUCE all over the front of it. What do I DO!?" . . . Heads up: Tide On The Go does wonders for sanity. The funniest part about it is that, as I was walking out of the drug store about five minutes later, I happened to look in the window of the shop next door, and what do I see? My brother. Getting a manicure. So I walk in and I say to him, "helloooo" and he says, "HOW DID YOU SEE ME?" to which I reply, "Well. . . you are the only male and the only Indian in this entire place. . . and you happen to be wearing a bright red shirt and are sitting smack in front of the window closest to the parking lot. How could I NOT see you?" Um. I love it. Basically.)
Well. . . post-dress madness, Peri and I accompanied the kids to take group pictures at the pond and stood around chatting it up with all of the proud parents whose adoration for their fancily-clad children shone brighter than the morning sun.
It was all fun and games until Mike and his girlfriend Jessie arrived with their parents, the group them all looking frazzled as hell. Apparently, they had just come from Jessie's friends house where they had intended to take pictures before taking pictures with Mike's group. I wanted to hear how the photos went there because Jessie's group of friends happen to be the (current) seniors I know best and am most friendly with from my old high school. Well. Um. Apparently things didn't go too well.
When they got to the house, they noticed there were police cars and ambulances all over the street. They went to the backyard where the pictures were supposed to occur to find- not kids, but paramedics and cops.
Apparently, this group was taking pictures on the girl's second story balcony, looking all pretty and stuff, when the balcony suddenly just collapsed and plummeted like, thirty feet to the ground, bringing all of the kids down with it. Three girls were sent to the hospital- one of my friends with a foot fractured in multiple places- and everyone else was all bruised and ripped up in their prom gowns and tuxes.
Talk about worst life, man.
So these girls go to the hospital and are pretty badly hurt and so disappointed they missed prom ball after they were so excited about it and spent all this money on it and stuff. But you know what? Prom must be like Christmas. I just talked to my brother (he's at the apartment in the city with 14 of his friends for post-prom madness) and he told me that apparently, someone's Father peer pressured the hospital to just like, load the girls up on not some, but ALL of the morphine drugs and let them go to prom. And the hospital consented. So, fractured foot, collapsed balcony and ripped dresses aside, the girls eventually got the prom ball and had a fucking fantastic time.
The end.
Love you all.
Até. . .
Thursday, June 26, 2008
yargh!
Y'all,
I got another job today. There's this tight family owned ice cream place that serves "american" gelato (italian ice cream--I guess since I am an obama-supporter I am allowed to be an elitist and am able to say that it is vastly superior to the ice cream we eat here because it's quite different) That's what's new. Hoy, !espana gano' el partido contra rusa! por eso !yo gano!
kbye
-raf
I got another job today. There's this tight family owned ice cream place that serves "american" gelato (italian ice cream--I guess since I am an obama-supporter I am allowed to be an elitist and am able to say that it is vastly superior to the ice cream we eat here because it's quite different) That's what's new. Hoy, !espana gano' el partido contra rusa! por eso !yo gano!
kbye
-raf
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
June a0ewsjf03w49g0234g, 2008
Current Mood: meh
Current music: Claire de le lune. (tres le lune!)
Yeah, I never know what the correct date is during the summer because I don't need to write it on notes every day like during school.
Nature Journal for todaY: I saw two robins fighting.
yesterday: I saw this very rare (at least in Georgia) species called a catbird. It had a gray body, black hat and red butt. I didn't get to hear it, but apparently they make a meowing noise. Pretty tight huh?
I think I might be getting another job. This ice cream place I applied to a long time ago called me back for an interview, and I can make things happen. I have a new phrase that I learned from being back in atlanta. The phrase is: do work. as in "do work, son" like the new yorkers would say. I learned it from this tv show I started watching called Rob and Big.
I've also been playing this tight usaf game on my computer that I bought a long time ago. I used to be obsessed with the air force and I even bought a really sweet joystick. it's super straight.
I think I have gingivitis! yay!
love,
raf
Current music: Claire de le lune. (tres le lune!)
Yeah, I never know what the correct date is during the summer because I don't need to write it on notes every day like during school.
Nature Journal for todaY: I saw two robins fighting.
yesterday: I saw this very rare (at least in Georgia) species called a catbird. It had a gray body, black hat and red butt. I didn't get to hear it, but apparently they make a meowing noise. Pretty tight huh?
I think I might be getting another job. This ice cream place I applied to a long time ago called me back for an interview, and I can make things happen. I have a new phrase that I learned from being back in atlanta. The phrase is: do work. as in "do work, son" like the new yorkers would say. I learned it from this tv show I started watching called Rob and Big.
I've also been playing this tight usaf game on my computer that I bought a long time ago. I used to be obsessed with the air force and I even bought a really sweet joystick. it's super straight.
I think I have gingivitis! yay!
love,
raf
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Bird as prophet
Can I recommend a book to you guys?
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. One of the better things I have experienced in my recent life.
With not some, but all of the love. . .
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. One of the better things I have experienced in my recent life.
With not some, but all of the love. . .
Monday, June 23, 2008
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Playing with a full deck
Today, I got in my minibus, drove an hour and a half to the Manchester, NH airport, met 52 Thai students, drove to an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet, then drove back home with 14 of the very sleepy scholars in tow. Now the 10 young Thai men of Houghs House are settling into our dorm as Alex (another American TA, scarcely one year my senior) and I are settling into the idea of being responsible for these precious parcels of possibilities for the next eleven weeks. We're all excited and anxious. Everything is coming to a new beginning.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
the picture
Kevin, is that picture in the top right from Rome? Strange, it seems somehow familiar...
(btw, that is a quote from something. If you get it you earn 100 points)
(btw, that is a quote from something. If you get it you earn 100 points)
This is awesome kevin! I'm glad you got around to making this 'cause I'm a little pokey sometimes. Anyway... guess what y'all? Atlanta rocks! I mean, it's pretty tight. I've been going swimming a lot at my friend's pool and he has this tanning oil that's pretty tight because it makes water bead up all over your skin and it looks weird. I finally found a job. It took a long-ass time and was an extremely depressing process because it is really emotionally draining to go to place after place and to place and get rejected over and over, but no more! I work at this place called the lamplighter cafe which is named after a character in the book The Little Prince. I like it there. I get nervous there sometimes because I'm so afraid that I'm going to be a bad waiter. It's not even the out come that I'm afraid of, I just get nervous around people sometimes. Basically I'm a server, but I double as a barista and as a bartender. I've made sooooo many drinks already! bartending is all the fun. This past week
"So, Raf, what's on your mind"
Well, Blog, I've been reading about and thinking about robots a lot, so I can't wait to see wall-e. I just finished reading do androids dream of electric sheep? which is all about whether or not robots are human and have souls and rights. It turns out I actually saw the film version without knowing it was the film version. I didn't like it as much as the book because it was harder to follow the thoughts and feelings of the protagonist on film than in the book, and I thought that was one of the key elements. Anyways, today Miguel and I watched this other film about robots called ghost in the shell. It's an anime movie and is so awesome. There were a lot of scenes with positive nudity, which I thought was cool.
I miss you all!
Hooray for blogs!
-ruofei bruofei
p.s. Obama=very yes (!)
"So, Raf, what's on your mind"
Well, Blog, I've been reading about and thinking about robots a lot, so I can't wait to see wall-e. I just finished reading do androids dream of electric sheep? which is all about whether or not robots are human and have souls and rights. It turns out I actually saw the film version without knowing it was the film version. I didn't like it as much as the book because it was harder to follow the thoughts and feelings of the protagonist on film than in the book, and I thought that was one of the key elements. Anyways, today Miguel and I watched this other film about robots called ghost in the shell. It's an anime movie and is so awesome. There were a lot of scenes with positive nudity, which I thought was cool.
I miss you all!
Hooray for blogs!
-ruofei bruofei
p.s. Obama=very yes (!)
Yay!
We miss you too Kevin! Good luck with everything!
Weybridge has been fun and we are always welcoming to visitors if anyone would like to come up. Topher and I have been working at the Helpdesk and it has been going well. Once Language Schools start things should pick up and become quite interesting. More to come later....
I love you all!
Nicole
Weybridge has been fun and we are always welcoming to visitors if anyone would like to come up. Topher and I have been working at the Helpdesk and it has been going well. Once Language Schools start things should pick up and become quite interesting. More to come later....
I love you all!
Nicole
I miss y'all
And so I'm creating this blog, 'cause honestly, it's not at all cool not having you folks around. The point of this is to be a message board so that we can all stay in touch over the summer, updating each other with our lives, antics and adventures. I've invited a bunch of the Stew kids, but please add anyone else you think would enjoy this!
I'll start the blogging :)
Some of you might know that I'm in New Hampshire now, where I'm going through a week of orientation to prepare for the arrival of 52 of Thailand's top students. Then for 11 weeks, I'll be helping them acclimate to American culture and the American education system. I'll be part tutor, part dorm parent, lead activities and discussion sections. Kinda familiar territory for me, I guess... But I'm really excited, since the students sound awesome. It's really hot here, but we're on a lake, so I might have to take advantage of that, soon. Ooh, also, I am now an American Red Cross certified First Responder, and I now know how to drive a mini-bus.
What's going on with all of you???
I'll start the blogging :)
Some of you might know that I'm in New Hampshire now, where I'm going through a week of orientation to prepare for the arrival of 52 of Thailand's top students. Then for 11 weeks, I'll be helping them acclimate to American culture and the American education system. I'll be part tutor, part dorm parent, lead activities and discussion sections. Kinda familiar territory for me, I guess... But I'm really excited, since the students sound awesome. It's really hot here, but we're on a lake, so I might have to take advantage of that, soon. Ooh, also, I am now an American Red Cross certified First Responder, and I now know how to drive a mini-bus.
What's going on with all of you???
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