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Apr. 19th, 2009 @ 04:47 am (no subject)
1) Happy Easter! (Silence, I know what day it is!)

2) Dear Gate Guard, when you tell me to "wear a vest at night", the purpose of such is to BE REFLECTIVE and so, visible to other drivers. Wearing a vest is simply one of the myriad methods available. Your words, stop saying them at me.

3) It's 4 AM? Really?
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Dec. 20th, 2008 @ 03:25 pm (no subject)
Current Music: Carmen
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( Books Meme )
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Oct. 23rd, 2008 @ 11:17 pm A Flying Circus
Current Music: No Second Troy - Into Your Sun
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The only proper reward for a job well done is...more work. I've been giving a series of safety briefings on various aviation accidents, from B25s flying VFR through the clouds straight into the Empire State Building to the Red Baron's questionable risk management; it amuses me to distill practical lessons from distant segment of history. I just got a call from Kelli, our resident organizer, and apparently I need to spontaneously create another for tomorrow morning. The timing is a little annoying, as I'm briefing in...9 hours?
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Oct. 22nd, 2008 @ 11:59 pm Being A Productive Member of Society, Act II
Current Location: REAL 'MERICA, or bumfuck
Current Music: No Second Troy - The Gardens After Lockout
I've started tutoring at Eisenhower Elementary again. This season I'm taking the 5th grade problem children rather than the Pre-Kindergarten ones. I don't have to create lesson plans, but I do get to run away from the squadron, which as I'm, obviously, not flying, is all Good Things. There's plenty of work to do, but none of it is personally edifying, and therefore clearly useless. Today I organized a posse of kids to make our spaces clean & pretty for a 4-Star that will be visiting soon; ie, polishing turds. Necessary, and we did it well, but it's all nonsense/busy-work. I mostly have a paid vacation, don't like it and find other work pro bono to keep myself happy, meanwhile. Tomorrow I'm scheduled in the RSU for the entire morning, ensuring none of the resident hooligans in the pattern break into each other or land gear up, then head out to tutor childrens. (Here in Real America all y'all city slickers can see our 'merican small-town values at work...)

( youarenotart )

I have a new favorite quote, having nothing to do with current politics and being rather universal:

"I have not ceased to regret the war, nor shall I cease to censure your invincible general until I see the war concluded on some tolerable terms; nor will any thing except a new peace put a period to my regret for the loss of the old one."

Simple words but complex thinking: do not let the means become ends of themselves. I do believe it, which is one of the reasons I don't like Enid. For me, that swap is unavoidable and the means _have_ become ends. I polish turds for a living instead of doing something useful like...tutoring 5th graders? Oh, hmm. Well, I am doing that after all, spiffy.
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Jun. 7th, 2008 @ 07:29 pm (no subject)
The wind here is absolutely ridiculous, one day this week there were 50 (!) knot surface winds. Coasting on level ground today, even at a slight 20 degree offset from the wind, my bike coasted easily at 8-9 miles per hour! Riding opposed to the wind wasn't nearly as much fun.

ugh, I swam a mile and only just noticed how tired I am. I was probably ridiculously ambitious with my guesstimated time for that triathlon in August.
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May. 2nd, 2008 @ 01:22 pm I Am A Consumer Whore
My Dad & I purchased an anglo concertina today! I owe him a few hundred dollars now, but(!) it's new, all the reeds work (unlike the second hand one I had before) it has 30 buttons/in the keys of G & C, vice solely C. This isn't a chromatic instrument, but with a little bit of flamboyant fingering, one can reasonably emulate a chromatic instrument and play in any (reasonable) key you would wish to. So there is billions and billions to learn, but I'm excited about it! I'm a little concerned about learning something entirely new without any extrinsic motivation to do so, but the sheer simplicity of pressing a button and hearing a sound frankly enchants me. It's addictive! It would be even more so if I could play in more than one key and with better air control, but that's what learning is for, right?

The two of us had been talking about this for a while, and the time seemed right for the purchace. Paul, a folk singer musician that I ~know, was at the store this morning and he gave me some excellent advice. So, good stuff!

If I ever need a job I could go busk on the streets. Yippie kai yay.
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Apr. 22nd, 2008 @ 06:41 pm South Pacific
( South Pacific, the Musical )
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Apr. 19th, 2008 @ 05:06 pm (no subject)
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( Enid, Oklahoma: Land of Opportunity )
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Jan. 7th, 2008 @ 10:20 pm The Strong Eat the Weak
Current Mood: Victoly
Tags:
Do you know what I like? THIS!



Flaming swords, Shishio-sama and expensive courtesans: What more could you possibly want? Anyway, Kenshin marathon on Saturday!

Who: You! Us?
What: Kenshin Marathon, Kyoto/Shishio section, ~6 hours about
When: Saturday, January 12 @ Noon PM
Where: My House, ask if you need directions to Vienna.
Why: Kenshin is cool?
How: We're going to watch the DVDs on a TV, okay?

We'll grab food from somewhere in Vienna, and probably start watching Kenshin about 1 PM.
Seriously, this is a great idea. Let me know if you're coming because I'm too lazy and tired to put it conveniently on Facebook.

Off to Norfolk until Thursday in 5 hours to play boats with the Navy. Yippie ka yay.

Edit: If someone could alert people that don't read my LJ that would be appreciated. Like, KAREN, team Arlington and most of team Bayou.
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Oct. 17th, 2007 @ 04:30 pm BAR
My sister just passed the VA BAR exam!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I really can't say anything else useful about it, but I'm happy things are going well! I totally freaked Jessica out a few weeks back, one of my roommates is a JAG contract and has already passed his BAR, etc. When I heard that FL results had already come back, I called Jessica, left a cryptic message for her about her results, which, I guess was understandably nerve-wracking. XD Oops. All's well that ends well, I guess.

Anyone want to go to the USMC Marathon on Sunday the 28th? DC is awesome, I hear. I'll be helping out for the entire day, but not actually running the course. It'll be a riot err...good fun? Also, if I'm on a food station, I'll hook you up with ENERGY JELLY BEANS ftw.

Oh, going three days on 5 hours of sleep? Not a very good idea, don't try it.
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Oct. 5th, 2007 @ 02:10 pm (no subject)
The CO, has a curious sense of humor:

"Have a good Columbus Day weekend, but don't get too liquored up and expect to recover on Tuesday. We have our final Land Navigation in TA16 on Wednesday and it will be tough. Just remember that Columbus wasn't looking for America..."

I want to be inspired, uplifted, to hear something positive! Not implications that all of us are going to FAIL on Wednesday! Arrg, I just want to forget about all that until the last possible moment. Land Nav can be such a crap shoot at times, depending on the proximity of your boxes, the specific terrain & catch-me vines, etc. But I'm still reasonably Ninja and usually enjoy it once we start. Meh, shut up & color.

Concerts in Fred. w/Sarah, cooking, Vampiric Victorian (ad)Ventures, Disc... & still a free Monday holiday!
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Oct. 1st, 2007 @ 08:02 pm The poster is upside down again, huh?
Walking around with face paint is strangely satisfying! I've finally acquired the skill to detail the colors enough so I don't blur into a Black/Green mash by the end of the day. Most people just look like hobos after ~12 hours, but I was still very distinctly camouflaged! For future reference...cat whiskers are not subtle enough for the SPCs. The only trouble is that the stuff sticks far too much. With all the green eyeshadow and eyebrow accents I had accidentally missed, it looked like I was a card carrying member of the oldest profession in the world.
I was carrying some extra gear around unbalanced the entire day, and now my back is incredibly sore. I will *not* be making that same mistake again.

Tomorrow morning we get CS gassed! CS tear gas stings a bit, but comparatively isn't bad. OC, pepper spray, is absolutely *terrifying* in the eyes. But since tomorrow is only CS, it'll be fun! We don't wear masks the entire time, but I've been there, done that, looking forward to it again.
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Sep. 8th, 2007 @ 02:23 pm Book Festival 2007
Current Music: Afrocelts - Seed
Tags: , ,
There was talk of this yesterday, hence, poof! I was wrong, the
author list *does* include a certain Terry Pratchett after all.

Who else is curious about such a shindig?

The Essentials:
Saturday, September 29th, 10 AM -5 PM, DC Mall.
Terry Pratchett - Fiction & Fantasy - 12-12:30 pm
Jack Prelutsky - Poetry - 1-1:45 pm

Edit: Madeleine L’Engle died yesterday.
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Jun. 6th, 2007 @ 03:01 pm (no subject)
Cape Cod is great. The weather absolutely sucked, but cleared up enough to be worthwhile. I like tidal pools. Free exhibits about pirate ship wrecks were just a plus. If you're ever in Provincetown, visit the Whydah museum.

I am enjoying being very lazy, and reading lots. I found a nice copy of Kipling's Barrack Room Ballads used at an antique store, which was satisfying.

Nope, nothing else to say. Toodles.
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May. 7th, 2007 @ 11:31 pm (Obligatory End of School Post) v1.2
My last final was this morning. It consisted of turning in a Japanese exam, then answering questions about a short phone conversation. I could just drive home tonight, but Diane is locked here over intercessionals for crew anyway, so I'm sticking around, at least for a bit. There was also a painful Philosophy essay that I just finished writing, but the entire thing is embarrassing. I managed to put it off for the entire semester, the entire week of finals, in which I did exactly nothing useful, and write it at the last possible minute.

I mean...I'm glad I learned how to manage my time in college?

I have been eating lots of cake, but not quite running enough. Help! Screwed for Quantico come July!
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Apr. 24th, 2007 @ 09:30 pm On Public Speaking
Current Music: Fievel Goes West soundtrack
Being clear, concise and short are essential. People don't want to hear you speak, they wish to hear what you have to say. Don't ad lib; even if you've thought about what to say, you'll have all sorts of remarkably awkward pauses. Take notes before hand & write down key points, even if you don't bring a cheat sheet with you. Don't just jump in, entice people. Get them to listen before they even realize you've started. If you've ever watched a good comedian, emulate them. Find a good lead in or segue. Be confident. Be sincere. Even if you're bumbling, sincerity is always noticed and appreciated.

However, the best advice I have is to avoid it like the plague. That's all! Goodnight.
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Apr. 23rd, 2007 @ 04:48 pm A Tale of Woe
There are still 4 more days of class and numerous papers & projects, but I'm spending more time organizing and worrying about non-academic things. It's only Monday, and already I'm going nuts. This is not fun. One of my project partners is in the process of screwing both himself and me over by being a complete twit. le sigh. Then, while I was in Georgetown watching Diane's regatta this weekend, someone mis-parked into my car! I am incredibly frustrated, and it is not helping that I'm becoming even more frustrated because I shouldn't be, because I can't do anything about the former! If that makes any sense.

But, I get to skip part of 'dead week' to watch Jessica's graduation from Roger Williams Law in RI!

No more complaining, I don't like it.
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Mar. 9th, 2007 @ 12:48 pm (no subject)
Spring break is here, and I'm somewhat giddy about it, even though I'm not doing much. The main plan is to spend all the time in the world at my Grandparents' house, because I really need to get my posterior in gear to study for this Russian examination.

I fell asleep in my piracy class this morning, and my Prof called me out on it after class. I felt bad, but also rested. Oops. In philosophy, we're watching...Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Apparently it's relevant to the course, but I'm skeptical.

And...we're off!
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Feb. 2nd, 2007 @ 12:55 am Ye Shall Be As Gods
Current Music: Rhapsody in Blue
I won, I wrestled with temptation, and won! I did *not* discuss Xenogears in an essay regarding the origins of evil in a set of popular childrens' tales by the crazy Brits, but it was tough.

My quintet had its first gig last night, it was for the school, in support of our subsidized private music lessons. Good stuff, practically revolutionary. Highlights were a bastardized arrangement of Carnival of the Animals.

I need a break. Love, Josh.
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Jan. 20th, 2007 @ 11:17 am Pan's Labyrinth
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If you haven't, watch the trailer and see the movie.

Integrating a war torn Spain of 1944 and a child's fairy tale is a bizarre & crazy idea, but it's a crazy-good idea. Watching horrible events unfold on a movie screen is similar to being a child, you understand everything, you see everything, and yet you're powerless to do anything. Unlike many recent movies, it shows everything. This is not to be disgusting for its own sake, but simply because it happened. The characters see it, if you don't, how can you relate? Knowing 'nasty event' occurred isn't the same as seeing it. So you create a second reality, a reality in which you can affect events.

"Obey, unquestioningly? Only men like you can do that, Captain."

That is the most striking line, ever. Fighting for a just cause is noble, but the character who said that line did not fight. He died, and he chose to die. He acted merely because it was the correct path to take despite great personal cost. Evil comes in many forms, capable of being propagated by both action and inaction. That simple line says something very deep. Stand up for what you believe, stand up for what is right & just. Do not stand by the sidelines waiting for someone else to solve the problem. Unquestioning obedience and apathy, two most extreme opposites, serve exactly the same ends. Even though Pan's Lanyrinth is a fairy tale view through the eyes of a child, it's far from childish.
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