October 2004 Archives

So a number of people have been asking me to update this site more often. While I live to please you, school has been remarkably intense this quarter—I say remarkably because I'm only taking three classes. Consequently, it's hard to find time to post an entry, much less do the sorts of interesting things that would be worth writing about. So unless you'd like me to post about, say, deriving check frame sequences to detect errors in frames transmitted across a network, please bear with me.

That said, I should also note that my life is not nearly as interesting as some of you seem to think it is. I mean, I'd love to tell you about my secret double life as a CIA operative, and how I spent last Thursday assisting pro-American rebels in a small Asian nation, but then I'd have to kill you—and then, dear reader, who would be left to read my site?

Not to mention, I'd be lying.

However, in my desire to be ever-responsive to the needs of my readership, I've decided to give you, yes you, the opportunity to help me make my life more interesting. How, you ask? Why, by contributing to the "Send Aliotsy to New Zealand" Fund! That's right, if enough of you contribute enough money to the fund, you'll be able to enjoy my tales about amazing adventures on the far side of the world! Donations of all sizes accepted!

If you use PayPal, simply transfer funds to my account (my email address is aliotsy AT hotmail DOT com). If you do not use PayPal, I also accept cash and checks. Or, at your convenience, simply give me your credit card, and I'll deduct expenses as necessary.

I understand that in this election season, politicians of all stripes will lie to you about how they're planning to allocate your hard-earned tax dollars. In light of this, let me assure you that you will not encounter such dishonesty on my part. All money donated to the "Send Aliotsy to New Zealand" Fund will be used solely to finance a weeklong trip to New Zealand for Aliotsy. In the unlikely event that the fund falls short, all money will be returned, or, with your agreement, reallocated to other charitable causes.

Ahem, yes. So, instead of posting any real content, I'll just fill out yet another meme discovered via Jonathan.

Ten years ago, I:

1. was living in Nairobi and attending ISK.
2. somehow finagled my seventh grade class into electing me as their student council representative.
3. was really, really hoping my mom wouldn't take a job in some place called Davis, California.

Five years ago, I:

1. was a senior at Davis Senior High School.
2. somehow finagled my way into office as the DHS Key Club president, and helped raise over $500 to prevent iodine deficiency disorder.
3. was thinking about what colleges to attend, and, like many of my friends, ruled out UC Davis.

One year ago, I:

1. was starting my senior year at UC Davis.
2. finally got around to changing my major from International Relations to Computer Science.
3. was listening to truelovewaits way too much.

So far this year, I:

1. have started running respectable distances on a fairly regular basis for the first time since high school.
2. have discovered the sheer gastronomic pleasure of chow fun.
3. have gone backpacking for the first time in 4 years.

Yesterday, I:

1. took an accounting midterm. Fun.
2. went to a most excellent birthday party.
3. probably ate too much pizza at said party.

Today, I:

1. participated in a Quiz Bowl tournament at Bezerkley.
2. somehow correctly answered questions about the prophet Ezekiel, Abraham's wife Sarah, and the book of Revelation, but got beaten to the buzzer on questions about Jesus and Moses. Granted, the Jesus question was mostly based on modern criticisms of him that I'm not familiar with, but I should've gotten Moses.
3. probably should be a wee bit embarassed about the fact that I knew the answers to questions about Alien vs. Predator and the song "Sigh No More, Ladies" from Much Ado About Nothing.

Tomorrow, I:

1. will go to church
2. will make a couple printouts of digital photos.
3. will wonder why I never take advantage of that extra hour available for sleep that Daylight Savings gives us.

In one year, I will:

1. be working for a web design firm that appreciates the fact that I care about web standards and that I don't use tables for page structure.
2. really wish I'd been an English major.
3. know how to play an instrument other than the air guitar. Preferably, a real guitar.

In five years, I will:

1. embark on a quest to have visited every continent in the world, not including Antartica. So far, I've got North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa in the bag.
2. wonder how I can finance such a quest on my salary as a project manager in a web firm. Or wondering why I hadn't gone earlier, having switched to a lucrative career as a usability specialist.
3. laugh at how quaint and wrong all of these predictions are.

One day in late 1999 or early 2000, I was hanging out with my buddy Hermes. We were talking about the sorts of things that concern seniors entering their last semester of high school—picking a college to attend, looking back at the good times spent together, looking ahead to a future that was at once exciting and frightening. But this particular day, Hermes broached a new topic.

"Al, I think this girl likes me."

I looked over at him cautiously. "Who?"

"Do you know Jaclyn? Blonde girl?"

"Yeah," I nodded. She'd been in my tenth grade English class, bubbly and sarcastic; braces and overalls. Definitely not Hermes' type.

"So what makes you think she's interested?" I asked cautiously.

"I don't know," he began. "She's been acting weird around me. I mean, she's been mean to me as long as I've known her. We've been enemies since fifth grade orchestra. And now all of a sudden she's being nice to me. She even smiles at me." Hermes sounded positively baffled.

He looked at me, his eyes earnest behind his glasses. "So what do you think? Does she like me?"

I mulled over what he had said. Sure, she was being nice, but then there seemed to be a reconciliatory air throughout the senior class—perhaps a desire to be on good terms with everyone before we went our separate ways. And frankly, there was no way a girl like Jaclyn would be interested in a guy like Hermes. Absolutely no way.

So with all the wisdom about women I'd garnered from my seventeen and a half years on this world, I shook my head and somberly replied, "No. I think it's all in your head."

Boy was I ever wrong.

On February 17^th, 2000, at approximately 3:45 in the afternoon, a very nervous Hermes told Jaclyn that he was in love with her. And much to his surprise, she nonchalantly replied "Yeah, I know" as casually as someone asking for plastic at the grocery checkout line.

Almost five years later, on October 16^th at approximately 5:30 in the afternoon, a very nervous Hermes promised to love Jaclyn for the rest of his life. And a slightly tearful Jaclyn promised to do the same.

As for me, I sat smiling in an aisle seat, quite untroubled by the fact that I clearly have no future as a professional matchmaker.

Borrowed from Jonathan, a fellow memesheep. Yeah, not exactly the most original content, but no one's commenting so I figured revealing a few secrets about myself might bring you guys out of the shadows. That said, I left some things unanswered—either because I don't know, or because I really don't want to get too personal in a medium accessible to a potential audience of, oh, several hundred million people.

Like Jonathan, things I've done are bold; comments are in italics. If you see something you'd like to know more about, drop me a comment and let me know.

1. Bought everyone in the pub a drink
2. Swam with wild dolphins
   My sixth grade class took a trip to a remote island off of Kenya's coast. Half the class went snorkeling, while the other half toured the island village. We then switched the second day. I was with the first snorkeling group, and we went out on a drizzly, overcast day…still, under the water it was beautiful. The next day was bright and sunny, and the other snorkeling group got to see wild dolphins playing in the water. Doh!
3. Climbed a mountain
   Liberal interpretation of mountain…does Half Dome count?
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
6. Held a tarantula.
7. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
8. Said 'I love you' and meant it
9. Hugged a tree
10. Done a striptease
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long, and watch the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
    I'm assuming Aggie football games don't count
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
    Unfortunately, the tower was undergoing renovations when I visited, and visitors weren't allowed to climb the stairs.
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Touched an iceberg
20. Slept under the stars
    And woke up to a bear.
21. Changed a baby's diaper
    I kinda panicked and called my mom. Yeah, you can stop laughing now.
22. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
23. Watched a meteor shower
24. Gotten drunk on champagne
25. Given more than you can afford to charity
26. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
27. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
28. Had a food fight
29. Bet on a winning horse
30. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
31. Asked out a stranger
32. Had a snowball fight
    I grew up in Vermont. 'Nuff said.
33. Photocopied your bottom on the office photocopier
34. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
35. Held a lamb
36. Organized and planned a surprise party for a loved one
37. Taken a midnight skinny dip
38. Taken an ice cold bath
    In high school, on the night before big races, our coach told us to go home and fill the bathtub with water and ice and sit in there for half an hour. After a while it's not so bad because you're too numb to feel anything.
39. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
40. Seen a total eclipse
41. Ridden a roller coaster
42. Hit a home run
43. Fit three weeks miraculously into three days
44. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
45. Adopted an accent for an entire day
46. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
    Depends on how far back you go, I guess.
47. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
48. Had two hard drives for your computer
49. Visited all 50 states
50. Loved your job for all accounts
51. Taken care of someone who was really sick
52. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
53. Had amazing friends
54. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
    May 1, 1993, in a tavern in Athens. It's not nearly as intriguing as I make it sound when you realize that would be the day before my 11^th birthday.
55. Watched wild whales
56. Stolen a sign
57. Backpacked in Europe
58. Taken a road-trip
59. Rock climbing
60. Lied to foreign government's official in that country to avoid notice
61. Midnight walk on the beach
    Does a moonlit walk count?
62. Sky diving
63. Visited Ireland
64. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
65. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them.
66. Visited Japan
67. Bench pressed your own weight
    Finally can do this again…yay!
68. Milked a cow
69. Alphabetized your records
70. Pretended to be a superhero
71. Sung karaoke
72. Lounged around in bed all day
73. Protested something you feel strongly against.
74. Scuba diving
75. Got it on to "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye
76. Kissed in the rain
77. Played in the mud
78. Played in the rain
79. Gone to a drive-in theater
80. Done something you should regret, but don't regret it
81. Visited the Great Wall of China
82. Discovered that someone who's not supposed to have known about your blog has discovered your blog
    Again, loose interpretation. It's not so much that anyone's not supposed to know about this blog (I've thankfully had the good sense not to post anything that will really get me in trouble), but it's always weird when I find out unexpectedly that someone's a regular reader. But weird in a good way.
83. Dropped Windows in favor of something better
    Yeah, I know, as a Computer Science major I should be raving about how much better Linux is.
84. Started a business
    Well, we didn't actually get around to registering a fictitious business name, but two friends and I came up with a business name, a domain name, and a fully functional website in 24 hours—all to impress a potential client who eventually fell through.
85. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
86. Toured ancient sites
    Greece and Italy in the ultimate 5^th grade field trip.
87. Taken a martial arts class
    Bet y'all didn't know I have a green belt in Shotokan.
88. Swordfought for the honor of a woman
89. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
90. Gotten married
91. Been in a movie
92. Crashed a party
93. Loved someone you shouldn't have
94. Kissed someone so passionately it made them dizzy
95. Gotten divorced
96. Started an office war
97. Gone without food for 5 days
98. Made cookies from scratch
    Found the recipe in, of all places, my math book
99. Won first prize in a costume contest
100. Ridden a gondola in Venice
     My friend went to Europe this summer and told me they charge over $100 per person for a ride
101. Gotten a tattoo
102. Found that the texture of some materials can turn you on
103. Rafted the Snake River
104. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
105. Got flowers for no reason
106. Made out in a public place
107. Got so drunk you don't remember anything
108. Been addicted to some form of illegal drug
109. Performed on stage
110. Been to Las Vegas
111. Recorded music
112. Eaten shark
113. Drank an entire 6 pack by yourself
114. Gone to Thailand
115. Seen Siouxsie live
     Who?
116. Bought a house
117. Been in a combat zone
118. Buried one/both of your parents
119. Shaved all of your hair off
120. Been on a cruise ship
121. Spoken more than one language fluently
122. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
123. Bounced a check
124. Performed in theatre
125. Read - and understood - your credit report
     Definitely read it…dunno about the "understood" part.
126. Raised children
127. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
128. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour a little
129. Created and named your own constellation of stars
130. Taken a bicycle tour in a foreign country
131. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
     Evidently, the king gave my ancestor the princess's hand in marriage because my ancestor was a powerful warrior (I dunno if "powerful" is in relation to physical or political strength)…so we got married into the royal family. Or something like that…noble bloodlines in Madagascar seem as confusing as they are in Europe.
132. Called or written your Congress person
133. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
134. ...more than once? - More than thrice?
135. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
136. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
     Funny, I was doing this yesterday.
137. Had an abortion
138. Had plastic surgery
139. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived.
140. Wrote articles for a large publication
141. Lost over 100 pounds
142. Held someone while they were having a flashback
143. Piloted an airplane
144. Petted a stingray
145. Broken someone's heart
146. Helped an animal give birth
147. Been fired or laid off from a job
148. Won money on a T.V. game show
149. Broken a bone
150. Killed a human being
     Isaiah 53:5
151. Gone on an African photo safari
     Well, my parents made me use the video camera, but it was Africa, and it was a safari.
152. Ridden a motorcycle
153. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100mph
     I was in the passenger seat, and the driver decided to slow down after we topped 120mph.
154. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
155. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
     And I missed what I was shooting at. Several times.
156. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
157. Ridden a horse
158. Had major surgery
159. Ridden on a passenger train
160. Had a snake as a pet
161. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
162. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
163. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
164. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
165. Visited all 7 continents
166. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
167. Eaten kangaroo meat
168. Fallen in love at an ancient Mayan burial ground
     Doesn't everybody?
169. Been a sperm or egg donor
170. Eaten sushi
     Oh yeah.
171. Had your picture in the newspaper
     Front page of the Davis Enterprise's sports section, front page of the Woodland Democrat.
172. Had 2 healthy romantic relationships for over a year in your lifetime
173. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
174. Gotten someone fired for their actions
175. Gone back to school
176. Parasailed
177. Changed your name
178. Petted a cockroach
179. Eaten fried green tomatoes
180. Read The Iliad
181. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
     Hemingway…it was fun.
182. Dined in a restaurant and stolen silverware, plates, cups because your apartment needed them
183. ...and gotten 86'ed from the restaurant because you did it so many times, they figured out it was you
     Sometimes I wonder about the guy who originally wrote this list
184. Taught yourself an art from scratch
185. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
186. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
     More than once, but someone stuck out immediately. His name is Jason, and I wasn't the nicest person to him in grade school. For the record, when I contacted him about five years later, he said "Dude, that's water long under the bridge." Probably trivial, but I've learned silence is a terrible way to deal with guilt.
187. Skipped all your school reunions
188. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
     She was a Japanese exchange student, and we had the unlikely task of me leading her around blindfolded, and then switching roles.
189. Been elected to public office
     Sixth grade student council vice president? Key Club president? Yeah, didn't think they counted.
190. Written your own computer language
191. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
192. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
193. Built your own PC from parts
     Well, I just replaced my motherboard, processor, and memory, but I'm guessing that doesn't count. You know, it's funny, Jonathan and I are both Computer Science majors, and neither of us have done this.
194. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
195. Had a booth at a street fair
196. Dyed your hair
197. Been a DJ
198. Found out someone was going to dump you via LiveJournal
     This, dear reader, would be so cruel.
199. Written your own role playing game
200. Been arrested

Or, How Nathan Won, Again

I'm backlogged in terms of things that I'd like to post about, but I might as well start with a recounting of the Sixth Sushi-Eating Contest between Nathan and myself.*

The wait for a table wasn't long (Yay for Fuji's on a Tuesday!), so within about fifteen minutes of arrival, we got down to business. A typical round of sushi-eating involves three plates, which is about the most you can carry from the little boats at one time. Three plates sounds like a lot, but a picture will put it into context: one plate holds about two rolls.

The first round went without incident, and we both felt fine. I asked one of the sushi chefs for a special order of smoked salmon (yum!) for the second round. Usually, they just give you a normal plate with two rolls on it, but for some reason the gentleman gave me a plate double the normal size with four rolls. I asked Nathan if it could count as two plates, and after some deliberation, he accepted. Waiting for the special order cost me, though: Nathan had already started round three while I was working through the end of round two.

Seeing that I was lagging, I opted to find a way to catch up. Going back to the sushi boats, I looked for something that looked light and would go down quickly to help me catch up. A plate of ikura looked innocent enough, so I grabbed it.

Big mistake.

Ikura, it turns out, is salmon roe, something I've never tried before. Nathan eyed it suspiciously when I brought it back with me. I'm not averse to eating odd-looking food, but I nonetheless felt queasy looking at these translucent orange blobs. Putting those feelings aside, I grabbed my chopsticks, raised one roll to my mouth, and took a tentative bite.

The taste of fish and salt immediately triggered a retching reaction in my throat, and my eyes bulged out. Nathan, who was watching with a bemused smile, burst out laughing. It wasn't so much that it tasted bad—it was just way too salty. I knew immediately that I had made a grave strategic error. Nathan noted that I didn't need to finish the plate…but I knew that if I went back for another plate, I would fall even further behind him. So I opted to eat the whole plate, taking bites between gulps of water and nibbling at other items I'd brought back with me.

That would be big mistake number two.

From there, it was a downhill battle, as Nathan and I went on, round after round. We stubbornly downed plate after plate, gave each other a challenging look, and then stumbled back for more. We started to spend more time at the boats, carefully picking whichever dish would go down quickly. The ikura had taken its toll, and I knew it, but I hoped to simply outlast Nathan.

Nathan, however, is a man of exceptional gastrointestinal stamina, a true pillar of abdominal prowess.

I was working on plate seventeen—a nice pair of tuna rolls—when I experienced another involuntary retching reaction. At this point, it was clear that my body was saying "You're bonkers, Aliotsy!", so I called it quits, and ate a plate of orange slices to stop at eighteen plates. Nathan, who was working on plate nineteen, finished two more to win the tournament at twenty-one plates. I haven't seen anyone finish over twenty plates since I had sushi with my friend Ian, the 220-pound collegiate rugby player.

So Nathan holds the series lead, 5-0-1. I, on the other hand, have had enough sushi for at least two months.

*That would be Nathan's count, not mine. In fact, I don't even recall eating sushi with Nathan that many times, and of the times we've eaten sushi, I only considered two of them contests. But I digress.