Pure Joy
Late night jazz soothes me through these headphones of mine. It's not as if I don't have other things that I could be doing. Heading off to bed, writing poetry, or saving the world are all viable possibilities. But the sweet sound of Vince Guaraldi keeps me glued to my chair, and my feet refuse to move. That last statement is actually a lie. My feet refuse to walk, but continue to tap profusely. I want to close my eyes, to be taken off into a land of music, where it just never stops playing. It's a love for the sound that simply keeps my fingers going this late at night, typing out words that wouldn't have come out without musical encouragement.
I was looking through a catalog of jazz standards this afternoon, trying to look for a new piece to throw together for my next jazz piano lesson. I came across "At Last", by Harry Warren, which has apparently been recorded by several artists, ranging from Ella Fitzgerald to Celine Dion. Straight piano jazz has a special place in my heart, though, and it's something that I'll always come back to. I suppose I'm partial to it, since that's my instrument, but I think it's a justified bias. I tried to play it, and was somewhat surprised that I was actually able to do a fairly passable job. There's no doubt in my mind that my teacher will fix various parts, add new elements, and generally combine all of my work together into an organized piece of music, but I'm still happy that the past year or so of jazz lessons are actually paying off. Music is for entertainment, for the soul, and for the heart. To be able to play it is pure joy.
Ratatouille (pronounced: Rat-a-too-ee, according to the producers) is a movie that I've been wanting to see since the announcement of production first came out last year. There's no way that I was as excited to see it as my little brother was, though. When I mentioned to him last night that my friends and I were watching it today, and that he was invited to come along, he did an open-jaw eyes-wide fast nod, in an incomprehensible amount of agreement. It turned out to be a very enjoyable movie, one that I would highly recommend to anyone. I had expected a showing the day after the movie was released to be a fairly crowded theater, but I underestimated how many people would actually want to watch a movie at 11 o'clock in the morning. Fewer than thirty people were in the theater, and most of them were under twelve or over fifty. We laughed where appropriate, cried when necessary, and left the theater with high spirits.
thinkandrew
What a night!
The Seattle Mariners aren't exactly well known for their winning skills at baseball. The professional team has not had any major championship wins since 2001, and has had a fairly poor record to boot. However, Washington fans still stay true to their team, and root them on. It seems that all the support is paying off, as the Mariners are having a winning year this year! They're actually doing quite well, and are currently on a six game winning-streak.
It seems pretty out of character for me to be writing about sports on my blog, and I normally wouldn't. However, I write about baseball because tonight, I was at a baseball game. An Assistant Scoutmaster in my Troop has season tickets to watch the Mariners, and was not able to make the game tonight. Thus, he offered four free tickets to us, and we gratefully took them. Being season tickets, they actually turned out to be very good seats. Safeco Field is huge, with room for thousands, many of the seats are up on the third tier with a view of only white specks moving across a small green diamond. That's the only place that I've ever experienced a Seattle Mariners game. The seats that we had tonight, though, were first tier box-seats, right between third base and home plate. It was a perfect view for all of the action, while not being too close that we would miss something out of the corner of our eyes.
Foot-long hot dogs were part of my experience last night, as well. Foot-long hot dogs covered in ketchup, mustard, onions, and relish are also somewhat of a recipe for disaster. I'm not exactly known as the cleanest person in my family, so it wasn't long before a large glob of mustard found its way onto my pants. Mustard stains something awful, too. Fortunately, it came out somewhat when I scrubbed in the bathroom, and hopefully it'll all come out in the wash.
Our team won last night, with a score of 5-3, Seattle beating the Toronto Blue Jays. It was quite an ending to the game, with a double-play taking two outs against Toronto, closing the top of the ninth. As we were already leading, the bottom of the ninth wasn't played at all. Immediately after the outs were called, even as the players began rushing onto the field, we were already out of our seats and hustling towards the car. We made it just in time to be caught with the early wave of traffic, and made it out of the parking garage in a reasonable amount of time. What a night!
thinkandrew
Spray Patterns
I itch. Constant scratching probably isn't a good idea, and if I don't touch my mosquito bites for long enough, the itching and redness will probably begin to die down. Just digging my nails into my swelling skin has some sort of painful satisfaction, though, as I attempt to scratch away the irritation. The biting insects were out in force at Cub Scout Day Camp, especially on the last evening. I guess I'll keep these souvenirs for a few days.
Mom & Me was in April, and there I ran wood-projects. On the last day of Day Camp, I ran wood-projects as well. Even though there were 118 Cub Scouts instead of merely 47, the program ran noticeably smoother than it did at Mom & Me. We were constructing space-shuttles, and the kits were pre-manufactured parts inside sealed plastic bags. However, there were massive amounts of small parts within those sealed bags. Thus, in the hour before programs started, it was my job to take those parts out, place them in little Dixie cups, which were then to be passed out to the Cub Scouts one by one, so that no parts would be lost. Hammers, bowls of glue, and lots and lots of markers were all present, and thus close eyes were kept on the Cubs to prevent the ingredients from mixing into a recipe for disaster. The space-shuttles were pretty nifty, though.
At many camps, there is normally a game that involves eggs. At this Day Camp, our game involved eggs, egg-catchers, and a cherry-picker from 35 feet in the air. After a few test drops to determine where on the large, blue tarp the eggs would fall, we let Cub Scouts in one by one to catch the eggs with their make-shift egg-catching contraptions. To prevent unnecessary splatter, where covered them in garbage sack ponchos, and gave them goggles. Surprisingly, several of the Scouts were actually successful in catching an unbroken egg. Most of those egg-catchers involved either cotton-balls or panty-hose. Apparently, it's staff tradition to attempt to catch an egg with our bare hands. Being the newest staff member there, there are a lot of things that I don't know about. Not surprisingly, few of us were successful in catching an egg. Only two of us were, and they got a roaring round of applause. Not as large as the staff who caught the egg on his chest, though, leading to a white and yellow spray pattern across the better part of his upper body.
thinkandrew
Room Spinning
The past few days have left me incredibly tired. I can barely keep my eyes open, there are invisible weights trying to shut them as we speak. Tomorrow will be no different, with another 12+ hour day. By tomorrow evening, I will have worn my Boy Scout uniform for more than 24 hours in a 72 hour period. It's in the wash as I write this, as the 80 degree weather added with the dust and dirt of Cub Scout Day Camp has left it fairly grungy. Once it is clean, I will be happy.
I spent most of my day manning the slip-'n-slide, which has recently become new and improved. The 3 foot wide piece of plastic that we had yesterday was simply not capable of keeping small children on itself. We upgraded to a 5 foot wide piece, doubled over to a 12-mil thickness. Beyond the technical designations, though, the slip-'n-slide represents pure joy for about 120 Cub Scouts. Nearly a non-stop deluge of scouts would be sliding down our makeshift water-slide, screaming all the way. Competitions were held to see who could go the furthest, or who was brave enough to go down head-first instead of sitting on the butts. The makeshift changing room was also quite hilarious, as it took each group of 30 or so nearly twenty minutes to change. I heard screams of "underwear snatcher! Underwear snatcher!!!", as well as various other things.
During the free-time period after lunch, we at Cub Scout Day Camp like to open up the 18-hole golf course up for the scouts to try. A bucket full of balls as well as a whole bundle of random irons and putters are provided, with which they may hit balls on wooden-framed putt-putt golf holes. They're lined with the cheap astro-turf that can often be found on welcome mats, but that doesn't make an ounce of difference to these young boys just looking to have some fun. The best part is, though, that every time someone makes a hole-in-one, and declares so, a staff member must do a cartwheel. That staff member would be me. While not very proficient at cartwheels, I had to learn fast if I was to keep up with the pace of incredible golfing skills. It didn't take long for them to figure out that a "hole-in-one!!!" at any time would make us do cartwheels, either, whether or not they actually hit a ball. It took a long time for the room to stop spinning.
thinkandrew
Cub Scout Day Camp
Cub Scout Day Camp is a thing to behold. Rarely do I ever see a hundred plus little kids, all under the age of 11. It's an event that I volunteered to staff, though I wasn't quite sure what I was getting myself into. It will run from today (Monday) through Wednesday, though I will never actually be staying out at the Camp. Every morning, I'm expected to show up at camp around 8:30, and we normally don't leave until 5. On Wednesday, camp will not begin until 1:00, and a campfire deep into the night does not finish until past 9. The Scouts come and leave every day, just as we do, to participate in the four different rotating activities around camp. Today, a 30-meter slip-'n-slide was my station of choice. It will continue so again, tomorrow.
thinkandrew
Happy Birthday!
A birthday is a day worth celebrating. My best friend celebrated hers' today, and I was invited to come along for the day's events! It was a day that we've been talking about for weeks, and I couldn't wait for the day to actually come.
My birthday was made a wonderful day by my best friend, and I wished to try and return the favor. I speak for her, her family, and myself, when I say that we all had a great time.
A day trip up to Seattle was the plan, and that's what we did. We ate lunch at
Todai, a Japanese all-you-can-eat buffet. Such buffets are infamous to me, as they present themselves more as challenges to how much you can eat. Whether or not you're manly enough to eat seven plates of food will be determined at the table. However, I easily lost to my friend's older brother, who actually drank a quart of water before leaving to distend his stomach. Instead, I slowly enjoyed the variety and quality of the food on three of my own plates. Various dishes filled with sushi, tempura, noodles, and desserts led to a very full dining experience.
Being that it was her birthday, my friend had the choice of wherever we would go. Downtown Seattle is a very large area, with very many things to do. However, we must have stopped at at least ten different food stores, a few of which were in Pike's Place Market. Coffees, nuts, cheeses, and seafoods were all part of our culinary adventure. We hardly ever purchased anything, though smelling all the food was a treat in itself. Entering the store, we would fight the crowds to work ourselves into the very back of the store, have a smell, and then back ourselves out. Handmade cheeses and the very first Starbucks were all on our map. We even sampled some
Schnoo, an atypical frozen yogurt dessert.
Downtown Seattle is full of many characters, all unique and some unsavory. Our visit there coincided with the completion of a Gay Pride Parade, something that I'm very glad that we missed. While walking through Pike's Place Market, we came across the bicyclists - an urban culture of people riding single-speed fixed-wheel bicycles, performing tricks and generally goofing off. Dreadlocks are a must. And there was one other man who was very clean cut, wearing a raincoat and a backpack. Most noticeably, he wore a sandwich board that said "Free Hugs". Not wanting to pass up an opportunity, I greeted him with open arms. He said: "You're the first today! Congratulations!"
I hope that my best friend had a wonderful day today, and I wish her the happiest birthday possible. There's a long life ahead of everyone, one that we should all look forward to. Birthdays mark our small steps that eventually lead us into a much greater adventure. Happy Birthday!
thinkandrew
Eagle Scout
The deed is done. My project is finished. Not including the hours that I spent planning and organizing the project, the total volunteer hours topped out at around 120. And I couldn't have done it without the outstanding help of my fellow friends and Scouts. People did everything from come to my work parties to making a 50 mile jaunt to pick up donated lumber. I had Scouts working with cordless drills, hammers, screws, and nails, as well as adults working circular and chain saws. I encountered everything from a lack of lumber to inmate work-crews, and what sometimes felt like everything in between. It was an incredible experience, I learned a lot from it. I'm one step closer to achieving the rank of Eagle Scout, now, with only a few items to finish up. And once those are done, I'll be a Scout forever.
thinkandrew
A lot to brag about
We went to the Home Depot this evening to peruse their selection of hardware. I was able to procure the last hundred feet of lumber that I need for my Eagle Project, and I needed the necessary hardware for our work party tomorrow morning. It takes a very big spike to hold down a six inch by six inch ten foot piece of pressure treated lumber, a spike that needs to be hammered in by a very big hammer. Only a ten inch long galvanized spike nail and a sledgehammer will do. The darned nail weighs at least five ounces. The sledgehammer is already at the park, but I needed twenty-five spike nails for the boardwalk. They're sold at the Home Depot individually, or in fifty pound boxes. A box would have about 150 spikes, and since I only needed twenty five, I grabbed a large handful and headed over to the cashier. Being loose items with no code printed on them, the cashier had to look for a UPC in her little code-booklet. Not finding it there, she radioed another associate (fancy name for employee) to look it up on the shelf. Once we were checked out, I was left the store with two fistfuls of gigantic nails, looking like a young man ready to perform some morbid deed.
The Seattle to Portland is less than a month away, and I've got a lot of training to do. I set my 250 mile goal on Monday, and today, my odometer reached 267 miles. I rode 45 miles today, nearly half of each of my days on the STP. However, this 45 mile ride was easily the most disgusting ride I've ever been on. What looked like a simple route through the country side turned out to be a highway going through a Military Reserve and a Native American Reserve, filled with big trucks and semi's barreling down the road. More than once did a 40 foot long tractor-trailer pass by within ten feet of me, carrying a trailer full of logs. My mom wasn't kidding when she said it wouldn't be a pretty ride. When passing through the Indian Reservation, I was nearly shocked off of my bicycle when gunfire suddenly surrounded me. I felt like I needed to duck and run, when I realized what it was. July 4th is rapidly approaching, and the firework-merchants are out in full force. They don't let a little thing like illegal-ness stop them from demonstrating their products. It also didn't help that 20 of the 45 miles I rode today were in the pouring rain, with a fifteen mile per hour headwind. Boy, do I have a lot to brag about.
thinkandrew
Summer
The long lazy days of summer await. Today was officially the longest day of the year, with the greatest amount of daylight. The local public schools let out today, later than normal, on account of the multiple snow-days that we had during the winter. These warm days have been threatening to send students into a revolt, as they've had their summer vacation delayed over a week. It's suitable that the day school let out is the first official day of summer. I saw many people capitalizing on this fact this afternoon, as students lazed on lawns, played frisbee in the park, or drove around in borrowed convertibles. Yes, summer has begun.
School has been out for me, for almost two weeks now. I don't have to go down to school every day, nor do I need to worry about any assignments or tests coming up. However, it doesn't feel as if my schedule is any less full. I hopped onto my bike this morning, to continue towards my 250 mile goal. On my way back, I actually got caught in the rain, so I stopped at my best friend's house to borrow a rain coat. Once I got back, I ate a quick lunch, and then left the house again for my two piano classes. After those two lessons, my family and I went out to Spooner's Berry Farm to do pick some strawberries before the season finishes next week. With over twenty-four pounds of strawberries at our house, it will be a long time before we ever long for them again.
It won't be long before the rest of the summer really kicks in for me. I have over four weeks of Boy Scout trips planned for this summer, with hardly seven days in a row at home. I'll be immersed in a flurry of Cub Scout day-camps, canoeing trips in Canada, backpacking trips to the Cascade Mountains, and various other family trips. It's going to be a wonderful summer, with enough things planned to wear me out even before school starts. I'm not sure if I even have two weeks from my last trip before fall quarter starts at all.
What happened to the old days of summer? The days where hours were spent by the lake, swimming and fishing. The days where people would simply call each other up, and spontaneously go off on an adventure. Now, every single day of vacation has been scrutinized and scheduled, so that our kids might have a "productive summer". Every single one of the events I'm attending this summer are ones that I wanted to go to. I signed on the dotted line myself, and am very excited about each and every one of them. However, I miss the relaxation. I miss the adventures, the romping across town, the irresponsibility that is only found in movies and books. Perhaps they'll never come back.
thinkandrew
Darkness
It's night time right now. Tomorrow is the longest day of the year, the summer solstice. The daylight is going to last nearly sixteen hours, with the sun rising at 5:11 in the morning, and setting at 9:10 at night. It's become nearly impossible for me to go to bed before 9:30, because there's still generous amounts of light streaming in my bedroom window. I can still see.
But what is there to see? A messy bedroom, a few shelves of books, and a closet spilling full of clothes. These are things that I can see anytime during the day. I've seen them so many times, there's no interest left in them. But when the light goes out, that's when I can truly see. When the sun dips below the horizon, and my room becomes pitch-black, my eyes stop working. With no light, my eyes cannot function. In a room full of darkness, I am left only to my own thoughts, my own perceptions, and my own musings of this world.
More often than not, I simply lie in bed, and think about what I have planned for the next day. I need to make some phone calls, to arrange plans for my Eagle Project. I have two piano lessons tomorrow afternoon, before which I wish to go on a bike ride. And then there's next week, where I volunteered to work at a Cub Scout day-camp. But sometimes, when I truly think, I can truly see. I can see that everything that I did today affected someone else around me, and I can see what I should have done differently. I can see that I'm imperfect, and there's so much more to learn about the world. I can see that I'm blessed beyond belief, to have friends, family, and a God that loves me.
At night, when I'm by myself, there's no light. And yet, it never truly gets dark.
thinkandrew
Bad Skin
My bike helmet sits on top of my junk-pile, I just placed it there this afternoon. It's a road-cycling helmet, with the aggressive lines and air-vents. It just sits there and looks at me, taunting me to walk away. It's a reverse-challenge, telling me that I can't stay away from what I really want to do. More often than not, I lose. And thus, I win. I'm wearing it right now, just sitting here in front of my computer. I probably look like a dork, it's a good thing it's late at night. I was wearing it earlier this afternoon, too, when I went on a long bike ride. I rode about 36 miles, and I feel really good about it! The last eight or so miles were a pain, though. With the sun shining brightly, and the temperatures hovering around 80 degrees, I was nearly constantly drinking water. I even stopped to refill it a few times. Three liters later, on the last few miles home, a full bladder made it difficult to continue pedaling. The moment I got home, you can guess where I made a bee-line to.
I set a goal for this week. My odometer on my bike read 150 miles on Sunday morning. By the end of the week, I intend to increase the mileage to 250. I just broke the 200 barrier today, so I'm well on my way. I think I'll take a break tomorrow, though. The ride today has left my hips pretty sore, and working too much on my farmer-tan is not good for my skin.
thinkandrew
Project
That's a "before" picture of my Eagle Project, as the Park Aide and I discuss different plans for the boardwalk. We didn't quite get the entire thing done on Saturday, though we came darn close. Nearly everything that could have been completed was, save for a few things here and there. Some of the turns in the boardwalk were difficult to figure out, as we had to somehow cut the planks at angles to fit the path, without leaving large gaps. The reason we couldn't finish the entire boardwalk was due to lack of materials, the last fifty feet of the boardwalk remain unfinished. I have been soliciting donations right and left, to acquire lumber for my project. All of the decking was already available from the park, it was simply the stringer underneath that was needed. The last hundred feet (fifty on each side) have not yet been procured yet, and I'm still working on it. Until then, my project is on hold. But it is nearly finished.
Saturday was quite a work party. Although many people said that they would show up, several completely forgot, leaving me with about ten people less than I originally expected. That meant that we had a lot more food than necessary, though that's not always a bad thing. However, a good twenty people showed up throughout the day, though not all at once. The work was constant, whether it was screwing down decking, transporting lumber, or sawing stringers to size. The weather just barely cooperated with us, sprinkling light rain on and off throughout the day. At one point, it got heavy enough that we had to temporarily stop working. Fortunately, much of the boardwalk is covered by trees, permitting us some shelter from the elements.
We ended up spending just over seven hours at the park on Saturday, and I found myself completely worn out. It was a long day, with hard manual labor. I slept on the entire drive home, only to awake when we pulled into the driveway. I feel a sense of completion, as if I've finished the entire project. I know that I have not yet, and there's still much work to be done. The goal is to finish my Eagle Scout application before the end of July, and it seems that I'm right on schedule for that. That's pretty exciting.
I was cruising down a hill on my bike today. Now that school is out, I hope to be cycling a lot more often, in preparation for the Seattle to Portland. Riding downhill isn't much of a training ride, though, as fun as it is. I believe I hit thirty-eight miles an hour on that heckuva' hill, going fast enough to keep up with the cars on the road. With my short wheelbase, the slightest twitch in the handlebars would turn my straight path into a wobbling slalom. It was such a rush, to be able to go that fast, with the wind in my face. Going back up was another story. What took only a minute to go down took nearly five to go up. That's cycling, I suppose.
thinkandrew
Survive
My brother is taking summer courses up at the University of Washington, and tomorrow is the first day of classes. The summer quarter is only a month long, but it's long enough that he'll be staying in a dorm for the duration of the quarter. Since school kicks in bright and early tomorrow morning, tonight was the night that we drove him up to Seattle. It seemed all sort of deja-vu-ish, as we carried the milk crates and duffel-bags up to his dorm room. It's only been nine months ago that the same exact thing was happening. And yet, it seemed like we've been doing this forever: carrying things to and from a University dorm room.
Dinner time was calling when we finished moving him in, our growling stomachs quickly made us move out. I hadn't eaten since noon today, and it was approaching seven o'clock. Previously, my eating-clock had been completely screwed up, due to my wacky class-schedule at school. Math classes were at noon, so often times, I would completely skip lunch until around 3 or 4 o'clock in the afternoon. I found that if I managed to get past the lunch-time hunger, I wouldn't be hungry in just a few short hours. But now that school is out, my eating habits have returned to normal. Even so, I sometimes find myself raiding the fridge in the middle of then night.
The dorm that my brother is staying in is just one block from The Ave, the main-street of restaurants and establishments in the University district. Looking for a meal there is sort of like a treasure hunt - there's such a variety of restaurants, walking into the right one can be difficult. We've been to terrible restaurants on The Ave again, and hope to never do that again. "Authentic Chinese Cuisine" is best not advertised when the local Chinese population can readily disprove it. We ended up in an "Authentic Vietnamese Cuisine" restaurant, but I wouldn't be able to tell you whether it's good or bad. I know that I, in my ignorance, enjoyed whatever they put in front of me. I suppose that's why some of these restaurants can stay afloat.
On the way back to the dorm, we walked past a cafe that had a patio with several tables on it. On the table closest to the sidewalk, there was a large paper bag with "FREE" scrawled on the side in Sharpie. It was there when we went towards dinner; I was surprised that it sat on the table for as long as it did. In a district full of broke college-students, I figured that anything labeled "FREE" would be gone in a heartbeat. I couldn't resist taking a peek inside. The brown paper bag held about three dozen muffins, bagels, and miscellaneous pastries. From the looks of them, they were a day or two old, and the cafe was trying to get rid if them. They didn't look all that appetizing, so I rolled up the bag, and walked away.
As we left, I thought about how many people wouldn't have taken a heartbeat to decide on grabbing the entire bag. We're so incredibly blessed to live in a country where food is so readily abundant, and even more so to never have a want for food at all. It's always present, and I've never ever had to go hungry. I would have been embarrassed to simply pull one bagel out of the bag, yet many people would grab the entire lot just to survive. There's a lot to be thankful for, isn't there?
thinkandrew
Fun Day
Nearly twenty five people will be present at my Eagle Project tomorrow morning, possibly more. With over one hundred Scouts registered in our Troop, finding people to help has been no problem at all. As the project I'm working on is on a three-foot wide boardwalk, having that many people at the work-site at one time may present some problems. However, I'm pretty sure that I'll be able to make it all work out. It should be a very exciting day tomorrow, and most likely, we'll be able to get the entire project (save for the last fifty feet, due to lack of materials) completed in the seven hours we have scheduled to work. I won't be surprised if we complete it all in half the time.
That's happened before, at other Eagle Projects. With so many people at the work-site at once, projects often get finished hours ahead of schedule. Then, it's up to the Scout in charge to call all the other people that are intending to come, and inform them that they no longer need to show up. It's happened to me once before; I've shown up to work at an Eagle Project only to find that the project has already been completed, and everybody has left. Not a very good thing to happen. If we get finished ahead of schedule, I plan to stay out there for a few hours, just to make sure nobody gets left behind.
A very important thing to cover was food. If you want people to work for you, you must keep them happy. If you spend any amount of time with the Boy Scouts at all, it won't take long to figure out that the way to a Scout's heart is through his stomach. If you feed a Scout, he will work for you. It wasn't until my mom reminded me of this mantra that I decided providing food would be a good idea. Before then, I had only intended to provide drinks and snacks. However, we are now catering pizza for people working through the lunch hour, as well. And with so many people out there, perhaps I'll have some of them work by serving food.
The work party will run between 8:30 and 3:30, though I need to be at the park between 7:45 and 8 o'clock. The ranger set out tools and equipment that we'll need tomorrow in the workshop, and I need to be there early to transport them down to the work site. It should be a very fun day tomorrow, bright and early.
Also, I apologize for the recent lack of photos. After MakerFaire, I simply haven't been bringing out my camera much at all. Pretty soon, though, there will be a slew of photographs gracing your screen. Look forward to it.
thinkandrew
Finally Over
It's finally all over. I won't be attending any more classes until September 24th, when Fall Quarter calls in the beginning of a new school year. I still remember the excitement with which I looked forward to the first day of school. It was a joy to be back into a regular school system of which I had not been in for the longest time. That day seemed like it was only yesterday, though yesterday feels like an eternity in the past. I loved going to this community college, and thoroughly enjoyed the entire school year that I've had. The fall will come soon enough, I won't have to push harder for it to come. However, make no mistake, I am thoroughly elated that school is finally out. For the past three weeks, I've been dragging my heels on the ground, only having just enough energy to keep going. Now that it's finished, I can afford to take a short break before I jump right back into the hubbub of summer activities.
The amount of work that we got done on my Eagle Project was fairly minimal. However, that doesn't mean that the work done on my project was minimal. It simply means that my work group and I weren't the ones that did it. The funniest thing happened over the weekend. While the Park Ranger was on his day off, one of the park aides, without realizing that the boardwalk project was my Eagle Project, brought it upon himself to begin some work on it. The Department of Natural Resources runs an inmate work-crew, and they sometimes work in the park. As such, more than half the lumber was already transported to the work-site, as well having about fifty feet of the boardwalk already repaired. By an inmate work-crew. The section of boardwalk they repaired is serviceable, though somewhat ugly. The lumber they stacked wasn't sorted either, so that was another job for us to complete. It turns out the nine people we had out there wasn't really necessary, though it did allow us to complete the work in just over an hour. I'm sure Saturday will find much more for us to do.
The Calculus final exam was much tougher than I thought it would be. I'm sure I did alright in the class, but some of the problems proposed in the test really made me wrack my brains for a long time. Leaving the testing center, my math professor chuckled when I told him that that was one of the hardest tests he's ever given us. He chuckled, and agreed that he'd had just a little bit too much fun writing that test. There was some sort of cruel humor behind that smile. It was an enjoyable test, though, if there could ever be such a thing. Finishing it was definitely a highlight in my day.
Summer vacation awaits. It's a time to be responsible-free, enjoy relaxation, and generally loaf around. I've been so heavily involved in school and various other activities for the past nine months that I can't wait to kick my feet up on the dashboard, roll down the windows, and crank up the tunes. It's a well deserved rest that calls to me, though there are so many Boy Scout trips and family trips and I-don't-know-what trips that I doubt there will be much time at all. The few empty days here and there are previous to me; tomorrow is one of them. What a year.
thinkandrew
Sunglasses
Apparently, sunglasses are an extension of the soul. I surfing on the Internet, looking for the best prices on sunglasses just out of interest. It wasn't long before I found out that prices can easily range up above one hundred dollars, for reasons that I couldn't quite explain. When I look for a pair of sunglasses, all I look for is a pair that look cool, fit well, and don't break easily. The pair I use for cycling aren't 80 dollar interchangeable-lens glasses, they're 15 dollar Wal-Mart fishing depart glasses. I've found that the fishing department has many pairs of cheap sunglasses, all with polarized lenses, for peering through the water. However, my friend explained the subtleties of sunglasses to me, and now I finally understand. Not only must sunglasses match and fit your face well, they must match and fit your wardrobe, your shoes, your car, your dog, and your personality. What on earth was I thinking before?
I almost forgot that I have a Calculus final exam tomorrow at noon. I only took my Physics final yesterday, but I already feel like I'm out of school, and scott-free. In a sense, I am, as the final isn't going to affect my grade by a whole lot. But I will still do my absolute best tomorrow, as that is the right thing to do. It's simply becoming increasingly difficult to drag my feet to school every day. Fortunately, tomorrow is the last day, and I will not step my feet onto campus for another three months. I am sure, though, that when Fall comes around, I'll be more than eager to get back to my classes. However, the proposition of an 8 o'clock Statistics class isn't exactly the friendliest proposition I've ever seen.
Tomorrow afternoon, I will be working on my Eagle Project. This time, I won't be working on completing workbooks, getting required signatures, or planning out the required jobs. No, I will actually be at the State Park, physically moving lumber from the workshop to the trail-head. I acquired the last of the required signatures last night, and I am now officially cleared to begin work on my Eagle Project. Tomorrow is simply a move-lumber and clear-brush day, the actual work party will be on Saturday morning, and run throughout the day. Getting Scouts out to work on Eagle Projects is normally not difficult to do, but getting enough Scouts on such short notice may be a challenge. I already have at least five people willing to go, though, so I'm hoping the rest will simply fall into place.
thinkandrew
Not Working....
There is a certain amount of writer's block that currently occupies my mind. The words simply will not come, as there is nothing specific that happened today that I feel comfortable blogging about. There was much that happened today, to be sure. I had a Physics final exam, taught a piano lesson, and had a Scout meeting. I even got my Eagle Project officially and completely authorized, so that I may begin work on the boardwalk. But even with all that writing material, it simply does not seem right, whatever I try to type out onto this computer screen. There are too many thoughts tumbling through my mind right now, and I can't seem to fixate on one long enough to elaborate into a full and cohesive post. I suppose that this is not called writer's block, more accurately, it is writer's overload.
thinkandrew
Extended Weekend
The
Last Day of Instruction hardly felt like a day of school at all. Rather, it was more of an extension of the weekend. My weekend was long and eventful, so there was much relaxation to be called for. Since there was hardly anything going on at school today, I was able to relax there. And thus, school felt like part of the weekend. It's curious that the Last Day of Instruction was held on a Monday at all, as it'd be nearly impossible to get anything productive done. I know that we didn't in any of my classes.
Since my Weight Training class is already over, and I took my Japanese final exam on Friday, both my 8 o'clock and 9 o'clock classes were canceled today. This allowed me to sleep in until 9 o'clock, a luxury that I hope to take advantage of more often, during summer vacation. Physics is at 10, and we were to go over review problems for the final exam tomorrow. However, the professor got done with the practice problems quite early, and, having nothing else to do, dismissed class with about twenty minutes to spare. It was sort of the "in between" day, just before the final exam, where no more concepts can be introduced, nor can too much review be done. I wouldn't have missed anything if I hadn't showed up to class at all.
Calculus was not much different. We discussed nothing other than concepts in class today, not going over any review or practice problems at all. This posed a problem for my
Professional Note Taking Services, as the professor barely wrote anything down on the board at all. I somehow managed to eke out one page, simply as a quantifier of work done. It's the last day I'm taking notes, anyway. It's possible that my note-taking my resume in the fall, but it's not guaranteed. I'll definitely be working in the Math Center again, but anything more than that, I don't know.
It's unfathomable that the last day of school has come and passed. I attended my best friend's Baccalaureate tonight, which I can only describe as a graduation ceremony without actually graduating. The actual "Commencement Exercises" will be on Wednesday evening. Three of my closest friends from this year will be gone, all going to the University of Washington in the fall. It's been such a short time, yet we've all gotten to know each other so well. I feel as if school never really started at all, like I've been on some sort of educational vacation for the past nine months. But at the same time, I can't wait for the summer to come.
thinkandrew
Puget Sound
I had quite an adventure today. I've never been very much involved with water-sports, water-sports meaning water-skiing, sailing, or anything that involves large pieces of equipment. However, I'm a fairly competent swimmer, as well as passably competent at paddling in a canoe. This summer, in less than seven weeks, in fact, I will be going to Sommers Canoe Base, a Boy Scout trip up in the Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota and southern Ontario. We'll be canoeing about 120 miles, packing all of our stuff along the way. It promises to be an awesome trip, and I can't wait for it. However, canoeing is a skill that must be practiced, so I found myself out on the water of Puget Sound this afternoon.
My little brother's patrol decided it would be a great weekend to go canoeing, and one of the dads figured that a six-mile jaunt between Swantown and Boston Harbor in Olympia would be the perfect trip. I would heartily agree, as the length of the trip is just long enough to be somewhat of a challenge, yet not long enough that any of us might pass out from physical exhaustion. However, upon seeing the weather this morning, I must say I was fairly reluctant to go. Much pushing and prodding was needed to get me out the door. I cannot say that my reservations were completely unfounded, as the winds got steadily stronger as we drove to Swantown. The rest of the group was already there, along with the four canoes we would be using.
Launching them and getting out of the marina was a fairly simple process. Once we got into more open water, though, paddling became somewhat of a challenge. Sticking close to shore was not an option, as the winds and waves buffeted the canoe in a way that controlling it became very difficult. Canoes only displace about three inches of water, so the slightest gust can throw the bow around. Some skill with a canoe is required to make it go straight in any wind at all, and I was barely able to do so in those waves. Still, our group was having a mighty fun time. We were racing, laughing, and a few of us were even singing. It took us nearly forty minutes to go not even a mile, but we still chugged along the water.
We were just past the halfway point when it happened. A particularly large gust of wind hit my canoe the same time that we got broadsided by a big wave. A combination of unsteadiness, not-paying-attention-ness, and slippery-butt-ness made my canoe mate slide way over to the right, forcing our gunwale down under the water. If you've ever swamped a canoe before, you'll know that it doesn't take much to bring one down into the water. I should make note right now that Puget Sound is well known for having
freezing temperatures, even in the summer. Nobody in their right mind ever hops into the bay for a swim. The sudden shock of cold water put my canoe-mate into a panic, but fortunately, he was quickly pulled out by his father. With the ridiculously cold water nipping at my toes, I somehow scrambled into the closest available canoe, and they took us to shore where we changed into dry clothes.
It shouldn't come as a surprise that we decided not to go the last three miles to Boston Harbor, rather, we got another adult to pick us up and take us back to our cars. It was really quite an experience today, and I suppose I had fun, even though I wasn't really intent on going. I did learn something, though. Even in June, never swim in Puget Sound. It's not worth it, though I suppose the stories are.
thinkandrew
Garage Sale
The rainy weather didn't dampen our spirits. Though the rain came down non-stop, even getting bounce-off-the-roof heavy at one point, a steady stream of people stopped by our neighborhood garage sale this morning. It's biannual, though I'm sure we have enough junk to have a garage sale every year. It was organized by our neighborhood association, so that we might have about ten different households all have a sale at one time. It was great fun, it presented us with the opportunity to get rid of a lot of our old junk. After that, we would head out to peek around our neighbor's sales, and buy their old junk. I'm curious to know how much of the sold items actually stayed within the neighborhood.
In the end, we were able to clear away a fair amount of stuff. A lot of little things went, such as a few shirts here and there, as well as a lot of old toys and trinkets. We were able to sell the sleeper-sofa and the shop-vac, though, clearing up a fair amount of space in both our basement and our garage. It was a fun day, with a lot of exciting things happening. I'm not feeling particularly writing-inclined tonight, though, so I will save the rest for another time.
thinkandrew
A Wonderful Day
A family friend cut some flowers for my mom today. Our friend has some wonderful plants in her garden, including a large bunch of peonies that just produces the most beautiful flowers. A large, pink bouquet of peonies were sent home with me, after youth group (which is at their house) tonight. The sweet fragrance lingers throughout the house, as the flowers sit in a vase on top of the kitchen counter. It's like a reminder that we should really all be outdoors, enjoying the soon-coming summer.
Tomorrow, though, is probably not going to be the best of days to head outside. The weather report calls for some fairly heavy rain, which is definitely a good thing. We haven't had a real rain in quite a few weeks, and lawns across the neighborhood are beginning to look pretty brown. Washington weather is so strange, even though we're supposed to be known for rain, it seems as if we never get enough of it. That's discounting the record-setting 33 straight days of rain this past winter, of course. However, I look forward to tomorrow's rain, hopefully it will cool off the ground a little. Unfortunately, my youth group's hike got canceled due to the inclement weather conditions. It doesn't affect me much though, as I wasn't planning on going anyway.
The soon-coming summer is a topic of great excitement for me. While it still feels as if the beginning of the quarter is still right around the corner, I think it's finally beginning to sink in that I only have one more day of classes for the rest of the year. Monday is my last day of lectures, after which I only have two final exams! Summertime fast approaches, and it will be wonderful. Long bike rides, hanging out in the sun with all of my friends, backpacking trips, and just general romping around town beckons. I look at my summer schedule, and it's scary how many weeks I'm going to be away from home. It seems as if the entire summer is one large constant trip. However, I'm sure that it will feel like forever, as if it's a holiday that will never end. I'm greatly looking forward to that.
It's been a busy day for me. I had my Japanese final this morning, which officially signifies that I am done with all Japanese coursework for the rest of the year! My math teacher threw a curve-ball at our class, with an extremely difficult take-home test. Nearly the entire class was fairly stumped, and it took me at least six hours to get it completed. A lot of work was done at home this afternoon, prepping for the big neighborhood bi-annual garage sale tomorrow morning. Our family consists of some pretty hard-core garage-salers, so it will be exciting to be able to get rid of some of our own junk tomorrow, while buying some new junk from the neighbors. It promises to be a wonderful day!
thinkandrew
It's a crazy world
The night moves on. I sit here on a computer chair, in front of a screen that casts a ghostly pallor onto my face. It's the only source of light in the room, other than the numerous LEDs indicating the status of our consumer electronics. They're like little green stars, in the shape of circles, squares, and rectangles. There's actually a red LED in the room, too, signifying that my USB-key is plugged into the computer. For some reason unbeknown to me, I haven't yet found myself in my room. It's not that I've been wasting time on the computer, nor secretly watching TV while everyone else is asleep. I'm the only one awake in the house right now, and the room is completely dark. The moment I turn off the computer monitor, it's as if there's nothing in the room at all, as I can't see any of it. Even my hand in front of my face becomes faint. The middle of the night is when I often turn to my own thoughts.
What is there to look forward to? Life is there. It goes on, so fast, passing by without us even realizing it. Hindsight is 20-20, and it takes some people years to look behind at all. I feel like I've begun to do so, so that I may learn from my past, and apply it to my future. I look forward to each step in my life. My friends are all graduating on Wednesday evening, and they'll be off into the world. It'll only be one short year until I follow them, and I'll be thrown right into the deep end. Right now, when I'm still fully supported, is a great time to practice my swimming.
Final exams are right around the corner. My Japanese final is tomorrow morning at 8 o'clock, and I somehow need to find myself there on time. One page of notes is allowed for the test, and I plan to make full use of it. I'm not unduly worried about the Japanese final, there's never much to worry about in that class. I'm not worried about any of my final exams, for that matter. I'm simply not someone that stresses out very easily. I take my studies very seriously, but like to look at them in perspective.
Thoughts tumble and roll in my head while late at night. There's a mass of convoluted musings that only make sense to myself, and it's not common for any one else to understand them. I try sometimes, and once in a while, someone gets it. I spent quite a while talking to my best friend online just now. We spoke about many things. Life, school, Boy Scouts, driving, dancing, Prom, and just about anything else that could be discussed. To simply let the words flow can be very comforting, even more so to know that someone is willing to listen. And yet, I have an international audience right here, with people who are willing to read my ramblings.
It's a crazy world, isn't it?
thinkandrew
Eagle Scout Service Project
I am a Boy Scout through and through. I love the Scouts, and am so heavily involved in it that I can hardly imagine not putting on that uniform. It comes as no surprise to me that I'm now working on my Eagle Scout Service Project, I knew when I joined the Scouts that the rank of Eagle Scout was my ultimate goal. I'm still not quite there yet, but I'm well on my way. If everything goes according to plan, I will be an Eagle Scout in about a month.
Achieving the rank of Eagle Scout is fairly difficult, there is a lot of commitment that must be made. Only four percent of all who enter Scouting become Eagle Scouts, though I believe that every person that was ever a Scout was fully capable of becoming an Eagle. Simply, they did not want to put in the effort and stick with it. It can be very easy to get discouraged, as sometimes the trail to Eagle seems like it goes on forever. For me, though, it's finally nearing completion. The requirements for Eagle Scout include a certain time-period, and leadership during that time-period, both of which I have completed. There's also a set number of Merit Badges that I must have; I only need to earn one more Merit Badge to fill the list. The big requirement is the Project, which I'm currently working on.
For my Eagle Project, I must design and carry out a service project that benefits a specific organization or group in my community. This project must be volunteer-based, and have a specific and measurable goal. Examples of past service projects include repainting of playground equipment, the restoration of a
totem-pole, and the removal of invasive plants in a public park. For my Eagle Project, we will be repairing a 100-yard section of boardwalk out at a state park. The boardwalk is well over sixty years old, having been laid down by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Much of the original structure is falling apart, to the point where some of it is unusable. We'll be building right over the existing boardwalk, making the park's trail-system more readily accessible.
However, I can't just head out to the park, and say "let's go!" I had to write up about a four page report, detailing the process through which we would repair the boardwalk. The techniques and materials we would be using was written out, including any safety issues that we might come across. The case of materials was interesting, especially since the majority of the materials was already present at the Park, they simply didn't have the man-power to put it in. However, I still need some lumber, and have been calling around to local lumber-yards to solicit donations. All of this was written down on my plan, and approved by the representative from the Park. Now, it's pending approval by my Troop, my Scoutmaster, and the District. Once I get all those signatures, I'll have the green-light to begin work.
I can't wait to finish up my Eagle Project. It's been a great experience, heading towards the rank of Eagle Scout, and it's something that will stay with me forever. I love Scouting, and it will always be a huge part of my life.
thinkandrew
End of Quarter Elation
The Last Day of Instruction for Spring Quarter is fast approaching. I've already been through two previous quarters, experiencing the Last Days for both Fall and Winter. However, the Last Day for Spring Quarter signifies something special. It signifies more than just the completion of a Quarter, rather, it signifies the completion of an entire year. The Last Day of Instruction brings about the end of my first year back in a regular school, as well as my first year in a college. What a great year it's been. However, there will be time later to reminisce about the wonderful things that have happened this year. According to the title, this post is about my experiences with the end of Spring Quarter only, not the end of the 2007 school year. But even then, there is much to celebrate.
Strangely enough, the Last Day of Instruction falls on June 11th, a Monday. Finals week will continue through until Friday, after which the Quarter truly finishes. The extra Monday sort of comes as a blessing in disguise, I suppose, as all the professors will most definitely be using that day as a review date for the final. This week is sort of the twilight-zone, caught between the last tests we've had had the finals coming up. New concepts are still being introduced in both of Physics and Calculus classes, so Monday will be a great day to wrap everything up. My Physics final is on Tuesday, and my Calculus final on Thursday, so I have just one more week for both of them.
However, some of my classes are already finished. My Weight Training class, for which I was so nervous about my attendance record, turned out to be no sweat at all. I say that figuratively. Today was the last day that we had a work-out in class, I will not have to show up to the gym for that class ever again. There is no class scheduled for tomorrow, and Thursday is the due-date for us to turn in our final evaluation essay. A one page, double spaced essay doesn't worry me much, I'll whip it out sometime tomorrow and turn it in. I spoke with my teacher in class today, just to make sure that I'm protecting my GPA, and sure assured me that everything is in order. I guess Weight Training wasn't that bad after all.
Japanese is definitely a class that I am looking forward to closing the book on. It would be a lie to say that I haven't learned a lot in that class, I've definitely picked up quite a few skills. However, I feel that much of the learning I did was from the text, rather than from our teacher. That's besides the point, though. Just as with my Weight Training class, we will not hold a class on the Last Day of Instruction. My teacher moved the final up to this Friday, so that we (meaning her) could have the full week off next week. No new things have been covered this week, either, as we've been going through our Quarter Projects. This Quarter, it is a PowerPoint Presentation on any Japanese culture topic of our choice. The project is in English, too, go figure. I did mine on Japanese toilets, a very intriguing subject. I am looking forward to presenting it tomorrow.
School is finally wrapping up, but sometimes it feels as if has never really kicked in. I suppose that's a good thing, letting me learn yet still yearning for more. I will definitely enjoy my summer vacation, though, with no rush to get through it. Before I know it, the Fall will have arrived, with everything that entails.
thinkandrew
Short Post
Recently, I have suffered from a string of shorter blog posts. Unfortunately, that string will continue on tonight. It seems that while I am on the mend, my recent sickness is grasping hard to stay on. The sore throat is all but gone, and the resulting cold-like symptoms are also clearing up. The third installment in this adventure, though, is an incessant cough that simply will not disappear. My coughing is nearly constant, and wracks throughout my entire body. It sounds terrible, too, like a cross between asthma and bronchitis. However, the moment my coughs subside, it is as if they never happened at all. I'm able to simply walk away from it, as if I hadn't been coughing at all. But not soon after that do I double over again, coughing hard and long. I look at this whole situation with some confusion, and even a sense of cool-factor. This must be the weirdest sickness that has ever befallen me.
While I've written a few times about the wonderful weather lately, things took a turn in the opposite direction today. I woke up this morning, and was surprised that no sunlight was streaming through my window. This is not atypical for Washington, so I figured that the skies would clear up later in the day. It wasn't until I set foot outside the door that I realized that it was actually raining, too. I'm not complaining at all. The month of May had about an inch less rain than average, which is not good for my mom's garden. However, I'm going to need my raincoat for school tomorrow, a raincoat that I haven't worn for over a month.
thinkandrew
Laundry List
It seems as if my medicine is getting to me. Drug-induced loopiness is hindering many of my conversations, and I find I have an inability to take anything serious right at this hour. It's helpful that everyone at home is asleep, and I am only speaking to my friends online. The wonders of the Internet allows my incoherent ramblings to be lost in the realms of cyberspace, never to be heard from again. Somehow, my friend is able to make sense of all my words, and we carry on a conversation. Isn't cold-medicine a wonderful thing?
For lack of a better subject, I shall blog about the penultimate say-hi-to-a-stranger conversation topic. The weather has really been quite nice lately. I wake up to the sun streaming through my window blinds, leaving spots of light on the floor. In the evening, the last rays glimmer over the tree tops before disappearing into darkness. Even then, the sky doesn't get fully dark until past 9 o'clock. The temperature has been hovering around the high 80's, too. For the first time in over six months, I decided to put on a pair of (non-bicycling) shorts. Even then, the house was too warm for me to comfortably sit in the top floor. However, I managed to suppress the urge to sit around in my underpants.
My dad and I went on a fairly long bike ride today. In fact, it was one of the longest I've been on in a while. Our destination was a local State Park, at which I am doing my Eagle Scout Project. There was some paperwork I needed to turn in, and we figured it would be a good idea to cycle out there to drop it off. I must say that I was reluctant at first, still on the heal from my recent-and-not-yet-fully-well sickness. However, my dad was able to convince me, showing me that the park is only about 10 miles away. What he neglected to notice was that Internet-provided driving directions make use of the highway, a luxury we cannot afford on bicycles. 10 stretched to 14, making it nearly a 30 mile loop. 30 miles is not too big of a deal, but it did take us over two hours. A good distance, though, as I need to ride more often to prepare for the STP. When we got home, dad promptly collapsed on the couch, and was in bed by 9 pm.
thinkandrew
Mousey the Junkbot
MakerFaire left me with a lot of toys in my goody-bag, including a little kit for this bugger. Mousey the Junkbot is a photovoric robot, he skitters around on the floor looking for the spot with the most light. The design is quite clever, it uses two light sensors and a chip that tries to equalize the two signals. It does so by running each motor, and thus, makes the robot seek light.
Unfortunately, the build was not quite as simple. My experience with Mousey was plagued by faulty tools, dead batteries, and general clumsiness. It took me the better part of two afternoons to perfect the circuit of Mousey, and even then, it was difficult to get everything to fit into my old-skool Macintosh mouse. Many of my parts were scrounged. The bumper came from an old gift-card, and the wheels came off of my little brother's remote-controlled car. The tires are cut from a rubber-band, glued onto the rims with super-glue. Eventually, I finished, and Mousey now lives!
Mousey was fun to build, and somewhat of a challenge. I must have spent about 10 hours on him, longer than I expected. But now that Mousey is completed, I'm really enjoying him. It's a cute little bugger, zipping around the room without abandon. I think I'll keep him.
thinkandrew
Mexican Food
Being a member of diverse culture myself, I pride myself on eating foods that are not normally common in my diet. While Mexican food may be considered pretty run-of-the-mill to many Americans, it's not a food that I eat very often. Just like with any food, there's the good stuff and then there's the bad stuff. It doesn't help that most of the Mexican food I've had is of fairly low quality. Call me a victim of the Taco Bell movement. And yet tonight, I found myself at a Mexican restaurant, ready to order.
Someone once described Mexican food to me as all the same, with the same ingredients, the same preparation, and the same sized portions. The only difference between dishes is the name and presentation. I must say that there is some truth to this statement, at least in my ignorant eyes. That is not to say that the food isn't good, however. Tonight was the best meal of Mexican food I have ever had, it was incredibly tasty. "Tacos Guadalajara" filled my very large plate, with enough food to feed a third-world nation. I only finished half of it, and brought the rest back home for another time. The dish consisted of two (very large) soft tacos, in which there was chicken, steak, lettuce, bell peppers, beans, and a whole variety of other good stuff. A wonderful sauce was offered in a side dish, and I used it all.
Corn chips and salsa took the place of breadsticks and butter at our table, and I'm definitely not complaining. There's no corn-chips like real corn-chips, and these were really really good. Warm and crunchy, it tasted as if these chips had just come out of the oven. The salsa was not thick and chunky as one would expect salsa out of a bottle, rather, it was slightly runnier, yet had a wonderful flavor. Whatever was left on the table, I brought home in my to-go-box as well.
I may sound like an ignorant diner, ranting on about the wonderful food that I had tonight. However, I'm not embarrassed to say that Mexican food is just not a type of food that I eat very often. Tonight, I found the good stuff, and it was wonderful. In fact, I look forward to returning.
thinkandrew
