(no subject)
I’m a little behind on the number of blogs I expected myself to have by the start of winter quarter which is a true shame because I really had a lot to talk about. Instead, I am now sitting on the bus to go back to school (after it was cancelled yesterday due to snow) with nothing left to do but resume and maybe play a little catch up.
Overall, I am very lucky about the whole snow situation. I was in Seattle for basically my entire 3 week break, and while we got about a foot of snow over there which basically incapacitated the city for a few days, I only had to go out in it a few times. I also missed the brunt of Spokane’s snowfall. It would have taken a lot more than a foot to incapacitate Spokane, and they got it, including 20 inches in one 24 hour period and maybe close to 6 feet so far. It has snowed a few inches since I’ve come back but I’ve already been out driving and it’s nowhere near as scary as driving in Seattle the day after a light snowfall.
Because everyone got off of work for a few days in Seattle, one could go wander around for a while and see all the people and animals enjoy this sight that they rarely see. As an example, one day there was an impromptu community snowball fight that was posted on the local blogs. I got dressed in the warmest clothes I could find (I didn’t exactly prepare myself for snow unfortunately) and made my way down to take some pictures. The results don’t do the scene justice; a lot of people showed up at the park whether to take part in the fight or not and everyone was genuinely having a good time, especially the dogs.
Another reason I was fortunate with the weather was holiday traveling. Jackie and I were able to come to Spokane for Christmas with only difficulty traveling Snoqualmie pass on the way here. We were also able to make it to Leavenworth for New Years and my birthday. Jackie paid the most of a very nice bed and breakfast as well as a masseuse and a high proportion of our meals. My birthday was spent lounging around doing nothing being waited upon including using an in-room Jacuzzi with bath bombs from Lush. I had never been so happy to have my birthday on a holiday.
My attempt to be productive over break didn’t last as long as I thought. I had about 3 straight days of learning Python and a few other things to prepare for school. However, once I had one day of rest I was done for the rest of the break. I instead focused on a new hobby started by the Joy of Cooking and continued by some wonderfully chosen Christmas presents. I started a bread baking adventure. It was mostly experimentation but it did turn up some very good results including a cinnamon-raisin bread, a spinach, feta, and pine nut braided pastry, and few loafs of French bread. Admittedly, this wasn’t the first time I had baked bread. I already consider myself a pretty good pizza dough and focaccia bread maker and I used to use bread machines for various things when I was in high school. No machine for me this time, though. This is hand-made bread biotch.
To change the subject, I don’t think I have made New Year’s resolutions since ever. I’m really tempted to this year however if I can come up with some good ones. They need to be diverse, reasonable, and something I’m actually motivated to do. The first one was easy to create: I hereby resolve to run Bloomsday this May. Bloomsday is 12km run held in Spokane every year. There are always hundreds of thousands of people who show up because they really gear it for the family/community as well as the serious runner. The Kenyans always show up to win it in like a half-hour or something. That’s not for me; I’m looking for a pace in between the Kenyans and the mother with the stroller. I’ll refine my goals as I train in the next couple weeks but I’m thinking a time of 1:45 would be worthy. That’s a little quicker than 15 minutes/mile.
I also hereby resolve to get a summer internship in Seattle. This one is significantly more difficult for me because my teachers don’t have many connections over there and companies tend not to list summer jobs for whatever reason. My ability to get this will depend on my commitment to making as many contacts as I can in the next couple months. This is by far the most challenging aspect of my resolutions. It is tough to describe just how much I dislike calling people up, but it’s the only way as I am convinced that companies simply don’t look at resumes that are just submitted online.
I might need to think a little bit more about a third resolution. Good grades might be a decent one. I could also resolve to become better at jazz piano, learn Japanese, be more social, or cure cancer. I think I’ll just pick one of these, but I’ll need to think about it first.
OK, I’ve been on the bus now for more than an hour and we’re finally almost there. I’m going to be late for my first class and will have to now wait 2 hours before I get to my office have breakfast or post this blog entry. The afternoon will be dedicated to settling in, however. That’ll be nice, right?
I miss Christmas break already.
Overall, I am very lucky about the whole snow situation. I was in Seattle for basically my entire 3 week break, and while we got about a foot of snow over there which basically incapacitated the city for a few days, I only had to go out in it a few times. I also missed the brunt of Spokane’s snowfall. It would have taken a lot more than a foot to incapacitate Spokane, and they got it, including 20 inches in one 24 hour period and maybe close to 6 feet so far. It has snowed a few inches since I’ve come back but I’ve already been out driving and it’s nowhere near as scary as driving in Seattle the day after a light snowfall.
Because everyone got off of work for a few days in Seattle, one could go wander around for a while and see all the people and animals enjoy this sight that they rarely see. As an example, one day there was an impromptu community snowball fight that was posted on the local blogs. I got dressed in the warmest clothes I could find (I didn’t exactly prepare myself for snow unfortunately) and made my way down to take some pictures. The results don’t do the scene justice; a lot of people showed up at the park whether to take part in the fight or not and everyone was genuinely having a good time, especially the dogs.
Another reason I was fortunate with the weather was holiday traveling. Jackie and I were able to come to Spokane for Christmas with only difficulty traveling Snoqualmie pass on the way here. We were also able to make it to Leavenworth for New Years and my birthday. Jackie paid the most of a very nice bed and breakfast as well as a masseuse and a high proportion of our meals. My birthday was spent lounging around doing nothing being waited upon including using an in-room Jacuzzi with bath bombs from Lush. I had never been so happy to have my birthday on a holiday.
My attempt to be productive over break didn’t last as long as I thought. I had about 3 straight days of learning Python and a few other things to prepare for school. However, once I had one day of rest I was done for the rest of the break. I instead focused on a new hobby started by the Joy of Cooking and continued by some wonderfully chosen Christmas presents. I started a bread baking adventure. It was mostly experimentation but it did turn up some very good results including a cinnamon-raisin bread, a spinach, feta, and pine nut braided pastry, and few loafs of French bread. Admittedly, this wasn’t the first time I had baked bread. I already consider myself a pretty good pizza dough and focaccia bread maker and I used to use bread machines for various things when I was in high school. No machine for me this time, though. This is hand-made bread biotch.
To change the subject, I don’t think I have made New Year’s resolutions since ever. I’m really tempted to this year however if I can come up with some good ones. They need to be diverse, reasonable, and something I’m actually motivated to do. The first one was easy to create: I hereby resolve to run Bloomsday this May. Bloomsday is 12km run held in Spokane every year. There are always hundreds of thousands of people who show up because they really gear it for the family/community as well as the serious runner. The Kenyans always show up to win it in like a half-hour or something. That’s not for me; I’m looking for a pace in between the Kenyans and the mother with the stroller. I’ll refine my goals as I train in the next couple weeks but I’m thinking a time of 1:45 would be worthy. That’s a little quicker than 15 minutes/mile.
I also hereby resolve to get a summer internship in Seattle. This one is significantly more difficult for me because my teachers don’t have many connections over there and companies tend not to list summer jobs for whatever reason. My ability to get this will depend on my commitment to making as many contacts as I can in the next couple months. This is by far the most challenging aspect of my resolutions. It is tough to describe just how much I dislike calling people up, but it’s the only way as I am convinced that companies simply don’t look at resumes that are just submitted online.
I might need to think a little bit more about a third resolution. Good grades might be a decent one. I could also resolve to become better at jazz piano, learn Japanese, be more social, or cure cancer. I think I’ll just pick one of these, but I’ll need to think about it first.
OK, I’ve been on the bus now for more than an hour and we’re finally almost there. I’m going to be late for my first class and will have to now wait 2 hours before I get to my office have breakfast or post this blog entry. The afternoon will be dedicated to settling in, however. That’ll be nice, right?
I miss Christmas break already.