I was all set to give blood this morning, but apparently my Argentinian travel makes me ineligible. Most of Argentina is fine, but Iguazu Falls and Corrientes (home of the capybaras) are at risk for malaria, so I need to wait a year.

I'm a bit disappointed. There goes my good deed for the day.

Locks are a clever mechanical trick. Brilliant scientists are often able to figure out just how they work, even without seeing their innards ( Read more... )

My mom's in the hospital with pneumonia and a 103-degree fever, which, given her chemo-weakened immune system, is serious. My sister turned 26 today. My uncle finished battling an infestation of bedbugs carried back from a hotel on his luggage. Two friends got engaged. Another friend may be on the path to a happier relationship. All this in the ( Read more... )

In 7th grade, I asked a girl out. I said, "Will you go out with me ( Read more... )

It's a curious fact that here in Berkeley, I feel an aura of failure that was missing while I was home in Tennessee. There, I was skilled and clever and strong. Here, I'm merely mediocre. Whatever it is I do, there's someone better at it than me--so much so that I can never hope to match them. I'm not a fan of being a small fish in a big pond, but ( Read more... )

13 internet first dates

• 4: I rejected, or the rejection was mutual
• 2: stopped responding to my messages after the first date
• 2: I dated for some period of time
• 2: told me they were too busy to date me
• 2: told me I was nice but they weren't romantically interested

We were all taught, as kids, that winning or losing wasn't important--instead, success was defined by doing your best. But that's actually a much tougher standard than simply winning. Indeed, you have never done your best. Neither have I, nor has anyone else you know ( Read more... )

Two recent failings:

1. I ran the 5k on Sunday doing better than 8-minute miles, as I'd hoped. Unfortunately, I was also lazy enough to walk for part of it. I can make excuses of several sorts, but basically I just didn't push hard enough. I'll have to see if I can fix that--for starters, by stopping the walk at the top of the hill on my daily run.
2. I ( Read more... )

So, you ask, how did the duck go? Well, for starters, buying a duck at a Chinese store (Ranch 99) means that I got more duck than I'd expected. In particular, it had a head and feet. They weren't hard to cut off, but still I hadn't expected to have to behead it with its beady little eyes staring me down ( Read more... )

( Read more... )