I have taken the JLPT 3. Also, other stuff.
I did poorly on the vocab section, I think okay on the grammar, and fine on the listening. (Is the listening always really easy compared to the other sections, or have my two tries at the test been anomalous? It's not just my troubled relationship with kanji; it seems to use less complex vocab and grammatical structures than the other sections.
Relatedly, people laughed at some of the wrong answers in the listening section. I feel like it's a design flaw in the test that this happens.)
This is the first time that I've taken it that there has not been snow, and the first time that I've actually made to the test site in which I have not wrecked the car. (Which is to say, it is the second time that I've actually made it to the test site.) It is also the first time that my car battery has ever died for reasons that were not my fault. It chose to do this in an expensive hotel garage.
I fortunately was staying at the hotel on the campus where the test was being held, so my morning plans weren't dependent upon having a working car. Also, I discovered the problem several hours before the test, not immediately afterwards. I thus had plenty of time to stop panicking before my attempt drive out of Washington, DC in the dark (for the first time, obviously). I meditated, ate oatmeal, etc.
After the test, I talked to the garage attendant, who asked a campus security officer to jump the battery for me. This took a while, and it was the security officer's opinion that I needed to get the engine checked. I got out of there about an hour later than I'd meant to, but I made it out of the DC traffic without dying. At one point three deer nearly ran out in front of me, which was not what I expected my obligatory near-accident to be. DC's geography is very weird.
While I was there, I went over to Dupont Circle and gloated over the destruction of the world's most unpleasant tea shop, which has been replaced by both 1) a shoestore identical to another shoestore that's just across the street, and 2) a much nicer tea shop which was nonetheless still wayyy too expensive.
I took the drive in two stages, and thus slept Friday and Sunday nights on
thegeekgene's couch, conveniently located almost precisely at the midpoint between home and DC. I don't know how she managed to do that. Good job on college selection,
thegeekgene.
On Friday night, I mentioned my plans to cut all my hair off in the hearing of one of her roommates, who promptly asked if she could have the clippings. She performs in burlesque drag shows, and had apparently been wanting to make some facial hair out of actual hair; my hair's nearly the same color as hers. I told her I'd ask the stylist about this, which I did, but the stylist didn't like the idea, feeling that my hair was not long enough for it to be practical for her to try and save all the scraps.
So, I did not help someone prepare for their drag act on Saturday, making Saturday pretty much like every day.
Today after I left
thegeekgene headed off to DC herself, to Occupy Washington for a bit. Dad blames this on me, presence in DC evidently being contagious. She called a while ago to explain that she has found a place to sleep, is aware of tomorrow's weather forecast (bad), and has her blanket, coat, etc. She doesn't have a placard yet. Mom told her not to get wet and to remember to use her emergency credit card if necessary. (Is it entirely appropriate to bring your emergency credit card to an Occupation, I wonder?)
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Relatedly, people laughed at some of the wrong answers in the listening section. I feel like it's a design flaw in the test that this happens.)
This is the first time that I've taken it that there has not been snow, and the first time that I've actually made to the test site in which I have not wrecked the car. (Which is to say, it is the second time that I've actually made it to the test site.) It is also the first time that my car battery has ever died for reasons that were not my fault. It chose to do this in an expensive hotel garage.
I fortunately was staying at the hotel on the campus where the test was being held, so my morning plans weren't dependent upon having a working car. Also, I discovered the problem several hours before the test, not immediately afterwards. I thus had plenty of time to stop panicking before my attempt drive out of Washington, DC in the dark (for the first time, obviously). I meditated, ate oatmeal, etc.
After the test, I talked to the garage attendant, who asked a campus security officer to jump the battery for me. This took a while, and it was the security officer's opinion that I needed to get the engine checked. I got out of there about an hour later than I'd meant to, but I made it out of the DC traffic without dying. At one point three deer nearly ran out in front of me, which was not what I expected my obligatory near-accident to be. DC's geography is very weird.
While I was there, I went over to Dupont Circle and gloated over the destruction of the world's most unpleasant tea shop, which has been replaced by both 1) a shoestore identical to another shoestore that's just across the street, and 2) a much nicer tea shop which was nonetheless still wayyy too expensive.
I took the drive in two stages, and thus slept Friday and Sunday nights on
thegeekgene's couch, conveniently located almost precisely at the midpoint between home and DC. I don't know how she managed to do that. Good job on college selection,
thegeekgene.
On Friday night, I mentioned my plans to cut all my hair off in the hearing of one of her roommates, who promptly asked if she could have the clippings. She performs in burlesque drag shows, and had apparently been wanting to make some facial hair out of actual hair; my hair's nearly the same color as hers. I told her I'd ask the stylist about this, which I did, but the stylist didn't like the idea, feeling that my hair was not long enough for it to be practical for her to try and save all the scraps.
So, I did not help someone prepare for their drag act on Saturday, making Saturday pretty much like every day.
Today after I left
thegeekgene headed off to DC herself, to Occupy Washington for a bit. Dad blames this on me, presence in DC evidently being contagious. She called a while ago to explain that she has found a place to sleep, is aware of tomorrow's weather forecast (bad), and has her blanket, coat, etc. She doesn't have a placard yet. Mom told her not to get wet and to remember to use her emergency credit card if necessary. (Is it entirely appropriate to bring your emergency credit card to an Occupation, I wonder?)
This post was cross-posted from Dreamwidth. Please comment there using OpenID. (Comments:
)