| Flying Again |
[Aug. 10th, 2009|02:18 am] |
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I'm sitting in PDX, on the floor since my computer requires an electrical source at hand. Flying back to Michigan, it's sad but necessary. I'll be back in December. |
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| Mea Culpa |
[Jul. 29th, 2009|04:00 pm] |
Back in Waldport, I tend to update this the most when I am traveling. Maybe that's the time that my life is interesting... Trying to remember how to type in Qwerty is tough, though the word Qwerty itself is easy. I must apologize, not only have I been remiss in my writing, par for the course for me, but I have also neglected to read LiveJournal since at least when my computer went kaput. For those who didn't know, my computer broke late in May. Hard drive scratch, but when I got that replaced I couldn't use my restore disk, been using Linux in the mean time. I'll be in Corvallis most of next week, by the way.
Kenny
PS Isn't 'j' in an absurd place? |
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| Leavin' On a Jet Plane |
[Jan. 7th, 2009|09:01 am] |
Reporting in from PDX on my way back to Michigan after a much appreciated an enjoyed winter break. It was wonderful to be back in the pleasant city of Corvallis, but this too must end. Just signed up for my Math Learning Center hour for the next semester. All in all it looks like I have a quite acceptable schedule.
Made it to the airport and through security fine, so my travel woes are likely over until Lansing. Apparently I wasn't put on an early enough flight to make my connection in Seattle, I thought I was on a 7:00 flight, the system thought I was flying out at 7:30, so to rectify the situation I will be on a 6:30 flight, amazing how much air traffic there is between Portland and Seattle. Well that's it, catch you on the flip side. |
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| Back in Corvallis |
[Dec. 18th, 2008|07:53 pm] |
As I mentioned, I did intend to post more from East Lansing, so my OSU friends would still know my doings. This did not really happen, its ok, I spent the term either working on math or relaxing pretty much, so this could have been boring to read about. However, having posted to Xanga I thought that the least I could do was to put the post on LJ as well. I don't know that I'll start to post regularly, I also doubt people are reading this anymore, and yes there is a causal relation. However, being back in Corvallis (with nothing to do on this wonderfully melancholy day) put me in the mood to write. "Back in Corvallis?" one might ask (although hopefully you've had a little more information about my life than that). Indeed, having graduated from OSU I have thrown myself into the meat grinder known as the MSU (Michigan State University) math doctoral program. Gone are the days of expecting myself to get A's, I was estatic to receive a B (or 3.0 as MSU grades are reported) in my Real Analysis test, I believe I had good answers to 2 of the 8 questiongs on the final, yikes!
But MSU is over 2,000 miles behind me now (apparently the snow is stalking me thought, ick, I had thought to have a break from this). I spent a few days visiting a fellow OSU alumni and ex-roommate (if you know me you ought to know who this is) up in Victoria at the beginning of the break. This was a pretty cool experience because Victoria really captures the big urban center feel (buildings tall and close together, rather than endless parking lot-scapes), and it was great to see him again. Plus, I enjoy visiting Canada, so much math involved in shopping (exchange rate). The latter part of the visit was made more interesting due to the icy death trap that roads and sidewalks became, ce la vie.
Now I'm back in Corvallis, at least until the weekend, and then for another week around New Years. Although I enjoy being here, it is a little saddening for at least two reasons. Visiting is not the same as living here, there is a much stronger feeling of transience to the experience, as well as a loss of independence that comes as part of being someone else's guest. I appreciate my host, but over the past week I realized how much I value the independence I developed during my time at OSU and carried with me to MSU. In fact, loosing regular interaction with my friends has probably pushed me to become even more independent, though this is not a sure thing. Visiting also strenghthens the already powerful emotional connection I feel to this place and its residents of the past five years, I imagine that this will make it hard to once again return to East Lansing (which is a lovely place in its own right, a bit spread out to be pedestrain friendly though). My consolation is that what I am attached to is the Corvallis, or OSU, or even McNary or UHC, community that existed in the past, and even were I to remain here this community is, if not gone, then at least morphed into something that is sometimes unrecognizeable to an extent that scares me.
As I felt in my last year at McNary, if I remain in one place too long, whilst others move around me, I will become a part of the past rather than the present. This is a fate that I prefer to avoid. |
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| Back in Michigan |
[Sep. 4th, 2008|04:30 pm] |
It's a little warm, and I'm having my first real day off since school started. Not much to report so I'll post a poem instead.
What gives worth to a life, is it money or fame
Can it come through luck, or by winning a game
If you're smart and you study 'till you know all your books
Or if your features are striking and you have good looks
Can you look back on your life and truthfully say
That you are at peace with yourself on your dying day
Is worth measured by love, sex, honor, or greed
How many napkins possessed how many laurels received
Can we measure the worth of one human's life
Be it in court with a lawyer or at night with a knife?
Money is lost and fame passes with time
Games are for fun lucks not worth a dime
Brains are so fragile, knowledge slips away
We all know how long our good looks will stay
Love, sex, honor, and greed, both feat and fault
They need not consume they can be brought to a halt
If society kills, takes a murderer's life
Who will console his family, daughter and wife?
I propose that worth deals with none of these things
But concerns the care shown to our fellow human beings. |
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| Awwww! |
[Aug. 31st, 2008|03:05 am] |
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Karen got married today! I laughed (at funny kid pictures of her and Matthew in the slide show), I cried (when she walked down the aisle, then I didn't really stop the rest of the ceremony), I saw people who I haven't seen in about four years (and some I had seen more recently but was still glad to see, actually I met a second cousin for the first time I believe, and saw an Aunt for the first time in 10 years, very good family time), I was in the church for 10 hours. It was exhausting and exhillerating, now I fly back to Michigan in 22 hours (well, to San Fransisco first). |
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| Back in Oregon |
[Aug. 29th, 2008|01:29 am] |
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That is the good news. My lousy cell phone failed to add the minutes I (think) I bought, so I have no cell phone. Weeeeee, I HATE this moronic technology! Cell phones bite! I'm tired and a little stressed about this, maybe I'll feel differently about this worthless junk when I feel better. |
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| Once more into the breach |
[Aug. 28th, 2008|02:39 pm] |
Well, I'm flying out for my sister's wedding. Yes indeed, little more than two weeks after my arrival in the grand land of Michigan, I am going to fly another 3.5 thousand miles in the space of 4 days. Which reminds me, I should subscribe for a frequent flyer plan. I like the Lansing airport, it is small and quiet. I also love the feeling of getting through security and knowing that, until I return to the world at large, I am free to wander through any airport in the United States. Well, here we go again on our own.
P.S. Window seats for both flights in this trip, and I'm not taking a red-eye this time (unlike my flight back to Lansing). Woo hoo, I get to gawk at America. |
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| (no subject) |
[Aug. 24th, 2008|10:27 pm] |
Someone pointed out that I had not updated since Orlando, ooops, I got to MSU just fine. I failed to find free wireless in the Detroit airport, thus foiling my plan to update from there. When I reached Lansing I decided that I wanted to conserve my battery power in case I needed some of it to get me to campus. When I finally reached campus I guess I was just too relieved to think about it.
Last week was TA orientation, which went fairly well. It was a good chance to meet the other graduates in the program. I am teaching College Algebra this semester, which is both exciting and somewhat intimidating. Well, that about sums it up, I am going to prepare for tomorrow. Wooo! Go Spartans! |
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| Hello from cloudy Orlando |
[Aug. 14th, 2008|03:52 am] |
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As my Oregonian buddies may or may not know, I-5 northbound was closed "yesterday" (Wed. 8-13) due to truck fires(?). What may be unknown is that yours truly was desperately attempting to use this road to reach PDX before his 10:00 PM flight. Eventually we got off in Albany and took back-country roads through Independence to Salem, at which point I-5 was flowing again. However, this caused my planned 6:30 arrival at PDX to become an actual 8:50 arrival! Fortunately I made it with time to spare. Now, as my title hints, I am sitting in Orlando, very thankful that airports are air conditioned. There may be more updates today as further travel occurs. Adios! |
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