Fitness with Yuri
I love these fitness videos by Yuri. There is a good amount of knowledge about wellness and the body.
To Have Been Gifted
One of the regrets that I had (have) was the gifted program at West “was the best” Middle School. I always thought that I was a smart kid when I was younger; an acceptance into the gifted program would have quantified that train of thought. However, I failed that exam and had to stay at East “was the least” middle school.
But, now I’m wondering – What was the purpose of the gifted program? It didn’t really give those students that big a leap in school, did it? After middle school, they joined the rest of us “non-gifties” at Alton High School. What advantage did the gifted program offer them? Was their middle school training that much different than mine? And if so, how? I was in all of the honors programs with them in high school.
While I was young, I wanted to be in the gifted program. I wanted to be with the smart students. I was ahead of everyone in math. I was a darn good reader. I had mad art skills. (I could free draw a picture of Wile Coyote or Goofy life Bill Peet) I was an overall curious kid making good grades. Entering high school, I was 3rd chair clarinet. I wanted an intellectual challenge in school. Why was I denied this opportunity? Maybe I could have excelled in the gifted program.
Still Snotty Friday
The University gave the teachers a coffee maker for a gift. It got me thinking about how to brew a ‘delicious’ coffee and the differences between an espresso. However, I don’t think I’ll be using it much. For me, coffee is an ‘When you’re out in the city, have time to kill, and just want to relax’ beverage. I don’t see myself brewing it at home. Mate and green tea fill that void.
A department store opened up 40 minutes from my city. It’s the same department store as the ones in Seoul; it’s nothing special. However, they are carrying the Californian Craft Brews for $5-6 bucks. One of ‘The Gap’ like stores was also having a t-shirt sale – 2 for $12. Therefore, I bought 4 shirts.
In the department store, 2 ideas bewildered me. The first was how many people were working there. I thought about how many jobs had been created or shifted from somewhere else in the city. The second was the wages of the workers. I wondered about their salaries. Mostly rich and wealthy people were shopping at this department store, and I couldn’t imagine that the workers wages could even compare.
Earlier in the week, I read an article about how many Western European luxury stores make a lot of money in Korea, and they give like 0.5% of their earnings back into the Korean community. That was the minimum amount. It funnels into the increasing gap between the rich and poor. Koreans are saving and spending their money on a status symbol handbag that makes Europeans richer. I just thought it was sad. That money could be better spent.
I consider this conundrum as I drink my California Craft Brew, Starbucks ‘Frappu-whatsa’, or shop at Costco.
Now that I have my Kindle for reading, I think that I only want Amazon gift cards from now on. I was thinking about how many books that I wanted to read and would have to ship to Korea. I usually bookmark books on my Amazon wishlist. It dawned on me that I could easily just download the Kindle editions.
Listening to ‘The Budos Band‘.
Snotty Cold Friday
I’m not watching this season of Survivor. I watched the first episode and it was comparable to an episode of the Real World. Take 10 smoking hot men and women, put them on the island, and watch the drama unfold. No thank you.
I would like to watch Season 2 of The Game of Thrones. But, I’m going to wait for this season to end and watch all the episodes back to back.
I’m almost finished with One Heartbeat Away.
The university students have midterm exams today and next week. I only have exams on Monday and Tuesday, so I should have a nice breather next week. Although grading 43 paragraphs each week is kind of a time suck.
I downloaded a thought provoking app called ‘Fish’, yesterday. Essentially, its just an essay about the way we ‘like’ and ‘love’ content on the Internet. However, it is set up interactively with only text and tapping.
I’ve a cold for the last week. It began with a sore throat then it switched to a snotty cough.
I’m applying to 2 different jobs for the Fall semester. They are top jobs. I don’t expect to be acknowledged by them, but if I do …
I watched the ‘At the Drive-In’ reunion at Coachella. And then I downloaded and rewatched it a number of times. I ‘love’ it.
I’m listening to The Mars Volta album Noctourniquet.
Look Alike
I saw the pictures of Candy and Bruster in Hawaii. I was amused by how similar Bruster resembled Grandpa Huber. His crumpled face was a spitting image.
Then, SK and I were taking photos one weekend. I used to think that my facial features and smile resembled Dad. However this one photo made me think, “Holy crap! I look like Mom!”
