Sorry, I haven�t been updating too much recently. It�s not that I haven�t had the time, but I think it is because I have TOO much time. Everyone has gone home and it�s very lonely here so I�ve been getting homesick. I usually watch the Tonight Show every night to remind me of home. I have been craving In-N-Out and good Chinese and Japanese food. But I get to go home tomorrow! Spent today doing some last minute laundry and I still have a bunch of stuff to pack. Three weeks of sunny California here I come! (Unfortunately, I hear that there are a bunch of storms heading that way, but at least it isn�t 20 degrees!)
posted by Ray at 5:22 PM

Woohoo! I finished my final paper and presentation today! I think I did pretty well too. What a relief. I went out with some friends afterward and played some pool. Very nice and relaxing after some long days. Anyway, now I have to figure out something to do for the next few days until I go home on Saturday. I guess I will just play the video games that I have been neglecting lately.
posted by Ray at 8:24 PM

Been having some problem with Blogger lately, this post is from 12/15.

Didn�t have any food, so I had to go shopping. I�ve had cravings for pineapple ever since Hawaii this summer, so I broke down and bought one today. I was also baking some pork chops so after I cut the pineapple, I threw the unedible core in with the pork and marinade. It actually turned out really well. If anyone like pineapple, try this sometime.

posted by Ray at 8:24 PM

Al Gore hosted Saturday Night Live last night. I thought he did a pretty good job, although I would have liked to see him in more wacky roles. He mostly played himself, as Trent Lott, a college professor, and an accountant. I still liked the show, however. It�s been a long time since I�ve watched a show all the way through without falling asleep.

Sorry for the short entries � still working on my paper.

posted by Ray at 11:36 AM

I�ve been really getting into the research for my paper the last couple of days. It�s really tough because the issue is changing every single day, so I don�t know what area to concentrate on. Oh well, I have 4 days to finish, not worried about it yet.

The UCLA men�s soccer team beat Maryland today to advance to the championships! I watched highlights of it here and it�s amazing how much bias is shown in regional sports casting. The announcer was totally insinuating that UCLA unfairly beat Maryland because of a couple close penalty calls. I really should not be so surprised, but it is interesting to note.

posted by Ray at 8:41 PM

Pretty eventful day today. I got another interview for an internship. I also did a phone interview and an email interview with two top officials for my research paper. I didn�t really get too much usable information, but at least it�ll show that I did more than look up stuff on the internet.

The freezing rain was pretty interesting. What happens is that the rain falls like normal and it freezes when it hits the ground. Kind of cool because it left icicles on all the tree branches.

Did anyone see tonight�s episode of Law & Order? It made all Asians to be either a) oppressive, b) crazy, c) murders, or d) gambling addicts. What positive roles they are advancing these days.

posted by Ray at 8:20 PM

I signed up for next semester�s classes. Here�s what I�m taking:
Management of Technical Organizations
Information Technology in Crisis Management
Disaster Recovery and Organizational Continuity

Hmm� those are some big words aren�t they?

Guess what? There�s supposed to be another winter storm tomorrow. This time it�s supposed to be an ice storm. I guess what happens is that it isn�t cold enough for snow, but it�s cold enough for the rain to freeze. So the roads pretty much become covered in a layer of ice � not conducive to safe driving. Guess I will be stuck indoors for awhile.

Severe Weather Alert from the National Weather Service

...ANNE ARUNDEL MD-ARLINGTON/FALLS CHURCH/ALEXANDRIA VA-CHARLES MD- DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA DC-FAIRFAX VA-HARFORD MD-KING GEORGE VA- NORTHERN BALTIMORE MD-ORANGE VA-PRINCE GEORGES MD- PRINCE WILLIAM/MANASSAS/MANASSAS PARK VA-SOUTHERN BALTIMORE MD- SPOTSYLVANIA VA-STAFFORD VA- 501 PM EST TUE DEC 10 2002
...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR VERY LATE TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...

FREEZING RAIN WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA BETWEEN 4 AM AND 7 AM. THE FREEZING RAIN WILL CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE MORNING HOURS. TEMPERATURES IN BALTIMORE CITY AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA WILL STRUGGLE ABOVE THE FREEZING MARK BY NOON WHICH WILL CAUSE THE FREEZING RAIN TO CHANGE TO RAIN. TEMPERATURES ELSEWHERE IN THE ADVISORY AREA SHOULD STRUGGLE ABOVE FREEZING MARK BY EARLY AFTERNOON WHICH WILL CHANGE THE FREEZING RAIN TO RAIN. AREA ROADS ARE COLD SO THE FREEZING RAIN WILL LIKELY CAUSE SOME ICE ACCUMULATION... ESPECIALLY ON BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES. THE MORNING COMMUTE WILL BE TREACHEROUS.



posted by Ray at 7:16 PM

It finally happened. Bob Toledo got fired today. I think this is long overdue. He has been screwing up our football team royally and making very bad calls recently. Anyone will probably be better than Toledo. Now at least we have a chance of beating SC next year.

This is for Bob, the almond tofu came out just fine. I think it solidified in record time. Being totally immersed in snow is very effective. Of course most of the snow was melted around it by the time I went out to get it. Almond tofu is so yummy.. I think I�ll have some right now�

posted by Ray at 7:43 PM

Not much going on today. I have drill tomorrow so I got a haircut. I had been keeping my hair fairly long between drills since it is so cold, so now my head is freezing. I also got some passport photos done at Costco and free lunch. They had like 6 or 7 food stations. Luckily, I got there around shift change so I got multiple samples. J Well, anyway, since I have drill this weekend, don�t expect updates till Sunday or Monday.
posted by Ray at 7:44 PM

Snow Day!!! Woohoo!!! This is what I found on the GW website this morning:

Due to inclement weather, all classes at Foggy Bottom and Mount Vernon are CANCELLED today, December 5. A LIBERAL LEAVE policy is in effect for all employees. However, designated employees must report to work. Visit this Web site or call 202-994-5050 for further updates.

We got about six inches of snow today and it is all powder. I tried to make a snowman, but the snow wouldn�t clump together � it was just became a big pile of snow. I also shoveled snow for the first time, clearing away the sidewalk area and path to the front door. It wasn�t really that bad. I thought it would be more difficult than it was, but the snow was pretty light and easily shoveled. It was tough to get the icy parts on the concrete though.

I made some almond tofu and put it outside in the snow to cool down. We�ll see how it turns out�

Snow Pictures
posted by Ray at 7:27 PM

Ok, I�m back. That was quick huh? What had happened was a lot of homes had their gas got down so they couldn�t use their heaters. Well, not too many people showed up at the shelter so they sent a lot of us volunteers home. It was still pretty interesting to see how a Red Cross shelter works and everything. The snow is supposed to be here pretty soon. In fact, DC is declaring a snow emergency at midnight. There�s a Severe Weather Alert from the National Weather Service too:

...ALBEMARLE VA-ARLINGTON/FALLS CHURCH/ALEXANDRIA VA-CARROLL MD- CULPEPER VA-DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA DC-FAIRFAX VA-FAUQUIER VA-GREENE VA- HARFORD MD-HOWARD MD-MADISON VA-MONTGOMERY MD-NELSON VA- NORTHERN BALTIMORE MD-ORANGE VA-PRINCE GEORGES MD- PRINCE WILLIAM/MANASSAS/MANASSAS PARK VA-RAPPAHANNOCK VA- SOUTHERN BALTIMORE MD-SPOTSYLVANIA VA-STAFFORD VA- 1040 PM EST WED DEC 4 2002
...WINTER STORM WARNING THROUGH THURSDAY...
SNOW WILL SPREAD NORTH...REACHING WASHINGTON BY MIDNIGHT...AND BALTIMORE BY 2AM. THE SNOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY...MIXING AT TIMES WITH SLEET. EXPECT 3 TO 6 INCHES OF SNOW BY THE END OF THE DAY.

posted by Ray at 8:11 PM

Hey everybody, I'm off to volunteer at a Red Cross shelter in Herndon, VA due to the impending snow storm. Will let you know how it went when my shift ends at 6 AM!
posted by Ray at 2:37 PM

It was super, super cold today. How cold is super, super cold? How about 16 deg Fahrenheit cold. With wind-chill, that�s about 10 deg cold. Oh, that�s only about 22 degrees BELOW freezing� Yeah, pretty cold. So, I finally broke out my grandpa�s old leather jacket that is super thick. Of course, I was still cold. I went outside and didn�t put my gloves on yet and within about 20 seconds, my hands were numb. Brrr� It is supposed to snow tomorrow night. And for some reason, the weather forecasters on the local news channels here don�t like saying snow. They always say �the s-word� or �the white stuff.� Makes me think of Voldemort in Harry Potter. Supposedly, DC people are notoriously known for over-reacting to snow and are unable to deal with it. The city pretty much shuts down when it does snow. Oh well, I will try and get pictures if and when it does snow.

Besides the cold, not much else is going on. Classes are winding down. I can�t believe it�s almost been a whole semester. That means I�m one quarter of the way through! Woohoo!

By the way, Thanksgiving pictures are finally up.

posted by Ray at 8:00 PM

Spent most of the day putting the finishing touches on my paper. Finally finished and turned it in. Afterwards, I went to the local Japanese sushi restaurant to reward myself for my diligence. J I had some sashimi and curry katsu.
One thing I forgot to mention about my little adventure Saturday night. When I got to BWI I wasn�t able to get my checked bags, so I have to go pick them up. I was hoping they would ship it to me for free, but it costs $66. The funny thing is that I put some dim sum leftovers in one of the bags. Good thing they are in sealed plastic containers.

posted by Ray at 7:27 PM

Ok, I am going try a Blogger-run log for December and see how it goes. Please feel free to post any feedback or comments about whatever in the comments section provided below. I also have some pictures to post, but I have a paper due on Monday so it will have to wait.

Well, I had a pretty interesting Thanksgiving break in Rhode Island. It had snowed the night before I came in so there was a beautiful layer of snow blanketing the whole area. I ate lots of turkey and other Thanksgivingish foods. I got to play with my little cousins (which is very exhausting) and I took a walk with my uncle around Rhode Island�s �Great Swamp.� It is amazing how much undeveloped land there is the smallest state of the union. Also, I got to eat some yummy dim sum that I had been craving for the longest time.

So, here�s the crazy part. I was scheduled to leave Providence for Baltimore on Saturday night. Southwest, however, had overbooked the flight severely and was offering people a $287 voucher for volunteers to give up their seat. I was really tempted to take the offer since it would be enough for a round trip ticket back home. Well, in the end I decided against it, because there was not a guaranteed flight until Monday night. I would have to fly standby until then. So, I boarded the plane and was just getting all comfy in my window seat when a guy came up on the PA. He announced that they were more severely overbooked than previously thought and were now authorized to give a $587 voucher for volunteers. That�s all I needed to hear. I got my stuff, disembarked, and got my voucher. Now for the tough part� how to get back. Well, a SW rep said they the chances were pretty slim that we were going to get onto any flights that night or on Sunday even though we would be on �priority� standby since the Sunday after Thanksgiving is one of the most heavily traveled days of the year. They would put us up in a nearby hotel if we couldn�t get on a flight however. He advised that our best bet was to rent a car and drive down. So that is what we did. Five of us, total strangers (Chad, Susan, Sean, Mike and me), got a Ford Windstar from Hertz (paid by SW) and made the seven-hour trip to Baltimore. It was quite an interesting experience. It is amazing what complete strangers will tell each other � many embarrassing stories were passed in that minivan. I, of course, refrained from such due to my nature. I did swap some sea stories with the guy who rented and drove, Chad, who just happened to be a former Marine who fought in Desert Storm. Small world eh? Well, we finally made it back to Baltimore around 2 am and by then there was no more public transportation (Metro, bus or even Super Shuttle) available. Luckily, Susan was nice enough to offer Sean (who lives in DC) and I a ride back home even though she lives in Pennsylvania. I finally got home around 3:30, tired but $587 richer. Not bad for just being about six hours later than what I had planned. I met some interesting and nice folks and it really reaffirmed my belief in the goodness of humanity. It was fun and the $587 doesn�t hurt either. :)

Thanksgiving 2002 Pictures

posted by Ray at 5:20 PM