After quite a week of school bombardment, I am still alive. I have air in my lungs. My heart is beating, normally I think too! And I am still able to step out into the beautiful Sunday air with a smile. I spent Friday and Saturday in Grainger Library, however, doing nothing but linear algebra, physics, computer architecture, computer ethics, and Japanese culture. Next week I have an exam for physics and one for Japanese culture, in addition to a paper for Japanese culture and a final presentation in my computer ethics class. And, there are certainly many other students with similar dilemmas.Are any of the rest of you really busy with school?
Archive for September, 2007
Just as there is only one kind of acceptable ginger ale (Vernor’s), there is only one kind of notepad. OK, there are other kinds, but there is only one kind I will use for my work. The notepad the 25-404 from the manufacturer Ampad. I first discovered it during my summer internship at Apple. My manager Matt gave me a notebook and at first, I’ll admit, I didn’t think it looked like much. The notepad is made from 100% recycled paper, so it’s cover looks like a tan piece of cardboard. The inside is complete with 80 pages of a kind-of off-green-yellow paper (which makes it easier on your eyes). It wasn’t until I started using it with my Sharpies that I realized how cool this notebook really is. There is just something about it that makes me feel like I am getting a lot done, and what I am doing is actually of some worth. In addition, it looks really good with multiple colored Sharpies.There is only one downside, however, to the notebook, and that is that it is only available from online Staples. That is honestly the only place exists: just Google “Ampad 25-404″ and that will affirm that it is rare, but its rarity makes it all the more unique.
The title of this post may be misleading, but it does refer to one who stays in their office for way too long. Actually, it’s about the TV show The Office. My roommates are addicted to it, to say the least. It’s not that I don’t think that it is funny or entertaining. From the episodes I have seen, it is definitely both of the above. But, the question is, how is it so addicting? What is it about the show that causes people to watch DVD after of DVD of episodes and break into hysterics?I would love to hear what you guys think.
After going through over 400 images, I am finally done, and you can see a collection of 140+ Yosemite images from my family’s trip in August. There are some good ones, and probably some ones I should have cut out. Oh well.Check them out here.
Last weekend I went home for Labor Day, and because it was when Leslie and I were going to celebrate my birthday (even though it is today). She told, “Kevin, just come to my house at 2:30 on Sunday, because I have a surprise for you.” So I showed up at 2:30, and she had a picnic blanket, portable chairs, and cooler ready to load into my family’s Passat. By 3:00, we were on the road. Now one of the wonderful things about this is that I had no idea where we were going, even though I was driving. Les would just tell me, “OK, next turn is 88 West” or what not. And the whole time I am guessing, “We are going to Matthiessen State Park… wait, no, we are going to Millenium Park… what, no, we are to Illinois Beach State Park, wait…”I did not know where we were going until we got off at Lake Cook Road from 294 N, and I was asking myself, “what is here?”, I saw a sign for Ravinia. Ravinia is a big music festival arena, basically, and is an extremely popular place for outdoor venues. The next question was, “who are we going to see?” Thanks to Leslie’s dad telling us a great place to park before we left, we were able to park pretty close. We then hopped on a shuttle bus that would take us to the actual event. As we were on the shuttle bus, the only other people on their was a couple. We started talking a little bit about the weather and how nice it was, and then, I found out the big secret Leslie had been holding for the past two months. The lady remarked on the weather and stated, “Oh, I know! And Diana Krall is also just so good.” Diana Krall! Diana Krall! For those of you who don’t know, Diana Krall is one of the all time great jazz artists and arrangers currently alive in the whole world. She is an excellent pianist, and her band and orchestra are usually on Broadway or in Europe at fancy theatres stockaded with multi-millionaires and their women dressed in Leopard furs and wearing diamonds the size of brussel-sprouts. But tonight, she was at Ravinia, and we going to go see her.Ravinia is split into two parts. The first is the pavilion, and it houses a few hundred people right by the stage in an amphitheater type arrangement. The farthest back row of seats is at ground-level, and then they slope down below ground-level to the stage, which rests about 2 stories deep. The second part of Ravinia is the lawn. After the last row of seats, the lawn begins, and stretches back to an area about 10 times the size of the pavilion. The people who seat in the pavilion are the rich and fur wearers, those who can afford $95 a ticket. The lawn is only $20, and as a consequence of the price and the way the pavilion is arranged, you cannot actually see the stage. The lawn is the home of families and friends who bring tables, blankets, chairs, wine, cheeses, home-made dinners, card games, coolers, and candles. Of course, those on the lawn have to get there 3 hours early so we get a seat. To be honest, I loved the lawn, and I’ll tell you why.Les and I got there and set up our little spot on the lawn, consisting of a blanket, two chairs, and our cooler. We started our 3 hour wait till the 7 o’clock show with our favorite card game Flinch. Then we read Shel Silverstein’s book “Runny Babbit” which Les gave to me as a gift in addition to the splendid surprise. Eventually the mosquitos got hungry so we lit a citronella candle to keep them away before realizing that we ourselves were hungry. Leslie had dinner ready to go, and we enjoyed BLT Roast Beef sandwiches (which we dubbed RBBLT sandwiches), veggies, and basil chips. Our dinner was fresh raspberries and Dove Milk Chocolate. We started another game of Flinch about the time that the show started, which began with trumpeter Chris Botti opening.Chris was excellent. A fine trumpet player and certainly a good entertainer. His band (pianist, drummer, bass player) were phenomenal. He played a variety of music, from modern jazz to Miles Davis. To see a little taste of his music, check out this video on YouTube.After Chris Botti was, of course, Diana Krall and her band (Jeff Hamilton on drums, Anthony Wilson on guitar, and usually John Clayton on bass, but a different bassist was playing). To say the least, and not just being biased because she is one of my all time favorite artists, she was simply amazing. Even knowing 95% of everything she played because I know it from her CD’s, it was awesome hearing live. Maybe that’s because I was with one my favorite people Leslie Bretsen, we sitting on a picnic blanket with a citronella candle, outside under some oak trees at night listening to one of my favorite jazz artists. She played some of my favorite songs:
- Deed I Do (from All of You)
- S’Wonderful (from The Look of Love)
- I Don’t Know Enough About You (from Love Scenes)
- Devil May Care (from When I Look In Your Eyes)
- Let’s Fall In Love (from When I Look In Your Eyes)
- I’ve Got You Under My Skin (from When I Look In Your Eyes)
- I’ll String Along With You (from When I Look In Your Eyes)
- I Love Being Here With You (from Live in Paris)
This is most of them. I loved the evening I had with Leslie. It was so special, and so thoughtful of her. I loved the music, and I just want you all to know that I have the best girlfriend in the world.