Feel Good, Inc.

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!!!

First good news I got for the day was that I got the second highest score in my Linear Circuits final exam. With a reported score of 97/100 and the highest score being a 98, this made me feel pretty sweet about the class. I could have at least tied the highest score - I forgot to put "Active" in my description of the filter

This good news was countered by my somewhat lackluster score of 89/200 on a Engineering Economy final exam. Entering that test, I was actually doing very well, with a very high score. After the test, I definitely dropped spots, but I still have a very solid hold above the class average. Or maybe I don't really care otherwise

Maybe I am destined to be an electrical engineer, not a civil engineer. Hah hah

Summer reading options. So I came across a link of the "100 Books Every Man Must Read" (or some title like that). It was a list of familiar titles, including Crime and Punishment, Brave New World, The Stranger, The Master and Margarita, Moby Dick, On The Road, The Prince, Self Reliance, The Great Gatsby, Ulysses, Confederacy of Dunces, etc. I was pleased to recognize 90% of the titles, and to have read 60% of the books on the list. There were a lot of repeaters, including Hemingway and Steinbeck. As this was a required reading list FOR MEN women authors such as Jane Austen and Toni Morrison were left out. But I was able to scribble down some titles

Summer 2008 Reading List:
The Count of Monte Cristo
On The Road
Foucault's Pendulum
White Noise
Slaughterhouse Five
Catch 22
(more to come)

Currently listening to: K-Os

Wow! I'm 21!

Don't Stop Believing

A 95% final percentage for the class is an A right? Even if there is an unusually high class average? The professor isn't going to curve DOWN is she? It BETTER not be an A-

So the Boston Globe, a "veritable" paper, recently made a list about why our generation is the dumbest generation. It lists, amongst others, that we are "Jaywalking" targets (which I guess means that our stupidity often times puts us at the mercy of Jay Leno's dummy jokes), that we don't read, we can't spell (and therefore write), we buy lots of video games, and that our teachers don't tell us that we are dumb. Quite frankly, this is a very dumb, ignorant group of arguments. I myself am very offended to see this "writer" say that my generation does not read. I know plenty of people that list reading as an enjoyable pastime, and I myself can list off a very respectable list of conquered novels, including but not limited to Anna Karenina, The Stranger, The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, Empire Falls, An Interpreter of Maladies, every Jane Austen novel, Beloved, and COUNTLESS MORE. Concurrently, I view myself as a very apt speller and grammacist, although I guess I can see the argument for some of my peers (one of my 21 year old friends still spells like this - and I kid you not - "SpEsHo" how are you going to get respect from that?!)

The article also says that some of the best writings can be found on WIKIPEDIA, and that any young adult who attempts to channel their creativity into their myspace (seriously? who's still on myspace) only ends up getting ridiculed by their friends. Also, the article shamelessly slams GTA IV's first week record-breaking sales successes ($500 million) as a sign of our moral emptiness. No mention is made of the brilliance of the game, the storyline, the construction, the design, the programming. But seriously. These "writers" need to research their material before they actually write the trash, because they only end up sounding ignorant and getting a very nasty backlash from the people they attempt to condemn. Don't fuck with our generation

So. Summer is nearly upon us. I in fact do have some summer reading I'd like to do. Will make up list and post shortly

Happy Mothers Day! One of my classmates JUST gave birth. She's a mother! That is incredibly crazy

currently listening to: "Since U Been Gone" Kelly Clarkson
birthday countdown: THREE DAYS!!

Lights And Music

currently listening: Portishead, Third
currently watching: Ugly Betty
birthday countdown: six days

So after a five second self-imposed Ugly Betty hiatus, I've begun to watch the show again. And the show has definitely gotten better. FINALLY the ridiculous Henry-Betty storyline is over. And in next week's previews, Gio finally kisses Betty! (post-haircut Gio = hot). There's a new gym teacher love interest for Hilda, and he has the best butt ever (the show kept pointing it out, so we couldn't help it)

Today I took the final for my EE 202 Linear Circuits class. While I'm glad that it is over, I must say that it was probably the class I enjoyed the most this semester. For one, the professor was really good, and he actually got promoted to the Dean of Engineering at Duke University. Also, I was actually doing really well in the class too, which was sweet. Funny how my favorite class was a non-civil course. Maybe I'm a true electrical engineer at heart. Although I jest that since the brother is also an EE major, I should have waited until second semester senior year to take the course so that we could take it together to see who'd score better (me)

So apparently your keyboard is one of the dirtiest places in your house. I can't help but keep that in mind as I blog

Tomorrow I have internship work for the last time as "part time," because I'll go home for a while, and then I'll start the full-time internship. I'm really looking forward to it because I'd like to be assigned to a full-on project

This summer is looking to be pretty interesting. I'll be interning, of course, but I know some people that are going to be in town, so you know there will be plenty of summer LAdventures. I think I'm going to be heading over to Texas at the end of July, and possibly Arizona some time over the summer

Okay so I hope that this mega-blog satiates you for a while. I still have two more finals to study for; I hope to kill those as badly as I did this EE test. Whoa

So Here We Are

daaaaaaaaamn it so much TENSION with X why doesn't it go SOMEWHERE

I think I have a foot fungus on my right foot. Athlete's foot: moccasin type to be exact. GROSS

currently listening to: Bloc Party, Silent Alarm Remixed

Understanding A Car Crash

Currently wishing I was listening to: Justin Nozuka, Holly. I think I'll actually buy his album! Partially b/c he's cute, also b/c there aren't any torrents of the album

Really listening to: Gavin DeGraw's new album which doesn't get released until later this month

So a Cal engineering student on the brink of graduation was stabbed Saturday night in a sorority parking lot. His fraternity was fighting with some Berkeley locals. The story is intense enough that it's garnered front page for the "California" section of the Times (also he was from socal). In particular, the article that fascinated me the most was the one about the class strife, which can also be seen at USC. The article talked spoke of an "elite" frat row which the flatland locals despised because these fellas seemed to have it all, good looks, cars, girls, etc. And they wouldn't let the locals into the parties either. Kind of sounds like guys not being allowed into frat houses on the row

Oof

Flashing Lights

As you may or may not know, on Wednesday I was hit by a car. I was rear-ended on the way to work. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and the guy admitted it was his fault. However, I have been experiencing back pain since then. I hope it will subside

This week was the last week of classes. Next week start Finals and such. I must not allow myself to get distracted. Weekend plan - Saturday, finish last homework assignment, attend bridal shower with sorority, do more homework, go to the gym, watch movie? Sunday - lots and lots of studying to do, work with classmates, attend initiation and dinner

My last day of finals is on May 13. My birthday is on May 14 (exciting!). However, I think my parents are coming down that day to help the brother move out of his dorm room. So there is a very likely possibility that I will be spending my 21st birthday carrying stuff out of the brother's dorm room. It's not a big deal, really, since I'll be at least spending it with the family and such. I'll be going home for a while, from the 14th to the 27th, since I haven't been home since spring break. To be honest, I could have stayed in LA, but it would be nice

Currently listening to: Les Savvy Fav. Augustana

Nice Guys Finish Last

It's pretty damn true: nice guys finish last. They get pushed aside by the people that "assert" themselves and act like they're the boss of everything. When you're young, you see these people and think, "wow! They're sooo cool! Those are the popular kids! Gotta be just like them," and you end up shafting your family, your friends, yourself. You volunteer yourself to do things because you want to, and soon everyone starts dumping all of their stuff on you

And then you realize that wow, you are the boss of yourself and that you should be doing the things that you want to do. You shouldn't have to please everyone just because you desperately want them to like you or to hold on to them, but you should instead be thankful for the ones that like you the way you are. As for the others, you might as well forget all about them

Currently watching: PS I Love You. It's actually not that bad! A lot better than 27 Dresses, that's for sure. But the lead actress, Hillary Swank, isn't soft enough to play a romantic lead!! Sheesh. Better casting, people

So I'm kind of in a dour mood. But it's hopefully going to erase by tomorrow when my AMAZING electric cigar box gets tightened and tuned and gets its own teenie little effect (distortion) and such. I'm sick of carrying it around everywhere. Bah