Need New Pumas

12 hours and I will be all finished with the semester. I completed my papers (which probably weren't that great) and now I just need to study up for my French test tomorrow morning. Jim, Lev, and Julie helped me move all of the stuff out of the dorm today (which is currently in Jim's mom's van along with a giant bear cushion and a vibraphone) so now my side of the room is completely vacant, sans an alarm clock, a laptop, and a fan, sheets, toothbrush, and a change of clothes. I was anticipating a trip back to the Cape tomorrow but there is a really good change I won't be leaving until Thursday morning. This means that I will have to make do until then. No meal swipes left, no change of clothes beyond what I already have on me, and no toiletries. There is not too much planned for my one month break between school and camp but whatever does end up happening, good or bad, will most definitely be documented here.

I broke a towel hanger on my door last semester and I need to buy glue tomorrow to fix it. If you ever see me and I'm not doing something last minute, call the police, because something is terribly wrong.


The internet says that a hedgehog will set me back anywhere between $125 and $150. If I get one, which I may in the next few years, I will name it 'Luigi'.

Speak easy,
Neil

C'était l'espirit l'escalier

Some things I learned today while watching Weijun Chen's documentary The Biggest Chinese Restaurant In The World...

1) There are 20 million babies born in China each year. This is the equivalent to the entire population of Australia. Also there was mention of a man being thrown in jail because his wife gave birth to a baby girl (their second child). They would have thrown the mother in jail but she was breast feeding or something.

2) The fastest way to kill a duck is by tearing out its heart. They then proceeded to show this procedure in graphic detail. What they did is they used some sort of stick to open up the ducks chest cavity and, once they had a clear pathway to the heart, they force their hand in there and pluck it out. Quick and efficient.

3) There is a meal prepared in China where the tail end of a fish (about half of its entire body) is scaled, sliced up, and deep fried, all while the fish is alive. In order to be a success, the fish must still be twitching and moving its mouth as it is being served to the costumer.

4) The average Chinese family earns about 1/12th of what an average American family earns (relatively speaking).

5) If you chop a snake up into little bite sized pieces (killed, gutted and prepared it less than a minute), it may quiver and squirm on your plate.


These two photo collages were the front and back covers to my art notebook that I had during my junior year of high school.

Randomly stumbled upon this French expression that I really like.

-l’esprit l’escalier-
"The spirit of the staircase. What it means is that you think of the perfect comment just as you’re descending the staircase as you’re exiting the party on your way home."

Speak easy,
Neil

et La Fille Adorable

This is a French project I am working on right now. It is fun to work on.

Why is it that 90% of the guys that I saw today in public restrooms completely neglected to wash their hands after relieving themselves? People should not be this careless, especially when there is the swine flu looming over us like an Avian Bird Flu or SARS pandemic. I just overhead someone say that "you're supposed to call it the Mexican Flu, because I guess calling it the Swine Flu isn't kosher." The pun didn't seem intentional but I laughed anyway.

Lots of work and some mild sinus troubles. I can not wait to get everything squared away. There is nothing more cathartic than handing in the final paper/test of the semester.

Speak easy,
Neil