I forgot to mention yesterday that I went to Old Country Buffet for the first time in a while (now Hometown Buffet...I still call it OCB), and went to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix after. So why not make up for that by doing a (late) review of the movie?
I must say that despite the new director, the fifth edition of the Harry Potter franchise was quite up to par, as much as the last two and the first one at least (I have not seen the first sequel, so I cannot comment on that one, though I've heard it's the worst of all of them). However, the turnover in direction is a good thing, as each new director brings a fresh and objective viewpoint to each movie, so movie-goers will not be bored with the same old tricks from the previous directors.
As far as editing, sound, special effects, and lighting, and the other technical aspects that make up the movie, those were quite effective and well done. I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on these things, but from a casual movie-watcher's perspective, I was quite satisfied with these criteria as a whole. There was no fluff; all scenes contributed to the movie and the plot. This isn't an easy feat, especially with adapting such a huge book, but the movie was able to get the basic gist of the plot while not skimping on details and still telling a full-bodied story. The one scene after Sirius dies where Harry screams in anguish while Professor Lupin tries to hold him to prevent him from doing anything drastic was quite well-played. The complete removal of sound and putting the scene in slow motion makes the audience focus on the horror and anger in Harry's face, making the picture more poignant, and with sound present, it'd be just another scene and would perhaps take away from the emotion that the audience is supposed to feel along with Harry. I'm not sure if this is a commonly employed technique, but very nice touch regardless.
All the child actors, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson have really grown into their own. Maybe it's because they've played the same characters for more than a decade that the characters are now part of the actors' alter egos. Or, they really have improved their acting skills. Either way, they did a fine job. The complex emotions that Harry is supposed to feel is not a walk in the park, and Radcliffe was able to show all sides of Harry, the anger, anguish, fear, love, courage, and everything else. It's still too early to call him a legend, but I must say if he keeps this up and is able to translate his skills to other movies, he's going to be quite good. The Ron and Hermione relationship still seems a bit forced when played out, but as Grint and Watson get older it should be able to come easier.
Even the side actors did well. Of course the veteran adult actors are always good, with Michael Gambon, Robbie Coltrane, Emma Thompson, Maggie Smith, Ralph Fiennes, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, and others. Naming the adults is like naming a who's who of British acting superstars, and they all sure flexed their muscles again with this installment. I always like to see more of Smith as McGonagall, because in the books she's such a complex and fun character, but understandably after the first two books she's just there as a necessary connection. Perhaps because my favorite book in the series was the first one and she was such an integral part is the reason. Katie Leung has improved, but she still has much to work on, this being only her second movie.
I'll admit that I haven't read the fifth book, but I would have loved to have seen some of Rowling's trademark dry humor in the movie that was present in the previous ones. Again, I know it's hard to strip down an 870 page book into a two hour movie without taking away a lot, but a little more here and there to break the tension would have been nice.
For some reason I thought Hermione's hotness peaked in the last movie. Did anybody else think so? Cho did get a little prettier, though she was more up-and-down in this movie. (Sorry, side note, as I am a guy).
It's been a summer full of major blockbuster pictures, from the very good (Ratatouille) to the awful (apparently Evan Almighty) with many in between. The Order of the Phoenix is admittedly only a bridge between the fourth and seventh books, and the only thing advancing the plot is the death of Sirius, which seems kind of forced by Rowling just to prove that Voldemort is pure evil. However, the movie is a good and entertaining watch, and ranks up there with the better movies of the summer. To the director: Harry and Cho's kiss was a little sloppy; you might want to have Hermione and Ron practice a little more before going on camera for the next time.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
5 Points for 8/26
Yeah, I know, perhaps I should change the official date of posting to Sundays. But it's my blog, and I haven't gone to sleep yet, so let's say it's Saturday even though it's not.
1. Michael Vick pleads guilty- Pretty much what was expected, especially with his cohorts already entering guilty pleas and planning to testify against him. As Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch would say, "How will the NFL remember the Michael Vick era?" At least he has enough money to bum around for a while as he finds a job as a movie extra or something.
2. Utah Mine Rescue Complications- There was talk of drilling one more hole, and then giving up if the six trapped miners couldn't be found. This is a very touchy subject, as three rescuers have already been killed during search operations, but families would be devistated if at least the bodies of the six who were originally trapped weren't found. I've stated both sides, and I'll let you decide this one.
3. Floods in upper Midwest- Again, more examples of the weird weather we've been having in the United States this summer. My Grandma from Taiwan actually called one night at midnight to ask if we were okay. Of course, we're far from the flooded areas in both location and weather (again, we were in a drought before Friday's huge storm), but it was a nice gesture on her part.
4. China Airlines plane catches on fire and explodes in Okinawa, Japan- Miraculously, all 165 on board the Boeing 737-800 are perfectly fine. Apparently a hole in the fuel tank prompted the incident. As mentioned elsewhere, this is another blow to China Airlines and its attempt to shake its reputation as being unsafe. We'll see if this is China Airlines' or Boeing's problem.
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/08/19/plane-fire.html
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2007-08-24-china-air-update_N.htm?csp=34
5. Jenna Bush engaged- Not the one I thought would get engaged first; in my opinion Barbara's hotter. But congratulations to her, probably the only good thing going for the prez recently.
My 5 points
1. Move in day yesterday- Got a few things in on Wednesday before my dad left for temple stuff in Austin. Got most of the rest of the things into the dorm yesterday morning. It's nice going to school in St. Louis, because I can just go home and grab something that I forgot or have my parents drop it off, no worries at all.
2. Gave tour after moving in- Not as chill as past Saturday tours, especially now that the campus is back to bustling again, with upperclass move in day today. In fact lost a few people in the crowd. Hopefully they won't hold that against me. Ran into Connie while looking for a room to show (friends from Chinese School back when we were in elementary school). Glad she picked Wash U. over Berkeley. And she let my group take a look at her room, which was nice. Hopefully she and her floormates don't get annoyed with all the tour groups this year looking for rooms to show prospective freshmen, although by winter it's probably bound to happen, unfortunately.
3. Went to dentist on Tuesday- Specifically took a day off from work just for that. Found out I have a cavity in the same tooth that I got a filling last year, and apparently it's in a very odd place. At least it doesn't hurt, so I can wait the month or so it'll take to get my regular dentist to fix it. My theory is that this probably happened because my regular dentist didn't perform the procedure last time; it was the other guy who's now coincidentally gone. Go figure...though he seemed okay up to the filling point last year.
4. Back to work this week after a week's hiatus- Kinda got somewhere, but not really. I had double-checked my ECG's with Peter's program to make sure the times and signals lined up, but for some reason Eric's program, the one I'm using to obtain stats from my files, messes everything up. Hopefully this'll be worked out next week.
5. Finally got to exercise this week- Lost weight, gained some muscle, and kind of starting to show a six-pack. We'll see how long that lasts through the school year, both the exercise habit and the physical attributes. Made a bet with Ai-Lin to see who exerciese more over the semester. She thinks she'll win; I give her two weeks before she gives up. Saw the person who blocked me on AIM last week, but she was with someone else, so I didn't have a private conversation with her. What's perplexing is that when she sees me she'll still smile and say hi, and make some small talk. I don't understand this; anybody care to explain it for me?
1. Michael Vick pleads guilty- Pretty much what was expected, especially with his cohorts already entering guilty pleas and planning to testify against him. As Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch would say, "How will the NFL remember the Michael Vick era?" At least he has enough money to bum around for a while as he finds a job as a movie extra or something.
2. Utah Mine Rescue Complications- There was talk of drilling one more hole, and then giving up if the six trapped miners couldn't be found. This is a very touchy subject, as three rescuers have already been killed during search operations, but families would be devistated if at least the bodies of the six who were originally trapped weren't found. I've stated both sides, and I'll let you decide this one.
3. Floods in upper Midwest- Again, more examples of the weird weather we've been having in the United States this summer. My Grandma from Taiwan actually called one night at midnight to ask if we were okay. Of course, we're far from the flooded areas in both location and weather (again, we were in a drought before Friday's huge storm), but it was a nice gesture on her part.
4. China Airlines plane catches on fire and explodes in Okinawa, Japan- Miraculously, all 165 on board the Boeing 737-800 are perfectly fine. Apparently a hole in the fuel tank prompted the incident. As mentioned elsewhere, this is another blow to China Airlines and its attempt to shake its reputation as being unsafe. We'll see if this is China Airlines' or Boeing's problem.
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/08/19/plane-fire.html
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2007-08-24-china-air-update_N.htm?csp=34
5. Jenna Bush engaged- Not the one I thought would get engaged first; in my opinion Barbara's hotter. But congratulations to her, probably the only good thing going for the prez recently.
My 5 points
1. Move in day yesterday- Got a few things in on Wednesday before my dad left for temple stuff in Austin. Got most of the rest of the things into the dorm yesterday morning. It's nice going to school in St. Louis, because I can just go home and grab something that I forgot or have my parents drop it off, no worries at all.
2. Gave tour after moving in- Not as chill as past Saturday tours, especially now that the campus is back to bustling again, with upperclass move in day today. In fact lost a few people in the crowd. Hopefully they won't hold that against me. Ran into Connie while looking for a room to show (friends from Chinese School back when we were in elementary school). Glad she picked Wash U. over Berkeley. And she let my group take a look at her room, which was nice. Hopefully she and her floormates don't get annoyed with all the tour groups this year looking for rooms to show prospective freshmen, although by winter it's probably bound to happen, unfortunately.
3. Went to dentist on Tuesday- Specifically took a day off from work just for that. Found out I have a cavity in the same tooth that I got a filling last year, and apparently it's in a very odd place. At least it doesn't hurt, so I can wait the month or so it'll take to get my regular dentist to fix it. My theory is that this probably happened because my regular dentist didn't perform the procedure last time; it was the other guy who's now coincidentally gone. Go figure...though he seemed okay up to the filling point last year.
4. Back to work this week after a week's hiatus- Kinda got somewhere, but not really. I had double-checked my ECG's with Peter's program to make sure the times and signals lined up, but for some reason Eric's program, the one I'm using to obtain stats from my files, messes everything up. Hopefully this'll be worked out next week.
5. Finally got to exercise this week- Lost weight, gained some muscle, and kind of starting to show a six-pack. We'll see how long that lasts through the school year, both the exercise habit and the physical attributes. Made a bet with Ai-Lin to see who exerciese more over the semester. She thinks she'll win; I give her two weeks before she gives up. Saw the person who blocked me on AIM last week, but she was with someone else, so I didn't have a private conversation with her. What's perplexing is that when she sees me she'll still smile and say hi, and make some small talk. I don't understand this; anybody care to explain it for me?
Sunday, August 19, 2007
5 Points for 8/19
I'll try to make this one quick.
1. Karl Rove leaves White House- Disliked by Democrats, but hailed by Republicans, obviously for putting George W. Bush into the White House twice, despite the shortcomings of the candidate that are so obvious now. One cannot take away his shrewdness in regard to political strategy, but you have to wonder if he left because of Bush's tanking rankings, and/or to put himself in a good opportunity to help a 2008 candidate, like Rudolph Giuliani? Either way, this is not the end of the road for Karl Rove.
2. Hurricane Dean pounds Jamaica- The hurricane season has finally kicked off. Already eight people have been killed with winds reaching 160 mph. There are stories that some residents have decided to stay in their homes rather than seek safer shelter, and while I don't believe that is a prudent move, I've never been in a hurricane while these people go through it annually, so maybe they know what to expect and feel that they can ride it out. Either way, good luck to them.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070820/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/tropical_weather_211
3. Officer Norvelle Brown killed in St. Louis- Since I am from St. Louis, this has led off all the local newscasts since the incident happened. It's very unfortunate that these even happen, especially a senseless one by a fifteen year old. While understandably there is not enough manpower to have all cops paired up, there is no question that this would provide more safety to all officers (Brown was alone when he was shot). Thoughts and prayers to Officer Brown and his family.
4. Tropical Storm Erin provides some dazzling dramatic rescues in Oklahoma- If anybody has seen video of these rescues on the news, they're pretty remarkable, with helicopters plucking people out of the water, having them fall in again after dangling from the helicopter, and then rescuing them again. It's also remarkable what weather can do, even a tropical storm in Oklahoma making waters rise up to the tops of some houses.
5. High School Musical 2 premieres- As I'm not a tween, I can't imagine how big this movie is (I'm getting old). Honestly, I had never even heard of High School Musical until I was reading about it in Newsweek a few months after the first movie had been shown. The story seems cheesy, though wholesome, and definitely appeals to the tween population. Disney strikes again.
My 5 points
1. Finally done with orgo- Not as well as I would have liked, but much, much better than last year. If I weren't so focused on grades, the subject material would be interesting, but alas, all academic subjects cannot have appeal because learning for the sake of learning is ruined by tests for the sake of grades.
2. Gave final tour of the summer (maybe) on Saturday- Saturday groups are really chill; they're less tense than weekday groups, ask less unnecessary questions, and go with the flow of things (it is a weekend with less stringent schedules, so that helps I guess). But giving tours on Saturday is worth it just because the weekday fuss isn't present.
3. Baseball- Watched a lot of baseball (mainly due to the many rain delays at Wrigley this weekend, so the two hour game in effect took six). Not the most pleasant game yesterday from the Cardinals' standpoint. It always seems this year that it's only one bad pitch or one bad inning that gives the Cardinals their losses, such as Looper's and Reyes' pitches the past two games. If these didn't happen, think of how much better the Cardinals would be in the eyes of everybody who follows baseball.
4. America's Got Talent- Also got to watch for the first time in more than a month; I was proud that I got to see the first auditions for seven of the final eight. Julienne Irwin has a wonderful voice, but she is often off on her notes; I didn't think she'd even make it to the final ten or so, but props to her for proving everybody wrong (including Piers Morgan and me). My bet is on either Cas Haley or Terry Fator; they're both really good and wildly entertaining in their own rights. Beyond that, I was torn between whom to vote for, so I voted for Cas ten times and Ai-Lin voted for Terry ten times. Cas sang two really good songs well, and that turtle of Terry's is cool.
5. Cell phone calls- Not only do I have a problem with Facebook now, but with people not returning my phone calls as well. A massive rant will be forthcoming very soon, now that I'm done with orgo.
1. Karl Rove leaves White House- Disliked by Democrats, but hailed by Republicans, obviously for putting George W. Bush into the White House twice, despite the shortcomings of the candidate that are so obvious now. One cannot take away his shrewdness in regard to political strategy, but you have to wonder if he left because of Bush's tanking rankings, and/or to put himself in a good opportunity to help a 2008 candidate, like Rudolph Giuliani? Either way, this is not the end of the road for Karl Rove.
2. Hurricane Dean pounds Jamaica- The hurricane season has finally kicked off. Already eight people have been killed with winds reaching 160 mph. There are stories that some residents have decided to stay in their homes rather than seek safer shelter, and while I don't believe that is a prudent move, I've never been in a hurricane while these people go through it annually, so maybe they know what to expect and feel that they can ride it out. Either way, good luck to them.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070820/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/tropical_weather_211
3. Officer Norvelle Brown killed in St. Louis- Since I am from St. Louis, this has led off all the local newscasts since the incident happened. It's very unfortunate that these even happen, especially a senseless one by a fifteen year old. While understandably there is not enough manpower to have all cops paired up, there is no question that this would provide more safety to all officers (Brown was alone when he was shot). Thoughts and prayers to Officer Brown and his family.
4. Tropical Storm Erin provides some dazzling dramatic rescues in Oklahoma- If anybody has seen video of these rescues on the news, they're pretty remarkable, with helicopters plucking people out of the water, having them fall in again after dangling from the helicopter, and then rescuing them again. It's also remarkable what weather can do, even a tropical storm in Oklahoma making waters rise up to the tops of some houses.
5. High School Musical 2 premieres- As I'm not a tween, I can't imagine how big this movie is (I'm getting old). Honestly, I had never even heard of High School Musical until I was reading about it in Newsweek a few months after the first movie had been shown. The story seems cheesy, though wholesome, and definitely appeals to the tween population. Disney strikes again.
My 5 points
1. Finally done with orgo- Not as well as I would have liked, but much, much better than last year. If I weren't so focused on grades, the subject material would be interesting, but alas, all academic subjects cannot have appeal because learning for the sake of learning is ruined by tests for the sake of grades.
2. Gave final tour of the summer (maybe) on Saturday- Saturday groups are really chill; they're less tense than weekday groups, ask less unnecessary questions, and go with the flow of things (it is a weekend with less stringent schedules, so that helps I guess). But giving tours on Saturday is worth it just because the weekday fuss isn't present.
3. Baseball- Watched a lot of baseball (mainly due to the many rain delays at Wrigley this weekend, so the two hour game in effect took six). Not the most pleasant game yesterday from the Cardinals' standpoint. It always seems this year that it's only one bad pitch or one bad inning that gives the Cardinals their losses, such as Looper's and Reyes' pitches the past two games. If these didn't happen, think of how much better the Cardinals would be in the eyes of everybody who follows baseball.
4. America's Got Talent- Also got to watch for the first time in more than a month; I was proud that I got to see the first auditions for seven of the final eight. Julienne Irwin has a wonderful voice, but she is often off on her notes; I didn't think she'd even make it to the final ten or so, but props to her for proving everybody wrong (including Piers Morgan and me). My bet is on either Cas Haley or Terry Fator; they're both really good and wildly entertaining in their own rights. Beyond that, I was torn between whom to vote for, so I voted for Cas ten times and Ai-Lin voted for Terry ten times. Cas sang two really good songs well, and that turtle of Terry's is cool.
5. Cell phone calls- Not only do I have a problem with Facebook now, but with people not returning my phone calls as well. A massive rant will be forthcoming very soon, now that I'm done with orgo.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
5 Points for 8/12
1. Massive Heat Wave in United States, Including St. Louis- It's been nine straight days or so of temperatures above 90 degrees in St. Louis, sometimes even topping 100. Obviously the heat index is almost at or above 100 for these past nine days also, and no relief is in sight for the foreseeable future. Buckle in, everybody; the weather's obviously making up for lost time, as we've had a pretty mild summer before this month.
2. Billy Graham in the Spotlight- His relationship with the White House and the Presidents was the subject of an ABC News special on Friday, and he's on the cover of Time Magazine this week. For one person to have such an influence on the whole country and its leaders (eleven of them, apparently) is remarkable and speaks to the magnitude of trust, wisdom, and comfort this man can give.
3. Six Utah Miners Trapped in Coal Mine- Still no contact with them as of yesterday, so hopes have leveled after a roller coaster week. The mine owner has said emphatically that the cave-in was caused by an earthquake, when the U.S. Geological Survey has said that the "earthquake" readings they got were actually from the mine caving in. At least he's trying to save his butt so business can go on later. But a shameful and completely transparent attempt at a cover-up nonetheless.
4. Barry Bonds hits 756- Finally it's over. In fact, he hit two more home runs right after he hit 756, which shows that the pressure is finally off. Now San Francisco has to find another way to generate revenue and fill AT&T Park. Possibly start winning?
5. Rick Ankiel Called Up to St. Louis- A new chapter begins in this storybook second career of his. What a way to come back after retiring from pitching two years ago, when he was frustrated with his suddenly diminished pitching talent that never got back on track. In the past three games, he's batting above .400 with three home runs and six runs batted in. Now watch him break 758...
My 5 Points-
1. Wash U. offers new internet and cable package- This is an outrage. Wash U. already charges us upwards of $45,000 a year in miscellaneous charges, including internet that should be part of tuition, not a separate option for students. Now, the price has been raised $100 due to the addition of wireless internet in the dorms, among other things. Cable TV was added as part of the package, and then taken off to be "free" to students, while the price of internet access has not gone down. Personally, I can live without cable TV and wireless in the dorms. I do not want to pay $240 for all these features when all I need is ethernet access that I grudgingly paid $135 a semester when it, again, should be included in the tuition. Wash U. is basically a business that only cares about making money. What a shame for such a "fine institution for higher learning".
2. Orgo- Entering my last week. I do not understand sugars (though I haven't started reading the chapter yet, so we'll see). It's going to be a fun week, with a test on Tuesday and a test on Thursday, both on arguably the most I've had to know for a test this summer.
3. TpTe Project- Slowly but steadily reaching my goal of obtaining results. Peter (lab technician/resident computer genius) is what he is, a genius. He's been able to fix any problem that's come up. Hopefully it'll be smooth sailing from here to the end, though past experience says I'm going to have to call him a few more times to help me out with programs that aren't doing what they're supposed to do.
4. Tours- I always get tours that ask so many questions that I end at 12:40 when I should be done by 12:15. Got a tour that didn't ask that many questions on Friday, and I actually ended on time. These are so rare though that I sometimes don't know how to handle myself when the visitors don't respond after I ask if they have any questions. I've been getting good reviews apparently, says Andrea, and she and Mary Cissi have offered to give me recommendations when I apply (again) to be a Student Admissions Committee member in the fall. Hopefully these will help me get over the hump of rejection.
5. Cardinals- Watched the game today against the Dodgers. The best game I've seen in a long time (I don't have cable, so I don't get to watch that many anymore). Quite satisfied, especially with Braden Looper continuing the recent success of starting pitching, and Ankiel having a big day.
2. Billy Graham in the Spotlight- His relationship with the White House and the Presidents was the subject of an ABC News special on Friday, and he's on the cover of Time Magazine this week. For one person to have such an influence on the whole country and its leaders (eleven of them, apparently) is remarkable and speaks to the magnitude of trust, wisdom, and comfort this man can give.
3. Six Utah Miners Trapped in Coal Mine- Still no contact with them as of yesterday, so hopes have leveled after a roller coaster week. The mine owner has said emphatically that the cave-in was caused by an earthquake, when the U.S. Geological Survey has said that the "earthquake" readings they got were actually from the mine caving in. At least he's trying to save his butt so business can go on later. But a shameful and completely transparent attempt at a cover-up nonetheless.
4. Barry Bonds hits 756- Finally it's over. In fact, he hit two more home runs right after he hit 756, which shows that the pressure is finally off. Now San Francisco has to find another way to generate revenue and fill AT&T Park. Possibly start winning?
5. Rick Ankiel Called Up to St. Louis- A new chapter begins in this storybook second career of his. What a way to come back after retiring from pitching two years ago, when he was frustrated with his suddenly diminished pitching talent that never got back on track. In the past three games, he's batting above .400 with three home runs and six runs batted in. Now watch him break 758...
My 5 Points-
1. Wash U. offers new internet and cable package- This is an outrage. Wash U. already charges us upwards of $45,000 a year in miscellaneous charges, including internet that should be part of tuition, not a separate option for students. Now, the price has been raised $100 due to the addition of wireless internet in the dorms, among other things. Cable TV was added as part of the package, and then taken off to be "free" to students, while the price of internet access has not gone down. Personally, I can live without cable TV and wireless in the dorms. I do not want to pay $240 for all these features when all I need is ethernet access that I grudgingly paid $135 a semester when it, again, should be included in the tuition. Wash U. is basically a business that only cares about making money. What a shame for such a "fine institution for higher learning".
2. Orgo- Entering my last week. I do not understand sugars (though I haven't started reading the chapter yet, so we'll see). It's going to be a fun week, with a test on Tuesday and a test on Thursday, both on arguably the most I've had to know for a test this summer.
3. TpTe Project- Slowly but steadily reaching my goal of obtaining results. Peter (lab technician/resident computer genius) is what he is, a genius. He's been able to fix any problem that's come up. Hopefully it'll be smooth sailing from here to the end, though past experience says I'm going to have to call him a few more times to help me out with programs that aren't doing what they're supposed to do.
4. Tours- I always get tours that ask so many questions that I end at 12:40 when I should be done by 12:15. Got a tour that didn't ask that many questions on Friday, and I actually ended on time. These are so rare though that I sometimes don't know how to handle myself when the visitors don't respond after I ask if they have any questions. I've been getting good reviews apparently, says Andrea, and she and Mary Cissi have offered to give me recommendations when I apply (again) to be a Student Admissions Committee member in the fall. Hopefully these will help me get over the hump of rejection.
5. Cardinals- Watched the game today against the Dodgers. The best game I've seen in a long time (I don't have cable, so I don't get to watch that many anymore). Quite satisfied, especially with Braden Looper continuing the recent success of starting pitching, and Ankiel having a big day.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
5 Points for 8/5
5 Points for 8/5 (well, 8/9 now)
1. Minnesota Bridge Collapse- Obviously the biggest story of the week. It's sad that it takes such a big tragedy to raise any issues, not just with bridge safety, but with anything else. If there are deficiencies with something, shouldn't there be steps taken to minimize its potential damage, and haggle over costs when you absolutely have to? I'm sure there are a lot of things the government is spending on that doesn't even need to exist. Obviously thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families, and hopefully the eight missing can be found soon.
2. South Korean Missionaries in Afghanistan- Their church has apologized for sending missionaries to Afghanistan and has suspended missionary operations until further notice, as they have now put South Korea under massive amounts of emotional stress. While one has to be safe when going to dangerous parts of the world, there is no need to indefinitely suspend missionary operations and apologize to the government for fulfilling their goal. Religion can be a big and saving part of human life, and to go and try to help those in need, whether physically or spiritually is a good deed, and one that should not be apologized for.
3. Rupert Murdoch Acquires Wall Street Journal- At least the partnership fits; Fox News has a conservative slant, as does the editorial board for WSJ. Is anybody else concerned that Murdoch will compromise the journalistic integrity of the Wall Street Journal? The New York Post, for one, is not known for having high quality articles. Nor is Fox News very newsworthy, either.
4. John Roberts Suffers a Seizure on vacation- Apparently it was nothing, but once a person has suffered two seizures (he had another one in 1993) the risk of getting another one goes up drastically. Let's hope, for his sake and the country's, that he doesn't fall into that category.
5. Cardinals gain ground in NL Central, then go 1-5 against two last place teams- Story of the season; just can't get anything done. They took three out of four against the first place Brewers to get to within six games of first place, and while the Cubs and Brewers are playing top level teams, the Cardinals falter against two of the worst teams in the league. At least we got Joel Piniero, right?
My Points for 8/5 (now 8/9)
1. Car- I'm not a bad driver. I just have trouble in tight spaces. Such as the back lots for the houses along Forsyth. My back right door has a huge dent from trying to maneuver around the corner of a house when trying to get out. It's ugly, but at least it's only cosmetic and doesn't affect the functionality of the car itself.
2. The Simpsons Movie- The plot was a little lacking for a feature film, especially at the end, but it was still servicable. The main point, getting laughs from the audience, was very effective. One weird thing was seeing a tw0-dimensional film/The Simpsons on the big screen, since we're so accustomed to 3-D/seeing them on TV. However, this was worth waiting the eighteen years for.
3. Orgo- Going swimmingly. Still not where I'd like to be, but much better than last summer, and that in itself is more than I can ask for.
4. Gas Prices- So a few weeks back I heard a report on KMOX while gas prices were at 2.90 or so that gas prices were going to continue to rise through Labor Day. I go out that morning and I see prices at 2.83 or so. Despite a few fluctuations, gas prices have now come down to 2.53 as of this morning. I must say that I'm enjoying this little "break" (although I yearn for the days when I used to believe that gas prices were stuck on 99 cents, or even at 79 cents before prices started rising after that). It does kind of suck to see prices this low and quickly fill up that night, and then come out the next morning and see that the price has dropped. I was never good at game theory.
5. Fresh Prince of Bel-Air- Now my new (old) favorite show. I can't believe I crack up so much watching it; Will Smith's got major talent. I love how the show portrays a rich family, but the props are obviously fake and cheap, kind of like the cheap furniture that's made to look elegant. And Ashley's kind of hot.
1. Minnesota Bridge Collapse- Obviously the biggest story of the week. It's sad that it takes such a big tragedy to raise any issues, not just with bridge safety, but with anything else. If there are deficiencies with something, shouldn't there be steps taken to minimize its potential damage, and haggle over costs when you absolutely have to? I'm sure there are a lot of things the government is spending on that doesn't even need to exist. Obviously thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families, and hopefully the eight missing can be found soon.
2. South Korean Missionaries in Afghanistan- Their church has apologized for sending missionaries to Afghanistan and has suspended missionary operations until further notice, as they have now put South Korea under massive amounts of emotional stress. While one has to be safe when going to dangerous parts of the world, there is no need to indefinitely suspend missionary operations and apologize to the government for fulfilling their goal. Religion can be a big and saving part of human life, and to go and try to help those in need, whether physically or spiritually is a good deed, and one that should not be apologized for.
3. Rupert Murdoch Acquires Wall Street Journal- At least the partnership fits; Fox News has a conservative slant, as does the editorial board for WSJ. Is anybody else concerned that Murdoch will compromise the journalistic integrity of the Wall Street Journal? The New York Post, for one, is not known for having high quality articles. Nor is Fox News very newsworthy, either.
4. John Roberts Suffers a Seizure on vacation- Apparently it was nothing, but once a person has suffered two seizures (he had another one in 1993) the risk of getting another one goes up drastically. Let's hope, for his sake and the country's, that he doesn't fall into that category.
5. Cardinals gain ground in NL Central, then go 1-5 against two last place teams- Story of the season; just can't get anything done. They took three out of four against the first place Brewers to get to within six games of first place, and while the Cubs and Brewers are playing top level teams, the Cardinals falter against two of the worst teams in the league. At least we got Joel Piniero, right?
My Points for 8/5 (now 8/9)
1. Car- I'm not a bad driver. I just have trouble in tight spaces. Such as the back lots for the houses along Forsyth. My back right door has a huge dent from trying to maneuver around the corner of a house when trying to get out. It's ugly, but at least it's only cosmetic and doesn't affect the functionality of the car itself.
2. The Simpsons Movie- The plot was a little lacking for a feature film, especially at the end, but it was still servicable. The main point, getting laughs from the audience, was very effective. One weird thing was seeing a tw0-dimensional film/The Simpsons on the big screen, since we're so accustomed to 3-D/seeing them on TV. However, this was worth waiting the eighteen years for.
3. Orgo- Going swimmingly. Still not where I'd like to be, but much better than last summer, and that in itself is more than I can ask for.
4. Gas Prices- So a few weeks back I heard a report on KMOX while gas prices were at 2.90 or so that gas prices were going to continue to rise through Labor Day. I go out that morning and I see prices at 2.83 or so. Despite a few fluctuations, gas prices have now come down to 2.53 as of this morning. I must say that I'm enjoying this little "break" (although I yearn for the days when I used to believe that gas prices were stuck on 99 cents, or even at 79 cents before prices started rising after that). It does kind of suck to see prices this low and quickly fill up that night, and then come out the next morning and see that the price has dropped. I was never good at game theory.
5. Fresh Prince of Bel-Air- Now my new (old) favorite show. I can't believe I crack up so much watching it; Will Smith's got major talent. I love how the show portrays a rich family, but the props are obviously fake and cheap, kind of like the cheap furniture that's made to look elegant. And Ashley's kind of hot.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
5 Points for 7/29
1. Michael Vick indicted on dog fighting charges- Another NFL player gets into trouble with the law. While Vick obviously has not been proven guilty, if these allegations are true, Vick is in massive trouble, especially with a dog-loving America. It doesn't matter if he grew up with dog fighting, as he apparently did. It's inhumane how cruelly dog-fighters treat these animals and Vick deserves every bit of his sentence, again if he is proven guilty.
2. Tim Donaghy bets on NBA games- Less disgraceful than Vick in the matter of life and death of sentient beings, but in regards to sports much more serious. Apparently he reffed a Spurs-Suns playoff game, and who knows what might have happened if the NBA had a clean official working (probably not much, as the Spurs were far superior in that series anyway, but it's the principle of the matter). Moral of the story: stay away from the mob.
3. Chili recalled for fear of botulism- When will the FDA get its act together and pass tougher guidelines for food processing, especially when it comes to meat? If there is something in food that causes abnormalities in a person, that food should not even hit the open market, much less still be on the shelves in stores after being recalled.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19994676/
4. Barry Bonds one away from tying Hank Aaron's home run record- While I don't care for Bonds much more because of his sour personality and attitude to fans, reporters, and even teammates, and wish that this situation were not happening, it's inevitable that he's going to break 755. I wonder how he's gotten past performance-enhancement tests, but if one looks at his stats, his recent drop-off correlates with when MLB put more stringent tests into place. Perhaps he's stopped using, if he did (innocent until proven guilty), but again, the inevitable will happen.
5. Simpsons Movie comes out- Finally, after nineteen years, the long-awaited feature film of America's favorite bumbling yellow family. Hopefully, they don't turn it into three continuing season-ending episodes like Family Guy did with "Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story". It's a clever formula though: being lazy by using the movie for regular work and making more money by selling the episodes as a movie.
My 5 Points
1. Test tomorrow- Hopefully I'll be able to bounce back and do well. This semester again has been eerily similar to the last one so far, with the first test being just below the cutoff, and gaining back one point due to grader error to be a little less below the cutoff but above the average nonetheless.
2. Tpeak-Tend project- The beats and the times are lined up for the EKGs in my research project at the HRV lab that I've been doing for the past three years. Hopefully things will finally work out, as the aforementioned problem has been the biggest roadblock so far.
3. Working out- I don't nearly exercise as often as I should (due to needing to devote all my time to orgo, I believe). I've been trying to get a six-pack since freshman year of high school, and never succeeded. Somehow I've lost ten pounds since being at home, which usually happens because I don't eat as much at home as I do at school. However, the process has been slower than usual, which probably means I need to work out sometime.
4. Missed Lion King to study- While I did waver when asked initially if I wanted to see it because I didn't know my schedule then, as time went on I got excited at the prospect. And then my professor had to schedule a test on Monday when the tickets were for the Saturday before. I love my life sometimes.
5. Cafe Napoli- Went to lunch with Ai-Lin on Wednesday. The waiter warned me that the insalata caprese that I had ordered was really small, so I added an appetizer to that, which ended up being served as my main dish somehow. Anyway, the tomato and mozzarella salad was perfect, almost like Italy, with think tomato and cheese slices and a nice balsamic vinaigrette and fresh basil. The eggplant parmesan was two huge slices of eggplant smothered in tomato sauce and melted cheese, and would have been good as an appetizer, but too simple and heavy as a main dish. The bread was fantastic (I love bread) with the right touch of sourness and a hint of cheese, and the fact that the bread was not warm actually worked in its favor. Props for having olive oil and parmesan cheese on the table for dipping/seasoning.
2. Tim Donaghy bets on NBA games- Less disgraceful than Vick in the matter of life and death of sentient beings, but in regards to sports much more serious. Apparently he reffed a Spurs-Suns playoff game, and who knows what might have happened if the NBA had a clean official working (probably not much, as the Spurs were far superior in that series anyway, but it's the principle of the matter). Moral of the story: stay away from the mob.
3. Chili recalled for fear of botulism- When will the FDA get its act together and pass tougher guidelines for food processing, especially when it comes to meat? If there is something in food that causes abnormalities in a person, that food should not even hit the open market, much less still be on the shelves in stores after being recalled.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19994676/
4. Barry Bonds one away from tying Hank Aaron's home run record- While I don't care for Bonds much more because of his sour personality and attitude to fans, reporters, and even teammates, and wish that this situation were not happening, it's inevitable that he's going to break 755. I wonder how he's gotten past performance-enhancement tests, but if one looks at his stats, his recent drop-off correlates with when MLB put more stringent tests into place. Perhaps he's stopped using, if he did (innocent until proven guilty), but again, the inevitable will happen.
5. Simpsons Movie comes out- Finally, after nineteen years, the long-awaited feature film of America's favorite bumbling yellow family. Hopefully, they don't turn it into three continuing season-ending episodes like Family Guy did with "Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story". It's a clever formula though: being lazy by using the movie for regular work and making more money by selling the episodes as a movie.
My 5 Points
1. Test tomorrow- Hopefully I'll be able to bounce back and do well. This semester again has been eerily similar to the last one so far, with the first test being just below the cutoff, and gaining back one point due to grader error to be a little less below the cutoff but above the average nonetheless.
2. Tpeak-Tend project- The beats and the times are lined up for the EKGs in my research project at the HRV lab that I've been doing for the past three years. Hopefully things will finally work out, as the aforementioned problem has been the biggest roadblock so far.
3. Working out- I don't nearly exercise as often as I should (due to needing to devote all my time to orgo, I believe). I've been trying to get a six-pack since freshman year of high school, and never succeeded. Somehow I've lost ten pounds since being at home, which usually happens because I don't eat as much at home as I do at school. However, the process has been slower than usual, which probably means I need to work out sometime.
4. Missed Lion King to study- While I did waver when asked initially if I wanted to see it because I didn't know my schedule then, as time went on I got excited at the prospect. And then my professor had to schedule a test on Monday when the tickets were for the Saturday before. I love my life sometimes.
5. Cafe Napoli- Went to lunch with Ai-Lin on Wednesday. The waiter warned me that the insalata caprese that I had ordered was really small, so I added an appetizer to that, which ended up being served as my main dish somehow. Anyway, the tomato and mozzarella salad was perfect, almost like Italy, with think tomato and cheese slices and a nice balsamic vinaigrette and fresh basil. The eggplant parmesan was two huge slices of eggplant smothered in tomato sauce and melted cheese, and would have been good as an appetizer, but too simple and heavy as a main dish. The bread was fantastic (I love bread) with the right touch of sourness and a hint of cheese, and the fact that the bread was not warm actually worked in its favor. Props for having olive oil and parmesan cheese on the table for dipping/seasoning.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
5 Points for 7/27
My fault. Just haven't been up to posting lately, and been busy with class. So for the next few weeks posts are going to sporadic. Sorry. And it was a slow news week three weeks ago in the outside world, but we'll make it up today with ten (count them, ten!) points each. So here we go.
10 Points-
1. Lady Bird Johnson passes away- Everybody has been talking about her legacy as an early environmentalist before being green became popular, and rightly so. She was a forerunner to the modern environmental advocate, even having a bill named after her, the Lady Bird Bill, because of her tireless efforts to help beautify America. What should not be overlooked is the fact that she was a strong supporter of her husband, President Lyndon Johnson, during a tumultuous time in the nation's history, even overcoming her fear of public speaking so that she could campaign for Johnson.
2. Wildfires across California- Just devastating, especially when hundreds are asked to leave their homes for fear of safety, and firefighters trying to control the blaze for days, sometimes even weeks at a time in the middle of nowhere, with limited resources. Is there any way to control these fires before they get out of hand, even if it is started by nature (lightning strike)? Or should people not live so close to such potentially dangerous places?
3. Los Angeles Archdiocese settles sexual abuse cases- $660 million for 500 people. Money really solves everything, huh? Of course, Cardinal Roger Mahoney had to make the obligatory statement of how he could not give the victims their innocence back, but those are just words, really. And their innocence obviously can't be given back. Thus the only option left is money. A sad situation all around.
4. Earthquake hits Japan- Kashiwazaki, in northwestern Japan, was hit with a 6.8 magnitude earthquake. As devastating as this event was, Japan is no stranger to these disasters unfortunately. So why is it that these tragedies cannot be mitigated with preparation and foresight? I doubt it is because people get complacent when nothing happens for a while (read: 9/11 in the United States). And then reports are that a nuclear power plant is having trouble due to radioactive leaks, flooding, fire, and electrical problems because of the earthquake. Shouldn't such a place be ready for even the worst-case scenario?
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jul2007/2007-07-24-01.asp
5. Final book of Harry Potter comes out- More than eight million sold in the United States, and seventy million in the whole world in the first 24 hours. Is Harry Potter really that good? It's a quick read, with compelling storylines (that get ridiculously crazy as the series goes on; it seems like Rowling is adding stuff to make things she wrote earlier make sense) and interesting characters, but is it so magnificently grand that it requires the largest first printing of a book and thus holds the record for most books sold in the first 24 hours? I like my Huckleberry Finn, thanks very much. Maybe in a hundred years the series will be considered classic children's literature, but it shouldn't deserve that much attention now.
6. National League loses All-Star Game again- And for the second year in a row, there is controversy over managerial decisions late in the game. Arguably the best hitter in baseball, and the only Cardinal representative, Albert Pujols, doesn't even get to play at the discretion of his own manager, Tony La Russa. The argument is should Pujols have batted for Aaron Rowand with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth with two outs. And my answer is: don't question Tony. There's a reason he's won two World Series, been to the playoffs seven of the past eleven years, and the third winningest manager of all time: he knows what he is doing. St. Louis should really give him a break; he's done much better than fan favorite Whitey Herzog already.
7. Roger Federer wins Wimbledon again- The best tennis player hands down currently, and arguably one of the best all time. His dominance over most aspects of the game and his professionalism and class (read: absolutely minimal controversy surrounding him, if at all) make him a wonderful role model for all tennis players and others. Eventually, someone's going to accuse him of cheating. What a sad world we live in.
8. Tour de France- Even after all the accusations of doping and cleaning house of all the top riders in the world who are alleged to be cheating (is there a correlation?), apparently those in charge still have not done a good job saving the sport from controversy. Now Union Cycliste Internationale president Pat McQuaid, the head of cycling's world governing body, says that it would be best if Michael Rasumssen, the Dane accused of alleged doping who is the current leader of the 2007 Tour de France, did not win the race. So now the body that governs the sport are rooting against their own athletes? Even Bud Selig isn't so stupid as to say he hopes Barry Bonds has a career ending injury sometime in the next few days so that he won't break Hank Aaron's record. And then Rasmussen is taken out of the race for "violating team rules". I think we all know what that means.
http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/tdf2007/news/story?id=2945911
9. David Beckham comes to the United States- The only controversy caused by his arrival is how amazing his wife's show, "Victoria Beckham: Coming to America" was, that NBC decided to make it a special instead of the six week run it was originally scheduled for. Seriously, most people know that Beckham will not single-handedly push soccer to the top of the list of sports in America, and quite possibly Major League Soccer will maintain the status quo, but at least the Los Angeles Galaxy got some exposure, which was the point all along: to let people know that there's actually a professional soccer league in the United States.
10. Padraig Harrington wins British Open (or the Open Championship, depending on who you are)- What a finish. Sergio Garcia goes into the final day leading, then loses his lead, and a bunch of people who are atop the leaderboard drop out one by one, including Harrington with his double bogey on the eighteenth hole. And Garcia missed a put for par on the eighteenth to go into a four hole playoff, which Harrington won by one. As dramatic as golf can get.
More 10 points
1. Finally done with half of Orgo- Great. Now five more weeks to go. Did okay, almost as well as I would've liked, but still fell short. Story of my life. At least much better than last year, and this proves that I actually learn material despite my grades, as everything was quite familiar.
2. Brio and Waitress- Went to one of my favorite restaurants, Brio, in Plaza Frontenac, and saw Waitress with friend Ai-Lin. There were some cheesy moments (in the movie mind you) but got a good laugh.
3. Saw Sicko- Actually saw it the next night with Ai-Lin because she needed to see it for her Med Prep class. While it's obvious that Michael Moore only tells his side of the story, the facts he presents about the American health care system, especially compared to those in other countries, are disheartening to hear. The system is cruel, especially with the insurance companies and their tactics, and shows one of the downfalls of the current capitalistic system with all the money-grubbing. If Cuba can treat its own patients and others (people that Moore brought while trying to get them medical attention at Guantanamo Bay), and have inhalers there for five cents that cost over $100 here, something is definitely wrong. Especially with the grim pictures that we paint of Cuba, this is ironic.
4. First two weeks of Orgo 2- Didn't do that well on the first test, but beat the average (by one, but it still counts) after getting one point back on grader error. Exact replay of first semester. Let's see if things play out to be exactly the same, except hopefully a little bit better this time. Shouldn't be too hard, considering how close I was.
5. STARS students done- Had two STARS students (Students and Teachers as Research Scientists, a summer program that assigns students to do research at labs in St. Louis I attended before senior year of high school) this year working in the Heart Rate Variability lab at the Washington University School of Medicine, and they finished last week. Hope the papers that they wrote, which are judged by professionals in their respective fields of research, turn out well.
6. Temple- Worked on restoring the brook and pond at the new location for Fo Guang Shan St. Louis Buddhist Center, which really was carrying rocks from the parking lot and placing them in the brook. Others tried to clean the pond at the bottom, and when we turned on the water again, it was still as dirty as ever, though I'm sure we made some headway. There's actually a fish living in the pond. I don't know if there's anything else, but even one fish is cool.
7. Saturday Tour- Andrea from the Washington University Admissions Office called me on a Friday Afternoon to ask that I give a tour Saturday morning last week. Probably the best group I've had; they asked no questions and just took every word I said. Polar opposite from the one I wrote about last time. Lab Sciences 300 was not open, so that was the one mishap (someone rolled her eyes when I talked about the sorority suites and the old law in Missouri, but usually people chuckle, so I'm going to ignore her reaction), but otherwise it was a nice, relaxing stroll, though I had to do it backwards. Even ended on time this time, which usually never happens with me.
8. Kemper Art Museum- Dropped into the Kemper Art Museum after the tour just to see what it was like, and it was pretty nice from what I saw. The coin collection was a bit disappointing; I was expecting more of a display of various different numismatic materials rather than a select few that are shown for informative purposes above anything else, and the hologram of Ben Franklin is scary. The other parts that I saw were actually quite interesting, and the docent who asked me to leave my water bottle at the front desk was very cordial, unlike most in his position. I'll be returning to check out the whole museum, definitely.
9. Pizzeria Uno/Wapango- Had a craving for Uno deep dish pizza lately, and satisfied it when I went there with my mom last Tuesday for dinner. Uno is quite an underrated restaurant, in my opinion. I don't know why it never has a packed house when I go (on weekends, obviously, not on Tuesdays). Also tried out this South American-inspired restaurant in Chesterfield Mall called Wapango. The salad my mom ordered was huge, so I didn't get to finish my dish (which is really sweet for an entree of vegetables and rice, but good nonetheless). The appitizer we ordered reminded me of high quality crab rangoons without the crab, and the mango salsa on the side was very good. Even the cute little and the accompanying dips (black beans and a cilantro oil) were good. I don't quite remember the names, unfortunately, but it comes with a high recommendation. Service was kind of lacking, but it's a new restaurant. It'll work out its kinks.
10. Facebook- This requires a rant all by itself. Definitely will talk about my qualms relating to Facebook (and others) sometime before the summer is over; possibly in my next column if nothing of note comes up before then, whenever that will be.
10 Points-
1. Lady Bird Johnson passes away- Everybody has been talking about her legacy as an early environmentalist before being green became popular, and rightly so. She was a forerunner to the modern environmental advocate, even having a bill named after her, the Lady Bird Bill, because of her tireless efforts to help beautify America. What should not be overlooked is the fact that she was a strong supporter of her husband, President Lyndon Johnson, during a tumultuous time in the nation's history, even overcoming her fear of public speaking so that she could campaign for Johnson.
2. Wildfires across California- Just devastating, especially when hundreds are asked to leave their homes for fear of safety, and firefighters trying to control the blaze for days, sometimes even weeks at a time in the middle of nowhere, with limited resources. Is there any way to control these fires before they get out of hand, even if it is started by nature (lightning strike)? Or should people not live so close to such potentially dangerous places?
3. Los Angeles Archdiocese settles sexual abuse cases- $660 million for 500 people. Money really solves everything, huh? Of course, Cardinal Roger Mahoney had to make the obligatory statement of how he could not give the victims their innocence back, but those are just words, really. And their innocence obviously can't be given back. Thus the only option left is money. A sad situation all around.
4. Earthquake hits Japan- Kashiwazaki, in northwestern Japan, was hit with a 6.8 magnitude earthquake. As devastating as this event was, Japan is no stranger to these disasters unfortunately. So why is it that these tragedies cannot be mitigated with preparation and foresight? I doubt it is because people get complacent when nothing happens for a while (read: 9/11 in the United States). And then reports are that a nuclear power plant is having trouble due to radioactive leaks, flooding, fire, and electrical problems because of the earthquake. Shouldn't such a place be ready for even the worst-case scenario?
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jul2007/2007-07-24-01.asp
5. Final book of Harry Potter comes out- More than eight million sold in the United States, and seventy million in the whole world in the first 24 hours. Is Harry Potter really that good? It's a quick read, with compelling storylines (that get ridiculously crazy as the series goes on; it seems like Rowling is adding stuff to make things she wrote earlier make sense) and interesting characters, but is it so magnificently grand that it requires the largest first printing of a book and thus holds the record for most books sold in the first 24 hours? I like my Huckleberry Finn, thanks very much. Maybe in a hundred years the series will be considered classic children's literature, but it shouldn't deserve that much attention now.
6. National League loses All-Star Game again- And for the second year in a row, there is controversy over managerial decisions late in the game. Arguably the best hitter in baseball, and the only Cardinal representative, Albert Pujols, doesn't even get to play at the discretion of his own manager, Tony La Russa. The argument is should Pujols have batted for Aaron Rowand with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth with two outs. And my answer is: don't question Tony. There's a reason he's won two World Series, been to the playoffs seven of the past eleven years, and the third winningest manager of all time: he knows what he is doing. St. Louis should really give him a break; he's done much better than fan favorite Whitey Herzog already.
7. Roger Federer wins Wimbledon again- The best tennis player hands down currently, and arguably one of the best all time. His dominance over most aspects of the game and his professionalism and class (read: absolutely minimal controversy surrounding him, if at all) make him a wonderful role model for all tennis players and others. Eventually, someone's going to accuse him of cheating. What a sad world we live in.
8. Tour de France- Even after all the accusations of doping and cleaning house of all the top riders in the world who are alleged to be cheating (is there a correlation?), apparently those in charge still have not done a good job saving the sport from controversy. Now Union Cycliste Internationale president Pat McQuaid, the head of cycling's world governing body, says that it would be best if Michael Rasumssen, the Dane accused of alleged doping who is the current leader of the 2007 Tour de France, did not win the race. So now the body that governs the sport are rooting against their own athletes? Even Bud Selig isn't so stupid as to say he hopes Barry Bonds has a career ending injury sometime in the next few days so that he won't break Hank Aaron's record. And then Rasmussen is taken out of the race for "violating team rules". I think we all know what that means.
http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/tdf2007/news/story?id=2945911
9. David Beckham comes to the United States- The only controversy caused by his arrival is how amazing his wife's show, "Victoria Beckham: Coming to America" was, that NBC decided to make it a special instead of the six week run it was originally scheduled for. Seriously, most people know that Beckham will not single-handedly push soccer to the top of the list of sports in America, and quite possibly Major League Soccer will maintain the status quo, but at least the Los Angeles Galaxy got some exposure, which was the point all along: to let people know that there's actually a professional soccer league in the United States.
10. Padraig Harrington wins British Open (or the Open Championship, depending on who you are)- What a finish. Sergio Garcia goes into the final day leading, then loses his lead, and a bunch of people who are atop the leaderboard drop out one by one, including Harrington with his double bogey on the eighteenth hole. And Garcia missed a put for par on the eighteenth to go into a four hole playoff, which Harrington won by one. As dramatic as golf can get.
More 10 points
1. Finally done with half of Orgo- Great. Now five more weeks to go. Did okay, almost as well as I would've liked, but still fell short. Story of my life. At least much better than last year, and this proves that I actually learn material despite my grades, as everything was quite familiar.
2. Brio and Waitress- Went to one of my favorite restaurants, Brio, in Plaza Frontenac, and saw Waitress with friend Ai-Lin. There were some cheesy moments (in the movie mind you) but got a good laugh.
3. Saw Sicko- Actually saw it the next night with Ai-Lin because she needed to see it for her Med Prep class. While it's obvious that Michael Moore only tells his side of the story, the facts he presents about the American health care system, especially compared to those in other countries, are disheartening to hear. The system is cruel, especially with the insurance companies and their tactics, and shows one of the downfalls of the current capitalistic system with all the money-grubbing. If Cuba can treat its own patients and others (people that Moore brought while trying to get them medical attention at Guantanamo Bay), and have inhalers there for five cents that cost over $100 here, something is definitely wrong. Especially with the grim pictures that we paint of Cuba, this is ironic.
4. First two weeks of Orgo 2- Didn't do that well on the first test, but beat the average (by one, but it still counts) after getting one point back on grader error. Exact replay of first semester. Let's see if things play out to be exactly the same, except hopefully a little bit better this time. Shouldn't be too hard, considering how close I was.
5. STARS students done- Had two STARS students (Students and Teachers as Research Scientists, a summer program that assigns students to do research at labs in St. Louis I attended before senior year of high school) this year working in the Heart Rate Variability lab at the Washington University School of Medicine, and they finished last week. Hope the papers that they wrote, which are judged by professionals in their respective fields of research, turn out well.
6. Temple- Worked on restoring the brook and pond at the new location for Fo Guang Shan St. Louis Buddhist Center, which really was carrying rocks from the parking lot and placing them in the brook. Others tried to clean the pond at the bottom, and when we turned on the water again, it was still as dirty as ever, though I'm sure we made some headway. There's actually a fish living in the pond. I don't know if there's anything else, but even one fish is cool.
7. Saturday Tour- Andrea from the Washington University Admissions Office called me on a Friday Afternoon to ask that I give a tour Saturday morning last week. Probably the best group I've had; they asked no questions and just took every word I said. Polar opposite from the one I wrote about last time. Lab Sciences 300 was not open, so that was the one mishap (someone rolled her eyes when I talked about the sorority suites and the old law in Missouri, but usually people chuckle, so I'm going to ignore her reaction), but otherwise it was a nice, relaxing stroll, though I had to do it backwards. Even ended on time this time, which usually never happens with me.
8. Kemper Art Museum- Dropped into the Kemper Art Museum after the tour just to see what it was like, and it was pretty nice from what I saw. The coin collection was a bit disappointing; I was expecting more of a display of various different numismatic materials rather than a select few that are shown for informative purposes above anything else, and the hologram of Ben Franklin is scary. The other parts that I saw were actually quite interesting, and the docent who asked me to leave my water bottle at the front desk was very cordial, unlike most in his position. I'll be returning to check out the whole museum, definitely.
9. Pizzeria Uno/Wapango- Had a craving for Uno deep dish pizza lately, and satisfied it when I went there with my mom last Tuesday for dinner. Uno is quite an underrated restaurant, in my opinion. I don't know why it never has a packed house when I go (on weekends, obviously, not on Tuesdays). Also tried out this South American-inspired restaurant in Chesterfield Mall called Wapango. The salad my mom ordered was huge, so I didn't get to finish my dish (which is really sweet for an entree of vegetables and rice, but good nonetheless). The appitizer we ordered reminded me of high quality crab rangoons without the crab, and the mango salsa on the side was very good. Even the cute little and the accompanying dips (black beans and a cilantro oil) were good. I don't quite remember the names, unfortunately, but it comes with a high recommendation. Service was kind of lacking, but it's a new restaurant. It'll work out its kinks.
10. Facebook- This requires a rant all by itself. Definitely will talk about my qualms relating to Facebook (and others) sometime before the summer is over; possibly in my next column if nothing of note comes up before then, whenever that will be.
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