10/25/09 Tony and I visited Chicago

This entry picks up from last week’s entry.

After we left West Lafayette, where Purdue is located, we drove up to Chicago. The temperature was in the mid-eighties, which can be comfortable, but the humidity made it almost unbearably hot. There was a food festival there that weekend; “A Taste of Chicago” it was called. We were able to sample different styles of food. We enjoyed the boat tour of Lake Michigan. We went to the Sears Tower. The elevator ride took a minute to reach the top; the building is 103 stories tall. Looking out the window, down at the city, was a wonder to behold. After a few minutes, vertigo started to take its hold on me. If you’re ever in Chicago, you should visit the tower.

Tony and I spent a lot of our time visiting the Field Museum, the Shedd Aquarium, and the Adler Planetarium. I remember that there was a planetarium show that we wanted to see, which started a 2pm. I checked my watch and it was 12pm. We came back two hours later, only to discover that we missed the show! What I had forgotten was that my watch was on California time, not Chicago time (doing this helps me to deal with jet lag). So when my watch said it was 12pm, it was really 2pm; it was show time. Oh well, you win some and you lose some, I guess…

The best part of the trip was seeing a game at Wrigley Field. Wrigley Field is one of the few remaining traditional ballparks left. It is located in the middle of a residential area. There are apartment buildings across the streets surrounding the ballpark; on the top of those buildings are bleacher stands. The residents go up to the roof and get to take in a Cubs’ game; the downside is that their rents are higher because the owners figured in the cost for watching the games. Wrigley had a manual scoreboard in center field and is surrounded by the MLB team pennants. There is no diamond vision screen or scoreboard; this is what makes Wrigley a traditional ballpark. The Cubbies were playing the Arizona D-Backs, although I can’t remember who won. I was in Shangri-La. I can’t wait until I can go back and visit Chicago again.

My vocabulary words are:
Supercilious: haughtily disdainful (Webster's American pocket dictionary)
Seraph: a member of the highest order of angels (Webster's American pocket dictionary)

10/18/09 My trip to Purdue University

One of the most enjoyable trips I’ve taken was to Purdue University and Chicago. It was the first time I’d ever been there. My friend Tony had just graduated from high school and he wanted to visit Purdue University. His dream was to become a commercial airline pilot. His major was aeronautical science and Purdue had an excellent aviation program there. Hell, the school even has its own airport. He told me about his trip and in an off-handed way I suggested that I go with him to Purdue and then we could spend the weekend in Chicago. I wasn’t actually serious, but he liked the idea. So here we were, an eighteen-year old and twenty-two year old, departing on a Mid-West adventure.

Purdue is in central Indiana. In the summertime, the Mid-West is hot, humid, and sticky; Indiana is no different. The drive from Chicago to West Lafayette was very monotonous. Everything was very flat and green-real farm country. We spent a couple days touring the campus, looking at classrooms, touring the dorms, investigating campus life, checking out the surrounding city, and preparing for Tony’s fall semester. I have to admit, the coolest part of the school is the on-site airport. I was happy to tour Purdue because I got to see what Tony’s life was going to be like for the next four years. Purdue was the first college campus that I ever toured. I wasn’t interested in going to college; therefore, I never applied or toured a campus before. I really enjoyed the experience though.

Epilogue: Tony left Purdue after fall semester 1998. He did not like the Aryan and racial attitudes of the students living in his dorm. It really pissed him off when his roommate booted up his computer and logged on to various Aryan websites. His values, beliefs, and attitudes differed from those of his dorm mates. He transferred to Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Arizona. Somewhere, he is flying those friendly skies…

My vocabulary words are:
Opprobrium: disgrace and reproach (Webster's American pocket dictionary)
Subterfuge: a means used to evade or conceal (Webster's American pocket dictionary)

10/11/09 Here's my vocabulary words

My vocabulary words are:
Sanctity: a holiness; sacredness (Webster's American pocket dictionary)
Liturgy: a form of public worship (Webster's American pocket dictionary)

10/11/09 I nearly forgot today’s entry

I have spent the last two days studying for my midterms. I’m grateful that all three of them were pushed back. Otherwise, I would not have done well on them at all. I’m concentrating on 195 and 2. I’m grateful that 100W doesn’t have a midterm. At least now, I have a chance to study a little to be somewhat prepared. I don’t think I’ve ever been more confused about the information I’m learning.

Everything seems to be jumbled and I’m having a hard time trying to figure out how things relate to each other. For example, it took me a while to realize that simple-random sampling and systematic sampling are two different categories. And within probability and non-probability sampling are different types of sampling. Simple-random, systematic, stratified, and cluster samples are types of probability sampling. Accidental, purposive, quota, and snowball samples are different types of non-probability sampling. Things are starting to fall into place slowly.

I will be happy when these two midterms are over. I will have next weekend to prepare for the midterm in 154. I have to admit, 154 is not as dry and boring as I had anticipated. I thought the class, which is about US foreign policy, would focus only on the Middle East. I really don’t care about what happens there. I’m more interested in the US government and domestic issues. There is something to be said about isolationism. I also dislike globalization.

Anyway, Professor Danopoulos’ discussion was on foreign policy during the Vietnam era, 1945-1975. I studied this issue for Poli 4 so understanding this part of the lecture was easy for me. When given the opportunity, I like to study events related to the 1960s and 1970s. This is the most fascinating period of time in history. US society was going through a lot of uncomfortable growing pains. I wish I had been born in the 1940s so I could have experienced the 1960s as a young adult; I was just born too late.

However, I digress. Once midterms are over, I can focus on all the different assignments that will be due in the eight weeks. I don’t expect to do too well on these midterms, but I expect to improve my grades with the upcoming assignments.

10/4/09 The curtain is coming down on the 2009 season…

I’m sitting here “jumping” back and forth between the A’s and Giants games. This is officially the last game of the regular season for 2009. I am in deep mourning. Baseball is my favorite sport. I can tolerate football and hockey, while I absolutely loathe basketball. The 1989 Bay Bridge World Series, between the A’s and Giants, was my ideal Shangri-la.

There are some changes that I’d like to see for the 2010 season. First off, Bud Selig MUST BE FIRED! The man is incompetent beyond belief. I have never forgiven him for declaring a tie in the 2002 All-Star Game in Milwaukee, and I never will. Selig is a spineless jellyfish that has an ineffective drug policy. He is unwilling to face the fact that drugs are being used in Major League Baseball or is unwilling to do anything about it. Bring back Bart Giamatti or Fay Vincent.

Secondly, Bob Garen, manager of the A’s, MUST BE FIRED! The man has no personality. I don’t believe he was ever qualified to manage, so how he got the assignment, I’ll never know. The most important thing to consider is the A’s record; they are currently 75-86. Last year, the A’s had a losing season that was just as bad as this year. Additionally, the players don’t seem to have a happy environment in the clubhouse. The players are not happy with Garen as manager.

Third, Garen needs to go but Billy Beane will not fire him. Which brings me to my next point: Billy Beane needs to go as well. I may be flayed for my opinion, but this is how I feel. Beane made several wise and shrewd decisions in the early 2000s, but lately, none of his decisions make sense. Time to go Mr. Beane…

Lastly, it’s time to cut Eric Chavez loose. Actually, I think his contract ends tomorrow. As much as I liked Chavvy, he’s never lived up to his potential. Injuries have been his Waterloo. Let’s sign Adam Kennedy to a long-term contract, and wish Chavvy luck in the future. Thanks Chavvy for the memories and 6 gold glove seasons.

I don’t really have any complaints about the Giants. They had a really good season this year. I love all of the Giants’ broadcasters. On TV, it’s Krukow and Kuiper (Kruk and Kuip); on the radio it’s Jon Miller, Dave Flemming, and occasionally JT Snow. All are excellent at what they do. I would advise JT Snow to put his uniform back on and become a coach. He doesn’t really have the personality for radio and TV commentary.

The Giants need to make Brad Penny, Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, Barry Zito, and Randy Johnson their starting rotation. They should keep Joe Martinez as part of the bullpen.

These are the things I want to see changed for the 2010 season. I’m counting the days until spring training. It’s gonna be a loooooong off-season...

My vocabulary words are:
Shrewd: clever (Webster's American pocket dictionary)
Ubiquitous: present everywhere at the same time (Webster's American pocket dictionary)