When The Moon Hits Your Eye...

"Well maybe I overshot a little, because I was aiming at just enough to keep you from walking out."

- Jack Nicholson as Melvin Udall in As Good As It Gets (1997)

Yesterday, September 28, 2004 was what they call the Mid-Autumn Festival. It's more of a traditional Chinese thing, but Anna told me one day that I had to do something special for her on that day. I didn't know why. I asked JD if he knew of anything special about that day. I'm glad he served a mission in Hong Kong.

This is the day of the year that the full moon is it's fullest. I hear that Moon Cake is the thing to eat and watching the moon is the thing to do on this day. Not to put a damper on the day, but I thought that the moon looked more full the night before.

JD and I decided to make this a sort of double date, Anna with me and Leslie with him. I promised Anna that I'd do something special and I didn't want to be anything short of it.

JD and I went to our only outlet for shopping in this tiny little town, foodland. With a name like foodland you know it's chincy. At least there is no question as to what products they have to offer.

We bought some Ice cream, candles and cups. Then I bought a single long stem orange rose. They say that orange is "friendship". I figure a rose is a rose and let the girl decide what she wants it to mean for herself. Orange was a good choice for other reasons. We came up for a sort of pet name for Anna. It's Pixie Stick. She is almost the same build. We also decided she'd be an orange one. I have a pic of her in her Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) uniform and other pics of her in orange shirts; she is definatly orange.

Then I picked up Anna from her last class with my backpack full of stuff. We walked behind the temple to the lookout (she told me she had never been there before). There I unfolded some blankets and pulled out the long stem rose with a dozen orange pixie stix in the mix.

Anna with her Pixie Stix Rose behind the temple

I also had a bottle of grape sparkling cider that I won in an elephant gift party last Christmas that I have been saving for a special occasion. I brought it but she thought it'd be nice to save for the night with JD and Leslie.

After we got back to campus I had to work. Once I finnished work I put together a D.J. style CD for Anna. Then JD and I suited up again and left to a quiet beach. We walked in the dark most of the way and then had the girls stay behind us for a second. JD and I then set up 2 spots on the sand and surrounded them with candles. We escorted the girls to the matts and shared a bucket of Ben and Jerry's "Cherry Garcia" per couple.

JD and Leslie enjoying the ice cream

Anna and I enjoying the night

Following some star/moon gazing and sparkler burning we headed home slowly and very tired. We never drank the sparkling cider, so it will again have to wait for yet another speical occasion.

According to Anna, I succeeded in making the day speical and did a great job of it. Too bad, I was just shooting for good enough to not get her mad at me for one day. I over did myself. Now if she asks for something again, I have work hard to beat that. Stupid me, when will I learn to keep that darn bar low!

You Be The Judge...

I showed Anna this pic of her that I have:

Anna's Stink Eye** which makes her look Japanese

She complains to me that this pic makes her look too Japanese. I don't know. According to most ha'oles*, all Asians look the same anyway. Compare that with this:

Anna now transformed into a Vietnamese girl

I guess you can see a difference. I may be biased, but I say she's cute either way so it dosen't matter. Any professional oppinions?

* Hawaiian for "Foriegner" but today means "White folk".
** Pidgeon for "The Evil Eye".

Where In The World Is Jared Bodine...Again!

Where In The World Is Jared Bodine...Again!

I'm Bored...So Very Bored...

Maybe it’s maturity slowly creeping in or I’m just getting old, but something in me has changed. No, not my waist line…but that may be. No, my hair isn’t receding; in fact, it seems to be spreading. What is changing is my preferences. Back in the day I would play for hours. I remember one day I wanted to play with my beloved Legos. I sat down, pulled them out and couldn’t think of a thing to do. I had outgrown it like so many old pairs of underwear. I can remember one distinct day where I got them out and tried to force myself to like it. After 5 minutes I couldn’t think of anything else to do. Play was dead. It was a sad day for me.

About that same time my mom and dad had finally decided to catch up on technology and get a “super computer”. It is a bit off topic, but for those who know computer specs, you might enjoy this. My first computer had a Pentium I processor. We had 4mb of RAM, my computer now, 768mb. The first hard drive was 500mb. That’s half a gig. That was ok for then, but that’s about two thirds of a CD. That’s it. My computer today has 240gig. My “state of the art” CD ROM drive (no way it would burn) was a fancy double speed. Mine now is 52X. And last feature worth note is was my 14.4k modem. 56k was in the Sci-Fi movies and high speed was beyond that.

One thing I did like was DOS based games. These were my replacement for Legos, Mask, and GI Joes. The first one I was hooked on was DOOM!

Doom

And about the same time was Wolfenstein 3D.

Wolfenstein 3D

I was IN to these game. I played them for hours on end. I even bought a game enhancer that would add over 900 levels to DOOM2 and let me make my own. What a great way to spend my hours of awkward adolescence – a way to bide my time until the acne cleared up and the voice went down. These first person action shooters made me feel in control, especially if you knew that IDDQD would make you GOD! With IDKFA I’d have all the ammo and keys. IDNOCLIP helped me walk through walls. What more could I want?

Then I went on my mission and DOS based games would be extinct as Windows 95 and 98 made their way out. By the time I returned from my mission, It was a whole new game.

Half Life and Counter Strike were the norms.

Half Life 2

Counter Strike

I bought them it once I built my new computer. I was IN again. I was invited to LAN Bashes. That’s where a multiple number of pasty faced extra skinny or extremely round folk (there is no in-between with this crowd) gather their computers in the same room, link them up and play these games together. I think it’s more cost effective to get multiple controllers for a GameCube, but that’s just me.

Since I’ve been here on campus, I’ve been invited to many of those. Being an Information Systems (IS) major, you ‘d expect me to like that stuff.

It happened again.

I lost it. I just lost it. The fun is gone. Is it just me or have all of these games just proven that our creativity has not improved as fast as our technology. I don’t see any difference in these first person action shooter games.

Wolfenstein: Return To Castle Wolfenstein

Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory

Unreal Tournament

Doom 3

Ok, I recant, these games ARE different. They have different looking guns, different maps and different looking villains.

Play Station 3 is on it’s way out. I’m sure that Nintendo is working on something and The Xbox is never done evolving. This time, I don’t think I’ll invest in one. All I see are more Halo and Tom Clancy games on the horizon and I’m yawning!

Halo 2

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six

I think that perhaps it’s not that I’ve lost the ability to have fun playing video games. Maybe it’s just that I’m tired of playing THE SAME GAME!

Programmers! Wake up! It’s all the same game and I am so, so, so bored! When will we get some NEW games!?

Naughty, Naughty...

It appears I was wrong - I'm no longer the top rated non-porn site on the internet. Thanks to BYU-Hawaii ITS for pointing that out.

Want to have some fun...?

Tell the tourists that "Mahu" means "Visitor" instead of "Gay" and see how many times they introduce themselves as such...

The 411 Potpourri...

I've done mostly nothing but pictures on my blog for the last few posts and I decided it was time for me to put up some real content for a change. The only problem I face is that I seem to be at a lull for content. I think this will be more like an info potpourri.

I have finally firmed up my schedule for the semester and am getting to the level where I can figure out where I am supposed to be when. As you can see if you look at the site, I have many hours of my day taken up by school, the RA stuff and my tutoring stuff.

A time consumer that won’t show up on there is my calling. I am now the Ward Membership Clerk. I think I will like the calling. Right now we are in a brand new ward that has no members or callings. My first Sunday there was only about 5 students. The next week about double that. We just had the 4th Sunday as a flock and we are fleshing out. We have most callings planned or sent out. We will be setting up our office computers and requesting records soon. Today I got my school ID set up as my key card for the Stake Center. I also can open some rooms in the GCB and the Hale with it. It’s nice to have power…

I have been spending a lot of time with Anna these last few days. I think many people are starting to think that we are dating. We’re not. I do like to pretend we are, mostly for the reaction she gets. I also have spent a lot of time with my ex, Fei. I’m sure others have wondered what is going on with us as well. Again, nothing. Today my roommate, JD, walked up to me and said,

”I know why you can’t get married now.”

“Uh…because I am hopeless?”

“No, because you are too much of a nice guy.”

What he meant was that there are some good things that God would like to have me do and help out with that I couldn’t do married; such things as my calling in my singles ward and working with my friends who are taking the discussions. If I were married, I’d not be in those places or hanging out with those people. I am not 100% convinced that’s all there is to it, but it’s a nice and flattering concept.

Speaking of people who are doing good things helping the Lord, I got a long letter from Jessica the other day and a supplemental e-mail today. I think the best part of the whole thing was a note that she left on the back of the envelope that read,

”You really really really suck! I went to lay down and take a nap today but I couldn’t because of YOU! I was so tired too and I planed for it and everything. Why have you done this to me? You have taken from me my one joy!”

I guess you have to understand that she loves naps. When she was getting ready for her mission I told her not the be THAT sister. You know, the one that sounds so great and active, but comes home after lunch and takes an hour or two nap on pros. hours. When I told her missionaries are not supposed to do that she was shocked, “You mean they really can’t do that?!”

“Uh, yeah. No napping unless you take it out of your lunch or dinner hour…and only one hour.”

“Really?!”


“Now that you know, you have no excuse, don’t be THAT sister!”

I guess it worked… *evil laugh*

She also is becoming very trained in the gospel. In her last email she said,

”I've also started teaching the discussions in my sleep. I think it's scaring my comp. But I must be pretty powerful because when I wake up they’re all converted!… I'm trying to keep myself from counting down. Everyone says that it will go by really fast......I think their full of crap.......right now I'm just trying to make it to tomorrow but Sister Ellertson is really making that possible for me.”

Kudos to her - that was actually funny. But yes, the time does go fast, but only in hindsight! If you wait for it to roll by, it takes longer. Just don’t worry about it and get to work.

At this point, I have to stop my long and boring blog (I wouldn’t have gotten this far if I were you…) because I have to get ready for “Study Group”. That’s my code word for my tutor job. I have laundry in the machine that is probably still wet and has been discarded on the floor like used Kleenex to make way for the next guy’s clothes to toss around to the point of moistness. I have to get it and run to dinner so as not to be late for work.

If you are still here and haven’t noticed, I have updated my site again and added more pictures on my Picture Pages.

A Game For You...

Where In The World Is Jared Bodine?

On the Menu...

I just can't hold back. I know I never repeat myself...but I have to make a list of some of my more favorite menu items that I have actually seen and been fed over the last year at our Much Applauded Caf:

1. Malay Chicken
   
   

   People...er...soilent green...er...Malay Chicken...that's it.



2. Sweet and Sour Soy Chicken Burger (BBQ flavor)
   
   

   Sweet and Sour Soy Chicken Burger (BBQ Flavour)



3. Chicken Adobe


4. Fish (and I mean the whole fish, eyes to entrails)
   
   

   Fish Heads, Fish Heads, Rollie Pollie Fish Heads...



5. Fish and Chips and Fries


6. Lamb Curry
   
   

   Lamb Curry (Notice the Oompaloompa femur bone to the right)


And my personal all time favorite served just before I left for Europe...

7. Meat Suprise Foil Dinner
   
   

   Foil Meat Suprise (dramtic recreation)

A shipment just came in from Iraq for next weeks dinner...Camel Spider Flambe

Camel Spider

Stats all, folks...

Classes have started now. As per usual, going to school here would be great if it wasn't for all the pesky classes that get in the way.

On my first day, my statistics teacher had us read and discuss this:

About a centry ago, statesman Benjamin Disraeli famously said, "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statisitics." It has also been said that "figures don't lie; liars figure." Historian Andrew Lang said that some people use statistics "as a drunken man uses lampposts-for support rather than illumination." Political cartoonist Don Wright encourages us to "bring back the mystery of life: lie to a pollster." Author Frankin P. Jones wrote that "statisitcs can be used to support anything-especially statisticians." In Esar's Comic Dictionary we find the definitnion of a statistician to be "a speicalist who assembles figures and then leads them astray."

So after reading this, I said to myself, "Suzan, why is it that they spend all hour explaining to you why statistics is nothing more than the worst form of lies, then make us take the class!?" If you ask me, which I doubt you will, it should be against the honor code to make us take a class that requires us to read cuss words and participate in lies.

I might just drop it and take something more moral like Explorations in Human Sexuality which is offered in two sections every semester...I hear it has a lab...