wednesday, may 25, 2005
How was prom?
When I read Five total scams in high school a while ago, I thought, “Class rings, yeah…Who’s Who, definitely…Prom? That’s a scam?” It seemed like a nice, silly leftover from some more formal time. Then Mister Kyle and I started getting ready, and even with our relatively modest choices, prom cost over $400 in total. That’s a lot of money for four lame hours, as I found out on Saturday night.
I liked dressing up and seeing everybody else dressed up. Mister Kyle looked extra-specially handsome. The whole senior class was excited and happy. The organizers did a nice job.
The music was much too loud.
I imagine everyone else felt awkward too, but some people hide it better.
The vegetarian meals were nasty: overcooked eggplant with cheese and mushy vegetables, while the omnivores got tasty chicken and shrimp (so I hear).
Mister Kyle refuses to dance at these kinds of things, so I had to dance* with my friends, which wasn’t as much fun.
But you can’t miss prom. I’m glad I went, if only to get nice photos of Mister Kyle and me to give to clamoring relatives.
* I dance very badly. There are certain things that go along with being a nerd, and I have not missed out on the lack of dancing ability.
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tuesday, may 24, 2005
New camera and two pictures
It is a good feeling to have a camera again: a Konica Minolta Dimage G600 now. I’m not sure whether it’s better or worse than my old Canon Powershot A60.
This is what my lucky bamboo plant really looks like. You can see where the cursed Tiki-cat chewed off half the leaves.
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saturday, may 21, 2005
bittorrent and tempeh
two things i loved today:
bittorrent. mmm. it’s so much easier than acquisition-style p2p. you know, once i get a lot of money, i’m going to legalize my whole music collection and it will cost me a couple thousand dollars.
tempeh. haha, you’re not a freaky vegetarian until you’ve eaten soy in at least twelve forms: soymilk, tofu, tempeh, soy nuts, edamame, soy lecithin, isolated soy protein, soy flour, soy sauce, soybean oil, miso, etc. i haven’t tried natto or tvp, but i don’t think i need to. not that i like all the other forms of soy — edamame and miso taste nasty.
i hadn’t tried tempeh (fermented soybeans) before tonight. my dad’s partner and i cooked up some tasty tempeh cakes/patties made with leeks, ginger, shallots, and red chili paste. halfway through the cooking process, i discovered that the chili paste had some anchovies and shrimp in it. ugh. oh well. the finished product tasted very good.
a guy at my school ditched the past couple days so he could crash e3. my new camera arrives on tuesday. i need a summer job. prom is tomorrow. my older sister graduates from yale this weekend; yay for sarah! i miss playing the harp. i have three pet fish now. i wonder how i did on the ap english test. i haven’t written a poem since january. my back hurts.
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sunday, may 08, 2005
Those dangerous chain emails
Tomorrow was supposed to be Senior Ditch Day: the class of ‘05 on 05/05/05. We were going to a lake to swim and party like the silly teenagers we are.
This morning, during English class, my friend said her mom had received several emails saying that a black gang recently stole a lot of cocaine from the Mexican mafia, and that the Mexicans planned to shoot hundreds of young black men tomorrow in return. Our teacher (who is quite anti-Internet) decided this was probably just a rumor inflamed by the ease of sending emails.
After lunch, the principal came on the announcement system and said she would give us a very important announcement in twenty minutes. Fifteen minutes later, she said the teachers would receive a written memo and that she planned to give the announcement in ten minutes. Many students and teachers do not like the principal partly because she often interrupts class with long, unnecessary announcements.
This announcement wasn’t inane, for once. She and other principals in the area had been contacted by the Los Angeles Police Department and informed of those gang rumors. She instructed us all to be very careful tomorrow and make sure we come to school.
Ditch Day was ruined. The party organizers called a senior meeting (yeah, in the middle of class) and we all discussed it. Most people looked uneasy; some said we shouldn’t take the risk. One guy said, “We’re all Latino, it doesn’t affect us,” which made everyone else angry. Twenty-five percent of us are black. So, Ditch Day is postponed or canceled because of an unsettling conjunction of chain email and fears of gang violence.
I couldn’t find anything about the rumors online.
Update 5/8/05 9:09: The LA Times followed up:
- May 5: L.A. Schools Increase Patrols After Rumors
- May 6: Attendance Plummets at City Schools
- May 7: Students Return After Cinco de Mayo Rumors
