Got Nowhere to Go

Today, I’ve been questioning this blog’s existence. I started it simply because I like to rant about random things, and I figured it can’t hurt to have it available to the world. But, I’m really having a problem finding a purpose for maintaining it. Yes, I do enjoy it. But, it seems to me that most, if not all, successful blogs chronicle something, a quest, a development of a career (hint: theyoungoboist.wordpress.com). Regardless, I remain confident that I can find a direction for this blog, perhaps with the new year. Onto that, actually.

Despite their reputation as something we never keep to, I still intend to make some New Year’s resolutions this year. I only know two, and they’re somewhat related:

• begin properly learning Japanese
• begin properly learning Mandarin Chinese (class)

Both of these, more Japanese, have been minor interests for a while and, since some of my biggest interests deeply involve both of those (say, the ability to read sushi blogs in Japanese), I figure it’s a great time to start to properly learn them.

Anyway, I’m thinking I may turn this into a blog on that: noting my progress on those two languages. Of course, there will still be “slice of life” entries, but I hope to steer those away from their current role as the blog’s main focus, and make them more like extras (or “おまけ/omake”, the one Japanese blogging term I know, thanks to http://www.tofugu.com/).

–K.A.

 

Sushi and new software

Right now, I’m sitting in a café in the downtown near where I live. It’s been quite a busy afternoon for me: I went to take care of some bank stuff with theyoungoboist, then went for sushi (a great place called Sushi on the Run; here’s their website: http://sushi-on-the-run.com/). I got a lunch special to split with theyoungoboist, so, we were both stuffed with raw fish by the end of the ordeal. I really love this place because of all the attention to tradition and quality sushi that they have. The chef is an old man trained in Japan, and he always makes some of the best sushi ever, the fish fresh from Santa Cruz every day. Also, it’s a really small place; there’s not much seating, and the cooking space is very limited, much like many sushi restaurants are in Japan. The chef is open to talk about the freshness of the ingredients, where he gets them, etc.

So, after the sushi, theyoungoboist and I went over to a café, which is where I am right now. It offers extremely fast free internet, and I had several things to download to my new computer, including Microsoft Office. A download that would have taken an hour or more on my home (DSL) connection took about five minutes here. I’m thinking about making this my base for doing large downloads and the like.

On the topic of my new computer that I’ve been carrying over the past few posts, I’ve discovered an interesting new program. It’s called “Windows Live Spaces.” Now, I’m not normally very fond of the Windows Live Products, because I think there are much better alternatives everywhere. But, this one caught my eye. Basically, it lets you compose on your computer and publish blogs to any blogging site, such as WordPress.com, for instance! This will be my first post trying it out, so here’s hoping for luck!

–K.A.

P.S. If you’re in the San Jose-Los Gatos area, you should check out Sushi on the Run. It’s really good.

P.P.S. I’m not being told or paid to say that.

 

New HP…er…Samsung?

Yesterday (I think), I announced that I was going to get an HP mini netbook, to replace my laptop. I think I did…anyway, I went to Frys today to accomplish that very feat. But, when I got there, the computer department staff showed me several other options that they thought were better (not to mention cheaper due to December discounts!). So, one of those turned out to be the…(checks system information) Samsung N150 Plus. It works well enough so far. I still have to take care of Office software and all that…think I’ll be doing that tomorrow. Now, I would post pictures on here of the new machine, but its card reader conveniently doesn’t read xD cards, only SD, and I don’t know where my USB cable for it is. So, pictures will have to wait.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42E7lY1kYrM&feature=related

Follow that link if you like internet memes, Japanese Shamisen music, or music at all. It’s pretty amazing.

-K.A.

 

Computer Hunt Update

So, last post I talked about how I would be needing a new computer really soon, and that I’d decided to get a netbook. I’m very happy to report that I’ve decided on one: the HP Mini 210. It’s pretty much the base factory model (I don’t need very many features at all), except for the upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium and an HD-ready screen with better resolution. I wanted the upgrade simply because the alternative is Windows 7 Starter, and that uh…sucks. You can’t change your desktop background or anything like that. So, I’m very glad that process didn’t take very long.

Tomorrow, I’ll be heading down to San Jose (did I mention I’m on vacation at my family’s in Carmel?) to take care of a few things before I can order the new computer, namely financial stuff. There’s someone who’s offered to help me with the purchase, and I have to go meet with them. So, yeah. I’ll be there from about 12 noon to 5pm, because of the low frequency of bus service in between Monterey and Santa Clara counties.

–K.A.

 

Merry Christmas and a New Computer

Merry Christmas, all. Except those of you for whom it’s already the 26th. Sorry about that. But, for those who are currently celebrating, what more could you possibly want for Christmas than a nice, loud “crack” from your laptop screen? Following are photos of the damage, and my Christmas tree:

So, the computer’s damage might not look like much, but the screen can’t move much in any direction without flopping around on its hinges and making some very ominous noises. Also, the damage was somewhat contained with the help of a few people; those two hinges that keep the screen attached were pretty much hanging completely loose.

Since I don’t think the warranty will cover this, and since I need a mobile computer for my schoolwork, I guess it’s back to the computer hunt, only a year after I did it the last time. How wonderful is that? I’m thinking I may get a netbook this time, since they’re easier to carry around without much weight or risk of damage (possibly what happened to this one). My friend has an Acer Aspire One, and hers is pretty amazing, and very reasonably priced as well. So, I may get that one, but I also have a recommendation for an Asus (or Toshiba)  Tablet PC from another friend who swears by them. She’s also a pretty active artist, but I’m still going to consider that as an option. So…yeah, this is going to be my next week or so, pretty much.

I’ll keep posting on this “quest” as I get closer to a decision.

–K.A.

 

Amtrak

Today, I took Amtrak’s Coast Starlight train, from San Jose to Salinas, California, to see my family. I really went into the experience without many expectations, but all together, it was a very positive experience, just with a few minor drawbacks.

First off, my train was a 10:07am one, so I arrived at San Jose Diridon station about an hour early. I waited for about a half hour in this room:

Then, at about 9:30, the Amtrak station attendant comes into the room, and tells us that the train is delayed until 10:25. Since this is Amtrak, I expected this. Then, there was another delay, this time to 10:45. So, all of us waiting to board the Coast Starlight pretty just waited around, with not much to do. Then, once the train finally arrived, we were boarded. Here is a view of the coach seating aboard the train:

As you can see, it’s a lot like an airplane’s first class, safety pamphlets and all. Since that photo was just aimed at the back of the chairs, here are two more of the cabin:

The other cars of the train include what’s called a “gallery” car, which has huge windows from which you can watch the scenery going by, a cafe car, and a full-service restaurant car. It’s pretty luxury; most Amtrak routes today, besides the Northeast  Corridor, have become pretty much vacation/tourist railroads.

All around the internet, I’ve heard a lot of horror stories about and a lot of endless praise for Amtrak. I think the truth was somewhat between the two extremes. The Good: very comfortable trains, very helpful conductors, food service, overall great service (and incredible views!). The Not-So-Good: drastic train delay.

So, yes, I am in Carmel (near Salinas) now, with my family. It’s going to be a good Christmas. I’m sure to write more in the near future.

–K.A.

 

Christmas Concert

Last night, I went to a Christmas concert, the one I mentioned in my last post. It was in downtown San Jose, at Trinity Cathedral near St. James park, for those familiar with the area. The concert featured the Winchester orchestra, a local volunteer orchestra, and the West Valley Masterworks Chorale, the choir of West Valley Community College. They played Beethoven’s Mass in C, and selections from Handel’s Messiah.

Though by no means a professional orchestra, the musicians played very well, and the singers of the Choir were excellent, in addition to the vocal soloists. The building itself, according to a sign outside, has been around in some form since the late 1800s, and from the look of it, still features a fair portion of original parts. The only real complaint that I have about the concert experience was of no fault of the musicians’. This church, and really all of downtown San Jose, is very close to a pretty busy international airport, Mineta San Jose International. Thus, about every five minutes, there was the lovely noise of a plane flying low over the church, which definitely starts to wear after a while.

I don’t have any photos of the church or the event, sadly. It was raining when I got down there, for one, and also I didn’t want to have to stand up and walk around during the concert to get good photos, because I was with people.

A heads-up, on Thursday, I will be heading down to Salinas, CA on the Coast Starlight train. Definitely going to take photos of that experience.

–K.A.

 

Wigilia (Polish Christmas)

Last night, I went to a party at my girlfriend’s house (theyoungoboist.wordpress.com). Her family is Polish, so we celebrated what is known as Wigilia. The word literally means “eve,” and Wigilia is a traditional Christmas eve celebration. However, not everyone will be here on Christmas eve, so it was held earlier. For those who have never been to a Wigilia celebration, and I suspect that that’s most of everyone, here is a small primer on the festivities. Note that these events can happen in somewhat varied order.

First, you’ll usually wait for every guest to arrive before starting. Then, the group breaks Christmas wafers, or “opłatek.” Each person takes one wafer, and goes around the room to different people. Each person breaks off a small piece of the other person’s wafer, says a greeting or wish for the New Year, eats the piece, and hugs/shakes hands. Then, it’s usually time to eat (or, it was for this one). The dinner can vary in formality, from sit-down to buffet, with guests scattered about the house, like this one was. The food, understandably, is Polish, ranging from Pierogi to Potato Pancakes to Chruściki (angel wings). I can’t say with certainty that all Wigilia celebrations are informal, but the one I went to certainly was.

Everyone left last night at around 9:00. I was planning on doing that, as well, but my ride apparently got confused about the scheduling, and in fact showed up near 10:15. So, I got to stay a little later and relax with my girlfriend, which was a pleasant surprise. I’m actually meeting up with her family again today (or it may just be her and her mom, not quite sure) to go to a Christmas concert in San Jose (oh darn, now you know where I live). That’s going to be interesting. I want to try out how well photos work on blogs here, so I may try to take pictures. No guarantees, though, since we’ve been getting our fair share of rain here lately.

–K.A.

 

An Introduction

Hello,

My name is Adam, and I will be the author of this blog. I haven’t had too much experience in blogging before, but it’s been really getting time to make a proper one for a while now. I don’t travel the world, and I’m no amazing artist; I simply have interests that I’d like to share with anyone who happens to stumble upon this page.

So, what are these interests, you might ask? I can’t say with complete honesty that I only have one. Here is a short list of the things that I enjoy: high-speed trains, snow, being green, hiking, photography, Japanese cooking, Japanese language, Chinese language, travel, writing about above things.

Yeah, quite the assortment I’ve been told. If it’s possible, I obsess in equal amounts over all of the above, plus more! How exciting. That being said, this blog will have minimal direction and purpose. That’s really it, to allow me a quite open and public space with which to obsess.

I’ll post some much more specialized stuff later,

–K.A.