I saw my first new nickel today. It has a picture of a handshake on the reverse side and is the first of two new designs this year to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Jefferson's sending Lewis and Clark to explore his recent purchase.
Doing my own exploring (of a more cyberspacial nature), I found this "Fun Fact" in the section of the mint's site aimed at kids: "Before the Mint Police, there was a Mint Pup. Old records show that $3 was spent to purchase a watchdog to protect the first Mint in Philadelphia." I would have had to call the dog Ten Spot, but I bet that's just me.
2004-07-30
2004-07-29
Day of Endless Stupidity
THE MORNING STUPIDITY (the really stupid one)
I got a call from the Columbia mail center.
James: Good morning.
Male Voice: Hello. May I speak to James Heposki?
James: That's me!
Male Voice: We've got a package for you here at the mail center. We can't put it in your box because the name and box number don't match. It's addressed to box 7149.
James: So it has someone else's name on it?
Male Voice: It's got your name on it. Wrong number.
James: No, that's my number. 7149. I have the key to that box.
Male Voice: Well, the box is registered to someone else, so you'll need to come pick up the package.
James: Sure. I'll be right over.
So I went right on over, only to find an empty mail center.
James: Hello?
A woman, in fact the same woman who gave me the key to my box, emerges from the back room. The man who called remains hidden.
James: Hi. I just got a call to pick up a package.
Male Voice: James?
James: Yes.
Male Voice: Last name?
James: Hepokoski.
Woman: ID.
She scan my ID and places the package on the counter. I sign for it and pick up the package.
James: So, will I have more trouble with my box, or is it cleared up now?
Woman: How did you get that number?
James: You gave me that number from the list when you gave me my key, which opens that box.
Woman: Well, its registered to someone else.
James: I just got it in this second summer session. Could the registration be left over from the first session?
Woman: I don't know.
Male Voice: Are you a summer intern?
James: No, I'm a student.
Woman: You'll need to email these people.
She hands me a sheet of paper with instructions on it.
Woman: Do you have the key to you're box for the school year?
James: Well, I'm just a summer student.
Male Voice: That's what I just asked you!
The woman took back the piece of paper.
James: I'm sorry; I thought you said 'intern.'
Male Voice: Yeah.
Looking back, I'm not really sure if my problem got resolved or not.
THE LUNCHTIME STUPIDITY (the funny one)
I went to lunch at Pinnacle with Sameer. I forgot my water bottle, so I bought a drink. I got a FUZE Healthy Infusion, specifically "focus," which is "orange mango fortified with...essential vitamins & zinc." The side panel lists zinc and 7 vitamins it has, along with a sentence or two about the supposed effects of each. I learned that zinc is "known as a 'mind-sharpening' herb that enhances capillary circulation and increases the supply of oxygen to the brain." Really makes me want to start a little garden back home and grow some zinc and perhaps other elemental metals.
THE LATE-AFTERNOON STUPIDITY (the least stupid one)
Monica, our critic came to talk about our work. I tried talking to show her my drawings and talk about the issues I'm having with seating in my site. She wanted to see my model. I pulled it out of my bag, and told her that I wasn't really using it. She wanted to know why, and I told her that it was frustrating, because it was made of a material with which I don't like working, and that it was based on the dimensions she gave us, so all three axes are on completely different scales. She told me that I couldn't just do all the work in my head. I needed to get ideas out. I told her that I have dozens of drawings, and tried to show her, but I guess she didn't see the merit in drawings. We talked for twenty minutes, in which I was told that I shouldn't worry about the real site, but only my models, and that the material for which I'm supposedly designing (1 foot strips of wood) didn't matter. Any linear material is the same. I tried to explain that there was a big difference between a structure made of foam and a structure made of steel, but made no headway. We definitely have very different ideas of architecture. I was really staving to see the big picture as I worked, and Monica is much more process-oriented.
I'm going to start in a new direction tonight. I'll make some weird and utterly useless sculpture and think up a bunch of BS to explain why it is genius. I'll play the game, just like the rest of the class. I'm not happy about it, but after today's conversation, I see that I have no choice.
I got a call from the Columbia mail center.
James: Good morning.
Male Voice: Hello. May I speak to James Heposki?
James: That's me!
Male Voice: We've got a package for you here at the mail center. We can't put it in your box because the name and box number don't match. It's addressed to box 7149.
James: So it has someone else's name on it?
Male Voice: It's got your name on it. Wrong number.
James: No, that's my number. 7149. I have the key to that box.
Male Voice: Well, the box is registered to someone else, so you'll need to come pick up the package.
James: Sure. I'll be right over.
So I went right on over, only to find an empty mail center.
James: Hello?
A woman, in fact the same woman who gave me the key to my box, emerges from the back room. The man who called remains hidden.
James: Hi. I just got a call to pick up a package.
Male Voice: James?
James: Yes.
Male Voice: Last name?
James: Hepokoski.
Woman: ID.
She scan my ID and places the package on the counter. I sign for it and pick up the package.
James: So, will I have more trouble with my box, or is it cleared up now?
Woman: How did you get that number?
James: You gave me that number from the list when you gave me my key, which opens that box.
Woman: Well, its registered to someone else.
James: I just got it in this second summer session. Could the registration be left over from the first session?
Woman: I don't know.
Male Voice: Are you a summer intern?
James: No, I'm a student.
Woman: You'll need to email these people.
She hands me a sheet of paper with instructions on it.
Woman: Do you have the key to you're box for the school year?
James: Well, I'm just a summer student.
Male Voice: That's what I just asked you!
The woman took back the piece of paper.
James: I'm sorry; I thought you said 'intern.'
Male Voice: Yeah.
Looking back, I'm not really sure if my problem got resolved or not.
THE LUNCHTIME STUPIDITY (the funny one)
I went to lunch at Pinnacle with Sameer. I forgot my water bottle, so I bought a drink. I got a FUZE Healthy Infusion, specifically "focus," which is "orange mango fortified with...essential vitamins & zinc." The side panel lists zinc and 7 vitamins it has, along with a sentence or two about the supposed effects of each. I learned that zinc is "known as a 'mind-sharpening' herb that enhances capillary circulation and increases the supply of oxygen to the brain." Really makes me want to start a little garden back home and grow some zinc and perhaps other elemental metals.
THE LATE-AFTERNOON STUPIDITY (the least stupid one)
Monica, our critic came to talk about our work. I tried talking to show her my drawings and talk about the issues I'm having with seating in my site. She wanted to see my model. I pulled it out of my bag, and told her that I wasn't really using it. She wanted to know why, and I told her that it was frustrating, because it was made of a material with which I don't like working, and that it was based on the dimensions she gave us, so all three axes are on completely different scales. She told me that I couldn't just do all the work in my head. I needed to get ideas out. I told her that I have dozens of drawings, and tried to show her, but I guess she didn't see the merit in drawings. We talked for twenty minutes, in which I was told that I shouldn't worry about the real site, but only my models, and that the material for which I'm supposedly designing (1 foot strips of wood) didn't matter. Any linear material is the same. I tried to explain that there was a big difference between a structure made of foam and a structure made of steel, but made no headway. We definitely have very different ideas of architecture. I was really staving to see the big picture as I worked, and Monica is much more process-oriented.
I'm going to start in a new direction tonight. I'll make some weird and utterly useless sculpture and think up a bunch of BS to explain why it is genius. I'll play the game, just like the rest of the class. I'm not happy about it, but after today's conversation, I see that I have no choice.
2004-07-28
Ain't It Funny How Time Slips Away?
Checking the local weather this morning, I saw that the 10-day forcast extends to the end of my summer session. This is going by so fast.
Postcards
Our studio had a big critique today. Each of us presented in front of the class, our TA, our regular critic, and between one and three guest critics. Some students were lucky enough to get Danielle Smoller, who runs this summer program. She gave some truly excellent critiscism. I only presented to one guest, whose thinking was so similar to that of my regular critic that it wasn't overly helpful.
Anyway, we got the night off. It's raining, so I've been inside, writing postcards to various family members, and a small selection of friends who seem to value the postcards I've sent in the past. Some are Columbia cards; others I picked up on Saturday at the Met.
I realize that I've neglected to mention that trip, so I'll just say that Mike Borkowski was in town, so Sameer and I took him down to go to the Museum of Natural History, but that was full. Honestly. It was full. So we went to the Met, and had a grand ol' time. My favorite part were the Chinese prints. There was a piece called The Palace of Nine Perfections that I thought was absolutely amazing. On the way back, we stopped for dinner at this kooky little place called Quintessence. We knew going in that it was a vegetarian place, but we were surprised to learn that they served only raw food. I had some interesting nut meatballs (balls made from the meat of nuts), two types of salads, and a drink that was a green mixture of kale, pear, and (if I remember correctly) passionfruit juices. Perhaps it wasn't worth the price, but it was memorable.
On a final note tonight, I'll mention that thunder sounds really weird here; I think it echoes off of thousands of buildings or something, but that's merely a conjecture. I can tell you what it sounds like: It sounds like what I imagine a five-ton garbage dumpster dropped off the Chrysler Building sounds like when it hits the ground. How do you like them apples?
Anyway, we got the night off. It's raining, so I've been inside, writing postcards to various family members, and a small selection of friends who seem to value the postcards I've sent in the past. Some are Columbia cards; others I picked up on Saturday at the Met.
I realize that I've neglected to mention that trip, so I'll just say that Mike Borkowski was in town, so Sameer and I took him down to go to the Museum of Natural History, but that was full. Honestly. It was full. So we went to the Met, and had a grand ol' time. My favorite part were the Chinese prints. There was a piece called The Palace of Nine Perfections that I thought was absolutely amazing. On the way back, we stopped for dinner at this kooky little place called Quintessence. We knew going in that it was a vegetarian place, but we were surprised to learn that they served only raw food. I had some interesting nut meatballs (balls made from the meat of nuts), two types of salads, and a drink that was a green mixture of kale, pear, and (if I remember correctly) passionfruit juices. Perhaps it wasn't worth the price, but it was memorable.
On a final note tonight, I'll mention that thunder sounds really weird here; I think it echoes off of thousands of buildings or something, but that's merely a conjecture. I can tell you what it sounds like: It sounds like what I imagine a five-ton garbage dumpster dropped off the Chrysler Building sounds like when it hits the ground. How do you like them apples?
2004-07-26
Bathroom Humor
Of the thirty or forty people on my hall, I know the names of five. These five are my RA, a girl from my studio and her roommate, and two people who live a couple doors down who seem to run on schedules similar to my own. Ben, the only guy in the bunch, and I seem to run on similar morning schedules. He's very often shaving just as I'm getting out of the shower, so we chat for a bit. We were discussing future careers this morning (he's interested in neuroscience), and I told him that I could very easily see myself enjoying my work in architecture. He had a good joke that told me I wasn't alone in my enthusiasm:
A doctor, a lawyer, and an architect were discussing the merits of having a wife or a mistress. The doctor favored having a wife because of the prestige that accompanies a strong marriage and a healthy, growing family. The lawyer knew that everyone already thought he was no good, so he figured that by enjoying the mystery and intrigue of a mistress, he would suffer no loss in image. The architect thought for a moment, and then announced that he would rather have both. The obvious advantage is that he could tell is wife he was with his mistress, tell is mistress he was with his wife, and then go work in his studio.Then again, my money says that this joke is more often told with an engineer filling in for the architect.
Searching 4,285,199,774 Web Pages
Not that it's important, but I noticed today that this site is finally Googleable. You can search for "James Lucas Hepokoski" and find your way here. (Use the quotation marks.)
2004-07-24
Tired, Poor, etc.
I'm going to see the Statue Of Liberty National Monument on 7 August. The statue, which has been closed since 11 September 2001, is opening on 3 August, which coincides nicely with my visit here to New York City. I should be done with all my work by that time, and be able to spend a leisurly morning with my sight-seeing companion, Rachel.
2004-07-23
Site Analysis
My work in the studio has been focusing on a site at the west end of Canal Street, which about three-quarters of the way down the island. I created a comic book-like collage of the site and the surrounding areas to fulfill the first objective of my assignment, and I've worked with Eric Rogers to get a scaled down (but still quite large) version onto the web for your viewing pleasure. You can access it here.
2004-07-21
Feeling Down?
Tom Major, my old schoolmate and fellow Cub Scout, just sent me a link to a rather unique website called group hug. This is an a place for confessions. Its completely anonymous (the entries are given only a random number), and apparently poplular. Many of the entries are of a sexual nature, so it's definitely for a mature audience. It's an interesting idea, and the "public moderation" is a very clever method of easy quality control. Some confessions are humorous, but really this site is marked by a deep melancholy.
2004-07-18
Many Meetings
Yesterday afternoon, I walked out of Avery Hall with an architecture student from a different studio. We both felt the other looked familiar, although he was more certain that I was. After talking for a moment, we discovered that we were both UW-Madison students. Discussing the campus and life in the Madtown, we found that not only did we go to the same school, but we had lived in the same dorm. Needless to say, we were both quite surprised.
Today, I had a more intentional run-in with a different Langdonite. Rachel, who is in the city to work for ABC, also works at a Starbucks on the Upper East Side. I headed over there and ate my breakfast while she concocted various overpriced drinks for the wealth residents of that area. I greatly enjoyed seeing her again, if only for a short while. The most interesting part of the visit, however, was my random encounter with someone from Great Barrington. She wasn't a Simon's Rock alumna, but had gone to the boarding school in town (in the days before the school catered to troubled students).
To be efficient, I made a stop at the near-by FedEx Kinko's before breakfast. It was pretty empty in there, but the one other customer kept the employee's hands full. Some middle-aged woman was trying to do some tricky double-sided, collated, stapled packets, and was unsurprisingly having difficulties. She yelled a lot, and demanded her few cents back every time she failed to get it right, which was every two or three minutes. The guy trying to help her was very patient, and when he came over to input a password at my Sony PictureStation, I learned that he was recently from Guam, and had to deal with rich, snotty women like her on a daily basis. When I went up to pay for my photos, the woman was screaming that one side was blank, and it wasn't stapling. I cheered up the staff a bit by complaining that my photos were also blank on one side and unstapled. The woman, thankfully, was too absorbed in her own problems to hear.
Today, I had a more intentional run-in with a different Langdonite. Rachel, who is in the city to work for ABC, also works at a Starbucks on the Upper East Side. I headed over there and ate my breakfast while she concocted various overpriced drinks for the wealth residents of that area. I greatly enjoyed seeing her again, if only for a short while. The most interesting part of the visit, however, was my random encounter with someone from Great Barrington. She wasn't a Simon's Rock alumna, but had gone to the boarding school in town (in the days before the school catered to troubled students).
To be efficient, I made a stop at the near-by FedEx Kinko's before breakfast. It was pretty empty in there, but the one other customer kept the employee's hands full. Some middle-aged woman was trying to do some tricky double-sided, collated, stapled packets, and was unsurprisingly having difficulties. She yelled a lot, and demanded her few cents back every time she failed to get it right, which was every two or three minutes. The guy trying to help her was very patient, and when he came over to input a password at my Sony PictureStation, I learned that he was recently from Guam, and had to deal with rich, snotty women like her on a daily basis. When I went up to pay for my photos, the woman was screaming that one side was blank, and it wasn't stapling. I cheered up the staff a bit by complaining that my photos were also blank on one side and unstapled. The woman, thankfully, was too absorbed in her own problems to hear.
2004-07-16
Intriguing Product
I think it's time to add a new Intriguing Product to the site, and I happened to stumble onto a good candidate just minutes ago. I'm listening to the Al Franken Show, and today Al talked via telephone to conservative fans of barbecue. It's a bit he's done before, and its a good one since the barbecue is something the Al and the callers can agree on, smoothing out their political differences. Al argues well, but certainly lets the callers have their say. But I digress. The product. Yes.
The second Intriguing Product is Big Bob Gibson's Bar-B-Q, the Alabama restaurant and creator of award-winning sauces.
The second Intriguing Product is Big Bob Gibson's Bar-B-Q, the Alabama restaurant and creator of award-winning sauces.
Garbage in New York
I've been riding the subway with some frequency, and I've been reading Jane Austen's Persuasion to pass the time. Some people show some level of interest or recognition in my book, but most don't have any idea what it is or don't even look, which is fine. I'm in the minority with a real book; most of the readers have a daily publication with them. When I arrived here, I expected to see a flood of The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, but I was mistaken. What's the most frequently seen publication on the 1 train? I regret to say it's the New York Post. Our populace prefers complete rubbish to actual news. It's rather disappointing, if not surprising.
2004-07-12
Whatever A Spider Can
Seen Spider-Man 2 yet? Doesn't really matter, but this fun little video does contain some rather basic spoilers to the plot. Probably nothing worse than the trailer shows.
2004-07-10
Reader Response: Follow-Up
After our reader awoke, presumably feeling more sober, he was kind enough to respond:
[Reader]: haha, yeah; sorry man, I guess I just didn't understand whether you were making a statement or whatnot
Auto response from JLHep: I'm headed down to the central part of town.
[Reader]: I just didn't understand it at any point of the day when I read it
[Reader]: but haha, sorry about that man, didn't mean to freak out on you or anything
[Reader]: but keep on rockin' in the free world...and by that I mean putting whatever you want in your profile
[Reader]: and by the way, speaking of neil young's "keep on rockin' in the free world", although I may disagree with it, is a calculated and intelligently crafted criticism of the first bush administration
[Reader]: much like most of his criticisms of republican administration's; they at least make you think and are well layed out
[Reader]: sorry to ramble, but I need some gatorade real bad right now
[Reader]: enjoy manhattan...
Thanks [Reader], I will.
I attempted to add this as a comment to the previous post, but I haven't gotten the commenting functions working well enough for something this sophisticated. I may move it once I create some better code for that area.
[Reader]: haha, yeah; sorry man, I guess I just didn't understand whether you were making a statement or whatnot
Auto response from JLHep: I'm headed down to the central part of town.
[Reader]: I just didn't understand it at any point of the day when I read it
[Reader]: but haha, sorry about that man, didn't mean to freak out on you or anything
[Reader]: but keep on rockin' in the free world...and by that I mean putting whatever you want in your profile
[Reader]: and by the way, speaking of neil young's "keep on rockin' in the free world", although I may disagree with it, is a calculated and intelligently crafted criticism of the first bush administration
[Reader]: much like most of his criticisms of republican administration's; they at least make you think and are well layed out
[Reader]: sorry to ramble, but I need some gatorade real bad right now
[Reader]: enjoy manhattan...
Thanks [Reader], I will.
I attempted to add this as a comment to the previous post, but I haven't gotten the commenting functions working well enough for something this sophisticated. I may move it once I create some better code for that area.
Reader Response: Outsourced
This morning, a disgruntled reader of my AIM personal profile wrote to me regarding the same paragraph that was posted under the headline "Outsourced" a few days ago. I'll change his name so I don't feel obligated to get his permission to post this here. This is from an AIM conversation written at about 03:41 am, reader's local time:
[Reader]: that thing you have between catholic priests and outsourcing...doesn't make sense
Auto response from JLHep: Sleeping between new sheets.
[Reader]: you might want to find some anti-cathl.]]\\
[Reader]: sorry, I'm drunk
[Reader]: you might want to find some anti-catholic/liberal propaganda that actually makes sense and makes people think...not just token liberal bullshit that doesn't really make any sense
[Reader]: and yes, I'm sober enough, so don't worry, I do want to hear your response to this...so hit me back when you're on next. night
[Reader]: serious, I'll talk to you later
[Reader]: gotta love the Pope
I wasn't trying to make a statement with this. I just thought it was a funny bit of news, since there's been a lot of to-do about tech jobs going to India. It's more of a "what's next?" issue than a rip on the Catholic church. I don't know what you mean when you say that the article "doesn't make sense," but do I agree that the outsourcing of praryers is a pretty poor reason to dislike the Catholic Church. (I maintain better reasons exist, but I don't think its pertainant to the argument.) Furthermore, I think it's silly to purport that Anti-Catholic propaganda is the same as "Liberal" propaganda, when the only Catholic president was a "liberal" president, and the current Democratic candidate for president is a Catholic.
[Reader]: that thing you have between catholic priests and outsourcing...doesn't make sense
Auto response from JLHep: Sleeping between new sheets.
[Reader]: you might want to find some anti-cathl.]]\\
[Reader]: sorry, I'm drunk
[Reader]: you might want to find some anti-catholic/liberal propaganda that actually makes sense and makes people think...not just token liberal bullshit that doesn't really make any sense
[Reader]: and yes, I'm sober enough, so don't worry, I do want to hear your response to this...so hit me back when you're on next. night
[Reader]: serious, I'll talk to you later
[Reader]: gotta love the Pope
I wasn't trying to make a statement with this. I just thought it was a funny bit of news, since there's been a lot of to-do about tech jobs going to India. It's more of a "what's next?" issue than a rip on the Catholic church. I don't know what you mean when you say that the article "doesn't make sense," but do I agree that the outsourcing of praryers is a pretty poor reason to dislike the Catholic Church. (I maintain better reasons exist, but I don't think its pertainant to the argument.) Furthermore, I think it's silly to purport that Anti-Catholic propaganda is the same as "Liberal" propaganda, when the only Catholic president was a "liberal" president, and the current Democratic candidate for president is a Catholic.
2004-07-08
Jugo de Coco
I'm getting home just past eleven. It was a long day of class, followed by a quick trip to the store for ramen and coconut juice. Since I'm tired and not feeling creative, I will entertain you with the list of ingrediants in this 80% fruit juice concoction.
young coconut juice
water
sugar
young coconut pulp
citric acid (E330)
potassium metabisulphite (E224)
It's a product of Thailand, manufactured by Thai Agri Foods Public Company Limited. Strangly, the only other language besides English on the can is Spanish. I don't get it. Maybe it'll make more sense in the morning.
young coconut juice
water
sugar
young coconut pulp
citric acid (E330)
potassium metabisulphite (E224)
It's a product of Thailand, manufactured by Thai Agri Foods Public Company Limited. Strangly, the only other language besides English on the can is Spanish. I don't get it. Maybe it'll make more sense in the morning.
2004-07-07
Shanghaied
I had my first day of classes yesterday, and it was a rather full day! To make a long story short, I found myself in Chinatown by dinner time, researching a 40-foot segment of Canal Street. Since I was in the area with another classmate and more experienced New Yorker (named Alex), we dropped into a local restaurant for dinner. Joe's Shanghai at 9 Pell Street is one of four locations, and I suspect the original. It was good Chinese cuisine, but their "soup dumplings" were really their signature dish. Instead of serving dumplings in soup, they served the soup in the dumplings. Their menu purports that they have an official website at www.joeshangai.com, but I found nothing there. In searching, I came across a brief review in The New York Times.
2004-07-06
Outsourced
Fresh from Chuck Shepard's News of the Weird:
The New York Times reported in June that overworked Catholic clergy in the U.S., Canada and Europe are outsourcing certain ritual prayer requests from their parishioners over to Catholic clergy in India. Priests said such a practice is not new, but that a priest shortage might have caused a bump in numbers. Indian priests said the requests are typically accompanied by US$5 to $10 (much more than they are offered for domestic prayers). [New York Times, 6-13-04]
The New York Times reported in June that overworked Catholic clergy in the U.S., Canada and Europe are outsourcing certain ritual prayer requests from their parishioners over to Catholic clergy in India. Priests said such a practice is not new, but that a priest shortage might have caused a bump in numbers. Indian priests said the requests are typically accompanied by US$5 to $10 (much more than they are offered for domestic prayers). [New York Times, 6-13-04]
New Design
Well, I think the 2.0 version is sufficiently functional to be implemented here. There's still a lot or work to be done, but it'll be easier to work on it while I can see the BloggerTags in affect. Sorry if things are bad for a couple of weeks. If you have any design comments, let me hear them.
2004-07-05
Midnight
For dinner, I ate a slice of New York style pizza that was nearly half a meter long. Then I traveled with fellow Rocker Mike Carter and a new friend named Peter to the east side of the island for a fantastic display of fireworks. Two trains and one blue Gatorade later, I'm back at Broadway for my first night in my new bed.
2004-07-04
New York City!
Today is my first full day in the Big Apple. I'm just getting moved in. I arrived yesterday and stayed in Sameer's room on a lower floor in the same building. I still don't have a key card for the dorm, so leaving is mildly risky, but an RA walked me to John Jay (Marget's home last year), and word is that cards are on the way. More info coming soon. A whole new look to this site hopefully coming soon after.
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