Jeff Stuart - Memoirs of a CPUNERD

With such a wonderful restaurant as Buckhorn’s Steakhouse in Winters, I figured that the downtown area would also be very nice. Turns out I was wrong. I should have guessed that though. In the two years I’ve been in Davis, the only two things people say about Winters is that it’s a good biking destination and that Buckhorn is great.

My 1600 meeting was cancelled on Monday as Brian was in Miami. That’s probably for the best, as I’m having problems with mmap = \ Also, the web server I use (bleugris) went down, and thus I spent a lot of time helping my friend out trying to fix it (to no great avail yet).

Seven hours of exercise on Tuesday! Everything included, there was biking, weights, frisbee, gymnastics, football, and two hours of squash. I spent what was left of my free time getting bleugris up and running again. I picked Shakeh up from school, then went to Chipotle and dollar-scoop night at Baskin-Robbinn’s with her.

Bleugris went down Wednesday morning, this time for good… = \ I did some interval training on the bike and worked on my serve in tennis. I was going to go to Matthias and Frederick’s place for a BBQ, but I had a lot of work. So instead, Shakeh and I just grabbed something from the Farmer’s Market and then a Dessert Crepe from Crepeville.

I played Coach Clink again in squash. I won again, but this time he managed to steal a game from me. We won our second IM math 3-nil. We were hoping for 7-nil, since a different team is already 2-0 with an 11-nil point count. After the match I went home and then to Salsa with Shakeh. We learned the cross-body lead and a shine step. We hit up Dos Coyotes for dinner, then I dropped Shakeh off and headed to the hallowed halls of Pacifico C for an after party with everyone.

On Friday, Shakeh and I saw Elizabeth 2 (nowhere near as good as the first), then proceeded to the train station for the alumni pep-rally. We got free pizza, watched the band, cheerleaders, and dance team perform, then we followed the crowd to the bonfire. We walked all the way from downtown to the stadium for the fire. Luckily it was worth it. The rest of the rally was pretty lame, but the bonfire was HUGE and fun to watch. After the bonfire, we walked back to downtown, stopping at Sophia’s for some food. We got there about ten minutes before their kitchen closed, so we politely ordered as fast as possible and tried to finish quickly.

Shakeh and I went to Farmer’s Kitchen Cafe for dinner. The food was a little oily, but still good. We went back to Shakeh’s place afterwards and got dressed. The first place we went was to the I-House party. We got there around 2100, and while there were a lot of people there, it was kinda bleh. We took off from there shortly thereafter and met up with Javi and Daniel at Starbucks, then headed to Anita’s. We took some pictures at her place, then left for the party on Pole Line. we arrived there around 2330. Shakeh and I received a ton of comments and compliments on our costumes. There were a lot of other good costumes as well. Emma, Ita, and Alex dressed up in an “Alex” in Wonderland theme. Bill was a giant banana. David was Zorro. Oh oh oh, Matthias was Chuck Norris! Anyways, we hung around the party for awhile, then left with Miles at 0100.

On Sunday, we went to Winters for lunch and then to roam around the downtown area. It would turn out though, that the downtown area was exactly one SIDE of one city block. So after half an hour, we went home.

Physical competition is so odd. It’s strange how one person can completely dominate another, then how roles can be reversed in less than a year. The coach in charge of Fall racquetball is still in really good shape. He also happens to be great at racquetball and squash. With all the playing I did though, I finally managed to turn the tide and steal a full match from him. I actually shut him out, which was even more shocking. And this turn-around happened in less than a year, how odd.

On Thursday, Coach Clink gave ma a significantly more challenging match than any match I’ve had recently. At 1800, we had our first IM football match (I’ve been instructed that it is not soccer, it’s football. Being as American football came after football, I’m fine with that). I’m the only American on the team, and thus our team is excellent. There’s a bunch of British guys, a Dutch guy, an Indian, a Georgian, an Italian, and four Chileans. Oh, and we apparently have a huge fan club, huzzah! After the match, I went home and showered, then went to Salsa. shakeh wasn’t feeling well, so she stayed home.

Shakeh and I went to El Mariachi for lunch on Friday, then saw “We Own the Night.” The movie was entertaining, though a bit too epic to maintain my interest. I went home afterward for a few hours, then met up with Abhi and some others at Steve’s Pizza until 2200.

I worked all of Saturday morning. When noon came around, I ran to Pizza Guys and picked up some food, as well as some drinks from the store right next to it. I brought the stuff over to Leslie’s place and watched the Rugby World-Cup final. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Anyone who says that American football has harder hits than rugby is just wrong, blind, stupid, or a combination of the three. After the match, we screwed around for a bit, then I gave Ken, David, and Martyn a ride back home. I went home and worked for a bit before Shakeh and I went to dinner and then back to my place to watch Elizabeth.

My parents came to Davis on Sunday morning to trade cars back. We all went to Crepeville for breakfast, then Shakeh and I went to Arden Fair Mall for a few hours. We didn’t end up getting anything, though we did come up with a few ideas for Halloween costumes.

Seriously, they are evil! The international agency in charge of cycling already illegalized them (somehow the speed record for a bike is from a recumbent bike). For someone who rides a traditional racing/road-bike, the muscles being recruited for a recumbent aren’t very strong. I was so winded after riding a recumbent exercise bike that I could barely move the rest of the day.

On Monday, I rushed home from school to get a shower in time, then headed for the MU for a quick bite to eat. I dropped my racquet off at Volley’s to get restrung before going back for my second meeting. After the meeting, I worked with Brian until 1745, then went to the MU and played pool with Bill, Javi, Francisco, and Miles. After pool, Ophelie, Bill, Javi, and I went to Crepeville for dinner. Verena showed up a little late, but couldn’t stay long as she was on her way to the library. D drove Bill and Ophelie home, then went to Shakeh’s for half an hour or so.

I tried one of the recumbant exercise bikes on Tuesday. It sucked. I think it’s because it uses different parts of the same muscles, so perhaps I wasn’t quite as capable. I ran into Lindsay for lunch, then went with a bunch of people to the stadium to get a ticket for the Cal-Poly game. We also got our free UCD shirts while there.

Tennis was rained out on Wednesday, so getting my racquet restrung so urgently turned out to be unnecessary. In the afternoon, I met with John and we talked about my research plans. The conversation helped a lot. I was uncertain as to what courses of action could be taken to actually advance

I went to Pluto’s on Thursday for dinner. Afterwards, Shakeh and I headed to Dan Coming’s place for his goodbye party. We stayed there for an hour or so, then went to our first Salsa lesson. The lesson was a lot of fun, though it was packed! On the wa home, we grabbed a blizzard and enjoyed some decadent sugar and fat. Mmmmm blizzzzzzzzzzzzard. = )

I had the wonderful pleasure of getting my teeth cleaned on Friday. My teeth were actually in good condition! Anyone who gets their teeth cleaned regularly is familiar with a rinse that adheres to plaque and tartar, thus allowing the hygienist to pinpoint spots to be cleaned. When I used that rinse, my teeth were good in all but two incredibly minuscule places. To celebrate, I went out to lunch at Zia’s. Shakeh and I put our mudflaps on our bikes (well, I put them on, she assisted), and then I also went and bought new tires for my bike. I met up with Miles and Charlotte for the volleyball game and Aggie Jam around 1900. The match was entertaining, though disheartening as UC Davis was up 2-0 and lost 2-3. We tried to stay for the entire Aggie Jam, but the pre-show was so lame that we just left. Miles, Javi, Charlotte, and I stopped by Woodstock’s on the way home for some slices, then headed back to my place. Everyone else (the German’s and a few more) showed up a little later (except Abhi and Sebastian). We ended up watching Harold and Kumar go to Whitecastle.

Saturday morning, I met up with Abhi at the Farmer’s Market for breakfast. We wandered around, checked out the Clif Bar 2-Mile Challenge. I headed to the stadium for the American football game vs. Cal-Poly a little after noon. The new stadium looked really nice, though I was puzzled as to how it could possibly be enlarged to have thirty-thousand fixed seats. After ten minutes of the game, the score was 0-14. I was ready to leave then, but decided to stick it out until the end of the half. It was a good idea since the score progressed 0-21, 7-21, 14-21, 14-28, 21-28, 21-35. However, I did indeed leave at half time, and when I read later that the final score was 28-63 or something like that, I was happy with my decision. I went home and worked for a while, then went to the grocery store, began cooking, and didn’t finish until 1915. I wrapped everything up, cleaned up the kitchen, and when Miles got in, we took off to go pick up Charlotte and Javi. We got to Anita’s around 2000. All of the food was great! There was a really good variety as well. After dinner and some drinks, we watched a few episodes of The Family Guy, and we also watched the movie.

Sunday was a lazy day indeed. I didn’t do much of anything. Shakeh got back into town, so after she got done with all her unpacking and such, we went back to my place. She studied while I worked and watched the Nevada-Boise St. American football game. The game itself was really exciting, especially for a Nevada fan who got to see the team come thisclose to beating Boise St. on the smurf-turf, something that had never been done.

Yes yes, I’m officially on the wrong side of my twenties. Luckily, my friends were more than willing to console me. Do you ever wonder why people get so worked up over arbitrary birthdays? There are some momentous birthdays, like sixteen (get your driver’s license), eighteen (go out and vote you damn punk!), twenty (no longer a crappy teenager!), and twenty-one (enjoy alcohol legally within the U.S.). But after that, everyone gets all worked up over their twenty-fifth birthday, their thirtieth, fourtieth, and so on. it’s obvious to everyone that you didn’t suddenly age an entire when you transitioned from twenty-four and three-hundred and sixty-four days to twenty-five. No, you simply aged a day, yet the mark that you have been alive for a quarter century is just depressing for some (me quasi-included).

After my PE classes on Monday, I scrambled to get to the MU for lunch, then I went to my group meeting. I spent the vast majority of my day responding to the massive amount of “Happy Birthday” wishes I got (thanks again everyone!). Shakeh came over to my place for dinner. We ended up watching the first episode of the new season, and then most of Team America before going to sleep.

Tuesday marked my first real day of sports classes for the quarter. I went to lunch at the MU (this will be a recurring theme, be warned), then went home and worked. I went to Wal-Mart with Charlotte to return Paulo (he decided to give out on her and blow a gasket). We headed back to Davis to pick up Miles and Sebastian and drop Charlotte off, then the three guys headed to REI. We shopped around for an hour or so, but it wasn’t enough time to make the commitment involved in buying several hundred dollars worth of outdoor clothes. After that, we went back to Davis and grabbed dinner at Bistro 33 from 2130-2230. After dinner, I went to Shakeh’s for a few minutes before I ended my night.

I think the Experimental College needs an online registration system. After lunch at the MU, Shakeh and I went to the Experimental College to register for Salsa, but it was all sold out. And why didn’t I register earlier you ask? Because there wasn’t any online registration and I couldn’t make it to the office on the previous days.

Thursday was a blast. More than twenty of us went to dinner at Crepeville for my birthday. The crowd was almost entirely internationals, but there were a few CS people (Justin included) who showed, as well as some non-exchange internationals. Cider-man and Chief Justice even made it down. Verena and Shakeh brought party favors (e.g. hats, and the cakes). After Crepeville, most everyone went to Delta of Venus. Shakeh and I stayed for an hour and a half, then went home.

Friday afternoon, Shakeh and I went to go see Across the Universe. It was actually a very good movie. I don’t really like The Beatles that much, but the music selection was good. I also really liked how the music was performed by the actors, or should I say the acting was performed by the musicians. It was all very well done, and the story lent itself well to expression through song. After the movie, we hung out at Shakeh’s for an hour or so, then went to Thai Nakorn for dinner. It was pretty darn good. I hadn’t eaten there in almost a year. After dinner, we went to Ciocolat for dessert. I think it was a bad idea, since I was already full from dinner… Oh well.

I took Shakeh to Konditorei for breakfast on Saturday. Afterwards, I went back home and spent three hours rearranging my closet and messing around with youtube playlists. We decided to go to Arden for the afternoon, so we stopped over at California Pizza Kitchen for a late lunch (’round 1400). We shopped around Arden for a few hours, then on the way back, got stuck in traffic for an hour. We didn’t make it back to my place until 2000. I dropped Shakeh off at her place, and we both got ready for the Club-I Dance. I blame the relative failure (sorry Ish, I know you tried = ( …. ) on the fact that the dance couldn’t go past 2300, and Club-I was not allowed to sell alcohol. The dance was still entertaining though. During the middle, Shakeh and I drove Ish and her best-friend Calli back to Ish’s place to go pick something up. There are few things funnier than absolutely smashed twenty-year old girls. Calli couldn’t help but mention certain things about her anatomy that are better left out to maintain a PG rating. After the dance, Shakeh, Verena, Lee, Javi, and I met up with Giovanni, Victor, Claudia, and a few of the G-Man’s friends at Soga’s. There were actually people dancing there…

Sunday morning, Shakeh and I went to Posh Bagel and Staruhbuckuhsuh for breakfast. I worked for a a few hours, then got ready and went Thai 2K for dinner. After that, Shakeh and I went to go see a performance by a group of Shaolin monks at the Mondavi Center. The performance was awesome! The Kung-Fu moves were extremely impressive. There were funny parts thrown in as well, like whenever the monks got audience participation. Some of the acts we were able to see included a balancing act done on two spear points against a guys jaw and his stomach, eight year old monks-in-training doing forward rolls on their necks, audience members trying to take out a vase that was held against a monk’s stomach solely by his clenched abs (they failed, by the way), and many, many more cool things.