What? No lox?

osouji @ 2007-11-13T19:15:00

2007-11-14T01:17:12Z

Wow, pandora is so much better than lastfm.

Thoughts?

Hello Livejournal

2007-11-02T23:52:38Z

Hello all/liverjounal. It feels quite long since I have written to you.

I am a very busy guy, and I do these things:

1. Conservation Genetics. I am an intern at the Nature Museum in Lincoln Park. We are working on re-establishing a couple populations of endangered/threatened midwestern butterfly. My work in particular is in population genetics. We test populations for heterozygosity (read: diversity), to make sure that after release into the wild they are 'healthy' so-to-speak, i.e. not inbreeding, but growing and maintaining genetic diversity. Genetic diversity is necessary to provide them the raw material for adaptation and survival, should they require it.

I also have been helping around the lab and with education. This means feeding and taking care of all sorts of critters (mostly bugs), and helping out the volunteer staff with animal demonstrations/presentations.

2. Sling Coffee. I have a coffee job, which seems essential at the moment to make ends meet. I work at this god-awful place, Transitions Bookplace. It is a self-help, new age bookstore filled with feel-goodery for yuppies with too much money and no meaning in their lives. It is very entertaining. We serve Intelligentsia, which tends to be tasty. Most days I spend watching the people in the Qi-Gong Healing Circle put on their Magic Invisible Qi Helmets or listen to Ambient Adult Spiritual Compilations #1,#2 and often #3, sometimes featuring arcane chanting.

3. Teach English. I (on a volunteer basis) teach English once a week at Christopher House. Christopher House provides full family services, after school programs, adult and youth ESL, day care, etc. on a sliding scale, specializing in underprivileged families. In December, I am leading a workshop in English phonetics to the teaching staff. My class is composed of mostly Spanish speakers, one Portuguese speaker, one Chinese speaker and one Arabic speaker. When I explain nuances of grammar, I like to use analogs in native languages, and as such, I can often be found 5-way interpreting/translating between all of these.

4. Teach Arabic. I have one tutelee in beginner's spoken Arabic Monday afternoons. Not much else to say about that.

5. Meet-Ups!. I am a member of the Chicago area Arabic Language and Culture Meet Up group. We get together and chat in Arabic/English about whatever at a hookah place. I found them on Meetup.

6. Bicycle. My bicycle (Huffy road bike) is my main mode of transportation throughout the city. I had a semi-bad accident my first month here, now I've pretty much passed the hazing test and can be seen burning rubber all over town. My 'commute' to the museum every day is about 8 mi (4 mi each way).

7. Logan Square. Finally, I reside along a lovely tree-lined boulevard (Kedzie Blvd.) in Logan Square on Chicago's northwest side. I live with 3 craigslisters, a cat (Fiesta!), two chihuahuas, a gecko, a tarantula, and currently lots of Halloween decorations. My rent is the low low price of $425/mo (my friends on the south side pay less, of course). I don't go out very often as I am being rather frugal, but I can be seen on occasion sipping whiskey a number of places around town.

That's all. Until next time!

osouji @ 2007-08-15T10:16:00

2007-08-15T15:19:17Z

So, I live in Chicago now.

Hello!

Also, I'm still looking for quality science work. That's fine. In the meanwhile I got a job slinging coffee. And I'm looking for some more jobs/volunteer opportunities. I'm thinking about maybe branching into non-profit stuff. At least here opportunities abound.

But speaking of jobs, an art gallery wants an assistant who knows their way around Photoshop and is generally good at typing, spelling and grammer .

Come on - really? You can't do that. You can't incorrectly spell grammar and then insist on spelling in the same phrase. I guess that's why they need an assistant who's good with those things.

Administrative Error

2007-07-20T23:20:53Z

So I have a job interview scheduled for Monday.

That's all great and what not. Actually, this job is kinda pivotal and is my only thing going at the moment.

And today I just got the rejection letter...

So I e-mailed the appropriate faculty member at UofChicago, who then informed me that it was "presumably some administrative confusion."

Well at least I don't want to kill myself anymore. I wonder how many rejection letters get sent out "by accident"? That's a little discouraging.

Anyway, I still might have a job.

Pickles Food and Fun

2007-07-17T16:59:33Z

Once staple Pickles Food and Fun becomes..

OPA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Papa George Authentic Greek Food

with this new menu.

osouji @ 2007-07-05T16:57:00

2007-07-05T21:58:08Z

Last night I had a dream that static cling in my laundry generated such a charge, that when I pulled two pieces of clothing apart I got thrown across a room.

I think I might be stressed out.

osouji @ 2007-07-05T11:03:00

2007-07-05T16:04:23Z

Wow, okcupid is actually pretty neat.

Transformers

2007-07-03T20:54:37Z

So, I saw the new Transformers movie today. I found it to be a pretty decent action movie, but definitely lacking in story and overall writing (compared to the original animated movie). There are some terrible philosophizing lines about the nature of humanity that Optimus Prime narrates towards the end that kinda ruin the otherwise goodness of the film. I really can't stand when that happens (the philosophizing at the end of Stranger Than Fiction kinda gave me a bad taste in my mouth, say).

The original animated movie is still a pretty awesome movie - just from strict aesthetics as well as personal nostalgia. I would actually like to see a new animated movie. But perhaps the Japanese have already made one? (I believe the transformers are alive and well in Japan.)

The effects were really amazing. However, I felt that the Transformers themselves lacked personal development. This movie was all about "people" I guess, and the human characters - whereas the traditional Transformers series focuses on the personalities and stories of both the human and the robotic characters.

Definitely worth a see though, imho.

osouji @ 2007-06-15T10:32:00

2007-06-15T15:33:14Z

omg@Tideland.

I don't know why I put off seeing this movie.

osouji @ 2007-06-04T13:52:00

2007-06-04T18:52:58Z

uhhhhhh

osouji @ 2007-06-02T01:44:00

2007-06-02T06:47:38Z

Annals of the recently brokenhearted:

A brand new track off the years-andstillnotcoming album of gibberish-literock:

Me-You

Enjoy.

osouji @ 2007-06-01T23:46:00

2007-06-02T04:48:40Z

My contact lenses from Spain arrived today.

~20$/6-pack of monthlies.

in America? ~80/6-pack monthlies, only with prescription.

I don't remember how much shipping was. But I did wait about 2 weeks for them to arrive, and it still wouldn't have cost as much because I ordered a whole bunch.

=P

osouji @ 2007-05-30T06:54:00

2007-05-30T11:55:57Z

yesterday i farr off a bicicor and make a hurt knee and say owwee.

today i stirr wirr say owee.

ok bye.

osouji @ 2007-05-25T03:23:00

2007-05-25T08:25:29Z

An acquaintance you barely know obviously hiding themselves from you?

This is the epitome of lame.

Actually, there are probably many worse things.

osouji @ 2007-05-23T21:59:00

2007-05-24T03:00:08Z

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH LOST AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

osouji @ 2007-05-21T06:44:00

2007-05-21T11:45:57Z

Ok, so, like, Boardman's Art Theatre is totally playing Pirates of the Caribbean.

Am I alone in a sentiment of WTF?

أنا مش إلك

2007-04-27T18:35:21Z

شو بتعرفي غير إني بعرف غني؟؟؟

osouji @ 2007-03-12T00:54:00

2007-03-12T05:57:45Z

So this week I quit my job because I hate my boss. Surprise surprise..

The bigger surprise:

He went batty and accused me of stealing money and sent the cops to my house. Not to be egotistical, but since I was the last person who worked there with any sort of skills and did not really pass on necessary film working skills to the new manager - I kinda screwed him over. So he's probably mad at me. Or he will be once the business turns to shit.

After materializing a deposit receipt from the bank, it seems all has been quelled.

But umm......

Anyway, I need a new job. I swear I'm qualified for many different sorts of things. I also don't steal money. I have, however, stolen candy once or twice.

osouji @ 2007-03-03T20:14:00

2007-03-04T02:14:57Z

I might be moving to Madison...

D wants to go to grad school there, and there are more jobs for me (and prospective school). Also, I hear it's a generally pretty cool place to be.

osouji @ 2007-02-21T11:16:00

2007-02-21T17:17:01Z

"Accidents happen all the time ... what makes you think it was murder?"

osouji @ 2007-02-14T10:39:00

2007-02-14T16:40:11Z

Hello new ice age. Who wants to go hunt some wooly mammoth???

osouji @ 2007-01-29T08:16:00

2007-01-29T14:17:13Z

So, this guy on the Home Shopping Network was just talking about some gateway computer and windows vista and he mentioned gateways online support. He called it....

"a bottomless pit of information"

I find that a funny phrase.
That is all.

osouji @ 2007-01-28T17:13:00

2007-01-28T23:24:23Z

Ummm.... I really like Battlestar Galactica. I mean the new series; I've never seen the old series.

Thanks geekwad for the recommendation.

I'm now up to date with it, so if anyone ever says anything esoteric about it again I'm all in that shit.

osouji @ 2007-01-16T10:53:00

2007-01-16T16:55:23Z

I have started a podcast called "Mike's Nugget of Knowledge" at http://www.maspicante.org/mnok/mnok.rss

تلفوني بيرنّ

2007-01-10T02:27:42Z

Hey check it out... a walking Egyptian cellphone.