tccookie

After Dinner Thoughts

2008-07-30T02:54:28Z

I really like our dinner group. I enjoy getting together with friends and having a good meal five nights a week. Sabina, Matthew, Monica, April, Andon, Katie, Jenn, Charla, and Kim (who is no longer with us, may she rest in peace) are all fun, good people, and it's good to be able to associate with them every night.

Tonight was my turn. I made a tuna casserole, boiled carrots, and a fruit bowl. It turned out pretty well. I find hosting dinner group very satisfying. I highly appreciate the feeling of not thinking anything about where dinner will come from and then to show up at someone's apartment and have it prepared. So, I try to do the same myself. It's only once every week and a half or so, so I enjoy preparing good food that I probably wouldn't be preparing nightly if it were just me. It's tremendously satisfying; I don't even mind spending the $30-50 I end up using for each meal. Twice (or thrice, depending) a month when I'm getting so well fed by everyone else? It's a deal.

Today flew by. Work went well this morning. I worked with senior agent Christian. It's fun to work with other people. I'll miss that when I start taking calls alone this Friday. Walmart was the usual 2 1/2 hour experience (thank you city bus!). I didn't get to my scholarship plan or internship resume as I had planned, but I got the gears on my bike adjusted (for free! Thanks Mad Dog Cycles!), and dinner was only 15 minutes late, which I was happy about (I was cutting fruit and vegetables like a fiend! Thank goodness Jenn and Monica offered to help... I hope they don't notice that there are volunteer jobs available every week...).

I'm going to post the recipe for the tuna casserole as a note on Facebook. Enjoy.

Work, Study... Work?

2008-07-26T04:25:34Z

I love my job! I finally have an on-campus job I am completely satisfied with and would be willing to keep until graduation. It's surprisingly gratifying helping people solve their problems over the phone, and, of course, since they're all full-time staff and faculty they are mostly polite and appreciative. There's a fair amount of downtime to do homework and take care of personal business on the clock, and I'm actually using transferable skills and will learn from this work. But, now that I'm here I have the nagging feeling I should be finding something more closely related to what I am studying and what I excel at. But what's there to do? I speak Chinese and, I feel, understand the language and culture to a level that would be beneficial to many people and organizations. I love academic work. I need to pay my way through school. Actually, if the master macro-plan for the summer works out, this won't be a worry...

Jenn's back from Idaho. She was living here when I first moved in, but she moved to Idaho and recently returned and joined our dinner group. She made an interesting observation the other night after dinner. She mentioned how she jam-packed her schedule in Idaho with academic work and social activity. But now that she's back she just wants to relax, and she was surprised that in the last two days she had kept a low profile, opting just to read, watch movies, and work on some other things on her own. Normally a very social person, she was surprised to find that she enjoyed the feeling of not being social and... not wanting to be. I can totally relate to that feeling. It's interesting how this past week I haven't been terribly social, but I've been enjoying myself a lot. I've felt productive, and I feel I use the social interaction I do get more productively--I don't quite know how to explain that. But, it's struck me again recently how much I've changed since serving a mission. Other people might not notice it, but I feel vastly different in a macro-sense than I did two years or so ago. It's nice.

Due to my job, I get a whole host of electronic access privileges on the campus computer system. It's a surprisingly heady feeling. Of course I would never consider actually doing anything improper, but it's fun to think about. One nice thing I had thought of was adding myself to the Blackboard roles of all the classes I want to take this fall but can't register for. It wouldn't technically register me for the class, but it would be easier for a professor to sign the add card, seeing my name already there, and it would just be fun. Oh well.

I love being a student. It blows my mind to think of all the great resources I have access to and saddens me to think that it will end when I graduate. I can attend tons of cultural things that would be prohibitively expensive under other circumstances either for free or very cheap; I have access to a university library meaning I can listen to recordings of virtually any classical music I want for free and legally on my computer, read virtually any publication I can think of for free, most of which are available from my own computer; I can take classes; there are athletic facilities, museums to visit, lots to do; it's easy to socialize and meet people. It's lines of thought like this that I have surprisingly frequently lately and gently push me toward the long and arduous yet probably pleasurable path of professorship.

Awake for the Whole Dark Knight

2008-07-22T05:50:34Z

They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them.
- Proverbs 28:4

The last half of this last week has been exhausting, and I'm questioning the worthwhileness of midnight opening day movie showings.

Last week was my last week at the MTC dining center. It was fun while it lasted, but working over 30 hours last week reminded me why I chose not to keep working there for a summer full-time job. Saturday lunch was my last shift, in the dishroom. The fire alarm went off at one point, and when we came back in we just couldn't keep up, short-staffed as we were. The missionaries were just throwing their trays onto the conveyor belt as though it were some kind of dump, and we had trays sliding around, dishes breaking, food and water everywhere (we always do, but especially this shift). Remarkably, though, I wasn't to frustrated. I was working in the "pit," which is the area where the trays come in off the receiving conveyor belt and carousel where we dispose of the stuff that can't go down the disposal and separate out the glasses for washing. It's a messy job, but you get desensitized to it. I like to pretend it's a game and set little goals for myself like always having at least one rack clear on each column, and I try to hit objectives like seeing if I can clear off a whole column of trays--I reward myself with a Mario "one up" sound (which, don't worry, no one can hear because of the loudness of the dish equipment) and bonus points. That one is clearly Tetris inspired, but there are a few more unique ways of "scoring."

On Wednesday evening, for some reason I agreed to substitute for someone working in the sack line at breakfast the next day, which requires being at work at 6:00 a.m. It was a fun job, hanging out with co-worker Allyn and getting to talk to some Chinese missionaries, two of whom are going to Calgary, and one of whom is leaving tomorrow. I couldn't believe how good their Chinese was, actually. I was quite impressed. Anyway, while it was a fun job, for some reason I hadn't gotten asleep until 1:00 the night before (or that morning, if you want to look at it that way), and we were leaving that night for the midnight showing of Batman! So, I was able to take a couple two hour naps before the movie and so could stay awake for it. After the movie, we got home around 3:45 a.m., so I slept for about an hour then went to work at the bakery for the 5:30 a.m. shift! Whoo-hoo. Suffice it to say, I wasn't the most spritely person this weekend.

Batman was a good movie. It made me think. It was very intense, to the point of disturbing me just a bit. I did not appreciate what I thought was gratuitous violence--off the top of my head I recall Batman dropping someone from the second story fire escape and the Joker pushing a mobster's face into a pencil stuck in a table. I guess it kind of makes a point in characterization and what-not, but I don't appreciate hearing the reactions of those around me to this sort of thing, and it makes me wonder exactly why stuff like that is included, as that motive, to me, is what will drive my classification of "acceptable" or "gratuitous." That sort of thing can be a worthwhile tool for developing important things like character and plot, but if it's just there to give the audience some kind of visceral thrill or reaction, yuck. Gratuitous violence aside, that I found the movie disturbing isn't necessarily a complaint, just an observation. It's definitely worth seeing. I really liked one of the final scenes of the people in the ferry boats. That made me happy.

I start my new job tomorrow.

I'm Back! -- Part II What's Going On Lately

2008-07-14T02:54:01Z

I returned from Canada in March and was in Arizona for about a month and a half. I came to Provo, Utah, to attend spring term at BYU.

During spring term I had a fairly heavy course load with two economics courses, macroeconomics, and intermediate microeconomics, and a group voice class, but I started working in the MTC (Missionary Training Center) cafeteria since I need money and it required very little commitment. Since then I have been hired as a sort of tech support representative for OIT (the Office of Information Technology) on campus. It will be a great job, and I can work 40-hour weeks during the summer so I'll be financially ready for school to start again in the fall. I start a week from tomorrow.

I am lucky to be able to room with Josh and Matt, two of my roommates from freshman year. It's fun. Our other roommates, Andon, Bicheny, and Andrew are great, too.

I'm Back! -- Part I Mission Overview

2008-07-14T02:42:33Z

I am starting a new job a week from tomorrow, so, according to precedent, it's about time for me to start updating my journal again!

My mission in Calgary was an awesome experience. I was assigned as a Chinese-speaking (Mandarin) missionary, so I and the approximately seven other Chinese-speaking missionaries had the primary responsibility of working with Chinese immigrants. I didn't know there were many Chinese people in Calgary. Of course I had known of people who went to Toronto or Vancouver as Chinese-speaking missionaries, but I had never heard of any in Calgary. It turned out that the assignment was relatively new. I was among the beginning of only the second "generation" of Chinese-speaking missionaries in the mission (the Canada Calgary Mission covers a large area from the US-Canada border up north not quite to Red Deer and spans Alberta as well as a sliver of British Columbia), whose Chinese work had begun in 2004. Beginning about that time, large numbers of Chinese, particularly from the northeast of China (where the oilfields are) began emigrating to Calgary hoping to work in the oil industry, usually as engineers, geologists, or other professionals.

Because there were only eight of us Chinese-speaking missionaries at any time (give or take one or two), our areas were huge, typically covering at least a quarter of the city. I served the majority of my mission in southern Calgary, an area that at its largest covered over half the city from the small town of High River (where we periodically had work) up north to the Bow River, encompassing the downtown core. About halfway through my period of service (in 2007, if I remember right) a new area was created out of the northern portion of the South area and the southern portion of the "North" area, but the south area was still the largest.

The southern area was suburban. Most of our work was in a couple "communities" (all of Calgary is split into different communities with their own pseudo-local government associations and geographical boundaries) on the southern end of the city, and when the area included the downtown core, we went up there rarely, only if we got referrals.

For the last period of my service I was in the newer "downtown" area. Even though I had technically covered the region before, it still felt new because I had seldom gone there in the past. We generally could talk to a lot more Chinese people downtown, but through it all we talked to every type of person of every ethnicity and background. Calgary has a surprisingly large immigrant population.

I met many wonderful people in Calgary whom I love dearly. I was there for the founding of the Bow River Branch, Calgary's first Chinese-speaking unit (of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) presided over by President Charles Ngai, and I hope the missionary work there meets continued success.

tccookie @ 2007-09-11T12:39:00

2007-09-11T19:40:52Z

Hi everyone,

I've been transferred, please send correspondence to the mission home at:

Elder Trevor Cook
Canada Calgary Mission
7044 Farrell Rd SE
Calgary, AB T2H 0T2

Thanks

Letters

2007-03-07T20:11:24Z

Hi everyone,

My address is:

Elder Trevor Cook
Canada Calgary Mission
7044 Farrell Rd SE
Calgary, AB T2H 0T2
Canada

My return date is end of Feb 2008. See you then!

How to reach me

2006-06-28T17:34:00Z

Trevor is serving a two year mission in Calgary Canada, Chinese speaking, and will return home in March 2008. You can email him at TCCookie@myldsmail.net. He will have to respond by snail mail. His mailing address is:

9-432 Sabrina Rd SW
Calgary AB T2W 2M2
Canada

Address change at MTC

2006-03-17T05:02:20Z

My MTC address is:

MTC Mailbox #235
CAN-CAL 0523
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604-1793

Oh, China!

2006-03-07T04:27:25Z

I just ran across the most awesome blog ever about China by an American working in China for a Japanese newspaper... and you know how many blogs about China by Americans working in China for Japanese newspapers there are!

Check it out!

http://lalaoshi.livejournal.com

It will really give you a good realistic view of what China is like, and it is funny as heck!

Dinner and a Movie

2006-03-06T04:11:55Z

Last night at Aubrey's house her DVD player died. Now, I love DVDs: the better sound, higher resolution, better picture. In fact, if I have a choice between one movie I really like on VHS and one I like a little less on DVD, I'll often go with the one I like less just so as not to watch a VHS. As much as I like DVD players, though, there's one area that VCRs, thanks to their more mechanical nature, beat out DVD players: malfunction.

When your VCR dies, you know it. Not only will it not play your tape, but it will make awful noises and chew up your tape. The problem lies clearly with the player, not the cassette, not you.

Contrast that to silent death of a DVD player. First, discs start not being read, but you attribute this to dirty discs or coincidence, because it happens infrequently and always works after a couple tries. Finally, it refuses to read a disc, but you don't know it's the machine doing the refusing. After switching it off and on, maybe checking connections, and testing other discs, you can finally conclude that the problem probably lies with the machine.

Anyway, in real news... today was my last Sunday in my home ward. After church, I went to the Richters' house and received two free pairs of nice shoes from Brother Richter. Apparently, he frequently buys up certain shoes from the Nordstrom Rack and gives them away to departing missionaries. I thought that was really cool, but I always feel just a little uncomfortable accepting free things like that. Ah well, the shoes I got are very comfortable.

The extended family came over for our extended family night, which this year has evolved into a big dinner production. It was fun, but those grandkids are so many and hyper and loud! It's kind of crazy. Dinner was amazing, though, and it was fun to see all my relatives one last time.

I emailed my mission addresses to everyone I thought would care. If you didn't receive it, simply ask for it from someone who did receive it, or from me. There's a good chance I do not have an up-to-date email address from you if you didn't get it (Ian!). I'd tell you to send me an update to add to my address book, but I won't be using my address book for a while, so I'm not going to worry about it.

Sorry about not having quotes lately. I've really enjoyed that journal tradition. Lately I've been hearing and reading tons of great lines, but I haven't been bothering writing them down in my quotes file. They will, naturally, resume on my return.

© 2006 Trevor Cook
All Rights Reserved

Last Minute Concerns

2006-03-04T05:59:46Z

"I wish to pass away on Good Friday so that I may rise with my Lord on Easter Morning."
- Handel, upon realization that his mortal life was coming to a close.

Well, I am in Arizona for only four more full days. I still have tons to do to get ready before I leave, but somehow I find it really hard to motivate myself to do what needs to be done. It strikes me most strangely, almost as strangely as my apparent lack of excitement at finally going on a mission. Thankfully, today I felt increases in both my motivation and excitement, and I only expect it to go up.

Last Sunday, as I said then, "Ian showed me who my true friends... is" when he came to my farewell church meeting. The Bienz's came, too, which was fantastic. They are such a wonderful family, and it was so fun to see them and feel their moral support. I don't blame more people for not coming; I really wasn't expecting many to come, but it was still kind of disappointing to me that there was such a low turnout of non-relatives. Oh well. I should have invited co-workers!

Thankfully, more of my peers made appearances later that evening at the open house: namely Ian, Aubrey (and her parents :) ), Joe, Jamie Martin, and... Rick Beitman! It was wonderful to see everyone, especially Rick whom I hadn't seen since China.

After the open house, Ian, Joe, and I went to Jamie's house and played some games. It was really fun. I had been wanting to hang out with Jamie for a long time, but I was kind of put off from calling him by the amazing aura of social- and otherwise-busyness he has about him. Apparently, though, this aura is somewhat of an illusion as he informed me in a response to a comment I left in his journal. So, if anyone wants to bask in the presence of Jamie Martin, it's not as difficult as it may seem to gain an audience. ;)

I've never liked it when people make stupid jokes about "not having any friends." I felt pretty close to that way for an unpleasant year or so and I am pretty confident that most people don't know what they're saying when they say that. Thankfully, I don't feel the same way as I did back then now, but due to a combination of not doing anything in my macro-life for such a long time, former friends moving on in their own macro-lives, and current friends actually having macro-lives, I feel like I have no one with whom to do anything social lately. I have just been sitting at home all day, and it is a roll of the die as to whether one of the three people I know and feel comfortable calling will be able to do anything. My ideal last couple weeks before leaving on a mission would involve lots of social activity with those whom I really probably never will (significantly) see again, and I am rather disappointed it's not turned out that way at all. Ah well, such is life. It will be nice to finally be able to move on, serve a good mission, and then stay firmly in Provo for a while and build a new network of social contacts. Bouncing back and forth 不好玩.

Well, I'll probably get in at least one entry before I leave, but in case I don't, I'd like to say a few words directed to everyone I've ever known. Maintaining friendships is almost as much a matter of convenience as anything else. I can think of numerous people with whom I've lost contact (like people from China or school) or with whom I have greatly reduced contact (like my friends from Gilbert) for no other reason, really, than convenience. Sure, interests and tastes change, but I consider these matters of convenience: maybe you still enjoy a friendship with someone as much as you always have, but your interests begin to diverge; you'd still like to do things with the person, it's just difficult to decide on an activity--that's convenience, I'd say.

When it comes to the difficulty of maintaining friendships (at least for me), I have always taken comfort in my particular religious belief of an eternal afterlife in which there will be limitless time to reestablish and maintain old contacts. Even if I never see someone I come to like again, there will always be a chance, sometime later, to reacquaint myself with that person. Well, if you don't believe that, or if a lifetime sounds too long to wait to reestablish contact with me (ha ha), I want everyone to know that I probably still regard you as highly as I did at the time when you thought I regarded you the most. I consider any future contact I receive simply as a continuation of contact already established. Any established relationship, as far as I'm concerned, either will not have to be rebuilt or be rebuilt very shortly. It may be uncomfortable because of intervening time or changed personalities on either side, but these are matters of convenience that can be overcome, at least for a while.

If you have ever been my friend, you always will be.

Concluding note: My email address is my email address for life (though perhaps with a two-year break during the mission--during which time the domain will simply change to "myldsmail.net). If you ever wonder what's happened to or going on with me, send me a letter.

© 2006 Trevor Cook
All Rights Reserved

gasp A Quiz... Thing

2006-02-16T05:05:55Z

Aubrey put this on her journal, and I really like the idea. Per the instructions and six being my lucky number, please choose not five but six characteristics for each "window." Thank you for your participation.

http://kevan.org/johari?name=tccookie

http://kevan.org/nohari?name=tccookie

Results, for my reference:

http://kevan.org/johari?view=tccookie

Another Lame Title

2006-02-14T23:40:05Z

"So often people of different religious persuasions simply talk past one another when they converse on matters religious. They may even use the same words, but they bring a different mindset and an entirely different perspective to the encounter. In other situations we employ a different vocabulary but intend to convey the same message. Misperception and misrepresentation inevitably follow. If there is anything needed in this confused world, it is understanding."

-Robert L. Millet, A Different Jesus? The Christ of the Latter-day Saints, p. 172

Although particularly pertinent to the subject, especially in its context, this quote applies to different values systems as well.

I am getting so sick of work. I thought that after the holiday season, I would be working 20-30 hours a week with three days off a week. As it turns out, we're short seven people: last week I hit overtime, and today I got off at 3p! My getting off at three today was partially due to my just being helpful, but this is getting ridiculous. I have to draw a line somewhere. I have tons of stuff I both need and want to do before I leave on the mission, and as it stands I am getting virtually nothing accomplished. Today I came home, skimmed the paper, fought sleep, and now I'm on the computer while my laundry runs. When this cycle's done, I will sleep through the next, fold the remaining laundry, and then go to sleep. I gave my two weeks' notice, and I want to leave on good terms, but I have got to talk with my manager and set some heavier limits on my availability.

Oh, sorry, all, for that horrid last entry. I would take it down if it weren't my journal policy not to take things down (which I have done only once, temporarily, for a very unique and extremely-unlikely-to-recur reason). I'll edit them, sure, but only cosmetically--I think.

My life lately has been work and sleep, work and sleep, occasionally interspersed with limited social activity. So I close. I could write my thoughts, but who wants to read those?

© 2006 Trevor Cook
All Rights Reserved

Man on a Mission

2006-01-12T02:18:47Z

"We are all here to help others. What I can't figure out is what the
others are here for."
-W.H. Auden

By chance, today, I ran across the blog of someone I met in China last summer. Naturally, the first thing I did was run a search on my name to see what Pat (name changed to protect the innocent--name gender-neutralized to protect me from the annoyance of English's insistence on genderizing pronouns) had written about me.

Two entries surfaced. Unfortunately for my curiosity, both had only very brief mentions about my topic of interest, and both were rather disappointing. One I interpreted as implying that I was kind of inappropriately flighty and ignorant of a certain uncomfortable situation, but it is very possible that I am reading too much into that. In the other, however, Pat explicitly expressed that Pat did not enjoy hanging out with me and another person and noted the desperation that drove her to calling us one night. This kind of hurt, especially considering that Pat was one of my favorite people I met in China, and I wished I could have spent more time with Pat.

Again, I could have misinterpreted Pat's intent in the one entry, and I think Pat strongly associated me with the other person she mentioned because he was another teacher living in my apartment and Pat only ever saw me with him. He is the type of person who can get hard to be around very quickly, and I can understand that this association could have significantly colored her impression of me proper.

The contrast of my immediate reaction to the entries and my conclusions after a moment of reflection intrigued me, especially after I read a line in the first entry about how Pat hoped no one who was with her when the aforementioned situation occurred would ever find out that she had covered a disproportionate share of a high karaoke bill. It strikes me as odd to think of Pat entertaining such a hope immediately before publishing it to the world on a very public, quite easy-to-find (I happened on it by chance) blog. Obviously, Pat wanted to keep a good surface relationship with those around Pat, even if Pat only physically associated with them out of "desperation." And yet, Pat probably thought nothing of posting these thoughts on her very public, omnipresent journal.

I have a theory that many people--namely the young well-to-do and young professionals--are so awash and desensitized to the reality of impersonal communication such as blogs, journals, and IMs that they forget the significance and import they can have to readers. I think of dozens of people I personally know who maintain blogs for no other reason than to sound off about people and events for no other reason than self-gratification. Topics that were once the domain of personal, private conversation now find their way into the internet in forms that were once-reserved for polished and--in reality--highly affected discourse. On one hand, when Pat wrote these entries she desired the privacy that comes with sharing a conversation with a known group of friends. On the other hand, Pat also wanted a public platform, a place where anyone with even a remote interest in Pat or Pat's life could read about either in a more formal setting than a known group of friends.

Well, for better or worse this clash of forum and audience shows no sign of reversing itself, although I'm sure readers and writers alike will and have already long-begun to adjust to the new forums. Still, writers need to be careful and write to their audience as best they can, and readers need to allow writers room to maintain face if they slip a bit.

Wow, forgive me that. I just felt like writing something and want the instant gratification of immediate publication. Actually, I meant this to be about the facades people maintain and how they're not that bad, but of course I launch into my pet rant about how bloggers need to write to an audience. Oh well.

Today was pretty uneventful. I am so ready for work to wind down! It's hardly slowed since the holidays.

Hmm... I was going to announce this in a more grand entry, but if I put it off, it will never get out. I received a mission call a couple weeks ago. I report to the Provo Missionary Training Center on 8 March where I will be instructed on preaching the gospel in Mandarin Chinese, and then I will head off to the Canada Calgary mission. I am excited. Eventually I will get around to posting my address. Oh, farewell talk is 26 February at 8:30a sacrament meeting at the church building on Harris just north of McKellips. If you are reading this, you're invited.

© 2006 Trevor Cook
All Rights Reserved

Today's Lesson

2005-12-29T04:35:40Z

When covering softcover books, ONLY EVER USE GENUINE CONTACT™ BRAND ADHESIVE PAPER!!! All the rest is crap. Don't even try it, unless of course you hate yourself--as I apparently did this evening.

© 2005 Trevor Cook
All Rights Reserved

Untitled

2005-11-28T04:37:53Z

"For many people, change is more threatening than challenging. They see it as the destroyer of what is familiar and comfortable rather than the creator of what is new and exciting."

-Nido Qubein

"Sorry if it seems like I've dropped off the world to you. It's not pleasant for me either" (Entry 1 November 2005). Psh! Obviously not unpleasant enough for me to do anything about it! I'm sorry I have been so whiny and self-absorbed since winter semester. I really have no justification for my behavior.

Today's entry is kind of unconventional. I really actually want to share a personal journal entry, but I don't think it would be appropriate to post it here. If you want to read it, email me. Otherwise, I may send it to you anyway.

Sorry to everyone I've ignored in the past eleven months. These include but are not limited to friends in Gilbert, friends at BYU, friends on missions, friends returned from missions, friends I met in China, extended family members, a number of acquaintances, and anyone else who feels like this apology should apply to him or her (though if you think I don't realize it, you should let me know).

Hope all 读者们 have a great week.

© 2005 Trevor Cook
All Rights Reserved

中文日记!

2005-11-03T06:37:48Z

"I've often eaten dog, although I can't say it's my favourite meat. It has usually been farmed although on one memorable occasion, my wife's grandfather invited the entire extended family to dinner then realised he had no money. So Rover went into the pot!

"It was hilarious watching little cousins weeping and wailing at the demise of the family pet while shoveling bits of said pet into their faces. He was delicious!"

-liuzhou posted 10 August 2005 at

Well, the new Chinese journal has launched! It is under username zwriji (short for 中文日记 zhong1wen2 ri4ji4 - Chinese Journal) on LiveJournal: www.livejournal.com/users/zwriji.

I can't promise it will be as entertaining as today's quote. In fact, I can assure that it's quite boring, but if some one of you enlightened souls wants to check it out ;), it's there for you.

© 2005 Trevor Cook
All Rights Reserved

On Target?

2005-11-02T03:48:27Z

So, the last couple months (since China) haven't really been the highlight of my life--for various reasons. Though they've had their unpleasantries, I've gotten a fair bit accomplished, but I feel I've aged a bit...

I work at Target now, doing night stocking. My hours vary slightly, but usually they are weekdays and Saturday from 3a to about 9 or 10a. Disgusting, I suppose, but they hired me, and it's not so bad.

I was inspired by chenpv to start a Chinese journal. I will start it tomorrow and give the link in my regular journal.

Sorry if it seems like I've dropped off the world to you. It's not pleasant for me either.

© 2005 Trevor Cook
All Rights Reserved

没有课，没有工作，都无聊

2005-09-26T04:46:43Z

"We have no intention of allowing children in pants into the ring."

-Nihon Sumo Kyokai. Sumos split over shorts squabble. BBCNews Online. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4379851.stm . 2 April 2005

The title was my MSN screen name a little while ago, and that basically sums up my recent life. China was AWESOME!!! But it's over now, and I've come home to... well, I've come home. Mission papers are going in soon, so that's a good thing. Otherwise... if you know of a job I could take for as little as two months to which I could reasonably take the bus or ride a bike, do let me know.

Oh, yes! Special thanks to David Hawkins for taking me home from the airport. That was most helpful, and I'm happy to see you live so nearby. I will call you sometime this week to do something.

© 2005 Trevor Cook
All Rights Reserved

Homecoming

2005-08-30T02:02:07Z

Well, as it turns out, my entire family--immediate and extended--will be out of town when I return home from China on 4 September...

So, before I start calling people directly, who wants to bring me home from the airport? I will arrive between 5 and 6 p.m. next Sunday, 4 September. I will pay for gas, or whatever, but, personally, I think being the first person/people to see me after my trip to China would be payment enough. ;)

Please email me if you're available, otherwise I'll start calling...

I love you all.

Picture China

2005-08-12T05:46:23Z

"When infant mortality, homicides, unemployment, education level and incarcerations are taken into account, there are five black men for every ten black women," reckons Debra Dickerson, author of "The End of Blackness: Returning the Souls of Black Folk to Their Rightful Owners". She adds that Condoleezza Rice epitomises the "over-accomplished black woman home alone with her bulging resume."
- "Special Report: Free to Succeed or Fail - Blacks in America. The Economist. 376.8438. 6 Aug 2005. pg. 21.

Well, tons has happened recently, and, true to form, you won't hear about any of it in my journal. When I get back you can sit through the travelogue, but for now I can at least give you some pictures to enjoy.

The view from my bedroom window (17th floor). The picture's a little distorted because I "Photo-stitched" it, but you get the idea.

I kept myself essentially awake for the entire 24 hour (12 hours of flight) travel time, and we got in at 3 in the morning. The next day at 9a, I had an interview. I look surprisingly good considering the circumstances...

Later in the day we had lunch with all the new teachers, and the old, and the office staff (OS). From left to right, starting with the back row we have Mona OS, Aaron, Byron OS, Rick, Jeff; Celeste, Melissa, Jeremy, Seth, Trevor, Crysta OS. Aaron and Melissa, a married couple, and Seth are my roommates. Celeste and Jeremy were roommates, but I'm moving into Celeste's room tomorrow since she left. Rick's ten-month contract just ended, so Jeff is the only "old" teacher staying on.

Here is a picture of some towers from our apartment complex. Neither of these is ours, but they all look the same.

Here is a luscious pollution shot: blue -> gray -> brown

The first touristy thing I did the weekend I arrived was visit the Beijing Botanical Garden with Melissa and Aaron and Celeste:

I teach at a really nice school: New Oriental Elite English Learning Center. Grrr... I wish I could type characters. Xin1dong1fang1 - Jing1ying1 Ying1yu3 Zhong1xin1 I teach many different classes and hence use many different books...

Beijing has a really cool park-- Zhong1hua2 Min2zu2 Gong1yuan2. It's a theme park with little villages representing daily life for each of the fifty-odd Chinese minorities. I'm in the habit of calling it the "minority park" because that's how China has traditionally translated Min2zu2, but of course today's English name is the "Chinese Ethnic Culture Park." Here are some pictures from the place. We only bought tickets to half the park, but I'm glad we did because the place is HUGE. It was really cool, but I recommend going with someone who knows Chinese to get the most out of it. I only knew just enough to be able to know when and where the different song and dance shows would be.

Here I get down with the minorities. Look how fast my foot is moving!

I got lots of cool pictures of the place, but you'll just have to wait for my surprise birthday party--:O--I mean... until I get home to see the rest. ;)

After the minority park we accidentally got totally ripped off on a bike "rickshaw" ride back to the subway. Celeste had to sit on top of Jeremy and me so we could all fit; it was funny. Don't worry about the cost, though, I got a side job to pay for it. Here is a picture of me and an eager customer:

Here is the building where the school I teach at is located, on the 20th floor:

I used to walk down this street to my school every day until I finally figured out the short cut through the stupid she2qu1 behind us.

Here's a night shot taken just down the street from our apartment:

This delicious plate of hui2guo1rou4 cost me just under $1.

Speaking of low prices, I got these babies (purportedly Nike airs) for about $9.24. Oh my goodness, though, I HATE shopping in China...

Here are Steven and Celeste as we walk out to catch a cab to Church:

My first pay-day... too bad it's Monopoly Money. (Can't we all just get along?)

I bought all this snack food for about $3 and ate it all that afternoon. :P

I got bazillions of pictures at the Great Wall at Ba1da2ling(tone?) (supposedly the same place we visited for the band trip), including the infamous "Diva Shots," of which I've included a few here, but you'll have to wait for my party...--until I get home to see them.

How I got off the wall (Oh yeah, and I rode a tram up it):

Diva Preview...

One day I went down to Tiananmen myself and got some fun pictures. This first picture is from an obvious location, the other was taken in Zhong1shan1 park. "Sun Yat-sen" = Sun1 Zhong1Shan1

© 2005 Trevor Cook
All Rights Reserved

CHINA

2005-07-19T01:17:14Z

I apologize for not updating. I was using my temporary inability to produce pictures as an excuse, but now I realize that still may be a day or two away, and too much is happening.

Beijing is very large--very very large. The weather since we've gotten here has been abominable, tropically humid. Normally, as I understand, it's like Salt Lake City--a little hot, but not unbearable. I'm getting used to the humidity, but hopefully it dries out.

I was hired to teach English for a place called New Oriental, at their "Elite Center." The teaching conditions are fantastic: no more than eight students to a class (usually only four or fewer), awesome books, and highly motivated students. I'm not getting paid as much as I could if I were not going through my company who brought me here, but that's why I'm only here for a month, after all. If I decide to come back, I'll know exactly what to do and where to go.

My first class is this afternoon at 3p (12a AZ). I'm very excited, but a little nervous because it is a business English class, and I don't have much experience in business. Oh well, I'm just a sub this time.

Until Sunday I think I was still suffering from jet lag because I felt--not tired--but lazy and draggy all the time. Finally, on Sunday, I slept for over 12 hours and woke up cured as a ham on Monday.

Yesterday was a great day. I went shopping at the Beichun shopping center with Celeste, another summer-camp girl at our company, and then we picked up Jeremy, a year-contract person who just came, and we went to the Temple of Heaven. Now, the Temple of Heaven Park is HUGE! I had no idea. When we went with the band, we only visited one part of it, but there is SO much more to it, and the place is MASSIVE. Unfortunately, the part we did see with the band was closed, but at least I got to see the rest. :) Of course there were many nifty structural things to see, but I really enjoyed most the exhibit of ancient musical instruments. I wished there had been a live band there or something, but it was still a really cool exhibit. There were actually detailed, sensical information plaques in English, even braille for blind people! And handicap ramps! Holy cow, Beijing is getting ready for the olympics. I was surprised because the music exhibit was the emptiest place there--there was nobody--but I thought it was one of the coolest.

Even when we weren't looking at "things," it was cool just being in the park. Chinese parks are awesome because people actually go to them and do things there. Old people are sitting around da-ing some pai or socializing. Kids are running around playing games, as are adults, and sometimes people come by and play musical instruments. It was really cool. I wish so badly I could take pictures of the old people without being intrusive...

After walking around on all that stone for so long, our legs were tired, so we hired one of those little bike rickshaw things to take us back to the subway station. It could only fit two, so Celeste sat on top of Jeremy and me, which was kind of funny. We were very ripped off, though. We thought the guy had said "18" kuai when we got on, but he had actually said "80". It coud have well been a trick, but it was too possibly our fault, so we paid without argument and resolved not to accept English numbers in pricing, even when people insist on it (hmmm...). So there was his week's wages, anyway. Hopefully he spent it well. Ugh, earlier in the morning we were ripped off on fruit. I ate a peach which, while admittedly delicious, cost me more than I had spent on food in the past two days. Grrr... I just hate bargaining and that sort of thing. I really do. That's why I tend to stick to the grocery stores for shopping. Bleh...

Oh well. What else has happened.... The people I came with and room with, Aaron and Melissa and Seth, are on slave-schedule. They have to teach at a summer camp for twelve days straight, get a break of three days, then another twelve days, then go home. The worst is that the place they teach is out in the boonies, so it's an hour commute, and then there is a break of two hours between classes, and there is nothing to see or do where they are: it's just a university out in the middle of nothing. They leave at 6:30a and come back at 7:00p. I feel SO bad for them and am indescribably grateful I'm getting on with New Orient, whose nearest Elite Center is within walking distance.

Oh, one crazy thing: Seth was Carl's mission companion! His trainer. It's a small world.

Speaking of small worlds and Church things, I attended the Beijing branch on Sunday. It was great. They are in a really nice building and have a really nice chapel on the fourth floor. It's basically a full church building. There are something like 20 young single adults there, and last night we had FHE. We ate sloppy Joes at someone's awesome apartment and just hung out. It was really fun. You're never lacking for conversation there because you can always just ask what brings people to Beijing and what they're doing and you'll get a great, long story.

Oh, at the Branch meeting in Elder's Quorum, the first district president of Hong Kong, an Elder Poon (sp?) was there. He talked about the history of the Church's physical presence in Hong Kong. Did you know that the reason the Church was able to buy property in Hong Kong was because of the kindness of a Catholic Father trained in Kayesville? We heard some interesting stuff. T'was cool.

© 2005 Trevor Cook
All Rights Reserved

Because, apparently, I don't like real updates...

2005-07-17T08:54:33Z

Firsts

First best friend: Dog
First job: Only one I know about's in the Old Testament, and that's pretty old; so I think there's a good chance it was that one.
First screen name: Who names screens?
First self purchased album: My first self never purchased an album
First crush: Orange. Mmmm...
First piercing: Babies screaming
First big trip: Down the stairs at my grandparents'
First play/musical/performance: Wow... they've been doing these a long time... Probably back in prehistory some time... We can't even know! :O
First funeral: Ditto
First enema: Ummm...

Lasts

Last car ride: Taxi home from church. Man was the guy slow.
Last bus ride: A couple days ago to the botanical garden. STANDING. 40 MINUTES.
Last good cry: I don't have good cries. Mine are AWFUL!
Last library book: I hope they keep coming, actually
Last movie seen: Howl's Moving Castle, correct me if I'm wrong--last one I remember, anyway.
Last beverage drank: Water
Last food consumed: Oreos and Koalas... Ugh, I feel sick. And I haven't even rounded off my "meal" with cold cereal yet.
Last Crush: Grape... Mmm...
Last phone call: Angela Wu
Last tv show watched: No idea
Last time showered: I have not yet showered for the last time. Gross.
Last shoes worn: The only shoes I've worn recently in my life were my New Balance athletic shoes. yeah, I wore them well. They're quite worn.
Last annoyance: My stomach's response to a meal of Oreos and Koalas after a breakfast of cereal
Last disappointment: Bejing weather
Last ice cream eaten: Vanilla probably
Last website visited: Duh....
Last Person talked to/chatted with: Jeff, my... coworker? Yeah, I guess he's my coworker.

a p p e a r a n c e

height: I like height, until it gets excessive
hair color: Good for some people, most should let it come in naturally
eye color: Sick! Well, those new contacts aren't bad, but I remember my cousin telling me about how kids at her school used to use food coloring to try to dye their contacts and get eye infections. He he.
tattoos: Gross, seriously. You just can't tell people that in person because they're permanent, so it's kind of awkward when people show them off. I usually answer in the context of, "Relative to other tattoos..."

r i g h t n o w
what color pants are you wearing?: Pants? Did I or did I not just mention the Beijing weather?
what song are you listening to? Hah.
what taste is in your mouth?: Oreo residue, :P
what's the weather like?: *Shudder* Actually, today wasn't too bad. And I'm getting used to walking around soaking wet all the time.
how are you?: I am *great*. Oh man, let me tell you...

d o y o u

get motion sickness?: No, I've never understood motion sickness. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. I just don't get it. (Sorry to beat you over the head, there; I'm getting less creative... or something)
have a bad habit: Psh. Yeah right!
get along with your parents? Yes.
like to drive?: No, I don't like to. I LOVE to.

f a v o r i t e s

tv show: The Simpsons
conditioner: Umm... if it must be done, song is probably my favorite method, especially in a foreign language! :)
secular book: I don't know at the moment
non alcoholic drink: Beer. Mmm! Nonalcoholic beer! Delicious!
alcoholic drink: Again, why suffer the deleterious effects of alcohol when you can drink smoothe, sweet, nonalcoholic beer.
thing to do on the weekend: Hit a disco at Sanlitun and down a dozen nonalcoholic beers*

h a v e y o u

broken the law: Heavens yes. What a stupid question. Whoever wrote this doesn't understand law or the most intuitive aspects of human society.
runaway from home: No.
snuck out of the house: Yes.
ever gone skinny dipping: I don't dip my skinnies. I prefer them sprinkled.
made a prank phone call: Por supuesto.
ever tipped over a porta potty: Yes. Why that particular table was over a porta-potty I'll never know. That place had a weird idea of what makes a good atmosphere.
used your parents' credit card before: Yes.
skipped school before: No...
fell asleep in the shower/bath: Yes. Interesting fact: the person you think is me is actually a ghost, a mere shadow of my real self.
been in a school play: High school. Tee-hee. I didn't act, though. I was more of a set guy, or something. If I acted, my character was usually something like an "Our Town"-ish "Narrator."

l o v e

sexuality: How can you not love sexuality?
kids: Precious. I do love kids.
been in love: Love been in love? Is this some sort of ebonics phrase?
been hurt: Uh, yeah... My love done been hurt, yes.
gone out with someone you only knew for three days: Sounds like something I'd either love or hate.

r a n d o m

do you have a job: Yes!
your cd player has in it right now: I don't have a CD player.
if you were a crayon what color would you be?: How should I know that? This question is asked as though crayons can CHOOSE their color! What kind of an absurd world would that be? If they had the same mentality as school kids, they'd all be red and blue and "hot pink" (remember when that was the big color? Me neither) with a few silly black ones who just want to be different.
what makes you happy: I do.
who makes you happiest: Only I can make myself happy. I acknowledge my will, thank you. (Um, at least on this survey--a non-threatening, trivial environment).
what's the next cd you're gonna get?: Something Chinese, duh.

w h e n / w h a t w a s t h e l a s t

time you cried: I don't remember.
you got a real letter?: I get them all. I had the alphabet down ages ago. You should have, too!
you got e-mail: Hoy mismo
thing you purchased: Oreos and Koalas... :P Oh wait, actually it was a pizza buffet--well, not in the American sense of the word, but that's the closest thing that describes it.
movie you saw in the theater: Howl's Moving Castle

Name Five People That Know You the Best:

1. My God
2. My parents
3. You (that's more than five, if you think about it--and thanks, Ian, I'm flattered :) )

Name Four Things That You Have Done Today:
1. Went to church
2. Observed an English class
3. Pigged out on Koalas and oreos
4. Did this stupid thing stupidly.

Name Four Drinks You Regularly Drink:
1. Water

First Grade Teacher's Name?: Miss Gilmore (now Mrs. Miller)
Last Words You Said: "Sorry I can't give better directions... eh. See you later!"
Last Song You Sang?: Now Let Us Rejoice
Last Person You Hugged?: Probably a parent
Last Time You Said 'I Love You' And meant it?: Don't remember. (You mean... people say it and don't mean it? That puzzles me...)
What Color Socks Are You Wearing?: Socks? Hello! Beijing!
What's Under Your Bed?: A monster
What Time Did You Wake Up Today?: Really, 6:30a, but I pretended I slept until 8a
Current Hair?: Yes
Current Clothes?: This is the last time: BEIJING!!!!!!
Current Annoyance?: Dumb survey
Current Longing?: Not being such an idiot about talking to people--in Chinese AND otherwise, if you must know.
Current Desktop?: Right in front of me.
Current Worry?: Nothing, really
Current Hate?: Ditto
Favorite Physical Feature Of The Opposite Sex? Mass**
Favorite Place To Be?: No lo tengo.
Least Favorite Place?: Ditto

Time You Wake Up In The Morning?: Can't sleep past 6:30a thanks to translucent curtains--it's just like being at home!
If You Could Play An Instrument?: Then what? I can play a couple.
Favorite Season?: Mmm... winter. Spring--real spring--is actually very nice, too. I experienced my first this past year and really enjoyed it.
Favorite Day?: Every!
Where Would You Like To Go?: I love China... Oh wait.
Favorite Car?: The dining car, or maybe the sleeper--depends on my mood.

*Sorry to beat you over the head a bit more, but I have to cover myself. I am entirely joking here, though I did go to Sanlitun last weekend. It was an interesting experience. I have a few new thoughts on things.

**I do not make stupid, cheap, nasty jokes. This is a pun, okay? Actually, I really thought about all the "physical characteristics" and chose this one out of honesty. What do you have if not mass? I tried to pick the characteristic that makes something "there," and that was the closes I could come (I know, I know, all you physicists. I can hear your sniggering. Well, try to think of a better response then!)

© 2005 Trevor Cook
All Rights Reserved

Status Report

2005-07-08T17:11:27Z

"Good luck. Maybe you'll find it in the dishwasher in two or three days like I did my bowl."
- 1/27/2005

This is indeed a visa to enter 中华人民共和国 with my name on it. I am leaving to 北京 (Beijing) on Tuesday, 12 July 2005 to teach English for a month and a half. I will return and wake up by approximately 6 September 2005, just in time for my birthday.

Let it be known generally that I am still definitely going on a mission; there is absolutely no doubt about the fact, and I look forward to it. My papers are going in on September on my return. If for some socially inexplicable reason you have any more questions on the matter, I will field them with a phone number. If you don't know what I'm talking about, don't worry about it.

Just thought I'd write this short entry to let you all know what in the world is going on with me, that I'm not dead, etc. Hopefully, I will have regular updates as I am in China... with pictures! :D. So there's something you can look forward to.

I will perhaps update again on Saturday or Sunday with a more general entry. I feel guilty for not having written for so long. I just write this terse piece o' crap because I don't think I'll have the chance to individually communicate with all interested parties before I leave--so with this entry, I at least won't be pulling a Quincy. ;)

© 2005 Trevor Cook
All Rights Reserved