charles in charge

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June 29, 2004

yes, that is a queer "i" in "paik"..

yes, i brought it to work to scan--im not ashamed to admit it..

so a couple wks back, i get this very nice piece of mail..

very nice, indeed..

so i get home and esther says to me, "you are gonna LUV todays mail". curiously but hesitantly, i walk over to check out the surprise. needless to say, i was flabbergasted, maybe honored but definitely reelin from hysteria. i guess its good to have a secure wife w/ a sense of humor. course, her laughter was probly just coverin up her concern--a concern ill likely never be able to allay..

anyways, i found it SO funny i felt obligated to share it w/ the world. no, i have not (yet) placed my subscription. and no, i am not gay (yet). but if anyone would like to give me the gift that keeps on givin, i would be delighted. after all, its the next logical step after i graduate from readin glamour..

- of course, it begs the question as to how i was sent this notice in the first place. maybe it is from those allurin websites im always checkin out. or maybe someone i know (alpo, mungmung, woosh) is tryin to tell me somethin. or perhaps its just my subconscious tryin to gradually open that closet door to esther..

uh-oh, for you man friends out there--better think twice bout stayin at my place..

heeheehee..

- anyways, ive been absent from this blog for a few wks now cuz my brains been absent from my head. ive had no ideas on wut to spill and hence, no inclination to write so i just let it sit here and rot. i suppose i could write about stuff i do (seein old friends) and things that are goin on (esther matched at the cleveland clinic), but bah humbug--it takes too much effort to write bout things like that so i tend to focus on the more superficial drivel that fills up life..

- okay, fine--ill delve into myself a little bit..

this past month, my life companions been back on call every three nites w/ every sixth day off. so effectively, we see each other two full days a week (two regular work evenings and her one day off--every other minute she spends workin or sleepin). now lets just forget about how hard AND how long she works cuz thats just incomprehensible to my weak-minded lazy soul--sides, this is MY BLOG (he proclaims selfishly)..

since its been a while since my partners been on such a schedule, ive forgotten how tough (not like "im dyin"-tough but more like "this sucks"-tough) it is for her to be gone. alright, i dont mean to sound sappy or am tryin elicit sympathy (so dont bother me w/ any emails)--i just find it funny that i cant remember missin her/feelin bored to hell like this. i honestly dont believe i felt this way in the previous yr--i guess its that whole "attachment" phenomenon thats kickin in now that weve been holy-matrimonied for two yrs. its like when stella (yellow lab) first met cocoa (choc lab) and they chilled together for an entire week; once stella left, both became sullen and unresponsive for days..

i guess for some of us, life is made more "happy" (think of a synonym) when we have a mate to whom we are legally bound to..

- wow, can i sound more luvingly despicable/despicably luvin towards esther?

- fun fact: didja know i deliberately choose NOT to shave daily? esther hates it yet i continue to do so under the false pretense that the more one shaves, the faster his hair grows. i know (or am pretty sure) it doesnt; but i just hate shavin. if i have no reason to look clean-cut, then i have no reason to be clean-cut. thank you very much..

now should i mention how i recycle my underwear?

- so ive had a gmail account for a few wks now and i think its great. the innovation google brought to both email (conversations, labels) and web interfaces (keyboard shortcuts, seamless page flow) is fantastic. [dork warning] for a dork like me, ive been amazed at how much they accomplished simply usin javascript. for those who dont know wut i do at work (which is everybody, includin my life partner), im basically tryin to develop this complex web application. now, i try to make it as seamless and user-friendly as possible, but those guys at google took RIA to a whole nother level. ive actually been viewin some of their source code and its a monster. but it is veeerry good..

now if theyll only support opera..

- ya kno how some people say to "enjoy the moment"? i believe its usually heard when some great event takes place or you receive some grand acclaim. well, its obviously true in almost any positive situation. "enjoy the moment" cuz you never know wut might happen, right?

well, im not one who lives for the present, much less in it--i think i rarely enjoy the moment. im more the type who tends to see the grass as bein greener on the other side. "he has an awesome job". "she is so brilliant--why am i so stoopid"?

i am one, however, whos always reachin for the past or lookin towards the future, which doesnt make for a very fulfillin or gratifyin present. its fun gettin all nostalgic reminiscin bout ole times w/ ole friends. and its just as fun to speculate about wut remains ahead--wut awaits for me (and my life companion)..

and so, obviously i neglect wut is takin place now. as much as i spout of my apathy towards baltimore, im sure when we move to cleveland-rocks! ill miss it here. just as i was glad to finally be off the gawd-awful-long project in europe only to pine for those days to come back..

and just like when i roll my eyes as my mom delivers one of her patented lectures--ill be sad when shes gone. heck, ill be sad when we move to cleveland-rocks! away from the truckloads of korean food she gives us!

phil jackson--or as those close to him like to call dr phil--preaches "to live in the moment". i guess theres really no other time to live, eh?

Posted by cpaik at 04:33 PM

June 08, 2004

double-down on eighteen!!

read a pretty captivatin book about these kids (and former students) from MIT jackin millions from casinos all over the country, mostly in vegas. their game was blackjack and their belief was that of any other game out there, blackjack could be beat despite the inherent advantage held by the house. why? cuz blackjack is the only game w/ a memory. unlike poker, the cards arent shuffled after every hand but only at the end of the cut (in the shoe). so whether it was one deck or six, the cards could be counted..

countin cards--and the author goes to great lengths to make this point clear--isnt cheatin. cheatin occurs when the outcome of the game is changed by an external force. so card-countin itself isnt illegal cuz its merely takin statistical advantage of the game..

but countin cards was only the driver for their "system"--their real accomplishment was in gettin a team of people to work together. there were card-counters planted at various tables, the spotters who kept an eye out for casino employees, and the big players who got on board when the odds were in their favor, layin down the big chips for some big money. so by workin such a fashion, they minimized their risk of bein recognized by the casino and gettin caught..

i thought it was a remarkable idea and its execution was likely even more impressive. and although i had heard of card-countin before, i guess i never really gave it much thought cuz the general perception is that its a form of cheatin. and i suppose that card-countin/cheatin association is somethin the casinos try hard to push out into the public eye. (hmm, i also remember seein a law & order ci episode on this once)..

the story at times seemed to be pretty unbelievable--as in, lackin credibility. cuz there were some extreme situations, but since it is supposedly true ill take the author at his (secondhand) word. the writin wasnt that great, esp comin from a hahvahd alum--but it is just a narrative..

when i initially picked up the book, my first thought was to put it back down cuz i hate blackjack. everytime i play (and im at the cheapo nickel tables), i get slammed. esp the last time, man i was burned pretty badly. my game--and it sucks--is poker cuz at least i feel some measure of control..

but after this book, i just may give the tables one more try next time i visit the desert. the casinos actually luv amateur card-counters cuz they have no idea wut theyre doin or how to bet..

fine, go ahead--take my money. i just wanna have fun tryin somethin new..

course, since when does losin money constitute fun? i must be mental..

- im not too sure why im leavin links for people to check out cuz im fairly certain no one clicks on em. maybe its cuz i think theyre pretty coo (they are). or maybe its just to fill space (could very well be). or maybe im just tryin to fill more space by askin an inane question like this one. besides, who really cares?

- found this on slickdeals: a site which provides a login for those sites you wanna get into which require you to register (like the nytimes)..

- heres a fascinatin article on the economics of an honor-based bagel service. i wish i took econ more seriously in college--or in growin up w/ my dad..

- one last thing: happy two-years, esther!!

- and three-years, stella!! (yes, i married the four-legged princess first--haha)..

Posted by cpaik at 04:54 PM

June 02, 2004

oh, buggers..

aaaaww, theyre so cute up close-- maybe i should i keep one as a pet (HELL NO!!)..

so in the past several weeks (or months, who knows), esther and i have found the occassional bug either crawlin along our kitchen counter or smooshed underneath our dish rack. lately, however, there have been about five of em at a time. it was seriously disgustin..

over the weekend, i cleaned the dish rack, disinfected the counter, sprayed raid all over (yeah, real good in a KITCHEN), and even got around to decontaminate our microwave. but they were still comin!! AAAAGGGHHH!!

finally, last nite i decided to check out the cabinet and guess frickin wut, i found the "source": an ancient container of breadcrumbs teeming w/ the little nasties. i had probly bought and last used those breadcrumbs in sept of 2002!! openin the can up was like takin the cover off of a high-school science experiment; bugs and breadcrumbs united together in harmony, the breadcrumbs havin liquefied to provide a nice pool for the bugs to swim in..

needless to say, i cursingly cleaned it out and the kitchen returned to its clean, dog-hair-everywhere self. i did some lookin around and i believe the bug is a drugstore beetle. nice name--its cousin is known as the cigarette beetle, an even nicer name..

but this incident reminded me of the time in the fall of my senior yr when my roommie and i (remember alpo?) had this fruit-fly problem. they were buzzin around all OVER THE place!! initially, we thought it mightve been the dishes which we left and added to in the sink over two weeks. but after esther came over and washed em (and she thinks im obsessive-compulsive), the infestation still remained!! we took the trash out like everyday and made sure no food was left on the counter--and they were still flyin everywhere!!

finally, one day im lookin for some rice so i open up one of the lower cabinets and im slammed w/ a frickin stench of rottin disgust!! behind the bag of rice was a mound of decayin fruit my former roommie had left from the summer!! it was contained in a plastic bag, but there was goo leakin out and flies protectin their treasure. alpo, the brave man he was, squealed (oops, only pigs squeal) screamed and ran straight out of the apt. so after spoutin a good number of obscenities and coverin myself up w/ gloves and all, i mustered the gumption to throw it out and claimed victory..

bugs are gross. i realize its for the good of the ecosystem to have em around, but cmon--wouldnt it be worth exterminatin em ENTIRELY for that one month we d have before the planet goes completely out of whack?

funny--you could say the star wars series is barely "stayin alive"..

i think so--bugs suck..

- so i found this "potential" poster for the next and final (thank gawd) star wars flick. funny thing is, the idea would actually be an improvement. the prequels have been a traveshamockery..

- it was only a matter of time: i love the 90s--oooh yeeeaah..

- heres a tv dinner guide. good for us guys--need to pass this on to my co-worker (course, maybe hes the one who wrote it)..

- wasnt c-r-a-z-y about em, but the dukes of hazzard sure were fun to watch..

- heres a cool half-article on a group of jews who hid in caves durin WWII--wow, survival at its finest..

Posted by cpaik at 05:56 PM