Everybody Loves Nerds

Wow, it’s been a long time.  So I havn’t been posting here these days, because I’ve been writing away messages again, and those seem to get rid of any itch to express myself through blogging.  But here are away messages for the past 5 months.

6/13/07

Started at 9:30, finished at 4.  Probably should have eaten more in between, and am paying for it now with a stomach ulcer.  But it’s all done at least.

6/19/07

“The new American Dream is time, not money”

6/20/07

I usually am not one for stereotypical gender roles, but when I hear that “taking out the garbage is a man’s job,” I can’t really find it in me to complain.

6/25/07

What is this, “insult your ethnic girlfriend” day?

6/26/07

Air conditioning is for the weak.

6/27/06

Livia:  It’s on days like these where you wish you could just leave the refrigerator door open and cool the house down.  But I guess it doesn’t work that way.  Anna:  Yeah.  If only the back of the refrigerator vented to outside of the house. … Wait, they already invented something like that…

7/1/07

Currently amassing large quantities of fobby clothing [In Taiwan J]

7/16/07

Realizing that 20 years of living in a first world country has rendered her digestive immune system to be basically worthless. [In China L]

7/17/07

1 year mark

7/18/07

Insult your ethnic girlfriend part 2: L:  See, Chinese people can be useful sometimes J:  Yeah, if you need to build a railroad.

7/20/07

Quote of the day:  “Rachel, will you marry me?”

No more buffer! No more buffer!

7/21/2007

Guess who accidentally had Harry Potter shipped to Albuquerque?

7/24/07

Poo!

Harry Potter Best labmate EVER.

7/27/07

If this graduate school thing doesn’t work out, at leastI can be a high end  SAT tutor for neurotic Asian American families.

8/3/07

New weight lifting goal:  be able to change the water cooler

8/7/06

has heartburn from spicy foodtruck pork

8/9/07

Will pay someone 5 dollars if they present lab meeting tomorrow instead.

8/10/07

will start worrying if her weight drops below 115

thinks that if she shaves her head, she’ll look exactly like an 8 year old cancer patient

8/14/07

is mourning the green eyed children she will never have

8/15/07

Facebook is turning into myspace.  I got a friend invite today from some guy in his late 20s that  I didn’t know, who didn’t have a network, and who had 257 friends, of which all the ones I looked at were young and female.

8/17/07

Enters her fifth-to-last healthy childbearing year today.

Can finally rent a car without extra fees.  Stay off the streets tonight!

8/20/07

Has never received so many emails assuring her that many women have healthy babies in their 30s

8/21/07

Thinks Job didn’t really exist.  Thoughts?

Really shouldn’t be so surprised that the horseradish hummus she bought tastes kinda like horseradish.

Is wondering why every single one of her friends decided to get married in California next year.

8/22/07

The xootr is broken L

Amy and Mun-wah too!  At this rate, I will have no more single friends by winter 2008.

8/23/07

2 days until I can stay in lab for as late as I want without worrying about getting home safely

8/26/07

Good morning SidPac.  I like you.

8/28/07

is now living a life of luxury, with two potted plants, wooden furniture, and not a single spot of mildew in the shower

8/29/07

Is grumpy because she can’t go home to take a nap today

“when someone in the next stall taps their foot (either right or left depending on what stall I’m in) and sticks their hand under, I always give them toilet paper.” -from an internet bulletin board

Took the wrong saferide home last night

8/30/07

was so proud of her luxurious knuckle hairs that she showed them to Jeff before they started dating.  That’s probably what made him like her.

TAing is gonna take a lot of time next semester…

8/31/07

“And I’ve never licked a spark plug and I’ve never sniffed a stink bug, and I’ve never painted daisies on a big red rubber ball, and I’ve never bathed in yogurt and I don’t look good in leggings …”

I want to do 10 projects at a time, but I’m too slow.

9/3/07

Jeff lost our “101 questions to answer befrore you get engaged” book  How convenient.

9/4/07

Didn’t feel like much of a summer…

Passed her qual.

9//07

Is r3@d1ng r3/\s34rch 0n l337

9/8/07

Christians don’t gossip.  They share prayer requests.

9/10/07

Doesn’t believe in recovered memories.

has 3197 rollover minutes

9/11/07

Is excited about getting bruises on a regular basis again [Yay jiujitu!].

Asian peoples’ skin repels water.  That’s why they’re so good at doing laundry.

9/12/07

is thinking about whether she should store emergency water supplies in her apartments

9/13/07

Nightmare roundup #1:  The night before he visits Livia’s church for the first time, Jeff dreams that he’s teaching Sunday school there and totally screws up.  Children are running everywhere, chaos ensues, and they ask him to please never come back.

9/14/07

cannot understand why perfectly capable MIT graduate students cannot figure out how to take themselves off a mailing list

9/17/07

When I get married, they will announce at the end, “I present to you for the first time, Mrs. and Mr. Livia King…”

Just read a police bulletin about a gang rape on MIT campus.

9/18/07

Jeffrey Alan Blackburne-King

9/19/07

Got my first ultrasound today.

9/21/07

I think I’m going to make an effort only to use free range animals in my cooking from now on.

9/22/07

Likes hanging out in lab when nobody else is in.

9/24/07

Sophistication in music, food, and wine may be a optional luxury, but good taste in significant others is something that should and must be cultivated early.

I would want people to wear happy colors at my funeral.

9/25/07

I put my bowl in the microwave for 90s.  Jeff wants to one-up me, so puts his in for 100 seconds.  And the microwave goes “59, 58, 57…”

Survey of the day:  is Oliver Hinds more than just a pretty face?  Submit your answers here.

Oliver’s away message:  those with refined taste in significant others should know better than to date those that can’t use a microwave

9/26/07

“he does have kinda a pretty face, and when he wears that ripped clothing…oh man”  -anonymous

Wants to grow “jiu cai” (garlic chives/Chinese leeks) in her room, but is afraid it would make everything smell bad.

9/28/07

L:  Teach me how to fix my scooter.  J:  You can’t fix it.  You’re a girl.

10/2/07

wants to get involved in social justice but doesn’t know how to get objective information

10/3/07

Is trying not to crack her back but it’s really ahrd.

10/4/07

has been crack free for 20 hrs and counting…

10/8/07

I wish I had read this article before I decided to have four a day for lunch last week.  http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/complementary_medicine/article556697.ece

10/10/07

An unassisted triple play in kickball. [Sooho is amazing]

110/14/07

Is eating 3 week expired yogurt

10/17/07

human-gestation-period-plus-half-year-iversary

10/18/07

Fun anniversary game:  brainstorm all the couples who have gotten engaged either at or before this same anniversary, and then tell the names to Jeff.  Worst girlfriend ever J

10/19/07

Thanks for letting me borrow the ring sizers, Karen.

10/20/07

Does anyone have an old school cassette player I can borrow?

10/22/07

Fixed her scooter.

10/25/07

has gained 2 pounds since deciding to eat vegetarian for two weeks

10/26/07

Either photoshop or Livia is dumb.  The problem is she can’t figure out which.

Treat your ex’s with respect.  You never know what a scorned lover will do. [following the stabbing at next house]

10/27/07

PETA is starting to get to me.

10/29/07

If WinRAR were a girlfriend, I’d be that jerk who strings her along but never makes an honest woman of her.

10/30/07

Research is interfering with my ability to be a good friend.

10/31/07

My friend is conducting research to “determine the relationship between breast volume, surface area, and other physical measurements that yields and aesthetically pleasing shape”  The study involves evaluating the appearance of about 100 pairs of breasts.  Lemme know if you want to particpiate also.

11/1/07

Going to San Diego to get dumped. [Met Jeff’s family]

11/4/07

In San Diego, not dumped yet.

11/9/07

Peter Petrelli is awesome.

11/12/07

Hiro is kinda cute too but Jeff doesn’t feel as threatened by him as he does when I talk about Peter.

11/14/07

It’s a good thing that the alternate future didn’t actually happen, cuz Peter and Nikki are way too pretty for each other.

11/15/07

Left some knuckle skin on a punching pad last night.

11/16/07

Currently operating at the rate of one good idea every 4 months.

People ask me if I’m Philippino or Thai more often than they ask me if I’m Chinese.

11/21/07

is looking at websites with maternity wedding dresses.  Don ask.

11/24/07

Needs to think of another away message so she can take down the one about maternity wedding dresses.

11/25/07

Probably the most rewarding habit I’ve picked up lately is to force myself to call a friend I havn’t talked to in a while every week.

11/26/07

Do I really have to choose between putting my kids in daycare and committing professional suicide?

Popularity: 41%

So I’ve started up a habit of posting away messages again, this time on google rather than AIM.  So here is an away message dump from the past 6 months.  No explanations or corrections here, just straight copy and paste. And without further ado….

1/9/07

He stopped shaving yesturday

1/11/07

$13.75 ski goggles!

1/12/07

:-{)}}}} + beating x 100 —->  0:-)

1/17/07

6 months

1/18/07

Over a helmet

1/19/07

My boyfriend said I should babysit kids so I could improve my childrearing skills

1/22/07

I can’t let anyone know that I actually really like the beard.

1/23/07

Two things a guy should check before hitting on someone:  the left hand (for a ring), and the neck (for an adams apple)

1/24/07

Kind of morbid, but I think I will consider my life successful if a good number of people are sad when I die.

ID this quote:  math is hard, let’s go shopping!

1/25/07

*High* temperature for the slopes this Friday is 5 below zero Farenheit

1/29/07

Note to self:  Unless you’re prepared for a really long trip, don’t ride your scooter to school after three days of snowboarding.

1/30/07

If we fast the entire weekend, then we don’t need to plan food for the retreat

2/2/07

Mpooh

2/5/07

Emails signifying a healthy relationship: LK:  Buy us these for Valentine’s day JB:  NO LK:  I hate you JB:  GOOD

2/7/07

From my cousin’s xanga:  in chinese years, 22 is practically menopausal.  i ought to be tending the rice paddies with a baby strapped to my back.  or throwing myself into the family well because i’ve been married to a 60-year-old version of Ear-Hair Man for 8 years already and i can’t take it anymore

Vindication is mine.  http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/ptech/02/07/nyc.ipod.reut/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

2/9/07

I will marry Bob and live happily ever after.

2/12/07

Santiago senoritas

2/13/07

Currently trying to decide whether I want to write something cheerful and cheesy at the end of my recitation handout.

Recitation was fun J

2/14/07

Flowers

2/18/07

“I just kicked a pigeon and I had to tell someone” -text message from JB

2/19/07

me: Do you miss your roommate? Ali (Jeff’s roommate): Not really.  DO YOU? me: man, you just totally ruined it by asking me.    I was gonna be like “I do,” after you said no, but it’s not as disgusting if you ask me first Ali: haha  well you ruined it by not responding, because after you responded I was going to say “you would miss him” me: well, that just didn’t work at all, did it?

2/24/07

Programming is like sex; one mistake and you have to support it for the rest of your life. — Michael Sinz

2/27/07

http://www.veritas.org/MIT/index.php?page=schedule

2/28/07

Why buy the cow when the pizza dough is free?

Theistic evolution? http://www.veritas.org/MIT/index.php?page=schedule

3/1/07

My brain is degenerating.  Soon my frontal lobe will disappear.

3/2/07

“I don’t know what to say to pregnant women.  ‘Um, good luck! Don’t fall over?’” –Anonymous

3/18/07

I am ready for quals to be over

3/23/07

Must stop pressing Esc :w when programming.  People who know that combination get props.

3/28/07

It is allergy season and I am falling asleep at my desk.

3/29/2007

We have couches in the lab!!!

4/4/07

This is why you odn’t put away your winter coat until May

4/9/07

I want my arms to stop hurting.

4/11/07

Took Claritin and Sudafed and went dancing before going to bed.  Woke up three times in the middle the night – the last time to a really weird dream of walking around with cutes on my feet in an MIT dormitory covered in sewage, and not being able to find a shower to rinse off.

4/16/07

I hate raw vegetables

4/19/07

It is possible to eat a quart of raw vegetables and end up hungrier than when you started.

4/25/07

Right now I ride a scooter to work and sing for church service.  I’d be so much cooler if I rode a skateboard to work and played bass for church service.

5/2/07

Joanne wins for Harvard, Eric wins for ICF

5/2/07

Livia:  To get a 2/3 waist hip ratio, I’d have to have the same measurements as Gisele Bundchen.  Jeff:  Maybe that’s why she’s the supermodel

Jeffrey is meeting my parents tonight for dinner. At lunch, I got a fortune cookie message that said “Today it’s up to you to create the peacefulness you long for.” Hrmmm….

So my Dad said that there are five phrases Jeff has to learn in Chinese before he meets them tonight. They are:

1. Jin1 shu3 shu3 ni3 hao3. “Hello Mr. King”
2. Lai2 yi1 bei1 jiu3. “Have a drink” (alcoholic)
3. Wan3 shang4 wo3 qing3 ke(4). “Dinner tonight is on me”
4. Wo3 ai4 ni3 nuu3 er2 “I love your daughter”
5. Ni3 de tai4 tai4 hen3 piao4 liang4 “Your wife is very pretty.”
In the meantime, my Dad has been picking good English phrases too. After watching an episode of Grey’s anatomy, he picked up the phrases:
1. “She’s my only daughter, take care of her”
and
2. “Close the door on your way out.”

So Jeff has been working hard. He gets the tones, but keeps getting the words mixed up. When he gets lost in the middle of a phrases, he says “pigu” and starts giggling. For non Chinese speakers out there, pigu means “butt”, and for some reason he never forgets that one.

It should be an interesting evening.

Popularity: 66%

This year’s sign of the apocolypse: 20 inches of snow…. in Albuquerque, NM. I want to go back to Boston.

(Extra credit:  Who was the inspiration for this post?)

Popularity: 60%

Astute readers will notice that very similar material has been posted on my beautiful cousin’s website. But I figure it’s worth a repost since our readership does not really overlap, and I’ve added in my own edits.

A brief sketch of my dad’s side of the family. My Dad is the youngest of three brothers. So the three branches are:
1st Uncle Shan King (Taiwan): Son named Chris
2nd Uncle Hei King (New Jersey, Pastor of a Chinese Church): Father of Cassie, Caren, and Caleb
Andy King (New Mexico, In the wholesale exit light industry): ie, my dad

We recently created a family email list, and here is our inaugaural conversation.

———————————————

10/25, 1102 am [from Cassie (2nd uncle’s daughter)]

Hello Everyone,

Shiao Su Su, thanks for this great idea. Toby [her husband] is jealous.. he wishes his
family was cool enough to have their own google group =)

We are doing well in Chicago. [stuff about school, Toby, etc] We have a big German Shepherd named Bambi who likes to poop and her
poop is bigger than my dad’s, which is saying a lot.

Love,
Cassie

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10/25, 1127 am [from my Dad ]

Couple reminder for the future communication

1) Big words or slang are not allowed to use in the correspondences.
Otherwise, explanation is expected.

Cassie, what is poop ? you mean ” cut the cheese ” ? I don’t get it even
after checking www.dictionary.com

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10/25, 1219 pm [from my Dad]

Shiao shen shen [my Mom] call me ” stupid” because I don’t even know what is ”
poop”.

Now I understand.

Andy King

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10/25, 319 pm [from 2nd Uncle]

I don’t agree with what Cassie says about Bambi’s poop:

>> We have a big German Shepherd named Bambi who likes to poop and
>> her poop is bigger than my dad’s, which is saying a lot.

OOOO…BJECTION!

My poop left in the Syncsort (my old company 10 years ago)men’s room is definitely BIGGER than Bambi’s. It has the size like a baby’s arm, No exaggeration! Remember when I left it unflashed and waited outside to see what the next person would react when he saw it, any then I heard the guy shout loud “SSSSH-T …SSSS…” and came out the men’s room angry with his fist waving in the air.

What a good old days … I am know approaching 56 years old, probably can’t produce that any more - especially Er Bo Mu [his wife — my aunt] feeds me rice tea and vegitable juice every day.

Sorry, I just can’t control to go high whenever touch this topic. We should go back to the family reunion issue now. I agree with Shiao Su Su’s suggestion.

BTW, will Google keep this somewhere in their search engine?

————————————————-

10/25, 340 pm [from Caren (2nd uncle’s other daughter)]

>>BTW, will Google keep this somewhere in their search engine?

i hope that this is archived in google, because i want to be able to access this exact email correspondence when i am 80 years old and want to tell my grandchildren about their ancestors.

i will begin the story like this: “your great-grandfather was a very special man. most of the time he would act very serious and wise, and some people were afraid of him because he almost always looked like he was thinking about the mysteries of the universe….

but you should have seen the twinkle in his eye when he began to tell the story of when he pooped a turd the size of a baby’s arm….”

-caren

————————————

10/25, 504 pm [from 2nd Uncle]

Livia,

Caren,

what is “pooped a turd”? I only know the middle word “a”, but can’t find the other two words in the dictionary. But I have the wisdom to guess what you saying here.

Andy [my Dad],

You are not alone. Don’t feel being humiliated when they use big English word. I understand your feeling. At least we can read and write Chines, they can’t … ha, ha…

—————————————————

10/25, 538 pm [from my Dad]

My Dear brother,

No need to worry.

Livia and her mom have corrected numerous mistakes I made in English and tried to convince me that my English ability is not in the same level as they are.

After 2 years’ hard working, I am the 2nd best English Speaking person ( not reading and writing ) in my family. God always takes care of humble person

———————————–

10/25, 703 pm [from me]

>>Livia and her mom have corrected numerous mistakes I made in English and tried to convince me that my >>English ability is not in the same level as they are.

The correct phrase is “not on the same level”

>>After 2 years’ hard working, I am the 2nd best English Speaking person ( not reading and writing ) in my >>family. God always takes care of humble person

You must mean “After two years of hard work.”

——————————————-

10/25, 713 pm [from my Dad]

Livia,

Relax. I did not say I am the #2 in writing .

It is such a minor mistake. Do not “pick bone in the egg”.- Chinese proverb.

I bet none of you know the meaning.

—————————————-

10/25, 937 pm [from caleb, 2nd uncle’s son]

“God always takes care of humble person”

Hahaha! shia su su [my Dad], i heard you make exit signs now . i would like to order one for my room, just in case it’s dark and i forget how to get out.

caleb

——————————

10/25, 1001 pm [from my dad]

Caleb,

Shiao Su Su [referring to himself] sells Exit Signs. Go to www.rplighting.com. We sell all kind of
Exit Signs except the one you want to buy.

Obviously, you have a doubts about what I say.

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