Surf Roots, Software Thoughts

All beer in the US is pasteurized.  I believe this is because the FDA requires beer to be boiled in hopes of making it safer to drink.  It turns out that unpasteurized beer, pretty much all the beer in Europe, tastes much better.  I’ve had Czechvar (Budvar in Czech), Paulaner, and Piraat pasteurized and unpasteurized, and the difference is huge.  FDA, please allow at least imported beer to be unpasteurized.

The fellers over at AGoodReed were super generous and got me some travel gifts.  I got a sick surf backpack with the bare essentials — wetsuit bag, skate carrier, insulated cooler pack, laptop case, etc.  I also got a hip AGR (TM) shirt to rock at the hottest clubs in Europe.  Check it out:

That’s 5XL right there. Thanks, dudes :).

Savan inspired me with his post about himself to spend a quick bit to say more about myself.  I’ll give you the short version.

I’ve made a few recent changes to my blog, namely I changed the title to “Surf Roots, Software Thoughts.”  I did this because I’ve always considered myself as having a split personality.  When I’m home in Los Angeles I’m mostly outdoors either surfing, snowboarding, or doing something else active.  However, when I’m in Seattle I’m mostly indoors working on some sort of programming project.  Even my friends are considerably different in these two lives.  My friends from high school all share the same outdoor interests as me, and we always have a blast encouraging each other into big waves or down steep sloaps.  On the other hand, most of my friends in college are computer science classmates, and we tend to crack nerd jokes and talk about software.

I grew up in Los Angeles running between the snow, ocean, and soccer field.  I always wanted to spend my time with my family and friends doing the things that I loved doing.  School wasn’t really one of those things until I started pursuing computer science.  I was inspired to learn more about computers while playing Counter Strike in 9th grade.  From there I learned some programming languages and started making awful dynamic websites (I wish they still existed for comedic purposes).  I came to Seattle to study Computer Science at the University of Washington and became much more of an academic.  I had a new found appreciate for learning, and Seattle was a great place for me to get started with my academic discovery.  I found myself being limited a lot by the Seattle Weather, so I spent most of my time indoors behind a computer.  I think this was good for me, because I always thought I could do better academically than I did in high school.

I’ve made some great friends in Seattle, and I’ll be very sad to say goodbye to them eventually.  However, I’m looking forward to eventually being closer to my best friends and family and in a place where I can surf and snowboard regularly and also crank on some (hopefully) awesome software projects.

But before I head back south I have a minor to finish, some backpacking to do in Europe, and some work to do in Shanghai, China for Google.  I’m pretty excited about the next few months; all I need to do is stop buying things.

Bonus image: here’s a good comparison:

What’s a gaper, you ask? A gaper by definition is someone who dresses for looks. What that means in snowboard speak is someone who dresses strait ’70s, ’80s, and maybe even early ’90s. The colorful Husky Snowboard Team tore through Stevens yesterday, hooting and stretching. We BBQed in the parking lot and celebrated the last weekend of the snow season.

Here’s me (the hat says, “SR-71 Blackbird” with a picture of the jet - it’s my favorite jet; it’s also hard to tell that I have a mustache):

And here’s the team (minus a few people):

I can’t wait for gaper day next season. Just for reference, this was Dustin and I at New Years gaper day earlier this year:

I’ve altered my fauxhawk to a full-on mullet. I actually liked the fohawk better, but at least people will realize the joke easier with the mullet.

I’ll start blogging about real things soon.

It was only yesterday when I decided to try a new hairstyle. Since the new do I’ve interacted with bosses, coworkers, professors, classmates, and strangers. I have some interesting observations:

People with a sense of humor
When I interact with a person who has a sense of humor, then it’s all good. They’ll give me a comment like, “Nice hair!” which is usually proceeded by a high-five. I love it.

People who don’t know me well enough
When I interact with people who don’t know me well enough, then it’s actually pretty funny. This is what usually happens: we say hello to each other. The person will glance at my hair and quickly glance at the ground with a strange look on their face. They will proceed to talk to me without looking at me, speaking with a small stutter. I think that they’re so astonished by my awful haircut that they’re embarrassed for me, because they think that I’m for real. They don’t know me well enough I guess.

Real respectable-like people (e.g. bosses and professors)
When I interact with people who expect good things from me, then it’s somewhat awkward. I don’t really think much of it, but sometimes I can’t help but wonder if my new hair makes people think I’m less reliable. Whatever. I usually just explain myself, laugh at my own idiocy, and continue with my day.

Toothless, homeless women
I’m not making this up. I was cycling from work (downtown) to school and found myself stopped at the traffic light in front of Lander dorm. A fellow cyclist stops next to me, panting along with me as we both attempt to catch our breath. I hear someone yell from the sidewalk, but I don’t know what they’re saying. Then I hear, “Hey Cutie!” Astonished that someone actually likes my hair, I glance to the sidewalk and see a toothless, homeless women staring at me with a big smile. I look at the biker next to me and ask, “Is she talking to you?” He responds, “no,” and chuckles slightly. I thank the women and wish her a nice day as I ride off. The cyclist thanks me for pulling him up the hill. I confidently respond, “I’m lucky I didn’t get passed,” and quickly return to gasping for air. He was fast.

More social experiments on Friday when my hair is even more outrageous.

In a quest to have hair styles that I’ve never had before, I’ve created a masterpiece.

I will have a new hair style Thursday evening as well. Stay tuned for an even better look.

Thanks to BSevig for the idea.