65 on 70

On the other day, I was talking with friends and topic shifted to about how fast to drive on Interstate Highway. It started when said he would get upset when someone is driving 70 miles per hour on passing lane (left lane). Then, other said he had driving 120 MPH once when he noticed.

If you don't know, speed limit on freeway is usually 70 MPH (about 110 km/hr).

I drive 65 MPH on 70 speed limit. I know in this case I'm not normal.

I do this because it saves gas. I used drive 70 on 70 but when I started to drive more on backroads to Atlanta or Birmingham and less on freeway, thus driving 65 or 55, I found I got better mileage.

I got the best mileage last time when I went back to Jacksonville. I drove 65 on I-20 to Riverside, then got on US-78 and AL-144 and 77 whose speed limits are 55. I spent the three days weekend there and before heading back to Birmingham, I filled up tank. I found out I drove 44 miles per gallon.

44 MPG!

It's like hybrid.

My car's manufactures MPG is about 37 MPG on highway.

I think most cars are designed to run around this speed range. At least I don't see points driving faster risking for accident and consuming more gas. I'm fine with driving 65 miles.

Of course I wish there were high speed rails. That would make life a lot easier. You would just pop in to a train for a couple of hours ride to Atlanta or Nashville, not having to drive for three or four hours along with some crazy drivers or 18-wheelers.

Did it again!

Am I normal? Normal that I forget things important to me this often? Come on. I wrote it down on my scheduler because it is important. But still this had been gone until I got an email reminder.

There will be a career forum at UAB for government and nonprofit job, internship, and volunteer seekers. Since I found it hard to find nonprofit jobs in Alabama online, this is a perfect chance for me to get to know local opportunity.

But, for some reason, I thought this event's dates, 17th and 18th, are a couple of weeks away when I first got an email about it. So I was just relaxing over this four-day weekend. I was even planning to stay here to join JSUBCM Celebration at Tuesday night because I have no class.

Now, this four-day weekend turned into three-day weekend. I have to leave here for my apartment early in the morning tomorrow, and get dressed for this career forum. Just like last weekend!

I know I wrote a few days ago about my forgetfulness. But, this really frustrates me. Why didn't I even check my scheduler? It exists to record and be checked. I don't even know how many times this has happened.

As for an internship, I find most of internships in Washington D.C. or New York. Nearly none can be found in Alabama. I had to stay in an extended stay hotel when I finally found an internship in Atlanta two summers ago.

It would be a nice experience if I get to intern in D.C. but it would be costly. This time I would rather stay in Birmingham to intern...

To-do lists

Do you use "to do list"? Is it useful? For me it isn't for some reason. I guess it's because I even forget to make the list.

Since I was little, I have been forgetful. I think I forgot to bring things to be brought to school more often than most of others at elementary school. I think I got better in college, but still. When I plan to bring something on a certain day and something else, more or less urgent, comes up later, I forget about the former.

Today, I was going to bring a souvenir from Japan for my friend as I came back to Jacksonville. Before getting on freeway, I had to make a stop at Jefferson County courthouse to renew my car tag.

My original plan was to do this on Wednesday after I picked up my textbooks at the post office. But, I didn't get to pick them up until Thursday afternoon because the redelibery that I scheduled on Wednesday instead of pickup didn't happen. I had been checking the package tracking all day but nothing changed and I had no idea where my books were. So I wasted Wednesday.

On Thursday, still not sure what's the status. If the package is out for redelibery and I went out to pick up, I would miss it again. USPS had not screwed me up yet and I got confirmation email, so it was hard to think that they would miss my request. I waited till three o'clock, and then I decided to go. Then, soon after I got on the road, USPS truck pulled into the apartment property. I thought it might have my stuff, so I turned around and waited for one more hour. Nothing happened, and finally I went to the post office. Fortunately or unfortunately, they still had my stuff.

When I picked it up, it was already 4:40 p.m. I could not make it to the courthouse by the end of office hour, so I decided to go early in this morning.

So, here it is. More urgent thing came up. My priority changed. First, I had to get textbooks, or I could not study. Second, I had to register my car this month. And I reserved a personalized tag for a week, so I had to finish registration by Tuesday, but I won't be back until Tuesday night. I had to do it before I headed back to Jacksonville. As soon as the first one came up, I no longer remembered about the souvenir.

Even if I make a to-do list, I even forget to check it. What's the point of making such a list then?

Sometimes I regret so much that I decide to start making the lists. But once I go without trouble for a while, I stop doing it.

I have been looking forward to the chance to give this souvenir to this friend for a couple of weeks.Then, the chance is here, and when it's here, I notice the gift is all the way back in my room in Birmingham... It's so depressing. I cannot make this trip to Jacksonville so frequently anymore. It's a long drive and costly.

It's a four-day weekend, and of course I don't want to drive back to Birmingham just to bring  this thing back. I'm not sure when I get to be back next time. And if it's a while later, I may forget again.

I guess I was born this way and have to live with it. But what should I do?

Group project? I don't think so...

One of my classes this semester, there is a final group project. We form a group of five and work on a project paper and presentation.

Well, the issue is that I don't like a group project. If someone does not do a good job, it affects all members and, of course, their grade. Maybe burden on each member is lighter, but it can be inefficient and frustrating too.

Plus, all classes of this program are in night. They start at 7:30 pm. Many students work in daytime. And then we have to make additional time to meet with other members? If we all had this one class in this semester, that would be fine. But I have two other classes. Some may have one more. It's just too much! What is he (professor) thinking?

I wish they offer both day and night classes. Class size would be smaller, and I can focus better. I could have more time to hang out with friends and actually go to UAB sports game. Only because I have night classes, I misses all basketball game except one right after I finished all assignment last semester. I know UAB is urban school, but come on, I think they still have room for daytime classes.

Aren't you a little too careless?

It was a really short three-week stay. I didn't do anything big or go somewhere far. I just stayed with my family. But the three weeks passed by really fast. Tokyo is a good place to live... I still don't like the recruitment custom, but other than that, everything is close and reachable. You can take a train or subway to anywhere.

I wanted to go to Nagasaki, a city in west Kyushu. The issue is that it's way far from Tokyo. Even on bullet trains, it would take 5 or 6 hours. You can fly, but not sure how much it would cost.

We could use Seishun 18 ticket, a set of five tickets, each of which let you ride local trains as much as you want on a day. You cannot take any express trains including bullet trains, but surely it's cheap.

But, we ended up not going. Furthest place I got to go to was Kamakura.

And now here I am. Back in Alabama. It's hard to believe that most of my break has already gone. I have to be back in school next week.

On my way to Atlanta, I made one stop to transfer. For some reason, direct flights between Atlanta and Tokyo are always expensive, so I always choose a plan with one stop.

At the first airport, I have to go through immigration and customs. It usually take a while to go through the immigration for non-immigrant visitors. While in the room of immigration, you are not supposed to talk on a phone or take a picture.

Now, there is a Japanese man a few people behind me on a line. He was with his wife and two children, and they probably came for sightseeing. Then all of sudden, he took a picture of one of his children with flash.

I thought "Wait... I thought it was prohibited to take a picture here... I hope they didn't notice..."

Then, a few seconds later, a officer in the immigration counter went, "Who did take a picture?" The man had no idea, but a guy behind him told him that he was not supposed to take pictures. As officers were asking, he ended up not telling them about what he did.

I didn't hear clearly, but the officer said she could check the whole room.

As I gazed at the man and the officer, I thought he'd better hold up his hand to let them know. This shouldn't keep me from connecting flight.

It didn't delay the process, and the family seemed having had no problem. But, I think he was too careless. He should surely know how seriously the U.S. government takes the security. The end of Iraq War was declared, but the U.S. is still at war. Hopefully he learned a lesson.