Game 83

"After nine long years, this wasn't so much a celebration of what happened here. It was a celebration of simply being here." -- Orange County Register

"It started with the suit. It ended with a shot that had all 19,162 fans in Staples Center holding their breath." - L.A. Times

"A sea of red and blue overtook Staples Center, and for the first time in the seven-year NBA history of the arena, purple and gold did not dominate the look of playoff basketball in Los Angeles." - L.A. Daily News

Clippers win, 89-87.

Riverwalk

"Is it natural or manmade?" I asked a waiter at the "cutting-edge tex mex" restaurant downstairs.

"It flows in a circle," he replied.

Enough said.

On every other trip I've taken to San Antonio, which is just about annually for the Texas state competition, I never even made it to the Riverwalk. This time, I haven't left it yet. I've been tutoring an Austrian gentleman named David Schlaff for the GMAT--a test I took once after hitting my head.

The bottled water in the hotel is very pretty.

Frequent Trimmer

I'm now a member of the frequent haircuts club at the Coex Mall. "This way you collect miles," explained the cashier. "Every eleven haircuts, one is free."

I wonder if I will be in Korea enough this next year to collect one.

Counting the Ballots

A quick update: Kent is about to give a presentation to over 1,000 mothers on how their children should balance Friends, Grades, English, Entertainment, Art, Family, Culture and Exercise. I have the diagram in my hands; it looks a bit like a spider's web. He calls it "Wise Moms."

I indulged in the Election Day episode of the West Wing this morning. The result was to my liking, even if I didn't quite believe it. I expected the moderate Republic with a broken hand to win. The startling thing to me, though, was how engaged I got with it--as if states were actually being called for the different candidates. I guess there's a reason I went to the Kennedy School after all.

As for yesterday's presentation--it's too early to call the outcome. But the presentation went, I think and hope, very well. The CDI officers who attended seemed intrigued. They asked lots of questions. David and I took turns answering. If I had to guess right now, I'd say some kind of Scholar's Cup *could* happen--and the next step is... unclear. But should be more clear soon.

Strawberry Milk

Over the course of a generally feverish night, I dreamed of nuclear annihilation. The first time, I was in Chicago and saw a mushroom cloud sprout up over the lake. I think it was the middle of last year's DemiSummit. The second time, I was further from the blast and got to watch the war unfold, at least metaphorically; I saw bright lights zipping back and forth inside a cup of milk. When the lights died out, the milk turned pink.

Election Day

Monday morning, 11 am--that's 11 hours and 12 minutes from now. It's not the be-all and end-all: the meeting could go well, and Scholar's Cup not work out. Or, the meeting could go poorly, and Scholar's Cup still succeed. So many paths possible.

I go to bed a little dizzy and a lot hopeful.

Just Not My Day

I just got sprayed in my ear with cleaning solution. It was an accident involving a trashcan. I'll either have very clean ears or go deaf.

Missionaries

"Hello!" one of them said brightly, as I passed them in the mall: three well-dressed young Korean women.

"Hello," I said, not sure if I knew her.

She answered that by asking, "Do you read the bible?"

"This isn't a good time," I said, honestly, "But I do wish you well."

"Only five minutes," began another, "The bible--"

"Sick," I interrupted, gesturing toward my stomach. "Thank you, the bible is good, but where is the bathroom?"

"Aaaah." They seemed to take in my sweaty expression and vaguely doubled-over condition. I probably looked like I was doing a bad imitation of Jack Bauer craving a fix in Season Three. "That way, to the left," said the first one, pointing to the right.

It's been a long day...

Rehydration Packs

For some reason (well, I guess it's a self-evident reason, as I struggle to hold down a cup of tea) I'm reminded of the day after Paula, Karen and I finished hiking the Inca Trail. We had come down to Aguas Calientes, a small town a few kilometers from Machu Picchu, and spent the night bathing in their hot springs. The next morning Karen woke up very sick to the stomach. Paula and I searched the town looking for something to help her. All we could locate were cholera rehydration packs. I think they helped, though it took a while; we were delayed there a couple days while she recuperated.

I wonder where they are now. Last I checked, Paula was a medical student in Portland. That tends to take a while, so I bet she's still there. I don't know about Karen, though. She was a consultant in San Francisco. I've only seen her once since the night that we parted paths at a hookah bar in Istanbul.

Above the Second Cataract

I'm falling asleep, so a quick post: earlier today, at a Renaissance fair in the desert, I witnessed a pseudo-crucifixion and walked a plank. The CDO team and I also ran into an alpaca. It looked like a DemiDec cover wrought in flesh and sunlight. We asked if we could pose for pictures with it.

"Yes," said the caretaker, who told us the alpaca's name was Peru. "But you might want to give him a flower."

We got him a light green rose. I didn't realize that Peru would eat it out of my hand, but he did--happily. I've never seen an alpaca slurp before. Such big teeth!

Barbarians and fairies were also present at the fair, though like the alpaca they weren't mentioned in this year's Super Quiz curriculum.

Later I had tea with my high school Spanish teacher, Dr. Serfaty, a.k.a. "arbol," then went with her and the most recent iteration of my team to an Ethiopian restaurant, where slow service combined with excellent food, questionable jokes and an erratic paper towel dispenser. Farhan got so hungry waiting for our dinner he went next door and bought a candy bar. We nearly lost Zac to a hot green pepper.

There was also some questionable driving, not mine for a change.

I go to bed with a sunburned nose and tingly ears.