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musasabi
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Name: Patrick
Birthday: 12/13/1986
Gender: Male
Interests: Martial Arts Tricks (freestyle acrobatics that integrate martial arts, gymnastics, and break dancing)
Computers (Linux, Programming, Gaming, etc)
Music (Ska/Punk, Jazz/Blues/Swing, Orchestral, bits of Metal and Techno)
People
Expertise: Conversation. :P
Occupation: Student
Message: message meEmail: email me
AIM:  tokugawa iyeasu
MSN: rice_fishu
Yahoo:  rice_fishu
Member Since:
1/14/2005
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| oh.
my.
goodness.
=O
i just used a do{} while() loop for the first time in my life, ever.
its for text parsing. heres what i originally had...
sMenuChoice.clear();
while((menuChoiceToken[0] != "go" && menuChoiceToken[0] != "0") || cin.fail())
{
if(cin.fail())
{
cin.clear();
cin.ignore(numeric_limits<streamsize>::max(), '\n');
}
cout << ">>";
getline(cin, sMenuChoice);
fflush(stdin);
tokenize(sMenuChoice, menuChoiceToken, " ");
}
now, the tokenize function breaks the inputted string into words (separated by the space character). the only problem is, the std::vector "menuChoiceToken" isnt initialized _until_ the tokenize function fills it with. so, if i compiled that, it would crash as soon as it tried to resolve menuChoiceToken[0] in the while statement, cause theres nothing in the vector!
so tokenize() needed to run before i tested for the contents of menuChoiceToken. moreover, i needed the users input for tokenize() to be able to do anything anyway! haha.
so, the one conditional loop i always thought was stupid - the one i could never imagine a use for - came to my rescue.
sMenuChoice.clear();
do
{
if(cin.fail())
{
cin.clear();
cin.ignore(numeric_limits<streamsize>::max(), '\n');
}
cout << ">>";
getline(cin, sMenuChoice);
fflush(stdin);
tokenize(sMenuChoice, menuChoiceToken, " ");
}
while((menuChoiceToken[0] != "go" && menuChoiceToken[0] != "0") || cin.fail());
and that works flawlessly. =) /glee
just thought everyone should know about my little geeky joy. ^^;;
love you all. =)
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| what an impressive dichotomy that journey contained. =)
let me first lay the foundation for the profoundity that was my dinner, haha.
last night i had a good tricks session, but it was on my own, which is never quite as good as it can be. regardless, i made progress with my back handsprings, my 540s were on point in a noteworthy way, and i was at least able to throw butterfly twists and double legs. i didnt land any of the latter two, but throwing it at least creates a base to work from.
later last night, my roommate began writing a paper for his psychology course. his energy encouraged me to stay up and talk to people. i finally went to bed around 1 or 1:30, which is always a bad call, haha.
that in mind, i woke up a bit unprepared for the day ahead of me. not that any day is truly challenging out here, but that i find even the slightest emotional sway to be sorely intolerable when i havent slept enough.
the morning was very good, as we spent it with the local nationals. for those of you who dont know, when we work with an LN crew, we supervise while they complete menial manual labor (if only there was a word for work that started with m). in our case, we get them when theres work to be done on the perimeter. be there damaged razor wire or a missing section, they replace it most diligently and the army pays them for their time.
anyway... i enjoy the days we work with them. theres on particular attendant who makes my days more entertaining in his own way. he seems permanently amused due to the large smile he wears most of the time. his english is very limited, but he enjoys the fact that i am interested in arabic and know some german. he also likes that i can do a backflip. =)
we have sadly limited conversations, but we understand one another pretty well i think. we must seem like relative buffoons to him due to the language barrier, because my impression of him is comically childish when he speaks his broken english. of course, when he switches to arabic he sounds like a person ought when speaking their own language.
our time with the LN crew extended from about 9 to 11am. shortly following our return to the shop, my sergeant and two (out of the four) others in the shop took their lunch. that left chief, my roommate, and i; a comfortable environment. we discussed some things and laughed about the words ostrich, glucose, and oregon trail.
after my roommate and i took our lunch, i found myself in the midst of a pleasant, meaningful conversation with chief. my sergeant beckoned me shortly after its beginning, however. as task he had asked me to complete some days back was unsatisfactorily completed in his opinion. with a little explanation and understanding, he found satisfaction. i tidied up a bit further, and, under the impression i was complete, i returned to my previous conversation.
again, i was met with the look of, "what are you doing?" within moments. i followed my sergeant once more, and he proceeded to task me with the cannibalization of the bose headsets. these headsets are used in internal vehicle communications so the driver, passengers, and (most importantly) gunner can all hear one another. they are fairly sturdy, but this is iraq, so plenty break. we take in the broken ones, disassemble them and create as many functional ones as we can. we then redistribute the "new" headsets and discard the unrecoverable components. it is a tedious, boring, and relatively unsatisfactory process.
i had very thoroughly exhausted our supply of parts a week back (it was a three day ordeal) and was looking forward to not having to do it again for a while. however, i was instructed to make more while we had plenty because i wasnt occupying myself otherwise.
generally, i would be offended at this. of the lower-enlisted in our shop, i have always been the least apt at making myself busy, look busy, or scarce. this has lead to a habit of my direct leadership (and even my peers) to "find something" for me to do immediately as i begin to display a lack of momentum. it is understandable that this would occur, but too often everyone else is upon their rump, doing very little, and i am hastily tasked to accomplish something wholly inconsequential solely due to my presence in the room.
alas, this day was not one of those. everyone else was indeed busy, so my tasking (while incredibly irritating and without genuine use) was fairly called for. due to this, my discontent turned towards my general situation regarding our shop. if my sergeant and i arent out on the wire or there isnt a computer to fix (85% of the time), i have no specified job or role. i can hardly describe how bothersome that is. i am in the army, i thrive on senses of accomplishment and productivity, and i often have _nothing_ of consiquence to do. malarkey.
so, i begrudgingly made notably lethargic progress on my headset project, all the time wondering what i will do when we get back to the states and theres even _less_ for me to do. furthermore, i all but fantasized of returning to school... where i know _what_ to do, _how_ to do it (and well, i might add), and feel a sense of meaning in doing it.
once we returned to our room, my roommate began strumming away at guitar hero and i traditionally plopped down in my unusually nice office char (unusual for a room in iraq). i found people to talk to who made me smile and the time passed without my noticing much of it. i wasnt depressed during the afternoon or evening, but i surely was discontented with my situation as a whole.
7:40 arrived in a somewhat startling fashion, and i was encouraged to attend dinner at the chow hall (which is unusual for me, because i hate wearing boots and carrying a gun). i quickly gathered my necessary belongings and picked up a little jog towards the humvee (parked by one the giant pyramidal bunker we'll never use). i drove off in a comfortable rush, as it was already close to 8, and that is when dinner closes. i parked proficiently and made it with a few minutes to spare. i still jogged, because sometimes i dont like walking.
as i gathered my dinner i became more and more excited about it. two small but reasonable slices of beef something-or-other, some plain noodles, two tomatoes stuffed with rice, corn, and beans, succotash, an orange, applesauce speckled with raisins, and an oatmeal-raisin cookie. i ate it all contemplatively and enjoyed the whole of it very much.
eating a large amount also has interesting biochemical effects on your brain. as i exited the dfac, i felt sublimely compelled to walk far more slowly than usual (remember how sometimes i prefer jogging to walking?). i removed my cap to enjoy the airflow more completely, and continued onward toward the truck. once in it, i drove back to the room more slowly and much more relaxed than i had driven to dinner. i parked near the pyramidal bunker and continued my bipedal laze towards the room, still hatless and enjoying the atmosphere around me in all ways i could perceive it.
now i sit in my room. i am still underwhelmed with the days activities, but my door is wide open (allowing that atmosphere in and around and out again), reggae/ska pleases my ears and heart, and im sore from tricking (which means i did it right). also, i am ready to sleep. tomorrow i get to go see my psychologist and share with him my week of revelatory thought... or lack thereof. hehe. =)
<3
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| i just dumped a packet of diced peanuts over uncooked noodles.
in other news, an email of epic proportions was received today. a hello and how are you from the people who will take our place.
=)
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| precisely one month from my last weblog entry, i am making this one. totally unintentional. =)
anyway, this is a dumb country to have a birthday in. nothing about it is celebratory save what i make that way myself, and the army makes me feel not at home, which is only perpetuated by not actually being home.
however. im eating pumpkin pie and enjoying myself anyway. merry goddamn birthday to me. *defiantly gnashes on a slice*
=)
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| im quite happy right now. =)
my life has been continuing along the lines i described in my entry before last, with a few excellent additions. on sunday last, i practiced my trumpet for two and a half hours. thats the second time ive played it in a week, and i hope i can keep something near that regularity for the duration of the deployment... if i can, i should be a pretty good player by the time i get back. =)
also, mary sent me a book that is the most perfect gift i couldve asked for. its called "the illustrated a brief history of time" and "the universe in a nutshell" (two books in one binding), both by steven hawking. =) so, when im at work and i have nothing better to be doing, i can assault my brain with the musings of one of the worlds most brilliant physicists/mathematicians. fortunately for me, hawking spares his readers the heavy math and explains the theories of his field in very understandable terms. its really entertaining to read, and it fits perfectly with the way i think about things.
i have a fine capacity for understanding and the consideration of the vastness of our universe, but every time i exercise those capacities, i am overwhelmed by the reality without fail. how can anything be of any import when gravity (a simple concept) prevents you from traveling in a truly straight line even when every sense youve been physically afforded instructs you that, indeed, you are traveling in a straight line? gah! but all at the same time, i know when everything im doing is in alignment with the world beyond scientific perception, because i feel good. and i know when others are or are not feeling good, and that plays into my mood. so a level of inherent importance is given to every little action even despite the incomprehensible vastness and complexity of space-time.
haha. and when i feel like my understanding for physics begins to falter and i need a break, i pick up my C++ book and my laptop and keep plugging away at that. =) my days are pretty productive on average.
on a less generic note, yesterday we had to supervise a group of local nationals that were replacing a section of constantina wire on the perimeter. the military will contract local "companies" (run by sheiks) for a trustworthy group of locals willing to work for us for a daily salary. so, they get escorted onto the base, they get inspected, and then they get escorted around the base and accomplish whatever menial task is at hand.
now, the original leader of the group we have worked with since we got here just stopped showing up. who knows what happened to him. i hope he got a good job or somesuch. in light of that event, the next most experienced individual got "promoted". he also happened to be the best english speaker in the group. ive had a number of culturally enlightening conversations with this individual, and hes taught me some arabic. =) i like him.
apparently, in a recent investigation, his name came up. he is no longer allowed on the base. =\
so now there is another leader of the group. he's also been with this group since we got here, and hes always been astoundingly friendly. his english is barely communicable, but he can get the message to his comrades. he likes to joke around and hes always got what one would imagine to be a big, authentic smile on his face. i like him too. =) he's taught me some arabic and always wants me to do backflips for him, haha.
in any case, we were replacing the section of the perimeter, and he had to cut out a section of the wire that was ruined. he walks over with the bolt cutters and starts chewing away at the metal strands. the two other soldiers and i that were standing there observed, "this is some good on-the-job training". we laughed, but the irony, and worse, the plausible truth, were disgusting. =\
despite the manic/depressive narration of this blog, im still quite pleased with how my life is leading itself, haha. however, it is now the end of my lunch break and i must return to the shop. i love you all. =)
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