X-Git-Url: https://codewiz.org/gitweb?p=wiki.git;a=blobdiff_plain;f=MayBlog;h=adedb4a0bf9720f8aec314b8dccf857933d56c80;hp=1d9d7b53c87a3e9a6fb72c3c55eae3448c8e2a21;hb=69a6a7a3984ec9cd1721a78eabd2ffd34f70f263;hpb=6a53521c2829b52f50411ab744706effeaaaba68 diff --git a/MayBlog b/MayBlog index 1d9d7b5..adedb4a 100644 --- a/MayBlog +++ b/MayBlog @@ -1,6 +1,190 @@ == May 2007 == -'''Tip:'''' as always, start from the bottom and proceed bottom up to keep time flowing in one direction. +'''Tip:''' as always, start from the bottom and proceed bottom up to keep time flowing in one direction. + +=== Mon, 7th === + +==== Alea Iacta Est ==== + +As promised... Yes, indeed. Everybody please cross their fingers. + + +=== Sun, 6th === + +==== International Dinner ==== + +FedericoLucifredi and his wife Irena were so kind to invite me at their place for a +fine dinner with appetizers, SirloinSteak (see pic below), several side +dishes and... Even a PinotNoir! + +http://www.fairburysteaks.com/images/bci-sirloin-round-bone.gif + +There were also Mauro -- Federico's colleague at Ximian -- and Irena's +friend who's a physics professor from Providence and could speak perfect +French and, surprisingly, even Italian! + +What can I say? I think I got a pound or two that night, but it was +worth it! :-) + + +=== Sat, 5th === + +==== Cinema ==== + +There's a cinema in building 26 @ EmAiTee, and it's cheap. +I'm going tonight. + +==== Cursious? ==== + +If you're curious, my room rent is $500 per month. Utilities, + forniture and DSL Internet access are included. + +It's not cheap, but it's also not too expensive for Boston. +They told me that only Manhattan is more expensive here on +the east coast. + +==== CurriculumVitae ==== + +...is almost ready. A friend told me that I'd better have +also a synthetic resume of 1-2 pages for the impatient. +I think he's right. + +Well, I said I'd be finished by last Monday, but then I +managed to slip past my own deadline visiting NewYorkCity, +moving in my current room and in other frivolous ways. + +Now I have no excuses: the time has come. Next Monday I +''will'' write my proposal. Seriously. + +=== Fri, 4th === + +==== Exchange Rates ==== + +Looks like I'd better convert all my money to dollars *now*: + + http://www.x-rates.com/d/USD/EUR/graph30.html + +What do you think about it? + + +==== StataCenter ==== + +I forgot to tell you about the kewlest building in EmAiTee: + + http://www.eecs.mit.edu/images/big-stata12.jpg + +See also: http://www.eecs.mit.edu/stata-link.html + +==== Fast night ==== + +After a long time, I finally get to (ab)use MIT's wi-fi and +barf my short-term brain buffer into my BrainDump. + +Tonight we went to an Irish pub next to Kendall, where I got +to know a few more Ximian employees. I got rumors that +the famous kernel hacker RobertLove would be there, so after +a while I turned to the guy next to me and asked: "Is +RobertLove really going to come?". And he replied: "Speaking." + +Another guy told me: "Hi, I'm BAHB". "Pardon?". "BAHB!". +"What???". Federico promptly helped me out: "Ha detto che si +chiama BOB :-)" + +The beer was good. I discovered that a BlueMoon is the +nearest approximation of a WeisseBeer I can find here, +and I'm not at all displeased by its taste. + +==== Slow day ==== + +My landlord has recently switched DSL provider and Internet +doesn't work any more: the sync light on the modem flashes. +It seems that crappy ISPs are a common disease in the States +as well. + +Yesterday, he called for service and, finally, they told him +they would send a tech today from 8AM to 18PM. They refused +to be more specific. And so I've agreed to wait here to let +the guy in... I care about it for myself too! + +==== Weight ==== + +By the way, today I'm exactly 150 pounds (use GoogleCalculator +to get it to SI units). + +150 pounds = 68.0388555 kilograms + +=== Thu, 3rd === + +==== Roxbury ==== + +They told me Roxbury is quite an infamous suburb of Boston. +And my first impression confirms that: shops are uglier, +parks and streets are somewhat dirtier (but not as much as +in NewYorkCity!) and, most importantly, some of the neighbors +look creepy. Especially in the night, streets are crowded by +people with criminal faces and many homeless. + +You know I'm not the type who's easily scared off by a bunch +of zombies, but I'll feel much better when I'll drive a car. + +==== Moving In ==== + +I've finally settled in my room. There's no need to describe the house +in detail, as it's the most typical colonial design: two floors plus +basement, front and back yards, sliding windows, wooden floors +everywhere. You've come to know them very well from the movies. + +Today I went to the mall to gather the essentials: a blankets, +a pillow case and some bath towels. The bed is comfortable and +I was quite tired already, therefore I fell asleep early in the +evening and kept on until 8 AM. + +'''WARNING: TIME WARP OCCURRED''' + +----- + +'''WARNING: TIME WARP IMMINENT''' + +=== Fri, 4th === + +Alberto: Attento a convertire € in $ perchè € si sta apprezzando,e quindi $ svalutando rispetto a €. + +Belle le foto scovate da Massimo. Have a good stay in Btn. + +Massimo: Bernie, you taught me: http://www.google.com/search?q=100+USD+in+EUR + + +Massimo: Since Bernie could not give us any picture, I had to use flickr: here they are! + +http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=bernardo+innocenti + +Piro: what in the heaven is RMS doing dressed like a camp tent? :D + +=== Wed, 2nd === + +==== BankOfAmerica ==== + +I went to BankOfAmerica and opened a bank account. I went there wearing a yellow T-shirt +and a weary pair of jeans. In the beginning, they referred me to a young guy who quickly +tried to offer me a student's saving account. When I queried for interest rates, credit +cards, and dollar/euro conversion rates, they finally realized that I was going to move +a bit of money. + +When I've shown them my balance, they immediately switched me to a very polite girl who +took all the time to explain me everything in detail until after their closing time and +recommended me to open *3* different accounts to get a rate of 4.80% with no fees! +I totally hate when people judge you by your wealth, dressing, or other stupid status +symbols, but maybe a bank is the only exception where it makes sense to do so. + +Banking appears to be far, far simpler here. I already feel like I know +everything while in Italy I still can't read most of the paperwork I get from +my banks. + +Batt: Or maybe american bankers are so skilled that you are happy while, in truth, they have stolen your money forever :-P + +Massimo: Yahr yahr! He didn't realize they already got 4.80% of his balance from his pocket with a magician move! Yahr yahr! Anyway... 4-5% rate is not absurd in the US. It has always been almost like this as far as I can remember (maybe sometimes it was even 6-7%). It's useful for someone (like bernie), but tragic for someone who does not have any money and to buy a house with those mortgages it's almost impossible. Still, the US has got a very low rate in comparison with other extra-european countries. + +=== Tue, 1st === ==== Good News, Everyone! ==== @@ -9,17 +193,28 @@ And I'll be moving in *today*! But I'm writing on Thursday the 3rd, actually (aren't you thinking fourth-dimentionally yet?). The room is nice and comes with some forniture, including a desk. It's on the second floor -of a house where the landlord lives with her wife. I like it that way: all those houses -shared by students I've seen so far tend to become unmaintained and dirty quite quickly. +of a house where the landlord lives with her wife and a very friendly puppy.I like it +that way: all those houses shared by students I've seen so far tend to become unmaintained +and dirty quite quickly, while this one is a real house with a fully operational kitchen, +bathroom and even a clean back garden! + +My landlord is Armenian, but have been living here in Boston for a long time. My first +impression is he's a very nice person, honest and easy going. I haven't met his wife yet -- +she'll be back on Sunday. + +I'm afraid the house is a bit far away from MIT, in southern Boston. But that won't +be a problem as soon as I buy a car. There may even be a chance to rent or buy the +car readily from my landlord's son. I don't know the address yet. I should, but I forgot the sheet on the table when I went there. And I can't call my landlord either because I've stolen his cell phone by mistake also. Yeah, I reckon I mustn't a good impression, actually :-) -=== Tue, 1st === + +'''Camy''': the landlord lives with '''his''' wife ==== Do You Speak English? ==== Some of you will be pissed off by this change, but I'm starting to make -some international friends here and non of them could read Italian. +some international friends here and none of them could read Italian. Writing in English is also what I need to improve my writing skills. For the few of you who barely know English, some more reading surely won't hurt! @@ -27,4 +222,6 @@ If you're real lazy, [[http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fbender.codewiz.org%2Fwiki%2FMayBlog&langpair=en%7Cit&hl=en Google Translator]] is your friend. -As always, I'd very much appreciate being told of any mistake I make. +As always, I'd very much appreciate being told about any mistake I make. + +''Massimo: ok, let's start with those horrible contractions my poor eyes had to read: '''Won't''' and '''I'd'''. Hey Bernie! You already went back home from NYC. Ain't gonna play with ya 'nymore!'' \ No newline at end of file