The World of Little Little Bird

Car Towing Fee, $200.
Traffic Ticket, $150.
A new car, $24,500.
A heck lot of bargaining experience, priceless.

周六兄弟请我去现场看UT football game。下午6点的球。我4:15到他住的宿舍，把车停在他楼下，然后去隔壁餐馆买饭。刚坐下喝珍珠奶茶的时候，我就看到外面有辆拖车正拖着一辆非常非常象我的车在等红灯。我连忙跑出去看，靠，果然是我的车。我知道那个停车的地方是permit only，但是我朋友说没事，暑假里他朋友停了一星期也没事，结果为后来埋下了祸根。这个时候，一共才10分钟，我们点的饭还没上来呢。马上叫餐馆打包， 走人。回到现场，我看见当时我停车时候边上的一个白人还在，觉得可能是他打的电话，就上前询问。结果他告诉我，说那里是拖车公司自动巡逻，只要看到没 permit的就马上拖走。继续攀谈了几句后，知道他在隔壁酒吧工作，连忙要了电话，请他做witness，大叔很nice的答应了。然后打电话给拖车公 司，被告知说$200。那个痛啊。想找学校宿舍负责人，结果周末无人上班。兄弟人很好，说他要出一半，然后马上就要打电话叫yellow cab去拿车。我说先去看球吧。于是去看球，UT大胜，在球赛快结束的时候，我打电话请另一个兄弟载我去拿车。与此同时，兄弟回宿舍，找了个学生负责人， 给拖车公司打电话，请求减免。拖车公司就是土匪啦，怎么会把到嘴的肉吐出来，说他们的老板要周一上班，现在必须交钱。没有办法，在到了那个超级偏僻，狗不 拉屎的拖车公司，付钱拿车走人。拿到车的时候已经是12点以后了。。。可气的是那里的人还说我停了一个小时，丫的欠扁。回来后，决定周一找学校负责人理论。
今天去了学校，那个老黑负责人首先说了一通大道理，说我的责任，blahblahblah，我说我承认我的责任，但是，你们的做法不人道，住你们宿舍的学生要买 个家具之类的，怎么办？老黑说你们得多带个人看车。靠，亏她说得出来。最后她说，念在初犯，退我们一半的钱。终于拿回$100。似乎事情解决的不错，但是 在今天接我兄弟去office的路上，发生了更郁闷的事情。
就在我刚接了他的时候，才过了两个block就看到后面警车闪灯。我才开20多迈啊。连忙pull over，双手放在他能看见的地方，摇下窗，问what's up。他说我兄弟没系安全带，一张ticket，价值$150。连忙求情说好话，初犯啦，穷学生啦，刚上车啦，但是人老大说，最近严打，我一天7小时工作 就是抓不系安全带的。晕倒，美国也有严打的说。我滴神啊，忙和半天，还要多付$50。
不过以我的一贯宗旨，never give up before fighting。决定不受罚，要求上法庭。

平时不太喜欢去BestBuy买东西，一来是东西贵，二来是不友善。BestBuy的CEO亲口提出过所谓的好顾客和坏顾客的谬论，而我作为一个deal hunter，毫无疑问的被影射为坏顾客。但是当昨天在网上看到原价$329.99的电视柜卖$19.99的时候，小小鸟的眼睛发光了。趁着午饭时间，跑 了一趟公司附近的BestBuy。到了那里，直接找售货员要电视柜。他一查，说还剩下三个，然后看到价格后，他马上兴奋的说他也要一个。然后，他让我等着，他去仓库里面拿。结果等了5分 钟，出来一个老黑，和我说没找到，只剩下一个样品了。我说我明明看到系统里说有三个的。他说系统不准确，分不清楚颜色，里面剩下的都是黑的，但是黑的要卖 $329.99。@#$%^&! 我当时就觉得是被耍了，肯定是他们看到便宜，自己抢先买了。但是又没有证据，看看那个样品，比较旧，最关键那是装好的，我的小车放不下。只有在心中暗骂两 声WorstBuy黑店后，悻悻离去。
晚上下班，小小鸟不死心，就去了I35/Parmer上的一家新开的WorstBuy碰运气。到了那边，仍然直接问售货员。那个售货员一查， 同样很惊讶的说，啊，19块啊。那里也是有三个。然后他就去仓库取货了。这次，小小鸟已经没了中午的乐观情绪，在那边默默的等待。过了一会，他出来了。说找到一个， 但是上面贴着名字，已经被人hold了。剩下两个是装好的样品，问我要不要。我说不要。我就让他给我查，看附近哪个WorstBuy有。他查了一下，说离 这里3 mile的round rock店有。我说我可不想再被玩一次，跑到那边，再听同样的故事。他说，他可以给我电话过去，如果有的话，给我hold住。这个好。然后他开始打电话， 然后一说那个电视柜，对方就很兴奋的说是不是19块的那个，他自己也买了一个，然后他说可能没了，要去找一下。过了一会，说还有最后一个新的。Yeah! 马上报上名字，然后出发。出发前，不忘对为我打电话的售货员表示感谢。看来GoodBuy还是不错的。
到了第三家GoodBuy，那个老哥已经把电视柜搬在门口等我了。好大一个盒子。然后就是他帮我装上车子。花了整整15分钟，盒子太长，后座放不下，最后把后排椅子放下来，从后盖箱直着进去。总算满意而回，恢复丫的BestBuy名号。
到了家，请了朋友帮忙，两个人花了九牛二虎之力，把那183磅折腾上了二楼，打开一看，还是很decent的。非常感谢朋友的帮忙，不然的话，我今天只有载着这个重物来上班了。周末争取把它装起来。嘻嘻。

被打劫了。。。
万恶的资本主义社会啊。。。

After a couple of hectic weeks, life comes back to normal. Despite busier work in daytime, I resume jogging three times a week, watching Prison Break on Monday night, enjoying NFL on Sundays. Not much different from this time last year. It is like year after year and I return to the same start point. Of course, it is always a better start point in some sense.

My apartment held a Vegas Night event last night. All residents were invited to play pokers and enjoy free Pizza/drinks in the club room. From their poster, registration is required for playing Black Jack. Well, I am not a fan of black jack which is pure luck most of the time. Meanwhile I was just too freaking busy last week. However, when I dropped by at 6pm for free pizza, I found out they were playing Texas Hold'em instead. I asked if I could join without registration, and was told if someone didn't show up, I could take that place. Immediately, one guy asked me to sit next to him as his brother would not come. He was kinda aggressive. He kept crapping that he was Chris Moneymaker, who won the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event, and all others on his table were unfortunate to lose all their pants. Sorry, dude. I appreciate your giving me the chance to sit down, but I had to knock you out in one of the all-in moments. After about 2 hours, the players were narrowed down to 6 from the original 20. And the top three will get get cash prizes. After knocking out three girls, I ended up with No.3 and left with $100 off my next month rent payment. Not bad for free food and easy money. Photos have been taken for the top three and will be uploaded online.

In computer science, a stack is a temporary abstract data type and data structure based on the principle of Last In First Out (LIFO). (reference)
My work is like a stack. Originally, I am assigned some tasks, which are inside my stack. Everyday, folks push stuffs into my stack too. As my job duty, I need to pop out all the tasks from my stack. When I first join the company, most of the time, I can keep my stack empty or nearly empty. However, from a while ago, I only have time to pop out most tasks obtained the current day. I had my schedule to finish some of the previous tasks in the bottom of my stack but it always got put off. I start being afraid to receive emails and phone calls as I know I may get more things pushed into the stack.
Anyway, take it easy.

One friend of mine left US this Thursday. When I learned that he had decided to quit his Ph.D. study in UT, I was really really shocked. He left in such a hurry. I took off from work early on Wednesday and rented a truck from HomeDepot to help him move. We then had his last dinner in US together. After we sent some of his stuffs including his car to friends in riverside, he was held up by his roommate. His roommate was very tough. She didn't allow him to sublease, she demanded him to clean every corner of the rooms and asked him to sign some paperworks claiming responsibility of almost invisible dirt. When everything was done, it was 1am already. That was the 6th day of my late sleep.

I went back to Pittsburgh this week for a campus recruiting event in CMU. When I got to hotel, I was told that I had to give presentations too. Moreover, I would have to give two presentations. @#$%... I planned to have rehearsed the presentations but failed to do so due to the exciting football game between Cowboys and Giants. Fortunately, I have had quite some experiences in talking to students and sailed through the presentations. My advisor was in Munich, Xin's baby was sick, and Larry was not in when I went to his office. So basically I didn't see anyone on my visiting list except that I talked to Judy and Radu a little bit. The recruiting event went pretty well from 9am to 7pm, of course partially because I didn't screw up my talks. I spent most of my nights in hotel working remotely and went to bed at 1am every night. I left hotel at 7:30am the last day to catch my flight but only to sit on the plan waiting in the runway for three hours due to the storms in Newark. No doubt, I missed my connection. Then I spent another 1 hour and a half waiting for the customer service before I could get my new boarding pass. And that flight got delayed for two hours again. When I arrived in Austin after midnight, I was like, wow, being home was so great. The only good thing is the flight to Austin was lightly occupied. I was the only one in my row so that I could lay down and sleep for 3 hours. I had a plan to have dinner with Zhong that day. Sorry, Zhong.
From two weeks ago, I have kept asking myself the same question, should I quit the university campus team next year? I guess the answer would be yes.

It is Fall again. The NFL season starts this week. Steelers will play in Cleveland this Sunday. It looks like they have quite a good schedule with playing weak teams at the beginning of the season and then play tougher teams in the winter. Steelers are always good at winter games especially in snow. I'm positive they can go to playoff this season. One bad thing is that they are gonna play Patriots this season, which they seldom win. Go Steelers!!!
BTW, it will be interesting to watch the Falcons without Mr. Dogfighter. :D

今天去CVS买完东西出来,有个homeless模样的人坐在店门口,叫住我,问我能不能给他一个ride去公车站.因为今天是劳动节,他等的那趟公车没有,所以要直接走去乘他要转的车.两年前的我肯定对他说声sorry然后扭头走人.今天我居然对他说,No problem. Come on in. 其实不远,也就1个mile的距离,不过他真坐在我边上的时候,我还是有点慌慌的.可能是美国电影看多了吧.
发现现在人真的变了.昔日的棱角渐渐消失,对越来越多的东西开始不再care了.也不知道这样是好是坏,随它去吧...

上周日在I35上开车的时候,由于前面的车突然刹车,我也紧急刹车.之后,我的车在刹车的时候就会发出难听的噶噶声.昨天,把车拿去了越南车铺检查.车铺老板一听声音,就对我说brake is gone.然后就拆下轮子给我看坏了的刹车皮.对于压跟就不知道煞车皮长什么样的我来说,也没有差啦.就叫他修.他说$130.在我电话了昕同学后,觉得$130不贵,就让他修了.吃过午饭,收到他电话,说修好了.我跑到那边,他把车钥匙给我,说$120,还自己便宜了$10,不错,就当是午饭钱了.在我拿出信用卡的时候,问题来了,他说他只收现金和支票.我一边嘀咕着,一边琢磨上哪里去取钱.突然看到马路对面的买菜的地方,于是就去买了一壶炒菜的油,然后要cash back.结果每次cash back只有$40.我的天哪.不过也难不倒我.我又去拿了两包榨菜,分别结帐.在我搞到现钞后,再走回修车铺.就看到老板在那边很郁闷的站着.看到我回来,如释重负,说,哦,你去买菜了.我说是啊,我去搞现金了.他说,我还以为你拿了车钥匙就开车走了呢.FT,我有那么萎琐吗?