Boys of Summer

Summer is teasing me every week. I'm tan, I'm loving nights with lows in the fifties and sixties, and I'm loving the warm, sunny days.

But it was in the low 40s last night and today it never made it out of the upper 60s. I decided to take a short bike ride anyway, and somewhere along the line I ended up 20 miles east of Edmond in Luther. Right about the time I realized how far out I was, I also realized I was hungry and tired. Not much to do in a situation like that but push it up hills in the granny gear.

My entire weekend went something like that. I was out by Deer Creek high school Friday afternoon when I got a flat tire. I pulled off and started changing it, watching cars fly by out of the corner of my eye. I always wonder if someone will stop, even though I don't need help, but no one did Friday.

At least not until I was setting the tire back in the frame of the bike. Trying not to get too much chain grease on my hands, I hear a couple of short honks and notice a car slowing, with the window down. Before I even look up I'm saying, "I'm alright, thanks though," but as my eyes meet with the driver's I go blank, managing a strange greeting.

It's one of my ex-girlfriend's best friends. My ex and I didn't end on good terms at all (we're not really friends now, but there is absolutely no bad blood anymore) so this girl gives me a deer-in-the-headlights look and just drives off. Oh well, I think.

But I can't help but wonder about the odds in this situation. I also am left to wonder about the type of people my ex and I tended to befriend, and consequently what kind of people each of us are. Of all the people that drove by me that day, only this girl was kind enough to stop and see if I needed help.

As a side note, too, the last time I saw her was when her car was spinning out on the ice in a parking lot. I guess she was just returning that favor.

;)

Contradictions

I was talking to Kodi the other day about the Japanese fascination with alternate realities. I don't know that we have all that much solid evidence for that belief, but I had just read a paper from a Japanese girl about Maid Cafes.

Maid Cafes are cafes in Japan where the waitresses dress up as French maids and treat the guests like their masters. The girl told me that these cafes are in Tokyo and other metro areas in Japan. Mostly, she said, tourists from smaller towns visit them. I never understood if people in Tokyo visited them frequently as well, although I imagine they would to keep them in business. Anyway, we were talking about this, kind of thinking about how Japanese culture seems to odd to us. Later, I was talking to another Japanese girl, Yuki, about these cafes as well. I asked her if she had ever been to one and she hadn't, but she knew about them. I started telling her how different that seemed from my perspective, because we didn't have anything similar to that in America.

As I said this, a spark lit up in her eyes. She said, "what about hooter?" For a few seconds, I couldn't figure out what she was saying. I kept thinking, why in god's name is she talking about owls?

Then she drew a picture and it dawned on me. She was saying Hooters. It was so obvious: Hooters is like another planet. I was shocked by how easily I had overlooked something in my own culture that so clearly paralleled what I considered strange in another. I work with Asian students, Middle Eastern students, African students, and Spanish students all the time. I've noticed a lot of different things about each culture, but this was the first time I actually learned something about myself as well. It was an eye opening experience.

The final lesson in all this, though, is that I would prefer a French maid over a Hooters girl anyday. I've got my bags packed.

Changes

Thinking about my future, I decided I wanted to keep this blog going after our Advanced Comp class. The first step, then, was changing the name and the layout. Consider that done. I really like this template, which I didn't even see the first time around, and although I would like to edit the HTML myself, the widgets and style sheets are too complicated for me right now (and probably forever, unless I really decide to get into page design). So, I'm happy with the design for now; I just hope I can create a better title sometime in the future.

My picks

The NBA playoffs begin next Saturday. The probable seeding will be:

In the East...

Boston (1) v. Atlanta (8)
Detroit (2) v. Philly (7)
Orlando (3) v. Toronto (6)
Cleveland (4) v. Washington (5)

Do I have to watch any of these? Boston destroys Atlanta in four and then eliminates Cleveland in five (who beat Washington in 6). Detroit takes out Philly easily, Orlando beats Toronto, and then Detroit again beats Orlando and Superman! Dwight Howard. Boston in six over Detroit.

In the mighty West...

Lakers v. Denver
New Orleans v. Dallas
San Antonio v. Phoenix
Utah v. Houston

On this side of the aisle...I can't wait. (I've made some edits since the standings changed yesterday). I like the Houston v. Utah matchup better than a Houston/PHX one. T-Mac and the crew (which will become the crew and T-Mac when he folds under the pressure of the playoffs) will have a better chance against the Jazz, who won't be posting as many points as the Suns. Still, I think the Jazz make it out of round one.

New Orleans over Dallas in six. Lakers over Denver in five (two by double digits). And the mighty Spurs going out in round one to the Suns.

That pits the Lakers against the Jazz and the Hornets against PHX and the Big Cactus. That latter matchup will be great: the past and the present in point guard play, Nash and Paul going head to head. I say PHX in seven; I like them to come out of the west against...Kobe. Shaq proves himself to be the biggest difference maker ever. Sorry, Kobe.

As for predictions after that, I say Boston beats PHX in seven. I really want both of these teams to win it for different reasons, but whoever wins it will be a great final. Here's hoping that this is how it turns out.