Nice.

I only got to thrash at the gym this weekend. It was a nice day for climbing outside on Sunday, but my partner for Sunday texted me at 5:18am telling me that after her poker game ended two of her partners got into a car accident (they weren't drunk). A cop was in the other car and he was intimidating my friend's poker partners at the hospital, so my partner for the day, who is a lawyer, had to sober up in order to go defend her suddenly new clients at the hospital.

I worked today instead on teaching english lessons.

I know that feeling

leaving wed night...hitting up Mt. Whitney Mountaineers route, then heading up to Mammoth for whatever we feel like doing, then returning monday.

over this next year I hope to werk on my tard skillz so I can do the east but or east face sometime...

80 freaking meters...are you kidding me?

anyway, it looks as if we're heading out this weekend.

This should be fun.

I could mail you a DVD... you're breaking laws, but not gettin caught

Skimming...

Is that so? Then why are we friends?

Getting up early for work sucks donkey balls.

still looking for apartments. It's a pain in the ass. This is nothing like renting in any other country I've ever been to. Found out that I can't go through the rental agencies. While their terms differ, the last one where I put an offer in on the apartment said that I had to pay the monthly rent AND 100% of the FULL-YEAR'S RENT as a deposit (i.e. - IN ADVANCE) to ensure that I was able to pay. Of course, I'd get the money back at the end of the year, but what the hell, who can afford double the rent? I've often found it difficult to do first and last (thankfully I have good enough credit in the US to have never had the need to pay a security deposit).

So now we're looking exclusively at a roommate situation or renting directly from a landlord, the latter of which is kind of difficult to find. Why? Because Brasilians are infamous for not paying for things they aren't attached to. For instance, if you provide a service then they'll pay because there is a relation there, but if they are renting an apt, and possibly never meet the landlord, then it's not theirs so why pay? So, most landlords go through agencies because most agencies go have outrageous demands.

So how do people rent? They get someone to co-sign an apartment. In other words, if the renter doesn't pay, then the co-signor is responsible, and the co-signor has to put up his or her own house (or other tangible asset of value). My response? Fuck that! However, this explains why 40 year-olds who aren't married still live at home...because who can afford to deposit one-year's rent and which parent is willing to sign away the house for the kid's apartment?

I'm gonna go buy a gun.

wise move...

Sounds like a roommate is your best bet. I know it can be a pain to room with strangers but rent will be cheaper and you get to duck all the crazy "one year upfront" shit.

Sorry you're having such a hard time dude.

Dear god I have relapsed into NOOBDOM!

I am so shit at DotA now! wowza!

I am getting destroyed in WC3 matchmaking as well.

Only one thing to do... Hold my calls, I am going awl out awl night!

Okay, no I am not, but CB is going out to a caliedh tonight that I can't go to (graduate students only) so I am going to camp out on B net.

Tomorrow I am picking up 2 copies of D2/LOD and installing one of them on CB's computer and one on mine. Then I am going to lure her into playing it with me with (true) promises of Ben and Jerry's.

what happened with the job that you applied to a couple of weeks ago?

I only play Civ...III (but it's better than Civ IV for sure)

I had two interviews, one for a job I didn't really want and another for a job I was really psyched about, but I didn't get either job. At both interviews, they seemed really excited about me, telling me personal stories, discussing benefits, etc. I imagine for the job I wanted, someone way more qualified came around. It is bound to happen when there are 150+ applicants per position.

I thought that too. Now I am play Civ IV happily.

that sucks, but that's the way it goes sometimes. actually, I think that really sucks considering your talking about teachers, which are considered to be woefully understaffed. I wonder if you're living in a place where there is an odd surplus of teachers.

Either way, good luck with the process and be patient. Good things will come along.

I could never get around the changes to IV, and I think the graphics totally sucked in IV, too. I had a hard time figuring out where the boundaries were.

The problem with Civ III is that the only strategy that really makes sense is spamming cities.

well, I lived with roommies in Santiago and that worked out OK. Cheap, too. But here in Brasil (pronounced Brasiou), there are benefits to having my own place. For one, the lady will stay over a lot more if I have my own place.

May have found a place yesterday. More expensive than I wanted, but still within the price range. Nice place, actually, and quiet and spacious, too, for what amounts to a studio (has a separate kitchen and shower). I've seen smaller one bedroom apts before.

Dunno. Going to try to negotiate the price a bit. Even still, it's close to the bus, close to the lady, close to the grocery store, on a quiet street, and the landlord lives in the building. I'm not 100% sold, but I'm figuring it's about as close to getting what I want as I'm going to get.

Seeing another place this afternoon that I know won't be nearly as nice but will be damn cheaper. Damn cheaper = BR$400/ month cheaper but doesn't have a kitchen sink. (also not nearly as nice of a building).

The problem with Civ III is that the only strategy that really makes sense is spamming cities.

I have no idea what that means.

In Civ III, the best thing to do is to build as many cities as possible because of the way corruption is calculated.

Well at least you've found a few options. Good luck with the search.