Casey's Blog

School is finally underway with work and my brain is still in "summer" mode. I think that one sentence sums up how awesome I'm doing. My sleeping pattern has been odd, in fact I took a nap at 7 and I woke up at 5 am. I know, impressive ain't it? Since there isn't much to talk about I think I'll reflect upon my very odd summer right after I say that ARCH 350 is fascinating yet boring at the same time. I know I know, I'll explain... next time.

Anyway, today I realized that my brain likes to cycle through various different styles of interest. As I've been clearly keeping track of my main interests every month for a bit I will share this now. However let's also add in the pattern for my friend and partner for a project who keeps consistently getting busy instead of working on the project. Let's call him George for now (no offense if your name is George).

June: Movies, Web Design, Email (George: Still in school)
July: Hanging out , Cooking, Game Design (George: Working)
August: Writing, Games, Rock Climbing (George: in Hawaii)
September: TV Series, Conceptual Design, Music (George: Sick)

Very strange pattern... but I don't really understand if it means anything. I suppose that's a good thing because if my life was a very predictable and consistent pattern I wouldn't really be too thrilled to know that my life is just a series of categorized impulses. Oh and "George" we gotta get to work, fool.

Those who know me personally are aware that I am a very artsy human being. I take notes in a sketchbook and I carry 5 different black pens, these should be obvious clues. It seems that the things I draw or focus on tend to change monthly as well, which is cool but not very useful if I had a job as an thematic illustrator or comic artist. I draw a lot of different things from tattoos to industrial designs. Here's a little doodle from Wednesday's class (I was paying attention in class, honest):

I'm very lazy, I probably won't fill in the white spots with my marker and get on with life. I create some digital works too but let's save that for another day.

Speaking of aesthetic value, recently I've played a game called Bioshock, and it blew my mind like the first time I ate a taco, because tacos are pretty mind blowing. Seriously.

Oh I forgot to mention, the title of this post is named after a song by The Flashbulb. Isn't that unique? No? Well whatever, I thought it was cool.

Click Me =)
Just a little comic thing.

Ah, it seems that I've got a new picture on the main blog page! I actually hate every picture of myself because I'm a normal human being so this picture is no exception. However many people have reassured me that, "Casey, it's okay- people don't judge books by their covers." But THAT'S a myth! But it turns out that it's a quote, a common saying, or whatever. I suppose I won't worry too much about that. Even though it's a "common" saying, I must say that this is not a "common" belief. By no means do I look down on humanity; I am just absolutely sure that people always judge books by their covers only to have their opinions repealed by the opinion of the rare people who don't judge these books by their covers. Does that make sense? No?! I apologize; but before you accept this apology, try reading it again. If it still doesn't make sense, it's probably my fault. In that case, ignore this whole paragraph.

Today is a fascinating day. Yesterday night I got up in the middle of night and I wrote, "We change today. Forever." I have no idea what this means, but apparently We change today, and these changes are here to stay. I'm not sure if I was thinking about the environment. I'm not sure if I was thinking about the relationships I share amongst various people. I'm not sure about anything I write when my brain is 95% asleep (not an exact percentage). I don't even know how to explain that, so I won't. I will leave it up to your imaginations to decipher what that means, and what it may mean to you if you were the one who woke up to write something down because at the time it was that important.

This blog entry is becoming very strange very fast. Let's talk about things that are real. Here's something real: I have to study for a quiz/test, I can make spaghetti slightly better than before, I am sad about the lack of progress for a cooperative project, I am creating a calendar involving illustrations of cute animals, and I am planning a fake wedding in June (I already have a fake bride; it's getting rather exciting). Now my blog seems very normal.

I am going to write a paper on WINDMILLS for my Motion and Mechanics Class. It is going to be awesome because windmills are awesome. You would think that someone who writes a blog would have a more extensive vocabulary but you thought wrong. I am excited to explain how a windmill works and how much energy an old windmill creates compared to a newer model windmill. I want the exact ratio of how much more efficient are current windmills are. My guess is three times more efficient. We shall see! (unless it is impossible to get this info; then I'll just cry in a corner for a bit).

Feeling crazy like me? Email me at caseyy@u.washington.edu . Do not be afraid, "GO FORTH!" says the cockatoo which is colored by a blue marker and a highlighter.

-Casey Yano

Alright so! Here's a very special Thanksgiving edition of Casey Yano's Blog (is that the name of my blog? I wish I could change that). So Thanksgiving is about being grateful for things and eating Turkey (I think) and I did just that during Thanksgiving. If you are a vegetarian I will use this sentence to apologize about the merciless butchering of Turkey for carnivores like myself. Sorry. Here's a picture of cheesecake that I decorated with heavy whipping cream, kiwi, and a can of peaches.

Let's make a list! Because lists don't require proper grammar. Here's a list of things that I, Casey Yano, am grateful for:
-An educational system
-The internet (the good half)
-Cheese with holes
-Cars
-Music
-Billiards
-People. This excludes people who do bad things- like run into my Red Toyota Tacoma with their Chrysler. You know who you are.
-
-
-A lot of homework over the weekend. Wait, no, I am not grateful for that at all.

Ah, that's a fantastic list, I am missing a lot of things for sure- but pretend they're on the list. That's what those two blank spots are for.

So after Thanksgiving is this thing, Black Friday. This is the biggest sale day of the entire year so it's a very good day if you're a hardcore shopper. The name Black Friday comes from "turning a profit" the uhh, black line that goes up on a graph... in business. I think red was the color for loss of profits. I can imagine a Red Friday in the middle of April, the boring month (in my humble opinion).

So on Black Friday I visited Best Buy at like... 8am. They opened at 5am. I bought a nice shiny mouse for 50% off, it still cost $50 though. It is a very nice mouse. It's made of plastic, it has this ball bearing scroll wheel, and it has a LASER on it. Obviously a good enough reason to buy it. Well actually no, but it's the most expensive mouse on the market and it's been the best for quite a long time so I bought it because the price hit $50, the cheapest It'll ever be until maybe next Black Friday.

Alright, back to work. Here's a list of work I need to do over the weekend:
-Rough draft for Motion and Mechanics essay.
-Study for Environmental Issues Quiz.
-Create an illustrative essay for Ancient World (Arch History).
-Think about working on Environmental Issues group project but not get any work done.
-Consider Working on Motion and Mechanics homework early but holding it off until Tuesday.
-Work on side projects.

In the list here you probably read "GROUP PROJECT" and from the other sources you may have realized by now that there are other group projects. The fact about UWB is, there are group projects. Group projects are essential. I'm not going to explain why really... because there are so many reasons that it is important to do group work. If you cannot do group work, you are "doomed". Doomed, my friend, doomed.

This quarter's almost over and I think you folks are just as busy. Why are you still reading this? Obviously you are a very busy person and shouldn't be reading this.

Not actually busy or feel like procrastinating? Just want me to (seriously) explain why group projects are so important? caseyy@u.washington.edu

I am taking my winter break now. Work, play, and celebrating. I am just like you.
Unless you don't work; then lucky you.

Casey Yano (caseyyano @ gmail dot com)

I believe there are infinite little things in this world that are fascinating. We pick out these little things and they can define us. I am talking about little activities and hobbies. I have them too. In fact I feel like listing some of these little things and explain why I, Casey Yano, find these things amusing. Let's get this list started shall we... alphabetical too:

Billiards - This is that game where you hit these balls into pockets with a stick. It gives you a better understanding of the interaction between objects on the simplest scale. It requires concentration and strategy. This game can be played by anyone because it doesn't require any strength though being taller may give you a very slight advantage since it's hard to reach some places at times.

Guitar Hero - This is a game. I don't play much games. I used to, but now... not so much. What I look for in new games are very interesting control schemes and game play mechanics because new and interesting concepts feel new and interesting to me. Guitar Hero is a game played on a controller that is shaped like a guitar. I played maybe 15 hours total but I must say that it is great fun because you can play some nice songs on a plastic guitar and it makes you feel good. It does - it's not stupid. It's cool. It really is. It's a big costly if you don't have a game console though (as I have a PS2 from way back when).

Illustration Books - You know those books with lots of colorful pictures of whatever is interesting? I really don't find much illustration books in houses of my friends. Mostly schools and libraries. I guess it doesn't seem like a book to buy. They are wonderful books to buy. Especially if you spend a lot of time on computers and you have to wait for a program to load or something. Basically, having a book with pictures nearby is handy because they're nice to look at and they don't require memorization of anything. Therefore you can buy an illustration book and you keep it on your desk. Whenever you have one of those "Oh I need to wait... " moments you can flip through the book to progress through the boredom that is waiting. I recommend a book full of puppies. But that may not be your thing. It's what I read while I wait for my slow internet connection to rebuild this website once I publish this blog.

There are a lot more things like rock climbing, snowboarding, and cooking. There are some less obvious ones too like organizing your ideas in a notepad or collecting something, and whatever makes you happy. I'm sure there are great little things that I don't know about. If you feel the need to share you should send them to me or something. That would be pretty cool. Really. I'm a normal human being. I will get your email if you send it. caseyy AT u.washington DOT edu

yep.

Currently I have been working on some projects and assignments since 9am. It is currently 4am. I will have to update later because I couldn't fit in a time to write a blog. The classes here at UWB aren't always this stressful. But today... this Sunday, er Monday is killing me and so i need my sleep.

But then my internet died, and I lost it. This is kinda sad. My internet is being moody. After it settles down I will write a blog post that is very similar to the one I intended to write and a post with lots of photographs of food because it has been very chef-tastic in my life lately.

Hey guys, it's time for me to work on a plan oblique drawing of the Smith Hall entrance. This means that I need to spend hours of time drawing something. It also means I don't want to use any brain power writing a very thoughtful blog entry. So instead! Here is a post full of pictures of food that I have cooked/fried/whatever.

These are English pancakes. They are the same as German pancakes. some orange marmalade with them.

In Europe, I assume they are called pancakes... not English pancakes. Just like how in Canada, ham is called bacon. I wonder if bacon is called American bacon in Canada.

I made some tacos as well. They were good. Ground beef with half an onion, chili powder, and some cumin. Avocados with some lime juice, some onion, salt, and pepper. Salsa bought at a store, sour cream, small tortillas, and some lettuce. I forgot to put cheese on this taco...

I had a friend who always had tacos. He made his tacos in a much different way. A lot more chili powder and a lot of cheddar. Good times.

Anyone can make their own kind of taco... Some people don't like guacamole, some people don't like sour cream. Since you can choose what you put in a taco, I guess it makes tacos very flexible. I put a bit of everything... and in the picture, all the ground beef is covered up so it looks like a vegetaco of sorts.

This is called Okonomiyaki. It's very popular in Osaka, Japan. It's like a pancake made of cabbage, flour, and water. Inside there is usually ginger, pork, and green onions. On top are small pieces of sliced dried bonito and the green are seaweed flakes. The sauce is made of mayonnaise and a sweeter version of Worcestershire sauce. For some reason I think this dish might look a little... different.

This is some pasta. Turkey breast, large thin slices of tomatoes and zucchini, onions, etc etc etc.

Everything comes with rice in Japan. That is all.

Some tonkatsu (pork with a breaded batter that is fried). These descriptions aren't too great... you could type in tonkatsu in google and find out what it is though. Why I don't do this and then post it... is a mystery (or I'm lazy).

Here's some broccoli that's fried. I'm not a big fan of broccoli, but when it's fried this way, it's delicious. Seriously.

Remember that sweet Worcestershire sauce I mentioned earlier? It's normally used with tonkatsu and it's eaten with cabbage.

Alright I think that's about it for now, I apologize for the poor lighting, I was hungry.