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Free candy

Oh, right, I had exams on Thursday. I already know what I got on them: an A in chemistry and an A in English. English was very easy (as I expected) and chemistry was too (surprisingly). I’m not sure what I got on Monday’s exams, though. Anyway, this week is short because of Yom Kippur, so we have a four-day weekend. Our next days off are for Thanksgiving at the end of next month. Ay.

Yesterday I went to a surprise birthday party for my friend Mike. We met at an Italian restaurant and then went across the street to see The Greatest Game Ever Played at the movies. Although it was good, it’s hard to make a 2-hour movie about golf without running into slow and boring bits. Happy 17th birthday (once again), Mike.

I seem to be hanging out at a site called Esperanto Radio Arkivo (Esperanto Radio Archive) quite a bit. Believe it or not, Esperanto radio programs are broadcast from China, Poland, Vatican City, Cuba, Italy, Australia, and (if you count Internet broadcasts) many more countries. I think my listening skills are getting better; I could understand everything pretty well, depending on the quality of the MP3s. On the site I listened to a few broadcasts from Radio Havano Kubo — Radio Havana Cuba (broadcast from “a free territory in America,” they remind us). One anchor typically mentions that you can listen to their shows online at the Esperanto Radio Archive and gave a tip of the hat to the site’s webmaster who, ironically, is an American.

I haven’t listened a whole lot, but apparently they take calls from people and talk about Cuba, generally. I get bored listening to it online, but I think it would be more exciting to hear it coming in on the old shortwave radio. I think their Esperanto shows are the only such programs broadcast in the Western hemisphere, and since they’re coming from so close by, it should make for some good reception (although I guess shortwave signals can travel around the world). Cuba has always been mysterious to me (and other Americans, I’m sure). Because we’re not allowed to go there, it only makes the place more alluring, like how you always want what you can’t have. In any case, Esperanto allows for cultural exchanges to take place by means of a neutral common language.

Anyway, they broadcast from Cuba three times on Sundays, and all of those times yesterday I happened to be out of the house (or asleep). So next week I’ll have to catch the half-hour program. That should be fun for my family because they get to hear me listening jibber-jabber that they can’t understand.

If you’re like me, you (a) like Esperanto and (b) can’t remember people’s names. If only (b) applies, maybe these tricks to remembering names will help. I’ll have to try them.

The Jowler is a photo that makes anyone look unflattering. To make one, have someone take a picture of you (with the flash) while you shake your jowls really fast. Have a look at the gallery.

I couldn’t think of a good title for this post, so I thought I’d call it “Free Candy.”