Author: Serg

IRJE #3 – Kitchen

In the book called “Kitchen”, we are Introduced to a young lady named Mikage Sakurai, who, after the loss of all her relatives, may not afford to live at the family house, and so her days there are numbered. Fortunately for her, she meets a young man, Yuichi Tanabe, with whom she bonds pretty quickly over her families tragedy. Her Grandmother has an unfortunate passing, and since it was her last relative, she was really sad, however, when she looked at Yuichi, she started to to think herself that her love for her grandmother was nothing compared to his;

…his eyes were swollen, from crying. When he saw my grandmother’s picture on the altar, again his tears fell like rain. My first thought when I saw that was that my love for my own grandmother was nothing compared to this boy’s, whoever he was, he looked sad. (p.7)

Overall, this mutual trauma helped bond these two characters together. Yuichi later invited her to stay at his house for as long as she likes, even proposing for her to move in with him and his mom. This excerpt perfectly outlines the kind and passionate character of Yuichi Tanabe.

PW#3 – My Constantly Cracking Boots!

As you all know, I am a Sea Cadet, and keeping uniform up to it’s best standards is one of the major responsibilities, especially when you are a senior like me. The boots I have are from the late 1950s; this means that there is organic leather which makes the boot easier to shine than it’s new counterparts. This leather allowed me to polish the boots up super fast and make them ready for cadet nights in 1 to 2 and a half hours. However, I was faced with a constant problem; the polish would flake, creating uneven surfaces on the boot, also known as boot cancer. To fix this, there are two routes; you may either strip the boot (take off the layers) which will take you a long time to rebuild the layers, or polish over and smooth out the surfaces. From my 6+ years of experience in Cadets, it is best to strip the boots and to build them up from the ground again. This however, didn’t help the issue, and the polish kept on flaking and falling off. I decided to try the other method out as well, where I build polish on top of the cancerous areas. This too didn’t work, in fact it only worsened as the dried out polish didn’t stick well to the more humid polish.

This brought me back to the drawing board, as I wasn’t sure of what to do at this point. I was ver desperate at this point, even thinking about leaving my question on Reddit when I remembered about something; My Friends! Being very desperate I shot them all a message, hoping for the best. They went with me to the Summer’s Military camp, making them a reliable source especially since I knew all of them personally. I have showed them pictures of my boots and asked about their opinion, and sure enough they pointed out one detail that I failed to notice. The boot was dry! They joked around saying “how about you offer it a drink or two” and even “ain’t you a sea man?”, “ain’t they supposed to be hydrated 24/7?”.

They were right; I was too concentrated to look good which caused me to not pay attention to the minor details. Using their help as a guide I stripped the boots (it took ~20 minutes for each boot) and applied the one thing the boot needed; The Moisturizer. After that, I buffed (term for building up layers of polish, in this case I have built up the first the 3 layers with a buffing brush) the boots and left them out to dry. This will create a so called steady base layer on which the whole polish relies on. This process is currently in the making and I can’t wait to share any future results/personal experience with what happens next.

IRJE#2 – The Overstory

In the Novel “The Overstory“, by Richard Powers, we are introduced to a couple (and later a family) which has moved out into the Rural area of Prospect Hill, Brooklyn. The Head of the Family, Jorgen Hoel, plants 6 chestnut trees; These trees provide people with not only wood but also a food source. It is mentioned that if the ground were to shake a bit the food would come to the ground “..by the shovelful”, (p.5). This gives us a feel for the importance of these trees. These trees, however, seem to have a tie with the main character’s lives. For example, when the first new born dies during infancy:

“Their Firstborn dies in infancy..”

“One of the six chestnuts fails to sprout.” (p. 7)

After these devastating blows we are informed that Jorgen does not give up, and he keeps them up to prevent this source to be taken away from them. Overall the beginning of this book shoes true power of will, where after such seemingly hard hits the father does not give up. It is also pretty interesting and symbolic to see the nature aspect tie in with the humans. One last interesting part that I noticed would be the way they all depend on this tree. This shows how dependent we are on nature as well as raises questions based on how close are tied to nature today.

Reflection on the 2 Texts

Personally I believe that the first text demonstrates a good idea for the future; In the text “The Moral Equivalent of War” we are proposed an idea that men should be conscripted to do service and labour; This is not a bad idea, as this will only benefit our society; we may see great change in construction and corruption today. This however, might change as the leaders may use them as a labour force, and disputes/wars may happen over this as well. From a limited point of view, this idea is not terrible and may work if we remain at peace with one another.

In the second text, “Can Real Men Live in a Peaceful Society”, we are proposed an idea of a world where the real “Tuff” men are too violent/aggressive to the other people, hence they present us to Castration. This is not a bad thing necessarily, however, there will always be the other perspective; People that are ill or may not comprehend what they are doing may be wrongfully accused of terrible actions and may be castrated. You furthermore realise that this is a negative idea when you start to understand that people plan to use drugs. The “calmness” and “slowness” from this drug may lead to unintelligent decisions and cause a lot of trouble in the modern society.

Overall, I believe these texts made me realise how vulnerable society is, and how people may be redirected today. Despite the texts being centred on the 20th century, I can still see their concern and support some of these ideas.

PW#2 – The Realisation and Reflection

Do you recall my last PW? The one in Which I talked about my Summer PC Build? Well, over the few months of usage I have my own feedback and whether I recommend a PC like that (PC Specs Below)

As I mentioned above, I have had time to experiment on this Budget System; This was a tremendous upgrade from my old computer, which had a Core 2 Quad, a 17 year old CPU. Despite me not doing any serious intensive tasks, the age of the hardware was felt by me, as the computer had micro stutters, and ran at an average of 60 degrees Celsius. With the new Computer, I am rarely able to load it above 50% CPU Usage, and under load it barely hits 30 Degrees Celsius. Another thing I have noticed, is that Linux is a way lighter Operating System compared to Windows, meaning that an actual “Stress Test” would never cause any stutter. Considering the Applications and my PC usage in general, I am not able to use it to the fullest potential, unlike Windows Users. My computer is surely a bang for the buck, I mean; Custom built (By myself), has modern parts (GTX 1650 Super), and it came at a low cost (instead of $500 I had a trick that put the price down to ~$150). This, however, doesn’t mean that I can’t find a good use to this computer; The Xeon I use is clocked at a slow 2.2 GHz, however, its 6 Cores and 12 Threads make up for it, allowing me to watch 4K Videos without stutters and a comfortable 60 – 180 Frames per second in Benchmark Runs.

There are also some setbacks, as this Xeon has a low Clock speed, it causes stutters sometimes as it is not able to catch up to the GPU, however this is partly my fault, as Overclocking will cause instability of the CPU, and it won’t work as long as it will in stock. I also found that the Cooler can be a bit loud, considering it has 2 fans it is not surprising, however un-plugging 1 is not an option, as it may get toasty quick (underload). Turning down the RPM is impossible through BIOS as well; it seems like this one is kind of on me, however it should be mentioned any ways.

Lastly, I would like to reflect on my overall thoughts on ” The BEAST” (name given to it by me do to it’s loud roar when the fans spin). “The BEAST” is a wonderful computer, which I craved to have since I was little; Powerful to run any task thrown at it, and the inability to overload the system, I mean, it’s a true dream! However, this Computer’s CPU is meant to be a server CPU, so in the next couple of years, with the coming of newer and more recourse-taking applications and websites this machine may need a full upgrade. Using Linux on this machine has proven to be a smart choice, as it fills up only 1.5 GB of ram on the Desktop, leaving an additional 14.5 GB at my disposal. Unlike the basic Version of DDR3, ECC Ram finds and fixes mistakes in code, allowing for a more secured file transfer (essential safety measure in Servers). I should clarify, this RAM is a little slow compared to its successor, DDR4, which goes up to 3000 MHz (in comparison to its predecessor’s 1899 MHz). This setback is only clear when you use a DDR4 system under load and come back to DDR3.

In the end, I believe “The BEAST” is a computer which I theoretically do not need (as I do not use it fully), however, it is a nice space heater and and a good Multimedia station for movies/shows (perfect combo for Christmas Eve!). If I had Windows, I would be able to find out it’s limits in a day, however, it’s ability to surprise me every day allows for intrigue and expectation rise. To conclude this PW, I may not need this computer, but it is a great addition to my room, being a so called artifact which stands out (due to its roar).

(PC Specs:

Intel Xeon E5-2420v2, GTX 1650 Super, 16 GB DDR3 ECC (Error Correcting Code Memory), 500 W PSU, 256 GB SSD (I have a storage server, 256 GB for apps is plenty), X79 Chipset Motherboard, and Cooler Master double Fan Cooler; This computer runs Linux Mint 20.3 Cinnamon Edition: Total PC Cost: $150 (instead of the planned 500))

IRJE #1

In Tony Hillerman’s The Shape Shifter, we are introduced to a now retired police officer of the Navajo Tribal Police Department – Joe Leaphorn – who is called upon to investigate a crime scene with a so-called Mr. Totter, involving a presumably Burned Rug, which shows up on a magazine Joe looked at. Later, he goes to see his coworkers, – whom have just arrived from their honeymoon-. He soon realized they were no help, as in the end this was his own personal case which went unsolved.

“To tell the truth, we think we know what happened to Mr. Totter, but we never could have proved it

“I’ll bet this is going to be interesting”

“…I’ve got to start it way back by reminding you both of our origin stories… One version translates into English as Skinwalkers. Another version comes out as shapeshifters.”

“Fits better sometimes. The last time someone told me about seeing a skinwalker bothering her sheep, she said when she went into the hogan to get a rifle.. it turned into an owl. Flew away”

“Well, keep that in mind when I tell you about Totter, and so forth.”

“Okay”

“For me it started about the time when you two were enjoying yourselves in Hawaii. I had a call telling me I had mail down at the office.. I went down to see what it was…” (pp. 5-11)

Next, the book transitions into a first person perspective, where Joe opens a envelope with a page from the magazine called Luxury Life, where he saw old furniture by a fireplace, which had antlers and a rug hanging beside a fireplace – one which reminded him of the one from his previous case, 

This dialogue outlines the way that Leaphorn is intrigued into solving this crime, as well as showcasing the mystery within. 

Personal Response: WW1 Readings

When first introduced to this term’s readings I honestly did not expect much; I have a tendency to not take things on paper seriously, as I am not easily tolled by information without photographic evidence; However, to my absolute shock, when I opened these passages (All Quiet on the Western Front, World War 1 Prose 1 and 2), I was instantly plunged into the horrors and grief of war. It is no secret that what happens on the front, no matter it’s significance, will never be understood by civilians; For example, when Paul Baumer returns from the Front home on Leave, he is re-introduced to the life he left behind: His Family, his room, and his books. When he interacts with them, they are living a positive life, his mother even questions him if it was bad out there. When he goes out to eat with his father, Paul puts on civilian clothing, but he knows from his father that he would’ve much preferred him to be in his uniform, he takes Paul to the Bar and shows off to his friends, as well as ask him a lot of questions, however, Paul is more upset by this, as he knows that there is nothing ‘cool’ about seeing people fall all around, never to get up again, around yourself constantly. Paul described his Leave as a regret, he should have never come home.

“I Shake my head and say: No Mother, Not so very…” (Paul Baumer, p. 161, All Quiet on the Western Front)

“My mother is the only one  who asks no questions. Not so my Father… I no longer have any contact with him… So I confine myself to tell him a few amusing things…” (Paul Baumer, p.165, All Quiet on the Western Front)

“I ought never to have come on leave” (Paul Baumer, p. 185, All Quiet on the Western Front)

The next 2 Prose’s really add on the grief of war, as there is a whole compilation of stories from different authours, making for a tragic story telling; In the First Prose, I got to read about and personally understand about the struggles on the Front, as Barthas describes him and his team creating a shelter against rain, and after it stops and the temperature drops below freezing, they are to stay in this shelter with tons of water coming down on them:

” My friend Coutage and I managed to unearth a German overcoat splattered with congealed blood.. draping it over two broken rifles … Worst of all was the thirst which tortured us, in spite of the cascades of water falling from the sky.” (Barthas, p.33, Prose 1)

The second Prose, at least in my opinion, had way more detail about the war. The most absurd thing that I read in this Prose was that the soldiers had a choice; either to sleep on the five filthy mattresses or hard wooden planks of the camp beds, which were both contaminated. this was, softly speaking, an unacceptable aspect of war; I get that hygiene status was not well maintained on the Front, however, changing/ cleaning out the mattresses every so often wouldn’t have been a bad idea:

“When you wanted to lie down on the five filthy mattresses… or simply on the planks… you had to be completely overcome with fatigue so as to fall asleep before feeling the stingers…” (Barthas, pp. 11-12, Prose 2)

In conclusion, these readings took a toll on me; using these 3 sources I was able to further understand what our ancestors experienced during this Great War, how it affected them, as well as shows us a lesson in modern times as to not repeat the mistakes which caused this great Meat-Grinder of a War.

-Iaroslav Serg Pyrozhok

 

PW#1 Summer PC Build

Throughout many months, prior to the summer of course, I have been looking for computer parts which I could use to build a budget friendly but also powerful computer. Using different online shops, I was able to find a combo of computer parts (Motherboard, CPU, as well as Ram), which all together came at an affordable price of $59. Not wasting any time, I have ordered it, and it came during June this year. At this point, all I really needed was a case, as well as some other parts, like a new GPU as well as a Power Supply. After finding a $5 office computer case on Facebook Marketplace, which had all the necessities I needed (a CD drive, CPU Cooler vents), I quickly decided to buy it, which took an hour trip on the car. Next, I needed the CPU cooler itself, as I was now rocking a 6 core 12 thread CPU, and I needed an obese cooling system for it to run smooth, especially the more demanding tasks I would expect it to run. Hopping on to Facebook Marketplace, I was able to find an affordable cooler ($20), which was not only compatible with my cpu, but also came with 2 fans ready to cool the beast down. Using my vast knowledge on PC building, I took the Power Supply from My old Computer, and assembled my new PC (it took me 3 hours of careful work). However, even after this, my PC wasn’t finished, as I was using an 11 year old GPU with 5 year old parts, so I decided to switch it out. After coming back from Vernon in August, I was able to find a deal on a GPU for only $80 (it sells for $160 on the Market), and I was able to finish my computer, which due to it’s fan roar I have named: ‘The Beast’.

PC Specs:

Cpu: Xeon E5 2420 V2, GPU: Gtx 1650 Super, PSU: 500W, RAM: 16gb DDR3 ECC (Error correcting).

 

Introduction to Myself – Iaroslav (Serg) Pyrozhok

Hello, my name is Iaroslav (majorly known as Serg), and I am a Ukrainian who Migrated to Canada in 2013, a couple of months prior to the Maidan (21st November 2013), and the Hybrid war Between Russia and Ukraine (began 20th February, 2014). My parents guessed that something negative and major was about to occur, so we decided to move out. I have moved around the country for a bit, until eventually coming to British Columbia, a beautiful, and life-full province. I am a competitive Water polo Player, as well as a Royal Canadian Sea Cadet; these two after school activities have shaped me into becoming a better, more endurable, respectful, and responsible person. I also used to play a musical instrument: the trumpet, which I used in both the School and Cadet Bands. This year I set a goal for myself to try a new musical instrument, for example, the Accordion, as it is not only challenging, but also ties in with my culture a lot, as even my grandma used to play one and still owns hers’ from a long time ago. I hope this post gave you a little bit of context to my life, and I hope I will also learn about you all as well.