And no, I didn't do anything stupid this time after USC lost.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Mustard
Right. So I'm really busy and should not be posting. But this will be a short one. And I promise you'll be entertained.
So I have a bottle of mustard in my room, left over from my Christian fellowship's barbecue. And its a pretty big bottle. Like seriously, what am I going to do with all this mustard? And then I look at my window drape. Which is this big sheet of white plasticky stuff, kind of like those projection screens from high school. Mustard, and big white screen. Guess what I did next.
Yes, I went and wrote my name in mustard on the big white screen. Not too big, because I was afraid of it dripping all over my desk. Success! It looks beautiful, and I'm thinking I'll just wipe it off later.
But woe, it starts to smell. Just like mustard, not rotten or anything, but it really starts to bother me. So I go and wipe it off, and it turns out, MUSTARD STAINS. Yes, friends, mustard stains. Don't ever get it on your clothes. I'm left with my signature in yellow on a big white screen. I'm thinking, shoot, what am I supposed to do? It's on my window drape: you can't really miss it. The internet doesn't help any, either. It tells me that mustard contains something called turmeric acid, which is an extremely hard stain to remove. Great. So I go ahead and try dishwasher soap, which the internet had recommended (while warning me all the while, mustard is very hard to remove), and it kinda works. So I keep going, and basically spend the rest of the night scrubbing a window drape. To be honest, it's not completely gone, but it's light enough that I'll forget it for the rest of the year. Or at least until you guys bring it up again.
So I have a bottle of mustard in my room, left over from my Christian fellowship's barbecue. And its a pretty big bottle. Like seriously, what am I going to do with all this mustard? And then I look at my window drape. Which is this big sheet of white plasticky stuff, kind of like those projection screens from high school. Mustard, and big white screen. Guess what I did next.
Yes, I went and wrote my name in mustard on the big white screen. Not too big, because I was afraid of it dripping all over my desk. Success! It looks beautiful, and I'm thinking I'll just wipe it off later.
But woe, it starts to smell. Just like mustard, not rotten or anything, but it really starts to bother me. So I go and wipe it off, and it turns out, MUSTARD STAINS. Yes, friends, mustard stains. Don't ever get it on your clothes. I'm left with my signature in yellow on a big white screen. I'm thinking, shoot, what am I supposed to do? It's on my window drape: you can't really miss it. The internet doesn't help any, either. It tells me that mustard contains something called turmeric acid, which is an extremely hard stain to remove. Great. So I go ahead and try dishwasher soap, which the internet had recommended (while warning me all the while, mustard is very hard to remove), and it kinda works. So I keep going, and basically spend the rest of the night scrubbing a window drape. To be honest, it's not completely gone, but it's light enough that I'll forget it for the rest of the year. Or at least until you guys bring it up again.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
My Girlfriend for 30 seconds
Background: I haven't really been freely single since the beginning of junior year, and by "freely single" I mean that the following three conditions must be met:
1) No girlfriend
2) No getting over a girlfriend
3) No in the process of getting a girlfriend
Due to this, my buddy Anastasia has developed the misconception that I am unable to function (well) single. She claims that I am much better in a relationship and, to be blunt, suck at being single/always needs someone.
Half due to pride, half due to stubbornness, half due to actually believe it to be true, and a fourth due to not knowing how to do math (more on this later), I vehemently disagreed with Tas and challenged her to a bet: that I would remain single for a long time. Apparently, her definition of a "long time" was a month, and so the bet was on.
She bets that I'll get a girlfriend by the end of the first month in college.
I bet that I wouldn't
Stakes: a medium-sized Yummy Yogurt with one topping (gummy bears, please.)
Semi-digression: I kind of want Boba instead.
Anyway, so she texts me today, and the following is an actual transcript of what transpired.
Tas: Do you have a girlfriend yet?
Me: Omg yeah. Ugh, I thought you had forgotten
Tas: Really?!?
Me: No.
Me: HahaHaha
Tas: I hate you! You should have seen how happy I was!
Me: Thats what i'm here for. Making you happy.
muahahaha.
3 more weeks and I'm one yummy yogurt/boba fatter!
And as for the math, I forgot how to do integrals :( Before you laugh or groan or make strange faces at my incompetence, I haven't seen that squiggly symbol since sophomore year of high school!!! Ugh, if only my prof could give me pity points.
1) No girlfriend
2) No getting over a girlfriend
3) No in the process of getting a girlfriend
Due to this, my buddy Anastasia has developed the misconception that I am unable to function (well) single. She claims that I am much better in a relationship and, to be blunt, suck at being single/always needs someone.
Half due to pride, half due to stubbornness, half due to actually believe it to be true, and a fourth due to not knowing how to do math (more on this later), I vehemently disagreed with Tas and challenged her to a bet: that I would remain single for a long time. Apparently, her definition of a "long time" was a month, and so the bet was on.
She bets that I'll get a girlfriend by the end of the first month in college.
I bet that I wouldn't
Stakes: a medium-sized Yummy Yogurt with one topping (gummy bears, please.)
Semi-digression: I kind of want Boba instead.
Anyway, so she texts me today, and the following is an actual transcript of what transpired.
Tas: Do you have a girlfriend yet?
Me: Omg yeah. Ugh, I thought you had forgotten
Tas: Really?!?
Me: No.
Me: HahaHaha
Tas: I hate you! You should have seen how happy I was!
Me: Thats what i'm here for. Making you happy.
muahahaha.
3 more weeks and I'm one yummy yogurt/boba fatter!
And as for the math, I forgot how to do integrals :( Before you laugh or groan or make strange faces at my incompetence, I haven't seen that squiggly symbol since sophomore year of high school!!! Ugh, if only my prof could give me pity points.
To Dream
It feels kinda illegal that I'm posting twice on this thing within 7 hours, but I just had an epiphany here in little Terre Haute, Indiana. You know, it's one thing to train every moment of your summer to tackle school, to fight back after taking a hard hit. It's completely different when you actually have to do it. Isn't that how life works though? Every day I trained for wrestling was never as tough as the match I was in. There's a moment, a moment ever so slight where you have to question yourself. It's the seed of doubt that asks, "Is it really worth it? Do the rewards really equal the effort you are putting into this?"
I am ashamed to inform you guys. No, I have not been putting the effort I need into this school year. I have been doing what I have always done. I am sliding by, relying on my God given intelligence and not contributing anything to it. I've been too afraid to fess up to it maybe because my friends are so fantastic, so hardworking I want to put on the facade that I work as hard as they do. It's like an ugly blotch on your life, which you want to ignore. In fact, you ignore it until it feels normal.
Like everything in life, if you want it done, you need to have some cojones and just do it, pain and all. Pain is what makes us human. We wouldn't be able to enjoy the rewards we received in life if they weren't infinitely better than the struggle which took place in order to have them.
I received a call from my parents just 10 minutes ago where they berated me for not following through on the contract we established this summer. All I could think was, "Hang up the phone, so I can get back to playing my computer games." That's when the little voice that asks, "Is it really worth it? Do the rewards really equal the effort you are putting into this?" And, it was verbal or anything, but I just knew that the approval of my parents would be infinitely better than any computer game. I know I won't get that approval tomorrow or the week after or even after the first quarter. But, maybe by the end of this year, if I get my act together, I will get that approval. I'm going to end my little epiphany here though I haven't done it the justice it deserves. I think it's time to tackle some O-Chem. BYAH!
I am ashamed to inform you guys. No, I have not been putting the effort I need into this school year. I have been doing what I have always done. I am sliding by, relying on my God given intelligence and not contributing anything to it. I've been too afraid to fess up to it maybe because my friends are so fantastic, so hardworking I want to put on the facade that I work as hard as they do. It's like an ugly blotch on your life, which you want to ignore. In fact, you ignore it until it feels normal.
Like everything in life, if you want it done, you need to have some cojones and just do it, pain and all. Pain is what makes us human. We wouldn't be able to enjoy the rewards we received in life if they weren't infinitely better than the struggle which took place in order to have them.
I received a call from my parents just 10 minutes ago where they berated me for not following through on the contract we established this summer. All I could think was, "Hang up the phone, so I can get back to playing my computer games." That's when the little voice that asks, "Is it really worth it? Do the rewards really equal the effort you are putting into this?" And, it was verbal or anything, but I just knew that the approval of my parents would be infinitely better than any computer game. I know I won't get that approval tomorrow or the week after or even after the first quarter. But, maybe by the end of this year, if I get my act together, I will get that approval. I'm going to end my little epiphany here though I haven't done it the justice it deserves. I think it's time to tackle some O-Chem. BYAH!
My Life Among the Gorillas
This is your trustworthy anthropologist here. This post has been in my head for a while now, but I just haven't had the will power to just sit down and kick it out. So, here I am, taking up a study room in the library, so I can relate to you my story of living at a school which consists of 80% male to 20% female ratio.
I'm sitting at my room window looking out upon our placid, sometimes scummy lake just taking in the daylight. (Because as you East Coasters know, we don't get much sunlight when winter comes.) As I keep my vigilant watch over the lake, guys start showing up in bathing suits to jump into the lake. They are all meandering about not really sure how to enjoy this idyllic day, but one of them finally decides to take a shot at the rope swing. He gets on the rope, jumps, and..... OWWWWWWW! Whoever designed the rope made it a little too short so the kid ends up getting dragged across the earth until he gets into the foot of water by the shore. Well, guys aren't exactly smart at first. Several others attempt to use the rope swing only to find themselves with similar scrapes and bruises. Then, like 2001: A Space Odyssey, they discover tools or a tool to be specific. (Imagine the theme song right now. Dun dun dunnnnnnnn) That tool would be a table that would give the boys the added elevation they need on the rope swing so they can clear the ground. The boys rejoice. They establish order by creating a line, so everyone can have their turn. All is well until..... the female appears. (Note: I say female, implying ONE girl, and an unattractive one at that. I would probably say, Muffin Top if she was in jeans. Enough about me, back to my observations.)
There's about 12 guys waiting at this rope swing. In unison, they swing to face the lone female. AWKWARD! Anyhow, there's this showdown going on. If I could see the comic book thought bubble of the boys, it would probably go like this. "Holy shit! It's a girl.... a GOD DAMN girl, like I thought they didn't exist here. What do I do? I'll play it cool. Shit, do I look fat in this swimsuit. Shit, shit, shit. I'll just let one of the other guys take charge." Hence, about a 30 second awkward moment of staring between the prey and predators. Finally, the Alpha Male asserts himself and motions for the girl to cut all of them and try out the rope swing. Before she moves to the front, she convinces one of the boys to blow up this ginormous rubber turtle raft. The boy sits down and proceeds to blow.
Now, the female is too scared to jump off of the table, so she starts getting off saying she can't do it. The boys quickly move in to reassure her that it's perfectly safe. She declines again. Do you think the boys let this go? NO! Instead, she grabs the rope when it's on the lower level. The boys then proceed to pull on the rope to lift her higher so she can get enough velocity to clear the ground. Remember, how I said she was kinda fat? Well, the boys were obviously exerting themselves. I could tell this from my second story view. She must have been frickin' heavy. They release her, but she must have a death grip on the rope because she doesn't let go of the rope when she's over the water. She comes flying back and all the boys move in the way to catch her. POW! One of the guys falls and the others stagger at stopping the wrecking ball's momentum. Once they convince her to give it another try, they start to lift her again. Meanwhile, about a quarter of the turtle life-raft is filled up, and Mr. Blower decides to take a breathing break.
Her second attempt is much better and she releases when she's over the water. The boys applaud. Do you think they applauded when Jim did a back flip from the rope swing into the water? Hell, no, because that would be gay, but the girl just let go of the rope when she should have. Now that really deserves applause. They immediately give the girl another shot at swinging again. I'm telling you. The life of a girl is pretty damn sweet because she hasn't cut a line of 12 guys once; she's cutting the line again and the line has grown to 17 guys. The democratic system of the all-male society has been destroyed by a single female. Turtle boy spends about half an hour pumping his carbon dioxide into this huge floatee, gets a mere nod for thanks, and is allowed to take the last spot in line.
Needless, to say, I was laughing hysterically watching the antics going on outside my window. It seriously looked like the nature channel. All I needed was Peter's deep bass voice and commentary, and there you have it, the Discovery Channel. "The young female appoaches the pack. The pack is frightened at her sudden appearence. She quickly assumes the role as pack leader and makes the rest of them her bitches." Yep, that's what you get at an engineering school with 20% females. I just pray to God I don't get the goggles and turn into one of them. Well, this is your anthropologist, Alexander Baker, signing off to go and watch for current social developments.
I'm sitting at my room window looking out upon our placid, sometimes scummy lake just taking in the daylight. (Because as you East Coasters know, we don't get much sunlight when winter comes.) As I keep my vigilant watch over the lake, guys start showing up in bathing suits to jump into the lake. They are all meandering about not really sure how to enjoy this idyllic day, but one of them finally decides to take a shot at the rope swing. He gets on the rope, jumps, and..... OWWWWWWW! Whoever designed the rope made it a little too short so the kid ends up getting dragged across the earth until he gets into the foot of water by the shore. Well, guys aren't exactly smart at first. Several others attempt to use the rope swing only to find themselves with similar scrapes and bruises. Then, like 2001: A Space Odyssey, they discover tools or a tool to be specific. (Imagine the theme song right now. Dun dun dunnnnnnnn) That tool would be a table that would give the boys the added elevation they need on the rope swing so they can clear the ground. The boys rejoice. They establish order by creating a line, so everyone can have their turn. All is well until..... the female appears. (Note: I say female, implying ONE girl, and an unattractive one at that. I would probably say, Muffin Top if she was in jeans. Enough about me, back to my observations.)
There's about 12 guys waiting at this rope swing. In unison, they swing to face the lone female. AWKWARD! Anyhow, there's this showdown going on. If I could see the comic book thought bubble of the boys, it would probably go like this. "Holy shit! It's a girl.... a GOD DAMN girl, like I thought they didn't exist here. What do I do? I'll play it cool. Shit, do I look fat in this swimsuit. Shit, shit, shit. I'll just let one of the other guys take charge." Hence, about a 30 second awkward moment of staring between the prey and predators. Finally, the Alpha Male asserts himself and motions for the girl to cut all of them and try out the rope swing. Before she moves to the front, she convinces one of the boys to blow up this ginormous rubber turtle raft. The boy sits down and proceeds to blow.
Now, the female is too scared to jump off of the table, so she starts getting off saying she can't do it. The boys quickly move in to reassure her that it's perfectly safe. She declines again. Do you think the boys let this go? NO! Instead, she grabs the rope when it's on the lower level. The boys then proceed to pull on the rope to lift her higher so she can get enough velocity to clear the ground. Remember, how I said she was kinda fat? Well, the boys were obviously exerting themselves. I could tell this from my second story view. She must have been frickin' heavy. They release her, but she must have a death grip on the rope because she doesn't let go of the rope when she's over the water. She comes flying back and all the boys move in the way to catch her. POW! One of the guys falls and the others stagger at stopping the wrecking ball's momentum. Once they convince her to give it another try, they start to lift her again. Meanwhile, about a quarter of the turtle life-raft is filled up, and Mr. Blower decides to take a breathing break.
Her second attempt is much better and she releases when she's over the water. The boys applaud. Do you think they applauded when Jim did a back flip from the rope swing into the water? Hell, no, because that would be gay, but the girl just let go of the rope when she should have. Now that really deserves applause. They immediately give the girl another shot at swinging again. I'm telling you. The life of a girl is pretty damn sweet because she hasn't cut a line of 12 guys once; she's cutting the line again and the line has grown to 17 guys. The democratic system of the all-male society has been destroyed by a single female. Turtle boy spends about half an hour pumping his carbon dioxide into this huge floatee, gets a mere nod for thanks, and is allowed to take the last spot in line.
Needless, to say, I was laughing hysterically watching the antics going on outside my window. It seriously looked like the nature channel. All I needed was Peter's deep bass voice and commentary, and there you have it, the Discovery Channel. "The young female appoaches the pack. The pack is frightened at her sudden appearence. She quickly assumes the role as pack leader and makes the rest of them her bitches." Yep, that's what you get at an engineering school with 20% females. I just pray to God I don't get the goggles and turn into one of them. Well, this is your anthropologist, Alexander Baker, signing off to go and watch for current social developments.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Yay for first day of class
Alas, classes start at last. First class is at a stunning 9:30 am, which is the earliest class I've had at Stanford yet.
Currently, I'm sitting in an Urban Studies class, and it seems pretty easy. Three 2-page papers, one 2-page public policy report, and a final 5-7 page paper in lieu of a final. Sweet. I get 4 units and a GER out of the way too! Quite the relief after sitting through a Probabilistic Analysis class where the prof reminded us like 48942 times that it would be a very very intense class, citing how it is a rare 5-unit Engineering class. (They're usually 3 units allowing you to take more in a quarter but actually have more work than a 5 unit fuzzy class).
More to come later. I should pay attention to the first lecture. Maybe.
Currently, I'm sitting in an Urban Studies class, and it seems pretty easy. Three 2-page papers, one 2-page public policy report, and a final 5-7 page paper in lieu of a final. Sweet. I get 4 units and a GER out of the way too! Quite the relief after sitting through a Probabilistic Analysis class where the prof reminded us like 48942 times that it would be a very very intense class, citing how it is a rare 5-unit Engineering class. (They're usually 3 units allowing you to take more in a quarter but actually have more work than a 5 unit fuzzy class).
More to come later. I should pay attention to the first lecture. Maybe.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Fall
So fall is definitely here. I can feel it . . .literally . . the high today was like in the low-mid sixties. That's winter back in California. But despite the cold breeze that shocked my body when I walked to class this morning, I really like the scenery a lot. The scenery is kind of like my perfect vision of fall. The leaves are just about to turn their colors and the wind is starting to pick up, but the sun is still out, so looking at the Boston skyline from my window still keeps me happy [and sane].
There hasn't been a lot of developments since I last blogged. One new thing I guess would be starting my UROP or research. I absolutely love it [yes, I'm such a nerd]. So far I'm still trying to figure out what my specific project is, but the subject I'm dealing with is how miRNAs are formed and controlled, and how they affect stem cell differentiation and cancer. My head advisor is pretty cool. He's a giant . . his head barely clears the door frame by like an inch, and he has a really awesome british accent, and you know how girls are with accents. The only downfall to the research is that I don't get paid from school or Children's Hospital Boston, and it takes about 30-40 minutes to get there by public transportation. But I think it's worth it! I find it really funny that just about a year ago, I was visiting CHB for my pathetic feet, and now I'm researching there!
Today was also an awesome day. Not only is it Friday and that I don't have to do any work for the rest of the day, but our new member class got serendaded today! Earlier in the week, our new member counseler sent us an email saying that we have a mandatory and important meeting. It sounded so official, I was wondering all day what was up, but once we got to the house, we found out we were being serendaded . . . by 10 fraternities. It was cute and hilarious, and I'll definitely remember tonight.
So that is all with my life thus far. Andrew- hope you're happy with your mac and that your semester is off to a strong start; Alex- send me your dang address! I need to give you something . . for your BIRTHDAY! Dont' you want to get your birthday gift? Daniel- don't study too hard . .. you're alread 2043932048x smarter than me, and I am definitely stopping by your room this weekend to study. Other than that, hope all is well.
xoxo,
Steph
There hasn't been a lot of developments since I last blogged. One new thing I guess would be starting my UROP or research. I absolutely love it [yes, I'm such a nerd]. So far I'm still trying to figure out what my specific project is, but the subject I'm dealing with is how miRNAs are formed and controlled, and how they affect stem cell differentiation and cancer. My head advisor is pretty cool. He's a giant . . his head barely clears the door frame by like an inch, and he has a really awesome british accent, and you know how girls are with accents. The only downfall to the research is that I don't get paid from school or Children's Hospital Boston, and it takes about 30-40 minutes to get there by public transportation. But I think it's worth it! I find it really funny that just about a year ago, I was visiting CHB for my pathetic feet, and now I'm researching there!
Today was also an awesome day. Not only is it Friday and that I don't have to do any work for the rest of the day, but our new member class got serendaded today! Earlier in the week, our new member counseler sent us an email saying that we have a mandatory and important meeting. It sounded so official, I was wondering all day what was up, but once we got to the house, we found out we were being serendaded . . . by 10 fraternities. It was cute and hilarious, and I'll definitely remember tonight.
So that is all with my life thus far. Andrew- hope you're happy with your mac and that your semester is off to a strong start; Alex- send me your dang address! I need to give you something . . for your BIRTHDAY! Dont' you want to get your birthday gift? Daniel- don't study too hard . .. you're alread 2043932048x smarter than me, and I am definitely stopping by your room this weekend to study. Other than that, hope all is well.
xoxo,
Steph
Happy (even more belated) birthday!
So I forgot to call...until this morning :( ugh, what a crappy friend.
Sorry alex..hope you had a great birthday.
I guess i'll update while i'm at it.
I've been hanging out with IV at a pre-school retreat type thing, and it's been great. I forgot how important and awesome it is to be with community. I feel like this past summer, everything was so low-key and stressless that I became kind of complacent and because of that, my spirituality suffered. It's good to be back.
Moved in yesterday, and my room has a pretty cool set-up, if I may say so myself. I've got a fortress type thing, and even enough room for a mini-couch. It's cool because right away, I feel like my roommate and I will totally get along even by the way the room is set-up. Instead of keeping to our two sides (standard room), we rearranged all the furniture so that the whole room is ours. The beds are in a nice L shape, the desks are sorta connected, etcetc. I'll put up a picture if i get the chance. Aside from that , I've been meeting some very cool people, and it's always fun to help out a bright-eyed freshman. My dorm is four-class, which i'm very thankful for, and the freshmen bring a sort of energy not seen in upper class dorms.
Wendy (Hsiao) was also over yesterday, visiting Rebekah (and me? maybe?) haha and I got to meet a bunch of Rebekah's friends by hanging out with all of them. Already, I feel like I'm doing a better job of meeting people outside of my dorm, something I regrettably failed at last year. It was good hanging out with them and exploring some hidden sides of Stanford, like the roof of the bio building... hanging out is always so much more fun when schoolwork isn't lurking around. Unfortunately, classes start monday, so this calm before the storm won't last for too much longer. Still, I guess I can't really complain, since the rest of the bloggers here have been working for weeks already :)
In other exciting news, I got Windows XP installed on my MacBook, and I can run both concurrently!
Until next time!
Sorry alex..hope you had a great birthday.
I guess i'll update while i'm at it.
I've been hanging out with IV at a pre-school retreat type thing, and it's been great. I forgot how important and awesome it is to be with community. I feel like this past summer, everything was so low-key and stressless that I became kind of complacent and because of that, my spirituality suffered. It's good to be back.
Moved in yesterday, and my room has a pretty cool set-up, if I may say so myself. I've got a fortress type thing, and even enough room for a mini-couch. It's cool because right away, I feel like my roommate and I will totally get along even by the way the room is set-up. Instead of keeping to our two sides (standard room), we rearranged all the furniture so that the whole room is ours. The beds are in a nice L shape, the desks are sorta connected, etcetc. I'll put up a picture if i get the chance. Aside from that , I've been meeting some very cool people, and it's always fun to help out a bright-eyed freshman. My dorm is four-class, which i'm very thankful for, and the freshmen bring a sort of energy not seen in upper class dorms.
Wendy (Hsiao) was also over yesterday, visiting Rebekah (and me? maybe?) haha and I got to meet a bunch of Rebekah's friends by hanging out with all of them. Already, I feel like I'm doing a better job of meeting people outside of my dorm, something I regrettably failed at last year. It was good hanging out with them and exploring some hidden sides of Stanford, like the roof of the bio building... hanging out is always so much more fun when schoolwork isn't lurking around. Unfortunately, classes start monday, so this calm before the storm won't last for too much longer. Still, I guess I can't really complain, since the rest of the bloggers here have been working for weeks already :)
In other exciting news, I got Windows XP installed on my MacBook, and I can run both concurrently!
Until next time!
Happy (Belated) Birthday to our Friend in the Middle of Nowhere...
Soo. It was Alex's birthday. Yesterday. And I called.
Wish him a happy birthday if you haven't already.
That is all.
Wish him a happy birthday if you haven't already.
That is all.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Has it really been 7 years?
amidst the mudslinging and deception of the presidential campaigns, I can only wonder if today's America is the same as the America that displayed remarkable fortitude and unity in the times of crises less than a decade ago.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
From the Heart
So admittedly, I rarely make decisions based on what my heart. Usually, I defer to whatever logic I can muster up in my head, and thus conclude that whatever decision must be the "smart decision." And it generally works just fine. But today I realized that I once again was faced with choosing to follow my heart or my head. Let me backtrack.
Last summer, I bought a sweet PC for college, an awesome 17 inch widescreen HP with lots of fancy dancy features and nice specs. Unfortunately, I was left with between 2/3rds and 4/5ths of a laptop after the car accident, depending on how you count (keyboard works but is cracked, cd drive is smashed, webcam works, monitor is broken, usb drives are fine, processor/hard-drive/internal parts are all in-tact.) I've been using a hand-me-down thinkpad ever since, and while thinkpads are awesome, this one is so old it lags when I type. But happy with that computer, and completely reliant on the amazingly cool red knob/blob/circle/mouse tracker that the Thinkpad has perfected, I decided to get a newer thinkpad as my computer. (btw, knob thingy is so great. i can't emphasize that enough. so easy to use, so precise, and you don't have to move your hand away from the keyboard! Better than a real mouse, imho)
Alas, Lenovo decides to make things hard for me and refuses to ship my computer, citing a myriad of bs reasons and complicated lingo that made no sense. e.g. "there was a hold up in manufacturing so it got send up to the higher team to investigate and work on it. unfortunately we can't communicate with that team so we don't know how long it will take" That was the crap I heard for 2 weeks, until I finally cancelled the order today b/c i'm heading up to school soon and the dude in charge of cancellations finally told me that it was b/c they are phasing out the T61 (what I ordered), and have a shortage of parts that they might not even be making anymore. Great. Thanks for telling me now.
That brings us back to Frantic Laptop Search part II (part I was not so frantic and was resolved by deciding on the Lenovo), and I was essentially left between choosing a nice, semi-decked out Toshiba and a MacBook.
Pros of Toshiba:
RAM (an astounding 4 GB), hard-drive, screen size, familiarity of Windows/PC, PRICE
Pros of Mac:
processor, doesn't use Vista
On paper, it looked like an easy decision, yet for some reason, something was pulling me toward a Mac. I'm not really sure what it is, but hopefully, it didn't have to do with the pretty fancy-dancy features that has gotten so many other people to sell their souls to Steve Jobs. Ugh, I really hope that's not what it was. In any case, it was another epic battle of heart vs. head, and or course, I pull a major Hamlet by being indecisive to the umpteenth degree. (stanford or yale, anyone?)
In the end though, I decided that it was about time to let my heart win a battle, and I'm sitting here typing on a Mac.
My first "I-miss-windows" moment came when I realized that you can't maximize a screen on macs. How dumb. I'm also utterly baffled by these apps, finders, dashboards, dock, exposes, spaces, etc. And i miss all the "control+" shorcuts. Now it's an awkwardly positioned "command." I'm not complaining! I'll save that for a post next week, when I hopefully will get used to most of these functions and be left complaining about a select few.
Ok I just realized how boring of a post that was, devoid of all my usual charm and wit. Ah, even the best fall down sometimes, right? Oh dear, and now I'm quoting Howie Day. That's a clear sign that this post needs to end.
Friday, September 5, 2008
First Week of School
Hey Guys!
Sorry it took me awhile to get onto this blog. But I have a legit excuse!
The day I landed in Boston, I started sorority recruitment, which I was thinking about doing for a while now. Recruitment was for five days and EXHAUSTING! The first two days were the longest. On the first day, all the girls broke up into smaller groups and had to meet some of the sisters from all six sororities on campus. This process began at 1:30, and I did not come back in to my room until 8:00. On the second day, all the girls met all six sororities again, but this time we actually met more people and got to visit their houses, which most of them are beautiful- especially the ones in Boston where all the woodwork and construction felt very classic. On the third day, we had to narrow our choices down to three sororities and visit those and talk to more sisters for a longer period of time, and the following day we had to do the same for two sororities.
Bid day was two days ago, and I am officially a new member of Sigma Kappa (yay!). When I walked into the room, all the sisters were screaming for joy that I chose them, taking tons of pictures and hugs . . the energy in the room was so insane. I'm really glad I chose SK, not just because my roommate's in it, but I met so many girls that I aspire to be, or who just make me laugh or think. Sorry guys that I'm going into the details of recruitment, but that's all I've been doing since last Saturday!
As for my room, the view is awesome! Except for the fact that there is a giant tree sitting in front of it, if you look at an angle you can see the entire Boston skyline perfectly, and it's awsome to wake up in the morning and see the Prudential and the Charles River glisten. It makes me happy. Daniel and Alex will agree, this is way better than the awesome view of Baker dining I had last year.
By the way Daniel, I laughed histarically at your nair blog. I was like . . who HASN'T heard of nair? But then realized that I'm dealing with guys who don't have to worry about shaving! I'm glad you're having a WAY better time in lab than I am. Our first "lab" was a introduction, and we had to learn how to use a pipet or load a gel and stuff . . . kinda boring especially for people who've learned how to do these kinds of things a couple years ago . . but I'm optimistic that my lab course will get better.
That's all I have to say at the moment, so until next time . . .
Peace :o)
Sorry it took me awhile to get onto this blog. But I have a legit excuse!
The day I landed in Boston, I started sorority recruitment, which I was thinking about doing for a while now. Recruitment was for five days and EXHAUSTING! The first two days were the longest. On the first day, all the girls broke up into smaller groups and had to meet some of the sisters from all six sororities on campus. This process began at 1:30, and I did not come back in to my room until 8:00. On the second day, all the girls met all six sororities again, but this time we actually met more people and got to visit their houses, which most of them are beautiful- especially the ones in Boston where all the woodwork and construction felt very classic. On the third day, we had to narrow our choices down to three sororities and visit those and talk to more sisters for a longer period of time, and the following day we had to do the same for two sororities.
Bid day was two days ago, and I am officially a new member of Sigma Kappa (yay!). When I walked into the room, all the sisters were screaming for joy that I chose them, taking tons of pictures and hugs . . the energy in the room was so insane. I'm really glad I chose SK, not just because my roommate's in it, but I met so many girls that I aspire to be, or who just make me laugh or think. Sorry guys that I'm going into the details of recruitment, but that's all I've been doing since last Saturday!
As for my room, the view is awesome! Except for the fact that there is a giant tree sitting in front of it, if you look at an angle you can see the entire Boston skyline perfectly, and it's awsome to wake up in the morning and see the Prudential and the Charles River glisten. It makes me happy. Daniel and Alex will agree, this is way better than the awesome view of Baker dining I had last year.
By the way Daniel, I laughed histarically at your nair blog. I was like . . who HASN'T heard of nair? But then realized that I'm dealing with guys who don't have to worry about shaving! I'm glad you're having a WAY better time in lab than I am. Our first "lab" was a introduction, and we had to learn how to use a pipet or load a gel and stuff . . . kinda boring especially for people who've learned how to do these kinds of things a couple years ago . . but I'm optimistic that my lab course will get better.
That's all I have to say at the moment, so until next time . . .
Peace :o)
Life is Good
ah, so my first day post-work, I woke up at 12:45. So much for idea that I will hold onto the "early to bed early to rise makes a man healthy wealthy and wise" mantra all the way into college. But I found myself a pretty legitimate excuse... I have to go tutor someone in a few hours so today technically still is a "working day," so me getting up so late can be classified as "getting up in time for work." aha!
Anyway, being at home still doesn't allow me the fascinating stories of my blog colleagues. Instead, all I can report on is the awesomeness of Super Smash Brothers Brawl. Oh, and the brilliance of my brother. So first night he's back, we're setting up the Wii, but much to our disappointment, the system won't read any of the discs! We figure that maybe the Wii got banged around too much in the airplane or something...and we're all pretty annoyed/bummed. After several trials and unsuccessful attempts to revive the Wii, the rest of the family gives up and goes upstairs. In comes the knight in shining armor, the galliant prince, the fearless hero, Chuck Norris' nightmare.....dun dun dun, Andrew!!!! With a stroke of genious, he races downstairs, pries open the SSM Brawl case with his strength of a tiger, summons the TV and the Wii on, and skillfully manuvers the game into the system....with the label facing the right (the correct way, which we hadn't dont before). And the Wii obeys, crises averted, day saved.
To his credit, Justin wasn't nearly as fussy as I would have imagined when he thought the system broke. And he quickly proceeded to cream the newbie in smash, but hey--I'm still pretty proud of my ingenuity. I wonder if that can go on my resume.
Anyway, being at home still doesn't allow me the fascinating stories of my blog colleagues. Instead, all I can report on is the awesomeness of Super Smash Brothers Brawl. Oh, and the brilliance of my brother. So first night he's back, we're setting up the Wii, but much to our disappointment, the system won't read any of the discs! We figure that maybe the Wii got banged around too much in the airplane or something...and we're all pretty annoyed/bummed. After several trials and unsuccessful attempts to revive the Wii, the rest of the family gives up and goes upstairs. In comes the knight in shining armor, the galliant prince, the fearless hero, Chuck Norris' nightmare.....dun dun dun, Andrew!!!! With a stroke of genious, he races downstairs, pries open the SSM Brawl case with his strength of a tiger, summons the TV and the Wii on, and skillfully manuvers the game into the system....with the label facing the right (the correct way, which we hadn't dont before). And the Wii obeys, crises averted, day saved.
To his credit, Justin wasn't nearly as fussy as I would have imagined when he thought the system broke. And he quickly proceeded to cream the newbie in smash, but hey--I'm still pretty proud of my ingenuity. I wonder if that can go on my resume.
How to 'Nair' a Mouse....
So I know I posted about two days ago, but this is interesting enough that I better just write about it now before I forget.
So it's my first day in lab. And it turns out we get to 'nair' mice. First off, I never heard of nair before that day (In case any of you are curious, nair is some hair removal lotion. Like you literally rub it on, and it causes your hair to fall off.) And no one nairs mice. It's a human product. But we had to image these mice, and they had fur on their bellies. So unluckily for us, we had to nair mice. First day of lab. How exciting. But it did go well, considering that no one had ever done this before, and the images looked alright. Felt nasty though.
So it's my first day in lab. And it turns out we get to 'nair' mice. First off, I never heard of nair before that day (In case any of you are curious, nair is some hair removal lotion. Like you literally rub it on, and it causes your hair to fall off.) And no one nairs mice. It's a human product. But we had to image these mice, and they had fur on their bellies. So unluckily for us, we had to nair mice. First day of lab. How exciting. But it did go well, considering that no one had ever done this before, and the images looked alright. Felt nasty though.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
First Day of School
Woot woot! The blog is starting to take shape with our thoughts and experiences. First, congrats on the pilot post Andrew. Reading about my complicated relationship I share with my computer, I had me in stitches, especially when I can hear my roommates in the background trying to convince me to join World of Warcraft. I also second the motion to hear about what Stephanie did last year. It all seems to be a blur of crazy parties and stressing out about school for her.
As for me, the first day of school went well. I had to retake Differential Equations I again, so I got stuck in a class full of wonder children freshmen. Organic Chemistry promises to give me a mental workout; not only with the workload, but also with the effort of keeping my eyes open. Conservation of Principles and Balances appears to be interesting taught by a Russian. (FOR THE MOTHERLAND! lol End of the World) Japanese has me practicing my accent like no other. What appears to have two syllables really has 5 spoken syllables. I joined the wrestling team and am getting prepped for the season. I have 4 pounds I need to lose and I vow that I WILL get that six-pack by the end of the school year.
School has been good, but there's drama with setting up our room. One kid wants to build a deck and make all of us (us equals four people) sleep under that to make room for the couch and TV. Someone has his priorities screwed up not to mention that just seems kinda homo to me. Can you say four guys, one deck? It sounds like frickin' "two girls, one cup". I'll try to keep up on the blog posts, but now I need to read three chapters and get ahead in homework. I hope all continues to go with the rest of you. Congrats Andrew on finishing up your job. Have fun with your female friends Daniel (you, lucky #$@!%*&, you). And Stephanie, I hope to see a post from you soon.
P.S. The 21st century is truly amazing. When I left, I made it to Rose-Hulman that day and moved in immediately. It just happened so quickly that California only seemed like a dream.
As for me, the first day of school went well. I had to retake Differential Equations I again, so I got stuck in a class full of wonder children freshmen. Organic Chemistry promises to give me a mental workout; not only with the workload, but also with the effort of keeping my eyes open. Conservation of Principles and Balances appears to be interesting taught by a Russian. (FOR THE MOTHERLAND! lol End of the World) Japanese has me practicing my accent like no other. What appears to have two syllables really has 5 spoken syllables. I joined the wrestling team and am getting prepped for the season. I have 4 pounds I need to lose and I vow that I WILL get that six-pack by the end of the school year.
School has been good, but there's drama with setting up our room. One kid wants to build a deck and make all of us (us equals four people) sleep under that to make room for the couch and TV. Someone has his priorities screwed up not to mention that just seems kinda homo to me. Can you say four guys, one deck? It sounds like frickin' "two girls, one cup". I'll try to keep up on the blog posts, but now I need to read three chapters and get ahead in homework. I hope all continues to go with the rest of you. Congrats Andrew on finishing up your job. Have fun with your female friends Daniel (you, lucky #$@!%*&, you). And Stephanie, I hope to see a post from you soon.
P.S. The 21st century is truly amazing. When I left, I made it to Rose-Hulman that day and moved in immediately. It just happened so quickly that California only seemed like a dream.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
whoo bored
So. First post. My first post, I mean. (Thought I should clarify that, in case any of you were thinking I thought I got the first post when I really didn't. But I'm not blind, there's the post right underneath, so no worries guys.)
Got into Boston the night before last. Flew all of Labor Day, it kinda sucked. First I got delayed, because there was some mechanical problem with my airplane. So they switched the plane out for another. But then that plane had its own mechanical problem, so we were on the ground for another hour. AND I had a connecting flight, which I was definitely going to miss. Luckily, that got figured out and I got into Boston, 2 hours later than I was supposed to. Then I find that my luggage is missing, because they put it on the next flight into Boston. So I get to wait there for another 30 minutes until my luggage comes in, and I get into MIT around 1:30. AM.
But after that things went better. Got to see a lot of my friends (not going to bore you with the details), unpacked, and had my first day of classes today! Very exciting. And I'm tired. (Yes, this is not particularly an exciting post, I know, but whatever, thought I'd say something I'll eventually think of something creative to say)
and until next time, may your heart speak out of the silence, singing forth in the dark.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Pilot
Though a few balloons and maybe a cake would be nice, I suppose I'll get this blog kicked-off without the fanfare of trumpets and white doves.
I hope this blog succeeds in proving us a means to stay in touch better, especially since last year classified as an epic failure in the staying-in-touch category. Daniel was off making sure that his new friends all had suitable amounts of estrogen, Alex got involved in a romantic relationship with his computer (I think it's more of an "it's complicated" relationship now, since he vows to put aside WoW in favor of schoolwork), Stephanie was off doing--wait, I don't know or want to know what she was off doing-- and I devoted my time to giving myself concussions, insurance headaches, and almost a date with death.
I'm exited to see what this year brings! The rest of my lovely co-authors have begun school and are in the process of settling in and all that fun. It definitely seems like only yesterday that we were entering our first year of college, unsure of what to expect. How the times fly by, though I shrudder when realizing that this also means that midterms/finals will hit me before I know it. In the meantime, I'm just LOVING my time at work, being extra productive, and never never never going on Facebook, blogger, or any other of those social (aka time-wasting and work-hindering) websites. hear that future-employers who might stalk me and find this blog? that's right! I am an enthusiastic, productive, hard-working employee! ahem.
In other news, my brother's finally coming home today, bringing with him a Wii that he got for his birthday from friends. I can't wait until my friends get rich. Daniel and Stephanie, that means no to med-school. I honestly can't wait until we're 35 to get a new gaming system. Anyway, it will be fun spending time with my bro, and definitely a good way to end my summer. It's not too often that we can hang out so freely, with little stress hanging over our heads. It will be especially fun next week when we'll get to mess around the house/sleep in while the parents are work.
Alright, that's it for now I suppose. Grand prize to the first commenter on the blog.
I hope this blog succeeds in proving us a means to stay in touch better, especially since last year classified as an epic failure in the staying-in-touch category. Daniel was off making sure that his new friends all had suitable amounts of estrogen, Alex got involved in a romantic relationship with his computer (I think it's more of an "it's complicated" relationship now, since he vows to put aside WoW in favor of schoolwork), Stephanie was off doing--wait, I don't know or want to know what she was off doing-- and I devoted my time to giving myself concussions, insurance headaches, and almost a date with death.
I'm exited to see what this year brings! The rest of my lovely co-authors have begun school and are in the process of settling in and all that fun. It definitely seems like only yesterday that we were entering our first year of college, unsure of what to expect. How the times fly by, though I shrudder when realizing that this also means that midterms/finals will hit me before I know it. In the meantime, I'm just LOVING my time at work, being extra productive, and never never never going on Facebook, blogger, or any other of those social (aka time-wasting and work-hindering) websites. hear that future-employers who might stalk me and find this blog? that's right! I am an enthusiastic, productive, hard-working employee! ahem.
In other news, my brother's finally coming home today, bringing with him a Wii that he got for his birthday from friends. I can't wait until my friends get rich. Daniel and Stephanie, that means no to med-school. I honestly can't wait until we're 35 to get a new gaming system. Anyway, it will be fun spending time with my bro, and definitely a good way to end my summer. It's not too often that we can hang out so freely, with little stress hanging over our heads. It will be especially fun next week when we'll get to mess around the house/sleep in while the parents are work.
Alright, that's it for now I suppose. Grand prize to the first commenter on the blog.
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