Boston, MIT loves you; why don't you love MIT?

(Click the title!)

Opinion pages are for opinions, but if the facts the opinions are based on are incorrect, what is the point of the opinion? I don't ask that the opinions not be printed. They are interesting and obviously controversial enough to be read. I only ask that the editor print some sort of correction to their comments! I certainly hope a current student writes his or her own opinion on the matter to straighten out Mr. Nowlan and Mr. Marshall.

The baby grand that is thrown off the Baker roof is not depriving any sad tuneless children of music. Is it a junk piano. It doesn't work anymore. It is so old and so out of tune, that no one wants it and, therefore, the dorm can find it cheap. It is not logical to me that an undergraduate dormitory would be able to afford the purchase of a nice, working piano for to chuck off the roof. I would hope Bostonians do not think that MIT wastes so much money that it can be used in such a way.

What's more, every time I get an article about MIT undergraduates from boston.com, I hold my breath, because it is nearly always negative. What's with all the negativity, Boston Globe? Sure, sometimes they mess up, but they're undergraduates. Most under 22 and some as young as 16. They shouldn't be responsible for their own PR as MIT faculty and staff naturally are. If Susan Hockfield decided she wanted to throw an old xylophone off the roof of one of the MacLaurin buildings, I'm sure someone would forsee this situation and naturally, they were also purchase a couple of xylophones for nearby schools.

My point is, they're undergraduates, and not only that but they also tend to become quite valuable members of society. How likely are they to stay in the area if they start to think that Boston despises them?

So busy!

Holy Crap! I just started a new job waitress-/bartending, and jeez! I worked MWF, double shift on Saturday, and swing on Sunday, which is basically all day. They were trying very hard to get all my training in quickly. Add that to the fact that the end of the term is coming up so I have 2 p-sets, a paper, and 2 tests this week, so I'm swamped, and thus only very quickly writing this blog update.

Anyway the waitressing thing is mildly entertaining, and as a new waitress, I get tipped crap, but for some reason it doesn't bother me all that much. And talking to all the other waits, it doesn't sound like they care all that much either. Sure they complain about it, but it's usually just so they'll have something to talk about. What I mean is, if you're trying to make a point by leaving a bad tip to insinuate that you thought the service was bad . . . they don't care really care what you think. They'll probably just assume you can't do math. It's what I do ;-)

But that's not to discourage you from tipping well! We definitely like that. It makes us happy. And happy waitstaff always get you what you ordered! ;-)

For anyone still scared of 100 years

I really thought it was self explanatory and that we were over it since it was about 3 months ago, but I keep having McCain opponents throw it at me as some sort of ultimate metaphorical argument cake topper . . . Even when I first heard that he had said something to the effect of being in Iraq for 100 years, I knew what he meant and that I had to have heard it out of context. Maybe that's just because I feel rather secure in that this guy is not going to go blundering around saying stupid things.

(No offense Obama-lovers, but you have to admit that was kinda stupid--bet it sounded purdy, though ;-) . . . unless he has a diabolical plan to give up on the small-town, rural vote all together (for which I wouldn't blame him if he did) and go straight for the . . . people who really don't like small-town, rural voters . . .)

Or maybe it's just because I've been away from Boston for too long (my dad used to call me a Yankee when I came home from undergrad, which angered me on multiple levels!). At any rate, some people still take it out of context, which I don't blame them for, because it is really hard to get everything in context these days with so many biased news organizations. In case you were still wondering how someone could make a comment like that and still be in the presidential race with the opinion of the public where it is today, the title of this post links to an article reprinted in a blog by a (democrat!) person who is tired of people skewing the line. It's a great article, I think. However due to something about thinking republicans having been in power too long (I totally can't vote for a party, dude, sorry), the blogger is still not voting for McCain, but I am, so we're even ;-).

Also, if you don't want to read the article, here's the whole quote, which I read and understood and quite liked, actually. So tell me, have I been in Oklahoma too long?

Questioner: President Bush has talked about our staying in Iraq for fifty years…
McCain: Maybe a hundred. Make it one hundred. We’ve been in South Korea, we’ve been in Japan for sixty years. We’ve been in South Korea for fifty years or so. That’d be fine with me as long as Americans are not being injured or harmed or wounded or killed. Then it’s fine with me. I would hope it would be fine with you if we maintain a presence in a very volatile part of the world where Al Qaeda is training, recruiting, equipping and motivating people every single day.

That was a pretty serious blog post . . . for me . . . So I'll leave you with another VW commercial--in this one, Heidi Klum makes the VW blush ;-)



hmm. Maybe I just like listening to the German accents!

The Hoff

So I just saw this commercial and thought it was hilarious. And I was especially entertained by the last 5 seconds or so.



"Huge in Europe" It seems volkswagen has been reading up on what white people like.

That's all!

Obsession thy name is Who

Well, I'm obviously a geek, and right now I'm pretty much geeking out over this television show on the BBC. I haven't met anyone in my town who has even heard of it, so I started reading a few blogs just to see what sort of gossip is going around. Then I started talking to people on the blogs . . . then I joined a forum, and wow.

First off, forums are scary places. I'm a geek, but obviously not a forum geek. They're too big! There's no way you're going to read 12 pages of comments on any given topic, especially when most people are just pretty out there in their ideas. I guess I don't really understand how they work, or maybe just how to use them effectively. And, they know people. If you get enough people in a (theoretical) room, you'll get some people who worked on the set in there. From the blog, and the forum, I've seen pictures and learned things that now I'm not so sure I wanted to know! Also, if you get enough people in the same room, they can start to logic out where the plot is going! It's pretty amazing. You of course have the outliers who think that the world will explode and so-and-so will have to swim through space and time to get the whosit back to the whatsit and just go crazy. But it's weird to see a theory sprout, and at first ignore it, and then see it again, and think it over. Then you see it again, and more people agree with it and add to it, until you have a pretty good idea of what could happen.

Do you think there was a Harry Potter Book 7 forum, and do you think anyone from the forum was surprised by the book after they read it? Probably, because JK was pretty darn secretive, but it's hard to keep a lid on what will happen in a show that's already been taped and viewed by hundreds of crew member and staff and whatnot. With the amount of information they have gathered already, I'm pretty much amazed the whole series isn't on the internet already for all to enjoy!

There is, however, the possibility that this is all wrong. I was one of those people who went out and bought one of those 'what could happen in book 7' (you know, the books that lost all resellability after July 21st, 2007), but I wasn't a crazy! I don't have enough stamina for pure unfettered geekdom! I could only buy it a few days before the last book came out, because I think I would have gone insane I had bought it any earlier. Anyway, it turned out most of the stuff in the book was crap, and I could tell it was crap--so much so that I regretted paying money for the thing. I actually contemplated returning the book for a different 'what could happen in book 7' book. Anything was sure to be more accurate than the one I had.

I was still very surprised by book 7, and I'm hoping I'll still be surprised by the new season of Doctor Who, because I've heard this one is very exciting, and very dramatic! (not speculation!--actor/actress interviews!) ooooh man, and if it goes the way many people think it will!! . . . geez I'm getting away from myself if that's possible.

But I think I'm about done obsessing. I can go about a week or two, and then a get tired of hearing all the speculating. Plus I've been talking to a guy who says he's seen part of the scripts. Now to me, that's just a little bit cheating. Yeah, I want to know what happens, but I don't want the whole thing to be ruined for me just cuz I'm a little curious. Plus, I'd rather see it all happen in the show--the way intended. Gotta love the effect of cinematography and music and, oh yeah, the actors. So I'll wait. I've got too many other things to be doing anyway (Kendall why are you posting in the middle of the day if you have so many things to do?) Bah. Back to 'Separation Process Principles' . . .

PS. If you'd like to see some Doctor Who, I think the new season is coming to BBC America pretty soon--though I'm not sure about that. Also, itunes usually has a weekly podcast of the show (Free?? yeah, I know, right??). If you want other options (there are several) contact me.

Apartments

It turns out two of my friends are psychic, because they both started talking about housing options on their respective coasts at the same time!! The funny bit is that I am also looking for a new apartment!

The one I am in is sort of . . . sterile. It's brand new university housing, which is nice, except for rules like: we are only allowed to hang 3 pictures on the walls! and you're not allowed to have curtains. They insist that the venetian blinds they provide are good enough to block light from outdoors, even though they use friggin flood lights at night to "keep the complex secure." It's too far away from work (I like to walk places and it's a 40 minute walk--yikes!), the kitchen is too small for the 4 people who live in the apartment, and my room is positioned so that I can unwantedly eaves drop on passers-by and hear the thump! thump! thump! of people clambering up the stairs outside when I'm trying to get to sleep at night. Oh! And, the bed is a double bed, but it is old and dips in the middle, so I always end up rolling to the middle . . . argh!

But the university does take care of everything--even a light bulb change I had last week. And the place I'm living in is fully furnished. And I almost never clean the kitchen or take out the trash (when your roommates are a whole lot more finicky than you, they end up doing most of the work!) At first I thought it was rather expensive, but if you subtract a cable and internet bill as well as utilities, it's quite reasonably priced. It's right by a bus stop, and there's a pool and grills and stuff outside . . . not that I would ever use them. I like one of my roommates, but she will be leaving in December. The other roommates I could take or leave . . .

I also don't know anyone who needs a roommate or is thinking of moving out of the place they currently have. There is one place that is very close to work (and a few good bars!), that is nicely priced (add about 100$ utilities and 100$ cable/internet bill). It's a 1 bedroom. So it bears the question: Is Kendall ready to live alone? Or will she end up a crazy cat lady if she tries that?

So, of course, I made a little spreadsheet with prices, contact numbers, distances from work, etc. Don't you find that everything just makes more sense when it's in a spreadsheet?

Right now I'm making a list of crap I'd have to buy if I were to move into my own place, and so far I've only got:
Bed
Desk
Dresser
Vacuum cleaner
Couch (or a blow-up air furniture ;-))

If you can think of anything else let me know. Or if you have any comments. I'm not good at making quick decisions! I'll probably just not do anything until my lease runs out and I have no place to live . . .

In Memoriam: The Redbud and The Needlessness of an Umbrella

About two weeks ago, I was trying to think of wonderful reasons to live in Oklahoma, and I came up with a few good ones. On one particularly annoying Monday morning (the one after spring break--that one's always rough), while walking in to work, I almost ran into a red bud tree. I was bothered, because I always almost run into this tree--it's sort of hanging over the steps into the engineering building. But this day, I realized that it had just become spring, and the Redbud was budding! It had sprouted all these little, well, red buds all over, and it was gorgeous. I was instantly happier, due to the redish-purple scenery all around me as I hopped down the engineering building steps. The tree hung down over the steps in a sort of weeping willow fashion which is not common for the Redbud. I then added to my list of awesome things about Oklahoma the fact that we have redbuds everywhere. They really like growing here, I guess, plus they also look spectacular, so we plant them pretty much everywhere:

Now, that's not the redbud I usually run into on my way into work (though it is on the way to work, I don't physically run into it . . .). I was meaning to take a picture of specifically that one, but I never seemed to remember in time to pull out my camera. This morning, as I was walking into work again in a bad mood, I looked up at the engineering steps and saw no redbud. They had cut it down. I assume this was because the weeping willow fashion of hanging branches not common to the Redbud that made this particular tree so interesting (especially in contrast with the engineering building . . .) was due to the crazy ice storm we had in November. It pretty much ruined a good percentage of the trees in Oklahoma (seriously, I would guess around 95% of the trees in our area and the Oklahoma city area were damaged) bending and breaking branches on nearly every tree--even little ones! I was pretty sad about this negative development in my excursion to work every morning, but I was also reminded of another item I'd been meaning to add to my list of things that make Oklahoma awesome. The weather!

People always seem to be interested in Oklahoma when they talk with me. Maybe it's because I tend to place emphasis on the fact that I am from that state when I am on the coasts or in Europe. People ask me what is fun to do there, why I like it so much, and if they visited me there, what we would do. I've thought about it, and I've come up with some pretty great stuff, but my favorite part of Oklahoma is the weather, and that is certainly hard to plan a trip around. The best thing you can do is come down for a week in the Spring or early Summer and . . . do a rain dance. If you take a look at this picture, that's not a pretty blue sky you're seeing, those are solid, mean thunderstorm clouds.

My pictures of thunderstorms are obviously not as good as the experts, so if you are unconvinced, you should check these out. And basically anything here. Though, the radar snapshots aren't really any fun. The National Weather Service is actually based in Norman, OK, because most crazy weather (other than, say, tropical storms) happens here. In fact, I'm about 10 miles south of the town that infamously gets hit by tornadoes all the time. Reassuring, I know!

I tried to explain to the folks I met in Boston that the 'rain' there wasn't really Rain. It was what we in Oklahoma like to call umbrella?-what-for? drizzle and sometimes when it was 'really' coming down . . . light showers. I tried to explain that thunder that sounds like some Yankee fanatic may have set off a small nuclear device in Fenway park was actually a sound that sometimes puts me to sleep at night. I tried to explain that I love sitting with the windows open or outside during a storm and just chilling, and that my dad actually got on our roof in order to film a wall cloud becoming a tornado, and that in high school my boyfriend dreamt of becoming a storm chaser.

It's always easier to demonstrate than explain (I shouldn't say always easier . . . I'm sure it's easier to explain quantum mechanics than demonstrate it . . .). It's always more fun to demonstrate than explain, which is why everyone should visit Oklahoma in the spring--for the redbuds and the weather!

I'll catch you later, I've got to go buy an umbrella!