BEDUS Day 52: Leap Day

It's February 29, a day that only exists once every four years (unless you're on the hundreth year, in which case it doesn't, except if you're on the four hundreth in which case it does). I'm not sure how many people actually know that every hundreth year is actually not a leap year because the last hundreth year we had was 2000, which was a leap year because it is divisible by 400. And the one we had before that was 1900 and hardly anyone alive remembers that. I'm sure it will be mighty confusing in the year 2100 when, having had a leap year once every four years for 200 years, you suddenly don't have one. What the what?

So it's February 29 and that means that much of America is partying it up (if what I'm led to believe is actually true), because *note: 30 Rock reference ahead* nothing that happens on Leap Day counts. Real life is for March. Except, I'm probably going to be packing and cleaning and waiting for March 1 when I get on a plane and book it to San Diego.

What does this "extra day" mean for me? It's just another day, where I got to look at some really old coins, hefted them about a bit, and cleaned my room.

Happy End of February Everyone. March, here I come!

BEDUS Day 51: TV Shows

I admit it. I like a lot of TV. I used to watch a lot of TV, while doing homework, on weekends, etc, but recently, I haven't had time to catch up. It doesn't hurt that many of my staples are only half-hour sitcoms, but with all the traveling and scrambling to finish work, it's been hard. However, as I was cleaning my room today, I had the spring season of White Collar on and very much appreciated the light-heartedness it brought to my otherwise empty but cluttered room. I can't believe that tomorrow, I'll be packing my bags again. It's that kind of life.

Peace and cookies.

Also, I melted my chapstick in the dryer. Sighs.

BEDUS Day 50: 50 Days!

Blogging for 50 days. Dang I need a break. I think my stomach thinks so too because I've been having stomach pains, making it hard for me to sleep which is why I'm still up. Watching 30 Rock. And trying to sleep. No no no no don't do this to me now!

BEDUS Day 49: Oh my Blog

Yup, was about to go to sleep; then I remembered that I hadn't blogged. Well the most exciting thing that happened was I finished my project and got some Thai food. Goodnight!

BEDUS Day 48: Drawing in Paint

I don't draw well with a mouse. We've established that quite a while ago, but I keep forgetting. After all the struggles of trying to get Hana's tablet to work on the school computers so I could play around with Photoshop, I decided just to suck it up and draw in Paint. It's actually working pretty well and my drawing looks surprisingly Babar-derived. I've done most of the detail work already; I just have to cover the large spaces, which is a bit tedious. It's been fun, drawing and being creative again. :)

Also, Day 48! What the heck. That means I've been blogging almost 7 weeks straight!

BEDUS Day 47: Last Friday Night

It's the last Friday night of BEDUS! Spring Break begins next Friday at 5:00 PM, and by then, I'll be in California. Likely as not, I'll continue blogging because it's a great exercise, but I probably take a break during Spring Break unless something exciting happens or I happen to be in an insightful mood. Hahah.

I am in great need of a break. Being back for a straight week is great, but because I haven't really had a weekend for a while, it's been tough on the psyche. Generally, I've found that I need one day a week to decompress and I can go for 6 days without too much trouble. The one day generally ends up being Saturday, but tomorrow, I'm going into lab for a little while at least and then I have projects to work on, reading to do, etc. Not complaining other than the fact that my experiments don't seem to want to work out. Booo. >.<

In general, I've been having a great time this semester. I've been super busy, but at the same time, it's been very exciting.  Blog ya later!

BEDUS Day 46: Nilla Wafers

Nilla Wafers are delicious.

I also enjoy the red-colored Vitamin Waters (Power C, XXX, doesn't matter).

I do not enjoy vegetable juice + berries. No no no.

I do enjoy salted cashews.

These are some things I ate tonight. Well, I sniffed at the vegetable juice and found it too carroty for me.

I also enjoy yogurt. But that's for breakfast.

Yum!

BEDUS Day 45: Eating and Dancing

And Labbing! My experiment did not seem to be a success. Hmmm...gonna have to try again. In other news, I made it to the Etiquette Dinner tonight (basically a four-course meal with background talk about how to act at business meal interviews). Notable quotes include "It's not about the food!" and "Just don't do it!" It was actually great though and I enjoyed the commentary. He was hilarious. :)

After all that food, I just had to dance a bit so I choreographed. I enjoy Wednesday nights because they're less stressful, and I get to choreograph for long periods of time (which is really what I need).

Oh I also got to see Yale's Bird collection today. It was awesome! There are some birds with super funky tail feathers and we even got to see penguins! (smelly!)

Short vlog.

Tired. Boo. But lots of experiences today.

BEDUS Day 44: One more week!

I belatedly realized that BEDUS is soon coming to an end. Spring Break begins next Friday, so that's only 10 more days of BEDUS. It's been crazy blogging every day and it's been difficult, especially when the time hits and it's already 11:58 and I have to scramble for something to say. Although my life as of late has been rather glamorous (jet setting to a different city every couple of days), it's been nice to just sit on the couch and sketch concepts for my creative project. I've been drawing elephants today, mostly, and it's been a good time.

I've also dramatically increased my productivity in lab and will probably be there every day until Spring Break. We'll see how that goes. :)

I could write lots of things about today. I ate a bowl of cereal and two slices of raisin bread for breakfast, a Caprese sandwich and freshly squeezed orange juice for lunch, and cornmeal crusted catfish for dinner. I went to the post office, worked up and started a reaction, made a plan, flung some ribbons, and drew some elephants wearing masks. I had dinner with my former roommate, took a shower, and watched some 30 Rock. And now I'm curled up on the couch with my Chemists do it Periodically t-shirt and JE sweatpants feeling warm and cozy. I'm ready for the next week. So bring it on.

BEDUS Day 43: Babar!

Today, Kelsey and I read 6 books of Babar aloud. It was like traveling back to a childhood that I never knew because surprise, I only knew Babar peripherally, through my cousin's videotapes. The image of Babar, however, is iconic, and has stuck in my mind since I was very young. He's probably the reason I think that elephants are cute and benevolent. I don't remember much else, but after reading the books, I can see why they would be popular with children.

They're filled with action, adventure, conflict, and resolution. There is excitement and danger, but also happy endings. The good guys, with their strength and cunning, always win and the skies are sunny, the waters cool and refreshing. Taken at face value, it's a great series of books. Of course, there are those who disagree with the underlying principles (colonialism, etc.) but I found it a nice throwback to childhood.

Basically, I love this class.

BEDUS Day 42: Recovery

I have spent most of today sleeping. Well, sleeping and recruiting. The YES Poster session went pretty well, and I got a lunch bag and my poster out of the deal, so it seemed pretty great, but other than that, I've been catching up on my sleep. I basically passed out when I got back last night, then got up, went to the poster session, passed out again when I came back and have been in a daze since dinner. I think my body and my mind has been stressed out so it's time for super recovery. Getting back into lab tomorrow, so we'll make a plan there, but it seems like I'm just waiting for Spring Break. Bahh.

No real revelations today other than the fact that I need more sleep.

Goodnight.

BEDUS Day 41: A Beautiful View

I am so exhausted. I basically slept all the way home (although I did finish The Hunger Games which was freaking awesome and made me so mad at the way it ended! Dangit going to have to go find Catching Fire when I have time even though my next book for fun really should be The Fault in Our Stars. Fun sidenote: I had just finished watching Hank Green's newest video on Smallest Animals at Philadelphia Airport waiting for my plane and I looked up and the girl sitting across from me was reading TFiOS. Woah.) Now I'm back, took a shower, and am going to pass out. Gotta present a poster tomorrow.

I'll probably edit this at some point with the view from the Hancock Tower (95th floor!) where we ate breakfast this morning. We got to see so much of the city and Lake Michigan that it was kinda breathtaking. Sure, the city was a city; dirty roofs, brown buildings, tiny cars, but there was something so surreal about being up there and seeing it from above. The feats of engineering, science, art, and culture, all wrapped up into one glorious town.

BEDUS Day 40: Second City

Today was a little grueling. Even without the pressures of interviews, talking with faculty still makes me nervous. I know it shouldn't, but  I can't shake the fact that I look young (am young!) and even though people shouldn't find me particularly threatening (intellectually), they're talking as if I understand everything they're saying. I am conversing with rock stars of the chemistry world, nodding and smiling, and it's working.

Actually though, the science was really quite amazing and even though I was hanging on by just the tail of the kite most of the time (that's not really a phrase, is it?) I felt like I knew just enough random knowledge to get through a lot of the science. It's kinda how I felt throughout most of Science Bowl, knowing just enough stuff gathered from different sources to make myself look more intelligent than I was. It's funny because I just feel like I'm forever behind, but I'm apparently not. I wonder what it's going to be like when I start teaching. Oh My Galapagos.

We went to The Second City tonight, a comedy club in downtown Chicago, which was really great. I got a mug that came with my drink, which is at present, stuffed in my boot in my suitcase, my tiny suitcase. Golly.

The skits were funny, laugh out loud funny, and the improv was great, but, maybe due to my week of fatigue, it wasn't the funniest thing I've ever seen. However, it was a great time and some of the skits they did were pretty poignant. However, they did this thing where they tried to connect the end with the beginning and kinda failed a bit. [Flashback to Seat Yourself. Oh My Galoshes] But I had a fun time and I'm really glad I went.

BEDUS Day 39: THIS DAY! (Spoilers...no spoilers)

This day has been an absolute adventure. Ups and downs, whirls, whorls, and all over the place. It started off like any other day where I plan to fly to Chicago. You know, because I do it all the time. But I'm kinda stressing because I went to sleep late having done laundry and finished my poster rather late and woke up (or rather, tried to blink and found my eyelids were too heavy) a little later than I had planned, and wound up being a smidge concerned that I was going to be late for my plane. Even though Tweed-New Haven is like...20 minutes away. And it's so small that they don't even open security until they're practically ready to board the plane.

But anyways, I'm rushing (when I don't need to be), I call the cab, and they say they'll be right there. Before I can ask them how long they'll take, they hang up, so I assume (correctly) that they'll be right there. So, I grab my bag, my trusty green suitcase, my coat, and hightail it out of there.

In the mix, I don't realize that I hadn't changed my shoes and was still wearing my Uggs, which are wonderfully warm and comfy for a running around the dorm, going to class, snuggling up in a big chair in the library way, but not in a meet some famous chemists way. It's only when I'm going through security, as I see the woman in front of me taking off some super cute (but uncomfortable looking) boots, that I notice that my feet are still quite warm and happy in Fluffyland. Oh. No.

Now, it's not the end of the world, but it seemed pretty disrespectful to me to show up to a recruitment in what basically amounts to pajama shoes (and some well-placed calls confirmed that notion) so I figure, hey, I'm getting to Chicago at around 3:15. I should have enough time before 6 PM to go buy myself a cheap pair of shoes (likely flats) that will get me through tomorrow.

I board the plane to Philadelphia, fall asleep, everything is hunky-dory (even though inside I'm still a little like ahhh only have 30 minutes to cross terminals and get lunch good thing I brought a bagel).

I get to my gate fine and they start asking people to volunteer to check their bags at the gate because there won't be any overhead space. Which I think is bull because the plane is built so that 3 overhead bags can fit per 3 seated row and if everyone has one under-the-seat bag and one overhead bag, then everyone's bag should be able to fit, but I guess they accounted for people having coats in the winter or something like that. But I hang on to my bag because it has my laptop in it and I kinda want it with me.

Except I'm in Zone 5, which means by the time to get to my zone, anyone who's got a second bag has got to get it checked. So I take out my laptop and send my trusty green bag on its way. And when I land in Chicago, and get my bag, it's no longer trusty, but lame. Like actually, missing a wheel. The plastic around the wheel has freaking BROKEN OFF. HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN?!? (Also, the guy next to me had half of the handle on his rolly bag broken off. WTF US AIRWAYS?!?) 

So yeah, after fuming for about 3 seconds and swearing to myself that I was never checking any electronics with US Airways again, I realized that I had to get another bag and soon because I was only Visit #4 of 8 and, well, it's my only carry-on bag. I drag my poor bag to the US Airways Baggage Claim Office and am like: LOOK AT THIS. What I really said was more along the lines of "Ummm...hi. I checked my bag at the gate, even though (by the way this is important) there was plenty of room in the overhead compartments when they said there wasn't going to be, and they mutilated my only way of getting my three outfits and bunch of cords around." Yeah, I didn't really say that either but I thought it.

The lady, who was very nice, said, "Oh I'm so sorry! It sucks when that happens." (Like it happens often!?)

Me: "Is there anywhere I could get a new bag? Because, well, I'm only visiting for a few days and I kinda need it."

Her: "Oh, we can just get you a new one."

!!! BEST PERSON !!!

So they gave me a new bag, which is a little smaller than my old one was (although today, I recognize that they generally make the carry-on bags smaller, so it didn't bother me too much). And it was brand new. And all of my stuff fit, and now I have a new trusty green bag.

Things work out! Now to make sure it'll fit everything I need it to for spring break. Probs going to take my backpack home for that one.

So shoes. I finally get to the hotel and get settled at 5 PM (after all the fiasco with bag and the horrible traffic over), and I got to go get set to get some shoes. Luckily, we're right on the Miracle Mile, which is where all the shopping is. Unfortunately, everything is a bajillion dollars since they have labels like GAP and Guess and Ann Taylor and Aldo, and the Forever 21 shoes were janky, but I found a Marshalls basically across the street from the hotel. They had a bunch of heeled booties which were too high (dang it, Fergie!), but I found a pair of calf-high wedged boots that seemed to fit alright. I didn't really want to walk all around Chicago in heels, but wedges seemed ok and they were dark brown and didn't look like I had just rolled out of bed and slipped them on. I found a pair in my size but the zipper on the left boot didn't want to come undone, so, noticing it was already 5:40, I grabbed the display box and low and behold, it was a pair of very similar flat boots with some cooler buckle details. And only $25. Holy crap.

Normally, I would probably think that these boots emphasized my calves a little too much and made me look a little stumpier than normal, but for an on-the-fly purchase where no one would really notice my normal shoes anyways, I though it was a pretty good deal. Plus, they were easy to slip on because of the huge calf factor and easy to walk in. And then I ran back to the hotel, changed very quickly, and booked it to the bus. And made it. And my feet are happy. I'm going to count this as a win.

So more reflections on Chicago as a whole later (spoilers: it's a beautiful city, and the campus looks beautiful illuminated at night and the science is pretty cool) but I'm exhausted from all of the above so I'm just going to shower and sleep. Good night!

Oh! I've also been reading The Hunger Games! I'm about halfway through the first book and enjoying the story and the strong female character. The writing is pretty pulpy but there's a big emphasis on color and food, both things I enjoy. I wouldn't say it's a holy grail book but it's good for a plane ride, so I'll likely abandon most of my other readings for it. We'll see how I feel once I finish it. Ok byes for reals!

BEDUS Day 38: Back for a Night

I get to sleep in my own bed for a night and then I'm off to Chicago for 3 days. Well, it's really only 1 full day and dinner and breakfast. Which reminds me: I should probably get myself some lunch at some point tomorrow. Hmm...planning fail.

My post New York reflections reveal that traveling is hard, even when traveling only 2 hours away by train. It may be that I was working on my poster all during the train ride over and really got no respite. I was back for all of 1.5 days and most of that was spent finishing a midterm and frantically reading stuff. I'm not complaining about the traveling; after all, I get to see great institutions and meet wonderful people, but in hindsight (maybe even in foresight), the whole getting on three sets of moving vehicles in a week was probably not the most enlightened of choices.

I'm excited about going to Chicago because it's my first real visit; I've been interviewing everywhere else so there's always a sense of urgency and stress. After all, although you're interviewing the institution, you're not really are you? They're still interviewing you and ultimately, you're not in yet, so you'd better look sharp. With a visit, I can only assume it'll be different, that people will be more in "recruit" mode so things will be less tense. One can only hope.

Well, tomorrow, off on the plane. Looking forward to the Windy City.

BEDUS Day 37: Terrifying Ursine Friends (or Happy Valentine's Day from New York)

There are those people who say that Valentine's Day is a holiday for overeager consumers and money-hungry corporations to consummate their marriage of convenience through the distribution of anatomically incorrect hearts, dopamine-inducing pellets of sugar, and plushy versions of our actually quite terrifying ursine friends. They say that true love does not need a day to acknowledge its nature, that you should shower your significant others (and...less significant others?) with affection every day of the year.

And they're absolutely right.

But that doesn't mean we shouldn't celebrate love on this day right, because, we should celebrate love every day. And on today, when I was eating a sushi with names like Sweetheart Roll, Sex on the Beach Roll, and Iron Chef Roll, with people I didn't know, I had a moment of intense longing for my sweetheart, and I wished that he could be with me to laugh at the Iron Chef Roll, or the creme brulee that actually turned out to be ice cream or the ridiculously awesome Rockefeller University apartment.

Don't get me wrong; the day was fun, and on any other day I might have just let it go, but looking at my heart-shaped tuna and knowing that 83 miles away, my best friend was not looking at my heart-shaped tuna gave me pause. So before I go to sleep in this intensely hot hotel room, I give you this, my darling. Words cannot say how much you mean to me and how much I miss you at this moment. You've given me so very many happy moments (including tonight!) and I can't wait to see you tomorrow, to hear your voice, and to give you a big hug. So I'll let these grainy pictures do the talking for me.

BEDUS Day 36: For Reals This Time

Ok no more cop-out lame blogs. At least, this one won't be because I'm finally settled back in and have finished my midterm and all I have left is...oh wait, I leave for New York tomorrow morning and I've got to make a poster by Thursday and I've got several books to read. Oh. The life is never done. :)

From the two interview weekends I've had, I can say this: interviewing is exhausting. You've got to have your brain in the right place 100% of the time and your cool face on 100% of the time. It's super interesting to get away from school and see the cool science that's being done out there and the people who are doing it, but it's not a vacation. You're not there to sight-see. It's "figure-out-your-life" time.

The New York interview will be number 3 of 4, and the rest are all visits, which are definitely more like professional vacations, but at the same time, also like business meetings. What is cool is that I'll be seeing the same people on my trips, kinda the Chemistry/Biology circuit, which is super exciting. It's also exciting when you meet people who know the same people as you. Craaazy.

I can't believe it's already mid-February and BEDUS is more than half over. It's been a whirlwind of a semester for sure and I'm excited to have some time to look back at my days and see what I was thinking. It's been really good for me to put something out every day (even when technically, it's the next day), just to capture my frame of mind. And my frame of mind is now this: I've showered, am snuggly in bed, and am going to catch some Once Upon a Time before going to sleep. Leaving in the morning! :D

BEDUS Day 35: Still Counts

Kelsey's Belated Birthday Party
Ate at BAR: Meatballs, Sundried Tomatoes, Mozzarella
Had Cake with Friends who Hid Well
Had Cava (Spanish Champagne)
Talked with Max, Kiara, Chelsea; Fun Times
Freaking Stuck on Midterm
GAH.

BEDUS Day 34: 1:33 AM

It's been a long day. I got back to my room at 1:15 AM and it was a much more relaxed day but more of a walking day than the day before. I have a bunch of thoughts in my mind that are all jumbled up and I've written them down on paper, but in short: I've been impressed. I love the students, love the professors, love J and S and really bonded with my fellow interviewees. I'm going to miss these people when I go back to school, but I also am excited to see my friends at school and Kelsey again and more excited about my prospective future.

Getting up in a few hours so time to get ready for bed.

Will philosophize more to myself later.

BEDUS Day 33: Decompression

Another round of
Interviews. Afterwards I
Decompressed myself.

It's not that I was
Nervous or anything. But
I was. (a little)

Met people I have
Held in esteem. Also those
I know will go far.

Body needs rest, again.
Tomorrow touring, snowing.
Hope my feet stay warm.

BEDUS Day 32: The Most Massive Bed

I'm in Cambridge now, took the Amtrak down, and am currently residing in a room with the most massive hotel bed ever. It's nice having my own room so I have a little bit of freedom as to when to wake up and go to sleep and don't have to be worried about the schedule of another person, especially during interview season, but I realize that having a roommate also keeps me on track. I've been rather leisurely reading about the research being done here (which is insanely cool, oh my goodness) and now, it's suddenly 11:30 and way past the time I should have gone to sleep.

The trip down was nice. I've never taken Amtrak before, and it was...a train with better seats. I would have taken some pictures or something but I ended up in the "quiet car" and it was super awkward to take out my camera when the woman next to me was sleeping. Alas.

I also had a great dinner, which I'm sure I will not remember after this night so I will note it here. There was meat. It was stacked like a jenga puzzle. And blue cheese. And arugula. (You see how tired I am right now). The jenga meat was really good. As was the cheese. (Love me some cheese.)

Alright, to bed, to bed, then to tomorrow!

BEDUS Day 31: Wine, Violas, and Pianos

Today was an absolutely amazing day. Not only did I get to visit Yale's musical instruments collection, I got to have a wonderful dinner while learning about food and wine pairings. So one at a time.

For this week's Treasures at Yale class, we went to the Yale Musical Instruments Collection, which is a little known collection that has it's own home. I've walked by this building many, many times and have always wanted to go in, but I've never had the time (it's only open from 1-4 PM on Tues-Fri and 1-5 PM on Sun). I've been very curious to know what's inside, especially because the Yale Concert Band played a concert with a hecklephone (basically a bass oboe), of which there are only 3 functioning ones in the United States. 

So, I was really excited to go see the instruments. And it was so worth it. Being a string player myself, I was super excited to see the strings. We saw a piccolo cello, so named because it played the higher registers of the cello that weren't accessible to musicians who didn't play higher than third position on the cello, that had a flat back and a lion's head scroll. We also saw (and got to hold) a Stradivarius that had never been revarnished (freaking awesome) and got to see a Viola D'Amore. This so-called "viola of love" had blind cupid inscribed on the scroll, flame holes, seven bowed strings, and seven sympathetic strings which vibrated below the fingerboard.  It was thought that the viola originated from the Middle East and what we call flame holes today were actually reminiscent of Islamic swords. Awesome. We also got to see and hear a piano, harpsichord, and clavichord, which never get removed from the upstairs of the collection.

Finally, at night, I was privileged to be a part of the Yale Reality Bites series, a food series that's dedicated to teaching seniors about food after college. I probably won't be able to afford the likes of the food and wine we ate until long after I graduate, but it was a really nice dinner that taught me a lot about the nuances of wine and the changing flavors that food brings out in wine. We had five wines...

...a Cabernet, a Pinot Noir, a Chardonnay, a Sauvignon Blanc (my favorite), and a Cava (a Spanish bubbly wine). We tried each on its own, then each with a four course dinner consisting of an arugula, pear, and walnut salad with gorgonzola cream on the side, striped bass on a bed of the most delicious white beans I have ever eaten, chicken in a tomato sauce with a crust of toasted and salted bread (so good!), and a spicy lamb stew. It was, in a word, delicious, and in another word, delectable. Also, there was a raffle and I won a bottle of the Cava! Saving it for Kelsey's birthday/Valentine's day!!

That's all for tonight. Tomorrow I go to Boston!

BEDUS Day 30: More Work

I was afraid these days would come: the days where I am so busy that I barely have time to write. As evidenced by my last blog (and this one too) I have been reading and thinking and searching and reading and thinking and I am pooped. I will read and think more tomorrow.

*Short blog*

Goodnight.

BEDUS Day 29: Late Night Thinking

I am up late night thinking about how to make complex molecules. With coffee. See you later.

BEDUS Day 28: Time Travel!

I haven't done anything very exciting today, and I'm not feeling terribly creative or poetic at the moment, so I thought I'd just freewrite until I have enough text to justify a blog. A lot of times when I was younger, I'd dream about going to sleep and waking up in another century or another time and place where I could have adventures like those kids I read about in books (Magic Treehouse!). And just now, I thought, once again, that that would be a great adventure. Right? If I could just have an adventure and come out of it, back to where I am right now, so that no time has passed at all, that would just be awesome. I'd have to take a friend, of course; otherwise, I'd have no one to blab to afterwards without seeming like a total lunatic.

The issue always arises, however, when I imagine where I'd go. The kids I read about where mostly of some kind of European descent because that's what you get for reading young adult American literature, and so whenever I imagine myself on one of their journeys in history, I'd suddenly realize that even without the modern clothes and out-of-place gadgets, I wouldn't be able to blend in because of my skin color. Even if everyone spoke modern English, I wouldn't be able to effectively complete my quest without probably being thrown into slavery or beheaded for looking odd. If I arrived in America before...I'd say the 1970s, no one would talk to me, from being too mellow, or from a racist streak left over from the Second World War. Thus, I couldn't travel anywhere outside of East Asia which would limit the friends I could take and the conversations we could have with people. In the end, I decided that the here and now is probably the best place for me. It's kind of a weird thought, I know, but I realize that these considerations are especially true even now. Having traveled to Greece and Italy, I realize that I don't fit in, and really wouldn't in the past. *Feeling quite lucky to be living in this century.*

See you tomorrow!

BEDUS Day 27: My First Hockey Game! (or "It's All Your Fault!")

For several years now, I've been aiming to go to Yale hockey game because it's the one sport (apparently besides volleyball) that we're pretty good at. Whenever I give tours, I tell people to go to hockey games because the atmosphere is supposed to be electric, and yet, it's taken me four years to get here. This may be that the Whale (Ingalls Rink) is halfway up Science Hill, though in reality, it's actually relatively close to campus, or it may be that every time I've gone to a sporting event, we've lost (sometimes quite horribly in fact).

But this night was absolutely awesome. We played Clarkson and won 5-1, and although for the most part, the team looked like they were just very haphazardly searching for the puck, there were shining moments of great teamwork and subsequent goals. From what I saw, we just happened to have a better goalie than Clarkson did, as there were some tense moments where they got quite close to scoring, but our guy prevailed.

I also realized that sports fans are rabid. They don't just cheer for our team; they boo down the other team, and demoralizing the opposition is as much a winning strategy as playing well. In hockey, the idea is to make the other goalie feel every goal he's let through. So the band would play our fight song and they'd chant to the other guy, "It's all your fault!" Poor goalie! One older alum even came a little late to the game, sat behind us with his friends, and after a few minutes, noted to his friend, "I want us to score so I can tell him whose fault it is."

So even though I was ecstatic every time we scored, I couldn't help but feel bad for this other goalie, who seemed pretty frustrated by the start of the third quarter.

BEDUS Day 26: Sandra Bullock is Badass

It's been a bit of a chill Friday for me. I feel like I've not done much today even though I've actually been quite productive today. The most exciting part of my night was when we watched Miss Congeniality, in which FBI agent Grace Hart puts on a dress and becomes a beauty pageant contestant. I haven't watched it in a long time, but it's just as funny as I remember, just as charming, and just as badass. It's probably one of my favorite comedies of all time, just a good-hearted, funny movie.

Even though Miss Congeniality was a generally mindless movie, we had a great discussion afterwards about the dilemma looking for classes to take outside your major/interests for distributional requirements, and the way that the education system worked in general. In fact, even as I am blogging right now, we're still conversing which is why this blog is going up so late. I think I will reflect more tomorrow and continue with these conversations.

See you later!

BEDUS Day 25: Happy Groundhog's Day

Groundhog's Day is a funny phenomenon and something you don't really think about after elementary school. Back in the first grade, it was such a big deal; we colored pictures of groundhogs and made shadows and everything and today, I think a lot of us just forget that February 2 is still a holiday (albeit a nonsensical one).

This Groundhog's Day, Phil predicted that there would be six more weeks of winter, but to be honest (no jinx!) it hasn't felt like winter here in a while. It was so nice and warm today and I feel very lucky to be in New Haven right now. Boston and Chicago are getting hit quite a bit harder and although I will be traveling there next week, I'm relishing the above 40 weather these days.

At the moment, I feel a great sense of camaraderie with my suitemates. We spent the past couple of hours looking up pictures of attractive men and baby animals and although it was probably not the best use of my time, it was a nice break from the past couple of days and a bit of a refresher. I'm constantly reminded that I'm getting older and acting like a teenager without responsibilities has always given me a bit of a breather that I miss when having intellectual conversations with those around me. Having been predominantly surrounded by boys for much of my life (boys who I still love dearly), I never really had too many close girlfriends to slumber party and gossip with and have never seen someone bash Eva Mendez so hard for dating Ryan Gosling ("she's so dumb, he has to explain things to her!" hahaha) It's nice to be able to hang out with the ladies, especially in an environment where intellect is probably one of the most prized attributes in a significant other (at least for me) and just be cathartically superficial for a few moments. [[Every feminist woman I've ever known is cringing at this statement, but I don't care.]]

So I will end this blog here and go listen to some music and read some Little Women before going to sleep. I forgot how wholesome the book was, and after what we made Piyumi's desktop background, I think I need some wholesome in my life.

BEDUS Day 24: Happy February!

I can't believe I've been blogging straight for more than 3 weeks now. More than that, it's a little insane that we're ALREADY A MONTH INTO 2012!! And not even one of those 30 day-months. It's been a whole 31 (and I guess by the time this post goes up, 32) days since the new year began. The time does go by so quickly, especially with travel eating up the last couple of days.

I had a lot of class today and since it's Wednesday, it's once again, Treasures of Yale day. We looked at the Charles Ives collection in the Music Library today, and I have to say that because I am a very melody and lyric-driven person, Charles Ives' music doesn't really appeal to me. Kelsey's band director loves him, but I'm not a huge fan. However, I do appreciate the meaning behind his music. As we said in class, it's definitely music that needs explanation; it's definitely not universally wonderful. Two really cool things that we got to see was an original piano sonata that Brahms had written for Clara Schumann and one of Mozart's hymns. Freaking awesome.

I also began choreographing my pieces for the Phoenix Spring Show today. Super excited. It's always nice to be able to put creative energy into something. I'm actually excited for rehearsal tomorrow. Whoo!