Freakonomics

          Today my father described his personal economic theories to me in detail, as he is wont to do from time to time. According to him, economics works in 100-year cycles of poverty and plenty; for example, since there was a depression in the 1920s and 30s, there will definitely be one in the 2020s and 30s. Also, national health care is a massive money grab by the government and not worth the effort, an interesting position for a Democrat. Inevitably this waxes into the story of how the little guy is kept down. This is disconcerting to me because I'm supposed to prove that false.
                    Being home is a massive adjustment. I'm back to my old milk-drinking ways, partly because it's not coming out of a tap and partly because my drink options are more limited. I can go back to walking around in my underwear, but this is heavily offset by the lack of wi-fi. The only internet-capable computer (which I am currently using) is an ancient machine from around 2002 with no webcam or gaming capabilities. Even the colors in the monitor are screwed up. It's weird not having friends within a two-minute walk, though Matt's is probably like ten. It's also difficult not eating whenever and reminding my father that I hate pickles and have from birth every time he puts them into something. Finally, I wish my house was as orderly as I kept my room in IV. I've got pack rat tendencies like the rest of my family, but I can keep them under control. With luck I'll be able to straighten things up a bit over the next couple of months and get the house looking as nice as it did for my graduation party. Who knows, perhaps I'll get to throw a little party before I head off for sophomore year.
          Quote of the day:
"Mitt Romney reminds me of every guy I hated in high school, all rolled into one." - Father

Flying Whale Syndrome

          Iris called me as I slept and left a charming voicemail, as she left for Taiwan today and we won't be able to speak on the phone until two months from now. Luckily, I woke before her flight left and we were able to speak briefly. For the next couple of months we'll be talking via email and Steam chat. In the evening, Matt, Ian and I went to McDonalds to satisfy my cravings, where we ran into April. A calm, sleepy day indeed.

Mixing Business and Pleasure

          Logan's party in the Brothel tonight was a hit. Our host's strategic choice of deGiorno's, Whoopie Pies and Doritos was adept. It was good to see Steve and Carol again, as well as several of my good Saugerties friends -- Matt, Logan, Katharine, Catie and the rest. We played a few rounds with Matt's special dice and carried out some pretty sketchy dares, like one of the twins crab walking around with a Whoopie Pie on his stomach until someone ate it. After all was said and done, Matt and I headed home and had our customary two-hour talk in the car before I took my leave. All in all, an enjoyable way to begin my summer of inevitable work.
          Quotes of the day:
"Just fart on all of Logan's things." - Allie
"That's why I'm so excited to be living next to Chinatown." - Matt
"Spider-Man kiss! You saw it here, folks!" - Ian B
"How the fuck did we get so metaphysical shit and universal fucking prololo blah?" - Matt
...
Catie: "Good job, now everyone's thinking about blowjobs."
Me: "Ha ha, now for stage two of my plan!"
...
Matt: "Maybe the more pressure you apply, the hotter it is..."
Me: "Sounds like my first time."
Steve: "So if you hit it really hard, steam will just shoot out of it?"

Big Ending

          The last soul-crushing hurdle before sweet summer: my American government final. It was blocked for two hours just like yesterday's, but I needed all the time I could get to finish eight in-depth identifications and a topical essay. I don't know how well I did, but I'm sure I passed, and when I escaped from the basement of Dodge, it felt like the entire building was lifted off me. I did feel a bit cheated, having memorized the basics of 20 or 25 Supreme Court cases and not needing any of that knowledge.
          After the test I met with my parents and younger brother, Ryan. Over the course of a couple of hours, we packed up my room and I said my goodbyes to everyone else. I think that it's better to say too little than too much. The only work I have left are my three reflections for musicals class. Of course that would be the course to leave behind irritating, leftover work. My ride home was uneventful, and we pulled into my driveway around eleven o'clock. I met the family dog, a blue herder/Australian cattle dog mix named Bitsy, for the first time. She's small, very skittish, and roughly the coloration of the seals at the aquarium. Settling in should be an adjustment.

Last Efforts

          I got up early and headed off to my comparative politics final, terms from the study guide whirring around in my brain. To calm myself, I pumped "In the House - In a Heartbeat" from the 28 Days Later soundtrack through my ears again and again, until all I could hear was the song's gradual crescendo. After I had done this, I went into the room and took the test. It went well, taking me only about twenty-five minutes to do eighty multiple choice questions, five fill-in-the-blanks, and two short answers. I wasn't concerned about today's test so much as tomorrow's, but it's comforting to be through half of my finals.
          Iris didn't anticipate my early return and I found her stringing up her colorful paper chains about my room. Lovely additions to be sure, though it's too bad that I only have one more day with them. I said my goodbyes to Joseph after I returned, and not much later, he took off for the summer. In the evening, joined by Sabrina and Iris, I bid farewell to Alanna. It's tough saying goodbye to my close friends. Even though it's only four months, even though we'll keep in touch, it always seems like I should say more than I have. In any case, it's sad that the year is drawing to a close.
          Quote of the day:
"I don't know where it would go, and it's not long enough to do anything." - Iris

Finals Countdown

          Indulge me on the terribad pun title, this is my last day at Northeastern without a final. I studied comparative politics for a couple of hours to prepare for tomorrow but I'm not especially worried. If the study guide that my professor sent out is as useful as the one for the midterm was, I have all of the answers in the palm of my hand. I also got in what will probably be my last Team Fortress 2 session until next year, unless my family obtains wi-fi or a new desktop computer. Until then, my addiction will go unfed.
          Quotes of the day:
"It's like an airline cart, you can bash people's knees with it." - Sean(?)
"I've been humping your door jamb for a while now." - Eric
"I get so amped for shit movies." - Eric
"I'm not so interested in the release into the systems, but what changes in the body." - Laura

Horrifying and Awful

          Angel and I accompanied Amy to the airport today. This was the third time in my life I've been to an airport, so the experience was pleasant. After we came back from the sendoff, Heather and I ventured into the North End for a few hours. At the State Street T stop, we came across an older man collapsed on a bench with a can of Dust-Off at his feet. Heather called 911 and we discussed social psychology for a little while. We then hung out with a dog near the aquarium, went to see the seals and derped around in the aquarium gift shop. Finally, we went to Mike's, where we purchased cannoli for our families and a delicious slice of Oreo cheesecake to share. Later at night, we watched American Psycho, a truly stellar film and possibly my favorite horror film (depending on how I feel about Silence of the Lambs on a given day.) I think this was a good choice, considering that this might be the last movie night of the year.
          Quotes of the day:
"Anyway, we should go watch something horrifying and awful." - Sean
"She does it with such dexterity that it brings tears to my eyes." - Sean
"Andy, I feel like one of next year's pranks should involve, in some way, tearaway pants." - Sean

Luck of the Irish: Redux

          This was a quiet day for me. The bro-gentlemen and I had a nice bro-talk today, something I find we've sorely lacked. Later, Eliot, Anthony, Iris, Heather, Sean and I attempted to watch Chicken Run in the basement, but this plan failed when every room was occupied. This was especially lame as two or three of the rooms each had a person or two in them, all quietly studying. Solution A: Share a room. Solution B: Study in your own room. Solution C: Go to the designated study spaces in the library (such as the two quiet floors.) However, this turned out to be a stroke of luck in disguise; we ended up watching G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra in my room, courtesy of Sean.

Presenting: The "Is This Movie as Good as G.I. Joe" Checklist!
[ ] White All-American hero guy
[ ] Black dude as comic relief
[ ] Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Governor Swann from Pirates, a Time Lord, and the Finger Chopper
[ ] Military wet dreams
[ ] Ninjas - color coded!
[ ] Plot armor for everyone
[ ] Syringes stuck in everyone
[ ] Character named "Doctor Mindbender"
[ ] A particle accelerator being used to weaponize nanobots (science!)
[ ] Cleavage of symbolism
[ ] Hilarious action sequences
[ ] Gaelic voice recognition software
[ ] Evil Fortress of Evil
[ ] This line: "Kill all the Joes!!!"
[ ] Plot based on action figures
[ ] Awesome sequel coming out featuring Bruce Willis and the Rock


          Quote of the day:
"It's like, bitches! Just back up!" - Sean
"Classmate did better than me? Kill my teacher!" - Sean

Pretentious Title No. 37

          After a single run-through rehearsal, I performed with several other actors in a staged reading of Professor Feinstein's still-unfinished Dramatic Agitato No. 37. I got to speak three lines of broken, approximated-from-Google-Translate Russian. Thank goodness the performance aspect of the course is over, and apologies to Iris and Jennifer for coming at all. Afterward, Ryan, Chris, Heather, Amy and Alaric joined me in the basement for Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. It's a decently good, decently funny movie with a surprising number of stars - Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman, Alan Rickman, Brian Blessed, Christian Slater and Sean Connery!
          Quotes of the day:
"In Russia, man do not kiss man. In Russia, man finish play. This is good idea." - me
"You're just a grumpy Russian clarinet player." - Professor Feinstein
"Da, comrade, comrade, comrade, da." - Jeff
"The gateway drug to personal blogging." - Lindsey, on Xanga
"Andy, if you could scoot down here I'll give you a rub." - Amy
"It's okay, my ass is so tight it doesn't matter." - Amy
...
Me: "That sword is enormous. That's really impractical."
Amy: "Maybe he's compensating for something."
Me: "Alan Rickman?"
Amy: "Yeah, never mind."

Trollin' IRL

          I missed out on our planned expedition to get dim sum in order to actually finish my education paper. I then hoofed it to Curry for the final rehearsals and then staged readings of our musicals ("Mean Girls," "Zombies Always Sell" and "Hello, My Name Is Facebook.") The actors were magnanimous in their reception of our dreck-mixed-with-flashes-of-brilliance work, and performed quite well. The banana hammock joke even went over well. Around 11:30 I screened One Night Stand in celebration of our success and was joined by Elliott, Alaric, Anthony, Iris and Jenn, a friend of Iris' who goes to Hampshire, where the grades are imaginary and the work doesn't matter. Tangentially related, Jenn and I are two peas in a pod and make a formidable Iris-irritation tag team.
          Quotes of the day:
"Mission Impossible 4. I still want to jump you, but you're, like, old." - Katie, on Tom Cruise
"Boston sucks the color out of you in a slow, painful way." - Katie
"I had a dream that I had a baby and it turned into a kitten and then it turned into a fly and flew away." - Heather
"You know what I know? Pimpin' All Over the World!" - Jaimie
...
Me: "I thought you were European."
Katie: "I didn't think I wore my pants that tight."
...
Me: "I played the Devil in my high school play."
Katie: "You play the Devil in real life."

xxxBudMastaBongBlasta420forlyf3xxx

          I surprised myself with my physical fitness today. Despite not maintaining any sort of workout regimen, I was able to blow through a couple of miles today, for part of which I held a seven minute pace. With luck I'll be able to drop it to six minutes a mile and hopefully beyond that -- my best was five and a half in track, so six would be respectable. In the evening, Alaric, Alanna, Sabrina, band Eric and I met at Blackman to see NU Stage's performance of Wedding Singer. Beyond a couple of mic issues, the dancing and singing were magnificent and I really enjoyed myself. Unfortunately, I ended up finishing my final paper for Education in the Community late and in great emotional distress, but I suppose it was worth it.
          Quote of the day:
"I've been angry for almost 23 years." - band Eric

Boxers v. Briefs: Trial of the Century

          Professor Urman held a two hour review session in preparation for the final next Friday. He made a great logical argument regarding modern DNA testing and how it has killed soldiers in Iraq. Follow closely.

Modern DNA testing ---> Bill Clinton's infidelity detected ---> Bill Clinton impeached for perjury ---> Al Gore wins by less than he could have ---> GWB becomes President ---> GWB invades Iraq ---> Soldiers die in Iraq

          Pretty wild. After class, Sabrina, Katie and I went to Ryder for a rehearsal of "Zombies Always Sell," our very own dancing zombie musical. Afterward, we watched Fargo, the most amusingly mundane crime movie ever.
          Quote of the day:
"Well, I know your underwear preferences." - Katie

Luck of the Irish

          After a vicious amount of work, I beat an extremely limited slammed out a presentation each for comparative politics and education. I wish little to speak more on the subject. In a fantastic turn of events, Iris found my lucky key in her room. Also, Professor Urman gave out Munchkins in celebration of professor evaluations; "Correlation doesn't equal causation," he said on this random act of kindness.
          Quote of the day:
"Bigfoot, you say?" - Duke

Wolly Wolly Wolly Wolly Wolly Wolly World

          This evening was marked by the mandatory CEP Year End "Celebration," where we were subjected to some terrible public speaking. "I'm so glad you were able to join us..." at this mandatory event. "Literally hundreds of students..." as opposed to figuratively hundreds of students. At least we were blessed with a short ceremony, though I particularly loved being told that I had just done a semester of community service. Good thing they thought to inform us, I never would have known otherwise. Afterward, Laura and I took a walk over to Wollaston's in the beautiful night air -- a perfect 67 degrees. She purchased a chocolate muffin for Ben's birthday, while I acquired my first 5 Hour Energy and some limeade for special occasions.
          Quote of the day:
"Bulbasaur is evolving!" - Sean
"By the way, how's your Yiddish?" - Professor Feinstein

A-Rapping At My Chamber Door

          A large part of my day was spent trying to install Fallout 3 on my laptop, having purchased it on Steam. After this failed due to compatibility issues, I dejectedly retreated to bed. This was a pretty lame day, though I did get in some more TF2 play time with Iris.
          Quote of the day:
"Always trust the Pakistani." - Shandana
"Come back, I want to light you on fire! Wait, no, that was mean!" - Iris
"I hope no one comes a-knocking." - Iris

Just Like the First Time

          Katie and I did some work on our musical with Professor Feinstein this morning. Neither of us had much sleep, and I brought my hubcap along due to the Bandquet taking place immediately afterward. There, I received an "award" for the Mortal Kombat fiasco and ate some delicious cake. I then took a long nap. At dinner, Jaimie set the record for the shortest basket story ever. "I... I do." For a nice finish to the evening, Alaric, Sean, Alanna, Stacey, Zach, Iris and I watched Young Guns and the 929 must-watch playlist. Somehow this was Sean's first time watching "A True Gentleman," and many lols were had.
          Quotes of the day:
"Oh, I get to objectify you? That's fun." - Katie
Also:
Me: "Do you not want me to take charge? Do you want to do everything?"
Katie: "I didn't say I was that kind of girl."

The Light At the End of the Tunnel

          Iris and I went to see Chris Guettel's musical, "Floyd Collins," at 539 Tremont. Guettel is best known for "The Light In the Piazza," and his bio in the program noted that he's known for his chromaticism. True to form, the musical was sometimes puzzling in its thematic idiosyncrasies. Even more unusually, it was set in 1925 Kentucky, everyone had a Southern accent and there was yodeling involved in much of the music. The tale is a true story of a caver who became wedged in a tight crevice while searching for a cavern to turn into a tourist attraction. The musical focuses on his struggle and how it affected the community, and it's an agonizing tragedy. On the audience level, the director sat immediately to my right and laughed long and loud at each funny line, which was irritating to say the least. Each actor was masterful in their role and I came away extremely satisfied by the work, if melancholy.
          The walk down Tremont from IV to the theater district is an interesting stroll. The change in levels of affluence from the run-down, sketch-tastic area near Northeastern to the fancy cafes and eateries near the Center for the Performing Arts is striking, to say the least. Iris and the rest of the A-Team joined me for Ip Man, which is the best martial arts movie I've ever seen. There wasn't even any wire fu! Credit goes to Logan for the recommendation.
          Quote of the day:
"This is so Asian, I don't even know if I can take it." - Iris

Glorious Raffus

          In the past two days, I've won six raffles on TF2R. To put this in perspective, it's common to lose thousands and thousands of raffles over the course of weeks, so six out of a few hundred is a killer winning streak. The spoils: two crates, two strange Eyelanders, a strange Axtinguisher, a Sydney Sleeper, a vintage Razorback, and a frying pan. In other news, the Jane Eyre cast recording is in my top played music this week. "The Graveyard," is a particularly beautiful song, and all my friends probably hate me for singing or humming it all the time.
          Quotes of the day:
"Oh no, I would kill Giuseppe!" - Iris
"Ha ha, then I can light them all on fire!" - Iris

Hereditary Skills

         I helped Heather out with her radio show again. I even spoke on the air this time, though the computer showed that we had 0 listeners. Next time I'm going to convince her to play some Alkaline Trio. In the evening, Heather, Alaric, Sean and some others joined me for Ghostbusters, which is a timeless movie. Also, it's not safe for kids, because there's not much ambiguity about "I want you inside me."
          In a glorious victory for the Tremont Scrub Regulators, Iris has joined the ranks of my TF2 comrades. In an unbelievable show of Asianosity, she's already better at it than I was as a beginner. First match ever: 9 kills, 2 deaths, 5 assists as Soldier. The learning curve from here is a bit steep, but with practice and a pinch of luck, Iris will become the newest respectably skilled TF2 player on 9F.

Ethics: Not Just For Engineers

          I was somewhat irked by the material covered in comparative politics today. Though I won't argue that the Arab Spring seems to be a change for the better in most areas that it's touched, the bias in its favor is out of control. My professor mentioned the marginalization of the Copts (Egyptian Christians) "despite the principles of the revolution." My immediate reaction was to question her knowledge of these so-called principles. Not all of those involved in these uprisings agree on what should be done, and no one can claim to know "the one reason why." American government was more pleasing. There, we had a spirited debate over the ethics of journalism; that is, where does one stop being a journalist and start being an American, or vice versa? We watched a fascinating round-table discussion of this issue involving a few well-known journalists, several military officers and then-Representative Newt Gingrich, among others. I always feel stimulated by that class, and it tends to put me in a good mood.
          Some fun tidbits of information: Anthony has been recruited as a TF2 comrade. He mains with Pyro, and I foresee many good matches with him. I ran into Jaimie five times today, which must be a record. Lastly, the dining hall was playing some sort of choral music when I went in for lunch, which pleased me greatly. The music in IV is never bad. Later in the day, I spent a few hours helping Iris study for med micro. Laura, Alaric, Sean, Heather and I concluded the evening with a screening of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. This was accompanied by an admittedly feeble cuddle session, but it's our first in a long time. Gone are the days of the first semester, where we would easily get 7 or 8 people piled on my bed. With luck, finals week will bring some quality chill time.
          Quotes of the day:
"Muster the fucks." - Sean
"Gastrointestinal tract. Mouth to anus! Whoooooo!" - Iris
"If you have enough determination, a success will turn as democracy as possible." - girl giving a presentation in comparative politics

Tremont Scrub Regulators

          After an early start to the day working on our zombie musical, the day was pretty listless. It picked up later in the evening, when I read all of Oglaf (the most NSFW webcomic worth reading) and Alaric and I watched Young Guns. For the uninitiated, Young Guns is a fabulously bad film. Bad accents, horrible dialogue, cowboys riding set to '80s guitar wankery, regrettable sound effects, flat characters -- it truly has it all. On the other hand, though, Young Guns is blessed with that particular type of badness that keeps you coming back... much like the older Batman films. There are certainly some gems hidden in the coal, most notably Emilio Estevez's battle cry of "REGULATOOOORS!" In addition, the egregious racism and Peyote spirit journey scene are not to be missed. Just don't go it alone.
          Quote of the day:
"Our fearless leader." - Katie, referring to Professor Feinstein
"You gon' get scootemized... in the butt." - Alaric and me
"Tremont Scrub Regulators: Regulating scrubs and nerds since 2011." - me

Adventures In the Visual Arts

          In American Gov today, we watched a pro-Richard Mourdock political ad, wherein Professor Urman assigned me to count flags and another student to count guns. There were four of each, as well as a photo of President Nixon and some wildlife. I'm not anti-hunting, but I love the premise of pro-hunting political commercials. Here we have a big, beautiful deer standing atop a ridge, looking to the distance; "protect the hunter's way of life," intones a voice. Why don't we see that deer getting blown away a second later, blood speckling the camera? BOOOM! The deer collapses to the ground and bleeds out. A hunter comes over and poses with it while his buddy takes a snapshot. I think this method would really boost the reality and impact of these ads. In other news, a girl walked in with five minutes left in the class. Professor Urman stared her down for the two minutes it took to get to her seat and things were pretty awkward for a few moments.
          My new shirt arrived in the mail, so I picked that up after class. This was an exciting development considering that I never shop for clothing. In the evening I attended Peace through Play's biannual Celebration, wherein we eat J.P. Licks ice cream and watch a slideshow of pictures from the semester. Afterward, Heather lovingly fashioned a small penis out of magenta Play-Doh and left it on my desk. I'll keep it around for now; perhaps it will be of some use to me.
          Quotes of the day:
"That's not America. We are not a sweater nation." - Professor Urman
"In basketball terms, Bush was basically getting dunked on by Clinton, and Clinton's crotch was in his face." - Professor Urman

Sean Forever

          The main highlight of the day: watching Batman Forever with Amy, Heather and Alaric. Though terrible if taken seriously, Jim Carrey's delightfully flamboyant Riddler and Tommy Lee Jones' horrifyingly overacted Two-Face are a gem. Combine these with a wooden Val Kilmer as Batman, hair-of-the-douche Robin and gratuitous shots of Bat-butt, and you've got a perfect film to watch with friends. I theorize that there's a special fund to ensure that Alfred is never played by a bad actor. We also enjoyed some of the ice cream I brought home from Peace through Play, hot fudge and all.

ARK of the Beast

          I rose around 8 a.m. today, frighteningly early for a Saturday. Even so, I managed to waste several hours attempting to retrieve music from my iPod, owing to the failure of my external hard drive. I ended up buying a piece of software called CopyTrans that accomplished the job quickly and thoroughly. During this endeavor, a large protest march passed by IV on Tremont Street, which seemed to be another Trayvon Martin-related demonstration. They headed west, beyond the police station, and I watched the march trail away. Later on, for the first time in a while, Sean, Alaric and I played TF2 together. We changed our names to the ARK Music Factory clan (self-invented) for trolling purposes. I chose [ARK] Baby Triggy, Alaric settled on [ARK] RB Rebecca Black, and Sean changed his name to [ARK] Patrice Wilson. Much enjoyment was had.

QUICKSCOPE

          Wiped and confronted with a looming pile of work, I chose not to attend musicals class this morning. In the afternoon, Alaric and I put in some TF2 bro time. During this gaming session, one of the greatest events in our TF2 careers occurred, hereafter known as the Quickscope Incident. I apologize for two game-oriented posts in a row, but this is of too great a magnitude not to report. We were defending the final point in the Badwater payload map when our entire team was essentially demolished. As five or six blue team members were about three feet from the payload target, I spawned as a Soldier. Alaric was already in the field and witnessed a Heavy, Soldier and Pyro leap in a tight trio over the rail to try and stop the cart. At this precise moment, someone screamed "QUICKSCOOOOPE" in the team chat. The defensive push failed utterly and we lost the match, but the Quickscope man will not be forgotten. See below picture for our immediate reaction.

          After some hours, we met Anthony, Sabrina, and Alanna at Stetson West for dinner. There, I felt awesome about myself after swiping in a stranger who'd run out of meals and was at a loss. I had stir fry for the first time and was mildly impressed, if not blown away. Post-meal, Anthony headed out for a convention at the Prudential and Sabrina went to a Tom Flash show. Alaric, Alanna and I flew a kite designed for flight in minimal wind next to IV. I haven't flown a kite in at least five or six years, but it wasn't difficult to grasp the technique. Once we'd had our fill of the capricious wind, I snagged a traffic party cone that had been abandoned by Ruggles and we ascended to the ninth floor. For a time we played TF2, with Alaric and Alanna trading off the seat on his computer. Around eleven we watched Thomas and the Magic Railroad again, this time playing the game on hard mode: "gold dust," "sparkle," and "Mr. Conductor." After this very full evening I retired to sleep, satisfied how my Friday had turned out.

Scoot Is Definitely OP

          Today was exceedingly nondescript, and I caught up on sleep lost during my battle with my comparative politics paper. What time I did spend awake, I played in a fantastic TF2 server called the Randomizer, where each player is assigned a random class and three random weapons upon respawn. In a game where every strategy is designed to counter a certain class, it's a chaotic experience. At one point I was assigned the Backburner and Jarate as a scoot, and at another time possessed a full sniper loadout (again as a scoot.) One more class and the week is out.

Bearing Gifts of Calories

          This morning, I found that my comparative politics class had been canceled under an hour before. This gave me ample time to sit around in the lobby of West G and finish my reading for American Government class, where Professor Urman performed a rather funny Joe Kennedy-making-awkward-small talk impression. "How ah ya? How's the weatha?"
          I got in an extra day of Peace through Play this afternoon, going in to help out with the year-end celebration and take some photos to round out my service-learning project. At the close of the festivities, I snagged some vanilla and strawberry Stone Ridge ice cream, as well as vanilla and chocolate frosting, hot fudge, and Newton's Own limeade and lemonade. Riding the T back to Ruggles, I was a walking feast of desserts.
          Quotes of the day:
"To be President, you have to be 35, natural born...allegedly..." - Professor Urman

The Righteous Path

          It was a quiet day after musicals class, where we finished One Night Stand with a bang. The resolution of the film was heartwarming, and the group that had their shit least together proved themselves, in my opinion, with the best short musical of the four produced. Later on in the night, Alaric, Heather, and Zoe hung out with me and discussed the health risks of pet hedgehogs (woodchip-caused penile infections, forest green poop.) I played Road To Perdition, but one by one each friend left and I fell asleep to the looping strains of piano music on the menu.
          Quote of the day:
"'He trod a path that few have trod'? He gets an A- on that." - Professor Feinstein, on Sondheim

Great Pranks of History

          Somehow my sleep pattern last night left me relatively energetic, despite only having two and a half hours of rest. Iris bought me a firm new pillow, rather unexpectedly. It barely fits in my pillowcase, and is supremely comfortable in comparison to the inch-thick rag that is my old pillow. Little else of note happened outside of class, but Professor Urman was at the top of his game today.
          Quotes of the day:
"Republicans reveal: The entire primary has been a prank!" - Professor Urman
"In '84, Reagan takes Mondale, and wipes the floor with Mondale! 'Yeah, you like that?!' 49 to 1. That's a whuppin'!" - Professor Urman
"Terrible people can't hide their terribleness! That's a general rule." - Professor Urman
"Watergate! Crimes committed by President bad! Peanut farmer good!" - Professor Urman

Minimalism In Action

          April 1st -- le Poisson d'Avril, in France. Alaric saran-wrapped several doors in our hallway, including his accomplice Ben's. Since I'd fallen asleep before he left, he did my shower head, toilet seat, and Joseph's bathroom door as well; the latter two were removed before I woke up, and the first was mine to discover. Additionally, he dish-soaped my bathroom door handle, but I narrowly avoided falling victim to this trick. In short, 1/10: minimally trolled.
          My family arrived for a visit around 11:30 this morning. We lunched with Iris in IV, and I reintroduced my parents to Alaric, Sean and Heather. We then met Amy at the MFA, somehow my first visit to the museum, where we spent most of our time in the musical instrument, jewelry and contemporary exhibits. I'm not a fan of exceedingly ornate art or decoration, and the sometimes stark or minimalistic nature of modern art holds great appeal for me. New York City's MoMA is my favorite museum in the world, easily beating the Met or the Louvre. In the evening we went to California Pizza Kitchen with Iris, Ryan holding her hand all the way, and caught up on upstate New York news. Predictably, I spent much of the night working on my comparative politics final paper, though I did catch a couple of hour-long naps.