Final Destination

          A night of Trapped In the Closet and drinking - this is really all that needs to be said.
          Quote of the day:
"Even if the world was going to end, we still have to take finals." - Anthony

гуд план!

          Professor Lovely brought in a fantastic guest speaker today: Srdja Popovic, founder of Otpor! ("Resistance!") and CANVAS, and a devoted advocate of democratic reform and nonviolent resistance. Mr. Popovic gave a fascinating talk on the dynamics of revolution, nonviolent vs. nonviolent strategies, and what it takes to oust a dictator. Also, he had a great Serbian accent, which made me want to intone, "Is good plan." after each sentence. ("You must attack your enemy where they are weakest." being a fine example.) Later, Iris and I watched the first season finale of The Sopranos, then continued on our Boardwalk spree.
          Quotes of the day:
"We should have a trick tangerine peeling league." - Alaric
"It burns my eyes, it doesn't burn in the right places." - Katie
"You had me at 'drenched in butter.'" - Sean

Burnout On Mass Ave.

          I drooled in class for the first time this year, an unpleasant milestone. Much later on, Sabrina and I made a trip to Tasty Burger, a burger joint across the Fens which stays open until 2 AM. Afterward, we watched numerous episodes of Trapped In the Closet. I played some Fallout 3 (which Kevin helped me tweak to work in Windows 7) and Iris and I watched another episode of Boardwalk Empire, which continues to impress.

The Price of Freedom

          Philosophy class was interesting today, as the topic of discussion returned to the prisoner's dilemma, this time with a condition: what if the prisoners can hear each other? Given this, it's interesting that a rational person will inevitably rat the other one out. If one hears the other say that he won't testify, then the listener will testify to get off without any charges; if he hears the other one say that he'll testify, the listener will also testify to lessen his own prison time. With all the heavily math-oriented Bayesian arguments we sift through, it's nice to have a rational discussion like this from time to time.
          Quote of the day:
"What good is freedom if you're not free with your bro?" - Professor Smead

Beard of Defiance

          I shared lunch with Heather today for the first time in a long while. Neither of us really knew what to say, but it felt good to reconnect after not having spoken. My night was less ambiguously enjoyable; I joined Harrison in a trip to Allston for a small show at an artists' collective. We hung out with two of Harrison's friends, Alex and Eric, and saw four performances. First was a guy who played electric guitar and sang, which was underwhelming, though Harrison said he usually has a full band backing him up. He was followed by a standard soft-voiced-indie-chick-with-acoustic-guitar, who was pretty awesome. The third act was a hilarious performance by Joe DeGeorge (of Harry and the Potters semi-fame) called "In Glove With Bach," wherein he impersonates Bach and plays a Bach piece six times over, each time wearing a glove of increasing thickness and weight. Using a cranky-sounding electric keyboard, he first played the piece without gloves (flawlessly), then switched up to latex gloves, thin suede gloves, ski gloves, thick mittens, and finally boxing gloves. The final act was the real reason we came: punk hero Paul Baribeau, whose beard is even more voluminous in person and whose performance of "Never Get To Know" nearly moved me to tears. The whole show was very informal and light-hearted, and everyone had a great time.
          Quotes of the day:
"Can we bridge the gap... or Kant we?" - Professor Lovely
"I feel like I could catch hepatitis at any moment..." - Alex
"Cunard Street. We called it Goonard, a.k.a. Thugz Mansion." - Eric
"It was Goon Squad. On the Radio, Off the Radio." - Alex
"It's great to be Bach in Boston. I live in Providence, Rhode Island. I would've been here sooner, but traffic was all Bach'd up!" - Johann Sebastian Bach

Kill Skags, Vol. 1

          We met Jaimie at the McDonalds and brought her back out to Northeastern with us. In the evening I watched Kill Bill, Vol. 2 with Eric and Mike, which I found enjoyable, though I enjoyed the first movie's faster pace and higher frequency of elaborate fights. I simply found Bill to be such an annoyingly, one-sidedly evil villain that it dented my enthusiasm somewhat. Ambiguous or confused villains are typically more to my liking. I also bought Borderlands, a great FPS that mainly revolves around blasting bandits and mutant desert critters with a variety of weaponry.

Squirrel On the Cross

          I woke up to see snow falling outside my window. It's wonderful how some things can make you feel like a child once in a while. I visited Shanti later on and had a nice, low-key evening helping her hang up art in her room and discussing life at home. Tomorrow, it's back to school to finish out the semester.

Trapped In the Adventure

          Matt and I went to Logan's once more to celebrate Sullivan's birthday, where we gifted him with an amazing Star Wars birthday card, complete with spastic lightsaber swinging and battle music. Logan and the children played Castle Crashers, Matt and Allie said silly things, and I watched Trapped In the Closet for the first time with Logan's parents. Afterward, Brian and I hung out with Josh, Summer and her cousin Jeremiah at Josh's place, watched Adventure Time (for which I have a new appreciation) and ate gummi worms. Lastly, Brian and I stopped by the garage to watch the premiere of Boardwalk Empire. The state of the place is disappointing; there's a bucket of blood in there from a deer, an engine on the carpet, and random junk everywhere, all from Brian's older brother. Hopefully we can get the place back in shape over winter break.
          Quote of the day:
"There's so many Gaysians at New Paltz!" - Allie

We Remember

          My Thanksgiving was all right. I spent the first six hours helping out at my former church, St. John the Evangelist, with a free dinner. The work was easy if boring, and I had an uncomfortable moment where a lady I've known for probably seven years didn't recognize me. One of my elementary-school lunch ladies was helping out also, and she brought along what I still think is the best cornbread I've ever had: prepackaged Sara Lee cornbread. Try it, it's the moistest and most delicious. (Apologies for the occasional product placement in this blog, the recommendations are sincere.) Some of the old ladies also made plans to go see Breaking Dawn together, which hurt me on the inside but also made me laugh. After the dinner, I had another at my aunt Judy's in Kingston with the maternal side of the family. Since Ryan's birthday is the 25th, he got his birthday present from Judy today: an iPod Nano. The boy is eight years old! He'll have to learn how to operate the computer before he can effectively work with the iPod.
          Quote of the day:
"Native Americans celebrating Thanksgiving? That's like Germans celebrating D-Day." - me
          Imitation is the highest form of flattery, so here's my Sabrina-esque list of things I'm thankful for.
Cold Boston rain. A roof to sleep under, and blankets to keep me warm. HBO television. Hot dogs with ketchup. UBurger. Spring, summer, autumn and winter. Team Fortress 2. Professor Lovely's brilliant mind. Instant film. Brian's garage. Musical theater. Paul Baribeau's beard. Iris and all the beautiful things she does for me. Belle and Sebastian. That golden tint on childhood memories. Boy Scout camp. Cuddling. Katie's tactical snark. Exchanged glances. Multiple choice questions. Back massages. People who break the ice in the elevator. Thunderstorms. Shay and her endearing dryness. Chocolate chip cookies. Petty revenge. Handwritten notes. School spirit. Pens that last forever and become your friend. Alanna's colorfulness. Freedom of religion. Having 5 functioning senses. Secret plans. Morning sex. The right to vote. All of Alaric's silly habits. The other side of the pillow. Night walks. Matt's explosive imagination. Tuna melt sandwiches. Nate Silver. Wikipedia. Riddles. Sean's unmatched ability to make me laugh. Soft shirts. Game of Thrones. Moments of reflection. Dermatologists. Getting the chance to overwhelm someone in a debate. History books. Harrison's openness and kindness. Humble Bundles. Short speeches. TF2 Raffle House and the friendly strangers there. The ability to read. Crushes. Relentless honesty. NU beating BU by a point in the last ten seconds. Pizza delivery. Excessive use of fuckwords. Fallows' stoicism through all my erratic behavior. Hope. Making new friends. Tête-à-têtes. Holidays. Gaining someone's trust. Progressive lawmaking. Caramel. How easy it is to make Katharine laugh. Forests, waterfalls and other peaceful places. HeroClix. Breakfast in bed. Internet forums. Detail-oriented people. That I can always twist Sabrina's words, and she never seems to mind. Babbies. Plastic army men. Old stories and inside jokes. That blue color right before the sunrise. The MBTA. Eric's always-pleasurable company. Engineers. Walt Whitman. Graphic novels. How Shanti always shows me new things to love about life. Travel. The Batman franchise. Dancing when no one's watching. Voyeurism. Symphony Hall. The way that time turns bad moments into funny moments. Stupid shit friends do together. Logan and his stories. State parks. Close games of chess. Insomnia. Making art spontaneously. All the sacrifices my family has made for me. Showers in the dark. Warm, dry socks. That I had the chance to go to France once and Canada twice. Forgiveness. Lancelot, my computer (<3 u bebe). Piano music. Rooms with high ceilings. Laughing at people who will never know. Air conditioning. Gangsta rap in all its forms. Argyle sweaters. Motion pictures. The way that smiles brighten some people's faces like a light in the dark. Ctrl commands. Booty shorts. Snow falling under streetlights. Bargain bin DVDs. The smell of my father's cologne. Nostalgia. Cushion forts. Antibiotics. Rocking chairs. All the words in the world.

Some Sims Just Want To Watch the World Burn

          I spent the night at with Matt and Logan at Matt's place. We spent lots of time fashioning Sims likenesses of each other, fought over virtual bedroom decorations and improperly placed ovens, then fell asleep rather quickly in the living room. Disastrously, Matt's pantry was devoid of snacks for the first time in recorded history, but we still had a great night (as expected.)

Sleeping Beauty

          In RRE, we discussed a strange question called the Sleeping Beauty Problem, to which there are two equally valid but opposing solutions. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeping_Beauty_problem for some interesting reading. After class I went off in the Fens with Eric and Mike, his friend from Connecticut. We ended up at El Pelon Taquiera, a delicious and inexpensive Mexican place, where I obtained an amazing chicken quesadilla for $5. I then met with Jaimie and her parents, who kindly took me back to New York for break.
          Quotes of the day:
"Circle circle dot dot, I thought I got my cootie shot..." - Jaimie
...
(simultaneously)
Eric: "Aw yeah."
Me: "Aw yeah."

Sleepwalk Empire

          I spent some time conversing with Alaric, Sean, Katie and Iris in the common room this evening. Iris and I then stayed up all night and plowed through the rest of Boardwalk Empire's first season. The finale did not disappoint, and the second season should be a real treat.
          Quotes of the day:
"Snipe him, you fucktard!" - Alaric
"I look up and -- plush seal." - Sean

Company

          I went to NU Stage's last production of Company today, since Sabrina plays in the pit orchestra. The musical was well-executed and hilarious in a soul-crushing kind of way; the music and lyrics are fantastic - particularly "Side By Side By Side" - and the dialogue is likewise. It was fun (and a little bit embarrassing) seeing the performers that we tortured in Musicals class in roles with actual artistic merit, including the protagonist, who was our protagonist as well. The audience was a little bit quiet, but what can you expect from a matinee?
          Iris and I took advantage of a Google Offer (basically the same thing as Groupon) and had dinner at a place called Olives in Charlestown. Like Figs, where we ate last year, it's one of Todd English's line of restaurants. We had a hell of a time finding it, since 1) Google Maps was completely wrong and 2) there was no sign anywhere, including on the window, since they were recently renovated. I also find it a little bit sad that I used two separate Google services in the same paragraph. The restaurant was uncomfortably fancy for a peasant such as me, and our waiter was rather patronizing when I ordered first. The food made it all worth it, though. The calamari, topped with aioli sauce, was the best calamari I've eaten in my life. For an entree, I chose scallops in pumpkin risotto, which was outrageously good; Iris' fish was great as well, despite my noncommittal feelings about the taste of fish. Our dessert was a huge chocolate lava cake with a small amount of vanilla gelato and a dollop or two of raspberry compote; it was quite good, though a bit rich for my taste. With the coupon we paid $49 (plus tax and tip) for a meal that would have easily been over $100. This was certainly one of the best meals I've ever had.

To Jonestown

          Sabs and I shared lunch today, which was enjoyable as always. Later, Eliot, Harrison and I watched part of a documentary on Jonestown, which CNN seems to air every week. The majority of the night was spent celebrating those boys' birthdays. I played pong with Lena, met Peter North, made friends, and watched Iris become more marinated than she's ever been (fun at first, not so much later.) Early in the morning, I went out for a stroll around the Fens to clear my head. It's interesting how people in the Fens at night always openly size each other up, even if you're running or carrying bags.
          Quote of the day:
"A year before shit got weird...things were pretty normal!" - Eliot, making fun of CNN
"This Peter North, or that Peter North?" - me
"That was textbook!" - Harrison
"Put your tongue to good use." - Katie

Co-Op Empire

          I declared a concentration in Political Science today: Public Policy & Administration. Though I was unscheduled, only two trumpets showed up to the women's hockey game against BC and I was called in to help. The game was not especially nice, and we were getting creamed 0-3 initially; however, things turned around somewhat for a respectable 4-6 loss. Afterward, Iris and I crashed and watched a few episodes of Boardwalk Empire, which is a fantastic show. I'm very happy that Steve Buscemi has a leading role in something, since he's my favorite actor and is always relegated to secondary parts, if not roles where he ends up dying. The show is flavorful (the music in particular) and all of the characters are given screen time. I can't wait to watch more.

Grades As Opiate

          Another impossibly hard map quiz in IR today; naturally, I jest. I suppose I shouldn't complain about a quiz wherein 20% of my grade depends on knowing what India is. In MPT, we discussed yesterday's disputation (the last for my team) (which we won) (aw yeah) and received our midterms back. I didn't expect anything special for a grade considering the minimal amount of time I put into the assignment, and was happily surprised with a 95. Procrastination is a vice, but it has its pleasures.

Anarchy Gives You Wings

          Sleepless, running on fumes, I still managed to power through the day. I got wrecked by the Quantitative Techniques midterm due to being terrible at statistics, but later pulled off a 4-3 disputation win in Modern Political Thought. Harrison and I ate at Stetson West and I read V For Vendetta, which I found to be gripping and quite poignant. The differences from the film are interesting; for example, Evey's introduction, the characteristics of the Leader, and even the ending. Both are great works of fiction, but the variation in tone and delivery makes them distinctly separate in my mind.

Presidential Privilege

          Today, I slept late to recover from yesterday's exhaustion. I met my team in Curry to prepare for our final MPT disputation, a debate on voting rights, and then watched the Daily Show with Harrison, an interview with Newt Gingrich. We agreed to see Lincoln after break, an event which I am quite pumped for.

Capital Ideas

          Alaric and I took a day trip today, but our adventures did not take us far from home. Many thanks are due to Sabrina, our alabaster muse, who accompanied us and put our thoughts to paper as best she could. Alaric and I began our day with the traditional darkened shower with music; when I stepped out, I felt like a new man. Reflection on showering: at the same time that it's a somewhat modern activity, showers are one of the most primal parts of the day. There's nothing but you, water, and gravity, and no lines of communication with the rest of the world; there's a reason that people get important thinking done there. We agreed on a "space travel in a German future captain's log" theme for my journal, but were soon too distracted to write in character and abandoned the idea. Our first activity was traveling to Snell with Meredith and Sabrina to obtain packages (my new battery!), which was stressful. I dislike going to counters since the people behind them are being paid to pay attention to you.
          We then went to Curry for UBurger with Meredith, Sean and Sabrina. In a nerve-wracking moment, Professor Lovely appeared and said hello; I did my best to greet him warmly, without doing anything stupid. My burger was not very good at first, but progressively improved until I just about died due to the tastiness of the tomato within. After we ate, Meredith and Sean headed off to Snell for a study session while the remaining three went upstairs and settled on one of Curry's C-shaped couches. There, we discussed many different topics. On the agenda: family trees perceived horizontally or vertically, human beings as a tree vs. human beings as a virus, Lewis and Clark, childhood fatness, the implications of dating an ice cube, a persona that came to be known as "Badass Al," how close atoms actually get, unintended horror on Magic School Bus, Yiruma, artistic vs. artsy, self-fulfilling prophecies, how the truth has a partisan bias, and what an embouchure is.
          After a time, we decided that a change of location was the ticket and moved upstairs, to a couch on the third floor, farther removed from most of the people in Curry. There, our conversation delved deeper: apathy as the opposite of almost any emotion, my quest to buy Iris a burger, the Wilhelm scream and its destructive effect on viewer immersion, how memory works, winking as an action or an event, semantics vs. philosophy, math and its purpose, Asianosity, the word "implacable," the Rugrats theme, LeVar Burton, fiscal and social conservatism, Batman, and the biiiig picture. Alaric and I also collaborated to see who could spot the most circles, completing a really annoying discussion on the phrase "full circle."
          Inevitably, we tired of Curry and made our way home with the intention of stopping for snacks and then traveling out again. Of course, we simply crashed in our room and enjoyed the food. We were joined by Iris, Harrison, Laura and Sean at varying times, during which we discussed how Alaric was eating two fish-shaped foods that were not fish, hedonism, folk songs, how Sabrina's expertise is in the business of music (not the pleasure), how that relates to prostitution, the economics of mountains, the beauty of normal people, Adolf Hitler as a theoretical dinner guest, blue moons, pecking order in the lunar cycle, the Swaggasaurus, koalastothemax.com(?), what life would be like if one person had to fulfill all of humanity's remaining obligations (answering all of the fan mail, for instance), Shirley as a name, and colors of light. Iris ate beef for the first time since her childhood. Alaric and I took one final walk to the Fens, where we discovered something very strange: twenty-one lumpy objects wrapped in cloth and twine and placed on the stream bank. We were lost as to what they might be, and eventually I opened one to find a rock, normal in every respect. I dropped it at one point in our rambling and split it in two, so each of us has a souvenir. Why those rocks were placed there still mystifies me, but I have no way of knowing. Anyway, it was a great day.
          Quotes of the day:
"Yeah, well, stupid is as stupid does and it takes one to know one so go away!" - Alaric, to Sabrina
"Ladies know what it's like when it comes to socks." - Alaric
"Whoever lost those socks is a poor, poor woman indeed." - Alaric
"Put a check down for me about the tomato." - Alaric
"Andy capitalized on that and I still took the heat for it!" - Alaric
"I'm leavin' you, Ice Cube!" - me, as "Badass Al"
"The best defense is a great offense! Bitch, get out of my way!" - Alaric
"I'm the motherfucking John Locke of this century." - Alaric
"Adolf Hitler is not that interesting! He's Adolf Hitler!" - me
"In other news, I'm a skunk fucker... No context necessary." - me
"He just healed a cripple!" - Sean
"If my hands were wings..." - Alaric
"How embarrassing!" - Alaric
...
Me: "What were we talking about again?"
Sabrina: "Things tied to your dick!"
...
Laura: "Well, that could be two separate fuckings!"
Me: "And so it was...."

Mediocrity: Redux

          We beat UAH in a rather sad men's hockey game, 3-1. They scored first, and then had their asses handed to them. Afterward, we celebrated by drinking and attempting the No Cry Challenge, an hour-long YouTube playlist containing a great deal of sadness. I went strong for two videos, and then one about a dog hit too close to home and I called it quits. Katie and Iris are heartless and failed to cry. We put on a decent Johnny Depp flick about cocaine called Blow, for which Dionna joined us as well. Later, Alaric, Sabrina, Meredith and I chatted about the dynamics of living in West F.
          Quotes of the day:
"I could never do you. Your life." - Alanna
"On Wednesdays, we wear pink..." - JL
"Katie Miami... that could be my stripper name." - Katie
"Mom, this is Boston, not Baghdad!" - Delivery Man (courtesy of Alaric)

Mediocrity

          I slept in and did nothing on this fine Saturday. My evening was boring, though we did watch Hellboy II: The Golden Army, a serviceable sequel to the first one, if a bit less creepy. I visited 616, but was shuffled out by a variety of dudes from downstairs. All in all, not a great night.

Diagnosis: You Suck

          Tonight held one of the most satisfying games I've played at, a men's basketball match versus Boston University. The points were close, but BU held a marginal lead the entire game. This made it supremely satisfying when a clutch three-point shot in the last ten seconds put Northeastern a point ahead for the win, 65-64. It was a pretty big deal, so big that Shay and I shared a joyous hug. BU fans are distinctly annoying (no one else goes after the band) and it was pleasing to shut them up for a few minutes. Shortly after, I posted a facebook status regarding this victory, which an acquaintance from BU liked to my confusion. Naturally, such a visceral success called for getting crunk, so we headed home. I had a great time drinking and talking with Katie, Alaric and Iris, and went on a pseudo-Behrakis walk with Katie. Unfortunately, they've put away all the lawn chairs for the winter, so we rested on a cold slab of stone for a short while before continuing on to Copley Square. The walk was thoughtful, if plagued by sketchy characters that activated my Spidey senses and Katie's cop instincts.
          Quotes of the day:
"I just wanna get some fucking A's up on this bitch." - Andrew
"What it is, girl? I'm checkin' mah stocks." - Katie

The Drunk Driver Rises

          This morning, I ran the Fens lap in 22 minutes, beating my previous time by two minutes as well as a strong headwind and slush underfoot. This reminds me of the cross-country days when I was pretty mediocre, but no one else performed better under terrible weather conditions. (Much like Olaf from Advance Wars.) After my run and a nap on the couch, I steamrolled through my take-home MPT midterm: three essays in about four hours. After class, Alanna and I went to the Symphony to see work by Sierra, Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky. The conductor was superb and the performance rather good in general. I then watched The Dark Knight Rises with Eric, Alaric, Iris and Sean, which I found to be a great movie, though not on quite the same level as the first two films. Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine's roles both felt very tangential, but Anne Hathaway played a great Catwoman (though I universally despise the character) and Marion Cotillard is a babe of babes, so things weren't all bad. At the end of the night, Harrison and I agreed to take a walk to clear our heads. While crossing Parker Street, we witnessed someone cut the wheel, spin out and crash into the front of Burstein Hall, driving on a straightaway with no other vehicles. The driver jumped out of the car and shouted to someone inside, "Wake the fuck up! Wake the fuck up!" My thoughts at this point: Someone is either passed out drunk, or dead. It turned out to be the first option, and Wentworth police, NUPD, and BPD all arrived within minutes. Harrison and I spent some minutes asking each other if we'd dreamed the crash, then marveled about the likelihood that we were out walking so late and there to see this happen.
          Quote of the day:
"The crisis is averted. You no longer have to fear for your cups." - Sean

A Tree Falls

          We had an unexpected pop quiz in IR recitation today, but I popped off and aced it. The midterm was also today, which was kind of a sleazy move on their part, but that went okay as well. Professor Lovely started off his talk with Rush's "Limelight," so I sang along under my breath as usual. After class I went to sleep early in order to get up early and work through my midterm for MPT, due tomorrow in class.
          Quote of the day:
"If a tree falls in the forest and no one's there to hear it? Of course it makes a sound, Lovely! What are you, stoned? Well, possibly, but..." - Professor Lovely

Romneyduction

          I played TF2 with Eric today for the first time in a while. Later, Alaric, Iris, the Delivery Man and I got deli sandwiches at Wolly World (they're quite good) and got drunk for the election. We made fun of the news stations, predicted states, quoted Nate Silver, and generally had a great time. We cheered and danced around when the announcement came down. The thought of four more years of President Obama gives me hope for our country.
          Quote of the day:
"You can ask me what sentences are true, and I'll tell you if they're true. Roryduction." - Professor Smead

D For Deceit

          We had a genuinely interesting speaker in International Relations today: Mr. Leonard Tagg, a retired CIA agent of many years. He discussed various subjects, including the structure and workings of the CIA, the Iraq War, and the time he was followed by Serbian (if I recall correctly) intelligence. I always appreciate a talented public speaker. Since it's November 5th, Harrison, Sabreezy (Lil' Squirt), Iris, Alaric, Sean and I watched V For Vendetta. V is a great film and lays on the symbolism if one is paying attention, but it's a bit disappointing when everyone watching has seen it and knows the twists. The upside is that you can quote to your heart's content and analyze the film with everyone as you watch.
          Quotes of the day:
"The Bush administration lied to us. Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with 9/11." - Mr. Tagg telling it like it is
"The dollars speak: love stories make more money." - Sean

International Relations

          I met the Delivery Man in the dining hall today, so we sat down and talked about politics and international affairs for nearly an hour. I then waited for Iris in the lobby of West F while Sabrina kept me company; we discussed the South American Sedoucher and Sabrina's work in the local production of Company (the musical.) The rest of the evening was spent playing League and TF2, just trying to enjoy what's left of my weekend after the nightmare of Husky Hunt.
          Quotes of the day:
Iris: "Andy, you're so gross. I'm getting off."
Me: "Sounds like my first time."
...
Eric: "Sometimes you can knock them up and run away."
Me: "Sounds like my first time."

Loose Ends

          The remainder of Husky Hunt passed painfully and slowly, though I did take a glorious nap in Snell in the evening. Meredith, Eric, Aimee and I went to City Hall, Quincy Market and even across the river in search of our precious photos. In a bizarre coincidence, I ran into a girl who went to my high school at Quincy Market. We walked past each other, both did a double take, and I said hello and kept moving. Eventually, we about gave up on accomplishing any more and took the Silver Line home, which was a new experience and rather strange. Barring a theme that speaks to me personally (pretty much The Sopranos or TF2,) I don't plan on doing the Hunt again. The time commitment and stress level are just too drastic for my taste. I put on Lucky Number Slevin with Iris and Harrison to unwind, but fell asleep due to getting about 8 cumulative hours over the past two days.

Discomfort Cubed

          The fire alarm went off at 5 AM this morning. For my friends not at Northeastern, the alarm is an unbelievably loud, blaring beeping and flashing of lights accompanied by a female voice giving instructions. Luckily, our floor was not one of the ones they cleared out and I returned to sleep, but everyone was pretty pissed off. Naturally, Husky Hunt is/was the main event for the day. I don't want to speak too much on the minor details, but for those who aren't familiar with it, Husky Hunt is a 24-hour scavenger hunt that spans basically all of Boston and goes from 7 PM on Friday to 7 PM on Saturday. Teams take photos at locations or doing certain things to get points. Tonight, I ventured out with Aimee, Alaric and Lauren on a long loop. At one point I left my camera at Red Mango and didn't realize it was gone until after we'd traveled through the Prudential, forcing me to retrace my steps in a panic. We took about a million pictures throughout Chinatown, down by the river, and Newbury Street. Not unexpectedly, I found myself irritable, tired, and rather in pain thanks to my ankle, which has sucked ever since cross country and track. I ended up taking a few hours to sleep and recharge, which I don't regret in the least.
          Quotes of the day:
"You should give your printer a failing grade." - Professor Rochefort
"Us Asians gotta stick together." - Sean
"Two 'Allen' stores right next to each other? Fight!" - Alaric

Professor Crunk

          Professor Lovely handed out Halloween chocolate today, since his 3-year-old has a severe peanut allergy. We discussed yesterday's disputation and contrasted direct democracy and government by representation. In the evening I played more League with Alaric and Sean, as well as Eric some time later. I'm not great at it, but I'm definitely improving somewhat.
          Quotes of the day:
"If you ask the average Tartari what the general will is, you know what he'll say? Free beer! Free beer and football! Lots and lots of beer. And maybe... some sandwiches!" - Professor Lovely
"Can you just cut it out for me? I want to hold it while it's still pulsating." - Iris
"I'll father a child to this song if I need to, but I'll try to avoid it." - me
"I like piano. I kind of wish I could play it, but then I would be so Asian..." - Iris
"On a scale of zero to slizzy, I'm crunk. So like 75%." - Harrison