#pray4andy

          Three minor things occurred today. I struck up email correspondence with my co-op advisor in an attempt to have one this upcoming semester (real life); I dominated a Scout as a Loch 'n Load Demo (TF2, please disregard); and my father came down on me for "not following through" on the co-op process (unnecessary things in my life). I foresee a great deal of these fights before this summer ends, and I'm going fucking insane dealing with it already.

Cranbabby

          I had another nightmare, with the recurring theme of tooth destruction. I somehow smashed my face into a set of stairs at one point and knocked three teeth loose, which is always sickening. I then dreamed that I was in a supermarket and found a lost baby. I picked him up, wandered around until I found the young couple I assumed to be his parents (they were white as a sheet), and went to give him to the father. As the child passed into the man's arms, I looked at him again and instead of a baby, I was handing him a large bottle of cranberry juice. I was then surrounded by old coworkers from Boy Scout camp, and we discussed how everything has been nerfed to hell -- particularly the model rockets we were permitted to build.
           I did nearly nothing of substance today, though I did accomplish some cleaning. I've realized that my occasional psycho cleaning tendencies are most likely a product of living with hoarders. One of my summer resolutions is to tidy up this damn house, and throw away/yard sale as much junk as possible.

Begins the Summer

          With Iris' help, I moved out today. The van was packed tight, meaning that I'll need to ditch a few things for next semester. I slept on the way home (stayed up all night packing and cleaning), and spent some time on the swing at home. I also played some TF2 on the home computer, and though I expected to have the routine "VIDOJIMS BAD" fight with my father at some point, I wasn't expecting it my first night home.

Boston Prayers

          Alanna and I decided to spend her last day here at Castle Island, so we set off around noon. This time, we walked to Copley and took the bus, resolving to stop by the bombing memorial on the way back. The weather was better this time around, though it was a tad cold down by the water. We took pictures of airplanes flying in to Logan (#deep) and stuck out like sore thumbs. It was a fine alternative to sitting around 610 and cleaning. I was impressed with the memorial, especially the piles of shoes. I do have to ask: Why "#PrayForBoston"? Wouldn't "Pray For Boston" be that much more sincere and touching, without transforming it into an aspect of Twitter? When we got back to campus, we said our goodbyes for the summer. Nearly everyone is gone now.
          It's difficult to express just how much extra stuff I've been left with. Ryan took off around 4:30 today, which means I'm alone in 610, but the fridge and freezer are full. I brought no cookware, but have been left with probably 30 random kitchen implements, 3 plates, 3 cutting boards, 2 pans and a pot, as well as ~30 pieces of silverware. I brought 4 pieces of Tupperware and now have around 20 to 25; Eric's old microwave is now in my possession. Eric was probably the main culprit in this. He explicitly stated that he was leaving things; it seemed like a blessing at the time, but now I have to haul all of it home. Even so, the others share the blame. Sean was limited in what he could pack due to receiving a multitude of packages over the year and having to fly home; Ryan left a few things that he deemed unnecessary; Harrison left while no one else had begun to pack and probably abandoned some stuff; and Alaric tore out of the place without a second glance back.
          Disregarding all the extra loot, what actually pisses me off is the cleaning situation. No one lifted a finger to tidy up before they took off, meaning that it was left to me to vacuum the entire suite, clean the fridges for the second time, clean the stove that I used twice for the third time, sweep up the kitchen, throw out everyone's rotting food, take out all the recycling, and clean both bathrooms -- including the one that was in Alaric and Harrison's jurisdiction. Clearly, the ideal of everyone in the suite taking responsibility has not functioned in practice, and there will certainly be rules put in place next year to mitigate that. The upside of having all this to myself: getting to rock out on my speakers like never before, not having to worry about bothering suitemates.
          I enjoyed a final dinner for the academic year at Stetty East with Sabrina and the Delivery Man, who we bumped into there. Along with Iris, we hung out afterward, pleaded with Jaimie to come over (but were disappointed), and watched American Psycho while I packed. David appreciated it as I expected he would, particularly the business card scene. I'm grateful that I had some company this night, because packing up the entire place by myself would have been a lonely affair. Thus ends sophomore year.
          Quotes of the day:
"It smells like summer!" - Alanna
"...Hot Coed Pillow Fight 2013..." - The Delivery Man
"Oh yeah, Tetris'd it." - The Delivery Man, helping me pack

Thematic Drinking Week

          Another day full of moving. Along with a few boxes of my own, I helped Sean pack up his stuff, though I ended up staying behind when he brought things to the storage unit (no room in the truck.) I also helped Alaric pack up all of his worldly possessions at the last minute, which was an exercise in nuttiness that exceeds even my own. In the evening, Alanna, Iris and I hung around, drank, watched music videos and danced around to Of Montreal. Even later, Iris indicated that she was still up for a movie, so we watched L.A. Confidential, which I absorbed much better this time around. I must conclude that Kevin Spacey is becoming one of my favorite actors. Danny DeVito is as annoying as ever, though...
          Quote of the day:
"I'm Italian, it's fine. I bless this." - Alanna

1st Annual Creep-Off

          I dreamed that I asked my snarky friend Dan if he was in the Eagle Scouts, to which he replied, "No, I'm in the real world. With a job. And taxes." My day was directionless, though I lunched with Alanna. Iris and I watched Requiem for a Dream, which was as innovative as it was depressing; I recommend that you watch it at least once. Later, Sean, Alaric, Alanna, Haley and Katie came over to drink. During this time, the future 1023 B01z performed a sexy dance in the window for Katie's indefatigable -- and creepy as hell -- suitor in Willis Hall, the notorious Computer Boy.
          Quotes of the day:
"We could have a creep-off." - Sean
"Suit up just in case. And when I say suit up, I mean get awesome." - me
"I would gladly strip for you anytime, anywhere." - Sean
"Fuck words! Drink, bitches!" - Sean
"Mercilessly murdering the maiden! On Monday!" - Sean
"He can run his pasty hands down my body. It's all I've ever wanted." - Katie
...
Me: "We're using two bowls because we need to maximize the science."
Alaric: "This is the multi-bowl method used by scientists."

London Fog

          I dreamed that Brian, Peter G, and his fictitious brother shared an awesome night hanging out in the garage, smoking and trying to decide what to order at McDonalds and what movie we should put on. I woke up and practically smacked myself in the face, the return to real life was so jarring. Before me lay my Italian final exam and the last five pages of my Political Ecology paper. It was a bit of a crunch, but I finished the essay handily. Delivering it in Holmes, I ran into Professor Faber, who said that everyone was turning it in today. So much for that deadline a week ago. I then spent a total of 45 minutes studying for my Italian final; in the immortal words of some internet jackass, "Bite the pillow, I'm going in dry." Of course, the final went perfectly well, and Professor Binetti gave it a once-over before concluding, "A-." With that, my fourth semester is completely finished. I feel glorious.
          Iris, the sale maniac, was roped in by a promotional $10 gift card at Victoria's Secret and I was obligated to come along. Of course, nothing in that store is under $10 outside of an iPhone case or a single tube of lotion, so it's more like, "For what purchase would you like to mitigate some of the expense?" She ended up settling on an array of lotions and body butters after we tested all of the scents on my arms. I now smell like a perfume shop. The Delivery Man, Hailey (his girlfriend, not to be confused with Haley, Alaric's girlfriend), Sabrina, Iris, Laura, and my new friend Colleen came over for some Cards Against Humanity and then a viewing of Ip Man. Alaric and I decided that as an apartment rule, beers must be referred to as "brewskis" next year. I passed out on 616's couch at the end of the night (apologies to Sabs and Laura).
          Quotes of the day:
"I was born into this world with nothing and I'm gonna leave it with nothing. See...I'm doing you a favor...by living. 'Cause without me, there'd be no life, love, or happiness." - man with afro on the Orange Line (courtesy of Anthony)
"If there was a box on a stick with blankets under it, and it fell down and inside it was blankets, I wouldn't try to get out. I would just lay there." - The Delivery Man

You Can't Argue With Science

          Another day of putting off that Political Ecology paper. Sabrina and I downed some liquid courage before attending this year's musicals class performance, which seemed to improve the overall experience, though we were disappointed by Katherine's obstinate refusal to join us for old times' sake. The musicals were quite amusing and more adeptly scored this time around, happily enough. Sabs and I hung around for a minute to chat with Professor Feinstein, who remained on the stage above us as we spoke. It's understandable; god forbid that he share ground with the grubby undergrad peasants. Afterward, Alaric and I did some science in TF2, which entails combining two cosmetic items of moderate value to create a fresh one of random value, ranging anywhere from "utter shit" to "hey, that's worth like five bucks!" Our success rate was about 65%, with Alaric getting the short end of the stick.

West Indies Land Grab

          Iris and I have staked out Harrison's former room as our territory, and it's already a mess in there. With my CaS final project out of the way, I should be using this extra time to finish my hydrofracking paper, but my heart just isn't in it. The day was nondescript and rife with laziness. Sabrina and I shared dinner at Stetty West -- always a pleasure -- and Alaric, Haley and Iris settled in to watch Saw II with me.

Sweet Tea Mob

          It's like I've been dreaming in 4D lately. In this one, I went to prison with Harrison and Sabrina. It wasn't just a visit, since we were in for a while, but we also had special treatment, with hotel room-like quarters. I also bumped into Matt in a restroom, but we pretended not to know each other for some strategic reason. I was running a game of Risk in my room, but I left to take a phone call. When I returned, only Sabrina was left, and she cheerfully informed me that I'd been kicked out of the game. I got upset, gave her a hug and said, "It's okay. ...Just don't expect to come in here ever again." With that, I forcefully threw her out of the room, and immediately felt bad about it. If only a little bit.
          For once, however, my day was more interesting than my dreams. I woke up early to help Alaric and Sean manufacture a large amount of sandwiches for our trip. Iris, Haley, and Katie joined us, and as we set off for North Station with all manner of beach gear, it felt like a family vacation. (Aside: Does it strike anyone as mildly strange or unsafe that North Station is essentially inside of TD Garden?) Waiting for the sleepier members of our party to get their coffee fix, I noticed a Newman's Own ad which read, "Is that tasty or did I just get body checked?" The implication being that Newman's Own products are so tasty, the sensation when you drink them is indistinguishable from a hairy, armor-clad Canadian guy violently smashing you to the ground. We also discussed the mildly Orwellian Google ads all over the place. "Kaplan has gone Google." "Eastern Mountain Sports has gone Google." Can we just cut to the punchline? "Civil liberties have gone Google." I, for one, welcome our primary-color-wearing overlords.
          We rode the commuter rail for an hour or so, disembarking in the charming town of Manchester-By-the-Sea. Singing Beach was only a ten minute walk away. The beach itself was long, beautiful, and almost empty, with less than thirty people occupying the whole of it. The day was somewhat cold and windy, but not too cold to enjoy the sand or sunbathe on the rocks. We kicked a ball around, played badminton, ate food, and generally savored life. Sean, Alaric and I climbed the rocky outcropping that serves as the left endpoint of the beach, which sucked with no shoes, but at least I felt hardcore afterward. At one point I found a camera tripod behind some rocks, which was later reclaimed -- quite rudely -- by whoever had left it there. Poor Iris was subjected to this while I was off doing something, and I wish I had been there to give them some trouble. It's not like I was the one who abandoned my possessions. When it was time to go, we stopped by Captain Dusty's ice cream, a quaint little ice cream shack. I was quite pleased with my usual cookie dough, Katie went in on the surprisingly tasty ginger (delivered on a grossly overstacked cone which challenged her and Sean both), and frozen treat connoisseur Iris was completely repulsed by the Rocky Road (apparently the ingredients were all wrong). We waited around at the train stop for maybe half an hour, fooling around and taking Stand By Me pictures; for giggles, I crafted a Pain Train by hammering a long tail into an abandoned wooden handle. All in all, our beach trip was pretty amazing. I'm glad we spent some time together before everyone vanishes for the summer.
          Sean had to leave North Station immediately, but the rest of us stopped to indulge in some McDonalds food. I satisfied my hankering for a Shamrock Shake and Big Mac, we sat on a staircase and were content. It's been forever since I ate fast food, excluding Tasty Burger, which barely counts anyway. I also decided that I just wasn't in the mood for Game of Thrones and chose to skip it, meaning that I'm forbidden to watch the rest of this season until I can watch that episode. This is another reason I prefer to watch shows at my leisure rather than on a weekly basis.
          Quotes of the day:
"I can words, I swear." - Katie
"Are you my mommyyyy?" - Sean
"Google France." - Alaric
"My body just produced a sudden jolt of umadium..." - Alaric
"Advertising has gone Google." - Alaric
...
Me: "Tremendous quantitites of umadium."
Alaric: "Umadite."
Me: "U mad, ight?"
...
Alaric: "The ocean is that way."
Me: "Technically, the ocean is in all directions."
Alaric: "Technically, fuck your face!"

And Then There Were Four

          Against all hopes, it was a sober day for me, with no signs of an upward trend any time soon. Curse this co-op process. We also lost a man today. I helped Harrison move out this morning, and with his blessing, room 610A is now the West F Love Hotel. Alanna, Iris and I shared lunch in IV, occupying one of those awkward tables by the windows that aren't conducive to food. Back in the dorm, we played a three-person game of Cards Against Humanity and I took a nap after Alanna put on her trademark "underwater music".

The Chronicles of Tamerlan

          Harrison and I watched the news this morning, musing on the bombing and its implications. With classes canceled, I was granted some more time to finish my Cities and Suburbs paper, which I turned in precisely at noon. This was followed by a long, well-deserved nap, and then a viewing of the chronically watchable The Chronicles of Riddick with Iris and Sean. Maybe it's irritability caused by poor sleep habits, or maybe I'm just missing the point, but the whole #BostonStrong thing gets on my nerves. It's Twitter in real life, and something about it just chafes with the reality of the situation. People posting things on Facebook saying, "You messed with the wrong city"? It's as if to say that any city wouldn't come together after being targeted by terrorists. What are those random people on the internet going to do? Dress up as the Bruins mascot, go out and hunt them down? No. The best thing we can do is mourn for the dead, apprehend those responsible, and get back to living.
          Quotes of the day:
"Justice is always open for business." - me
"Four shots of pizza, she's not even that drunk." - Sean

Over the Hills and Far Away

          I had quite a dream. If you hate this kind of thing, please skip this admittedly huge paragraph. The first sequence began at a deep, dark auditorium somewhere inside my old high school where some type of concert was taking place. I don't remember what sort of music it was -- some kind of classical fusion -- but the person at the front of the stage was draped in black and making huge, batlike gestures, and the music was earsplittingly loud. I excused myself, put on my purple sweater and walked to my co-op advisor's office(!), ignoring an awkward colleague from camp along the way. Due to the concert I was an hour late to class, and was wordlessly handed a huge stack of graded papers. I attempted to protest but only a hoarse croak emerged from my throat, which seemed to elicit a small amount of pity. The scene dissolved, and the second sequence opened on a rambling road trip. At first I was driving with Iris, and as we swung through a rain-washed bend slick with autumn leaves, she commented on how it felt like Massachusetts. We climbed up over a wooded mountain road, coming out near a gravelly clearing, which reminded me of New York. As we descended another hill under thick shade (somewhere in Virginia), she asked if she could come over later. I said yes, then recanted as I realized that I had a big Cities and Suburbs paper due(!!) Everything shifted, and I found myself driving with Sabrina now. A sunset glimmered over the horizon as we drove past barns and fields of corn, and despite the earlier mountain road, this really felt like I was going home. This was soon pushed out of my mind as every time we passed something on the roadside, I was dragged through it. When I complained (flying through a wire fence and then a marsh was the last straw), Sabrina said that she was driving on the road. At this point we were standing outside of the vehicle and inspecting the damage to my face, and I realized that her hair was blonde and her facial structure altogether different. Independently of this observation, I realized that there was no way she could be telling the truth unless reality was simply illogical, at which point I concluded aloud, "Then I must be dreaming!" Sabrina laughed nervously but said nothing (apparently person-constructs in dreams cannot acknowledge the nature of their existence) and everything slipped into darkness.
          Naturally, when I woke up I was immediately disgruntled that my dreams are telling me to get to work. Before going in on my Cities and Suburbs paper (due tomorrow, so attempt #2 at finishing one of these in 24 hours), I chose to grab lunch. The timing worked out, I ran into the Delivery Man making conversation with a friend, and we ended up going to Rebecca's together. David had to duck out for a DiffEq study session, so I was left with the friend, a disarming girl named Colleen. I thought we had met before and was loath to "reintroduce" myself, so we chatted for ten minutes before we knew each other's name. We were joined by her friend, an intimidatingly motivated freshman named John. This guy already has a legitimate NGO with eight employees, focusing on "leapfrog technologies" in less developed countries. Together, they made excellent lunch conversation. New friends for the win! And finally, to work. I chugged away at my paper on the health effects of sprawl in Los Angeles all night, making steady progress throughout. Maybe getting rolled by last night's attempted all-nighter was actually beneficial in terms of sleep.
          Quote of the day:
"I have lots of 'breast' ideas. As in, I think about them. A lot." - The Delivery Man, after Colleen misspoke

The Fracturer

          I did just about nothing today, recovering from my botched attempt at finishing the hydrofracking paper with nothing but sheer willpower and some crackers & cheese. Sleep soon followed.
          Quote of the day:
"Who's next to get fracked?!" - me, as potential horror movie villain The Fracturer; also no sleep

Last Minute Suicide Squad

          Owing to my locked-out 9 a.m. bedtime, I woke up at the timely hour of 6 p.m. and promptly began worrying about my Political Ecology paper, due the next day. Sabrina and I shared an all-night writing session immersed in jazz, the end result being a mostly complete paper on hydraulic fracturing, the realization that the deadline is flexible, and some delicious cracker/olive oil/mozzarella snacks. (The second batch, anyway. The first cohort broiled until they were black, but sacrifices must be made for the greater good.)
          Quotes of the day:
"I feel like a cookie." - Sabrina
"Next year, can we get a power drill?..." - me
On Iris' cupcakes...
Me: "There are more of them...which I am going to try to obtain."
Alaric: "Make an offensive play on those."

Vanguard of Destruction

          More than enough has been said about the marathon bombings. Everyone in the universe has had a go at it. I don't wish to feed the frenzy here, so here's my pasta Facebook status regarding the event. (Posted April 19th, relevant April 15th.)

"CNN reporters repeatedly claim that no assumptions can be made about the marathon bombers, then say that 'they're sociopaths and they're completely evil.' It's unconscionable what they did, but it's my position that this black and white, good vs. evil mentality is part of the reason that we still haven't been able to properly combat terrorism."

          All that I'll add to this: I was asleep when this all went down. It was strange when Iris shook me awake, I went out into the hall and Laura gave me a big hug, I asked what was going on, and someone said, "He doesn't know." Also, the amount of people who called or texted to ask if I was okay was touching, if a bit overwhelming. (One of my friends asked if I was in the marathon, as if I could ever qualify for Boston.)

          The rest of the evening was spent in an idle fashion, and I finished The Pillars of the Earth with Iris. For prospective watchers, the series improves throughout. Late in the night, I went out on a run and signed back in, decided I wanted another go around the Fens and did so, returned to the suite and went to take out the trash (there were rotting things inside), and then forgot my card. Result: I hung out by the door from 6 a.m. until 9, when I heard movement and got Harrison to let me in. Overall, a crappy day on the largest and smallest of scales, if not all of those in between.

3pro5u

          I spent some time jamming out to "the legends of rock" with Harrison and just chilling. Iris and I caught the new episode of Game of Thrones, after which I allowed myself some pyro-manic TF2 leisure time. (Highlights: killing a Medic with a reflected Cow Mangler shot, killing a Sniper with a Liberty Launcher reflect, and airblasting a Heavy into the pit on the Nucleus map.) Afterward, I played Kings with Sabrina, Haley and Alaric and took a long walk into Cambridge with Sabrina. At one point, we sat on a bench near the river and some dude pulled up nearby and just parked. At 3 a.m.

Mr. Nixon

          I spent a good portion of the morning listening to music and chilling out with Harrison. Sean and I decided that Katie's struggles with a certain lad should be filmed as a sitcom, or perhaps set to poetry in iambic pentameter. Later on, we played some Kings, and I got the chance to test out a fun rule: Everyone picks a U.S. president, and referring to them by any other name is illegal. We finished the evening with a jaunt to Tasty Burger, which is never a bad move.
          Quotes of the day:
"Subject and predicate you must mix." - Alaric
"Off to the races!" - Haley, on the way to the restroom
"You've got that serious Abercrombie & Fitch look." - Nathan

Theoretical Muggers

          Alanna and I shared lunch at an all-you-can-eat sushi buffet called Yamato, out on the distant reaches of the Green Line. The sushi was quite good (as all sushi seems to be), and we were seated next to a couple of indeterminate connection. It was either their first date or they've been together a long time, though I have a feeling it was the first option. The gentleman was particularly interesting, talking about how he carries a knife everywhere and how "anything could happen" in Boston. This led to a story where "there were some guys on bikes" and nothing actually happened in the end. That showed those theoretical muggers!
          On the T back through Boston University's campus, I asserted dominance by revealing the "Beat BU" shirt under my jacket. Evidently the other males were intimidated by my display, as I received no challenges to fight. In the evening, we watched the unsettling Jacob's Ladder, the only other movie I've seen with Tim Robbins as the lead. It was met with mixed emotions, though I enjoyed theorizing about whether "the Ladder" was real, or if the whole thing was just a rationalization by Robbins' character. We had several unexpected guests and the night turned into a very low-key party, a pleasant surprise and quite called for.
          Quotes of the day:
"The way you talk, the way you fart is so cute." - Brodudus brodudus
...
Prof. Mrdalj: "This is my fault, because people expect me to start late."
Meg: "That's true."
Prof. Mrdalj: "What?"

Blind Spot

          I gave a brief, nerve-wracking presentation on hydraulic fracturing in Political Ecology for our final class. This especially sucked because the two people who went before me both talked about Obama's energy policy and how it relates to fracking. Also, the Chinese food delivery was more than a feast. There was a simply huge amount of food. I scored a whole aluminum pan full of scallion pancakes and sweet & sour sauce to take home, and only skipped the egg rolls because someone else looked like they were going to make a play for them.
          Quote of the day:
Iris: "What's wrong with being a banana racist?"
Me: "What's wrong with being any kind of racist, Iris? You're a racist!"

Schopenhauer's Dark Techniques

          I had a series of nightmares last night, culminating in a nasty one where I was extremely late to Research Methods. Upon waking, I discovered that I was going to be mildly late for Research Methods. The debate actually went fairly well; at first it was 4 vs. 1, and that guy wasn't even in complete disagreement with us on the utility of drones. Another person siding with us and the "encyclopedia" we feared both arrived fifteen minutes late, but his argument turned out to be rather weak in the sense that it was very conditional. In Italian, my professor realized that I lacked a partner for the oral test tomorrow, so he quizzed me on the spot and went considerably easy on me. Great success! My group submitted the fourth Research Methods paper, essentially marking the end of that course. In the evening, I took part in a spur-of-the-moment powwow with Sean, Katie, Iris, Alaric and Ryan in the hallway. After the world went to sleep, I stayed awake to prepare an issue of OK! with some of the faces replaced with photos of mine, Alaric's, Sean's, or Batman's; the final product will be a gift for Sean.
          Quotes of the day:
"PT majors have a degree in poking where it hurts and grabbing ass." - Taylor (courtesy of Alanna)
"Chief Justice Justin Judge, the justest of the justices." - me
"We don't call it drowning, we call it natural selection." - Sean

Signals Crossed

          I decided to put in a couple of hours at the Prison Book Program this evening. Unfortunately, I took the Red Line two stops down the wrong branch before I realized my mistake. Along with a college-age, female stranger, I got off there and waited around. At the same moment, she and I both realized that we had to be on another platform (where another train was just arriving) and ran up through the station, laughing and trying not to fall down the stairs. It was the first time in a while, if ever, that I can remember being so happy with someone I'd never met. The whole affair was quite silly. Volunteering was nondescript, though there was a wonderful moment when a prisoner's letter asked for a book on Roman history, something by Lee Child, and another narrowly topical book, and he got one of each. On the bus home, I finished The Signal and the Noise, as well as Long Day's Journey Into Night. It feels good to be reading books again, after such a long drought.
          Quote of the day:
"The competition with DP is stiff..." - Sean

Bluff +3

          Due to falling asleep last night, I finished up my presentation for Cities and Suburbs class at the last minute and it was a piece of crap. After class, the time came for my third co-op interview. I stepped on to the Orange Line train at Ruggles with 25 minutes to go. Cue a grinding, electrical sound and no movement. "This train is standing by." We didn't move for ten minutes, and when I arrived at State Street I had about three minutes to get to my destination. I walked into WilmerHale's office at 4 p.m., the exact time of my appointment. First, I had an intimidating round of questions with a Northeastern grad while a hiring manager took notes. I then sat down for a warm conversation with the person who oversees the law library co-op, and I feel that this went relatively well. She even asked if I like Game of Thrones, an amusing diversion from the questions about my technology and colleague placation skills. I hope I can land this position - it looks to be interesting and relevant work, and I could learn the workings of a high-profile law firm. My fingers are crossed.
          Quotes of the day:
"You spec'd into Stealth more than I did." - Katie
"Flow synergy is a well known tactic, but there's a paper on price point synergy that's really revolutionary." - Sean

Synergy Flow

          I found myself awake at 7:45 for the CEP Spring Service Day, an unfortunate necessity to make up for lost time. On the way over to Curry, I witnessed someone taking the Walk of Shame for the first time - some girl who was obviously dressed for a party. 8 a.m. seems like a rough time to walk the Walk. At Curry, I found that Amy, Sean and Laura were also in attendance, and Laura and I ended up in the same group. We were first assigned to help the Mural Club (which we had no idea existed) with some little paintings, then took off for the MS Walk cleanup at Harvard. It was a piece of cake since there wasn't much to do and there were a lot of us, and I scored two mini backpacks full of bagels, another plastic sleeve of bagels, and a bag of bananas, not to mention the free volunteer shirt. Laura and I played 20 Questions to pass the time, with "swag" being an amusingly difficult choice of object. ("It's a thing...sometimes abstract, sometimes not...think of it more as an umbrella term...") When we got back to Curry, everyone else had already finished, so I added three pizzas and a box of coffee to my tremendous food haul. Much later, Alaric and I shared 1 a.m. coffee, which was both the best and worst idea. We spent a lot of time laughing at a Forbes list of annoying corporate slang. ("Price point" for "price"? Why?)
          Quotes of the day:
"Those last few inches are a real doozy." - Laura
"We're the bagel bandits." - a volunteer
"It was like the locust version of cleaning up. I would ask them to do something and it was done." - Emily, supervisor at the MS Walk
"He's some kind of international man of mystery who we've never seen, has a heavy Spanish accent and is in a different time zone every time he calls us. 'I am calling from Honduras!'" - another volunteer, about his landlord
"It's dinner and a show. You get to watch people fight, people are breaking up... It's the best." - Sean, our group leader, on BHOP
"Disgust glands activated." - me
"...Hair goblins..." - me
"The orgs are almost syncing!" - Alaric
"...Synergy flow..." - Alaric
"It's like the cutting edge, but more cutting-er." - Alaric, on the "bleeding edge"
"You know, I'm kind of sad that sneaking into convents isn't still a thing. I guess there's still Simmons College..." - me
"You guys are loopy." - Sean
"What's the website for google.com?" - Alaric
"Corporations only share one value, which is dollars." - Sean, on "corporate values"
"The ijicy is rampant in this one." - Alaric
"'Double Sweat'? Can that be an energy drink? It actually does what the Gatorade commercials used to look like." - me
...
Me: "Hear ye, hear ye. It is officially that time."
Alaric: "Dude, it's 1:00 [a.m.] It's the earliest that time has ever happened!"

Hatsumomo and the Lanterns

          Iris sauteed calamari and made clam chowder and corn muffins for dinner, and we watched some more Pillars of the Earth. Later, we were joined by Sean and Katie for Memoirs of a Geisha. It wasn't my usual cup of tea, but I enjoyed the film. Ken Watanabe was excellent as the Chairman, and Koji Yakusho played a charming Nobu. I did think that some distinction should have been drawn between the Chairman's kindness toward young Chiyo and his attraction for her as the Sayuri, the geisha.
          Quote of the day:
Katie: "I'm just going off the Hercules movie here. We could just be rotting souls swimming in a pit of foul miasma."
Me: "Isn't that real life?"

Polish Lover

          Today, I had an idea for an Instagram called "sweetgurl94" which is only pictures of the most unappetizing food. Alanna and I are likely to make this dream a reality at some point. Also, we in the Research Methods "drones are ineffective" camp have to go up against the smartest guy in the class next week... joy.
          Quotes of the day:
"Ross is saying that they're effective. The guy is an encyclopedia!" - Mike, delivering bad news
"Oh god, I'm a banana racist!" - Iris
"This is actually a rom-com, and I'm the evil boyfriend trapping her..." - Sean
"Mr. McHandsy Touchy-Hands." - Sean
"...So you paid a visit to the love doctor." - Alaric

Better Angels

          Political Ecology was amusing today. We spent ten minutes talking about what kind of Chinese food to order for the last class, since Professor Faber didn't use any of his Honors budget. It's going to be a feast. We also got to watch some Whale Wars and discussed the radicalization of the environmental movement. Sean, Katie, Harrison, and Iris came to watch American History X, which is a fantastic Edward Norton film (and extremely sad to boot.) After this, Iris and I watched an episode of Pillars of the Earth, an 8-part miniseries about the battle for the royal succession in England during the Anarchy. It seems okay so far.
          Quotes of the day:
"Cantaloupes are orange, honeydews are green. You gotta step up your game." - Noah
"Never discount the Green Line for tremendous acts of violence. There is never a good time for the Green Line." - some dude (courtesy of Alanna)
"Propane leak in your fridge? Oops, sorry about your house, but at least you were cold for a little while...The refrigerant saga isn't really a good one." - some thermo prof (courtesy of Alanna)
"If the wine bottle sneaks in, it sneaks in." - Professor Faber
"My view is, anyone driving a Pinto deserved to die." - Professor Faber
"You can rub me like you're seasoning a turkey." - Iris

I'm Going to Stab You in the EPROM

          Prior to Professor Binetti's arrival, my Italian class conspired to try and convince him to combine the unit 4 and final exams into one easy package. Our attempts to pressure him were unsuccessful, and the original schedule remains. It was pretty funny watching the struggle, though. I met with an Honors advisor for my yearly appointment, which was uneventful. Finally, I learned that Dell has some of the worst customer service I have ever seen through a series of attempts to replace my dead adapter. I'm not inclined to relive the experience, but I went through the terrible "tell the computer a phrase" machine, the series of "customer support experts" who immediately pointed out that my computer is no longer under warranty (though I purchased a new adapter last summer), and finally the realization that there isn't even a contact email for customers whose warranties have expired. Suffice to say, I'll have second thoughts before I purchase another Dell product in the future.

The Reality Show

          Co-op class is over with, so I woke to no pressing responsibilities today. I filled the void in my soul by cleaning everything in the apartment and making myself busy. We watched The Truman Show in the evening, a choice which is typically well met; it also has an incredible soundtrack, with "Truman Sleeps" being a fantastic nap song. We also discovered that Iris likes dubstep, a rather unexpected development.

#Swag or #Skrub

          I rose early to cram for my Cities and Suburbs test at Snell and got breakfast at IV for the first time in a while. I feel like this one went pretty well, but with my history of test score intuition, that remains to be seen. In Italian class, we spent ten or fifteen minutes arguing over minuscule numbers of deducted points on the last test, though I doubt that anyone got below an 85. Professor Binetti eventually distracted the rabble-rousers by writing some fundamentally flawed math riddle on the board, buying him time to actually teach. After class, I paid a visit to the financial aid office, who were very helpful in answering my questions on my scholarship as it pertains to co-op. I then went to the university housing office, who were decidedly unhelpful. An obviously regretful student at the desk informed me that there is no temporary housing available for the awkward rollover period in between Summer II housing (ends in late August) and the beginning of 99% of leases (September 1). I asked what course of action the university suggested, and she very uncomfortably said that I should "ask my landlord if I can move in early." In essence, Northeastern is making every student with a September lease homeless for ten days this summer. To say that I'm disappointed would be a severe understatement.
          This feeling only intensified when I read the Huntington News article on Northeastern's tuition increases. Apparently higher rates of aid and tuition are preferable to a simple tuition freeze. This is a completely transparent cash grab by the university. Everyone pays tuition; not everyone receives aid. They argue that it's "the lowest year to year increase in thirty years," as if inflation accounted for a 3%+ increase every year. Even the White House has pointed out Northeastern's bloated tuition. I propose that the university scrap its big plans for throwing up more buildings on top of the Columbus parking lot and start cutting down on budgetary pork.
          Luckily, it was April Fool's Day, and our evening shenanigans lightened my mood. Alaric left a ramen surprise for me on the floor, which was provocative. I retorted by grinding up some of it and funneling it into his shampoo, but my ruse eventually failed owing to the "shampoo in the hand before the hair" maneuver. We also decided that a bit of silliness was warranted, so we hung my dragon marionette from the window so that it dangled in front of 510's common room window. Attached was a sign reading "#yolo #610boyz #AprilFools #swag". During this process, some girls on the second floor of Willis called up at us, inquiring what we were up to and wishing us good luck. This got us to wondering why we've never had conversations with the people across the way. (Though it's probably for the same reasons we don't speak to our next door neighbors.) We proceeded to up the ante by hanging our leprechaun buddy in front of their window as well. This provided endless amusement as a spring storm whipped up and cast the hanging objects around in the wind. This was also the first thunderstorm of the season, a happy milestone for me.
          Quotes of the day:
"It's the demon of spring!" - Alaric
...
Prof. Binetti: "I'm surprised that worked. It's pretty amazing. He's not talking any more."
Noah: "As soon as I figure this out, it's game over. For everything."
...
Girl 1: "We should have class outside."
Prof. Binetti: "There are no whiteboards outside. I'm allergic to grass."
Girl 2: "Io sono allergica to this classroom."
Prof. Binetti: "I'm allergic to you!"
...
Iris: "It's not the size that matters. I have so much space."
Me: "That's what she said."
Iris: "Noooo! Well, in that case, the size does matter. I mean, if it's dinky, who wants it?"