Return of the Socialist

Notes for this entry were lost.

          Budgeting & Taxation held an interesting exercise on the topic of government assistance. Professor Jimenez outlined the following scenario:

Daryl has $4.
Rick has $3.

You have $2.

Maggie has $1.

You can choose to give a separate $2 to anyone except yourself. Who do you give it to?

          Between Daryl, Rick and Maggie, the votes were split 2/3/13. I cast mine for Rick, reasoning that giving the money to Maggie would leave me at the bottom of the food chain. The other Rick supporters agreed with me, while the two who went for Daryl were banking on his future charity. This scenario is a small-scale illustration of the problem that many middle-class people have with redistribution programs -- the subconscious idea that prosperity is a zero-sum game.
          We hosted a well-attended art day at our place. By the end, we had a pile of new material for me to curate on the apartment walls. Alaric and I experimented with an Electric Watermelon for Becky, which was moderately successful; the rest of the night was the typical sequence of drinking, smoking and chilling out. (Not that I disapprove.)

          Quotes of the day:
"If you're congested, decongest with Alka-Seltzer!" - Elizabeth
"Andrew, surprising! The socialist." - Prof. Jimenez (apparently I'm a socialist)
"Knowing that Bill Gates exists doesn't make me want to kill myself." - another guy in B&T

In the Field Artillery

Notes for this entry were lost.

          Peter and I smoked in the afternoon and founded a new tradition: the Torch Patrol, those stoic, resourceful defenders of American efficiency. I later realized that there's a midterm...quiz... thing in E. Science tomorrow, so I skipped PBP to study for that. Alaric and I shared coffee, then went to the Squashbusters gym for an hour or so. We returned to mix up protein shakes, my first ever, and I felt distinctly like a brah.
          Quote of the day:
"Reporting for duty! Torch Patrol!" - Peter

Peanut Butter and Apples

Notes for this entry were lost.

          This evening, I watched the State of the Union address for U.S. Congress. It was the predictable political theater that we're treated with every year, and I came away with nothing substantive. Katie, Sean and I shared a frustrating conversation to this effect. We called off a meeting with a realtor after the number of properties he was able to show us dropped from 4 to 1, and I hit the library instead. Jasmin and I met up on the third floor, snacked and studied until 10 p.m. Feeling accomplished, I returned home to the familiar routine of smoking, decorating, and just listening to music.

PUBLIC FORUM PUBLIC FORUM PUBLIC FORUM PUBLIC FORUM PUBLIC FORUM PUBLIC FORUM

Notes for this entry were lost.
The entry for 1/16/14 has been slightly updated.

          I spent the day rushing to complete a Lee v. Weisman case brief for AWPL. This included a quantity of eleventh-hour work, reinstalling the Pharos remote printing application, sprinting to the library, and general panic.
          Quote of the day:
"Hairy-power bro-butt team." - Katie

Captain One-Class

Notes for this entry were lost.

          After U.S. Congress was over for the day, Alaric helped me make substantial edits to the party playlists under construction.
          Quote of the day:
"Captain One-Class over here." - Alaric

Brass Bonanza

Notes for this entry were lost.

          Rehearsal today was a good deal more fun than last time, and I palled around with Jared, Alanna and Nathaniel for most of it. Afterward, Iris began to learn how to play the trumpet with the help of the internet and my unprofessional advice.
          Quote of the day:
"No one noticed." - JL, after Nathaniel came in a measure early in "Wrecking Ball"

VEEJEMS

Notes for this entry were lost.

          We threw a successful LAN party at our place, though it went in a very different direction than anticipated. Along with the usual smoking and drinking, video games were the rule for the evening. We set up Nathan's enormous TV in my room to complement the "Smash TV" in the living room, and the gaming commenced. I had expected an overwhelmingly male crew sitting around and geeking out (not a negative thing), but the atmosphere turned out to be more convivial. Some people played Civ, some played Smash Bros., and several of us camped out with Nathan's WiiU. My personal favorite was the Luigi's Mansion "PVP Pac-Man" minigame; everyone (including a few inanimate objects) had fun with the facial recognition/Mii-creating software. Later on, I hooked up my laptop to the TV to bask in huge-screen Hotline Miami. Hooray for video games!
          Quote of the day:
"The male g-spot is up the butt, it's like they are meant to be gay." - Becky

Nightmare Fuel

Notes for this entry were lost.

          For nostalgia's sake, Alaric and I watched a few episodes of Are You Afraid of the Dark?, that stuff of childhood nightmares. The show is pure 90s cheese from an older perspective, but there's still a scary moment here and there. "The Tale of the Dead Man's Float" only worsened my fear of drawn shower curtains (originally born of The Shining.) A scene where the phantom bubbles up through a locker room drain in the form of crimson sludge was forever burned in my memory. Our next pick, "The Tale of the Doll Maker," was pervaded with creepiness and grade-A "I have no mouth and I must scream"-type body horror. Iris and I went to lunch at Pho Basil and obtained ice cream at Cold Stone, the cookie dough content of which made me a very happy camper.
          Quote of the day:
"...if you froze your dick and used it like a hammer to nail in nails..." - Iris

Playmakerz Inc.

Notes for this entry were lost.

          I rose at 6 a.m. and the whole day seemed to stretch out before me. I spent all of it cleaning, smoking and decorating, then went to PBP later on. I was extremely delayed getting back, but I've also accepted an extra responsibility: combing through the prisoners' letters for interesting or inspiring quotes. They sent me home with several sheafs of letters, rubber banded together in groups of 25 or so. In other words, I can finally take my favorite part of PBP home. I joined the rest of our broomball team at Matthews for our first game, but the other team failed to show up and we won by forfeit. We passed an hour or two scrimmaging; I volunteered to goaltend and displayed an inadequate amount of skill. I'm confident that once I get out on the ice, I'll be able to move much faster than several people on our team, and that's where I'll shine.

Stuph '97

Notes for this entry were lost.

          I was semi-awake all morning, trying to get schoolwork done and having minimal success. Eventually, I sat up enough to hash out a small essay for U.S. Congress and showed up late. This didn't seem to be a problem, and I settled into the class discussion in short order.
          Quote of the day:
"I always disagree with stuff, write some stuff down. Disagree with my own stuff, write some more stuff down. It's a great way for generating stuff, if stuff is what you're going for. It's not necessarily a great way for being right..." - Prof. Beauchamp

Over Hill Over Dale

Notes for this entry were lost.

          Luckily, my illness didn't last the night, and I woke at 7 to get down to business. In E. Science, we watched videos of Richard Feynman and Sesame Street (separately) explaining the scientific method. I also learned that broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts are all cultivars of one weed (B. oleracea) native to the English Channel. This little fact set into my brain and released an involuntary spasm of thought: How temporary is all this? How fleeting? I was unable to further clarify what bothered me so much about the broccoli, and moved on to other things. B&T was let out early on account of snow, and AWPL was cancelled outright. This was a timely and happy development -- idleness is much sweeter when it's unexpected. I attended the Prison Book Program again and was happy to see Wendy, who is more or less my first friend in Quincy. After volunteering, I spent the night decorating and reading.
          Quotes of the day:
"He's one of the most misunderstood people in history." - Prof. Helmuth, re: Darwin

p.s. I would like to apologize to the world for being an inveterate pen clicker. Forgive me this sin.

Give the People What They Want

Notes for this entry were lost.

          Everyone was happy to sleep in, with MLK's blessing. I woke from a horrifying and visceral dream about zombies to the comfort of French toast. Logan and the crew left after breakfast, leaving us to further naps. Later, we watched some Popeye cartoons, chased with the eminently watchable James Bond: Tomorrow Never Dies. (I've seen it at least four times, usually by chance.) As the evening went on, I started to feel sick and ended up lying on the carpet for 45 minutes, finally getting into bed to warm up and falling asleep.

A Narrow Grave

Notes for this entry were lost.

          With my head feeling like a car crash in slow motion, I forced myself out of bed for rehearsal. JL called all of the worst songs in our repertoire (looking at you, "Wrecking Ball") and it was nothing short of miraculous when we were free to go. Once I got home, a quick Super Smash Bros. session was followed by a vital nap. I rose again at the responsible time of 6 p.m. for a trip to Tasty Burger, where we watched the Seahawks/49ers football game. The Seahawks prevailed through uncalled fouls and general douchery, some guy's leg got destroyed, Josh N cried his eyes out (figuratively), and a 35+ year old cougar unsuccessfully preyed on him.
          We returned home for another, smaller party, and I whiled away the evening smoking, drinking and decorating. Alaric and I ventured out for a midnight cigar ramble, and this time, we ended up deep in Roxbury. At one point, we looked out over the city from a deserted stretch of 4-lane in a strangely peaceful moment. Soon afterward, we had an extremely terrifying encounter with two guys in a car that kept pulling even with us as we walked. This was the scariest thing that's happened to me in Boston, with the possible exception of the Cyber Dave incident last year.
          Quote of the day:
"I was resisting the urge to look over at them as we went by." - Alaric, after we finished crapping our pants

Montecristo Zen

Notes for this entry were lost.

          Logan, his coworker Josh N, and an old classmate named Alexis came up to stay for a couple of days. It was an experience seeing Alexis for the first time since high school; she existed in my memory only as "that Latina with the booty." (The description is accurate, if shallow.) A large party sprung up, with appearances by Sara, Elizabeth and a friend from South Carolina, Malcolm, Peter, Nathan, Iris, Alaric, and Saint Michael; Katie, Sean and Becky showed up later on. Highlights of the evening included a much-needed walk with Logan and the return of Shots Iris. I also enjoyed a cigar with Alaric, who attained a monk-like state of calmness after smoking an entire stogie alone. I derived less enjoyment from an overly intoxicated Becky, settling on acute guilt instead.

"For England, James?" "No. For martinis."

Notes for this entry were lost.

          E. Science was a drowsy joke this morning. Everyone sitting in a dark room and watching a video before 10 in the morning? I think not. After class, I did a considerable amount of reading for AWP and put in work. Logan's set to visit tomorrow(!), so I spent some time cleaning as well. I was a couple minutes late for Budgeting & Taxation, but then, so was my professor. In short: Hell yeah. AWP was eaten up by an involved debate over prayer in schools, specifically focusing on a seminal case, Lee v. Weisman.
          The men's hockey team skated to a 3-2 victory over UVM, despite a massive imbalance in shots on goal (20 for us, compared to 40 for them). Witt was godly tonight, and the score was 3-0 until UVM scored twice during a major penalty right at the end of the game. It got hair raising for a little while, but that's what makes pep band fun. Post-game, a sizable posse including Iris, Alaric, Jared, Nathan, Laura, Nate, and Malcolm went for a celebratory chow-down at Wings Over Boston. Three of us attempted to watch James Bond: GoldenEye after we got home, but Nathan and Iris were fast asleep by the time the credits rolled. In any case, it was fun rewatching one of the movies that me and my brother grew up on. GoldenEye is a particular treat, thanks to (SPOILERS!): [1] Sean Bean as the wonderfully sinister Alec Trevelyan; [2] the strikingly beautiful Izabella Scorupco as the obligatory "Bond Girl"; [3] the highest body count by Bond in the franchise (47 total); [4] the first of several killer performances by Judi Dench as the spymaster M; and [5] the first of several equally killer performances by Pierce Brosnan as Bond himself. (/SPOILERS.) And finally, a fun Bond factoid: British researchers analyzed the amount of alcohol that 007 consumes in Ian Fleming's novels, concluding that he would be likely to die of cirrhosis by the age of 56.
          Quote of the day:
"Don't cockblock!" - Iris

Clarion Call

This entry has been updated as of 5/7/14 with previously missing notes.
Notes for this entry were lost.

          I recuperated from my recent sleep deprivation with 13 hours of slumber, rising from the grave around 1 p.m. In an effort to obtain cake for Iris and myself, I walked to the Flour Bakery on Clarendon Street, but they only had a few lonely slices of carrot cake. The Prison Book Program was quieter this week, despite the "Welcome BU" sign on the door. I responded by designating "GO HUSKIES" as the organization on my name tag. You have to make your own fun.
          Quote of the day:
Re: future career paths...
Sean: "I'm probably going to be making the technology they use to spy on you."
Me: "No, see, you're going to be making the technology that I use to spy on you."

First National Church of Bieber

Notes for this entry were lost.

          I slept for just a few hours before waking to chill out and play Minecraft. The phrase "hot or not" came up in U.S. Congress. Sabrina came over after class and we cooked up cavatappi with peppers, onions and vodka sauce, plus garlic bread on the side. Post-meal, we were off to afterHOURS with Alaric and Katie to see Kitty Pryde, an unorthodox rapper from Florida. She was amusing, if somewhat bad at live performance, and repeatedly forgot the words to her songs or started talking in the middle of songs. Apparently this is par for the course, and at any rate, it was still fun to dance to. Peter, John and Iris came over afterward to hang out with us before I hit the sack at an early 11:30.
          Quotes of the day:
"You have to sneak up behind them..." - Prof. Beauchamp, re: measuring voters' apathy without raising the issue
...
Prof. Beauchamp: "If you were the candidate this year, what would be your strategy?"
Guy in class: "Kiss a lot of babies."

Justin Bieber should take me out to dinner though.

...But I Won't Fall Down

Notes for this entry were lost.

          I was predictably sleepy in E. Science today. There's a guy in three of my classes who looked vaguely familiar; we got to talking and I realized he had taken International Relations with me. At the time, he looked like Ron Jeremy -- huge black mustache and long hair. Happily, he's cleaned up and much more approachable now, and will hereafter be referred to as Scott-2. At lunchtime, I went down into the bowels of Lake Hall to meet with my co-op advisor and straighten out what I need to do on that front. The rest of my break was spent reading for Budgeting & Taxation and playing Minecraft.
          B&T was dominated by an intense conversation about Schumpeter's creative destruction, Friedman's monetarism, and Keynesian economics. By the time AWPL rolled around, I was wiped. Luckily, a discussion of how courts come to decisions sparked enough interest to keep me going. I took a regrettably brief pit stop at home before leaving for the Prison Book Program. The program was jumping tonight, and we sent out 108 packages. Something I love about our work is that the progress is concrete. We can point to that number and say, look, we helped 108 people expand their minds today! I also met Sheep, a remarkably quiet friend of Wendy's, and we worked together for most of the evening. Iris and I shared a nap, pasta and cannoli before I finally got down to catching up on entries.
          Quotes of the day:
"If your main concern is Pareto optimality, you're not going to be reelected." - Scott-2
"No wonder you can't hit anything, you're carrying 17 potatoes!" - Dan's mother, re: Skyrim [courtesy of Dan]
Re: poverty...
Guy in class: "Well, they could be better off..."
Prof. Jimenez: "Who cares?"

Like a Weeble I May Wobble...

          I boned up on constituents prior to U.S. Congress, and was again reminded that I cannot wait until I'm taking political science classes exclusively. Today was a strange one for bumping into people on campus: Zach (twice!), Jenn, Jasmin, Sara, Laura, Clay R, and two professors -- and all these in the time it took to walk to and from one class. Afterward, I zoned out with Minecraft until someone surprised me with a text about a basketball game. I checked the schedule, swore loudly, and ran straight to Matthews. I then learned that Paws bobbleheads were being given out with a valid student ID, which I wasn't carrying because keys. I ran home and back in under ten minutes and was back in the band with 8 pre-game seconds remaining. In the end, we lost 58-49 to the College of Charleston Cougars, but at least I got a poster (meh, but I collect them), a fuzzy hat (silly, but free!) and a bobblehead (totally sick.) I also went on my first 3 a.m. run in some time -- probably foolish given my Tuesday schedule, but also good for the soul.
          Quotes of the day:
"Poor Schumer, he's 63 years old and still eating cold cereal for breakfast in Washington." - Professor Beauchamp
"...badonk of the century..." - me

ananomoose is leejun (expoct us)

Notes for this entry were lost.

           Sean blew off our plan to watch Young Guns, so I spent the evening teaching Iris about the merits of 4chan (few as they may be.) Under Alaric's watchful eye, we debated the worth of its format and dipped our toes in the ocean of piss that is /b/. I fear that this internet education comes about six years too late for Iris, but in this case it may have been for the best.

DJ WebMC; or, Terminally Funky

Notes for this entry were lost.

          After a brief safety meeting, Nathan, Alaric, Elizabeth, Sara, Iris and I listened to Ke$ha's "Timber" about three million times and watched Pulp Fiction. In retrospect, it's funny how I loved this movie in middle school for its gratuitous violence, snappy dialogue, and groovy soundtrack. Today, I love it for the gratuitous violence, snappy dialogue, and groovy soundtrack. Self-diagnosis: man child.

Hoarder's Delight

Notes for this entry were lost.

          I spent ten minutes hunting for a textbook before I realized I'd downloaded that one as a PDF. Karma bites -- but then, so does lack of money. I zoomed through the reading for Advanced Writing for Prelaw (hereafter, "AWP") before running to make it to E. Science. The class seems okay -- it's pretty elementary stuff and there are lots of non-science majors -- but Helmuth is already in the habit of rehashing the reading during lecture. During my lunch break, I found three abandoned recycling crates full of vintage vinyl in the alley behind our place. I hauled them into my room and returned to finishing my work for other classes. Budgeting and Taxation was held in the basement of IV today, in a room still too small for the class; we had another hearty debate, this time on the free market and homo economicus. I've never taken a true economics course before, and in terms of serious discussion, this class has been a ringer. During Professor Jimenez's lecture, I feel the way I did in Modern Political Thought last year: enthralled with learning. He also has a maddening (but amusing) habit of second-guessing the students. "A true free market can't exist, because x, y, and z." "Why not?" AWP went by in a blur as we debated the constitutional merits of prayer in public schools. The focus of the class is on the how of legal writing, not necessarily the content, but one needs a rudimentary understanding of the material to understand what goes into an effective narrative and what does not.
          After class, I picked through the stacks of records. The collection is beat up something terrible, but there's still some gold in there. Among the numerous soul and disco records, I found Michael Jackson's Thriller and Bad, the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, and an ancient single of Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight". Also: Barry White, Salt-n-Pepa, and the Beastie Boys. My first instinct is to get my father's record player up here and listen to these bad boys, and my second is to sell most of them. Alaric, Clay, Jasmin, Jared and I went to Tasty Burger for a bite and good company. The rest of the night was spent drinking whiskey sours and chatting with Iris, Alaric, Katie and Sean.

Let Me Coordinate You

Notes for this entry were lost.

          I have Thursdays off this semester, a welcome break before my busy Fridays. I took this one to smoke and get down to work, tearing through a few readings for Budgeting & Taxation. The first was titled "Capitalism and Freedom". I understand this is not a comparative budgeting class, but that seemed like a very charged text to start off with, especially with no context. It heavily defines the ideals of capitalism and the free market, but never really qualifies what socialism is; apparently a socialist government control all jobs within its reach. Upon reading the next selection, I realized that Professor Jimenez had been trying to get a rise out of me, and he succeeded. This one was far more balanced, rather less political, and much more articulate. I was apprehensive when I signed up for this class, but perhaps it will not be so bad after all. I also devoted a little time to my E. Science reading, which comes in the form of an online textbook (frustratingly enough) and took about fifteen minutes. Embedded videos only tangentially related to the material? No thanks.
          I shared dinner and conversation with Katie at the dining hall, then drank quickly with Alanna at her apartment, where three extremely untidy roommates also make their den. We were soon off to a satisfying rehearsal in Blackman. After it wrapped up, I spoke with Jenn and was appointed as the pep band's Events Coordinator. So, allow me to coordinate you. A post-rehearsal party sort of sprung up, and Becky, Sabrina, Malcolm, Alaric and I held a meeting of the joint chiefs of staff. Sara, Nathan, Haley, Molly and John also joined the festivities. Once things had wound down, I attempted to get through reading for tomorrow but passed out almost immediately. I guess Thirsty Thursdays are my kryptonite.

Official Political Science Headgear

Notes for this entry were lost.

          My second U.S. Congress class was the scene of a contentious normative discussion on the tyranny of the majority. Along the way, the class demonstrated a variety of opinions on what constitutes a majority that's "big enough" -- that is, big enough to justify telling the minority what to do. I recommended 65% to provide a buffer; another guy had an ethical struggle with his own reasoning that 51% should be sufficient. Later on, I did Nathan a solid by moving the band's music books from Curry to Matthews, since work delayed his arrival on campus. The music is extremely annoying to move, as the handcart has to be perfectly balanced and requires constant pressure to keep it so. Afterward, Iris and I played Borderlands together, but were plagued by LAN connection problems and my computer's insistence on crashing every few minutes.
          Quotes of the day:
"All the EMT people I know are coke addicts." - Professor Beauchamp
"If you put on your political scientist hat..." - Professor Beauchamp

Skull-So-Soft, Inc.

Notes for this entry were lost.

          Tuesday is destined to be my busiest day this semester: three classes with a lunch break, followed by Prison Book Program whenever I can manage it. My first of the day is Environmental Science in Shillman, my obligatory science elective. I would have preferred Astronomy, but my research indicates that the professor is horrid. E. Science is taught by Professor Helmuth, who seems practical and reasonable, and the first class passed quickly. After lunch, I headed to my second class, Budgeting and Taxation. It's in the same inhumanely stuffy room in Ell Hall where I took Research Methods, but we may switch due to overcrowding. Professor Jimenez seems extra dry, but our first meeting was no longer than eight minutes, so it's tough to say for sure. My third class is Advanced Writing for Prelaw, billed as a different advanced writing course. Professor Britt is a rhetorician by trade (!) who seems rather on top of her game, the class is under twenty people, and Caroline is in it with me. I shared a co-op conversation with Mike, a senior who worked for the Prosecutor General, as well. Feeling equal parts lazy and worn out, I skipped PBP in favor of working on CEP's winter break hours packet. Sean, Katie, Iris, Alaric and I shared pasta and beans for a pleasant, communal dinner. The semester is on!

Mr. Hit That Lick

Notes for this entry were lost.

          Following an aborted attempt to watch Kick-Ass 2 with Iris (she hated it), I indulged in further TF2, Borderlands, etc. On the way to Richards Hall, I felt oddly nervous for my first class of the semester. I'm learning about the U.S. Congress from a new professor named Beauchamp (pronounced Beacham -- don't ask) with a long, braided ponytail that makes him look like Paul Revere. The first day was what you would expect of any first day; I spent most of it watching the Green Line out the window and wondering where the thick, syrupy lollipop smell was coming from. Professor Beauchamp seems like a pretty okay guy, and Sabrina is in a class right next door, so bonus. My evening was spent playing elevated TF2 and trawling the Blunder Years subreddit with Alaric, Sean, Iris, and Nathan. Sean also fashioned some unnaturally tasty snacks out of Triscuits, goat cheese, and craisins.
          Quotes of the day:
"If we're lucky, that will all go terribly awry and we'll have something to talk about." - Professor Beauchamp, re: the sequester
"Political opinions aren't like religions or ethnic backgrounds, you're supposed to argue about them." - Professor Beauchamp
"The happy trail goes all the way up to your nose." - Nathan

Zero-G Device

Notes for this entry were lost.

          A few of us watched Kick-Ass 2 this evening. I estimate that it was about 95% as fun as the first one; roughly Ip Man 2 level. There is very little I can say without spoiling anything, but the sequel shares many of the qualities that made the first film great and adds its own flair. Visceral, over-the-top action -- check. Dismemberment and other body horror -- check. Amazing soundtrack -- check. Chekhov's Armory -- check. Cameos from three established actors -- check. Russian-language insults -- super check. Zero-G Device -- check. Also, this clever exchange: "Chris, you gotta stop with these racist stereotypes..." "Archetypes! Keep going!"
          Quotes of the day:
"I'm, like, Listerine fresh all day." - me and Alaric
"Drunk assholes as far as the eye can see." - Sean(?)
"Richard Cox, private dick." - me

Ketchup On Everything

Notes for this entry were lost.

          My mother and I left for Boston before noon. We spent the entire drive discussing topics ranging from the vagaries of politics, to The Apprentice and names directly associated with wealth, to the gravity of my aunt Laurie's sickness. When we arrived, I found that I had been wise enough to bolt my bedroom door; unfortunately, I was not sharp enough to remember that my key can only effectively open that one. With no prospect of either roommate being home in less than a few hours, I nearly panicked. Collecting my wits, I applied a liberal amount of jiggling and some dark magic to get the front door open; I found the heat and water quite operational upon entering. It turns out that Sean had contacted our property manager to turn up the thermostat and forgot to inform me, but I was too relieved to be pissed. Iris was quick to arrive at the apartment. She showered me with Christmas gifts, I laid out my new rug (room status: chill zone), and we shared a peaceful nap.

Notes for this entry were lost.

Notes for this entry were lost.

Notes for this entry were lost.