"Wonderful things are coming. Wonderful things."

          Sabrina kindly hosted John, Peter, Iris, Georgia, and me for three Stanley Cup Game 7s; tensions were high early on. Alaric was on a flight without access to the scores -- probably for the better, since the Rangers finally clawed past the Flyers, 2-1. (On goals from Pouliot and Carbomb, no less...) Minnesota did the unthinkable and scrambled by the Avalanche in overtime, 5-4. Heater put up a goal, and Bryzgalov made a solitary but crucial save after filling in for an injured Kuemper. Lastly, and perhaps most impressively, the Kings completed the reverse sweep against the Sharks (losing the first three, then winning the next four to clinch the series) in a 5-1 beatdown. My feelings after this were overwhelmingly positive. We tried to talk Georgia into becoming a Rangers fan, but she says that she needs to watch a great deal more before she can pick a favorite team -- even better, because we're planning viewing parties next year...
          Post-hockey, Johnny and I came back to our place to smoke and play Super Smash Bros. with Sean. Once satiated, we returned to campus to watch The Amazing Spider-Man; it was, true to form, amazing. The romance with Gwen Stacy was much better executed (and more accurate in the context of plot) than the bland Mary Jane storyline in the first trilogy. The Lizard was a wonderful choice of villain -- a refreshing new face on the silver screen but historic in the comics, and creepy enough where parts of the movie felt more like a sci-fi/horror flick rather than a superhero film. Straight up, I think that Andrew Garfield is just a better actor than Tobey Maguire, and his wisecracking, slightly immoral Spider-Man is leagues better than Maguire's vanilla "super nerd". Add in some sneaky allusions to Norman Osborn (score one for the old movies, with Willem Dafoe's unbeatable portrayal of the Green Goblin), a blindside cameo by [REDACTED], stupid sexy Sally Field as Aunt May, and some James Bond-esque spy tech for good measure -- this movie has it all. The cheesiness of the "crane web-slinging" scene even manages to match that of the bridge scene in the first movie. Remember, where Tobey Maguire saves the bus full of kids, and "You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us!" is uttered?
          Quotes of the day:
"I'm on a vendetta against Yoshi. I am gonna fuck that motherfucker up." - Johnny
"Classy dot com." - me

I Love It When They Call Me Big Papi

          Fifteen pep band members loaded on to a bus over to Yawkey Way this morning, ready to perform for the crowds milling around Fenway Park before the game. Georgia and I bonded over a breakneck run to Sal's, a pizza place nearby, where they somehow forgot my order and held us up for several minutes. In any case, we got back on time and the band kicked ass. Playing for drunk baseball fans is an enjoyable experience, and we had to increase the hype level by starting the cheering after each of our own songs (since no one in the crowd ever wants to be the first.) Jake and I were holding down all of the trumpet work, so after an hour and a half we were hanging by a thread, but that wonderful feeling that public performance inspires made up for it. When our time was finally up and the crowds dispersed into the park, the band went to Tasty Burger for a communal meal before returning with guest passes in hand. They're technically "standing room only", but on a day like today there were bound to be some empty seats. It was god-awfully chilly after night fell -- I only wore a windbreaker, and I forgot how dragged out baseball can be -- but it was kind of pleasant to see the Red Sox own the Rays, 7-4. In more pertinent news, the Rangers lost game 6 to the Flyers, meaning game 7 will decide who comes out on top. Neither team has won more than one consecutive game in this series, so the last one should be a nailbiter. After the game, I went to Ariel's with Alaric, Georgia and Nathan for drinking, dancing, and conversation. Georgia and I are both runners from the Hudson Valley, and we probably ran meets against each other in high school (Marlboro v. Saugerties), so we shared a bunch of incidentally shared memories. For example: the "running families" from Red Hook that each had like 13 kids of the same gender, all of whom could and did make you eat their dust; the playful, torturous Mills Mansion cross-country course; and the joys of hurdling.
          Quotes of the day:

"It's a double layer band cake!" - Becky

"Your Batman impression is SHIT!" - Georgia

Keep Calm and Celly On

          We held Katie's grad party in the apartment today, mostly consisting of people I've never met or only know in passing. I played Super Smash Bros. with an ultra-cocky member of the Unisons, listened to Xerxes talk a lot of shit, and briefly met a friendly soul named Michelle. Following some conversation and snacking, I went to Nathan's with Alaric, Iris, Sabrina, and Shandana to witness the Kings tie up their series versus the Sharks, who just dropped a 3-game lead and face the possibility of a reverse sweep. The Wild also won a crucial game 6 versus the Avalanche, moving that series to a decisive match as well. The slow, heavy, defense-oriented Wild are my #2 team, so that was cool; unfortunately, the Avalanche happen to be Alaric's second favorite. Curse fate for making our two favorite teams go head to head in round one. Before we left, I went hunting in the 10 Coventry trash room and came out with a variety of abandoned swag, including but not limited to: A case of 36 ramen packages, with only one or two taken out; a sealed bottle of cologne; various, unexpired canned goods; some books; a framed "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster. Move-out week is Christmas in disguise.

Jimy Lamister

          A small contingent of the pep band met at Blackman to rehearse for our upcoming Fenway Park/Yawkey Way performance, which wasn't half bad. (Rehearsals actually tend to be more fun than expected, with infrequent, dreadful exceptions.) I finished my U.S. Congress paper, way behind schedule but just in time to head to Sabrina's with Alaric and Iris, with wine and Game of Thrones awaiting us.

Level 9 Alcoholism

          Alaric, Iris and I played some Super Smash Bros. before getting it into our heads to mess around with CPUs. Accordingly, we soon had an epic battle unfolding in front of us: a 99-minute coin mode (read: noisy beep mode) match between 4 AIs, namely two level 9 Captain Falcons, a level 3 Captain Falcon, and a level 9 Marth. We also live streamed the Bruins' fifth, decisive match against the Red Wings, finally cleaning up that series for good. The next series is anybody's game; either the Bruins move up and Beantown gets a little crazier, or the Habs upset them and I get to taste delicious Boston sports fan tears. Either way, I win. A party sprung up as Shandana, Becky, Clay, and Erika came over; we watched st00pid music videos, drank five different kinds of alcohol, and played Smash and various card games. Once the apartment had cleared out for the night, Alaric and I moved out to the back patio/alley/thing and settled in lawn chairs by my door. We listened to the music of our childhoods, drank, smoked cigars, and reminisced until first light.
          Quotes of the day:
"You gotta be the ambulance chaser. Just be there when everyone dies." - Alaric
"Looks like we're getting drunk again..." - Alaric [3:45 a.m.]
"I want to be drunk, not economical." - Alaric [3:47 a.m.]
"I'll bring hookers if that's what you want." - Alaric [5:29 a.m.]

Cool Hand Luke

          My mother, aunt Judy, and Grandma came to visit for the day. My grandmother has never been to Boston, so that was exciting. Almost as exciting was the huge trove of groceries that they brought along -- I may never be hungry again. Once we'd somehow fit everything into the fridge and pantry, we went for a walk through campus, dodging the tour groups swarming Curry and Centennial. After an awkward stop at Meserve to get my political science association membership straightened out (at my mother's insistence), we walked to the reflecting pool for pictures, and then to the Pru for standard touristy exploration. We shared dinner at CPK, ventured into the danger zone that is Vera Bradley, and headed home through the corridor park. I would have liked to show my grandma more of the city, but too much walking is uncomfortable for her, so we just went home and talked politics/watched Jon Stewart instead. This was essentially me and my aunt versus my mother and grandmother in terms of ideology, which is always fun.
          After my folks were gone, we dropped in briefly at Gavin's party, where I paid my respects and bumped into a guy from AWPL. We soon left for greener pastures: #intimate #romantic part 3, the third installment in Peter and Ryan's series of top shelf parties. Highlights: Boozing. Chatting with Sarah. Four cops coming to the door on a noise complaint; Ryan keeping the situation in hand (again). As always, a wonderful time for all.
          Quote of the day:
"If this controller was my son, I would write him out of my will." - David

Stat Girl

          According to my notes for today, I dreamed about making an "I'm On a Boat"-style music video in a pool or lake(?) with Sabrina and T-Pain before going swimming. So, apparently that happened. Once awake, I helped Iris move all her stuff out of WVC in gale force winds and dealt with our malfunctioning fridge. Note: The fridge is basically the most unpleasant appliance to have a problem with. In the evening, there was a surprise Tasty Burger expedition with Becky, Malcolm, John B, Peter, Sabrina, Lizandro, Sara, Nathan, and two randoms. I devoted the rest of the night to working some organizational magic and finding places in my room for all of Iris's worldly possessions.
          Quote of the day:
"We need booth babes, stat." - Alaric

This Is My Blood

          Another day, another B&T take-home exam done at the last minute. I was interrupted by Lee's arrival with a prospective tenant, 45 minutes ahead of schedule, and submitted an incomplete after running around trying to get dressed and put the apartment in order. Once that water was under the bridge, I went to Stetson East for a last supper with Sabrina, Haley, Luke, Nathan, Iris, Malcolm, Jared, Becky, Rachelle, Lizandro, John B, Sara, and Elizabeth. (Seating logistics were an issue.) I fell asleep early again, but not before some playoff excitement. Three series were tied 2-2 tonight: the Blue Jackets evened with the Penguins (marking their second playoff win, ever); the Blackhawks caught up with the initially-hot Blues; and the Stars are busy giving the Ducks more static than anyone expected.

Bish Please

          I was a speed demon at the E. Science final today, finishing before probably 95% of the class. I did not plan to waste any more time on that course than I already had. (The actual science is interesting stuff, but heavy political undertones in an ostensibly pure science class are tough to swallow.) In more exciting news, the Habs completed the sweep of the crippled Lightning, four games to zip. We commemorated the occasion by labeling our broom with a "HABS" sign and acting rowdy. Iris baked a lasagna and rice krispie treats (separately) and fed us forever; later, Alaric and I went for a lengthy cigar walk down Shawmut Avenue in a light rain.

Torpedoes Away

          Our apartment was the scene of another few games of Revolution, this time involving David, Alaric, Sean, and me. To give a touch of background (though I recommend purchasing the game yourself, it's that great) (I received no compensation for this or any other product endorsement), Revolution is a turn-based game of strategy in which one attempts to build support in key areas of a town. Each turn, players secretly bid their limited resources on different people in the town, who typically provide additional bidding resources and/or control in an area. Controlling the majority of an area confers an end-game support bonus (not unlike Risk's), and whoever has the most support at the end wins. The game is sneaky, tactical, almost as backstabby as Risk, and certainly ends more quickly. With some moves calculated far in advance, I crushed everyone in the first round. At this point, I'd won every game played so far and my number was definitely up. Rather than letting myself be teamed up on and humiliated in standard gameplay, I pulled an Eric and became the Lord of Chaos. Of the seven control areas, I ignored six and focused all of my efforts on acquiring the tavern, the smallest and least significant area. ("You guys can revolt all you want, I just want a drink.") Once I'd fought tooth and nail to control the tavern, I spent the rest of the game messing with the leaders and being a wrench in the gears.
          In the afternoon, Nathan, Alaric and I went to play baseball and soccer at the Columbus fields. (The phrase "play baseball and soccer" is used loosely.) I still have a decent swing, though my throwing accuracy on fast, straight pitches has become horrid over the years. In time, we moved camp to the West Village volleyball court, joined by Sarah, Lauren and a random dude. We ended up playing against a group that I believe included parts of the volleyball team, and they were destroying us every round. They were apparently bored by our team's lack of skill and continually served to the random guy, who had the most talent on our side. The way I see it, they brought it on themselves by declining when I suggested that we go half-and-half for the teams. Eventually, we were bolstered by the addition of that guy's friend (similarly talented); Jared arrived and was slotted into the other team, and while spirited, he provided another weak point at the minimum. Even so, I was soon tired of the others' obvious contempt for our amateurish ways and took off. People who win and still conduct themselves like assholes are awful. Also, I was locked out of the apartment for a while, so that blew.

Priest Pipe

          Appropriately, Eric dropped into town for 4/20. He joined Alaric and me for a round of smoking, Super Smash Bros., and finally Revolution (which I acquired for Alaric to clear up a debt.) Eric played an "agent of chaos" role, as he referred to it, and ended up handing me the come-from-behind victory. He eventually had to bail, but was replaced by Emily and Johnny, precipitating another ring of fire. Later, Alaric and I went to Iris's to catch Game of Thrones; we then attempted to watch Requiem For a Dream, but I was unable to stay awake.
          Quotes of the day:
"I saw you hittin' that. You were hittin' the priest pipe." - Eric
"I smoked weed with this crew of gigantic black guys the other night and I was not ready." - Eric
"They all had personal blunts..." - Eric
Ghostwriting for Rick Ross...
Alaric: "Five gold and a black."
Eric: "I got five gold and a black in the back..."

Chalice of Champions

          A morning council meeting on Saturday is something no one wants to do. There's a lazy, convivial atmosphere at most of them, and this one was even more so. This was one in a series of meetings in which the council is revamping the old pep band constitution, bringing it up to date and eliminating irregularities. As such, it's a sizable time sink. Post-meeting, we set up for what we've dubbed the 1023 Symposium, a classic toga party. Highlights: Togas; everyone gulping wine out of the penny-flavored Chalice of Champions; beating David at chess; getting beaten by Sean at chess; drunkenness. Extremely late in the party, I went for a cigar walk through the alleys of Back Bay with Emily, followed by a sketchy College Convenience cheeto run.
          Quotes of the day:
"He's articulate, but that doesn't mean you want to trust him with the launch codes." - me
...
Me: "Members in bad standing should wear a large picture of JL around their neck."
Justin: "The Scarlet Leonard."
...
Matt T: "The petition form must be signed and submitted 24 hours in advance."
Brendan: "I think for most people it was more like 24 seconds."

Sometimes a Crease Is Just a Crease

          Early this morning, I walked over to Iris's to deliver one of the centerpieces left at the hockey banquet. I went home to chop up magazines, decorate, and the like before returning to campus. I arrived at the Athletics yard sale at Cabot hoping to grab a game-worn jersey and instead found a line already forming. Everyone running the event was basically dicking around for ten minutes prior to its scheduled start time, but since there was already a huge line and everyone goes through in order, there was no reason for them to delay the start. No game-worns were there (curse Athletics for faking us out on that one...) but I did pick up a normal fan jersey in black and red. Following some much-needed sleep, I went across the street to Nathan's to watch the first Bruins vs. Red Wings game with Iris, Alaric and Chelsea. The Bruins dropped the game 1-0, and we left feeling blue balled. Like Alaric, I've come to the conclusion that it's fun to root against Boston -- they're no underdog, and their fanbase is among the most obnoxious. That said, I hate the Red Wings, so for now Boston has my invaluable support. At home, I stayed up to put up more posters in my room and move stuff around.
          Quote of the day:
"Yes! I'm the coolest kid in China." - Alaric

History History History

          Possibly due to Becky's urging, the entire pep band somehow received an invitation to the NU Men's Hockey Banquet, and I arrived at Matthews just a couple minutes late. I crashed at a table with Ariel, Rachelle, Adam P, and one of the hockey players, defenseman Jarrett Fennell. (The players were scattered about at tables around the room.) Most of the ceremony itself was pretty boring, especially given some of the older dudes who went up to speak; the players and younger staff were entertaining enough, especially the profane gear manager. One guy in particular told joke after flat joke -- we're talking about actual silence from the audience -- and only registered one hit, a standard BU "do you want fries with that?" zinger. The catered dinner and dessert was excellent as well. Several of us posed for a photo with Clay Witt, then gathered around one of the Zambonis for a series of pictures. Aside: I'm amused that the Zamboni company motto is "Nothing else is even close." After dinner, Alaric, Nathan and I went to Iris's for the Blues vs. Blackhawks game. As Iris went to bed, I ended up being the only one to watch the entire game; it went to three overtimes before the Blues won 4-3 after the longest game in franchise history.

You Will Cough Up Crows That Peck My Eyes

          After sleeping all day, I headed to afterHOURS to catch Mark Gilday, Jr. and Andrew Jackson Jihad! Gilday (a younger guy, probably a student) played alone on stage with just an acoustic guitar and his own voice. He tended toward the shouty, humorous brand of folk punk so reminiscent of Bomb the Music Industry!'s Jeff Rosenstock. Though perhaps a little rough around the edges, Gilday's set was quite fun and even contemplative at times, as if by accident. This served to whet my punk appetite, long dormant -- the real treat for the evening, of course, was Andrew Jackson Jihad. I never dared to imagine that I would get to see them live, though it's hard to say why; maybe I just considered them in the same state of flux as BTMI! The two most consistent members were present at this gig: singer/guitarist Sean Bonnette and singer/upright bassist Ben Gallaty. It's difficult to capture this show in words, so I will put it this way: it was magical. AJJ's sometimes manic, sometimes gloomy style of folk punk never ceases to amaze. Bonnette and Gallaty have incredible and hilarious chemistry on stage, which perfectly complements their wicked lyricism. It's particularly cool to see an upright bass played in a context outside of the orchestra. They even played several of my favorite songs from their repertoire, including "Love In the Time of Human Papillomavirus", "Rejoice", "Bad Bad Things", and "People II: The Reckoning", with various stories told in between. This show joins Baths and Big D & the Kids Table in a three-way tie for best show seen at afterHOURS, though this one may have the most personal significance. After the show, I went to Iris's to watch the first night of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Penguins defeated the Blue Jackets (unhappy, but not unexpected) and the Habs squeezed an OT win over the Bishop-less Lightning.
          Quotes of the day:
"Let's get- let's get sad." - S.B.
...
S.B.: "Sick solo, man."
B.G.: "Well how am I supposed to finish it when you're talkin' over it? Fuck! Some people."

Stonehands

          One more day until playoffs. Alaric and I have constructed a facebook group for the ~15 people in our bracket challenge lineup, for the purpose of planning awards and general chirping of other teams. $60 will be on the line, up for proportional grabs between the top three point earners; the bottom three will be subject to one Butta Burger, one full chalice of Ryan Miller Lite, and two Butta Burgers, respectively. I skipped my last E. Science class for obvious reasons, and the last AWPL class went okay. Iris and I obtained pizza and chilled out for the remainder of the evening.

Augustus

          I went beast mode on the U.S. Congress final with hardly any cramming, and it seemed to go well enough. Also, Prof. Beauchamp brought some surprisingly delicious brownies for the class to share; happily, he is neither the first nor the last to openly bribe people for better department evaluations. Later, Iris and I ate some tasty meat 'n noodles at Wagamama in the Pru [translation: "naughty child"]. We then hit up Crate & Barrel to grab a glass receptacle for one of Iris's little projects, then went home to share an ice cream cake. Alaric and I cooked up our brackets for the Stanley Cup playoffs, which begin in two days. Since my Rangers face his Flyers in the first round, we've agreed that shit talk is acceptable until the Flyers git ownd the round is over, because it's disrespectful to talk about the dead. I have the Rangers going to the Eastern Conference Final before falling to the Bruins, who I predict to win the cup; I have the Ducks over the Avalanche as the Western Conference champs, as much as it pains me.

The Magistrate, the Innkeeper, and the Spy

Sorry for the terrible formatting (hopefully fixed now). I'm posting from work, all of the computers run Windows 97 or Windows XP, and every program is a little weird. Thanks for reading!

          Through a roundabout chain of events, I came into possession of a free ticket to PAX East, and so I found myself headed to the convention center with Alaric and Kevin B. This was my first convention, and it was quite a production. I got the chance to play the pre-release of Hotline Miami 2 [INSERT YAYS HERE!] and scored some free stuff, including oatmeal with a small Cards Against Humanity supplement inside. Alaric and I played an incredible subterfuge-type board game called Revolution with a vendor, and I barely scraped out the win at the end. For most of the time I spent not lost/trying to find Alaric and Kevin B, I checked out a variety of sweet games. Some highlights: Gods Will Be Watching, a gut-wrenching decision maker, and Duet, a laughably frustrating action game. Of course, there were some that ranged from questionable to bad, such as Cthulhu Dice, which pretty much boils down to a Dreidel clone. I saw a few amazing cosplays (hello, TF2 Medic) and a lot of terribad ones (anyone dressed as Pikachu.) We took a break to eat at a Burger King in Southie and were accosted by a pack of 2tuff4u, foul-mouthed thirteen year olds -- that last part is conjecture -- who demanded to know if PAX was cool. The answer was yes.
          After the convention, I went to Iris's to watch an extremely important episode of Game of Thrones, and we were surprised by a connection problem with the university's HBO channel. I called the appropriate authority and they promised to try and fix it, and after some time the channel was back up. We shared a chocolate orange and witnessed a huge character death, one that I've been looking forward to since starting the show. There are absolutely benefits to reading GoT before watching, especially if you're following it with someone who doesn't know what's up. I stuck around for part of the rerun to see what we'd missed, then went home and laid down the law about recycling. (Cans in the trash? No.) A late, brief study session for U.S. Congress was followed by a 3 a.m. run in perfect weather.
          Quote of the day:
"I knew my philosophy minor would come in handy, aaaahhhh!" - Kevin

Paris Burning

          Thrown together at the eleventh hour, the Bandquet was a resounding success, if less well-attended than in previous years. Jared, Nate, and Sabrina helped me gather materials beforehand, and we all hoofed it over to IV to start in time. Awards were awarded; pizza was eaten; music was listened to; Bookers was late; and fun was had by most, at least. Everyone present was in pep band, with the exception of one brave concert band kid; two representatives of the orchestra had apparently arrived before we got there with the food, demanded pizza, and left when none was forthcoming. The slideshow was a ball of fun, in my estimation, but the downside is that this one can't go public on YouTube.
          In the evening, I helped Alaric and LJL build the masks (surprise!) for Molly's early birthday party. Each is themed around a requested Disney character, and I chose Frollo from Hunchback. (Flames above the eyes? One of my better ideas.) The party was a great time -- Ryan L and Laura took photos by the abandoned toilets, I smoked a cigar or two with Alaric and Kevin B, and madness reigned in our home once again.

Wall-E x Frollo: The best worst fanfiction never to happen.

Government Chocolate

          Our final installment of Budgeting & Taxation included a forum on government waste and a zealous argument over espionage and budgeting. Several of my classmates took the position that an overly transparent budgeting process for the intelligence agencies declaws them; I argued that broad strokes of information could help budgetary employees make informed decisions. This spilled over into a straight-up debate about domestic spying; I was one of 4 students out of 17 who said they wanted to know if the government was spying on them. This was a perfect conclusion to an incredible class, and I strongly recommend that anyone (not just poli sci students) with an interest in what the government does with our money to take it. It certainly wasn't the "accounting for political science" class that I expected.
          I missed the previous class of AWPL, and came in to learn that the Answer to Complaint that I put together with Mike and Dan had won the class's "best of" vote. Our team, Irish Wristwatch #YOLO370, took it in a landslide. (We got 9 votes; the next runner-up received 2.) For all my last-minute, lazy work this semester, I really killed it on this assignment, and I even got props for "the sentence," which sort of flowed out of my pen of its own accord. ("Put simply, the Plaintiff's complaint is the product of a rampant culture of unnecessary litigation within the United States government." [explosion optional]) Someone from Northeastern's law school came to give us tips on the application, and it was all I could do to keep from screaming when I thought about the cost. After classes were finished at last, I drank a bit with Alaric, Iris, Kevin B (who's here for the weekend), LJL, and Molly before making a run on Tasty Burger. Good game, spring semester, but only one of us is still standing.
          Quotes of the day:
"I always wanted to try those chocolates." - Prof. Jimenez, re: Coloradan marijuana chocolates, after a discussion on whether they could be shipped to Massachusetts
"I used to be in college, I was drunk and didn't learn anything. Honestly, I don't remember a single thing." - Prof. Jimenez

For Great Justice

          Activities for the day: chilling out, playing Fall From Heaven, feeling great about having a job, and a whole lot of nothing.

Rich Rich, P.C.

          This morning, I interviewed at Rich May, a law firm near Downtown Crossing. Their office is pretty fancy, and I felt intimidated until I met with the first of three interviewers. This was a kindly, middle-aged HR lady; after giving me a brief overview of the firm, she talked about her kids for a few minutes before taking her leave. I got the impression that she was testing my personality more than my qualifications. The next person to arrive was the office manager, a slightly older woman who went over the duties of the position (the co-op manages the firm's library) and described the office in detail. Her feelings toward me seemed positive as well. In the midst of a tangential conversation about environmentalism, I warily deflected the question: "Do you consider yourself an environmentalist?" I replied, "I wouldn't characterize myself as an environmentalist. I do have an interest in the environment -- I think everyone does, whether they know it or not." This seemed to satisfy the manager, and she took off shortly thereafter. Finally, I spoke with the current co-op, a history major with an uncomfortable habit of blankly staring at me long after I finished speaking. She gave me a tour of the office and described a typical day; her answer to my question about the position's biggest challenge was "being 20 in an office full of young paralegals." I'll be 21 soon enough, so at least that wouldn't be an issue. I had counted on this being the easiest part of the interview (just have a pleasant chat with a co-op who's about my age, right?) but it turned out to be the awkwardest, though not strictly bad. The manager told me I could expect to hear back within the next two or three days, and I left feeling confident.
          Back home, I did my best to work on my U.S. Congress presentation, with meager success. I somehow flubbed my way through it in class, more or less crapping my pants along the way, and survived in the end. Not long after I got home again, I received a call from Rich May with an offer for the co-op position. It was only six hours after my interview! I happily accepted; the job is 8 to 6 Monday through Friday, so the work week will be long, but the overtime should be worth it. In a remarkably cheerful mood, I met with Nathan, Rachelle, Ariel, and Katie E for a merry dinner at Stetson East. Iris and I started to watch Blade Runner, but she proved unable to stay awake (this movie is becoming notorious for inducing drowsiness) and we decided to finish it later.

Award For Sufficience

          I finally ripped through my personal reflection paper for AWPL, entering class somewhat late but caught up at last. Later, I played Fall From Heaven before meeting Jenn, Alaric, Matt T, Nathan, and Erika at Jenn's place near Whole Foods. There, we brainstormed most of the Bandquet awards, drank beer and chatted.
          Quote of the day:
"Sea foam is just plankton making all this mucus. So when you see this beautiful sea foam going all over, that's just sea snot." - Prof. Helmuth

Sunny Side

          I was up early to get over to Government Center for an interview at the Public Inquiry and Assistance Center (PIAC for short.) I was seated at a table with three PIAC employees and did my best to give robust, if unimaginative answers. As always, I loathe the pressure and group dynamic that comes with multiple interviewers. Once I'd run the gauntlet, I decided to get breakfast at last semester's stomping grounds in Pi Alley. I took a chance on eggs sunny side up, bacon and toast at Archie's, and got another call for an interview while eating. I got home and fell asleep instead of working, and predictably missed U.S. Congress. I played Super Smash Bros. with Sean to let off steam, then chilled out with Iris. (Excluding her throwing a fit over the tag on my blanket appearing at the wrong end of the bed.)

Is There Gold In the Village?

          Today, I found myself completely unable to get any work done. This is the worst writer's block that I have ever suffered through. In the evening, Iris and I watched the fourth season premiere of Game of Thrones at her place. The episode was quite good, though I was unhappy that the Tickler was more or less excluded from the show's telling of the story. For the most part, the choices made in terms of omissions and simplification of the story from page to screen are expertly done; this particular aspect was a feel-good(?) revenge story involving Arya, and I felt that it both set up for her development as a character and better explained her rage. We're going to need to figure out a new place to watch it once she moves out of West C, but for now, we're just concentrating on who's going to get killed next.

Snoop's Upside Ya Head

          When morning came, I dragged myself out of bed to volunteer at a CEP event called "Neighbor to Neighbor", an organized cleanup of a local neighborhood. We were promised breakfast, and were given half a muffin and two donut holes each. Considering that we were about to do 4 hours of physical labor, I was pretty steamed. The volunteers worked on cleaning up trash throughout the Alice Taylor housing project, which I discovered spans from Ruggles Street back into Mission Hill. Boston is very skilled at working housing projects into the local landscape. The details of the cleanup are uninteresting; suffice to say that I came away with an ugly purple t-shirt and a raging hunger. The Delivery Man came over to play Super Smash Bros. with Alaric, Sean and me before Springfest.
          Before long, Alaric and I headed to Matthews for Springfest. I was glad that we decided on balcony tickets -- the arena's not extremely large, the view was great, and we had our pick of seats. The Cold War Kids were playing when we arrived, but I wasn't upset for missing part of their performance. If anything, we were better off; the acoustics in Matthews are not wonderful, but more importantly, this band's vocalist sounds like his junk is stuck in a vise. I'm all for rock and roll, but this performance was unimpressive at best. I entertained myself by watching people trying to covertly smoke weed down among the floor seats.
          Sara Bareilles was next up, and her performance was excellent, even better than Mixfest two years ago. Alaric and I had moved from the back left of the balcony to a spot a little closer to the stage, and a gaggle of loudly singing girls stood in front of us and blocked the view for much of this set. Finally, the time came for Snoop Dogg. His DJ/hype man/whatever played some tunes to keep us occupied, and we waited. And waited. And finally, after probably forty minutes, the man himself appeared. Sporting a Bruins cardigan and probably blazed out of his mind, Snoop Dogg immediately lit the place up, and I danced for practically all of his set. He performed lots of his old standards, a few tributes to gangsta rappers who went before, and even threw "I Love Rock 'n Roll" into the middle of his set -- it seemed like there was nothing he couldn't use to entertain. The final stroke was a masterful, almost choir-like arena-wide singalong to "Young, Wild and Free". The wait was worth it after all, and I can finally say I went to Springfest.
          After the show, several of us trekked up to Mission Hill for a party at the girls' place. At the foot of St. Alphonsus Street, we crossed paths with a large contingent from that same party, and they told us that a cop had just broken it up. We decided to see if we could still go in and calm things down, perhaps provide some reassurance, but a drunk Sabrina insisted on making the call. The subsequent lack of diplomacy meant that we would not be getting in (apparently Lauren B was having some sort of panic attack), so we turned tail and went home. Alaric, Sean and I went to LJL's place to order wings and talk about hockey; none of the girls wanted to party/watch a movie/really do anything, so I got sleepy in short order. After a good dose of lethargy, I went home to not work on what I should have been working on the whole evening.
          Quotes of the day:
"I think of people who like EDM as listening to their alarm and putting soda in their cereal." - another volunteer
"Are you going to Congress? To clean the place up?" - a random passerby, messing with us
"I don't know what a Cold War Kid is, but they seem like they're having fun." - someone in the bathroom at Springfest (courtesy of Jane)

Roguelike

          In the end, I successfully gamed the system on that last AWPL paper, but thank goodness that Friday has finally come. Our apartment was the scene of a festive gathering including Ariel, Emily, Julia, Malcolm, Chelsea, Alaric, Iris, Sara, and Elizabeth. There was much dancing, Julia colored my toenails bright red with a permanent marker, and I got roaring drunk. This was definitely a high point of the spring semester.
          Quote of the day:
"That booty has gone rogue." - Alaric

Pizza Planet, Where's My Tip?

          After further meetings with my co-op advisor and the financial aid office, I set up a camp chair outside my door, picked up a couple of magazines, and enjoyed the sun. It was beautiful outside, if still a tad cold. I received a call for an interview at the Public Inquiry and Assistance Center, a consumer help division of the Attorney General's office. In the late afternoon, I helped Harrison move loads of copies of the NU Political Review to Ell Hall for the club's last meeting of the year. He invited me to stick around for pizza; in the course of the meeting, I saw a couple of familiar poli sci faces and decided to tentatively join the club. With luck, I'll have enough time next semester to do some research or adapt my writing.

The King's Hunt

          Another day, another chance to sleep in and miss U.S. Congress. Malcolm, Alaric, Sean and I went to Iris's to watch the Bruins v. Red Wings game. Katie arrived partway through the game, first making fun of our sport and then engaging Sean in a long argument about what to eat. They left eventually, and the Bruins dropped the game to Detroit, 3-2. We also stayed for the beginning of the Kings v. Coyotes match; LA slaughtered the Coyotes, 4-0. At home, some of us conversed about science fiction's role as a lens on humanity and philosophy. There's a lot of bad science fiction (see: what TVTropes calls the Sci-Fi Ghetto), but properly applied, I think that it's the best medium for social and political commentary.

Doctor's Orders

          I rose early after a much-needed slumber and met with my co-op advisor on the fly. Prof. Britt came into class looking a little bewildered, and explained that she was heavily medicated due to migraines. She also produced containers of cookies out of a bag for us to share while we worked on peer editing. These things combined to foster a convivial, slightly strange atmosphere for the workshop, and the class was fun for once. (It's typically pretty dry, though the other students are cool folks and the debate is engaging at times.) After class, I went grocery shopping with Nathan, Haley, Molly, and Iris; the others were very cooperative in slipping a bouquet of flowers past Iris for me. At home, I played Super Smash Bros. with Alaric, Sean, Iris and Katie before Sean and I settled into a game of Fall From Heaven (an extremely difficult, medieval/fantasy mod of Civ IV.)
          Quotes of the day:
"Socialist final, everybody work together." - guy in B&T
"I'm on migraine drugs, so I'm a little high. So if I say anything crazy..." - Prof. Britt
...
Jimenez: "Why do you save money?"
Girl in class: "Because my parents tell me to."