Basket Case

          I spent a lot of money on books for the two classes I'm taking this summer semester, including a $100+ nonreturnable classpac for Prof. Dukakis, and it was agitating. Also, I had my classes purged because I didn't fill out I Am Here, but was fortunately not alone and managed to slide back into my classes with no harm done. I churned out a quick one-pager and skimmed the reading for Public Policy & Administration -- not the best start, especially given that I was tired enough to need caffeinated chocolates from the bookstore. As it turns out, the reading doesn't seem to matter much; Prof. Dukakis often takes the discussion in directions the reading doesn't cover, and he likes to rehash all of the material anyway. We spent a good portion of the class discussing the de-privatization of passenger rail, an issue he is very concerned about.
          I attended the first Religion & Politics class of the semester, and already, my impressions are overwhelmingly positive. The classroom itself kind of sucks: we're meeting in 209 Kariotis, a stuffy, strangely wedge-shaped room with only two or three electrical outlets. Cigarette smoke drifted in the window, and I became progressively more tired throughout the class. In the last ten minutes, I lost the fight against sleep in spite of a desperation Red Bull, but up until then everything was hunky dory. The class discussion is already shaping up to be awesome, and I'm already going hard on that front. With a slight air of "mad scientist" and a wacky combover, Prof. Miles reminds me slightly of Prof. Feinstein, but he is an expressive and captivating speaker. He has a way of holding the class in his thrall -- he'll say something in a low voice, and typing stops. He delivers points with a passionate, dramatic style that builds almost to a shout, then drops back down to a whisper, and you can sense people listening very carefully. Some interesting figures were produced on the state of religion in America, such as this one: 42% of people in the U.S. think that life has existed, unchanged, since the beginning of time. After class, I chatted with Abraham, a soft-spoken fellow survivor of U.S. Congress, and Ibis, who I understand is Katie's friend and is in both of my classes this semester. Later on, I skipped going to the Prison Book Program to take a short nap and catch up with Logan, whose personal life has been all over the place recently.
          Quotes of the day:
"When I got elected governor in 1974, the MBTA was an absolute basket case." - Prof. Dukakis
"I don't forbid people from eating. Particularly carrots -- that's very healthy." - Prof. Miles
"I can reveal to you that my deepest identity is... a member of Red Sox Nation." - Prof. Miles
"The robes are supposed to send us a message that they are not human beings with prejudices and values and ideas about the real world." - Prof. Miles, re: the Supreme Court
"This is also known as the Marxian theory of crack cocaine." - Prof. Miles
"If you- when you have a problem with Blackboard..." - :Prof. Miles
"Believe me, I know when it's not class related. Nobody knows it, but Northeastern has a subscription with the NSA." - Prof. Miles
"No cheating for the interview assignment. No one is allowed to interview a prophet, or someone who claims to be God." - Prof. Miles
"This is the problem with teaching this class in Massachusetts. Angels don't come here." - Prof. Miles