Silly Rabbit

          This morning, I met with Amy and a roomful of serious-looking folks to playtest an activity designed for the Boys & Girls Club. I'm going to help her run the game, and it was good that we went through it first -- the instructions were somewhat lacking in clarity. The last thing I want is to lose control of an activity in a room with thirty kids. After the playtest, I went home to smoke and watch The Wire; in time, I was joined first by Johnny, then Sabrina, Emily, Jules, Sean, Nathan, Kofi, and Peter for the first game of the second round. New York lost to the Capitals in the most frustrating fashion, and we followed up with The Sopranos before I hit the sack.
           Quote of the day:
"'Then, she sees a little crack...' Is it Friday night already?" - me

Playoff section:
East
TBL v. MTL: 0 - 0
WSH v. NYR: 1 - 0        Another 2-1 game (loss), with Ward scoring the killing goal at 59:58.7.
West
MIN v. CHI: 0 - 0
CGY v. ANA: 0 - 1        Ducks went H.A.M. in a 6-1 rout at the Pond. Not so much a reflection on
                                          the young Flames as proof that the Canucks were a complete mirage.

Librulism

          After an all nighter and two energy drinks, I was able to gut out my IPE final paper on Global Financial Governance. It was not a great effort, but I am truly not skilled at economics. I then went in "cold and bold" on the CLaw final and suffered badly for my hubris. It was dreadful. After this, I went home, decorated and put up posters for the first time in a while.

Playoff section:
East
MTL v. OTT: 4 - 2
TBL v. DET: 4 - 3         I hoped so much that Detroit would pull this out. On to the second round, then.
NYR v. PIT: 4 - 1
WSH v. NYI: 4 - 3
West
STL v. MIN: 2 - 4
NSH v. CHI: 2 - 4 
ANA v. WPG: 4 - 0
VAN v. CGY: 2 - 4

Six Things

          I created an OkCupid account out of sheer procrastination today. Iris is spreading the gospel, and she came to visit today. The personality evaluation is my favorite aspect of the profile, and answering more and more questions to round it out is a perfect waste of time. Eventually I was forced to the band office to try and get something -- anything -- done.

His Panic Vote

          I got up and went in dry on the USFP final, and felt reasonably positive about my grade. I then headed to Curry and finally received my WRBB studio swipe card. Back at home, I watched some of The Wire, started to work on my radio show playlist for the evening and quickly fell asleep. When I woke, I was running late and whipped up a "Surprise" playlist in response. The show itself was mediocre -- there were a million people in the studio and the outer doors were locked, and those people wouldn't let me in at first, thinking I was trying to access their party or whatever was going on in there. They camped out in the room with a window on the room where I broadcast from, so I felt watched and uncomfortable. This was the last show of the spring semester. Post-broadcast, I went home to play Advance Wars with Sean on the television.

Playoff section:
East
MTL v. OTT: 4 - 2
TBL v. DET: 3 - 3          Tampa Bay is too close for comfort.
NYR v. PIT: 4 - 1
WSH v. NYI: 4 - 3         Islanders had 11 shots the entire game, with only 3 from forwards. 5 of the
                                         other 8 were Boychuk. All things being equal, a deep NYR run would be
                                         more fun if we could beat the Isles instead of the Caps. Here we go again...
West
STL v. MIN: 2 - 4 
NSH v. CHI: 2 - 4 
ANA v. WPG: 4 - 0
VAN v. CGY: 2 - 4

Big Man In Town

          I walked back to Fenway with Julia, stopping at Goodwill along the way. I exercised restraint and avoided purchasing anything while she inquired about an electric keyboard. At home, we went through a lengthy process to choose a movie to watch and settled on Big, which I fell in love with. It's a rare comedy that appeals to my taste, but Big is sweet, funny and a little nostalgic. Jacob's Ladder was next, in a dramatic change of tone. We listened to music and chatted for a while before Julia took off; later, Emily, Kofi, and Iris joined me and Nathan for Game of Thrones. Iris brought celebratory fried calamari and cookies for the Wild's round 1 victory, too!
          Quote of the day:
"I like reading about horrible theme park rides." - Julia

Playoff section:
East
MTL v. OTT: 4 - 2        A 2-"0" loss for the Sens, and the Habs win the series. You could tell the ref
                                        immediately knew he blew that disallowed goal by the look on his face...
TBL v. DET: 2 - 3
NYR v. PIT: 4 - 1
WSH v. NYI: 3 - 3
West
STL v. MIN: 2 - 4          Parise and Dubnyk coming up big = another early exit for the Blues. 4-1 baby.
NSH v. CHI: 2 - 4 
ANA v. WPG: 4 - 0
VAN v. CGY: 2 - 4

Ol' Sawbones

          Another KKPsi-sponsored busk at the Common ended in another goodly haul of cash. The people do love us. Much later, I found myself in Allston again, and was happily surprised by the new look of Julia and Jennifer's apartment. We relaxed to music and watched the lip-biting 127 Hours, which was actually a great movie. My mirror neurons went berserk in a few scenes, but that's part of the draw, right?
          Quote of the day:
"My mom was the biggest mistake of them all." - Julia

"It ain't even funny/
Some girls don't even know me askin' can they get some money?"

Playoff section:
East
MTL v. OTT: 3 - 2
TBL v. DET: 2 - 3             A convincing victory for Detroit, 4-0.
NYR v. PIT: 4 - 1
WSH v. NYI: 3 - 3            The Isles are hanging on by their fingernails. Game 7 should be interesting.
West
STL v. MIN: 2 - 3
NSH v. CHI: 2 - 4             Another day, another blown lead. The Preds drop the series. What a shame.
ANA v. WPG: 4 - 0
VAN v. CGY: 2 - 4            Insanity at the Saddledome. The Flames win 7-4, for the series.

Stick a Fork In 'Em

          I couldn't close the book on LatAm, and settled for procrasticleaning around the apartment. I watched some Arrow with Sean and took much pleasure in the Rangers' series-clinching game. MSG is a library at times, but it can roar. Jared threw a pajama party, and I had a great time here too! An all-around enjoyable night.

Playoff section:
East
MTL v. OTT: 3 - 2         Ottawa doing their best to climb back up with a 5-1 thrashing. Please.
TBL v. DET: 2 - 2
NYR v. PIT: 4 - 1           Eat shit Pittsburgh! You get nothing! Hags with a fantastic diving OT goal.
WSH v. NYI: 3 - 2
West
STL v. MIN: 2 - 3           4-1 bounce-back from the Wild. This felt viscerally good.
NSH v. CHI: 2 - 3
ANA v. WPG: 4 - 0
VAN v. CGY: 2 - 3

Capital Cities

          I slept all day (thirteen hours!) and missed every class that was still being held on the last day. I got up in the evening, went for a run, and watched Arrow and The Flash while chatting with Nathan.

Playoff section:
East
MTL v. OTT: 3 - 1
TBL v. DET: 2 - 2         Tampa Bay stole this, outshot 46-14 and somehow they come away up 3-2.
NYR v. PIT: 3 - 1
WSH v. NYI: 3 - 2         The Caps went ape. 5-1 crushing (Isles scored first) with no G's from
                                         Ovechkin OR Backstrom. I'm hoping NYI take G6, and then wear out.
West
STL v. MIN: 2 - 2
NSH v. CHI: 2 - 3            Nashville needed a lucky break and they got it. 5-2 Preds, Forsberg hat trick!
ANA v. WPG: 4 - 0
VAN v. CGY: 2 - 3

Birds In the Engines

          My finals rush this year feels different, like it's got a dark cloud around it. I just sat and stared for hours, reading, cleaning my keyboard, looking out a window on the fourth floor of Snell, and I couldn't work. Somewhere around 3 or 4 a.m. by brain decided it had tortured me enough. A switch flipped and I was on. I tore through 8 pages of what should have been 10, hit the wall, said "fuck it" and submitted. Not to mention, "I don't think I'm making it to class today." On to Curry, where I wiped out a plate of sushi, a Red Bull, and some pop-tarts -- the bar for extreme finals food has been set. Then, I managed to get through four out of five case summaries for C.Law before conceding and going to class. This last one was fun -- I'll miss Prof. Tolley's wit.
          Quotes of the day:
"The Burger Court was an unsophisticated court." - Prof. Tolley, throwing shade re: balancing
"Yes, the "zone of twilight"...The Twilight Zone... ah, I'm too old." - Prof. Tolley

Playoff section:
          "[We have] got a team on their heels, and we have our foot right on the throat where we want it, so we've just got to finish them off, we don't want to give them any hope." - Frederik Andersen, Ducks goalie, before Game 4
East
MTL v. OTT: 3 - 1         Hottawa scrapes to avoid the sweep, 0-1.... thank goodness.
TBL v. DET: 1 - 2
NYR v. PIT: 3 - 1          Oh check it out, another 2-1 victory and we can clinch it at home on Friday.
WSH v. NYI: 2 - 2
West
STL v. MIN: 2 - 2          The Blues offense just exploded, 6-1. This is what I've been fearing.
NSH v. CHI: 1 - 3
ANA v. WPG: 4 - 0          SWAT. The Ducks sweep Winnipeg, who were just not ready. 5-2 sendoff.
VAN v. CGY: 1 - 3

"YA GOTTA..."

          I rehearsed again with Peter and his Production classmates, and this time we did a full run-through. Acting always makes me nervous. When we were done, I went home to slack off and shared a goodbye sesh with Johnny, during which we watched "New Material Seinfeld" and some of the copious hockey to come. The Predators would, after two full overtime periods of hockey after dropping another early lead, suffer a third loss in their series against the Blackhawks. I headed to the library for a super late, super overdue work session. It's that time again!

Playoff section:
East
MTL v. OTT: 3 - 0
TBL v. DET: 1 - 2        Mrazek says no and it's 3-0 Wings at the Joe Louis. Is Jimmy Howard taking                                         notes here?
NYR v. PIT: 2 - 1
WSH v. NYI: 2 - 2
West
STL v. MIN: 1 - 2
NSH v. CHI: 1 - 3        I still can't believe how heartbreaking this game was. Most numbing ending so
                                      far... but probably not for long.
ANA v. WPG: 3 - 0
VAN v. CGY: 1 - 3        Whoever moves up here is getting rocked by the Ducks next round.

Send Me On My Way

          I rose around 4:20 a.m. to smoke in the Fens on this most holy of days, accompanied by my stalwart companions Maddie and Halley. When we returned, the others (aka Jules and Emily) put on Lord of the Rings and I settled in to nap into the late afternoon. Later on, the celebrations began in earnest, and a bunch of people stopped by to join in the funnery. We watched Cheech and Chong's Up In Smoke, then an epic Chinese war film called Red Cliff, and finally hockey, all of which went perfectly. Eventually I managed to find my way to bed and slept there for a change.

          Quotes of the day:
"What's the point of being super hot if you're not also super strong?" - Emily
"Grape game on fleek." - me (regrettably)

Playoff section:
East
MTL v. OTT: 3 - 0
TBL v. DET: 1 - 1
NYR v. PIT: 2 - 1            11 SOG for PIT in the first 2 periods. Now, to put the foot down and bring                                             G5 to MSG.
WSH v. NYI: 1 - 2
West
STL v. MIN: 1 - 2            Sneaky goal by Pominville = the Wild are up in this series.
NSH v. CHI: 1 - 2
ANA v. WPG: 3 - 0          Anaheim piling it on. Dustin Byfuglien continues to be an unmitigated                                                    piece of shit.
VAN v. CGY: 1 - 2

.     .     .     .     .

Zhou Yu: "In this alliance I found true friends. No matter what happens, this experience is engraved in my heart."

Kongming: "I, too, will not forget."

Weezy x2

Notes for today are missing, probably never written to begin with. Apologies for the giant backlog of entries, I'm working to rectify the situation.

          Iris came over for Game of Thrones. Hockey happened. And it was good.

Playoff section:
East
MTL v. OTT: 3 - 0         I hate Dale Weise with a passion.
TBL v. DET: 1 - 1
NYR v. PIT: 1 - 1
WSH v. NYI: 1 - 2
West
STL v. MIN: 1 - 1
NSH v. CHI: 1 - 2
ANA v. WPG: 2 - 0
VAN v. CGY: 1 - 2         It continues! Several fights and misconducts in the third period.

Appalachia

          Today, Kappa Kappa Psi fulfilled a longstanding dream of Jared's and mine: an instrument cleaning party. I cleaned out my trumpet for the first time and feel very satisfied with it current state, though there was one valve that I was helpless to remove. I proceeded to Shillman for another rehearsal with Peter. Everyone involved is friendly and relaxed, so it's going smoothly enough. In the evening, I was picked up by Jules and her friend Katelyn, a West Virginian and student at Wellesley. We were off to Portland to see Neutral Milk Hotel and build up some hipster cred! After a brief search for someplace to eat, we settled on Thai food and chatted about social issues in WV and political activism.
          Not long after we settled into mezzanine seats at the State Theatre, we were "treated" to the most horrible opening act imaginable: the Dot Wiggin Band, formerly known as the Shaggs. This is an ensemble whose music has been described as "gimmicky," "uncanny," and "hauntingly bad." Formed by three young sisters in the 1960s after their father thought their stardom was prophesied(!), this is a new lineup with the same ear-scarring "outsider music". Their lyricism and musicianship was nil; at least they exhibited a merry stage presence. When Jeff Mangum took the stage for Neutral Milk Hotel, even his keening voice came as a relief. He was soon joined by the rest of the band, who were on fire throughout the show. Mangum and company played the shit out of some of my favorite NMH tunes: "King of Carrot Flowers, Pt. 1", "Naomi", and "Two Headed Boy" as a matter of course. We returned to Jules's apartment tired but happy, and relaxed thenceforth.

Playoff section:
East
MTL v. OTT: 2 - 0
TBL v. DET: 1 - 1
NYR v. PIT: 1 - 1          Ugly. 4-3 Penguins. I predicted five games in the series, let's see if I'm right.
WSH v. NYI: 1 - 1
West
STL v. MIN: 1 - 1         Tarasenko hat trick... ugh.
NSH v. CHI: 1 - 1
ANA v. WPG: 2 - 0
VAN v. CGY: 1 -1

Hartley's Heroes

          I watched the Daredevil finale (again) with Sean and worked on a "kill list" within my music collection. I followed up with a loooooong "nap" as a result of not sleeping last night (too hype because of the Rangers winning.) Later on, we did a bar crawl with Erika to celebrate her birthday. Several of us met at Our House to share a few drinks and raven over the appetizers. The Caps were beating the Isles on the TV, and all was well. We eventually moved shop to Punter's to swill a few pitchers of piss. I dropped out of the crawl after losing some money somewhere along the way, but returned home to relax with another drink and was eventually joined by a few stumbling refugees.

Playoff section:
East
MTL v. OTT: 2 - 0        Frustratingly close loss #2. Subban should be suspended for that G1 axe chop.
TBL v. DET: 0 - 1
NYR v. PIT: 1 - 0
WSH v. NYI: 1 - 1        Just as planned.
West
STL v. MIN: 0 - 1
NSH v. CHI: 1 - 1          Nashville stomps 'em out 6-2 (one CHI goal with 6 men on, no review...)
ANA v. WPG: 1 - 0
VAN v. CGY: 1 - 1         4-1 Canucks → goon squads come out at the end. A dogfight, like I said.

50 Saves of Clay

          A fortuitous call from Laura woke me in time to make it to USFP, which just filled me with joy. I fell asleep in the office in between classes and slept through the others. This week, I've missed more classes than I've managed to attend (though LatAm is almost useless, academically.) In the evening, I got spiffed up for my second hockey banquet. It seems like they were more prepared for the band members this time. Before the ceremony, there was a reception in the alumni clubhouse or whatever it's called, and I enjoyed an uncommonly strong cranberry vodka for just a few bucks. (As did Sabrina and anyone else who could get their hands on one.) When we headed down to the arena floor, I was seated with Ryan L, Sabrina, Peter, and a couple of rookie players on the team who said they were rooting for the Red Wings. As with last year, the banquet was long, mostly boring but punctuated with moments of hilarity, and superbly catered.
          Throughout the evening, I was obsessively checking the scores. Once the event was through, I picked up what swag I could find -- the centerpiece from our table, a few programs, NU b-ball posters, and a sweet book of season tickets from this past semester. I brought Emily the flowers before rushing home to finish the first Rangers game with Sabrina, Peter, and Alaric, eventually joined by Emily as well. And now we're up 1-0!
          Quote of the day:
"Becky looks like a proud mother right now." - Ryan L
"...and the 50 saves of Clay..." - the hockey dude who presents a poem every year

Playoff section:
East
MTL v. OTT: 1 - 0
TBL v. DET: 0 - 1         3-2 Red Wings with Mrazek looking sharp, despite a SHG by Boyle(...)
NYR v. PIT: 1 - 0          Brassard goal out of the gates, McDonagh makes it 2-0, and we carry it 2-1!
WSH v. NYI: 0 - 1
West
STL v. MIN: 0 - 1          That went better than expected. 4-2 Wild.
NSH v. CHI: 0 - 1
ANA v. WPG: 1 - 0        3 straight Ducks goals to ruin the Jets' day. 4-2 Anaheim.
VAN v. CGY: 0 - 1

Dynasty Warriors

          I missed class again and continue to feel crappy about my performance in school of late. Earlier in the evening, Jules and I filled in for Morgan on Inbound/Outbound and did a half set each. We then obtained eats at Rod Dee and headed home for PLAYOFF HOCKEY! Jake, Alaric and I stayed up late to watch the Predators and the Blackhawks go at it, with Chicago pulling out a frustrating 2OT win after erasing a 3-goal Preds lead. Our shirtlessness was not enough to seal the opening win for Nashville, it seems. When everyone had cleared out for the night, I finished the final two episodes of Daredevil and was fully satisfied. I can't wait for season two. Or for tomorrow's game between the Rangers and Penguins, for that matter.
          Quote of the day:
"You fool! You foolish fool!" - Jake C

Playoff section:
East
MTL v. OTT: 1 - 0       Pulling for the Senators to win this in 7. They're the Cinderellas of the East.
TBL v. DET: 0 - 0        Red Wings must kill. Lighting were my pick to win the Cup but it'd piss me off.
NYR v. PIT: 0 - 0         Obviously rooting for the Rangers. Also, FUCK THE PENGUINS
WSH v. NYI: 0 - 1        I despise the Islanders but genuinely fear the Caps. Hoping this one goes 7.
West
STL v. MIN: 0 - 0         My boys in the west are up against the scary Blues. Fingers crossed.
NSH v. CHI: 0 - 1         Hate, hate, hate the Blackhawks... Go Preds!
ANA v. WPG: 0 - 0        I'm almost certain the Ducks take this easily. Wild-Ducks WCF, ideally.
VAN v. CGY: 0 - 1         Predicted Vancouver in 7 (more experience) to win this dogfight. Whatever.

Brooks

          Things I did today: shop for groceries, continue my mad binge of Daredevil, and smoke. This show is insanely good and often exhilarating. Watch it.

I BELIEVE IN HARVEY DENT

          I missed all of my classes today, which did not feel terrific. In the evening, I smoked and (regretfully) shaved to begin a fresh playoff beard. A few friends advised me not to get rid of it, calling it a "power beard" and saying it was part of my image, and I have to say it looked better than ever. But my hockey superstitions carry too much weight, so it's back to square one. I amused myself by first shaving exactly half of it and dropping Batman quotes. (Of the photos I took at this point, a cross section in profile is probably the most unsettling.) I ran another full 'Round Midnight show alone, making a few errors along the way, and I attribute them to shaving all the luck off my face. Playoffs begin in two days!
          Quote of the day:
"That wild stallion is broken now." - Nathan

Hi. Note Hamonic getting drilled into the glass in the background.

About Tree Fiddy

          Kappa Kappa Psi and an assortment of unaffiliated volunteers from band went busking at the Common this morning. We brought maybe 20 people, a big bucket to raise funds, and our A-game. After settling on a spot near the pavilion where a few paths crossed (high foot traffic!), we settled in and started to entertain the crowd. People stuck around and seemed into it, but a couple of park rangers did harass us a few times about appropriate decibel levels. They seemed to give up after enough people had gathered and were clearly enjoying the performance. After we'd collected ~$350 and closed shop for the day, I hurried home to scarf some pad thai. I also picked up a rocking chair (attn: Iris) and one of those kids' play rugs with all the town buildings on it (you know what I'm talking about.)
          A few minutes and I was off to Shillman to help Peter with his final project for Production class. We met in a studio on the second floor, which I'd never noticed in my ramblings. We'll be filming a three-person skit wherein I'm an acting teacher trying to train a couple of bratty kids to do improv; today, we just read through the script a few times and generally worked out the blocking. Post-rehearsal, I sat at a table outside Kariotis and worked on cleaning up music metadata for a little while. Before long, I went to afterHOURS to get a couple more volunteer hours.
          This event was called Perspectives on Protest, and consisted of a panel discussion and Q&A with a few sociology professors and career activists. Generation Citizen hosted the event and provided free Uno's to all attendees, which was the real draw for me given how busy the day had become. It was dark, I was full, and the buzzing voices put me to sleep for a while, but one concept caught my ear. The paradigm for youth has shifted from one of protest to one of service; in the absence of larger conflict\, almost no one my age is out raising hell at protests, but many of us are volunteering. On one hand, there is nothing wrong with community service; on the other, the lack of political action (or even interest) is disquieting.
          After a seemingly interminable length of time, the event was over and I could relax for good. Iris, Sean, Kofi, and Alaric came over for the Game of Thrones season 5 premiere. I enjoyed a glass of strongwine and the episode was over before we knew it (it felt kinda short, actually.) Jon Snow was featured heavily, at the cost of zero Arya scenes and only one or two short snippets with Littlefinger. Later, I went running and continued work on my music collection.

Purple People Eaters

          Today, I overslept and missed a planned volunteer outing -- probably should have expected that. We had planned to see Walk the Moon for Stephanie's birthday, so she and Jennifer dropped in at NASA to chill out and smoke hookah first. We broke bread at Rod Dee 2, joined by some of Stephanie's friends (I was cautioned not to mention drinking, smoking or having fun) and then we were off for the House of Blues. Walk the Moon is not really my style of music, and being surrounded by screaming teenage girls underscored that, but they put on a spirited performance and the venue was rocking. We were up in the mezzanine, and once I gave up on trying to see the stage and just danced, the show was much more fun. A post-concert JP Licks run made everyone that much more satisfied, especially when Stephanie unloaded her unfinished ice cream on me.
          Hockey section: The Maple Leafs fired basically everyone above the rank of janitor in their organization. The Bruins missed the playoffs, losing to the Lightning and seeing the bottom wild card spot go to the Penguins. The Senators Cinderella'd their way into a clinched playoff birth with a win over the Flyers. In the final day of the regular season, the Rangers defeated the Capitals again in a 4-2 win at the Verizon Center; Purple Hayes struck first, batting a rebound out of the air and past Holtby; Dom Moore (who is still the fucking man) also scored on a difficult, tight-angle backhand after forcing a turnover. We're playoffs bound!

To Raise a Child

          I finished the Bandquet slideshow after a marathon photo-sorting session, loading it up with quotes and pictures collected throughout the year. The Bandquet itself was low-key but fun as always; the awards were generally well received, and I got the "In Your Face Paint Award". Andy F and Erika were thanked for their years of service to the council. According to a few people, my slideshow was better than any we've had before. The respectable number of band members that showed enjoyed pizza (mercifully not carried over from UHOP this time), soda, and Settlers of Catan. On the spur of the moment and with all those potential celebrants in one place, we decided to throw an afterparty. Most of the attendants were freshmen, so we broke out the new set of baby bottles and were met with the expected mic of confusion and entertainment. The evening got pretty ridiculous with people riding around on each other's backs, kissing this person and that, and being too drunk overall (including me.)
          Quote of the day:
"That was a classic band romance. I don't think there was any hand holding before the CAA tournament." - JL, re: Mary & Alex
"Slideshow game on point." - Matt T

FLAME ON!

          I skipped USFP, then went to the RISE research expo to see my IPE professor's research and for class credit. I also checked out Laura's research (I can say with some confidence that she does science) and played a decent beta game with a designer unnecessarily telling me what I was seeing the whole time. Then, an unusual stop at Rebecca's, and finally deciding to accept the offer with the healthcare consulting firm. It's called Feinstein Kean Healthcare, the offices are very close to the Cambridge end of the Longfellow Bridge, and it sounds like a very interesting gig. I'm also psyched to work in Cambridge because it will give me a new reason to explore the nightlife across the river.
          Hockey section: For any readers who hate this, I promise these will become a little more scarce soon. They'll pick up again in the first couple rounds of playoffs and then taper off in June. Three days are left in the regular season. Today, we learned that even though jet fuel can't melt steel beams, normal Flames can melt the Kings' chances to enter the playoffs! Mark this as the last time I have to hear about "the reigning Stanley Cup champions" every time they come up! This means Calgary plays too, with Boston boy Gaudreau in there. I couldn't be more pleased. The Rangers lost 0-3 to the Senators, which I'm fine with because I want them to make the playoffs like every other underdog fan, and finally the Bruins lost to the Panthers, meaning their fate is partly out of their hands.
          Quotes of the day:
"You're all getting a little nervous in your seats, talking about Marx..." - Prof. Tolley
"There's always a good reason, and you don't have to be a very bright boy here to come up with one!" - Prof. Tolley, re: Lochner v. NY

107M703

          I rode the bus with Julia to Brigham Circle, walked the rest of the way to campus and was only a little late for class. I received three co-op offers! Now I really have to ruminate on it. It's hard to describe the feeling in my chest, like a bird singing, or maybe taking flight. Odd night in sports with three hockey games and three shutouts: the Blue Jackets 5-0 torpedoed the Leafs, further proving that they're coming up next year; the Stars with an inexplicable 4-0 win against the Ducks; and the Crapitals season sweeping and going 3 for 3 with shutouts against the Bruins, this time 3-0 and likely knocking them out of the playoffs. That means that John Scott scored more goals against the Caps this year than the entire Bruins roster; some troll on Wikipedia changed the name of the Bruins owner to Caps goalie Braden Holtby. (Incidentally: that is a terrible name.) After the entertainment was finished, I stayed up late and read about the despicable murder of Walter Scott, who was killed for being black and running from a police officer.

Blueprints

          I was up and away for another gubmint interview, this time at the Office of Consumer Affairs. The lady who interviewed me was extremely personable, and I felt better about this interview than any I've had in the past (except maybe Rich May.) The position is actually quite similar to the one offered by the DTC, so I'd have to ruminate on it if both gave me an offer. I walked home and once I got there, I took a few calls from all manner of co-op folks, including two more interview offers and a secondary interview with the healthcare consulting firm, who say they're seriously considering me for the hire. It's exciting that stuff is moving quickly after all that worrying, but this shit can not go on like this for long. I need some rest.

Bathroom door on the way out of the interview. Dem West womens.

          I've been working on a big project with my music: go all the way through, get correct metadata on all that stuff. Song name, artist, album, year, genre and track/disc numbers all have to be correct before stuff comes out of the Doghouse, which is where music that has the audacity to be improperly labeled must go. I suppose this is a good time as any to mention that I think I have some kind of minor personality disorder and probably always have, but we never caught it because I was good at school because it's not hard to do well in secondary education. Something like OCD, or possibly an attention disorder. I'll worry about it later though. Later, I went to Julia's to debase myself and offer cleaning help. Her parents are visiting so I figured she'd need a hand. Naturally, we also drank and decorated her room, because as everybody knows, fun rules.
          Tonight, for me, must stand as the greatest night of the regular hockey season. The playoff race is tight, there were nine games, and all but one went my way. So the Predators lost 2-3 to the Avalanche in Colorado, and that was arguably because the refs fucked them over on what should have been a good goal (Kevin Weekes said so too!) But the other eight? Flames beat Yotes to stay alive. Jets shut out the Blues 1-0 to stay alive. Red Wings comeback against the Canes to stay alive. Senators 4-3 OT win over the Penguins after a 3-goal rally, all to stay alive. Wild beat the Hawks 2-1 to clinch. Flyers choked away a 3-goal lead, then scored with 3 seconds left to drop the yet-unclinched Islanders, 5-4. Oilers took sweet revenge against the Kings, 4-2, possibly knocking them out if they lose to the Flames next game. And finally: on a back-to-back, the Rangers clinched the President's Trophy with another smackdown on the Devils, 4-2. That's 3 for Coach AV.

The Magician

          In my dream, I was some kind of spy or warrior with a short sword. I was trying to infiltrate a small castle, but someone raised the alarm. A guard shot an arrow at me; I sidestepped and it missed, but severed the string on a red balloon trailing from my other hand. Feeling cowed, I fled from the fight. I looked for shelter in stony ruins, but found none and shivered in a cold rain. Two senses came over me at once: first, that I was completely alone in the world; and second, that I was being watched. Beyond the ruins, deep green forests shifted in a low breeze, impenetrable and dark, but no one was there. I hunkered down on the ground and woke.
          First, excellent news! If you didn't already know, on April 28, the Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments on marriage equality! This term ends in June, so get excited. I expect that there will be little resistance -- Ginsburg, Kagan, Sotomayor, and Breyer seem like locks, and it's more than likely that Roberts and Kennedy will be on the right side of history this time. Auth. note: My day-to-day notes for remembering all this stuff usually take the form of cryptic jots, and the one for this said: "gay marriage in he court starts on the 28th of this month!" Indeed. Today was a day of getting it done, including a writing test for the healthcare co-op, panicking through a presentation and Q&A on the Iranian economy in IPE, and brainstorming the Bandquet awards with about half of the pep band council. Everyone was busy eating, drinking or talking, and I was running that show myself at times. I guess that's what being Events Coordinator entails. Later, I ran the 'Round Midnight show, also by myself. This was a perfect opportunity to go off the normal track and deploy some tunes I've been itching to play: "Django", "Maps", "1979", "Hungry Eyes" (because Sabrina was listening), "How Will I Know", and "Me and Bobby McGee" especially. It was soothing to DJ in solitude after the overstimulation of the council meetup.
          Hockey section: There were five games tonight, and for me, five emotions. From worst to first:
Painful: The Sharks losing to the Stars at home, 5-1. Peace out, Sharks playoffs chances...
Rough: Wild shut out by the Jets at home, 2-0.
Justice: Canucks defeat the Kings 2-1 in the shootout at home, with the adorable Eddie Lack in net for Vancouver. Entertaining game: the Sedin twins with typical puck magic on the regulation goal, some dude named Higgins with a sick deke to sink Quick in the SO. Must-win for L.A.; good stuff.
Sweet: The Buffalo Sabres and their fans got a well-deserved 4-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes because, well, the Hurricanes.
Godly: The Rangers came back and beat the Blue Jackets at MSG, with Stepan grabbing a clutch tying goal at 19:32 in the third and then the killshot at 4:10 in OT. The Grey Ghost struck first for NYR on an assist from Purple Hayes, which is a pretty good omen re: the Grey Ghost title for my piece. If we get at least a loser OT point out of our next game (against the Devils -- smirk), we clinch the East. If we win in any fashion, we clinch the President's Trophy, way ahead of schedule. The game was fun: tied three times, both teams led, tons of shots on goal, and an OT winner besides.
          Quotes of the day:
"It's not a good government, but it's a stable government... We should be more worried about Pakistan than Iran, in my opinion." - Prof. Maness
"'Liberty' is obviously one of the vague generalities in the Constitution." - Prof. Tolley
"Did you have too much wine at your Easter celebrations?" - Prof. Tolley

Toybox

          Maddie, Halley and I took a study break to visit Sugar Daddy's. Maddie got her first piece; I picked up a small stone pipe (the names "Arya" and "Grey Ghost" are in consideration) as well as some incense and a strange lighter with an eye on it for the big day this month. We returned home to chill out to The Flash, then The Sopranos, and finally hockey. In which: The Flyers season swept the Penguins... again! As Olaf would say, "Ho ho ho." Iris invited me to dinner and stuffed me with chicken parm and cooked carrots and cucumbers, and I rapidly reached maximum bloat. When I got home, I sat down with Nick, Kofi, Alaric and Maddie as they were finishing the stellar Moonrise Kingdom. Alaric and I watched the Senators @ Maple Leafs game, and were mildly put off when the Leafs picked up a rare win (even if it was in the shootout which does not count.) More of The Sopranos, then a late run before bed.
          Quote of the day:
Me: "America does not negotiate with Turris."
Alaric: "The Counter-Turrism Unit."

Winning Attitude

          I woke from time to time, and at some point realized that it was raining. The drumming on my box lulled me back to sleep the first time. Next I remember, it was about 5 a.m. and I'd stretched out a little in my sleep, just enough to poke my feet out of the box. Still in sneakers but now drenched by the ongoing rain, they felt like ice. I took off my shoes and socks, curled back up in the box and prayed for a couple more hours of sleep. In the end, it was a blessing that I couldn't drowse off; about an hour later, there was a crack of thunder and the event organizers roused the sleepers. I was lucky to be wakeful enough to get my stuff together in a hurry. As I was breaking my box down, the storm swept over in a wash of pelting rain and rolling thunder. We all took cover in Shillman and were provided with bagels and water. I warmed up and waited out the worst of it, which for me highlighted the entire point of the exercise.
          The couch was calling to me when I got home, and I took probably the most comfortable nap of my life. House of Cards and The Sopranos took up most of the rest of the day. In the evening, I took shots of various untested liquors with Alaric, then took off for Jules's place to drink and smoke with her, Maddie, and Halley. A full moon portended mischief as I crossed the Fens, and soon enough we were indeed drinking and smoking. A necessarily late Food Wall order of dumplings completed the chain. I walked back to Northeastern with the freshmen around 3 or 4 a.m., thoroughly prepared to get indoors and sleep.
          Hockey section: With Lundqvist on lock in net, the Rangers killed off four power plays and rolled the Devils, 6-1. Stepan scored a shorthanded goal with three seconds left in the second period, Dom Moore (who is the fucking man) scored twice, and the Devils only narrowly avoided a shutout with a goal at 16:30 in the third. Fifty wins!
          Quote of the day:
"Malibu is not my pal-ibu." - me

Meeting Across the River

          Today, I would face two co-op interviews on zero hours of sleep. I got home from Club Snell, cleaned up and dressed well, and found I had too much time to think. I was jittery and nervous, as always. Armed with an umbrella, long coat and resume in a fancy leather CIS folder I found last year, I walked through the pouring rain to the edge of Chinatown. I survived the damp relatively unscathed, and came in hot to the first interview. Two pleasant folks from the Massachusetts Dept. of Telecommunications interviewed me for the Regulatory Specialist position, in which I would be taking calls from consumers and reporting on incidents with telecom companies. It seemed to go well enough, and the location was interesting: a few blocks south of Tufts, overlooking the Bass River, which is apparently the name of that little inlet between downtown and the ICA.
          When I left the DTC, the rain had ended. In that hour or so, it had turned into a magnificent spring day and I found a big, stupid grin plastered on my face. I would be crossing into Cambridge for the next one, so I continued toward downtown via streets I'd never seen before. By the time I hit Beacon Hill, I was positively swaggering to "Dawn On the Desert" by the Hoppin' John Orchestra, my mood was so sunny. I stopped in the common for a grilled hot dog from a vendor, and acted as the new ambassador of fun, chatting the guy up while he prepared the food. I exchanged a knowing look and smile with someone on the bench across from where I was eating, and for once, felt like a real part of this city.
          I continued through Beacon Hill and decided that one hot dog and a smear of ketchup was just not gonna cut it. On a whim, I stopped in at a little pizzeria called Nino's, and soon realized I'd stumbled on to something. Nino himself was sitting in one of the booths with his presumable granddaughter, which I figured out after looking over a few pictures of him with the Red Sox and other local celebrities. Some construction workers or other workmen of some kind were eating lunch there, which also struck me as a good sign. I sat down with a big open-faced turkey sub, feeling on top of the world. Spring is my favorite season; its revitalizing powers are incredible. Or maybe I'm just happy at the idea of getting today behind me.
          During my meal, I noticed that a person at another table had dropped some money. I pointed this out to her, she picked it up and thanked me. I left a few minutes after her, and realized she'd missed $10! I choose to regard this as good karma, and it paid for my second lunch too. It's been too long since I crossed the Charles, and it was refreshing to walk along the Longfellow and watch the boats. Workers seemed to be renovating or dismantling some of the "salt shaker" towers, too. I was about halfway across when I noticed one of the alcoves along the sidewalk and thought of the night me, Sabrina, and Alaric looped from bridge to bridge, many moons ago. Near the end, something strange happened: I was listening to music, and just as I stepped on to solid ground, "Send Me On My Way" gave way to Bruce Springsteen's "Meeting Across the River". First the money, then this -- all good omens, today.
          I called home before the second interview, sharing a nice conversation with my mother about everything that's happening in Saugerties and with Ian's schooling up in Oneonta. The interview, this time at a healthcare consulting firm, seemed to go moderately well. I don't feel that I'm fully versed in what "consulting" entails, but I do think I made a positive impression and held my own. Feeling wiped but finished at last, I caught the T home and relaxed for a while. The Blues outscored the Stars 7-5 in one of my favorite types of game: super high scoring and with no personal stake in either team.
          My night would be spent volunteering, in a sense. NU Acting Out, a student group that combines activism and theater, held a homelessness awareness event on Centennial. Everyone in attendance was provided one cardboard box (roughly 4x4) and one tarp just large enough to wrap around it. I brought my own tape and made my box relatively secure; the tarp covered the top, bottom, and sides, and also hung down in front as a sort of privacy flap. My sleep was almost restful at first, though some yahoos were running around and occasionally screaming. Iris and Sean visited me earlier in the night; later on, I was woken by a drunken Maddie and her friends, who brought me some chips and an opened Coke that I didn't register as alcoholic until the morning. Curled up as I was, it became more difficult to sleep as the night settled in and the air became cold.

Barter Town

          It was a long, difficult day. An argument on the pep band facebook group and an ensuing, public undercut by Emily didn't improve it much. My spirits finally lifted after a deep discussion with Nathan about economics, but I still got fuck-all done for the next few hours. Iris came to visit and watch the Rangers v. Wild game, bearing a gift of orange Milanos. The game was tight, and the Rangers came away with another road win, 3-2. That clinches the Metropolitan Division for NYR. Other news: The Islanders pissed away another 2-goal lead and lost to the Blue Jackets in the shootout, 4-3; the Kings embarrassed the Oilers in an 8-2 annihilation. At midnight, I went to the library in a last-ditch effort to work. At 5:30 a.m., I finished my IPE final paper.

Typhoid Mary

          I got around to updating my resume today, and damn, does it ever look good. I went to Symphony Sushi with a reluctant Emily, but she seemed to sort of kind of enjoy it in the end. Stuffed, we went home to rerun House of Cards, and I was asleep shortly thereafter. The Sabres beat the Maple Leafs, the Flyers took down the Penguins again, and all is right with the world.