Slightly Grown Up

So I had to go to work alone today for a meeting since FatMan skipped out for training for his new CUTCO job (I apparently have a few friends who are selling knives now). To be honest, due to various circumstances this was actually my first time driving with no passengers, so I was somewhat paranoid, but I obviously made it through okay and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. In fact, it was somewhat empowering being able to control where to go and when to leave. Driving to work and back, making sure everyone had a ride--it's long overdue, but I actually felt somewhat more grown up doing those things, haha.

Anyway, the meeting was as expected. It was good to see the old interns (and by "old" I mean the ones I've met, since I'm one of the oldest interns working there now--scary). They gave me a warm welcome and asked me how college was. The new interns seem nice too... for the most part (according to a trusted friend/coworker, but maybe I should wait to see for myself before letting bias get the best of me). They seem like they'll be competent though, so hopefully this summer will run much smoother than my experiences these past years.

It definitely seems like there's going to be a little more discipline this summer though, not that the prospect of that stopped everyone from screwing around last summer, but honestly the lab could probably use some of it. It should be better this time around though, since the new interns seem like they'll take things more seriously and, not to be conceited or whatever, but I'll be one of the people in charge. As a "college intern," I actually have the authority now to ensure that everyone gets everything done, and I don't have to feel bad or wonder if it's my place to put people in line. I don't think there should be a problem though. Last year, I feel like no one listened to the college intern because he was a stranger to almost everyone (he was very old, and all the interns that would have bridged the age gap didn't return). This year, there's three of us, and we've all worked together before during the year as high school interns, so it should be fine... hopefully.

Oh well. We're just going to have to wait and see. It's my last summer there anyway, so regardless I'm just going to have to make the best of it.

Fatness

The Famous Steak

So my family (meaning my parents, brother, two aunts, and an uncle) and I went out to Peter Luger's Steakhouse in Brooklyn tonight, which has apparently been rated "The New York No. 1 Steakhouse for 24 Years in a Row!" Now, I love food, but of course on my own I don't have the resources (AKA the money or the occasion) to ever visit and eat at such a high profile restaurant, so this was a nice treat.

The steak definitely was very fresh, very tender, and very juicy. It was cooked precisely as ordered, and their famous steak sauce complemented the meat very nicely (naturally). In addition to this, the table also ordered sides of broccoli, creamed spinach, and German fried potatoes. Then for dessert, we all shared a couple of their special "Holy Cow" hot fudge sundaes (which was the definition of "unnecessary indulgence"). Of course it was delicious (half of it was pure hot fudge), but since I have a very sensitive palate, I tend to enjoy foods with more subtle tastes.

But of course I'm not complaining. I left entirely satisfied and with my regret for my waistline saved for tomorrow. I'm not one to count calories or really give a damn about any food's nutritional value, but seriously, with my uncle here (he LOVES to cook) and all the eating-out I've been nothing less than gluttonous lately. There was Legal Seafoods, and I didn't blog about it but on Sunday we threw a graduation/family get-together party for my cousin; the food my uncle cooked was both wonderful and in abundance, and so again I ate everything in sight.

If you don't believe me, on Sunday I conveniently got a WiiFit (which is awesome, by the way) and apparently I weigh the highest I've ever known myself to weigh (it was a difference of almost 10 pounds from my usual weight). Ugh, I hate talking about my weight, dieting, et cetera, especially since it makes me feel like a hypocrite, but it's actually been bugging me enough lately to make me consider watching what I eat. I'm going to hate myself for doing it, but from the health perspective I should be happier in the end.

Memorial Day

I went to the cemetery today.

It's funny how we don't really understand the losses of others, as much as we want to or claim we do.

All we are capable of understanding is what we ourselves, as individuals, have lost. Individually.

I spoke to her grave.

It's amazing how it still hurts.

Boston Again

So I just got back from Boston... again. Yes, as I was riding the all-too-familiar green line I did indeed wonder myself what I was doing in that city again after less than two weeks of leaving it.

Here's how it all went:

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: Attend my cousin's graduation from BC Law.
SECONDARY OBJECTIVE: See as many people as possible.

THURSDAY: Minivan with my cousin's parents and my own mother. Departure at 9:30. Arrive in Chinatown for food, arrive at my aunt's house in New Jersey to pick up this aunt and another. Total number of aunts: 3 plus my mother (and yes, they're all sisters--imagine that car ride). Arrive in Boston at 6:15. After saying hello to my cousin, hopped on the T to meet Izzy for dinner at Uno's. After a very rushed dinner (she had to catch the commuter rail), headed over to Lillian's apartment before heading over to Seabird's (the ex-roomie, I figured it was time to give her a name) apartment for a visit. Headed back and crashed.

FRIDAY: Grabbed lunch from the GSU (it was weird having to use real money, by the way) and headed over to the science building with Lillian to eat with Seabird, Jooles, and other people. Didn't get to enjoy my lunch at all though since my mother can't comprehend basic directions and I had to stay on the phone to make sure the minivan knew where to pick me up. After much frustration, we all headed to the graduation where I baked in the hot sun for two hours. The family was embarrassing of course (and my feet were in horrible pain from my shoes), but I just kept my objectives in mind. Refusing to go back with the family after, I hung out at my cousin's apartment for a bit until dinner. Any frustration definitely subsided at this point though, as we went to Legal Sea Foods at the Pru. Behold:

The appetizer of raw goodness.

The famous New England clam chowder (served at every presidential inauguration since 1981).

My main course: Wood Grilled Assortment.

SATURDAY: Lillian's roommate's boyfriend cooked pancakes for all of us. Then Lillian and I went to the BU Beach to chill for a couple hours before I said goodbye and went to meet my family at the Pru. Had lunch at the Pru. Then headed back home with the cousin in tow, stopping only in Flushing to eat good Chinese food for dinner.

And there you go. Another busy adventure. It's really a shame I didn't get to spend more time in Boston but I guess I just have to enjoy the excitement another time.

By the Sea

A view from the dock.

After a nice dinner at Panera, Loo and I hung out at the harbor for an hour or so. It's a shame this picture can't do the scene justice.

It's times like this when after a bit of traveling, you not only appreciate where you came from, but you finally recognize as well the uniqueness that comes attached with every place on this planet.

This is beauty. This is inspiration. This is my life.

Boston Pops

Williams Surprises Spielberg.

Steven Spielberg is getting an honorary degree from BU.

Sigh, I wish I was at that concert!

I love it when the Indiana Jones music starts up, and I love how they had Rhett there.

Ah, I miss BU already!

Out with the Old

So I finally finished unpacking today, and let me just start by saying that I HAVE SO MANY CLOTHES. They barely manage to fit in my room! Granted, I haven't really grown in five years meaning it's all been accumulating quite possibly since then (not to mention I have limited closet space and half my drawers are filled with athletic wear... not to make excuses or anything). Still, I could probably (definitely) save a lot of money if I just wore what I already owned. I should cut back anyway before I become a true shopaholic... (Darn my appreciation of good fashion.)

Anyway, I went through all my clothes again and pulled out things that don't fit or that I just don't wear. It was a pretty difficult process. Like I said, I haven't really grown so a lot of things still fit... in order to get rid of stuff I had to keep telling myself how much more someone would appreciate the clothes than I would if I just kept them. It worked for the most part, I think.

But yeah, after I was done I moved onto this little corner of my room where I kept some stuff from the college-search process. I remembered that I saved some of the really fancy books schools sent me or that I picked up, just in case anyone I knew was interested and so I could save the branch of a tree. Of course, now that a year has passed, I knew it would be unlikely for someone to ask for them and decided that now was the time to recycle them.

As I was looking through them though, I realized that I had also saved the letters I received from colleges asking me to apply. It was kind of sad really. I remembered why I had saved them: I knew I would never receive letters from these schools again. But on an even deeper level, I knew that I relished that impression I got from them--I loved that sense of feeling wanted.

They wanted me. The Ivies, MIT, Caltech, Georgetown, UChicago... I devoured their emblems with my eyes, savored seeing my name and address printed on their fancy envelopes. I always wondered why I applied to so many reach schools. I realize now: with all these schools begging for your application, wouldn't you have gotten your hopes up too? Wouldn't you have believed that you actually had half a shot at walking on these centuries-old campuses, at having that dreamed-of opportunity finally in your hands?

I don't know. Realistically, I knew from the start that BU was the only school I applied to that fell into the "good-fit" category of colleges for me, and for financial reasons it was last on my list until the scholarship they offered me cinched the deal. And I'm happy at BU. True, I do tend to make the best of things, but I really do feel like I have this sense of belonging.

Yeah, so I don't know why I'm bringing this up. It seems awfully immature of me. I do wonder though if the subconscious has its own way of working--did I know during the application process and all along that BU was the right school for me? Was it a sign when BU was the only college I applied to from my original list of schools? Was the supplement I sent to BU better than the supplements I sent to other schools?

Psh, okay. That's what I'd like to tell myself. I know I just wasn't good enough. I'm over it. With the exception of the BU letter and the letter I received from Harvey Mudd (it's hilarious), I threw the rest in the recycling bin.

Or really I had my mother do it... and I kept all my UPenn stuff of course.

Bye Bye Boston

First off, I suppose I should say Happy Mother's Day since I haven't yet done so (judging from last year's post, I must always be a brat on these occasions).

Secondly, I've been MIA the past two weeks because a) finals and b) my laptop went comatose on me (and I have to admit that the latter reason probably played a bigger role in my absence).

But now that I'm HOME (yes, it's true), I have access to my own computer again and can blog at my leisure.

So let's recap...

(ENTER HELL WEEK!)

Saturday 4/25-Monday 4/27: Spent the gorgeous weekend reading on the BU beach (but didn't finish because it was A LOT). Some drama was in the works too, but I'm not going to blog about it.

Tuesday 4/28: It was late. I had just spent an hour and a half (yes, I know) editing with the columnist. I hadn't eaten and I had my anthro exam the next day to study for. I was just about to send the completed column to the e-mail when--blue screen--the computer crashes. Tried to start it in Safe Mode. Fail. Tried to launch this fix option that popped up next. Fail. Turn on. Turn off. Turn on. Turn off. Remove battery. All that jazz. No luck. Worst. Timing. Ever. Feeling defeated, finally giving up, I discovered the real meaning behind "FML."

Wednesday 4/29: Fell asleep studying for anthro (aside from stress induced by my laptop failing, I hadn't slept properly since Friday night, the 24th). Woke up in the morning to do it but of course it wasn't sufficient enough. Spent the rest of the afternoon finishing up research for my English paper, due the next day. Since my computer crashing didn't actually affect the status of my paper, I decided not to ask for an extension to save face. Napped, went to a meeting, FreePed (oh why am I so dutiful?). Then sat down with my roommate's laptop (thank goodness for her) and typed away.

Thursday 4/30: Of course I pulled an all-nighter. Skipped my final math lecture. Then since I couldn't skip my history class this time, I hijacked the laptop and continued to write my paper during and after class. Didn't eat. Only interruption was to go to my last acting class. Finished the paper at 3 PM. (But at least I was proud of it this time.) Printed it and went to class. Then took the effing BUWA (writing assessment), which I completely BSed since I could NOT come up with a decent thesis. When I was done, I was a bit upset that my English class was over. But anyway, when I got back to the dorm, Lillian (who had a 20-page paper on Uzbekistan due) and I rejoiced that it was all over. Got dinner but didn't appreciate being told to go to bed, so I went to the science building for a few hours simply to hang out (nap) while my roommate was physicsing. When it was late we walked back and I slept the best sleep I had experienced in a while.

Friday 5/1-Wednesday 5/6: So I actually went out with my cousin for the first time all year, and didn't end up returning to her place until 6 AM (wasn't me, I swear). But we had a good time, and since I slept over that first night, I guess I just thought it would be okay to spend another five days there. (Let's just say I was in need of a refuge, and my cousin didn't mind the company.) I spent the weekend writing my history paper (due Monday the 4th at 10 AM, another all-nighter) while she studied for accounting. Then we studied for our math final which was on Wednesday, and afterward I studied for my [unbelievably, unexpectedly hard] anthro final which was on Thursday.

Thursday 5/7-Saturday 5/9: After my anthro final, the sun literally came out. I was done. I packed, watched Mean Girls and Juno, helped Lillian move to South Campus, and said my goodbyes to several people. On Saturday, Saa (my cousin) and I went out to lunch on Newbury with our other cousin (who goes to BC) for the first time this year, and I must admit that when we parted ways I regretted not getting together with her more often.

And there we go. That leads to today, during which I said my final goodbyes to people, underwent the stressful moving-out process, sat five hours in a car back to Long Island, took my mother out to this Italian restaurant, and sat here and blogged. I know that must have been a horribly boring read, but I realized when my laptop died that I really do keep this blog as a record of my life. That's really what it's been all this time; I may have made a few snide remarks about life here and there, but as of the present time, I don't have much to remark about.

After all, it's hard to criticize something you love, and right now I really do love life. It's a wonderful feeling really... to be able to think that this is indeed the place where you belong.