College Con Artistry

We all know private schools enjoy ripping its students off, but here's a story I'd like to share...

So I recently got charged $25 for "room damage." I suppose most people wouldn't think much of it and just pay the fee, but of course that's not acceptable for me (or my roommate). I finally had time to call the housing office today and inquire about the charge, and this is basically how things went:

The secretary says, "So the $25 fee was from a furniture moving charge between you and your roommate for leaving an air conditioner in your dorm."

Without realizing, in a completely bewildered yet skeptical tone I simply reply, " ... an air conditioner??"

She immediately puts me on hold for ten to fifteen seconds.

When she returns she tells me, "Okay, the $25 has been credited to your account."

I was quite confused. That was it? No arguing? The charge was revoked just like that?

I thank her and then report what happened to my roommate.

But yeah, not a very good story but I found the incident rather intriguing. I sincerely hope this was an honest mistake and not a sad attempt to extract more money from BU students. Even so, you have to admit that it was a pretty shitty mistake to make on their part.

A Few Pointers on Being a Complete Ass

You know, I thought it strange that this past year I didn't really find anything ridiculous to blog about. But maybe that was it--I was in Boston, likely one of the most liberal cities in one of the most liberal states. The only crap I had to deal with were Greenpeace treehuggers blocking my path and chasing me down the sidewalk as I'm on my way to class or back home. But in retrospect, they weren't that bad. They weren't malicious. Not like the people I forgot I had to deal with here back home on the so-called traditional Republican stronghold of Long Island.

So I was at Costco with the parents just now and there I encountered the biggest asshole I've seen in a while...

Step 1 - Drive a Hummer. (BONUS POINTS if you make it red.)

Really? You found it necessary to spend X amount of money on an obnoxiously large vehicle that does nothing but piss people off and harm the environment? I'm not telling you to get a hybrid, but come on. And nothing screams the need for attention than getting one in a cherry red color. Well, whatever you're trying to do to show off, it's not working because all I see is stupidity on your part. (Have fun fueling up this summer!)

I'm sorry. Perhaps that seems uncalled for unjustified. I'm sure not everyone who drives a ginormous [red] Hummer is completely selfish and stupid. Let's move on.

Step 2 - Drive that Hummer badly.

Shall we define "driving badly"? How about: driving with a complete disregard for the rules of the road and those around you. I was approaching a stop sign in the parking lot when suddenly he (as in that same guy) turns left from the perpendicular street and cuts into my lane. Fortunately I was going slow and letting pedestrians pass, so I had not yet reached the stop sign when he decided to haphazardly come barrelling down the road. But whatever, I thought that would be the last I saw of him.

Step 3 - Think you're better than everyone else.

There was a Hispanic family beside us as we were leaving. To get our receipts checked, they moved to one person as we moved to the other. Suddenly I here a slow, disgruntled voice say, "So that's it? You walked faster than me just so you could get ahead of me?" I turned to my side and saw a large, redneck-esque man with a disheveled gray moustache, his beady little eyes locked on the family ahead of him. The father of the family turned around with a confused look on his face and of course said, "I don't know what you're talking about," to which the other man so ingeniously responded, "Yeah, I think you do." I stood there and watched with an incredulous look on my face. Racist bastard.

Step 4 - And care only for yourself.

As I pulled out of the parking lot, I saw the same guy leave his cart behind someone else's car and climb into his--you guessed it!--big red Hummer. (It's funny when things come around full circle, no?) What a total and complete asshole.

Oh well. I trust karma to come and send a nice flying kick up his ass.

And there we go!

Prop Shop Stops

Dress the Set With Tears: It's a Wrap

Slideshow here.

Ugh, what a shame. Even Hollywood has a little guy to take the hit. Damn recession.

The Hangover and More

So I had a relatively eventful weekend. I finished a week of classes (one down, eleven more to go), and on Friday I went to go see The Hangover with a group of people. It's definitely not my type of movie, but Kait wanted to see Justin Bartha (whose character is the groom that goes missing). In case you were wondering it's basically every high school/college frat boy's dream experience on the big screen. It was probably the crudest, most ridiculous, and most vulgar thing I've ever seen (especially when the credits roll), but I have to admit that the story was actually put together... quite nicely, surprisingly enough. (Don't get me wrong; it's complete nonsense. But the nonsense makes sense... if that makes sense.)

Anyway, I spent the remainder of the weekend at Robert Moses with Kait and Brit yesterday and at my good ol' local beach with Loo today. Yesterday it was kind of cool for the beach, but today it was perfect.

In other news, this morning when I was running errands with my family I lost my heart-shaped locket. (Loo gave it to me for my 16th birthday, so I was naturally very upset). I spent the entire morning looking for it, and by sheer chance, an hour or two later and after we had driven back (on a whim) to the first place we visited, my dad checked where we had parked before and found it! I was so relieved. Unfortunately, it was flattened slightly so it won't close anymore, but I was grateful that I had it and that it was still intact. I put it away in its little box for now and I'm a little upset that I can't wear it anymore, but I was thinking that maybe I could frame it or something nice like that.

It definitely sucks too since I was actually contemplating wearing a different necklace today. Oh well, I suppose that's life.

Twenty Years Later

Hong Kong Pays Tribute to Tiananmen Protesters While Beijing Stays Silent

Now that's a little sad, don't you think?

Makes me wonder if I should be proud of my heritage or detest it.

Maybe someday...

Parlez-vous français?

I started my "Intensive Elementary French" classes today. They run from 6:00-9:30 PM, Monday through Thursday. Parlez-vous, "Eff my life?"

Though of course, since I've taken french before it's pretty easy so far. It's definitely coming back to me somewhat. Plus the professor seems pretty nice. She let us go early today since not everyone had the book, which was good since it wasn't completely dark out yet and I wanted to make sure I knew how to get home. I probably shouldn't get my hopes up, but it would be nice if she always let us out early (three and a half hours is just ridiculous, n'est pas?).

In other news, my laptop came back to me today, but since I had to leave early to pick up my textbook I wasn't home to receive it. Oh, what a pain...

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.

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.

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!

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.

Preparing for Hell Week

So it's been a good few days. Thursday ran on a Monday schedule this week, so I've essentially only had an hour of class (anthro) on each of the past three days. Speaking of which, my anthro professor actually brought in his [lime green] bullwhip like he promised at the beginning of the semester and cracked it at the end of class. You'd think it would be sort of lame, but no--it was freaking awesome. Totally made everyone's day.

In general, I also feel a bit better about my life now since I've gotten my paper topics figured out, and I've gone to the library to take out the books I needed which happened to be as many as I could carry (didn't help that it was raining Wednesday afternoon and my open bag also had my laptop in it). I probably should have taken the T that day, but what's a mile walk with 15 pounds of books and an umbrella tactfully held in your already full hands...

In other news, I helped out with the Honors Program reception today which was nice. I basically just spoke with prospective students and their parents, and I have to admit that I really do enjoy that kind of stuff. In fact, lately I've been thinking about a possible career in education administration, but of course it's just a thought and I'm not worrying about that at all right now. Anyway, I also found out that two other people I know will be living in the Honors House next year, and they're both really cool so I think it will be a good house.

Today I also attended the Freshman Resource Advisor Spring Welcome which was actually pretty fun. We did that icebreaker where you have a picture on your back and you have to guess who you are based on what people tell you. They used Disney characters, and it was cool because the groups were organized by movie as well, so after the initial icebreaker you had to find others who were in your movie and that was your group. Overall it was actually more fun than I expected and everyone seems really nice. Granted, I already knew a lot of the people who are doing it, but I'm definitely excited to be a FRA. I get to have my own litter of Terrier pups! Hah.

Anyway, that said, today is probably going to be my last day of fun for a while. I need to read four books for my English paper this weekend, and I'm already behind schedule (not that scheduling things ever actually works for me). Apart from that, I have an anthro test to study for, a scene to rehearse, and a history paper to write. Ugh!

So here we go! Let hell week begin!

Marathon Monday

Almost there!

I have to admit, the Boston Marathon is pretty cool. They shut down the street, everyone is cheering, and the runners absolutely love it. This picture was taken from Kenmore, so they had a little less than a mile to go from here. Of course, the Kenyans and Ethiopians have already finished by this point, hah.

Boston actually wasn't the shit show I expected it to be today, but then again I didn't get drunk/high myself or really go anywhere far. Apparently, on the way out of CityCo, my roommate was accosted by someone frantically shouting at her to get her hand off the railing (we deduced that he was probably hallucinating something). But other than that, none of us had any obscene encounters.

In other news, the FreeP got word about a murder involving a BU student. The next step was for the news editors to call the assignment editors to get on the story. What happens next is that Coco (who reports for the FreeP but was out at the time) calls Jooles (who's in the dorm with us), and Jooles comes out of her single to tell us that a BU student was murdered (not true) or something along those lines. At first, I think it's a Marathon Monday related incident, but we google it and the national news is reporting that the police have caught the "Craigslist killer" (which was somewhat ironic since we were talking about it last night). In case you're not familiar with a story, some guy has been running around meeting prostitutes he finds on Craigslist and killing them. Creepy, eh? Turns out he's a BU med student, but the details are still fuzzy. I guess we'll get more information on it tomorrow.

But what a way to end the day, right?

Hitting the Town

My cousin and I had a very special visitor come to Boston for a few days. She arrived on Thursday and from then to today we've just been having a blast.

THURSDAY: I had an anthro exam on Friday so it was actually one of those few Thursdays where I wasn't not doing anything, otherwise I would have just hung out with them and had fun. Of course, I didn't let it completely stop me from going out, and so I still enjoyed a [second] dinner at Fin's with them. (I know, I'm a fatty.) But oh, how we love sushi...

FRIDAY: After my class, we took her to the dining hall for lunch where the food was actually quite good (and prospective students were aplenty, which explains it). Then we went out to Newbury and met up with my cousin's friends. We hit a few stores and then went to H&M, which was a bad move on my part since I went on a complete spree through the store. They had to help me decide which things to leave behind! (I am not a shopaholic. Really...) Afterward, we headed out to Quincy Market, which was my first time there since my visit during Orientation week. It was nice this time around though since I got there late last time and the stores were closed by the time I finished dinner. But anyway, we got to walk around inside the buildings (there's so much food, I had no idea!) and see street performers, well, perform. After a couple hours, we headed back to campus to freshen up before heading out to Newbury again for dinner. We ate at this cute little Italian restaurant named Bottega Fiorentina. It was absolutely delicious and decently priced, a place I definitely made note to visit again soon. After dinner, I was going to go back, but my cousin's friend made me go with them to see The Knowing, and I ended up calling a couple of my friends to join us. Let's just say the movie was both ridiculous and intense.

SATURDAY: We went to go get dim sum at the China Pearl in Chinatown, though we left late so my cousin had to leave for her dance lesson before we could all eat. Afterward, I took our guest to the Galleria to go shopping again (where I managed to exercise some restraint). We spent a good few hours there before heading back to campus, where we got Starbucks and relaxed in my dorm until my cousin got back. When she called, we headed over to her place and then out to dinner from there. The three of us and my cousin's friend decided to eat at Shabu Zen, a hotpot restaurant, which was okay but expectedly a little pricey. We did something a bit embarrassing while we were there, but it was funny nonetheless. We went to Super 88 (this Asian marketplace) for bubble tea after, and then we headed back. (Oh, and as a side note, the NCAA hockey finals were last night, and BU won in an AMAZING comeback.)

So yeah, today the four of us had brunch at Bertucci's before she had to head back home. I have to admit, it wasn't as great as I expected, but at least I've finally eaten there. But anyway, after that we finally said goodbye and parted ways, my cousin went with her to South Station, and I went back to my dorm to catch up on work.

And here I am now. Not much different. With the exception that, after this weekend, I am now significantly poorer than before. Oh dear...

Top of the Hub

Boston as seen from the top of the Prudential Tower.

So this was hands down one of the coolest nights I've ever experienced. Yesterday was the night of the first annual CAS Formal, and it was absolutely amazing.

Tasty hors d'oeuvres, delicious deserts, and a breathtaking view, all for twenty dollars.

Not to mention the great music and the fact that my friends and I got to dance the night away.

Then afterwards we went out to T. Anthony's... even though it was 1 AM. Yes, we walked to West for pizza, and no, we weren't even drunk. I was glad though. It was my first time there (I'm never in West!), and even though I thought it was ridiculous to walk so far for pizza, I'm happy I went. It was still really busy when we got there, and when "Living on a Prayer" came on, everyone broke out into song. I thought it was so great.

Anyway, to make a long story short, we ended up staying until closing, took the BUS home, and crashed. It was awesome. Hah.

24-Hour StressFest

So two weeks ago I was assigned this really complicated paper in my English class. Basically, the task was to write a description of Mansfield Park, the country house in Jane Austen's book of the same name. But it's not that simple. You see, the idea was to first find and use the details Austen described about the house (as scattered in the book as these details are). But since it can't quite possibly be enough to construct a complete picture of the house, secondly, we had to use this textbook-like book about the history of country houses to supplement her details. But that's not all! Thirdly, we had to go to the library reserves to take out these books that are basically detailed records of the features of almost all (if not all) the country houses in England... and imitate that author's style.

Yes, so because it was so complicated, for once I actually did not wait until the last minute to start this (in fact I started this past Saturday). But regardless, I still couldn't manage to finish the paper until 11:30... this morning. So yes, I did skip my two morning classes again, and of course I feel like crap for it.

It didn't help that housing selection happened last night. My appointment was near the end of the day too, so I had to endure an entire day's worth of delays. (My appointment was at 8:36, it's supposed to be a six-minute process, and I left the building an hour later.) But seriously, it was so hectic. First you arrive 10+ minutes early to wait in a frantic mob. Then they call your number and so you rush forward thinking that it's time, only to stop a mere five feet ahead of where you started because you've suddenly discovered yourself in a line. Then after you've waited in line and they check your housing slip, you again think it's time, only to be directed towards another waiting area where you have to wait to enter the selection room. Then once you enter the room, you have to wait for a housing person to become available so they can find you a room. And then, after you've found something and confirmed it, you have to wait for your confirmation pages to print out. Only then can you leave. (Gah!)

Granted, I did have a pretty good housing number (13,501, when it ranges from 12,000-17,000... Izzy got 16,000 something). I also somewhat spontaneously found myself a roommate, and so I pulled her into housing with me. The only bad thing is that we happened to run into this really belligerent girl we knew from the ski trip, and she was also pulling someone into the Honors House. So yeah, the four of us sat there in the waiting area, and we're all wondering who's going to get called first. Then surprise, surprise. It wasn't us, and they took the last of the two doubles available. It's okay though because my friend and I got the first floor triple and it's a suite. It's a little more expensive than a double and now we have to worry about who the third girl is, but I know it's a very nice room. And the house itself is absolutely gorgeous, so I'm very excited.

Life definitely has it's ups and downs. I'm especially excited for the next couple days. I have no lecture tomorrow, so as of the dismissal of my last class, my weekend has begun! More on that later! Ahhh...

Longest Week

So for some reason, this week felt painstakingly long. Maybe it's because I had a history paper, math homework, a math quiz, and a math midterm due or occurring sometime within the past three or four days, but all I know is that I just needed to be able to press pause on different parts of the week.

The good news though is that it's over for now. That history paper was my last until the final project, and we have no math homework or discussion this week! Plus, we got our English papers back (the one that I finished last minute), and I'm gradually improving (unless my professor is the type who likes to incrementally increase your grade to make you think that you're improving, though I'm 67% sure that's not the case).

I also submitted my short story to this competition, so that's finally off my mind. Unfortunately, I didn't get much feedback on it before turning it in, but hopefully they'll find it acceptable. If I win, I get this award and a cash prize (though of course, that's not what I care about). Oh, but it really would be wonderful if it actually works out... Wish me luck, please!

But yes, in summary, I'm just glad this week is over. Yesterday my hallmates, roommate, and I celebrated Coco's birthday, and today I bought two casual mini dresses/tunics and a pair of flats while shopping and then had a long phone date with Kait. As you can see, I haven't hesitated to embrace the weekend at all.

Celebrating Spring

First off, it's official--Happy Spring!

Last night, I went with my roommate and hallmates to go see Spring Fever Jam, an acapella concert presented by the Treblemakers and featuring the Dear Abbeys and Terpsichore--the co-ed, all-male, and all-female acapella groups respectively. And I have to say, they are all pretty damn good, especially the Dear Abbeys (YouTube them, though it won't do them justice). I was so surprised at how well the guys sang! (They can serenade me any day... hah.)

Today though I went to go see my cousin in C-POP, a show put on by the Chinese Students Association, which was, to be honest, for the most part actually pretty cool. I was especially impressed by this group called Bulletproof Theory, which is a collaboration between BU's Bulletproof Funk and BC's Conspiracy Theory. They are amazing (this is what they performed, although I think they've really improved since then).

But seriously, people are so talented. It's so inspiring! It just makes me want to try these things myself!

Humpfest

So apparently, it's midway through the semester, and the FreeP likes to celebrate "passing the hump" with something called Humpfest, which took place last night and was really only a slightly bigger version of what they usually do on Thursdays. (Thirsty much?)

Anyway, let's just say it was an interesting night. In fact, it was absolutely ridiculous. Coco lacks all and any self-control, which provided quite a few hours of entertainment for our fellow FreePers and my roommate when we got back, though of course I still took care of her despite my rather insouciant attitude (apparently I suffer from slight verbal diarrhea, a lessening of inhibition, but nothing more).

When she was taken care of and I climbed into bed myself, I wondered though. Was it stress? After all, I did try to pull an all-nighter for my paper (which resulted in extremely fragmented sleep), and I didn't actually finish editing it until a half-an-hour before it was due... perhaps I was worn out. Maybe I just needed to relax. Or did I succumb to pressure? Did I think it a social obligation? Or maybe I really did just act on a whim. That seems simple enough.

Whatever. At least I know now that I'm capable of retaining at least some control.

Beautiful Boston

So I just got back to campus and to be honest, I'm actually pretty happy about it. The bus ride back went well, which is always a plus, and I actually managed to take the T going in the correct direction. Yessss...

Anyway, friends are slowly filtering back in, and it's an absolutely gorgeous day in Boston today. I'm almost reminded of summer. Almost. But yes, I'm definitely going to take a walk along the Charles today. It's too perfect a day not to.

And then I'll start my work... you know, since all I did this past week was finish my short story and read The Crazy Iris (which I only finished because I stayed up until 4 AM last night). Hooray for not reading Mansfield Park, not editing my English paper, and not writing my history paper. Why yes, you may do me the favor of ignoring what I said in my last post about productivity... heh.