hey look, an update

My brother and i went to visit Brown on Wednesday. It reminds me a lot of Smith. More Cambridge than Northampton, though, with its plethora of brick. That place is far too hilly, plus far too urban with the whole traffic thing. If i go there, i will find the within-walking-distance supermarket and otherwise never leave campus. (Wonder if there’s a shuttle to the mall.)

Anyway, we i went on the 11am tour. Our tour guide (Kara from Westchester) mentioned getting into a heated discussion with a bio professor about Yankees vs. Red Sox. My brother, of course, was wearing his Red Sox cap. “Hey, we took Nomar from you, what can you say?” I was expecting my brother to shoot back with his usual about how losing Nomar wasn’t a big loss, and on the tip of my tongue was “You stole Ruth Simmons from my school,” but we both kept quiet.

I learned what the Rock and the Ratty are. Allie, the John Hay library houses the world’s largest comic book collection (as well as the world’s largest collection of toy soldiers, and a lock of Napoleon’s hair, but i figured that was of less interest to you).

We at lunch at Faunce (Blue Room, i think). I had hummus and tabouli on marbled rye ‘cause they were out of wheat bread and half a Tropicana piña colada smoothie ‘cause it was too heavy on the pineapple (and coconut).

Then we went to the 2pm info session, and Brown continued to remind me of Smith.

I randomly got a bad headache as we were heading home. (Yes, mommy, i’ve been taking ibuprofen when i’m in pain.) I hate this whole being in pain thing; makes it a damn sight harder to function.

Read the My Turn in the August 23, 2004 Newsweek (“Red State, Blue State: It’s All in the Family,” Cindy Schweich Handler -- subtitle: “Dad watches Fox News, I’m a Michael Moore fan. We drive each other crazy, but we keep talking.”). Partly it makes me happy, but mostly it makes me sad that this is worthy of a full page in a national newsmagazine, that it isn’t how everyone operates by default.

For those of you who haven’t read it, ( excerpts )

"I am really amused by Harry and the Potters, though I don't know that I would spend money on them." -lilithchilde
Yeah, pretty much. I enjoy Track8 “The Foil (Malfoy)”: “Blood may be pure, but your heart is spoiled. You wouldn’t be so tough without Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy wouldn’t be so cool if I weren’t around. I’m his enemy at school; he really wants to get me down.”

Thursday i came home early (having run out of things to do at work) and went to hedy’s goingaway party. Was the only person there not related by blood or marriage. Didn’t have the opportunity to out myself or Heather to her family. Le sigh. ;)

Her father recognized me in the driveway, which was rather disconcerting. Her family is less prim-and-proper than i was expecting. Crazy, which i had been warned about, but it was the kind of crazy that felt familiar. Dinner was all vegetarian, and dessert was from Mike’s. “For here or to go?”

Piñatas are a disgrace. If they were actually paper mache, you might be able to bust them, but they’re decorated cardboard. They’re in two compartments, though, which are held together only with papier-mache and a little masking tape, so that’s what busts open when (if) you do manage to bust open the piñata.

Saw my first and probably only of the Olympics at her house before my dad came to get me. Hey, i watch almost no TV, plus i’ve been kinda busy with work and all. (I totally think of Olympics, particularly summer, as a daytime thing.) I have fond memories of watching gymnastics and figure skating with my mom as a kid (both Olympic and non-). I figure one of these days i’ll be a grownup settled into my own place and will watch and i wonder how the experience will compare.

Watched some of Smackdown after i came home. Guerrero calls out Angle, says they’re tied ‘cause he won at WrestleMania and Angle won at Summerslam, wants a rematch. Angle shows up (with his top off, like he’d been about to take a shower or something), says he’d come here for some action, “Latino Heat” Guerrero says “That’s my kinda language.” I’m totally feeling the slash vibe, and it gets better. Angle refuses the rematch, and Guerrero starts sweetalking him, all “I admit you outwrestled me at Summerslam, no one’s ever outwrestled me like that, you’ve earned my respect and that’s something not many people do” and asks Angle to come into the ring to shake his hand. Angle’s all, “You expect me to fall for that? You’re a liar, a thief, a cheat.” Of course Guerrero looks like the good guy here, so you know Angle’s gonna do it, ‘cause it just looks bad not to. And i’m thinking, We all know this script, of course Guerrero’s gonna take a low blow or whatever -- but Guerrero’s the good guy here, so he can’t cheat. Lo, they shake hands and Guerrero attacks him. “You know me better than that, ese. You know i’m a liar.” And the audience cheers Eddie. I think that is the most disturbing thing to ever happen on WWE -- a wrestler openly admits he’s a scuz, and the audience cheers him. Say what you will about the assorted badnesses of the WWE, and i’ll agree with quite a few of them, but i’ve never seen them advocate such moral ambiguity amorality (there’s a better word i want but can’t think of) before. “He may be a bastard, but he’s their bastard,” my father says.

Also watched some of Nightcast at 10. Didn’t Roger Clemens retire? Okay, so then he got some sweet deal from the Astros. And then they put him on waivers and the Sox tried to get him back? Look, you cannot be a Red Sox and then go play for the Yankees, ever. (Yes i know he played for the Blue Jays before going to the Yankees.) It’s like changing your religion, but worse. It’s like going to play for Satan. Unforgivable sin; you don’t get to come back. (This is, of course, news that’s not news, since we didn’t make a deal in the 48 hour window so the only long shot opportunity is if he gets put on waivers again before the 31st and we do manage to make a deal with the Astros.)

I read The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen graphic novels I & II. Gets quite darker (and more sexualized) in book 2 and is quite different from the movie throughout. I actually prefer the movie.

Friday, did further research into the details of the programs on my short(er) list and sent out e-mails (12 programs, 33 e-mails). Yes that did take all day. I had the list of programs narrowed down Monday night, but i hadn't yet drafted e-mails. So Friday i took my Statement of Purpose and worked that into a standard e-mail and then tailored it to every professor/grad student who looked promising. And learned that i hadn’t in fact done all the research i should have on faculty/students, so good chunks of the day were spent reading faculty/student profiles for a variety of programs. Now all i have to do is study math for the GREs and work on application essays. Though i think i’ll spend this weekend catching up on LJ and watching movies :)

My father mentioned to someone tonight that i’m looking at grad schools. Somehow i feel all like a grownup to be looking at grad schools. (At the same time, i feel rather like an undergrad first year again, e-mailing all these people querying about whether their program is right for me.)

Notes from the grad programs e-mails so far. ( cut-tagged because this is getting really long )