Nostalgia Trip

Random things I've been remembering recently:

-being the most awkward person ever, with the biproduct of hilarity. case(s) in point from TASP Day 1- cynthia called me as i was waiting for my bags in st louis and asked me where i was. We then had an extended conversation about our whereabouts, only to realize about ten minutes in that we were less than three feet from each other. priceless. Also on day one, I met Katharine Lauderdale and when she introduced herself as Katharine I said, "oh, but not the brown one." I was, of course, referring to my roommate Kathryn's (and my own) last name. However, for at least ten seconds everyone in the immediate vicinity thought i was a FLAMING RACIST. that was cool.

-how i fell asleep during EVERY MOVIE WE EVER WATCHED EVER except for (god knows why) Burnt By the Sun. Which just completely devoured my soul with its repeated use of allusions about the political undertones 1930s soviet russia and giant, utterly confusing fireballs mired in symbolism that i never quite picked up. uh, yes. not much incentive to stay awake during other films.

-Hootie and the Blowfish. enough said.

-Why was that elevator SO SLOW OMG?

-The roasts. Max: "some hold that my adversarial relationship with professor brown began with my very first words the very first day of seminar, 'well, this wasn't really my first choice.' another school of thought theorizes that it truly began with my next comment, 'actually, it wasn't my second either.'" Rodney whipping out Cynthia's clothing. Gerardo and all his TE Lawrence jokes. and basically everything everyone else said. pretty much the funniest night of my life.

-how it took us like five hours to paint that globe thing. and by the end everyone was just lying on the ground dying of humidity and exhaustion. but it was still our pride and joy.

-A while back I was showing one of my friends TASP pictures and she asked what we did at our toga party. and i was like, well, mostly we played scattergories (things that are black- leonel). I think that really speaks to our sense of fun (except tyler's, but that's another story entirely).

-the traffic cone that lived in my room for five weeks. my favorite thing ever was the time both lynn and tyler came in to talk to me or kathryn about something and stood RIGHT NEXT TO IT but didn't notice it. oh, how i miss that large, orange symbol of my useless TASPly kleptomania (damn, what did i ever do with the name tag i took out of the seminar building?).

-"and that's why, from now on, they will be referred to as "pencils of african ancestry.""

-Nesbitt, aka Race For Sanctions, aka 'hi, i'm a terrible writer. also, i love the passive voice. i will now elaborate on these two themes for TWO HUNDRED PAGES: the book'

-playing soccer in the halls at two in the morning, a certain dent that may or may not have been punched in the wall by the volleyball.

-seething distain for the ArtSci kids (i think it became a major community bonding thing for us, hating them- although for the record i thought that time they left us all their extra food was pretty cool)

-The most awkward conversation of my life FOR SERIOUS. I think you can all probably figure out to what i am referring. If not, I implore you to consider the Tyler/Lynn NO SEX AT TASP crusade. well, this was a precursor.

-meals that lasted forever and eventually degenerated into intense games of the greater than/less than game. In fact, as i write this a couple of the surviving napkin canvasses hang on the wall in front of me (if that doesn't really speak to my personal decorating concept, i don't know what does). According to these-
jim crow < apartheid
walter mondale < aaron burr (this must have been one of spencer's- i don't know that i agree!)
tracy > mao
Fuyuo = ho chi min
doing the reading < not doing the reading (shhh, don't tell the professors)

-swings!

-rabbits!

Guys, you all rock. Please don't lose touch.

(also, feel free to add to this list if you so desire)

love always,
Ryan

a marginally interesting update.

Updates into the life of that TASPer with two pairs of letters that are the same in her first name: (I think I am the only one on this, but I didn't take the time to run through everyone's name in my head, so I won't guarantee that.) I'll include the interesting bits. By interesting, of course, I mean anything that isn't just ridiculously boring, as most of it seems to be.

I developed my first roll of film in photography (not the pictures yet, just the film) and they seem to have not died or turned out terribly, even though I accidentally put the wrong chemical in at first...my bad... So this is good news.

I had my first venture into what we call the 'dark dark' room, as opposed to the dark room, which you can see in. The 'dark dark' room is completely black, and I mean I have never actually been in darkness so total as this. It was pretty cool--when I closed my eyes, nothing was different! Neat, I know. Anyway. I was thinking about how this was pretty cool, and rolling my film onto its spool, closing and opening my eyes for the heck of it, etc., and then what do you know, I start to feel dizzy in the total darkness of this tiny enclosed space that is way too packed with people in the first place (seven people in a room that's about three by five feet: not good). Now usually when I'm dizzy and close to fainting, I can tell I'm going to faint because my vision starts to go black. And I think, huh, I actually don't have that little alert because I can't see anything anyway, so I better just assume I'm going to faint. To prevent this, I sat down in the extremely limited space, waiting for people to finish rolling their film, and then finally was released back into the artificially lit realm of the school world to drink water and recover. Let me tell you, it was pretty interesting.

Actually, come to think of it, that's pretty much the only interesting thing I have to share.

All my best from this cheesy state.

This picture really = priceless

Hahahha! (Ryan's future child? Maybe.)
Well, that was the result of a heck of a lot of time wasted on facebook...

So my dad just called me and told me that I had $290-something in cell phone overages. Holy crap! Now that is ridiculous. I hold you all (y'alls?) responsible! Funny enough, I did have a line in my Cornell essay about not looking forward to my parents' receipt of this cell phone bill... hmm... I must really be psychic.

I went to go see Black Dahlia last Friday. If any of you are considering seeing it, let me just warn you: It was incredibly, incredibly...bizarre, and just horribly made. The tense confession-at-gunpoint scene turned out to be terribly funny, and we cracked up so hard as Josh Hartnett shot down various Ming vases and chandeliers.

Also, is it just me, or is Turn of the Screw way, way overanalyzed? We were reading through a summary of all the different interpretations of it yesterday... there's the Freudian one (the male ghost appearing on a tower, female ghost by a lake --> sexsexsexsexsex!), a feminist one, a Marxist one, and various other shades of other theories. Maybe Henry James juuuust wanted to write a ghost story! Jeez!

But on another note: our sweatshirt is AWESOME. Every time I wear it, people say, "whoa, cool, love the design!" (When I try to explain about Mr. Scream, they usually look at me kind of weird, though.)

Homecoming's this Saturday. I'm excited, sort of, not really. Our dances are usually characterized by terrible music, but dinner (we're getting a limo, which will be awesome-- and there's like 15-20 people so it shouldn't be that pricey), cruising out to Coronado Island, and afterparty should be fun.

Whereas the blog has been unusually silent this week AND

Whereas I'm quite nosy

Be It Resolved That everyone reading this comment with at least two things that have happened to you in the past week.

Readygo.

(1. I went to a conference all of last weekend for an organization called PeaceJam, and heard 11 Nobel Laureates, including Desmond Tutu, speak and it was ridiculously incredible.
2. I'm working again. Don't lie to yourselves, cashiering is the job of champions.
3. I saw the Denver Poetry Slam Team, who won the national poetry slam in Austin, perform. They are basically awesome.
The end.)

OH MY GOD

EDIT
I just got another email from the Telluride people (about the SAT- is anyone planning to take it in Ithaca? I think I might do that because I need it for Yale EA). It was addressed to all of the people who got interviews. The ones I could make out from our fantastic WashU TASP were:

-Ryan
-Spencer
-Breanna
-Alison
-Tracy

Some of the emails I didn't recognize/weren't identifiable, so if you should be on this list too, let me know and I'll add you. Congrats to everyone who made it. I'm incredibly honored to be put in the same league as all of you brilliant kids. Also, to those who didn't get interviews, fear not! Your genius isn't in question to me. And plus, I bet bunches of you end up at Harvard/Yale/Ridiculously Impressive School X. Love you guys!

-------

Interview :-)

*dances away*

P.S.- the only other person I've heard from is Spencer (HE GOT AN INTERVIEW TOO!). Other peoples, please tell me things. I'm basically awake from the hours of 6 am to midnight mountain time, and I'll be checking my phone/email constantly. So reall, the window of opportunity for enlightening me is huge.

I love you all to death.

Yours in high pitched catch phrases,
Ryan

Pictures from the Children's Home

If anyone has any pictures of our visit to the Saint Louis' Children Home they'd be willing to share, I'm gathering pictures to send to the people at the Home. Sorry: I should have done this a looooong time ago...

Breanna, how does one talk like a pirate? (Or perhaps each person's inner pirate speaks a unique dialect of piratese...)

ITLAP Day = fun.

As the majority of us anxiously await the announcement of interviews for CBTA on the 19th, we must keep in mind the celebratory nature of the day.

I am talking, of course, about International Talk Like a Pirate Day, 2006. I feel it is my responsibility as a contributing member of humanity to draw your attention to this very special holiday, which is celebrated with great joy every year on September the Nineteenth. I deeply hope that all of you choose to participate. To those of you who may look at this day and simply ask, "Why?" or even "What in the world?", I ask, "Why not?!" There is a simple equation to describe why you should participate.

talking like a pirate + other people talking like pirates = smiles + weird looks + general merriment.

You cannot deny my logic.
Learn more at www.talklikeapirate.com

Snaps for everyone who joins in on the fun.

Procrastinators unite!...tomorrow.

I have to make sure that I keep posting these things. I can't even remember the last time I posted something. What's more, this is my third post since TASP. I know, pathetic and inexcusable. I haven't/will not participate in any wild and random drunken parties, sorry to disappoint some of you. Instead, I've been diligently working on absolutely nothing important for quite a while now. Gone are the days when I felt rushed and busy...now I simply feel blase all the time. I hate the word I'm about to use, (makes me cringe) senioritis. I swear senioritis is on the same level as moist. I DON'T have that disease, but I do have a problem with my work ethic. I need some motivation!...or something, anything. I miss being a good seed. Cormac McCarthy is killing me, I have to write a paper on his work, The Crossing.

Are we receiving seperate packets from the Professors? I noticed that Dr. Brown did not write on any of my papers. That might be a blessing.

Today, on my way home, I saw a member of the order Testudines syn. Chelonia trying to get to the other side of the highway. It was amazing to watch this fearless creature. I speed all the time; therefore, I wasn't able to make out what type of turtle/tortoise it was, but I do know that it was a baby turtle/tortoise. Luckily, my speeding didn't interfere with this reptile's continued existence on earth, but I kept thinking about the turtle's safety. I wanted to turn around and get that tortoise to the other side. I hope the anonymous reptile made it safely to its destination. I couldn't imagine how awful I would feel today if I had made it the latest roadkill on Rattlesnake Hammock Rd.

I wish I had some engaging classes to take this year. I'm taking eleven, but all of the courses except AP Lit and Chem are jokes. Case in point, in my government class we spent a whole week on Marxist-Leninist theory and I still have no idea what these theories are and why we started talking about them in the first place. MAX, I wish I had your brain sometimes. I have nothing against coaches on the field. But, they need to know where they shine. My government teacher is Mr. Steven Pricer. Mr. Pricer would more likely refer to himself as Varsity Wrestling and Football Coach at Lely High. Coach Pricer has taught (if you can actually call it that in all 50 states) at my high school for thirty-one years. But, as much as I despise my AP Government class (or as I warmly call it...the disorganized dungeon of death, destruction, and deception) and want Mr. Coach Pricer to teach, I must blame the state of Virginia. Yes, VA!!! You see, Coach Pricer grew up in Viriginia, went to college in his home state--UVA for grad school---then decided he needed to spread the cancer of idiocy to an already moronic people inhabitating "the great state of Florida." Besides the lack of teaching, which I could circumvent with imagination and protracted daydreaming. Coach Pricer constantly swears, he uses that n---- word I don't particularly care for and that b---- word as well. My point is, AP US Gov't is a FAR, far, far (I'm talking galaxy travel now) departure from TASP seminar.

Cormac McCarthy---wherever you are---I really don't care about the wolf, you make me think too much!

Sabah elkheer, TASPers...

Dearest comrades, far-flung friends,
I hope you are all well and that those of you who applied to CBTA are not angsting too much. Don't worry: you shall be interviewed, I am sure of it. All continues well in State College. Arabic is much fun: I learned to say darling the other day. Oddly enough, the first letter sounds exactly like the h sound in Ruben's "dahling," as opposed to the h in "he"... (One says "habeebee" to a male and "habeebetee" to a female.) I am also learning how to say door, chicken, house, neighbor, borders, and news. My ability to understand the Arabic pop songs my teacher plays before class is therefore rather limited.
Ottoman history is also fun, full of march warriors, two-blooded border lords, ghazi, mystics, and whatnot. I actually said something in class on Wednesday (about a particularly tasty footnote), but the shock was so great I could barely write for shaking for a full five minutes. I miss TASP discussions: the people here scare me. They don't read the footnotes yet they still speak so confidently in class... Professor Krstic hates me, I'm sure. I raise the eyebrow. There has been plenty of talk about the Balkans, though, Lynn...
In other news, I am training my minions to call rabbits ("erneb") "Walter Mondales."
People have been leaving for college. This makes me very sad. The chap who sent me the Che Guevara postcard departed in the wee hours of this morning for the University of Chicago. Tyler, if you have any pale green coats, lock them up. (This chap has been known to pinch my own green raincoat. I register Manasi-esque indignance because he looks far better in it than I do.) I'm sure you know people who are departing as well... At least it's not as bad as the end of TASP...
Anyway, let us put such best-repressed memories behind us. I was most intrigued by the suggestions for the next TEL. As far as Erasmus Darwin goes, I can only proclaim, in best Ryan voice: "Oh my gawd!" Scientific notes in verse: that is simply delightful. If weren't a wee bit too old, I'd be in love. Speaking of verse, Rudyard Kipling sounds interesting, and T. S. Eliot would be good choice, just so long as people don't gain the mistaken impression that he's > TEL. In that regard I like Miranda's view of this new person as a friend, not a rival, for dear TEL... J. R. R. Tolkein definitely has much to recommend him (hobbits are my friends), as does H. L. Mencken. (Mencken reminds me of my favorite staunch opponent of the French Revolution and the "great unwashed masses" in general, Edmund Burke, only ten times more acidic. By the way, Spencer, Edmund wouldn't be any sort of relation, would he?) As for Subcommandante Marcos... The rules could definitely be extended to encompass anyone who calls his rooster "Penguin." However, I must know to which school of guerilla warfare he subscribes. If he adheres to Guevara's foco theories, he's doomed to destruction. If he follows the strategies set out in chapter XXXIII of Seven Pillars of Wisdom, on the other hand, he's guaranteed victory. You must tell him this when you meet him while you're next fomenting revolution in more southerly climes, Max. So many good choices... How to choose? I shall just have to research them all...
But the great news in State College is: T. E. Lawrence lives! He sent me an e-mail. I am well pleased. I hope you are all having a similarly exciting weekend.
Toodle pip,
Alison

Litwacked once again

There are 49 applications to CBTA.
Oh dear.

Prof Vinson is working underground in Williamsburg?

During physics today, just as I was dying from massive overdose on final velocity and acceleration and time squared and such, the counseling office helper came in with a large manila envelope for me -- from William and Mary.

I was really confused. I mean, naturally, I assumed that they had heard of my SPECTACULAR jumping abilities and wanted to offer me a full ride scholarship... But turns out they were my TASP essays, posted in a W&M envelope, postmarked from Williamsburg. Very mysterious!

It was so odd to get the essays back at school, though (did any of you get them back there, also?). Mixing those two very different worlds of TASP wonderfulness and Scripps Ranch's drugged preppiness made me realize all the more how much I MISS YOU GUYS and how amazing those six weeks were. I read through my reflection essay and a lot of memories flooded back, and I smiled a little at the thought of Professor Brown yelling about reparations, and ::click::-osa, and... it was just one of those moments.
:
:
:

Now I'm writing some letters to Starbucks to see if they'll donate coffee for Model UN to sell at Back to School Night. We can't sell candy anymore because of the "health risk" it poses (those 1000-calorie Pizza Hut personal pizzas are perfectly balanced lunches, though), but the school doesn't seem to care about clogging up parents' arteries. Dear GOD. I hate public school bureaucracy. Now Academic League is short the $3000 we usually get from chocolate sales... joy.

Well well well.

I'm back in Colorado after four days spent touring 50% of the Ivy League and Swarthmore. Twas a good time. At some point perhaps I'll talk more about each school, but for now, seeing as it is 10:30 at night and I still have homework left to do, some random stuffs and photos.

Okay.
Onward!

So one thing I noticed this this weekend is that the Ivy League has some peculiar obsessions. For instance, all of the ones I visited (Penn, Princeton, Yale, and Brown) are ridiculously proud of their wide assortment of a capella groups. They all tell you about them on their tours. Brown even notes that it has more a capella groups per capita than any other school in the country. If that's not useful when it comes to making a college decision, I don't know what is.

The other thing they're all big on (and when I say all of them, that's what made it funny- not a one of these schools was an exception) is the OMG GUYS DONT WALK THROUGH THIS GATE OR YOUR FIRST BORN CHILD WILL BE EATEN BY WOLVES gate. Seriously, on every tour the guides stopped to point out some ornate gateway that you're not allowed to pass through until your graduate or else bad luck forever more. I thought it was kind of absurd, but hey, I'm not taking my chances.

Of the five schools I visited, I only stayed overnight at one (I have a friend who goes to Penn), so I'm a little worried I didn't see much to any of the social comings and goings at the others. But such is life.

My favorite by far is YALE. Guys, tell me something. why oh why does that school have to be
a) SO AWESOME
b) so absurdly hard to get into?

a mystery modern science may never solve. but seriously, they have this awesome residential college set up that is so incredibly TASPy. That definitely sold me. Mina, I can definitely see why you're head over heels in love with this place. Now I am too.

I also liked Swarthmore quite a bit. It's absolutely gorgeous, and the kids I talked to all seemed very down to earth. My tour guide is taking a class this year on "Women in the Civil Rights Movement," which is unbearably Dr. Brown-esque and entirely cool. The only thing is, it's TINY. 1300 kids. But that means all the classes are very small too. So I'm kind of up in the air about what I think on that one.

Brown and Princeton and Penn are all of course gorgeous and far too wealthy and imposing not to be impressive. But for a number of reasons I've ruled them all out.

That means I basically have a final college list (YAY).

*drumroll*
Yale (early action)
Cornell
Columbia
Georgetown
Swarthmore
Fordham
U of Maryland
(maybe UMich)

Anyway, enough yammering about colleges. Onto the best part.

PHOTOS


I'm not sure if you can see that road sign, but it says brown st. I'd liked to dedicate this to my roommate, one Kathryn Brown. and Professor Brown. And the Warren Brown School of Social Work. and myself, of course. God bless us browns, every one.


Yale is hot


But they stuffed their mascot. a little creepy.


That's my lovely friend Abby who let me crash in her dorm at Penn.


This is for all the Sufjan Stevens fans among you. My dad and I visited Valley Forge just for kicks, and they had a list of all the generals who had their troops stationed there. Casimir Pulaski was one of them. Hooray!


It is the great tragedy of my young life that I didn't get a better picture of this. It's basically the BEST ROAD SIGN EVER. It's between my house and the Denver Airport and it says, "NOTICE- Correctional Facility: Do Not Stop for Hitchhikers" hehe


Okay, so this isn't really from my trip, but I couldn't resist. In the creative writing room at my school we have a little mini-scream. So, in the spirit of the washu TASP, my best friend Asya and I posed for this lovely picture. (i'm putting a couple other ones on my booko de face in the next couple of days)


Well, that's about all from me, folks.
Enjoy your week.
And not to freak everyone out, but according to my counts, about 35 kids are applying to CBTA.
heh, yeah.

Love from the state of Nunn,
Ryan

I am a Luddite!

Crushed between the twin pincers of my sister and a Yalie alum of my school, I have now joined Facebook. But I don't know what to do at this point. Every time I stare at the screen, bright dots of shame fill my eyes, and I am unable to function. I've tried briefly plucking out my eyes and immersing them in Envirochem, but then I trade psychosomatic photopsia in for complete ocular degeneration (doctor's son), so, really nothing doing, which, that is to say, means, hopefully, you know. What do I do? There you go.

CBTA Applicants and General Whininess

EDIT- Rodney is applying too, so we're back up to 11. oy vey!

EDIT #2- No Mina, so that's ten. Cornell apparently has 12 or 13. No word on Mich or Austin.

The List
Ryan
Breanna
Tracy
Manasi
Spencer
Alison
Max
Gerardo
Cynthia
Mina (?)
Ruben (?) - never mind. he decided not to. how rude, my fellow bad seed, how very rude.
Rodney

Holy crap. that's so.many.people. I love you all to death, but I hope far fewer people from the other four TASPs apply or the competition is going to be ridiculous.


In other news, I got my papers from the profs today (at long last), and I must say, I was rather disappointed. My 3rd paper (the one we did on any topic in the civil rights movement), which is the one I put the most time and effort into, had no real comments on it at all, just "good" written next to a couple paragraphs and things underlined throughout. The other one, my eyesore of a final personal analysis, had three sentences on the last page that basically said, "thanks for being enthusiastic! good luck in the future!" and that was all. i'm curious, what kind of feedback did everyone else get? were the professors in a hurry with everyone's comments, or were my papers just so eye-gouging-ly bad that they wanted to get them done with and out of sight as quickly as possible?

P.S.- I just got back from college-ing on the east coast. i'll post pictures and info tomorrow.

Just a rough poll (kinda like a raise of hands...)

Okay, so, I don't know if I can do actual polls on here (chances are I can if I were less lazy), but anyway, the question I put before the TASPers is as follows:

How would you most like to see things chronologically sorted out in the TASP Quotes I will be e-mailing out hopefully within the week, maybe the next two?

In the original I had made, I put not only the date in but the time or a rough estimate when I had one. Barring that this is especially important to you all, I will delete that and just keep the date.

Okay, so I guess I wouldn't really make this into a poll cuz it's not exactly yes-or-no, etc.

Just kidding. It is. I'm distracted. I guess I could have just deleted that line, but I don't feel like it. Creative Writer philosophy: don't delete/completely scribble over/trash anything you write. I'm sorry for you that I'm carrying that principle over to this. I just finished The Gatekeepers. VERY good. So just post a yay-or-nay on just listing the date and then the quotes for that day (if there are any)?

Just a reminder: if anyone has any quotes they've collected on their own, feel free to e-mail them to me! I'd be more than happy to include them after I've checked with those quoted or those whom the quotes are about/mention to make sure it's a go. :)


Thanks very much guys,
Love always,
Peace,
Miranda

Music to My Ears

Lest I sound like an èlitist allow me to sympathize with my fellow TASPer's sentiment toward the breed of people we have the luxury of communicating with outside of the wonderful, intellectually-stimulating haven that was Wash U TASP. I have had many a talk with some of my friends here over my frustration with closeted/blatant idiots and the best advice they have given me is to, "Realize they're stupid and ignore them." I find ignoring the misled and not-so-well thought out opinions of those around me troubling. And even if I tried I couldn't do it. Enough about my life. I wanted to share something with you all. After much debate at dinner, a fraction of us TASPers finally devised and completed the best thing since Ruben's last post. The thing I speak of is...a list of rap artists and groups that we think Tyler should listen to in his spare time. I was supposed to give this list to Tyler at coffee, but I was too sick at the time to remember. SO...Here's the list: 1)Mos Def, 2)Talib Kweli, 3)Common, 4)Jay-Z, 5)Immortal Technique, 6)A Tribe Called Quest, 7) De la Soul, 8) Nas, 9) Ludacris ( WARNING---Ludacris is like Eminem in his ability to offend, only more talented), 10) Tupac (whose 10th anniversary special will air on BET in a couple days), 11) Notorious B.I.G., 12) The Fugees, 13) The Roots, 14) MC Lyte, 15) Da Brat, 16) Missy Elliot, 17) DJ Jazzy Jeff, 18) Run DMC, 19) Sugar Hill Gang, 20) Grand Master Flash, 21) Slick Rick, 22) Kanye West, 23) TLC, 24) Bell Biv Devoe, 25) Outkast, 26) Twista, 27) Black Sheep, 28) Lupe Fiasco, 29) BlackStreet, 30) Faith Evans, 31) Lauryn Hill, 32) John Legend, 33) Mariah Carey (did I mention Kathryn was part of this group of debaters?), 34) Musiq and/or Musiq Soulchild, 35) Usher, 36) Memphis Bleek, 37) Atomic Poll (I think that's what it says).

PLEEAAASEEE......

Justin Timberlake is totally wrong. Sexy does not need to be brought back. I've been holding sexy down since I was in underoos.
Anywho.
I suppose I must first thank--nay, bless-- all of you for the lovely package that was sent after I left. I expected to find only a dusty Nesbitt, well worn from all the reading and comprehending done to it. But much to my (at that point girlish) delight, I also had a picture of the 2006 TASPers, framed not only in a classy, minimalist frame, but in the collective love and merriment that only a summer of studying *ahem* and living together could provide. Needless to say, my eyes moisted over and I had to excuse myself from the room.
With that being said, life since TASP has been completely disappointing, not because I am incapable of parting with you all, but because everything now seems so normal, disappointing, and mundane. My senior year trip through hell (what some would refer to as a schedule) includes two semesters of PE. Ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you: Stupid knows no race. Much like peace and love and caring, stupid is a unique connection, an archetype, if you will, shared amongst all humans. Some choose to tap into that more than others. I usually offset my intense dislike of these people with the knowledge that my interaction with them will pass.
While I deal with stress and general unmerriment, my parents steal away to Scotland, then Paris. The 'rents new favorite word is arrondisement. I don't blame them. I'll name my first child that: Arondissement Montiel. Sounds stately.
To conclude, I was playing Cranium with a few people I did not know when one of them, a loud, obnoxious girl, mentioned, "You know, South Africa has really gone down the tubes since the white people left." This comment was suspect because of a few details, namely: 1) The oppressors were effectively toye-toyed out of South Africa like a Chuck Norris judochop to the face, 2) Her defenses included such logical gems like "When the British were there, there wasnt any GARBAGE on the street!" and "It was actually SAFE to go out on the street!!!!", and 3) As we know from Prof. Vinson, South Africa is actually coming back infrastructurally (my word). In case you didnt catch it, her defenses were largely speculation, hasty generalization, and complete bullshit. I countered with examples of trash in the streets of major American cities, the danger of walking around at night in Compton, the fact that South Africa is hosting a World Cup in 4 years, the fact that the whites in South Africa violently oppressed blacks, that this oppression led to much of the squalor she described and took as a representation of the entire country today, and that her meticulously researched contentions were "mind-bogglingly wrong". Lack of tact? I think so.
I certainly hope you all havent been as frustrated, too, by scenes like this. I also certainly hope that this comes across as cohesive and comprehensible. 'Tis late and I'm seeing 25 or 6 to 4. But, I think I'll go off for a walk. They say midnight jaunts in East LA or Compton can be particularly refreshing....thank God that it's safe to go out on the street.

Only because I promised Ryan I would

This is me updating the blog. I don't really know what to say. I have alot of homework (this is something I think you all can relate to). Volleyball is not the best, not because of the coach or the actual sport I just don't gel really well with the team...but that's a story for another time.

Not really sure what else to say, I'm not good at blogging.

I like reading other people's posts though...

See this entry is not as witty or clever as any of the entries preceding so it seems kind of pointless ,but whatever.

Okay, I just reread over what I wrote and realized I sound really "P.Oed" and cyncial which is probaly an accurate reflection of my current mood...

I'll post a happy post tommorow.

Hope life is good for everyone...

One month anniversary, m'dears.

I promise to write something more substantial once I finish the CBTA application, but I thought this was a holiday of note, and I just wanted to remind you all how much I miss you to pieces.

Over and out.

EDIT- I spent at least an hour tonight talking to Manasi, another hour to Spencer, and a good 30 minutes on AIM with Leonel, Ruben, and Mina. You people are TAKING OVER MY LIFE (but I love you for it). The real point of this edit was to explain why I'm still not finished with CBTA, so if I don't get in and have nowhere to go to college next year, rest assured I'm camping out in one of your dorms. Damn straight. The end. Really this time.

Notes from the state of Montana

“Hey TASPers,”

Happy Labor Day. I hope you’re all doing well! Now that Lynn and I have more or less finished writing our reports, we both have been freed from the post-WashU TASP burdens that were consuming vast amounts of our time. Of course, Lynn begins school tomorrow, so I’m sure she’s going crazy at her summer comes crashing to an end. I, on the other hand, will be hanging out in Sidney, Montana until September 23, when I’ll hop on a train for an almost 24-hour ride to Chicago.

Besides working on the report, I’ve been doing lots of reading, running, playing tennis, and hanging out with friends and family since I’ve been home. I’ve also been working for a U.S. Department of Agriculture ecologist that studies grasshopper population cycling; suffice it to say that I’ve been catching many ‘hoppers, as we in the business call them. I have failed in an attempt to start my journal again, but this is a customary defeat, and by now a comfortable one. I’ve also had the opportunity to attempt to catch up on non-TASP culture: I’ve been going through Dvorak’s complete symphonies, gearing up for a John Ford movie marathon once my last few friends in Sidney return to college, and eagerly awaiting the arrival of Bob Dylan’s new CD Modern Times and one of his older that I shamefully didn’t have, Blood On The Tracks. (Amazon… Two day shipping, my foot.) And while I haven’t been able to enjoy any Muppets movies lately, I did watch Mean Girls last nice. Funny. Also a guilty pleasure. Finally, despite trying to force myself to like every single poem that Carl Sandburg wrote, maybe out of some sort of ill-placed prairie solidarity, so much of his stuff is terrible, aside from a handful of gems. He’s like a second- or third-rate Walt Whitman.

It has been very nice to be home. I was back for just under four days before TASP, and this is first chunk of time that I’ve spent in Montana since Christmas. My grandmother does my laundry, so new t-shirts don’t shrink to perverse sizes. It’s good to catch up with the people you know, which in the case of a small town means almost everybody. I recently beat my other grandmother at Scrabble, a seemingly petty but actually important landmark in my life. From the very start of August, 90 humidity-free degrees is Montana was a great improvement over 90 degrees in St. Louis swamps. And now, the nights are growing chilly, which means the days won’t get so hot to begin with. You may wonder why I am bothering to talk about the weather at all, but you’ve just received a careful (and free, and important ) lesson in Montana (and for that matter, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wyoming) linguistics: weather is always germane and always safe to discuss.

I’ve enjoyed “lurking” on this blog to hear about your lives, and I’ve also enjoyed your emails, your Facebook messages, and in general wondering how your senior years have been treating you. Perhaps you will experience something like I have—the years go by so quickly that, at one moment, you’re a hormonally imbalanced middle school kid and, the next, you’re a junior at college. I suppose the next development is being an old man, wistfully reminiscing about a life already led. But then again, I’ve got a long time before that happens.

See what happens when you’re not back at college like the rest of the world? Shameful nostalgia and sentimentalism. Beware! I think I am ready to begin the fall quarter, though I think it will be obscene amounts of work.

And now for something completely different: Labor Day was, in at least one way, a very sad day: the great Steve Irwin, the so-called “Crocodile Hunter,” died in a freak accident with a stingray. One of these sea creatures, generally docile and even friendly, punctured Irwin’s chest and heart with its stinger while he was filming a new television series. For those of you who don’t know, Irwin produced and starred in a television show that aired on the Animal Planet in the U.S. He was a passionate conservationist and lover of the wilderness, and the source of many hours of entertaining enlightenment for my brother and I. He will be missed.

Some of you have noted that my address on the contact sheets seems incorrect. You are right to say so: Montana’s abbreviation is MT, rather than MO, which will actually send your correspondence to Missouri. (And who wants that?) So, if you do want to pass something along to me, send it to one of these two places:

(will arrive before September 23)
507 7th St. SE
Sidney, MT 59270

(will arrive on or after Sept. 23)
5540 S. Hyde Park Blvd., #305
Chicago, IL 60637

All right, I think I’m going to celebrate Labor Day some more. Take care,

Tyler

"The Next T. E. Lawrence"

Whereas it seems to be generally resolved that Alison knows way too much about T. E. Lawrence (although Alison would contend that one can't know enough), and
Whereas it has been suggested that Alison should perhaps broaden her horizons, and
Whereas Alison greatly respects the opinions of her fellow TASPers,

Alison would be interested to hear the TASPers’ nominations for the “Next T. E. Lawrence.” This person is not to be a replacement to TEL (for who could compare to dear TE’s mad language, history, motorcycle, and camel skills?), but rather a backup, someone whom Alison can research when telawrence.net refuses to load. (It has been behaving rather erratically recently.) Here are the ground rules.

1. He must be male. Men should be able to take more caffeine.
   
   
2. He must be of historical repute. Under-appreciated (“obscure” has too many negative connotations) or eccentric characters are of particular interest. The internal jury is still out as to whether to permit fictional characters to enter the running.
   
   
3. There are no restrictions on this figure’s place of origin. However, Frenchmen are not wholly encouraged. (Robespierre is a notable, perhaps unique, exception.)
   
   There you have it. I should be most grateful for any and all suggestions.
   P. S. Ryan, the CBTA application is eating my soul too. Solidarity!
   

Foiled Again

Alright, alright, I take it back, technology is eating my soul.
(By the way, what is the general consensus on "alright"? Is it a word?)

So the CBTA application is officially eating my face.
Just thought you should know.

minor tidbit-y updates

These blog things scare me. I really never know what to write in them - but I'm absolutely convinced that it has to be something relatively important, or at the very least, germane. Unfortunately, now that I'm back home it seems silly to waste my time on either when I'd rather do Faulkner stream-of-consciousness, and thus I am left with an inferiority complex when it comes to Blogs, for I fear s-o-c is also unacceptable here. I mean, people will read it. I don't want to waste anyone's time, etc. Which... is kinda what I'm doing right now, but I thought I'd explain.

A few weekends ago I visited Sticky Fingers Bakery in D.C. I can't remember if they've blown up the old Wilson Bridge yet or not. But I was horrified to learn (well, and happy because I presume it's a sign of their success) that Sticky Fingers will be moving! I forget where to, but it's right by a Metro stop... convenient, but now it's not near my (hopefully) future apartment! I'm so distraught!

Last weekend in September I'm taking a driving course... and finally I will have my license, so long as no one dies (*cross your fingers*!). My tarot gave me a disconcerting and disheartening reading yesterday... and my brother was watching this program series thing on the Discovery Channel two or three days ago called "A Haunting" and they've got all these interviews from all the adults and then-children involved and... basically, it scared the shit out of me, and I'm so glad I have my cats to keep me company now when I sleep. When I was at TASP, I knew there were three other people in the suite with me and that all the walls were paper-thin so if I got scared and screamed everyone would hear me (because, of course, everyone'd still be awake, haha). Now I'm home and not only is everything not within walking distance and I'm going back to high school (wait... shouldn't we be registering for college courses now? Feels that way to me...) AND I suddenly have a bed time! After 6 weeks of going to bed at 2am, I'm a little moody to say the least when suddenly I feel like I'm being treated as though I can't govern myself (which is true... I mean, I definitely was only half-awake during the last week of Seminar, and now I have to get up at 5:45 instead of 7:30am... damn short hair- I miss my nightly showers! *SO SUCKS* But I'm spiking it now, which is pretty cool... but also bad because that means it's getting long and I have to figure out a way to pry the clippers away from my mother, who's determined to make me grow the pelo out. Yeah right.)

Sorry for that long block of text.

Peace Out, guys; with love,
Miranda