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Nov. 19th, 2007 01:44 amRolling around the idea of sleeping in my mind like considering some strange new taste on my tongue and deciding I kind of like it.
My next baking project, I think: nutmeg maple cream pie. Looks amazing and has many of my favorite things in it.
I keep ending up unexpectedly busy, but life's pretty good overall. The big feed this weekend went smoothly, the job hunt goes mostly smoothly, the psets go.
Headed to my dad's house for Thanksgiving in a couple days -- it'll be nice to be home for a little while.
And there is a healthy conversation going on in the lounge with a roughly equal split of male and female voices, which is always good to hear.
And Christmas caroling season is very near (yeah, I'm that person who thinks it's okay to start that at the end of november), and choir concerts. Hurrah!
My next baking project, I think: nutmeg maple cream pie. Looks amazing and has many of my favorite things in it.
I keep ending up unexpectedly busy, but life's pretty good overall. The big feed this weekend went smoothly, the job hunt goes mostly smoothly, the psets go.
Headed to my dad's house for Thanksgiving in a couple days -- it'll be nice to be home for a little while.
And there is a healthy conversation going on in the lounge with a roughly equal split of male and female voices, which is always good to hear.
And Christmas caroling season is very near (yeah, I'm that person who thinks it's okay to start that at the end of november), and choir concerts. Hurrah!
(no subject)
Oct. 30th, 2007 11:25 amSo here's what frustrates me about my linguistics class: the prof says with great confidence "so, you see that this is clearly not a valid English sentence, and therefore this rule is plausible". Half the time I disagree: I think it's a slightly awkward but okay sentence; sometimes I can even think of an example of the usage he calls invalid right off the top of my head. For example, today he said that in English you can only "look at" such and such, not "look on" such and such. The clear counterexample in my head is the sentences all over the Bible -- "looked on all the works that my hands had wrought" or whatever. If things like that are all over the most-published work in the English language, then "look on" is probably a valid construction, hmm?
Now, in other classes I'd say "okay, whatever, he picked a bad example -- the principle probably still holds, I'm just being OCD". But the *whole class* seems to be fundamentally founded on these examples -- if the whole basis of what's being taught is these flawed examples, these statements which at this point the class just goes along with when the lecturer says because nobody wants to be singled out to have to defend their opinion, then how can any of it be taken seriously?
I'd say this would be one perfect place to use the PRS systems they have in TEAL classes. (For the non-MIT folks who haven't had to cope with this: PRS stands for public response system, basically they give each student in a class a remote control that you use to vote on questions that are periodically asked during the class; it serves as both a form of taking attendance and an on-the-spot feedback system for instructors about whether the class is getting it.) Whenever he makes one of these statements that "devours without an object is not valid in the English language" or whatever, we should all get to vote (quietly, electronically, and at least semi-anonymously) on whether we agree or not. I think I'd be a lot more comfortable with his blanket statements about the validity or invalidity of particular constructions if I thought that my room full of peers wasn't just agreeing out of peer pressure/respect for the lecturer, rather than actual confidence that what he's stating is correct. And I think I'd be a lot happier about the rules he's setting out if I was happy about the observations he was basing them off of.
In non-class news: seeing Sweeney Todd with my musicals class this evening (hurrah!), vaguely hosed as usual (having failed to get work done over the weekend as usual), still job-hunting away, heading down to CT again this weekend and looking forwards to it. Also, found a total treasure-trove of middle/high school poetry in my inbox from LS, and much to my surprise I actually still kinda like some of it. Sure, there's flaws, but there's also some things that still feel right.
And re Heroes... ( spoiler for the end of last night's ep... and last season )
Now, in other classes I'd say "okay, whatever, he picked a bad example -- the principle probably still holds, I'm just being OCD". But the *whole class* seems to be fundamentally founded on these examples -- if the whole basis of what's being taught is these flawed examples, these statements which at this point the class just goes along with when the lecturer says because nobody wants to be singled out to have to defend their opinion, then how can any of it be taken seriously?
I'd say this would be one perfect place to use the PRS systems they have in TEAL classes. (For the non-MIT folks who haven't had to cope with this: PRS stands for public response system, basically they give each student in a class a remote control that you use to vote on questions that are periodically asked during the class; it serves as both a form of taking attendance and an on-the-spot feedback system for instructors about whether the class is getting it.) Whenever he makes one of these statements that "devours without an object is not valid in the English language" or whatever, we should all get to vote (quietly, electronically, and at least semi-anonymously) on whether we agree or not. I think I'd be a lot more comfortable with his blanket statements about the validity or invalidity of particular constructions if I thought that my room full of peers wasn't just agreeing out of peer pressure/respect for the lecturer, rather than actual confidence that what he's stating is correct. And I think I'd be a lot happier about the rules he's setting out if I was happy about the observations he was basing them off of.
In non-class news: seeing Sweeney Todd with my musicals class this evening (hurrah!), vaguely hosed as usual (having failed to get work done over the weekend as usual), still job-hunting away, heading down to CT again this weekend and looking forwards to it. Also, found a total treasure-trove of middle/high school poetry in my inbox from LS, and much to my surprise I actually still kinda like some of it. Sure, there's flaws, but there's also some things that still feel right.
And re Heroes... ( spoiler for the end of last night's ep... and last season )
(no subject)
Oct. 25th, 2007 10:14 pmLife continues quietly. Classes, psets, quizzes, job search -- if I get that offer, we'll see if I'm motivated enough to keep looking anyways and make sure I've thought about all the possibilities, hopefully laziness won't decide that one for me but... eek. Miscellaneous practicalities.
I was flipping through old lj entries today and ran across an entry with a quote from Professor Winston -- "Half of MIT -- doesn't matter if they're students or professors or what -- is afraid of being found out. Thirty percent think they're God. The other twenty percent oscillates between the two." Which I wrote down because it's hilarious and awesome and disturbingly true, and which going back to seems good to remember, because: yeah, it's true.
Also ran across this and took another shot at recording it, just because it really begs to be done and far be it from me to let the obvious lie. Unfortunately every time I try this I'm reminded that microphones just looooove my slight lisp and magnify it about a zillionfold -- so no upload after all -- trust me, it's better this way. Someday I will write a poem with no s's or sh's or ch's or j's in it specifically for the purpose of being able to read it aloud gracefully.
And now I think I will up the excitement value in my life even *more* by catching up on tv shows and going to sleep. Yep, my world is basically a nonstop party. :)
I was flipping through old lj entries today and ran across an entry with a quote from Professor Winston -- "Half of MIT -- doesn't matter if they're students or professors or what -- is afraid of being found out. Thirty percent think they're God. The other twenty percent oscillates between the two." Which I wrote down because it's hilarious and awesome and disturbingly true, and which going back to seems good to remember, because: yeah, it's true.
Also ran across this and took another shot at recording it, just because it really begs to be done and far be it from me to let the obvious lie. Unfortunately every time I try this I'm reminded that microphones just looooove my slight lisp and magnify it about a zillionfold -- so no upload after all -- trust me, it's better this way. Someday I will write a poem with no s's or sh's or ch's or j's in it specifically for the purpose of being able to read it aloud gracefully.
And now I think I will up the excitement value in my life even *more* by catching up on tv shows and going to sleep. Yep, my world is basically a nonstop party. :)
Weekend ended up basically wonderful. Things got figured out, or at least acted upon -- I'm very happy about it.
Got a call from google -- I pass round n and advance to round n+1, I guess, meaning I've got yet another interview on Friday. Wish me luck!
Auditioned for choir solo... almost certainly didn't get it, but I'm pretty proud of myself for trying, and I got some useful feedback about my technique. Also, it turns out I have a G (an octave and a half above middle C), which I'm kind of psyched about. (I'm an alto, okay? This is a whole new world. :p)
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liz_factorial and I made a birthday cake for beat_the_beaver. (Not the best angle to admire this cake from, but I think the general idea comes across. Link is infinitely more SFW than our previous accomplishments.)
So in conclusion, life ain't bad. And now to do the psets I've been neglecting in favor of all of this...
Got a call from google -- I pass round n and advance to round n+1, I guess, meaning I've got yet another interview on Friday. Wish me luck!
Auditioned for choir solo... almost certainly didn't get it, but I'm pretty proud of myself for trying, and I got some useful feedback about my technique. Also, it turns out I have a G (an octave and a half above middle C), which I'm kind of psyched about. (I'm an alto, okay? This is a whole new world. :p)
liz_factorial and I made a birthday cake for beat_the_beaver. (Not the best angle to admire this cake from, but I think the general idea comes across. Link is infinitely more SFW than our previous accomplishments.)So in conclusion, life ain't bad. And now to do the psets I've been neglecting in favor of all of this...
(no subject)
Oct. 3rd, 2007 12:44 amOh, Heroes. I'm so glad it's back.
I watched this week's episode in a room full of other EC folks -- both guys and girls, mind you -- and when Claire ( spoiler. ) It was pretty amusing.
I'm actually more or less pleased with the first two episodes of the season. Yeah, there are lame bits, and squicky bits, but as an intro to season 2, I like it. Hurrah for TV.
And now more psets.
I watched this week's episode in a room full of other EC folks -- both guys and girls, mind you -- and when Claire ( spoiler. ) It was pretty amusing.
I'm actually more or less pleased with the first two episodes of the season. Yeah, there are lame bits, and squicky bits, but as an intro to season 2, I like it. Hurrah for TV.
And now more psets.
(no subject)
Sep. 22nd, 2007 08:11 pmSo the Langham Hotel's Chocolate Bar? *Damn*. Worth it. It's pretty spectacular. I took a picture but it really doesn't express the glory very well. Mmm, chocolate.
a life update
Sep. 2nd, 2007 09:19 pmI'm back in Boston -- have been for a week and a half now (and wow, it feels like longer already) -- and happy to be home. Have been room-cleaning, baking up a storm, sending much email, greeting new freshmen, giving my guitars the love they deserve, and generally being happy and getting settled. Classes start on Wednesday, I'm still not really sure what I'm going to be taking, but there are a lot of awesome possibilities and I'm really close to finishing off my degree requirements so I'm not worrying about it. :)
bluemonster
Aug. 16th, 2007 11:14 amChange the world or go home. Interesting stuff [more here]. I'll reserve my opinion on it for once I get home. ;)
I have no internets at home -- it breaks my heart and it means I'm not posting or reading my flist, 'cause there's something very weird about doing that at work. I'm still alive, just deaf and mute so far as lj goes... see you in August when I'm back at school. :) Email or phone will still get in touch with me.
Further news from the western front
Jun. 26th, 2007 10:50 pmI'm tired. Boys are strange. WorkFocusing on work is hard. I now have one free weekend from now until August (the rest are full of awesome-but-busy). I don't think I want to be here forever, but I'm not sure, and it's clearly premature to be thinking about this at all as I'm not sure I'm doing that great a job anyways. But on the whole I think I might be having fun.
(no subject)
Jun. 20th, 2007 10:54 pmDear MIT kids: all of Cambridge had better be underwater or something right now, I want to hear about it on the news, because otherwise clearly none of you are emailing me back because you don't love me. :p
This whole summer thing continues to look up: I am still alive and increasingly confident that I can do the stuff work wants me to do, and sloooowly persuading myself to get a little more assertive about asking questions. Much musicing, insane number of new people met, and strangely I can no longer function without eight hours of sleep (uh-oh) so I'd better crash now.
This whole summer thing continues to look up: I am still alive and increasingly confident that I can do the stuff work wants me to do, and sloooowly persuading myself to get a little more assertive about asking questions. Much musicing, insane number of new people met, and strangely I can no longer function without eight hours of sleep (uh-oh) so I'd better crash now.
Still alive. Tired. Nervous about job (omg meetings tomorrow about things I'm not sure I understand), happy about friends. Saw the Wrens in concert last night, it was amazing (again) (and I have a drumstick!). Roommate is here and awesome. Should probably sleep now. More later?
( oh yeah, and (meme) )
( oh yeah, and (meme) )
Further adventures on the west coast
May. 29th, 2007 06:10 pmHave bike! Super friendly bus driver helped me find the place and actually happened to come around again on his route just as I was leaving and honked/waved at me.
Got madly sunburned on the way home -- I forgot, one of the things about commuting on a bike is the asymmetrical sunburn. (Because if you're going north/south then the sun is on the same side of you on the way out and the way back.)
Fortunately, the boxes that contain (among many other things) my aloe vera post-burn lotion just came. I wasn't expecting them for two or three more days, so I'm really happy. I have though just realized that I think I packed my scissors inside one of those boxes... time to go abuse a kitchen knife...
[p.s. okay, i packed *so* much stuff. why did i do that?]
[p.p.s. i should have my camera cord now! anticipate pictures this evening probably.]
Got madly sunburned on the way home -- I forgot, one of the things about commuting on a bike is the asymmetrical sunburn. (Because if you're going north/south then the sun is on the same side of you on the way out and the way back.)
Fortunately, the boxes that contain (among many other things) my aloe vera post-burn lotion just came. I wasn't expecting them for two or three more days, so I'm really happy. I have though just realized that I think I packed my scissors inside one of those boxes... time to go abuse a kitchen knife...
[p.s. okay, i packed *so* much stuff. why did i do that?]
[p.p.s. i should have my camera cord now! anticipate pictures this evening probably.]
Oh my god, West Coast roads. There's so *much* of them. Seriously. It makes this whole place feel really weird. (Also, the placement of trees in relation to other not-tree things is off from what I expect.)
On the other hand, the Trader Joe's was pretty much just like home. And the fact that it's 48 degrees now but forecast to break 80 the day after tomorrow seems very much like home too. Not, of course, that I (a twenty-one year old basically-grown-up woman of the world, clearly) would ever get homesick or anything.... :p
On the other hand, the Trader Joe's was pretty much just like home. And the fact that it's 48 degrees now but forecast to break 80 the day after tomorrow seems very much like home too. Not, of course, that I (a twenty-one year old basically-grown-up woman of the world, clearly) would ever get homesick or anything.... :p
travel accomplished
May. 27th, 2007 05:27 pmSo I'm settled in across the country for the summer now -- a terrifying concept that I haven't let sink in yet -- and so far so good. :) My roommate gets here in a week or two; her amazing parents left all sorts of good stuff in the kitchen. I've got my clothes unpacked -- kinda wrinkly but I figure I can throw them in our dryer (which isn't four flights of stairs down, unlike certain other washer/dryers I could mention) and that'll help. We've got internet technology, clearly, and I've hooked up my music, so it feels just like home. :p
I was up all last night packing and panicking and making one last 4am South Street Diner trip, and then napped intermittently in the cab/in the airport/on the plane, so I think my sleep schedule is thoroughly screwed up enough that if I don't think about the jet lag there won't be any.
Seattle is (predictably) rainy and a little chilly, but nice. My apartment building's surrounded by trees (and, um, other apartments in the complex), we have a little covered porch where I have designs to sit with a guitar (which I must obtain -- something acoustic off craigslist, maybe an old twelve-string if I am feeling super extravagant or see a really good deal -- I'm telling myself whatever I get I'll resell in August, but I have a sneaking feeling I'm going to want to bring whatever it is home) and whittle away summer evenings, or something like that.
Also, I have three days to figure out how to get to work, so that'll be interesting.
Pictures forthcoming -- I brought my camera in carry-on but shipped the transfer cord, so I can't yet. And now I think I'm going to settle in with tea and a C# book and an afternoon nap before I try to figure out how to get to the grocery store.
I was up all last night packing and panicking and making one last 4am South Street Diner trip, and then napped intermittently in the cab/in the airport/on the plane, so I think my sleep schedule is thoroughly screwed up enough that if I don't think about the jet lag there won't be any.
Seattle is (predictably) rainy and a little chilly, but nice. My apartment building's surrounded by trees (and, um, other apartments in the complex), we have a little covered porch where I have designs to sit with a guitar (which I must obtain -- something acoustic off craigslist, maybe an old twelve-string if I am feeling super extravagant or see a really good deal -- I'm telling myself whatever I get I'll resell in August, but I have a sneaking feeling I'm going to want to bring whatever it is home) and whittle away summer evenings, or something like that.
Also, I have three days to figure out how to get to work, so that'll be interesting.
Pictures forthcoming -- I brought my camera in carry-on but shipped the transfer cord, so I can't yet. And now I think I'm going to settle in with tea and a C# book and an afternoon nap before I try to figure out how to get to the grocery store.
the halls are alive with...
May. 22nd, 2007 02:25 amExams always prompt awesome things.
We had the jam session tonight that I've kinda always hoped for -- at peak we had two basses, two guitars (one electric, one acoustic), a keyboard, a trombone, a violin, and a bassoon (but usually just some subset of these). We did pretty well with Amazing Grace, Good Riddance (Green Day), Hallelujah, and Clocks (Coldplay), and pretty okay with Jumper (Third Eye Blind). We kinda murdered Wonderwall (Oasis) -- six chords, way more than we were ready for. :p And also did pretty awfully by Glycerin (Bush), largely because the folks who knew the words/melody and the folks playing chord progressions were disjunct groups, so I don't think we ever quite figured out how the two went together. But it was a ton of fun nevertheless -- I really hope we do it again before the summer...
We had the jam session tonight that I've kinda always hoped for -- at peak we had two basses, two guitars (one electric, one acoustic), a keyboard, a trombone, a violin, and a bassoon (but usually just some subset of these). We did pretty well with Amazing Grace, Good Riddance (Green Day), Hallelujah, and Clocks (Coldplay), and pretty okay with Jumper (Third Eye Blind). We kinda murdered Wonderwall (Oasis) -- six chords, way more than we were ready for. :p And also did pretty awfully by Glycerin (Bush), largely because the folks who knew the words/melody and the folks playing chord progressions were disjunct groups, so I don't think we ever quite figured out how the two went together. But it was a ton of fun nevertheless -- I really hope we do it again before the summer...
(no subject)
May. 7th, 2007 07:35 pmFolks who've been following the whole AACS DMCA thingie may find this amusing: you too can get your very own personal mine-all-mine integer!
(no subject)
May. 3rd, 2007 07:14 pmNote to self: in future, when irrationally taking things totally personally that aren't meant that way, it's probably polite to make at least a token effort to hide this, pms notwithstanding.
In the name of cheer-the-fuck-up: I may have kinda screwed up my theme for the 21m.302 assignment, but the prof appeared pleasantly surprised at my variation, so once I clear up a couple chord progressions on both that'll be solidly under control. Also, omg baby turtles. Also, the wonderful and stalktastic ljtoys (and judicious stella'ing of ips) informs me that there is at least one 4e resident who came by my journal who I didn't know read LJ. Hi!
In the name of cheer-the-fuck-up: I may have kinda screwed up my theme for the 21m.302 assignment, but the prof appeared pleasantly surprised at my variation, so once I clear up a couple chord progressions on both that'll be solidly under control. Also, omg baby turtles. Also, the wonderful and stalktastic ljtoys (and judicious stella'ing of ips) informs me that there is at least one 4e resident who came by my journal who I didn't know read LJ. Hi!
(no subject)
May. 2nd, 2007 08:59 pmSo I was wandering through the kitchen this evening, kinda wondering what smelled good, absentmindedly snacking. A friend (and physics major, mind you) comes by and asks aloud, "What smells so good?" "I don't know," I respond, so she looks in ovens. "Oh, someone's baking a cake," she says.
Moment of silence as it sinks in. "Oh my god that was me," I say, removing it, much to her amusement. (It was only slightly overdone. Yay!)
Later, we discuss how it's a really awful sign when you have to say to yourself, "Gee, I wish I had it together as much as that physics major does."
Also, I replaced the keyboard on my laptop, and it's funny how different typing feels. The keys are noticeably less smooth and more responsive. (Also, this new keyboard actually has a left arrow key, which is a convenient change from the old one.)
Moment of silence as it sinks in. "Oh my god that was me," I say, removing it, much to her amusement. (It was only slightly overdone. Yay!)
Later, we discuss how it's a really awful sign when you have to say to yourself, "Gee, I wish I had it together as much as that physics major does."
Also, I replaced the keyboard on my laptop, and it's funny how different typing feels. The keys are noticeably less smooth and more responsive. (Also, this new keyboard actually has a left arrow key, which is a convenient change from the old one.)
