I came completely unprepared.
1. Stop at Best Buy on way home from shul to look at webcams and hard drives. No significant sales; go home.
2. Buy webcam off ebay for $10 less than was at Best Buy.
3. Head over to Carson's to get Aba coat, and see if mine went on sale more since getting it on Wednesday. (5 minute drive)
4. Spend about half an hour looking for a parking space. Getting honked at, honking at others. F-bombs galore.
5. Find a parking space, head into Carson's.
6. Find last right type of coat that's size large. Also get gloves that are 50% off.
7. Get to front of line. Random woman hands me $10 off coupon, because she has no use for it.
8. Get done with transaction. Ask for receipt. Told "its in the bag" which is overflowing with coat.
9. Leave store. Discover receipt "not in bag".
10. Spend 20 minutes looking for car. Numerous people looking for parking ask me where I'm parked. I embarrassingly tell them I have no idea.
11. Take wrong exit out of mall. 5 minute drive turns into 15 minutes.
12. Get home, determine this was slightly more interesting than normal routine; i.e., blog-worthy.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Weirdo
Tuesday morning was just like most other school mornings. Got up for the 6:45 minyan, got back to the house around 7:30, grabbed my lunch bag, coffee filled mug, paper-towel bib, car keys, and drove off toward Lake Shore Drive. (You mean you don't protect your shirt when drinking coffee while driving? ARE YOU FREAKING INSANE???)
Anyhoo, traffic is always a little backed up on Ridge just South of Peterson at 7:50 AM, so while stopped, I pick up my mug to take a few sips. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch the bearded, 40-something guy in a red sedan in the right lane doing the same thing, picking up his mug and drinking. And he sees me. And he smiles, and lifts his mug toward mine, as if to toast me over the 7-foot distance between us, divided by two car doors, two closed windows, and a lack of past interaction.
And I'm flabbergasted. I smiled and quickly looked away, because after all, who the heck does this guy think he is? It's not like we know each other. Does he think we're special or similar because we're both on our way to somewhere we don't want to be, drinking coffee at 8AM while stopped at a red light? Is this something we should bond over? Like no one else drinks coffee while stopped at a red light. The nerve of this guy. Trying to be social and cheery at 8AM.
The incident threw me off for about the next two hours. I think sometimes we need breaks in routine, to remind us that we're alive.
Or, maybe he just liked the bib.
Anyhoo, traffic is always a little backed up on Ridge just South of Peterson at 7:50 AM, so while stopped, I pick up my mug to take a few sips. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch the bearded, 40-something guy in a red sedan in the right lane doing the same thing, picking up his mug and drinking. And he sees me. And he smiles, and lifts his mug toward mine, as if to toast me over the 7-foot distance between us, divided by two car doors, two closed windows, and a lack of past interaction.
And I'm flabbergasted. I smiled and quickly looked away, because after all, who the heck does this guy think he is? It's not like we know each other. Does he think we're special or similar because we're both on our way to somewhere we don't want to be, drinking coffee at 8AM while stopped at a red light? Is this something we should bond over? Like no one else drinks coffee while stopped at a red light. The nerve of this guy. Trying to be social and cheery at 8AM.
The incident threw me off for about the next two hours. I think sometimes we need breaks in routine, to remind us that we're alive.
Or, maybe he just liked the bib.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
A Letter to the SET Corporation
Note: I really sent this.
Why, in all hell, did you guys make two of the colors in SET green and red? Nearly 10% of ALL males are green-red color deficient! I LOVE the game, but am constantly asking my friends if a card is green or red, because I DON'T KNOW!!! And I know, you offer advice about drawing lines on the cards to distinguish them, but there are so many other colors to pick from! Black, yellow, orange, blue--- but instead you guys chose to lock 5% of the total population out of your fun little clique, because they're born differently.
I'm really getting pissed about this. I hope you can tell.
Sincerely,
S. F.
Why, in all hell, did you guys make two of the colors in SET green and red? Nearly 10% of ALL males are green-red color deficient! I LOVE the game, but am constantly asking my friends if a card is green or red, because I DON'T KNOW!!! And I know, you offer advice about drawing lines on the cards to distinguish them, but there are so many other colors to pick from! Black, yellow, orange, blue--- but instead you guys chose to lock 5% of the total population out of your fun little clique, because they're born differently.
I'm really getting pissed about this. I hope you can tell.
Sincerely,
S. F.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Torah Tuesday!
WARNING: Much speculation ahead.
The strangest part of parshas Pinchas has to be the section that begins וידבר משה אל ה לאמר. Moses striking up the conversation is a strange change of pace. The section continues to describe Moses' plea that G-d appoint a leader over the Israelites, one that will lead them out of the desert and bring them into the land of Israel.
One of those seemingly obvious necessities, right? So why didn't G-d to think to do it before? Why, after commanding Moses to come up to Har Haavarim, to be gathered unto his people (i.e., die) must G-d be advised to appoint a leader for His people? It almost sounds like G-d didn't really agree with Moses, that G-d didn't see a necessity in His intervention in appointing a leader, or that maybe Bnei Yisrael didn't need one at all.
Moshe did see a necessity. He couldn't comprehend how the Israelites could last on their own, after their last mishap. In the beginning of Pinchas G-d commands Moshe to wage a war- to literally inflict pain- against the Midianites because they inflicted pain on the Israelites. That pain was twofold: 1. The matter of Peor (seemingly including both the idol worship and immorality) and 2. The matter of Cuzbi (which had to include Zimri) who openly displayed their immoral behavior. The physically painful aspect was the deadly plague that G-d sent on the Jews, which abruptly stopped after Cuzbi and Zimri were killed by Pinchas.
But only Pinchas seemed to figure that out, that Cuzbi and Zimri needed to be killed. Only he reacted. And it wasn't that hard a problem to fix.
Moshe saw that, and saw the need for someone to be in charge, because otherwise it wouldn't be everyone taking charge, it would be no one. In Moshe's eyes this was a defining moment for this generation of Bnei Yisrael, and it did not define them as very self-motivated.
So Moshe advised G-d to appoint a leader, because he couldn't understand how Bnei Yisrael could make it otherwise. And G-d acquiesces. And apparently the command to go up to Har Haavarim has also been postponed. (For a whole Sefer.)
In the beginning of Matos, G-d again commands Moshe to wage the war against the Midianites, but the terminology has changed. Originally the war was a צרור, a paining. Now it is a נקם, a vengeance. The war has become a symbol that Bnei Israel have lost something, and must avenge their loss. Perhaps their loss was that ability to continue in Israel without any leader, to be able to have a more direct relationship with G-d that did not require a middleman.
But there's more. G-d now discloses what He didn't say before, which is why Moshe's ascent to Har Haavarim and subsequent death has been delayed, beside for the need to appoint Yehoshua. G-d says, "avenge the vengeance of the Israelites from the Midianites; then you will be gathered to your people." The irony of Moshe telling G-d that the people needed a leader is that in the same instance that the people failed to act and kill Zimri, Moshe also failed. The "new" reason to wage war against the Midianites applied to Moshe as much as everyone else, so he had to live to be involved in it.
The strangest part of parshas Pinchas has to be the section that begins וידבר משה אל ה לאמר. Moses striking up the conversation is a strange change of pace. The section continues to describe Moses' plea that G-d appoint a leader over the Israelites, one that will lead them out of the desert and bring them into the land of Israel.
One of those seemingly obvious necessities, right? So why didn't G-d to think to do it before? Why, after commanding Moses to come up to Har Haavarim, to be gathered unto his people (i.e., die) must G-d be advised to appoint a leader for His people? It almost sounds like G-d didn't really agree with Moses, that G-d didn't see a necessity in His intervention in appointing a leader, or that maybe Bnei Yisrael didn't need one at all.
Moshe did see a necessity. He couldn't comprehend how the Israelites could last on their own, after their last mishap. In the beginning of Pinchas G-d commands Moshe to wage a war- to literally inflict pain- against the Midianites because they inflicted pain on the Israelites. That pain was twofold: 1. The matter of Peor (seemingly including both the idol worship and immorality) and 2. The matter of Cuzbi (which had to include Zimri) who openly displayed their immoral behavior. The physically painful aspect was the deadly plague that G-d sent on the Jews, which abruptly stopped after Cuzbi and Zimri were killed by Pinchas.
But only Pinchas seemed to figure that out, that Cuzbi and Zimri needed to be killed. Only he reacted. And it wasn't that hard a problem to fix.
Moshe saw that, and saw the need for someone to be in charge, because otherwise it wouldn't be everyone taking charge, it would be no one. In Moshe's eyes this was a defining moment for this generation of Bnei Yisrael, and it did not define them as very self-motivated.
So Moshe advised G-d to appoint a leader, because he couldn't understand how Bnei Yisrael could make it otherwise. And G-d acquiesces. And apparently the command to go up to Har Haavarim has also been postponed. (For a whole Sefer.)
In the beginning of Matos, G-d again commands Moshe to wage the war against the Midianites, but the terminology has changed. Originally the war was a צרור, a paining. Now it is a נקם, a vengeance. The war has become a symbol that Bnei Israel have lost something, and must avenge their loss. Perhaps their loss was that ability to continue in Israel without any leader, to be able to have a more direct relationship with G-d that did not require a middleman.
But there's more. G-d now discloses what He didn't say before, which is why Moshe's ascent to Har Haavarim and subsequent death has been delayed, beside for the need to appoint Yehoshua. G-d says, "avenge the vengeance of the Israelites from the Midianites; then you will be gathered to your people." The irony of Moshe telling G-d that the people needed a leader is that in the same instance that the people failed to act and kill Zimri, Moshe also failed. The "new" reason to wage war against the Midianites applied to Moshe as much as everyone else, so he had to live to be involved in it.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
In-dependance
This past weekend we commemorated one of the great lives of the past few hundred years. One who's legacy lives on in thousands of individuals, to whom he spread his ideals and knowledge to bring greater meaning to their lives. That person, was none other than R' Shmuel Yaakov Weinberg Zatza"l, the previous Rosh Yeshiva of Ner Israel.
K, so I spent July 4 at Ner visiting friends there, and literally didn't remember that it was Independence Day until about Havdalah time. And it was the Shabbos before R' Weinberg's Yahrtzeit, so I learned a whole lot about a guy who I'd never heard of, in the form of forty-five minute speeches at all the meals during which we were apparently expected not to continue eating. Seemed like a nice guy.
But probably not my most memorable July 4. That had to be when I was sixteen, during the first vending summer. It's not exactly the highest class work, so you get to meet some interesting (/shady) people. I got a call on the afternoon of July 3 from my friend S asking me to go to Grant Park that night and sell glow-sticks with him. Apparently, he and a couple other of my friends were offered by an older vendor this incredible opportunity, but for one reason or another all the guys bailed except for S, who probably sensed the shadiness involved, and didn't want to go alone. I hadn't any other plans and Grant Park sounded like a cool place to be for fireworks, so I agreed, and as instructed brought an overnight back to hold the merchandise.
We spent about fifteen minutes trying to find our vendor in GP, but eventually we got the stuff and got to selling. Mine weren't going too quickly, perhaps because I just couldn't fathom how anyone in their right mind would spend $3 on a single glow-stick, even if it was 2 for $5. I guess you kinda have to believe in what you're selling. I was walking within 15-20 feet of S, selling on the other side, when a cop yelled him over. We had both suspected that it was probably illegal to sell anything in downtown Chicago without a permit, but figured it was a really slight risk. I decided that the cop didn't really care about me, because he was a lot closer to S, so I just continued walking. To which I heard, "HEY! Where the hell do you think you're going?"
Yeah, apparently cops don't like to be run away from.
I went to join S by the cop, who was wearing jeans and a tucked in short-sleeve shirt, and looking pretty scary to me, who knew this was how I was gonna not get into any colleges. He flashed his badge, asked us for permits, and told us they were getting all the illegal merchants. He pointed to my friend and told him to give up his merchandise. He turned to me and said "You- you're going down to the station. Just a slight misdemeanor." He told me to turn around, and put my hands behind my back. I could have sh*t myself. It was probably the scariest moment of my life.
We begged, told the cop I was an idiot who probably didn't deserve to live numerous times. In the end he had mercy, and just took my stuff away. I lost an overnight bag, but at least I didn't get raped in a jail cell. I counted my blessings. S and I went back to our vendor, collected our commission on what we sold, and ditched the fireworks, which we were no longer really in the mood for.
And we came out with a story. For a fairly good-two-shoed person, I now had an encounter with a cop that almost ended in handcuffs on my resume. Even better, it wasn't one that I had to put on a college application in the space where they ask you if you've ever been arrested, because I hadn't! I was kinda happy about the whole thing. It had some semblance of adulthood which seemed cool.
This summer has been mostly away from the parents' house, but I can't say it's felt very independent. My program put me up in an apartment so no rent bills, and I haven't done much extravagant cooking because I don't have a kosher oven. I've learned to grocery shop, but not much more. When you're seven hundred miles from home, however, there is a slightly better chance of needing to be able to cope on your own.
Like Saturday night. Motzei Shabbos my phone decided not to turn on. It continued to refuse to be turned on for the remainder of the drive back to College Park from Baltimore. Including the point at the end when I decided to take I495 South instead of West. Thereby missing my exit. (I should mention that even Google wasn't clear on these directions.) So I got a little lost in a foreign city at about 11:30 PM with no cell phone. I didn't get as far as the 'F' word, but I did get to 'S', so you could sense the freaking out going on in my mind.
Eventually I found my way back to the highway going the other way and made it back to College Park, but it wasn't exactly a thrilling experience. It was one of those times where I was really appreciating Chicago, where getting lost just means you have to find a place to turn around, because on the grid there are only four directions to go. (Granted I would not want to have to stop somewhere in Chicago at 12 AM and ask for directions. Not that I did that here, because y'know, I'm manly like that.)
In other words, being independent in the sense of being cell-phone less kinda sucks. I'm sure it has advantages in other areas, like say Israel, or the U.S. but I'm not sure I see the point of moving out just yet.
K, so I spent July 4 at Ner visiting friends there, and literally didn't remember that it was Independence Day until about Havdalah time. And it was the Shabbos before R' Weinberg's Yahrtzeit, so I learned a whole lot about a guy who I'd never heard of, in the form of forty-five minute speeches at all the meals during which we were apparently expected not to continue eating. Seemed like a nice guy.
But probably not my most memorable July 4. That had to be when I was sixteen, during the first vending summer. It's not exactly the highest class work, so you get to meet some interesting (/shady) people. I got a call on the afternoon of July 3 from my friend S asking me to go to Grant Park that night and sell glow-sticks with him. Apparently, he and a couple other of my friends were offered by an older vendor this incredible opportunity, but for one reason or another all the guys bailed except for S, who probably sensed the shadiness involved, and didn't want to go alone. I hadn't any other plans and Grant Park sounded like a cool place to be for fireworks, so I agreed, and as instructed brought an overnight back to hold the merchandise.
We spent about fifteen minutes trying to find our vendor in GP, but eventually we got the stuff and got to selling. Mine weren't going too quickly, perhaps because I just couldn't fathom how anyone in their right mind would spend $3 on a single glow-stick, even if it was 2 for $5. I guess you kinda have to believe in what you're selling. I was walking within 15-20 feet of S, selling on the other side, when a cop yelled him over. We had both suspected that it was probably illegal to sell anything in downtown Chicago without a permit, but figured it was a really slight risk. I decided that the cop didn't really care about me, because he was a lot closer to S, so I just continued walking. To which I heard, "HEY! Where the hell do you think you're going?"
Yeah, apparently cops don't like to be run away from.
I went to join S by the cop, who was wearing jeans and a tucked in short-sleeve shirt, and looking pretty scary to me, who knew this was how I was gonna not get into any colleges. He flashed his badge, asked us for permits, and told us they were getting all the illegal merchants. He pointed to my friend and told him to give up his merchandise. He turned to me and said "You- you're going down to the station. Just a slight misdemeanor." He told me to turn around, and put my hands behind my back. I could have sh*t myself. It was probably the scariest moment of my life.
We begged, told the cop I was an idiot who probably didn't deserve to live numerous times. In the end he had mercy, and just took my stuff away. I lost an overnight bag, but at least I didn't get raped in a jail cell. I counted my blessings. S and I went back to our vendor, collected our commission on what we sold, and ditched the fireworks, which we were no longer really in the mood for.
And we came out with a story. For a fairly good-two-shoed person, I now had an encounter with a cop that almost ended in handcuffs on my resume. Even better, it wasn't one that I had to put on a college application in the space where they ask you if you've ever been arrested, because I hadn't! I was kinda happy about the whole thing. It had some semblance of adulthood which seemed cool.
This summer has been mostly away from the parents' house, but I can't say it's felt very independent. My program put me up in an apartment so no rent bills, and I haven't done much extravagant cooking because I don't have a kosher oven. I've learned to grocery shop, but not much more. When you're seven hundred miles from home, however, there is a slightly better chance of needing to be able to cope on your own.
Like Saturday night. Motzei Shabbos my phone decided not to turn on. It continued to refuse to be turned on for the remainder of the drive back to College Park from Baltimore. Including the point at the end when I decided to take I495 South instead of West. Thereby missing my exit. (I should mention that even Google wasn't clear on these directions.) So I got a little lost in a foreign city at about 11:30 PM with no cell phone. I didn't get as far as the 'F' word, but I did get to 'S', so you could sense the freaking out going on in my mind.
Eventually I found my way back to the highway going the other way and made it back to College Park, but it wasn't exactly a thrilling experience. It was one of those times where I was really appreciating Chicago, where getting lost just means you have to find a place to turn around, because on the grid there are only four directions to go. (Granted I would not want to have to stop somewhere in Chicago at 12 AM and ask for directions. Not that I did that here, because y'know, I'm manly like that.)
In other words, being independent in the sense of being cell-phone less kinda sucks. I'm sure it has advantages in other areas, like say Israel, or the U.S. but I'm not sure I see the point of moving out just yet.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Well Played
I learned a trick in KBY; when you're tired and actually want to get stuff done, take a nap. A short fifteen minute putting-head-down-on-table could translate into a much more alert three hours afterward. Today, at about 2:45 in the afternoon the only people in the lab office were me and a doctoral student, so I employed the trick.
I woke up about fifteen minutes later to the beep-beep of my laptop telling me that it was shutting down due to low battery. (Yes, I unplug my laptop periodically and let the battery drain because I heard that was good for it. I'm a little weird.) When I finally signed in my username my whole screen showed this (press f11 to see exactly what I saw).
I freaked out, until I realized I was still in mozilla, and that it was just a slight addition to the current session which the laptop had saved before it shut down. But even so I freaked out because a scary webpage that looked like a virus had popped up, and the grad-student was on the phone so I had nobody to ask about it. When he finally hung up he asked what was the problem. I showed him, to which he responded: "Yeah, you were asleep, and I couldn't find any shaving cream."
I woke up about fifteen minutes later to the beep-beep of my laptop telling me that it was shutting down due to low battery. (Yes, I unplug my laptop periodically and let the battery drain because I heard that was good for it. I'm a little weird.) When I finally signed in my username my whole screen showed this (press f11 to see exactly what I saw).
I freaked out, until I realized I was still in mozilla, and that it was just a slight addition to the current session which the laptop had saved before it shut down. But even so I freaked out because a scary webpage that looked like a virus had popped up, and the grad-student was on the phone so I had nobody to ask about it. When he finally hung up he asked what was the problem. I showed him, to which he responded: "Yeah, you were asleep, and I couldn't find any shaving cream."
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Let's Get Biophysical!
My abstract for the summer, with the help of my grad student advisor who made it sound a little better. We went for the passive voice instead of the first person; in IIT they said its ok in scientific papers.
Under starvation conditions, the single-cell organism Dictyostelium discoideum performs an interesting life cycle in which independent cells aggregate to eventually form a spore that ensures the group’s survival. Cells secrete the chemoattractant cAMP, which directs cell motion toward the aggregate. Analysis of the motion and shape deformations of these cells during migration can be used to better understand cell movement in many cell systems, such as embryogenesis and cancer. This work will involve using custom MATLAB code to analyze image sequences of individual Dictyostelium cells unable to move toward a chemoattractant due to physical obstruction. Such analysis will reveal details of how a cell attaches to a surface and how this attachment is coupled to motion. In addition, time-lapse videos of the Dictyostelium life cycle on different surfaces will be taken, and these group motion data will be analyzed in the context of how surface properties affect group motion.
And now you know.
Under starvation conditions, the single-cell organism Dictyostelium discoideum performs an interesting life cycle in which independent cells aggregate to eventually form a spore that ensures the group’s survival. Cells secrete the chemoattractant cAMP, which directs cell motion toward the aggregate. Analysis of the motion and shape deformations of these cells during migration can be used to better understand cell movement in many cell systems, such as embryogenesis and cancer. This work will involve using custom MATLAB code to analyze image sequences of individual Dictyostelium cells unable to move toward a chemoattractant due to physical obstruction. Such analysis will reveal details of how a cell attaches to a surface and how this attachment is coupled to motion. In addition, time-lapse videos of the Dictyostelium life cycle on different surfaces will be taken, and these group motion data will be analyzed in the context of how surface properties affect group motion.
And now you know.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Green-->Red-->Grey-->A (and back again)
(My first time doing an in-and-out-in-under-a-day trip. Seemed blog-worthy)
On Sunday a friend and former chavrusa of mine got married in New York. He was not the first of our year in KBY to do so, but basically the first big wedding that most people were going to attend. I definitely wasn't gonna miss.
But I'm in UMD for the summer, which is too close to fly, and a little far to make it worth driving by myself. I did have friends driving to NY from Ner Israel for the whole weekend, but I wanted to miss as little work as possible since I hadn't really asked them for the time off, and I was already a little behind on my work sched. So I opted to take a bus, for which there are way too many companies to make an easy decision. I sort of wanted to take a red-eye back from NY so that I could make it to work on Monday on time, but was a little afraid that even if I did, I'd be so dead in work that it would hardly be worth the effort. In the end, I let that be my deciding factor, and yet I was still left with two options: Megabus or Greyhound. Greyhound was closer, Megabus was cheaper, and definitely had parking. I went for Greyhound because I did not want to drive to nowheresville, Maryland, instead of taking public trans to downtown DC. I even spent the extra $8 to make the tickets refundable (does that make me a sucker?).
The 10AM had wifi which was great with my ipod, and for the first ten minutes i actually had my own row. Then we stopped and picked up more passengers, and life got a little suckier. Somehow I still managed to fall asleep-ish for an hour on the way there, and made my way to YU to meet up with people going to the wedding.
It took a while to find a towel to borrow to shower, but eventually I did and made it to the wedding. No mixed seating for the singles (seriously, where else am I supposed to meet girls?) but at least I got to see all my friends from KBY and sit and dance with them, which was pretty awesome. (Some people who go to KBY are normal okay?). The dancing was a little crowded, but still made for a fun time. Unfortunately the wedding was over before I could count to ten, although my chosson-friend actually gave me one of the sheva-brachos after the meal, which was cool.
Eventually we made it back to YU, and I hopped on the A to go to the Grey...hound. What I didn't notice coming into NY is that Port Authority Bus Terminal has about 500 gates to pick up buses, and no automated schedules as to where to pick up which bus. Also, no information stands are open at 1AM. It took about half an hour of bugging different janitors to finally get directed to the Greyhound section, where I could ask where to get my bus.
I boarded the bus in the same (now smelly) suit and tie I had worn to the wedding, mainly because the bathrooms at Port Authority smelled so bad I couldn't contemplate standing in one for five minutes to change. I fought with my knees with the guy in front of me who was trying to put his seat back, and won, so I let down my guard. 3 minutes later the guy surprise attacked me, and I lost the ability to move, but somehow still managed to kinda sleep throughout the four and a half hour bus ride. It helped that there was no internet on this one.
Made it back to Maryland at about 6:15 in the morning, got on some metros to go back to College Park, took a long shower and made it to 8AM shacharis at Hillel. It took coffee and coke and a lab meeting during which I partially fell asleep to make it through the day, but I was successful. All-in-all a great trip, and the only thing I regret is not bringing my firesticks from Chicago up here (the shtick was kinda lame). And putting an onion bagel in my backpack before I left. Pants, sweatshirt, even my tefillin reeked of it when I got back.
I know, you were probably hoping for some sorta disaster to make this entertaining, but I was way too cautious this time. Title's great though, eh?
On Sunday a friend and former chavrusa of mine got married in New York. He was not the first of our year in KBY to do so, but basically the first big wedding that most people were going to attend. I definitely wasn't gonna miss.
But I'm in UMD for the summer, which is too close to fly, and a little far to make it worth driving by myself. I did have friends driving to NY from Ner Israel for the whole weekend, but I wanted to miss as little work as possible since I hadn't really asked them for the time off, and I was already a little behind on my work sched. So I opted to take a bus, for which there are way too many companies to make an easy decision. I sort of wanted to take a red-eye back from NY so that I could make it to work on Monday on time, but was a little afraid that even if I did, I'd be so dead in work that it would hardly be worth the effort. In the end, I let that be my deciding factor, and yet I was still left with two options: Megabus or Greyhound. Greyhound was closer, Megabus was cheaper, and definitely had parking. I went for Greyhound because I did not want to drive to nowheresville, Maryland, instead of taking public trans to downtown DC. I even spent the extra $8 to make the tickets refundable (does that make me a sucker?).
The 10AM had wifi which was great with my ipod, and for the first ten minutes i actually had my own row. Then we stopped and picked up more passengers, and life got a little suckier. Somehow I still managed to fall asleep-ish for an hour on the way there, and made my way to YU to meet up with people going to the wedding.
It took a while to find a towel to borrow to shower, but eventually I did and made it to the wedding. No mixed seating for the singles (seriously, where else am I supposed to meet girls?) but at least I got to see all my friends from KBY and sit and dance with them, which was pretty awesome. (Some people who go to KBY are normal okay?). The dancing was a little crowded, but still made for a fun time. Unfortunately the wedding was over before I could count to ten, although my chosson-friend actually gave me one of the sheva-brachos after the meal, which was cool.
Eventually we made it back to YU, and I hopped on the A to go to the Grey...hound. What I didn't notice coming into NY is that Port Authority Bus Terminal has about 500 gates to pick up buses, and no automated schedules as to where to pick up which bus. Also, no information stands are open at 1AM. It took about half an hour of bugging different janitors to finally get directed to the Greyhound section, where I could ask where to get my bus.
I boarded the bus in the same (now smelly) suit and tie I had worn to the wedding, mainly because the bathrooms at Port Authority smelled so bad I couldn't contemplate standing in one for five minutes to change. I fought with my knees with the guy in front of me who was trying to put his seat back, and won, so I let down my guard. 3 minutes later the guy surprise attacked me, and I lost the ability to move, but somehow still managed to kinda sleep throughout the four and a half hour bus ride. It helped that there was no internet on this one.
Made it back to Maryland at about 6:15 in the morning, got on some metros to go back to College Park, took a long shower and made it to 8AM shacharis at Hillel. It took coffee and coke and a lab meeting during which I partially fell asleep to make it through the day, but I was successful. All-in-all a great trip, and the only thing I regret is not bringing my firesticks from Chicago up here (the shtick was kinda lame). And putting an onion bagel in my backpack before I left. Pants, sweatshirt, even my tefillin reeked of it when I got back.
I know, you were probably hoping for some sorta disaster to make this entertaining, but I was way too cautious this time. Title's great though, eh?
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Warranted Unorganized Thoughts
Hellllllllllooooooooooooo.............
Lot's been going on, so I should probably blog it so that in twenty years I'll be able to come back to this website and see what my life used to be like. Anyhoo random musings as of late:
I am way too over-excited about my peanut-butter and jelly on a chocolate-chip bagel for tomorrow's lunch.
Much of my thinking is now involved in what will be my next four meals, and if I have enough food to get me till shabbos.
Why do I still feel like I have no grasp on Matlab? And why do the doctoral students in my lab seem like when they were undergrads they still knew infinitely more about programming and using Matlab than me? Was I supposed to be proficient coming into this summer?
I'm saving my receipts from MacGruder's (a supermarket in Silver Spring- but isn't that also the SNL spin-off of McGuyver?) so that I can compare them with my eventual receipts from Shoppers and see which is cheaper.
How in all heck am I going to have something research-related to present in a large auditorium at the end of these ten weeks?
And now for some happier ones:
Yay for minyan on campus!
Yay for hillel frisbee on campus!
Yay for having my own room!
And it poured today as I was walking from the mall to my apartment, but so it goes.
So long for now,
Sim(cha)
Lot's been going on, so I should probably blog it so that in twenty years I'll be able to come back to this website and see what my life used to be like. Anyhoo random musings as of late:
I am way too over-excited about my peanut-butter and jelly on a chocolate-chip bagel for tomorrow's lunch.
Much of my thinking is now involved in what will be my next four meals, and if I have enough food to get me till shabbos.
Why do I still feel like I have no grasp on Matlab? And why do the doctoral students in my lab seem like when they were undergrads they still knew infinitely more about programming and using Matlab than me? Was I supposed to be proficient coming into this summer?
I'm saving my receipts from MacGruder's (a supermarket in Silver Spring- but isn't that also the SNL spin-off of McGuyver?) so that I can compare them with my eventual receipts from Shoppers and see which is cheaper.
How in all heck am I going to have something research-related to present in a large auditorium at the end of these ten weeks?
And now for some happier ones:
Yay for minyan on campus!
Yay for hillel frisbee on campus!
Yay for having my own room!
And it poured today as I was walking from the mall to my apartment, but so it goes.
So long for now,
Sim(cha)
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Ahh...the Internet
I recently started a Twitter, mainly because I needed a break from studying for finals and couldn’t think of anything else. (Rediscovering Yahoo backgammon and XKCD helped solve this dilemma.) Basically, since the rest of my family was so into Twitter- or maybe just Yac- I thought I was missing out on something. I wasn’t really.
But I did download TweetDeck, and I check it once in a while. On Friday, while my Mom’s baking cookies (I know, I have it good) I open it up and notice she posted:
'm adding macaroons to my chocolate chip cookies. Where no man (person, woman) has gone before. I sure hope they don't notice.
I yell into the kitchen “adding macaroons? Sure that’s a good idea?” And she replies: “Arggg- you weren’t supposed to know!”
But I did download TweetDeck, and I check it once in a while. On Friday, while my Mom’s baking cookies (I know, I have it good) I open it up and notice she posted:
'm adding macaroons to my chocolate chip cookies. Where no man (person, woman) has gone before. I sure hope they don't notice.
I yell into the kitchen “adding macaroons? Sure that’s a good idea?” And she replies: “Arggg- you weren’t supposed to know!”
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Finals Logic
1. Material worth less than 1% of the test is considered insignificant
2. Insignificant material is not worth studying
3. Each piece of material is probabilistically worth less than 1% of the total final grade
4. It is not worth studying at all for the final
5. I should probably take a course in logic.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Isn't it great when..
...your teacher changes the final assignment from being an 8-10 page research/thesis paper to being a 4-5 page compare-contrast-between-two-research-articles-paper which I can probably poop out in 4-5 hours the night before its due?
Yes it is.
It's absolutely fantastic.
And so are frozen brownies for lunch.
Yes it is.
It's absolutely fantastic.
And so are frozen brownies for lunch.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Why I Hate Research Articles
I remember once, in kindergarten, getting a paper cut. It hurt, but I thought, hey I’m the son of a doctor, this isn’t bad. Lung-cancer could be bad. Paper cuts heal.
But in picking up a research article on how Virtual Reality is supposed to cure anxiety disorders, and carrying it to my computer, I made a discovery. Paper cuts effing hurt. So badly, that my immediate post-slice thought was to change my Facebook status to “I got a paper cut. Life sucks.” They really sting. And then, I went to wash it off, and it was slightly on a knuckle, so it was in perfect position to open up every time I began to clench my fist. So I had to go wash it off again. But a drop of blood kept forming where the cut was so I had to find a band-aid, or risk my keyboard and shirt becoming permanently redder. And in a frantic search through the house I discovered that apparently nobody in my house has used a band-aid since they were five (I’m the youngest, and I haven’t been five for fifteen years), so my right middle finger now sports a beautiful rendition of Scooby and Shaggy, in what appears to be some starry LSD induced reverie.
I really was gonna try to start a blog that wasn’t just week after week of me complaining.
But in picking up a research article on how Virtual Reality is supposed to cure anxiety disorders, and carrying it to my computer, I made a discovery. Paper cuts effing hurt. So badly, that my immediate post-slice thought was to change my Facebook status to “I got a paper cut. Life sucks.” They really sting. And then, I went to wash it off, and it was slightly on a knuckle, so it was in perfect position to open up every time I began to clench my fist. So I had to go wash it off again. But a drop of blood kept forming where the cut was so I had to find a band-aid, or risk my keyboard and shirt becoming permanently redder. And in a frantic search through the house I discovered that apparently nobody in my house has used a band-aid since they were five (I’m the youngest, and I haven’t been five for fifteen years), so my right middle finger now sports a beautiful rendition of Scooby and Shaggy, in what appears to be some starry LSD induced reverie.
I really was gonna try to start a blog that wasn’t just week after week of me complaining.
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