(no subject)
Lots of stuff since before the BLB. Long story short: LS pwnage, as expected. Or rather, as needed for the wrath of Grant not to descend upon the team at large. Not something I need to be around for.
Aside from that, just a lot of work happening. I am rapidly beginning to hate all of physics, not just the parts that are currently afflicting me, simply out of spite. That my Dad insists that he didn't hit this stuff until junior year does not encourage me. Grr 8.02.
Haven't had a lot of time for hardcore hanging out, but have done a fair bit when I was supposed to be working on homework with Allison. Oh well.
I think we've decided to be alter egos, given the rather large number of similarities that we have. Zoombinis are just the tip of the iceberg. It is odd though-- we have this weird correlation, same, same, same and then, bang, total opposite, then same, same, same. For example: lyrics versus music. I can recognize music only by the instrumentals, and she needs lyrics. But I wouldn't necessarily recognize the song by lyrics (mainly because I can't hear them clearly enough). It is SO strange.
In other news, 5 LS kids got into MIT out of seven applicants. Go LS, and congrats to Ben, Alice, Anna, Amanda and Chris. I hope you all join us.
Allison has signed up to host a prefrosh. I guess it (she?) is going to be joint hosted and generally traumatized by our randomness given the amount of time I spend in her room. Oh well. I have remained prefroshless just in case any of the above get sexiled/abandoned or in any other way need a bail out. Goes for all of LS, btw, not just the females that I'm most familiar with. Anyone who reads, pass it on. I'll find a place to put you if you aren't comfortable with my floor (actually, I'll probably take the floor as it's not so clean and given I don't spend much time in my bed, anyway.)
Anyway, much DOE and NOSB angst. I'm attempting to write a spreadsheet to make up for the retardation of the development of a geology person on the teams. It's mostly geared towards NOSB, as they REALLY need it (no offense meant, but it is true) whereas DOE seems to have gotten a handle on it. Nevertheless, it's for both teams, if they want it. Keeping in mind I have, in the words of Allison, a teaching ability of i (that is, if you square it, its STILL negative) and generally am easily distractable, I don't guarantee its organization. But it has valid information. I swear it.
NOSB seems to be getting along fine. Donovan and I tried to crash practice, but ended up crashing only the cleanup. Due to traffic and my insistence on attending a diff eq lecture that I only really half heard anyway. Car ride there wasn't as bad as I feared it could have been. And that's all that needs to be said about that.
DOE angst-- Oh man, where do I start. Both sides of this conflict are pushing my loyalty buttons. But I went into school today, and was told that this was the situation that "their captain put them in". I was very upset. I understand the position that both sides are taking. And the fact that it isn't just this year that we're talking about-- this year sets a precedent that may become dangerous when people less able to handle that pressure are put in the same position. but at the same time, give the policy a rest. Just because we didn't have the luck (and it was luck, no offense to Adam and Adam) that NOSB 03 had to win it the first year is no reason that DOE is any less worthy. When you treat the team as a younger child that you didn't really intend to have, it shows. And the team picks up on it. The fact that there hasn't really been a steady coach in the last few years hasn't helped much either. for the sake of the continuance of the program, give it a rest. Give them a fair shot their first time at nationals. This means a chaperone that the kids don't have to teach about the tournament. Who knows how the thing is supposed to be run. Who can tell when someone needs a break, or who can gauge a team. someone strong enough to enforce the taking of breaks. Someone who's comfortable enogh with the practical applications of the rules to know what crosses the line. Someone who knows what nationals are like. I know Himself won't be going along to help at all. But there's the guy who got Himself into the science bowls. And he works at LS, and has been to nationals. The team somewhat offered me the chance to ride along, and try to coach them. I don't think I can do it. It isn't the missing of school. It's that I can only regurgitate Himself. And I'm fairly certain that the team can do that amongst themselves better than I can, if the even want to hear the phrases that He is so fond of. I'm also a kid. I can't tell an adult (even a green one) when to sub and what needs to be done. I've also not been to nationals at the DOE level. I know it's nasty. I know kids memorize questions. I know it's long as all hell, and not always the fairest. But I can't help them deal with it. I will be doing recon from the people in my dorm. But the best advice I can give is study hard, buzz fast, and win. Which, being smart kids, they already know. But on the other hand. They are my team. They are my friends. They need someone to help, and I may be the only one available. If I don't help them, what kind of person am I? If I do, will I ever be able to let go? Aaaack, my team, my team. Why do you even now cause me angst? Do you know how much I want you to win nationals? or even place? I want it so much, it hurts. And really, I can do nothing. I cried when you won regionals. Partially because I couldn't be a part of it, but mostly because you basically made one of my dreams come true. I hoped it would put you on equal footing with the NOSB, give you the same respect. I hoped that it would build the team. And it has just caused so many general bad feelings. This is tearing me apart. I need to come in and see the team. But I don't know what to say to them yet. (and I want to avoid a certain person who was denied a very fond wish)
But before all of this really broke, I had a blessedly calm weekend up in New Hampshire with Allison and her uber cool family. I went to my first ever hockey game (and I do too have team spirit...just not to the point of shouting my lungs out when I have a head cold. Or singing with the same. When I don't really know either of the two teams. I could possibly make the sacrifice for the Sox.) And was introduced to the perils of DDR. I think that it was an object lesson in rhythm, and lack thereof. And that listening to your friends when they tell you not to keep returning your feet to the center ofthe board is a good thing. And general muscle memory. Ah well. I am told that everyone sucks at first. (Maybe not as much as me, but, oh well.) We went to a DI tournament and helped out selling raffle tickets. I was able to meet some people that I've heard about from Allison, and they were uber cool. I wish that I could have met more of the first team, though. We entered a cakewalk, and my 75 cent investment for three spots paid off-- we won a cake! All of which really made me miss my DI team, but then I remembered exactly how grating organizing a get together can be, and decided against it. But I really miss the Yeahbuts. And I have a very strange urge to glomp, I believe it is called, the majority of my high school acquaintances. Not even the people that I was friends with. I very much wanted to glomp Jaime the other night when we went to the Cheesecake factory with a bunch of his friends, but got the feeling that he woud have been traumatized.
In other news, I got a bunch of really oddly shaped rubik's cubes for my birthday. (Almost a month late, but who cares.) I now have a megaminix, and a tetraminix and an impossiball. The tetraminix is easy (and I rediscovered the pyraminix) but the megaminix is proving difficult. It isn't all that hard to get everything but the bottom pentagon done (with the possible exception of the top middle corners) but the bottom is resistant to orientation. Bah. Also found puzzle sculptures in a box of things Mom wanted to throw out. Multiplicity and Xeon. Woot.
Anyway, after this mongo post, I need to go to bed so that tomorrow I can watch the OCW Lewin lectures and hopefully start to understand 8.02.
And I really, really miss MIT. Already. This does not bode well for living at home over the summer.
Aside from that, just a lot of work happening. I am rapidly beginning to hate all of physics, not just the parts that are currently afflicting me, simply out of spite. That my Dad insists that he didn't hit this stuff until junior year does not encourage me. Grr 8.02.
Haven't had a lot of time for hardcore hanging out, but have done a fair bit when I was supposed to be working on homework with Allison. Oh well.
I think we've decided to be alter egos, given the rather large number of similarities that we have. Zoombinis are just the tip of the iceberg. It is odd though-- we have this weird correlation, same, same, same and then, bang, total opposite, then same, same, same. For example: lyrics versus music. I can recognize music only by the instrumentals, and she needs lyrics. But I wouldn't necessarily recognize the song by lyrics (mainly because I can't hear them clearly enough). It is SO strange.
In other news, 5 LS kids got into MIT out of seven applicants. Go LS, and congrats to Ben, Alice, Anna, Amanda and Chris. I hope you all join us.
Allison has signed up to host a prefrosh. I guess it (she?) is going to be joint hosted and generally traumatized by our randomness given the amount of time I spend in her room. Oh well. I have remained prefroshless just in case any of the above get sexiled/abandoned or in any other way need a bail out. Goes for all of LS, btw, not just the females that I'm most familiar with. Anyone who reads, pass it on. I'll find a place to put you if you aren't comfortable with my floor (actually, I'll probably take the floor as it's not so clean and given I don't spend much time in my bed, anyway.)
Anyway, much DOE and NOSB angst. I'm attempting to write a spreadsheet to make up for the retardation of the development of a geology person on the teams. It's mostly geared towards NOSB, as they REALLY need it (no offense meant, but it is true) whereas DOE seems to have gotten a handle on it. Nevertheless, it's for both teams, if they want it. Keeping in mind I have, in the words of Allison, a teaching ability of i (that is, if you square it, its STILL negative) and generally am easily distractable, I don't guarantee its organization. But it has valid information. I swear it.
NOSB seems to be getting along fine. Donovan and I tried to crash practice, but ended up crashing only the cleanup. Due to traffic and my insistence on attending a diff eq lecture that I only really half heard anyway. Car ride there wasn't as bad as I feared it could have been. And that's all that needs to be said about that.
DOE angst-- Oh man, where do I start. Both sides of this conflict are pushing my loyalty buttons. But I went into school today, and was told that this was the situation that "their captain put them in". I was very upset. I understand the position that both sides are taking. And the fact that it isn't just this year that we're talking about-- this year sets a precedent that may become dangerous when people less able to handle that pressure are put in the same position. but at the same time, give the policy a rest. Just because we didn't have the luck (and it was luck, no offense to Adam and Adam) that NOSB 03 had to win it the first year is no reason that DOE is any less worthy. When you treat the team as a younger child that you didn't really intend to have, it shows. And the team picks up on it. The fact that there hasn't really been a steady coach in the last few years hasn't helped much either. for the sake of the continuance of the program, give it a rest. Give them a fair shot their first time at nationals. This means a chaperone that the kids don't have to teach about the tournament. Who knows how the thing is supposed to be run. Who can tell when someone needs a break, or who can gauge a team. someone strong enough to enforce the taking of breaks. Someone who's comfortable enogh with the practical applications of the rules to know what crosses the line. Someone who knows what nationals are like. I know Himself won't be going along to help at all. But there's the guy who got Himself into the science bowls. And he works at LS, and has been to nationals. The team somewhat offered me the chance to ride along, and try to coach them. I don't think I can do it. It isn't the missing of school. It's that I can only regurgitate Himself. And I'm fairly certain that the team can do that amongst themselves better than I can, if the even want to hear the phrases that He is so fond of. I'm also a kid. I can't tell an adult (even a green one) when to sub and what needs to be done. I've also not been to nationals at the DOE level. I know it's nasty. I know kids memorize questions. I know it's long as all hell, and not always the fairest. But I can't help them deal with it. I will be doing recon from the people in my dorm. But the best advice I can give is study hard, buzz fast, and win. Which, being smart kids, they already know. But on the other hand. They are my team. They are my friends. They need someone to help, and I may be the only one available. If I don't help them, what kind of person am I? If I do, will I ever be able to let go? Aaaack, my team, my team. Why do you even now cause me angst? Do you know how much I want you to win nationals? or even place? I want it so much, it hurts. And really, I can do nothing. I cried when you won regionals. Partially because I couldn't be a part of it, but mostly because you basically made one of my dreams come true. I hoped it would put you on equal footing with the NOSB, give you the same respect. I hoped that it would build the team. And it has just caused so many general bad feelings. This is tearing me apart. I need to come in and see the team. But I don't know what to say to them yet. (and I want to avoid a certain person who was denied a very fond wish)
But before all of this really broke, I had a blessedly calm weekend up in New Hampshire with Allison and her uber cool family. I went to my first ever hockey game (and I do too have team spirit...just not to the point of shouting my lungs out when I have a head cold. Or singing with the same. When I don't really know either of the two teams. I could possibly make the sacrifice for the Sox.) And was introduced to the perils of DDR. I think that it was an object lesson in rhythm, and lack thereof. And that listening to your friends when they tell you not to keep returning your feet to the center ofthe board is a good thing. And general muscle memory. Ah well. I am told that everyone sucks at first. (Maybe not as much as me, but, oh well.) We went to a DI tournament and helped out selling raffle tickets. I was able to meet some people that I've heard about from Allison, and they were uber cool. I wish that I could have met more of the first team, though. We entered a cakewalk, and my 75 cent investment for three spots paid off-- we won a cake! All of which really made me miss my DI team, but then I remembered exactly how grating organizing a get together can be, and decided against it. But I really miss the Yeahbuts. And I have a very strange urge to glomp, I believe it is called, the majority of my high school acquaintances. Not even the people that I was friends with. I very much wanted to glomp Jaime the other night when we went to the Cheesecake factory with a bunch of his friends, but got the feeling that he woud have been traumatized.
In other news, I got a bunch of really oddly shaped rubik's cubes for my birthday. (Almost a month late, but who cares.) I now have a megaminix, and a tetraminix and an impossiball. The tetraminix is easy (and I rediscovered the pyraminix) but the megaminix is proving difficult. It isn't all that hard to get everything but the bottom pentagon done (with the possible exception of the top middle corners) but the bottom is resistant to orientation. Bah. Also found puzzle sculptures in a box of things Mom wanted to throw out. Multiplicity and Xeon. Woot.
Anyway, after this mongo post, I need to go to bed so that tomorrow I can watch the OCW Lewin lectures and hopefully start to understand 8.02.
And I really, really miss MIT. Already. This does not bode well for living at home over the summer.