A Little Something For Everyone: April 2008

The finish line is in sight now. Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Tomorrow is the last day of classes. Today was my last voting theory and my last complex.

Jon, Amy and I met when we had calc 2 together the second semester of our freshman year, and saw it all come full circle today, in the last complex class of the semester, one of the last days of our senior years. On the last day of calc 2, Bob Owens showed us the example of Gabriel's horn, a graph with finite area and infinite surface area. Today in complex, Liz Stanhope showed us that Gabriel's horn was unbounded as she explained some basic Topology so that we could better understand the theorem she had conjectured and was working on proving. It really did all come full circle today.

Last night was the last LCUU meeting Liz and I, the freshman/sophomore year roommates, will ever lead. We took our $60 budget the school gave us that we hadn't touched all year and went on a spree at Maggie's, then took the haul back to my room.

Tomorrow night is the official final concert for Section Line Drive. (there will be a couple of other, informal shows before the semester's completely over).

I wish I didn't have to stay this summer - I feel like I've reached the end of this. I wish I was graduating with my peers a week from Sunday, instead of just walking with them. I know I only have a month and a half after that until I'm completely done... I'm just ready to be done now, with everyone else I started with.

All that's left now is the cs labs I have to finish tonight, the extra credit for German, and then finals. And then I'm done. I've started applying for jobs, started thinking about moving up to Vancouver, in with Rob, Rachelle and Taylor. It's all almost over. I'm sad to see it go, but I'm ready.

We better have some epic May flowers. Wednesday, April 23, 2008

It's April 23rd. The weather is making me miserable.

Today's high: 49
Thursday: 54
Friday: 55
Saturday: 67
Sunday: 68
Monday: 58
Tuesday: 52
Wednesday: 54
Thursday: 60
Friday: 60

There are 6 days of classes left after today. Last complex midterm turned in today, paper due Monday, a couple CS labs, my voting theory project... and then all that's left is finals. Oh, and finding a job.

I wish we could open our eyes to see in all directions at the same time Monday, April 21, 2008

It's been a little epic the last couple of days...

Thursday night Lizzy, Rob, Me, Rachelle, Chelsea and Ben all went to see Margaret Cho at the Schnitz. Wonderful. Hilarious. Oddly affirming. Her opener, Ian Harvie, was also absolutely incredible.

Margaret Cho. Making one of her amazing faces.

Friday afternoon while I struggled to finish my Complex homework I got a call from Rob to tell me that the Death Cab for Cutie show in Eugene Saturday night that had previously been sold out... had released more tickets!

On Friday night I noodled around in the evening, cleaning my room, until around 9:30 when I picked up and went to Powell's. Rob, Rachelle, Ben and Elona were at the Crystal Ballroom seeing Ani DiFranco, and I knew if I timed it right, I could drive them from the Crystal back to Elona's, and then continue up to Vancouver. And I did it perfectly! I bought a coffee mug and some stickers at Powell's (Wait, it's a bookstore? Are you sure?) and just as I was being kicked out for closing, Rob called. I picked them up at the Crystal, we went over to Elona's for a bit, and then Rob, Ben and I braved the treachery of I-5 to get back to Rob's (actually it was pretty deserted).

Steve and Zoe met us up in Vancouver so Rob, Ben, Rachelle, Steve, Zoe and I could have a sleepover. We watched the intros to old TV shows from our childhood on YouTube (Captain Planet! Eureeka's Castle! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Inspector Gadget!) and went to bed late.

We woke up first around 9 as Ben was leaving town, and then around 11:40 when Ben called asking for Corvallis directions. Going out into the living room we found Steve and Zoe already up, watching Secondhand Lions and craving donuts and eggs. The four of us got in Rob's car and to Krispy Kreme we went! Still in our pajamas! We came back an hour later with two dozen donuts and a dozen eggs, scrambled the eggs, and had a donut tasting party on the floor of the living room.

Steve and Zoe (check out Zoe's sweet hoodie!)

PJ and Rob.

Mmmm.

After a lovely living room picnic I drove back to LC to shower and get dressed, while Rob went to the train station to pick up some of his Port Townsend friends who were on their way to the Death Cab show when their train broke down in Portland. They met up with me at LC, and the 5 of us drove down to Eugene to meet up with another one of Rob's PT friends and go to the show.

Death Cab. Was. Epic. They are rock stars. I saw them 4 years ago when they were touring with Ben Kweller, when they had just released their album Transatlanticism and were still known as being pretty damn emo. And I didn't really like their music back then, so we'd left about halfway through. Whoops. When I was in Budapest I discovered the album they put out in 2005, Plans. Very different sound, much more my style. Sadly, that's when everyone else really discovered them, too, so the audience was a little lame. When I saw them before all the kids were wearing hoodies and had shaggy black hair and thick-rimmed glasses. This time it was all pretty, preppy, whatever. And they only got super energized as a whole when the band was playing something off Plans. Whatever. I only really know Plans, too, but I was hoping I'd be in a minority. It didn't matter, though. The band was amazing and energized the whole time, since it was only the second stop on their first tour in several years. They rocked. The poop. Out.

Rockstars.

After the concert we dropped the Port Townsend kids at the motel where they were staying, then drove over to Amber's where we proceeded to stay up until 3:30 talking because we hadn't seen eachother in almost a year.

Then this afternoon I got free Thai food at the Thai Peacock because of my gig with the MCMC, so that was pretty sweet, too. And then I got a season of Six Feet Under from the library, came back, watched some of that, took a nap, went to a cappella AND did a problem on my Complex take home that's due Wednesday.

I told you before... epic weekend-ish-thing.

Next epic tasks: find a job for this summer, send out grad announcements.

But before that? BED! NOW!

CON. Tuesday, April 15, 2008

It came. It happened. It's all over.

Friday afternoon - two masterminds work out the final details of Operation CONgaLine. Note: clear eyes, washed hair, general peppiness.

Honestly, this con could have been a gigantic disaster. One of our staff members couldn't make it due to a family emergency, we had several cancellations the day before and day of con, and then several walk-ons the day of con. But something bigger than us was behind this, it seems, and everything ran smoothly the entire weekend.

Touchgroups were frequent, focused and fantastic for most.

The food Gabe and Avalon made us was delicious, filling and vegan/veg/earth friendly.

Workshops were the best and most productive I've seen in a very long time, if ever. There were discussion groups, massages, drum circles and dance classes, all led by YAs at the con.

Worships were touching, expanding, freeing. Sharing, drumming, dancing -- beautiful.

The t-shirts were great, and well liked.

Honestly, I don't see how it could have been any better. There are other people I would have loved to see there, there are other things I think could have been done differently or better, and I wish I had gotten more time connecting with the community instead of flitting around making sure everything was running smoothly. The criticisms I've heard have all been minor: there could have been more vegan food, there could have been an angel wash, there wasn't enough of one thing, there was too much of another.

But really. It really couldn't have been any better.

Sunday morning: dirty, sleepy, pleased as crap.

After closing worship in the church parking lot, over half the group invaded the local Denny's, procrastinating the final goodbye.

From what I've heard, this was one of the best cons in quite a while. It seems like everyone left feeling replenished and reconnected. I left feeling drained, but so proud of my first attempt at real leadership, that I wouldn't have it any other way. (also I am being hella narcissistic).

Now back to the real world. Less than a month left of school as I know it. And I move to Vancouver in less than a month, too!

I wish the real world would just stop hasseling me Thursday, April 10, 2008

Here are some pictures that illustrate life right now:

These are the math girls - Me, Lauren, Jacque and Kelsey. We spend a lot of time together... doing math. Lauren, Jacque and I are in voting together, Kelsey and I are in complex, and Lauren, Jacque and Kelsey are in combinatorics. Whee math!

Jacque got a wiener dog puppy that's about the size of the burrito I ate last night.

This picture illustrates everything that is new and exciting about my life at this very minute: dyed hair, stretching earlobes, and CONga Line t-shirt.

CONga Line. TOMORROW. Wtf how is it already the middle of April? There have been a few bumps in this last week of planning, but it looks like things are finally going smoothly again. Phew.

Also, I "graduate" a month from tomorrow. HOW DID THAT HAPPEN I THOUGHT LAST WEEK I WAS A FRESHMAN. Next up: 2 summer classes... then real world.

Are you fo'reals? Friday, April 4, 2008

I can't really comprehend the fact that con is a week from tomorrow. Today, I guess, since it's 1 in the morning. Wow.

Also going to meet future step brothers on Saturday for the first time. Should be good?

Plans for this weekend, besides that:

Get a damn haircut (I swear to god it's been like 3 months)
Dye my hair (cherry bomb!)
Go to Saturday market
Make my ears happy (I'm in the process of stretching them to a size 14 - not much bigger than they were before, but still a step up. They're unhappy at the moment).
Homeworkin'!
Con plannin'!
Finish grad announcements, get them Mommy approved.

Oh jeezy, it's 1:15 am. How did it get this late?

Spring Breakin' Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Life is crazy.
Spring break was wonderful and needed.
Con planning is going relatively smoothly. It's less than two weeks away now. Wow.
School is six weeks from being over. Then just two more classes this summer and I'm done for good.

Waves crashing at Devil's Churn (halfway between Newport and Florence along 101)