| For the 6th year in a row, I present... |
[20 Dec 2008|05:18pm] |
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annual soundtrack!
2008
1. Coldplay - Don't Panic
2. Cat Power - Sea of Love
3. Allison Crowe - Hallelujah
4. Jack Johnson - All At Once
5. Stars - Barricade
6. Feist - The Limit To Your Love
7. Fiona Apple - Shadowboxer
8. Maria Taylor - Clean Getaway
9. Jason Mraz - Absolutely Zero
10. Rilo Kiley - Does He Love You
11. Maria Taylor - Replay
12. Fiona Apple - If We Kissed
13. Kate Nash - Pumpkin Soup
14. Barenaked Ladies - It's All Been Done
15. Kate Nash - Merry Happy
16. Daft Punk - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
17. Katy Perry - I Kissed A Girl
18. The Weepies - Dating a Porn Star
19. Coldplay - Lost!
20. The Weepies - World Spins Madly On
21. Sara Bareilles - Gravity (Live)
22. Great Lake Swimmers - Your Rocky Spine
23. Camera Obscura - Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken
24. State Radio - Keepsake
25. A Fine Frenzy - Almost Lover
26. Kate Nash - Fluorescent Adolescent
27. Rihanna - Disturbia
28. India.Arie - The Heart of the Matter
29. Carrie Underwood - Last Name
30. Sting and The Police - Roxanne
31. TI feat. Rihanna - Live Your Life
Man, they just keep getting longer. Or perhaps I keep getting less decisive.
ps barricade by stars is my new obsession, I think. soooo goooooood.
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[09 Apr 2008|04:03pm] |
haaaaaahahahahahahahah
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[09 Apr 2008|01:25pm] |
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GRRR. I am so mad. I just received an email telling me that the bio department decided to change the time of Immunology next semester, and because I was already in a class at that time, I was automatically dropped from it. Of course they couldn't have changed the time, you know, BEFORE registration week like they're supposed to. Oh no. And since my registration timeslot has passed, I have to wait until the rest of the school registers to fix my schedule around their mistake. The language class I'm taking is a beginner's level one, and if the section I need to switch into ends up being full, I'm screwed and I won't be able to replace Immunology with anything. All because the bio department is retarded. I am so pissed. I was really looking forward to taking that class, and now I won't be able to complete my bio minor either.
Whatever. I was originally going to take Optics instead anyway, so as long as I can switch my language section I'll just do that. I've been quietly wrestling a bit with that whole physics/bio dilemma recently (in connection with the whole job outlook thing), so perhaps this is a sign. Or perhaps it's just a concerted effort to calm my hormones over Wheaton's sickeningly limited selection of courses.
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| pensive post! remember these? |
[08 Apr 2008|03:55pm] |
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Maria Taylor - "Replay" |
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I have been so unproductive these past few days it isn't even funny. I have no idea what's wrong with me. I have sooo much to do. And sooo little time.
It's actually scary how quickly the end of this year is coming. I'm more than ready to leave Wheaton (dur), but the whole idea of being a "senior in college" is a bit discomfiting. Megan and I spent a while this morning talking about life after graduation. We both have a tendency to keep planning things one right after the other. But really, it's hard to always be jumping from one place to the other, never quite knowing where you're going to end up in the end. It's difficult to ignore the option of jumping right into industry. Maybe it wouldn't even have anything to do with physics, since most industrial physics jobs are in the engineering sector anyway. Maybe it would just be some job that would allow me to start making money and feeling stable. I'd probably be bored out of my mind, but I'm also not a patient person and I'm afraid of having to wait that much longer until I can really have a place that I call "home". In the end, I still intend on going to grad school, but only for the sake of learning because I like it. I know I at least want my masters, but outside of that I'm not sure how long I want to put off growing up for.
Just musing.
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| registration. |
[07 Apr 2008|08:04am] |
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success! Next Fall:
Math 221: Linear Algebra
MWF 8:30-9:20
Bio 321: Immunology
MWF 9:30-10:20
Itas 101: Basic Italian
MWF 10:30-11:20
T 3:30-4:20
Phys 310: Statistical & Thermal Physics
MW 12:30-1:50
Phys 225: Modern Physics I
TR 12:30-1:50
I like how I still felt it necessary to log in right at 8am even though there is not one class on that list that would fill up ever/for a senior.
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| such a beautiful song |
[03 Apr 2008|02:43pm] |
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Fiona Apple - "Never Is A Promise" |
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boo low iron. I've always been slightly anemic, but still. Annoying.
I have decided that, in the absence of Blend, I am going to be EXTRA SUPER UBERPRODUCTIVE tonight.
Perhaps I will begin with... painting my toenails. haaaa.
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[01 Apr 2008|10:48pm] |
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Am I a boring person? A serious question. I do not believe that I am, but perhaps I am deluded.
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| and i know i wasn't right, but it felt so good. |
[30 Mar 2008|11:14pm] |
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Better Than Ezra - "A Lifetime" |
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Not a bad weekend. On Friday I test drove some cars with my dad and then headed up to Boston to spend the night with Meg drinking to That 70s Show. Spent Saturday morning wandering around the "west end" (there's such a thing??) and fighting against the wind until we found an ABP that was actually open, then sat around and talked about getting older and pregnancy and babies. lol.
Saturday night was the drag show, which was highly amusing, and today I did nothing at all. I spent the better part of the afternoon reading old LJ, which was... "eye-opening", I guess? I felt a very distinct mix of nostalgia and wanting to punch my 18-year old self in the face. I was far too bubbly for one, and faaaar too open with my feelings. Did I mention emo as fuck? At the same time though, I do remember how scary and sad it was to be graduating. And how stressful the whole college admissions thing was. I don't think any of us will ever forget that. lol. I don't know. I do miss how easy things were. Three years later, there are things that I still remember like they happened yesterday. I wonder if it will always feel that way.
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| done. |
[28 Mar 2008|12:25pm] |
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Rilo Kiley - "Small Figures in a Vast Expanse" |
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So I took the internship at William & Mary. The guy at Lehigh was not happy about my backing out and I kind of felt like a heel for about 20 minutes after I made the call. But then I realized that it isn't like I'd even go there for grad school anyway since they don't have what I want to do, so what does it matter? They'll forget eventually. Sometimes you just have to be a little selfish and do what's best for yourself. Which I did. So yay.
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| Gorillas are for eating, don't you know it's true? |
[27 Mar 2008|07:40pm] |
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"Does He Love You?" - Rilo Kiley |
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What a crazy, crazy afternoon. CRAZY. Things were fine until I checked my email in calc. There was an email in my inbox titled "REU at WM". Naturally, I assumed it was the mass rejection I was told on Tuesday that I would be receiving. Which was fine, because I had already accepted the position at Lehigh.
but NOPE. I opened it up and there was an offer. Another offer. Another REU. One that I had told myself a long time ago that I was far too underqualified to even hope for. Long story short, I have been communicating with the guy who runs it all afternoon and it is exactly what I had feared it would be - amazing. The stipend is $1000 less and it's farther away, but I'm not exaggerating when I say it involves the EXACT kind of research I want to do with my life. Theoretical particle astrophysics. (I'm going to try and explain a little more, for anyone who cares) I feel like that's a little more important than a few extra dollars.
I've been in touch with two possible mentors for the summer, and the potential projects sound phenomenal. One thing that was mentioned was the prospect of constraining cosmological data from the microwave background (that's the infrared radiation left over from the big bang) to fit either the dark energy equation (dark energy is the invisible "stuff" that was proposed to try and explain why the universe is expanding at an accelerated pace - it makes up an obscene amount of the total matter/energy amount in the universe, something like 75%) or extra-dimensional models of new physics (like string theory, etc). Both the professors I've been in touch with have been so helpful. One of them even replied with "this sounds like a reasonable background" after I listed the classes I've taken at Wheaton. Did you hear that? I have a "reasonable background"! I'm, like, pissing myself.
Anyway, I have to call the guy who runs the program tomorrow and see what he thinks about me pulling out of the program at Lehigh. If he thinks it's a horrible idea and I'll be blacklisted across the NSF, I won't do it. I doubt that's the case, but I just want to make sure. I'm sure this happens all the time, especially given the crazy timetable of it all and how quickly they make you respond, but again. I just want to cover my bases. This is so much more of a better fit for me and what I'm interested in. I can't even believe it.
In other news, I've been downright obsessed with Rilo Kiley for the past 24 hours. Hardcore.
Word.
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| things that make me laugh. |
[25 Mar 2008|11:29am] |
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Yael Naim - "New Soul" |
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1) The incredible difference in clothing around campus since getting back from spring break. The temperature hasn't changed one bit, but for some reason everyone is suddenly wearing bright spring clothes. myself included. It's like spring break is actually this imaginary magical passageway between seasons or something.
2) The number of useless people most of us have on our buddy lists. If I were to delete the screen names of all the people I never talk to, I'd be left with maybe 5 AIM buddies. But then whose away messages would I stalk mercilessly?
3) The new "People You May Know" thing on Facebook. It's getting a little too personal.
4) The fact that I can't remember a single reason I decided to take intro physics at wheaton in the first place. Funny how things work out.
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| you've gotta spend some time, love. |
[22 Mar 2008|01:09pm] |
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death cab |
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Blinds up, window open, a beautiful spring day. There's a sneaky little smile on my face. Things feel better, worth it. It would be easier if we weren't always leaving each other, but I feel optimistic this time. Perhaps I'm just drunk on the fresh air. but I kind of hope not. I think I'd like this little flicker of a feeling to stick around for a while. I guess we'll see, won't we.
So I just talked to my dad and as it turns out, I'm going to be able to get my car in the first week of May. Awesome. I wasn't too high on the idea of driving a "new" car for one day and then having to drive to Pennsylvania the next.
This is amazing. I just looked up my exam schedule to see when I could move out, and as far as I can tell, I only have two scheduled exams: bio and calc, on May 8th and 9th. Classes end May 2nd. Which means I could feasibly move "out" on the 2nd, spend the next few days at home studying and BUYING A CAR, and just come back up here for the 8th and 9th. Sooo basically as long as I can get through next week, I'm out in like a month. Which includes the jam and spring weekend and warm weather. And registering for classes, which for some reason I always enjoy. Probably because of the certainty it brings.
Of course, I did just find another, more serious reason I may not graduate. One of the connections I was planning on doing (the only reason I'm in microbio) isn't going to work out because Health Psych isn't being offered next year. Greeeat. None of the other classes I've taken connect to anything (go figure), so my only hope is a self-proposed connection. I'm thinking it shouldn't be a problem to connect Logic with any physics class, but we'll see. I could also try and connect Metaphysics with Modern I. That would be awesome.
( Classes for next year, more registration yada yada that no one cares about. )
Apparently I've become a planner again. hah.
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| woot. |
[20 Mar 2008|11:32am] |
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BB King - "Stand By Me" |
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This morning I woke up totally sure of what decision I should make regarding the internship thing. I called the guy who runs the program about 20 minutes ago and told him I would take the position. Yes, this choice guarantees me a job in physics this summer, but that isn't why I did it. I did it because the whole thing is an unbeatable experience. It's going to look incredible on my resume and even though I may not be doing exactly the kind of research I was hoping for, I'll be making awesome money and they're giving me and 24 other physics students from all over the country a free place to live. I'll be meeting new people and doing publishable research that may earn me a chance to go to an actual conference next year, depending on what we uncover. And the thing is, astronomy is what got me interested in physics in the first place. Honestly, at this stage of my education I can't expect to be doing the kind of research I'd like to eventually be involved with. Right now, this is the kind of work my credentials permit, so that's what I have to go with. So bam. I feel incredibly relieved.
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| who wants an update? |
[18 Mar 2008|04:52pm] |
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Feist - "So Sorry" |
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There is so much liquor in my fridge, it is not even funny.
But real update. Here goes. Last Friday, I received my first official rejection by an REU. Yesterday afternoon, I received another. Funnily enough, they were my two top choices. The one I heard from yesterday was the Harvard Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and I heard from them in a letter. The letter said that although they would not be able to offer me a position this summer, my application was ranked in the top 20% of the 145 applications they received. That's pretty sweet. So I wasn't too too upset about that.
Moving on, yesterday evening around 6:30 I received a phone call from Lehigh University offering me a position in their program this summer. Apparently they received over 400 applications for 25 spots. Seeing how their application deadline was March 7th, I'm taking it that I was at the top of their list. That feels pretty good. There are a lot of pro's involved in taking this internship, such as the fact that I would be able to meet a lot of new people, it pays really well, and housing is included. Plus, grad schools know how competitive REUs are, so it will look great on my resume.
There's only one real con, which is that I wouldn't be doing the kind of research I actually want to end up doing with my life. That's a big con, seeing how I was looking to this summer to give me a yes or no as to whether I should continue down the path I'm going. What I would be doing is more astronomy based and I swear if I have to do photometry on time series images (what I did sophomore year) for 10 weeks, I will kill myself. I'm waiting to hear back from the professor I'd be working under as to what exactly my duties would be, so we'll see. I have until Friday to give them an answer, so today I called all the REUs I haven't heard from yet and asked about their notification timetable. As it turns out, my application to Minnesota is next up for review. The end result is that I'm only waiting to hear from 3 more programs. I also emailed physics professors at MIT, Harvard and Cornell regarding the possibility of working with them this summer. I would have to rely on Wheaton for funding (which would be an amount less than I would make if I took this REU position) and I probably wouldn't get to meet as many people, but at least it would be a project of my own design. At least I'd be doing something I'm actually interested in.
So I've been pretty frazzled for the past 24 hours thinking about this, but it's a good frazzled. It's a productive and positive frazzled, figuring out what would be in my own best interest. I don't quite have "options" yet, but I'm on my way.
Opinions/suggestions?
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[12 Mar 2008|05:35pm] |
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Just oooooone question.
read it.
WHAT THE FUCK.
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[11 Mar 2008|11:40pm] |
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conan |
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Waking up in my house has been a little strange, because for the first millisecond, I never know quite "when" I'm waking up, if that makes any sense. But overall, being home has been soo nice. It's times like these that I almost wish I had transferred to URI after all. Not like it matters now, and it wouldn't have helped me academically anyway, at least in terms of physics, but damn. it would just be so much more convenient. It's strange for me to think that for everyone else in that car tonight, it was college. But for me, college is something completely different, something that is so much less of a good time. I've been thinking a lot lately about trying to be less uptight. I always think waaaay too much when I'm high, and my topic of choice the other night was how I always need to be in control. I've wondered for a long time how I would feel if I made different choices about my behavior. Part of me needs to be aware and in control at all times, but part of me wants to say fuck it, throw caution to the wind, and just stop... thinking. In case you're wondering whether I'm talking about something in particular, I'm not. I don't even know what I'm talking about, to be honest. My brain has a tendency to ramble when I'm stoned and sometimes the thoughts come at me too fast for me to make good sense of them.
On another note, STILL NO NEWS.
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| more procrastination, since everyone else is doing it. |
[10 Mar 2008|05:59pm] |
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friends |
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My name:
Who is the love of my life:
Where did we meet:
Take a stab at my middle name:
How long have you known me:
When is the last time that we saw each other:
Do I smoke:
Do I drink:
When is my birthday:
What was your first impression of upon meeting me:
Do I have any siblings:
What's one of my favorite things to do:
Am I funny:
What's my favorite type of music:
What is the best feature about me:
Am I shy or outgoing:
Am I a rebel or do I follow the rules:
Do I have any special talents:
Would you consider me a friend/good friend:
Would you call me preppy, average, sporty, punk, hippie, glam, nerdy, snobby, or something else (what):
What is a memory we have once had:
Have you ever hugged me:
Do you miss me...do you think i miss you:
What is my favorite food:
Have you ever had a crush on me:
If there was one good nickname for me, what would it be:
What's your favorite memory of me:
Who do I like right now:
What is my worst habit:
If you and I were stranded on a desert island, what one thing would I bring:
Are we friends:
Will you repost this so I can do it for you:
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