so despite all the crappiness going on in various parts of my life, somehow i have managed to not get depressed. however, there is one really disappointing thing that is bothering me about grad school.
people don't DO stuff. this is a big reason i miss undergrad, where people were happy to go into the city, go to a museum, just DO things. getting grad students to do things that doesn't involve booze is like pulling teeth. i try to find fun things that don't take much time, don't require much money, are fun, and the lack of interest is astounding. all people do is WORK. it's like a class full of livaskios (sorry livaskio ) actually it's worse, at least in undergrad people would respond with "no, I'm too busy". so far, i have been getting mostly.... no replies. this is depressing.
luckily, i'm usually happy being with myself so i don't get lonely often. but still...
i will be in NYC on nov 15 if anyone wants to meet up btw! yay for getting off campus.
My friends and I have started this non-profit called Givology, which collects small-denomination donations for children to use for their education. Right now most of our grants go to children in China, but we are expanding to other countries around the world. Registering on the site is easy, and you can pick and choose to which students you wish to donate. Please visit the site to learn more about how it works and our philosophy, and please donate! Every few dollars makes a huge difference :)
So I've been here at Harvard for about a week, and there is another week before classes start. Cambridge is beautiful, people are friendly, dorm room was pleasantly surprising, and so far life is good. So far. Everyone I talk to seems to lose enthusiasm by their second or third year, and supposedly life will get miserable; I am determined not to let this happen to me. We'll see. I have high expectations for graduate school, to fill in all the gaps that I missed as an undergrad. Mostly, I'm grateful to still be a student -- I am not ready for the real world yet I miss home and my friends and family (come visit!!!) but I've also had the chance to catch up with some friends I haven't really seen since high school, so that's been cool. Two of the people I knew who dated in high school are now married and both go here as grad students (eek! I still feel too young to have married friends!) But most of the grad students here look old to me, and I can't help but wonder if I look that old too?
This summer was wonderfully relaxing. I read some highly enjoyable books that I would recommend, including Discover Your Inner Economist, a book about the business of Trader Joe's, and Predictably Irrational. However, by the far the best book of the summer would have to be "Bonk! The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex" by Mary Roach. (Roach is also the auther of Stiff, a great book about the uses of human cadavers). Here are some factoids
-Trader Joes has been around since the 1950s and was designed with the tropical theme in mind becuase the founder figured that if people felt like they were on vacation, they would be more willing to buy products that they didn't really need. (And this is significant becuase TJ makes a lot of it's money off of people making impulse purhcases). -30% of the young black population in New Mexico is in jail, and this creates a problem for the black women there. Turns out, the more men in jail the greater the number of women going to college - who knew? -You can rent a long distance girl friend, so you can appear to your friends to be in a relationship when you actually are not. They'll send you photos, emails, phone messages, the whole deal. -There are companies that specialize in helping you break up with your BF/GF. They write the letters, and you give the general specifications. -If you had any qualms about neutering your dog before -- have no fear, becuase Neuticles are here! And in fact, the procedure the use has apparently been around since the 1800s... why does that make me wary? http://www.neuticles.com/index1.html
in pchem lab one of the groups did bomb calorimetry on a splenda packet to find out how many calories are in it. There are actually 4 kilocalories (that we call calories for some reason in the US) per packet as we found, and i have done some internet research and found other references to 4 kcals per packet. of course, they tell you that its 0. They also don't advertise the fact that the "filler" in the packets, 99% of the contents (because splenda is so sweet you only need a little) is actually sugars derived from high fructose corn syrup, which i have deemed evil lol. So be wary of your splenda packets.
last spring fling... i think it's starting to hit all of us! Last this, last that. and i remember quite vividly fling from freshman year and i realize how much i have grown up. except i still kinda feel the same :) it's that sappy time for reflection....
i know i will miss it here, my friends, classes, penn, and even philly. at the same time i am looking forward to graduate school at harvard. looking forward to the future and everything i know i will accomplish!! it's just scary, isn't it, that i can remember graduating from elementary school like it was yesterday? i remember when i was very young, probablly 6 or 7, and thought about where i was going to go to college and what it would be like to be older than 20. how can i remember this? i remember it so well. i remember where i stood in my house in Illinois, and i remember telling myself to remember this moment. and i have, all these years. and i told myself, when i was 7, that i would do great things and always do my best. don't regret anything! i think i was a wise child by standards of the age lol :)
) actually it's worse, at least in undergrad people would respond with "no, I'm too busy". so far, i have been getting mostly.... no replies. this is depressing.
I miss home and my friends and family (come visit!!!) but I've also had the chance to catch up with some friends I haven't really seen since high school, so that's been cool. Two of the people I knew who dated in high school are now married and both go here as grad students (eek! I still feel too young to have married friends!) But most of the grad students here look old to me, and I can't help but wonder if I look that old too?