On Being a Kid

So I'm currently with my parents visiting my cousins who live near Vassar.
(Needless to say, my semester's done. That's cool.)

There's my sweet young aunt, my funny young uncle, and their three boys ages 6,8, and 11 who are all funny, super-smart, crazy, and total sweet-hearts. I love being around all five.

Last night, I slept on dinosaur sheets... This morning I played 2 on 2 basketball with them and made some sweet 3-pointers!

In other words, I'm adopting the life of a 9-year-old boy, and I love it. It's something we should all get back to sometimes--it's simple. The rules of life are simple. Don't steal the ball when it's not your turn, try hard, laugh a lot, run around, and sometimes you've just got to have a wrestle fight in the grass even if some people don't like it.

Being around the three boys reminded me just how much kids are real people. I think as we get older we tend to forget that.

This afternoon they were fascinated by my digital camera (hell, it fascinates me too--uh, I mean, "well," not "hell"; I can't sweart here!) and I let them use it and take pictures (close-ups of my feet, anyone? sure!). Then I took a few videos of them with the video function and they watched them over and over again.

I love these kids, basically, and I'm glad I have the privilege of watching them grow up and growing up with them--or I guess now I'm growing down.

And it's good.

I hope everyone is either finishing exams/papers well or enjoying their first few days home. Take a risk, be wild, act like the kid you still are. 18 or 19 means nothing.

-aRCHEL

It's Over! (ish)

I hope everyone's finals are going well; it's almost over! I have my two toughest finals Monday and Tuesday, then I go back home to Long Island. Here are some things that I'm looking forward to doing this summer:
-Getting back on a normal sleep schedule
-Eating home cooking
-Making different kinds of soup :d
-Doing some reading for pleasure (I'm thinking about finally investing time to read the Lord of the Rings)
-Write!! I wrote this short story last year which is sort of nothing on its own, but I now have an idea for a full story and context. I'm looking forward to putting that down in form.

What I will miss:
-Davison!!!!
-Laughter about random things that don't make sense
-Laughter about intelligent, witty things
-UPC runs
-RISK playing :D

Well, that's it for me. I wish you all luck on your finals, and a safe trip hope!

Enjoy the summer,
-Poseidon

P.S. Pick up a copy of Helicon (the literary magazine) in the library or other highly traveled locations!

Tough Year for Transfers: 3% Acceptance Rate at Vassar

My friend who applied to Vassar recently received his decision letter which stated the number of people applied and accepted. According to the letter, this has been an extremely tough year for students hoping to transfer to Vassar.

For the Fall of '08, only 10 out of over 300 applicants were offered a spot. This comes in the wake of pending plans to renovate Davison House, forcing Vassar into a housing crunch for the 2008-09 year.

The exceptionally low acceptance rate of 3% is unprecedented in recent Vassar history, and is beginning to resemble the single-digit acceptance rate commonly affiliated with the Ivy League Schools.

The implications of such statistics in the long term are unclear.

Please note that Vassar Admissions has yet to publish the official statistics of transfer applicants for 2008-09.

JEWETTGOSSIP

It's that time again...

Time for exams.

Last night was fun, with the midnight breakfast (I was more interested in the company than the food), the naked run (ha!), and the fire show. It was a fun time to hang out with various friends.

Needless to say, the incident in the library was frightening, and my roommate was there and came back quite shell-shocked. Here at Blog9 we sincerely hope that he will be okay, and since do not wish to propagate any rumors there will be no speculating or discussion of the incident.

On a lighter note, today I'm going to study for a while, then I have an exam from 5 to 7, then I'll have a victory dinner with some friends. Then one more exam tomorrow and I'm finished for the semester... Ahh... Otherwise, I'm looking forward to stealing my roommate's Glamour magazine to read on the quad!

Good luck with exams!
-aRCHEL

As Time Goes By

I just came back from my last choir event of the year: a day long trip in NYC for a concert for Vassar alumni. The bus ride gave me some time to reflect upon my first year at Vassar.... and, in short, it's been quite a year. It's interesting to think about how different I feel about this place and its people now than I did a lot of last semester. I was having some trouble adjusting last semester because of some things going on at home; I didn't quite have the right frame of mind necessary while making the great shift to college life. However, I found that some friends came through, who made it all better; a lot of whom were in choir. I'm starting to *consciously* realize that I invest myself emotionally in choir. What I mean by this is that at the same time that I rely on the music to express emotion, I feel emotion because of the experience of expressing music among my fellow singers and friends.

As a result, I've realized that I'm sad that I won't be seeing some of these wonderful people until next fall, possibly longer for those who are graduating. I know I've made permanent friendships, though, because I feel like I've known some of my friends here for years. I find it strange that after only 8 months, I feel like I would be lost without some of these people.

I want to thank those who have made this year great, and who sustained my sanity when I needed it most; you'll be hearing from me in person. :)

Callooh! Callay!
-Poseidon

Miscellaneous tidbits grabbed from my brain

I've discovered that I really really like cutting hair.

I also really like playing guitar.

But not these things at the same time.

Anyway, I'm going to the Minstrel's concert tonight, which should be funny, enjoyable, and not too long. It's at 9:00 in Sanders.

I finished 28 pages of papers this week. Oh boy...

I'm really tired! I'll take care of that...

Yeahh, Okayy, get crunk!

-aRCHEL

world news? no.

So I receive the NYTimes afternoon update things so that I stay on top of what's going on in the world. They have this extra thing where if something big happens they send you an extra email.

I didn't get anything about the cyclone that's leaving tons of people dead.

I just got an email regarding Uma Thurman's stalker.

How ridiculous is that? I really don't care about Uma Thurman, sorry dear.

Anyway, classes are over, but I still have choir rehearsals, a 12-page paper that is yucky, and 2 finals. Ugh.

I hope you are all enjoying the nice weather and no more lectures.

-aRCHEL

eugenics and room draw

Last night I participated in a heated debate with three other friends on eugenics.

It was a fascinating discussion, and I'm glad we had it--my views on eugenics have definitely evolved and it's not even a topic I'd really thought about before.

In addition to learning about this, I also learned about the character of my three friends who participated. It's quite telling how loud they speak, how they address people, how they visibly react emotionally. It was quite topsy-turvy at times.

Amazing though, quite a wonderful discussion.

In other news, room draw is over! My friends and I stayed until the bitter end to keep everyone company as they whittled down the choices. I'm very satisfied with my room--it's not ideal, definitely, but it's pretty ideal for me. I'm not too picky. (Bigger isn't always better. :P)

Anyway, no matter what happened last night, everything WILL turn out just fine. I promise. Pinky-swear? Yes.

- aRCHEL

Convocation, Freshman 15, and self-exploration through paper- and song-writing

Today I had no classes. I was in the convocation choir, meaning that I had to sit through the entire convocation. The main speaker... Some interesting points, yeah, but SO long! It was pretty insane.

Sam Charner's speech was my favorite because it was the most natural. I never really like convocations because it's a bunch of educated people reading literary-sounding things.

My favorite part was singing Gaudeamus. :) And sitting next to one of my closest friends.

I went to to the freshman 15 show in UpC. It was pretty cool, though not so tremendously organized. My favorite parts were Scout's rap (fucking amazing!! mad props!) and Nina Vyedin's guitar-playing. She's really amazing and if you haven't heard her play you're really missing out. She writes her own songs that are more professional than professional ones, but she's too much of a good person inside to compare herself to others like that and be as conceited as she has the right to be.

Right now I'm (obviously) writing this post before going to sleep... I wish I didn't have to get up for an early class tomorrow because otherwise I'd be staying up late writing my fucking fascinating psych paper that I love and writing songs... I'm currently writing my first song on guitar and it's really exciting. :) The psych paper is convincing me even more that I need to be a psych major! Preferably related to abnormal and physio psych.

Goodnight to all, and to all a good night.
-aRCHEL

All Night Long (All Night)

I successfully completed my paper at the expense of not sleeping. It was worth it, though, because I do have some pride for it! In my last two classes I was a little drowsy, doing the embarrassing head drop, and jerk awake motion.... Several times while I was writing, I realized that I unconsciously written a word in French, or that I had been thinking about things in French. I guess the good thing about my all-nighter is that I've think I'm on my way to becoming fluent in French.

Get some sleep you, and good luck on final papers, etc.
-Poseidon

One door closes, another opens.

So Dido and Aeneas is over. I've spent a lot of time and brain space on it in the past semester, especially in the past week.

It's been a wonderful experience and I really loved just about every minute of it.

And as this door closes, the door of the rest of the semester continues to open. I've got this amazing paper to finish, and then another one to take care of (a total of about 30 pages by the middle of May), and of course exams to study for.

I'm looking forward to this week, this weekend, study week, and the two weeks at home/travelling before I come back to Vassar for the summer... And of course I'm looking forward to that quite a bit as well.

Well, it's time to work on that paper now. I hope you are all doing well with your work or, if not, having a lot of fun on this rainy day for relaxation.

-aRCHEL

Dido: "i <3 u"; Aeneas: "ttyl"

I just got back from the Opera Workshop and Madrigals performance of Dido and Aeneas. In short, it was brilliant. Wonderfully sung and performed, there were a few laughs, many creative scenes, and the sad ending expected. You should definitely go see it; their last performance is tomorrow at 3 in the Skinner Recital Hall.

-Poseidon

COLLEGE: small cute animals, research papers, and humor/love/sex/death

These rabbits are pretty amazing. So. Cute.

You know what I want?
A BAG OF PUPPIEEEEES!!

I want to lie down in a small room full of two-week-old daschund puppies and have them walk into me.

So I'm writing this massive paper for a class and I'm LOVING it. Like, seriously, I'm so into this paper it's ridiculous and unnatural--but I guess I know what my major is now...

By the way, I'm in the music department's production of Dido and Aeneas, which is really awesome. You've got your humor, love, sex, death... What more do you need in a show? Seriously, though, come:

Friday 8pm
Saturday 3pm, 8pm
Sunday 3pm

See you there, or square...
-aRCHEL

House Cup Toss Up Episode II: Results of the Draw

After one delay, the Davison House Draw finally happened today. Poseidon and his friends drew into the house(s) that they wanted, and hopes that the other Davison refugees were satisfied with the results of the draw. If any of you are having serious issues in terms of not having drawn into the house of your room mate, for example, contact ResLife as soon as possible, because I'm sure they would be willing to try to accommodate a *reasonable* request.

Hope all turned out well!
-Poseidon

Spring Has Sprung

To piggy-back SPRiNKLES' post:

While walking to class today I was surprised and delighted to see the
tulips in Main Circle (and everywhere on campus, in fact) had bloomed!

Enjoy the flowers,
-Poseidon

My Two Cents

Since John Edwards backed out of the presidential race, I've been supporting Hilary Clinton. However, I don't bash Obama like so many Obama supporters do to Clinton. I like Obama as well, and I will vote for either of them come the November election. What I don't understand is how people can support Obama so vigorously, yet hate Clinton. To me, they seem to have very similar policies, the major difference being how they come across to the public.

It seems to me that Obama has tried to cater to the youth of the US. It seems like he has tried to appeal to us, and that he's certainly done his job considering his vast support. His slogan is "CHANGE" appeal to us, which makes sense as we generally have greater optimistic views on the future. I take issue with this slogan only in that it feels like he's just using it to get the youth vote, and that if he takes office he won't pull through. Charisma alone does not make a president.
Again, I'll vote for him if he gets the nomination, I just hope that those who support him do so because they actually think about what he offers aside from his charisma and slogan.

-Poseidon

Pennsylvania Primary Today!
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/22/in-pennsylvania-what-constitutes-a-win/index.html?hp

Sometimes/Always

Sometimes I feel really inadequate.

Sometimes I feel incredible.

Always I wonder who I am.

-aRCHEL

"Earth" Day

Isn't Earth Day supposed to be a day in respect of the earth, a symbol
of our commitment to keep it healthy? If so, why did today's Earth Day
events on the Quad leave it littered with trash? I'm a bit irked by
that....

-Poseidon

On Kindness

I ordered take out food from that new Italian place in Poughkeepsie that has been advertising a lot recently: Milani's. Okay, so I called in my order and the woman who answered was very pleasant. I gave her my order, and we hung up. About 50 minutes later, the delivery man showed up at Davison. Meanwhile I had been waiting in the entrance way, so I opened the door for him - a very instinctual thing to do -and he seemed genuinely appreciative. I then told him that I was the one who ordered. He said "Ah, okay, well..." and proceeded to tell me that he not only included an extra pizza (large) for us, but that he upgraded our two small pizzas to normal size. (Keep in mind we ordered more than just pizza).

Having had an exhausting week, during which I had been stressed into outer limits of sanity, I was struck by the kindness of this man, who I believed (from the way he was talking to me), that he was probably one of the owners or in the family of the owners. I was overwhelmed, perhaps more than I should have been, by this act that was completely superfluous yet so selflessly nice. This act reminded me that people can be generous, nice, caring even when it's not expected of them. It's so nice to think that there are other people who are nice just for the sake of being nice. It's refreshing, and it's fulfilling in a sense. I don't want come across as prideful, but I revel in doing things for others - my parents, friends, acquaintances, classmates, professors, whoever - just because I know it will make them happy.

It's nice to be on the receiving side of this relationship - to be the target of the good act - because it strengthens my own desire to continue to do the "good deed."

I hope you'll give and receive some kindness today,
-Poseidon

Community Shuttle

So I went to NYC today and I took the shuttle on the way back. At first I was stressed out because it wasn't coming, then I remembered that 3:30 to 4 is the off-time. Then when it did come at about quarter after, it came to a different place than I was expecting and I ran to catch up with it as it was pulling away.

Phew!

But aside from all that, it was really cool (literally, too) to have an air-conditioned, CLEAN bus taking me from the train station after a hectic day back to home, aka Vassar. The driver was super nice, and stopped the bus when he saw me in the mirror running like a headless chicken.

So that was sweet.

And I'm thinking that some time I'm going to take advantage of the shuttle and go to some grocery store and buy some things to make something baked and delicious. I'd definitely ride it more often now that I know how it works.

I hope you are all out enjoying the weather. Or, if you're from Antarctica perhaps this isn't your cup of tea.

-aRCHEL