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 Archive -- Week 65: 9/21/03 - 9/27/03
Song of the Week: Soul Coughing - Circles

September 21, 2003 - guest update #1
(All of today's update courtesy of Stephanie Black.)

Greetings, fans of Ross's website.  If you only like to read what Ross has to say, today is your unlucky day.  Similarly, if you hate hearing what Stephanie has to say, today is your unlucky day.  Moreover, if you only like to read what Ross has to say AND you hate hearing what Stephanie has to say, today is a very unlucky day for you.  That's too bad, I hate spoiling people's days. Well, actually, no I take that back; if you don't like what I have to say, I don't really care if I spoil your day.  Anyway, enough boring rambling…we get that enough here.  Just kidding, Ross.  Well, I just thought that it'd be fun to update since Ross is doing homework and I'm not; so, I'll let you know how my college experience has been thus far.  Get ready younger kiddos, you're going to want to take notes on this if you're going to be going to college in the next year or two…

Stephanie's College Handbook:
College is lots o' fun.  The first week or so, will though, for most of you, be pretty difficult.  During the first week you'll probably feel as if no one around you cares about you.  This is true – at first, no one you know will care about you; you may get hit by a car during the first week of college and probably the only person who will truly care is the person who hit you, especially if you dent his or her car.  That's alright, though, that's what the internet and cell phones are for.  If you make the decision to go to Kenyon, however, be prepared to cope with this first week without cell phones (except if you are a Verizon user) and the internet, you may even have to cope with everything without power.  The second week will, no doubt, be much better.  During this second week you'll learn what college is all about: socializing, finding fun activities, checking your mail (both e-mail and regular mail), and downloading lots of music in very little time.  Oh, and during the second week you'll also start classes.  If you are a lil crazy in the head, you may be one of those people who is all about, "Oh, I just lovvve learning."  Most people, however, will, at first, be excited to start classes but then once you realize that for the rest of the year you will have about 1,000 chapters of everything to read each weekend, classes will soon become an annoyance to you.  I must say, though, that I have learned lots since becoming a college student and so to end this exciting update, I'll share a few of the most important things I've learned in just three weeks of classes:
  • Athens and Sparta fought in the Peloponnesian War; Sparta won.
  • If you mix vanilla frozen yogurt with peanut butter, the finished product is very tasty.
  • If you mix vanilla frozen yogurt with honey and cinnamon sugar, the finished product is very tasty.
  • If you mix vanilla frozen yogurt with a little bit of hot chocolate and a little bit of coffee and mix well, the finished product is FANTASTIC.
Well, I hope everyone is doing well and I look forward to seeing all my peeps on Thanksgiving Break.  And by "peeps" I literally mean the marshmallow peeps that they now have for every holiday…hopefully I'll get to see a few friends, as well.
 


Image of the Day


The most important part of college.

Ellen DeGeneres's "Random Thought" of the Day:

"You never hear a kid say: 'Do you want me to dust the baseboards?'"
 
September 22, 2003 - it was a bright and stormy day
Well, first of all, thanks to Stephanie for the lovely update yesterday. If anyone out there ever wants to make a guest update, just let me know!

Oh, and guess what? After months of inactivity, I have put up a new poll! So you should all go take it!

Anyways, as I walked in the pouring rain from my classes today, I couldn't help but think of the "Revel In The Rain" excerpt I have on this site. So many people were burying their faces in their umbrellas, rushing to get to their dorms, cowering away from the rain. I, on the other hand, walked slowly, face forward, welcoming the rain. I had been pretty stressed earlier on, but just like the saying goes, it all went away "in the wash". Hmm... but now on to a different thought about rain. Rain is so weird! Like, it's just tons of water that falls down from the sky. I mean, I understand how/why it works and all, but rain in itself would be a bizarre phenomenon to anyone who never experienced it. Heh, as I was typing this, Brian called and brought up another good point; Umbrellas are weird. He commented that people probably made fun of the guy who used the first umbrella. And really, they shield against water... Our bodies are made up of a great deal of water, what harm can a little more do? For some, I think the dryness issue is more about vanity than it is about staying warm. I personally don't mind being wet.... but anyway, hopefully my updates can still hold interest after that exciting one from Stephanie. Otherwise, I'll be all washed up.
 
 
Image of the Day

"Human beings were created by water to transport it uphill." by Sam Brown of explodingdog.


Quote of the Day - Nadine Stair

If I had my life to live over I'd like to make more mistakes next time. I'd relax. I would limber up. I would be sillier than I have been this trip. I would take fewer things seriously. I would take more chances. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers. I would eat more ice cream and less beans. I would perhaps have more actual trouble, but I'd have fewer imaginary ones. You see, I'm one of those people who live sensibly and sanely hour after hour, day after day. Oh, I've had my moments, and if I had to do it over again, I'd have more of them. In fact, I'd try to have nothing else. Just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of each day. I've been one of those persons who never goes anywhere without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a raincoat, and a parachute. If I had to do it again, I would travel ligther that I have. If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. I would go to more dances. I would ride more merry-go-rounds, I would pick more daisies.
 
September 23, 2003 - now museum, now you don't
For the past few days...weeks...months, I've been really thinking about the fact that I'm at the wrong damn school. I think I should have been at a liberal arts school or something, not somewhere for engineers. But yeah, so this morning I went over to the Natural History Museum for a planetarium show in my Astronomy class. I didn't know it was so close! Hell, the art museum is like RIGHT on the damn campus! I didn't know that either! Okay, okay... call me an idiot, but I just hadn't really explored the campus. Basically, on one side of the street are the science and math buildings, where all the engineers get their educations, and then on the other side are all these cultural hotspots! The botanical gardens, Severence Hall, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Natural History Museum... It was a pretty exciting realization for me, because as a Case student, I get free admission to many of the places! So I think I'll be spending a good amount of time just enjoying the "artsy" experience around here. So yeah, I'm warming up to the university... Plus, it's close to home, so I get visitors once in a while; In fact, Jessie and Natalie stopped over last night, and we had a rockin time! Anyways, that's all for now.
 
   

Image of the Day


Here's a shot from the aftermath of my night on the town with Joe and Larry... As you can see, we weren't exactly in the most normal of moods.


Quote of the Day - Henry Miller

Develop interest in life as you see it; in people, things, literature, music - the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls and interesting people. Forget yourself.
 
September 24, 2003 - can you hear me now?
Just got back from home... I am now for the fifth straight year a member of the East 222nd St. Jazz Band. The high school band director had to call in a few reinforcements since the turn-out for jazz band wasn't great this year, so myself, Steve-O, and the infamous Cameron will be returning to the halls of EHS to spread the mellow grooves of jazz. Anyway, onto another topic: Waving. I realized recently that I rarely (if ever) wave to people as a salutation... It's just kind of weird. Where did waving even come from?

Oh, and one more thought... A hundred years ago, if a person was shouting at thin air and having a conversation with no one,  that guy would have been seen as a complete nutcase. Nowadays, because of cell phones, it's normal to us to see people talking to little boxes in their cars, on the street, and just about everywhere. I wonder if some secluded aboriginal tribe would think that we were all nutcases. Actually, now that I mention it, we probably are.
 
 
Image of the Day


Quote of the Day - Frank A. Clark

If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere.
 
September 26, 2003 - have a cow
Sorry for the lack of update yesterday... I had a hella busy day finishing up my first C++ program. It makes basic ASCII shapes... Rectangle, triangle, diamond, and square (so sue me, it's not actually a square, even though the dimensions are right). If you're REALLY bored, you can download that program in today's feature at the bottom. It wasn't too hard to write, I just had a problem understanding how to incorporate iomanip into my functions (yes, I know, that means nothing to many of you). Anyway, now it's the weekend and I have loads of plans.... or none, rather. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't have stuff to do that I have to do; i.e. school work and work work.  As far as socially though, this has been the first weekend in a long while that all of my friends (but Larry) have been busy. So now Larry and I are sitting here basically doing nothing, but I think we will depart soon and go wherever the wind takes us.
 


Image of the Day

This image is via the cellar, but there is actually no information on it... I just think it's a fantastic shot of a cow.


C++ Program of the Day - ASCII Art-O-Matic

 
September 27, 2003 - my current train of thought
Anyone see that rainstorm last night? It was the kind of storm where rain just like POURS out of the sky, leaving no room for anyone to escape it... well, unless you're inside. Anyway, as for today, I worked for a decently long time... I'm gonna be really glad when I get a parking pass up at Case and am able to scatter my hours away from the weekend. The whole working on Friday-Saturday-Sunday thing is starting to bug me... I never really get a chance to sleep in. For now, it's something I'm fine dealing with. As for tonight, Joe and I have made arrangements for a quaint evening for two. A candlelight dinner, a walk on the beach, and then we're going back to my place.... Well, either that or we'll call a few friends, grab some fast food, and then watch some obscure comedy movie.
 
 

Image of the Day

"Collision On a Railway" by Sandro Del Prete.


Quote of the Day - Bill Vaughan

"If there is anything the nonconformist hates worse than a conformist, it's another nonconformist who doesn't conform to the prevailing standard of nonconformity."