Sir, Calm Down!

Narcisisissisicism

noreply@blogger.com (Grace) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 03:32:00 +0000

(An image from my last film: a mummy with pumpkins)

Hi guys.

Update? To be sure.

This semester I started film production courses on black and white 16 mm, which has been crazy--so far I've had two people get shot in my films and three people fire guns (well, one was a Revolutionary War reenactor). They bleed chocolate syrup blood. Violence for violence's sake? Anyway, I get to film with this awesome camera:

--->

It runs like clockwork. You just wind it.

I'm also co-chair of the Film Majors' Committee and I'm on the exec board of the Vassar Filmmakers, a student group, blah blah...last year, a group of my friends and I made a documentary on a clockmaker and were finalists at the International Documentary Challenge! We went to the Hot Docs Festival in Toronto, which was saweet. Blah blah.

I also did set design for the drama department this semester--we did Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire." I built a fantastic suspended ceiling that hung ominously above their heads like a wrought-iron cage.

I've somewhat figured out what I want to do with my life, though it seems frivolous, and I still need to come to terms with that: I'm perhaps going to grad school for interior design. It'd be nice to have a day job, with a firm. Besides that, I want to go into production design for film, and perhaps set design for theater. I like creating the world of a story, the look of a film. I think in things. Props. Dressing. Different chairs have different meanings.

Ok, my sister is here for Thanksgiving and I'm going to bed.

Update!

peacegrace

love from s'pore

noreply@blogger.com (Mindy) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:33:00 +0000

Hey guys!

It’s been a while. Hope you all got my invite on Facebook. In the spirit of not being hypocritical, here’s my extremely self-centered update on life. I encourage all of you to post equally narcissistic updates because I really want to hear about how things are going!

• Since TASP… Okay, so I’m trying to remember all the weird things I did at TASP and think about whether or not I’ve changed since then. Falling asleep on random couches – YES, I still do this. My favorite sleeping locations include ergonomic chairs in the library and Starbucks armchairs. Plush fetish – YES, this still applies. Although I’ve moved from frogs to quirkier subjects, like plush tofu, ninjas, and robots. However, I do not: keep my hair bundled in a clip, wear skirts all the time, sulk on staircases (okay, maybe sometimes).

• Nunnians I last sighted: JOSH came to visit last year, and he stayed at my highrise apartment! It was pretty awesome, even though I was going a little crazy with schoolwork that week (sorry about that Josh!). We did cool things, like walk aimlessly around campus and eat yummy falafel at a Middle Eastern restaurant. Freshman year, Diya visited me during spring break (which was a lovely departure from my emo loneliness on campus) and we gossiped and had tons of fun. You guys should totally follow Diya + Josh’s example and visit me in Philly 

• Latest update: Singapore! I’m wrapping up my semester at Singapore Management University, and like everyone else, you’re probably wondering: why Singapore? I wanted to be at a good university in an English-speaking Asian country… so this was pretty much the best deal! SMU also has a partnership with my university, so it’s easier to transfer credits. I’ve enjoyed my time here so far (beautiful country, amazing food), but I miss my friends back home, so I’m ready to head back to the trash-lined streets of Philadelphia. I’ll be back on Monday (November 30) and will have too much spare time on my hands, so if any of you East Coasters want to meet up, let me know!

• School and stuff: After observing the Blackberry-wielding, stock quote-checking population of my school, I’ve grown increasingly cynical about all things finance and banking. So I’m opting for a dual concentration in Marketing and Operations & Information Management. Taking some cool classes on branding, advertising, consumer behavior, and the like. On the operations side, I’m learning about emerging technologies and how they’re changing the business landscape. Not going to lie; it’s pretty thrilling. Although maybe only to business nerds like myself.

• On campus… After reading about all the cool stuff Aida’s doing, I’ve come to the conclusion that I am overall a pretty lame, uninteresting person. Sadness. Anyway, at Penn I’ve involved in the Wharton Dean’s Advisory Board – which is this council of students that implement academic initiatives. Sounds boring, I know. But it’s actually my #1 thing on campus, and I’ve gotten to know some of my dearest friends through the organization. I’m also involved in Social Impact Consulting, which is a group that does pro bono consulting for Philadelphia non-profits. It’s a great, rewarding experience – and you get to work in teams so it can be a lot of fun. Aside from all that, I’ve done volunteer projects for Ashoka (organization that funds social entrepreneurs around the world) since January – including social media stuff, marketing stuff, donorship stuff, and most recently I interviewed an Ashoka Fellow here in Singapore! You guys can read about it on this blog; the title is “Making Toilets Sexy,” haha. It’s about using product design to improve global sanitation. Other on-campus hobbies include eating Chipotle burritos and “suicide” hot wings, hanging out with friends, taking photos of random-but-interesting objects, and frolicking.

• Looking forward… Will be flying back to Philly on Monday (November 30) and spending 3 weeks reconnecting with people, exploring the city, consuming coffee, getting ready for internship recruiting, working on some random projects, and other fun things. If any of you guys want to meet up, please let me know!

Nunnian Love,
Mindy

P.S. New ways to keep in touch (recently started poking my head into different social media channels):

Twitter! (twitter.com/yaycaffeine)
Blog! (yaycaffeine.wordpress.com)

Hola hola

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:15:00 +0000

Ho snap!

Major update time. :) Greetings to everyone from Brown! I'll make this a bullet-list because...well, I really like those. So on we go!

Finally decided on my major...and it's Comparative Literature with a focus on translation! I'm still declared as International Relations, though, so I should, er, go change that. :D Huzzah. Oh, and I'm taking a class on medieval poets this semester and we mentioned the Lais of Marie de France. My heart did a little flip 'cause I remembered our TASP. ^_^

I'm part of a co-ed frat: Zeta Delta Xi. What? A frat? Right. In fact, I'm Corresponding Secretary and one of the two Pledgemasters this semester. In short, this means I deal with alumni and that I'm in charge of organizing the entire pledging process, which is...intense. Actually, Zete seems similar to TASP in a lot of ways, which is pretty cool.

Currently Head Chair of the Brown Queer Alliance. My involvement in all things queer has been varied, but now I've simultaneously stepped it up and stepped down--I'm not involved in as many subgroups (the QA is technically an umbrella-group), but the ones I'm in, I work hard for (and being Head Chair is not a piece of cake). Currently I'm going nuts with bringing Sister Spit: The Next Generation to Brown, as well as Alix Olson, that amazing spoken word poet (who was slated to come a week ago, but she got sick and we're trying to reschedule for sometime in December). Lots of lovely things are going on and I'm excited about 'em. :) Also stressed, but hey.

I'm also getting really involved in the kink/BDSM/non-Brown-queer world, so I'm currently organizing KFA Providence ("an ad-hoc informational unconference on sexuality for anyone and everyone"), trying to go to workshops, presentations, and conferences as often as my schedule permits, and just...being active in "the communities" in general. I also helped contact colleges to advertise for the Transcending Boundaries Conference (which I sadly can't attend due to pledging duties), a con "for bisexual/pansexual, trans/genderqueer, intersex and polyamorous people and our allies," so that was cool. It's really fun and I love meeting new people. These are personal interests, so they get me out of the Brown bubble and it's something I'm doing for myself, which is really exciting. I'm just very passionate about kink, education, outreach, and making dialogues about sexual health and pleasure more available and visible.

Trying to blog more and make worthwhile posts for the interwebz, so I write my own stuff here and there you can find links to my other online haunts, including a collaborative blog about gender/feminism with students from Vassar, Wesleyan, and a few other places. If you're into stalking me, you can always check out my DailyBooth account (which I mainly set up to keep up with a friend who's taking a year off, but still).

Speaking of sex and blogs and things...my goal is to start up a sex mag at Brown next semester (since this semester I just don't have the time) in the style of Vassar's "Squirm" and Harvard's "H-Bomb." Any name ideas are always welcome. :)

In Telluride news, I applied for factotumship this year (last year I also applied, but didn't get an interview) and I'm headed to Ithaca in November for my interview. :) I think Martin also got one? And Joy Liu--from another '06 TASP--also got one (she goes to Brown!). So basically I'm super super excited and I hope that I can get to work as a factotum. :) Wish me luck! (Also, let's talk about how unfortunate it is that we only have THREE TASPs this year!)

That's about it for now, I feel? I really wish to see y'all again. I was gonna try to organize a reunion this past summer, but then I failed at life. So yeah. :) Hopefully we'll keep in touch somehow, even if it's via random blog posts every 10 years.

Cheers, everyone! Feel free to drop me a note anytime!

Dispatch from NYC

noreply@blogger.com (Gary Z) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:16:00 +0000

Hello everyone!

Since I'm still subscribed to this blog, Johes's recent post showed up one morning in my inbox and was welcomed as much as a bacon /egg / toast breakfast. That is to say, very much. I won't put the time into restoring some of the things that have since broken with the blog (mainly just the missing header), but the subscribe feature is still working and I strongly encourage you to contact those with whom you are still in touch and get them to subscribe too. Posts may not come very often, but I for one, enjoy these random updates. Do it for the children.

Onto updates from NYC...

I am now a junior (whoa!) Biomedical Engineering student at Columbia University with a minor in computer science. While I enjoy the subject greatly, it does involve a rather daunting amount of work. Unlike Johes, I actually have pretty girls in my engineering classes, something I'm thankful for since computer science isn't exactly known for its female/male ratio. On a side note, I'm now dating a redhead art history major, I wonder how that happened. I'm still premed, but am considering other options much more seriously than I ever have since middle school. I guess I'll post back in a couple years letting you guys know what I ended up doing ;-).

At Columbia, we have a volunteer student ambulance corps. It provides free transport and care to Columbia students and affiliates 24/7. I got EMT-B certified last semester and since then, the corps has consumed way too many hours of my life. I'm getting promoted next Monday (hopefully) and I'll finally be able to finally drive that ambulance around with lights and sirens. I'm terribly excited. It's an interesting experience driving a two ton ambulance through city streets. Very different from my minivan back in Ohio. Interestingly enough, "Sir, calm down" is something I now say on a regular bases.

I'm still running that webdesign company from back in the day. It's gone though a couple changes, but it's still moving along. I won't link to the company site since I'm rapidly making some changes, but www.cuems.org is a project I'm working on now. It's not 100% complete, but it's definitely mostly there.

If any of you guys will be around the East coast, I highly recommend popping in to visit the city. You're very much welcome to crash at my place and I can show you around a most excellent city. I hope you guys are doing well. Seriously. I'm not giving up hope that I'll see at least one or two of you guys sometime in the future. It is my sincere wish that you continue to do delightfully at life.

Take care,
Gawwy

From Far Away

noreply@blogger.com (Johes) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 13:34:00 +0000

Hey all,

This blog seems to have slowly faded away. I randomly stumbled across it while I was updating my Picasa account. It's weird. TASP seemed like such an important part of my life and now I can't even recall all your faces without going on Facebook. I can't tell if that means it really wasn't that integral to my development or if it just has become one of those many things about myself that I don't even need to think about anymore.

Anyways, on with the updates.

I'm now a junior at Stanford majoring in Electrical Engineering and minoring in Comparative Literature. Don't worry, I actually enjoy Electrical Engineering. When I first came to Stanford, I refused to even consider it as a possibility, but I guess stuff happens sometimes. CompLit is, of course, wonderful. Part of the reason is that I actually see girls in my classes, unlike EE courses. It's just nice being able to look at something pretty while I'm stuck inside on a beautiful spring day.

Aside from from my academics, I play Taiko (Japanese-style ensemble drumming) as a part of Stanford Taiko and I love it. Beats and rhythms are taking over my hands and mouth. We got to go to Thailand for a two week tour where we got to play everyday, see a beautiful country, and ride elephants. It made me happy.

Right now, I'm studying abroad in Berlin. The city is amazing and the people are friendly. Thankfully, they almost all speak English because my German is terrible. One of my favorite parts of the city is the subway system. It goes everywhere and runs all night on the weekends. I've met some great people by just picking up conversation on the train.

For all of you, we probably won't see each other again. So good luck with the rest of your lives, I hope they all turn out beautifully.

Johes

Summertime once again

noreply@blogger.com (Kiralynoswiatowy) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:28:00 +0000

Hello, everyone.

Well, since it is officially summer, I figured I would post something to the blog. I've actually just started taking a course through the Yale Summer Session, so more realistically, this post is a way to procrastinate on my reading. Anyway, I'm studying abroad in Dubrovnik, Croatia right now, which is an amazingly beautiful city, but the weather is very, very warm, even for Dubrovnik. I've started having to put on sunscreen twice a day, but it's worth it to be able to go out and explore the Old City. Eventually, I will upload my pictures to facebook or something, but for right now, you'll just have to take my word for it.

This is the first time that I have traveled outside the U.S./Canada, and I have to say, I have enjoyed it immensely so far. I went to London beforehand, and the area where I was (Bayswater) was great. There were people there from all over the world, and I even got to speak Czech to a couple women (of course, it turned out they were Polish, but that's beside the point).

Anyway, that's about it for what I've done this summer, but I'd love to hear what everyone else is doing. And if any of you happen to be in Croatia between now and August 2nd, you should stop by Dubrovnik and see me (and the Old City, which really is fantastic).

If you're British and loyal, you might enjoy...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 02 May 2008 00:01:00 +0000

(royal marine?) ME! ^_^ To piggyback off Grace's post: HEY FOLKS! ^_^

Brown is still fabulous. Spring is making lots of magnolia and cherry tree bloom and bringing gorgeous days of people out on the Main Green. The weather was warm for a week or so, which I was semi-annoyed with, but now it's chilly again. Right now it's in the 50's. I like colder weather. :)

Summer plans are still undefined. I'm going back home, possibly to work and possibly to travel at some point--either somewhere in South America or the U.S., so we'll see how that goes. Right now I'm just procrastinating like a mofo. I have 2 response papers overdue and I should DO them and put them in my TA's box, but I just...don't want to. XD I'll get them done tonight, probably. I also have a buttload of papers and finals and work...but...I'll do it. Eventually.

Anyway, I'm still undecided about my major, though I've narrowed it down to Gender & Sexuality Studies, American Civilization, and/or Anthropology.

Today I saw Paul Huang from UT Austin/Deep Springs and another Deep Springer called Jesse. We talked about life, love, sexuality, Deep Springs, Don, food, and random shit over delicious food from a Thai restaurant called Spice. It was good times. I also saw Nick Rosenbaum a few weeks ago, for his Spring Break. I have a class with Joy Liu...and...that's more or less my Telluride fix here. OH. I also spent some time with Hayley Kossek (an amazing TASSer/now TASPer) when she came to visit Brown with her mom.

As far as living next year, I'll be in a co-ed fraternity full of awesome, hilarious, attractive people. ;) It's going to be exciting. I'll be in room 203, which is nice. Oh, and I have recently developed a huge crush on one of my fellow pledges (i.e. people who are gonna pledge during Fall and be official "brothers" in the Spring term), so wish me luck. Nothing will probably happen, haha, but oh well.

Well, with all that said, I'm off to go to the fraternity with a friend so she can watch some Grey's Anatomy and I can just chill there with people. More to come later. Post, people! I wanna hear about your lives! <3

Love,

Aida!

HALLO

noreply@blogger.com (Grace) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 21:07:00 +0000

Hello, children! It's Grace.
And it's spring/summer outside today, but I am inside dreaming on computer screens. Life is surreal. Today (4/20) is a bad day to have had admitted students' day. I'm straight edge, so I'm not participating in "the holiday" (Passover, of course, pfft) but I'm still affected by the carnival atmosphere. This weekend was full of night hyperexcitement and some kind of strange streetlight beery magic that I only shared tangentially. Strangers sat beside me in the mist on cold benches and laughed.

The rest of the week won't be like this. The rest of the week will be filled with the solidity of handheld drills and wordreference.com translations and films for taking notes. So I'll write you kids, you who are now strangers to me, on the weekend, while I'm still asleep.

I'm doing well here. Summer came really quickly, and that helped. Everyone stays outside for hours on end these days, lying half-naked in the sun, juggling on the lawn. I shaved my head over spring break, but it's already growing out, so I'm simply a lot cooler these days. (Physically.) I'm close to declaring as a film major. I've got my schedule worked out for the rest of my career here, basically. I still waver, though, between wanting to stay here, transfer to a different school, and drop out completely. What can I say? Some days I just want to go live in the country.

As for the future, my sister and I are going to Iceland for a month this summer to work on organic farms. I'm also going to do everything I've always wanted to do. A rigid schedule of classical guitar, jewelry-making and screenplay-writing. And hopefully a garden.

Life is good, right? Do you guys still read this?
love,
grace

Since all the cool kids are doing it...

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 04:02:00 +0000

I guess it's time to post a little update (and time to procrastinate-- I have 3 midterms next week)... I can't believe how long it's been since I've seen most of you guys. Almost 2 years now! Well, just so you all know I'm still alive, here's some of what Ive been up to.

I am LOVING Yale. It is seriously the best place for me. I have a lot of amazing friends, and the classes are super interesting (even with all the work...). I'm still planning on majoring in Art history and am currently taking a survey course that has been really interesting. I'm also taking a class on cultural anthropology, Intermediate French, and a Political Science class on Nationalism (some things never change.) For Nationalism I have to write a 20 page term paper at the end of the semester, and I'm obviously going to write it on Puerto Rico... yeaaah.

As for extracurriculars, I'm very involved in the International Student's Organization, particularly in the Social and Financial councils. I might be running for the executive board next year as well. I really love the ISO and all the people in it, and we get to organize interesting events and fun dance parties ;) I also work 10 hours a week at the Department of Ancient Art in the Yale Art Gallery, where I've learned a lot about what it means to work in a museum. Love it!

As for summer plans, I recently heard that I was accepted at a Yale-sponsored internship in Buenos Aires, Argentina, at a really important Latin American art museum. I'm super excited! I've never been to Argentina, but have heard from everyone that Buenos Aires is absolutely beautiful and looots of fun. Spending 2 months there should be a blast.

As with romance-related news, yes, I have a boyfriend. We've been dating since the beginning of December, and I'm so happy with how things are going. He's a sophomore, from Berkeley, California, and he plays bass in a jazz combo AND in a salsa band. He also speaks Spanish, so, unfortunately for him, he gets to listen to my loud Spanish rants about random things. I love the way he lets me pass out on his bed when I come back from the library at 2am and am too tired to go back to my own dorm (about 2 blocks down the street.) It's great.

Well, that's pretty much my life in a nutshell. I'll badger Levent the next time I see him so he posts a little something as well (can't guarantee anything :P). I'd love to hear from you guys, so drop me a line on Facebook or something. Much love.

PS- I saw Freya last weekend when she came to visit. It was a lot of fun!!

noreply@blogger.com (Grace) — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 22:46:00 +0000

Hey, tout le monde. I've been inspired by Aida and Alberto to update all of you on my life, which is somewhat selfish of me, but also very cathartic.

Overall, I've been good. My classes are strange and wonderful. The best one is Intro to Theatermaking, where we have to put on pieces of theater each class (they can't be called mere scenes, and they're not presentations. It's oh so dramatic). My group's final presentation is 'Pest in Buda' from Heiner Muller's "HamletMachine": http://www.galerie-raskolnikow.de/paddavis/pages/Hamlet2.html

Our final stage directions are "The actor playing Hamlet steps into the armor, splits with the ax the heads of Marx, Lenin, Mao. Snow. Ice Age." So postmodern.

Extracurriculars: I told myself I wouldn't become a theater major, but theater here is just so good. I finished a student-written show a few weeks ago called "Your Mom is a Social Construct," dealing with expectations and women. I wrote three pieces for it; it was the first time I've had other people perform my writing. (Exciting!)
I've also been cast in a 20-minute senior film project. My role: WOMAN. SHYES...stardom!! Fame! I'm also going to try and PA a shoot for a film called "Fades With Age" over winter break (free food and shelter in the city? Tiiight).

Actually, I'm not just doing theater/film-related things. I'm also part of Squirm, the erotica magazine. We helped with Rocky Horror, brought a professional dominatrix to campus, and held porn screenings. It's good fun.

Oh, I'm also an art model (it's my campus job - $10 an hour. Easy prostitution). The first job of my life. But then again, I'm also a Theatrical Journeyman (I build sets for the drama department)(more theater), which is the best job I could have ever hoped for. You know all of those job descriptions? "Requires creative problem solving, teamwork, etc, etc." Mine actually DOES, though. I love going to work every day and screwing something together or hauling bricks or sawing through iron pipes. It's empowering.

Ahem. In terms of love lives, since the others described theirs:
There's this really adorable boy who looks like a baby bird. Or a leprechaun. He's blond with a little beard, and he's my height (tiny boy), and he has green tattoos up his arms. He's on the quidditch team. I see him EVERYWHERE, and every time I want to go up and introduce myself, I get so nervous my stomach hurts. So instead of talking to him in real life, I found him on facebook (I'M SO CREEPY), bwahahaha. So now not only do I know his name, I also know where he lives, his phone number, and the fact that he's a Hufflepuff. He has pictures of himself cuddling his baby cousins. BAHHHH.

That's all, I suppose. My finals are basically over. (I still have nightmares about Art History.) Life is good, good, good. There's snow on the ground. I bought myself a bass (my dream of starting a band with my sister shall finally be realized!! We'll be like Coco Rosie, but less hot and more Asian). I've been doing artwork; I'm actually still thinking of reapplying to art school later. No major life decisions have been made, though. I'll keep you updated if they are.

Ok, ok! Bye! Update us, you guys.
Love,
Grace

TIME FOR FABULOSITY!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 05:34:00 +0000

Wow kids. It's been a while.

Finals are here and it's time for procrastination. Gotta love it. :) So, let me update you kids on my life, organized by topic.

First of all, an announcement. If you haven't talked about it with me or seen stuff about it on my facebook, LJ, or something, I wanted to let you all know that I identify as queer and some other stuff I don't wanna prattle on and on about. Basically, I'm a big dyke, hahaha. ^_^ I didn't really talk about this at TASP because I didn't feel it was really anyone's business, unless I was actively interested in someone, plus the opportunity never truly came up. I wasn't going to deny it or ignore the question if it came up, but I just wasn't going to volunteer the information out of the blue. How long have I known? For years. Don't think this is a random whim, mkay? Now that that's out of the way, we can continue. :)

Academics:

My classes this semester were: Intensive Portuguese (double-credit), Intro to Ethnic Studies, Intro to Linguistic Anthropology, and Bodies Out of Bounds (a Gender & Sexuality Studies course about when bodies move beyond what is seen as "normal" and yada yada--so good!). They were all very cool and eye-opening. My Intro to ES teacher was a GOD. I love him. Alas, I have no chance with him--he's gay. My heart weepeth. =P Now finals are drawing to a close and I only have two papers left. I have an A in Ethnic Studies and an A in Portuguese (I think). Anthro might be a B or something? Not sure. I kinda slacked on the midterm and this final paper might not be the best shit ever either, lol. Ah well. BOOB, as I affectionately call it, it a toss-up. I participate in class constantly and I got an A on my first paper, but some of my homework was late, and I have no idea how I did on my in-class final. And I still have a paper to write for that class, due on...Monday? Sunday?

Friends:

SO many cool people. I'm the biggest social butterfly you'll ever meet, I think. It's kind of ridiculous, lol. I know a ton of people, and it's pretty sweet. Some of my closest friends now are people I kind of (or REALLY) disliked at the beginning, so I'm glad I gave them a chance. :) My friends are all over the map, ethnicity/gender/sexuality/age/year-wise. C'est cool. ^_^ Sadly, however, I've seen a bunch of kids leave because of depression, eating disorders, suicide attempts, and other such stuff. It's really jarring.

TASPer contact:

I've hung out with Joy Liu and David Harmon a few times. :) I encourage you all to visit Providence, dammit, and come see me. Whenever I go to Boston, I'll look you Harvard kids up. :P And I miss my Grace-Pie, sooooo yeah. I've thought about ALL of you at some point, and it's been really nice to remember our days at the Cornell branch house. I wear my TASP shirt often. :) I think I'm gonna go visit Miranda from WashU at Wesleyan next semester, as well as visit Harvard, and some other places. YOU SHOULD DO THE SAME! :P

Thanksgiving:

Went to a friend's mother's house in New York and went to her dad's NJ home area to meet her friends. Had my first White Castle experience. Met her family, on both sides, and had a nice, chill Thanksgiving.

Clubs & Miscellaneous Activities:

The naked donut run? Totally happened, though I was too busy to go. SexPowerGod? Went and party-managed. It was fun, but insane. Some people got huge ego-boosts, while others suffered blows to their self-esteem when no one asked them to dance. It was hilarious and interesting, and I dressed up like a sex goddess, so it was great. Starf*ck, which is the second semester dance-party like SPG, will be co-coordinated by me. :) OH, THE POWER! lol. I'm part of the Queer Alliance and some of its subgroups (the Dance Committee & Girl's Night Out), The Next Thing (a group for queer people of color), CityGirls (a middle-school mentorship program), and I volunteer at the Third World Center. I'm on the steering committee for Caribbean Heritage Week right now, and I'm probably gonna be involved in the same shiz for the PR Heritage Week, Latino History Month, and some other related activities. I go to WORD! (the spoken word group) sometimes, and I wanna be part of a frat called Zeta Delta Xi. Yes, me, frats, WHAT? Well, it's a co-ed frat full of cool cats and queer kids, soooo...I love it. :D I'm gonna rush and hopefully pledge. But enough of EC's--this is beginning to sound like a college app. ;)

Love-Life:

I liked this cute Jewish kid from South Africa at the beginning of the semester and he seemed to like me back, but that suddenly disintegrated a few days after it began, so I mourned for a day, then got over it. Then I was mildly curious about a boy and one of my friends said she was obsessed with him. AWKWARD. lol. So...I have a few people on my Tops list (mwahaha, remember the top 5 lists!?), but they're all girls at the moment. Let's see how that goes. ^_^ Thanks to my personality, outfits, and dance moves, I've gotten mad props and respect from a lot of them, so, lol, hopefully that helps me in my pursuits. ;) In fact, I'm not really interested in men right now.:/

I'm really glad I'm at Brown, because it's so liberating. I can be myself. :) Everything is awesome. I'm glad to go home on the 18th, but just so I can see some people and chill out, sans stress, for a while...but I'm already excited to return in january. =) My hair is still changing colors, and it's gonna undergo a full dye-job in February, so be on the lookout for that. ^^ I love you all, and I hope to see some of you soon! <3

A brief update

noreply@blogger.com (Alberto) — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 09:06:00 +0000

Hello!

It's four in the morning here (in Gambier, Ohio for all of you that don't know) and I am seriously procrastinating instead of studying for my finals as I should.

Its been so long since, I've seen/heard/talked to so many of you. In fact, I think the last person I've seen in at least 8 months has been Diya. It's strange how time passes, but C'est la vie I suppose.

So let me fill you in on how things are here. I am at Kenyon which is amazing. The people here are really laid back, very artsy, kind of hipsterish, but very nice. There is almost no diversity which took a lot (and is still taking) a bit of getting used to. But I think I am faring well. I ran for student council and I am the president of my class which is very exciting.

In my class there are about 460 of us which is pretty small but very nice. I would say that I know about 3/4 of the people in my class and its really nice to walk into someone you know wherever you go.

Life back home is....interesting.

I came out to my mom this past summer and there were a lot of theatrics. It was the most emotionally and mentally draining experience I've gone through. We had stopped talking for about 2 and a half months, but I think that things are slowly starting to return to the way they once were.

I decided to check the blog because as I was procrastinating I decided to look at old TASP pics on facebook. It stirred up so many memories and emotions, it was really incredible. That summer was so precious and its strange how now it all just sort of seems like one big blur in retrospect. Yet I love how seeing one picture can take you exactly back to that moment and you can remember how you felt and who was around you. I suggest you all do it.

Hmm, what else. My love life is sort of lackluster. The Quentin thing got much more confusing and then I decided to leave that alone. There have been a few prospects here but not much more than that. Classes are good, but the people are so much better. I'm happy here. It was really weird, when I went home for thanksgiving break I felt oddly out of place back at home. When I came back to kenyon I kept catching myself almost calling it home. Did that happen to any of you guys?

I would love to hear how your college experience is going. If you happen to be perusing the blog please write a little post, it wont take any longer than 5 or 6 minutes.

Alright, well this stream of concioussness has gone on long enough. I think I'm gonna either try to study more or go to bed.

This is Alberto, and I'm out.

P.S. I still love all of you guys even if I don't talk to you regularly :)

noreply@blogger.com (Gary Z) — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 21:06:00 +0000

Happy thanksgiving guys!

Now go and eat excessively!

November and College life

noreply@blogger.com (Kiralynoswiatowy) — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 21:12:00 +0000

All right, because no one has posted since September and because I feel like procrastinating, I'm going to step in to fill the void. We're all at our respective schools now and have had a while to adjust. How is everyone faring? Personally, I really like Yale. I am taking good classes, and I have made a lot of friends. My suitemates are all really cool. I get a decent amount of sleep for college. Also, I survived midterms, a feat that was more difficult than it may sound. And now, I really should go study Russian history...

2 Days

noreply@blogger.com (Johes) — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 04:12:00 +0000

On the 18th I will finally arrive at school after many weeks alone at home after my friends all abandoned me to go to "college". I am very excited. The weather will be ten degrees cooler and the time two hours later. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Updated

noreply@blogger.com (Gary Z) — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 04:14:00 +0000

If you're not blind, then you would have noticed that the blog now has a new look. I finally got around to updating the blog to the new Blogger widget configuration, and in the process, I changed the appearance. Hope you like. I like. It's nice. High five.

As always, if you find problems, you know where you can find me to complain.

Ah oh, one note, you can now subscribe to this blog via RSS or email. Click on the "subscribe in a reader" link if you have a RSS feed reader. If you scroll down, there's also a email subscribe option. I haven't tested it out yet, but it should email you any new posts.

Oh, reunions!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 16:55:00 +0000

Whereas a lot of us will be in the North-East,

Whereas we LOVE TASP reunions,

Whereas not everyone could go to our recent Bawston rendezvous,

Be It Resolved That we plan a new one after being reasonably settled in at our respective colleges.

We can have small ones that require little to no planning, but a slightly bigger one would be pretty cool (and by pretty cool I mean FREAKING AWESOME). I highly encourage random visits and mini-reunions (especially during holidays when and if some of us don't fly back home), too! Anyhoo, since I'm interested in getting back together, I mapquested our locations to see how far we were from each other.

Harvard & Brown are an hour away from each other; Yale is about 1.75 hours away from Brown; Williams is 2 hours away; and NYU/Columbia/Vassar are 3.25 hours away. Dartmouth is about 3.1 hours away. Cornell is about 6 hours away and Swarthmore is 5.12 hours away, while UPenn is 5 hours away. Princeton is...about 4.1 hours away.

Kenyon and UMich are like 12 hours away. Purdue is 16 hours away (same with Loyola, though it's about half an hour less). *cringe* Stanford is, obviously, on the other side of the country. UT Austin and Deep Springs are super far away as well. :'(

Then again, you could all stop being betches and just swim over to Puerto Rico during the summer so we can ALL have fun under the sun--going to the beach, trekking in the mountains, chillin' at the mall, and partying in Old San Juan (18 years old = you can get in anywhere! Weeee!).

I think that takes care of everyone. Again, this is using Brown as a reference point, because DUH, Brown = best place ever. ;) Haha, basically, I'm selfish and I want to see everyone. *grin*

Anyway, possible future reunions aside, the Bawston get-together was nice. :) We had fun, we draped, we ate, and we visited cool places. There are many pictures on Facebook for anyone who's interested (which I hope is everyone!).

Love you crazy kids!

P.S. - I'd definitely be willing to help with planning a reunion again. :)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 01:14:00 +0000

"I don't care."

"Thank you, Darlene."

There's something in the air ...

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 23:46:00 +0000

Today I mailed a package to the 2007 Cornell TASPers. The following were included:

One (1) tin of Anti-Establish Mints (motto: Liberté, Egalité, Minty Freshness)
One (1) package of Nihilist Chewing Gum (motto: We don't believe in flavor)
One (1) Nunchuck (http://www.accoutrements.com/products/11580.html)
One (1) package of eleven (11) fake mustaches.
Assorted strange articles, including:

Excerpts from The Universal Panacea in the Nick of Time, by Nelson Dwight Sickels
"Beating the Bra Burners," Phyllis Schlafly
Excerpts from The Areas of My Expertise, by John Hodgman

One (1) approximately 8.5"x11" photograph of Paul Wolfowitz, from the 9 April 2007 issue of the New Yorker.
One (1) top-secret enclosure from Laura and Levent.
And the following letter:

July 19, 2007

Cornell TASPers
217 West Avenue
Ithaca, NY 14850

Most esteemed Cornell TASPers of the 2007 Vintage—already fine examples of the varietal: fragrant, ripely flavored, full bodied, and long on the palate, tasting of pink grapefruit, pear, and baked bread, with just a whiff of coriander—,

We write to inform you of a singular opportunity: You, too, can be just like the honorable Mr. Wolfowitz. To be plain—you may already be acquainted with the eschewal of hygiene and ethics that characterizes one of our most infamous co-TASP-alumni, but there is more—oh, so very much more—to the life upon which you now embark.

As you languish now in the lushly furnished quarters you most likely consider “yours,” we ask merely that you pause to consider those who came before, those who diligently bowed their heads over thousand page reading packets, and those who stained said reading packets with flecks of partially-chewed Fig Newton during 3:00 am eating contests, and to realize that the implied diametric opposition of these circumstances is deceptive, that there is no perfect student in the Platonic sense—though erudition may creep, engendering the clarion realization of the separation between linguistic signs and plastic elements; equivalence of resemblance and affirmation—no laggard counterpart, that identity is fluid, and that you need to exhaustively reread this run-on sentence to discover that which unifies it, that which, by virtue of its presence is truth, consistent with the concept of the metaphysics of presence

—but that is just our interpretation.

Consider, you TASPers bright, the following scene: it is some time in that lost decade called the seventies, and as some now forgotten CBTA member ambled down the second floor hallway, he couldn’t help but notice a door ajar, and there, bald-pated, bespectacled, grinning slightly, the notes for the third volume of The History of Sexuality open beside his typewriter, lay Michel Foucault, masturbating.

It really happened—maybe on your bed.

Yes, consider the number of times the phrase “self-interest” can be used in a sentence, the relative benefits of tiki-torches, all of the iterations of the science v. religion debate, the unquenchable need for mixed-sex sleepovers, the potpourri of tofu products readily available, the gradations in meaning of the snap, the overflowing cornucopia of reasons stay awake past four am, the abundance, in your own midst, of those who enjoy—nay, covet—steamy romps amid the bedcovers, or on the floor, around the house, at all hours—those who have screamed in the night, the merits of abstruse post-post modern (or simply post-modern, depending on whom you ask) literature, and the mélange of reasons to adore and loathe (actually, just loathe) Ayn Rand, not to mention the ontological facticity of any forays into the kitchen under constant threat of ambush by Drosophila melanogaster, the glut of justifications for enacting the gesture meaning "point of fact" when—and here we place our collective hands palm-down on our collective heads—one is, in point of fact, simply circumventing the line in debate, and, finally, the electric, odically haunting hours known as le fin du TASP.

Consider these things, and many others, and then, in a few weeks, when you’re at home, the pile of TASP readings rising mountainously on your desk, a wrinkle of discontent marring your brow, the quiet ache of nostalgia murmuring in your soul, consider what it means to have spent a summer as you did. Realize that its value lies not only in the fleeting moments that have fallen to the dust, but in every day, every book, every conversation of your future.

If you don’t, and believe us, we’ll know if you don’t, we’re gonna hunt you down, rip open your chest cavities, tear out your still-beating hearts, and eat them. Raw.

In the spirit of L.L.,

Sarah Howland and Daniel Briggs, et al.
Cornell TASP 2006

Hello

noreply@blogger.com (Kiralynoswiatowy) — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 01:06:00 +0000

Hey, everyone. Well, seeing as no one has posted to the blog lately and I've got some free time since I just got my wisdom teeth out, I figured I would do so. Unfortunately, I'm also kind of spacey because I'm on some pretty strong pain medication. Anyway, how's everyone's summer so far? Anyone doing any traveling? I personally have left the vicinity of my hometown only twice since I graduated from high school, but I am hoping to do some more traveling once my mouth heals. I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the summer!

Burning Question

noreply@blogger.com (Dan) — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 08:41:00 +0000

This is sort of semi-specifically for Yu, whose Facebook seems to have disappeared, but I would guess that other TASPers with better memories than I (that would be most all of you, I'd bet) could help. One day, near the end of TASP, You (Yu) played the piano for both our seminars, and, if I remember correctly, you (she) played Twelve Variations on a Theme. Unfortunately, I don't remember whose twelve variations they were, because every composer and his brother seems to have done twelve variations on multiple themes. If anyone could give me a hand, it would be much appreciated.

Happy July.
Dan

Summertiiiimeeee... and the livin's is easy...

noreply@blogger.com (Laura) — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 19:05:00 +0000

(I assume you've heard the Sublime song. If not, that's a direct allusion to a Sublime song.)

Hooolaaaa! We need to pump some life back into this blog yet again... What's happening, kids? I'll tell you a bit about my summer...

First of all: HAPPY TASP ANNIVERSARY!!!! It's been a great year, partly because we've been able to rely on the amazing support system that our TASP has provided. Those 6 weeks last year were amazing, and I've grown a lot because of them. Thanks for everything :)

Now, onto other news.
My plans of landing a dream job sadly did not come true. Turns out not many exciting employers want to hire fresh high school graduates with no work experience. Oh well. On the plus side, the newspaper I write for occasionally has found out I'm currently unemployed, and they keep asking me to cover certain events and write articles for them. So there's something to fill up the days. Next weekend I'm covering a political satire comedy show, featuring two famous Puerto Rican comedians. Soon I'll also be interviewing an up-and-coming singer/songwriter, who just put out a CD. We'll see how that goes, but it should be cool.

Apart from jub-hunting, I've been trying to enjoy my summer as much as possible. It's the first summer in years that I'm going to spend entirely in Puerto Rico. I wouldn't mind traveling a little, but I want to take in the PR scenery and nightlife as much as I can before college. Last Saturday I spent the entire night at the beach, along with most of PR's population, celebrating "Noche de San Juan" (Night of San Juan).
[Explanation: San Juan= Saint John. He's Puerto Rico's patron saint... but the celebrations have nothing to do with religion ;) Basically, everybody goes to the beach at night, has fun, and when the clock strikes 12, we all rush to the water and jump back 7 times. It's supposed to give you good luck for the year. So imagine hundreds of people jumping around in the water, massive water fights... it's amazing. I've missed the last few San Juan Nights because I've been out of the country, so this one was extra special :) ]

What's going on in your lives? Any exciting summer plans??

Even though I'm having lots of fun here, I'm dying to go to college. I need to meet new people, and generally get out of my safety zone. Everyone needs a change every once in a while... and I'm SO excited for Yale! I'm sure college will be great for all of us, and we can't forget to visit each other. Much love, kids!

Laura

2008

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 04:13:00 +0000

Hello all,

It's been quite some time, hasn't it. I'm writing because I need to intellectual exchange here and some different perspectives. Who do you plan to vote for (or are at least thinking about) in the 2008 presidential primaries. I'm asking, because I was talking to Sarah the other day and she told me she was campaigned for Obama, which surprised me. I'm not a huge Obama fan. I would in no world vote in the Republican primary so let me just give you my thoughts of some of the democrats running (and not running yet) to start the dialogue:

Hillary Clinton - Let me start here: I've read a couple of the anti-Hillary books (though not the most recent) and I find them complete trash. I do not believe her motives are awful; I do not believe she is a cold and overscripted person. For the longest time I wrote off the possibility of voting for the good Senator because I believed she would be unelectable in a general election (polls still confirm this, she trails Giuliani and McCain and her unfavorables are higher than her favorables). However, looking at the evidence, she had a very similar situation when she ran for the Senate in New York and she ended up winning. Also, as the Democratic Party had gotten to know her more in this cycle she has only polled better and better. During the debates she seems the most presidential and intelligent. Also, the issue for me really is Iraq. I want to get out of Iraq, but I do not want to do so in a completely irresponsible way. I think Senator Clinton's plan to leave residual troops for logistics and training purposes is a responsible attempt at a dignified exit. I am very uncomfortable with her still because of the general election. I won't support any candidate until November. By then Al Gore would have gotten into the race or not and Mayor Mike Bloomberg would have announced if he was running. If Bloomberg runs as an independent I could easily vote for Hillary since I'd believe that she would then win easily. On the whole, I agree with a lot of what she has to say and would certainly be willing to return to the fiscal discipline of the Clinton years. As a sidenote, as a student of history I would love to have a former First Lady elected president - imagine the books that would be written!

Barack Obama - Let me put it simply: there is no Obamamania in the Mariano house. I just worked hard campaigning for Deval Patrick for Governor in MA and he resembles Senator Obama in many ways. They both were inexperienced and offered rhetorically pleasing visions of what America or MA could be and ran grassroots campaigns. When he entered office he did nothing at all and suffered a series of self-inflicted scandals. In every way, I feel let down. Unfortunately, that makes me less likely to take "a chance on [the audacity of] hope" again. In terms of substance I do not see much from Obama and I sincerely hope that changes. I would also offer that the latest national polls have him trailing Giuliani by 12% and McCain by 8% (he polls at 39% and 38% respectively). I would only ask that TASPers not get infatuated with him and make sure they have the right guy before they go head over heels (that is not an attack on anyone, merely a word of caution from someone who made that mistake).

John Edwards - I admire John Edwards for putting poverty back on the political agenda, at least for the Democrats. However, as he goes further to the left on the war I see him as a George McGovern figure who I find both irresponsible and unelectable. I think he also lacks the substance that Hillary has in terms of both vision and general ability. However, national polls show he is the only democrat of the "top three" that consistently beats both McCain and Giuliani. That having been said, I believe Mitt Romney will be the republican nominee.

Bill Richardson - I love Bill Richardson on almost every issue. I would be ready to vote for him in most situations. In fact, immediately after 2004 I endorsed him and probably told many of you this past summer how great I think he is. However, I think his plan for Iraq is dangerous and irresponsible. He wants every single troop out of Iraq by the end of this summer. His polling in Iowa and New Hampshire is now in double digits and I would be very surprised if he did not go on to be nominated for the Vice Presidency. I would love Al Gore to be president and give Bill Richardson the joint job of Vice President and Secretary of State (constitutional questions suspended for a moment). Unfortunately, I think he is the perfect candidate except for his Iraq proposal.

Joe Biden - I like Joe Biden. He seems like a great guy and a talented statesman. His polls in early states and national are disappointing; however, I think that he would be a terrific president. His plan for a federated state in Iraq, I think shows his critical thinking and ability to solve problems in a unique way. That having been said, I have no idea if it would work. I think the passion he showed on the last debate when discussing Darfur was very moving but I'm torn on the issue of whether American should unilaterally send a military force into Sudan. Once I decide this issue for myself I will know how I feel about Biden a lot more clearly.

Bloomberg/Hagel or Hagel/Bloomberg - The two are rumored to be considering running as an independent ticket for president. There is a WONDERFUL article of their possible influence here:
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/electoral_chaos_how_michael_bloomberg_could_deadlock_both_the_electoral_college_and_the_house_of_representatives I think the idea of the two nominal republicans teaming up for a ticket that represents social liberalism and fiscal disciple would be very tempting for me. I'd strongly consider voting for them.

Al Gore - I truly hope he runs and I think he will at the start of November. Unfortunately, I think he will lose but he will certainly have my vote. He is the guy. He has been right on so many different issues and he has the type of foresight and experience that we need the next president to have. As Joe Biden says, the next president will have no margin of Al Gore. The bottom line is: I trust Al Gore.

My prediction for 2008:

Al Gore will run and lose.

Democrats
President: Hillary Clinton
Vice President: Bill Richardson

Republicans
President: Mitt Romney
Vice President: Mike Huckabee (maybe Rudy Giuliani)

Idependents
President: Mike Bloomberg
Vice President: Chuck Hagel

I believe Clinton-Richardson would win in a landslide with all 3 tickets winning electoral votes and Romney-Huckabee coming in 3rd.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?!?!?!

-Anthony W. Mariano

Official Reunion Letter

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 15:29:00 +0000

You should be receiving the official reunion letter by mail and email. It is also visible on the facebook group. Please say you can come!!!

The following people have confirmed that they can attend:
Mike Adelson
Maria Avrutsky
Dan Briggs
Co'Relous Bryant
Marina Magloire
Aida Manduley
Anthony Mariano
Martin Geiger
Sarah Howland
Diya Sikka
Mindy Zhang

Onward with the Reunion

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 01:48:00 +0000

YES, we are still planning to have the reunion, and YES,
we really, really hope you'll be there August 3-6 in Boston.
You were probably hoping that we'd have sent you the letter about our final reunion plans by now . I apologize that that is not the case. Unfortunately, we've been delayed by the major issue that has plagued us
from the early planning stages: money.

The current plan:
1. I am still debating hotels. One possibility is the Courtyard Boston South. The main priorities are that it be accessible by subway & airport shuttle, cheap (the one above is $149/night + $19 tax), and willing to let 18 year olds reserve rooms.
How do you feel about hotels which are outside the city, but accessible by subway? How about hotels with 2 stars? Anthony reminds you that during TASP, flies spawned in our milk.
If you have a strong opinion, contact me.
2.I will put the hotel rooms on the credit card I will soon be getting in preparation for college (my mother has approved this).
This raises the following issues:
--Do you and your parents actually trust sending me checks for $130+? (You should evaluate this honestly. I won't be offended.)
--I have to actually apply for and get this credit card

3. In addition, my mother is considering (CONSIDERING) coming to Boston with us, and staying in the same hotel during the reunion. It is important that you realize that she would have NO legal responsibility for you,
nor any sort of liability. She would just be there, reasuring you and your parents, but not actually doing anything.

Other housekeeping matters:
--Anthony is off to summer school at UMich, so he's ceded his planning seat to Aida.

--Maria recently stated "I didn't know four-person hotel rooms existed."
To clarify: the hotel rooms we are looking at have two double beds. You'll have to share with someone of the same gender, or possibly bring a sleeping bag. The goal here is to be economical, and hopefully you are willing to sleep in close proximity with fellow TASPers (Recall, if you will, tickletackle fights, sleepovers, draping, etc. I hope the bed thing isn't a big deal [nevertheless, please feel free to inform me if it is]).

--What are we going to do in Boston? I would appreciate your input;
please look for things that are cheap (or free!) and accessible via public transportation. Suggestions:
-Emerald Necklace Parks
-Freedom Trail

So, I'm hoping to send out the letters in a few days, after consulting with Aida.