Last Day

Its the last day of year 2009, and first I just want to wish everyone a happy new year. On Friday we'll all get up, and sure, life will be the same. The fact that the calender says 10 instead of 09 doesn't really change anything, and with this in mind I never really understood the big deal about New Years.
Sitting here thinking about it now though, I finally see at least some part of the point.
New Years is a big reminder to us that time keeps on going. Whether I'm working during the semester, or vacationing during the winter or summer, I hardly ever take the time to remember that fact. By the number on the calender switching from 09 to 10, a physical change is made that reminds me that all of previous time, not just this last year, is gone and never to be had again. So I'll think this New Years about what has changed, and just by writing this while scratching the surface of memory I can remember that quite a lot is different.

Pardon my lack of originality on that, I'm sure somebody has even told me a lot of these thoughts before, but some things are a lot more potent when you discover them yourself.

I hope all of you out there discover something, and of course, have a great time this New Years. I'm happy to be spending mine with my girlfriend and her family, especially after I went elsewhere last year.

Good night, and make the best of whats left of 2009!

Joe

Christmas is Long Gone, and Here Comes Boxing Day!

My response to Christmas? "Meh..." I wasn't really feeling the holiday spirit this year 'round. And the lack of the said spirit brought me to wonder about this "Boxing Day" that is celebrate in oh, just about every country outside the United States that celebrates Christmas. For those interested. In any event, whilst wondering about Boxing Day, my mind also tinkered with the idea of why American class a sport that hardly involves any footwork as "football"! Just why? Why would you name a sport with such a contradictory name, and not to mention, go against the accepted naming scheme that is present worldwide. Hmph... If you haven't figured it out, I am talking about "soccer." I love and enjoy the sport, and dare I call it my favorite?! Yea, it is my favorite. If you ever see or meet me, invite me to play football (American term - soccer). So, yea. Christmas was not all it's cracked up to be, and some football* would have definitely made it better. Nevertheless, on the bright side of things, I'll be off for several weeks (no winter classes), so that means more posting on here to burn time. Haha. Speaking of time, look at the time... I think I should head to bed.

Night, All.

*America's soccer equivalent.

Frohe Weihnachten indeed!

A beautiful, beautiful Christmas with my family:

All of my siblings (3) and siblings in law (2) were there, plus my grandparents. A 10 person German dinner - Sauerbraten, potato balls (the best my mom ever made), red cabbage, rye bread, and plenty of pickled vegetables. Absolute heaven!

Winter 2010 will be my first semester since Fall 2008 in which I will NOT be taking courses. I'm trying to figure out exactly how to spend the time. I've finished the entire back of a sweater and have started the front. I've also started Wuthering Heights, and, judging from the number of books I've received for Christmas this year, I will have an enormous amount of reading material for the next month (Mary Shelley's original Frankenstein, a book of Shelley's shorter works, and a book of critical essays about Frankenstein, to name a few - can you tell I love Mary Shelley?)

Even though I'm still having nightmares about missing my finals, my grades keep making me happy. 2 A's and 2 A+'s! Two more to go...I think I might get a B in CHC, but I suppose that's alright. I'm banking on an A in Jane Austen though.

Some perspective:

I went back to my high school to visit some of my teachers on Wednesday. Freaking weird. It's bizarre how people who are only 4 years younger than me (my high school is 10-12...hooray overcrowding...) look SO YOUNG. I suppose 15/16 is young, especially growing up in Rockland. All of the students who don't know me thought I was a substitute teacher, which was pretty hilarious. Some of the teachers even thought I was a faculty member - I got the whole head nod that meant "I'm supposed to know you but I don't but I should pretend I do because I think I might have met you at some point and I don't want to be rude," which I do to a lot of people in Macaulay.

I never really embraced the whole high school situation, but to the seniors reading this, if you love it, make the most of it. It won't be the same when you go back. (And kids, the reality of going to college is that, despite whatever popularity you have, you will talk to, at most, 10 people you went to school with. Unless you all go to school together.) This isn't meant to be depressing - more of a carpe diem sort of thing. Make the most of what you have!

Merry Christmas!

-Katharine

Frohe Weihnachten!

Ahhh Christmas. A Wii for my dorm room (YAY!) DVDs, and Zoombinis Logical Journey (possibly the best computer game ever and I now have a version that actually works on my laptop). And of course, I've been compulsively checking esims to see if any more of my grades have been posted (they haven't). Crossing my fingers that my last two will be as good as the first two!

Enjoy your break - I certainly will! I don't even know what to do with myself until January 28th, but that's kind of a nice feeling.

Hope your holidays are as good as mine!

-Kaitlyn

So, I Managed to Miss My Final...

Hmm, you are probably reading this because you were intrigued by my title; so, let me satiate your enthusiasm by telling you what happened. I had my Stat213 finals scheduled for this past Friday at 9am-11am, but for some odd reason, I figured the final started at 2pm (and I had that in my head the whole week!). So come Friday - alarm blaring, and sun streaks beaming through my window -, I get up well-rested and ready to tackle my Stat final... but wait, the final was already given! I do my morning e-mail check, and I see a mail in my inbox from my professor informing me that I missed the final. No Way. Panic ensues as I beat myself up mentally.
I run out the dorm and head to Hunter, while e-mailing my teacher on the way, and tell my adviser the horror story. Charlotte, my adviser and one of the best people around, tells me the worst case senior is that I will have to take it at the end of the Spring term - I cringed as the words left her mouth. So, I e-mailed my professor again (this time to another e-mail address I found at her office door). It was a time of quiet and waiting...

She e-mailed me back! Yes, success! And I was informed that I can make up the final on Monday (yesterday). And so, I set three alarms to make sure that I was up. Monday at 3:45, I walk out the room - mission accomplished! Final test completed (but not necessarily aced) :(.

It's fun to be done

So I finished my last final on Monday, and have spent the last couple days decompressing from that. I was going to finish that paper--a comparative analysis of redistributive land reform in Zimbabwe--on Sunday, but then I had a lot more to say than I thought I would, so I ended up writing for a few hours on Monday, then spent another hour doing my Works Cited pages, and then I had to rush it off to school and then go home and then go to a birthday party and then sleep and then yesterday morning my family left for Virginia. And now it is break and that is good and there shall be much relaxing and Christmas and presents and all that good stuff. This means no real internet, though, because our house down here doesn't have Wifi (I'm typing this in a Panera a few towns over). It's quite a relief to be done; now I'll just be checking eSIMS every chance I get to see my grades. Now I've just got one more semester to go... scary...

DONE FOREVER

Just kidding. Only for the fall term. But let me tell you, it was absolutely beautiful weather outside when I walked out of that Hist/Mem final exam and knew that it was all over. YAY.
Now that classes are over, I'm not quite sure what I will be doing during my break (which ends on Jan. 28). I might learn how to drive - uh oh :) Today I'm going shopping with high school friends - everyone is back from college so I can see them again - and then tomorrow dinner with the same group. Lots of ice-skating and resting coming up, and I'm fully going to enjoy that. At the same time, I am totally excited for my spring term. I've picked out some interesting classes - Intro to Womens Studies, Greek and Latin Roots of English - and I'm excited to see what they're like. Don't worry, I will keep you all totally up-to-date on all of that.

Finals final finals... it's all anyone is talking about right now, well, that and the excitement of winter break right around the corner. Of course there are also some lucky one who are done already, but I'm trying not to think about them because it would just make me jealous.

For me, finals week has actually been oddly pleasant - instead of running around between classes, lab work, and trying to do homework, I've just been at home, studying, eating, and sleeping, then every few days venturing up to school to take a test - it's very calm somehow. I'm now down to one more test, on Monday morning, so my life revolves entirely around chemistry at the moment. It's an interesting way to spend a weekend....

my stats final is over, and -

I NEVER HAVE TO TAKE MATH
EVER
EVER

AGAIN!

it is a glorious day.

Last day of classes, and lots of evaluations

Yesterday was the last day of class, and my very last class of the semester was my CHC (Honors seminar, soon to be more appropriately named MHC classes). CHC was a lot of fun because the main focus of the class was looking at the posters all the teams in our class had made, and eating bagels. And filling out evaluations, which turned out to be much more interesting than expected. First we did our regular Hunter College evaluations, which went perfectly smoothly - a few people wrote novels on the open answer portion at the back but that's nothing new. Then it was time for Macaulay evaluations since this is a Macaulay class. Which was when we discovered that we had the surveys for Seminar 1, and all the questions asked about Arts in NYC - not good for a Science and Technology seminar. I scuttled down to the Honors lounge where our trusty administrator had to convince people over at the Macaulay building to fax us the correct survey. Of course once I was back up in the classroom with 25 copies of the survey we discovered that they had accidentally sent us the faculty evaluation rather than the student evaluation. And so around we went again.

*sigh*

The term has ended.
Yes, there are still some folk with Friday classes, and I still have a CHC project to do and two finals to study for - but classes themselves, are over.

Today I handed in my massive 20-something page history paper and did my final scene for acting class. It was so satisfying to hand in the paper; I really put alot of effort and time into it and was very happy with the finished project. It's pretty much affirmed my desire to be a history major.

I will however, miss history class. For any future Macaulay students out there, if you get a chance to take Salzman, do it! There's alot of reading and a couple of papers (for the Civil Rights and Civil Liberties class) and he really challenges you - but in my book those are good things. I honestly came out of the class knowing alot more than when I came in, and having new perspectives on things I did know.

Off to celebrate having made it through my first term in college!

video!

As Promised...

Enjoy!

Love Katharine

Silence

It's quiet. And I find solace in that. I don't know whether it's because its 1am or I'm tired, maybe humans are geared to want pacifism and tranquility in the early hours of the morning... but I do cherish this quiet. Almost as if I'm listening to a song. I'd like to think that there is something to this, emptiness rather is quiet unsettling, and nothingness is unfathomable... so questioning silence becomes necessary, now that I pay more attention to my quiet room, my sanctuary, my bastion of myself, as the sounds of garbage trucks and cars racing by, fill my ears. Is this true silence? What is true silence... wherefore art thou silence?

My eyes have grown heavy, in the matter of moments that I've typed this. They were already but when I hopped out of bed to go brush my teeth, that sensation of waking up occurred and I had some energy to sit down, and feel the urge to create, to ponder, to peruse the inner workings of that thing we call brain. By typing am I browsing the pages of my brain, or am I tapping into something new? Is everything just a chemical response to outside factors? If so, are we really alive? These questions, well the last few bring into question free will, and what not, and that can be debated for eons. So I'll just state my opinion: yes, we have free will. Yes, there's cause and effect as well. Causality. However, we do have the free will to act or not to act, to decide within a given circumstances and look outside the options given to us. But I'm not calling on my better evidence or references for this little walk inside my head right now, just because it's late, I have class tomorrow, and I've grown more and more tired. It's amazing how lackadaisical I've become over the years. Is it age? or is it just a general societal malaise? Am I one of the sheep that are herded by our societal elite? our economic and political elite? I follow what I believe in, and what morals and ethical conduct I follow, and therefore, I am a wolf. I don't allow others ideas to breach into mine and change my mind immediately. Listen to others and then make your own decision. This is the core of understanding and then acting. Don't be too foolhardy to not listen externally, and don't be too malleable to not listen within.

All i know is that it is time for finals and I can't wait to knock em out. I've had really good classes this semester =]

This is the end...

A note to fellow overachievers: 18 credits is not fun during finals week. I have so much to do before I can breathe on December 19th, but at least my CHC professor extended the final paper deadline to the 18th, as opposed to it being due on the 10th. So perfect.

To do, still:

• Finish CHC video for Macaulay presentation tomorrow. This is pretty fun, actually. For this seminar, we had a choice between doing a poster project and creating a pseudo-documentary on the topic of our choice. My group is creating a video about the steam system in New York City and options for making it more sustainable, namely the utilization of cogeneration technologies. I'll post a link to the video when it inevitably makes it's debut on youtube.
• Statistics analytical project - decidedly less fun - due Thursday (yikes).
• Jane Austen take home final for Friday. FYI, fellow literature enthusiasts, Professor Davis is a great teacher and is totally adorable.
  
• Jane Austen final paper due December 18 (double yikes).
• Fiction portfolio due Friday (almost finished, though - maybe a quarter-yike)
• CHC Final report due December 18.
• German Final on December 17 (Ich habe keine Angst.)
• Stats Final on December 14 (Ich habe nur ein bisschen Angst.)

I had my Literature and Film final yesterday. I think I did pretty well - it definitely payed to put a lot of work in during the semester, since I didn't have to cram or read any sparknotes before the final. The test was exhausting, though - 3 essays in 2 and a half hours. It was like taking an AP test, except less stringent. One of the things I love about college classes is that, if you have to go to the bathroom for any reason during a class, you just get up, go, and come back. No passes, no asking "can you hold it?" no being treated like children. Just take care of your business like an adult. Freaking awesome. Even during my final, I just quietly got up and came back 5 minutes later, and everything was perfectly fine.

If Macaulay offers Lit and Film again, I totally recommend it. Professor Lattin is brilliant and really fun to work with, and the works we studied were really great: Henry V (Shakespeare), Frankenstein (Shelley), Turn of the Screw (James), The Hour of the Star (Lispector), Heart of Darkness (Conrad), and Beloved (Morrison). I just thought it was very enriching - a great, stimulating class.

I should probably get back to my pile of work. Egh.

-Katharine

Laryngitis isn't fun

So I kinda lost my voice over the weekend. Had a cold on Friday, over Saturday my voice started really going, by Sunday it was gone. We are not amused. The weekend, of course, was the lovely Southern Africa Simulation Game. I was on the Zimbabwe team, playing Robert Mugabe. Naturally the scenario we were given had me getting a bit more dictatorial than usual. Our strategy ended up at odds with what the professors wanted to do--we were trying to placate internal discontent and make friends, they wanted to see what it would take to get South Africa to invade us. It was intense, though, and overall a good experience. My cold has gotten a little worse, and I considered staying at the dorms today just to speed up my recovery so I'd be all fine and dandy in time for finals, but I decided to come because I have yet to hand in my final paper for my Milton class, or receive my mid-term paper for my American Lit class, and so long as I was going to two classes I figured I might as well go to my other two, since they're writing workshops and pretty easygoing. Might as well keep up the old attendance grade, right? I'll just let my internship know I have to skip tomorrow, and use that to recuperate.

Fun Macaulay events... and work

Today I met with my team mates on my CHC poster team at the lovely Macaulay building to work on our project (since it has to be printed tomorrow). We're looking at green housing in the Bronx, specifically how to turn this:

into nice sustainable affordable homes. Anyhow, we met at the Mac center unaware that today was Snapshot day for the class of 2013 - the building was teeming with Freshmen! Our group was relegated to an albeit very comfy corner behind the screening room, where we commandeered the floor. It's always nice to get to use the Mac center because - even when crowded, which is almost never is - it's a very nice space. And being there today made me think about other fun and sometimes rather tedious things Macaulay has done for us/made us do.

Snapshot day involved us taking pictures, the going to see them and our classmates' at the Mac center and making videos from the pictures (a bit odd but whatever). Then this spring our CHC class all took a field trip to Ellis Island:

with tiny Professor Friendlander in the middle. She was a very adventurous professor.

Art Night last winter - a general art exhibition of Macaulay students' work, put together by our fellow students, was also lots of fun. This year, all the Hunter CHC sections went on a field trip to Black Rock Forest, a nature preserve which Hunter actually owns a share of. It was cold but the view off the mountain was great, and it was overall really enjoyable.

And then there's the poster presentations we have to do... my team presents next Sunday. That's one of those not-so-fun Macaulay things. Wish us luck!

The end is nigh...

So this is that weird zone between Thanksgiving break and finals, when things are kinda winding down but kinda not because there's still stuff to do. Like, you know, finals. I spent most of my break doing homework, so that I'd be able to be more relaxed once school started again. Finished my feedback for my fiction and nonfiction workshops, and read Moby-Dick (yes, all of it. It's actually not bad, sort of presciently postmodern-esque). So I felt very accomplished with myself, until my professors went and assigned a whole new batch of homework. I did manage to take care of a big chunk of it over break, but part of me was hoping I wouldn't have to do anything else after that, ever... And then I went and got a cold, which was bound to happen sooner or later. This weekend is going to be tiring but fun: one of my classes, in lieu of a final exam, is doing a roleplaying game where everybody gets to be someone in some southern African political group. I'm on the Zimbabwe team, playing Robert Mugabe. It shall be most enjoyable.

On another note, I thought I'd share my personal note-taking strategies for class. As everyone says, to succeed in school, one must take good notes. I've become a compulsive note-taker--I'm always the guy typing madly away even when the professor says "You don't have to bother writing this down..." Which results in endless, confusing notes--in some lecture classes, I'll amass 4 pages, single-spaced, 12-pt font, for a single class session. In some classes, though, I really don't need to take notes most of the time (like writing workshops--noting down every single thing every single person says about every single story/essay leads to a lot of redundancy); in these classes, I tend to take notes longhand, and I need to keep my hands busy while listening. Which results in cryptic sheets of notepad paper covered mostly in doodles:


I am confident that, within a year, if I review my notes, this won't make any more sense to me than it does to you. But it looks pretty!

Registration Day

So today I woke up at 10 so I can get to the Hunter Library at 11. Registration day... registration for classes at 12... was this reason for this preparation. You will come to know that there is no more chaotic day, or desperate day, if you will, than registration day... people running to get their classes, running to get their pre-reqs down, running to their advisors, running just cause... it's pretty intense.

So at the library, I got a desktop computer in one of the comp sci lounges, and had my laptop with me as well. I typed my CHC (mandatory class for those of you who don't know) on my desktop I was using, and submitted that at 12. The page was not loading. I panicked for a quick moment and then realized I had my laptop. I opened it, logged onto esims and registered for my other 4 classes.

Luckily, after a brief moment of terror, I had all my 5 classes registered.

Today was a good day.

Unfortunately, some people didn't get some of their classes they wanted at the times they wanted, that's why you have to be prepared!!! =D

I'll catch you all around,

Julian

Mute at Hunter

Yesterday I had to miss a whole day of school from being sick for the first time ever... and spent it in bed reading for chem and bio, when I was awake. Today I'm having another new experience - spending a day in school without being able to talk at all. Laryngitis is the most annoying thing ever! And very awkward.

Today was also registration day, which meant a lot of extremely anxious students packed into anywhere on campus that has good wifi, cursing at eSIMS and Hunter internet. After experiencing the chaos of the honors lounge one time too many, this time around I went to the library which was, at least, much quieter. In the lounge it feels like a cross between New Years and a crazy race, with lots of "No! Why?" and "but I DO have that prereq" and "YES! I'm in" flying around - that is, after the initial shout of "Yes we're on guys, go go go!" passes around... And I'm glad to report that despite some problems, I actually got all the classes I wanted. Yay!

That decade before this one and after the 80s

I was in my history seminar last week when one of the many freshman in the class mentioned the fact that she was born in 1990. My professor was as shaken as I was.

To remedy these students obvious lack of knowledge about the 1990s I present this episode of Y Power Hour, called Best of the 90s, by the Honors College's own Yelena K. enjoy

Five Pounds, Lots of Chicken, and Tiring Weekend Later...

So, here I am facing the post-thanksgiving meltdown, as I like to call it. Now, school is back in session, and I have to get myself back to the daily grind - damn, that four-day weekend was sweet! I'm finding it kind of hard to work myself back into a pattern that I broke only a few days ago, but what can I do? Laziness does set in at times. Nevertheless, the key in college is to stay a bit ahead of things; this way, you can always fall behind for a day or two if you wish. I'd like to say all the best to any prospective student reading this. The regular decision deadline is up and coming (it's December 15th for those who don't know!). My advice is to give your all. Make the admissions committee here see that you will be an asset at Macaulay Hunter. And of course, don't embellish or lie about anything. Keep it honest, guys!

-Chev

So this is my first post...

Hello Everyone. This is my first post and it happens to be over Thanksgiving break so there is really not much to say right now. One thing I am going to say, however, is that I recommend everyone do volunteer work because it really does make your life so much better. I have recently decided to volunteer with patients at United Cerebral Palsy of America and I was surprised at how crucial volunteers are to the success of the organization and others like it.

So I suppose what I have discovered and am thankful for over this Thanksgiving break is the opportunity to help others. It sounds very mushy and all but I really do mean what I say.

Hope everyone's break is going well! Peace out!

Post Turkey Day

It's Friday night, been eating delicious left overs all day. I think leftovers are probably one of the best things ever. So delicious.

Hope everyone's turkey day was awesome, and everyone has something to be thankful for. =]

Catch you all soon,

Julian

Thanksgiving and Turkey

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! It's nice to be back at home, even if home (Brooklyn) is only an hour away :) I've had a really great week -

Sunday was the opening day of the Tim Burton exhibit at the MoMA, and I went to see a couple of Tim Burton movies with a friend from Macaulay @ Baruch (we met during freshman orientation). Although we couldn't see the exhibit itself because it was so crowded, CUNY students get into the MoMA for free, so we'll definitely be going back at a later date. The movies were great - Frankenweenie and Ed Wood.

Monday I finally figured out what I want to take next term, so I'm all set to register on Tuesday - I'll let you guys know what classes I'm taking when my schedule is finalized.

I have no classes on Tuesday, so I spent the day working on my term paper for my honors history class (Civil Rights and Civil Liberties). It's hard work, but I'm interested in it and I feel like I made alot of progress, which is satisfying.

I decided to make my break six days instead of four by taking Wednesday off - I haven't missed a class yet, so I figured I could get away with it. I spent yesterday meeting up with friends from high school and then partied with them last night :) I headed home this morning and now I'm about to enjoy a delicious Thanksgiving meal.

Still so much work to do, and only a couple of weeks left in the term! Time has flown by.

Schönen Feiertag wünsche ich Ihnen!

There's no vision like re-vision...

Just turned in the revision of my second essay for Eng 308. I'd kept putting it off. It's hard to revise things for workshops--you have to balance out all the things people say, resist the urge to focus on the one person who managed to decipher your incoherent ramblings understands your genius, so on. The photo shows the revision process in action: every copy from the students and professor, with comments, my notes (yellow notepad paper), and my master copy to jot down what I'm going to do. I'm looking forward to the Thanksgiving break. I have no class on Wednesdays, and I'm going to skip my internship tomorrow, since the judge I'm interning for isn't going to be there, and it's a very low-key thing (I just show up and watch trials). I'll dedicate the break to finishing Paradise Lost and Moby-Dick and a lovely book on post-apartheid South Africa, and reading and commenting on the three remaining student essays, ditto with 3 stories for my fiction workshop. It shall be fun. And I just met with my advisor today and figured out my schedule for next semester. I have to take one less class than I thought I would--woohoo!

Ahhhhh Turkey Turkey-

Sorry everyone for being so M.I.A. been doing a lot of work for this final paper of mine. It's for my History, Memory and Making of American Culture class. Very interesting. Writing about Thurgood Marshall and Charles Houston and their involvement in Brown v Board of Ed.

Anyway, so school's been good, I walked back to the dorms today after class. It was nice. It's kind of a far walk but it's really nice if you take your time, listening to an ipod or something, and just take in the city; really neat.

Can't wait to eat a buttload this Thanksgiving. Theyre also holding a Thanksgiving dinner at the dorms, might go to that as well. Nothing better than some good free food =D

Hope everyone has a good Thanksgiving! And has a lot to be grateful for.

Catch you all around,

Julian

I now love Thanksgiving on levels never before reached in my life. Normally the beginning of my week goes like this: Monday night is a lab class followed by a Tuesday afternoon lab class. Both are four hours and... well I'll just say they take up most of my time (don't schedule labs one day after another!). Anyway, because of Thanksgiving there are no labs this week, thus the happiness and love.
On a completely separate note, I went to an amazing lecture at Rockefeller University about two weeks ago. A scientist named Scott Fraser was invited to give a talk in a series of "Harvey Lectures," and his work on imaging the live, developing heart was ridiculously awesome. A developmental biologist collaborating with scientists from at least six other fields (including aeronautic engineering!) is something to gape at.
Good night!
Oh, even more important, Happy Thanksgiving.

Watch out everyone...

Ugh...just spent the last three days battling off the flu >.< Watch out guys! Fortunately it wasn't the swine, so it should be fine in a few days. I'm starting to see the importance of taking care of yourself, because a few days not being able to work can take a huge toll when you're writing final papers and preparing for exams.
In other news, I'm starting to really try and focus on my three final papers (finally). I'm trying to get the two easy ones down so that I can do really well on my third final paper for History/Memory and the Making of an American Culture.
Looking ahead this week: a paper due in English, some crazy reading for history, and visiting the Earth Room and the New Museum for my Arts in New York seminar. Thanksgiving break! (not really a break, anyway) and then almost the end of the term!

24 hours of CHC...

This Saturday, I went out with my fellow sophomores Sarah and Shawn to do some field work for our CHC poster project on green housing in Norwood, in the Bronx. It was great because we got a ton of work done and had a really good time hiking around the neighborhood. Sarah took notes, Shawn was our guide (he grew up in Norwood) and I was the trigger happy photographer. Witness:





And here's my brother's cat "helping" with chem homework:

thanksgiving

Thank my mother sister father brother, (the brother i never had). thank the little people and the big people, the tall people and the short people, the fat people, the ugly people, the pretty people, the naked people and most importantly the clothed people. the pedophiles and the rapists, the saints and the do gooders, the average people who keep the world going without even knowing. i would like to thank a very special dead cat fetus named Ulysses and his brother and sister who are in washington (i hope). i would like to thank the heavens hells and the agnostics who prove their existence. thank you. thank you so much.

Homeward Bound...

...in an hour or so. I'm shockingly excited - I'm really thankful for a temporary reprieve from the city and dorms so I can get work done and spend time with my family. I really, really, really miss my parents. I think I'm cooking soup tonight for them.

Last weekend was my 19th birthday! On the Friday, a rather large group of us hit Big Daddy's, on Park avenue by the dorm, and I had a pretty decent French Dip sandwich (although nothing beats L.A.'s Phillipe's, just like no NYC fast food beats IN-N-OUT). Afterwards we hit Yoshi Sushi, our typical haunt, on Avenue A between 8th and 9th. Or maybe it's between 7th and 8th. I don't know.

Am meinem Geburstag, der Samstag war, sind ich und fünf Freundinnen ins ein Deutsch Restaurant, das Rolf's heißt, gegangen. Es war ein bißchen teuer, aber es war sehr wünderbar! Die Spätzle waren fast gut als meine Mutters, aber die Rösti waren ganz appetitlich! (Ich hoffe, das jemand diesen Paragraf lesen kann.)


Work has picked up this week - I spent 6 hours on Wednesday/Thursday working on a CHC project, and I have an immense amount of reading to do. I'm also giving a presentation on Persuasion on Monday, and I need to do a lot of planning.

Betsy is out of office, and I think work will be a lot less fun without her =(

Bis zum nächsten Mal,

Katharine

P.S. You're Welcome

I Love Free Food. I Cannot Stress This Enough.

Helloo. That was not a typo. I am feeling quirky, so I said "helloo" instead of "hello." Aren't I creative?

Anywho, I'm pretty excited because tonight at 7:30 Hunter Hillel is holding a dinner in the dorms for Shabbat (the Jewish Sabbath). I usually spend Shabbat with NYU, but these dinners occur once a month, and I loved the last two. This one's theme is "greening" your dorm. I'm not particularly eco-friendly, but I am interested to see what they recommend. The last two speakers (first hope in street art, than Jewish gangsters) were really interesting.

The dinner gets pretty crowded by Jews and non-Jews alike, since there's free food. With no meal plan, it's a pretty tasty offer. My secret? I bring down tupperware to the dinner and hoard like a Collyer brother.

Have a good Shabbat, or weekend, or month, or whatever floats your boat!

Your obedient servant,
O.G. (No, it's just me, Gaby, but I hope someone out there likes the reference)

About that dorm bill

Felt obligated to note, since I'd complained earlier this week about Hunter sending me a dorm bill, that within a day of my contacting the Bursar's Office I got an email saying they'd updated things and I'm now listed as an Honors College student and don't have to worry about it. So yay, Hunter bureaucracy works, for once. In unrelated news, I've started Moby-Dick for my American Lit class, and am finding it unexpectedly amusing. Ishmael is actually a kind of funny narrator.

Time for the post-midterm recuperation...

Today started bright and early with a chem test at 9 o'clock - and that thing was really long and really hard. On the one hand, tests are always kind of fu (at least to my weird brain) cause of the puzzle aspect, but on the other, trying to fit 58 chemistry questions, some of which probably only make conceptual sense to chem PhD's, into 2 hours is an exhausting way to spend one's Tuesday. I left the lecture hall feeling decidedly dizzy, which unfortunately persists. But the upshot - no more midterms! There's now a test lull until finals, giving me an great chance to wrap up my CHC and independent study papers - yay! More importantly, I've now got a chance to get some real work done in lab, which has been somewhat on hold for the past few weeks. Today I'll be talking with our collaborating professor at SUNY Downstate medical school and doing reverse transcription on some mRNA - just as soon as I get my brain back together.

I'M DONE WITH MY RESEARCH PAPER!

Had to brag about it somewhere, this seemed like the spot. 12 pages arguing that Hawthorne made the fate of Hester Prynne's daughter deliberately ambiguous at the end of The Scarlet Letter because she was so closely based on his own daughter that to specify what happens to her would mean to confront his own mixed feelings about the radical feminist revolution proposed by Hester. Incidentally, wrote it while trying out the free demo version of Scrivener, which may be the bestest word-processing program ever. Perfect for research papers because you can import PDFs, notes, etc and have them all there to look at. No page-layout features, though, so I found it best to export to MS Word for printing. Anyway, for what it's worth, I recommend it. And if you're struggling with writer's block, consider Write Or Die, which does all sorts of amusing things if you don't keep typing.

In other news, Hunter's inimitable Bursar's Office sent me a bill for my dorm room. I must now figure out how to explain to them that I don't actually have to pay for it, thank you very much. Fun!

Hey guys - I just recently got back from the Executive in Residence with Sy Sternberg. Tonight's discussion was about the economy, and it was as lively and thought provoking as this year's earlier Executive in Residence discussion on health care. However, the best part is the free dinner! If no one's said it yet, Macaulay always has great food at its events.

Great weekend--> Beginning of the Week

This weekend was really fun. Yesterday, it was one of my friend's birthdays, and so at the lovely, Brookdale dorms, we had a fun party, then went out to a sushi restaurant near St. Marks. The place isn't so far from the dorms. Lucky for us, the location of our dorms are pretty neat- we're around a group of restaurants, stuy town, a few blocks away from union square... and other great spots.

Really the great thing about the dorms, is the oneness with others, a bond with the other residence that grows so quickly and they become your best friends.

Today I have two classes, and finish my day at the Macaulay building, with constitutional law. Here's to the start of a new week--

Julian

Late to Start

Well I am a little late to the party but that never killed anyone.

I'm Jon and I work for Hunter Radio. I will be writing about what it is like working for a radio station and, hopefully, will get some of you interested in joining our ship.

WHCS (where hunter college speaks) broadcasts from TH101. We are an online radio station and you can listen to us in the big and small dining rooms as well as the TH105 lounge. If you want to listen to us from home (or find out about our awesome parties) go to our website- whcs.hunter.cuny.edu.

Todays post features the hilarious (and caustic) commentary of one of the Honors College's own- DJ Skittles.

This is his show, Lost in the Sauce, which broadcasts every Friday from 12-1pm. ENJOY!

Chaos, Discombobulation, and, finally, Rest...

It's been a hectic week. One of my worst thus far. I had an English research paper, Computer Science power point presentation, and performance to attend for my Arts in NYC class. The research paper was eight to ten pages on stem cell research (fun!), and surprisingly, it came together well; I handed it in, and am getting the grade soon (check back for an update). Unlike the smooth-running of my paper, my power point presentation got botched. One of my group members completely switched the order of the slides. I ended up improvising for half the presentation. I am very relieved that it's are behind me. The performance at Hunter, "Curse of the Starving Class," was a relaxer. It was a great end to my week. I was all over for the place for the past few days, but just getting to attend a performance and head back to dorms to hang out with friends are what really help me stay grounded. Now, I am off to enjoy my rainy weekend!
See you guys later.

Public Service Announcement to all Future Literary Critics:

Please, please, keep a bit of perspective.

Now, I've got nothing against a bit of close reading, delving into things, so on.

For example, ysterday, my American Lit class was doing Dickinson, whose poetry can sometimes be deliberately ambiguous and confusing. We had a good time debating what she means when, in a few poems, she calls herself the "Empress of Calvary." Would that be the Virgin Mary? Mary Magdalene? Both Marys? Neither Mary? (I go for all of the above--the more the Mary-er, I say).

This sort of thing is all well and good, but sometimes people go a little too far in trying to argue that every single detail is deeply symbolic.

To wit, I came across an article on The Scarlet Letter which argues that the book itself is symbolic of inescapable Puritan society. It contains this priceless sentence:
"The material text is no less a prison/grave (books, after all, do in their three-dimensional rectangularity evoke prison-houses and tombstones)."

Really? Really? So remember, critics of the future: sometimes the sea is the sea, the old man is an old man, the boy is a boy and the fish is a fish.

Ahh It's Thursday

Hey Guys,

So I just got back to the dorms, had my anthro lab this morning at 945am and then my History and Memory class at 1pm. I stopped at one of hte Pizza stores new campus, after school, grabbed some pizza with a friend of mine (its really good btw) and then to the Hunter Library to do some work. Afterward, I head back to the dorm, and here I am.

Its thursday! which is the beginning of the weekend! yes... thats right, thursday is the new Friday. I dont know i think its a college phenomenon.

Can't wait to enjoy the beginning of the weekend tonight =P

Catch you all later,
Julian

I declare ENGLISH!

(points to anyone who caught The Office reference)

So I officially declared my English Creative Writing major - I hadn't gotten around to it for a year an a half, and I started getting agitated emails from Hunter about declaring. So, I declare to everyone but myself, who already knew, that I am now an English major. Woohoo!

I'm rather busy otherwise - I'm trying to do a lot of work today so I can try to enjoy myself this weekend (my birthday weekend). The last thing I want to do is have an awful Sunday because I decided to have fun for my birthday. Basically, I don't want it to turn into another Halloween. On the bright side - or maybe a half bright side - Fiction 2 was canceled for tomorrow, as my professor is sick. My second story was supposed to be workshopped then, so it sucks that I have to wait for Tuesday, but that leaves me an extra half hour or so tonight and a full hour and a half tomorrow to get some stuff done. Like reading Emma, which I told myself I'd have finished today. Oops.

I'm still the high bidder on my Prada shoes!!!!! This is the highlight of my week.

-Katharine

Good morning everyone! TGIT! (I love not having Friday classes). Today I'm up early to meet with my history professor and show him my preliminary work on my term paper about the ERA. Then I have History, German, a nice long lunch break, and Acting. Tonight I'll be going to see Curse of a Starving Class at Hunter for my CHC (aka Macaulay Honors Seminar) Art's in New York. Yesterday I actually had my CHC class, and my professor brought in some amazing opera singers to perform for us personally, which was pretty cool to say the least. Then I went to an event at Macaulay - a panel discussion on "Reading in the Digital Age" which was also pretty cool. There weren't that many Macaulay kids there (most events are Macaulay students only, this was one of those exceptions), so I ended up talking to someone in the publishing business during the "cocktails" before the actual panel discussion. Who knows, maybe that contact will come in handy someday. Macaulay is always hosting interesting events; on Monday I'm going to a dinner discussion about the economy with Sy Sternberg, who did a similar event on health care earlier in the year that I went to. Even if none of these events sound like they'd appeal to you, there's tons more - if you want to see a sampling, click here.

Anyway, enough Macaulay plugs, I'm off to school :)
ttfn

It was a long day, but not an unproductive one. I went to The Met with my Arts in NYC class, and lingered around a particular Caravaggio. I usually like our trips for that class--it's a nice change of scenery and the walk up to the museum is always relaxing.

It was also good to clear my mind before an insane Biology test, which turned out to be pretty challenging. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Bio, but testing along with 700 other stressed students isn't exactly ideal.

Anyway, tomorrow is Wednesday, meaning it's my day off. Guess that means TV to catch up on, work to begin, and time to procrastinate (oops).

Later!

Post paper, pre-midterms

I had my first ten page paper due for my honors Political Theory of Human Rights course and although I'd rather that this was the end of it, I have two back to back midterms in Chemistry and Microbio this week. Sufficient to say that this isn't shaping up to be a fun week-all I'm looking forward to is my three day weekend (I don't have classes Friday :)).

Alright, I'm off to study.

-Kunwal

Ahhh Starting Off a New Week

G'morning all,

Just about to head out to my History, Memory and the Making of American Culture, class. Very interesting class, great discussions and time well spent talking about ethics, morals and the "mystic chords of memory." Then after that I head across town to the Macaulay building for my Constitutional Law class. Maybe later, I'll either edit this post, or post again and give you guys details. I just wanted to check in with you all =]

Catch you later

Julian

Rest! Relaxation!

This past weekend, I officially emerged from the rush of midterms, which meant I actually got to sleep. Fun! I'm in two writing workshops (fiction and nonfiction), and had the brilliant idea of scheduling my second essay and story of the semester on the same week, right after I'd had papers due. Tomorrow, they both get workshopped in class, and then I'll have fun trying to reconcile a dozen different people's comments on each for revision.

I'm also working on a research paper for my American Lit class, due this Friday. I'm going to debate whether the fate of Hester Prynne's daughter in The Scarlet Letter represents a final triumph of the repressive Puritan patriarchy, or whether it's simply a Take That to the idea of inherited sin, and a mockery of the clichés of the women's fiction of that era (btw, whenever I discuss lit stuff, you can expect much linking to TV Tropes, which is perhaps the greatest informal media-criticism collective out there).

Also for tomorrow, I'm reading Book 6 of Paradise Lost, which is rather fun. And I'm going over affidavits and rules of evidence, as part of Hunter's newly formed and very awesome mock trial team.

Today, in itself, is looking to be pretty relaxed. I've just got one class, South Africa And Southern Africa After Apartheid. The best part about this class is instead of a final, we do a two-day roleplaying game revolving around the politics of southern Africa. I'm on the Zimbabwe team, which should be loads of fun, since the Zimbabwean government seems determined to keep giving us stuff to work with.

I'm also going to pop by the office of a the professor who handles the CUNY/Paris Exchange Program for Hunter. I spent the spring semester in Paris (paid for largely by the Honors College Opportunities Fund--in case no one's mentioned it, every student has $7500 available for study-abroad, internships, and such). I'm just finalizing everything so it'll show up on my Hunter transcript. Most everyone I've worked with has been helpful, but the official hard-copy grades still have to make their way through the CUNY and University of Paris systems, which are neck-and-neck for the Dense Bureaucracy Award.

busy...busy...busy

Hi guys, this is Hannah. Just got back from a very long day. Today I visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art (which I've visited so many times even just during my Arts in New York Seminar) and took a Bible "Woman and the Seed" Tour. It was really interesting; I recommend you check that out.

Now I have to start doing some research for both my Expository Writing final paper and my History, Memory and the Making of an American Culture final research paper as well. The latter is a really great course, but I'm not sure it's being offered in the future... :(

Alright, I have lots of work to do so I will be posting some more later.
See you,
Hannah

Chickens can live without their heads...

Which is a good thing too, since I feel like one. In the past week and a half, my shenanigans have included (but were not limited to) Marvelfest in Union Square, attending the free premiere of Gentleman Broncos, going to the MoMA, seeing a concert, going to Rocky Horror Picture Show, voting, going to class (including a midterm) and work, seeing Ricky Gervais live, seeing Whip It, and attending a piano recital. But today I probably did the best thing of all.

I took a nap. I almost fell asleep at the computer at my internship (at the Jewish Week newspaper), and realized I'd not only been burning the candle at both ends, but in the middle as well. I came back to my room at 11:30, did work for class, and set my alarm for an hour before class. The next two hours reminded me that sleep is awesome. I should keep that in mind from now on.



Till next time- my e-mail is Arctophile2000@gmail.com

-Gaby ('13)

P.S. The picture is of my new keys to success.

ache one and one (again)

I'm sick! On the worst day too. I know most people hate Mondays, but they're wrong. The worst day of the week is Wednesday. It's long and seems to drag and drag. I've got Bio lab, (3 hours of fun) and CHC (another three hours) with virtually no break in between. Being a freshman I guess I just didn't know I couldn't take that many classes in a day. For incoming students: don't do it! It's better to sacrifice having a day off than to have all your days packed with class class class. Ugh.

A bit late for Halloween, but...

...it seemed like a sin to not talk about it, considering that it's my favorite holiday and an incredibly fun time to be in NYC. The parade was swamped, so it was kind of useless to head down to that side of town, but it was an incredible night to people watch. Especially dressed as the most bad ass skeleton on the streets. Even though I miss trick-or-treating back home, it's hard to not have fun on Halloween in the city.

Unfortunately, 18 credits, a part time job (in the honors lounge, though!) and a day off don't mix quite well, and I spent all of Sunday and most of Monday catching up reading and work. I'm still not caught up entirely. So it goes.

I spent the majority of my one class today - English 389.55, Jane Austen - vehemently defending Fanny Price, the heroine of Mansfield Park. This girl in my class (who I'm pretty sure despises me now) was arguing that she's boring and prissy, and I argued that introversion doesn't equate to dullness, and that Fanny Price has the most interiority and is the most relatable and realistic of all of the Austen heroines. Perhaps I'm just defending her because I totally relate to her. Something to consider...

Also, I saw Ricky Gervais do stand up at Hunter last night - absolutely hysterical (and for the Hunter-subsidized price of $10!) His taste is far cruder than mine, but it was a great way to step outside myself for an hour. It was totally refreshing. Hunter entertainment is generally pretty solid, actually. I'm excited to see a friend of mine perform in Curse of the Starving Class, which runs this week and next. All of the shows I've seen here so far have been impressive, to say the least. And the student productions are free! Hooray for poverty friendly entertainment!

Not much else going on, other than an immense amount of reading for this week and next; Austen's Emma, Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, and Morrison's Beloved. It's all enjoyable, at least.

-Katharine

Good Evening

Hey everyone, just got back to my dorm from a full day--

To start off I woke up at a great time today.. 12pm (gotta love those late class days). I got ready for school, and headed to my 2:10pm CHC class. I'm a sophomore so I'm taking Science and Technology of New York. Really interesting class, lot of statistics about the city, and apparently what some scientist guy thinks the city will look like in 400 years (the most recent thing we've discussed... I don't believe what he hypothesized at all). Then after that ended at 3:25, I rushed out (I was starving) and wolfed down a halal chicken 'n rice platter from of the stands before my Anthropology exam at 3:45. Aced that bad boy.

Afterwards, I took a nice walk uptown, to 96th street, visited my parents, and then came back to the dorms, where I sit now, writing to you all. Pretty amazing how that works out, huh?

Now, I'm gonna do some work, get ready for my Law, Politics and Morality of Same Sex Marriage course tomorrow, (I'm into the Law thing, planning on intellectual property law, probably-- I'm also taking Constitutional Law on Mondays). Then I'll probably hang out with some people at the dorms, and then cap the night off with a little guitar? maybe? I don't know we'll see, haha.

Well, catch you guys soon.

Julian

It's Monday!

Another morning in New York City... 8 a.m. bio recitation today, 9-12 bio lab, and then a German midterm - thus begins another week at Macaulay Hunter. By the way, the Hunter German department is excellent, and the language is really easy and fun. Bio lab.. a bit pedantic but hey, you do learn some useful skills. Plus there's something fun and reminiscent of kid's chemistry kits about doing the "experiments."

Yesterday I went to an Honors Seminar Sophomore common event - Macaulay is always trying to foster cross campus activity at the lovely Macaulay brownstone on the upper West side. Since this semester's seminar is on Science and Technology in New York City, the common events are short guest lectures from various scientists. This one was with an astrophysicist from the Museum of Natural History and was fascinating and fun - we got to hear about intergalactic collisions and multiple infinities from someone who actually discovers these things! Macaulay really works hard to make their common events good and this time they definitely succeeded. And my extreme nerdiness may have also contributed to the fun of it... But I can definitely vouch for the fact that MHC Hunter is quite nerd-friendly.

And so it's off to class for me. Happy Monday!

Hey, Readers!

My name is Chevon. I am a freshman at Hunter, and I must say that Hunter is the best of all the CUNY. I mean, who can argue? We are the only college that gives you a dorm in the city!! Anywho, enough about Hunter. I am a pretty cool guy who just likes to hangout and crack jokes. Don't know what I want to major in, but I'm leaning towards CSCI. I hope you guys enjoy reading all the posts on the blog, and please, check back frequently!

Just want to say hey, whats going on?

Hey all, I'm Joseph Cammarata.
I'm a Biology major (not pre-med!) in the class of 2012, currently working in a research laboratory upstairs in Hunter North. I've been there for a while now, so if any of you out there have any questions about science research (or the classes you have to take) just let me know them and I will give you my best answer. Anyway, when I'm not doing work for lab or class (hah) I spend a lot of my time invested in getting my friends to come over my house for dinner, as I love to have company. I also enjoy Spaghetti Westerns, old samurai movies, and riding my bike. Actually I just got a new Trek road bike which I have not yet had the chance to break in, but I can't wait to try it out.
Before I sign off I just want to tell you my favorite thing about Hunter.
There is so much going on behind the scenes!
So my advice to you is to go back behind some scene at our school and find out for yourself what is happening there, because sometimes its the stuff you don't learn from your professor that is the most interesting.

-Joseph

Let us go then, you and I...

My name is Katharine Maller.
I made that dress.

I'm a sophomore, majoring in
English,
focusing on
Creative Writing.

I also like to
knit,
sew,
cook,
bake,
and do other cliche things.

I am enamored with
coffee,
fancy grocery stores,
good chocolate,
and bookstores -

so I guess NYC is pretty perfect for me.

A Different Take

Hey guys!
My name is Kunwal Nasrullah from the class of 2013. I was born in Pakistan but immigrated to NY in 1997. I've lived in Brooklyn for all 11 years that I've been here, but now I've moved on up to the Brookdale Dorms (free!) in Manhattan. At the moment, I'm planning to go to medical school although will take plenty of social science and language courses. I'm also working at Weill Cornell/NY-Presbyterian. I'm really optimistic for this year and the opportunities offered by Macaulay. Definately take the time to get to know the program through our experiences. Good luck guys :)

Greetings, Humans

My name is Julian Joiris. I'm in the Class of 2010. That's right, I'm a senior. The rest of y'all make me feel very old. I was born and raised in the West Village. I'm an English major, concentration Creative Writing, specifically Fiction. I'm a French minor, mainly lit stuff. I'm probably a Pol Sci minor too, having some issues with that since the requirements were changed. I'm going to go to law school. I am tall, thin, geeky, and snarky. I tend to make things sound worse than they are, because they're funnier that way.

What, Another Freshman?

Hi all! My name is Gabriela, but Gaby works too. I'm in my first semester, and loving Macaulay so far! I'm from Long Island, and am very grateful to be living somewhere else (ouch). I don't know what my major will be yet, but it'll have to do with liberal arts. I love talking, so hopefully I'll be a good blogger too! Later!

Heyy all

Names Julian Ballen, I'm currently a Sophomore, born at Brooklyn Hospital a block away from my high school: Brooklyn Tech, and raised in Manhattan, (lived here all my life, so if anyone needs help navigating around the city, I'm your guide). Hmm, I don't know, if anyone has questions-- oh right, I'm going to declare Political Science major soon, and yeah if anyone has questions, my email is J_R_Ballen@yahoo.com, contact me with whatever, I'm open with any wonderings/curiosities, I'm all ears.

Anyways,

Stoked to meet you all,

Julian

alliteration

Yay freshmen! I'm Kaitlyn, Class of 2013, completely undecided about my major (except it definitely won't be math or any kind of science). I love reading and writing and rock band - nice alliteration eh? No, I'm not Canadian. I'm Brooklyn born and raised, and I can't wait to continue talking about myself.

TGIT! (No Friday classes for me :D)

PS - Since Chevy (Chevon) hasn't introduced himself yet, I'll give you guys a preview - he's Jamaican and awesome. 'nuff said.

Khatiya is Here

I'm Khatiya (pronounced hot-TEA-yah) and I'm a freshman too. Totally undecided in terms of major but I'm following a pre-med track. I am so glad Wednesday is over. Let's do this.

Introducing....Myself

Hi, my name is Hannah Kim and I am a freshman (class of '13). I haven't declared my major yet, but I am positive that I will major in early childhood education. When I'm not at school, or helping out the Ultimate Frisbee Team, I am tutoring or volunteering at an elementary school in Queens. I love dance and learning languages. Okay, this is me...bye for now!

OK - introductions for real now

Hi everyone,

So to get the blog juices flowing, maybe we can all introduce ourselves? Or should that be each introduce ourselves? That way we all know who we are (in case any of you is currently in doubt about who you are) and readers can always come back and check out who we are as well.

Anyway, I'm Celine, Betsy's newly appointed guardian angel apparently. I'm also a Sophomore Psychology major, Behavioral Neuroscience Concentration (which unfortunately sounds terrible pretentious). On the rare occasions when I'm not working... no never mind, not working doesn't actually happen.

I look forward to insightful intros from you all.

Celine

Introductions! The first step to any polite conversation

This is really a test post, but while I'm here I'm just going to say hello. Ahem... here I go... Hello! Wow that worked, good job me. Now back to serious things.