Pensees

Success

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 17:12:23 GMT

By setting 10 different alarms (8 of them being alarms on two different cell phones) and setting my coffee machine to brew automatically, I managed to pull myself out of bed at 8:00 AM today. I think I'm going to try to do this every day for the rest of the semester. Not only are mornings beautiful, cool, and crisp, but waking up this early actually feels like I am getting a fresh start-- as opposed to waking up at 10:00 or 11:00 and feeling like I am behind already! The only problem is that I sleep more deeply than a hibernating bear, but it appears that 10 alarms do the trick. Less embarassing than having a friend try to do the trick, because apparently I spew economic terms incoherently when I first wake up.

I had an amazing weekend-- I went in with an old libertarian friend for Cuban food on Friday night (nothing like talking politics over mojitos with good latin music in the backround) and then a friend's father took a bunch of us out for Italian food on Saturday night. Both sides of my ethnicity are satisfied.

There also was a great conference on international relations this weekend with some of the best speakers I have seen here-- including academics who could be funny. There was one who spoke about his distinguished career with the government: . The irony was that he was promoted each time. Nevertheless, he had many profound things to say about the potential for terrorists to get nuclear weapons and some ingenious deterrent methods (including scientific methods to determine where the terrorists got the fissile material, and then threatening that we would hold that country responsible). And I got to hear Professor Kurth speak for what will probably be the last time. I'm going to miss that.

All in all, it was an exceptional weekend-- now it's time to go back to the daily grind.

It is a little ironic to be burying myself in the library basement in light of the crunch of studying for honors just when it is getting to be so gorgeous out. Here is to the last month and a half of busting ass in my college career....

I still hate the IRS, but at least they put classical music on when they put you on hold

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 16:54:15 GMT

I've decided I'm going to do my taxes early this year. And I have plenty of down time with Spring break! But now I'm on hold so I figured I'd do a quick post.

I just got back from NYC last night after spending a very long weekend with my second-aunt (ie my dad's cousin). I really enjoy spending time with her-- in some ways we are very similar. She likes accounting and politics, and is an accountant for UN peacekeeping missions. She also worked on Wall Street for a while (like I did) and taught for a while (like I will be doing). Also single (like I probably will remain), and her relationship with her family members is very similar-- she's the one who looks out for everyone and likes to take people out to do special things. She'll go visit somewhere and bring back more souveneirs for her family members than for herself, which is what I tend to do. Anyway, I had a great weekend hanging out with her and eating a lot of good Cuban food.

I also watched Amistad over the weekend, which was amazing. I'm a sucker for movies about American History and movies about legal battles, so this was probably the best movie I watched all year. I also had no idea who John Quincy Adams was, other than the fact that he was Adams' son, but I was glad to learn more about him.

Anyway, I'm no longer on hold, so I'm going to go be a responsible citizen. And then on to hopefully a very productive work week.

I want a Socrates hiking!!!!

Thu, 21 Dec 2006 18:18:29 GMT

Though the home schooling zebras sound a little scary, any man who would get me Socrates, four Thomas Aquinas(es) and three Jewish boys (he and I would have an understanding) for Christmas would definitely would be my true love.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, aletheias sent to me...

Twelve ulysses reading

Eleven x-files thinking

Ten koalas a-fencing

Nine all-nighters dancing

Eight zebras a-homeschooling

Seven economics a-running

Six socrates a-hiking

Five ame-e-e-erican politics

Four thomas aquinas

Three jewish boys

Two natural rights

...and an introversion in a coffee.

Home at last :)

Thu, 21 Dec 2006 07:45:13 GMT

I'm home!!! Back to sharing a room with my little sister (I'm actually keeping it clean for once... or maybe that's just part of my procrastinating tactic).

Lots of cookie-eating, bedtime reading to my brother, seeing of the old friends from high school or calling them and plotting to see them, discovering old clothes that I forgot I had, arguing with my two sisters who drive over how we will share our one car, late night talking with my mother, and PROCRASTINATING has occured.

The procrastination is for my paper that is due Friday. I want this book, Knowledge and Politics, by Roberto Unger to be read prontisimo. Unfortunately, based on revealed preferences and my current actions, I clearly don't want to read it.

So tonight is a stake out. I have 120 more pages to go. And I'm not going to sleep until its done.

In other news, I officially got the email from the ex saying that he never wants to talk to me again. Not only is this the first time where 5 months after a break up I am not on good terms with the ex, but this was clearly my fault and something I should have anticipated. When we were first flirting, I remember him being very upset about an incident with the previous ex, and him not talking to her because of it. I remember being surprised by his reaction and thinking it was unwarranted-- but I should have been more cautious of not repeating the same, even if I didn't agree with his reaction, for the sake of our friendship. And I failed to exercise that caution. So now the only option is to permanently forget. And accept the fact that I now know there is someone out there who actively hates me.

The fact that I need to take responsibility for this and have no excuses reminds me just what a burden human agency can be. Someone can be in love with you and think the world of you, and your choice of one action alone can completely reverse all those good feelings. But then again, it is because of human agency that we can inspire such admiration in the first place.

I've been listening to the "Sadder but Wiser Girl for Me" song from music man a lot lately.

Sex in the City time...

Sun, 17 Dec 2006 09:18:41 GMT

Because my friends mostly are studying for finals and doing final papers (I should be doing that final philsophy paper, but I have a week to do it), they eventually all had gone to bed/retreated to their rooms earlier than usual, and I wasn't tired. Perhaps not being tired has something to do with the fact that I didn't wake up until 3:00 PM today. I haven't done that since high school!

Anyway, so tonight I decided to do something I haven't done since last year-- I sat up late watching Sex in the City episodes. Back then, the episodes had this weird role of letting me forget any desires I had to be in a relationship by just, while I was watching, completely enjoying thinking about other womens' fake relationships or relationship trouble. TV typically has played a role for me of letting me take my mind off of what is on hand, so I guess I watched a show about dating and sex to take my mind off of the fact that none is happening in my life. It was just the therapeutic thing I used to do.

It was different tonight though. Mostly I'm disgusted by it. I'm disgusted by the fact that the women can take the relationships or men so flippantly and the one who refuses to do so is completely naive about the men and scarily desparate to get married. Sure, it still is fun to see what new Jimmy Choo shoes Carrie has or look at the outfits, or see some absolutely gorgeous men, but it just leaves me with a weird taste in my mouth (hmmm.... not a good term to throw around given that one episode was about a guy with funky spunk). I knew that about them before and used to laugh at it rather than want to emulate them, but perhaps it is too close to home now. It scares me because I worry that I could easily fall into either of those two categories if I let myself veer to either extreme-- and I'm too scared of it for it to take my mind off my own life anymore-- instead, it just turns my mind to thinking about my own life.

I'll probably still watch. It is a little addicting. But its just different this time around. Perhaps now I just see too much of a person I could become in them.

Moving to the topic of REAL relationships, I just found out that a friend from high school (though not from my high school) is seriously considering dating this one girl. He's been single through most of college, so I am very excited for him and look forward to seeing how this will develop. He called to ask me for advice (probably not a good move on his part) and it was neat to talk through it with him.

Meh... this is all kitty blogging. But again, this is livejournal. What do you expect?

Huge update...its been awhile

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 17:44:37 GMT

This is purely one of those functional updates to let people know what has happened to me since May 2005 and now... God, that is a long time ago.

So I spent that summer 2005 in DC, and came to two important realizations: I don't want to work in a think tank (at this stage in my life) nor am I as libertarian as I thought I was. I started thinking about some of the cultural implications of everything being market based (in terms of our values as a society) and realized that a lot of the things that are really important to me-- family, an education for its own sake, virtue, promoting heroism and magnanimity, and finally promoting a sense of belonging and connection to something bigger than the individual-- just are not supported adequately by the policies that follow from libertarianism. I still have great sympathies and even vast agreement with a few libertarians, namely Hayek, Fred Meyers, and Milton Friedman (RIP), but don't classify myself as one any longer. I'm an out of the closet Conservative-- not as conservative as the people I was working with at Heritage, but I definitely have the tendencies to at least be CONCERNED about some of the issues (before taking into account feasibility).

I came back to Swarthmore and took a class which made me very sure of what I want to do with the rest of my life, on Industrial Organization and Public Policy. It was all about antitrust and competition policy. My goal is become an antitrust lawyer, and then eventually transition into appelate/constituitonal law working on regulatory issues, and then to become a law professor who looks at both the economic and cultural implications of federalism. Seem simple enough? After law school, I'm also going to try for clerkships with judicial rockstars like Richard Posner and Clarence Thomas (indeed he is very conservative, but the most important issues to him are federalism and regulatory issues, so it would be amazing to work with him). Easier said then done, but it feels good to have a sense of direction.

I then spent Christmas break falling for someone more than I ever had before. I told people that this was the sort of person I thought I could marry, and didn't imagine that ANY problems could have come up. My optimism was a little embarassing in retrospect, since I like to think I'm a relatively realistic (and even cynical) person, but it was good for me to know that I had the capacity to feel for someone like I did and to have that sort of hope. We broke up because I need someone who can understand me and not dislike the person I want to be, and so did he. I want someone who will criticize me and help me to be a better person. But he wanted me to be someone I'm not meant to be, nor should I be. And I felt like I was doing the same thing to him. I also needed someone more mature and more willing to show affection-- perhaps a reflection of my own boringness at times or insecurity. Maybe I was being idealistic and looking for Mr. Right-- but I'm not willing to settle. Not yet, at least.

I spent a semster at Oxford then falling in love with the place. It was charming to walk through the buildings and think about all the famous and inspiring people who had walked there as well. I studied Adam Smith in the exact place that Smith studied. I traveled around Europe for 6 weeks doing the hostel hopping and cannot believe the beauty in the world that man has created. Almost a year later, I still am in awe.

I came back and spent a summer working at an investment bank in NY. I turned down a job offer of a salary that could have been $140K a year, because I don't want to do something that doesn't interest me and isn't intellectually stimulating. I should have known that going into the internship, but it was amazing to get that sort of insight into that lifestyle and see how a big investment bank makes as much money as it does. Normal time for leaving work at night: 2:00 AM. And I had to be back by 9:00 AM sharp the next day. I also learned that I am addicted to feeling productive. I wouldn't mind working that hard in the future-- as long as it is doing something that I care about.

Now I'm finishing up senior year. Its a little bit crazy... I can remember so well coming here as a freshman. I still feel like I have so much left to learn, and they are kicking me out. I guess that is what life is for?

This semester has been amazing because the priority has been my friends. I want to nurture my friendships as much as I can and really spend as much time with my friends here, because it may be the last year that I will be living near any of them. I'm going to miss college and dorm life and being able to knock on my friends' doors at 1:30 AM to just hang out, sip a corona, and talk about life. My friends are such amazing people wiht diverse interests. One will be going into the Marine corps next year as an officer. One is a Truman scholar. Another is an expert on China and our foreign policy on China. Another is going to be the Democrat's Karl Rove a few years from now, although his dad is McCain's campaign economic adviser. Another is just as obsessed with politics as I am, and he and I have this 50 yr old bickering married couple dynamic going on that is just too much fun. Another two are econ majors who see everything in terms of economics, and we all collectively decided to raid an advanced philosophy seminar together this semester. I think I have learned so much more from my friends than I have frm my classes, and I am glad that I decided to make them a priority in my life. My biggest regret in high school is that I was not proactive in cultivating friendships, and I am glad that I have not repeated that mistake.

So next year I'll either be teaching for Mr. B or Mr. E (yeah 9th grade humane letters!), and am talking to DR. B now about him hiring me, since he is the coordinator for Great Hearts' hiring. Or I will be in DC at an economic consulting firm working on antitrust cases. We'll see what the future brings. Either I will be in a stimulating work environment in the best city in the world, or I will be home with those I love most (can you believe my little brother is 11 years old????). I can't complain about that.

Now that I'm all caught up, I'm going to make an effort to post in this more often!!!

Must update more

Thu, 26 May 2005 09:11:10 GMT

Hmmm.... its gotten to the point that I update this so rarely, that I really do not know why I keep it in the first place. Maybe its in the hope that I will update it more regularly.

I've been home for the past few weeks! Since May 8th, thanks to my sweet Constitutional Law professor who let me take the final from home (which went wonderfully... I got to write a long essay on why originalism rocks and complaining about commerce clause jurisprudence, as well as an essay saying why Amar is so darn brilliant in "The Bill of Rights"). I managed to catch the last week of non-100 degree weather here, and to spend a lot of time with my little brother.

The time has gone by pretty quickly. A lot of the time, I've been babysitting for a family I used to babysit in high school. They pay well, which is nice, and its great to see the girls so grown up. Makes me feel old. I've also been buying summer clothes. I now own four suits (though one is white, and so I'm not sure if it is Heritage Foundation appropriate), and after I buy two more, I should be good. I also did a crazy run on Saturday, since all the Goodwill stores were 50% off. I went to 8 different thrift stores, and was shopping from 9:00 in the morning til 9:00 at night, with a lunch break for watching Meet the Fockers with Grassy. I love that movie... makes me wish I were Jewish even more. But I found plenty of nice clothes for the internship at the thrift stores. Thrift stores are so much fun, as long as you stay away from the used lingerie section.

Today I just got back from Tucson visiting Kevin and his mom. Ironically, in all the years where I have had friends there, I've never visited, but Kevin somehow convinced me to hop on Greyhound (yuck) and go there for a day. I swear its the Southern drawl. I had fun bantering with him about religious issues and St. Thomas (I really go through with withdrawal for religious discussions after Swat). I also went out to dinner with him and some of the grad students he'll be studying with next year, and it was interesting to hear them talk. Good intro to what grad school will be like :) I can't wait. Kevin is as talkative as ever, which is hilarious as ever. It was also hilarious to see how he has no common sense smarts whatsoever. I guess academics tends to do that to you.

I'm out... need to work on a long overdue thank you letter.

Since all the cool people are doing it

Mon, 14 Mar 2005 10:30:53 GMT

Your Brain is 26.67% Female, 73.33% Male

You have a total boy brain

Logical and detailed, you tend to look at the facts

And while your emotions do sway you sometimes...

You never like to get feelings too involved

What Gender Is Your Brain?

Of course, its hard to resist commenting on the sheer absurdity of the use of some of these questions to determine whether someone has a male or female brain- like "You could marry for money... if the person was a billionaire. True or False? The whole promoting understanding vs. promoting a position thing is also weighted way too heavily.

2 hours of sleep... yipppee! Energy drink, here I come.

Beginning of Spring Break

Sun, 06 Mar 2005 23:12:26 GMT

So I'm still at Swat for spring break. This is for a variety of reasons:

1) I have tons of Constitutional Law reading to catch up on, and a desire to get ahead over break. Staying here is more conducive to that... Arizona people who I haven't seen for a very long time can be highly distractive.
2) The War News Radio program needs people to do broadcasts over break
3) Swatties relaxed are a lot of fun... and a rare sight
4) I could actually go to a debate tournament if I stayed here
5) Matt is staying here (though that mattered to me a lot more then than now)
6) I have all my exams on the first day of the exam period, so I could stay here and start getting ahead early so i will actually have time to study, and then go home on the 6th of may a week and a half before everyone else and not be depressed about doing poorly on tests
6) All of those factors made me pull a Hamlet about the matter until ticket prices went up to $500, which became the deciding factor.

So I am here, and have decided that not only will I be getting at least 8 hours of sleep everynight (I started this out well by getting 17 hours last night, with the only interruption of driving a friend to the airport), going to the gym for at least an hour and a half everyday (I just spent two hours there) and having only one cup of coffee per day (this is going to be the hardest... I had massive caffeine migraines today).

I just found out today that Russ (guy I met while specking at Kenyon two years ago and still have kept in touch with) is coming by tonight, since his friends and him are doing a massive road trip over the break. It will be very fun to see him, and we will find out how many people can fit into my single. Also, Graciela is coming up to Philly for her senior trip, so I will get to see her then! I am very excited about that.

Even though I have tons of reading for con law to do, i don't mind at all because it is so good. The book I'm reading now, The bill of Rights by Akhil Reed Amar, is my second favorite book that I have read since I came here. It is all about what the Bill of Rights meant when the founders first created it and how the 14th amendment changed it. What I love about the book- and also the class- is that Amar uses very detailed analysis of history to back up his points, so I am learning a great deal about American history in reading it. In addition, I love his method of parsing all the individual amendments by paying close attention to the word choice and the phrases, but also how he sees the entire Constitution as a whole and evaluates each amendment within the context of the entire Constitution. Also, he is somewhat obsessed with political structures, which is good for me because so am I.

Anyway, I'm off to take a post-gym shower, which is one of the best things in life.

Quick post

Mon, 21 Feb 2005 05:13:35 GMT

What's happened this weekend:

1) I've realized how much I love Scalia's judicial philosophy. Whether or not he applies it consistently is debateable (I still have yet to read many of his opinions) but I loved reading Issues of Interpretation. Sorry Nora.

2) They Might be Giants were very fun to watch (they came here on Saturday). Moshing with Eric was even more fun. Nerdy rock and nerdy moshing make me happy.

3) There is a bottle of Bellini Chianti wine sitting on my dresser, thanks to Greg. Its relatively cheap wine, but it will be good for celebrating the Macroeconomics midterm being over (a little late, though- I'll have to wait til sunday since I gave up alcohol for lent. I was considering giving up coffee, and then got realistic). It looks much better than the free handle of Banker's Value Vodka, which some random person threw in my room. I'm not sure that I could get buzzed enough to drink such cheap vodka. Though some people have suggested Brita filters for cheap vodka and I may take them up on that offer.

4) MR B is headmaster to be at Tempe Prep! This means that I will get to work for my favorite teacher (even more than the E, ignoring the whole crush thing) ever when I go back there to work, in addition to getting to teach my little sister Greek (she is going to have soooooooooooooo much fun correcting every single little mistake that I make... some bribery may ensue). I am also so excited because I think he, more than any other teacher at TPA, has an idea of what TPA means that really represents perfectly what a lot of other students who have graduated and I really learned to love about the school, including seeing giving students a lot of responsibility as one of the core reasons for why a TPA education works, and his desire to really encourage students to question their own beliefs and assumptions. I think that he will really help push TPA in the right way- he's the type who is not afraid to step on the toes of the quickly growing subset of the religious right/christian fundamentalist population who dislike thinking/questioning beliefs and seem to be taking over TPA. I'm so excited about graduating and going to teach there- this instantaneously solved my dilemna about which __PA I should teach at (I like dangling prepositions more than two prepositions in a row). So this means that, other than getting in U Chicago, Columbia, or Harvard Law, senior year is going to be easy! (and anyone who didn't detect the sarcasm in that deserves to be shot). Well anyway, at least I get to avoid the whole "I have no idea where I am going to work!!!!!" syndrome.

5) My favorite Mormon here (who happens to be the only one I know) gave me horrible advice to watch Mystery Men. That was a waste of a Friday night, though Peter, Anna, Mike and I all had fun mocking it.

6) I went to a mass at someone's house who lives in the Borough of Swarthmore. Its a group of Catholic swarthmore residents who attend churches in the area outside of Swarthmore (apparently there is a law on the books that there can be no Catholic churches in the Borough of Swarthmore, despite the fact that there is a Quaker meeting house and a Presbyterian Church). It was so wonderful to see CHILDREN again!!!! (no I am not a pedophile). The people were so wonderful to talk to, and told us that we can come to any of our events. I am so excited about being involved in a Catholic community again. And they even promised us some babysitting jobs!

7) Matt and I are going to see an orchestra concert later on in the semester. Should be fun. Yay for culture, and for opportunities to wear a really pretty dress.

8) 1,200 pages of reading for one week of constitutional law (many of which have yet to be read). And I have a 15 page paper due next week. :)

9) This isn't really an event, but I am so excited about minoring in Kuperberg (an awesome old, liberal, Jewish, Keynes-suckled Econ prof here who I will be taking 5 out of my 10 econ credits with). He is awesome, especially because he says stuff like this:

---------------------------------------
Kuperberg: [Insert some Economic situation] What would happen?
Student: Whatever you wanted?
Kuperberg: No, this is not English literature, there are actually right and wrong answers here.
--------------------------------------

10) I get to research the current status of property rights in Iraq and interview Hernando de Soto for the Radio Iraq program (or, if it proves more interesting, a story about the real estate market in Iraq and what red tape is involved, which is a subset of the first one). I'll post the link to the show as soon as it is up and running on a daily basis. For now, anyone who wants should go listen to the pilot:
http://www.swarthmore.edu/news/releases/05/radio_iraq.html
I'm somewhere in there about 20 minutes in.

11) And this is absolutely no surprise:

You Are A Realist

You are more romantic than 10% of the population.

When it comes to romance, you tend to take a realistic approach.
You believe that love takes time, and it's something you have to work hard for.
A bit cynical, over the top romance tends to get under your skin.
Your heart is difficult to win ... but it's totally worth it.

Are You Romantic or Realistic?

Its back to work for me!

Classes for the rest of college...

Fri, 11 Feb 2005 07:03:25 GMT

I should be doing poli sci reading (I have about 3 hours of reading to do for my con law seminar and it is already 2:00), but I got distracted by the list of all the classes being offered for the next two years, and finished planning out the rest of my classes here:

Fall '05:
Defense Policy (with the best poli sci prof in the school)
Logic (not too crazy about this one, but its good to do)
Economics of Education: Savage Inaccuracies (with the best econ prof in the school! He is a bitter liberal Jewish guy who is so hilarious and brilliant)
American History to 1877
Public Finance (possibly the Honors Seminar version)
Democratic Athens (in Classics- I figure I have had so much of Ancient Philosophy that it would be awesome to study more of the context. We may even get to read the Peloponesian War!)

Spring '06-Oxford *hopefully
The European and British Foundations of the American Political System
Economic Theory
Democratic Theory: Dawn, Development, and Demise
Command Economies and their Marketization OR Economics of War: Causes and Consequences

Fall '06:
Honors Seminar: Ancient Political Theory (Sharpe)
Honors Seminar: Industrial Organization and Public Policy (a lot of Antitrust policy stuff!)
American History 1877-1945
The American Revolution
Beowulf-Milton (with this really old school English prof who has the BEST old English)

Spring '07:
Honors Seminar: Modern Political Theory (Berger!!!!)
Honors Seminar: The American Political System (if I don't get into the Sharpe seminar)
Pagans and Christians (in the Classics Department)
History of Reading (Burke... the best history prof)
US Fiction 1900-1945 (yeah Fitzgerald :) )

So basically I am taking classes with the best profs in the departments. There are no Alistair MacIntyres there, but it still will be awesome. And I really do think that I am getting to choose classes that align better with my intellectual interests, rather than just doing pre-reqs. Its pretty focused within History, Political Science, and Economics (so much for Math and Science), but I look forward to really knowing a lot about American history and politics as well as Public Policy. Of course, some of the classes will inevitably conflict with each other, but I will just learn how to bilocate.

Anyway, I'm off to work on the Constitutional Law reading. The class is SO INTENSE. I love it because its a good mix of political science/American Legal History mixed in with the technical stuff so that it isn't something where everything will be repeated in law school.

Bedtime at 5:00... Meeting at 8:00. Fun stuff.

And now for some quizzes:

Moderate Whig

Whig vs. Federalist Quiz
brought to you by Quizilla

(not sure about what I have in common with Gore, but the description fits!)

You like the ones that understand you.

What kind of guy are you most attracted to? (CUTE anime pics)
brought to you by Quizilla

You are a Neoclassical economist! You adhere to the
old-school ideas of Adam Smith and other
classical economists. The current schools that
fits you best is the Chicago school, check out
the work of Milton Friedman.

What school of economics do you fit into?
brought to you by Quizilla

You are Paul Krugman! You're a brilliant economist
with a knack for both making sense of the
current economic situation and exposing the
Bush administration's lies about it. You
somehow came out as the best anti-war writer on
the Op-Ed staff. Other economists hate your
guts for selling out to the liberals. To hell
with 'em.

Which New York Times Op-Ed Columnist Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

(this reminds me of how SADDDDD I am that Safire left the NYT!)

I haven't seen this update page for a while....

Wed, 26 Jan 2005 04:32:22 GMT

So I think I found my sense of direction again.

After 1 1/2 years of very cliche and typical college student existential crisis of having very little idea of what I wanted to do (or, more accurately, too many ideas of what I wanted to do) and feeling somewhat useless and mediocre, I'm back in the game.

Or perhaps I just think I am back in the game. But in the end, that is enough- for right now. Josef Goebbels once said that it doesn't matter what religion you believe in- as long as you believe in something. With respect to religion, I couldn't agree with him more. But in terms of college, I think it is fairly applicable for people like me who just want to do too many things. Its important to pick something, to want it, and then have it motivate you. Of course, after graduating, I may just realize that its not important to you at all anymore and go into something completely different. But I will have gotten through college. In my case, I think I may even stick with it.

This time its law. The week before school started, I was externing with a federal judge in NY who is a Swat alum. I loved it. I cannot wait to go to law school and to do law. The lawyers were arguing in a Daubert hearing- where they were trying to convince the judge that certain evidence was scientific and proved causality so that it could be admitted to a trial (since juries could be unfairly swayed by non-science). It was amazing how much science and philsophy came up in a courtroom. I'm excited about how interdisciplinary law can be, how a law degree has so many uses, how there are so many fields and focuses within law, and how much I would get to ARGUE! :)

So in addition to coming back with a sense of direction this semester (I want to get a 4.0 GPA this semester so I can get into either Harvard, Chicago, or Columbia law), I also came back to an awesome project. There is an alum from Swarthmore who is the Executive Producer of 60 minutes- and he felt like the media was doing a horrible job reporting the news from Iraq, and he wanted Swarthmore to fill the void. So he is setting up a daily broadcast show from here, run by students but funded by our rich administration (so we will have a full time professional journalist helping us out/giving us advice). We did a pilot this weekend- I think i spent over 30 hours working on it this weekend, but it was such a learning experience, and it was fun. I got to interview this pretty high up advisor for the oil industry (who has appeared numerous times on NPR and Jim Lehrer Newshour) about the status of Iraqi pipelines for about 20 minutes. It has been a great opportunity not only to learn about what is happening in Iraq, but also about Journalism. It also is a way to do something that I think is important- by making sure that people are informed about what is actually happening in Iraq, I think there can be a more thoughtful deliberation process and mroe realistic expectations the next time we are considering a similar foreign endeavor. So not only do I have something to eat up all my free time (in a good way), but it is something that I think can actually have a positive effect on people (the number of people and the extent of that effect is TBD).

I have tons more stuff to do tonight- I have to finish up my Heritage Application and Cato Institute Application, send out an email to the College Republicans, do some debate administrative work, finish up with a Statistics problem set, and somehow find some Vitamin C so I can get rid of this cold before it even starts.

Its good to be busy again.

Life in Dairyfarmland

Tue, 28 Dec 2004 08:04:33 GMT

My uncle told me that I dress like a democrat :(

Of course, he thinks for some reason that Republicans should wear pink and green... going to Notre Dame must stilt one's fashion sense.

Other than that, life has been good. It has involved watching the Incredibles at least 8 times, watching National Treasure at least 6 times, and watching Meet the Fockers, which was hilarious (and I didn't like it JUST because of my Jewish fettish). On a more serious note, it has involved checking out many books on Iraq and the Supreme Court from the ASU library as well as going into Senator McCain's state office almost every weekday to deal with the crazy constituents and get my FOX fix. On a more meaningful note, it has involved a lot of time with my family: playing card games with Cito, shopping with my sexy gals who are growing up so much!, helping my mom around the house, going running/riding with my dad, and also time with friends late into night playing scattergories and checking out the exciting Phoenix coffeeplace scene (and mooching off of friends who work in coffee places). On a more romantic note (in the movement sense), I've been able to spend time outside: IT IS SO GORGEOUS OUT! And I drove home with open windows tonights blaring my 94.5 Cool Oldies, just like old times when I would drive home at 4:00 AM at night with the music blaring and windows down to keep me awake. And it is so wonderful to ride horses again (even if my thighs are killing me).

The semester finished. Not necessarily well- I was doing amazingly (by my standards, at least) in three classes and somehow didn't finish as strong as I wanted (still no grades, though, so the full extent of this statement still must be verified). I really need to go to U Chicago for law school- the semester system kills me. I can last for 10-12 weeks, but just don't have enough drive to finish it off . Microeconomics was such a good course. I lived it and I loved it. Its exactly how I imagined all Swarthmore classes being- it was so intense that I was talking Micro in my sleep (much to my poor room mate's chagrin). Toward the end, I also dropped the ball on some of the extracurriculars. I was pretty committed to debate, but College Republicans were pretty inactive (then again, this is Swat), I missed quite a few weeks of Tango, thanks to me, the new Swarthmore porn magazine won't come out until next semester (I'm sure that everyone is so disappointed... its their fault for not emailing me asking for publication money earlier, though some people might assert that I willfully delayed the process), and several groups who sponsored speakers had to wait a little longer than usual to get their money. All in all, I relearned what I already knew: don't over commit. Next semester should be much lighter in terms of extra things (I gladly passed presidency of the debate team on to Garth to take the cushy position of vice president, aka Peaslee's booze bearer), so I'm looking forward to delving into the remaining activities. And there is one new one that is top secret that would make Nora happy.

Classes, on the other hand, are going to be quite tough. I'm taking the ConLaw honors seminar in the Political Science department, and I'm the only non-senior in the class. I'm also venturing into the world of Math again to take Honors Multivariable Calculus. Macroeconomics with Kuperberg should be easy (and a constant source of amusement), but the History of Modern Europe 1789-1918 is sort of a wildcard... its been so long since I took a history course. And I am auditing an Opera class on the side since it has been so long since I did anything truly cultured! I've heard that the prof of the Opera class is a wonderfully sweet person, so I am looking forward to it. Unfortunately, there is an obvious lack of THEORY there. I was considering taking a History of Economic Theory course at Penn, though it may be more prudent just to wait until I go to Oxford to take the same thing.

Socially, this last semester was amazing. I can honestly say that there are people that I miss and think about often over break, which wasn't necessarily true last year. I was more social this semester than I've ever been in my life (and it showed in the grades), but I think I'm better for it. Of course, being social comes with plenty of drama, and hopefully that will be minimized next semester, but it was worth it in the end.

Anyway, I'm off to go work on Oxford apps and internship apps. Hopefully more posts will follow over break.

procrastinating on the Greek

Mon, 29 Nov 2004 06:40:54 GMT

TEN Random Things About Me...
10. I feel like an intellectual dilettante quite often
09. I like Ayn Rand because in reality I care excessively about how others perceive/think about me
08. I like to run around barefoot but I wear heels more often than I wear flat shoes
07. I want to be a teacher, but more importantly I want to have something to teach
06. I think I'm becoming more and more like my parents every day
05. I objectify men
04. I still have a crush on Justin
03. I like to whistle
02. Classics and realism make me happy
01. I'm much less ambitious now

NINE Places I want to visit
09. Rome
08. Oxford (again)
07. San Francisco
06. Cuba
05. Spain
04. Escazu, Costa Rica
03. The Supreme Court
02. Greece
01. HOME!!!

SEVEN Ways To Win My Heart
07. Play Frank Sinatra around me
06. Act/Be Jewish
05. Be busy!
04. Have a lot of sophistication and show it
03. Talk and argue with me about politics/philosophy/economics/policy/religion until the sun rises
02. Be curious about me
01. Like Children, and mention that you do

SIX Things I Believe In
06. God
05. Reason/Rationality
04. The Good old Protestant Work Ethic
03. The American Dream/ Capitalism
02. "Universities as places for developing minds rather than training for careers" (Thanks Michael!)
01. JOHN MCCAIN!!!!!!

FOUR Of My Favorite Items in My Bedroom
04. Thomas Jefferson Bust
03. Record Player
02. Easy Mac
01. Picture of my family

TWO Things I Am Trying Not To Do Right Now
02. Greek Homework
01. Fall asleep

ONE Person I Want To See Right Now
01. Matt

L' Chaim!

Tue, 16 Nov 2004 18:21:26 GMT

So my life continues to go well, even though the political situation is getting worse and worse. Colin Powell has resigned and Arlen Specter looks like he might not get the Judiciary Committee Chairmanship (but mad props, as always, to McCain, for saying that Specter is the one who deserves it). I used to be completely infatuated with Condaleeza Rice a la Mr. Denny, but given her actions in the past four years, I've definitely realized that it is her personality that I like more than anything else. I really admire the fact that she is a top notch professor who has gotten into politics and her focused and stoic demeanor, but I am not as supportive of her actions in Iraq. When Curt Weldon came to campus a few weeks ago (we managed to get him to come speak here) he was very negative about her, especially on her views toward Russia. He claimed that many Senators have difficulty working with her and her assesment of the international security situation. Also, while I think that stoicism is awesome, I'm not sure that I can envision Condi schmoozing around at diplomatic DOS events and galas.

I just got back from Oxford on Saturday... Uncle Amos (our debate team) flew Garth, Chris, Sonya, Aviva, and I out there to debate British Parliamentary style. Every single stereotype I had about Oxford was true. There was a bar in the debate union, there were pubs everywhere, everyone had sexy accents, people dressed up nicely, people hated Bush, so much elitism, and the conversations were great. We pretty much were slipping off to various pubs between every single round, one including the Eagle and Child, where Tolkien and C.S. Lewis and others used to meet for their Inklings club. We also went to a pub with a garder where Clinton supposedly did Marijuana. There was a plaque commemorating it. I loved the intellectual and history-steeped atmosphere, and I cannot wait to go there next year (fingers crossed).

I also am involving myself more with the aforementioned person, but I'm not sure whether this will end up with him and I just being good friends who are cuddle-buddies, or if it actually will be a relationshpip. I'm pretty easy going about it... I would be happy either way. Both options have their benefits and their downsides. The best thing is that he is pretty busy like me, so there is a mutual understanding that we really can't spend all our time with the other, and there is an equality in expectations as far as time commitment goes. Other things to add to the list of why he is awesome: he likes old black and white movies, used to debate in high school (even if it was policy), knows how to talk politics, is cynical and sarcastic, loves classical music, likes to drink (responsibly), and has his own huge apartment and car. Of course, the last is just icing on the cake- not actually a reason for liking him.

Off to go be productive...

Happiness :)

Fri, 05 Nov 2004 09:15:17 GMT

So its hard to be happy on a campus when everyone else is depressed due to the election, but things are going so well right now! 1) The election. So I had a lot and lot of reservations about a second bush presidency, and almost voted for Kerry because of them. Maybe I should have voted libertarian in the end (I am jealous of you, Dawn), but I am glad that Bush won. My day was so great today because I found out that JOHN ASHCROFT WILL NO LONGER BE ATTORNEY GENERAL! Perhaps Bush will appoint someone more moderate who does not have a blatant goal of obliterating most civil liberties. In addition, it is not so clear that Colin Powell will be leaving, which means that there will be a voice of reason to balance out the neocons. Finally, Arlen Specter is going to be head of the Judiciary Committee, and I think he will make sure that more balanced/moderate supreme court justices are appointed to the court. 2) I'm not debating this weekend! I have a whole weekend to enjoy to myself- even though I have TONS of reading to do and a paper to start writing and midterm to start studying for, I have so much free time! 3) I have a date tomorrow night with someone who is a) Not a computer science major, b) cute, c) JEWISH!, d) Republican, and e) an Econ/Poli Sci major. It should be fun because I enjoy spending time with him, even if it doesn't turn into something spectacularly romantic. It will be so nice to go out to real dinner and a movie. 4) I'm doing A/A- level in all of my classes so far, despite the fact that I have been too busy to put any reasonable amount of time into them. 5) So this is the longest that I've been away from home at any one time- 10 1/2 weeks now- but I am surviving without being too homesick. Of course, I miss my family quite a bit, but I have been too busy to let it get to me. 6) I love my roommate! Of course, we disagree about a lot and we can get into some pretty emotional arguments, but I get to talk politics so much now! Also, we are in 3 of the same classes, and it is great to be able to help each other out, commiserate about the class, and continue arguing late into the night about a discussion started in class. And we are both equally messy, so I never feel pressured to keep the room pristinely clean. 7) Microeconomics is awesome. Mundane at times, but it is so challenging, and it fits together so nicely! It is by far my favorite class right now... though Law and Economics is great fun as well. 8) I honestly do feel as if I have solidified some close friendships this semester and I have people who I can truly confide in, trust to give good advice to me, and who derive as much pleasure being around me as I from them (or at least I think). So this is a short post, but its 4:07 and I have more reading to do and to wake up at 8:30 tomorrow. But life is beautiful.

Serious post to come when it is not 3:53 with class at 9:30....

Wed, 20 Oct 2004 07:54:59 GMT

This amuses me...

Sun, 05 Sep 2004 08:18:02 GMT

Back Home

Tue, 03 Aug 2004 08:09:16 GMT

I am home.

After four weeks of late night discussions, skim reading, paper-cranking, late night runs at the lake followed by visits to the grotto, managing to get to daily mass a lot more than usual, shopping, and waxing intellectual, I am back in my room at my computer again with only my sister (the other 5 family members are on their way home driving from Florida in some cheap hotel in New Mexico right now) and I "home".

As far as the Phoenix Institute goes, it was a good experience. Whether it was worth giving up the Goldwater Internship, I'm still not quite sure. I met a lot of interesting people, practiced my Spanish a lot, and realized that Aquinas is not a nutcase when it comes to politics. I also was able to realize what exactly I disagreed with about Aquinas, and, other than that one central point, I was in agreement with a lot of what him and Simon had to say.

The people were fascinating- one guy was sort of a male version of me, but a lot more interesting and socially adept. He is a Libertarian Republican who worked last semester at the heritage foundation, president of his frat in college, and he's going to teach american history next year at an Opus Dei highschool. Also five years older than me and possibly gay, but I enjoyed talking to him quite a bit. There also was this guy from Mexico named Aaron who was wonderful to talk to. He is a very deep thinker, yet not with his head in the clouds. He has a wonderful ability to tie ideas to reality. And then there was my "boyfriend", Sergio, who had a Canadian, an American, and a Polish "girlfriend". He was a lot of fun to hang out with. I was sort of disappointed on the last night that there were some guys there who were only there looking for some action, but I guess people will be people wherever you go. I also met this girl named Sarah who is a history major in California. She was very cool- she was protestant, so we had some good debates on that. And then there was Marco... "Ackchewawlly....!" and "Ewman hhhhhhon-or" You got to love Italian Accents :)

Overall, the program was sort of a retreat for me in that it reinforced many of my values/convictions that had sort of become somewhat lax at Swarthmore. After my main contact with the conservative world being the often superficial and stupid adds that Bush makes against Kerry, it was nice to see conservatives who were very intellectual. And while I think the fact that I am constantly on the defensive intellectually at Swarthmore has been a great experience, I think there is something wonderful and strengthening about conversations where you are for the most part in agreement on basic principles and then can move on to discuss them more specifically and come to understand them more.

I think it also was very good for me to be in that Catholic of an environment. I found myself drawn to Notre Dame's beautiful bascilica and the peaceful grotto. I guess before this I had tried to be too analytical about Catholicism and even though I did them, I didn't truly see the value of "rituals" such as mass or the rosary where you aren't learning some new nuance of Catholicism. For the last week of the program, I managed to get to daily mass everyday for a week, and I was able to develop an appreciation of it. I think that I was stronger because I was willing to do that. Perhaps it was due to "grace", as some would say. I think the main reason behind that is the fact that going to mass reinforced a commitment to Catholicism, and the fact that it was reinforced made me more conscious of my actions and the morality of them. Most importantly, I also realized that despite the fact that the mass is a ritual where the same things occur over and over again, those things are not simplistic. They can be meditated on for a great deal of time. I was somehow able to put myself into a reverent enough state of mind where I could achieve such meditation and introspection during the mass while I was there. I hope that is something that I can continue here.

Perhaps the central lesson that I learned while I was there is something related: that just because something seems cotidian, cliche, or something we have been exposed to quite often, does not mean that it cannot be interesting, valuable, and worth further discussing/ thinking about. I definitely learned that about the mass and the rosary, and I also learned that through the class I was taking with Dr. Evans. I have always respected Dr. Evans, but I have never been too interested in what he was talking about. His talks that he would give at the school about heroism and friendship seemed to be on topics that were over-talked about and over-analyzed already: I had heard enough about them in homilies, self help books, and the superficial movies which need an easy and cheesy theme. Thus, I wasn't too excited about taking the heroism class with him. But I did learn that there is value in talking about a term such as heroism and what it means- even when it is so overused today. Perhaps I am managing to give up some intellectual elitism and feeling that only certain types of topics are worth thinking about. Or maybe I just realized that my understanding of certain terms and ideas is overestimated, and if I will just give up my belief that I understand them so well, I can learn quite a bit more. Yet again, this continues to be a humbling year. After all, isn't that what being a freshman is all about?

I'm going to bed now... I have to wake up in 5 hours to leave for McCain's office. Yay for watching a lot of Fox news again (its the only channel they will play in the office)

Procrastinating again....

Fri, 30 Jul 2004 03:33:06 GMT

Lord, save me from cliche group projects....

Advanced Big 30 Personality Test Results

Sociability	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	30%
Aggressiveness	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	82%
Assertiveness	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	70%
Activity Level	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	82%
Excitement-Seeking	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	22%
Enthusiasm	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	54%
Extroversion	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	56%
Trust	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	46%
Morality	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	62%
Altruism	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	62%
Cooperation	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	22%
Modesty	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	38%
Sympathy	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	42%
Friendliness	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	45%
Confidence	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	78%
Neatness	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	46%
Dutifulness	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	62%
Achievement	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	74%
Self-Discipline	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	66%
Cautiousness	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	82%
Orderliness	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	68%
Anxiety	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	70%
Volatility	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	30%
Depression	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	30%
Self-Consciousness	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	62%
Impulsiveness	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	26%
Vulnerability	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	38%
Emotional Stability	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	58%
Imagination	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	38%
Artistic Interests	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	34%
Introspection	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	90%
Adventurousness	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	58%
Intellect	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	90%
Liberalism	\|\|\|\|\|\|	14%
Openmindedness	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	54%

Take Free Advanced Big 30 Personality Test
personality tests by similarminds.com

Finally updating

Mon, 26 Jul 2004 05:25:37 GMT

Posting my away message which is about my summer:

Summer Schedule:
May 17-23 NYC!
May 23-June 3rd: Italia
June 3rd- June 19th: Interning with McCain (in AZ)
June 19th-June 25th: Meeting hot libertarians at an IHS Summer Seminar in Atlanta Georgia. lots of Smith, Hayek, and Friedman reading.
June 25th-July 5th: McCain
July 5th-July 31st: The Phoenix Institute at Notre Dame... intensive Aquinas studying :-)
July 31st- August 26th: McCain
August 26th: Back to Swat for CPA retraining. And for Forum for Free Press Budgeting. And to start plotting novice recruitment.

Summer Goals:
1) Get my conservative fix (accomplished)
2) Read 5000 pages of Econ theory
3) Get over a certain guy (accomplished)
4) Relearn latin
5) Spend time with Justin and Peter (only halfway accomplished)
6) Spend lots of time with my little sisters and brother (accomplished)

And I finally finished Foucault's Pendulum. Not as good as the Name of a Rose, but I think I enjoyed Name of the Rose because it was easier to follow and I could think more about the underlying philosophy rather than having difficulty keeping track of dozens of esoteric secret societies. Though the first 500 pages of the Pendulum were very intellectually strenuous, the last 150 pages were so amazing that all the effort was worth it. I totally digged the Borges influences. A certain person has mentioned that Eco is too full of himself, and this makes his books unpleasant. In many ways, though I think that the Pendulum is not only poking fun at secret groups, but also at academics in general, perhaps even Eco himself.

So far my summer reading has been:

The Iliad (again)
The Name of a Rose
Orthodoxy by Chesterton
The Wealth of Nations
On Population, Malthus
The Road to Serfdom
Foucault's Pendulum
The Da Vinci Code
Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas
Worth Fighting For (autobiography of John McCain)
The Mystery of Capital, by Hernando de Soto
Selections from the Summa Theologica dealing with Politics
Philosophy of Democratic Government, Yves Simon
Lots of Libertarian articles...

and a few others that I can't remember... It has been so wonderful to read novels again- I took no English lit classes last year in school.

Anyway, I'm going back to my reading for my Notre Dame class.

Finally updating

Mon, 26 Jul 2004 05:24:24 GMT

Just out of curiosity

Fri, 07 May 2004 17:52:42 GMT

This is a survey stolen from Lauren (lauremo)

I usually don't ask too many self-indulgent questions and try and figure stuff like this out naturally by actually interacting with people, but I don't get to spend time with most of the people who read my journal anyway so its somewhat justified. So if you feel like induging me (and I could use the comfort after my econ exam tomorrow) please answer these questions!

1 who are you?
2 are we friends?
3 when and how did we meet?
4 how have i affected you?
5 what do you think of me?
6 what's the fondest memory you have of me?
7 how long do you think we will be friends?
8 do you love me?
9 do you have a crush on me?
10 would you kiss me?
11 would you hug me?
12 physically, what stands out?
13 emotionally, what stands out?
14 do you wish i was cooler?
15 on a scale of 1-10, how hot am i?
16 give me a nickname and explain why you picked it.
17 am i loveable?
18 how long have you known me?
19 describe me in one word.
20 what was your first impression?
21 do you still think that way about me now?
22 what do you think my weakness is?
23 do you think i'll get married?
24 if so, who?
25 what makes me happy?
26 what makes me sad?
27 what reminds you of me?
28 if you could give me anything what would it be?
29 how well do you know me?
30 when's the last time you saw me?
31 ever wanted to tell me something but couldn't?
32 do you think i could kill someone?
33 are you going to put this on your livejournal and see what i say about you?

And I'm heading back to work...

Its you that I adore...

Thu, 15 Apr 2004 23:08:49 GMT

I need to stop listening to so much pumpkins. It makes it feel like high school again. My roommate was playing some N'Sync yesterday and that reminded me of the good old days of rooming with Graciela and her many Justin posters. I definitely do not miss having to see a Justin Timberlake poster as the first thing when I woke up.

So today is one of those days where 6:00 PM rolls around and I realize that I have not eaten a single thing all day... simply because I did not have time at any point during the day to run to Sharples (and I run to Sharples now... I don't walk) and eat. But when I did eat at 6:00, it tasted amazing. This is another reason why it feels like high school again

The past two weeks have been crazy. I have had 39 pages of writing due in the span of two weeks. And all the papers are 1.5 spacing rather than double (double spacing is for wimps). We also hosted the National Debate tournament here last weekend, which rocked. Lauren, you have to work a Dobson tab room sometime. Tab room is awesome. You get to see how all the teams are doing as the tournament is going on. Even though my favorite team didn't get past octofinals, they did manage to get first and second speaker, which made me happy. They were both seniors, so it was a good way to go out.

There are so many good stories from nationals to tell. Maybe I'll type some of them up later. Right now I am still recovering. Though one NOT good story was the final debate between Cornell and Harvard. It just was not a good round.

And I had a chance to break my new years resolutions TWICE this weekend and I resisted both. Though one temptation was a lot more hard to resist than the other. I am surprised that I did in light of how much I had had to drink and how little I had had to eat. Perhaps my biggest discovery this week was that one should not drink a lot at 1:00-2:00 AM Saturday morning after fasting on the Good Friday before. It really messes with your alcohol tolerance. The debate party did rock and I now have some Creme de Cacao for flavoring my coffee. I just need to get some Bailey's too and then I will be happy.

Anyway, I am off to go shower, study some Greek, and then go to a debate meeting. If I can just get through the Greek test tomorrow I can let myself have a 2 hour nap and catch up on some sleep... before I start on the 10 page paper which is due Monday.

Its on the topic of the Legal Limitations of Freedom, so it should be great fun.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My family sent me the picture that we got taken over break and it is SO CUTE!!!!! It replaced the one of me shaking Scoggin's hand because I have a limited amount of frames....

Wed, 31 Mar 2004 17:20:51 GMT

INTELLECTUAL ONE. For you the beauty is not enough.
He/she must be smart and friendly. You are one
who think in facts. You take your feelings in
background everything is material. For you a
good partner is seen on the good results he/she
makes, his job etc. This shows you that she/he
is a respectable person who has good qualities,
and then you start to fall in love with
her/him. You dont like people that are lying or
playing. Your loved one will never cheat on you
because he/she respects you and you choose your
partner carefully.

~THE big LOVE TEST!! What do you need? With PICS! For girls and boys!~
brought to you by Quizilla

Your Livejournal Blind Date
LJ Username
Gender
Favorite Color
What you are wearing
Oh look! Your blind date is	ordomagus
Your date is wearing	a Viking costume
You dine	at McDonalds
Then you spend the next three hours	fighting over who was the best captain on Star Trek
Before taking you home, your date gives you	a hug and a kiss on the cheek
This makes you feel	dirty...in a good way

This cool quiz by sarcasticka - Taken 19067 Times. </a>