July 2005 - Posts
My company made news for the second day in a row! Con Edison broke their record load yesterday, and again broke their record today. Why? Because it's so hot (high of 96° F in NYC today), and everyone is cranking up their air conditioners to try to beat the heat.
This didnt really affect me at work, where I was working in the lab (except I was kind of hurting the situation by enjoying the air conditioning. I'm excited though, because tomorrow I'm supposed to be working specifically on my project that was assigned to me for the summer (most days I just help the lab run smoothly, but sometimes I do get to work on "my" project. I'm still a bit anxious about it, since I have to write a paper for the 3B program, and I'll end up also giving a presentation at MIT on what I did (I'll let you know when the presentation is), and I'm just not confident in my report writing skills (after all these years at MIT!) Well, we'll see what happens.
Not much else going on. I've got a combination of feelings in me right now. Part of me wants to go back to school right now (mostly for all the fun stuff: setting up my room, meeting new people, enjoying pre-classes time at school with all my old and new friends, etc.), but I also know that with going back comes leaving behind my family again, which I have done before, but it's always weird leaving, plus classes are also making me nervous, because i have a feeling they're gonna be tough this year. Well, we'll see. I've started to ramble. That's my cue to leave.
-Stephanie
Well, congrats to Kevin for being the 100th person to leave a comment! (Kevin did have an old blog, but is being lazy on his new one. . .shame shame ;) ) Anyway, it seems like you all are getting your dorm assignments (and I've been commenting to some of you, and saw that Laila left her comment.) Tell me where you've ended up! I'm excited to see that so many of you are going to be at Next House! Don't worry though, I'll still like people who didn't end up at Next House (I'll even try to visit you if I'm not insanely busy! So, let me know where your temp assignment is, and then, I guess, let me know what your permanent assignment ends up being, so I can stalk, er, visit you! By the way, I'll be living in room 319 at Next House, so feel free to drop by (starting the end of August, I'll post the actual day when I find out).
Hope you're all as excited to come to MIT as I am to go back and meet all of you!
-Stephanie
P.S. You may have noticed that webmail changed. If you want to figure out what all this new stuff is, click here.
Just finished reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling. I've got to say, it is pretty darn good! Some parts I didn't like (probably because I cried!) but overall, really great. Can't wait until the final book!
Oh, and I noticed that I currently have 99 comments. I remember people had been trying to help Katelyn reach 100 comments a while ago. Let's see who commenter #100 is!
-Stephanie
Hey everyone. hope your summers are going well! My job has been going pretty well, though the walk from the subway station to my job can get really horrible since temperatures have been in the 90s quite a bit. Luckily I can sometimes get a ride back to the station after work, so i don't bake into a crispy little thing.
And of course, I saw another movie! What else is new?! My family and I rented Hitch the other night. It's really a very cute movie! Sort of a chick flick, but lots of fun to watch. I especially liked the part where Kevin James tries to prove that he can dance. So funny, cause I think I may have tried some of those dance moves! Plus, it's so "akward white boy", so it reminded me of a lot of my MIT friends ;)
Hmm, I just realized it would be really cool if this blogging stuff could turn typed smiley faces into icon smiley faces like on instant messengers. I'm sure there's a complicated way to do it. . .but I'm lazy sometimes!
So really, I don't have much to say. Do check out the other 09s blogs. Most recently, I added Reggie and Julia. I think the next most recent (can you say that? next most recent?) was Peach's poetry blog. I hope all the incoming freshmen are excited to be coming to MIT. I know I'm excited to meet all of you!
-Stephanie
Well, I finally got a hold of the pictures from the day I went to the manhole . :)
In case you aren't sure, I'm the girl ;) The tall, young looking guy is my fellow intern, Chris, and the mustachioed guy in both pics is Vinnie, my boss. The other man who is in only one of the pictures is John, a chemical engineer that I also work with.
In other news, I've seen 2 movies this weekend. (I must seem like a movie maniac!) I went with my younger sister and her friends (oh man, I'm so cool) to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Friday night. I don't know if it's better or worse than the original movie, just different. I enjoyed it a lot. Really entertaining. I especially liked the one scene where they show a reference to Edward Scissorhands. I thought that was pretty clever, seeing as it's another movie with Tim Burton directing and Johnny Depp as the star. But I digress. There are plenty of good parts to the movie, and one improvement is that the songs in this version use the lyrics originally written by Roald Dahl (the poems that were in the book). So, overall, I liked it!
The other movie I watched this weekend was Manna from Heaven. It was so fun and heartwarming. And the thing I think my family and I liked the best about the movie was that it was set in Buffalo, NY, the city that my sisters and I grew up in. It was so much fun to see all the different places that we could recognize. Plus, the movie was an independent film made by 5 sisters, and because it was independent, the ending credits thanked all the different people and organizations that helped them. We recognized some of those names too! So, the movie is cute, and fun to watch, but it's especially fun for people from Buffalo.
Well, that's all for now!
-Stephanie
What do I mean, that I'm famous? Well, one of my posts has been "featured" on Blog Carnival-Sports. Check it out! (oh, and by the way, in response to the comment I posted to them, they said that it was in fact a compliment).
I've also got a book update. I just read The Big Sister's Guide to the World of Work by Marcelle DiFalco & Jocelyn Greenky Herz. Okay, so maybe it's only a good read for women (the subtitle is "The Inside Rules Every Working Girl Must Know"), but I really liked the way the facts were presented. And most of the advice is good for both genders, but it is specifially focused on some issues that women face in the workplace as opposed to men. It's not some angry woman bra-burning type stuff, just usefull stuff for surviving the work force. I'll probably re-read it when I get into the "real" world.
And yes, last night I watched another movie. But I'm not sure if this one counted, because it was on TV. I saw The Breakfast Club. The reason I say I dont know if this counts as actually seeing the movie is because almost every curse word was replaced with some minced oath or other replacement word. . .it just loses it's effect. That, and I think they cut some of the movie to make it fit in the allotted time. Oh well, I had always meant to see it, and I finally got around to seeing it!
There was probably something else I was planning on saying, but I just can't remember. Oh well. Later!
-Stephanie
I'm devoting this post to discussing the different sorts of activities you can participate in on campus. First I must say, there are more student groups on campus than you could ever have time for. I suppose this is bad in a way, because you wont be able to do anything. But the cool part is, if there is something you want to do, there's probably a group that also likes to do that. And if there isn't, you can start one! The main organization to know about is the ASA, the Association of Student Activities. They are the official organization for MIT student groups. You (incoming freshmen) and any other new students (grad students) will receive/have received a CD-ROM and booklet describing all the ASA-recognized groups on campus. Plus, during orientation, there will be an Activities Midway, where you can explore and sign up for different groups. (and I'm pretty sure there aren't any conflicts with that time, so you'll be able to go!) Of course, feel free to contact any group that interests you prior to coming to campus, if you want to know more about the group.
I've had questions about a few groups in particular. Elina asked me about a cappella groups, and Laila asked me about dance groups. In terms of a cappella groups, there are quite a few of them on campus, but each group has their own style/personality, though most groups sing pop music. And besides all of the a cappella groups on campus, there are plenty of other music groups. There are choirs that you can join (and get credit for in some cases!) and bands and orchestras as well. There are also quite a few groups that put on musical productions and plays.
As for dancing, besides performing in musical theatre groups, there are plenty of dance groups. Some groups do hip-hop, swing, ballroom, ballet, tap, jazz, as well as different cultural groups. I was going to list and link to all the groups, but I realized that there are way too many to count. My suggestion is to go to the ASA Lists page and search either by activity type, or just bring up the whole page and look through them. Then you'll realize why I opted out of listing them all here (and decided to be lazy).
This post is definitely not meant to be complete for all the activities, so I encourage you to check out the information on the ASA website or on the CD-ROM they send out over the summer. And if anyone is reading this, and see that I have said something wrong, or left something out, please let me know, and I will edit this post.
Of course, there are plenty of activities that you can be a part of that are not part of MIT. My freshman year roommate participated at a ballet company in the Boston area, and has continued with it these past few years. If you are passionate about something, or if you want to try something new, there are plenty of chances to do what you want during your years at MIT. Whether you go off campus to do it, or just get together with people not as an ASA recognized group, or join an ASA group, it's definitely important to do stuff outside of school (there I go again, lecturing you like I'm your mother or something). But it's true.
Okay, I have other stuff I want to talk about, but I'll leave that to another post, since it's getting late (because I have to wake up so early), plus that way this post is just about activities.
-Stephanie
So, I was wandering around the MIT "blogosphere" and came across one of the official Admissions blogs, from a class of 09's. Laura had a link to a website that I wish they had when I came to school. (or maybe they did have it, but I never saw it. . .) It has a nice list of what to bring when you come to MIT in the fall. I think it's got lots of good information. One thing I might add to it is a small tool kit. Basically, it's because you don't know when you might need it. I have one, and actually I think other people have used it more often than I have (so that's another reason to have it. . .it gives you the opportunity to help out that cute boy/girl down the hall ;)). But if you've read over that list and you have something that you aren't sure about, ask me! Or ask another upperclassman, for that matter! I wont be offended!
I saw movies over this weekend (again). Went to go see De battre mon coeur s'est arrêté (the Beat that my Heart Skipped) with my parents (oh yeah, so cool, going out with your parents on a Friday night. . .). It's another French film (not to be confused with the one I saw a few weeks ago). This was a much more serious movie. Basically, the main character starts living a double life. one life is criminal and slimy, and one is playing the piano. It's really a pretty good movie. A little graphic at times, but the piano music is beautiful. I have to say, though, it's the kind of movie where you really have to think. . .
The other movie I saw this weekend was Bride & Prejudice. I think it just came out on video here. I absolutely loved it! Basically, it's a movie-musical version of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, and it's set in India in modern times. The songs were awesome, the costumes were gorgeous, and the dances were spectacular! The dancing reminded me of the Culture Show that SAAS puts on. I went this past year, and it was absolutely amazing! But yeah, the movie is so awesome. My mom says we might buy the DVD. That would be so awesome. I'm looking forward to being able to listen to and watch all the fabulous music numbers! There are even extended versions of all the songs in the "special features" part. Can you tell I liked this movie? :)
Sunday my mom, dad, younger sister, and I went to the beach. Or as people in New Jersey say, we went "down da shore". :) Oh man. So beautiful. it was so relaxing to just sit on the beach with my family. And I got this great feeling of peacefulness when I walked into the water. It was a bit cold, but I stayed in for quite a bit. and just watching the waves. . .man, that was just so great.
So, I guess that's enough for now. Thanks for all your comments! As always, please let me know if you have any questions, and also, if you stumble upon this page some way or another, let me know who you are/how you found my site. later!
-Stephanie
I've decided, for no good reason, to list some of my hopes, dreams, and wishes with you (and I suppose anyone who has access to the internet). I want to go to Ireland. Either for a really long vacation, or maybe to actually live there for a few years. It just looks so beautiful, and there's so much culture and history. Plus, it's part of my heritage. I just want to spend at least a whole day just lying around in a grassy field, enjoying nature and the beauty of everything around me. Does that sound corny at all? Okay, next. I want to be a voice for a cartoon character. Preferably a movie, and preferably Disney. It would be especially cool if my character got to sing, too. It would be just so cool to hear my voice coming out of a different "person" (or maybe my character wont be a person at all!). plus, I know that most cartoonists look at the voice actor/actress and draw the character to look like the person in a way. Plus. . .I could be semi-famous, but not so famous that people are following me around. . .you know? The last "secret" that I'll divulge for now is about my "dream house". I have 3 requirements. 1. It should have a spiral staircase 2. it should have a window seat (large ledge you can sit on to look out the window from (so I guess I'd also require a great view!)) and 3. Secret passageways. Yep. Those are my requirements. So, all you current or future Architects (course 4), I'll be expecting some CAD drawings or something soon!
Well, I realized that you have to be in the right mood to watch a Mel Brooks movie. . .and last night I just wasn't. Oh well. It was funny at times. hmmm, I think I need more suggestions for movies to see or watch. Thoughts, anyone? I do know there are quite a few different movie suggestion sites, like MoviePig and Rotten Tomatoes. Plus I keep sending you guys to Independent Movie Database and Amazon.com, and they sometimes show different movies of interest (especially on Amazon, it sometimes suggests other movies you might like if you like a certain movie)
Okay, so you folks should let me know if you have any questions about MIT or anything, because I'd love to help any way I can. Next on my list is to make a list of all the books that I'm going to have in my personal little "library" in my room, so people know what I've got to share. . .
-Stephanie
It was definitely nice to have a three-day weekend. I got to spend time with my family, eat good food, and relax. Plus it was the 4th of July! So, that made things even better. Sunday afternoon, my family and I went over to a friend of the family's house for a cookout and such. My little sister and the girl in the family her age went swimming, but I opted out. But I did end up playing volleyball with them. I also played a bit of Frisbee. I have to say, I'm pretty proud of myself. . .I was actually starting to get good! The last time I played with a Frisbee, I ended up tripping over a tree stump at the Fens. And I wasn't throwing or catching it very well. This time, I did really well! Our friends live pretty close to Veteran's Park, where fireworks are set off every year, so we watched the fireworks from their backyard.
Last night, we went to a Trenton Thunder game. The Trenton Thunder is a AA minor league baseball team. They are affiliated with the New York Yankees ::shudder::. Ironically, the team that they were playing against was the Portland Sea Dogs, who are the AA affiliates for the Boston Red Sox! I have to say, I felt a bit torn. I wanted to root for my "home team", the Trenton Thunder, but I also wanted to root for the Sea Dogs because I knew they might eventually be Red Sox players.
I've been watching quite a few movies recently. I am almost ashamed to admit it, but I watched Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous last Thursday night. It's definitely just a silly movie, but I guess it's just fun to watch, and I actually enjoyed it. Sometimes you just need something light and fluffy, you know? Friday night I watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I haven't watched that movie in so long, and I knew that it was somewhere in our movie cabinet, so I just had to watch it. Made me smile. :) (oh, and check out the lego version!). Saturday night, we rented some more movies. We watched The Terminal. Nice, heartwarming movie. . .though we got a little frustrated because the disc kept on skipping. . .We also rented Blazing Saddles (yay Mel Brooks!) but we haven't gotten a chance to watch it yet. Maybe we'll watch it tonight!
I also finished reading another book. I finally got around to reading The Da Vinci Code. It's relatively well written, and definitely a bit trippy. . .but it wasn't bad. The beginning half, you might start getting confused as to what's reality and what's fiction, because the stuff they talk about is all "real" stuff. As my dad puts it, "The nouns are true, but the verbs aren't." The later you go in the book, the more it turns into a novel. The fiction becomes more apparent. Hopefully I'm not giving anything away by this. It's really a good book, and I'm interested to see how they make it into a movie. [trailer]
Oh, I almost forgot. Katelyn says I should write about penguins. Well, here are some things I know about penguins. In The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Arthur Dent says to Ford Prefect, "You're turning into a penguin. Stop it!". the other thing I know about penguins is that there's a documentary about penguins that recently came out (i heard about it randomly on the news. It's called March of the Penguins..
Well, that's I'll I've got for you. I saw on the MIT Website that the blog survey I posted about is a big deal!
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-Stephanie