(Married to the Sea)

The first thing I really notice about Portland is how self-conscious it is about its weirdness. Downtown, across from the charming Voodoo Doughnut, a building wall bears the slogan “Keep Portland Weird” in large painted block letters.¹ Walking down the street I overhear a woman (who doesn’t strike me as a tourist) say to her friend, “Portland is too weird for its own good.” This seems OK—maybe even good. I like weird. It’s part of why I’m at Oberlin.

For a while, though, I don’t really see anything weird about Portland. Maybe living between Berkeley (home of this guy) and Oberlin has desensitized me to weirdness, but it seems like a fairly normal, albeit quite pleasant, city. I keep an eye out, though. I pass a man muttering into a cup as he walks down the street. All right, that’s a little odd, but I’m pretty sure I’ve seen that guy walking around downtown Berkeley too. I see a couple—a brown-haired girl with cat ears walking hand-in-hand with a blond-haired boy with dreads. Again, slightly strange, but only in that they remind me of people I’ve seen at Oberlin.

A homeless man stops me on the street to ask for some money. “Namaste,” he says to me because he thinks I’m from Nepal (I’m not). His sign advertises that he’s a “Very Hungry Vegan” seeking money for food. He asks if I’d like to take a picture of him because he’s extremely handsome. He makes me take a few because he doesn’t like the first one I take.

An extremely handsome vegetarian.

As I walk away, I hear him approach a woman behind me, “Ma’am, can you spare some change for an extremely handsome vegetarian.” All right Portland, you’ve got some strangeness to you, I admit, but I think both my homes could give you a run for your money.

And then I wander into Powell’s—the legendary land of books that I’ve heard spoken of only in hushed tones, with a sense of awe. I get stuck for several hours browsing the shelves. At one point I pick up and flip through Craig Thompson’s Blankets—one of my very favorite graphic novels—and am pleased to discover that Craig Thompson lives in Portland. Synchronicity!

Powell’s is everything everyone has ever told me it was, but no one warned me about the store just a few blocks away—Powell’s Technical Books—filled with tomes of engineering, science, mathematics, & cetera.

In the words of Hubert Farnsworth: Oh my, yes.

Portland has the most awesome street corner water fountains I’ve ever seen.

I felt immediately at home in Seattle. I think its resemblance to San Francisco set me at ease. A friend described it as a “cleaner, politer version” of SF. Not that I find SF particularly dirty or rude, but Seattle is nevertheless less so.

I stayed with some friends who recently graduated from Oberlin. It’s a pleasure to see Obie alums settling into lives in the so called “real world” and that goes doubly for Emma and Lizzie. Not only are they wonderful people, who were a pleasure to stay with, but they seem genuinely happy with the place that they live and the things that they do—living proof that life after Oberlin is still sweet.

Emma and Lizzie, lovely people!

We made dumplings!

The last stop on my Pacific Northwestern adventure was Walla Walla. This may seem like a strange location to visit alongside such major cities and hip locations as Portland and Seattle, but Walla Walla is the home of Whitman College, where my sister Mariah just started her freshman year. Here is what Tom Robbins has to say about Walla Walla in Still Life With Woodpecker:

In the dialect of the local Indians, walla meant water. When the Indians first discovered, cutting through the hellish hills, a fertile valley yodeling with brooks and rivers, they doubled up and called the place Walla Walla. “Water here and plenty of it,” “A far greater abundance of moisture than one would have expected to find in these dusty parts,” or in the ethane-lingo that white folks enjoy, “Land of many waters.” Had the valley been really wet, had it canals, swamps, and lagoons they might have named it Walla Walla Walla. Maybe even Walla Walla Walla Walla. Had those same Indians ever hit Puget Sound in the rainy season, there would have been virtually no end to their wallaing.

Walla Walla does seem to be an oasis in the middle of desert. On the Greyhound ride over, I saw virtually nothing but beige hills for hours. Whitman College itself is plenty green. My sister seems happy there and I have a few friends from high school who attend Whitman as well who also seem to be enjoying themselves quite a bit.

Whitman has some pretty neat sculptures scattered about.

One of the things that sometimes surprises me when I visit other schools are the similarities to Oberlin. In my time at Whitman I saw a visiting poet speak, browsed a weekend farmers’ market, listened to an a cappella group whose name is a pun, and saw an orchestra concert—all things I’ve regularly done at Oberlin as well.

But despite these similarities, the schools have very different feelings to them in ways that I can’t describe—something you can’t really understand just by reading about them, you really have to go to a school and feel it. But perhaps I’ll save discussing that for another time.

Northwestern Adventure: success!

1. This, you may know, is not an uncommon slogan. I’ve personally seen t-shirts, etc. insisting that we “Keep City Weird” for Santa Cruz as well as Austin, where it apparently originated. Perhaps, ironically, the sentiment is not really so strange. &uarr

Next Tuesday at 11am is when my official registration period kicks off. Each student is given a specific time they can begin registering for classes that is based on how many credits you have earned and what year you are. Registration takes place with a brilliant little web-based computer program called Presto. I am certainly not a computer guru so I won't even pretend I can elaborate on how it works. Basically, you log-in with your student ID number [a.k.a. your T-Number], and a [seemingly pointless] other number called your "rap number" given to you at the beginning of registration period by your academic adviser. Then you can register for your classes. Good times.

Every semester, I spend way too much time flipping back and forth on Firefox between tabs of the course catalog and the Registrar's schedule of classes. Then I have a Microsoft Word document open where I can take notes and plan out my schedule. While all of this is going on, I'm usually sending too many e-mails to my dad/life adviser asking for advice on my course choices.

There is a whole strategy involved with this--you can't choose classes all willy-nilly. After all, your classes and the homework involved is how you will spend most of your time. Not only this, but this school is not cheap, so taking classes that will be worthwhile to you is important. On top of all of this, you have to adhere to requirements within your major, but also those extremely important requirements to graduate. No pressure though.

The times that classes meet is also extremely essential [to me]. Not only can they not overlap [for obvious attendance-related issues], but I also have my personal preferences. For example, the 3-4:15 time slot on Tuesdays and Thursdays is awful for me. When the clock hits four, my body goes into nap mode, which as you can guess is not always very conducive for learning. Most of the classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays meet for an hour and fifteen minutes, and I have learned over the years that my brain cannot easily handle and stay focused for more than two of these classes in a day. I learned this the hard way during my first-year when I took three of these excessively long classes during my first semester, including a 3-4:15pm class which was taught by a professor who had a monotonous voice and got joy from randomly calling out the names of students he caught dozing off. Let's just say by the end of the semester, I'm sure everyone in the class was more than familiar with my name.

This semester, I somehow survived 8am yoga during first module [the first half of the semester]. Our instructor, Doris, moves her body in ways that hurts me to watch, let alone attempt--especially moments after I got out of bed. It was certainly a worthwhile experience though. Other than that, all of my other classes are in the afternoon at Alicia-approved times.

So here I am, a few short days away from the last class registration period at Oberlin I will ever experience. I have completed with the requirements for my sociology major, and I'm done with all of my other distribution requirements. All I need is a mere 12 credits and I will have that precious diploma in my hands.

One could look at my situation in a few different ways:

Option A:
•Take the "easiest" schedule possible--12 credits of ExCos, gym classes, and other random classes that do not necessarily interest me but shall guarantee me some relaxation time.

Option B:
•Take the "hardest" schedule possible in order to experience Oberlin academic suffering at its finest one last time. Maybe try my hand at chemistry or advanced mathematics.

Option C
•Happy medium?

I've decided to go with Option C. As much as I'd love to spend countless hours of Food Network, jogs around town and naps, Option A would just make me feel as though I'm not getting as much out of Oberlin as I can. Option B--not even an option. Hard sciences? Math? Get outta here. I like a challenge, but that is what my first seven semesters were for.

In conclusion, this is what I think I will take [but is subject to change I'm sure]:
Travel writing, Bowling I, Social Psychology, and a sociology class called American Families. All of this in addition to my honors project, my Mellon research, my job(s), graduate school applications, life...

Okay, so I'm still going to be busy to the max, but that's the life of a college student and I'm going to embrace that one last time. It's a beautiful struggle and we're all in it together. *cue cheesy music*

Barnard Halloween party! I went as Miss Wilhelmina (Mina) Murray from The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. It was a wonderful costume to design out of my own clothing and I have wonderful friends who lent me gloves and a hat to complete the ensemble. (I've discovered that I think clothes are a lot more fun when I view them as costumes. I have a long brown coat that I wore in this costume that makes me think of several different genres, all of them seriously badass in their own ways.)

However, my costume was not the most awesome at the party. I think that honor must go to whoever dressed up as the Witch-King of Angmar (the Nazgul Eowyn kills), or to Maya, who had a perfect Max costume (Where the Wild Things Are), or Emma, the knitting superhero, or Jamie, the cat, or the pair who dressed up as Calvin and Hobbes, or whoever was that one silent guy from Spirited Away. . .

I fully intend to post pictures here, but it requires some strange voodoo system of computing to do so. The only instructions I have are for Macs--I downloaded an FTP server for Windows but now I don't know what to do with it--so give me a week to mess with the gizmo and soon, hopefully, the pictures will be up. I will edit this post then and you can see Oberlin costume geekiness in all its glory.

Sunday

There was barbecue chicken pizza. And an extra hour in the day. And nice weather. Pretty much perfect.

Monday

1. My half-birthday!

2. I've been trying to go meatless on Mondays, and eat beef only once or twice a week, since methane (read: cow farts) is a greenhouse gas. However, they had beef stroganoff, my favorite food. And it was my half-birthday.

3. I was one of only six people who actually showed up to Superheroes. The class eventually turned into a discussion of people's dreams in which they had some kind of super power. I think my favorite was Superman shopping at Gap, or else Napoleonic navies fighting the Borg. (See, this is why I love my fellow geeks.) Why don't I have dreams like that?

Tuesday

This is my sleep-in day. Woke up at 9:30-ish. Was busy for entire rest of day.

1. First-Year Seminar class ended early, as only three of us had actually done the reading yet. This gave me time to meet with my teacher, who is also my adviser, to discuss next semester's schedule and my Winter Term project (an analysis of bathroom graffiti on college campuses). She told me to contact a folklorist, because folklore is the intersection of English and Sociology and it covers graffiti. I always considered folklore to be more about Paul Bunyan and leprechauns than which types of student are most likely to write the lyrics to "Still Alive" on the bathroom wall. Folklore suddenly seems a lot more exciting...

2. Grab quick lunch. The mock chicken here actually tastes and feels like chicken but is more flexible (you can fold it over on itself with a fork).

3. Lifeguard--grand total of three swimmers in 90 minutes.

4. Time to vote, for the first time in my life! I'd gotten a packet from the League of Women Voters ages ago and last week had sat down with it and gone through, reading candidates' statements and issue descriptions, marking the ones I wanted to vote for. I was not going to be some apathetic young voter, hell no, not me! I was going to be prepared!

I came into the gym with my utility bill as ID and proof of residence, double-checked my precinct, signed off that I was voting, took my little swipey-card, went to the portable machines, and stuck the card into the slot.

Then I realized I'd left my cheat-sheet in my room.

I couldn't leave--I was already signed in and everything, my card was inserted, if I left I would forfeit anything. My warm, happy, satisfied, efficient, patriotic feelings of voter efficacy plummeted and I muttered a word I'd first uttered aloud when Bush got re-elected. Actually, I said something even stronger first. But I was not happy with myself.

I ended up just voting for the people whose names I was sure I remembered underlining and skipping those for whom I wasn't entirely confident. I did know how I was going to vote on all of the yes/no issues, however, so I managed to salvage some bit of confidence from that. It was worrying, however--how many people simply vote like this all the time? How many show up and, through accident or apathy, just pick names at random? I felt awkward. But I didn't have long to feel that way, because I had a little bit of time to do homework and then--

4. Interviewed Wendy Levy, class of 1982, for the Oberlin Review. She was giving a presentation on documentaries, interactive media, and social justice. I thought she was amazing--full of energy and clearly passionate about what she does. She loved Oberlin and said it was what kick-started pretty much everything she works on now. It's hard to sum up...the article should be in the next issue, which you can read here on Saturday.

5. More homework, dinner, more homework.

6. Go to Wendy Levy's presentation. Get mind blown. Leave feeling inspired and energized. See a small group of students standing under a streetlight in the cold night air and hear one of them saying, "But what does it mean to not know?" Quintessential Oberlin moment.

7. Fully intend to do homework but end up spending an hour reading silly Halloween stories on MLIA.com (My Life Is Average--the happy cousin of FML).

8. Sunshine Scouts practice.

9. Consider how wonderfully soft and cozy flannel sheets are.

10. Sleep.

Wednesday

This is normally my most hectic day, but considering how Tuesday went this week, it wasn't.

1. Normal classes in the morning, followed by a Bonus Optional Extra Session of my First-Year Seminar. We've got a paper due next week and we workshopped each other's over lunch--pizzas that our teacher/my adviser had ordered. I like that class. :)

2. French speaking practice, complete with a trivia quiz about France! Somehow we got to talking about Harry Potter. Apparently, over there, they pronounce the main characters' names as "Arry," "Er-me-own," and "Ro'." I like Ro'. It's cuuuute. It works. Ron would hate it, Hermione would giggle, Fred and George would give him hell.

3. Econ class, homework, wrote article for the Review and sent it in.

4. "We Are America: Uninsured," a panel on health care. My Sociology professor was on it, as were representatives of the Economics and Politics department, a pediatrician, and someone who I think was from the philosophy department. His observations were somewhat depressing--socialized medicine just lowers incentive for medical innovation, but what we've got now doesn't work very well either, and it's all a giant mess. Obviously a two-hour-long panel discussion wasn't going to solve America's health care problems, but I found it interesting and fairly educational. I'm still not sure how single-payer health care would work, or how it could lead to government monopolization of health care if we require everyone to get coverage...but that's what Google is for, and now I know lots of comparative systems in other countries, which is always a good thing to have.

Thursday

Blessedly slow: nothing but one class, one lifeguard shift, a lecture on the predictability of problem behavior in children based on family environment, and Sunshine Scouts practice.

Today, Friday

An Econ test, some lifeguarding, and a Sunshine Scouts performance! Exciting! And tomorrow we're going to Chicago for an invitational competition. That might be the subject of next week's blog...

A little goody for all those of you who have seen my chaotic week through to its end. PS238 is recommended reading for the Superheroes ExCo, and it's about a school for kids with superpowers. It's funny, cute, and has been eating up what free time I have. Enjoy.

If you're applying to Oberlin this year, you probably already know that we take the Common Application, but that we also require you to complete the Oberlin Supplement. The supplement asks a few additional questions, and also gives you the (required) opportunity to write an additional essay about why you want to attend Oberlin. The wording sometimes changes from year to year, but right now the question asks you to "Please write a brief statement that addresses the following: Given your interests, values, and goals, explain why Oberlin College will help you grow (as a student and a person) during your undergraduate years." We refer to this essay in our office as the "Why Oberlin?" essay, because we basically just want to know why you want to attend Oberlin, and what you think you're going to get out of the experience.

Everybody's different, and we like differences, so we don't have one perfect answer to this question that we want everyone to approximate. We're looking to find out a bit more about who you are, and why you want to come to Oberlin. This is helpful to us in several different ways as we do our holistic review of your application.

1) It gives us a better sense of who you are as a person and what you will add to the community.
2) It gives us the opportunity to discover your level of enthusiasm for Oberlin and how much you're really interested in attending.
3) It's another chance for us to evaluate your writing skills, and make sure that you can express yourself coherently and grammatically.

From your perspective, this is the one place in your application in which you have the opportunity to directly make the case to the admissions officers about why they should admit you to Oberlin. The rest of your application is more general--it demonstrates why you should be admitted to college. This essay is the place to demonstrate why you should be admitted to Oberlin. We are a unique place, and we like to see that you have a sense of that, and that it's really what you want, and that you will add something positive to the Oberlin community.

Not to stress you out too much about it. We do a holistic review, so every part of your application is important. But the other side of the holistic review is that no one element of your application can singlehandedly kill your chances of being admitted. We've admitted some students with pretty poor Why Oberlin essays, because they had otherwise strong applications. A good essay will help, but to be good it doesn't have to be a brilliant masterpiece that will blow us away with your wit and charm and enthusiasm and writing skills and general awesomeness.

When I read one of our Oberlin supplement essays, I'm looking for something that gives me a sense of who you are and what you care about, something that is well written, and that gives me a sense of why you want to come to Oberlin. The only disappointing essays are the ones that don't answer those questions, or that read like they were written as a generic response to a different essay question (this is, after all, your one opportunity to make an Oberlin-specific argument. Don't waste it by just adapting that essay you wrote for some other school). If you are genuinely interested in attending Oberlin, and if you spend some time making sure you have expressed this interest clearly, your essay will be fine.

But about medical issues. After my visit to Student Health earlier this semester, I decided to become a rounder, more experienced person by visiting the local hospital, too. The hospital is located on the same street as Student Health, and is actually closer to campus. I'd never been there before, so I figured Sunday night was a good time to go see what their emergency room looked like.

Actually, I was taking my friend there. Over fall break, she went to Kentucky to work on a service project. Among other activities, they painted a metal roof, something that I had a lot of questions about, but something that is also not the point of this post. While in Kentucky, she had her first experience with poison ivy. At Oberlin, the rash got worse instead of better, until finally one of her eyelids started swelling shut. Benadryl didn't help, so she decided it was time for the hospital. She would probably have gone to Student Health first, but it being Sunday night, they weren't open.

After a brief walk in the crisp night air during which I considered making pirate jokes, we arrived at the hospital. My friend tried to go through the "Ambulance Only" door, but I managed to steer her away from that and toward the appropriate pedestrian door. That's why I went. Someone needed to point out the right door and push the intercom button so that the door would open.

There was no one in the emergency room, so my friend got looked at right away. She repeated the poison ivy saga and her name and birth date to multiple people while I sat in the waiting area and made eye contact with the Jesus hanging on the wall. Once all the paperwork was filled out, I went with her to see an actual nurse, and then an actual doctor. Both were quite helpful and quite awake for the time of night. Ultimately, she was prescribed a couple of drugs with very exciting names and given some shots while I admired the hospital's fall décor.

All in all a good experience, I would say. The swelling on my friend's face has gone down enough that she no longer looks like Erik and I no longer feel the need to sing about the music of the night every time I see her. Plus, the fact that I got no work done on Sunday night is completely justified, this time.

This summer I went to Los Angeles to see my little brother graduate from college. I went to Whitman College to participate in a special program for college-bound First Nation (Native American) and Native Hawaiian students. It was my first time in that part of the state of Washington even though I lived in Seattle for 8 years. It was a wonderful experience. Of course I met 3 Obies while I was there; all were on staff at Whitman. One of them was actually wearing an Oberlin t-shirt, proudly, I might add. I also went to Charleston, West Virginia, and back to Washington state and Oregon, where I hiked up Black Butte mountain with my entire family. Mind you, my 6-year-old son led the pack up and down the mountain... no sweat. And of course, what did I find at the top of Black Butte mountain?--well... crazy aggressive chipmunks and a fellow Obie. As it turns out my brother-in-law spotted a woman wearing an Oberlin hat and when he asked about it, she introduced her daughter who had attended Oberlin around the same time I did. I couldn't believe it, but then again I could; of course Obies climb mountains all over the world. After returning from that trip west, I then proceeded to drive to Columbus to sit for the Ohio bar and then drive to Chicago to pick up my children, who were staying with my mother. Whew!!!! Ooops and I almost forgot the highlight of my summer--a weekend cruise to the Bahamas with none other than my closest friends from Oberlin! I actually shared a cabin with my roommate from my second year at Oberlin. We had a great time, just us ladies. So with all of that being said, I guess you can understand my travel weariness.

Nonetheless, I've met many great prospective students on the road in St. Louis, Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Chicago. I've chatted with groups as small as 2 students and as large as 30 at schools all over the Midwest. The highlight was when I was manning a table at the 100 Black Men of Chicago fair and Mayor Daley walked by my table with a huge entourage of press and other interested fairgoers. The fair was a great way for the Mayor to showcase the great accomplishments of Chicago's teens after such a violent summer and fall. My final trip of the season will include visits to Milwaukee and Madison in Wisconsin. I'll be happy to wrap up travel season, but I look forward to meeting the students in Wisconsin.

All in all, I believe I am well suited for travel since I do so much of it in my "free" time. I really like to get out and experience different parts of the country and the world for that matter. How very Obie!

More recently, I have been jokingly/ironically associated with the word "rugged." For those of you unfamiliar with the English language, rugged is:

• (of a man's face or looks) having attractively strong, rough-hewn features
• having or requiring toughness and determination

Back-story: Last week, some friends and I got very bored and began talking about how I wanted to have my own plum-scented cologne line. Thus, we came up with the name of my cologne line, "Rugged." The humorous part about it is that I am really the polar opposite of rugged. I don't climb trees, I lack substantial upper body strength, and I don't like beef jerky. More often, I am associated with the words "androgynous" and "artsy" (I don't take too much offense to either, really). Anyway, the joke stuck and we spent a few hours producing a mock photo-shoot of me in some gray jeans, Timberlands, and a wife-beater throughout the bathrooms, hallways, kitchens of Barrows Hall. Some sample photos are provided here. I could easily provide you guys with a link to the entire album, but I'll let you find the rest of the set for yourself. I hope you're all squirming in disappointment.

As Halloween approached, I was nominated by my RA Ted and a couple other supporters of my "Rugged" campaign to dress up as the Hulk. I was slopped in green Crayola finger-paint and the transformation began. I present to you, The Incredibly Skinny Hulk:

Naturally, lots of other Barrows residents dressed up in costume and a large variety of outfits were on display. Given my obsession with lists and outlines, I have decided to organize the costumes into the different routes people decided to follow:

1. You can work as a team.

2. You can use Halloween as an excuse to dress up snazzy and showcase your sexiness. Yum!

3. You can be a celebrity or artist that you already look like.

4. You can make something awesome out of otherwise ordinary household items. Here is Lizzie adorning a wonderfully made snail costume out of numerous gray clothing articles, saran wrap, and sleeping bag. Impressive!

5. You can wear fewer clothes. Of course, you can always wear fewer clothes at Oberlin (I'm talking to you, guy who is always seen topless while I am shivering in 3 layers of clothing).

6. You can be something that no one will ever possibly decipher without an explanation. For example, Rebecca is supposed to be a "meadow." However, her fishnet stockings make her look like a "slutty meadow." Someone else thought she was a bush, and her costume was then misconstrued to be a "slutty bush." By the end of the night, she was a "bushy slut." Ouch.

I'll admit that I have yet to skip out on an opportunity to go trick-or-treating. Sadly, my search for candy this year was not the most rewarding. When the house to pieces of candy ratio is less than 1:1, it's a little disappointing. In addition, my skimpy costume made the 45 degree weather nigh unbearable. Even with a leather jacket, it was still uncomfortably numbing. Even further, the green finger paint started to peel after an hour and I began looking more like a leper than The Hulk. Note to self: Next Halloween, I will pay attention to the weather forecast before deciding my costume. Also, finger paint does not equal body paint.

After 30 minutes of unsuccessful trick-or-treating, we headed down to Gibson's and invested some money (and saved some time) into bags and bags of yummy, cavity-inducing candy: Clark Bars, Reese's, candy corn, Snickers, Mike & Ike's, Sour Patch, Tootsie Pops, M&M's and then some!

The night concluded with 12 or so of us gobbling candy in the 3rd floor lounge while listening to Bob Dylan, substituting the words to "Like a Rolling Stone" with "Like a Toblerone." Quintessential Oberlin moment? I think so.

During Environmental Studies yesterday, we were having a really good discussion about overpopulation and solving problems in developing countries, and Professor Shammin kept saying "Oh, I hadn't even thought of that before." It felt good to be a part of the whole thing. People will often say "you guys are the ones who are going to make the difference in the future," 'you guys' meaning our generation or us as concerned students, but during class I really had the feeling that we were the people, like we in the class were the ones who were going to be doing big things. Cool.

Professor Hyman, my Renaissance Lit. professor, was talking about how in the Renaissance, the printing press made it possible to disseminate information faster than it had ever been possible to before, and we were operating on about that speed (increased a little by airplanes and general globalization) until the internet era we are in now. Genius ideas can be spread worldwide (provided they aren't owned by companies) in days, hours, seconds. Along with the great ideas, of course there are millions of the dumbest ideas anyone has ever been ashamed to put into words, but that's the tradeoff. Ignore the dumb stuff.

Things I am excited about:

Classes next semester. Besides returning to the Biological fold, I have no idea what they are going to be, but I'm seriously pumped to find out.

Making stupid Youtube videos. Mikey Silva is... Solid Gold should be done soon. Mad Lib will get done whenever I get the getupandgo to do it.

Renewable energy sources. The possibilities seem like they are getting bigger and bigger. Let's find some that work and put them into use everywhere, now-ish. I can deal with the fact that on my list of things I am excited about I included "classes" and "renewable energy sources" because I have come to grips with the fact that I am a huuuuuuuuuge nerd.

Making a catalog for my sister's bracelet company. Sounds like no fun at all, but it is actually turning out to be a chance to do photography and graphic design and maybe even get paid for it. Unreasonably time-consuming.

Winter Term. I've had some vague ideas about this one recently. I'd love to take the time to make something again, like build a camera or an ornithopter (ideas left over from last year), but we've been talking a lot about sustainable farming in Env. Sci., and I think I might want to start a farm...

Environmental Science. The field is hot like Tabasco right now, and the thing that keeps hitting me when I read articles and hear speakers is the wonderful and hopeful explosion of creativity it involves. They're using urine to power cars, people. That's one better than Dr. Brown in BTTF.

Neuroscience lab.

Things I'm NOT excited about:

Sociology & English class: Not that I dislike the classes at all, I just don't look forward to doing the readings or going to class early in the morning. Renaissance English is a class busting with insightful, well-read Obies, but I'm not doing particularly well in the class, and I kind of want to read some damn Shakespeare already. I am glad (not excited) that I took both of these classes, though, as I now know more about what classes I will not be taking many more of. Remember the decidedly undecided boy who blogged at this same address starting about a year ago? He's becoming a man. A man with hair on his...head, mostly. A man with choices, convictions. A man who probably won't be signing up for another Sociology class next semester.

That's about it. I'm generally very excited about things that are happening in my life now.
Thanks.

I found myself chuckling out loud when Dan recalled Ishmael telling him there would be "dark" moments in writing the book, but Dan claims he has a dark sense of humor so he thought he could handle it. Turns out the subject matter was more than Dan expected, so he could only read a bit of Ishmael's writing at a time. I don't think Dan expected the atrocities that would be revealed to him from the same student who believes in the possibility of things changing for the better. I can only imagine the trust developed between the two to share this story.

I learned how Ishmael found his publisher and that he was not pleased when it was suggested that he cut out a lot of the stories about his grandmother. I laughed when Ishmael revealed that he used to sit in the dining hall with his back to the wall, planning his escape route should the need arise. Of course Oberlin College is a far way from the jungles of Sierra Leone, so I'm pleased to report that the escape plan was never needed.

It's clear that Ishmael and Dan have developed a deep bond over working on the book, and I feel very privileged to have been able to listen to them speak. I know that I speak for the over 200 alumni in attendance that this was a night to be proud of the Oberlin mentor relationship as it played out in front of us as well as offering hope for the future and for future Obies.

For those of you who haven't read A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, I hope you'll take the time to read the book that Jon Stewart (The Daily Show) said made his heart hurt. It is moving and disturbing, but in the end hopeful, and rejoices in regaining our humanity.

The weather the past few days has been great--jeans get hot--I think this is what is meant by "an Indian summer." Today, though, it was chilly again, properly Halloween-y.

Today I had a quintessential Oberlin experience: I went to the Local Foods Fest. This was a combination farmers' market, fall fair, and food competition--the all-OSCA cookoff was held there. Student musical groups were performing. I enjoyed the Acapellicans and the Obertones, but my favorite group was a small band--one guy, two girls--whose name I didn't catch.

I had volunteered at the gourd-painting booth. That was actually a lot of fun. Only one little kid came by while I was there, but many Obies did and their creations were often inspiring. I particularly admired someone who turned a long-necked, fairly smooth gourd into a swan. When my shift was over, I wandered around. I eventually returned to my room with a baby loaf of homemade whole wheat bread, a gallon of spiced apple cider, and four ounces of chevre. Mmm.

I had another very Oberlin experience earlier this week when I attended a lecture by one Bernie Mayer, an OC alum (1968), who was very active in all kinds of protests, on campus and off, during his time here. He told us a few "war stories" about blocking railroads to nuclear power plants and mobbing a recruiter to stop him from reaching campus, after which all 200 demonstrators marched to the police station to be arrested. (He was very funny during this part of the speech!) Then he moved on to discuss some of the flaws in their approach then--how the student activists tended to vilify those who disagreed with them. This segued into how he stumbled into conflict resolution work, and the process of finding a balance between instincts toward activism and compromise. It was exciting!

Another major part of Oberlin is long, intense conversations about either Deep, Serious Issues or totally random geeky stuff. (They tend to veer wildly back and forth between the two, as well.) I had one at lunch yesterday that was a lovely mix--I listened to the plan for a serious science-fiction story, complete with global warming, continental drift, biological warfare, evolutionary timescales, and relativistic travel, in which the main characters are furries. I offered to help write it. In fact, the subject began with the plot's mastermind asking me, "Can you write stuff?" (My reply: " . . . . yeah . . .")

Other non-sequiturs this week:

(during a discussion of the nature of space-time) "Not to change the subject, but Scooby-Doo would make a great anime."

(on Japanese music) "Japanese people don't need to get high. They're just crazy. Like people in Barnard."

(a friend and I quoting xkcd in unison) "Science. IT WORKS, BITCHES."

There was also a circulation of the first minute of Castle, in which Nathan Fillion wears his costume from Firefly as a Halloween outfit, and of the most recent episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold, which is a musical featuring Neil Patrick Harris as the villainous Music Meister. These are terribly exciting events to a certain segment of the population, although not by any means to everyone.

To return to Halloween, however--there is a group going trick or treating later and then a party, complete with food and movies, at Barnard. It'll be a fun night. But for now, I need to take a walk and do some homework. Whatever you're doing, have fun!

Plan A: A proposal is made by the subject's biochemistry TA. He lives in Rochester and can take her back. If not, he knows someone else who can. She agrees.

Plan B: A proposal is made by the subject's biochemistry study buddy, who knows a bunch of people going to Eastman for cello lessons. They can take her.

What actually happens: Plan A fails. The subject's TA is going to Washington D.C. first. The other person he knows is leaving during her lab. She can't skip lab.

Plan B fails. The subject won't be able to fit in the car because the cellos were not taken into account. Cellos are clearly more important than the mission.

Cue panic. There are only five days left in which a foolproof plan must be implemented. Further proposals are brought to the table.

Option A: The bus

Pros: Reasonable departure time, lovably sketchy clientele, familiar mode of transport

Cons: Pricey, lovably sketchy clientele, potentially sub-par drivers leading to an almost certainly late arrival time

Option B: Using the classifieds

Pros: Actually not too sketchy

Cons: Could easily fall through, see Plans A and B, hard to arrange this late

Option C: The train

Pros: Romantic form of travel, likely to arrive on time, no transfers

Cons: Unreasonable departure time (5:20 AM), possibility of bindlestiffs

Option D: Hitchhiking

Pros: You just keep going east until you get there

Cons: Parents would not approve due to possibility of never making it back

The miracle: One of the awesome freshmen who lives on the subject's hall said, "I can take you to Cleveland at three in the morning." Promises about first born children, true names, etc. are made.

Conclusion: The subject purchases a bus ticket and makes it through the rest of the week, dodging ninjas and other assorted dangers. Early Saturday morning the awesome freshman's mother arrives and picks up both the subject and the awesome freshman, taking the subject to the train station and the awesome freshman home. The station is unlocked, so the subject does not repeat her cousin's signature move of get to the train station on time, discover it locked, and miss the train. She manages to get on the train and off to Rochester with no further problems.

Success.

I love the gym. I love putting on my earphones, and rocking out on an elliptical. I love sweating. I love running around Oberlin. I love tiny lockers. I love lifting things. I love feeling my muscles burn afterward. Whether I'm being lazy on a stationary bike, casually peddling while reading some China Mieville, or sprinting down the bike path, I love it all. It's Aries time.

At home, the gyms are pretty frighteningly hardcore. Everyone using the equipment are people who don't (seem to) need it. But Phillips (Oberlin's main gym) is chill. Community members use it as well as students and faculty. Kids take karate lessons there; older folks use the pool. You see staff members in the weight room, and professors on the treadmills.

(Question: Is there some code to follow when you realize you're working out next to a professor? Do you not headbang as obnoxiously to your music? Do you run faster? Do you sanitize the machine with more ferocity when you're done? Do you ignore them?)


Given my gym-love, it's no surprise that I love OBFit. OBFit is...

A 4-week program to encourage more members of the Oberlin College community to lead healthy lifestyles... special fitness programs will be offered to the campus, consisting of a wide variety of structured activities, open play, classes, demonstrations, and lectures.

Classes like... Deep Water Aerobics, Power Hour, Yoga, Pilates, So You Wanna Be A Triathlete, Awesome Abs. Also: cooking demonstrations, bike rides, basketball and a lot more. Cool as a billion options are... I have limited time. My strategy was to commit to one thing, the first thing that worked.

I saw Zumba.

A few of my friends had done Zumba. When I asked them about it, they would stare at me, yell "ZUMBA!" and laugh hysterically. Then, feverishly insist I do it. As just-drink-the-Kool-Aid as they acted... it sounded cool. Zumba apparently mixes "body sculpting movements" with salsa, reggaeton, hip hop, and calypso. As most of my Sco-type dancing involves rather unrefined moves, this would be helpful. Also, I love dancing.

The room was packed with folks of all different ages and sizes. At the head of the class stood a gorgeous blond woman, with a bright smile and a slight accent. She was terrific. It's hard to be a chipper, encouraging aerobics instructor without being annoying, but Jenny pulled it off. She was really clear with her movements and patterns, so even if the task was hard, she demonstrated it flawlessly. And she truly believed we were all going to be fantastic dancers.

That said, it was really, really freakin' hard. I never think of dance as exercise, but this... counted. Given the speed and the occasional bust into squats or odd exercises, my pulse raced. My face turned a mottled shade of raspberry; sweat literally poured from my forehead and neck, The music was good: both traditional styles and club remixes. And by the end of it, my thighs were quite aware of what had just transpassed. My jaw hurt... because I was smiling a lot.

As class emptied, I heard that Jenny, our awesome teacher, is a senior violinist in the Conservatory. That is, someone a year younger than me. Woah.

I feel guilty for not going to more OBFit Classes, but between tumbling club, swing dancing, running, and now Zumba, I was physically getting my fill. Still, I wanted more.

That sort of thinking makes me nervous. I don't like staring into a mirror and sobbing over my squishy parts. I rather like my squishy parts. They make buying pants harder — damn you, skinny jeans! — but it keeps me warm in the winter.


So I thought about why I love this exercise thing, aside from the physical enjoyment of exertion. As introspection and self-reflection aren't my strengths, this took a while.

First: Assertiveness
I go to the gym to become the person I want to see in the mirror. Ideally, I'd like to look, feel and lift like a superhero. Say, Wonder Woman.

I'd like to be Wonder Woman. Credit: Alex Ross

Second: Hedonic
I really like the process of becoming stronger. I mentioned it earlier, but exhausting things bring me a disturbing amount of joy. Over the summer, I joined a running club and spent much of the week anticipating our Saturday night adventures. Whatever "the zone" or a "runner's high" is, I don't know. But I do love it. It's stress-free and non-competitive.

I don't have to think so much when I run; yet, I can also think uninterruptedly. For Storytelling, I practice on the ellipticals. You can talk to yourself for a long time without getting a concerned glance. Or, if I ever needed to finish off some less-mentally-overwhelming readings, the gym was a good place to do it. As I run, my thinking is more free and less linear.

Third: Insecurity
Maybe I just go to the gym because all my friends are so strong and beautiful. Maybe I'm weak and stupid in comparison. Maybe I just want to be like everyone else.

Although, in seriousness, Oberlin is an absurdly trim campus. Despite the delicious foodie-tastic co-ops, Ma'ayan-wiches, DeCafe bulk snacks, and tater tots, students are healthy. I blame the bike path, tasty local veggies, sustainability folks and the distance of any real fast food. The McD's is within walking distance, but I've never wanted a vanilla shake badly enough to walk that far out of my way.

The attitude towards exercise is different — people lean more towards general activity than conventional gym-going. My friends are more liable to dance for five hours straight, train for capoeira or struggle for a back handspring than put on some ratty sneakers and do squats. After class, folks go to the climbing wall or play intramural soccer. For their campus jobs, some of my friends build sets. Given the choice between a stationary bike and riding to Chance Creek... Well. That's easy.

My friends are pretty awesome. Credit: Ma'ayan Plaut!

Forth: Security
While running on the bike path, listening to the Scissor Sisters, I realized a big why. Strength, in and of itself, is amazing.

Circus, like Oberlin itself, worms its values into you over time. Strength is a big thing in circus; you can't do much of a handstand without it.

Over the summer, I went to a social circus conference, AYCO. It was fantastic: a good way to meet people who use circus for social activism, helping kids find community and build skills. Besides offering much food for thought, AYCO also taught classes, including a lyra class. Lyra, which I first saw in Seattle, thanks to SANCA, is a hoop that you use like a trapeze. How cool, I thought. I'm flexible — this will be great.

Try, HOW INCREDIBLY PAINFUL AND HUMILIATING.

Lyra is really hard, it turns out. Getting up requires more lat pull-ups than I got. And manipulating 6 feet of lady on the ring (once I got up) was fail-tastic.

Fail Whale! Credit: Twitter


It was a good wake-up call. Not for losing weight, but for gaining strength. I'm strong for a gal. I can lift heavy objects, I can jog for several miles, I can be disturbingly flexible. But I can't do a pull-up. Or a proper set of push-ups. Or run really fast.

So that's my plan. Get stronger.

Thanks to the OBFit useful links section, I found Stumptuous, where I've spent an unnatural amount of time. Between the advice there, and my crazy circus exercises I know, I think I'll accomplish my goals by December break.

My Goals:
- 1 Pull-Up
- 12 x 3 full Push-Ups
- Ability to walk a handstand (ie. do one without a wall)
- Increased stamina + speed in running + jumping

Of course, as they say, it's about the journey, not the destination. And, strangely enough, I'm excited for that sweaty, exhausting run.

In retrospect, I realize that New York is a good place for a vacation but not necessarily a break. It is a break from the life of a student, from college life, but it is fast-paced and fun-filled. That isn't to say it isn't a fabulous place and that I didn't have a great time. The short list of what we did included eating as much food as humanly possible (Diner food! Dim sum! Reubens at Katz's Deli! Tea and scones at Alice's Tea Cup! Hot dogs at Gray's Papaya!), seeing entertainment of all sizes (Concerts! Musicals! Plays!) ambling around most of the city (if it's south of 90th Street and still in Manhattan, we probably walked past it), and geeking out at camera stores, tiny food markets, and cooking gadget stores.

New York also has the tendency to radiate OBERLIN whenever there's a break. It seems like 50% of this school is from New York, and about 80% of campus is there over break. Last fall break, my Obie-in-New-York count was 36. This fall, our count was slightly lower: 7, though we attempted a few more than that but the timing was off. Regardless, that's more Obies than I know of that have come to Oberlin from Hawaii. The only way to see Obies out there (other than my awesome dad) is to convince them to fly to island paradise to visit me. Surprisingly, only one person has taken me up on this offer. (P.S. My parents just bought a house with four bedrooms. What is stopping you? Come to Hawaii!)

As it is this wonderful tradition to bring as much as possible of Oberlin to New York, I implemented a plan last fall to bring as much of OCircus! to New York as possible. Over fall break last year, my housemate Chris visited my grandmother and me for a few days, and we started spinning poi at some famous spots around the city, calling it "destination poi spinning," just for kicks. One evening, we spun in Columbus Circle, in this cool circular island in the center of a huge traffic circle. When our friend Franny came into the city for the day, we spun poi on the steps of the Museum of Natural History.

Over spring break last year, Daniel accidentally left his poi in Oberlin (prompting it to be the first thing on his packing list this fall) but we still managed to do the now-traditional Columbus Circle night spin, though sharing one set of poi.

Luckily, Daniel remembered his poi this break... spinning extravaganza commence! We started with the Columbus Circle nightspin, progressed to the front of the Church of Scientology while waiting in line for tickets to In the Heights, in front of the Museum of Natural History with our friend Matt, at High Line Park in Chelsea, and in Times Square at night.

After In the Heights (OH MY GOD FABULOUS SO MUCH DANCING!) we planned to spin in Times Square. As we got to this blocked off part of the street, a now permenant place for pedestrians to gawk at all the lights and take photos of themselves without getting hit by crazy New York drivers, we saw this kid playing with a diabolo, another circus toy (also called a Chinese yo-yo) and got a good circus vibe. Daniel started spinning, then I spun, then we both started spinning. And then two police officers meandered over and told me that whatever we were doing wasn't allowed. Daniel walks over, notes that we aren't busking, but rather, practicing. They told us that any sort of anything on a public walkway was a disturbance to pedestrians, and then blanked on what permits we needed to practice as well as where it was permitted to practice, and where said permits could be obtained. Obviously, we're two rogue college students out to take over Manhattan. Maybe next break.

New York was lovely, but there are some things that Oberlin has that New York doesn't over fall break: COLORS!

Jealous? You should come visit us this autumn, or next autumn...

∂∂

And... playlist!

I Need A Break:

1. Daybreak - Bela Fleck
2. New Soul - Yael Naim
3. Headlock - Imogen Heap
4. The Best You Can - Bill Withers
5. Take the Picture Off - RJD2
6. Blue (Remixed) - A Perfect Circle
7. Kiss the Girl (Techno Remix) - The Little Mermaid
8. Inner Smile - Texas
9. Can't Get It Out of My Head - Electric Light Orchestra
10. Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder) - The Beach Boys
11. In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning - Frank Sinatra
12. 16 Military Wives - The Decemberists
13. Last Bus Home - Celtic Waves
14. Big Country - Bela Fleck and the Flecktones
15. Mind Trips - The Brand New Heavies
16. Let's Take A Trip Together - Morphine
17. Many the Miles (Stripped Version) - Sara Bareilles
18. Englishman in New York - Sting
19. New York City - They Might Be Giants
20. Happy Phantom - Tori Amos

∂∂

Last night, a group of my friends and I went to the Feve at about 11:50pm. Yes, last night was a Wednesday, which I am aware is not one of the days that qualifies as a typical weekend/drinking day. And yes, we did have homework to do. And no, we don't usually drink during the week. We went to the Feve last night to celebrate one of the most important rites of passage of young adulthood, usually experienced during the junior or senior year of college: the right to purchase your own alcohol. Today is my boyfriend's 21st birthday, so it was only appropriate that we celebrate in traditional Oberlin fashion and help him celebrate the joyous event with a drink at midnight.

The Feve serves as a 21st birthday hot spot among Oberlin College students, and I'm sure has been doing so for years. The Feve's purpose of celebrating 21st birthdays had not really emerged in my life until last year when my friends all started reaching this monumental age. However, since my 21st birthday was not until last summer, I was not able to partake in anything but pop (yes pop, not soda) and tater tots. But I digress.

My eyes were also opened this year to the Feve as a Mecca for the undergraduate elders of Oberlin on Friday afternoons. For the past three years, I had always witnessed the hordes of people crowded in Wilder Bowl for TGIF on Friday afternoons lying in the grass and enjoying the company of friends with loud music blasting in the background. It seemed that nearly all of the student population stopped by TGIF at some point. Little did I know that a 21+ demographic that I had recently become a member of often goes to a little thing called "Happy Hour." I went to my first happy hour this year, and I was amazed at how the Feve's bar area seems to shrink exponentially on Friday afternoons when the Feve is flocked with thirsty college students with a taste for cheap beverages.

Sure, it's nice to have a cold beverage after a stressful week of classes, work, and tests. But more importantly, I like Happy Hour for the sense of camaraderie I feel with my fellow Obies as we all share in the strife of academic life and escape the confines of King for the more crowded and more confining physical space of the Feve bar. The atmosphere during happy hour is incredibly warm, which is reflective of the environment on campus as a whole during a the week except that during the week there's that lingering feeling of a paper that is waiting to be written or a problem set that must soon be completed.

During the week, the Feve has often served as a place for group meetings and discussions with professors. The summer months bring about Feve dance parties in the bar. Also, take-out from the Feve is a tasty alternative when I am too lazy to cook (which isn't terribly often but happens from time to time).

For those under 21 (such as myself prior to June of this year), or those in the general population that require nourishment, the Feve offers some of the best food this city has to offer--in my (expert) opinion of course. Here I would like to share with you some of my top culinary choices that the Feve has to offer:

1) Iced Chai
- Need I say more?

2)The Number Nine
-A pita with falafel and hummus and other veggie-like delicious goodness

3)Erica's Burger
-A Boca (vegan) burger with grilled portobello mushroom and red onion and avocado

4)Shishtawouk
-I believe it is pronounced like Shish-ta-walk. This took me awhile to learn--hence the title of this post. This sandwich has cilantro lime marinated chicken breast grilled and served in a pita with lettuce, tomato, and garlic mayonnaise. Although, since I am a vegetarian, I replace the chicken with tofu. You can replace meat in any of the items with tofu, and any of the burgers can be replaced with Boca burgers. So carnivores and herbivores can share a meal in perfect harmony.

And last but CERTAINLY not least...

5)Tater Tots
-I will make an educated guess that Tater Tots are one of the Feve's most popular items. They have various seasonings you can choose from to enhance the fried potato treasures, and I personally always go with "Megan Seasoning," which is their herbal seasoning.

Of course these are the Feve's best food items according to me. If you ask another Oberlin student what their favorite items are at the Feve, they will most likely readily answer you. Oh, and I should add that the Feve (supposedly) has great brunch on Sunday mornings. I've only had it once and it was years ago, so I don't really remember. Brunch at the Feve is so popular that the line is usually quite lengthy, and when it comes to food, my patience is little to non-existent. So my opinion on their brunch is also non-existent but I don't want that to discourage you from exercising a bit more fortitude than I can and stick it out.

The Feve has many happy memories for me. Even when I am physically away from campus, my heart and stomach will always keep a place for the Feve.

I actually have to go to dinner (at the Feve) now. No, I'm not kidding. And no, I did not just say that so that I could have a cheesy, cliché ending for this post. The tater tots with Megan seasoning are beckoning.

The downside of fall that truly bothers me is that nightfall comes earlier. And winter is a mere few weeks away.

If you're in a rut for things to do, let me offer a few ideas to help you shake the doldrums and end the term with a strong finish.

1. Take time to enjoy the season in this cozy community. Oberlin is small enough to get around quite easily. It's pedestrian friendly, which lends itself to nature walks, short bike trips, jogging, skateboarding, soccer, flag football and other outdoorsy kinds of activities. Not a sports kinda person? Go leaf hunting on Tappan Square and collect as many varieties as you want.
2. Choose a Winter Term project that will stretch you beyond what you think you are capable of doing. College is all about life-changing experiences that develop your intellect and enrich your soul.
3. Buy a smoothie (or the beverage of your choice) at Wilder DeCafé and sip it while sitting on a bench in your favorite spot on campus or along Main Street.
4. View the stars, the moon and all other galaxy-like wonders from the Oberlin College Planetarium and Observatory. What? Didn't know we had one? It's atop Peters Hall. The dome and telescope were installed back in 1929. Today the observatory and planetarium play host to introductory astronomy classes, individual student projects, the Oberlin Astronomy Club, and interested stargazers. Take a date and enjoy the view.
5. Attend a men's or women soccer game or a football game. Forget the Browns. Why travel 30 miles to see a so-so team possibly lose or pile into a game room to watch it on a flat-screen TV? Go over to Shults Field and root for one of the home teams. You might even know some of the players so you can hassle them later for missing a pass.
6. Attend at least one cultural event before the semester ends: a concert, a student-directed play, jazz forum, master class, a museum exhibit, a walking tour of Oberlin, a reading at the public library, or a midday or evening lecture of your choice. Just one event, that's all. Too much fun and you'll forget why you're here.
7. Buy a pumpkin from the local grocery, a roadside market, or during the upcoming local foods fest. Carve it and decorate it but don't toss the seeds. Wash and dry them out and toast them in an oven. Season with salt or the sweet spice of your choice.
8. Rent the movie Psycho, the original from 1961. It's a suspenseful, classic thriller. Forget Halloween IV, Saw III, and the other modern-day slasher flicks. They just don't compare to the genius of Hitchcock. Don't blink or you'll miss him!
9. Show random acts of kindness. That was a popular slogan a few years back. Make someone else feel just a little bit better about life and the opportunities learning at Oberlin will afford him or her. Need an idea? Check out the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation. Gosh, there is a website for everything.
10. Call your mom and tell her you love her. Tell your dad how much you love Oberlin but can't wait to come home.