Tomorrow, as most of you may know, is the day hurricane Irene is hitting Massachusetts. Since our dorm is what some would call a piece of crap, we're actually being evacuated to somewhere...newer. Also where there aren't several, giant trees around. I thought I'd give a regularly updated account of the events over here at Gordon-- like twitter, really, but less completely useless.
So this is either going to be a gripping, Cloverfield-like first person perspective on the worst natural disaster Gordon has ever seen, or a chronicling of 20 dudes who stocked up on junk food, being in a basement, and eating the junk food.
Saturday
5:30-- (T-minus 16.5 hours until lockdown) Target run to pick up some food for tomorrow. Luckily they hadn't raised Easy Mac prices tenfold in anticipation of the storm. Also purchased a scooter. As in, a razor scooter. Apparently those are socially acceptable here, and since there's real pavement here, they work.
7:30-- (T-minus 14.5) Test out scooter on way to dining hall. It is awesome. My seven minute trip from the dorm to the dining hall is now a meager 180 seconds.
8:20-- Packing time. To take, or not to take my entire nerf selection. Better safe than sorry.
9:42-- Still packing. Things are getting somewhat serious, actually-- the RA is planning to bump the evacuation time from tomorrow at 9 am to tonight at midnight.
9:56-- Now avoiding the news. Pictures and "deadly storm" headlines really can do no good for me at this point. It'll probably be fine..but still.
9:57-- I really would have been fine if I went, say, a month or so without packing, but here we are.
Sunday
1:54-- There are eleven laptops set up on the table in the basement of Ferrin Hall, our new spot. Rain's comin' down pretty hard again. Played through a few games of League of Legends after some rousing CatchPhrase, and still goin' strong. Off to retrieve the PizzaRolls in our freezer across the way.
2:21-- Tom drank "Sprite" from a bottle with a red cap originally on it. I don't know what black magic spawned such a substance, but I'm predicting some sort of ailment.
12:19-- Windy, dark, rainy, and League of Legends-y. We're going to start a 5v5 Ferrin v Rider game pretty soon.
12:20-- Quote of the morning so far:
Mike: "Can we turn the lights on so it's not so gloomy?"
Max: "But then it's less like a gamer cave."
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
I Love College
I never thought I could possibly be this excited about school. Orientation at Gordon was, how you say, freaking awesome. I tried to organize the intensity and incredible experiences, but I'm really tired and classes start tomorrow so I'm just gonna spitball it a bit. Bear with me.
Academic day was one of the best. That's the one about classes. My schedule is spectacular. I never have any classes until 10:25, my Friday class ends at noon, and I have a three-hour creative writing block ever Monday night. My advisor, an English professor, did voice work for the Tribes and Thief video game series.
Yesterday, I walked outside and was almost overcome by the beauty of the weather. I actually just stood there for something like three minutes, beaming.
The Dean brought a live lobster on stage with him.
There's a band, and the director seems like the nicest guy ever. I got into the men's choir, as well as a band everyone gets into.
Heck, even my textbooks were a joy to purchase; Dad was expecting 400 bucks and it came in at about half that. And they were playing Iron Man on a TV for the line. Not Fireproof, Iron Man.
At DA, I eventually got numb to the reaction that no one knows any references I make or shows I watch. Here, people have quoted teen girl squad, shouted internet memes, and when I called dibs on a Scott Pilgrim poster everyone got jealous because they know what that is.
Although the dorm building I'm living in is not the best, and a hike from the center of campus, the guys in it are fantastic. Half the place plays League of Legends, the RA has a SNES and Atari, and it took about two hours for someone to take out a DS and show us a mighty impressive Pokedex. One senior reminisced about Nerf battles and Brawl tournaments of yesteryear. I've found my people.
That's the real kicker. I told someone I knew running the orientation over facebook that they've been some of my favorite days ever, and that was not hyperbole. I love my class so far. I know that will change eventually, of course; people are still in the "everyone's my best friend stage." But knowing that I've already met a vast number of incredibly interesting, diverse people-- more than I have in years combined-- and still have several hundred options for friends has been exhilarating.
And not to sound like "that guy," but there is a high number of very attractive girls in our class. One wore a transformers shirt yesterday. To sound like that guy-- booyah.
-Will
"God gives you grace, we give you visitation hours."
Academic day was one of the best. That's the one about classes. My schedule is spectacular. I never have any classes until 10:25, my Friday class ends at noon, and I have a three-hour creative writing block ever Monday night. My advisor, an English professor, did voice work for the Tribes and Thief video game series.
Yesterday, I walked outside and was almost overcome by the beauty of the weather. I actually just stood there for something like three minutes, beaming.
The Dean brought a live lobster on stage with him.
There's a band, and the director seems like the nicest guy ever. I got into the men's choir, as well as a band everyone gets into.
Heck, even my textbooks were a joy to purchase; Dad was expecting 400 bucks and it came in at about half that. And they were playing Iron Man on a TV for the line. Not Fireproof, Iron Man.
At DA, I eventually got numb to the reaction that no one knows any references I make or shows I watch. Here, people have quoted teen girl squad, shouted internet memes, and when I called dibs on a Scott Pilgrim poster everyone got jealous because they know what that is.
Although the dorm building I'm living in is not the best, and a hike from the center of campus, the guys in it are fantastic. Half the place plays League of Legends, the RA has a SNES and Atari, and it took about two hours for someone to take out a DS and show us a mighty impressive Pokedex. One senior reminisced about Nerf battles and Brawl tournaments of yesteryear. I've found my people.
That's the real kicker. I told someone I knew running the orientation over facebook that they've been some of my favorite days ever, and that was not hyperbole. I love my class so far. I know that will change eventually, of course; people are still in the "everyone's my best friend stage." But knowing that I've already met a vast number of incredibly interesting, diverse people-- more than I have in years combined-- and still have several hundred options for friends has been exhilarating.
And not to sound like "that guy," but there is a high number of very attractive girls in our class. One wore a transformers shirt yesterday. To sound like that guy-- booyah.
-Will
"God gives you grace, we give you visitation hours."
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Reelin' in the Months
They say first impressions are of the utmost importance, but I would argue that last impressions are even more vital to an opinion.
If I were to sum up my last few months in Africa in a sentence, as I often have done in my head, it would be this: My final encounters soured the vast majority of the few things I enjoyed about Dakar, making me increasingly contented to leave.
I looked forward to this summer. And summer I have.Even though it felt shorter than any I can remember, the highlight reel is a long one.
I went to the midnight release of Harry Potter 7:2 and... Cowboys and Aliens. I met Canadian friends from Africa at the Wrentham Outlets. I watched a minivan run a race course in Maine. I went to Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast in Chicago. I went on a grueling, freezing three-day hike with my brother and dad in New Hampshire. Saw an incredible yo-yoer in Boston. Saw a Red Sox game. Started six books, and finished two. Went to my middle school's graduation. Watched the worst movie of all time, Troll 2. Was immensely surprised by the excellent quality of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Had a burger at a Mexican restaurant for the 4th year in a row with Pastor Mike. Played 36 holes of mini-golf. Played innumerable hours of Halo. Ordered three bacon pizzas at midnight, and tried to pay with Monopoly money. Had only pizza for food on two separate days. Spent an entire day recording two songs with my new band, The Purple Drankers (http://www.youtube.com/user/ThePurpleDrankers?feature=mhee). Drove 3200 miles, or, the distance from our house to the Pacific Ocean, in one road trip of several, which largely explains the amount of State names in this paragraph.
I had a busy summer.
And tomorrow (today) I'm going to college. I have no concept of this. I'm psyched to move in, get my posters up, meet my roommate, etc. but in my head that's months, not hours, away. My gosh I love commas. It's bizarre to think that I'm going to move out of the house in about seven hours. Isn't that what adults do?
Well, I guess I'm going to college now.
See you on the other side.
-Will
"And if I don't see you again; good afternoon, good evening, and goodnight."
If I were to sum up my last few months in Africa in a sentence, as I often have done in my head, it would be this: My final encounters soured the vast majority of the few things I enjoyed about Dakar, making me increasingly contented to leave.
I looked forward to this summer. And summer I have.Even though it felt shorter than any I can remember, the highlight reel is a long one.
I went to the midnight release of Harry Potter 7:2 and... Cowboys and Aliens. I met Canadian friends from Africa at the Wrentham Outlets. I watched a minivan run a race course in Maine. I went to Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast in Chicago. I went on a grueling, freezing three-day hike with my brother and dad in New Hampshire. Saw an incredible yo-yoer in Boston. Saw a Red Sox game. Started six books, and finished two. Went to my middle school's graduation. Watched the worst movie of all time, Troll 2. Was immensely surprised by the excellent quality of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Had a burger at a Mexican restaurant for the 4th year in a row with Pastor Mike. Played 36 holes of mini-golf. Played innumerable hours of Halo. Ordered three bacon pizzas at midnight, and tried to pay with Monopoly money. Had only pizza for food on two separate days. Spent an entire day recording two songs with my new band, The Purple Drankers (http://www.youtube.com/user/ThePurpleDrankers?feature=mhee). Drove 3200 miles, or, the distance from our house to the Pacific Ocean, in one road trip of several, which largely explains the amount of State names in this paragraph.
I had a busy summer.
And tomorrow (today) I'm going to college. I have no concept of this. I'm psyched to move in, get my posters up, meet my roommate, etc. but in my head that's months, not hours, away. My gosh I love commas. It's bizarre to think that I'm going to move out of the house in about seven hours. Isn't that what adults do?
Well, I guess I'm going to college now.
See you on the other side.
-Will
"And if I don't see you again; good afternoon, good evening, and goodnight."
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