I Sing the Body Electric!
(12-21 January 2002)
21 January 2002
[from Princeton, New
Jersey]
-"Gosford Park" isn't what you expect,
but it still has some interesting things to say for itself. More interesting, however, is
the newly redone theater across the street from the Princeton campus.
-Just so you guys know
(if you're interested), I'm in Jersey till Tuesday or Wednesday since I had to drive Dom &
Em down here, & don't have any Tuesday classes anyway. So I'll see you 'Deis folk soon
enough, but in the meantime, you can go see Em's dead car in Waltham. Hopefully we'll
rectify that after her final...
-After updating the emu life,
I've realized that Chetan, who I'm debating with at NYU, will be my 25th debate partner on APDA.
I think I'll be over 30 by the time I'm done. That's pretty cool. Meanwhile,
I'm actually debating with some repeats the next couple weekends.
-Well, the
latest picture to arrive on the site is up. First time
in a while for that, so hopefully more will be coming.
20 January 2002
[from Princeton, New
Jersey]
-Well, after one of the most harrowing & long
nights on the road of my life, we're home (or in Jersey) safely. We had no idea that the
snowstorm hitting Dartmouth (it ALways snows at the Dartmouth tourney) was also hitting the
entire distance between New Hampshire & New Jersey. But it did, & this was
combined with the refusal of Vermont & NH gas stations to stay open AND not sell only
diesel fuel. Regardless of which, we had a snowy crazy drive involving sliding cars &
low gas gauges. The only thing that kept us going was that Dom, Em, & I (great people
to go through a tough time with) all kept an amazing sense of humor. So we got here at
7 this morning, thanking God, Kia roadside assistance, the shovel guy in Bellows Falls, Vermont,
the T-Bird's gas station in said community, & anyone else who helped us dodge the
Professional People-Eater. Wow.
19 January 2002
[from Hanover, New
Hampshire]
-Greg Schwartz's first break & 2 solid
Opp rounds! I must admit that the quarterfinal round was very disappointing for a number
of reasons, most especially the PMR (we were Opp) & the decision. But I also am
realizing my deficiencies in objectivity in a debate context sometimes, & that can be
quite frustrating. I just feel a little silly. I also have trouble when I have
4-5 great rounds & it all seems to get muddled in my mind by one rough round that closes
the tourney & knocks us out. It's a common trend & it's not good... I've gotta
remember to realize what a fun tourney this was overall, & even losing in quarters like
that doesn't undo it.
-3 D'mouth tourneys, 3 dinners in the 5 Olde Nugget place. You
gotta love that. The table's the same, the company's different, & the camradarie
is always timeless.
18 January 2002
[from Hanover, New
Hampshire]
-I love the Dartmouth tourney. It's fun
every year. We had 3 Gov's, but it still rocked, including a brand-new case that I hadn't
even run in a practice round that made for a great round. It's not just the return to
APDA-style (though that's cool), but this is a good sign for my final debate
semester.
-John Dolan's place in Hanover is palatial!
-Some of the more interesting
people in life are not only those with similiarities, but those who one feels one could actually
have BEEN in some way.
17 January 2002
-Well, quite the
drive from Princeton up. No failure of brakes, but there was a battery failure of Em's
car at Exit 71 off of I-84 in Connecticut. More to the point, apparently everyone at that
rest stop is a bastard. No one would stop to help Em, Dom, & I for approximately
forever. But the road was nice after standing in the cold for ages... so nice to
appreciate things one takes for granted after they go awry.
-I'm really really looking
forward to Dartmouth, getting back in the swing of things, & debating in the right
style!
-Good to see folks upon return to Mep House...
16 January 2002
[from Princeton, New
Jersey]
-Debate's starting up again very soon. This
makes me very pleased. I think I actually managed not to go into complete withdrawal from
debate this break... probably just the disappointment of Worlds...
-The only solace about
also starting up another semester of school soon is that it's my last one. Ever.
15 January 2002
[from Princeton, New
Jersey]
-The latest section to go up is the Exports section, which for now just houses websites of folks I know.
Hopefully this fledgling section will also expand, so if your name's not up, or you expect
better links for other things, be patient. What I'm starting to worry about is that my
free-time-based inspirations are all going to fall by the wayside when school & debate
start up again. I'm in fact pretty sure of that. But it's fun for now,
eh?
-Updating the website is, on the whole, much easier here than at Unet on the Brandeis
servers, though. Or maybe I'm just more familiar with FTP & such than I used
to be.
-Em finally listened to me & went to the doctor for what turns out to be more
asthma-related ailment than a cold. But all her work was turned in on time, so I guess I've
done more good than harm this week. Now she's a very sleepy Emily.
-Also, after reading
Mesco's harrowing accounts of her recent P'ton to Beantown drive, & having nightmares with
the recurring theme of running red lights, I'm really worried about driving back to Beantown in
the next couple days. Not really worried, but a little concerned, I guess. The
consistent dream-thread is hitting the breaks & only having them half-work, such that I
slow down, but not enough & end up running a red light, with results varying from a full
crash to getting half-chased by police, but slowing down enough so they couldn't pull me over.
Very weird indeed.
14 January 2002
[from Princeton, New
Jersey]
-Today is my 8,000th day of life on this
particular planet!
-I really AM trying to get Em to do work... it's just challenging for both of us,
mefears.
-Lots of new stuff on the page here. Redid History, &
tacked on ye olde debate stats.. My overall record is
256-99 with a semester to go... Can I get to 300 wins? Because I'm guaranteed 100+ losses.
At least I wrote another new case today.
13 January 2002
[from Princeton, New
Jersey]
-Well, among other things, I finally tracked down
Beth Mandel's weblog. I really hadn't
put much effort into it before, to be honest, but it's interesting now that I've found it. Yes,
I've been speding way too much time on computers generally.
-A troubling day, in some ways,
but I guess it all comes out well in the end. I just go through phases where I think there
are serious mental things wrong with me. & perhaps there are. But then I recall
that everyone has mental troubles, that everyone's carrying the burdens of the mandated
difficulty of life on Earth. I don't know if I then feel better, but I do worry less.
-I'm
learning... but ever so slowly.
-Apparently, I get over 100 hits a day! Who knew?
12 January 2002
[from Princeton, New
Jersey]
-One day into the move & I'm already thinking
about new projects to start & such. But I'm also overwhelmed with the prospect of
creating all sorts of new stuff from scratch. It's both liberating & daunting to be at
a new webpage with a newish theme, teeming with potential & responsibility.
-I also see
why more expensive places update their statistics more frequently. Stats are fun! I
have to just look at the APDA site's stats, since they actually get lots of hits anyway.
Also, I'd like to recognize Lisha as the
first person to officially recognize the move. It's like recognition of a new nation or
something. (Raise your hand if you think I'm taking this move too seriously.)
-Do I
really have the guts to write this short story?
-3 brand-new cases written, plus a couple
others revived. I'm going to go ahead & call that a good day for productivity, especially
since I'm technically still on break & all.
-There's a new explanatory note
up on the page, plus more stuff to come, I reckon. Just keep checking the main page
to see what's being update & such.
-Talking things through is always best.
Introspection, My Worst
Friend* (Current)
Ye Olde Archive (Past)
The Blue Pyramid (Source)
Tell me this is not the end...*
*-lyrics from an as-yet unreleased song, "The Same Old
Frontiers",
by SWClayton.