Loft updates
Since I haven't been super happy academically this quarter, I'm pretty much still refusing to give you an update about what's going on there. Maybe after the quarter is over (next Friday). But I've had fun in the loft this quarter. Lots of time spent with Ian and Dede in the small loft, blasting the music. A few highlights:
Knitting
I learned how to knit over winter break, turning out 2 horrible hats, a decent hat, and a pair of mittens made for giants - if you know a giant I'll be happy to send the mittens on. I then somehow got into a weekly knitting instruction with Ian. He's doing very well, although he still hasn't learned how to perl - that's on the agenda for today, actually. Maybe. It's been on the agenda for a couple of weeks now. He's knitting me a scarf as a thank you - I'm pretty excited for it.
Ian knits. With his sunglasses on.
Working hard
Thesis folks have been working pretty hard recently. Case in point is Dede and her ice axe handle redesign.
What else is the doorjam of the computer room meant for but hanging from by 2 ice axes?
Political activism
Last week Steve pulled Dave and I out of the woodshop at 1 am to go "deface University property" - that was all he would say. We walked over to the Burghers (a cluster of Rodin sculptures) and proceeded to tie black plastic bags over their heads. This was by far the most political act I have ever taken part in. Recently it made the "news" - the Stanford Daily and the Palo Alto Daily. Next stop - the world!
The bags were left up for most of the next day - we think people thought the statues might have been under construction or something, even with the chalk graffiti "Rumsfeld was here".
The Liu Lectures
In memory of David Liu, a PD graduate student who was murdered in Palo Alto in the early 90s, every year, if we get our act together, we host a lecture series. This year Adam French worked like crazy for us and we had five lectures (the last one is actually tonight) related to
rule breakers. Martin Fisher (ApproTEC), Yvon Chouinard (Patagonia), Joani Blank (Good Vibrations), Ralf Hotchkiss (SFSU), and tonight - Survival Research Laboratories (SRL). Technically, SRL is banned from Stanford campus. I'm pretty excited for tonight.
The format has been dinner and q&a at the loft with the speaker, then a lecture open to the public. Yvon Chouinard's talk was limited to the loft, and was really fantastic, as have they all been - inspiring all the way. It's also been great just to get most of the loft together at one time. It doesn't happen enough.
Yvon Chouinard and various folk talk after dinner.
Adam French, Ian Halpern, and Andrew Chacko attempt to take Ralf Hotchkiss's wheelchair apart in less than five minutes
King's Canyon
A bunch of folks and I went to King's Canyon National Park this weekend. I know what you're thinking - the last week of school and she's taking off for the weekend? Yeah, I'm crazy. Procrastinator all the way.
Sadly, the group was not as large as originally planned. From the faculty we had Matt Kahn and John Edmark, and from the loft Alan and Xiao-wei, Andrew, Mariko, and their 6 month old daughter, Luis, Colter, and me. Alan, Xiao-wei, Colter and I went up late - on Saturday, getting there around noon. Luis, John, Colter, and I went on a nice 8 mile-or-so hike, and then Saturday night we had a cookout - hotdogs and s'mores.
S'mores made me kind of sad, since I have this memory of always wanting to have more S'mores than I got to, and really, I had 1 1/2 and was done with S'mores. John was trying to push the S'most on us - peppermint patty added... I wasn't feelig it.
Pictures at Ofoto - mostly
scenery and Colter.
triathalon - check.
The triathalon was on Saturday - I am happy to say it is over with, I finished, and I didn't even stop.
There were five of us who did it - Nicole, a fellow first year, her boyfriend Eric, Tobin, a second year, and his girlfriend Emily. Ian (third year) had been signed up to do it, but decided not to, and Eric went in his place. What you need to know is that Eric is super hard core. He's training for an Ironman later this summer. He's a member of a triathalon club.
So, Nicole, Eric and I went up to Napa together - we left at around 4:15. AM. We kind of dawdled in the parking lot, and getting down to the starting line, and Eric and Tobin, who went in the first heat, had to run to make it in. In fact, we think Tobin wasn't necessarily counted as being in the first heat, he was so late. Emily, Nicole, and I went in the last heat (although Emily should have been up further for sure - she did super well), which meant that the front runners of the race came out of the water as we waited to go in. The front runners - like Eric (he was second) and Tobin (in the first 10). That was pretty cool.
The race itself went fine. Unlike most of the other people (and there were 600 total), I did not wear a wetsuit for the swim, and it was a little chilly in Lake Berryessa, but not too bad. The swim was mostly heinous because of the mass of people - kicking you, swimming in front of you, being kicked by you (accidentally!). The bike and run were out and back, and on the same course, so during the bike you could check out what the terrain would be like for the run. Rolling hills for both. During my bike I saw the leaders heading back - like Eric (again in 2nd place...) and Tobin (also kicking ass). It was nice getting to see each other during the race.
The bike wasn't too bad - I actually passed people on the hills, which was novel, since I trained with Nicole and Emily who are better bikers than I, and always waiting for me. My left foot fell asleep for most of the bike, though, which sucked. I don't remember if I could feel it on the run or not - I was concentrating on finishing more. And the run, well, it was fine. It's super hard to go from biking to running - your legs are totally leaden. I think I could have gone faster on the run, but mentally I just wasn't there. I saw Nicole starting the run when I came in from the bike. With Eric. 'Cause he was finished, having come in second, and could run four more miles. I mean, Ian Halpern came in second. That's what it says in the results - I think Ian might even get a plaque, which is hilarious.
Afterwards I went back in the lake for a dip, and then we sat around and took pictures and dawdled and then went and got burritos and ice cream yum.
Ok, so what you really want to know - did I win?? Um, no. I came in 346th. Nicole came in 322nd. Emily was 100th, Tobin officially came in 3rd, but we think he was more like 8th, and of course, Eric/Ian came in 2nd. The Envirosports Web site has
times and splits and such if you're interested.
And of course, there are
pictures.
the world is a horrible place
Ok, so some days are good, and some days are bad, and I've been having a couple of bad days here.
I think it started with all this Iraq nonsense. I'll admit to living in my little ivory tower and having NO IDEA about this whole american prison situation until I read last week's New Yorker on Sunday. When you read about the news in a weekly magazine, well, that's clearly just one problem in your life.
I'm not usually terribly political. I mean, I'll admit to being your typical liberal snob, and give me a couple of beers, and talk about Bush, and I'll have stuff to say. But to post on my blog, when I rarely do that at all these days, that's unusual. However, I can't help but feeling that the whole world hates us, and they should. Who wants to move to Canada?
There's that, and then there's all the bad theft at school. Bikes being stolen left and right, someone cutting out the hub of a bike rim just to steal the disc brakes. Nice brakes, I'm sure, but really. Who
does that? I never think of myself as a very good person, but things like this floor me. The world is a terrible place.
I'm sure there are other things that are making me this upset, it can't just be the far off troubles in Iraq and my friends' bikes, but I gotta tell you, I'm feeling pretty down.
