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
