Recovery Plan

Things have been surprisingly busy post-MIT. Moving to Corvallis, figuring out OSU stuff, and helping out with FFA contests has taken up a lot of time, and otherwise I'm hanging out with friends, appreciating my time at home without classes.

Oregon State took their sweet time getting back to me, and I finally deduced that I was accepted only a week and a half before the start of spring term. Fortunately I have connections and was able to register for classes before I received the official letter (which showed up at my house last night). And I could not be more excited about classes. They're not anything special, but they're such a departure from what I was taking at MIT. I'm excited for a change of pace and a chance to recover and feel intelligent again. I have a feeling I'm going to enjoy Ornithology, Wine in the Western World, and Tree and Shrub Identification. I'm going to try to take a math class, and maybe an English comp class, but a ton of classes are full so I need to find something I can get into. Regardless, with just those three classes I'm going to have a fun term.

Unfortunately, I haven't heard anything back on the job front. I've applied, so now I just get to wait... Some friends have given me some good suggestions, though, so I'm going to explore a few different options. Classes start in a mere five days, so I guess I'll see just how busy I get and go from there!

Oregon FFA's state convention was this past weekend at Oregon State. I helped judge Marketing Plans, and helped out a couple of teams. I was definitely reminded of just how much I love FFA, and how important agriculture is to me. It was very strange to be there, though, without the stress of competing, or a million things to do. Also, I wasn't in the blue corduroy jacket. Needless to say, I felt a little out of place. My advisor always hinted to me in high school that she thought I should be an ag teacher, and after this weekend, I'm definitely considering a little bit more seriously. Just another reason it's a good thing that I'm taking time off, I suppose, so I figure that out.

At the end of the day, I still miss MIT (and everyone there) a lot, and I'm not sure how long I'll be back here in Oregon. But being back in Oregon is definitely fun, relaxing, and the perfect way to recover from the stresses of MIT.

In Which I Complain a Lot

Somehow I did a dandy job of picking the coldest spot to work in Rotch Library. I mean, I have a nice view of building 11, and I'm surrounded by books about the National Parks and forestry and agriculture, but I also happen to be surrounded by vents that are spewing coldness.

Working in Simmons was not working, unfortunately. There were too many distractions: my ukulele, my friends, and my largely unread copy of Infinite Jest. So instead I packed up my stuff and trekked over to Rotch Library (a location I am wishing I had discovered sooner, except for this one section that is apparently an icebox) to buckle down and work on this chemistry p-set. It's not much better than Simmons, though. There are tons of books that I could spend hours perusing, and I'm sleepy. Also, with Thanksgiving a mere week away, and my flight home only four weeks away, I find myself missing home more than usual.

I'm not heading back to Oregon for Thanksgiving, though I do wish I was. You have no idea how badly I want to see friends and family and all the people that are honestly just too far away from me for my liking. You have no idea how badly I want a Kahlua Kicker from Dutch Bros (maybe MIT could develop the magic to transport hot coffee over long distances... Course 8 people, you guys should get on that), or pizza from American Dream (why is all of the pizza in Boston so terrible and greasy?!), or any of the myriad of other things Boston just fails at having. A quick peek at Expedia's prices for flights home next week makes it a bit easier to stay here for those four days, however; a roundtrip ticket is around $1000. So instead I'll be relaxing here in Boston, working on a paper, p-sets, a presentation, and starting the studying-for-finals marathon. Oh, and I'll be sleeping a lot. I'll also be working on getting over this lingering swine flu-y cough that just won't go away. Hopefully the sleep will help with that.

My last complaint of the evening: the latest Spoon EP (Got Nuffin) is not the greatest ever. Let me just say that Spoon is one of the bands that I will unconditionally love, no matter what they produce. But Got Nuffin pushes it. The title track is legitimately good, but of the four tracks (one of which is a remix), only two are actually enjoyable to listen to. Maybe I need to give it another listen, but I was definitely less than impressed upon first listen. I'm crossing my fingers that their upcoming album (due out January 26th) is better.

... YES. The vents of iciness that are all around me are no longer trying to freeze everything in the vicinity. I think I can finally get some work done, meaning I will stop complaining.

Coming soon: MIT's Obama-madness, why I'm switching majors (SURPRISE!), and probably a lot more complaining.

Yes, I'm Still Alive

So, it's been pointed out to me twice this weekend in Facebook wall posts that I haven't posted in a while.

Sorry about that.

There have a been a number of contributing factors: lack of topics, lack of time, and lack of energy. All lousy excuses, I know. So here's what's been going on over the past few months for me...

Summer
Summer was... well... awesome. I spent it with awesome people doing awesome things, which is precisely how summer should be spent. Highlights: barbeques galore, an eight mile hike, buying a ukulele, visiting fairs and rodeos, and just having fun.

MIT
I realize that this is a given. But I don't know if it's possible to convey in print just how severely MIT has been kicking my ass this term. Like, it's seriously on a level that I didn't know was possible. I do actually like one of my classes, though. My ecology class (1.018 for you MIT-ers) is amazing! The CI-M part (a term paper) can be a little obnoxious at times, but the subject material is incredibly interesting, and something I could spend hours happily working on. Physics and chemistry... well... they're a different story. Things outside of classes are keeping me busy as well. Pi Phi and the radio station take up some time, which is fine. But by the time I manage to make a dent in the amount of work I have, the last thing I want to do at the end of the day is blog. Typically I just want to sleep.

I'm actually going to be incredibly lazy right now and just post some pictures from the past few months (because, well, I want to sleeeeeeep). These are all from MIT, and the few moments I've not been studying. Enjoy!

The Cambridge side of the Charles River.
Boston's John Hancock Tower.
Boston Public Library's courtyard.
There's some construction going on in the Infinite Corridor, and these signs appeared. Naturally, MIT students had to add their commentary.
Obama paid a little visit to campus back in October. This was the car he was in (my photography skills failed me for a moment). I'll actually be posting more about this...
Girl Talk played at the Boston House of Blues earlier this month. It was one of the most epic dance-y shows I've ever been to. If you have no idea who Girl Talk is... well... you need to fix that. Go. Now. I won't be offended.
People always complain that MIT has an ugly campus. I actually have to disagree with them.
As much as I complain about being in New England, I must say there are times when I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. These moments are typically on gorgeous fall days...

So. A post! I promise you that there will never again be a four-month unannounced hiatus. And thanks Ms. Behrle and Nathan for hinting (though not so subtly) that I needed to update this.

True Loaf Love

How to create brand loyalty if you're a cheese company:

1. Make amazing cheese.
2. Make amazing ice cream... and amazing dairy products in general.
3. Allow people to go on factory tours.
4. Have a guy dress up as a baby loaf of cheese and make appearances.

5. Join Twitter, and have an awesome website.
6. Have amazing ad campaigns.


Basically, if you live in Oregon, there's really only one brand of cheese that you buy: Tillamook. Maybe Bandon, but that's owned by Tillamook, so basically, just Tillamook. Also, if you grew up in the Willamette Valley or on the coast, chances are you went to the Tillamook Cheese Factory on a field trip in elementary school once (or twice... or basically any year your school had money to send classes on field trips (I guess I went to a poor school, so we really only got legitimate field trips every couple of years)). I even had a friend smuggle some Tillamook Cheese into Scotland (okay, so she claims it was by accident - for some reason she had some cheese in her suitcase? Anyway, Customs didn't find it, so no big, right?). I also once got an entire mini-bus full of high school students lost on the way back from an FFA forestry contest/cheese factory trip (our bus then broke down in the woods... That day is known as "Kelsey's Grand Adventure" now). So, naturally, when you get home from your first year at college you make the pilgrimage with two of your best friends pretty much immediately to that fantastical world of happiness... and cheese.

After a delicious lunch in a small diner (called the Cow Belle Cafe – hilarious, I know) in Rockaway Beach, we headed down to Tillamook, the land of cheese. (Well, they also have an amazing air museum and a forestry center, but those will be visited on a later trip to the coast...) Upon entering the doors into their magical dairy kingdom, we were presented with a great number (okay, so only two) of possibilities: do we eat ice cream now, or after the tour? Clearly, the answer to that question is after the tour; we could build up our appetites, and we'd be able to truly appreciate the work the Tillamook County Creamery Association put into the product. Just before heading upstairs to the viewing areas, we stopped for the requisite photo (when there are boards with paintings or pictures on them, and cutouts for faces, a photo is required, no if's, and's or but's).

They're probably going to hate me for that...

Then we headed upstairs to the viewing areas. They tell me pictures are worth a thousand words, so rather than attempting to explain all of the awesomeness, I'll just post photos.

Because I'm a food science nerd, I was naturally excited to locate all the HACCP checkpoints...
So. Many. Ice. Cream. Flavors. (38, to be precise!)

Award-winning deliciousness.

After we were done learning about the wonders of cheese-making, it was time for SAMPLES! Medium, sharp, extra sharp – there was cheddar aplenty. I may or may not have taken more than my fair share of cubes of the extra sharp... It's pretty tasty stuff. Then it was gift shop time!

Mmmmm... Cheese curds!

A whole freezer of Tillamook ice cream! Yum!

We explored the gift shop for a while, then we had ice cream, because that's pretty much a requirement when you go to the Tillamook Cheese Factory (okay, it's not a requirement, but if you don't get ice cream, then you're doing something wrong). Normally, I get vanilla, or some permutation of vanilla (e.g. French Vanilla, Vanilla Bean), but when you're faced with 38 delectable flavors, it's time to branch out. I told my friends that they weren't allowed to let me get anything involving vanilla. Fortunately, my order of Orange Sherbet* was acceptable. It contrasted nicely with the bright blue tables (and are the Tillamook colors, no less!). Also exciting: they use the "plastic" silverware made from corn!

* I've always been so confused about the pronunciation of this word. I can't seem to get it right; I just know the wrong way. My computer's dictionary sounds like someone gets a little annoyed by people pronouncing it incorrectly, though:
"USAGE The tendency to insert an r into the second syllable of sherbet is very common. Frequency of misuse has not changed the fact that the spelling sherbert and the pronunciation |ˈ sh ərbərt|are wrong and should not be considered acceptable variants."

All in all, it was an awesome trip to the coast; the Tillamook Cheese Factory never fails to disappoint, and now I have a mini squishy foam Baby Loaf that I can throw at my younger brother when he tries to make me listen to bad rap music or talks during Jeopardy!.

Hometown... Represent (?)

Willamina's in the news again. This is getting a tad bit absurd. Honestly, for such a small town, I fail to understand how it manages to end up in the news so often. Nothing really goes on there. Willamina's been in the news for bomb threats, crazy people, controversy over a cat at the library, an "illegal immigrant-free zone", overly-productive teenage girls, and now the H1N1 virus (yep, I'm not going to call it "swine flu" because the CDC is correct in their reasoning for why they won't call it that either). So, I suppose that stuff does go on there, but it's no more than any other small town. I really just don't get it. Maybe all the major news channels want an excuse to send their reporters out there so they can go to the casino (a.k.a. the second largest tourist attraction in the state)? I have no idea.

Can someone in Willamina please just win the Nobel Prize or something, so we don't look so ridiculous in the news? That'd be great, thanks.

More coming soon...

GUESS WHAT?!

This Saturday is a holiday! Well, two holidays, to be precise!

Not only is it Valentine's Day, it's also the 150th anniversary of Oregon's statehood!

In honor of the state that spawned Kettle Chips and Tonya Harding, my radio show tonight will consist entirely of music from Oregon bands!!! So, show Oregon some love and listen in!

http://wmbr.org at 10 PM PST/1 AM EST, 9/10 February!

And I will do a real update soon, I promise! I have to blog about IAP, concerts, and spring term, so that's what you have to look forward to! This week is looking like it's going to be a little hectic, so I can't say when I'll be posting again, but I will try to make it soon.

In the meantime, here's a nerdy video featuring music by The Fall and chemistry. I officially love the EU.

Winter Break by the Numbers

Total approximate accumulative snowfall at my house from December 17th to January 3rd: 40 inches

Total number of times I left my house the first week: 3

Total number of days spent without electricity: 7

Total number of days I was thankful for our small generator that powers a few outlets and our water pump: 7

Total number of Dutch Brothers coffee drinks consumed: 8

Percentage of Dutch Brothers drinks that were Kahlua Kickers: 50%

Percentage of Dutch Brothers drinks that were Chai Lattes: 25%

Percentage of Dutch Brothers drinks that were Jet Tea Smoothies: 25%

Total Number of Visits to Cornerstone Coffee: 3

Total Number of Visits to Starbucks: 0

Number of bowling games completed: 1

Bowling score: 61 (yep, I suck)

Number of times I ate at Shari's: 2

I just want to know who got Mother Nature pissed off at Oregon. Really. I mean, we generally get a big snow storm every year, but this was just insane. At most we get about a foot at my house (we're ~1,300 feet about sea-level in the Coast Range), but we tripled that. Down in Willamina, which is on the valley floor, they had a considerable amount of snow, and roads were even closed!

Basically, the snow did a dandy job of messing up my winter break. Being stuck in my house for a week meant that I really didn't see anyone during that first week... I saw my friend Anna when her family came up to get a Christmas tree from our field, and my friend Kari when we went to the Casino for Christmas dinner because we didn't have power. Fortunately, my friend Natalie came and rescued me and I got to spend some time in Corvallis.

The snow finally was starting to melt off by the second week of break. I was able to go places and see people without having to worry whether my little '95 Saturn SL2 would make it up the hills to my house due to ice.

And then Mother Nature got a sense of (very cruel) humor. By January 1st, a good portion of the now had melted. What does a sudden increase in water runoff mean? Flooding! Which means that a number of towns on the coast (i.e. Tillamook) and towns that are in floodplains (i.e. Sheridan and Willamina) either got flooded, or spent the night worrying about the rising water levels (really - there were sand bags in front of a lot of businesses the next morning). January 2nd brought snow to my house. On my last night home, I met some friends at Shari's, and on my way back, I managed to maneuver my car so it was perpendicular to the road. Well, I didn't manage this all by myself, I had a considerable (and I mean considerable) amount of help from ice on a hill. The next morning, when my family piled into the car to take me to the airport, we nearly ended up in the ditch going around a corner, thanks to a particularly slick spot.

I realize that I got to school in Boston, where the weather is incredibly crappy, so I shouldn't really complain. But weather like that never happens in Oregon. We get a "bad" storm every year that just dumps about a foot of snow, and then we're done. I was totally prepared to head home to the usual 45-degrees-and-raining weather that western Oregon is famous for. Thanks for the wonderful "Welcome home!," Oregon. The only upside was how beautiful it all was (well, for the first five seconds):