eateggs

There are some photos from my last week’s climbing adventures available at http://picasaweb.google.com/markegge/20070519Veadewoo

I’ve uploaded 33 new header images from Spring ’07. If, for any reason, you want a particular image of you removed, let me know. Or, if you have an image you’d like to have added, please email it to me.

The spring images will be in rotation for a couple weeks, then I’ll add them to the existing 70-some.

Edit: 2:26 a.m.
Also, FINALLY, when viewing individual posts, you can navigate back and forth using the “Previous Post” and “Next Post” links at the bottom. Let me know you have any troubles.

In honor of the end of the year, I’m assembling some advice for incoming freshman– things I wish I had known when I was a freshman. If you have other items or suggestions, please add them in the comments! I think I might publish a pamphlet or something, and hand it out next Fall…

Advice for incoming honors freshman:

Don’t take bullshit classes!
You should NEVER have to waste your time with a class. Never. There are lots of rules and regulations (see: CORE 2.0) about what you DO and DON’T need to take. Your major likely has lots of pre-requisites. But what most students don’t realize is that the university system exists to facilitate your education, not to encumber it with requirements and regulations. Within your major, 100-level “required” courses can be ignored entirely, so long as there’s an upper-division course that covers some of the same ground. Check with an adviser about this, of course, but don’t waste your time!

In terms of CORE, if there’s a 101 that looks interesting, that you actually feel will be worth your time, by all means. But otherwise, do yourself a favor, and take a more challenging course to fulfill the same requirement. That’ll do a lot more toward the end of making you “well rounded.” Yeah, Chem 141 was hard, but I’m totally glad that I took it, rather than wasting my time with chem 121. No, I’ll never actually USE that information, but I’m glad I know a little about Chemistry. Not a lot, but enough to kinda follow what people talk about. If I end up in one of “those” conversations, it’s gratifying. Your time and money is valuable. Don’t waste it!

Loose your virginity. Keep your 4.0.
There are some things in life that once you lose, you can never back again. It’s gone forever. Your GPA is one of those things. Once it’s gone, you can never have a four-point-oh again. You’ll never have a chance at being one of those two-dozen people who graduate every year with a perfect record. Realistically, you may not graduate with that four-point, but there’s NO sense in wasting that opportunity while taking 100-level intro courses. Save your GPA for that special class– something like Math 361, or O-Chem.

You can get into any class you want. Even if it’s full. Even if it has pre-reqs.
If you want to get into a class that’s full, here’s the formula: show up to class every day for the first week. Sit in the front row. Be attentive. Participate. Hopefully, by the 3rd or 4th class, the professor will have noticed you– maybe even knows your name. That’s when you approach your prof with your add slip. You’ll get it signed every time.

If there’s a class you want to take that has a pre-req, or Junior Standing requirement, just email the prof ahead of time, tell her/him why you think you’re qualified for the class. If you don’t actually need the pre-req, nine times out of ten the prof will give you the go-ahead, and you can register for the class anyway. Don’t waste your time with courses you’re not going to learn from, just for the sake of fulfilling a pre-requisite.

Get a fake ID. If drinking’s your thing, that is.
Twenty-one is bullshit. If you’re smart enough to beat the system, though, no worries. I picked up a fake my freshman year, and used it until I was 21. Talk about money well spent. Having access to alcohol, when you want access, is incredibly gratifying. It’s also a great way to acrue favors, when all your friends are 18.

Check out ASMSU.
You owe it to yourself to at least get an idea of what the organization is, and what it does. Attend a couple meetings on a Thursday night. 6:00 p.m., sharp. Sub 271. You don’t have to become a senator to capitalize on some of ASMSU’s under-published services, such as access to a licensed attorney, for $7/hour, or access to rental snow-shoes for $5 a day.

Obviously, getting involved on campus is a good plan– good for the resume, great for meeting people. ASMSU is a great place to start.

Hike in the Fall.
Bozeman’s weather in September is AWESOME. Get out and enjoy it. Even when things warm up in the spring, the trails will largely be clogged with snow, so get out and do Hylight, Sacajawea, etc. in the fall, while the weather is wonderful.

Get to know “that one guy” with lots of music.
One of the coolest things about college is meeting people from all sorts of different backgrounds, with awesome experiences, etc. Find that person on your hall, or in your T&C class, what-ev, with great taste in music, movies, books. Ask her/him for recommendations, to hook you up with MP3s. Believe me, that person would love to share the love. And you’ll get so much out of it. Exposure to new bands, genres, etc.

Use advisers.
Your professors know a LOT about college. And what’s beyond college. More than that, they love helping students. So take advantage of that! Find a professor you like, make an appointment, and go in and chat with him/her about your college expectations, what you like/don’t like, etc. Odds are, a good “adviser” will open up your world to a whole slew of options and opportunities that you had no idea were available. If you have a question about your classes, your career, etc, find someone and ask. They love to help. Additionally, you’ll start cultivating relationships that will last you through college, can provide letters of reference, etc. Every question you have can be answered. You just have to ask.

The long and short of it is: make your first year exactly what you want it to be. Don’t bother with classes that aren’t going to be a valuable use of your time. Meet people. Find out what’s available on campus. Do things you want to do. Have some wild experiences. Let yourself go. Have a good time. Study hard. Play hard.

I planned for this, actually. I really DID want to get the flu, the day before finals start. Frankly, this semester hasn’t been much of a challenge. So, I figure, let’s see how finals go… with the flu!

Bring it, Calculus! I’m the integratin’-frickin’-master! I can trig-sub like you can only u-sub! ALL my series converge, and I’ve got the frickin’ tests to prove it! Bring it ON, chapter 11! I’ll put you through the RATIO TEST. I’ll drop the LIMIT COMPARISON TEST on yo’ ass! I’ll find the nth-frickin’-term of your Taylor-frickin’-series. I’ll shove it back in yo’ FACE! How ya like them apples, PUNK?!

dfsalkj; aaaaaaklsjealkfj aek

I’ve slept like 16 hours so far today. and i’m about to fall asleep on my keyboard. and i’m feeling too tired and lazy to capitalize things, now… sheesh.

Secretly, I blame Kimbree. “How does one get the flu, Doc?” I asked. (Look, I’m capitalizing again! Second wind! Whoo!)

“Well, it’s transferred from person to person,” he explained. “So if you’ve been around anyone who was coughing or sneezing, for example, especially at a time when your immune system might have been particularly weak…”

“Oh, right,” I nodded my head in agreement.

Someone … like … Kimbree. Mostly feeling better, but still coughing.

It’s Friday night. Midnight, and I’m restless. Me: “Let’s go camping!” (my hairbrained idea). She agrees, sneaks into her dark house to retrieve her sleeping bag…

3:30 a.m.: arrive at destination, off Fairy Lake “road”. Pitch tent.

4:00 a.m.: Us. Sitting on hillside, shivering, sipping cheap red wine. We huddle around the fire, for warmth. Looking up, the full moon silhouettes Sacajawea Peak (HUGE! Sharp edges. Towering and BLACK with the radiant white luster of SNOW). And us, sitting on a hillside, in the moon-shadow of the Bridgers…

Later, intense (in-tents!) coughing. She sits up, again, and the coughing stops. Me, sitting up with her: “You alright? …”

—

I woke the next morning with a sore throat. 8:00 p.m. last night: sore throat’s back. With a fever. God, so tired… It all makes sense.

Of course, now K seems to be getting sick again. What goes around, comes around, and goes around again. If we’re both sick, does that mean we can cuddle? I sort of wish I still had that huge, white HAZMAT suit, still…

—

Yes, that’s me, getting sentimental… must be the flu, at work.

—

So ends spring semester. Point, counterpoint. I won’t be making the President’s list, this semester. Hell, I’ll be lucky to make the Dean’s list…

But on the other hand, I’ve made some memories. Memories other than falling asleep on my books on Friday night, or playing beer pong in my room. I’ve even got a nice start on my farmer’s tan, for the summer. My arm, turning slightly tan, has some curvature– not so flaccid and flat, as usual.

Summer beckons. 73*F tomorrow. 78*F on Tuesday. (108*F in my bed, under my blankets, shivering… damn flu.) A summer of promise, opportunity. Nestled in the northern heart of the Rocky Mountains, between Bridgers, Spanish Peaks, Gallatins. Away from Cheyenne: at once: a pity; and, at last!

*here the author dutifully hacks up a lung. Blood spatters on the trash can. He convulses, and falls from chair to floor, wrapping in fetal position. His body is ravaged, jerks pitifully, again and again, by the inscrutable whims of a virus, angry and red, beyond the reach of modern medicine. He falls beyond the reach of modern medicine…*

*here the author returns to reality, realizing that only his red-rubbed-raw nose suffers from such ravages…*

Alas. Time to brew some more tea, pour some more orange juice, and return to my Econ text book… which is silly: of my exams, I need to study for econ the least, which probably coincides with it being the only exam I find interesting…

I being to feel warm again, hot. Stripped down to my t-shirt, by biological tea-pot begins a low, but ear-piercing, whistle…

But enough of my complaints! Good night!

In the future, you may ask me “how’s it going,” and receive a response along the lines of “oh, about two fat tires” and be confused. To prevent that confusion, read on!

I’ve deduced a relatively precise index, useful to quantify the relative quality of my days.

In the same way that a “five star” scale might quantify the goodness of a book or film, my days can be directly and reliably quantified in terms of quality and enjoyment by the relative number of energy drinks and/or microbrews I drink.

Fat Tires: a relative measure of goodness, indicative of leisure time, good times, quality time, health

Rockstars: a relative measure of badness, indicative of sleep-deprivation, stress, angst, unhealth

For the sake of the index, we’ll use a Rockstar to represent a typical energy drink, and we’ll use a Fat Tire to represent a typical microbrew. On any given day, I may drink anywhere between one and five of either.

I’m particularly fond of Fat Tire, and I’m sure it’s familiar to many who will reference my index. Having the leisure time to drink a Fat Tire makes for a good day. Drinking a Fat Tire is also indicative of health and (presumably) quality time– with a friend, or, say, with an instrument. (As a side note, recent studies have shown that many microbrews contain beneficial antioxidants– making it healthy for me to consume a microbrew or two on occasion.)

On the other hand, I have a particular aversion for Rockstar. On a bad day I’m likely to be short on sleep and shorter on time. To stay awake and alert, then, I drink energy drinks. It should be noted that 1) I loath and despite energy drinks (with the notable exception of Red Bull, which I prefer to any and every other drink in the world, but which doesn’t generally qualify as an “energy drink”, since a $2.29 can has less than 100mg of caffeine) and 2) I equate drinking energy drinks with drinking liquid death. I recognize that A) I’m drinking the energy drink because I didn’t get a healthy amount of sleep the night previous; B) I’m drinking the energy drink to push my body beyond a healthy level of exertion and C) the energy drink is loaded with sugar, caffeine, and other synthetic and natural chemicals and stimulants. Alas. In particular, I drink Rockstar; the “juiced” variety seems to be the lesser of many evils.

So, if, say, I get 4 hours of sleep the night before, and need to stay awake through the afternoon and study, I might drink one Rockstar. If I need to continue to be alert through the evening, I might drink another Rockstar. If I need to stay alert until the wee hours in the morning, I might drink another Rockstar. Sleep deprivation, desperation, and a SCREAMING deadline all add up to a terrible, terrible day. No time for leisure, for other people, for piano, guitar, movies, books, slacklining, climbing, etc.

So. For, for future reference, in the Cosmology of Mark, “Fat Tires” will be used to quantify the relative goodness of a day. Similarly, “Rockstars” will be used to quantify the relative badness of a day. Not mutually exclusive, many days measure on both scales (many days are both good and bad).

I may go so far as to simply indicate the quality of my day with a visual indicator: “RRR” for example, would be a particularly awful day; “TTTTT” on the other hand, would be a particularly spectacular day (presumably).

Got it? It’s easy! Please feel free to modify and appropriate this index as you see fit. I hope this proves an effective tool of communication and recording complex states of mind for posterity!