A visit to Bates

I decided to visit a good friend of mine, Mark, at Bates last night.  I was with two other friends from home, Johnnoe and Stephanie, as well.  We ended up having an excellent time, and at the urging of Mark, may be "pulling the double" by going back up tonight to participate in "Discharge" a "performance art piece" that really just sounds like 4 or 5 DJs alternately spinning tunes, with the idea that everyone there is part of the art that is taking place, creating "positive energy" in "negative space" or something like that - a bunch of fuckin' hippies with these "energy" ideas, if you ask me.  That's what happens when you put a bunch of adolescents into these small liberal arts colleges.

But, besides meeting a bunch of people who know people at Carleton or who actually go to Carleton (wtf?), I learned a few things.  In no particular order:

1. Papa Johns takes way too long to deliver.  Furthermore, Papa Johns does not compare to Basil's gyro. "Garlic sauce". What? Really. Give me my tzatziki any day.

2. Ice is slippery.  I slipped on ice last night when leaving a party.  About a half hour later, I noticed my hand was bleeding in three places.

3. Bloody hands hurt.  This was apparent both this morning when I woke up, but also when I showered and got shampoo and face wash all up in the cuts.  Ouch.

4. Bates Security kinda sucks.  They came to a party and it was sorta like when the cops came to the party in Superbad.  They asked me if I lived at the house.  I said no, and ran.  Everybody was rushing to get out, and I didn't know what to do.  Furthermore, at the time I was in the middle of a conversation with a nice girl from Minnesota who knew people at Carleton, as well.

5.  Where's the ______ (name a competitive drinking game)?  At the party I was at (2 kegs) there was not a single game of Beirut or any other type of competitive drinking going on.  I was appalled.  So we stand there?  That's it?

6.  My friend Johnnoe has really weird dreams.  For example:  "So I dreamt last night that I ordered Indian food, right?  Except, I ended up ordering Indian food from India.  So, when I finally noticed that I did that, I called the place to try to cancel the order.  But, they had already made my food and gotten on a plane to deliver it to me.  So, I met the guy at the airport and he was like 'So it's $1800, please.' And I said, 'Sir, I can't afford that.' And the man replied, 'Well this happens all the time... It happened to me.  To pay for the food you have to take my job and be the international delivery boy.  So, you're now the international delivery boy, and you have to keep delivering internationally until someone else can't pay, and then you're free.' And that was my dream."

7.  My spring break beard is now so bushy that I must use shampoo to clean my face.  It will eventually need to be trimmed with a machete.

8.  Bates' food is much better.  For example, their muffins aren't shitty and soft.  They're crisp and delicious on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside.  They have donuts.  And they also have Stonyfield Farm individual serving yogurts.  Limitless.  Although that is an incredibly unsustainable practice, I think Bon Appetit should put on their man pants and start serving yogurt to us like that.

AND THE WINNER IS...

Now to talk a bit about the OTHER competition that occured in the past couple of days besides nationals...

Of course I'm talking about the "Favorite Stadium 110 Resident Poll."

After a tense two weeks or so, the Results are in...

(drumroll please)

The winner with 26 votes is... BK!
2nd goes to Toto with 23 votes.
3rd - Yours Truly with 14
4th - Ted - 13
5th - Nonberg with 6


There have been some reports of foul play, however nothing has been confirmed and no one has admitted cheating. However, one thing is certain; with the favorite resident now not living in the room anymore... who will now be the favorite resident? Will 2nd place Toto take his assumed position at the top? Or will Alfredo, our soon-to-be-roommate sweep in and win the hearts of tens of people to win the title.

Stay tuned and find out.

Also, keep an eye out for our next poll - coming March 30th, 2009.

More national video!

Here is the piece from Day 3. Hope everyone likes it.

We <3 Ted

Ted is a BAMF.
Taken from Carleton's Athletic Site:


MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- Senior Ted Marschall (Burnsville, Minn.) added another All-America honorable mention award to his swimming résumé after winning the consolation finals in the 400-yard individual medley at the 2009 NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships. Marschall amassed 23 points in the team competition. Without the help of other teammates or relays, he is 18th out of 41 programs to score at the national meet.




I know i've been glued to my screen looking at the live results. But i'm pissed because the "live video" that is provided my MAC/ CBS isn't working and sooo... I sit at my computer and press "Last Completed Heat" about every 4 min or so...

But how 'bout them Knights? Eh? You gotta love them. And i wish I was there to cheer them/you guys on. Keep up the great work Knights! And way to go Ted!

Nationals Videos

So I have been making these videos for each day of the division III swimming and diving championship meet. Each day I do a general recap and then highlight the swim of the day. Hope you enjoy them.

Day 1:




Day 2:

Holy Shit

So I don't know if you've seen this yet, but I think this is the coolest thing I've ever seen. Reagan is visiting Moscow and standing on Red Square. The man standing behind the little boy is none other than Vladimir Putin, KGB, posing as a tourist. A KGB agent was standing 4 feet away from the President. And he then became the most powerful man in Russia.

Jet Rock Bar and Grill: the buffalo chicken sandwich reinvented

So a few days ago I sat in the airport where I ate at a place called The Jet Rock Bar and Grill. The restaurant is located in terminal B, near gate 2, of the Philadelphia Airport. One would not assume much from this unsuspecting little restaurant. Inside there are about 15 booths and 12 tables (as well as a bar). But after you get your food you will understand why I felt it a must to say something about this place. I started off with the traditional glass-of-water appetizer which contained the most flavorful tap water I had ever tasted. To top it off, the glass had ice and a lemon slice.
After drinking my water, I waited for my waitress and thought that nothing could top that delicious H2O, but then I had the famous buffalo chicken sandwich with a beer (Anchor Brewing Liberty Ale). There is not much to this dish; simply chicken, buffalo sauce, blue cheese, hoagie roll, served with a side of fries and a single pickle. But these four ingredients have been modified from their modern brethren. For one, the hoagie is a cut into two pieces, so you basically have two sandwiches, and it's drenched in buffalo sauce. Secondly the cheese is no mere blue cheese, but bits of blue cheese in a dressing that melts in your mouth and mixes with the buffalo sauce that drenches the chicken when they serve it to you. I can not describe how good the combination of these four ingredients is!
The only disappointing aspect of the evening was the serving of fries. The fries were just not as flavorful as the other dishes.  The second beer made up for that though.
The bottom line is that if you are looking for a great place to eat in Philadelphia, this is it. Whether it is for a date, a long layover, or just a fun, unique evening out in the Airport, you can not beat this little eatery in the heart of the Terminal B. Reservations not required.

"The metaphor to end all metaphors"

"Why did I sign with the Nationals?" Tavarez said told a group of reporters. "When you go to a club at 4 in the morning, and you're just waiting, waiting, a 600-pounder looks like J. Lo. And to me this is Jennifer Lopez right here. It's 4 in the morning. Too much to drink. So, Nationals: Jennifer Lopez to me."

Ouch.

Shamlessly taken from the Washington Post  and Mr. Irrelevant

T: -1 days to nationals

I'm in the my room at the Radisson right now, I just finished warming up a little while ago and now I need to do some shaving, but I thought I'd write a little update first.

We left Northfield around 11:30; I rode with Brooke, Kate, and Kale. We had to stop at Brooke's house so she could get her shampoo and conditioner. We stopped in and chatted with Brooke's dad, Tim, for a bit. Highlight: Kate changing topics to "I have an eraser in my pocket" pretty much midsentence and Tim then telling us how to cheat on tests by writing the answers on our eraser.

After leaving Northfield we had a near death experience when the car in front of us braked really fast. We were saved by Brooke's superior braking skills. Nearly direct quote from Brooke: "good thing I have strong legs."

We stopped in B-ville (represent!) for some lunch at Breugger's. Sandwiches were delicious. Highlight: Maggie does short skit playing three characters using only a folded up napkin.

We got to the hotel and registered. My room connects with Kate and Becky's. The gifts this year are: Camelbak water bottle with candy in it, reversible NCAA championships hat, and a swimming/diving championship pillow and blanket.

The only downside so far is that the girls unanimously decided that my moustache has to go; they even threatened not to sit with me at the meet if it doesn't. I guess I'm going to have to trade in the power-moustache look for the clean-shaven-D-bag-who-thinks-he-looks-cool-with-his-hat-cocked look.



Post Dinner Update:

I'm now hanging out in the Alexander's room, but the Alexander's all left to see their parents, so it's me just Kale, Kaarin, and me.

I saw Karin (yes with one a) before dinner. She did not have many nice things to say about my moustache and said that I needed to shave it before dinner, so now I am moustacheless. It's a bit sad, but less itchy. Karin was doing well.

The Alexanders were searching for Gary Roberson from the Williams team earlier today; it went something like this:
At the pool to me: "Did you see Gary in the locker room?" Me: "I don't know what he looks like." One of the Alexanders: "He's tall and has abs." Me: "I didn't see anyone with abs."
At the hotel, the Williams team is in the lobby, each one of the Alexanders: "Gary?"
Leaving for dinner, Gary Roberson is standing outside his door (Williams is on our floor), the Alexanders: "Gary!"
Gary looks very awkward and doesn't really know what to do. He says hi, awkward moment, Andy introduces himself, awkward moment, we go to dinner.

At dinner Andy tells us about a study where they found that people are more likely to do what you want if you use the word because when justifying why that person should do it. After dinner Andy sees another coach with several plates of cookies and asks him for some because we didn't get any (we actually did). Several coaches spend the next couple minutes finding leftover cookies at other tables and bringing them to us. Success.

Most teams have left and Maggie goes up to the podium so that we can get a picture of her pretending to give a speech. As she's about to leave she decides to start saying something into the mike, as if she actually is giving a speech; it turns out the mike is still on; everyone who's still in the banquet hall looks up at her. We decide to stop making scenes, get someone to take a picture of us, then make our glorious exit, picking up all of the programs and other little goodies we see left behind on the way out. Success.

I'm going to go touch up my shaving job then relax before going to bed now.

The END of an Era

You're probably thinking, "The end of an era? WTF mark... " I THOUGHT THE ERA JUST BEGUN! (I know you think in caps...)

well it's really the dawn of a new era, a new world order, as BK's post below so eloquently described. And that is what I need to talk about:

So as Tim, Sydney and I left for the airport (Sydney so graciously drove us to the airport in alfredo's car because my father is a fascist when it comes to my grandma's old honda accord), we said our farewells to Toto and BK in Sayles. And BK goes, "This really is the breaking of the fellowship..." As I continued to go about my transitional travels from Sayles to the Alfie's Car to the Airport to Chicago, I couldn't help but think of this analogy. I (independently) realized that the 9 members of The Ocho could potentially fit the mold of Lord of the Rings members perfectly... I also (independently) considered Johnny V as Gandalf and I had some other great non-fellowship/ocho members as well. (Examples: Will Kruesi as Bilbo and Little Orphan Annie as Arwen, and I even had someone for Gollum)

So i've got this great, creative idea now that I think is awesome. "I'll just blog about the analogy when I get home! What a great entry it'll be!" But I get home and what do I find? No internet at my dad's house. Poop. "I'll go out and run some errands and see some friends and it'll be up when I get back."

It wasn't back.

So I wake up this morning. And what do I find? BK STOLE MY BLOG POST IDEA. The emotions flood over me -anguish, pain... the need for revenge...

But then something happened. I took a deep breath, walked to my window, waved to the tree trimmer that was in the tree DIRECTLY outside my window at 8 am this morning who I had flicked off after he woke me up. I soaked up a few of the pleasures in life - the 60ish degree breeze coming through screen windows as Belle & Sebas play in the background, the feeling I got after watching the "Cartman Goodbye" clip that BK provided, the fact that Tim had seen F.M.C. in the airport, the prospect of Inos for dinner tonight, and of course, that "moustache feeling" that everything will be okay.

The thought came into my mind last night as I headed home from my evening activities that I wasn't going to go home to stadium, and it made me a little sad. But there is adventure, glory, and a little bit of R&R for The Ocho in the next coming weeks. So enjoy your spring breaks and get ready.

The Happiest Room on Campus

So Annie and I were listening to Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! earlier tonight and one of the "Lightning fill in the blank" questions was about a study that found a link between blogging and happiness among college students. I found a blog post on this study. Clearly boundless happiness awaits the men of 110 & Company.

Wingsuit skydiving with jet engines

Andrew Mering pointed this out to me, and demanded credit in my post. Watch and be dumbfounded.

My last post from PHL

This seems fitting as my last post from Philadelphia.  After 7 hours in the airport and after drinking two 22 oz. beers, the following announcement is played over the PA in reference to my flight:

"Attention passengers on Flight 3194!  The lavatories on your plane are not currently functioning, so if you must use the restroom, please do so before the flight."

Airport Observations

In order of occurrence (edited as needed):

1. The conductor of the modified electric golf cart obesity mobile just referred to it as a "tram".
2. Two businessmen just walked by with matching pastel green ties.
3. My legs are going numb. This floor is hard.
4. It's always a little weird when you can't tell if a guy is with his wife or daughter... Isn't it?
5. Moving up in the world: I am now on a temporary stage that was probably used for some silly in-airport entertainment.
6. First Mate Charlie actually just walked past me.
7. Just received a call from USAir on my cell phone (wtf?). Automated voice with the following message: "This message is for Timothy. Your flight, 3194 to Portland, Maine, has been delayed. The delay time is seventy-eight minutes. Your flight will arrive in Portland at approximately 11:18pm." FML.
8. "Tram" driver just said "Beep-a-lee-beep!" I kid you not.
9. "Look. You have to make a decision. It's your decision. Either you go with your mom to get your haircut like Matthew, or you go with me! You make the decision. It's your choice. But you are going with either your mom or me to get your haircut like Matthew. You make a choice about who you want to go with. But, you're going. You are getting your haircut like Matthew. I will not tolerate your hair being long. If I see you with your hair long this weekend, you're not going to soccer. You make the choice."
10. Time for dinner and beer.
11. I am now at the Jet Rock Bar and Grill, Terminal B, Philadelphia International Airport. 43 beers on tap. Plenty of TVs. Classic rock in the background. Attempting to be both a sports bar and rock and roll nostalgia venue?
12. The song "Laid" by James is currently playing. Yes.
13. Anchor Brewing Liberty Ale: 22 oz.
14. SNPA (yes, Ted! Yes!): 22 oz.
15. Think I just overheard a bartender mention a Sham-Wow (Mark!). SHAM-FUCKING-WOW! (see graphic)
16. I didn't know the "trams" used headlights at night (inside an airport terminal, mind you). Until now. This one didn't "beep-a-lee-beep" though - they had a bicycle bell.
17. Interaction between me and waitress: "How you doin', baby?" "Good. Good." "You just let me know when you're ready, okay?"

Voice From Above? More Like Voice From the Airport Floor

So here I am, back on the east coast for spring break.  Oh wait.  No.  Not Maine.  I'm still in fuckin' Philadelphia.  I'll be here for another 4 hours.  That makes it a total of 6 fucking hours spent in this unfortunate excuse for a quality airport.  Although, I'm not entirely as angry as I may sound.  I snagged a free ticket out of this shit.  Here's what happened:  I made my way to my gate after an uneventful flight from Minneapolis (complete with a pre-flight tearful parting between Marky Mark and I in the middle of the main terminal), and I did my usual routine where I make sure everything's all good with my flight.  

Then, I sit down next to a dude wearing a Carleton sweatshirt and playing a guitar (he had his case open and I was tempted to throw him some quarters).  Some guy asks him to play some Dave Matthews, so my fellow Carl plays an absolutely face-melting interpretation of the rather bro-ish (but equally enjoyable) "Tripping Billies".  I commend him silently - I'm not sure if he knew I went to Carleton as well, and I never actually revealed that either.  (Tangent:  Why was there another person from Carleton on my flight?  That NEVER happens.  Nobody else lives in Maine.)  So he his jammin' and these two older ladies end up coming and sitting in the two seats between my personal guitarist and myself.  Then, the PA turns on and they ask for a volunteer because somebody needs a seat.  Nobody steps up, so I call my mum to see if she loves me enough to pick me up at 10pm rather than 5:30.  In the middle of trying to make this call, one of the ladies turns to me and says, "So are you trying to make arrangements so you can get a free ticket?" (in the Mark-Olson-Old-Lady-Jewish-Grandma-Voice, of course) I'm like "Yeah. But my Mum's not answering."  Finally she answers and agrees to pick me up, so I say to myself "Why not?  At least I can have an adventure and then BLOG about it." 

I go up to the podium and volunteer.  The lady tells me I may or may not be needed - the person who wanted the seat hasn't shown up yet.  "But we'll put you on the list," she says.  "Ok, great," I'm thinking.  Nothing better than ambiguity when I'm traveling.  

Back at my seat, I start to talk with the ladies who've befriended me.  "Where do you go to school?" "Are you coming back for Spring Break?" "What's your major?" Turns out they're coming back from a little mother-daughter trip to Las Vegas.  How cute.  I didn't bother asking how it was - as we all know, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

So, boarding starts, and I walk up at the end of the line, not entirely sure what to expect since I hadn't been told anything other than to get to the back of the line when boarding.  I hit the podium.  Lady looks at me.  

"You my volunteer?" 

"Uh.. yeah?"  

"I'ma need yo' seat."

"Okay." *step forward to get free ticket voucher and give her my info*

"No, that means you can't get on this plane."

"Yeah."

Sweet.  So I stand there for a few minutes, she leaves, makes me sign something, and now I have an incredibly restricted (however it IS transferable) free roundtrip ticket on USAir to be used within only the contiguous 48 states, subject to availability, and which may not be available during peak travel periods.  Hmm.

Bottom line of all of this:  Over the next four hours, I'll be observing people (I'm sitting right next to Vino Volo right now - this place is a freaking yuppie-ass wine bar in the airport - funny stuff has to go down here), making sure my legs don't get run over by those modified electric golf carts made specifically for the elderly and/or obese (I'm sitting on the floor since all the rocking chairs near electric outlets are taken), and probably blogging a few times (because that's just what we do, apparently).  Maybe I'll eat dinner at some point.  Who knows.

The Breaking of the Fellowship

Today the men of Stadium 110 part ways forever. The memory of the past 2 terms will melt away and be replaced by a new order. As the leaving member of the Ocho, I feel it proper to write an epilogue to the 20 weeks that I have spent among the residents of Stadium 110 and 203.

Essentially, this is the Lord of the Rings, and the nine of us (including John) are the Fellowship of the Ring. John was Gandolf and left us fall term, but I got cast as Boromir, which means I get shot like 30 times and have to die/leave.

But Gandolf is coming back, which is pretty cool. Will John be so much wiser that he graduates from Grey to White?

I love every single member of the Ocho. You are my family and it is more difficult for me to leave you than it is to leave my actual family at home. I'm so thankful that I was given the opportunity to get to know each of you better.
Mark - You are the best bunkmate ever. We've had so many great conversations and good times they would be impossible to attempt to recount. Although we were good friends last year, I had no idea that we would get along so well this year. Let's keep it up next year, ok?
Ted - Last year I felt that I didn't know you very well and wasn't very sure what it would be like to live with you. Even in the room you don't talk much, unless we get on politics and you talk a lot. Living with you has led me to realize how humble and gracious you actually are, and that I'm going to miss you a lot you.
Nonberg - Dude. How is it over? It seems like I prospied with you just a few months ago. I learned a lot about you this year (a lot that I didn't want to know) and I'm sad that I never got to room with you. We made up for the lack of pillow talk with other forms of semi-conscious talk, though. Live it up this spring!
Toto - You are the favorite resident of Stadium 110 for a reason: you're the nicest/coolest guy I know. Remember when we came and visited Stadium, thinking we might get a triple? I don't think we could have imagined that it would end up this well. We had some awesome late night pranks and talks. I'll see you at Nats, but as soon as I'm out of denial about not seeing you until October I'm going to start bawling.
Tim - I didn't know you at all before this year, and we didn't really hang out till this winter. Which is stupid because we get along so well. We had some great times this term, even though you almost died. I love you!
Elliot - It took me a while to realize what a relaxed, friendly guy you are, and you're one of my favorite people to party with. Don't play Oblivion too much this spring, go outside! And don't let my absence keep you from getting in trouble!
Alfredo - Next year is going to be epic. Having you join the Ocho this winter was a treat, and we have to keep it up next year. Have fun with Mark and Nonberg in the triple, don't fall off the top bunk, and never ever lose at Fight Night.

This was actually very sad to write, I suddenly realized just how far away the Alumni Meet is. I'll get to see most of you at Nats before I leave. Keep this as my farewell:

Reflections on the term

I've yet to post anything meaningful to this blog (unless you count semi-political gossip meaningful) so I figured that I would try to add something that was at least more than two lines. Quantity = quality in my book, so I think an epic post comprised of reflections on the past term would be, at the very least, not boring.

BK and Marky Mark agree with me - winter term usually sucks. Ted didn't respond because of Call of Duty, but we'll just go ahead and say that he agrees with me as well. Winter term is pretty much guaranteed to suck. But, for some reason, or for a few different reasons maybe, this winter term did NOT suck. In fact, it was great. Furthermore, I think everyone in the Ocho would agree with me on this sentiment. Maybe it was even better than fall term (but certainly not better than this coming spring).

So why does winter term always suck? In no particular order:

1. It's cold out.
2. The days are shorter.
3. Everyone always seems to have more work (i.e. comps)
   
4. Nobody wants to go anywhere (see #1). This affects the social vibe on campus, and you get sick of people.
   
5. It's sort of like sophomore year - you're not close to being done, and you're not even excited about the novelty of being at school. You're stuck in the middle. It's like a Tuesday, but ten weeks long.
6. It's pretty damn chilly.

Why did this term not suck? Corresponding with the previous list:

1. It was really only cold one week this term. Granted, it got to about -40 with the windchill, and we couldn't really afford to go outside for any length of time. The rest of the time, it seemed like winter didn't really happen. We had some snow and that wasn't the best, but for the most part we just kinda chilled with 20 degree weather, played some hockey, badminton, etc and enjoyed ourselves. By we, I mean me. Everyone else here just swam all the time (but they don't think the term sucked either, so I think there's something to this).
2. The days were still shorter. That didn't change. But, maybe, just maybe, the beauty of the UV lights that were installed in Stadium 110 actually illuminated the dark days and made them feel longer, warmer, and brighter.
   
3. While a lot of people had work, it didn't seem to get in the way. Or if it did, we all seemed to have a different perspective on it. We did our work, then came back and chilled. Nobody got too stressed. Except maybe Ted. But Ted had a lot of work, so that's excused. And I guess Toto didn't really come back sometimes. And now he's sitting here playing Call of Duty so he's not stressed anymore.
4. While not wanting to go anywhere usually causes a problem, this wasn't an issue for The Ocho. The reasoning is simple: we lived with the people with whom we wanted to chill. Instead of having to trek across campus to go sip a brew, we stayed in Stadium and enjoyed the company of friends (and UV lights, bitches!).
5. While this winter term was like every other winter term in that it was in the middle of fall and spring, it felt different. Maybe it's that it's senior year and our time here is fleeting. Or maybe this term just didn't suck.
6. It wasn't that chilly, as established in #1.

Nonberg disagrees with my sentiments: "Winter term doesn't suck. It's what you make of it!" So, I guess maybe we just made good of winter term. Circumstances help.

Other highlights of winter term:

• First Mate Charlie
• Reinstallation of Tetris Attack
• Swimming
• Mark says UV lights again
• Conference Party
• Almost dying
• Midwinter Ball
• Black Lights, White T's, BK, Caribou Lou
• Starting the blog
• Prospect of Stadium seating
• Finishing comps
• TASTE THE RAINBOW ("this is the most fun I've ever had at Carleton!")