i'm in a weird limbo academically. i'm cautiously optimistic about getting into cornell's mdphd program, as my interviews went very well (i think). still, it's by no means a done deal, and as a back-up plan it sucks, because a back-up plan needs to be a done deal. nonetheless, i find myself using my possible pending acceptance as an excuse not to do homework and not to work on other apps, especially my safeties (i realized today i missed BU's deadline). dec 7 can't come soon enough.

my plans for next semester stand as follows: take a bunch of fun non-science classes, do just enough work for them to not get un-accepted (unless the class is particularly engaging... heh that reminds of the calvin and hobbes -- calvin: i've been thinking... hobbes: on a weekend !?! calvin: not on purpose! --- anyway), try to get a paper out in lab, and, most of all, enjoy nyc more. that means i need to get a paying job, like teaching for kaplan or princeton review, if only to pay for metrocards and food/drink. and bahamas. and spring break. my bank account says ouch.

oh also, play ultimate, and get into some sick shape for sectionals and regionals.

bahamas = t - 1.5 months.
- posted by Maxime @ 4:56 PM (0) comments

 
my patience for work is slowly wearing away. i can still study for tests, the cramming and all, but it's the problem-sets, the weekly quizzes, that i really don't care about. the day-in, day-out school work. come to think of it, i never really did do many problem sets, because they were more of an annoyance than anything else. now i sort of do them, but all along, i'm thinking, why do i care? what will happen if i just stop doing this now? the answer is, apart from a slight grade drop, nothing. nothing will happen. i could be doing so many things that aren't a waste of my time right now, but i should do this problem set so i can get a half letter grade higher. i don't know how well this bodes for the 2 more years of real school i have left after this college business is over. i've been thinking of taking a couple years off before starting whichever program i get into, maybe do teach for america. but after that i'd still have 7-8 years of md/phd, which would mean that i wouldn't be starting real life until i'm 30. not sure about how i feel about that yet. it's not that i really care about the delay in my professional life, it's more that i do want to start a family some day, and i just hope that all this 'career' crap won't get in the way. i guess that's all still a long way off.
- posted by Maxime @ 6:03 PM (0) comments

 
something i've been thinking about over the past couple of weeks:

that the act of drinking itself seems to preoccupy some people more than the having fun with your friends part. not that having fun is neglected, it just seems that, at a social function that traditionally warrants some drinking, drinking is explicitly emphasized first. i'm talking about the following scenario:

person 1 encounters person 2 at a bar, party, whatever:

person 1: why the fuck don't you have a beer in your hand?

person 2: i just don't feel like it.

person 1: what the fuck does that mean?

I understand that sometimes this is just a joke. Other times though, it's seems like a genuine concern. Why does drinking become an end unto itself? It's not alcoholism, because I'm pretty sure these people could not have another drink in their lives and be fine. I don't think it's any pressure to fit in, because our group is pretty much formed, and stopping to drink or drinking more isn't going to change anyone's status. Is it just a lack of anything else to do? Or just a stress relief thing? Please post a 1.5 page response on courseworks by next Tuesday.

Perhaps a more important question: why did I start capitalizing in the last paragraph?

Also: congrats to marathon people. Y'all are crazy motherfuckers.
- posted by Maxime @ 11:36 PM (1) comments

 
so, i'm linked on someone (gabi)'s blog again. i guess that means i should start posting again, so, without further ado:

post post post post post post post blog post post post post boobs post post post post. posty post post.

happy?

no?

too bad, i don't care.

so yeah, about this stoopid disciplinary hearing. our halloween party got too loud for the other suckers trying to sleep and study on halloween weekend, mostly because we opened the windows, as some douchebag forgot to wear deodorant. and it was hot. also, the party was unregistered. so we all have a warning on our res hall files, which means we can't get caught again with our windows open during a loud party, or we have "disciplinary probation" written in friendly letters on our transcripts, which is a very good way not to get into grad school, as amanda put it.

what's the point of this rant, you don't ask?

columbia sucks. they try to foster school pride and campus atmosphere and cohesiveness, but among the brilliant strategies they come up with to accomplish these goals, they (1) forbid people to bring alcohol to football games, and (2) go after parties on the most festive weekends of the year.

beh, i'm still at lab and it's 11:30pm. i should really, really be getting paid for this. time to finish this shit up, go to sleep, and then fly to chicago.
- posted by Maxime @ 8:09 PM (0) comments