I exist again!

Hey all lovely taspers--I realize I am abominably delinquent, but I assure that it shall be made up in due time. (How, I have no idea; but the thought is there all the same)

At long last stolaf classes are over. I was kind of nonexistant for the last semester because I made the smooth choice of doubling up on physics classes. The rest of my schedule was made up by first year writing (a horrendous class that we, unfortunately, all have to take) It isn't exactly that I don't like to write, but that if I have to hear another prof announce that "the three keys to writing a successful essay are to make a point, make it clear and make it interesting" I am going to hurl. This is usually pronounced with the same air as santa clause unveiling a particularly gargantuan toy. They all seem to labor under the belief that we have managed to complete 12 1/2 years of schooling without ever having run into this tidbit. This particular class was made slightly more interesting by the readings consisting of mainly "graphic novels" (extended comic books), one of which turned out to be more than mildly pornographic.

Music theory, on the other hand was amazing. I have a new prof who had a fondness for challenging how the music dept runs things--a practice I intensely support. She had a little of john sinclair in her, though without the whole drugs/moving-to-amsterdam/actively-supporting-the-overthrow-of-the-american-govt thingimabobber. She is big into electronic music, so for a field trip one day she took a bunch of us down to see the virtual sound labs at the university of iowa. On the way back me and a couple others were late for a orchestra dress rehearsal. So she displayed her prowess at passing cars on the right while doing 110 in a minivan. twas exhilarating.

I'm having doubts about what to do with my life. I thought coming into college that I would try and get a physics degree and use it to study meteorology in grad school with freelance music on the side. I unfortunately, however, fell in love with particle physics. So now I am in a quandary as to continuing with the skies or going full force into the exceedingly fun practice of banging things together. And, of course, there is the long term significance to consider--doing some rough calculations, I figure that for the same amount of money we just spent in switzerland for the LHC, we could have... oh... fed africa for a year? We'll see what happens; I'm going to be working this summer for a prof crunching numbers for a project looking at glacier movement, so maybe that will rekindle my interest in metorology and climate.

To happier matters: as of the end of this school year, I am contentedly single. I realize that this seems an odd thing to brag about, but at stolaf it is truly an accomplishment. A 2/1 female-male ratio in my dorm, combined with the oft-quoted statistic that "80% of Oles marry other Oles" makes maintaining your status as a straight, vaguely polite, caring, single male about as simple as mounting a single-manned attack on normandy beach. It's not that I have anything against my female friends (truly--if any of you are reading this don't resent you at all : ), it's just that they have a tendency to equate a smile and occasional hug as evidence of your deep abiding love for them that only needs to be brought to the surface. Another piece of awesomeness is that the verb "to date" has been whited-out of every dictionary on campus. Two people can be "friends" or they can be "in a relationship" (as heralded by facebook), but "dating"?
qoi? Je ne comprendre pa?
April of senior year is crazy with couples getting engaged "like dominoes", as my sister put it.

In addition, this summer I get to tackle two other jobs; one is to continue my stint as a rock wall instructor--aka I get payed to climb. Second: My dad is a silvaculturist for the forest service and goes up to alaska for about two weeks every summer to take field data. This year he managed to get me approved to go with him as a volunteer crew rat. Which means I get to spend two weeks of august in the wilderness of the kenai peninsula.

Anyway, I have to go soon so I will leave you with one more piece of wisdom for old times sake. And assure you that even though I am a sporadic poster myself I read all of your posts and enjoy hearing about your lives

Top 5 right now

5. Louisiana Bayou--Dave Matthews Band
4. I Want it That Way--Backstreet Boys
3. You and I Both--Jason Mraz
2. Hammer to Fall--Queen
1. No Doubling Back--Jason Mraz

It's good to be back

-bern