Note: Re-posted from my now-defunct Myspace blog, where it was originally posted on July 20th, 2007 (this date corresponds to my 23rd birthday).
First things first: By the time I finish this post, it will be my birthday (started at 11:53 in P.M...). So there's that...Not a big birthday person, but if you've been desparate for a reason to give me a call, here's your chance, you lucky kid!
Now then, I begin as always with a cliche excuse about being busy and blah blah and therefore I haven't blogged in months. But it is true, I've been more busy this past year than at any other time in my life, and it's been sustained and unrelenting! However, this is apropos to my post, as I have decided that I will simply list all of the major events and minor points of interest that have transpired over the past four and a half months. I'll be skimping on the details, but if you're just dying to know, hit me up with a comment or something. I always cave to popular demand...
I begin my saga on the 4th of March. Why? I have some notes about it. Also, it was erev Purim. Before getting into all of this, however, we must set the scene:
It was the second semester of my senior year in college, but I was not partying as the cliche goes. Why not? Well first of all, there was the senior thesis I was working on. Important to keep this in mind: the thesis due date was March 22. Further, it seems I've become something of a careerist - instead of using my spare time to chill &c., I continued to help out in my psych lab, apply for jobs and network with grad students and faculty. Ok, enough background! Here's the chronology:
March 4th (Sat) - Purim eve, heard megillah and then proceeded to get steadily drunker and drunker throughout the evening. Ended up not going to sleep until something ridiculous like 5 A.M.
March 5th (Sun) - woke up around noon and walked over to R. Avi's, where there was a seudah that gradually degenerated into a party - ended up staying there until night time.
March 6th (Mon) - got up at the god-forsaken hour of 8:30 A.M. to work as mashgiach at Hillel. I didn't feel well, but who does on such little sleep? Did I mention that I'd been running on a nifty prescription I picked up at the beginning of the year? I can say no more...
Around noon I went back to my room, giving up on an optional class because I felt kinda crappy. Also I had a phone interview for a possible job lined up for the afternoon. When I got to my room, I went to sleep for a couple of hours...
Woke up around 3 P.M., still feeling crappy. Decided to go to UHS (University Health Services) after my interview. Interview went fine, then I went down to UHS and waited around for like 45 minutes to be seen.
After describing my symptoms, the Doc poked me in the abdomen and my eyes bulged out like bugs bunny or something - she sent me packing to the hospital. I spent about six hours in the emergency room, mostly bored off my ass, plus I was a little scared, and in a fair measure of disbelief.
Well they decided I had appendicitis, I had an operation, etc. etc. There's another post about that (see if you can figure it out by the title...heh heh...), so I won't go into it here.
March 8th (Wed) - Didn't have to go to school. Sweet! But seriously, isn't my thesis due in three weeks? oh shit...My dad flew in and stayed with me for a few days, which was nice, but as you might expect, also somewhat awkward. Also, they gave me percocet, which was cool...
March 9th (Thu) - again, no school, but I did take care of some business. Most notably, I responded to some correspondence from a prospective employer. The position was as R.A. for Daniel Kahneman. More on that later...
March 10th (Fri) - Went to dinner at Danny & Lindsey Shoag's - they are awesome people and Lindsey is a terrific cook, even though I may be spelling her first name incorrectly. Also, they were happy to have my Dad as well. Which was interesting...
March 12th (Sun) - For the first time since Tuesday, I went back to Hillel. A man's got to work...Basically I was feeling better really quickly, but it took everyone else a while to catch up, so I was still getting sympathy comments and stupid bs for another month. sigh...
March 17th (Fri) - Under doctor's orders not to walk very much, so I decided to spend Shabbat at R. Avi's. Turns out a few other people had the same idea...One of his room mates, Shuey, wasn't in, so I got to sleep in a bed (the appendicitis plea worked like a charm here...). But his other room mate was over. Also, one of Avi's good friends was visiting from NY, and this other guy who was visiting the grad school, and Dave - well, Dave was just always there, no particular reason for it...So that made a total of six people staying in a three-bedroom. Not unusual for Avi's, although it sucked that we didn't get any girls to come over for dinner and whatnot.
And then it started snowing, all day Friday and on into the night. I believe it was the only actual blizzard Boston had all winter! and remember, this is mid-March. So I barely left the building, and neither did most of the others, although at least they were allowed to walk some distances...
Well there was plenty of idiotic bickering and tension. But in retrospect, it was practically the last time I got to hang out with Avi and Dave. Time was running out on us, though only one of us really knew it...
March 22nd (Thu) - Did I mention I got a week's extension on my thesis? Otherwise it wouldn't been due on this day. No matter, I still had a stats final! This was also the last official day before spring break. By this point, the stress is really getting to me, plus the random appendectomy from out of the blue really threw off my rhythm. Fortunately, Austin was staying around that weekend. This was because we had made plans to go on a journey to the centre of our minds that weekend - well that had to be called off, which sucked for both of us, but especially for him. I wasn't going home at all - I needed to friggin work!
March 26th (Mon) - I pulled an all-nighter to finish the first draft of my thesis and send it to my grad-student advisor. I got it in around 8 or 9 A.M., I think. Then I slept until 3 or 4 P.M.
March 27th (Tue) - Second straight all-nighter to implement my advisor's recommendations so that I could send the thesis on to my faculty advisor. Another 9 A.M. to 3 P.M. night of sleep...
March 28th (Wed) - Received a whole bunch of revisions from my faculty advisor, most of which I simply could not implement within 24 hours (though I did waste plenty of time trying). Note that I was barely leaving my room at this point, and anyways no one was around. They were all having "spring break" or something...
March 29th (Thu) - Submitted my thesis, a full 1/2 hour early! Proceeded to indulge myself in food, drink and a movie (The Namesake - which I quite enjoyed!).
March 30th (Fri) - I was scheduled to go down to NYC for the weekend to stay with my friend Ben for Shabbat and a few days until Pesach. But first, I had to meet someone who I had applied to work with! And I was late for this, had to take a cab, with all my luggage, but she was really nice, and I got a good feeling about the situation from her. Then I took a loooong train ride to NYC. I crashed over at the Bayit, a co-op for Jews at Columbia (I know, I know, isn't that all co-ops at Columbia?). I had spent numerous Shabbatot there during my four years of college. This was to be my last, and it was an enjoyable weekend, overall.
April 1st (Sun) - My sleep schedule was still out of whack, and I aggravated the situation by sleeping until 6 P.M. I know, I know...the sun was setting when I arose. I met up with Ivan for a drink and made plans to meet with Yossi early-ish the next morning. Basically, the plan was to not sleep.
April 2nd (Mon) - That up-all-night thing happened, and I met up with Yossi all freaked out on the no-sleep thing. I tell you man, nothing blows you out of your mind like not sleeping for 24 hours + . Then I got out to Monsey (I actually don't remember how this happened) and managed to nap a bit before sundown and seder night.
and I spent about an hour at the local library frantically arranging my trip to Princeton for a job interview with the Kahneman lab...
About the Seder thing, that was as crazy as ever, with my Charedi uncle leading, both of my sisters there, and the whole extended Mishpacha...However, given my condition, I actually kind of enjoyed the scene. Plus, did I mention I was done with my thesis?
Oh yeah, and it was Opening Day in baseball land...
**Whew! I didn't realize how long this would take me...well I apologize if it's as boring to read as it is to hear Al Gore speak, but I'm glad that I'm getting this down, so I will pick up the chronology right here sometime soon. Good night!**
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