IAP=Watermelon in January

IAP=Watermelon in January 10. I was doing physics:   My computer reminded me of what were all thinking. Independent Activities Period (IAP) is long gone - You, like myself, may be wondering why it’s been so long since I last updated you with anything. It’s definitely not because I’ve decided to relax too much and lead a quiet, uneventful life, let me assure you. IAP came and went and all throughout it, my writing voice remained as silent as the sudden, somber, and “I’m so old” realization that classes started already. [omigoshnomorepass/norecord] Already. already. So without further ado, my top 10 excuses for neglecting my blog-ly duties: 10. I was doing physics:   During IAP you’re only allowed to take 2 classes for credit. I took 8.01L, which is a version of physics you could take that starts in the fall and runs through IAP. The labs were pretty awesome themselves, but the computers on which we did labs had this awesome desktop image. 9. I was working on this: It’s a wind turbine (nicknamed velociwind) that my team and I built as part of the Momentum Program. Momentum focuses on teaching engineering design every year with different themes. This year’s topic was Portable Windmills.  At the end of IAP, each team gives a presentation in front of a panel of judges composed of representatives from companies who then offer interviews to students for a chance at a summer internship. Momentum was a truly amazing experience. I learned how NOT to epoxy my hair by accident, how to deal with messing up a prototype more times than I expected, and that engineering is basically a big game of trial and error, but a fun game nonetheless. 8. I took a nice little road trip with my big,     Colleen ’14: (Because she is mega baller and has a car.) When I told her I didn’t know what Friendly’s was, the first thing she did was pick a day that we could go to one together so I could culture myself in the world of eateries. We ended up taking a 1.5 hour drive to one (because,well, GPS lies sometimes xD). Along the way, I saw a wind turbine, which made me happy because everything in my world seemed relevant all of a sudden. Props to you if you can see it! (Apologies for less-than-clear pictures. Lets just say it gives them charactermy cameras been through a lot, you see.) 7. PEOPLE: Don’t even try to tell me that blogging is more important than celebrating awesome people’s birthdays and rightly rewarding them with cake. (My floor would agreeâ€"Happy Birthday, again, Jess ’15! ) 6. Clearly, mastering the art of wearing a sleeping mask: was important too, as Saulo ’15 stylishly demonstrates. Ah, yes. Sleep and I were reunited at last.    5. I needed watermelon: I painstakingly dragged  watermelon and lots more food from Shaws to [seemingly] the ends of the earth in a cart over impossible, snow-covered, rocky terrain with Nathasha ’15. We left evidence of our journey, though no trace of watermelon could be found within a few hours. 4. I went to the beach: After my last IAP class was officially over.  I took the T. The winter didn’t stop me. Frozen sand is quite aesthetically pleasing, yo. 3. XKCD Hack: Reading through 1000 XKCD comics would take a long time. I wont answer the question of whether or not I read them all. 2. 2. Record-Breaking: On the right of our suite-board you will see a list of movies successfully watched by people in my suite during IAP. My suitemates, Hannah ’15, and Vivek ’14â€"I’m proud of their movie-watching skills. They’re hardcore. 1. Food Rescue Mission: For a week, our food was disappearing. No worrieswere not starving anymore. (Nor were we ever) The signs must have been pretty effective. Especially because of the stick-figure with the ink-blob fist. In any case, as part of this food rescue mission that was so important, I baked brownies to celebrate the completion of a very successful IAP. Have a virtual brownie as I conclude my list of excuses, admittedly some more valid than others. Here’s to a semester just as amazing as IAP, but with more blogging!