I just finished Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell. I’ve been looking forward to this book ever since Stanek pointed me at The Partly Cloudy Patriot. In PCP, Vowell combined a quirky sense of humor, tourism, and history lessons to produce a funny, yet thought-provoking read. It’s the kind of book that makes you laugh at… Continue reading Assassination Vacation
MIT Weblog survey
26 and counting
It’s been a busy week. So far, I’ve gotten official notification that I’ve passed the qualifier (thanks for the comments!) and I’ve turned 26. That may not seem like a lot, but it sure feels like it. I spent so much time studying for the qualifier, that it feels weird to not be pushing towards… Continue reading 26 and counting
results
I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed!
Hit with a Stick!
Stanek hit me with the stick You’re stuck inside Fahrenheit 451, which book do you want to be? If I was a book, and I wanted to not get burned to a crisp, I’d probably be Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character? God. Really, it’s too many… Continue reading Hit with a Stick!
A.Q.
Unbeknownst to my loyal readers, I’ve recently been dividing my life into two epochs: B.Q. and A.Q. I’ve passed through the time Before the Qualifier. I did a lot of studying, a lot of worrying, and lot of complaining. I may have recited the litany against fear, but only because I raced through the first… Continue reading A.Q.
what am I doing after I finish the Qualifier?
Some people might go to Disney world. Some people might get roaring drunk. Some people aren’t me! (OK, well, I’m certainly the 2nd some people, but I’m other things to!) What am I doing? I’m gonna donate blood! After a less than pleasing experience with the red cross, I had resigned myself to never donating… Continue reading what am I doing after I finish the Qualifier?
good weekend, long week
I had an excellent weekend, but now I’ve a long week ahead of me. My qualifiers are in exactly 1 week. Still, I had an excellent time at a wedding in Philadelphia. One of my oldest friends, Bryan, got married. So, while I’d like to post many, many photos and give y’all a nice long… Continue reading good weekend, long week
gun control research
Eldan recently asked about reliable gun control statistics. I haven’t had the time to read these papers thoroughly, but I thought finding some research publications on the subject would be useful: Firearm Availability and Homicide Rates across 26 High-Income Countries Abstracts from Philip J. Cook. Cook seems to be a fairly well-cited professor on the… Continue reading gun control research
mostly sleepy
Quite often, I catch myself sitting and thinking, “I’m tired.” This isn’t good, as I know I haven’t been working as hard as I should be. I know what kind of material I have to cover and by when. In other areas, I think I’m actually doing pretty well. My research (such as it is)… Continue reading mostly sleepy