Sunday, November 13, 2005
Four Days Off: The Movie
To begin with, you should know that the school district gave everyone, teachers and students alike, Veterans Day off. This was deemed a good thing on the whole, a chance for everyone to catch their breath and enjoy a three day weekend before Thanksgiving. Given the whole three day weekend thing, you may wonder why this blog post seems to have a numerical discrepancy in its title. The answer is that I took the day before Veterans Day off to undertake a rather daring adventure. It's the sort of stuff from which an interesting independent film could be made.
I can see the trailer now...
1 teacher
2 days
3 major graduate institutions
4 friends from both high school and college
5 prestigious professors
6 entirely different states
This fall...in a theater near you, you will believe Ben will apply...
GRAD SCHOOL!
Yeah, so the fun began on Wednesday at 4 PM, when I bolted home from school, in anticipation of the cab I had called earlier that morning. The plan was to catch the cab, get to the station around 4:30, and possibly catch an early train to Boston. Unfortunately, the cab showed up 45 minutes late. Fortunately, there was still the 5:45 train to catch, so after grabbing some dinner, I was able to plop myself down and read some Neal Stephenson on my way up to South Station.
Unrelated side note: Cryptonomicon was definitely worth the quarter I paid for it at the local library's used book sale.
Arrived in Boston around midnight, and caught the T over to Cambridge. My old friends Mathman (whose blog still needs to be updated...) and Throat had generously offered me a place to stay the night. All I had to do was navigate my way from South Station to near M.I.T. Thankfully, the Boston public transit system worked like a charm, and I only had to dodge raindrops the twenty feet or so between the station and Throat's new car. (By the way if anyone would like a vintage British automobile, I know a guy who's looking to sell.)
A five minute drive later and we were back at the Mathpad watching the end of a basketball game, dining on homemade chocolate desserts, and discussing my plans for the coming day. Mathman's knowledge of the MIT campus proved most valuable, as I had only been there once before and even now, after a second visit,can not explain the arcane numerology that defines their campus. I'm sure there is a logic to it. Maybe if I convert all the building numbers (D-52, C-11) into hexadecimal or something...
In any event, the next morning, some quick goodbyes and then to MIT to meet with folks there about graduate programs. All in all a positive experience, though I remain daunted by statistics of how many apply and how few are accepted. I know such things shouldn't bother me, but they do.
The professors at MIT helped guide me back to the subway, and I bolted over to that other school in Cambridge. Realizing I had plenty of time before my appointment, I quickly saluted Car Talk Plaza and shambled slowly across the Yahd, pausing to note how empty and austere it seemed compared to similar quads I had dealt with in college. Perhaps it was just too windy that November day. But no...things seemed to be hopping at the Science Center. I dodged the ticket sellers, the dancers, the t-shirt vendors (apparently their shirts are of the opinion that Yale sucks!...who knew?!?), and assorted rabble to enter the building, which if you've never been looks something like it is being slowly assimilated by a malevolent air conditioner.
As with MIT, my meeting was interesting and informative. I also stumbled into an old undergraduate associate of mine from New Haven who was now enrolled in the program. He had also studied at the original Cambridge...in England...and was now pursuing his work on this side of the pond. Seemed like he enjoyed the program, which is good. If you talk with graduate students, and they grumble, perhaps that isn't the best of programs.
After that, it was back on the T to South Station, where I wandered aimlessly between train terminal and bus terminal before deciding that the train trip, though slightly more expensive, had the benefit of leaving before 7 that night. So back on the train again, through Rhode Island into Connecticut, and finally arrival in New Haven. I walked north towards the campus of my beloved alma mater, only to realize that in my rush to schedule appointments I had not actually finalized my sleeping arrangements. I scurried to the campus library and took advantage of non-password protected library computers to look up some phone numbers. Then it was off to hit the blue phones. But no one was home! The lesson? Cell phone numbers are becoming increasingly relevant. Some people don't even have landlines!
Eventually, a fortunate break. My old friend the Scotsman, despite having graduated, was still residing in the Elm City, living the good life with the Maestro. A quick cell call later and I was off to the Maestro's place, which is not, as you might think in Tuscany. (There are no rooms to rent there!) My only detour was a quick visit to my residential college, which had just finished being remodeled. The place looked outstanding despite my inability to access any of the new features without a student ID. The basement steam tunnels have been thoroughly cleaned up and integrated with the college next door. There's a full kitchen down there. A renovated game room. A cleaned up printing press. It's astounding.
But not quite as astounding as my accommodations for the evening...a vintage 19th century house updated for the 21st century with HDTV and a hot tub. Let no one say that the Maestro does not know how to host a weary traveler. Good food (homemade pasta and meat sauce!), good drink, good conversation... The Maestro, the Scotsman, and I reminisced about the good old days when our singing group's members didn't all hate each other. It's been 5 years since the group formed and then quickly collapsed, so our thoughts had started to reek slightly of nostalgia. But we caught up on all the gossip, started brainstorming a possible fifth anniversary reunion, and laughed at the comedic genius of Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert. (I do miss cable a little bit...) And then to cap it all off...no sleeping on the couch for the guest! The Maestro knows better. A full double bed for the Invisible Ben? Outstanding!
The four star accommodations continued that morning as we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast of french toast and eggs, and then headed off on our merry ways. Two more interviews, first at the Hall of Graduate Studies (Haggis!) and then the Medical School...both very interesting and thought-provoking. Then, back to the Maestro's house to gauge my options. Although I was relatively certain I could crash an additional night without too much difficulty, I had work that needed to be done back here, and decided I would take a late train back home. So after a quick Thai dinner, which was joined midway through by the Scotsman, I talked myself into and eventually out of staying in New Haven and bid farewell to my friends at the trian station.
Although the train left New Haven on time, from that point on there were several very frustrating delays, especially around New York and Newark, so I only ended up getting home around midnight and then waited another twenty minutes for a cab to make it back here.
All in all, an exciting adventure. Can I say I learned something? Yeah, I did, but that doesn't not necessarily make my life easier. Graduate school applications are a tricky business, and having more information can be simultaneously helpful and overwhelming. But on the whole, it was a very positive experience. I really enjoyed catching up with old friends, visiting different campuses, and traveling. I don't really leave town enough.
To Mathman, Throat, the Scotsman, and the Maestro if you're reading this, thank you so much for the hospitality. If you're ever in my neck of the woods, don't hesitate to drop me a line.
And to those of you I missed during my travels...and there were a few, there will be another time I'm sure.
Perhaps coming soon to a theater near you.
To begin with, you should know that the school district gave everyone, teachers and students alike, Veterans Day off. This was deemed a good thing on the whole, a chance for everyone to catch their breath and enjoy a three day weekend before Thanksgiving. Given the whole three day weekend thing, you may wonder why this blog post seems to have a numerical discrepancy in its title. The answer is that I took the day before Veterans Day off to undertake a rather daring adventure. It's the sort of stuff from which an interesting independent film could be made.
I can see the trailer now...
1 teacher
2 days
3 major graduate institutions
4 friends from both high school and college
5 prestigious professors
6 entirely different states
This fall...in a theater near you, you will believe Ben will apply...
GRAD SCHOOL!
Yeah, so the fun began on Wednesday at 4 PM, when I bolted home from school, in anticipation of the cab I had called earlier that morning. The plan was to catch the cab, get to the station around 4:30, and possibly catch an early train to Boston. Unfortunately, the cab showed up 45 minutes late. Fortunately, there was still the 5:45 train to catch, so after grabbing some dinner, I was able to plop myself down and read some Neal Stephenson on my way up to South Station.
Unrelated side note: Cryptonomicon was definitely worth the quarter I paid for it at the local library's used book sale.
Arrived in Boston around midnight, and caught the T over to Cambridge. My old friends Mathman (whose blog still needs to be updated...) and Throat had generously offered me a place to stay the night. All I had to do was navigate my way from South Station to near M.I.T. Thankfully, the Boston public transit system worked like a charm, and I only had to dodge raindrops the twenty feet or so between the station and Throat's new car. (By the way if anyone would like a vintage British automobile, I know a guy who's looking to sell.)
A five minute drive later and we were back at the Mathpad watching the end of a basketball game, dining on homemade chocolate desserts, and discussing my plans for the coming day. Mathman's knowledge of the MIT campus proved most valuable, as I had only been there once before and even now, after a second visit,can not explain the arcane numerology that defines their campus. I'm sure there is a logic to it. Maybe if I convert all the building numbers (D-52, C-11) into hexadecimal or something...
In any event, the next morning, some quick goodbyes and then to MIT to meet with folks there about graduate programs. All in all a positive experience, though I remain daunted by statistics of how many apply and how few are accepted. I know such things shouldn't bother me, but they do.
The professors at MIT helped guide me back to the subway, and I bolted over to that other school in Cambridge. Realizing I had plenty of time before my appointment, I quickly saluted Car Talk Plaza and shambled slowly across the Yahd, pausing to note how empty and austere it seemed compared to similar quads I had dealt with in college. Perhaps it was just too windy that November day. But no...things seemed to be hopping at the Science Center. I dodged the ticket sellers, the dancers, the t-shirt vendors (apparently their shirts are of the opinion that Yale sucks!...who knew?!?), and assorted rabble to enter the building, which if you've never been looks something like it is being slowly assimilated by a malevolent air conditioner.
As with MIT, my meeting was interesting and informative. I also stumbled into an old undergraduate associate of mine from New Haven who was now enrolled in the program. He had also studied at the original Cambridge...in England...and was now pursuing his work on this side of the pond. Seemed like he enjoyed the program, which is good. If you talk with graduate students, and they grumble, perhaps that isn't the best of programs.
After that, it was back on the T to South Station, where I wandered aimlessly between train terminal and bus terminal before deciding that the train trip, though slightly more expensive, had the benefit of leaving before 7 that night. So back on the train again, through Rhode Island into Connecticut, and finally arrival in New Haven. I walked north towards the campus of my beloved alma mater, only to realize that in my rush to schedule appointments I had not actually finalized my sleeping arrangements. I scurried to the campus library and took advantage of non-password protected library computers to look up some phone numbers. Then it was off to hit the blue phones. But no one was home! The lesson? Cell phone numbers are becoming increasingly relevant. Some people don't even have landlines!
Eventually, a fortunate break. My old friend the Scotsman, despite having graduated, was still residing in the Elm City, living the good life with the Maestro. A quick cell call later and I was off to the Maestro's place, which is not, as you might think in Tuscany. (There are no rooms to rent there!) My only detour was a quick visit to my residential college, which had just finished being remodeled. The place looked outstanding despite my inability to access any of the new features without a student ID. The basement steam tunnels have been thoroughly cleaned up and integrated with the college next door. There's a full kitchen down there. A renovated game room. A cleaned up printing press. It's astounding.
But not quite as astounding as my accommodations for the evening...a vintage 19th century house updated for the 21st century with HDTV and a hot tub. Let no one say that the Maestro does not know how to host a weary traveler. Good food (homemade pasta and meat sauce!), good drink, good conversation... The Maestro, the Scotsman, and I reminisced about the good old days when our singing group's members didn't all hate each other. It's been 5 years since the group formed and then quickly collapsed, so our thoughts had started to reek slightly of nostalgia. But we caught up on all the gossip, started brainstorming a possible fifth anniversary reunion, and laughed at the comedic genius of Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert. (I do miss cable a little bit...) And then to cap it all off...no sleeping on the couch for the guest! The Maestro knows better. A full double bed for the Invisible Ben? Outstanding!
The four star accommodations continued that morning as we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast of french toast and eggs, and then headed off on our merry ways. Two more interviews, first at the Hall of Graduate Studies (Haggis!) and then the Medical School...both very interesting and thought-provoking. Then, back to the Maestro's house to gauge my options. Although I was relatively certain I could crash an additional night without too much difficulty, I had work that needed to be done back here, and decided I would take a late train back home. So after a quick Thai dinner, which was joined midway through by the Scotsman, I talked myself into and eventually out of staying in New Haven and bid farewell to my friends at the trian station.
Although the train left New Haven on time, from that point on there were several very frustrating delays, especially around New York and Newark, so I only ended up getting home around midnight and then waited another twenty minutes for a cab to make it back here.
All in all, an exciting adventure. Can I say I learned something? Yeah, I did, but that doesn't not necessarily make my life easier. Graduate school applications are a tricky business, and having more information can be simultaneously helpful and overwhelming. But on the whole, it was a very positive experience. I really enjoyed catching up with old friends, visiting different campuses, and traveling. I don't really leave town enough.
To Mathman, Throat, the Scotsman, and the Maestro if you're reading this, thank you so much for the hospitality. If you're ever in my neck of the woods, don't hesitate to drop me a line.
And to those of you I missed during my travels...and there were a few, there will be another time I'm sure.
Perhaps coming soon to a theater near you.
