Up in NYC

Posted by Glen in on 30 Aug. 2002, 9:10 am

Going to New York for the Kickoff Classic this weekend. I’ll post a proper update on Monday.

In the meantime, let me briefly describe our delightful new neighbors upstairs. I don’t know whether they each weigh 400 lbs. or just like to STOMP STOMP STOMP around at three in the morning every night, but it’s difficult to imagine how anyone could make so much noise without the aid of construction equipment. We can actually hear the flooboards creak when they “walk”, and it often sounds like they’re moving heavy furniture and/or wrestling in the middle of the night. As I lied awake in bed last night, unable to sleep due to what could only have been a Greco-Roman wrestling party (theme music: bad R&B at top volume), the only thing preventing me from calling the cops was my own curiosity. I’m fairly certain the loudest booms were bodies falling (or being thrown) on the hardwood floor, but the slightly muffled crashing noises eluded me. Could they have been tipping over refrigerators or perhaps rearranging the furniture again? We may never know. To put things in perspective, we never heard a peep from the previous upstairs neighbors, except for the occasional bark from their dog. Apartment shopping begins soon.

  1. Comment from Chi-town Terp on 30 Aug. 2002, 9:35 pm :

    You’ve essentially expressed the thoughts of the girls who live below my apartment at 238-03 Old Leonardtown. When I lived at 1101 Harford, the downstairs neighbors (come to find out, Kurt Rhodes and John Quigg) thought that we must be theater majors because it always sounded like we were “building a set” to which my roommate quipped “more like tearing down a set.” Your upstairs neighbors may be doing things like 1) rearranging for beer pong; 2) re-enacting Fight Club; 3) entertaining drunk guests who are stumbling around looking for the bathroom; 4) bringing in furniture that was stolen from area frat house porches. You’d be surprised at the things that go on . . . .

  2. Comment from Chi-town Terp on 30 Aug. 2002, 9:37 pm :

    Mis-type — that last comment should read “. . . the girls who LIVED below my apartment . . . ” as I have since graduated (and matured).

  3. Comment from Glen on 3 Sep. 2002, 11:56 am :

    5) Bowling. I swear they were bowling last night.

Nonstandard test

Posted by Glen in on 26 Aug. 2002, 10:11 am

Rachel takes her PhD qualifying exam today, with my “PhD” pencil no less. Wish her luck!

  1. Comment from Rachel on 26 Aug. 2002, 11:21 am :

    Good luck, Rachel!

  2. Comment from Angela on 26 Aug. 2002, 11:22 am :

    Oops. That was me being dumb :-P

  3. Comment from your sister on 26 Aug. 2002, 3:08 pm :

    Rachel doesn’t need luck– the only people who need luck are the other test-takers because she will probably destroy the curve, if there is a curve. But good luck anyway, Rachel! If you need help on the math stuff just give me a call.

CMI-BWI

Posted by Glen in on 22 Aug. 2002, 2:07 am

Going to Maryland for the weekend… be back Sunday.

Le Net des Chats

Posted by Glen in on 19 Aug. 2002, 1:00 pm

Apart from a couple of amazing, hour-long thunderstorms, nothing too exciting has happened in The Prairie State during the past week. So how about a cat update?

Dave, ever fearful of an outbreak of his as-yet-unproven cat allergy, has long banned Otto and Lili from his room. This policy once forced him to place a tall box is his doorway, as he preferred to leave his door open while home. Lili, however, soon learned to jump in one side of the box and out the other side, into Dave’s room — no small feat, considering the box’s imposing height. After five security breaches this weekend alone (Lili is very persistent), Dave finally decided to upgrade his cat barrier to a full-doorway system. The cheapest solution came in the form of a hammock from Wal-Mart, which Dave tacked to the doorway to form a cat-proof net. Needless to say, this unattractive installation has been the source of endless cat fascination (see photo below). Convinced that there is a way past the net, both cats have deployed countless countermeasures, most recently running at high speed and attempting to leap through. To date, their attempts have only resulted in a lot of thrashing. I’ll keep you posted.

  1. Comment from Kanishka on 20 Aug. 2002, 7:58 am :

    This is the funniest thing ever. Reminds me of how my puppy tries to get past the baby gate we’ve put up to block her once in a while, by putting her paws on top and barking. Moral of the story: Animals are funny.

    In other comments, dude, what’s up with Wal-Mart dominance?

  2. Comment from your sister on 20 Aug. 2002, 12:34 pm :

    Are you sure Dave doesn’t have ulterior motives here? It appears from the photo that the netting is quite an effective strangulation device!

  3. Comment from Glen on 20 Aug. 2002, 1:19 pm :

    I went grocery shopping only once at Wal-Mart and do not plan to do it again. Say what you will about Corporate America pushing out the little guy, the evils of grain-fed livestock, herbicide-laced vegetables polluting our bodies, etc. The bottom line is, Wal-Mart has a lousy food selection. We shop at County Market these days. Besides, I’m a sucker for organic eggs, which you can’t find at a reasonable price in Wal-Mart.

    As for the netting, I’m not sure about Dave’s ulterior motives. Otto mysteriously acquired a bloody ear yesterday, but our leading theory has Lili scratching him in self-defense. I don’t see how a net could have done that.

  4. Comment from Mike on 20 Aug. 2002, 4:38 pm :

    Walmart Dominance? You betcha. Check out the link. The Waltons make the Vanderbilts look like hobos.

  5. Comment from Mike on 20 Aug. 2002, 4:39 pm :

    Err… try this one

  6. Comment from Glen on 20 Aug. 2002, 5:33 pm :

    Looks like Microsoft is also well-represented in Forbes’ top 10 :)

  7. Comment from Mike on 20 Aug. 2002, 11:04 pm :

    Well, that’s not the point :) Besides, at least the 3 MS guys aren’t brothers.

  8. Comment from Angela on 21 Aug. 2002, 8:33 am :

    A bloody ear? Good God! You need to save those kitties from certain death a la Dave! The netting might be a sign of things to come!

    P.S. Blackened fish, organic eggs — I’d say we have a foodie on our hands.

  9. Comment from your sister on 21 Aug. 2002, 9:35 am :

    Please explain difference between organic and regular eggs.

  10. Comment from Glen on 21 Aug. 2002, 12:48 pm :

    Regular eggs: Chickens are packed in giant, overcrowded sheds, basically unable to move. Because of the stressful conditions, their beaks are often cut off to prevent them from hurting one another when they fight. Also, they’re fed the usual array of horomones and antibiotics, which becomes a part of our diet.

    Organic eggs: Chickes are raised as most people imagine it. They’re able to go outside, wander around, peck at the ground, etc. Also, their eggs and meat aren’t seething with as many chemicals.

    I’d like to refer you to various newspaper articles, but I don’t have any handy. So here’s a website run by a bunch of hard-core vegetarians (take it with a grain of salt): http://www.factoryfarming.com/ Their descriptions of poultry farming seem generally accurate, judging by what I’ve read in more reliable sources.

  11. Comment from Glen on 21 Aug. 2002, 12:49 pm :

    Speaking of animal cruelty: Dave is installing some fabric on the lower portion of the net, at our request. This will prevent Lili from sticking her head completely through the tiny holes and getting caught - which she has already learned to do.

  12. Comment from Matt Gallant on 21 Aug. 2002, 8:26 pm :

    Animals are funny!

Posted by Glen in on 14 Aug. 2002, 12:01 am

10 points to Tammy for a superb Redneck link

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