It all adds up

So I have an microeconomics test today. Some of you out there are no doubt saying "big deal, economics is easy." Well, I do not think like a business person does. I think like a scientist, which makes is very hard to study because I can't study economics the way I study math or electrical theory. Plus, this isn't regular micro it's engineering micro which means they take the regular micro they teach business freshmen and pump it up with derivations that are at the engineer's level.



The only problem is that an engineer doesn't teach the course, an economist does. So, instead of laying it out in a way that an engineering student would understand he fills his homework assignments and tests with trick questions and needless calculations. That doesn't make the test harder, it makes it trickier.

Wish me luck because I am going to need it.

Ciao

Clarkson Housing Sucks

I was trying to get into my school account a few days ago to update my housing information so that I could try to get into a townhouse next semester but I couldn't; because I wasn't put in the houseing lottery. The way the lottery works is that everyone is given a number weighted by the year you are going to graduate. Depending on how close to zero you number is the better houseing you can request and possibly get. However, I wasn't given one and now I am pissed.

So, I called up residence life and asked the lady what was going on. And, she said that since I have been at Clarkson for 8 semesters, I was pushed out by the lottery system by the computer. "Well hold on a minute," I said "I was gone for a semester on an internship and wasn't given a number for my first semester back," to which she replied "Well, you were offically still a student and we have to let the seniors get their pick first," to which I replied "But, I am a senior and my senior roomate who is in the exact same situation as me (Josh) got a number," she was silent for a moment. "What is your roomate's name?" she asked with a skeptical tone "Joshua James Miller," I replied with stunning accuracy. There was about a minute of her searching her records which which ended with her saying "Well you see, he has only been here for 4 semesters, he must be a transfer student," I answered her in confusion "Yes he is, but he is still a senior." "Yes, but since he hasn't been here for 8 semesters our system allows him to get a number," she replied very smartly. By this point I was very angry. How could they deny me on campus housing when they encourage students to take internships? "So you are telling me that I have to live of-campus?" I asked "No, I didn't say that. You can either have some friends pull you up in to their housing, you can live off-campus, or you can wait until after the lottery is over to see what I have available." I knew what "see what I have available" meant. It means that she would stick me in some crappy freshman dorm with somebody to socially awkward to get a roommate, at best she could give me a single in the new dorms which is better than nothing.

"Can I have a few days to sort things out?" I asked, "Sure just get back to me before the lottery." "Alright," I said hanging up the phone. The sad part is that all of my good friends are my year and they will be graduating. Also, of all the underclassmen in my fraternity there are only a few that I would consider rooming with and they largely already have roommate situations set up. So, I guess I will have to move off-campus and find an apartment. It's not what I wanted to or planned to do, but it's a hell of a lot better than the alternative.

Adios muchachos

Quick Update: Flickr

Hey everyone,

I have a quick update for you: I made a flickr photostream. The url is:http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthew_fl/ So, please enjoy it because the people who read this blog will more than likely find themselves in the pictures.

Later tatters,

The Chin Beard

Also known as a "Goatee" the chin beard dates back to it's first popularization in the late nineteenth century. The "Goatee" is characterized by at least a small tuft of hair on the chin of a male. It's name is derived from the tuft of hair seen on the lower jaw of the the male goat. This is my new topic of discussion because of an age old desire I have secretly had. I have always wanted to have thick, dark facial hair. Unfortunately, I was not handed the genetic materials for it. I can't grow a mustache, and my chin hair is pathetically sparse. However, I can grow a thick neck beard. But, a neck beard is far from what I desire.

Every time I set out to grow one, I am frustrated by the slow rate of hair growth and the intense stiffness of the hairs. It is almost unbearable to endure. I get frustrated several days into the experiment and shave it all off. And, it isn't like I can go days without shaving either. It's too thin to grow out but to thick to leave unattended. It is such a thorn in my side to deal with.

On the bright side, my chin hair has been growing thicker as time passes. So, I guess my only option is to wait it out. And, that is what I will do. Below are two images. The first one is of my goatee and the second one is off my ideal goatee.





It's just too much for me. The stiffness and iriation are overcomming me. By the time you have read this I will have already gotten rid of the facial hair because I am now getting up out of my chair and headed to the bathroom with a facial razor and shaving cream in hand.