Seems like I made the correct decision in coming here. To my delight, MIT has hurdled over three spots in US News' nefarious rankings, earning the cozy 4th place spot it rightfully deserves (although not along with Caltech >.<). In this farce of rankings, Harvard has once again attained the number one spot (no surprise there considering how many people were upset about Princeton snagging first last year) and the three main ivy's have yet again remained in the top three. Bravo US News. Without you guys, what else could I vehemently make fun of? Getting to the gritty juice of this post, I have snapped some pictures of my room and want to share with you all how my humble temporary (maybe permanent) habitat looks. Know that everything wooden has been graciously provided by Simmons. There is also a special black "surprise" that comes along with every room. It's hidden behind the desk, but I'll leave it up to you all to discover it once you visit campus.

Snazzy right? Well, it required a great deal of work and six people. When I first opened my door, I almost burst into laughter at the absurdity of how despondent my room appeared. Truthfully, this insufficiency stemmed from the lofting of my bed, which I did not like (climbing up these ladders kills the feet). So I gathered together a group of my closest, intimate friends and we spent some time lowering the bed (keep in mind that the furniture is modular). All this was well worth it though because now it's a breeze to jump onto my bed and I won't kill myself by falling off in the morning (seriously, my friend has already accidentally fallen).

After meeting up with Paul (yes, the blogger) and talking about dipping dot machines, a group of us went around to some REX events.

This is how cool MIT is.

Naturally, I went for the ice cream at Baker devouring many scoops of chocolate chunk ice cream. Afterward I experienced one of the most not so well known traditions of MIT: chairing. It's actually a fairly self-explanatory idea. You take Athena chairs from the clusters and ride them down the long and somewhat steep inclines in the underground tunnels (ever wonder why so many of the seats are missing wheels?). After scrapes, bruises, and many wipeouts, we headed back, only to find ourselves in the grasps of East Campus, the land of all scariness for us West Campus folks. Well, let me tell you that I was freakishly surprised that I enjoyed the atmosphere of EC and the projects they do. The senior who showed us around completely modded out his room, using a water hydraulics system to open and close his door automatically through his iPhone. Not stopping at that, he even added this unlocking mechanism that allows him to use his phone to unlock his door. EC takes the lead even more with their obnoxiously large project in their courtyard. Going until about 4 am in the morning every night for the past week, these ECers have been constructing a 3-foot high roller coaster out of plywood while playing Dragon Force over and over. If that's not awesome, then I don't know what is.

Today, after the competition (more on this later), we headed over to the MIT boathouse and had some scrumptous slices of Bertucci's pizza ( still holding true to my pizza promise). After scarfing down the food, I quickly jumped at the opportunity to go sailing - for my first time. It was a blast. Words cannot even explain how exhilarating it felt to be sailing through the heart of Boston with downtown on one side and MIT on the other. The sun was setting and the breeze was just right. I even learned how to meagerly manage the boat. I'm partially convinced that I should join the boating team. Hours are flexible and it's just plain old fun. If anything, I'll attend the Sunday morning sailing class.


Boston skyline ftw!

The even better Boston skyline!

Nothing like home.

Music is in the air and campus is bustling with newcomers. This can only mean orientation is in full swing and so I must venture forth and explore campus. DME has ended after a week of some heartwarming experiences. I cannot wait for the reunions. In a week and a half, classes start. Now, it's time to enjoy myself.