Schenley

I went on a walk through Schenley Park yesterday. The trees are bare, for the most part. The windy, rainy days did them in. The park was still beautiful, though, as these photos will attest.
A view of the Oakland area from the edge of Schenley. CMU is not in the picture, but it's to the right.

Phipp's conservatory and the Cathedral of Learning. What's nice about this area is that when you get lost, you can always find your way back by following the Cathedral.

A nature trail in Schenley.

It's been cold lately, too. One of the lakes has a layer of ice across the top of it already. There's a sign by the edge that says "No Ice Skating," but I have a feeling that as soon as the ice will support someone's weight, they'll be on it.
There are panther statues guarding the bridge that was in the previous photos. Someone put Santa hats on them, which I will proceed to call "Pantha Hats."
When I got back the festivities before the Madrigal dinner (it's a medieval-themed dinner that is apparently a tradition every year at CMU) were just beginning. The entertainment in the airport lounge included bagpipes and a man on stilts juggling. I also got to explain to someone in character how a laptop works. Thank goodness none of my relatives are stuck in that box painting away.
This is the last week of school before finals. This semester feels like it's gone by really fast. On the 19th of December I fly back to California with two of my friends. I can't wait to get back to where it's warm!

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope that everyone is celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow around a table full of turkey and mashed potatoes and gravy. I'm celebrating the holiday with a cold. Thankfully I have a lot of time to get over it. There will be very few people on the floor over the next few days, so I'll be able to sleep it off without becoming involved with what my friends are doing.

As for my Thanksgiving plans, I'm probably going to go over to a friend's apartment with a couple of other people who decided to spend Thanksgiving on campus, too. I'm not sure if we'll be brave enough to cook a turkey, but at least we can have a potluck and spend time together.

Last weekend's competition in Ohio was alright. Andrey and I received four callbacks, including two in tango which got us into the quarter final round. We may have received more callbacks if we had made it to the first morning of dances, but we got to the site late and the schedule had been changed, so our dances came earlier than we expected. In the future we plan to get to the dance floor on time.

The best part of the competition was the professional dances. I sat in the balcony to watch the professional championship competition and various exhibitions. Those dancers can do some amazing moves. I even had the opportunity to watch a three-time championship winning Latin couple. Their show was incredible.

First Snow of the Year

It's snowing outside! I literally ran out of my dorm when I looked out of the window. Walking to my calculus exam, however, I discovered the disadvantages of going to a school built from a gorge (which is where the name "the Cut" comes from). Not only is it cold, it's very windy, too.

Luckily it's supposed to be warmer in Columbus, Ohio, where I will be spending my weekend at a dance competition.

Spring 08

Today was freshman registration for second semester classes. I was extremely fortunate with my schedule. Although I was only allowed to register at 11:30am, which was about halfway through the day, none of my classes are waitlisted, which is extremely convenient. Anyway, a link to my schedule can be found here. There is only one class missing, 21-259 which is Calculus in 3-D. I won't be able to register for it until December, when grades are released and I prove that I can take on more units.