Let me tell you, flying home during the summer is much less painful than flying home during the winter. This is actually the first time I've flown in the summer since I came to college in 2007. My only experiences with airplanes in the last 2 years have involved delays, cold, snow, and angry angry passengers. Now, there was no cold, no snow, and slightly fewer angry passengers, but a slight delay. All things considered, though, it was a pleasant experience, littered with naps and tasty food. The flight experience was capped off with retrieving my checked bag off the carousel and, to my delight, it was the first one out! My parents and I left the airport, drove to my grandma's house a few miles away, and spent some time visiting with her there.
Hi grandma! (She reads this, you all should say hi too, she's a nice lady! You'd like her.)
After that it was an hour long car ride back home for dinner at McMenamins. If you're from Oregon and eat anywhere but McMenamins when you get back from college, you're doing it wrong. I had a double Wilbur with double cheese and double bacon, two apple ciders, tater tots, and an extra order of fries. Yum. No pictures though, it wasn't on my plate long enough to photograph.
After dinner we finally made it to our actual house. After a rather vigorous greeting by the dogs I unpacked some clothes and flopped on the couch. There's not a lot like flopping on the couch at home after a semester at MIT, something I didn't get to do last summer.
I went to bed early and woke up early, to weather like this
People in Boston will never understand what weather in Oregon is like. It's just as sunny, only not as hot, no humidity, and a pleasant trickle of breeze (MIT is also known as the windiest campus IN THE WORLD!)
This summer I've decided to work at home, working outside for my dad. No, I'm not working for Google, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, iRobot, or any of those other "MIT summer job" places, I've decided to take a hit to my resume and spend what is likely to be my last summer at home. This isn't to say I won't be working though, it's just not mental or technical. It's physical labor of the purest variety. I'll be building fence, trimming trees up to 20', painting and caulking the exterior of our house, mowing fields, and generally being tired and sore. Honestly, after so much MIT, I'm really looking forward to this. Here's a picture of my new best friend
I've already gotten a head start on the only "technical" task I have this summer, GPS mapping our property and identifying trees.
My dad wants a layered view of our property and locations/types of all our trees. In what is an unprecedented cooperative effort between my Garmin GPS, Excel, Notepad, SolidWorks, Photoshop, and Adobe Acrobat, I think I've come up with a method of mapping everything. The final product will be a multi-layered PDF. I've slapped together a quick demo of a rough cut. The satelite overlay isn't there yet, nor are most of the trees, but the perimeter of the property is mapped, as well as a few of the trees (the ones pictured above actually).
I've taken bunches of pictures of home since I've been here and have enjoyed exploring drawers and basement areas that I haven't seen in years. In one drawer was a copy of our newspaper from when Obama was elected. I lol'd. Check out this headline
You only wish your newspaper was as cool as mine.
My desk is all set up with the gadgets I've brought home from college. Unfortunately, I left the cords for my HDD in Boston, so I've got the data but no way of accessing it.
So that's me. I'm all settled and ready for a tough summer of hard (but enjoyable) work. I start Tuesday. Hope you all enjoy your summers as well!
Comments (Closed after 30 days to reduce spam)
[yay home]
Posted by: Luczek on May 24, 2009
Posted by: Alan '13 on May 24, 2009
and perhaps a serious question: calc usage at mit? all tests = no calc? or 89 friendly? or scientific calc only? etc
Posted by: Alan '13 on May 24, 2009
Have a great summer
Posted by: Piper '12 on May 24, 2009
Posted by: Vinay on May 24, 2009
Posted by: Vinay on May 24, 2009
It varies. Your freshman year will probably see zero calculator usage during tests (with the exception of 3.091, chemistry). PSETs and everything else it's fine.
That being said, you won't miss it. The tests don't have questions that you can backsolve or concoct sneaky answers for using a calculator. Most questions involve methods and procedures, no numbers or math.
This year I've had 2 classes that did allow calculators on tests, 2.005 and 2.006. Any calculator is fine, scientific, 84, or 89, but I think the most advanced function I used on it during the test were lists.
I primarily use Mathematica and Grapher for PSETs, but trust my TI-84+ for tests. PSETs can get pretty number heavy sometimes, with scripts in MatLab or Excel spreadsheets being critical. It all depends what major you decide to follow.
Posted by: Snively on May 24, 2009
Posted by: Christopher Lee Praley on May 24, 2009
and I appreciate the gum wrappers on the calculator, assuming that that's what they are. I'm trying to cover mine in multi-colored wrappers. :D
Posted by: Liz ('14?) on May 24, 2009
Yep, those are gum wrappers, and they've weathered senior year of high school and 2 years of college.
Posted by: Snively on May 24, 2009
Posted by: Justin E '13 on May 24, 2009
Posted by: MIT'11 Parent on May 24, 2009
Nope, just me.
@Justin
Sometimes it's not about having money so much as it is about having terrible spending habits. Ask anybody who lives with me.
Posted by: Snively on May 24, 2009
Posted by: anonymous on May 25, 2009
Posted by: Deeni on May 25, 2009
Posted by: Deeni on May 25, 2009
BTW, when did you get a tablet PC? In most of your older blogs you were always talking about how tablets are not good, because they come with built in graphics cards, which is why you got the LiveScribe instead. I was surprised to see the tablet in the desk.
Posted by: Labib(?14) on May 25, 2009
And a big hello to Snively's grandmum!
Do treasure your time home. I'm working now and home feels like merely a hotel to me.
Posted by: Little Peonies on May 25, 2009
Posted by: Kyle '13 on May 25, 2009
I love it. I'll never totally let go of Windows, but there's no reason to hate on Macs.
@Labib
It's not a Tablet PC (for the same reasons you listed). Instead, it's just a tablet. It connects to my computer via USB and lets me have essentially the same functionality as a tablet (although I don't actually draw on a screen). Between that and the Livescribe, I've effectively compensated for not having a tablet.
@Kyle
Western Digital Passport. Definitely go for USB powered, and with a passport you can just tape it to the top of your laptop and leave it always plugged in, creating what is in effect an additional hard drive.
Posted by: Snively on May 25, 2009
Wait, dude, TI-84? Is it plausible to use one at MIT, or should I go ahead and get myself a TI-89?
Thanks!
Posted by: José P. '13 on May 25, 2009
Do not go out and buy a TI-89 just for MIT. Spend $10 more and get Mathematica (computer software). It's a much better investment. I wrote about it <a>here</a>
TI84 works just fine at MIT.
Posted by: Snively on May 25, 2009
So, C(Mathematica) = $10 + C (TI-89), where C is the cost function? :D
(Wow , I completely forgot about Mathematica - until now.)
Posted by: José P. '13 on May 25, 2009
-To Alan '13
Posted by: five seven nine eleven '13 on May 25, 2009
Posted by: Jennie ('14 hopeful) on May 26, 2009
Don't WD external drives run off mini-USB and 12V DC? Those should be easy enough to cannibalize.
Posted by: Sam Range '13 on May 26, 2009
Posted by: KelseyK on May 26, 2009
Posted by: Somebody on May 26, 2009
Posted by: Somebody on May 26, 2009
@ Snively: Sounds like some good summer plans. Have fun, and don't forget to take a day to run through the sprinklers like you are five, ok?
Posted by: J.B. '13 on May 26, 2009
Ah, but this isn't a passport, so it's got a printer usb connection and some weird type of power plug. It's ok though, I don't really need anything from it this summer.
Posted by: Snively on May 26, 2009
Posted by: anonymous on May 26, 2009
I'll try to put an entry up about it sometime soonish
@anonymous
Separate the silver part from the paper very carefully, and then use a sharp edge (credit card) to scrape/press it down on the calculator case.
Posted by: Snively on May 26, 2009
Phew... I love my TI-84+ Silver Edition: it has a puzzle pack and the Periodic Table (totallyuselessbtw)! :DDDD
(Besides, I always wanted Mathematica, and I don't feel like paying for a calculator I don't need and don't want).
Posted by: José P. '13 on May 27, 2009
Oh and "hi" Snively's grandma? Is it Joyce?
Posted by: 0 on May 28, 2009
see you!
Posted by: marvell on May 28, 2009
Posted by: Kiwi on June 2, 2009
Comments have been closed.