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Of the many lasting memories I’ll always cherish of my grandmother, very few can top the delicious flavor my taste buds experienced when dining at her home. Of course, I had my favorite dishes that she’d uniquely prepare (haluski, halubki, meatloaf, homemade pizzas, pagatch – just to name a few!). Because I’d hate for my children to never have tasted such ethnic bliss, both my fiancé and I have recently taken strides - albeit slow - in learning how to cook these family traditions.
Unexpectedly, my taste buds found themselves on a magical journey back to my childhood today as I sat down for dinner at The River Café in Morrill Tower. What started as casually adding a simple slice of yellow cake with chocolate icing to my tray of chicken, rice, and green beans soon turned into a world of flashbacks when I realized that this cake tasted exactly like the kind my grandmother had so often given to me following dinner at her place.
In reality, it was always just your basic slice of cake. My grandma had certainly produced more extravagant desserts in her day, and I guess you can say that this type of cake was her sort of easy-bake cake that she could whip up in a jiffy and shell out to visitors on-the-fly. As for me, I sat in the dining hall tonight devouring two pieces of this cake. Yes, I went back for seconds, just as I often did at grandma's. The first piece went down too quickly!
Although tonight I may have sat alone at a 6-seated dining hall table facing an oversized fountain drink dispenser, all I could think of for those beautiful 2 minutes of cake eating was my grandma’s back porch with the Cleveland Indians on TV, playing 500-bid with my partner (grandpa) against my grandma and brother (a game which my grandmother had proudly taught to me at a young age and then continued to brag to her beauty shoppe friends for the next 10 years that I picked up on the game within 10 minutes of instruction), drinking endless Sprites (they really should've cut me off at 2 per day), and eating this basic yellow cake with chocolate icing until my father came to pick us up.
Some say that it’s a grandparent’s job to spoil grandchildren. Therefore, it’s my understanding that the yellow cake I received today was passed on by my grandmother from above, because today I was certainly spoiled. It's practically been years since I remember the way that cake tasted, and it certainly hit the spot.
But, as you may have noticed, today wasn't just about the cake.
I’m writing all of you to announce my official entrance into hibernation until June 2.
I’m cutting all forms of outside contact off (including television, the Cleveland Indians, school, my brother, parties, exercise, sunlight, etc.). I need to study for Exam FM! If that means 10 hours of studying each day, so be it. If 15 hours will do the trick, I’m all for that as well.
From now until school’s out (which coincides with my SOA examination), I have limited responsibilities (in this order):
(1) Study Financial Math and Derivatives Markets
(2) Eat
(3) My Fiancé (She’ll hate me for being third!)
(4) Shower
(5) Remaining 2 Finals (Which I couldn’t care any less about)
(6) Sleep
I’ve recently declined my presence at several campus affairs in order to concentrate on the exam preparation, and it’s paid off thus far. I’m very confident on certain aspects of the exam syllabus. Other areas are extremely shaky, hence my hibernation.
If you’d like to contact me within the next 10 days, please take a ticket. Until you hear back from me, I’ll be like Brian Wilson.
You know…in my room? Right now, it looks something like this...
And, yes, those are Altoids in the back of my desk. And, yes, they are curiously strong mints. And, yes, they are the only thing that keeps me awake at times!
Just trust me on this one.
With less than 2 weeks remaining before I write my upcoming SOA FM Examination, I’ve begun the all-day study phase. This past Friday, I logged in a modest 3 hours of study time. Saturday tipped the scale closer to 8 hours, and today I wrangled in a whopping 10 hours of studying.
I do not know whether the sun is shining; I’ve locked myself in my singlet all weekend. I’m not quite sure what hour of the day I retire and subsequently rise from sleep mode; I’ve taken all clocks out of my room, leaving just my cell phone and computer to keep me on time. Moreover, I now sleep with the lights on in order to awake earlier than my regulated time in order to preserve extra study hours.
In essence, I feel as if I’m in the same trance as one might get when listening to the song In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. You know that song from the 70s that lasted an entire B-side of an album, running over 17 minutes long? Yeah, I’m pretty sure it was written to aide in the process of getting stoned (hence the funky techno music and slurred words). I wouldn’t know what the drugs feel like, but I sure can tell you that studying Derivatives Markets can give you quite a solid buzz when used exponentially (now I’m speaking in mathematical terms, and I’m not even trying).
The song In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida was performed by Iron Butterfly. It just so happens that part of my studying yesterday was to understand that a completely different Iron Butterfly is a type of derivative (specifically a butterfly spread) that can be created when one sells a straddle and purchases a strangle. Did you get all of that?
If you did, then you probably studied too long and understand my song-to-studying reference. If you didn’t, then you can simply listen to the song and find yourself lost in a world of disillusion and mumbles in a similar way that I have done with derivatives.
Anyway, back to Dan Aykroyd.
Track number 8 on Dan Aykroyd’s Have Love Will Travel album (which also features Jim Belushi) is entitled Can’t Get Out Of It. The chorus states that “if you can’t get out of it, you might as well get into it.� Needless to say, I cannot get out of passing the SOA FM Exam without studying. Therefore, I might as well get into it!
Thanks, Dan! You’re always right!
Both verdicts have arrived.
Within a span of one week, my applications were rejected from two different senior societies (Sphinx and Homecoming Court 2008). Achieving recognition through each of these groups had been goals of mine since entering Ohio State in 2005, and I regret to inform everyone that I have failed to meet these expectations. Furthermore, I will have no more opportunities to make a comeback attempt with either of these assemblies next year as I will be graduating; my goals will never be met.
How do I feel?
Too many words can describe my emotions: disappointed, frustrated, awestruck, pissed, bewildered, curious…Blatantly put, this sucks!
Now, I’m not the type to ridicule those who may have obtained entry into these two elite clubs. Only the cream of the crop receive acceptance, and I whole-heartedly congratulate all of those who will represent our Alma Mater this upcoming year. However, I’m still shocked to find out that I will not be joining them in either capacity. It’s apparent that those pulling the strings consider others to be creamier than me. That’s not how I have always perceived it to be.
Fortunately for me (or perhaps unfortunately depending on your stance), I’ve never been one to be denied for a position. My candidacies have always proven successful ever since I could remember. It was not until my sophomore year at Ohio State did I finally comprehend the meaning and subsequent emotions of rejection; still, I overcame these with just a slight chip on my shoulder.
In the wake of such new rejection notices, my chip has recently turned into a boulder.
For those of you who’ve followed my blog since its inception, you may remember a previous post which emphasized my disgust for OUAB’s 2007 Big Free Concert.
As the major campus event coordinator, OUAB has the luxury to hold yearly music concerts for the campus community to attend at no cost. To my knowledge, previous performers have included Creed, Three Doors Down, Jason Mraz, Jay-Z, and My Beloved Tragedy. From my point of view, however, I’ve exerted little excitement for last year’s bash and share similar sentiments for this year’s “concert� which will take place this Saturday.
What I had hoped to see this year was a card that appealed to a universal audience, instead of the simpleminded approach that last year’s committee took in selecting the “free� performers which consisted of an outdated Ludacris and some bum named Chamillionaire. Apparently, it’s okay to make up our own words now and use them for a platinum selling alias.
In return, I was given the fabulous and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to wait in line for hours to pick up a free ticket to go see some schmoe named MIA and the infamous prose-murderer Soulja Boy. Apparently, it’s still relevant in the music world to make up your own spelling for common words. Needless to say, I passed yet again on this “free� opportunity.
OUAB, IF YOU’RE GOING TO OFFER SOMETHING FREE TO ALL STUDENTS, MAKE IT APPEALING TO ALL STUDENTS!
I pay a respectable amount each quarter to the operating funds of OUAB and other campus activity boards, so why shouldn’t I get a legitimate opportunity to enjoy those dollars in use? Please realize that the “artists� you’ve supported for the past two years do not appeal to all students (as Mr. Dugan claims in the above-linked Lantern article) and – even more so – do not have much musical talent! I would rather kick back on a sunny spring afternoon to a band from the 70s, 80s, or 90s whom may no longer be considered “mainstream� rather than some teenager sporting “bling� across his chest that when read would make Merriam and Webster cringe as this “talent� makes rude remarks about women and how much money he makes (mainly because groups like OUAB continue to give these fellows large sums of money to continue such nonsense).
This really is getting ridiculous!
In order to study for my upcoming SOA actuarial examination (May 31), I’ve decided to minimize the clock-hogging and unnecessary distractions in my room. I’ve removed all posters and paintings from my walls, all of the athletic equipment stowed underneath my bed, any snack food stashed by my desk, and – to much dismay – my 28� Sharp television, Playstation 2 and the coinciding 100+ DVDs that once adorned my “book� shelves.
For the past two weeks, I’ve done a fairly decent job at studying my financial mathematics criteria. I can tell you exactly how much money Jane needs to fork down today in order to purchase a 25 year annuity immediate beginning at year’s end of her 65th birthday according to current interest rates and desired yearly payment. I can also tell you how much interest Steve will pay during his 27th payment of his mortgage of $90,000 under similar assumptions.
Besides memorizing these formulas, I’ve had little excitement in my life other than 5-on-5 pickup basketball games at the RPAC – mainly due to my stupid removal of fun stuff from my life. For this reason, I’ve resulted in making the best with what I do have (it's amazing how our parents were able to do it with such ease at our age!).
I’ve since registered for MLB GameDay Audio which comes via the internet so that I can still keep in touch with my struggling Cleveland Indians by listening to the majestic sound of Tom Hamilton as I study the inner-works of derivatives markets. I’ve realized that I actually enjoy this more so than watching ballgames on television, mostly because of Hamilton’s stellar play-by-play that I’ve previously taken for granted.
Another discovery that spawned from my entertainment-less-ness lies in my iPod Classic. This little doodad now houses some of my favorite movies which I’ve frequented in the past few days. This past weekend, I watched Juno and Anchorman as I fell asleep in bed. It may seem like a stretch from the traditional silverscreen, but my 2� bonanza makes me smile.
The image above doesn't truly showcase the high resolution of my iPod's screen. The picture quality is remarkable!
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