Around the Horn

I picked up my parents at the Ithaca airport Saturday morning.  My brother Robert and I walked to Schoellkopf to attend Convocation, where David Plouffe, senior campaign manager for Barack Obama, commended the graduating class for shaping the election and promoting change for the future.  Plouffe also gave a shoutout to my friend CJ, who served as Convocation Chair, and his recent unsuccessful foray with Introduction to Wines.  In other words, he didn’t pass (sorry, CJ).  The Lins then set off on a full day of receptions and get togethers.  The weather was sunny and humid.  “I didn’t expect Ithaca to be this warm,” my mom remarked, as she trailed 25 feet behind Robert and I.  Apparently her solution to the heat is walking at a snail-slow pace while holding her handbag over her face to block the sun: an interesting sight.

Rise and shine!  Drowsy from the red-eye flight…

…cleaned up at the Johnson Museum

Sunday was a whirlwind of caps, gowns, diplomas, flowers, and balloons.  All the graduates assembled on the Arts Quad before the procession started around 10AM.  With overcast skies, I was glad that it was cooler, since sitting in a black robe that doubles as a compact sauna is not an ideal situation for anyone.  During the procession, my heart dropped when we walked through the Day Hall parking lot.  There, professors flanked both sides in their Harry Potter-esque cap and gown regalia, clapping and congratulating us on this special occasion.  It really put our achievement–graduation from a university–on a much more meaningful scale.  It was a bittersweet sendoff as we progressed to the stadium.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen Schoellkopf packed (it apparently has a capacity of 40,000), but it was teeming with family and friends Sunday morning:

Meanwhile, on the other side, Robert reported that the scene at Schoellkopf resembled the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.  “And now…the College of Arts and Sciences!”

President David Skorton addressed the graduates, asking us to take charge and embrace change.  With our liberal arts foundation and Cornell support, we have the skills and moral character that’ll ensure success in the future.  Then, one by one, the degrees were conferred.  Most notable in show were the Vet grads, who cleverly blew up arm-long plastic gloves to double as those thunder sticks you get at basketball games.  When Skorton mentioned “swine flu,” the flurry of blow-up arms drew a huge laugh.  We sang the Alma Mater as an entire class (I teared up a little bit), and before I knew it, it was over.

It still hasn’t hit me yet.  In a few months, I’ll be moving into an apartment in Manhattan and working in finance, a response which drew a lot of “get us out of this mess” and “finance…oh, I see” comments this past week.  I will be returning to JPMorgan this August, working in their Sales and Trading division, undoubtedly entering a field that thrives on high stress and quick thinking.  This show-no-mercy masochistic environment gets me going, and while I may be hitting the floor early in the morning, working hard every second until evening, I know it’ll be a fun ride.

I have many people to thank in this last (and rather long) blog entry.  First, to my family.  It was my dad who pushed for me to apply to Cornell in the first place.  Although we are separated for most of the year, the support my parents have given me over my 22 years, their respect for the “college experience” and their personal American Dreams have shaped me into the optimistic and direct Cornellian I am today.  To Robert, for becoming a new close friend instead of the pesky brother that makes fun of me…oh, wait…

Next, to friends old and new.  Special shoutout to my 219 Linden roommates (Katy, Hannah, Cath, Court, Michelle, Jill, Kara), some SHpecial friends, my KDs, fellow tour guides, and while it looks like I’m pulling names from a baby book, in no specific order: Jen, Danny, Frankel, Dave, Paz, Schneida, Steve, Scott M., Alex, Ryan, Bryant, Ray, Krebs, James, Jess, Sarah, and I’m missing about 50 other names–please forgive me, and the really nice coffee lady at CTB who always gets my medium hazelnut coffee…apparently her name is Paula.  To friends that I met from the first week of freshman year, and others I met this past year, with so little time left.  Regardless of duration, the bonds are rock solid and long term.  I’m talking about us ladies sitting in rockers knitting together when we’re grandmothers.  Not to ride on any stereotypes, but the guys, well, I don’t foresee us knitting, but perhaps playing golf or something else.  You all have changed my perspective on life and taught me to see things differently.  I’ll cherish our fun nights out, the relaxed nights in, the impromptu discussions, and heart-to-hearts.   While I’ll be able to see a lot of you next year in NYC, to everyone else spreading out in the states (or even going overseas), we are the generation of GChat, email, Facebook, and Skype, and by George, I hope we stay in touch.

Thanks to my elder mentors.  To my professors, who have instilled the importance of learning and curiosity. To Lisa, who got me this blogging job and put up with my antics: you probably think I’m crazy.  To Hilary, my rowing coach for 3 years: thank you for taking a doe-eyed freshman under your wing and giving me knowledge, faith, and the challenge of the sport of rowing, which I look on as one of my most memorable experiences.  To Taiya and Peggy, my tour guiding supervisors, I will definitely miss the hubbub in Day Hall.  Even to my finance gurus at my upcoming job (Rita, DBD, and others, all Cornell grads!), I appreciate your mentoring and look forward to August.

To my readers (Matt, Drew, this is for you):  Thank you for your continued support and comments.  While I was sure that the banality of my routine college lifestyle would be as boring as watching summer TV reruns, I’m glad there was something in my blog that willed the faithful few to keep up with my life.  Maybe it was the pictures…

And finally, thank you, Cornell, for the most amazing 4 years of my life.  Leisurely, I will miss Stella’s half-off burgers, late night pizza from Sindbad’s, Cornell Dairy ice cream, pitchers at CTB, fun nights at Rulloffs and the Palms, Olin Cafe, runs through the Plantations, Cayuga Inlet, the chimes, muffins and soup from Temple of Zeus, the driving range, and of course, Wegmans.  Let’s not forget the prelims, problem sets, papers, the bitter wind, and the hills.  You have challenged me, excited me, and given me hope and opportunity.  I leave the Hill with a sweet taste in my mouth and an enthusiastic smile.  I’ll be back, but for now, I’m ready for the next chapter in my life.

Finals are finally over, or in my case, have been for the past 6 months, but all of my friends are finally on the same page with having fun and living up the last few days as a college student.

Is Senior Week fun?  Absolutely.  Is Senior Week relaxing?  Depends on how you look at it.  Starting in early April, Senior Week tickets for events, including white water rafting, spa days, brunches, cruises, and wine tours, go live for the mad rush of Seniors who buy to their liking.  I opted for a couple of events spread throughout the week.   Outside of events my friends and I went to the movies (Star Trek and Angels & Demons), visited a ton of bbqs and parties, soaked up sun at the Plantations, went to the driving range, and of course, hit up the Collegetown bars at night.  At the same time, the Senior Week planning committee also planned free events on campus, starting with a carnival in Barton, a Casino Night in Duffield, and free dinner catered by Dinosaur BBQ (YUM! Love those pulled pork sandwiches).

A brief picture log of a few of my week’s events…

Starting off the week with a little bit of winetasting at Cayuga Lake wineries…

A Twilight Cruise with some close friends…

A sunset dinner cruise on Seneca Lake…

And a refreshing day hike of Buttermilk Falls!

There wasn’t an excuse not to do something every day, since “final”, “thesis”, and “grade” did not apply.  This is the life of leisure.  In good company, weather, and food and drink, no better way to celebrate the past 4 years.  The Class of 2009 knows how to party, and we sure went out with a bang.

Sarah and I lovin' Florence

A lost in translation moment: From the Florence airport, Sarah and I took a 15 minute taxi ride to our hostel, a small apartment 30 seconds from the Uffizi Gallery, a five minute walk to the Duomo. The hostel was cash only, so when we checked in, we used up all of our cash and needed an ATM and a place for dinner. The hostel recommended a cheap place called Gusto Leo. This was when we realized that we didn’t know how to say “ATM” in Italian. The host greeted us outside the restaurant, eager to seat us, but got confused when we started pecking at a wall, motioning for an ATM. The host clearly spoke no English, but only understood the word “Cash.” We were soaked from the rain and cashless, on our last strings of patience (we had waited at the Barcelona airport for 6 hours…) until thankfully, an American guy walked by and asked if we were looking for an ATM. There was an ATM a few blocks away. For your reference, “Bancomat” is ATM in Italian.

Breathtaking!

The next morning, we set off on a personal tour of the Tuscan countryside. We spent the morning cruising around the Chianti Classico wine region, visiting three wineries: Castello Vicchiomaggio, where Leonardo daVinci stayed the summer he painted the Mona Lisa; Castello Verrazano, think Verrazano bridge in NYC; and a smaller villa Fattoria Montagliari. We also had olive oil and balsamic vinegar tastings (aged 20 years…rich and delectable) and a tour of a wine cellar.

Crostini, anyone?

Some villages we stopped by included Castilina, Monterriggio, the “crown” of Tuscany”, and San Gimignano, the “Manhattan” of Tuscany, complete with 12 remaining family towers. We also visited Siena, walked the square, St. Catherine’s home, the 17 different animal districts, the Duomo and Santo Domingo.

Sarah and I capped off an amazing first leg of our trip in the metropolitan and beautiful Barcelona.  It was  a challenge for both of us to relax and soak up the vacation time, since both of us are very uptight and punctual/scheduled people.  Our phrase for the entire trip: where’s the fire? There was no rush to do anything, and we embraced spontaneity (for once)!

Food-Drinkwise, we started our mornings with the prerequisite cappuccino and pastry, and fresh fruit juice from La Boqueria the outdoor market off of La Rambla.

During the day, we dined on tapas, paella, cava, and sangria.  We visited the Picasso Museum, walked along the beach, visited the Olympic stadium and the F.C. Barcelona stadium (2 blocks from our hostel!).

We walked by churches, cathedrals (La Sagrada Familia, which is still a work in progress, was AMAZING), parks, and unique buildings designed by Gaudi, the psychotic/obsessive Spanish architect.  On top of walking miles and miles of Barcelona streets, we mastered the Metro and also took the funicular up to Monjuic, which has some of the best views of the ports and city.

1.  Laying in bed for most of Saturday not sleeping, but watching episodes of NBC’s Lipstick Jungle on my computer. Probably a subconscious yearning for New York City and high heels.
2.   Roommates that are easily irked.  We have spent a lot of time together, and I think a break is in order.

3.  Although my clothes are fine, my friend Jess claims that hers “are tattered”, thus dragging me to brave Black Friday even after the Woodbury Commons fiasco last year.  Helping the economy and helping her survive were her reasons.
4.  I looked in the mirror the other day.  The bags under my eyes should say enough.

5.  With negative degree windchill, Ithaca is telling us to go home (yet you still see girls out in miniskirts…please, why?)

Safe travels to all, happy feasting, and give thanks.

It’s safe to say that 90% of the student population would dread to wake up at 7:45am on a Sunday morning, especially after a raucous Saturday night.  However, since it was my semesterly staff retreat for CIVR (tourguiding), I didn’t have a choice.  With CTB Coffee in tow, I schlepped to the Cornell Orchards with the other 65 tourguides.  A professor and graduate student from the Department of Horticulture met us with friendly smiles and hot cider.  We got to tour the storage facilities of the Cornell Orchards, which included cooler units, oxygen-tight units, sorting machines, and a cider press.  The Orchards store was stocked with all different types of apples as well as local foods and goods.  We also sampled paw-paws, a local fruit with a mellow taste and an avocado-like consistency (not so good), and a “hearty fruit”, which resembles bite-sized poppable kiwifruit.

Cornell continues to promote sustainability and local foods, and every apple grown, if it’s not used for research, is sold as is or pressed into cider.  Aside from the generic types of apples (Macintosh and Fuji), the orchards also have “heirloom” types, apple varieties grown a few hundred years ago in Europe.  Cornell’s Geneva Extension has also developed their fair share of apple types, many of which are sold in supermarkets today:  the Cortland, Empire, Macoun, Jonagold (my favorite, and apparently the most popular type of apple sold in Europe).  The Cornell Orchards are just on the cusp of the campus boundary near the Vet School, but you can still get Cornell apples on campus: grab some cider, or buy an apple from the apple vending machine in the Plant Science building!

Insomnia Cookies is a dessert haven, pumping out oozy gooey cookies and brownies to satisfy the Collegetown late night crowd.  One of their marketing ploys is posting a trivia question daily, and if you answer correctly, you get a free cookie (market price $1).  The question on Friday concerned Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho and the infamous shower scene.  What did they use as a substitute for blood?

Don’t ask why, but I happened to be Wikipedia surfing the week before, and hit the Alfred Hitchcock page.  I’ve always been meaning to see more of his movies, now that I’m no longer 7 years old and having nightmares from a particular scene from The Birds.  After reading the Psycho page, I knew that they used chocolate syrup as a substitute for blood (black and white film).  I gobbled up my gooey chocolate chip cookie, and went home happy and ready for an insane Halloween to follow.

“What classes are you taking again?”
“Two econ classes, one City & Regional Planning class on Green Cities, Wines, and Opera.”
“Wow.  That’s not snobby at all.”

Introduction to Wines, widely known as a senior rite of passage on campus.  The moment I heard about Wines my freshman year, I knew that I had to take the class before I left the Hill.  So what’s all the hype for?  The class involves developing your taste and appreciation for wine with a little winetasting.  Plus, with 700 other seniors swirling, sniffing, and sipping with you, it’s a Wednesday senior reunion of sorts.  Seating is alphabetical, which forces all of us to reconnect (albeit awkwardly) with classmates/hallmates from freshman year.  But that’s besides the point.  Happy hour aside, the class has the reputation of “most failed” on campus.  Go figure.

We tried seven different California wines today.  The hardest part of the class is not trying to smell all the aromas Professor Mutkowski picks up, but rather keeping everything on your tray from knocking over.  It’s risky multitasking.  I’d have my notebook and pen for notes, an aroma wheel, charts, and other handouts that I’m always shuffling around when tasting.  Each student has 3 wine glasses and a spit cup. Wine is distributed down the row, and weaving bottles through is a recipe for disaster.

So, while wine-snobbery is not my goal for the semester, being a good friend and hostess is.  Hopefully I’ll develop a decent understanding of wine, and carry that with me whenever I take on NYC (and the real world. gulp.).

While many of us are spending our remaining days of the spring semester cramming for finals, cursing ourselves for zoning out/dozing off and/or checking email (guilty) too many times in class, it is hard to focus for a long period of time.  But not to worry, my house offers many pleasant distractions that will surely make your study break extend an hour or two too long. 

1.  The compu and Gmail.  Right at my fingertips, if I ever need to shop online (my dad still doesn’t believe that I need to shop) or read up on breaking news and blogs, this’ll do the trick.  I try to stay away from YouTube videos and Facebook, otherwise I’ll be staring at the screen until 8:30 pm, when I realize that I have 2 more hours to study before bedtime (7:30 am practice, I need my sleep).

2.  The telly and DVR: maybe the best thing a college student can invest in television wise.  Instead of forcing yourself to watch episodes of ANTM or Top Chef when you know you have a ton of work waiting for you upstairs, you can record and watch at your leisure.  You can also watch the same episode of Top Chef 3 times (all with different roommates) as you “study” for your history final. 

3.  The refridgerator.  Small feeding sessions are a must, be it fruit, crackers, and other healthy snacks such as Dots and M&M’s.  Close proximity to the hot-water-boiling-pot-thing for tea is also beneficial.  Gotta keep the energy running, and green tea can help you with that.

4.  The bed.  I try to avoid this at all costs, because once I hit my featherbed, I’m out for the night. 

Happy studying, folks.  Now excuse me as I refill my mug of green tea. 

I don’t cook much, and tossing a salad is a big step for me. Going to any dining hall is a treat because the only effort exerted is the energy required to walk up stairs. So, when my friend Patricia invited me to her dining event “American Classics Gone Green” at the Carl Becker house, I jumped on the opportunity. Patricia is enrolled in NS488, and their final project is to oversee a large dining function, from facilities to food management. Cathleen, Delana, and I went for the food.
The dinner featured mac-and-cheese, cassaroles, grilled cheese, and other home-cooked favorites, ALL made from local grown ingredients. With the outrageous gas prices these days (the Lins are reporting over $4.00/gallon in California), there is a lot more push for buying local grown foods to cut down transportation costs. With closer drop off destinations, less pesticides are used, and local people are pleased. I’ll eat a sweet potato fry for that.

We are so happy, so green, and so full.