One major difference between California and Vermont (or at least Burlington, VT): People here wear helmets. Well, many of them do. This is funny to me not because it is a bad idea in general, but because it seems less dangerous here than in California. The drivers here give you a lot of room and all that I have encountered seem accustomed to driving near cyclists. The one reason I can think of has to do with the fact that there are so many damn potholes in this town.
On another note, there is also a severe lack of serious riders. To qualify that last statement I should say that I haven't found any yet. Supposedly UVM has quite the cycling team, so the serious riders are hiding around here somewhere. I just don't know where to look yet.
Speaking of bikes, if anyone reading this ever gets filthy rich, one of these would be a great gift (seen here):
Oh, and for winter please buy me one of these. When I tried to find one I was greeted with Japanese, which I can't read. No matter though, because I'm sure they cost $150 each anyway. That's the problem with independent clothing companies (seen here).
Yesterday I was walking Church street and a man passing with an old guitar case said "Hey, you just missed us playing California Stars." For the smallest moment I was internally shocked. I love the song by Wilco, but how could he know that? Or was it that he knew I'm from California? Equally impossible. Luckily I remembered almost instantly that I was wearing my Wilco shirt -- so all of this made sense. Minutes later, while Julia and I were buying very bad imitations (I'm told) of Philly Cheesesteaks, I saw a musician sitting on a chair. When I got near he said "I've got one for you," and proceeded to play California Stars by Wilco. I tipped him and we sat on a rock and listened to a handful of very well sung covers.
Today I decided to learn the song, which turns out to be only 3 chords. While searching for the tablature I came across this advertisement. I've boxed it in red on the left.
Way to make a man feel homesick. Santa Barbara. California. I guess that I am a bit homesick. That being said I absolutely love it here and I'm not ready to return any time soon. I think that I'll feel a lot better after I secure a place to live, get a job, and set out some kind of scholastic path for the future. This is probably less homesickness than it is a desire to return to solid foundations.
Apartment hunting is a horrible experience. It wouldn't be nearly as bad if people were more professional about it. If a landlord puts up an ad (say on craigslist) and then starts the process of locking up a deal with someone, he or she won't actually take the ad down until the deal is closed. This means that the ad will be up, but when you call you'll be told that the place has already been taken (they won't say 'tentatively' because I assume these things usually go through). Of course what they should do is take the ads down at this stage so that other people don't waste their time. If the deal falls through, then re-list the property. It isn't hard. It's an annoying process.
In addition to nonsense like the above, the average apartment (at least in Burlington near downtown) is a wreck. Usually it's a wreck with a lot of stairs to climb in order to get there. The prospect of coming home from a really hard ride only to have to carry my bike up three flights of stairs is not very appealing.
Anyway, I'm sure (or I'll pretend) you were wondering why 'Dumb Yale Kids' is a part of the title for this post. Some people may have actually read my entry which included a bunch of links to various sites around the net, and a small fraction of those people may have actually clicked on Academic Earth. The site is a collection of educational videos created in the classrooms of prestigious academicians at several universities.
So far I am two lectures into Game Theory, taught at Yale by Benjamin Polak. While I find the professor amusing and intelligent, I was surprised to see that the quality of the interaction between the professor and the students was quite poor. Not only are the students' answers to his questions absolutely inarticulate (of course, with grand exceptions), but they are more often than not completely incorrect. I find myself sitting in front of my computer wanting to shout the answers at them, and I'm not even doing this for a grade. It's embarrassing.
I suppose that I shouldn't be all that surprised. Students are students, after all. Part of me is sad at having seen through the mirage though. I grew up thinking that universities like Yale let in only the best, and now it is more obvious than ever that good test scores do not necessarily mean that a person is all that intelligent or gifted.
All of this being said, I am sure that Yale has some amazingly intelligent students (especially graduate students). It's just a shame that this video does not seem to reflect this. Since I doubt that I would have been accepted to Yale if I had applied, I have something like a desire for all of Yale's students to be more intelligent than I am. Many of them aren't. I guess that is just not how the game works. I wonder if there are any schools around any more that truly only let in the best of the best.
Now for the 'and More' of the title. I wanted to post a link to a documentary film by Kerry Candaele called Following the Ninth. The film examines the ways in which Beethoven's Ninth Symphony links people together across 5 different continents. It explores the ways in which the music is still relevant today. I was directed to this website by a professor at Santa Barbara City College, Joe White. I hope that you will find the trailer interesting; I think that the premise is good, and I'll certainly watch the film when it is released.
Finally, I leave you with the lyrics to California Stars by Wilco:
I'd like to rest my heavy head tonight
On a bed of california stars
I'd like to lay my weary bones tonight
On a bed of california stars
I'd love to feel your hand touching mine
And tell me why I must keep working on
Yes, I'd give my life to lay my head tonight
On a bed of california stars
I'd like to dream my troubles all away
On a bed of california stars
Jump up from my starbed and make another day
Underneath my california stars
They hang like grapes on vines that shine
And warm the lovers glass like friendly wine
So, I'd give this world
Just to dream a dream with you
On our bed of california stars
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