Democracy!

Today I voted for the first time, ever. I didn't participate in any of the primaries because I'm a registered independent. It was super exciting. I only waited in line for 1.5 hours, and I made friends with a CC freshman, and we talked and played People Games. Someone played a guitar, and it seemed like everyone brought their kids.

It's cool seeing Colorado in the New York Times every day, because of our early voting. (CC puts a newsstand of free NYTs in every dorm.)
Colorado Springs Gazette: Early voting sets records. "More than a third of registered voters already have cast a ballot."

There were some amendments that were really hard to figure out, especially the oil business tax thing. I couldn't remember if I wanted to vote yes or no. It said something like "prohibiting allowing for credit against" and I thought about people who are barely literate trying to figure that out . . . . . . How much of our government is determined by confused people closing their eyes and picking a box?
But thanks to last block, Politics of the Legal Process, I was able to decipher the legalese and make a decision.

I voted here, right where that lady in the red coat is standing.

Oh, and I didn't have any problems. A new law let me use my CC ID as a valid form of identification, and I didn't get harassed or stopped. But there have been major problems right in this county. (The Colorado Independent: Election snafu roundup: Lots of tricks, some treats for voters.) Like that out-of-state registering scare.

"El Paso County Clerk and Recorder Bob Balink recently made headlines for releasing false information a few months ago, stating that college students cannot register to vote in Colorado if parents living outside of Colorado claim the students as dependents on their income tax returns. Balink released a statement correcting his mistake." CC alumni involved in the 2004 election confirmed that Balink's office had "tried the stunt at least three times before and failed each time."
- C.C.'s Cipher magazine, Vol.XII, Issue II.

I got my electronic voting card with no problem, and everyone seemed to like my costume.


Here's me, dressed as Peter Pan, drinking chocolate milk from a champagne glass, riding to the El Paso County polls in a limo. I'm not making any of that up. Some advocacy group hired a party bus limo to escort CC students to the polls, probably to convince us to vote early.

They even let me take my plastic sword to the booth.

Mergency DJ

Here's my playlist. I keep the mp3 player on me at all times in case of emergency. Friends, peruse the list.

• "What You Waiting For?" by Gwen Stefani. The Jacques Lu Cont Mix for pre-party chill or the OrangeFuzz Mix for mid-dance-party energy.
• "Push" by Enrique Iglesias. A slower, sticky kind of song.
• "Waterman [Original Dub]" or "Like This" by Olav Basoski. Both fun party-starter songs.
  
• "They're Everywhere (Party People)" by Izza Kizza. This isn't even out on CD yet. Killer bass, intelligent rhythm.
  
• "Genesis" by Justice. Excellent electronics.
• "Go Baby" by Lupe Fiasco. Some very smooth throwback hip-hop.
• "Da Dip" by Freak Nasty. Real old school. I cannot find the remix that merges into belly dance music . . . wish I could.
  
• "B-Boyz" by will.i.am. Fun, funky, light stuff.
• "Bounce" by Timbaland. Turtle remix. Cause everybaaaaahhhdy likes Step Up 2.
• "Church (Ft. Teddy Verseti)" by T-Pain. Proof that all you need is one killer song to sell a CD.
• "I'mma Shine" by YoungBloodZ.
• "Sex N' Money" by Paul Oakenfold.
  
• "In the End" by Kate De Luna. Crunk'ed Oriental Remix by DJ Lello. Gotta throw the girly-girls a bone.
• "369 feat. B.O.B." by Cupid. Great for dancers into footwork.
  
• "Swing" by Savage. At least they aren't demanding "Low" anymore.
  
• "Ooh Wee" by Mark Ronson.
• "Comin' Back" by The Crystal Method. The Koma And Bones Remix.
• "Give It to Me" by Timbaland. Slower stuff for slower moments. It replaces "The Way I Are" on your old playlist.
  
• "Say Cheese" by Mims.
• "Ride the Pony" by F***pony. Sebastian Tellier remix.
  
• "Ain't No Stressin'" by Montana Tucker.
• "Hoodie" by Lady Sovereign. Basement Jaxx Remix is genius. That's why you should play Basement Jaxx's "Where's Your Head At?" . . . a shorter edit.
• "Let Me Think About It" by Ida Corr Vs Fedde Le Grand.
  
• "Lose Control" by Missy Elliot. DJ isyankar vs. Fatman Scoop remix. It's a minor remix, just one that ends better.
  
• "The Seed" by The Roots. Made really popular among Colorado campuses by the soundtrack for Collateral.
  
• "Galang" by M.I.A.
• Take the "Marina Gasolina (Peaches Remix)" of "Gasolina (Crookers Crunk Remix)" by Bonde do Rolê. Do you follow?
  
• "Brooklyn is Burning" by Head Automatica. Put this rock anywhere to cut up the hip-hop.
  
• "Mundian to Bach Ke (Beware of the Boys)" by Panjabi MC. You will recognize this song.
  
• "Walk it Out" by Unk. Fun, dumb stuff.
  

Fun Run

First we made some drastic hair changes.


Kate went reddish.


Louisa went ultra-red.


Chelsea went light.


Molly went dark.


I did not dye because I already cut all my hair off, and that was the most drastic change of all.


Then we (upperclassmans) took tha kids (freshmans) on a fun run in the dark. It was hilarious.

Itchy sweater ruins another photo.

Room

I totally trashed the room while Sammi was in Greece. I didn't feel like cleaning.

I felt like it over Block Break. Thankfully, there are no "before" pictures. Well . . .
"Before"


"After"

Now all we need are some chairs and we can have groups of people over for chats and studying.

I got the cloth in the mail, thanks Mom. It's lovely.


Oh right, I have a "Before before" picture from long ago. Remember? It's the same corner.

C.C. Hockey Takes Over At No. 1

YEAH!

Colorado College Takes Over At No. 1 In USCHO.com/CBS College Sports Poll

MINNEAPOLIS (Oct. 20) — Taking advantage of weekend losses by Boston College and Michigan, Colorado College took over the top position in the USCHO.com/CBS College Sports Division I men’s poll, released Monday.

The Tigers swept Michigan Tech to stay perfect on the season, and garnered 39 of 50 first-place votes to climb to No. 1 in the season’s third poll. WCHA neighbor Denver moved up to No. 2 after sweeping Wisconsin, notching five first-place votes in the process.

Academic Calendar

November 19, Wed: End of Block III
November 24, Mon: Beginning of Block 4
November 27, Thurs - Nov. 30, Sun: Thanksgiving Break

It's all here.

Legal Question

Like half the class, I still can't come up with the legal question(s) for a case.
Like in our contract law section^[1], with the example of the poltergeist-real estate case Stambovsky v. Ackley. It was common knowledge that Ackley's house was haunted, and she sold it to Stambovsky, an out-of-towner. Plaintiff sought to rescind the contract and recover his down payment. What is the legal question here?^[2]

It says New York Supreme Court "reluctantly dismissed the complaint, holding that plaintiff has no remedy at law in this jurisdiction."
So the legal question is: "Does the New York State judicial system have jurisdiction over claims involving parapsychic activity?"

Er, no.

Footnotes:

^[1] in which we use Politics and the Law of Contracts, written by Lief Carter. For the ghost case he cites Shakespeare and Ghostbusters in the same paragraph.

^[2] He might appreciate, but not give credit for: "Who you gonna call?"

Things About Me that May Surprise You

These are things about me that may surprise you (you meaning my CC or JHS friends; I'm sure my family knows all.)

To begin.

Most everybody I know at C.C. has a talent that they mastered and took really far; then they got tired of it and stopped several years ago and never looked back.
Mine was tap dancing.

When I was thirteen I took a solo to Dance U.S.A. where I tapped for the first half, then sat down in the middle of it to take off my shoes so I could do jazz for the rest of it. My teacher, Shannon Steen, was a 5-year Laker girl/choreographer and professor of dance at Berkeley.


I was born in Fullerton, California on January 5th, 1989, the same day as the first lawsuit between Apple and Microsoft. As it so happens, my mother was the computer technology reporter for the Orange County Register, right at the birth of the Internet.

My love affair with Claude Monet started when I was seven years old. I finally got to see his garden when I was seventeen.


When I was in 4th grade I was televised reciting the rosary at the Međugorje Peace Conference.

I babysat two Miss Californias: 2003 Miss California Jr. Pre-Teen, and 2005 Miss California Jr. Pre-Teen/2006 Miss California Pre-Teen.

I have legitimately pole vaulted 12 feet (which would have won me a state title). It was inside a basketball gym. My coach, Paul Wilson, was the first high schooler in the world to do 16 feet, and he held the world record for a year and four months in the sixties.

I hold the female record for JUGs (detentions) at my high school.

My dad was growing up in Alexandria, Virginia, during Remember the Titans.

1985-1986 my mother was working in Sweden, writing the English news. She quit, probably because it wasn't very exciting, right before February 28, when Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme was shot dead on his way home from the cinema.

I'm a ChaCha guide.

I know more than 50 old-fashioned nursery rhymes by heart.

I have been in two (or three) major car accidents, and the airbags never deployed.

I can bellydance, wiggle my ears, and play the ocarina. That's about as far as my useless talents go.

Sixteen of my HS classmates got NCAA Division 1 scholarships.

I have broken all of my best race times during tempo runs.

My friend Allison's mom was the reporter in the "I Like Turtles" youtube vid.

Stupid Question Hall of Fame

Prompted by a couple stupid questions from last block -

Block 1, Group meeting
I'm reading aloud "Foreign aid to Bolivia" off Wikipedia, to help out Redhead Girl. This is after I've offered Redhead Girl about five times to switch topics with her, to no intelligible response.
Redhead Girl: [angrily] Why do you get to do the party politics of Bolivia when I have to do international intervention? I just don't get it. You obviously know so much more about the humanitarian issues than I do. World Bank? Evo Morales? All that stuff you just said? Tons! I don't know ANYTHING about foreign aid whatsoever and you do!
Me: . . . . . . .

I've been on CollegeHumor reading articles by this guy Streeter Seidell. He gets students to send in stupid questions. So I've been laughing, and crying, because I'm laughing so hard.

Examples

Pasadena City College
Professor shows a picture of a man sitting on a high throne with two servant boys kneeling before him...
Professor: ...and here, you'll see a picture of the Pope.
The Brilliance: Which one's the Pope?

University of Colorado
Professor, while discussing the characteristics of living organisms, was interrupted...
Sorority Girl: Wait, I'm so confused; are trees alive, because like they don't move, right?

College of Southern Nevada
While discussing the effect on farming during the great depression...
The Brain: Why do people need still farm if they could just go to the store?

Professor: Side note, there will be an eclipse tonight at approximately 8:30pm if any of you want to see it.
Lady Einstein: Is it a solar eclipse?
Professor: It's at night...

Drake University
Professor: So what are some environmental factors in a child's development?
The Brilliance: Climate?
Prof: Well, yes, I suppose that could have a minor effect.
The Brilliance Jr.: Landscape?
Prof: ...

University of Maryland
The teacher was talking about the smooth musket which allowed attackers to be about 100 feet away from the defenders without getting injured. Once at 100 yards the attackers could charge the defenders.
Valedictorian: Is this the origin of the 100 yard dash?

Professor: And marketers took the NASA invention "Tang" and made it a popular drink
Stephen Hawking: Who even likes Tang? Seriously, Orange flavored Milk?
Professor: I believe it's supposed to be mixed with water.
Stephen Hawking: Oh, I guess that really clears up a lot.

Fitchburg State College, Londonderry, New Hampshire
Professor: How do you think Abraham Lincoln was elected even though abolition wasn't the most popular idea of the time?
The Brilliance: Well, obviously all those slaves voted for him, right?

Marist College, Batavia, New York
Little Einstein: So if plants grow best in red and blue light, why are they grown in greenhouses?

Wright State, Columbus, Ohio
The professor was talking about equilateral triangle...
Genius: So what's it called if there are more than 3 equal sides?
Professior: A square.

Ohio State, Dayton, Ohio
Prof: . . . even transportation for the natives evolved as the Europeans showed them how bareback riding made traveling easier.
Dumb girl: Do we need to know what kind of bears they rode for the test?

Block 2: Politics of the Legal Process

This mindwarp is the most lawyery class that CC offers, according to my professor (and ex-advisor) Lief Carter. He says it's responsible for many students deciding not to be lawyers, ever.

The hard part is having to think all the time without using empiricism or emotion or just plain taking common knowledge for granted without talking it through. For example, Carter took $20 from the guy sitting next to me and we had to convince him to give it back by the end of class.

So I love it and I really hate it, too.