LIVEBLOG: Dean's Date, Fall 2011

7:25AM - my room, in the darkIt has come to my attention that it has been 14 hours and this has not occured.Wrongs have been rectified. Also, Owls are the new cats of the internet.--VC5:57 am — 2D KitchenFirst things first, Justin Bieber is now a brunette, guys.Also, the sun is coming up at 7:19 am, which is about an hour and 20 minutes away. So those are two things you should be keeping in mind at this hour.AW5:36 AM: In room… so… close… to… bed…It’s the worst of times that brings people together. (Ignore the cheesiness of that line, it’s late… I mean, early?)The point is, I let a girl at the Writing Center have some of the food my friend had brought down from the Whitman breakfast. In return, she spent nearly an hour reading my essay and helping me restructure it.So thank you, Sarah Pak ’15! There aren’t enough blue-sprinkled whale cookies to express my gratitude.Also, she reminded me that there are far more scarier things than 5 p.m… like Mitt the Ripper.--EL3:47AM-2D Dining RoomOh hey. Here's that online game you didn't know you wanted to play.Have fun! I'm glad you finished all your work and have time to play games, and that's why you're awake and reading this blog at 4 am.AW3:47AM-Edwards, but of courseSo the kid across from you has fallen - and not, gracefully, at that. He's slumped forward on the wooden desk, face planted into keyboard (those facial dents...yikes) and lips squashed so un-becomingly in polar directions. You spot an ever-growing drool pool...It's that time now when the ranks start to thin. Weaker souls, perhaps, but you're not an entirely unsympathetic peer - oh, no, not at all. In fact, you think to yourself that this poor soul could use a little something that would make him more comfortable or at least save a bit of dignity. "How," you muse, "can I be of service to this young man?"Enter: The Ostrich Pocket Nap Pillow. Designed in 2011 by the European company Kawamura Ganjavian, this pillow provides a bit of privacy and a whoooole lot of comfort. Sure, it looks silly, but at least the user can hide his face from curious onlookers.From the website: "OSTRICH offers a micro environment in which to take a warm and comfortable power nap at ease. It is neither a pillow nor a cushion, nor a bed, nor a garment, but a bit of each at the same time. Its soothing cave-like interior shelters and isolates our head and hands (mind, senses and body) for a few minutes, without needing to leave our desk."There's some pretty wacky things out in the market, but this looks pretty tempting at the moment...doesn't it?-- SG3:09AM-My RoomFirestone, why did you close at 1:45 when we all thought we had until 2am? Not that it would have made much difference...Newest preferred method of exercise: Racing, zig-zag style, through the stacks on the third floor of Firestone. Just make sure security doesn't see you or they'll stare you down.-- AK2:39 AM - Still in Edwards basement, keeping warm by the laundry machines...Oh HEY Triangle Drag Dean's Date Fairies! Yeah, we saw you making rounds by Wu several hours ago...are you guys still around? Candy, back rubs, hugs, and extra thick socks would be welcome. You know where to find me.Thanks to Morgan Young '15 for the video! -- SG2:30 AM - Little HallDean's Date's as good a time as any to fall into a musical fugue state. Last year this time, it was a Clams Casino mixtape, but this time around, I've fixated on a single song. "I'm gon [write] homey until my heart stop." Yes, that old gem has been on repeat for several hours. Although the boundaries of the hours are starting to dissolve -- time is taking on a new form, and the more meaningful metric is now the number of iTunes plays (quickly approaching a hundred). Prufrock may have measured his life in coffee spoons; I'll measure mine in 50 Cent verses.Let us know about your Dean's Date tunes. Just in case I decide to change the song.-- GN2:05 AM - 1915 Dorm Room If you’re cursing your parents for not teaching you Proust when they had the chance, at least they never force-fed you lemons and posted your (adorbs) squirming face on youtube.That said, it’s lemon baby time!!!-LW2:05 AM - Edwards basement Public Service Announcement, ya'll: BACK UP YOUR WORK! Save your papers to your USBs, send your problem sets to your emails. Just do it now okay?And as a reward, here's a PSA, Jay-Z style, that should pump up the rest of the night (erm...morning) for you!-SG1:18 AM - 2D Dining RoomWe were looking for Roger Wang '11's inspirational 2011 video of Ladytown, "the Frist classroom/discotheque that worked hard and partied harder," but it looks like it's been taken down by Youtube.So instead, we present to you this somewhat less-inspiring Spongebob Squarepants rendition of Eye of the Tiger. Because it's about that time of night, and you need to know you can go on.Go on.AW12:25 AM - Cellular device, aka primary channel of social interaction nowBut really...it's 20 minutes past...and the dread/inspiration/motivation is just. not. there. When, folks, when?-SG12:15 AM- Forbes libraryIn case anyone missed this in Yaro's email, this kid is truly inspirational.http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=BdCHgzU9beA#t=24s--DB12:09 AM — 2D Dining RoomOverheard at 2D: "Maybe we should go work outside on the porch, so we don't fall asleep?"AW12:03 AM - Lewis LibraryIt has recently come to my attention that this photo was posted on Facebook with the caption, “Real thugs don’t sleep.”This is awkward, because this is actually exactly where I am at the moment, and I have personally consumed the contents of two of the Small World coffee cups.We have turned around and met our paparazzi. I have to say that I’m flattered. This is the first time I have ever been called a thug.- LBC11:15PM - Patton Hall BasementAwash in dreams of a post-Dean’s Date universe with rainbows and kittens and puppy dogs and sunshine? (And maaaaybe a little sleep, after which sentences like that would surely never occur?)After 5pm tomorrow, I plan to be reincarnated as this British girl, who suffers from a rare, undiagnosed ailment that makes her sleep for weeks at a time.  NEW. LIFE. GOAL.(Props to Ann-Marie Elvin for the link)-JMB10:47PM – Firestone LobbyIf you’re holed up outside the library, you missed an excellent, 10+ minute performance by the Princeton University Band. I wish I knew their route so I could tell you where they’re headed next, but I’m sure that the blasting tubas and banging drums will alert you of their presence. In case you have you have your own music turned up so loud that you missed them—but are sad about that—I’ve got a short clip for you here:Princeton University Band in Firestone on Dean's Date EveAnd, of course, a picture: --AK10:19 PM – Butler basementCramming fifty pages worth of essay into twenty-four hours may sour the Princeton experience a little bit, but let’s not forget how lucky we are to be here. On that note, it’s worth checking out the Prince’s early action article—not for the article itself, but rather for its 160+ comments. Some are thought provoking, some are comical, some are genuinely absurd, but all (okay, most) are entertaining in one way or another.A short preview:“I [sic] just sucks that you work so hard compared to other people who play xbox while you study calculus.” –Deferred student“what did I do wrong? screw this racist university” –Fellow deferred student“No[, Princeton is not racist]. I have an asian friend here with a 2000.” –Current studentetc.-CRM9:45 PM- Patton HallFact: the discovery of FREE PASTRIES AND SMALL WORLD COFFEE (and spiffy free orange and black mugs, though they're probably out of those by now) at Wu/Wilcox made me dance like this guy. Quite a sight to be seen, let me tell you!Wu's open til 11p, so stop by for some quality caffeination...because Dean's Date Eve is no excuse to stop being a coffee snob, after all!-JMB9:38 PM-FirestoneThe collected purchases from a late meal/C-store run. Fuel for the night, though I’m sure this supply will run out soon.If you’re looking to get sushi at late meal, don’t: they were out a while ago--AK9:20 p.m. - U-StoreBottoms up Princeton!-NP9:01- Forbes libraryText from a lonely and desperate friend in one of Forbes’ study rooms. She needs to work on her come-hither messages. I’m so alone…..But that’s probs a good thingI keep smelling vinegar…..Stress heightens your senses?--DB8:59 p.m.—Writing CenterAt 10, Forbes is going to have its Forbes Freakout. You’ve probably never heard of it. That’s because it’s more exclusive than the Whitman midnight breakfast. We’re going to burn drafts of our Dean’s Date papers on the terrace and then trash the golf course.

Hey Whitman Whales,

--EL

8:26- Wu Dining HallWhile I can't speak for Forbesians, those at Wu tonight have the option of making smart Dean's Date choices.In order to optimize studying efficiency, this is what your plate should look like at dinner (according to Livestrong.com):But I'm not going to lie, mine was something more along the lines of this:We'll have to see what kind of stamina this provides. Though on a night like tonight I think we all are in need of a few lucky charms...-- LBC8:08 PM - cyberspaceFacts of procrastination in flowchart form:Other Flowcharts that I find amusing (this is a sick obsession and I need to stop before I lose another hour of my life):Can we date?Self-referential flowcharts.Songs like Hey Jude and Total Eclipse of the Heart in flowchart form.But my favorite pump up Dean's Date music rendered in flow chart has to be:--VC7:49 PM - Forbes Dining HallI know Dean’s Date is making me lose my mind, but was it just me, or did Forbes serve purple potatoes for dinner tonight?--DB7:47 PM – WilcoxSpotted upstairs in Wilcox. The room is, of course, occupied by a few fratters.-CRM7:24 PM- Frist GalleryThis just might be a record. Two hours in, and PrincetonFML is down. Guess you're all just going to have to hang out here...--LZ7:17 PM- Writing Center, Whitman12 spots on the Writing Center sign up sheet which went up exactly at 7pm. The crowd waits ready to pounce like the line outside of Best Buy on Black Friday.

Thanks to KD '12 for the pics and tip!

--VC

6:40 PM-Firestone, 3rd FloorMass-exodus to dinner. Computers, textbooks and notebooks stay out, laying claim to all available flat surfaces like chairs do in rare parking spots on snowy days.

--AK

5:45 PM- Forbes basementWhen you can’t find an empty study room, you make your own. Props to whoever took the initiative to carry the extra desk and chairs from the study room into the Forbes dance studio. Extra points for decorating their space with empty ramen cups, goods from Wawa, and a comfy recliner.--EL5:14 PM --  my room (intentionally lowercased like bell hooks. #GSS reference)Nothing like a little Cyndi Lauper meets Grade Deflation to start your Dean's Date off well.--VC5:00 PM -- Ivy Crypt (aptly named, feeling pretty zombielike already)Another Dean's Date, another of year of broken promises of time management; reading period always feels so long, until it isn't. Now there are exactly 24 hours until the hour of reckoning. As per biannual tradition, The Ink will be up all night, feeding you distracting and nourishing nuggets of reporting and commentary at irregular intervals, all the way to the finish line. Check back often. Check back whenever you feel like your sleepless brain has turned to slurry. Check back whenever your caffeine-induced clarity finally fades away. Check back whenever you feel like you can't write anymore. Check back whenever you feel you could probably write a little more, but would rather hear about how I can't write anymore before going back and writing a little more.Raw and honest dispatches from a campus collectively descending into delirium. Frontline reporting at its finest -- we've got papers and problem sets too, and we're putting them on the line for your sake. Press Club in the [procrasti]nation's service, and in the service of all [procrasti]nations.Godspeed.-- GN