Jonathan’s July 13th Blog

Many things happened today.

For one, I only got six hours of sleep, which is one hour less than what I usually get at SSP. I popped an airpod in and was just about to snooze for another ten minutes when I heard the soft voice of Lana del Rey beckoning me to “Let the Light in.” And so I did. Instead of sleeping a little more, I went on with my morning as per usual and made it to the guest lecture on time.

Today’s guest speaker presented his research in biochemistry, which was very interesting, so interesting, in fact, that it made Nurkyz consider the possibility of switching to studying biology in the middle of an astrophysics camp. We talked a little bit about emerging trends in the work-life balance of Gen Z, but what really had me excited were the snacks at the reception. Today, they had sparkling water, biscottis, an onion-flavored version of Ritz Bitz, and crunchy, twisted, melted cheese sticks. It may not sound all too fancy, but as the old proverb goes, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” which is especially true when your main food option is Chase Dining Hall.

After that, we went to the aforementioned Chase Dining Hall, which as usual, disappointed us with fried cod, dry chicken, and a side of unusually sour kale and tomatoes. On our way back to the dorms, we decided to venture into the library for the first time. There, I took some very nice pictures:

Ploof (pictured in the pictures) and I went back downstairs to the lobby, and by that time, the 6 hours of sleep was catching up to me and I was so tired that not even Lana’s excellent Born to Die album could keep me awake. So, I decided to take a ten minute nap in a random chair. When I awoke, I found Eleni and Tiffany working on a difficult puzzle. Though they didn’t finish it, they resolved to come back to complete the job.

We went back to the dorms before going to the afternoon lecture. In the lounge, Ploof explained to me and Tiffany the basic workings of life insurance and also his novel proposal of reverse life insurance (which I can’t expand on due to concerns of political and moral correctness):

Afternoon lecture was delivered by Ian, one of our TAs, and it was about all sorts of things. We started off with a simple guide on how to deliver an effective presentation, using the criteria of volume, which he described as analogous to a rubber duck, and articulation:

Next, we moved on to some interesting applied physics problems, including examining how a cat always landed on its feet. Amongst other ideas, Jack S. proposed that there was some sort of internal mechanism that rotated opposite to the cat to conserve angular momentum, which Ian interpreted as:

Spinning Kidneys

After the lecture, we had some free time, so Eleni proposed to try and finish the puzzle. Unbeknownst to us, the library closed at 5, so we only had a few minutes before we got kicked out, and in that time, I was able to take a wonderful picture of Eleni studiously assembling the puzzle.

On our way back, I decided to chase a squirrel.

We got back, changed for dinner, and headed out. It was very hot out today, so I decided to put my pants into sports mode, which others ridiculed me for, but as far as I’m concerned, they were just fashionable cankles.

During dinner, while our table was talking about existentialism, reincarnation, and religion, my roommate, Pranav, at the table next to me was having a blast wearing Alex’s sunglasses. Ladies, he’s very handsome and very smart, and I can attest to his natural charisma and charm.

Now, I would write more, but I’ve realized that over the course of writing this blog, it has gotten dark outside and it’s already 9:30, meaning that I’ve spent two hours on this blog. I will leave you with this beautiful picture of Eleni.


About the author:

Hi, I’m Jonathan. I’m from Monte Vista High School in Danville, California. Over the course of SSP, I’ve realized that I hate bats, I hate bugs, I hate roaches, and I hate humidity. In my free time, I enjoy listening to music, reading, and hanging out with friends.