Tag: Boston

Let’s Talk a Little Hockey

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As many know, the NHL season was cut in half this season due to problems with a collective bargaining agreement, or CBA. It’s funny how in the past 2-3 years, labor issues have been a serious problem in professional sports across the board. The NBA and NHL lost games while the NFL lost certain preseason workouts. All three were greatly affected. However, this 48 game season of hockey (a full season has 82 games) has been nothing short of exciting yet confusing.

I’m a big New Jersey Devils fan. They lost in the Stanley Cup finals last year to the Los Angeles Kings, but I wasn’t torn up about it. I was excited to even get to the finals and win the Eastern Conference. That was way more than I was expecting last season, but it elevated my expectations for this season.

We aren’t the best team in hockey. But, we play very well. At least we can say we are better off than Columbus.

Regardless, the playoffs are fast approaching as there are about 10 games left for most teams in the regular season.

The NHL is ranked on a point system. A team is given 2 standing points for a win, 0 for a loss, and 1 for a loss in overtime or a shootout. In each conference, there are 3 divisions. This is the last year we will see this, as next year the league is realigning into four conferences. Anyway, there are three divisions in each conference, and the division leader in each makes the playoffs as the first, second or third seed. In order to finish off the playoff bracket, the next 5 teams in point standings are added to the bunch. 8 teams from each conference go to the playoffs, making a total of 16 teams.

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Jo and The Dictator.

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Today, my good friend Jo came from to visit from Boston!

Jo graduated last year and we rarely get to hangout! But today, Jo, another friend of mine, and I hit Main Street in Ventura to watch The Dictator.

Now let me tell you, this movie is the farthest thing from pc and has humor that can be offensive to some.

But I loved it. I love how bold Sacha Baron Cohen is with all of his movies. Despite having faced lawsuits for his previous movies, he still continues to do what he does best…make hilarious, vulgar movies.

And what’s even better was that I watched it with two of my closest friends.

Overall, tonight was a win.

Sigh of Relief

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If there is one thing that I can tell you about colleges, it is this:

BE ABSOLUTELY SURE BEFORE YOU SEND OUT ANY EARLY DECISION APPLICATIONS.

This was my problem. I thought that I was absolutely sure when I applied to a binding agreement to Williams College and Amherst College. However, after I submitted my applications on September 30th, I visited Massachusetts and toured the campus of Williams. That was when post-application remorse began to settle.

The four hour bus ride from Boston to Williamstown scared me. My fear was being isolated for my college years and reliving my boarding school life not being to leave campus when I wanted to.

As the notification deadline drew closer, I grew more anxious, my confidence wavering in the two schools I applied early for. Soon, I was hoping I’d be rejected.

And here I am. My first two college notifications were rejections, but they were the greatest rejections I have received as funny as that sounds.

What I realized after being rejected was that more than the isolation, I feared the binding agreement the most. I wanted to be able to have a choice and sort through my different options instead of being bound to a single school. I wanted options.

My experience brings me to another point. College tours. Do them.

Even if it is an unofficial tour where you are walking without a guide or fellow student, I cannot stress how important it is that one grasps the vibe of the school you might potentially attend. More than the name of the school or the prestige, it is ultimately your happiness that will bring you success and a great college experience.

So, apply to many and choose. Don’t limit yourself to one school unless you are absolutely true.

FOUR MORE DAYS !!

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OKAY.

I KNOW I SAID I WOULDN’T THINK ABOUT IT UNTIL AFTER I FIND OUT THE RESULTS BUT…

i just cant.

ALKEJFIOSDJFLSEMNFOALDKCM!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHY!?
I feel like these four days are killing me.

On December 1st, I will receive two emails from Williams and Amherst, letting me know whether or not I have been accepted. I don’t know what time the emails will come which makes things worse for me! I will be checking every five minutes on that day! Will it come at noon like the last email? If so will it come at noon Eastern Time? Would that make it arrive in my inbox at nine?

I am scared because Williams and Amherst are one of the nations top colleges. Williams is rated #1 in Forbes Best College List and #1 liberal arts schools in U.S. News and World Report Best College List. Amherst is #4 on Forbes and #2 in U.S. News and World.

Williams College is a small school of just over 2,000 students with an acceptance rate of 20 percent. SDLKFJSDLJF. So 20 out of 100 students that apply get in. 80 get a rejection.

Amherst is even worse. It has an acceptance rate of 16. So in this case, 84 would get the boot.

What I am scared the most about is, like I said in my previous blog, whether or not I will hate the isolation. I am scared that I will hate being in the middle of nowhere (being three and a half hours away from Boston) and find myself hating the weather too!

I think too much.

I am both dreading and waiting for Thursday to come.

God, please choose the right school for me.

Jitters

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Four and a half hours. 270 minutes. 16,200 seconds. For this long period of time, I was sitting on a bus to Williamstown from Boston.

Of course, once I arrived at Williams College, the scene took my breath away. It was so picturesque. Snow encrusting the roofs of the cathedral. The spiral staircase of the nation’s oldest observatory powdered with white. The magnificent grey stone dormitories that rose so high into the cold sky. It was beautiful.


But now, back in sunny California, I am worried.

I am worried that perhaps, this school, although I do want some privacy, is a bit too isolated for me.

This was my dilemma for a good few days. But the more I thought about it, the more confused I was.

But words of wisdom from my cross country coach came to me as I vented my fears. He told me that I had no reason to worry because I hadn’t even gotten accepted yet. Which is true. I was just getting too nervous. If I do get in, that is the time to worry. And besides, he said with a smile, if that’s the worst of my problems, than that’s a pretty good problem to have.

Ah. He is right. I guess it is just in my nature to worry about college. But everything happens for a reason, so if I do get accepted (or don’t) it was meant to be.

But until December 1st, I just need to wait…without worry.

Wish me luck.

Boston Day 1

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A flurry of white snow attacks my cheeks. My leather boots are soaked. Around me, I see denizens walking comfortably in this Bostonian weather.

And here I am. Wearing skinny jeans and a leather jacket. No gloves. No hat. No water proof shoes.

As I mentioned in my previous blog, I have noticed huge differences between the west and east coasts.

The first has left its mark on my cheek.

The second is the methods of transportation.

Unlike California, the Amtrak is commonplace for students and businessmen alike. All board these rickety machines, rocking with each slow turn. Taxis dominate the streets.

Tomorrow is a big day for me. It is the day I visit the school of my dreams: Williams College. However, being roughly 90 miles away from the mainstay of Boston, I am going to delight in a wondrous 3 hour bus ride to Williamstown.

To be continued…

Love from Boston!

Boston Bound!

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Around me, the chatter of many different people diverged into one dynamic buzz. Cash registers ring, papers being printed, suitcases being dragged. Noise engulfs me as I sit in a grey pleather chair in the Charlotte Douglas Airport.

 

I sit here, a venti Starbucks black iced tea (with two Sweet’N Lows and easy ice) and a packet of organic dried mangoes, and I can already tell the difference in the environment.

Although this is just an airport, I can feel the change in the vibe. I am on the East Coast. I am not in California. I can tell in the way people walk, talk, and gesticulate that the city I am in is absolutely different.

I guess I my awareness of all of these differences is especially heightened because this is my first voyage to Boston. As high school senior, I am applying to numerous colleges, many of which are situated in the East Coast. I am scared, nervous, excited, and curious of how different life in Boston will be.

What will the food be like? Will I stand out, strike people as different just as I do them?Who knows?

I’ll let you know how I like it soon:)