My activity here for the past year has been dismal. I have already resolved to do more art this year, so this will mean that there will be more postings. I hope you all enjoyed the phoenix painting!

I also have not informed you all about much of anything that has happened this year. In a nutshell, I got in to all the colleges I applied to except one. I graduated from high school, spent the first half of summer relaxing and getting nothing useful accomplished, and spent all of August driving myself and my possessions from Seattle to Boston for college. I now attend Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering.

My first semester was fun in many ways and very tough in others. My academic confidence has been shaken in that for the first time in my life, I actually have to expend effort to understand some things related to math and science. I have already walked a tightrope over a chasm of academic difficulty, and have realized over and over that I truly have the most wonderful group of friends here that I could have ever wanted. (It is partly due to them that I have not been making as much art this school year.) And right in the midst of these friends I have met someone wonderful who makes me happy to see each new day. I am ready to return to spring semester in late January and face new challenges armed with what I learned from the old ones.

Final projects this semester included:
- playing Ophelia in a silent production of Hamlet
- designing and building a water-powered clock (it was cool, but did not operate)
- writing a simulation of an elephant balancing on a drum
- designing and building a swimming toy to be evaluated by fourth graders (yes, a team project)
- doing an 11 hour take home math final
- studying for the 3 hour physics final

and concurrently, mounting a Lego train track to the walls in the dorm hallway with a bridge across the middle. Here are photos, courtesy of my accomplice in this project.


I don't know where to spend the summer. I applied for this awesome program Olin has for rising sophomores and juniors to work on projects for NASA, but there were three times as many applicants as positions, and frankly, many Oliners deserve a chance like that more than I do. I'll try again next year. In the meantime, I'm trying to come up with places in Seattle to apply for an internship at, and if it doesn't seem like that will work, then I will take an academic research position at Olin over the summer.

Seattle engineering-related internship ideas would be most appreciated.

=darkphoenix7 - loyal only to $jark

Secretary of