I'm Climbing Up Those Walls Again

As I was waiting in the hall, a professor of mine from a few years back came walking by. He's always been a really nice guy and a good teacher, one of the economists with a better sense of humor. I did, however, earn my only B in Econ in my first class with him, Econ 315 - Intermediate Economics. Our conversation went something like this:

Professor: Hey Matt, how's it going?

Me: "Hi Dr. Baier, not too bad, how about you?"

Professor: "Pretty good, how's the graduate school thing going?"

Me: "Oh, it's over, I'm going to Oxford next year.

Professor: "Really?"

Me: "Yeah, I'll be studying for a Masters in Development Economics"

Professor: "Well that's great, congratulations. Will you try and go on after that?"

Me: "Yeah, I'm going to try and stay there for a D.Phil, if not there, somewhere else for a PhD."

Professor: "That's good to hear. Oh, and congratulations on your award [I'm getting the Econ department's award for outstanding senior and a College-wide award, I assume he was on the committee that decided it]

"You know, when we were going over your record, someone said, "Who gave him the B in Intermediate Macro??" and I had to say it was me."

Me: "Oh Dr. Baier, you didn't give me a B in 315, I earned a B in 315."

Professor: "That's sort of what I said, but I also made the point that, people that get a B every now and then, it's not a bad sign. I mean, right after you got that B, you took International Micro with me, which means, "Either he's completely crazy, or he's showing maturity and thinking beyond the grade."

I couldn't help but agree with him, and in the process I felt a little sad, knowing that this was the end of a tough but wonderful chapter of my life. I thanked him again, and he let me know that he'd write a recommendation for me if I ever needed it, and then we parted ways.

# posted by Matt @ 1:37 PM

Today I picked up "The Ultimate Ninja Collection" DVD Boxed set from Best Buy. It contains Venom of the Ninja 1, Venom of the Ninja 2, Venom of the Ninja 3, and Ninja: The Final Duel.

I haven't watched more than a few scenes, but I have a feeling that Ninja: The Final Duel might just make it into the ranks of my favorite ninja movies (joining greats such as American Ninja 2, Revenge of the Ninja, and 9 Deaths of the Ninja).

What is it about this movie that could be so great? The movie follows an ongoing war between Ninja and Shaolin Monks. The ninjas have a plethora of crazy techniques they use in order to bring down their Shaolin enemy, but none are as great as this marvel:

Four words: Water Spider Assault Unit.







Not only do these ninjas paddle around in these giant rubber spiders, but they also fly up off of the water so they can battle the crazy Shaolin Monks who are also flying up in the air.

I think we need to watch this movie soon.

While this song is probably old news to a lot of people, I think it's my favorite song of the semester. It's just about as beautiful as they come, especially with back-up vocals sung by Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis. It'd be a hard song not to like, so if you haven't heard it, give it a try by clicking on this link.

Cursive - The Recluse

Wake alone, in a woman's room I hardly know.
I wake alone, and pretend that I am finally home.
The room is littered with her books and notebooks.
I imagine what they say, like, 'Shoo fly, don't bother me,'

And I can hardly get myself out of her bed.
for fear of never lying in this bed again.
Oh Christ, I'm not that desperate am I? Oh no
Oh God
I am.

How'd I end up here to begin with? I don't know.
Why do I start what I can't finish?
Oh please don't barrage me with questions to all those ugly answers.
My ego's like my stomach
It keeps shitting what I feed it,
but maybe I don't want to finish anything anymore...
maybe I can wait in bed 'til she comes home
and whispers:

"you're in my web now - I've come to wrap you up tight 'til it's time to bite down!"

I wake alone in a woman's room I hardly know.
I wake alone - and pretend that I am finally home.

The Video