(no subject)

There are few sources of energy so powerful as a procrastinating grad student. — Paul Graham

Ant Hill Hostel

The Ant Hill has been bustling with guests lately. Sunday night we hosted Joel Pomerantz, allegedly one of the founders of San Francisco's Critical Mass, thirteen years ago, and a friend of his. They're returning on Friday for the Rochester CM ride and an after-party at Ant Hill. We'll be screening a video made by a crazy yet amazing cooperative in Ontario that calls themselves The Winking Circle and whose mission is to "eccentrify their world."

Last night our living room was bustling too, this time populated by the friendly faces of the band Zox, currently in Rochester on tour, between stops in Ithaca and in Boston. Admittedly I haven't heard their music (apparently no one was able to incite them into a jam session), but their web site describes them as "Violin laced rock reggae punk from Providence, Rhode Island," which does sound first class. They wrote on our whiteboard, "Thank you so much for having us here and showing us that a new city can feel like home! — Zox." Thanks for the company, Zox, and good travels; we enjoyed your visit.

[*edit* Their rendition (mp3, 5.3MB) of Pachelbel's canon is awesome.]

I'm happy that the Ant Hill is becoming the crossroads that it was meant to be.

perspective

one year ago: "Grad school has turned into a moderately miserable experience." (rochester)

two years ago: "Small moves. Sit at Café Strada, prove theorems, drink coffee on ice with brown sugar. Hack away on a renovated hacktop. Transitive closure, Lempel-Zif, yay! Night swimming with Sara just before dinner, at the pool by loth, freedom in water." (berkeley)

three years ago: "Every semester seems to have its theme, its own unique character, and this one is colored strongly by my change of living situation. I've moved into the co-ops, and moreover, directly into the Oscar Wilde House, which happens to be the first co-op house in America with a Gay/Lesbian/Bi/Transgender (GLBT) theme." (berkeley)

four years ago: "I just took an exploratory look at livejournal, having just heard that not just kaolin but even bryce maintains a journal there", and "I've been in Sweden now for more than a quarter of the year..." (sweden)

five years ago: recorded in the Secret 2018 Diary, which has been lost to the world.