Student SPHere 2008-09

I’m writing my blog for the week despite the fact that last week was perhaps the most unbloggable week of my entire life. I will not bore you with the details, but my week basically consisted of working on a take-home exam, studying, attending class, working on the take-home exam, studying, working, studying, studying, studying, and so on. In fact, my week and weekend were only punctuated with three events of any substance whatsoever (assuming a loose definition of substance).
The first was the fact that, despite my better judgment, I set aside time on Wednesday to watch the season premiere of Top Chef. I’m looking forward to seeing how the new crop of chefs fares this season. I haven’t formed a particular affinity for any of the chefs yet, but I think a few have great potential. Then there was, of course, the added delight of having Jean-Georges Vongerichten as the guest judge. I absolutely adore his food (particularly Spice Market in the Meatpacking District in Manhattan).
The second notable aspect of the past week was the fact that this weekend, I took on the role of the mighty huntress. My prey: the spindly-legged freaks (a.k.a. gross bugs) that have sought refuge from the cold (see! Even the bugs aren’t dumb enough to go outside during Minnesota’s winter) in my apartment. Now, I’m all about providing a safe haven for those in need, but only for creatures that I like, and hairy, nasty six-legged invertebrates simply do not fall into that category. In Missouri, we would have a surge of ladybugs invade every winter, but that was fine; ladybugs are cute. I’ve seen babies’ rooms decorated in ladybug themes. They are innocuous, cheery little guys that you want to save from the cold. Whatever the heck is crawling its way across my living room carpet, on the other hand, is some sort of miniature monster worthy of destruction. So destroy I did.
Then there was the Steelers’ win on Sunday with a never-before seen score of 11-10 against the formidable Chargers. This Thursday should prove an easy win against the Bengals, but then it is an uphill battle from there (Patriots and the Cowboys. Ugh.). I was glad to see Ben play so well, and despite the low score, the Steelers managed to dominate throughout the game. And, being the nerd that I am, I can’t help but love the fact that this was the first 11-10 game in NFL history. Now THAT is historical.