So, as I contemplate the encrouching liveline (deadline is inappropriately negative) of college (ZOMG <11 days!), there are about a thousand things on my mind. Since I can’t discuss a thousand things on my blog I will pick an overarching theme that I think sums it all up pretty well: Quantum Mechanics.

Now, before you go running away screaming AHH PHYSICS, NO!! I promise I am interpreting the theme in a way free of equations or word problems (at least ones you have to solve). In fact, its probably a way that will make actual physicists angry. Basically, I’m thinking of Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle. While the literal statment is about the fact that its ” physically impossible to measure [both] the position and momentum of a particle,” and I am clearly not a particle, I also feel like while my position is relatively clear, my “momentum” is immeasurable at this point.

I haven’t actually yet observed my role, my wavefunction has not collapsed; I am Schrödinger’s prefrosh.

To dispense with the abstraction and nerdiness, I am basically saying what I said before: I still feel like my possibilities at MIT are limitless. Therefore I have no idea where I am heading and what my role will end up being.

Let us consider some specific examples. One point that has been confusing me is what I shall do for a math class. I have a 5 on AP Calc BC, so 18.01 is right out. I feel fairly competent with it, so 18.01/02A is also eliminated. This leaves “only”: 18.014, 18.02, 18.022, and 18.023. (To my non-MIT friends who are now lost, here is the catalog of math classes with normal titles/descriptions: http://student.mit.edu/catalog/m18a.html ). This would be a complicated enough decision (the main conflict being between taking 18.02 on the strength of Aroux’s reputation and 18.022, since I already have a good familiarity with Multivariable Calc from a class last year), but it is further complicated by the fact that, out of boredom I have been reading a calc book I won from a competition and, as a result, feel that I might actually be able to pass the 18.02 ASE. This would leave me deciding between 18.03 or 18.06 then .03 or .034 in the spring. If I wanted to go really crazy, I could try to go straight for 18.100B.. but thats highly unlikely.

Anyway, I have whined about math class choice long and hard elsewhere, and while I still appreciate advice if you have it, this is not really the point of this post, I simply mean it to be illustrative of my class choice uncertainty. I have similar conflicts between 8.02/8.022 and 3.091/5.111/5.112, anyway.

Alas, my indecision does not end with classes; extracirriculars are also a source of uncertainty. I really want to audition for an a capella group, as I love them, but I’m not even sure if I’d rather be a member of the Logs or Resonance (I may even audition for others, but I’m pretty sure these are my top 2). On top of this, I know what kind of comitment these groups are. Meanwhile, my mind wants to hatch plans about Roadkill Buffet, Musical Theater Guild, and even UA. All of these plans are of very time consuming things and all together are not possible. At some point, I WILL have to make a decision, and the wavefunction WILL collapse. And I am really curious about what I will pick and how I will make these decisions.

But of course, a huge part of the aforementioned uncertainty principle is the so-called “observer effect,” the fact that to observe somthing is to change it. Even in writing this blog entry, I may be changing my future (perhaps even by becoming an admissions blogger ^_^). Certainly when I have to make these decisions final, it will change what other decisions I can make.

Still, its so odd to think that at this point my college life is essentially a (metaphoric) wavefunction, all of the possibilities coexist in some sense. Even things that I am relatively certain of (my inteded major: VI, my intended dorm: EC) could easily be different. If I have a great time at some Senior Haus event during REX, I could live there and end up being significantly different than in relatively similar EC. In more extreme variation, I could even end up living in Baker :-O!! With all this talk of Physics, I could switch from VI to 8.. anything could happen!

And then of course there are even more remote possibilities. For example, a timely allusion is the activation of the Large Hadron Collider 21 hours, 4 minutes, and odd seconds from the time of this writing. As has been well-established by press and lawsuits, there is an incalcuably small chance that the LHC could produce micro-black holes or a “strangelet” that could devour the Earth or even the entire universe. While I personally expect neither, I can concede that until they don’t occour, they are still technically possible.

Perhaps my college career is of less importance than the LHC activation, perhaps it is more. Point of fact, both are possible. And in both, there are so many possibilities.

As with the LHC’s physicists, however, my plan is to accept the minor catastrophic potential, swallow the facts of the unlimited possibilities, and forge forword. I doubt it’ll be the Higgs Boson, but I am certainly excited to see what the reality of my college experience shall bring… ^_^

Until Next Time (assuming the LHC doesn’t kill us all),

~Donald Guy

P.S. Monday’s Penny-Arcade is totally relevant, and totally hillarious, but I felt it wouldn’t fit in the mostly serious entry above. Still .. check it out: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/8/4/

It has been an interesting aspect of my life that, despite the best intentions, I have always wanted to, and usually failed to keep some sort of journal. One could say that it comes from a need to be remembered, a need to record my history; I think these are a crock. My desire to keep a journal is probably most easily traceable to Doug. I think that practically every day I heard him say Dear Journal and then have great adventures, so I thought keeping a journal was awesome.

Granted I know now that it probably had a lot more to do with being a convenient frame for story telling. It has been used in television and film many times since (e.g. As Told By Ginger, examples that are less lame because they aren’t children’s shows -_-). Regardless, I think that truthfully Doug is the origin.

My attempts at journal writing have been many and varied. The most successful was probably a compulsory one I wrote in a composition book, every day in 4th grade. In 5th grade I acquired a white book with a hot air balloon on it, and in middle school I bought a gold book with the Chinese for “Imagination” on the cover. Both of these were intended to be used as daily journals. I believe each garnered about 3 entries.

With the advent of the “web log” craze .. (we don’t use the w, e, or space anymore), I saw the fusion of my desire to keep a journal and my love for/proficiency with computers. Since then I have made several valiant attempts at getting a blog off the ground. Usually only to see them grind to a halt not long after.

You now stare at the current incarnation of these attempts, created unashamedly in hopes of providing a suitable “portfolio” for the great people over at http://www.mitadmissions.org. Like my other attempts it has also gotten off to a rough start for various reasons (varying from sheer laziness to indecision between Wordpress and Movable Type). But now it has existed for awhile and yet still it sits, largely bare of content.

Why?! I suppose it has a bit to do with laziness, a bit to do with overthinking and oververbosity in my expression, and a bit to do with not being sure anyone will care. Maybe, its just the fact then other times I’ve started a journal or blog, I’ve never ended up meeting the Beets at Honkerburger or become Quailman -_-!

But its reached the point where no more excuses shall do. It is time to try to blog legitimately, if I can. The blogger app on MIT Admissions, and I really do quite want to be one. I know that I have many, many talented competitors and frankly I expect their success over mine, but I’ve decided that I do want to do it, so I really ought to at least try.

So .. here goes, consider my lame attempts below part of the old blog. This was supposed to be the first entry in my blog, and I never got around to writing it in full form. The real attempt starts now, this is when we have that “Better Blog To Follow…”

Wish Me Luck,
~Donald Guy

So, I’m sure you have all heard that supposedly the world is supposed to end in my/our college graduation year, 2012 (or at least there is supposed to be some major psychic shift or something .. trouble with this Mayan predictions is we can’t really ask them what they meant). Well, I’m not talking about that … I’m talking about now.

Like most of my peers, I am afflicted with the lovely ailment referred to as senioritis. On top of that, my teachers (particularly my english teacher) thought it a good idea to set up a negative correlation between seniors’ motivation and seniors’ workload .. it’s actually insane.

<whining about english>

Consider that, in the first place, our AP English Lit exam was last Thursday, so by all reason, the class should be pretty much done or at least switching over to “fun” activities. Yea, we aren’t. At my high school (and by all accounts, only my high school within the district), we are required to submit a senior english portfolio composed entirely of NEW compositions.. in the order of 12 of them. For most of them, we have to submit 3 drafts + pre-writing (as though we actually do prewriting). On top of that, she thought it a good idea to assign us a series of poetry journals. Not only are these of substantially larger quanity than those earlier in the yaer (6, each requiring analysis of 3-6 poems), but they are in the majority due BEFORE the  portfolio. But no, it does not stop there, on top of this we have been assigned to read and keep “a detailed character list” for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. So, in summary, the first day after our AP exam, we have the first poetry journal, 69 pages of Cuckoo, and a check on our senior portfolio progress (theses checks are graded seperately). Also, keep in mind, it is still AP exams .. I won’t be there.. I have AP Physics C, for which I do not feel prepared and won’t feel prepared, despite studying more than I have for any other AP exam. Then the next day, I have AP Psychology.

</whining>

On top of the insane English load and AP Physics C, I have a chorus concert I need to work to prepare for, and a 2 day Enviornmental competition (about which I am less than enthralled) that will wipe out my ability to work on the english portfolio Sunday or Monday of next week, with the portfolio itself due .. let’s see… WEDNESDAY. Oh and on top of this I also feel physically ill.

Basically .. my point is that of my title, I feel doomed plain and simple. That said, I also know myself and having gone through this cathartic excercise would expect that this prediction of doom will go the way of most (i.e. it will turn out false, but its true believers will continue on unphased). We’ll see.

Anyway, if I get through this one, I’ll see you in 2013.

Thanks for listening to my doomsaying,

~Donald Guy

P.S. one other prediction, amongst my HASS classes, I will probably never take another english class proper.