Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Chaos at Cooper:

















Was heading down Bowery to get a photo of our pasting from Monday when I saw about 30 cop cars and an entire fleet of NYPD officers running down the sidewalks. Then cops on motorcycles flew by and main streets were being closed off. I was freaked out for awhile thinking there had been some sort of subway bombing, but eventually caught up with the crowd which ended in front of Cooper Union. As far as I know, Cooper Union is the only college in the U.S which offers free tuition to every student who is admitted.

Apparently the new president decided to change this 150 year tradition by instating grad school tuition recently. One student climbed the 20-foot statue out front and police couldn't figure out for more than an hour (haha) how to get him. His sign read "free tuition, it's our mission", the college's mission statement. The students were all peacefully protesting until 4 cops grabbed one young student and threw her to the ground for trying to go under the police tape to get to class. She was crying as they shoved her in the cop car and arrested her.

Students then became outraged, the student on the statue refused to come down, and the police starting pushing everyone off the sidewalks. I thought I was going to get hurt so I peaced out for a bit and when I came back students were saying police were having a "lock-down" at the main building, not letting any students enter for class. Good thing it's not a few weeks before final exams or anything. SIGH. These cops need to calm down and let students peacefully protest rather than interrupting with gruesome unnecessary tactics. Whew, this is a long post. Until next time....

Friday, April 13, 2012

23 23 23 23 23 !!!



Here's to you dearest friend on your birthday:

To crashing 80 year olds birthday parties, swaying on stage at the Schuster Center in our fanciest Ebony apparel, to putting off studying for exams for Leisha Hailey, the day we rode a school bus through Yellow Springs, the time the Gouda gals broke into an abandoned amusement park..the Merc..a frat haus for free M&Ms and snatched beer. When our wedge would start dance parties by simply playing a little Gaga. To the nights when we'd sleep in the Science Center, wake up at 6am to see Cathy at Panera, would guess if Jason from Steak & Shake was having a good night, painted all those boxes in the BoomBoom Haus, FREUND visits, posing for professors in front of power plants (and never getting the prints...) To the time we showed up in African garb to a jungle themed party, or the time you, Sondawgy and I drank beer & ate icecream in  Friendship Park under the cover of night. To being divas and making Diane Birch wait for US. Here's to car struggles in snow banks, posing in cementaries, train tracks, grocery stores. The lesbian Chipotle. The time you told that old dude in the truck to "AH! Shut the hell up".. To all the nights we'd climb the highest roofs, spent our entire Sophomore year making 20 minutes videos for each other (while convinced the next morning of classes wouldn't come all that soon..) Would drink Cosmos on Masque's rooftop, met Ingrid Michaelson before complaining that we didn’t have tickets…then somehow ended up front row center...*creeps* 

To our annual Christmas card, sneaking into movies for free, walking to the Dollar Store during snowstorms, slipping on the ice at Christmas on Campus right after one another, meetings with Vigie, watching the drunks in shopping carts fall out of Milanos, purple wigs from Exotic Fantasies, the days of Jamie Ann Vandevelde at Belmont, continuously crappy Barn Jams, eating burnt hot dogs with hooker cats, sneaking out of Art History classes (still getting A's on the research papers??) The tree haus room where you closed the door, turned off the lights, and gave me a high-five all while laying in your bed. Speaking of Treehaus, here's to the Treelodge. Chicago trips filled with green rivers, Chris + Nat, and midges hogging Missy. Pitchfork. Moshpits. “Hold on to your child” signs. Friday traditions of mac & cheese, Ele and Mikes Hard. When we met on the hill in front of the photo lab..and being the greatest homies ever since.

Thanks for still being my friend even after all those drunken nights, the days of obsessing over the new weekly crush "GOOD TO SEE YOU!", or that night I was crying under the table in the CPC and you drove to DLM at 3 in the morning for the perfect remedy: gouda. Mostly, for the time you came jumping out after me in the window-crashing events, just as Edward Sharpe would have wanted it. Thanks for enduring all those Tegan & Sara marathons, the times I was unbearable to live with (more often than not!), the all-nighters. 

You, my friend, are my hoodrich better half, the sweetest girl I know, and the coolest roomie, bestie, partner-in-crime I can ask for. I hope your birthday is all of this and mo!!

Monday, April 9, 2012