More neighbors

Since I promised to keep you updated about all the happenings in my neighborhood, here's the latest:

Ella (otherwise known as 'holy-shit-its-the-crazy-chicken-lady') died last week at 82. Her husband of more than 50 years is pretty shook up, and he wasnt too balanced to begin with, so now I'm really avoiding that place. Pretty sure I saw him walking in the rain at 1AM this weekend in just a T-shirt and jeans, staring straight ahead and not blinking even when I flashed my brights (what is it with people walking in the middle of the road anyway?)

Got home from school today around 3, now there's a SWAT team down the street doing a drug bust. Sweet. Actually, rumor has it (and there are plenty of those around here) that it's a meth lab, so that's good times. I'm guessing very few of you have been in my neighborhood down past my house, but if you think of the houses you pass on the way to mine... well, it only gets more interesting as you go on. It'll be interesting to see how that turns out.


Unfortunately, it appears my dad stopped paying for the toposcape.net domain name, so all those pictures that were on that one and not vancouverlake.com are down, including the new Uganda pictures... I'd be surprised if vancouverlake.com doesnt go down soon too, so perhaps after break I'll find a new way to post my pictures so you all can enjoy. I'm leaving for USC tomorrow morning at 6:45, get back around 8:00 so I can come home and get ready to be at the airport on Saturday at 6:00 to leave for hawaii. Don't expect any more pre-break posts... oh, wait... I'm already on spring break. Whohoo!

Uganda

Dad's Uganda Pictures are up if anyone is interested!

2 weeks

I was planning on writing a decent post today, since it has been quite a while, but then I typed somewhere around 8 pages of homework this afternoon, so now I don't really feel like more typing.

So I was driving through my neighborhood at 12:58 last night trying to make it home before 1 (not like it matters anymore, nobody is awake, especially with mom on her cruise) and I almost my neighbor, out for one of his creepy early-early morning walks with his unleashed dogs and a box of... something... under his arm. Yay for creepy neighbors, thats a good enough reason for me not to go jogging around here.

Everything has been going well in my life, can't wait for Spring Break and the Hawaii trip. I'm going to visit USC the day before break (fly down that morning, fly back that evening) so I can make my final decision before its too late to get housing. Right now, here's my Pro/Con list for both schools, any insight would be welcomed, but I reserve the right not to listen to you!

	UW	USC
PRO	Close-ish	new experience
	NW Weather	LA Weather
	In state pricing	Music / Engineering combo
	$2400 scholarship	Great Marching Band
	Top-10 CSE Program	Many housing options
	WA Alumni = jobs	5-year masters program
	Open space on campus
	City with fresh air
	View of mountains / water
	acceptable public transportation
	relatively easy to move stuff
CON	Few housing options	too far for weekends home
	Less transfer between colleges	private school pricing
	too close to home?	less WA alumni
		far less open space
		LA air
		no real view, off campus
		poor public transportation
		difficult to move stuff

SMT

Pictures are up from the SMT Senior Project trip to WOU:
SEE THEM HERE!

I'll post more later when I have time

Whohoo

So I passed my Eagle Scout board last night... about time! Its nice to have all that over with now...

SMT Senior project stuff tomorrow and Saturday down at WOU... oh yay. That will be nice to have over with too, hopefully I'll have some kind of internet or at least cell coverage down there... could be an interesting weekend.

The neighbor's goats had babies, little baby goats are really cute. Amazing how they can stand just a few hours after they are born.

The weather has been so nice that I finally decided to set up the hammock. Heh... I should remember to check my knots a little more carefully next time, or at least put something soft under the hammock so I don't go crashing to the ground onto rocks and a tree root. Ooh, I can feel my back right now, but everyone assures me that it was one of the funniest things they'd seen in quite a long time.

Well I should probably get to packing and getting ready for tomorrow... 5:45 in the morning at skyview. Yuck.

Trojan Man

"Congratulations! I am pleased to offer you admission to the University of Southern California..."
So the big envelope from USC came today, bringing the college choices up to 2:

USC
Location: just outside downtown LA
Climate: warm and sunny
Price: Painful, - possibly scholarship
Mascot: Trojan ("Tommy Trojan")
Engineering Major: Undeclared Engineering (admitted to Viterbi School of Engineering)
Music: Badass Trojan Marching Band, very good school of music, well-known faculty
Housing: Traditional dorms or apartment-style
Transportation: Crappy. Airfare home in the $200 range, train/car is 30+ hours

UW
Location: just outside downtown Seattle
Climate: just like home
Price: In-state with $2500 scholarship
Mascot: Husky
Engineering Major: Direct-admission to the College of Engineering, Computer Science/Engineering
Music: Marching Band (maybe), other good programs
Housing: Dorms seem to have a bad reputation
Transportation: Train or car, 4 hour drive


So I'm going up to visit UW for the direct admission information session a week from Monday, and I may go back down to visit USC sometime in the next month or two. I guess I have until May 1st to decide, but I'd like to know by early April so I can get decent housing at either place. Still haven't heard from Cornell, but thats pretty much out for me... East Coast is just too far away for me to really consider right now.

The next week looks busy, but hopefully I'll be able to post sometime relatively soon. Dad leaves for Uganda tomorrow morning, Wednesday is my Eagle Scout BOR, Friday and Saturday I'm down at WOU presenting my lazy excuse for a senior project.