The Bullblog

By   |   February 24th 2012

Repeat winners, record breakers, pretend buildings.

 

By   |   February 23rd 2012

Jackie Milestone is a high school senior who got deferred early-action from Yale– but she wasn’t about to let that get in the way of coming here. Instead of wallowing in self-pity until regular-action letters come in April, Jackie decided to write a catchy song that shows her devotion to Yale: “White and Blue for You”.

The video depicts the dramatic moment when Jackie first heard the news that she hadn’t gotten in to her dream school. After reading the letter she falls to the floor where her two huge dogs, dressed in Yale t-shirts, rush to comfort her. She falls into her waterbed, which is covered in more of her collection of Yale t-shirts.

But Jackie got up. She put on every single one of those Yale t-shirts and she wrote an (annoyingly, kind of catchy) song and recorded a video of it– all in the hopes of one day “being in your stonewall embrace.”

Her water bed and extremely large collection of Yale t-shirts might be creepy. But, hey– at least she’s not this girl who did the same thing for Harvard.

Will it work? Who knows– these college counselors say that if you are deferred, “Don’t be cute or clever.”

Good luck, Jackie– with getting in, and with burying this video as soon as you do.

By   |   February 23rd 2012

 It’s 53 degrees, blue skies EVERYWHERE you turn, and it’s….February? I’m not completely sure what New Haven/Connecticut/the east coast did to deserve such a blissfully warm winter, but as a California native, I’m losing no time in taking complete advantage of it. The only thing is…midterms. Papers. Problem Sets. Life, at the moment, requires that I sit down and use my days to study. For this reason, I’ve compiled a few ways to get the best of both worlds.

1. The 2nd floor of the STM Catholic Center. The fireplace room. Go there. Even in twilight, it’s a beautiful room, but during the day you get a surprisingly beautiful view. Granted, that view is 94% Pierson College, but it’s still pretty.

2. Starbucks on High St. Yes, there are beautiful people, but what’s more? If you get a window seat, there are beautiful views too! If you go at the right time, even the baristas are beautiful.

3. ABP. Your first thought may be “ew”, I realize this. However, ABP can actually be surprisingly cheerful. As long as you’re facing away from all the customers and towards the wall-sized windows facing York & Elm, you should be content!

4. WLH. Find an empty space, take over the table and make it look like you own the place, but be sure to do this in one of the lesser frequented second or third floor classrooms. The high altitude should ensure you a pretty view, and the classroom feeling *could* be conducive to getting actual work done.

By   |   February 23rd 2012

More frat, less funds, equal footing.

By   |   February 22nd 2012

Paul Giamatti, famous for thick rimmed specs and general awesomeness, is coming to Yale on Friday! If you’re in Pierson or the Yale Film Society (or both), your chance to see him is greater than everyone else’s by 0.001%! Well, at least the rest of us can bask in the reflected glory of this Master’s Tea. Here are some reasons you should beg/plead/pray to the lottery gods to see him.

·       He graduated from Yale (B.A., 1989; M.F.A., 1994) and was allegedly/ potentially/ rumors swirling in Skull & Bones, something he has denied publicly.

·       His father, A. Bartlett Giamatti, was president of Yale (who knew Yale had presidents before President Levin, right?)

·       He was awesome in Cinderella Man, American Splendor, and most importantly, John Adams (if you’re a colonial history nerd like I am)

·       He wore hipster glasses before they were cool.

By   |   February 22nd 2012

In midterm season, even a short video can be a relaxing break from the dreariness. So enjoy this new trailer for the upcoming HBO series “Girls,” written by Tiny Furniture lady Lena Dunham and starring Allison Williams ’10 as one of the “ladies,” as they’re called at one point in the clip. We are very excited, (the freaks and geeks mom!! and young female leads!!), although the trailer does remind us a little bit, at points, of a very very fancy “Shit Girls Say” video.

By   |   February 22nd 2012

Holy midterms, we are aggressively eight days away from spring break, despite the fact that it’s still shopping period in my head. Apparently it’s true though, and that means it’s time for a list of the things you probably thought you’d have done by now:

1. Any reading.

How does this happen every semester? Midterms arrive and it dawns on you that you haven’t actually opened a book or purchased the coursepack.

2. More laundry.

The clean clothes from break never last as long as you think they will, do they?

3.  Figured out the “perfect” summer. 

Over winter break we all fantasized about that perfect summer blend of fellowship-funded personal soul searching, hanging with friends, traveling abroad, earning money, or just getting hired at some shiny “firm.” How’s that going for you? Eight days from spring break, prospects are usually a little more “idealist” than ideal.

4. Settled in. 

Unlike the walking marathon that is the first gazillion weeks of fall semester, spring just kind of flits by without committing. I guess it’s better (?) bottom line, but I can’t help but feel a little bit like this time of year is just about planning for things at least four months away.

 

By   |   February 22nd 2012

Everyone’s favorite Wenzel delivery mode has suddenly metastasized into a surprisingly legit website where we can indulge both our unhealthy lifestyle choices and characteristic Yale laziness!  Now, you can have not only a Wenzel delivered to your room, but a wide variety of menu options from a plethora of delectable New Haven eateries, including The Little Salad Shop, Thai Pan Asian (Is it Thai?  Is it Pan Asian?), China King, Zaroka, and Brick Oven Pizza.  You also can order GHeav bacon, egg & cheese’s, A1 Buffalo chicken grinders, and Yorkside chicken tenders for pick up ahead of time.  And–no joke–Crunch Button will deliver cheese fries and 5 condoms to you from Alpha Delta!  (Who needs frocos?)

It’s exciting that this whole create-a-Yale-website frenzy has finally produced something worthwhile, but I won’t say there isn’t a part of me that misses the simplicity, elegance, and alliteration of the old site.  R.I.P., One Button Wenzel–you were loved.

By   |   February 22nd 2012

Lamenting departure, deportation, discrimination, NO CHIPOTLE.

By   |   February 21st 2012

Are you a better roommate than her?

 

As the housing draw fast approaches, it’s time to ask yourself this most essential of questions.  If soul-searching and self-awareness isn’t your thing (it’s probably not: you’re a Yalie), look no further than this helpful Bullblog QUIZ, which will objectively and beyond the shadow of a doubt reveal for you whether or not YOU HATE YOUR SUITEMATES!

1.) Do you purposefully make messes/leave food out to irritate your suitemates/roommate?

A. Of course not.

B. Yes.

2.) Have you ever staged a fake sexiling scenario in order to get some time alone from your suitemates/roommate?

A. No what a dick move!

B. Yes.

3.) Have you ever slept in your suitemates’/roommate’s bed out of spite?

A. No…that’s really fucking weird.

B. Yes.

4.) Do you know your suitemates’/roommate’s name(s)?

A. Duh!

B. Yeah…it starts with a J?  Jasper?  Ummm, Jamaica?

5.) Do you talk to your suitemates/roommate?

A. Yes.

B. No.

 

Mostly A’s: You don’t hate your suitemates/are a human being!  Stay the course next year.

Mostly B’s: Yup, you hate your suitemates.  Definitely find new people to live with next year/would you maybe consider transferring out of Yale?  Because it kind of seems like you’re a douche.

By   |   February 21st 2012

Philosophers and pirates. 

By   |   February 20th 2012

Ugh, Monday. Roight? Like….ugggggh. Couldn’t even get out of bed this morning, until I went on Facebook, like I always do, and looked at the scintillating slate of events my social network has planned for me. And boy, did that ever give me a jolt! My friends, in their infinite kindness, have included me in more events than I can even fathom attending. It’s like Bar Mitzvah season all over, except this time I’m popular!

Most of these events are probably far too exclusive for you to have been invited to, but I really don’t want to come off as boastful. I intend it more in the style of an “E! True Hollywood Story,” in that you’ll be enamored of my fanciful ways, but realize that, hey, it ain’t easy being famous. (Or in my case, being Facebook friends with people who think it’s acceptable to leverage our Facebook friendship for the benefit of their favorite extracurricular organization.)

First up, the ASA Finance and Economics Series! I’ve been looking forward to this one since Thanksgiving, and it’s finally here! Do you know what the ASA is? I sure don’t, but they had me at “Finance and Economic Series!” Yeah, baby!

Then there’s an event that’s just called Translations. Sign me up!

Thursday’s pretty booked. I was already planning to skip section for Terrorism in Nigeria, but then I got invited to Betrayal. So much fun, so little time… I would compare it to my choice between Sam’s and Josh’s Bar Mitzvahs, but I wasn’t invited to Josh’s!

And then, as if Friday wasn’t thrilling enough already, I got that invite to Snowboarding at Yale. Cha-ching!

And it goes on and on and on.(Cruz 2010) But you’ll have to excuse me. Apparently I have a friend who changed his name to Rainbow Dash, and it’s his birthday. Time for a wall post!

 

By   |   February 20th 2012

Instead of giving us the day off, Yale decided to celebrate the holiday by uploading a Facebook album called “Happy Presidents Day,” which contains Yale-related images of American presidents, like a photo of George W. Bush as a freshman (above), or of Gerald Ford as a JV football coach. The photos themselves are, for the most part, not super interesting, but the comments are gold, and mostly from people with no apparent Yale affiliation. For example, Aleksander Konrad Posielski provides this illuminating commentary on WIlliam Howard Taft: “William Howard Taft was a good guy, he opposed a central bank. However his successor, Woodrow Wilson was the worst thing to happen to this country.” Thanks, Aleksander.

(Image courtesy of the Yale Manuscripts & Archives Digital Image Database.)

By   |   February 20th 2012

That’s exciting! So am I. And though I have to wait until August for the big move, I thought I might try to think ahead about the vicissitudes the coming year will hold and perhaps try to elucidate some ideas I bet a lot of us are having right now. So, bear in mind, I don’t know any of this for sure, but it seems about right.

IDEA: I will cook myself a giant, delicious meal every day. FACT: Yes, I will do this. That’s, like, the main reason why I’m moving off campus. What do you mean I won’t have time to do it? I’LL MAKE TIME, DARN IT!!!!

IDEA: Longer commutes to campus won’t matter. COLD, HARD TRUTH: Yeah, obviously they won’t. What’s an extra five minutes to class each morning? That’s nothing, and it won’t make any difference to me, even in January or February.

IDEA: Cleaning my bathroom, paying for utilities, and dealing with issues that come with renting a home will not affect my life. FACT, PRESENTED OBJECTIVELY: Nope. They won’t.

Get excited, folks, it’s smooth sailing ahead!

This is the first image that came up when I searched Google Images for "renting an apartment."

By   |   February 20th 2012

In honor of President’s day, I thought it an apt time to do some “major research” (read: some seriously creepy internet stalking) on our own President Richard Levin. Below is a compilation a few of the gems I encountered in my “research”; feel free to add your own in the comments of this post. Naturally, like all semi-legitimate holidays during the academic year, classes will be on a normal schedule, and less than half of the student body will realize today is an actual national holiday. Try not to go too crazy for today’s holiday, ya’ll!

(more…)

By   |   February 20th 2012

Nerds are in, hippies are out.

By   |   February 16th 2012

I’m sure Jeremy Lin’s a great guy, and I guess he’s kind of good at basketball or something? (I honestly don’t know.) But there’s one thing about him that I simply cannot tolerate: his alma mater.  Seriously, this is the most positive press Harvard has gotten since Ye Olde Colonial Newespaper ran the 1636 headline “There’s now a school in America!”  When was the last time Yale got some good press?  (Answer: It was Patrick Witt, and we all now how that one ended.)

So if you’re a true, loyal Yalie, you will stop talking about Jeremy Lin.  You will stop posting funny memes about him or making clever puns riffing on his name.  You will check the urge to publicly celebrate his success and replace that next Jeremy Lin status with “Cole Porter was the wittiest composer for the early musical theatre!” or “William Howard Taft was probably the best president from 1909 to 1913!”

(We work with what we have.)

By   |   February 16th 2012

As it does with jarring frequency. Read this article about our own school’s apparent involvement in a planned eugenics experiment meant to create a “superior” breed of human during World War II. Very unsettling and creepy, and certainly a moment that makes one think about our institution’s frequently unsavory history. Disturbing stuff.

By   |   February 16th 2012

According to Nicholas Kristof’s latest op-ed piece, New Haven is home to some of the country’s boldest education reform. He notes that last year, school district fired 34 teachers, about 2% of those in the union, for poor teaching performance. Yale isn’t really mentioned in the article—except insofar as its presence in New Haven might lead one to assume the city has a stronger public education system than it actually does—but it’s still a good read, so check it out.

By   |   February 16th 2012

Beginning the era of no class.