Back to 126.

So after a long Christmas break I am ready to be back. Ready to sit in the endless oblivion of cubes in the basement, studying my butt off to take exams that I'm not certain are really that important to what I'm about to do. Then again, it's grad school. It doesn't have to make sense.

After paying what little tuition was left after student loans (thank you Stafford), running several errands, and seeing a few friends in town, I am ready to retire back to the depths of 126. The room from which there is no return. The study room. Where the only company is Ms. Rai's cold, indifferent eyes plastered to a large poster, affixed to the wall, meant to keep several of the Indian students company. Ms. Aishwarya Rai. Patron saint of the economics grad student. I have heard that the poster dates well back to 1998, when the night before his fated quals, a student from Calcutta, in a mad fit of frustration pulled the only thing he had originally brought with him... this poster... and pinned it to the wall. They say after looking deep into the eyes of this Bollywood bombshell, he was instantly calmed. At peace with the world. Buddha has nothing on Bollywood. He passed his quals with ease the next morning*, and went on to write several successful papers on the economic necessity of the movie industry in India. He has been twice nominated for a Nobel Prize in Economics for his revolutionary work on the economic power of Ms. Rai herself, and her influence on Game Theory**. It was known not only for it's logical and economic prowess, but its almost religious effects on those who read it. The Bangladeshi student himself later became a holy-man, and disappeared into the wilderness north of Plano, TX, seeking the link between Lance Armstrong's 7th Tour de France win, and the mysterious power that emanates from the Bollywood actress' eyebrows, and its meaning for the human soul, and the Asian Economic Crisis. John Nash is said to have cried at the very reading of his work***.

Anywayyyyyyyyyyyyyy, I'm back in Dallas. Christmas and New Years were good. I saw my family, some old friends, and I staid out of trouble (for the most part). I missed la ardilla, but it was a good time to slow down for a second and think. The usual inner-questioning type stuff. Where am I going? What am I doing? Who am I? If I leave a proper offering by the poster every fortnight, will Ms. Rai bless my quals?
I could go over my revelations, but they are much the same as my fabled "Bike Ride Revelations" as earlier stated in much more long-winded posts (more long-winded than this even).

So I will just leave you all knowing that I am content, ready for next semester, and ready for that little squirrel to get back to Dallas so we can have some more fun. I've even been working on my salsa steps.

To further sing the praises of my family, check out the killer puzzle my mom did over the break. It's a beauty. May it's beauty endure, even though by now the puzzle pieces are gone. Kudos to you, mom, MJ&C, T-Barnes, Officer, bro, bugsy, myself, and everyone else who worked on it.

*To anyone who thinks that I did not make this story up on the spot... I have some land in Florida that you would be interested in... The poster however, is very real.
** Seriously it's a beautiful waterfront property, with very few alligators...
*** The real estate bubble is about to burst, so be sure to take advantage of this offer.

Later edit:
On review of the post, I realize that I have stated the student who put the poster up was from Calcutta and he was Bangladeshi. While possible, it is improbable seeing that Calcutta lies in West Bengal, to the east of Bangladesh. However, in fine Cervantes form, I have decided to leave the discrepancy for the enjoyment of the reader, hoping to pass my laziness and extremely inept geographical skills off as comic genius. Success.