Undergraduate / I wrote about my friends obsession: Stanford Supp.-Write a letter to your roommate [3]

Dear Roomie,
My name is Jennifer but my friends call me "Jenny." Don't worry, I won't bore you with the conventional details of my birthplace and childhood; we will cover these subjects on our first 6:00 am run around The Farm. However, something that you may find interesting is my television watching routine.

I must first confess that don't watch T.V. very often. Although I don't follow the current top shows, I always make time to watch reruns of Friends. I have been watching reruns since 8th grade, and it's safe to say I have seen each episode at least six times. Yes, I know that no matter how many times I watch "The One with the Prom Video," the dialogue and situations won't change in the least. But somehow Joey's outlandish jokes, and Phoebe's eccentric songs seem as fresh as the first time, and I always laugh out loud.

Part of the reason this has become such a ritual for me is because of each episode's predictability. Even though part of what makes life exciting is the high degree of uncertainty and surprise, I still like some aspects of my life to be foreseeable. I find it rather comforting to watch the six friends at the Central Perk coffee house engaging in a conversation that I have fully memorized. Whether I am watching a rerun before I go to sleep, while I work out, or at 7am on a Sunday, I always find myself comforted and smiling.

I really hope you don't find this small detail about me too bizarre. I just like some order and certainty amidst a world full of wondrous surprises and unexpected catastrophes.

I know we have some exciting times ahead of us at Stanford. Keep in mind that at the end of a challenging day I will cook up a batch of my finest microwave popcorn and invite you to a private screening of Friends. I guarantee that just like in the Friends theme song, "I'll be there for you."

Your friend,
Jenny
P.S. Do you think 64 lb Labradors and 25 lb terriers are allowed in the dorms? My dogs Mel and J.R. would love to watch these episodes with us.

Undergraduate / "Powerful Force"; For me 'time' is a four letter word, and I hope not to waste yours with this essay [5]

Let me know what you think.

For me "time" is a four letter word, and I hope not to waste yours with this essay. Time is a powerful force that aims to control every word I utter, every step I take, and every decision I make. Simply put, making the most of my time is what matters to me.

My impossible battle with this abstract, yet finite, being started on my first day of Kindergarten. Instead of napping when I got home from school, I would attack my "To Do List." (Rest assured that in all other ways I was a normal kindergartener.) However, there was always a book I wanted to read, a person I wanted to sketch or a dance I wanted to master. I discovered that the only way to accomplish all I set out to do was through effective "time management," a phrase I had never heard.

I was so jealous of my dad's Day Planner that I asked my parents to get me my own. In elementary school I used it to schedule science projects, Tae Kwon Do classes, piano lessons, time to work on my novel, birthday parties and play dates. In spite of my compulsive planning, I was still losing the battle with time, or so I thought.

By the time I got to middle school, I assumed I would be smart and organized enough to be able to complete everything on my agenda. However time proved to be a tough opponent, often challenging me with a traffic jam, an extra errand with my mom, or an alarm clock that forgot to ring at 5:47 am.

When I started high school, time management was even more daunting. How was I going to be able to wake up at 5:47 a.m., attend my classes, go to Tae Kwon Do, study an extra 600 hours for Academic Decathlon, and still maintain all my friendships? My day planner became my ally in the war against time. The more I scheduled, the more time I had.

After many years of fighting, I finally realized that Time is my partner. She is the gift that allowed me to read This Side of Paradise, see Of Montreal in concert, and hike with my friends. My dear friend Time and I will be valuable assets to Stanford.