Oberlin Blogs
Zoe McLaughlin ’11
Entries from this blogger
So we beat on, boats against the current
June 1, 2011
That, I suppose, is as fitting a metaphor as any for the end of my college time. We, in some small way, touch a place, it touches us, and then we move on.
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Chinese Students Association
May 23, 2011
I learned that storing freshly spray painted lanterns in your room is usually a bad idea and I learned how to eat chicken feet.
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My Weekend, In Summary
May 16, 2011
A highlight: the dessert contest, with categories such as hottest dessert, coldest dessert, and most fractal (largest surface area to volume ratio) dessert.
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Flora the Red Menace
April 18, 2011
It strikes me that I'm probably growing up if I worry about bowings even when I'm the only person playing the part.
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Things I Miss About High School
April 10, 2011
But, really, looking at the stars at 1:30 AM is always going to be more fun than writing a paper, even if said paper is about mummies.
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And After Graduation...
March 31, 2011
Grad school was an obvious possibility, as was finding a job and working for a year, getting more lab experience. But I wasn't sure if I wanted to remain so heavily married to the sciences, at least in the immediate future.
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An update on my dancing
March 13, 2011
Once dressed, we put on our coats and boots and headed over to Warner--where the Dance Department is housed--looking very classy indeed. My coat looks really good on top of silk with gold accents; that's all I'm saying.
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Some comments on the Creative Writing Major
March 6, 2011
That's probably the single biggest reason that I decided to major in creative writing as well as biochemistry. I wanted to have the chance to write and not feel guilty because I was supposed to be doing "real work."
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Lunar New Year!
February 27, 2011
Excitingly enough, this year we purchased a second lion, so this year we were able to do really cool things like have the lions jump over one another. Plus, if you have more lions, everything just looks cooler.
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My Final Schedule
February 11, 2011
It suddenly hit me that this is my last chance to take classes at Oberlin, ever, and there are so many classes that I haven't had the chance to take yet. This is a sobering thought, especially since I've also suddenly been hit by an overwhelming desire to understand everything .
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Teaching English
January 31, 2011
There was also a bonus piece to the puzzle that they could collect if they found Bigfoot and told him some facts about himself.
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You've Got Mail
January 22, 2011
Since it's Winter Term right now, I've slacked off a little bit on my mail checking routine because the inflow of mail is even less than normal.
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Being Christian at Oberlin
January 16, 2011
As is the case in many liberal circles, Christianity tends to conjure up images of repression, Jesus camp, and conservatives.
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Fourth Meal: Dascomb Dining Hall, 10:00 PM - 11:30 PM
November 19, 2010
It's a nice break from calculators and the viral YouTube videos we watch when the math gets to be too much.
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Festival of Culture (so as not to reproduce a similar title exactly)
September 26, 2010
When we ambled around Tappan Square, I was the head of the lion, hearkening back to the first time I did the lion dance. My lovely friend who was the tail was also the person who danced with me that first time.
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Where I Live Now
September 18, 2010
Please note the lovely framed Animorphs poster and the lovely Penang flag.
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Just a small town girl, livin' in a lonely world
August 12, 2010
That was all right, though, because as I walked down the street trying not to look like I was lost while simultaneously trying to look like I spoke Chinese, I saw a statue of Kuan Yin across the street.
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Packing List
August 10, 2010
Including, but not limited to: ramen, canned soup, graham crackers, apple sauce, bread making materials, peanut butter and honey, cereal, rice, and assorted pastas.
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Getting a House
July 31, 2010
By the time we signed the lease, the one thing that I really remembered about the house we were going to rent was that it had a huge bathroom.
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Shall we dance?
July 14, 2010
The fairy godmothers are actually hillbillies, the prince is something of a dud, and the mice are a lot more concerned about where they're going to get their next meal than about anything that's going on with Cinderella.
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On the size of the campus
May 29, 2010
The thing is, I know there are more people out there than the ones I see around all the time.
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Something about the chem/biochem department
May 1, 2010
Now, I even dream about research. And I mean that quite literally.
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5 Questions Every Prospie Should Ask
April 16, 2010
First, a PSA. CSA is hosting Asian Pop Night this Friday at the 'Sco.
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Research
March 28, 2010
To do this, I siphon off a few milimoles of the mixture, using a lot of liquid nitrogen and a pretty intimidating vacuum system, bring it over to the GC, and shoot it through. Basically.
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Thinking about summer
March 15, 2010
(To avoid thinking about more pressing matters. Like the work I have due tomorrow.)
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Trial by Fire
January 31, 2010
I did my best deer in the headlights impression, at which point the guy I was assisting said not to worry, he'd help me with some of the talking.
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Winter Term Plans
December 22, 2009
I've been listening to a lot of Jesus Christ Superstar in Spanish.
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Things to do besides studying
December 14, 2009
We had what I think was our biggest audience ever, and then we had cake.
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Religion
November 13, 2009
Right before I left for summer vacation, my Facebook status read, 'Zoë goes to the coolest church ever.'
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A field trip
November 4, 2009
After a brief walk in the crisp night air during which I considered making pirate jokes, we arrived at the hospital.
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Culture Festival
October 18, 2009
Various student organizations and groups had tables set up around Tappan Square, with food and activities available from their respective cultures.
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Lions, Vicodin, and Audience Participation
October 6, 2009
If you've been following along with us, you'll know that this past weekend we celebrated the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. I was mainly in charge of directing the skit. I took this very seriously.
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Another post about dancing
September 14, 2009
By the conclusion of the meeting, we'd decided that the guy who did the lion dance last year would pass on his knowledge to those who were interested.
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My packing list
August 15, 2009
Funny story: One time, I forgot to bring my concert pants and didn't realize until I was trying to get dressed for a concert.
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Employment?
August 10, 2009
Showing a little foresight for once, I started investigating jobs that would allow me to arrive early on campus, with somewhat minimal success.
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Dining hall conversations
July 21, 2009
Once we'd finished eating, we parted ways, and I expected not to see her again, unless we wound up in a class together somewhere down the road.
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Ballet
July 11, 2009
Remember when I was talking about opportunities? Allow me to expound upon another opportunity that I encountered late last semester, involving dance. Just to shake things up a bit, I'm not going to write about Indian dance again.
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Music Opportunities for Non-Music Majors
June 28, 2009
Want to make your own banjo out of a gourd? You can do it. Want to be part of a gamelan ensemble? You can do that, too.
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Why Oberlin?
June 21, 2009
"You know," one of them said, "Chewbacca is the only one in his family with a normal name."
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What's that about the bathrooms?
May 31, 2009
You may or may not have heard that the bathrooms are gender-neutral at Oberlin. This may or may not concern you, your parents, or someone else whom you hold dear.
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Committee meetings are better over lunch
April 27, 2009
I got a little overzealous and started quizzing people on their "action items," which I think only confused the issue.
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And now, a love letter to pit orchestras
April 4, 2009
That extra dash of terror because I don't really know what will happen next in my part is always exciting.
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In support of my public library
March 29, 2009
I could spend the rest of this post muttering to myself about the eight books I read over break. However, I don't think that's what you're here for.
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"Translation is not a matter of words only..."
March 19, 2009
I went into the first lesson armed with ten years of violin lessons, one year of music theory, and a textbook.
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Housing (or, new methods of procrastination)
February 21, 2009
It must have looked pretty odd--all those mini lanterns hanging from tree limbs and about five of us with cans of spray paint looking like members of a graffiti ExCo, but you get my point.
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In which I relocate to the Asia House lounge
December 12, 2008
I've gained a certain amount of respect - if not understanding - for mass spectrometry and I've begun to understand how the microwave in the kitchen works, at least for making Ramen noodles.
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Food!
November 25, 2008
As I write this (but not as I type this, because I'll be doing that later), I'm drinking egg nog left over from my dinner at Lord/Saunders. That's right, I ventured to south campus to eat dinner tonight.
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A bit of my weekend...
November 19, 2008
I spent most of my time last week trying to memorize a dance for the International Festival, which was held on Saturday.