As the all-nighter delirium sets in, your Louis eggs may turn into bear heads.

A few weeks ago, I did the SciLi challenge. No, not that SciLi challenge—think of this as the nighttime, SciLi version of the Ratty challenge. I spent all night in the SciLi, and capped it off with a little Louis. Like the Ratty challenge, my all-nighter consisted of food, some work, more food, and a hallucination or two.

For some, the all-nighter is a routine experience the night before that weekly problem set is due; for others, it’s only done on weekend nights when partying til the a.m. I had never pulled a real all-nighter before, so for the sake of journalism (and the fact that I had to finish two problem sets by the next morning), I did the new SciLi challenge and recorded my experiences gradual descent into delirium.

9:00 p.m. Guys, I think we can finish this problem set before midnight!

Spoiler alert: This did not happen.
Problems completed: 0/6

9:28 p.m. What the fuck is this shit? Physics? Ain’t nobody got time for that.

10:00 p.m. “Sorry y’all, we have this room reserved.” Really? You actually have the nerve to—okay fine, whatever. We move to another SciLi study room.

11:00 p.m. “Hey guys, sorry but we have this room—” Reserved, yeah, we get it, alright? We move to a third study room.

11:44 p.m. I GOT ONE! I GOT A PROBLEM GUYS!

Problems completed: 1/6

[Read more →]

The Beast

Staff writer Jason Hu decided to try the Ratty Challenge last Saturday for science and shitsandgiggles. To read the first half of his journey of self-discovery/self-loathing, click here. 

3:30 – 4:30: Everything is sticky

I feel gross. After too much time in the Ratty, or any dining hall, you are covered with a thin layer of sticky. Grease? Aerosolized onion rings? The accumulated BO of a few hundred college students? Who knows? Either way, I feel like the Ratty tables. I never thought I’d learn how to empathize with a piece of furniture.

I went outside and it smelled funny: I couldn’t tell whether it was because I was smelling fresh air or because it smelled funny.

It’s like being at the CIT too long.

Either way, I’m going to go start homework. Eventually. Maybe.

Things overheard: “Sober at the Ratty buh, buh, buhbuhbuh.”
One conversation which went through cafeteria Judaism, reasons for vegetarianism, and Chinese imperial history.
“I didn’t know they had cities in Africa!”
“Would you rather give up all cheese or oral sex for the rest of your life?”
“Lana del Rey might be a drag queen.”
CS22 Problems finished: 2.5
Orgo progress: 0 percent
Food quality: 8/10 (Eggplant Parmesan and Black Bean Patties? Yes please!)
Cumulative bathroom breaks: 3
Duration I’ve had “We Are Young” by Fun stuck in my head: 27 minutes [Read more →]

It’s time for the challenge.

No, not the cinnamon challenge, or the saltine cracker one, or even the SciLi challenge. Trust me: Those posts would end poorly for everyone (mainly for me, who would be moaning “oh god, the humanity” while rolling on the floor).

It’s time for the Ratty Challenge: spending all day in the lovely Sharpe Refractory with nothing but me, my homework, and lots of creeping people-watching to pass the time. What will I learn? Life lessons? Organic chemistry? The secret recipe for those black bean patties?

Probably none of the above. Oh well, at the very least I’ll steal a bunch of fruit.

7:30 – 8:30: Overslept

So … I’m off to a good start. Groggily hitting the alarm on my phone, rolling out of bed, —what is this, a class? Touché, Ratty. Touché.

All points considered, though, I think I’m doing pretty well for a weekend. I don’t see you waking up early on your Saturday morning for the sake of dicking around journalism.

Ratty: 1 Jason: 0
Homework completed: 0 percent

8:30 – 9:30: Breakfast alone

There’s nothing wrong with eating alone, but of all the meals, I think breakfast is the most socially acceptable meal to eat alone.  If you’re sitting by yourself with a bowl of Cocoa Puffs (I see you, guy in sweats and using chocolate milk as milk) and stare pensively off into the distance, people assume you’re planning about conquering the day and thinking big life questions like “Who am I?” and “Why isn’t the Blue Room blue?”

They totally don’t know you’re pondering what kind of cats you want when you grow up.

Completely unrelated though, that cute guy who always serves you a sandwich in the Blue Room walked in. Be chill Jason, ‘cause breakfast at 9:15 is totally an appropriate time to try and pick up guys.

Battery left: 80 percent
Homework completed: 0 percent
Time spent online: 32 minutes (15 minutes tumblr) [Read more →]