Yeah, baby... you know I'm an engineer

Yesterday I had my graduate student orientation at the University of California at Irvine Department of Informatics. During the hour and a half long parade of administrative stars, it became painfully clear that students getting their Master's degrees would not get the same level of care and attention as students on the Ph.D. track. Ph.D track students get their own private offices (with their own private telephone lines and private keys) in the department building and a $1,500 check for personal computers. Students on the Master’s track also get keys, but the keys are to a trailer. I am told there are computers in there. Bonus.

The second revelation I had that day happened after orientation during the campus wide barbeque and club fair. It seems that finding friends who share my interests and outlook might be difficult, as will finding nightlife in the rather straight-laced, conservative, and racially segregated townlet of Irvine. I did find a few individuals, however, that I am optimistic about for genuine friendship possibilities. Moreover, that list excludes the two Desi girls staffing the table for the “Indian Engineers Club”, who were trying to recruit every potential dot-not-feather boy in sight. Call me crazy, but those girls didn’t look dressed up to build bridges. They might have been trying to erect something though (Da-dum! Ching!).

I’ll be here all night, folks.

P.S. I jest with love. I'm sure the trailer is very well provisioned for graduate students in Informatics since the administrative staff has done a remarkable job so far. I am also sure that those girls were in no way trying to take advantage of thier looks to get young Indian men to join thier club. Well... I'm sure about the first one, anyway.