The “15 Strangest College Courses In America”:

15. Arguing with Judge Judy: Popular “Logic” on TV Judge Shows; University of California, Berkeley

14. Underwater Basket Weaving
University of California, San Diego

13. Learning From YouTube
Pitzer College

12. Philosophy and “Star Trek”
Georgetown University

11. The Art of Walking
Centre College

10. Daytime Serials: Family and Social Roles
University of Wisconsin

9. Joy of Garbage
Santa Clara University

8. The Science of Superheroes
University of California at Irvine

7. Zombies in Popular Media
Columbia College, Chicago

6. The Science of Harry Potter
Frostburg State University

5. Cyberporn and Society
State University of New York at Buffalo

4. “Simpsons” and Philosophy
University of California-Berkeley

3. “Far Side” Entomology
Oregon State

2. Myth and Science Fiction: “Star Wars,” “The Matrix,” and “Lord of the Rings”; Centre College

1. The Strategy of StarCraft
University of California, Berkley

taken from: http://laughlines.blogs.nytimes.com/

Hockey Day in Berlin

We managed to tap into CBC's live broadcast of Hockey Day in Canada last night, what a treat! Up until now the games have been on too late (6 hour time difference) or we haven't been able to access the feed, something to do with international blah blah blah.Luke was a champ though and managed to tap into it though the Mcgill website with a friend's student i.d. He hooked it up to the projector and we watched it on the big screen like the good old days in Montreal (complete with comfy pants ).

It's difficult to tell from the pictures, but because we were watching it on the projector, passersby could see it from our storefront window. This picture is actually the view from outside (Can you see Guy?). Our Australian roommates got a kick out of it and kept asking where the ball was. They also loved the cheesy Canadian t.v ads about a part of our heritage. I have to say, I was a bit nostalgic myself, seeing the ol' Tim Horton ads.

It was a great game on my favourite day of the year "Hockey Day in Canada". Charles Prévost sang the anthem, there were a few good brawls and best of all, we won. (Second only to Sundin beating the leafs in shootout). Now I know I haven't been the best fan while I've been here, it's been easy for me to ignore the poor performance of les boys without easy access to the games. I've even stopped checking the website regularly for fear of another loss. But last night, after seeing live NHL once more, I am back to being a hardcore (if they win) Montreal Canadiens fan. Go Habs Go.

Moving House

So up until now we have been living at Skizum Studios and if you click on the house photos link, you can see what it's like inside our world. The room with the Easter Island Mural is ours.

We were attracted to the place because a) it had a store front window b) it had a lot of potential to be a really interesting space c) we liked the people living here and were happy to make some friends when first arriving in Berlin.

After being here for 2 months, we realized that it wasn't the perfect space for us. It will take a lot of hard work and money for us to be comfortable here and we have to invest in our own lives (work, play, relationship). So we will be moving in the next few weeks to a place with our friend Dan who we met at the election party in the fall (see Once You Go Barack). We'll have half the people and twice the bathrooms!

The craigslist ad we responded to for Skizum Studios looked like this:

A large storefront , converted into a living residence that can also be used as a gallery/event space. The space is used to bring together active and intelligent international people who want to live in a comfortable, balanced, consciously humane and inspiring home. People who stay here have the option of enjoying private living and participating in creating more public interaction. Several people who have lived here are still in the neighborhood and are involved in contributing to our community.

The following resources are available to people who live here:
• 4 private bedrooms, a common room with storefront street access, a kitchen, a toilet/laundry room, a shower room and 2 storage rooms
• we have a large cellar that we have used for gallery openings, cultural events/parties and a workshop. We are planning on doing further renovations to the space to make it even more cozy.
• It’s your world, you can do what you like to create it including moving furniture, building loft beds, painting walls…I only ask that you show me your plan before beginning.
• You would have to supply your own bed sheets and pillow.
• Rent includes ALL utilities (gas, water, electric + heating) and wireless DSL + local phone. 2 months security deposit + 1 month rent moves you in. We share regular house expenses for basic maintenance costs, cleaning supplies, basic house needs (light bulbs, toilet paper, new kitchen utensils, etc.) These expenses average about 15 euro/person/month. Your deposit is returned in full when you return your keys and the room is returned to a clean state.
• Once we agree on the length of your stay, I only ask you give me 30 days notice if you decide to move out sooner or want to stay on longer.
• I have developed a few simple transparent systems to fairly balance housekeeping efforts while maintaining a healthy balanced vibe in the house. There is also a continually evolving house manual that describes more about the systems and the neighborhood in greater detail.
• pets - we have a 5 month old kitten named "Nurbps" that is very friendly an exceptionally playful

Fluffy Pancakes

I've been making these for my Berlin buddies to share a bit of home and a lot of maple syrup.I have been making extra fluffy pancakes by separating the egg and whipping the whites until soft peaks form.




Dry Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda,
pinch salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Liquid Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups milk
1/4 cup oil or melted butter
1 egg

• In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients. In a measuring cup, combine liquid ingredients.
• Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients and mix to combine.
• Preheat frying pan. When frying pan is hot enough, a drop of water will "dance" and sizzle away.
• With a good non-stick frying pan, you won't have to use cooking spray. If not, use cooking spray or a small pat of butter.
• Pour a soup ladle full of batter into the frying pan.
• Flip when the top has bubbles and a half inch of the edge looks dry.
  
• Makes about eight 8-inch pancakes.

from cooks.com

To Do Saturday February 21st