"Captain Butts's Chicken Fingers?"....

The summer is winding down. Next week is our last week before we take a break. No complaints here. This week, we visited Intel for a plant tour. They keep the facility uber-clean, so you have to dress up in these head-to-toe spacesuits in order to enter the actual manufacturing facility. So they're not spacesuits, but you have to wear double gloves, two sets of shoe coverings, a helmet, a jumpsuit (mine was XXXXL.....I'm big-boned), and eyeglasses. Some of the full-time employees have fancy helmets with little hoses running from the helmet to some device on their belt. I couldn't help but think the whole place was a cross between "Short Circuit" and "The Andromeda Strain". I was expecting someone to get infected with an alien virus any second. But the jumpsuit getup was more for the equipment's protection than for ours(at least that's what they told us.......My hip hurts and I can't explain why....)

We've also had a number of free-food events (BBQ's, sponsored happy hours, lunches). I will never turn away free food, but I could use some more variety. MIT has some great "lunch trucks" nearby where you can get just about anything for $4. I went there last week and got the General Gau's chicken; it was excellent. Is it Gau, or Tso.....or Tao? I feel like it has a different name at every restaurant. I think it was named for an actual General, who I envision to be the Chinese Colonel Sanders. It keeps in the tradition of military officers turned chicken friers. Kind of makes you wonder how many other officers out there who, when they have a quiet moment amidst the battle, secretly have chicken franchise aspirations. "Rear Admiral Higgenbottom's hot wings?" "2nd Lieutenant Franken's char-broiled chicken?" You know they're out there....

The LFM 09 class also finished our softball season this week. I think we went 5-5. Not too shabby. I'm sure we'd do better next year, but we'll all be scattered about doing our internships. It's a shame this is the only summer we'll really have together. Look at me, I'm already getting nostalgic.

This last week of summer term has us giving presentations and writing reports. We have a leadership assessment paper to write. Most of the feedback I've been getting tells me I need to speak up more in class. I've never been a very loud person, or one who dominates large group discussions. That's partly why I'm here, though. I can always read a statistics book if I'm interested or need to brush up on something, but there are other skills I really have to learn to hone here. They do really put a focus on the leadership part of the program. They'll ask you how imporant the "L" is in LFM. (And don't say twice as important as the "F".....they hate that answer) I appreciate how much the program has caused me to really think about myself and where I want to be with respect to my leadership skills when I'm done here. My goal is, when I'm part of a new study group next semester, to not have anyone tell me I need to be more vocal. Wish me luck.

One last thing.....if any of you are ever considering buying MIT apparel, I would like to put in a plug for Steve and Barry's. It's a clothing chain that sells collegiate stuff. The Coop in Cambridge sells MIT hooded sweatshirts for $60. I just bought two at Steve and Barry's for $8 each. That's like two General Gau's chickens per sweatshirt. Not too shabby. It's about an hour west of campus (driving) but if you're in the area, it's worth it. Just a thought...

Go Cubs.