Tonight I made a mistake: I rode in a car with considerably more power than my beloved Bonneville. Which automobile was guilty of subverting my vehicular morals? None other than a bright red 2000 Trans Am Firehawk. When the 5.7L v-8 comes to life, you know you’re dealing with something special. The motor purrs like a kitten at idle, gradually growing to a fortissimo cougar scream at redline. And the acceleration? Kevin, my Brother who bought the car, was kind enough to take me for a ride which included several spirited runs to the happy side of 80 mph. The feeling was incredible. Downshift. Gas. Backside glued solidly to seat. Lurch forward slightly as we approach redline and shift. More gas. Repeat as necessary for an on-demand endorphin rush.

Why was it a mistake? It was a mistake because everything else feels woefully underpowered now. As a result, I find myself lusting after fast cars (more than usual, that is). I feel that I must have a fast sports car. I’m sure the urge will subside in a few days. Until then, I’ll hear that engine in my dreams.

I awoke this morning to find the world glistening in white. For the second time this season, we got a significant amount of snow – well, significant for Terre Haute. All told, we got about four inches of heavy snow and ice. The snow wasn’t bad, but scraping the layer of ice from my windshield took a quarter-hour. I predict that by tomorrow evening, all trace of the snow will be gone. Cold is fleeting in central Indiana.

Last week I experienced the legendary inefficiency of the Postal Service: I bought an economics book on eBay at the end of February. On February 25, the seller shipped the book via media mail. I received the book on March 18. Yes, it took three weeks to get here from Louisiana. Worse, the book spent over two weeks at a processing center in Tennessee. Utterly remarkable.

Last weekend was International Workday 2002 for Pi Kappa Alpha. As such, we (about 118 Brothers, girlfriends, parents, and alumni) worked on a dozen projects around the House. Various groups did everything from cleaning abandoned buildings to raising a pole barn. (No, not razing, though we’ll get to do some of that to the old garage once the barn is complete.) It was a perfect Saturday for outdoor projects: mid-forties and sunny. Such weather was in stark contrast to the previous night, when a bunch of Brothers (including myself) were setting the pole barn posts in the midst of a raging thunderstorm. Needless to say, it was a welcome change.

I spent the first part of the day priming the inside of our gym, in preparation for eventual repainting. After a brief lunch break, I switched to driving a scissors lift and putting up the roof trusses on the barn. It was great fun; I can’t wait to see it complete! Alex Lo took quite a few photos of the event; look closely and you might catch a glimpse of me.

Today I woke up early and planted trees around Terre Haute, in the annual Trees Inc. Adopt-a-Street Tree Canopy program. Our chapter has a tradition of participating in the program that goes back many years. I helped plant five hardwood tress with two Tri-Delt members and a husband and wife team. It was a much better use of a Saturday than sleeping till noon.

Spring has returned to Terre Haute, and that can mean only one thing: an insatiable longing to go outside and have fun. Preferably with friends. Ideally with some sort of mechanized device.

Certain things about me surprise those whom I’ve know for significant amounts of time. My Minnesota friends (and my parents) were truely shocked that I joined a fraternity. My Rose-Hulman friends are always surprised to find out that I’m an Electrical Engineering major, as opposed to CS (the usual first guess) or CPE. Everybody is surprised when I tell them that I know how to ride a motorcycle. I feel that one must diversify to truely enjoy life.

For the second day in a row, the mercury climbed into the 70’s in Terre Haute. Of course, that means two things: Shorts and a car wash. Happily, I indulged in both.

After seeing We were soldiers this evening, I realized just how desensitized to gore I am. The only really gruesome scene in the movie was when a soldier’s charred skin slid off of his legs as he screamed in agony. There were other blood, violent scenes, but no others that really got to me. That said, I would never want to be in a situation to see such events firsthand.