Peter's experiences as a Mechanical Engineer with an interest in the visual arts.
Baltimore
“Wha-Wha-What did you say, huh? You’re breaking up on me”
Apr 21st
So, as you may know, I am actually an engineer. And what’s the main role of an engineer? Problem solving of course. When given a project, you’re often given a definite problem that you need to solve. However, how you go about it is very open-ended; there’s more than one solution to a problem. Sometimes you need to think outside of the box, and just use what you have available. So, here’s my story of how the engineering thought process saved my phone.
Now, I don’t know if it’s just me, but whenever I walk by a sewage drain, I’m always afraid of dropping something that would fall in. So this past weekend, I went out to the club with my roommates, and we all shared a cab back. However, as I was exiting the cab, my phone that was in my pocket fell out, and literally fell RIGHT into the sewage drain. Of course, I started freaking out. What was I supposed to do without my phone? It had a bunch of pictures, contacts, etc on it. So while my roommates tried to think of something, I ran upstairs to get something to help me.
The thing was, the phone wasn’t wet or anything. It was just at the bottom (you can see my excellently drawn diagram here), and it was just out of reach. So, when I ran upstairs to my apartment, I thought about different solutions. One was to get a bag, push the phone in, and then lift the bag up, sort of like an elevator. However, my clothes hangers aren’t metal, and thus I wasn’t sure if it would reach. Instead, another idea struck me. When I was moving into my apartment, my dad installed my air conditioner in the window, and had used wood to help support it so it wouldn’t fall. As such, he left extra wood around because some of my windows don’t stay open by themselves. So I saw the piece of wood, grabbed it, and ran back downstairs.
Soon, I was on the ground, reaching into the drain with my stick. I thankfully could reach the phone, so I pushed it against the wall. Using leverage and force, I started to slide the phone up the wall. As I was doing this, my roommate reached down and, just barely, grabbed my phone. My phone was safe, and I didn’t have to worry about getting a new one or anything! And of course we exchanged high-fives and hugs and were all happy, since it was a team effort. And clearly, my use of an engineering mindset helped save my phone from the wrath of the sewers.
“Stilettos and broken bottles”
Feb 7th
So, if any of you actually know me in real life (outside of this little blogging sphere), you probably know of my immense love for Robyn. She’s by far my favorite artist ever; her music is a remedy to any mood that I’m in. Last week I was actually able to see her live (for the second time), and I can really affirm that she does not let down. The show was an insane amount of fun, and I left happier than I had been after the last time I saw her live. And since it was in Baltimore, the ticket was really cheap, and totally worth it.
I guess a good question to ask is why do I like Robyn? I mean, what’s not to like? She stood up for herself when her record label didn’t want to make the music she wanted to. She ended up leaving and started her own label, Konichiwa Records. And since then, she’s obtained an even more solid fan base than before. Her music was way ahead of it’s time, with tracks from 2005 still more innovative and catchy then tracks of 2010, hell, even 2011! Of course, her latest foray into music, the Body Talk series consisting of 3 albums in 2010, was beyond amazing, and showed that she still has what it takes to be an amazing artist.
Oh, and don’t even get me started on her live. First of all, don’t picture any elaborate fashion forward freaky dresses; Robyn’s not like that, and you know why? She dances almost the entire time she’s on stage. She just radiates energy, getting the crowd even more pumped than it already was. Plus, what does she do when she needs a break from dancing? She just sits there and eats a banana. Oh, and did I mention that at her Baltimore show she did three encores? THREE. And each was better than the last.
Of course, this is a Hopkins blog, so how does it connect? Well, at Hopkins, I finally decided to start making vlogs. As a result, I started becoming familiar with other vloggers, and thus music tastes started to blend. I finally decided to give Robyn a listen, and well, I was more than impressed. So, had I not begun vlogging (which I did for Admissions), then well, I probably wouldn’t have encountered Robyn like I did, and I sure as hell would’ve missed out on some good music. Plus, Hopkins has led me to see more bands and artists live, since there are many venues here with a lot of cheap shows, rather than the high priced ones of some cities, like NYC or Boston. So yeah, I guess Hopkins is connected to Robyn, in one way or another.
(Photos courtesy of Bob Marshall, who was right next to me at the front of the show!)
“I like you a lot, lot, think you’re really hot, hot.”
Dec 9th
Accurate picture of me at work.
Now, if you haven’t noticed by now, I love food. I mean, it’s essential to life, so it’s fair that I love it, right? Well, I really do. And a central piece of any cuisine? A good burger.
It’s one of the first things you learn how to make when you’re a cook. I’ve made plenty at work before (sometimes 12 at once during a rush), so naturally you think I’d be sick of this blob of ground up beef sirloin. Guess again. My love for burgers stems from 2 things. The first being that I made them at work, and I love my job, as I love cooking. So naturally I crave a good burger once in a while. The second reason? I don’t eat seafood and in general I’m a very picky eater. It might be hard to believe, but it’s true. I grew up in Boston, a descendant from two fishing families, and I hate seafood. I think it was because my dad chased me around the house with a lobster when I was little, let me play with it, then cooked it. That poor lobster (or lobstah, rather).
Anyway, you’d think that since a hamburger is such a basic food to make, that I would be able to find one pretty easily around campus. Well, think again! I’ve had such difficulty finding a good burger. For some reason, places around Hopkins don’t like to advertise burgers. I don’t know why, I thought everyone loved the greasy goodness. Sure, I could cook my own, and I do, but sometimes I just don’t have the time. I want to be able to get a burger for dinner, not have to slave over a frying pan and then clean up the mess. So I finally decided it. I would go on a quest for a good burger.
At first, I decided to try Donna’s, since that had been a staple of my college dining whenever my parents were in town. However, I was
Delicious!
not impressed. For the price of a burger, I really expected something better. Don’t get me wrong, I love Donna’s. I think their food is delicious, however, their burgers could use some work. I even considered applying there just so I could help them out. It’s kinda pathetic, but it’s also the truth.
So I decided to try Ledo’s next. I don’t know the the obsession with hamburger subs is, however, the one here was delicious. It was a nice quantity, and for a reasonable price too. I would recommend checking it out once you have chance. Also, if you’re craving pizza, they’re very reasonably priced and you get a good bang for your buck. Anyway, my quest continued on, towards the next location.
Ok, so this one is actually my personal favorite. When it’s late at night, after a nice night of dancing at the clubs in DC, all I want is some nice greasy food. I think it’s human nature. Anyway, most of my friends want to go to Subway. However, their food really grosses me out at this point, so I actually just go next door, to Unimini! At first when I got the cheeseburger sub, I was scared of getting “everything on it” as the cook asked. However, I finally decided to try it, and boy was I missing something. They put a nice blend of condiments, and let’s just say it’s always a party in my tummy when I get it. JHU_Cate can agree with me on that, it’s a nice food to get, especially late at night. And for the amount of food, it’s a good price.
Now, there’s one last finding from my quest thus far, but it’s a little bit further away. Actually, it’s not, it’s just on the other side of campus,
I should have this bed.
and a lot of students are afraid to venture over there. I’m talking about The Dizz of course! Every burger I’ve gotten here has been cooked to perfection, and actually everyone I bring here loves it. It’s a small bar/restaurant that not a lot of students know about, but it actually has been on the food network, as it’s right across the street from Charm City Cakes! It also used to be called Dizzy Izzies, however, I think The Dizz is a better name.
So, that concludes my findings from my quest. Even though I needed to seek it out, I was able to find a nice delicious burger after all. However, I still insist the best burgers are the ones I make myself. But I think that’s because when you cook something for yourself, you tend to enjoy it more. That’s the case, at least from my experience. So I hope you all decide to enjoy a nice delicious burger sometime, hopefully as much as I do!
Name: Peter C.
