The Gift of a Mac

The most unbelievable thing happened to me today: UAB is going to buy me a Mac!

I received an email this morning from Randy Seay, the IBS graduate program manager at UAB, and he asked me if I had a laptop. I've been saving to buy an Apple MacBook, and since I was waiting for the next iteration, I hadn't bought one yet, so I told so. He quickly emailed me back and told me not to buy a laptop because the University is going to purchase one for me.

Wow! This is great news! Well, isn't it? But even though I'm being offered essentially a completely free computer, one detail made it slightly complicated: I was certain it wouldn't be an Mac. Remember, I have been looking forward to getting an Apple for years, and I've been saving up for it since last year. So I had a huge dilemma on my hands! Should I continue my plans and buy a MacBook, or should I accept the Dell and save $1,200 that could be used to help me get started in Alabama. I was dangerously low in my budget, and taking the Dell would solve that problem completely.

It was like being tempted by Satan in the desert. "Why don't you just turn the stones to bread, Chase. All you have to do is give up you soul!"

Well, I asked Randy if there was any way to subsidize the purchase of a different brand other than Dell, that I had my heart set on something already. He said there wasn't, but he did ask me to tell him about the laptop I wanted, so I wrote him back about the MacBook; its price, its features, and that it may be updated soon. I also noted that the real complication for me wasn't really the specs, which I'm sure Dell could have matched, but that I wanted Apple's unique operating system; those little and big things that make an Apple so nice to own and use. A few minutes later I got this reply:

"I believe I can order this computer for you. I need to place the order before August 12^th, so let me know if the computer configuration changes."

Unbelievable. I didn't even push or pressure, but just because they wanted to, my graduate university, UAB, has offered to do their best to buy me my top choice of laptop (a friggin' Mac!), and not only that, but the money this will save is going to allow me to enjoy a much easier transition from my life in North Carolina to a new one in Alabama. I guess that's what my friend Travis would call "Synchronicity". It makes me feel really good about the program I've chosen and shows me how much UAB is willing to work with me to make my years there enjoyable and productive. I can't thank them enough for being so kind, and I especially thank Randy for doing everything he could to make sure I got the best possible option.

A MacDaddy I'll be yet!

Greensboro Goodbye Adventure

I just had a great weekend. Ever since Sunday, when I got off from work, I've been able to visit and talk to a lot of the people that I really wanted to see before I move to Alabama with even more to come. This past weekend I was lucky enough to visit four great friends of mine in Greensboro: Anna Garret, Danielle Dollan, Rachael Traylor, and Josh Canup. I even got to meet someone new, a friend of Anna's named Edward, who loves to take pictures. All really great people.

We spend a lot of our time just talking and having a great time. We relaxed a lot, walked around in a humongous park, spent a beautiful afternoon downtown and in the bookstore, and I got to eat some great meals prepared by Anna, Rachael, and Danielle. I want to thank them, not just for the hospitality they showed me this weekend, but for the love and friendship they've given me over the past four years. I'm really going to miss them, and I look forward to the interaction we'll continue to have in the future.

Fourth of Jul-Awesome

I had a great 4th of July this year with Mike, a Campbell friend who lives very nearby, and today we went all over.

First stop was the Farmer's Market. Even though I know, when stop to think about fun and excitement, the first thing that comes to mind isn't probably your local Farmer's Market, but that's a terrible shame because we had a blast going up and down the fruitful isles seeing the locally grown goodness, and trying samples of peaches and 25-cent honey tubes. I bought two loaves of homemade sourdough bread for $5.00! The baker's name and number are right on the loaf, so I think I might give him a call and tell him what a great job he's doing. It also rained unexpectedly--like cats and dogs--but that only lasted for a few minutes, so we kept on enjoying our fun-filled day.

On our way out of the market, I got lost a little, so we wound up at a movie theater that I've never seen before. Perfect! We decided to catch the manatee of a movie that, personally, I've really been dying to see. WALL-E! Now, it's a fact that Pixar are absolute geniuses when it comes to creating movies that make me laugh, tear up, and completely fall into the story, so it should have come at no surprise that this movie was no exception. It's a worthy, worthy addition to Pixar's already spectacular line of movies. Don't deprive yourself. Go see it!

Later we had a traditional 4th of July hotdogs and Hamburgers chow down at my parents' house and played some Frisbee before it was time to pack in the car and drive to the Adcock farm for some socializing with the who's-who of Fuquay and some dazzling fireworks. Mike was looking forward to fireworks all day, and he was not disappointed. Tired and full of food and goodies, we dropped Mike back off at this house, and turned in. What a great national day!

Celebrating Diplomacy

Great news! I just got my diploma yesterday in the mail! It's a great feeling to finally have it, knowing I've worked so long and hard to get the thing that's printed on it: "The Degree of Bachelors of Science", a BS. Strangely enough, it doesn't have my major written anywhere on it, but that's okay; I have Biochemistry tattooed on my heart (besides, now I can say I've mastered all of science indiscriminately, including psychology).

In addition to the thrill of just getting my diploma, I now also have something nice to put in that super high-quality, super-expensive diploma frame that my parents gave me for graduation. It's taken a couple months, but they're finally together. Now I can display my degree in effluent elegance a for the rest of my life, and I will never again have to worry about how to fill that empty void between the lion's head and thirty-year scotch over the fireplace.

Furthermore, for when I'm out on the town and, perhaps, happen to make an impossibly unintelligent comment, caught in need of proof of my academic qualifications, I've also been issued a "Pocket-ploma", a laminated card-sized copy of my official intelligence certification to whip out for inspection at a moment's notice. Never be without your papers.

Here are some more pictures:

Happy to finally have everything in its proper place. Framed and in my hands.

Even the imaginary room animals got in on the bid. Action Ninja Monkey could hardly keep in his excitement, while Affirming Wall Face was just smiling eyeball to eyeball the whole time, simply bursting with pride. Even the Vaguely Ironic Witch of the Closet stopped by to see the newly arrived NON-imaginary addition to the home.