that was simply self-indulgent, I'll delete the duplicate post.

People of the World, Join the Love Train

Amen. As yes, it has been a very good year, my brothers and sisters in this social house alternative known as the Middlebury Debate Society. With the slight exception of the fall of 1999 - this group of debaters has been the most agreeable, singularly focused, and most promising composition of *sparkling* personalities. I think we know what we want to do and what we have to do - and this ambition is really matched with the know-how to accomplish really great things. I think we're in a really good place right now - hold on to that, no matter what. As long as we stay wrapped in a blanket of good feeling, people will continue to stick with debate. You lose that, you've lost it all.

Okay, I know this sounds all touchy-feely-motivational-speakery, but so be it. This organization has a tendancy to draw in the strong-minded types, present company included. In the past, this has lead to bickering, dissention - in fighting that at its worst, lead to bitterness and a kind of negativity that hurt this team and its attendance at various tournaments. I'll probably write out all my reflections on the past / suggestions for the future into some kind of formal farewell address to be delivered at my last meeting sometime in January, but I think this fall has a lot of important lessons bound up in it. Many of the new members are being introduced into debate at its best and thankfully haven't had to see things at their carnivorious worst. Stay balanced. Be smart. Keep this train on course... trust your instincts and learn to be a good judge of character, fast. This is afterall, we don't need to pretend otherwise, a cult of personality and you need to learn to choose your idols carefully.

I feel very fortunate to have fallen into debate just about five years ago. For better or worse, and thankfully most of my memories are of the better part, this organization taught me a great deal about myself and how to be an adult. I think I've been very lucky. I am glad I get to walk away when things are very solid and the future looks bright. I have a great deal of faith in all of you, from what I've already seen, and some day, like 20 years from now, you are all welcome to stop by my Upper West Side pad for gin and heated conversation, talk as loud as you want about whatever you'd like.

cha-ching! Since Michael has found us this bounty of a time-saver, we will all have time to gather in Forest for a little mixer I am throwing early on in 2003. We'll play my rather challenging 20th Anniversary edition Trivia Pursuit and watch the oh so drole Eddie Izzard "Dress to Kill" spectacular. Stay posted, merriment will be had... and if we get frustrated with difficult trivia, there is charades. Debate game and movie night rides again.

FB -

Sadly, you have to go through the dreaded CSO - so look on their webpage or pop in during jterm. The two funds I know of - one is called the "Fulton Family Fund" (1 or 2 awards, available for all students, you have to have some kind of formalized internship / plan, I think it's $1500) and the "Ron Brown '62 Fellowship" (only available the summer before you graduate, you must have an unpaid internship, $3,000). They are both competitive and basically everyone that's eligible usually wants one. So look at the CSO and see what they say, but you'll probably realize one of the downsides of college, there's no way to really be paid what you are worth and summer jobs are a necessity. You may want to look up "Salzburg Seminar" online. They have an adminstrative office in Middlebury and they usually have 2 interns (most of them come from Midd, I know 5 students that have done this, 2 former debaters). You live in a Schloss in Austria and do usual intern duties (copying, filing...) but they have lots of post-education seminars and parties for dignitaries. I think it pays, you won't get rich, but you'll make some $$. The interns usually have access to a car. And hell, you get to live where they filmed the sound of music. That's a way to get to europe and travel on the weekends...

As for full mailboxes - if you click the deleted items icon it should give you the option to delete the contents. Then you'll free up a lot of space. Another thing that helps is deleting attachments from your sent items - especially if it amounts to countless slightly-edited drafts of your thesis.

Hell, email Ashtray and see if he'll let us go for free ??

Who is interested in Hopkins - give Dan a headcount. It's the last weekend of jterm - you'll probably leave for Baltimore on Thursday night the 30th and return on Sunday evening (the 2nd??). Since we have to get plane tickets, once you are in, you are in - so think seriously before you committ.