Movies and Life

I've seen Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 twice now (almost saw it for a 3rd time today, but saw Tangled instead). I think it's the ONLY Harry Potter I have had the strong desire to see over and over again in theaters. I've rewatched a few of the others in theater, but it was for various reasons other than pure enjoyment for the film itself. I'd even see it again for a 3rd time. It's definitely one I will want to buy on DVD and gives me hope for Part 2. I cried through a good majority of the film, but it's a good one on a more low-key level than the latter half of the book. Everyone definitely stepped their game up for this film to bring a great film. So, yes, if you like Harry Potter, go see it in theaters!! I am super excited for Part 2 and can't WAIT till part 1 and part 2 come out on DVD together. By far my favorite Harry Potter film. Oh yeah, Desplat as the composer, might just be my 2nd favorite composer of the films. He really goes all out with various instruments. No one will compare to John Williams, but Desplat does a really good job and I enjoyed the sountrack more than others.

I saw Tangled today, which apparently is Disney's 50th animated film. Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid, etc) is the composer for the film, which was nice to see. There were some awkward moments in the film for me because they reminded me briefly of Little Mermaid or Beauty and the Beast, but it was a cute film. It's about par with Princess and the Frog (I may like Tangled a little bit better, but it's close). I liked the movie and the telling of Rapunzel. Some of the songs seemed a little forced where they were placed, but I'm not sure if that's because I'm not used to animated films where characters break out into song anymore or what. The songs themselves were cute. They're similar to Enchanted (also composed by Menken) and there's, of course, the "wish" song which for Rapunzel is the "When Will My Life Begin" song (reminded me a little of Little Mermaid). Donna Murphy sings this funny song called "Mother Knows Best." She plays the villain, but it's a good song. My favorite song is "I See the Light". It's supposed to be the "A Whole New World" type of song and it's not as "strong" as some others you've heard (i.e., you don't immediately fall in love with it), but it fits for the movie and the characters. I like it and I'll warm up to it more, but it took me a minute or two to fully "get it." The "Kingdom Dance" song is pretty amazing since Menken throws in some Celtic flair, but Princess and the Frog also had a pretty amazing dance song too (is that a requirement nowadays?). Anyway, the movie is a good Disney film. It's not the Disney animations of old, but they're enjoyable films with a good story and some nice character singing and compositions. Plus, you gotta love Pascal the Chameleon and Maximus the Royal Guard Horse (Chris's favorite thing about the movie was the horse)! I don't know if I'd see it again in theaters (maybe a home rental), but I'll buy the soundtrack for sure and probably the DVD.

As for the rest of my life...I am finished with classes on Friday (the 3rd). It's totally nerve wracking because this week is stress, stress, stress. Tomorrow (Monday) we have our review meeting via the phone with our client (and then my classes so I'm on campus for 5 hours straight). Tuesday I have to meet up with a group to finish my last lab for environmental modeling (I already completed the REAL last lab). Wednesday is ANOTHER review meeting (was all supposed to be on Mon, but a last minute scheduling issue came about) with our external advisor (and lab is due for enviro modeling and I'm stuck on campus with 5 hours of stuff again). Friday is my CBA final, which accounts for 50% of my grade and we are not allowed a page of notes. Sad to say, but this is THE first final I've had in grad school that is your "typical" final. I've either had no final, final with notes, or take home final. So am I nervous that I have to remember the ins and outs of 7 different CBA methods and 5 other lectures? YES! I have been studying for a few days now and it's about my primary concern for this week. However, I am having some bad dreams about GP and I'm not even presenting....At least my CBA paper (worth 40% of my grade) is written and edited. I may re-read it one more time to check for grammatical errors, but I could print it out now and feel good about it too. So...yes...I'm stressed and nervous all at once. Ugh. I just have to keep reminding myself I will be finished come 4:30pm on Friday (final is from 2:30-4:30pm) and Sunday I will be wishing Zenyatta a farewell at Hollywood Park. Zenyatta ships to Kentucky on Monday. It'll be a sad day, but at least I'll get to see her in person! I am glad I don't have anything to do on finals week. So I'll have an extra week of Christmas break. :)

Anyway, with that, I need to run off to do my reading for tomorrow's classes and study CBA some more.

Zenyatta's Retired

It was officially announced today that Zenyatta is being retired and will be sent to Kentucky in early December. If I ever visit Kentucky, I am hitting up so many farms it won't even be funny. LoL All the farms are pretty good about letting you take a tour, see the facilitie,s and the horses, but any farm (Lane's End for Zenyatta) is going to have to be particularly good about letting fans see her just as much as the stallions.

I'm glad she's retiring sound and happy, but it is sad knowing I won't get to see her run again. A part of me hoped they'd keep her around another year and race her around the country against males. Oh well. Now I'm worried Hollywood Park will want to parade her THIS weekend. It'd be pretty stupid, all around, if Hollywood didn't allow time for her to have a farewell parade. It'd make them automatic money from the bazillion people driving out to see her and it'd be good for the fans. I'm hoping they do it the 27th because it's Mike Smith bobblehead giveaway day so that'd be more fitting an it's closer to the time before she leaves. Unfortunately, since the retirement is this week...it might be this weekend and I'll be in Monterey. :( We'll see...

Another Steve Haskin piece on Zenyatta (and life/movie update)

This article by Steve Haskin is about Zenyatta and the impact she has had on people. These are touching personal pieces about people who have had different obstacles in their life and how Zenyatta has helped them get through them. She's better than most therapy and most of these people have only seen her on TV or read about her. I think part of her allurement is the fact she dances and paws the ground before and after races, but she's also known to have this very, very sweet temperament which is highly unusual for Thoroughbreds (they tend to be high strung, territorial, etc).

Haskin's article: Zenyatta Stirred the Emotions

No news on her retirement yet and she's back in California. I suspect they'll wait a little longer to think it out and watch her.

School right now is a little stressful. I have 3 weeks left until I'm finished. I don't have anything finals week so I end up being finished Friday, December 3rd (so I get an extra week of break -- 4 weeks instead of 3!). Unfortunately, it's a packed 3 weeks between GP, environmental modeling, and cost-benefit analysis. GP is stressful...VERY stressful. I think Wednesday is an "oh crap" meeting since our advisor won't be there. We also have to decide who will present for our progress report meeting, which is being scheduled Monday, November 29th. Environmental modeling was pretty easy in the beginning of the quarter and now they're reformatting a little so I'm a little stressed this weekend and early this next week. I have managed to make up for my 6.75 first assignment (there are nine 10-point assignments and 10 pts for participation) and have pulled myself to a 91%. I just need to keep pulling 10's and high 9's and I MIGHT just manage to pull an A in the class. I at least am on target for an A-. Phew. I'm starting to write my CBA paper. I decided to do a critique instead. I need to start studying for the final too. So, yeah, I'm a little stressed. On the other hand, I'm nowhere near as stressed as some of my fellow classmates. So...I keep trying to tell myself that. :P

In other news, I MIGHT be going to the doctor on Monday. I'm drinking tons of fluids and it seems to be helping, but my kidney or appendix (something down near there) and stomach was PAINFULLY hurting Thursday night and all day Friday (it was a sharp pain if you pressed it, if I laughed, etc and my stomach was having these sharp pains too -- so weird). I've drunk over 36 fluid ounces of cranberry juice and am trying to push fluids and it seems to be helping so I'm hoping I was just a little dehydrated and my kidney wasn't being flushed enough. Now that it's being flushed, it'll be okay. It does seem to feel a lot better this evening, but it still hurts a little. Fingers crossed the pain goes away Monday and it was just the kidney not being flushed. Anything else I can't afford to have (monetarily and school wise).

Other than that...not much is going on. I did see Just Wright (Queen Latifah), The Girl Who Played with Fire, and Megamind in the last month or so. Just Wright was surprisingly better than I thought it was going to be. It's predictable, but the chemistry was good, the story was good, and Queen Latifah was great in it. It's one of the more enjoyable rom-coms I've seen. I wouldn't buy it (it's not The Proposal caliber), but it was a good rental. The Girl Who Played with Fire is the 2nd book in the Larsson series. Another good movie. It had more of the feeling of the 2nd Bourne movie (she's being set up for crimes she didn't commit, has to go out and prove herself, find the guys, etc). If you liked the first, you'll like the 2nd. You can't watch it without the first movie, though.  Megamind was also good. Of all the animations I've seen this year (How to Train Your Dragon, Toy Story 3, Despicable Me, and Megamind), I'd rank them How to Train Your Dragon (Toothless is just TOO cute!), Toy Story 3 (very, very, close second), Megamind, and then Despicable Me. Despicable Me wasn't that fantastic of a story. What made the movie enjoyable were the minons. Without them, the movie would have fallen flat for me. Megamind had a good story and the trailer I always saw actually is NOT what the movie is really about. Brad Pitt makes a big headliner for the movie, but...he's not in the movie that much at all. So perhaps that's one reason why I liked it more than Despicable Me.

Upcoming movies I'm looking forward to are Due Date (I know it's already out -- maybe a rental at this point), Harry Potter (!!!), Tangled (new Disney), Narnia, and Tron. I MIGHT want to see The Tourist, but I'll wait for the reviews (Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp romantic thriller). Next summer is going to be interesting! Gotta see Thor and Captain America (gotta get ready for Avenger!),  Pirates of the Caribbean 4, Kung Fu Panda 2, Cars 2 (that was a surpriser for me), The Green Lantern, and Transformers 3. I haven't decided yet if I want to see Breaking Dawn next fall...Gah I hate that last book. I think I will invent my own version of the Twilight Saga and it will only be 3 books!

With that...Back to writing my CBA paper (due Dec 3). I've written 4 pages and the max is 10 pages. I think I'll write till I can't write anymore about a critique of this paper. Hoping it'll be around 8 pages, though. Tomorrow's homework is all dedicated to environmental modeling and then I'll study CBA the rest of the week off and on too.

Warner Bros. VIP Studio Tour

Chris and I today went to the Warner Bros. studio to do the VIP tour, which I've wanted to do for years now! It was fun, a little pricey (price has gone up), but fun. We went in a group of 8 and they drive you around the lot on your little tram with your tour guide. Each tour is unique and tailored (more-or-less) to each group. Ours wanted Chuck and Harry Potter so that's what he focused on.

We learned a lot of interesting tidbits, but especially the fact that Jack Warner was an interesting character...I guess if anyone would disagree with him, he'd say, "Let's take a walk." And he walked them to the water tower where it's got the WB logo and he'd say something like, "That's great, but whose name is on that?" There were some other things too like the WB logo on Stage 15. Jack Warner wanted it on that particular stage because it faces Paramount and so every time they look out and down the hill, they see the big WB logo. Sounds like an interesting character...We saw the antique hall (everything there was 100+ years old) and went to this place where all these cars used in films were. We went to the Central Perk coffee house, which is in Friends. So we got to see that set, which is pretty cool. He also allowed us to take photos on the couch. He took us to the set of Chuck. So we basically stood instead Buy More (rip-off of Best Buy). It was CRAZY! It was huge and it looked like a real retail store -- flooring, exit signs, overhead signs, the products, etc. The products on display are real products (product placement). The DVDs are films that everyone working on Chuck has something to do with and all that. It was pretty cool. Then he took us to the situation comedy set of Mike & Molly. We got to see how the audience views the TV show. It was pretty cool. He said they film they about a month before hand so almost all the Christmas episodes have now been filmed. So we basically got to see an hour long production set and a 30 minute production set and they're vastly different from each other, but equally neat to see. After that he took us to the museum, which is basically a costume and some prop museum. They had costumes there from Dark Knight, Where the Wild Things Are (the big monster costumes were soo cool!), Watchman, Casablanca, Willy Wonka (Johnny Depp version), etc. They also had 5 Academy Awards we could see. The second floor was entirely Harry Potter. They had the cupboard under the stairs, the Knight bus bed, the Weasley Twin suits when we see them at WWW for the first time, Umbridge's costume, all the wands, a petrified Hermione (downstairs and it was a little creepy!), a signed set of Harry Potter books and artwork from Mary GrandPre they bought at an auction. the Nimbus 2000, Quidditch ball set, Arthur and Molly's costumes, various trio costumes, the Hagrid outfit when he first brought Harry to Privet Drive (that was creepy because there's a fake baby in the sling and it's right at eye level for me...), the Triwizard Cup (that thing looks like it's heavy if it's really made out of pewter), the egg from the Triwizard tournament, etc. They also had THE sorting hat from the first film! So you could get sorted. I got sorted into Slytherin...It was pretty cool to see all the costumes and props, though. I just wish I could have taken photos! On the other hand, I probably would have ended up being in there for more than 20 minutes. :P We got driven around the back lot (or was it the front lot...?) to look at the outdoor buildings they use. We also saw the stages and offices for the Ellen Degeneress show, Conan, etc. The tour was over 2 hours and it went by FAST. It was fun. I'd go again, but maybe in a few years when things have had a chance to change out a little. It's definitely a better tour than the Universal one and I'd recommend it to anyone who hasn't gone before. :)

Anyway, photos!: WB VIP Tour

Steve Haskin's Classic Recap and More Zenyatta

Steve Haskin is by far one of the greatest horse racing writer's in the country. Every week after a big race, I sit on Blood-Horse waiting for his articles to be published on Tuesday and always read whatever he writes. He writes so eloquently, but also really gives horse racing a face. He throws in some history of whomever he's writing about and really shines a new light on the people and horses involved in the industry.

I've read a few of the Blood-Horse blogs (and others) on the Classic recap and they've been good, but not great. Since Saturday, I've REALLY been waiting for his piece to come out knowing it'd be good. And it truly is good. He's one of the first people to really write about the emotions and history that the race inspires and creates and not the whole "Blame or Zenyatta for HoY" debate that is now going on (I can't take the debate...This is the 3rd year in a row a horse I don't want for HoY will get HoY, even though said horse had the "harder" campaign).

My favorite line about Zenyatta written anywhere is by him: In victory after victory, she captured the heart. In her lone defeat, she captured the soul.

This line really is what happened and where I stand currently in my feelings. I'm still sad and I still don't really want to talk about it, but I still love her and sometimes it's nice knowing that the "pressure" on her is gone. On the other hand, she could have retired this year 20-0 and that would have been great and would have solidified a lot of things, IMO! The owners haven't mentioned anything about her formally retiring yet, so I'm semi-wondering if they'll keep her in training another year. Blame and Quality Road have been formally announced to be retired already. Goldikova is staying another year (Europe's champ and 3-peated the Turf Mile this year) and they want her to 4-peat next year. So...Who knows. I have mixed feelings about her retiring or not. On one hand (and as her trainer says), she's got nothing to prove. On the other hand, since she's 19-1, sound, and training well, why not keep her another year, send her to the East and keep her fans goin' another year? Most great horses these days retire once the nation start to love them. We've had an extra year with Zenyatta (was supposed to retire last year), so I think that's one reason I wouldn't mind her retiring, but...it'd be great to see her race more as long as she's sound and happy.

Anyway, if you want to read Haskin's report about the Classic, you can read it here: Haskin's BC Classic Recap

The Great Zenyatta (and My Heartbreak)

I've been a fan of horse racing since 2002 when War Emblem won the Derby and was trying to win the Triple Crown. Before that, I knew about Silver Charm and his bid for the TC in 1997. It's been over 8 years since my first horse race I watched and I've had some other favorites like Big Brown, Barbaro, Azeri, Pleasantly Perfect, etc. At no point, though, had I ever been super obsessed about a horse currently still racing (Secretariat is my all-time favorite and I own quite a few Secretariat things). Zenyatta changed that all for me.

I had known about her winning streak last year before her Breeders' Cup Classic win, but no female had ever won the Classic so I wasn't sure she could do it. As it turns out, she could. When her owners decided to not retire her and let her race another year, it excited everyone. I've watched all her races this year with excitement and nerves she'd lose once. And everytime she's somehow managed to win. As we all watched Rachel Alexandra's weird year and eventual retirement, everyone's eyes turned to Zenyatta. Oprah profiled her, she was on 60 Minutes, etc. Today was the biggest test of her career and I was hoping she'd win, but also had a fear she couldn't do it.

As the race was about to start, I was pacing. My heart was beating super fast and I was nervous. So nervous I thought I might pass out. I kept saying, "I can't do this. I can't do this. I can't watch. What if she doesn't win?" I was a total mess. The race started and she was last, very far back. She got into some traffic on the turn for home and that's when I knew she was out. But...no...here she came barreling down the home stretch and I'm yelling and screaming and making noise hoping she'd get the final jump. Unforunately, she lost by a head to Blame. A horse I didn't want to win at all. I wouldn't have minded if Lookin' at Lucky (4th and probable 3yo champ) or Quality Road (12th/last and former contender for Horse of the Year/Older male champ) won over her (as much), but it had to be Blame. Blame will now be Horse of the Year and Champion Older Male and Zenyatta will be, once again, older female champ (3rd year in a row).

I try to remember Blame had his year, ran his race, and his owners (Claiborne Farm) are some of my favorite owners (and had Secretariat when he was at stud), but it's hard to get past. She was the best horse in that field. I can't imagine how upset Mike Smith (Zenyatta's jockey) must feel. He's already blaming himself for the loss. It's heartbreaking. She's America's horse and outshone Goldikova (Europe's phenomenal female who won her 3rd straight Turf Mile today -- simply amazing). I was very upset after Zenyatta's loss. This race is her probable last race and she lost. She's 19-1, which is amazing but she missed perfection by a head. If she had another furlong, she would have won. She's still perfect in my mind, but it's sad she couldn't get the 20-0. I think the saddest thing for me about the race's outcome is, even though she only lost by a head, she'll only be considered one of the great female horses and not one of the all-time greats. She still is the only female horse to win the Classic and tied for the longest win-streak in N. America, but she raced mostly on synthetics in California and against females in all but 2 races (one which she lost). Horse racing can be very competitive and the East-West rivalry is still strong, especially with CA's synthetic tracks. She gave us all a ride and brought new fans, but that slight decrease in her "great" ranking bothers me! Logically, it makes sense, but emotionally I don't want it this way!

Anyway, she's still one of the greats in my book and I hope I can be at Hollywood Park for her retirement parade (if they have one). She's a beautiful horse and I'm glad she came out of the race well. I hope Mike Smith can get past the loss (he was tearing up afterwards). I look forward to seeing her babies in the future, but I hope I don't go through this again with another horse! I was/am upset about the loss, but also oh-so-proud of her run. She'll always be Queen Z to me, even with the ache in my heart.

(Pictures get bigger if you click on them)

Look at that face
I love it when her tongue sticks out. She's so gentle for such a big horse (5'8" at the withers or 17.1 hands high)
Famous dance steps she does and look at that dappled coat

Psych College Tour

(Background Information: Psych is a TV show that airs on USA. It's about these two best friends (Shawn Spencer and Burton "Gus" Guster). Shawn is hyper-aware so he can notice details most people wouldn't notice. Shawn's dad is a former police officer so he used to make Shawn practice using his hyperawareness. Now that he's an adult, he pretends he's psychic and helps solve police cases with Gus (as more the voice of reason). The show is very, very funny and not your typical crime-drama. It's more of a crime-comedy (no bloody scenes or bodies like CSI, no autopsies, no forensic labs) and more on the detective end (finding clues, following leads, etc). It's a great show to say the least with a lot of humor and James Roday (Shawn) and Dulé Hill (Gus) are a great pairing in the show. BTW, Dulé Hill was in The West Wing as Charlie Young. So seeing him in a more comedic role compared to his role in West Wing is pretty interesting.

They decided to a college tour at a few different colleges to do a pre-screening of the season 5.5 premiere, give away free stuff, and feed us free pizza. I went and the event was held on campus and was open to UCSB students and faculty. The two main stars came along with some other big execs. It was fun and totally free! BTW, the show "takes place" in Santa Barbara. Unfortunately, they actually film the show in Vancouver. :P)

What a CRAZY and fun night!

They let us in around 5:45pm, but it didn't start till 7pm. They fed us Domino's pizza (pepperoni or cheese) and gave us sodas and water.

Steve Franks (creator of the show) was basically the MC for the evening. He also gave away most of the stuff too. He did it pretty randomly, but they gave away bobblehead sets, pineapple stress balls, pineapple pillows (those were the big ticket items), Magic 8 balls, the big green "The Psychic is In" mugs, smaller Psych mugs, Psych footballs, and DVD season 4 sets (that wasn't a throw away gift). I think that was it...They must have given away like 5 of everything except the pineapple stress balls and the mini-footballs which they had to give away like 10-20 of those. There was a moment when all three (Steve, James, and Dulé) were just chucking them out into the crowd till they were out. 

We watched the season premiere (Season 5.5) of Psych! I won't spoil it, but it was AMAZING to watch with 600 other people. LoL They were a very good crowd too so they cut the cheering very quickly. It's a good episode on its own too... :) After the episode (even with the outtakes), Steve came back out and had Dulé Hill (Gus) and James Roday (Shawn) came down the aisles and of course the place exploded. They did a 30 minute Q&A with them and Steve picked out ALL the crazy questions. :P I guess Steve has some of his own questions, but he liked ours so much (said they were the best of any place...take it with a grain of salt :P ) that he wasn't going to ask any of his own. Most people who had a question asked got something and James and Dulé would randomly sign things as they passed. Someone championed them to do an episode at UCSB (I mean, come on...the show is supposed to take place in SB!). Steve also told us that the producers (or whomever) wanted him to base the show in Seattle. LoL James seemed to be the only one who doesn't mind that the show is filmed in Vancouver. He likes being away from L.A. Dulé's response was, "Vancouver, really?" Steve told us Nestor Carbonell (Jules boyfriend Decland Rand) does not wear eyeliner, that's the way his eyes naturally are. :P We got Dulé to tap dance and do an impersonation at the same time (I forget of who...I think I was too excited he was going to tap dance...). One girl put in a question card, filled it all out, and forgot to put a question so Steve put her on the spot and told her to come up with a question. She was having troubles thinking so he said he'd give her a bobblehead set to help her think (James and Dulé signed it). So people were shouting out questions for her and she asked, "Can I have a hug?" They obliged so she got a hug AND signed bobblehead set from them. :P Later on, James actually gave a girl a kiss on her cheek along with the hug! LoL She got pulled up to the stage and James had to give the speech that Shawn gave to Jules at the end of Season 5 (about Jules going away on her trip) to the girl in some manner. I forget the manner, but it was hilarious. So afterwards she got something and boldly asked them to sign it for her and that's when she got the hugs and the kiss. At the end of the Q&A, they told everyone to check underneath our seats because they put little signs underneath them. If you found one, you won a signed copy of season 4. The guy sitting THREE SEATS down from me won! SOO close. Oh well. They also raffled a new iPad and $200 iTunes gift card so you could download all the seasons of Psych. I, of course, did not win it. :( Oh well.

Anyway, after the whole chaos of Q&A (it got pretty crazy at points), they wrapped it up and said they'd stick around a little to sign autographs! It was a frickin' mob! They passed out the lyrics to the theme song so we could all sing it together so I had them sign that. It's a little mutilated, but I got all 3 autographs! I had to basically be a little forceful to get them, but I got them -- amongst all the people, sweat, and everything. Dulé was really nice and talked to people, looked at them when he handed back your whatever after he signed it, and even gave a girl a hug when she asked. James was a little more quiet. In fact, he was pretty quiet the entire time. He was almost aloof. Though, he did come in with this big jacket on and Steve at one point said, "James, you look hot in that jacket." Which, all the girls screamed to. So Steve got him to take his jacket off and underneath he had a UCSB Gauchos hoodie on! Of course, it made us all go crazy. LoL It was probably the most personality he showed most of the night. He did chuckle at times and other things, but he's definitely not Spencer. :P Not to say he wasn't nice like the others or anything. :P Steve was incredibly nice. You just instantly knew he'd be the type of guy you'd want as your next door neighbor. You can also tell he just really, really enjoyed himself doing this tour.  Also, in the audience was a lot of the big-wigs for the show and their spouses. Steve's wife was there.

Once you left, you received a Psych t-shirt that says "I'm a Psych-o" with a pineapple on the front and it has the tour locations on the back. (It's in white...why did it have to be in white?!) We also received one of the mini-footballs. No hats or bags like some of the other places, but the "swag" people or workers had the bag, t-shirt, hat, AND some even had pins. So...Maybe those photos were of them and not the actual attendees. :) We did get caramel popcorn with the Psych sticker on it, which was very random. Popcorn and a TV show premiere? :) Maybe not the best thing about the event, but one of them was this ENTIRE thing was totally FREE! I don't even want to think about how much these things cost them. LoL Luckily, big bulk? :P Domino's was probably happy for the business, but maybe not making 60 pizzas (I swear there was around 60 pizzas).

Photos: Psych College Tour

Bren's Ceiling Collapse

Bren Hall had an exciting Halloween weekend!

Saturday afternoon the ceiling collapsed in front of one of the elevators. No one was hurt, but they had to do a structural survey of the building, which took time. So classes on Monday were canceled because it was late Sunday by the time they figured out the building wouldn't be open. Tuesday's classes were moved to the neighbor Marine Science Institute (MSI) building. Since I only have classes Monday and Wednesday, I had a 6-day weekend (Thursday-Tuesday)! The building was opened today, Wednesday.

They tore down the ceiling near the other elevator (there are two at Bren) since it also looked like it may fall down. The weird thing about the whole collapse is they found no water damage or leaks and the ceiling was built to structural standards/conditions. So they don't know why the ceiling collapsed and apparently it's concerning a lot of people now (makes sense!). Bren Hall is considered one of the forefront LEED standard buildings at UCSB, but also at other campuses. So there's something to worry about. They also put scaffolding at all the walkways because the ceilings above were constructed in similar ways and they want to better look at it.

They kept the fallen piece of ceiling so they can take it somewhere and really study it and see if they can figure out why the ceiling collapsed. To say the least, going to classes today meant a lot of overhead panels were being checked and just various stuff. It also made us all go, "Hmm...is the ceiling going to collapse on me?" when going to class. It's scary, but thankfully no one was hurt and it was only a small section and not like a whole floor or something.

I took photos today which you can see here: Bren's collapsed ceiling
Here's Bren's news announcement of it: News release