Telluride House The Cornell Branch of Telluride Association

When I’m not in a meeting discussing our bright and funny future house members or planning the formal Halloween party, I make up useless strategies for convincing house members to buy a new pool table. Step one is to get them addicted to playing pool. Step two is to beg faculty guest members to express their wishes for a new pool table in our guest book. Step three quickly takes me back to square one: playing pool and getting fond of the old mini-golf/pool table, with it’s winding cushions and brick legs.. The picture above shows one of our professors during his PubSpeak at the house. His major and distinguished contribution to establishing the new rules for playing pool shall be remembered as the Austro-Hungarian Rules. The picture below shows the corruptible youth willing to play by the rules.

Posted under Musings

At the beginning of the year we went on a one-day bonding retreat to Watkins Glen where we took walks, barbecued food, and played board games. Here are Martin, Breanna, and Steph at the playground looking like the thoughtful and lively people they are:

Here’s Brandy showing off her fire-manipulation skills with a practice fire thingie that I don’t know what to call. These skills are apparently acquired at Burning Man:

And here are Vinod, Jim, and Daniel our male grad student crew at the lakeside restaurant for dinner:

Posted under Pictures

we spent a total of about 16 hours wading through an amazing group of talented applicants to choose who we want to live with next year. The process for me was at times agonizing, at times emotional, at times exhausting, but I came out of it with the feeling that I’ve gotten closer to my fellow housemembers as a result. I felt that even though the process wasn’t perfect, as processes can never be, everyone was generally respectful and thoughtful throughout. And it definitely feels like I have a deeper connection with Telluride House now that I have had a hand in choosing the people I’m going to be living with next year.

Posted under Musings

Last weekend was our interview weekend for high school and transfer students who have perviously participated in our affiliated programs to be in the House for next year. It was exhausting doing five one-hour interviews in three days, along with all the socializing that came with it. But it was that kind of exhaustion that was also revitalizing. It was exciting to meet all these wonderful, bright young people who are on the verge of their college careers, trying to figure out what to do with themselves. I was so happy to be able to provide information and advice that I personally didn’t get when I was applying to college. I’m looking forward to having a number of them in the House next year.

Posted under Musings

I was excited but also a little bit apprehensive about the work associated with admission season (which we call preferment in Telluride parlance), but I found myself reading all the applications in one long session, followed by the stragglers the next day, so that now I have my list of candidates ready for the meeting next week where we’re going to decide about who to interview. It’s amazing how there are so many applications that just leap off the page, demanding to be considered. There are too many in fact, which I suppose is a good problem to have. There were a number of applications I read and thought, what a fantastic mind to have around, and it’s amazing that I actually have a hand in making the people who have those minds become part of the house.

Posted under Musings