Sergey goes for Rice University!

[TBoneTX 45,663]

One of his friends from Donetsk is a foreign student at UT Austin. So he has been hearing all the great Texas stories via skype. He says his friend is "probably less interested in studying than I am"

Anyone who attends UT-Austin majors in Partying, hic man.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Anyone who attends UT-Austin majors in Partying, hic man.

So not true! I went there but I was also working full time at a job that would pay my tuition. Maybe that cut into my partying.

[Slade&Natasha 7]

So not true! I went there but I was also working full time at a job that would pay my tuition. Maybe that cut into my partying.

When I first interviewed at Rice as a HS Senior, the student population struck me as a bunch of brainy alcoholics. The following 4 years proved that my initial evaluation was indeed correct.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

When I first interviewed at Rice as a HS Senior, the student population struck me as a bunch of brainy alcoholics. The following 4 years proved that my initial evaluation was indeed correct.

Ok, so this raises questions. Did you go to Rice? Are you Brainy? Are you an alcoholic?

[Darnell 8,478]

going to school at Rice, living on campus or nearby in the graduate student housing area,

is sorta like living in NYC - you don't need a car to get around.

Come spring break, though, if'n he wants to hit the beach - he'll need a car. Having a car is a PITA on/around campus, but there are long term parking lots where he can put it.

OTOH - geez - Rice is so close to the Texas Medical Center - he MAY BE lured off by the medical side of the enginerding world. Tell him to look into the BioInformatics Program, as well, at UT Austin Health Science Center in Houston, a year after he's able to declare Texas Residency (tuition is so much cheaper after yer declared a resident, si man) .

[TBoneTX 45,663]

Ok, so this raises questions. Did you go to Rice? Are you Brainy? Are you an alcoholic?

I shall consult Mama T-B. for the complete words to the Rice Fight Song (or one of them), which she gleefully intones to little Mini-Bone from time to time.

Speaking of which, I was chasing Mini-B. around this eve while Mrs. T-B. was off at the health club. Mini-B. (14 months old) found his ear-thermometer on the floor, inspected it briefly, hit the button that activated the measurement, and stuck the thing in his ear. He then did the same for his other ear, si man. Scarily brilliant.

si man

Someone call me, si man?

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

going to school at Rice, living on campus or nearby in the graduate student housing area,

is sorta like living in NYC - you don't need a car to get around.

Come spring break, though, if'n he wants to hit the beach - he'll need a car. Having a car is a PITA on/around campus, but there are long term parking lots where he can put it.

OTOH - geez - Rice is so close to the Texas Medical Center - he MAY BE lured off by the medical side of the enginerding world. Tell him to look into the BioInformatics Program, as well, at UT Austin Health Science Center in Houston, a year after he's able to declare Texas Residency (tuition is so much cheaper after yer declared a resident, si man) .

Cheaper than FREE? Actually they are paying him more than $3000 per month to go to school at Rice!

[Darnell 8,478]

ya, I caught that - no worries there. FREE is good.

The Lure of the Texas Medical Center is Overwhelming. He'll find out, in a bit..

[Slade&Natasha 7]

Did you go to Rice?

Indeed I did! Though it was over 20 years ago... Was a great experience, and I'd be thrilled if my kids went there as well.

Are you Brainy?

Some have said as much, but I don't listen to them.

Are you an alcoholic?

See answer above.

[TBoneTX 45,663]

I shall consult Mama T-B. for the complete words to the Rice Fight Song (or one of them), which she gleefully intones to little Mini-Bone from time to time.

Mama T-B. reports the "Rice Rap," si man:

Rootie toot toot, rootie toot toot (si man)

We are the men from the Institute (si man)

We don't drink and we don't fight (no man)

We stay up and study all night. (zzz man)

Mama T-B. doesn't know the origin of the above Rap, no man.

Eight members of our family went to Rice, and 5 of the 8 were Phi Beta Kappa, gee man.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

ya, I caught that - no worries there. FREE is good.

The Lure of the Texas Medical Center is Overwhelming. He'll find out, in a bit..

Actually I appreciate the thought, Darnell. I hope you are not referring to WOMEN. He has a very nervous Russian girlfriend about to enter into a 2-3 year LDR with him.

Mama T-B. reports the "Rice Rap," si man:

Rootie toot toot, rootie toot toot (si man)

We are the men from the Institute (si man)

We don't drink and we don't fight (no man)

We stay up and study all night. (zzz man)

Mama T-B. doesn't know the origin of the above Rap, no man.

Eight members of our family went to Rice, and 5 of the 8 were Phi Beta Kappa, gee man.

Do any of the 5 drink?

[TBoneTX 45,663]

Do any of the 5 drink?

They fell into a vat of whiskey at a brewery. Rescuers tried to save them, but they fought them off bravely. After the drownings, cremations were attempted. It took 3 days to put out the fires.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

They fell into a vat of whiskey at a brewery. Rescuers tried to save them, but they fought them off bravely. After the drownings, cremations were attempted. It took 3 days to put out the fires.

I just read a story today of a non-Rice graduate who mistakenly picked up a jar of gasoline, thinking it was a cold drink, spit out the mouthfull of gasoline all over himself and then decided to have a cigarette. He died at the hospital, he was 23.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Indeed I did! Though it was over 20 years ago... Was a great experience, and I'd be thrilled if my kids went there as well.

Some have said as much, but I don't listen to them.

See answer above.

Joking a bit but it is one of Alla's greatest fears her sons would become alcoholics and was very glad to get the youngest away from a culture that seems to cultivate alcoholics. Sergey will very rarely drink beer and about nothing else. I am thinking if he escapes 5 years in Moscow he will do OK.

[Slade&Natasha 7]

Joking a bit but it is one of Alla's greatest fears her sons would become alcoholics and was very glad to get the youngest away from a culture that seems to cultivate alcoholics. Sergey will very rarely drink beer and about nothing else. I am thinking if he escapes 5 years in Moscow he will do OK.

Rice (at least when I was there in the 80s) was very much "study hard, play hard". We'd pull "double all-nighters" (ie >50 hours without sleep) to complete all our projects/homeworks for the week, and then go straight into Friday afternoon "TGs" where the free beer was flowing and the reggae blaring and not stop drinking until the wee hours of Saturday morning. Drinking age was 18 back then, so maybe things are different now. But as far as I know, Beer Bike is still around. That's where "chuggers" have to cleanly polish off a tall boy before the "bikers" make their way around the track. "Ironmen" (those who both bike and chug) are rare but do exist, but the biking always comes first. This was not always the case, as I understood.

And I won't even get started about "NoD" (Night of Decadence). So yes... Alla's fears are not completely unfounded.