Oberlin Blogs

Joe Dawson ’12

Hi there, didn't see you come in. Have a seat, would you like a grilled cheese? Not the sandwich, just a cheese that's been grilled. I'm Joe, an Oberlin biology/engineering student. I'm a senior, heading off to engineering school next year to make something of myself. I hope to one day be an eccentric inventor. An eccentric billionaire inventor would be even cooler.

If you're wondering what that big 'B' word under the Interests heading is; 'biomimetics' is engineering inspired by designs and mechanisms in nature/biology, and I'm way into it. And as you can see from the Majors heading, it fits in well with what I'm studying. The Hometown heading betrays my state of origin, which is hopelessly Midwestern and never ever pronounced "Missourah". If I may direct your attention now to the Name heading, you will see that the letters in my name can also spell "Wood Jeans," an invention idea I once lost a lot of money on. If only I had thought of hinged knees before Levi's did!

I'm more than a little bit nerdy. I came to grips with this long ago, and it's paved the way for me to have nerdier and nerdier conversations as I progress through college. I would love to share more with you, but my cheese is burning. Thanks for coming!

Entries from this blogger

On the Run

May 3, 2012

Oberlin doesn't have ideal running weather all the time, but there are truly beautiful days, usually in the fall or early spring. We had a string of these last week and I decided to document my Sunday jog with a camera.

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Moonshine

February 26, 2012

My girlfriend called to see if I was doing better, and I forgave her for her bodily functions.

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Sinus Pressure?

November 15, 2011

Do keep in mind that during this whole exchange Jacob and I are running at a pace of 3 to 4 minutes per mile, stripped to the waist, pectorals gleaming, swatting away the female delegation from the class of '61 with other members of the class of '61. Impressed?

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Long Distance

July 11, 2011

All about Long Distance Relationships! With visual aids from animal friends and medical anomalies! Also, some kind of sobering words about your prospects for success! YAY!!!!

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No Sweat

May 15, 2011

Throw in stress for something that actually matters, like finals, and I'm toast. I'll be in bed at midnight, eyes open until 1:30, and awake when the sun comes up at 7.

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Days 1-4

April 1, 2011

We have been staying up late, eating mostly home-cooked food, drinking a little, and seeing a terrific amount of improv in the last four days, and our trip is only about halfway over.

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Snow busy-ness

February 26, 2011

Things got a little hairier at this point, if I remember right, and I found new uses for my simple tools. The flat head screwdriver could be easily used as a pry bar, I found, pulling up pieces of the tape player whose screws wouldn't yield to my five year-old hands.

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The Coz!

July 22, 2010

If this entry had audio, it would definitely have me doing a KILLER Bill Cosby impression: "My WIFE Camille, with the Jell-O pudding pops..."

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Relief

April 5, 2010

I started out this semester with the idea that I would declare Biology or Engineering as my major and get cracking on the classes I needed to fulfill the major requirements. This was to be my buckling down semester, full of sciences and maths of various shapes and flavors.

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Give 'em a Hand-uary

January 10, 2010

(I know I've mentioned my difficulty with titles before.) Who knows that this won't be incredibly valuable later in life? Or that it won't be, and I'll just be thankful I did it anyway? Or that I'll regret it and it will serve as motivation for me to get going and choose a major, since time for me to do so is rapidly running out?

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Alcohol

December 31, 2009

"My manager told me, Mitch, don't use alcohol as a crutch. I can't use alcohol as a crutch because a crutch is something that helps me walk. Alcohol severely f____ up the way I walk. It's more like the step I didn't see." --Mitch Hedberg

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Get Excited!

November 3, 2009

I can deal with the fact that on my list of things I am excited about I included "classes" and "renewable energy sources" because I have come to grips with the fact that I am a huuuuuuuuuge nerd.

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Faves

September 21, 2009

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens... Oh, hello there. I was just thinking about some of my favorite things here at Oberlin. Oh, I delight in hairless monkeys, Cathy comics, putting rubbing alcohol in my eyes, and above all, some great places to hang out in Oberlin.

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A milestone

September 10, 2009

I've had talks that involved intellectual topics sprinkled in among fart jokes, and discussions in class led by teachers about a particular topic of study, but no stereotypical smart talk with a lot of words like "neoclassical," "zeitgeist," and....

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Crossed up

April 17, 2009

Why is it a concession stand? What exactly are you conceding? Except common sense in what a slice of damn pizza should cost.

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Back home

March 23, 2009

Isaac reflects on his first impressions of Oberlin after flying back home for fall break--only to find that his real home is at Oberlin. Awww.

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Darius

January 23, 2009

The movie centered on Darius, a 15-year-old with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Darius' brother Mario died of the same disease when he was 19, and Darius talks about his brother occasionally during the film.

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Bamboozled

December 22, 2008

Aahhhhhh! (that's 'Ahhhhhh' like the sound you make after taking a satisfying drink of Coke Zero™, not like 'Ahhhhhh please don't lock me in that iron mask for years because I look like my brother the king')

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