The End

We did it. 12 hours. Four lines. Two guys. Dozens of great friends and fun conversations. One Dream. Thank you all for stopping by and making our 2011 Ratty Challenge so special and so enjoyable.

And as Hans Christian Anderson said, "Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little Ratty Food."

Love,

Mike and Max

P.S. Leber is... still working.

Latecomer Adam!

It's ADAM!

Almost There

Jake and Wendy stopped by. Things are getting a bit crazed at this point.

Most recently, Harrison got here for dinner after writing a paper about zombies all day!! YAYYY!!!!!

We're down to a dedicated few: Wilson, Danny, Dave, Leber (still working -- see below), Andrea, K-Wo, Mike, and me. Only 38 minutes remaining as of the time of writing. Thanks everyone for tuning in.

Ugh

Louie and Brian stopped by. Just over two hours left.

Just in time for the dinner rush, we have reached a steady state with a good-sized crowd of here at (0,3). Join us for the tail end of the Challenge!

Andrew is still working hard.

Goatee

Wilson's goatee is still here.

New Arrivals

Brynn, Dan, and Zach are here! Also, Lena's back.

Leber came back to retrieve all of his books and his backpack, which he left in the Ratty for some reason. They've been multiplying in his absence.

Despite being reunited with his scholarly literature, Leber looks something like this:

We are 3/4 of the way through the Ratty Challenge; 3 hours to go!

Trayless

Laken stopped by to say hello. A few seconds later, Wendy, K-Wo, and Emily came by for some pre-dinner. The 4pm lunch has definitely taken over the Ratty at this point; everyone seems to be ready for that afternoon nap. The desire to just play Diablo II for a few hours has taken hold.

Next, Wendy helped the Ratty go trayless!

User Submitted Meals!

Max and I have lost the will and ability to make decisions and we need your help!

Go to the Ratty menu and make us a meal! Max and I will indulge in the best suggestions.

The Lull

It's almost 3 PM, and the Ratty is abandoned like a Japanese nuclear reactor. Surprisingly, I didn't see a lot of togo (that's one word, like the nation) containers, despite the obviously nice weather outside.

The table has devolved into a bunch of us on computers, an island of community in the open wastes of loneliness and despair. Pretty solid day of friends coming and going keeping us sane and awake for the duration.

Plans until the dinner crowd comes in: thumb twiddling, daydreaming, and chatting with the voices in my head. True story: I don't know what they're going to say before they say it.

GREEN!

If I had a daughter...

Courtney's here! She and Dave match. And Dennis is back!

Changing of the guard!

Lots of people are here! MLau, Kayla, John, Ayano, and Dave are here!

Ayano brought Mike and I outside food! Starbucks cakepops. Thanks, Ayano! And happy birthday!!!

Bleib, Monica, and Cooper have come and gone.

Dan, Chris, and Justin also stopped by. Justin is epic all around.

Ben likes the gnocchi. I bet he'll vote "again and again" in the poll.

Still no word from Leber -- he probably looks something like this in the Rock though.

Wilson + Time Lapse

The only undergraduate Wilson pointed out that we have not yet posted an image of him. Here you go. He seems frustrated by organic chemistry. Just watch out for that backside attack!

The time-lapse is done! It was taken from 11:30am-1pm with exposures every 10 seconds. That amounts to 595 photos given an eighth of a second each in the time-lapse. Note Sam the Illustrious at 0:31 and the Carrie photobomb at 0:32. For the youtube link, see here.

Leggings != Pants

So, my time in the Ratty today has shown me a number of things that I wasn't aware of before attempting this. One: No one comes to the Ratty during reading period. Two: Gnocchi is one of the most polarizing meals the Ratty has to offer; everyone wants to eat it, but there is never agreement on whether or not it actually tastes yummy.

But there is one universal truth: Leggings do not equal pants.

I would like to inform every girl who eats at the Ratty that when the world sees you in your white t-shirt and tight black spandex, with a little skin on your tummy and back showing in the middle, we judge you. We judge you as the sort that wants to flaunt your ass in public, and still "be able" to glare when men stare. I'm not blaming the "victim" here, but rather saying you are in fact spurring on these looks.

Furthermore, do not flatter yourself. My eyes only linger on your body because I am wondering where you may have misplaced all of your jeans, skirts, skorts, shorts, sweatpants, jumpers, overalls, scrubs, that you were forced to wear underwear externally. One day my brother wore his pajamas to school, but even when he was in first grade, he had the decency to put jeans on over them. How would you, implied reader, react if I wandered around in a t-shirt and UnderArmour pants? They both show off my muscular physique and declare to the world that my legs are open for discussion.

So please, for all our sakes, put on a sundress, or a pair of jeans, and declare to the world that not only are you comfortable with your body, but you are unafraid to do laundry and make sure you have clean pants to wear every day.

Post Lunch

The Gnocchi poll is still up and yes and no are neck and neck! Vote to the right -->

In the meantime, Adrian showed up with mountains of food, as usual, though no melons. Chris, Leslie, and Wilson came by again. Lena's writing a paper, but she's worried she was on crack while she edited it last. Wilson came back, still with a goatee.

We lost Leber to the Rock, sadly, though I'd guess he still looks something like this:

Late Lunch Visitation

Sofia and Leber toasted one another's good health.

Sara mocked everyone and made sure we documented that she was working.

Lena said she was too good for gnocchi. Then asked about my novel. Again.

LUNCH!!!

It's 11am and the Ratty has switched to lunch! The roots and shoots line is featuring gnocchi alla sorrentina! Gina and Sarah didn't sit with us because our table is crooooowwwwwdeeeeed. Call the wambulance.

Leslie was here briefly and Michelle, Danny ("what's up dudes?"), Andrea, and Jenny just joined us. Andrea reports that the gnocchi don't taste good. Sad face.

Mike: "Oh, are those waffle fries?!?!"
Danny: "They're like 10 feet away."

Everyone is particularly excited about the reserved sign, which has actually come full circle over the last year because I borrowed it from the Ratty about a year ago for a Band event.

Leber working.

Ratty Challenge in the News

Visitors!

We have visitors!

Leber still working.

The (almost completed) Monday NY Times Crossword!

David Litt!

Chris looking fabulous; Leber is still working.

"Hi."

-Dennis