Thngs Ben is bringinng!11!!!!

• Harold the Friendly Beaver
• Computtr
• The Captain. The Captain.
• hair.
• Candy Land board game
• The
• Can of Blog Stamps
• Wood from my father's ship
• First three episodes of I Love Lucy
• A leedle palm

If Abby brings only her giant stuffed Appa, that's enough supplies for a day at the Ratty, right?

Right?

...Right?

Okay, good.

(Not pictured because I'm tired: Scattergories, Ticket to Ride Europe, the only deck of cards I could find which has those weirdly fisheye-lens cute dogs on the cards, a few other mini games, a folder of syllabi because I still don't know what I'm taking and probably should try to decide, a book for a class I'm pretty sure I'm taking, a notebook, a novel I'm rereading (EVERYONE GO READ UPROOTED RIGHT NOW), a bunch of power cords, my laptop because 2016, some pens, a power strip/surge protector, gum.)

Brooke is photographing the things she's bringing using her laptop.jpg

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What Brooke Is Bringing to Ratty

Tomorrow we are going to the Ratty (actually today, in like 7 hours), and I am bringing some things. pictures feat. my rug

neti pot (I love it)

blow tickler

this handle thing that broke off of my dresser

Ben

left flip flop (my hair got in this picture, guess I have to bring that too)

surgeMASTER GENERAL feat. 12 foot cord

Also here's what I'm excited for at the Ratty tomorrow: the yogurt bar and grapefruit.

Preparing to Brave the Ratty

Hi, Readers, Hi!

Following in Chris' netsteps, I am broadcasting to the world that which I have prepared to make it through tomorrow. These are the supplies that will get me through the day alive.

Pictured here:

• comfortable clothing that will allow for an easy change into my rugby (yes, we are topping off our twelve hours by going straight to a basketball game–AAAAAAH!)
• power strip
• we got the power
• The Power of Identity
• sold this book on amazon, but it turns out I sold it to a Brown student, so I'm hoping she'll come by the Ratty to pick it up
• various C.S. Lewis books 
• my goal is to finish the books for the semester by the end of next week (they're relatively short, and I don't want to have to do anything but enjoy the class and not stress about reading)
• my knitting
• I've ambitiously brought the second skein for this scarf, but it would take a miracle for me to even get that far. Never knit with size 1, folks. Never.
• London's calculator 
• hey London, I still have your calculator–hopefully this post means I'll remember to give it to you
• hard drive
• my second-a-day video needs some major attention
• mouse
• Chris was correct, Runescape will be happening, and the mouse is a critical feature
• camera charger
• I have been designated photographer for tomorrow, so stay tuned for pictures of everyone we see and everything we eat–it'll be like those people you can't stand on your facebook/instagram feeds
• mini camera tripod
• see previous item
• headphones
• journals and pens
• blanket
• this may or may not make it to the Ratty, depends if it fits in my backpack or not
• planner
• for plannin' stuff
• not pictured: misc. electronics and chargers

So this is a lot less exciting than what Chris is bringing, but he's bringing the party and I'm bringing my to-do list because I am insufferable like that. I hope in some way this picture of my books and knitting has convinced at least one of you readers that I'm fun to be around or something. 

See you in seven hours, folks.

Ratty Preppers

Chris:

Tomorrow is going to be a long, long day. We very well might need to escape to a world where diseases are threatening the planet, or where runners are trying to hack through megacorps' ice, or where pirates discover magic and colonize other planets, or where Shia Labeouf is hunting you and your friends with uncanny speed. Anyway, here's what I'm bringing tomorrow:

• Water bottle
• To quote challenge alumna Zoe Fieldsteel, "because hydration is important and Ratty cups are too small."
• Laptop, charger, mouse
• From what I hear, some RuneScape might be happening, so that mouse is key. Come to think of it, I might need a mousepad because no mouse is going to slide on the Ratty tables.
• iPad, charger
• Power strip
• If you have one, bring it. You'll be grateful.
• Headphones
• Dungeon World
• It's like if Dungeons and Dragons wasn't trying to make you stop playing with boring grid combat. I'm part of two ongoing campaigns that might get a chance to continue, and I'm of course open to running a one-shot.
• Microscope
• A game where you literally make up whatever kind of history you want.
• Not shown: Actual Cannibal Shia LaBeouf
• A simple game that recreates a normal Tuesday night for Shia LaBeouf.
• Netrunner
• A nerdy trash cyberpunk card game because I am nerd cyberpunk trash.
• Deck of cards
• Carcassonne
• Pandemic

Team, board games. Just, board games. See you bright and early.

Menu Analysis: Middle of the Road

Alright team, let's get this train rolling. The challenge happens in fewer than seven days, and you know what that means--I have to look at the Ratty Menu for the first time in almost a year. This year's menu cuts a little more toward the middle road. That means none of the highs and lows from last year's menu (chicken parm and steak fries), but I still feel this is a solid lineup. Lord knows we could do worse. Without further ado, here are the highlights:

• Breakfast
• The Good
• Chocolate Chip Pancakes!
• Tater Tots!!
• Braided Raspberry Danish??
• The Bad
• Scrambled Eggs
• Some may disagree with me here, but I always found Ratty eggs to be overcooked and underseasoned.
• Hard Boiled Eggs
• Grapefruit Halves?
• Lunch
• The Good
• Pulled Pork Sandwich
• Don't expect the best BBQ of your life, but drench it in enough sauce and you have a decent Ratty staple.
• Waffle Cut Fries
• Danny Gleave '13 put the waffle fry smack dab in the middle of his infamous Frierarchy, noting that some Paul McCartney lyrics boosted it up 2 rankings. I feel that was a little unfair to the waffle fry. It has the seasoning that really adds a nice touch to dining hall fries, and the waffle texture improves the surface-area-to-volume ratio that allows the best part of a fry--the crispy surface--to shine.
• Tater Tots
• Normally I would list a menu item twice, but there's not a whole lot else to carry the lunch menu.
• The Bad
• Ginger Chicken Pasta
• A bland dish made worse because its name reminds you of Cajun Chicken Pasta, leaving you disappointed when you remember what you're actually eating.
• Blondie Bars
• Greek Salad Bar
• Vegetarian Cauliflower Soup
• I think my parents tried cooking cauliflower once when I was a little kid. We were never to keen to try again.
• Fresh Broccoli
• I maintain that dark green veggies were meant to be sauteed, roasted, or grilled, caramelizing the surfaces and bringing out the flavors to pair with lemon or vinegar and a bit of garlic. The Ratty seems to opt for steaming all of the flavor out of their vegetables.
• Dinner
• The Good
• Saturday Night Jambalaya
• Meatloaf w/Mushroom Sauce??
• Mashed Potatoes??
• Yellow Cake w/Frosting
• Probably the first dessert you'll see me going for on Saturday.
• The Bad
• Braised Cauliflower
• My comments about the broccoli still stand.

In my opinion, lunch is going to be the low point of the day, but I see at least a couple viable options for each meal.

See you on Saturday!