Chicken JOoOckey

I was most busy these last couple weeks, hence why you didn't see my name appear on your list of unread emails that are likely sorted to the trash folder. Have no fear! I have returned, and I am alive and well. I've done a lot of very exciting things and we'll see if I can remember them all.

I got research funding! This means that I can do research over the summer and get paid for it. Isn't that sick? I get to learn about cool stuff and get paid for something I'd probably do anyway. I am researching continuous variable quantum key cryptography (CV-QKD), which is basically a part of the science of sending secret messages with quantum computers. Turns out quantum computers are really good at breaking out current secret message protocols. Who would've thought? I would have. I'm very excited for this opportunity because I am not a physics student. I don't have strict deadlines and graduation requirements that include theses, so I don't have to worry about producing direct results. When I went to meet with the professor who is advising me, he said that he was going to take a bit of a risk with me by giving me a project with no clear answer or end goal. He said that opportunities to do things like that don't happen very often in BYU's physics department because of the senior thesis requirement, but math majors don't have that constraint, thus allowing me to research a very current and open problem that blends quantum physics, rigorous mathematics, and computer science. It should be very cool.

I went and saw the Minecraft movie. At the end of the movie, a kid yelled, "water bucket, RELEASE!" and threw a 5 gallon bucket of water in the air. He was then getting interrogated by the police (arrested maybe, although I think he was a juvenile so maybe not). It was a good movie. I waited 10 years for it, so maybe that affected my rating a little bit. Jason Momoa absolutely carried the film with a slight help from Jack Black with typical Jared Hess elements. My friend got kicked out of hers early because people brought a live chicken and trashed the theater. All for a video game. Actually, a movie about a video game. More specifically, a movie whose plot was loosely based on a video game. I also found another doppelganger on the way there.

We were chosen to compete in the escape room tournament. More details are coming on that.

School is almost over and I am almost free. I have finals starting on Wednesday, so that will be most exhausting. However, it means that I am done, so it can't be that bad. Hopefully. I almost cried today because our 4th midterm that would have been due tomorrow got canceled. I was overjoyed. I didn't have to take a test right before the final, which is good, because those tests are murder on a page. The whole sticks and stones phrase was invented by someone who clearly never took a modern physics exam in the testing center. Although, there are often minimal words on there. Mostly archaic symbols that make your mind hurt.

I feel like I definitely had more to say, probably something I was quite interested in, but I can't remember.

Oh yeah, before I forget, Mat from my mission got baptized on Saturday, and I got to watch on Zoom. I'm proud of him, I suppose. I wouldn't say he had to turn his life around or anything for this to happen, but it is admirable that he has found a way to become more involved in religion.

Incredible film, you ask? Oh, I'm so glad you did. I watched A Complete Unknown, the Bob Dylan biopic starring the eccentric Timothée Chalamet. He actually did an incredible job and I can now say I'm a TC fan. I also like Bob Dylan a lot more now. My harmonica skills are coming along, so when you see me on the cover of Time with a black and white filter and some witty quote about the harmonica, don't be surprised. Just kidding. Be very, very surprised, and call me and ask what it's about, because I'd be very interested to hear where they got the picture from.

Today I am grateful for my friends. I love having friends. They're kind of the best ever. Both of my groups of friends are wonderful people that I wish the best for. I also am grateful for work. They are my 3rd group and they make going to work feel like going to have fun at a really fun place with fun cubicles and fun desks. That wasn't sarcastic. I like work. We're actually about to go to Topgolf for a fun work activity, so I guess I should go.

I've been listening to way too much Yung Gravy and bbno$ lately. Just in case you were wondering.

I swear there was something else interesting, but I can't remember. Maybe I'll remember next week.

bye peace and love for you

Wilhelm

Number One Victory Royale

Dear Everybody, (-Emma)

This week was really good. I liked probably everything about it. Except for a lot of things. Taylor has just interrupted me and wants a shout out, so here it is. Shoutout: Taylor. 

Anyways, much was done these last several days. Wanna know about it? Keep on reading and I promise you will.

It was April Fools' Day yesterday, of which I am sure many of you are aware. The pranks attempted on me included toothpaste Oreos and laxatives in my water, neither of which I fell for. Call me untrickable. My friend Austin was putting tape on the backs of chairs so that they would stick to my other friends' backs, so I did one better: I pretended to put a piece of tape on Austin's back and watched him squirm as he tried to get this invisible piece of tape off for about 10 minutes. It was so funny. I just laughed at him from a distance.

Immediately after that, we headed to an escape room. We did their hardest room. They told us that we could enter their competition if we wanted by scanning the QR code at the beginning, so we figured we might as well. They told us that taking hints would take off 2 minutes from our time and we got to work. We started off pretty strong and got some momentum, but then we got stuck. Taylor and I walked over to the hint machine and I said, "eh, what's 2 minutes?" and Taylor spammed the button. Unfortunately (actually fortunately) the machine was not working, so we didn't get any hints. However, we then majestically became escape room gods and flew through the puzzles at a speed incomprehensible to mankind. We escaped in 40 minutes, 39 seconds. It was pretty much the coolest thing ever. The worker lady was standing there and said we did really well and that the average hint usage was 12. She thought we might have beat their record, which would qualify us to come back and play their brand new room next week for free in a tournament! We went to the front lobby while she checked the time. She told us that to be on the leaderboard and considered for competition, no hints were allowed. Good thing that machine was janky ruined. She came back and said, "Unfortunately..." and we all went "aawwww". Then she said "another team... was just beat by your record by 3 minutes! You guys won!" We all cheered and jumped up and down like our pants were on fire; in a sense, they were, since we tried to get hints but they didn't work. Thanks to my last minute heroism on a puzzle (and other people's other time heroism), we get to play in an escape room tournament soon. 

Bear Lake was basically incredible. We went to a huge AirBnb with a clubhouse and lots of pickleball and a pool. It was so much fun. We played games and watched the movie "White Chicks", which was hilarious, but not for easily offended audiences. I had Michigan State beating Auburn, and they were very close. I was at 6000th place in the whole world, at 99.9th percentile. They lost and I dropped to 671k and 97th percentile. So sad. 

We were at this grocery store in Bear Lake and my friend found my twin, so I took a picture with him, see above. It was legendary, really. The video is me getting clipped as I did it. He seemed like a great dude, I mean, he owns property at Bear Lake, so he must be somewhat successful. I wouldn't say Bear Lake is a must visit destination, but the people and proximity are what made it so much fun. I loved it. I also got a Filipino massage, courtesy of Austin (very intimate, can't recommend it). I also put on mascara and curled my eyelashes for entertainment. Guess who?

I guess I don't have much else to talk about. I hate Benson Boone. That's all, probably. My book is chilling, I think I'm going to start making short videos or something. I don't know yet, it's still in the works.

Sincerely,

@just.william