Grace in the city

Sources tell me Sarah Jessica Parker, who played Carrie on "Sex and the City" (for those of you living without cable), is quite the regular around campus. From what I've heard, she brings her son, James twice a week to Barnard's daycare, which just happens to be located in the same building as my psychology class.

Apparently, often times instead of heading straight home, Sarah Jessica orders coffee from the Java City located inside our student center and chats with the other moms. I've also heard stories of Barnard students/aspiring actresses asking her for career advice. All reports indicate she's lovely, and incredibly willing to relay what she knows about the silver screen.

I must admit I've never been a big coffee drinker myself and normally would not be found near our campus's coffee hub. But for Sarah Jessica I'd reconsider. If there is one thing I am addicted to, it's "Sex and the City" and she's the show's cream and sugar.

***

Until this morning, there was a blizzard raging outside my dorm. I have been able to see nothing but gray skies from my eighth floor window. I haven't been outside in nearly two days. News reports have been directing us New Yorkers to stay inside. Apparently the city hasn't seen weather like this since 1996, the year I graduated from the fourth grade.

It makes sense that during my first semester of school in New York City — indeed my first week of school — a huge storm will hit bringing 10 degree temperatures and 20 inches of snow. I clearly left the California weather at home.

My roommate Jen hails from Houston. She and I are coping together. Our parents have written us several detailed reports about the warm weather in our home towns. We tell them we don't care. Our other roommate, Hannah, is doing just fine. She's from New Jersey, so she's used to this crazy weather.

Luckily, I never have to go outside if I don't want to. Our entire campus is connected by underground tunnels, so I can walk directly from my dorm to my classrooms without seeing the light of day or feeling the cold blast of winter.

***

I can't believe how many times I have already told and retold the story I am about to share, but a classic line is a classic line, and that's the bottom line.

I am enrolled in an Introduction to Psychology course, and as anyone who has ever taken a psychology course can attest some of the topics and ideas discussed are downright weird. This truth became obvious when my teacher asked my roommate Jen, who was seated next to me, whether she had a stomach. Our teacher was trying to make a point about inductive versus deductive reasoning.

It turns out that Jen believes she has a stomach because of deductive reasoning; All humans have stomachs. Jen is a human. Therefore, Jen has a stomach.

After proving her first point with one innocent victim, our professor redirected her attention to a quiet young man seated in the far left corner of the room (presumably a student cross-registered from Columbia College, since as above mentioned, Barnard does not admit males).

Her question to him was, "Do you believe the sun will rise tomorrow morning?"

The conversation proceeded as follows:

"Yes, I believe it will."

"Well, how do you know the sun will rise tomorrow?"

"Because it rose this morning, and the day before, and the day before that. So I can assume it will again rise tomorrow."

"So you don't actually know that the sun will rise tomorrow?"

What the teacher wanted her impressionable student to admit was he did not truly know whether the sun would rise. But it was apparent to all this young lad was not going to give in so easily.

"Well, actually, somebody did tell me once that the sun will come out tomorrow," he responded.

"Really?" the teacher inquired, visibly puzzled. "Who?"

And with a smirk, he replied, "Annie."

Entertaining, indeed. A theater minor, perhaps.

Grace Kallis is a graduate of Aragon High School. She is (freezing) while attending Barnard College in New York City. Her column, Graceland, appears every other Tuesday. If you have some news you'd like to send Grace's way, e-mail her at gkallis5@hotmail.com.