Thesis Papers

06.23.07--Jad Kanbar's graduation barbecue at Whispering Pines Park in Pacific Grove. Mainly Lebanese, the old men playing Basra, children running around, old women sitting in the shade and a lot of Lebanese food.

MICHAEL: Well it's like, um--

JAD: What are you doing, you bastard?

J: Well the point is this: that you can't really say "I'm doing this and I'm doing this." I'm being extremely vague. An example is like a lab meeting. That's when you show off everything at one point. But it doesn't really matter what's going on. You're working hard and people see you're working really hard, you know? You ask for advice and you kind of piece together--

ALEX: It's like working on a thesis. You go, "This is what I'm working on."

J: --and with one shot you show everything. Then you reveal your hand. And another time when you're revealing your paper, you know, you reveal your hand and then you take a step back. Only one certain time you reveal what's going on. But through the whole rest of the time you should, you know, keep steady about your cards basically. That's what I learned. But, you know, it's important not to be secretive. If things need to be revealed you need to lay down your hand and not have tricks up your sleeve.

A: Did you do a presentation on your thesis?

J: No--yeahhh, basically. Not really. No.

A: Did anyone read it? How long is it?

J: No, it's in the process of being done. I can show you if, like--

A: Yeah I might like to see it. But the thing about the thesis is like, Vanessa wrote like a fifty-five page thesis, right--

J: On what?

A: Uh, well, it's like an english paper so it's like critical theory and stuff. And it's like one person read it. Not including me. Like, nobody has read it.

J: You know, the thing about this work is like if it's really good it's gonna be taken right out. And if it's really good it's going to be taken right out and put in to a book. As is.

A: That's cool. Like a journal?

M: Hey you think I should pi--you think I should pick Lee up because I know--he's gotta be asleep in front of Jad's house. He's not, you went to Jad's?

A: Uh huh.

M: You did? And the white truck wasn't there? That was my--that was my bet.

A: No. I thought I saw his car, but it wasn't it.

J: Oh. Dude.