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Rains E-Drops: Friday, February 29, 2008
Online version at http://rains.stanford.edu
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CONTENTS

RAINS EVENTS

1. Rains First Quadrennial Leap Year Party!!! - Friday 02/29/2008
February 29 @ 9 PM (till LATE) Hacienda Commons
A Party that Never Ended for the Day that Never Happened

2. Monterey Bay Aquarium - Saturday 03/01/2008
Saturday, March 1st at 10AM
Otters and jellyfish and kelp, oh my!

3. Stanford Treeathlon - Sunday 03/02/2008
Swim, bike, and run... or volunteer! And get a free tshirt!
Start at the Port of Redwood City at 7:30 AM on Sunday 3/2

4. San Jose Sharks take on the Montreal Canadiens! - Monday 03/03/2008
Puck drops at 7:30pm in San Jose
Montreal visits San Jose for the first time in three years!

5. Learn to Windsurf with the Stanford Windsurfing Club - Monday 03/03/2008
Weekly classes every day during spring quarter.
Learn to windsurf just 5 minutes from campus!

6. Donate food to the Second Harvest Food Bank! - Tuesday 03/04/2008
Drop off your food with Alice at Willis Lounge between 8 and 9pm
clean your cupboards, feed the hungry, and feel good :)

7. Cirque du Soleil - Kooza! - Wednesday 03/05/2008
Sold out of all 30 tickets - sorry!
Wednesday, March 5th, leave campus at 6:15 PM

8. Rains Relay For Life Team - Friday 04/11/2008
4/11/08 5:00 PM to 4/12/08 5:00 PM at Roble Field
Be a Part of the Rains Relay for Life Team!!!!

9. Cystic Fibrosis Great Strides Walk - Sunday 04/27/2008
Meet at 9am at Willis Lounge
come out and have a great time!

10. Bay to Breakers! - Sunday 05/18/2008
Sunday May 18th, 2008
Famous 12K race in San Francisco!

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

11.GSPB Events Announcements
More fun stuff to do!

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RAINS EVENTS:
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1. Rains First Quadrennial Leap Year Party!!!
Friday 02/29/2008 at 9:00pm
CA Contact: William (wckomiss@stanford.edu)

Howdy, Hello, & Hey There Rains,

Want to relive the 'Macarena'?  Does your 'Baby Got Back'?  Or do you 
need to say 'Bye, Bye, Bye' to you beau?  Feel like you gotta but 
just can't seem to have 'Faith, Fa-Faith, Fa-Faith'?  Well, 'this is 
my Confession' .... WE HAVE GOT THE PARTY FOR YOU!!!

Bring your love for music from the 80's, 90's, and 00's, as we 
celebrate the Leap Year.  Let's sing like we do in the shower and 
dance like no one's watching!!  

Since Leap Day is the "Day that Never Happened", you can let loose 
with no regrets because this is "The Party that Never Happened!"

Theme: Karaoke Party: Music from 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, & 2008
Date: 2/29/2008 (Friday!!)
Time: 9 PM - 1:00 AM
Place: Hacienda Commons

And, yes my dearies ... drinks and snacks will be provided!!

Remember: Leap Years bring out the most unexpected of events.  
Britney Spears first married on January 3, 2004!! :)


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2. Monterey Bay Aquarium
Saturday 03/01/2008 at 10:00am
CA Contact: Alexia (lea210@stanford.edu)

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of the most respected aquariums in
the world.  The new "Wild About Otters" exhibit just opened and its
getting rave reviews! Among the 35,000 plants and animals representing
623 species in the aquarium, we'll see the world's first live indoor
kelp forest, a giant octopus, sharks and my personal favorite,
"Jellies: Living Art."  Its located about 1.5 hours drive south from
Stanford.  We'll head out at 10AM sharp, and be back early evening.

Normally costing $23, tickets will only be $12.95 for Rains residents,
$17.95 for non-Rains guests. Non-drivers, please plan on bringing
$8-$10 on the day of to help share gas and parking costs.

RSVP to Alexia (lea210@stanford.edu) your name and whether you are
able to drive. If you RSVP for friends, please include their email
addresses. There are 15 spots available. If necessary, drivers will be
given priority.  Once your request is confirmed, you'll be given
instructions on where to drop off your deposit check.  Your spot is
not secure until your check is received.




See http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/

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3. Stanford Treeathlon
Sunday 03/02/2008 at 7:30am
CA Contact: Julie (jlitze@stanford.edu)

The Fourth Annual Stanford Treeathlon makes its off-campus debut 
this year at the Port of Redwood City in Redwood City, California. 
The race is sprint distance: 500 meter open-water swim, 20 kilometer 
bike and 5 kilometer run (in that order).
More information about the race, as well as registration, can be 
found at the Treeathlon website:
http://triathlon.stanford.edu/treeathlon/index.shtml
Early registration is available until February 17th, and 
registration closes on February 27th.

If you don't want to get wet, but still want to be involved, you can 
participate by volunteering.  Volunteers get perks like a free T-
shirt and food. Sign up at:
http://triathlon.stanford.edu/treeathlon/volunteer.shtml

Rains will not be coordinating a group to this event, but feel free 
to sign up on your own or with friends!



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4. San Jose Sharks take on the Montreal Canadiens!
Monday 03/03/2008 at 7:30pm
CA Contact: Adam (agrossma@stanford.edu)

Come out on Monday, March 3 and watch the San Jose Sharks take
on the original six Montreal Canadiens. We only have limited numbers
of tickets to the game, so email Adam (agrossma@stanford.edu) to
receive payment and reservation instructions.   When you reply, be
sure to indicate whether you can drive and how many others you can
take with you.  I will have to give priority to drivers if not enough
people volunteer.  The cost per ticket is $18 for Rains residents, $25
for non-Rains residents (the tickets have a face value of $32).  If
there is lots of demand from Rains folks, we will have to restrict the
number of guests we can take.

This game is going to be amazing! Go Habs! Or, if you prefer, Go
Sharks!

See http://sjsharks.com/

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5. Learn to Windsurf with the Stanford Windsurfing Club
Monday 03/03/2008 at 3:00pm
CA Contact: Peter (pkimball@stanford.edu)

The Stanford Windsurfing Club teaches a beginning windsurfing class 
during spring quarter.  The class meets weekly with sessions Monday-
Friday 3pm-6pm, and an additional class on Fridays from noon-3pm.  
The class is aimed at beginners, teaching the fundamentals of 
windsurfing.  The club provides all equipment and instruction for the 
whole quarter.  The cost per student is only $100 for the quarter.

Registration begins Monday, March 3, and classes fill up quickly!  
Registratio is done via the club webpage.  At the webpage, you will 
also find more information and photos from previous year\'s classes.

See http://windsurf.stanford.edu

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6. Donate food to the Second Harvest Food Bank!
Tuesday 03/04/2008 at 8:00pm
CA Contact: Alice (atryan@stanford.edu)

Stanford students are famous for cleaning as a means of
procrastination.  With exams coming, why not clean out your cupboards
now?  On Tuesday, March 4th, raid your cabinets for non-perishable
foods (see details below) and bring them to Willis Lounge between 8pm
and 9pm.  I (Alice - atryan@stanford.edu) will load the items into my
car and drop them off at the Santa Clara County donation center the
next morning. Please read the guidelines (below) carefully, we don't
want to give them food they can't use (so anything moldy, open, or
expired is definitely not welcome... I know how grad students roll)!


from the Second Harvest website:
Donations of non-perishable food items are always welcome. Most needed
items are: meals in a can (stew, chili, soup), tuna/canned meat,
peanut butter, canned foods with pop-top lids, low sugar cereals, 100%
fruit juices in single serving boxes, canned fruit packed in its own
juice, and low salt canned vegetables. Please do not donate items
packaged in glass or bulk quantities of rice, flour, or sugar.

See http://www.2ndharvest.net/donate/index.php#food

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7. Cirque du Soleil - Kooza!
Wednesday 03/05/2008 at 6:00pm
CA Contact: Julie (jlitze@stanford.edu)

Sorry, this event is all sold out!

Come see the world renowned acrobat show, Cirque du Soleil's Kooza! 
We'll be buying student price tickets, which will be subsidized to 
$30 for Rains residents and $35 for non-Rains guests. RSVP to Julie 
(jlitze@stanford.edu) to reserve your ticket today! Please note in 
your reply whether or not you can drive. Tickets will be reserved on 
a first-come, first-serve basis to people who submit their deposits, 
and priority may be given to drivers. Because these are discounted 
tickets, please note that our seats will be positioned slightly to 
the side of the stage. We'll be leaving campus at 6:15 PM on 3/5 and 
should return by 11:30 PM.


See http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/baystudents

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8. Rains Relay For Life Team
Friday 04/11/2008 at 5:00pm
CA Contact: John (tenhoeve@stanford.edu)

Relay for life is a fun-filled overnight activity that mobilizes
communities across the country to celebrate survivorship, as well as
to remember those who lost their lives to cancer. Through teams that
pledge to walk for 24 hours, Relay for Life raises money for the fight
against cancer.  This is an American Cancer Society signature event. 
This year, Rains will sponsor a team for the Stanford Relay For Life
event, which takes place beginning on April 11th, at 5:00 PM.  Just to
clarify, each person does not have to walk the whole 24 hours - just
one person from the team has to be walking at all times. Please email
John Ten Hoeve (tenhoeve@stanford.edu) if you are interested in being
a part of this team, or if you have any questions.

See http://www.relayforlife.org/relay/

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9. Cystic Fibrosis Great Strides Walk
Sunday 04/27/2008 at 9:00am
CA Contact: Alice (atryan@stanford.edu)

Walks are fun and a great way to bring our community and friends
together to support a very worthwhile cause.  Rains will take care of
everything, so all you have to worry about is showing up on time. 

If you would like a shirt, please RSVP to Alice (atryan@stanford.edu)
by Sunday, April 20th. 

More details will follow as the date gets closer. 

More info on Cystic Fibrosis can be found:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cystic_fibrosis


See http://www.cff.org/great_strides/

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10. Bay to Breakers!
Sunday 05/18/2008 at 8:00am
CA Contact: Jen (jerhart@stanford.edu)

Bay to Breakers
When: Sunday May 18th @ 8 am
Where: San Francisco


Bay to Breakers is here again. For those of you who did it with
Rains last year, or have done it in the past - you know what a
fun/crazy race it is. The course description is below - it's a
12k race through San Francisco. You can run it, walk it, dress up
in a costume or in nothing at all (yep there are definitely naked
people running it).

If you are interested, email Jenny by no later than WEDNESDAY MARCH
19th (jerhart@stanford.edu) to get instructions on how to register
and get some reimbursement.

Registration is $44, of which Rains will subsidize $10 each. Race
fees include race entry, chip timing with a collectible souvenir
chip (the second in a series of five leading to the 100-year
anniversary), participant T-shirt, printable on-line finishers
certificate & entrance to ING Footstock.

You will be responsible for getting yourself to San Francisco
(CalTrain is a very easy way to do this - they have special trains
that run early to get you there).

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
ING Bay to Breakers is a 12K (7.46 miles) course. From sea level at
the Embarcadero the course rises steeply along Hayes Street Hill.
Around the 2.5-mile mark runners climb an 11.15% grade between
Fillmore and Steiner, bringing them to the highest point in the
race, approximately 215 feet above sea level. The remainder of the
course gradually flows alongside the Panhandle and through Golden
Gate Park.

See http://www.ingbaytobreakers.com/main.html

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OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
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o Lively Arts Lottery: Rosanne Cash, Black Cadillac:The Performance
- Wednesday, March 12, 08:00PM - 11:00PM
- Enter the lottery by going to
http://www.surveymk.com//s.aspx?sm=GvQuRVe7coerDKWz1aI3aw_3d_3d

o Lively Arts Lottery - Elisa Monte Dance Company
- Friday, March 14, 08:00PM ? 10:00PM
- Enter the lottery by going to
http://www.surveymk.com//s.aspx?sm=m15DFneZCx4ym8OQb88_2bjg_3d_3d

o Volunteering Opportunity for Graduate Recruitment and Diversity Day (G-RADD)
- Be a part of the Graduate Recruitment and Diversity Day by volunteering 
your time an effort to show prospective students that Stanford offers a 
combination of commitment, resources, and community that allow students to thrive.
- When:Friday, February 29, 2008
- Sign up at the link below
- http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=D0JCYdQO_2fvEAYQymD1JtXQ_3d_3d

o GSPB Lottery: Coffee Break at Bytes Cafe
- Tuesday March 4, 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm
- Free coffee break at Bytes
- Take a break to get coffee at Bytes Cafe (in the Packard Building) 
with fellow grad students. GSPB will subsidize the first $5.
- Deadline to sign up is Saturday, March 1 by 5pm. Only lottery winners will be notified.
- We will only pay for the coffee of lottery winners.
- RSVP to  http://www.surveymk.com//s.aspx?sm=wl2EQ7DBQFqdPolu3wWFNQ_3d_3d

o Candy Making Workshop
- Chocolate, truffles and taffy, oh my!
- Join us for a candy making workshop, and meet some fellow grad students in the process.
- Where: Rains Buttery
- When: 3-6pm on March 8th
- RSVP to spletter@stanford.edu; This e-mail address is being protected 
from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
- RSVP by March 8, 2008
- Please RSVP so we can get a rough head-count.

o GSPB Lottery Dinner in Palo Alto
- Go out for dinner and a movie with fellow grad students
- Deadline to sign up is Wed, Feb 27 by 5pm
- We will get together on campus at 5pm on Friday, Feb. 29th and travel to downtown Palo Alto.
- After viewing a classic movie at the Stanford Theater downtown 
("The Man Who Knew Too Much" by Alfred Hitchcock, screening at 5:20pm), 
we will walk across the street to Cafe 220 for Mediterranean food and socializing.
- The movie tickets are on GSPB, as well as the first $10 of your dinner.
- Please be prepared with cash to cover the remainder of your delicious dinner.
- Ambiance will be guaranteed as well as meeting new faces across the Stanford grad schools.
- Event location: University Ave, Palo Alto
- URL for Newsletter:  http://www.stanford.edu/group/gspb/
- RSVP to  http://www.surveymk.com//s.aspx?sm=aEBL4OxNY_2fksaONV_2bGw2Uw_3d_3d
by 2008-02-27, at 5pm

o  GSPB Board Games Night
- Are you into board games or just hanging out?
- Did you always want to organize a games night at your place with your friends?
- Well, GSPB does it for you! Also joining us will be the Stanford Gaming Society.
- Beverages and snacks will be provided, you still need to invite your friends and come hang out with us.
- Come spend some time playing your favorite board games
- Bring along that game you own but never had a chance to play
- Wednesday, March 5, 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM, Nairobi room, GCC 2nd floor