15 Questions For...

As the March 7 blocking form deadline approaches , FM checks in with last year’s most unabashedly desperate and intrepid blocking guru.

Last year, you put an ad in The Crimson recruiting blockmates. What pushed you over the blocking edge?

When I realized my friends didn’t want to block with me, I decided to go all out and do something a little out there. I didn’t really know so many people last year, and I figured an ad would be a great way to get my name and my face out.

Tell us about the process.

I told my friend Eric R. Trager about the idea. He spent the Sunday night writing the text, Photoshopping the picture and soliciting donations for the ad.

How did you pay for it?

At the bottom of the ad, I thanked the “Friends of the Hasit Blocking Situation Foundation,” which were basically a whole bunch of my friends who chipped in a few dollars.

You had upperclassmen vouching for you. How did you coerce them into saying good things about you?

They clearly knew something about me that apparently the freshmen class just didn’t see.

What kinds of responses did you get?

I got a few fan e-mails, including one from a girl who “admired my bravery,” but my favorite was when I was attacked in a Salient editorial. The author called me pathetic and crazy. I e-mailed him to have lunch so he could actually get to know me, but he never responded.

Did you consider blocking with any of them?

I had three people actually respond to the ad, and for a short while I considered blocking with all of them.

Who did you end up blocking with, and why?

I ended up blocking with Eric, who designed the ad, and the other five people in his blocking group. He and another blockmate convinced the rest of the group that either I was actually a good guy, or that I wouldn’t get in the way. Either way, it seems to have worked out.

How long did your fame last? Does anyone remember the ad?

Even in May, my friend’s roommates came to a play my friend and I were in and immediately demanded to meet “Blocking Guy.” I think the ad was even more popular at Columbia, though, because I saw a friend from there this weekend who still tells people about the ad.

Was it all worth it?

I made a lot of friends with people, had a lot of my prefect friends tell me how their groups were talking about me and was interviewed by The Crimson about blocking things three or four times. On the other hand, my friends were about $100 poorer, so maybe you should ask them if it was worth it.

It’s time for first-years to think about blocking. What advice would you give them?

Don’t take the whole thing too seriously. Your friends probably still like you, even if they won’t block with you.

A semester-and-a-half later, what do you think of your blockmates?

My blockmates are pretty cool people, and we have definitely gotten closer than we were before I was the random guy they didn’t want in their blocking group.

What’s your worst habit that your roommates have to deal with?

I listen to really cheesy ’80s music.

Describe your room decoration style.

I have a few posters hung up around my room, mostly music, but there’s also a big Robert Kennedy poster above my bed.

What are your thoughts on sexile?

We all have singles, so it hasn’t come up yet, but I guess that sexile is a much better alternative to being in the room with two people who are pretending you aren’t there.

You were put in Kirkland, arguably the jewel of the housing lottery. After all you went through, is this justice?

The guy who attacked me in the Salient also said the worst thing about blocking is the possibility of living in Mather. He lives in Mather now, so that’s justice enough for me.