LIVEBLOG DAY 1: A Suite beginning (UPDATED: The Board is back)

Greetings from John Jay Lounge for the first day of Suite Selection. Seniors with lottery numbers from 1 to 1500 pick today. Two EC four-person townhouses have been blocked off! It's a brave new world. Aaaaaand, The Board is back. Check after the jump for final counts from Day One.

Counts after Day One. We're not 100 percent sure about Woodbridge High-Demands.

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4:50: Looks like Housing is closing shop; we're gonna work out a few of the figures and give you a full recap of what's gone, what's still available, and what to expect for tomorrow. That's all for now! Jasper signing off.

4:45: THE CANDY IS GONE.

4:43: There are a few 4-person options left in Claremont, but that's all. One of them just got picked, so there are probably four left.

4:39: The last of the 6-person RA Townhouses has just gone to 30/1455.

4:33: This is awkward.... one of the last 6-person EC RA Townhouses just got picked... and the RA is here to chat...

4:28: AWWW yes Jay-Z on the speakers. Meanwhile, we're on 30/1440, who just picked into one of those last EC RA townhouses. I don't think they know the RA and rider they'll be living with.

4:25: We have a caller asking about Claremont 4s; will they last until tomorrow? The collective opinion is: there should definitely be at least one available tomorrow, perhaps more.

4:24: EC 1616, an exclusion suite, was just taken by 30/1374. While they would've liked a suite with entirely singles, "at least we're with everyone we love." Awwwwww

4:18: Just a recap on the 4-person suite situation: there are two RA townhouses and five Claremonts. The Ruggles 4-person suites are gone! If you don't want the EC RA suites or Claremont, you're gonna have to choose Senior Regroup or drop into General Selection.

4:15: As far as the 2-person EC flats go, we're pretty sure there are 6 left. They should last through the day; we'll keep you posted!

4:13: A group of six, 30/1322, walks out of the cage proud, having just picked into a 6-person EC Townhouse. Congrats!

4:11: The first EC RA Townhouse, a 6-person suite, has been taken by 30/1303! The soon-to-be occupants do not yet know the RA who will be living there, which is always an interesting meeting.

4:08: We're at 30/1327. EC 1207 just got picked. That's one of the 2 person flats. They're pretty happy with it.

4:04: It's a bit slow right now, so I'll tell you MORE of the hilarious antics my roommate and I are planning for next year. Tell me this wouldn't be awesome: http://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/articles/Thats-Totally-Disco

3:57: 30/1271, a 4-person pack, dejectedly walks out, electing Senior Regroup.

3:51: Housing is a bit behind schedule by about 15 minutes. Since those EC 4-person suites were unexpectedly blocked off, a lot of the 4-person groups that walk into the cage are left with unfortunate options and end up taking a while to decide. As a group walks in, Housing tells them: "There's an RA suite left!" He is met with groans.

3:46: 30/1255 picked into Claremont; not happy about it. "Housing blocked off four 4-person suites for no reason..."

3:41: 30/1217 took an EC Exclusion suite on the 16th floor; they feel great! Who's getting the double, we ask? "All of us! We're all squeezing in."

3:39: A four person group, 30/1210, just picked into Ruggles! Unexpected, but justified: "the rooms are bigger, EC is farther from campus," etc. "Tell all the hotties to come visit!" I like these dudes; they exude magnificent swag. Speaking of which, Housing radio tuned to "Teach Me How to Dougie." If anyone can actually teach me, I'd love to learn soooo....

3:31: A 2-person group, 30/1206, just picked into a Woodbridge H-line. They're "very excited" for the round castle-looking thing, as I affectionately refer to it.

3:28: Yeah I just took the elevator to the John Jay 5 bathroom, what of it? #dgaf

3:24: Gonna go dark for a hot second... moral of the story: don't drink all of Housing's free soda.

3:21: We've got some dirty electronic music playing in the John Jay Lounge. Dirty in the best way.

3:20: Someone just asked the BWOG staff to blog about him; if they don't, HERE IS YOUR SHOUTOUT, GUY. Love, Spectrum.

3:17: 30/1167 is all business: "Hi, Upper Townhouse 305, all singles." They saw their goal and they got it.

3:14: Pi time!!!

3:13: Also, every all-single 5-person EC option is donezo. This means 5-person senior groups who want the Highrise life are gonna have to start drawing straws for the double in Exclusion Suites. Juniors, take note: you may expect to drop into General Selection if your lottery number isn't as strong.

3:10: For the 2-person group readers, know that the EC Flats are definitely still in the running. We have 10 left on the board and they are quite desirable living spaces. I almost picked into one myself, but the deal breaker was not having a dishwasher. Well, we're pretty sure there isn't a dishwasher, though even Housing couldn't give us a straight answer. Not that my room next year is gonna have a dishwasher anyway... wait a second...

3:07: So Nicki Minaj's "Starships" TOTALLY sounds like that Britney Spears song about the apocalypse.

3:03: 30/1177 just got a 16th Floor EC 5-person option. They wanted Hogan (which now COMPLETELY GONE save the 4-person RA suites), but they're still happy with EC.

3:00: Someone just threw on a pretty sick remix of Benny Benassi's "Cinema". Meanwhile, my source tells me there's ONE Hogan 4-person option left; if you're waiting on that one, keep your fingers crossed.

2:57: 30/1075 picked an all-singles EC Townhouse and are raise-the-roof happy.

2:55: Nooooo somebody put on Rack City...

2:55: Four Hogan 5-persons just flew off the board; can't say I blame them!

2:52: 30/1074 prepared a statement for us! Hogan 5E, group of four, to have the sitcom life they always dreamed of.

2:50: Correct answers would have been: "Soak Up the Sun" or "Ignition - Remix". An EC Highrise with double, 1606, just got picked. "We wanted the double, so it was no problem." Hey, if that works for you, fantastic!

2:47: "Call Me Maybe" just ended. How do you follow up a song like that?!?

2:45: Mind you, that was an exclamation of joy.

2:45: OH MY GOD "CALL ME MAYBE" JUST CAME ON THE SPEAKERS.

2:43: If any of our readers are in the vending machine business, hit me up with a quote. We want a model that exclusively dispenses bananas and GoGurt, so let me know if we can make that happen.

2:41: My roommate and I will probably get a vending machine installed in our room next year because they're a practical and inexpensive way to store our snacks.

2:37: 30/1049 got an EC six person Townhouse, all singles — just what they wanted! Been hearing a lot of happy campers this afternoon; let's hope things stay that way. Or, at least, that realistic expectations are met.

2:34: A bunch of guys stroll out of the cage all swagtastically. They got shafted the last two years, but not this time! "Hogan!" they tell me, beaming.

2:30: Hoots of excitement from the cage WHAT HAPPENED I WANNA KNOW

2:29: EC Townhouse 806 just went to 30/1040. Journey has been switched to some sort of rap. I don't recognize it, but I like it nonetheless.

2:27: I'm gonna tell the next person who asks us why we want their Housing results that it's for a Ponzi scheme. It's cool though, 'cuz you're getting the payout first.

2:24: If you find yourself in Watt next year and craving a round of minigolf, come by my soon-to-be-astroturfed common room. That's the plan, in any case.

2:22: 30/953 picked the 6th floor in Hogan, suggesting that the four-person options left in EC are few, if any. Other than that scoop it's been slow here.

2:18: There's a bit of a lull in the cage right now, so over the next few posts I'll tell you some of the things my roommate and I plan to do with our room next year. Our first plan involves 10,000 plastic balls (although that's actually much fewer than one would expect) and copious amounts of tequila.

2:15: The group about to step out of the cage picked the last EC all singles Highrise!! Keep this in mind for future pickings.

2:14: Whoever put the Housing iPod on Journey, I love you.

2:10: 30/939 snatches what we believe is the last of the Hogan B-lines. AND JOURNEY'S "LIGHTS" IS PLAYING. Oh the memories.

2:07: Aww yeah somebody just recognized me from the new video (obligatory plug). I promise it's half decent.

2:05: 30/872 got an EC Middle Townhouse with all singles facing Harlem! Just what they wanted! I love when that happens.

2:02: Apologies to my co-bloggers Eric and Grace who have to tolerate me singing along to "Wheel in the Sky".

2:00: Group of six, 30/830. These guys went all out! Statistics, analytics, and tons of strategy to figure out precisely which EC Townhouse they wanted. Sounds like everyone wanted in on this suite; they had tryouts by Hunger Games to decide their membership.

1:55: If someone could bring me a Coke from across the room I'd really appreciate it...

1:54: A bunch of people are crowded around Housing's whiteboards outside of the cage; looks like two or three groups will be picking into the EC Townhouses soon.

1:51: Well, it looks like that last Watt 2BR, Watt 1F, is gone after all. Mikey, I know you're reading this, so know that I sit corrected. 30/821 just moved into an EC Upper Townhouse. The group of six originally wanted a Highrise, but they've all been taken.

1:48: 30/819 was the last to walk out a few minutes ago after picking a 16th floor EC Flat. Also, whoever's on the housing speakers has a nice little 1970's thing going on — first Rush, now "Carry On My Wayward Son" (http://youtu.be/pw6_VXPwm6U).

1:45: So it looks like there's still one Watt 2BR left on the board! We thought it was taken right before lunch, but apparently that one snuck past us. For those of you following at home, it's Watt 1F: 250sqft common room, kitchen, bathroom, and two singles (98 and 104sqft). A pretty solid choice, even for the last 2BR left in the building!

1:42: 30/800 just picked into a Woodbridge H-Line. That's the one with the rounded common room; cool stuff.

1:39: Someone just BLASTED Biggie on the housing stereo. I approve. Meanwhile, a 6 person group just walked out quite content with their selection into an all singles EC Townhouse.

1:36: Speaking of winning the lottery, can I just say that I'm really bummed about not winning the MegaMillions last week? I mean really. I thought I had a shot.

1:34: 30/779 walks out of the cage; they grabbed an EC Flat as well. "We thought we'd get Watt or the UAH, but..." Hey, the EC Flats are still pretty great. As Mikey mentioned a few days ago, the 2 person groups won this year's lottery.

1:30: I think I hear Rush on the stereo... I can dig it.

1:28: I wanna give a quick shout out to Dave Roberts; you may know him as the man from the housing cage. He's been super helpful about assisting students in their decisions; he told me and my roommate earlier that the Watt 2BR is "better than anywhere you'll live in Manhattan — unless you work on Wall Street." Meanwhile, 30/765 just walked out, having picked into a 10th floor EC Flat. Expect those to move off the board much faster now that the Watt 2BRs are gone.

1:23: Ahh and apologies for not introducing myself: reporting live from the John Jay Lounge is Jasper L. Clyatt, I'll be taking care of you this afternoon. Please let me and my colleagues know if there's anything with which we can assist you to make your housing experience this year as lovely as possible.

1:21: Aaaaannd welcome back to Suite Selection Day 1; another group has entered the cage after the short lunch break. They're the first group of the afternoon, 6 person.

12:36: Totally avant music playing right now (after quite a bit of hiatus). Shazam doesn't know what it is, but we're checking with housing. I know you guys are all dying to figure it out. UPDATE: It's "Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box" by Radiohead. Swear I spelled that right. And with that, time for food, see you all later!

12:35: Four people pick Hogan 5B. That's it for the morning—check back with us in a few hours. We're going to go eat some pears.

12:32: A six-person group that just picked into EC townhouse 405 is "pretty fucking excited," one says. "We all got erections," says Stefan Countryman, SEAS '13 and Spec A&E associate. Cool guys!

12:30: No music, and very little activity the past half hour. Definitely almost time for a lunch break.

12:25: NO WATT 2-PERSON BEDROOMS LEFT. 1F has just been taken, as has six-person EC townhouse 605. "We're ecstatic," they claim.

12:22: coming out of the back room are two groups now: one three-person group who made a deal with the EC CA next year. The CA picked no rider, so they were able to get the rest of the rooms in that townhouse, H801. Another group of five has just emerged to pick into Hogan 5A.

12:17: An environmentally conscious group coming out now, including a handful of current Greenborough residents, and they've picked EC 1820. They're group 30/693.

12:15: EC 820 is the last five-person high rise available. Still a few five-person groups to pick before the lunch break.

12:14: Hogan 2C, a five-person, has been taken. Groups keep citing Hogan's location near Broadway (and EC's noise factor) in their selection of that building over EC.

12:09: Just six more groups to pick before lunch break at 12:30.

12:06: THE LAST SIX-PERSON HIGHRISE HAS BEEN TAKEN. EC 802 goes to Bob and Eli and their suitemates. Craziness!

11:59: Former Spectrum weekend editors and all-around funny people Bob Vulfov and Eli Grober are heading in with their six-person group right now, 30/671. They turned down our request to liveblog. :'( "I always think of Bob and Eli as one person. Like Morpheus. Transformers," opines Mikey.

11:55: This group must have perfect vision, because they just selected EC 2020! Sorry, that was lame. They will, at least, have a great view in this five-person highrise.

11:52: The Broadway-facing Hogan 4C, a five-person, has been selected by a jovial group of seniors with lottery number 30/616. We flew through the 30/5xx's, as there were only five of those groups.

11:49: Only one Watt two-bedroom left, with 2L gone! The first Claremont selection is also made, suite 54, a three-person, leaving just one of those left too!

11:47: Now, there's only one six-person highrise left: EC 802. EC 1002 was just picked into by 30/574.

11:45: The first EC exclusion suite was selected, 1604—even though there's still all-singles suites left. "We wanted a renovated floor," says one member.

11:41: Two groups select Woodbridge 7K (a high-demand line) and the EC flat 1403.

11:39: EC flat 2009 is also taken, but there's tons of those left.

11:38: After figuring out that nothing but Kanye has been playing for more than half an hour, Mikey sets out to "Fly" by Nicki Minaj. Solid. "I just picked the first artist I saw."

11:37: Three 5-person highrises left following the selection of EC 1220.

11:32: EC H406 taken by 30/463. Meanwhile, somebody tries to enter the backroom alone—not kosher! You need one of the red-shirted Housing folks to guide you in!

11:29: Another four-person townhouse, H201, comes off the board, from 30/448. ONLY ONE FOUR-PERSON TOWNHOUSE LEFT.

11:27: It's been a steady stream of Kanye since 11:10. That's a lot of Kanye.

11:23: ONLY TWO SIX-PERSON HIGHRISES LEFT, EC 802 and 1002. Looks like there's a six-person group in the backroom now—could one of those be their selection?

11:22: "We picked into McBain 822," says Clyatt and Saketh Kalathur, CC '13, totally seriously. Then they can't remember their actual room. We figured it out for them: Watt 3F, their second year in a row in that building. Yes! We can get more killer Watt photos from Clyatt next year for our housing tours.

11:19: Why doesn't Mikey like Kanye? "He's rude." BAM. Also, here's a link to this image for funsies.

11:18: Watt 5L, a two-person, now selected by 30/396, leaving us with five two-person bedrooms left there.

11:15: With the selection of Hogan 4D now, there's only 6 four-person suites left. That would make 30/939 the potential cutoff, assuming all the next four-person groups pick into Hogan, though there's always the townhouses available to them.

11:13: Want a musical refresher on how housing works? Clyatt and Max Bartick, both CC '13, dropped some beats in this video, simply called Hogan. Check it out here. ("Stronger" just came on. Mikey groans, "Ughhhhhhh nooooo not Kanye.")

11:11: Kanye just came on the speaker. Says Jasper L. Clyatt, who's about to walk in, "I'm DJing this, since we're about to go in. Are you judging me because I put Kanye on?" (After JLC leaves: Mikey sighs, "Ugh, I hate Kanye.")

11:10: 11:11 MAKE A WISH! This group did for Hogan 3D, and it came true already! A minute early!

11:09: Got any questions for us? Leave in the comments—we can check with housing if it's something that's not on our magical new real-time floorplans.

11:06: All two-bedrooms in Woodbridge gone. 7J has been selected. (There were only 2 to begin with, so don't feel too apocalyptic.)

11:05: A four-person townhouse, H1002, now taken. With some of those taken out of the lottery this morning, there's only 2 of them left.

11:03: HUGE UPDATE: There's Fireballs, twizzlers, and pears in the candy jar. Pears in the candy jar? Sounds like my new favorite band.

11:02: The stereotypical housing chaos hasn't begun yet—people are quite pleased with their choices. How these smiles will disappear as the week progresses…

10:59: 4-person suite Hogan 4D taken. "It's loud in EC on the weekends, and the townhouses have no view," says Megan Armstrong, SEAS '13. A six-person group taking EC 1802, a highrise, has also made the gleeful trip to the computer table.

10:57: Watt 3L, a two-person bedroom, is also selected, by 30/306. Very popular option, as expected.

10:55: The second townhouse of the day is taken, H1001. "Exactly what we wanted," they said. We love it when that happens!

10:53: They picked Woodbridge 7H to stay near friends who weren't as fortunate with their lottery numbers. How nice!

10:51: The two-person EC 1409 suite taken. Housing also tells us that the next group to come out has taken the first of the two 2-person Woodbridges, meaning there's only one of those left!

10:49: Junior class presidents Mary Byers, SEAS '13, and Ryan Mandelbaum, CC '13, emerging from the backroom now with their epic six-person suite. They'll be in EC 1202. "The single is 140 sqft and it's the largest single I've had by Columbia—at 102 sqft," says Byers. They jest they picked into the smallest Schapiro singles. What jokesters.

10:44: And Hogan continues to be the popular option, with the four-person suite 5D coming off the table. Their lottery number was 30/276.

10:41: We're a tad behind schedule here. The last group to exit the backroom had an appointment time of 10:24. But there's three groups picking now, so more results in a moment.

10:39: News editor Finn Vigeland taking over for Mikey now. Welcome, everyone, to the 10:35 shift, which won't exist next year thanks to the Registrar!

10:36: Two Hogan 5-persons taken. Hogan and EC flats have been more popular this year.

10:29: EC 1407 gone. Two xxx7's taken. eh.

10:24: EC 1607 taken by 30/161. Naturally, they're happy.

10:23: Watt 4F taken by 30/127. As expected, the Watt two-persons are flying.

10:20: Watt 6F gone. They wanted University Apartment Housing, but alas gone.

10:20: Housing has PEARS.

10:19: First 4-person group of the year picks into Hogan 6D. They came in looking for Hogan 6D and they got it. That's determination folks (coupled with a sacrificed lamb to the housing gods).

10:16: On why they picked Hogan over EC: "This is the penthouse!"

10:15: OMG BIGGEST BREAKING NEWS IN NEWSPAPER HISTORY. The lone Hogan 6-person is GONE GONE GONE GONE.

10:11: 1602 highrise taken. I think that makes four 6-person highrises left?

10:04: Good music and stuff being played. Lots of techno crap.

10:03: First townhouse taken of the year by 30/46. They'll be in H705, a six-person. That's much better than my scrappy tarp last year. That was the ex-tent of my housing. BOOM! Housing Pun #2.

10:01 In terms of the 4-persons, the new Hogan/EC guarantee is 30/1205. Tough.

10:01 1620 EC picked into. Modest note.

9:55: Another grouped picked into Watt 6L.

9:54: Some lucky River people last year are here with the lotto number 30/40, and picked into a Hogan 5-person.

9:53: Pardon my manners. I'm Mikey blogging here accompanied by Housing God Eric Feder and Spectrum Editor Stephen Snowder.

9:51: Group 30/30 (I'd pick this over 30/29 any day) picks into Watt 4L. First two-bedroom taken of the year.

9:47: Quote from the very first group that picked into EC Flat on their good fortune: "Given my crappy lottery number the last three years it's kind of surprising." One of them forgot to register last year and got 3000. Big reversal. Miracles happen! In unrelated news, if you look at the whiteboard, you'll see that a 20th floor 6-person highrise is GONE (like an invisibility cloak) and a 5-person highrise from the 10th.

9:46:Another flat picked into. That makes three. These are going fast. No two-bedrooms have been picked yet.

9:45: 30/24 picks into EC 1609, another flat.

9:43: The very first group picks into an EC Flat, 2003. And we're officially underway!

9:42: Again, just to reiterate. Two 4-person EC townhouse have been blocked off, along with a Claremont 3 and a Woodbridge two-bedroom.

9:41: Candy in the jar includes airheads, kisses, Hershey Kisses, Junior Mints, Bazooka gum, Sweeties, Cow Tails, and Swedish Fish (and more). Housing went all out! Kudos.

9:36: 30/19 is dropping down to general in hopes of a Watt Studio Single. That is a two-person group.

9:33: HUGE: two 4-person townhouses have been blocked off, which will make the fates of 4-person groups even more perilous. Fuck, that's me!

9:32: Here's housing pun #1: "why didn't the residents pick into EC?" "Because they wanted the no BELL prize." har har, har har.

9:30: The physical setup of John Jay Lounge is exactly the same as last year.

9:30: A few townhouses have been blocked off and Woodbridge 7I, a two-person bedroom has also been blocked off along with a Claremont 3. Those are the most notable casualties so far. THE FIRST GROUP HAS JUST ENTERED THE CAGE!

9:19: A few rooms have already been blocked off! Updates to follow.

John Jay Lounge in advance of the deluge. Michael Zhong / Spec

Candy! Michael Zhong / Spec