Notice: This page has been substantially left alone from JEBHP 4. I'll get to it eventually.

Jason Elliot Benda

Height: 6-1
Weight: 158
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Hazel
Blood Type: A negative
Bats: Both
Throws: Right
Born: August 18, 1976 in Hinsdale, Illinois
Okay, so that's not a picture of me. It's a picture of someone significantly better looking, right wing John MacLean of the New Jersey Devils. MacLean scored the game-winning goal in overtime at Chicago Stadium on 03 April 1988 to give the Devils a 4-3 victory in the last game of the regular season and their first-ever playoff berth, where then-coach Jim Schoenfeld took the Devils to the Wales Conference Finals against the Boston Bruins. But I don't have a picture of me, so you'll have to just look at him. (If you really want to see a picture of me, my roommate has a few. Here is a link to the one where I have a Q-Tip in my ear.)
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So where is this Benda guy, anyway?

I used to live in Blaisdell hall, the northeasternmost of the Pennsylvania Avenue Residence Halls, more commonly known by the shortened name PAR. I liked it fine down there, even if it is not near anything but the smell of sheep manure on the south winds in the mornings. I once calculated the point equidistant from the PAR office and the offices of two other dorms, ISR and Six Pack. It turned out to be at the southwest corner of the Undergraduate Library, so PAR isn't necessarily farther away from everything than the other dorms. (Hey, we may be farther than CLOSE, but we're closer than FAR. (Bad joke referring to the 12-story dorms across the street.)) I spent two years in room 112, along with my roommate, Ben Brownback. Neither one of us will be back in the Residence Halls next year, though, as it is really too expensive.

If you are looking for me, depending on what day it is on the calendar, I should be near one of these two places: 

Home address (when not at UIUC):        UIUC address (Fall 1996 - undetermined):
958 North Sleight Street                508 East Clark Street #207
Naperville, Illinois  60563-2840        Champaign, Illinois  61820-4498
(630) 717-6334                          (217) 359-7758
Of course, you can always send me [9] mail, but I warn you that if I'm at home, it may be a while before I get it.
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It's time for....

I am an Animaniacs fan, as was my father before me, as was...well, okay, so in reality I was an Animaniacs fan before my father was, but he is a fan, too. He has more Animaniacs stuff than I do by a longshot: a scarf, pins, a shower curtain,... Anyway, here is the obligatory Animaniacs link. I do not guarantee that it works, but the URL is very long. And for those of you who want to ignore the sheer aesthetic beauty of Animaniacs, he is a link to CalTech's Pointers On Insignificant Technicalities with regard to the show, where they pick apart everything in sight with regards to the show. (I've even noticed some of the incongruities myself!)
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And in the third period....


I am also a New Jersey Devils fan, as I have been since the Devils took the Boston Bruins to seven games in the 1988 Wales Conference Finals. If you've read this page before, you know that. Here is what I had to say last year about the Devils:
The Devils carried the National Hockey League's second-best record in the 1993-1994 season under first-year head coach Jacques Lemaire, followed by a grueling playoff schedule which included a 1-0 loss in game six at Buffalo in second round before putting Chris Terreri in net at Boston Garden, then storming back to win in six, and pushing the President's Trophy winners, the New York Rangers, who had beaten New Jersey six straight in the regular season, to the very limits and beyond, in what has been called "one of the finest and most hair-raising series ever played". The Devils fought the mighty Rangers, battling through a double-overtime victory in Game One, a double-overtime loss at home in Game Three, and sending all of New York into a frenzy when Valeri Zelepukin scored the tying goal with seven seconds left in the third period of Game Seven, reducing the series to one last next-goal-wins overtime session before finally ending their season on a Stephane Matteau goal in the (you guessed it) second overtime of Game Seven, winning it for the host Rangers. The Rangers went on to win the Stanley Cup in seven over Vancouver.
In the 1995 season, New Jersey spoke for itself, surviving the 48-game lockout-shortened season at the fifth-seeded team in the Eastern Conference before Martin Brodeur, Claude Lemieux & Company went on a playoff run rivaling 1994's in sheer magnificence and surpassing it in victories. Brodeur shut out the #4 Boston Bruins in three of the five games as New Jersey slammed the door on Boston Garden forever, winning the last five National Hockey League playoff games played in that venerable arena. With the #8 Rangers knocking the Eastern Conference #1 seed Québec Nordiques out of the playoffs (and out of the country--the team moved to Colorado), the Devils set to play in the Igloo against the Penguins. New Jersey was the only team to fail to sweep their second-round series in the NHL, needing five games to set up the Eastern Conference final showdown against Atlantic Division Champion Philadelphia. Eric Lindros and the Legion of Doom line which had had their way with Mike Richter and the Rangers was stoned at home by Scott Stevens and the New Jersey Crash Line. The Flyers did win Game Three in OT, with #88 getting the winning goal for the Orange and Black. New Jersey took the series in six, winning only one game (Game Six) at Brendan Byrne Arena. The now-Prince of Wales trophy-winning Devils then went to the home of the Octopus, Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, to battle the heavily-favored President's Trophy-winning Red Wings for hockey's ultimate prize. Two games later, Joe Louis Arena lay in shock as the upstart Devils held a two-games-to-none lead in the Cup Finals. On Saturday night, 24 June 1995, it all ended: New Jersey 5, Detroit 2; New Jersey wins series 4-0. The mighty Devils only hosted nine games in their playoff run, winning a mere 6. A phenomenal league-record 10 road wins versus a lone loss at Pittsburgh carried New Jersey, along with the play of captain Scott Stevens on the opponents' stars, the phenomenal goal-scoring prowess of Conn Smythe trophy winner Claude Lemieux (who despite his six regular-season goals lit the lamp 13 times in the playoffs), the relentless banging of Mike Peluso, Bobby Holik, and Randy McKay on the Crash Line, and the coaching of second-year head coach Jacques Lemaire. Oh, and New Jersey had a decent goalie, too; the lowest-paid player in the NHL, Martin Brodeur backed up his rookie-of-the-year statistics of 1994 with a Stanley Cup. For a look at the Devils today, as well as a link to some other Devils-oriented sites, select here.

"The Devils' amazing playoff run has taken the term `teamwork' to a new level. Congratulations to the Devils, [owner] John McMullen, [general manager] Lou Lamoriello, [head coach] Jacques Lemaire, and the players. [Captain] Scott Stevens, this is for you."--National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman, presenting the Stanley Cup on 24 June 1995 after New Jersey's sweep of the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Finals

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So tell us a little about yourself....

Well, I am a lifelong resident of Lisle Township, DuPage County, Illinois. I lived in Downers Grove for ten years before moving to Naperville, where I attended Naperville North High School. Now I am a student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
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So you call yourself a student?

Well, sort of. At least I am now. Last semester I only had a five-hour load, so there was some question in my mind if I was really a student. Now I am back to a full load, and my GPA is up over 3.5000/5.0 scale, where it needs to be. I am in the Teaching of Mathematics curriculum in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, which is sometimes also known as the College of Arts and Crafts, the College of Lost and Searching, the College of LAS, or College 32. Of those, only College 32 and the College of LAS are official designations. The courses I am taking this semester are:In my previous terms as a student at UIUC, here is what I accomplished: 
Rubric #	Course Name				Credit	Semester  Grade
ATMOS 120	Severe and Unusual Weather		3 hours	Spng 1996    B
BIOL  100	Biological Sciences			3 hours	Spng 1996    D
CHEM  107	Accelerated Chemistry, I		3 hours	Fall 1994    A
CHEM  108	Accelerated Chemistry, II		3 hours Spng 1995    B
CHEM  109	Accelerated Chemistry Laboratory, I	1 hour 	Fall 1994    E
CHEM  110	Accelerated Chemistry Laboratory, II	2 hours Spng 1995    C
E P S 201	Foundations of American Education	3 hours Fall 1995    A
KINES 120	Injuries In Sport			2 hours	Fall 1995    C
MATH  198	Freshman Seminar			3 hours	Fall 1994    C
MATH  247	Fundamental Mathematics			3 hours Spng 1995    A
MATH  315	Linear Transformations and Matrices	3 hours	Spng 1995    C
MATH  341       Differential Equations			3 hours	Spng 1996    E
PHYCS 106	General Physics (Mechanics)		4 hours Fall 1994    B
PHYCS 107	Phycs (Heat, Electricity and Magnetism)	4 hours Spng 1995    D
PSYCH 100	Introduction to Psychology		4 hours	Fall 1994    C
SPCOM 101	Principles of Effective Public Speaking	3 hours	Spng 1996    C
In addition, I have transfer credit from Illinois Benedictine College in Lisle equivalent to the following course: 
MATH  242	Calculus of Several Variables		3 hours	Fall 1993    A
I also have credit for the following courses, either by examination or transfer: 
Rubric #        Course Name                             Credit  Date	Test
FR    103	Intermediate French, I			4 hours	02Apr94	UIUC
FR    104	Intermediate French, II			4 hours	02Apr94	UIUC
HIST  151	History of the United States to 1877	3 hours 10May93	 AP
HIST  152	History of the US, 1877 to the Present	3 hours 10May93  AP
MATH  120	Calculus and Analytic Geometry, I	5 hours	11May93  AP
MATH  130	Calculus and Analytic Geometry, II	3 hours 11May93  AP
RHET  105	Principles of Composition		4 hours 02Apr94 UIUC
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Hmm. A math jockey, devoid of the classics, eh?

On the contrary, I am not solely a manipulator of numeracy. (How many number-crunchers can put together a sentence like that?) I may not be as proficient as my friend the "feeble English major" out in New York, but I pride myself on my knowledge of the English language, as well as a substantial bit of the French language. I also took four years of Latin {lingua mortua} in high school, so I can fair better than the average-Bonnie-on-the-street in trying to comprehend the Aeneid or Commentarii De Bello Gallico in the originals. This language study has had the consequences of making me distrust anyone else's translation of a work (once you've seen the same sentence stated "And he was my only friend." and "And he was my only sheep," there is no going back), as well as littering my personal language with foreign expressions (causing many a poor listener to wallow in confusion). The course I am enjoying the most this semester, Atmospheric Sciences 120, has nothing (directly) to do with mathematics, and it satisfies no requirements for me; I'm taking it for fun, and I am getting what I came for. Additionally, I would like to pick up a little Greek, but I don't think I'd want to take a course in it. So that's it for book knowledge, I guess. One of the problems in my life is mathematicians have no social skills. (If you don't believe me, try hanging out in Altgeld Hall sometime.) I am fighting a losing battle to break that trend.
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Politics, Religion, and the Great Pumpkin.

Borrowing a line from Linus Van Pelt, these are not three of my strong points. I avoid getting into political discussions at most costs, as I have no desire to annoy anyone with my views, whatever they may be. Half the time, it seems I don't know myself where I stand on what, so it is beyond pointless to argue with anyone who is even remotely sure of herself. The large steamboat that is religion passed me by somewhere along the line. (I think I was in California--no, that was when I missed the pig roast.) I consider myself areligious, and I don't care. It's a fair evaluation in the eyes of most people who know me. I have never read any but about six pages of the Bible, which is unfortunate, as it forms a basis for much of Western literature as well as of the history of Western civilization. (This is why I was taking English 114.) Someday I'd also like to read the Koran, but I don't particularly feel like learning Arabic, and translations are always someone else's interpretation. All my foreign language education has taught me to trust translations only as far as I can throw the original. As for the Great Pumpkin...the Great Pumpkin is what you make of it. Great Pumpkins are sensitive issues that someone doesn't like being badgered about. (That's my interpretation of the Great Pumpkin; therefore to me, Linus's statement is more profound than it appears on the surface. Perhaps I give Linus more credit than he deserves, but I have always thought he was a good philosopher.)
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Hmm. We'll have to hear more about your Great Pumpkins later. So what else is plugging up your brain?

A lot of what I think about is outside my personal comfort level. Other stuff in my brain, stuff I usually don't think about but know anyway...malheureusement, in general I find that my brain is full of useless facts which fall into the category of "Information You Do Not Need". My next-door neighbor rivals me in knowledge of useless facts; however, I know more useful facts (or so he claims). Uh, let's see--I am a very competitive person. I learned that in 1992--my phys ed teacher told me. I don't think I would have beieved him had I not also known him as the head basketball coach; I knew he knew me fairly well, and I knew that he would not make such a statement unless he really meant it. What other garbage can I put in this section...oh, despite my areligiousness, I have a favorite deity from Greek mythology. She is Athena, the goddess of wisdom and handicrafts. I actually consider myself to be a lot like Athena--I seem to be fairly smart, I am something of a ruthless competitor who will do whatever I deem necessary to aid my or my team's cause in "battle", however, I am quick to aid other people when I feel I can. I am known for my restraint in dealing with others; rarely has anyone seen my fists fly in anger. (Don't push it, though; I socked my own math team captain once during an after-school practice. I don't know who was more shocked, Albert Hwang or me. I also struck my roommate in the face once. He reacted with shock, too, before he charged me to the other end of the room. It resulted in a long talk with our friendly neighborhood Resident Director about domestic relations. Ho hum.) It seems somewhat ironic that as much of an Athena fan as I am, I don't care for ripe olives. (I don't like mushrooms, either, or zucchini.)
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So what did you do before turning orange and blue in Urbana?

Well, my school colors have been orange and blue for my entire academic career, from 1980 to the present. Before coming to Urbana, though, I did accomplish a few things in high school, including not failing a class. I waited until college to do that. Naperville North proved to be a wonderful place for me. It is responsible for 26376, my student ID number there, which I have used then and since to refer to myself. At NNHS I was on the Math Team for four years; our team took second, fourth, and second at State before finally winning it all in 1994, defeating the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy 942-906. 1994 was the last year for NNHS Head Math Team Coach Robert W. Martin, Jr, as he was killed in a plane crash shortly after the Illinois-Penn State football game here (at Illinois) 12 November 1994. He lived long enough to see the Boys' Tennis team which he used to coach win their first State Championship for Naperville North in 1994, but did not see his Math Team win their first NSML League Championship or destroy New Trier's state record with 1009 points at State, both of which were accomplished in 1995. I never applied for admission to our nemesis IMSA, and this is something I am happy about. While at NNHS I was also on the 1994 State Champion JETS Team, as well as being a statistician for the Huskie boys basketball and girls softball teams, seeing athletic as well as academic successes that I never would have had at the Math/Science Academy, as well as just having a more well-rounded overall high school experience. Naperville North also fielded the 1992 IHSA Class 6A State Champion football team. IMSA, by contrast, does not have a football team. I have seen IMSA play basketball twice, once at Lemont and once vs. Geneva in Aurora. I have seen NNHS play basketball at least 65 times. The Huskies are more interesting. IMSA does have its own servers, though, and their finger gateway still turns up login info for some old alums (e.g., cookie, yale, noah, bgold, sswang7, raiden and eschafer, all of whom I have known at one time or another, through competition or else. Wow, I forgot how many IMSAnites I have known. This is getting scary).
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If you could relive any one month of your life, what month would you choose?

December 1994. (That was a really bizarre question.) And I'd rather not have to explain why.
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Any other plugs?

Plugs. Hmm. Well, another highlight from my current hometown of Naperville (other than the two mighty high schools, Naperville North and Naperville Central) is North Central College, which is to me a highlight chiefly because four of my relatives, including both my parents, graduated from there. NCC is in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, as is Elmhurst College, where I worked over the summers of 1995 and 1996 as a Student Night Custodian.
I use a TI-85 graphing calculator. I say that because it is a good excuse to link to Alan's gallery, where the graphics wizard has some cool stuff. If the link didn't work, then his computer is down (which is too bad). In my spare time I: All this occasionally leaves me not quite enough time to get where I have to go, so I take the bus. I also meander around campus a bit, stopping in Altgeld (Math Department HQ) and the Union and generally trying to avoid Chemannex.
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We know your name, we know your quest, so...what is your favorite color?

Orange. My school colors have been orange and blue for my entire life. I like a good bright scarlet or sunburst (a yellow from the Lands' End catalog), and I like my watermelon (Lands' End name again--it's pink) shirt and sweater. My favorite shirt, I think, is my scarlet-and-white short-sleeve Super-T. I also really like the dark purple shirt Mara gave me for my birthday; I guess it shows that I just like wearing solid colors or plain stripes, which is true. (Either that or I just really like Mara, which is also true.) I don't wear much black--black is depressing. I have also found that I really don't look good in black. I don't really know why. Sunburst is a happy color. Still, although I am generally partial to that end of the spectrum, my favorite color would have to be orange.
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So tell me, what exactly is the matter with you?

Hee. Hee hee. I really don't have time to give you a road map through my emotional states. (I don't think Rand McNally could do that, and they are the best map people in Skokie (or anywhere else).) Maybe if you could get a little more specific, I could better avoid your question. Anyway, I have other stuff to do right now, so I think this interview is over. Bye-bye now.
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