Winter's Peak

4:16pm: Middlebury - ich bin hier, bist du???
Hello! This'll almost certainly be my last English update - I am at Middlebury Summer German Language School (which words I routinely mix around the order of and yet retain meaning), and beginning sometime tomorrow, I am to do my best to come into contact with no language other than German. I may post updates, but they will be total auf Deutsch, and most likely in the form of notes on my German Facebook. Yeah, that's the internet for you. But I thought I'd write something in English before I lose the chance, say everything's going fine, and so on. In no way do I take this program to spite or avoid any one of you, naturally.
I got into Middlebury and my room around 11am or so yesterday (EST), although my roommate has just shown up in the last hour, a day earlier than I was previously given to expect. His name is Justin Lo, he is from New Jersey, and will just be starting German - I find it an odd pairing, and one that doesn't seem too common amongst other students, but perhaps it is some sort of function of my being accepted so late. First Reed, now here, some sort of definite pattern. Er liest jetzt mein ,,Deutsch Heute" Buch, das auch sein Lehrbuch ist. Anyway, there are no pictures at present, but it's a very big room, lots of electricity, and my phone doesn't really seem to work so I will rely on the cell-phone for communication - obvious caveat, even though hardly anyone ever calls me for any reason, don't call unless you speak German, and don't write if you expect an answer before the program ends. Happy birthday in advance to Trevor, Celia, Lauren R, Brian L, Justine, Anne, and Joseph - the rest of you speak German and may be so wished on time. :)
Ahh, I am excited! And terrified! Monica Z and Zoe K and I are all here from Reed, on the same floor, in the same level, exciting, great to see Monica again and actually meet Zoe. *shrug* Today we had our placement tests, beginning at 8 AM and culminating (post-lunch) in a nerve-wracking 15-minute oral exam that of course goes better the calmer you are. Not sure of Zoe's details, Monica and I got told we were on the border between 1.5 and 2 and could choose to an extent; we both opted for 1.5 for the present as it seems a more sensible transition and counts as 2nd year anywhere else anyway. And tomorrow we get to speak exclusively in German, which point I've made before but bears keeping in mind, 'specially for me. !!!!!!!!
Was sonst? My cousin is adorable, our respective stuffed animals had discussions in the car on the way to my grandparents' ski cabin before getting here - I tactfully did not go into any detail on Jazz's background, it's a childreny game but perhaps still stretching it a bit. Thankfully there is no gun involved. The food here is good, all-you-can-eat style, and the bathrooms are divided by sex and consequently have atrocious shower support, or at least the men's (boys'?) do.
I... may edit this later in the evening if I think of anything else that is pertinent, but as it is, bis spater, I hope you all have an excellent seven weeks whatever you yourselves are doing, be you in India, Guatemala, Argentina, exploring Oregon, moving to New York forever, at home, or in a world of your own creation. :)

1:35am: athena > heraclitus, and not forgetting to write
And then while I'm away
I'll write home every day
And I'll send all my loving to you

( This turned out to be really long. )


In other news:
= Reed sent me a Commendation for Excellence for academic performance during 2007-2008, and that's about all I know about it and what it means but if I'm lucky there might be money attached somehow? Either way, I am quite glad to receive it, though how do you ask other people if they've received the same without risking very awkward moments? Even with people whose intellect and academics you vastly admire, and for whom you would think it a rather safe bet, except who knows how Reed thinks?
= Secondly, a cast of characters really is imminent at this point, if only to prove that I really do love these people to whom I apparently suck so badly at talking when there's no possibility of seeing them in person… :(
= Thirdly, pictures of my Bar Mitzvah-prompted suit WERE taken, but I forgot to bring the camera-to-computer linkup cord with me to Connecticut, so the photos should be uploaded approximately concurrently with the posting of this update, rather than when they were actually taken. :|
= Honestly, I'm NOT this moody in person, particularly not during this break, I'm quite cheerful and enjoy pretty much everything in life other than my own nagging shortcomings.
= I just got back into the west coast and am pretty tired, so I have no detailed reactions or analysis, but California needs to be LESS ON FIRE, okay?

11:15pm: FYI: summer plan

The Rest of the Summer:

June 3rd to June 5th: Santa Cruz
June 6th to June 11th: Connecticut
June 12th to June 25th: Santa Cruz
June 26th to August 15th: Vermont
August 16th to August 28th: Santa Cruz

Some dates possibly +1. But just to let you know, the first of my three two-week blocks is almost over, and I've definitely had a blast. Seen lots of people - not yet Barak, Rhiannon, Haley, or several other people, which should someday be remedied, though Barak certainly has a good excuse - and had some good times, most of which have already been briefly summarized for Reedie questioners and upon which I don't really feel like elaborating further right now. Recent days alone featured a brief comoodle with Nicola, the annual celebrilicious Follywood festival, a brief downtown exploration with Adja, a long visit from Julia, and the possible reclamation of California from the Spaniards under King Henry IV. Times are good.
(For those not clear on what that giant Vermont block refers to: hyper-intensive learn-a-year-in-seven-week German program, cats and kittens!)

4:43pm: What if that assumption were wrong?

8:19pm: we had some good times eh?

A technique variably employed by the historian Livy and emperor Augustus is that of the Memory Palace: using a landscape, real or imagined, to better remember a series of otherwise complex and perhaps not immediately obviously-interrelated concepts. For instance, a trained memorizer could begin (to think of) walking down their garden path, having previously associated each stone and plant along the way with some important concept. The familiar images of the garden path would then associate itself automatically with the desired memories. Even easier, and perhaps automatic, is to simply associate familiar locations with events that literally took place at those locations, as I found myself doing today, outside of the dorm I no longer live in, with the barren empty room, waiting for the taxi to arrive and begin my journey back to California:

( A very long palace. )

11:38pm: because I just put most all my CDs into my computer...
...and thus I can use the ( shuffle function! )

12:33am: Renn Fayre Memories
Home soonish. Sleep sooner. But Renn Fayre? Wasn't bad; not anywhere near as exciting as advertised, of course, but it had its moments. Somewhat worried for the other private parties in America if Renn Fayre's one of the top five. Oh well. Not using first-personal singular nominative pronoun, some sentences may be confusing.

Friday: Went to Last Hum Lecture, last Hum conference, and Last Chem "Lecture." Stuff exploded, Metropolis is a very cool-looking movie, not in that order. Mostly skipped lunch to give self time to put on first costume of the weekend (pink shorts, purple baseball cap, skimpy white and orange jacket) and prepare Fliegender Zirkus presentation for German. Walked post-German back to Mac with Monica, then was enlisted by Emily and Jonah to help paint Lillian's body up something pretty. Got done just in time for Thesis Parade, had trouble finding anyone who stayed put besides Gavin and Kay, people kept disappearing into the crowd. Way too much champagne getting tossed around. Lillian asked in Vollum how many people had been made out with, replied that no one was remotely interested, so kissed her for a few seconds before agreeing that she tasted like licorice. Had forgotten that whole tongue thing, still don't think they taste too good. Licorice better. Wandered around alternatingly exploring new features of campus and hanging out with people sitting around on front lawn relaxing. Decided that best possible use of Thesis Parade would be to make out with Renée, picked her up, chickened out and had abstract(?) discussion of studying and meteorology. Was disappointed by skeeviness of white lounge. Explored with Kay for a while at some point. Called Christina K to ask where people were, went and joined her in writing things in math lounge, was unable to bring her coffee to my dismay. Was found by Laurel in SU post-Christina-sleeping, wandered about and bonded for a bit. Went to bed.

Saturday: Donned caveman tunic and nothing else as costume, thinking that hey, girls wear miniskirts. Went and stood in line for unitarian universalist pancakes, observed Kaylee in time machine (which apparently later burnt down, whoops), went back to bed until just before Feast. Put on pants in case of fun on Awesome Inflatables or in balloon room. Showed up 10 minutes early for Feast, unhappily stood in line for 90 minutes as it got progressively colder and wetter and lonelier, got food just as the sun came out. Watched Jeopardy between seniors and freshman and faculty, was satisfyingly entertained. Found Sarah in Quad, peacefully explored Renn Fayre (mostly the balloon room) with her for a while until she retreated to her room. Watched movie "Starslyderz," very strange, mixed thoughts. How is one to be "above" the influence of THC? Was directed post-movie by Peter and Andrew to north fields where Renée and Matt and Matt's Chris and Monica F were being happy and spinning. Picked up Renée again, spun her around and didn't throw her at anyone. Eventually joined by other people, had very fun and peaceful time on tarp, watched incredible fireworks show, followed by mediocre Glo Opera, followed by good fire dancing. Failed to interest Gavin and Kay in Scholz 1. Stayed up until 4 AM playing video games with Jonah after everyone else dissipated, then took well-deserved rest.

Sunday: Woke up, donned new blue/green/purple dress, over shorts because had no pockets yesterday which was inconvenient. Love that dress. Went to lunch, used girl named Natasha's card to buy 36 fruit bars, distributed them over course of day through 'til about 4:30 maybe? Went with Sarah and (mysteriously disappearing) Gavin and Kay to watch Human Chess, was called up to be a Queen and suffered very pitiful defeat. Joined friends in audience, watched as chess ended and lube wrestling began. Rooted for Lillian. Seem to be getting less startled by nudity, good thing or not? Attempted to escape but watched swordsmanship with Erin instead, then came upon Kaylee and Natasha and Andrew and other people over on some lawn or other. Gave away last fruit bar. Went along to post-softball ribs distribution, got carrot cake and pumpkin pie. Took advantage of Kaylee's altered state of consciousness to play with her hair and give her long and gentle back massage. People are so soft and nice to hold. Ate dinner, enjoyed March 4th, danced with Matt and Matt's Chris, wished Haley H a happy birthday. Was not impressed by follow-up act Girl Talk, wandered campus with Gavin and Kay for three hours awkwardly and absurdly, searching for comedy. Checked out Foster 3 and was amused. Enlisted by Jonah and Emily as useless pack animal to get Emily onto the night bus, then pushed Jonah around in a wheelchair for a while with bagels and pinwheels. Called him Mars Tom. Came upon Kaylee as she was going to bed, let her be den mother to us both. Apologized for back massage. Went back homeward with Jonah and Moriah, stared at Dead or Alive 3 for a bit, went to bed with no one. Renn Fayre over.

7:39am: A Brief Summary of my Formal History at Reed College

• Auditioned for Fall Theatre Production Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead - rejected by head of theatre department.
  
• Auditioned for then-only Reed improv troupe Fellatio Rodriguez, hoping to rejuvenate one of my main sources of identity - rejected by existing members of troupe.
  
• Auditioned for loose, student-run production of HumPlay 2kgr8, making fun of the Hum110 course - rejected by directors.
  
• Applied for position of Dorm Host for next year, hoping to show off to prospective students this college that I would recommend to them - rejected by admissions office.
  
• Ran for editor/s of the student body newspaper with two friends, various plans, and an enthusiastic campaign - rejected by student body of Reed College as a whole.

"It's easy to get involved on campus at a small college..."

11:31pm: Pente Awry
I never had you pegged as playing Mastermind
and in Soltaire you have five remaining.
That is the destitution of the English language:
though her basis rests in German, you are an ugly assortment,
full of the Aeschylean Chorus and with no such rationale.
The pegs continue: full of trouble, headache, sorry aggravation;
I ache to embrace you but your hole is far too round and open.
Where does innuendo enter into you? The spinner does its trick and you become expletive,
right hand, red.
left foot, red.
eyes, red.
When did this become about parties? We began with a simple fascination with the protomeeple, and see where that has taken us. Our persons are disintegrating and the languages are battling for supremacy,
but Kaileigh says the first result on google is artistic.
Is coherence a metaphor? The question is raised.
Each line tumbles into associations,
but if you have two pegs together you can form a barricade,
and movement would be no longer possible,
were the colors not so different.
From India, I move on to China, crying out
"fill my triangle, peg me as multipegmented."
I make up words as your cheek is modified by a teal blush I never desired:
meanwhile my own talons have made their way into the world,
(I) knowing not where they go.

4:27am: memes and college precipitate insolubly
Grab the nearest book, open to page 123, find the fifth sentence. Then post the next three sentences.

Solutes that are water-soluble can be classified as either electrolytes or nonelectrolytes. Electrolytes are substances whose aqueous solutions conduct electric current. Strong electrolytes are substances that conduct electricity well in dilute aqueous solution.

5:21pm: Warte! Ich... funktioniere... noch!
I have been waiting to use that title for so long, you have no idea.
Anyway! Remember me? I used to use this "livejournal" thing a couple months ago, like, right up until Spring classes started, and then totally vanished from the face of the LJ except for a silly little love poem to a girl whose name I did not then know (although have since learned through adroit detective work!). hells_blackfire thinks (read: doesn't) that I should go knock on her door and say that hello, she doesn't know me, but I've been watching her for a long time, and... and I am less sure about that idea. But that's getting beside the point! I have determined that through cunning use of prepositions and arrow keys (or DIRECTIONS I suppose you could call them), one's life may be more or less summarized! I offer this journal organizational technique to the world for free although I wouldst not mind credit, and I also accept potential revisions. It's probably built more for pithy one-liners, encouraging people to update frequently rather than every other month. :) So! The HTML and CSS here are absolutely terrible but I don't feel like figuring out a better way right now, my apologies in advance.

I am...( a lot of things beneath the cut. )

9:26pm: Libastian to Jupiter%
You are my love of furtive distances, of two chairs,
of glances tempered by expectation and demand.
You are my love whispered to Bekannte and Bacchantae,
unable not to, and to, accept you at face value.
You are my love when the lights turn out, when somnambulism threatens,
when you say "vegan" like it's not a curse.
You are my love when I see kelp in you, or else seaweed,
and forget to wonder why it is always the sea.
You are my love in the supermarket, or in America,
when passion threatens,
when reality falters,
when cynicism defaults,
when past history inducts,
when folktales manifest,
when like the song,
non-expletively,
it just,
might,
work?

4:49pm: so I will ask you once again
Bleggh. I managed to remain healthy through days of staying in the same house as sick parents, several days of general college life with who knows what germs randomly floating around, and even talking to a sick dormie. But two lousy hours in the student union last night and here I am sniffling and sorely throated with the best of them, canceling all appointments besides Dr. Demento. I could do some advance reading, look at some financial aid thing or other, or I could write stuff on livejournal... hmmmmm, I wonder which I ended up choosing.

So! In case it is not stupendously self-apparent, I'm back at Reed again. Break culminated in a small party and a smaller movie-watching excursion downtown, both of which may or may not someday be better covered should I ever getting around to writing an entry on the break as a whole. Anyway, the trip back went very smoothly - the worst part by far was carrying my suitcase from the bus stop to the dorm, and an ex-music professor gave me a ride part of the way anyway - and aside from the initial gloominess caused by my window being locked and everything unplugged for the break, things are back to normal in my room and the transition from SC-Reed felt very natural. Admittedly airplanes are one of the less natural things in the world, unless you're Elowyn, but let's just pretend that makes sense anyway. This is/has been the week before classes start, so it's been interesting seeing everyone getting back at different times, except for them silly reactor folks, who'd all been here a whole week by the time I got back, which admittedly made them easier to find. Katya is back from outer space!; Camille was discovered in various directions through hugs and dance parties; Gavin sprouted out of the ground to join a sparkling procession; Monica is seemingly everywhere I go and was therefore not difficult to find; and so on and on. At this point I suspect very few people aren't here yet. It occurs to me that this would be an excellent time to write up some sort of cast of characters, but I am presently awaiting the results of four words which any white-blooded American young male doubtless dreads - "we need to talk" - so any sort of casting must wait at least until there is no such potential flux.

The week before classes start is known as Paideia, the "the process of educating man into his true form, the real and genuine human nature," and is basically Reed trying even harder to feel like NBTSC than it did at the start of last semester. Not only are all the living-away-from-home and teenagers-and-early-20's-folks-are-everywhere aspects present, but there are now workshops as well, with students; teachers; and even alumni teaching all sorts of stuff, including of course the infamous Underwater Basket Weaving. So far I have experienced in some form or other: Lockpicking, Henna, the Reed Library Archive, Dear John Letters, LaTeX, improv, "Writing Relationships," the Rise & Fall of LEGO, an Alice in Wonderland Tea Party, Library School, Quenya, Interactive Fiction games, a bizarre play reading, and 2/4 Dr. Demento lectures (the other two being tonight and tomorrow). Some were definitely more interesting, useful, or accessible than others, and I have unfortunately managed to miss every single Pilates session due to conflicting schedules or being sick, but I definitely hope to work on Quenya a little more, maybe make a program to drill myself at it... I won't go into detail on all of these right here, though I'd be happy to explain any of them should anyone choose to ask in conversation, but the tea party featured musical chairs and the art of smashing clocks into smithereens using long blunt objects. :D They offered dresses for the sorry folks who didn't come precostumed, but they were all too small for me.

Should anyone in Santa Cruz be asked how I am doing, or should they just want something reassuring to think should I ever come to mind: when not sick, I am doing fine, enjoying spending time with friends and looking forward to doing so even more once schedules are more stabilized. I have not forgotten you, but neither does your absence prey upon my mind and impair my functionality. I'm on a beautiful campus filled with beautiful people. And it's cold outside.

12:39am: To the tune of "The Yellow Rose of Texas"
The Holiday Satsumas
( Or to the tune of anything else using ballad meter, really... )

10:23am: Dear Internet Sites That I Visit:
Please stop linking me to Lasagna Cat.

ETA: I could do without this as well:

1:21pm: Cheese and Onions/Blitzmas
By and large, I'm not the biggest fan of Christmas. Some early Christians were afraid of the appeal of paganism, so they turned to their biggest Mary Sue, Jesus, just like Osiris only more up-to-date and hip, and decided that his birthday was somehow magically now in the Winter, and then later on some other myths got merged into it, and Coca Cola came along and commercialized the whole thing, and now we have a giant fat guy in red and white flying around the world at supersonic speeds giving presents to the children who conform to some arbitrary moral standard. I have trouble sympathizing with the worry of parents and educators across the nation that fewer and fewer schools are putting on traditional annual "nativity" plays, or the worry of the UK that it may someday no longer be definable as a nation united by Christian knowledge, belief, and practices. I stifle irritation when Christmas imagery is forced upon unwilling passersby, every person on the planet is automatically assumed to be Christian, or when radios devote several orders of magnitude more time to Christmas-related music than to that of other holidays or even religions. I do not understand why people can say that a holiday called Christmas, DAY OF CHRIST, can possibly be areligious. It probably doesn't help that I'm a Jewish atheist.
But...
Maybe, just maybe, the reason people try to institute such things as "holiday trees" and secularization, "Yule" and other such claptrap, is what we'd really rather like it to be areligious? Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing to celebrate, if celebrating it didn't necessitate believing in the whole holy trinity shebang? If you go past all the tired old music and Coca Cola imagery, violations of separation of church and state, and tumultuous stores, there's something incredibly solid deep down at the heart of it all. No, of course the modern Christian Church and the supposed lectures of the supposed Jesus have nothing to do with each other, but sweeping both of them out of the picture, what's so wrong about the message of peace on earth to all, and goodwill to [humanity]? Nothing at all. And to be fair, Christmas lights have a certain inherent awesomeness, even if they end up being used in crazy mythic ways.
We all get our idea of what things mean from different places. To me, that heartfelt little seed in the middle of the Christmas bloat is just one part, albeit a loving and interpersonal part, of the entire winter season. Living in Santa Cruz, winter meant in reality nothing more than short days and rain, but there was always a way of seeing what winter and Christmas were supposed to mean, which was of course Calvin and Hobbes. Winter is when the snow falls. The world is made over in a new image, everything bad is replaced by a constant fall of pure wet stardust that is the building material for any of a trillion possible new worlds and ideas. And when things get cold, inside the house are hot drinks, cookies, a fire, and everything that is warm and caring and familiar. (I am morally opposed to fires these days, of course, but they still carry that emotional value.) That winter world, of course, always hit its peak on December 25th, the day of coming together with the people you loved most in the entire world and, if only for one day, sharing with them all the beauty you could possibly find anywhere.
This is not a particularly original message. But it's one I feel I should make. I'll play songs making fun of all this Blitzmas, I'll rebel against the shoving of some random religion on nonbelievers, I'll grumble if you wish me a Merry Christmas, because you can't have change without people expressing dissatisfaction with the established order. But on the inside? I understand the sentiment. I know you mean to be kind. And that much, uncoated by Santa hats and Bethlehem, I do return to you.

Here's what winter means to me. Maybe you're like me and grew up in Santa Cruz and don't trust that weird white stuff some people get. Maybe you're some jaded hipster in FSM, unwilling to call something snow unless you can't see Anna Mann anymore. Maybe snow covers your streets, makes driving impossible, and is all dirty and dandruffy. Whatever. It's something secular and magical, and if I could somehow get you to see that, I think we'd both be a fair bit happier this holiday season.
( C&H scan by reneilssance-42 )

6:07pm: elowyn uses swear words to be cultural
Min( Alterable Value B( "Canopy" ) - 16.0, Max( 16, Round( ( Alterable Value B( "Canopy" ) - 32.0 ) * ( ( short( "Binary Layer Size", 3 + ( Active Layer * 7 ) ) * 32.0 ) / ( Alterable Value A( "Canopy" ) / 2 - 8 ) ) ) ) )
fuck you scrollbars
seriously
you are my least favorite thing and you are even worse than tree controls

12:40am: How to make friends
( Pleasure, utility, virtue, trust, sharing, and sex. )


...okay, that covered a few other things in the initial conception, like there was a lot more on WHY we have friendships, some proof or other about learning, but apparently that died. :( oh well. Tomorrow I may actually escape from my bubble.

12:52am: Home is where Balor is
I'm home. Interesting. It doesn't feel very strange, but then, I've gotten pretty good at changes in situation that involve only temporary displacement. :) Looking forward to seeing Reedies again, but also looking forward to seeing Santa Cruzians again, and just generally doing things that aren't called schoolwork.

1:45pm: daaaaaaaaaaaay-planner (heute = today)
Monday 10th:
HEUTE: 2 PM in Chem 301, Chem Review Session
HEUTE: Last Monday Lane Day. Get Josh's sig on timesheet before leaving.

Tuesday 11th:
HEUTE: Turn final work timesheet into student payroll sometime.
Hum110: Study!
HEUTE: Hum110 Final 1-5 PM in VLH
HEUTE: 7-9 PM final 3 Days Later show…

Wednesday 12th:
Chem: Study!
HEUTE: Chem Final 1-4 PM VLH
HEUTE: Bookstore Sale 9 AM – 8 PM
HEUTE: Snuggle with Christina in Thesis Tower around 6

Friday 14th:
Misc: Get secret santa presents to people somehow sometime.
HEUTE: Leave for home; go to Eliot Circle at 12:40 PM for free airport shuttle, more details in e-mail.


Things are getting sparse. :) No more specific assignments, just a peck of studying, a few more days, and I'm out of here. But first I apparently have a Chem thing to get to...

12:07pm: IT IS SNOWING
That is all.

2:32pm: "Reed," or "one little bit of procrastination before homework."
Is there anybody going to listen to my story,
all about the school at which I stay?
It's the kind of school you work so much it makes you weary;
still, you don't regret a single day.
Ah, Reed! Reed!

There've been too many times I've finally rushed a paper;
writing half of it the night before
though I say next time I'll get it right, that's naught but vapor
no matter what I do, there's always more
Ah, Reed! Reed!

It's the kind of school that gives you work
and every day there's something due. Didididi..
Still it's worth it in the end, in the same stew as all your friends
a stew, ooh, ooh, ooh. Reed! Reed!

Yes, it's cold most every day now that it's dark November,
and mononucleosis makes its rounds,
still you'll miss all of the smart folks here come mid-December,
you'll miss Reed, e'en as funny as that sounds.
Ah, Reed! Reed! Reed!

Ah, Reed! Reed! Reed!

11:47pm: Music Recommendations
I understand there are a billion fields scattered about the internet for "what are you listening to," "what are your favorite bands," etc., but I wanted to pick out a few individual songs and express my high opinions for them... my music interests are basically classified as "would like to be more diverse," so I have no way of predicting whether you'll approve of the genres or whathaveyou. Enjoy! Next time we'll probably look at words I enjoy.

Ballad of River Heights, by Deirdre Flint (found by searching for author of song heard at NBTSC)
( Summer mornings I'd awaken, read straight through those balmy nights... )

I Like Giants, by Kimmy Dawson (used by Britt as profile song on Myspace)
( i like to pull off to the side of the road and run and jump into the ocean in my clothes )

Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter, by Herman's Hermits (same author as "I'm Henry VIII I Am," used for a Follywood video)
( Girls as sharp as her are somethin' rare )

99 Luftbalons, by Nena (played in German class some weeks back)
( Jeder war ein großer Krieger, hielten sich für Captain Kirk )

Paint by Numbers (Song for Frances), by Romanovsky and Phillips (on a CD)
( They dared to be different and did it their own way )

Do I like other songs? Of course! But that's all (or more than) I have time for today. Hopefully one or more of those will sound interesting and be ultimately enjoyable to you!

12:35am: "What DO you like?"
The entry title comes from a question I was recently asked, in reference to the fact that I don't like hot drinks and some other stuff I forget. I have just now decided on two broad classifications of things I like, in terms of food and drink:
1. Fruits and berries. There are of course exceptions - I'm really not fond of açaí berries, pineapples should rarely be cooked, and while I think mango makes a great flavoring for most things, I won't eat mangos by themselves - but for the most part I approve of fruits and berries either by themselves or incorporated into other foods. Smoothies, Odwalla, fruity/berryy ice cream and milkshakes, flavored sodas, cakes and pies and tarts, pure fruit bars, boxes of berries, apple slices, fruit salads, cereal with blueberries, whatever. This isn't always the most useful category for dinner, though there was great apple pie and some niice fruit "salad" (really just fruit and fruit juice) at Thanksgiving, but the rest of the time it's quite functional. Vegetables are harder to predict so I left them out of the category.
2. Stuff with grains. The staff of life ("and in your other hand?" "a loaf of bread, father!") is truly essential. Loaves, fishes, tortillas, bagels, donuts, tea bread, pancakes, waffles, rolls, pastries, whatever would be the best broad term for such stuff. And then of course if you combine the two categories you get banana bread, or banana pancakes, both of which are absolutely divine substances no joke.
That should not be considered a complete list by any means. It fails to cover some important pillars of my diet, and is perhaps more for snack foods than for outright dinner, but just those two should be more than enough to get me quite happy indeed. Coffee, tea, mint, chai, peppers and other spices, blood, potatoes, meat... not so much, no. Cheese? Maybe. Cheese is pretty good... and mmm raisins... okay, I could go on, but perhaps it's not necessary. :P this was a horribly self-indulgent journal.

11:08pm: Just an objective update, with seasonal themes.
Fall
Last I really updated was Sunday morning, and since then I have had (and continue to have) a very busy and enjoyable time - busy because there was so much to do, and enjoyable because it was so busy. There's no way I'm going to try to remember or describe everything that's gone on in the last few days, but everything in the Winter and Spring sections has been figured out in the last few days, I've replied to numerous emails of various importance (including going over a few of Nicola's college application essays before she has to send them in tomorrow), had a paper conference ("lots of good stuff, now let's see you add an argument"), auditioned for the local improv troupe and tore a hole in my hand by tripping for the "slapstick" theme, had a severely hectic day at Lane, attended a freewrite session (results posted to myspace for lack of better things to do with them), went to classes, and so on, and so on. Good stuff! Unfortunately lots of (two?) people seem to be feeling sick and tired these days so perhaps there is some sort of epidemic? Perhaps if I believe in myself and my immunity, it will be true. :)

Winter
For the curious, I will be arriving in Santa Cruz in the evening of December 14th and leaving in the early morning of January 21st. Is this freakishly long? Yes, this is freakishly long. I look forward to seeing you whoever you are that is reading this.

Spring
One major source of the business mentioned in Fall has been that this is Classes Registration Week! I won't try to detail all the offices I visited or people I e-mailed, but I have more-or-less successfully registered for Spring semester classes. I had to move Chem Conference, but aside from that my basic schedule is unaltered... first quarter P.E. will be swim instruction and second will be lower body abs (for lack of seeing anything fun and amusing to click on). Acting lab is gone, replaced by Introductory Syntax - my first choice, Introduction to Ethics, wouldn't let me in because I had too much of a background in philosophy, and the secondary choice, Philosophy and Religion in Pre-Imperial China, would only let me in if I had fewer units or changed my Hum conference, so I'll be in Syntax instead. Could be interesting! Also, interning at Lane will probably finally metamorphize into improv-teaching, alongside acting lab classmate Stephen.

Summer
Yeah so I dunno what's going on this summer but it's the last time of year I should be thinking about. :) Way too much time between now and then, totally impractical.

Amusing Unedited Youtube Quote
oh my god jim sturgess is the hottest guy ever
he is singing about me
OMG i forget the girls real name but OMG she is sooo lucky ♥
they kissed! OMG
I LOVE HIM!