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hermionesviolinAfter dinner i went to the creperie (Cleo?) with Michelle, Chloe, Anne Marie, and Christina. Wow those are expensive. I spent ten dollars on a dessert. Only because it was the last night was this okay. £5.60 for a crepe banane chocolat and £1.80 for a hot chocolate, plus a pound tip. At least it was yummy. (And their hot chocolate is really good. *remembers the Lamont hot chocolate machine and drools*)
It's interesting listening to people talk about other people. And it reminds me that my judgements of people need to be grounded in my own experience with them, because there will always be people i like who dislike each other.
Around 11:30 a lot of us went to DTM. The music wasn't as good as last night, but they played some stuff i definitely didn't expect: "Backstreet's Back" and Madonna's "Like a Prayer." The Madonna was absolutely the best part of the night. I've gotten into dancing to the kind of music DTM plays, but i was all over "Like a Prayer" and even Long-Haired Brian danced and that made me happy and he has grace/rhythm, which is always hotness. No Kieran, but we got a pitcher of sangria (of which i had a little) and something which Alice or Christina thought was Sex-on-the-Beach (of which i had a glass).
Around quarter to one we headed over to Mood. We had a nice reserved section so we lounged on grey leather seats and i watched people get so very drunk. The dance floor was packed, but at one point i did venture over there with Jenny. I didn't like the music, though, and she was dancing with one of her guy friends, so i was just kinda dancing, but not all that well since there was so little space. Then this kinda strange-looking guy started dancing with me. Okay, whatever. It began to seem like the fact that he was dancing with me was some sort of show for his friends, and i didn't like the music/crowdedness anyway, so i make my way through the crowded masses back to our lounge area. Thankfully i was followed by no hassle.
It was tempting to just leave and go home (probably to bed), but this was the last night and i do really enjoy the company of a lot of these people. And i did get to talk to Brian and Ken some, which was good. And then after we left around 2 we some of us went to the kebab vans on St. Giles and ate on the monument and then hung out outside my staircase and then in the computer lab.
I really value what i've gained academically here, and i have fun anecdotes and have done lots of touristy things with postcards and photographs to boot, but what i value most is the friendships i've made, the wonderful people i've discovered and hope to keep in touch with.
I made the mistake of saying "LiveJournal is the best thing ever" tonight. Of course this is not true, and usually i'm careful to be aware of the meaning/implications of what i say and to fully mean what i say, but admittedly sometimes i'm prone to exaggeration. Ken said that the best thing ever is someone who loves you unconditionally. I agree. It makes me sad to hear someone say there are 2 people who love him/her unconditionally. I know my parents absolutely love me unconditionally, but i would like to think that a lot of other people do as well. I don't share everything about myself with everyone, but deep love looks beyond aspects which may elicit disapproval to the person as a whole. (This is something i definitely struggle with with certain relationships.) I'm not being particularly articulate, partly because i don't especially want to get into specific examples, but yeah. This deserves its own entry, on what love means and the different kinds of love and a hierarchy of personal characteristics (both in people's own perceptions of themselves and people's perceptions of other people).
I learned that not only is Chloe on my flight home (doesn't depart until 6:05pm, but it's a direct to Boston, 7 hours and 15 minutes on a Boeing 777 jet, arriving at 8:20pm) but Long-Haired Brian is as well. Yaynish. And i have terminal info, woo hoo.
A lot of people are sad about the program ending. As i've said before, i've had a great time and am really glad i did it (much more glad than i thought i would be), but i have so much to look forward to when i get back. The usual: back in America with all that that means (e.g. my money meaning what i think it means, being in the same time zone as most of my people), seeing loved ones again, having my own computer and real AIM, but mostly it's all about Smith. ("This is About Smith." *snerks*) English Department Liaison, Lamont House SAA (Student Acadamic Advisor), weekly editorial for The Sophian [Title suggestions?]. And of course, seeing lots of people, meeting new people, my room, so many things i love about Smith/Northampton.
An incomplete list of more specific items follows:
Yay for incoming Lamonsters who know how to stalk. (She found me through LJ and IMed me. I of course in turn plugged her into LJ.) And she's living in my first year room! Craziness.
Mrr. Shower at 7, then to breakfast, then to finish packing. Am beginning to get hungry now, though. Am also beginning to get tired. I had an overnight flight over here and was little jet-lagged and adjusted well to the time zone shift. I think regardless of whether i sleep on the plane or not my sleep schedule will be fucked for a couple days.
Roommate has already left. Never said goodbye to her because we thought we would see each other before she left. I'll probably e-mail her at some point. She was definitely a cool person/roommate. We've talked these past few days about how people are all "Yeah, we'll stay in touch" but it mostly isn't going to happen. I never had such delusions, but it'll be interesting to see how it goes. There are definitely people i want to keep in touch with who seem not very reciprocatory.
It's interesting listening to people talk about other people. And it reminds me that my judgements of people need to be grounded in my own experience with them, because there will always be people i like who dislike each other.
Around 11:30 a lot of us went to DTM. The music wasn't as good as last night, but they played some stuff i definitely didn't expect: "Backstreet's Back" and Madonna's "Like a Prayer." The Madonna was absolutely the best part of the night. I've gotten into dancing to the kind of music DTM plays, but i was all over "Like a Prayer" and even Long-Haired Brian danced and that made me happy and he has grace/rhythm, which is always hotness. No Kieran, but we got a pitcher of sangria (of which i had a little) and something which Alice or Christina thought was Sex-on-the-Beach (of which i had a glass).
Around quarter to one we headed over to Mood. We had a nice reserved section so we lounged on grey leather seats and i watched people get so very drunk. The dance floor was packed, but at one point i did venture over there with Jenny. I didn't like the music, though, and she was dancing with one of her guy friends, so i was just kinda dancing, but not all that well since there was so little space. Then this kinda strange-looking guy started dancing with me. Okay, whatever. It began to seem like the fact that he was dancing with me was some sort of show for his friends, and i didn't like the music/crowdedness anyway, so i make my way through the crowded masses back to our lounge area. Thankfully i was followed by no hassle.
It was tempting to just leave and go home (probably to bed), but this was the last night and i do really enjoy the company of a lot of these people. And i did get to talk to Brian and Ken some, which was good. And then after we left around 2 we some of us went to the kebab vans on St. Giles and ate on the monument and then hung out outside my staircase and then in the computer lab.
I really value what i've gained academically here, and i have fun anecdotes and have done lots of touristy things with postcards and photographs to boot, but what i value most is the friendships i've made, the wonderful people i've discovered and hope to keep in touch with.
I made the mistake of saying "LiveJournal is the best thing ever" tonight. Of course this is not true, and usually i'm careful to be aware of the meaning/implications of what i say and to fully mean what i say, but admittedly sometimes i'm prone to exaggeration. Ken said that the best thing ever is someone who loves you unconditionally. I agree. It makes me sad to hear someone say there are 2 people who love him/her unconditionally. I know my parents absolutely love me unconditionally, but i would like to think that a lot of other people do as well. I don't share everything about myself with everyone, but deep love looks beyond aspects which may elicit disapproval to the person as a whole. (This is something i definitely struggle with with certain relationships.) I'm not being particularly articulate, partly because i don't especially want to get into specific examples, but yeah. This deserves its own entry, on what love means and the different kinds of love and a hierarchy of personal characteristics (both in people's own perceptions of themselves and people's perceptions of other people).
I learned that not only is Chloe on my flight home (doesn't depart until 6:05pm, but it's a direct to Boston, 7 hours and 15 minutes on a Boeing 777 jet, arriving at 8:20pm) but Long-Haired Brian is as well. Yaynish. And i have terminal info, woo hoo.
A lot of people are sad about the program ending. As i've said before, i've had a great time and am really glad i did it (much more glad than i thought i would be), but i have so much to look forward to when i get back. The usual: back in America with all that that means (e.g. my money meaning what i think it means, being in the same time zone as most of my people), seeing loved ones again, having my own computer and real AIM, but mostly it's all about Smith. ("This is About Smith." *snerks*) English Department Liaison, Lamont House SAA (Student Acadamic Advisor), weekly editorial for The Sophian [Title suggestions?]. And of course, seeing lots of people, meeting new people, my room, so many things i love about Smith/Northampton.
An incomplete list of more specific items follows:
- Homecoming dinner with Grandma Saturday night.
- Pool party at the Pioccones' Sunday afternoon.
- Monday: Returning all my books to the library and picking up more books (and movies). I think i'm working that day, too.
- Smith Club thingie in Needham: Friday, August 22
- My uncle taking me back to the Valley: Sunday, August 24
- Moving back into my real Smith room: August 29
- Common Rotation show at the Iron Horse, September 5 (or October 10 if for some reason we can't get tickets) because as the lady says, "we can't let a recurring Buffy actor be 2 minutes walking distance away and NOT go."
Yay for incoming Lamonsters who know how to stalk. (She found me through LJ and IMed me. I of course in turn plugged her into LJ.) And she's living in my first year room! Craziness.
Mrr. Shower at 7, then to breakfast, then to finish packing. Am beginning to get hungry now, though. Am also beginning to get tired. I had an overnight flight over here and was little jet-lagged and adjusted well to the time zone shift. I think regardless of whether i sleep on the plane or not my sleep schedule will be fucked for a couple days.
Roommate has already left. Never said goodbye to her because we thought we would see each other before she left. I'll probably e-mail her at some point. She was definitely a cool person/roommate. We've talked these past few days about how people are all "Yeah, we'll stay in touch" but it mostly isn't going to happen. I never had such delusions, but it'll be interesting to see how it goes. There are definitely people i want to keep in touch with who seem not very reciprocatory.
Re: Aw, your effort on my behalf is so sweet.
Date: 2003-08-19 06:49 pm (UTC)I've been listening to "So Much Shouting, So Much Laughter" -- very much enjoying how she has melded her old songs into her new sound -- a lot lately. "90% Metaphor" from "Self Evident," really sticks out in my mind at the moment.
And anything from this section of "Swan Dive" is very appealing to me:
i've got a lack of inhibition
i've got a loss of perspective
i've had a little bit to drink
and it's making me think
that i can jump ship and swim
that the ocean will hold me
that there's got to be more
than this boat i'm in
Perhaps something all the lines of "Loss of Perspective" or "The Ocean Will Hold Me" or "More Than This boat."
Am I boring you yet? I could probably go on and on about Ani's lyrics. She has a song for every mood that could possibly wash over me. I like that.
Re: Aw, your effort on my behalf is so sweet.
Date: 2003-08-19 08:30 pm (UTC)Love "Swan Dive." Little Plastic Castle is my favorite Ani album.
*smiles* Nope, you're not boring me yet. Ani and i don't always agree politically, but she's still my favorite musical artist and she definitely has something to say for every occasion and a song for every mood. I have a lot of other cultural references, but odds are this column title is gonna be stolen from an Ani song.
i walk in stride with people
much taller than me
and partly it's the boots but
mostly it's my chi
"partly it's the boots" as a title? Hmm.
*notices keywords for icon* *smacks self for having missed the obvious* "I fight fire with words" has definite potential (though an "I" statement as a title seems strange).
Re: Aw, your effort on my behalf is so sweet.
Date: 2003-08-20 12:36 pm (UTC)I like it. "Evolve" is a great song. It is pretty good as albums go too. "Little Plastic Castle" is probably my favorite album also. Most Ani fans that I have talked to say the same. I'm a really huge fan of "Like I Said," though. It was the first Ani album I bought and is a great compilation of her early songs. "Imperfectly" is up in the ranks as well.
Re: "Pulse" and "IQ".
I agree with you. I love "Loom", and really would rather "Pulse" wasn’t tacked on to the end. "Pulse" is such a strong song on its own and the feelings in both songs are entirely different. They just don't go together. I also like the original "Dilate", better.
I think we feel the same about Ani. I don't always agree with her politics either, but I like the way presents her views. Whether you agree or not, it is still great, original music. I like that she has an original sound too. Have you ever listened to her albums in sequence -- starting with her earliest and moving through to the latest? It is an interesting transformation. Not only does the music change (become deeper), but the lyrics do as well. Generally speaking, of course.
Oh, and I wouldn't put an 'I' statement into a title either.
Re: Aw, your effort on my behalf is so sweet.
Date: 2003-08-20 08:09 pm (UTC)Hmm, an Ani binge listening to the albums in order would definitely be interesting.
It just occurred to me that i could just rephrase the column title to "fighting fire with words," thus solving the "I" problem.
Re: Aw, your effort on my behalf is so sweet.
Date: 2003-08-21 06:29 am (UTC)I also like the idea of. "Finally Waking Up" for a title.