[just stay calm]

just stay calm.

[megaphone]

[writing]

[randomness]

[archives]

[index]

Saturday, January 26, 2002

news
For some reason, the story of the one-eyed lion dying got me all emotional. ... Partly because I'd never thought about the Afghans having anything as mundane as a zoo -- so suddenly their reality seemed a bit closer to mine. ... Partly because the poor lion lived without an eye for all those years, and how resilient is that. ...Partly because he got so old someone had to move him into his favorite spots. And because one of the people quoted in the story was still talking about the lion in the present tense. Awww.... George, build them a damn statue of their one-eyed lion, that'll be more useful than the food drops that no one's receiving.

19:19

welcome to chicago
I sensed impending doom the moment Eliina and I stepped off the el. We were suddenly surrounded by swarms of little people (the youth of America), who were screaming, jumping and wearing black smudges under their eyes like miniature, black-lipsticked linebackers. They wore t-shirts reading, "Welcome to Chicago Motherf**cker," which is clever, because wearing the real name of the song probably would get them sent to the principal's office. The concert was Kill Hannah, plus three other opening bands. The openers were great, the floor had plenty of room to kinda-jump/dance-but-not-really, and there was even nice air circulation from the ceiling fans. Still, I felt something brewing under the surface, perhaps because every time the opening bands said things like, "Thanks to Kill Hannah for letting us play," the entire crowd went crazy. Finally Kill Hannah came on, and the whole floor turned into a a single-celled organism morphing around. Hmm, I thought. This is interesting. Then, a whirlpool of people pushing. Since I'm not exactly skilled at moshing, I thought, why don't I just filter toward the back. Well, there wasn't a mosh pit, it was more like a mosh floor. So there was no escaping. At first I was like, and why do people do this, again? Then I realized it's a whole lot of fun, as long as someone pulls you up when you fall down. "It's all fun and games until someone loses a kidney..." Unfortunately I can't comment on the music because I was too busy trying not to fall over. Oh well.

15:42

Friday, January 25, 2002

read
I read Cruising Blues a long, long time ago, in high school, and it means much more to me now than it did then. How being alone and feeling empty makes for surprisingly good memories -- and why unfamiliar environments breed creativity. Ignore the typos in this copy.

13:36

Wednesday, January 23, 2002

the power of suggestion
Today I signed up for counseling at the health center. It's no big deal, it's just something the university offers, and I'm stressed out so I could use some advice. But I began to realize the thin line we walk between sanity and insanity.

Receptionist: How does 12:00 on Monday sound?
Me: That sounds fine.
R: Good, would you like a reminder card?
M: Sure.
R: (handing me a card) Here you go. I wrote down 1:50. Be here ten minutes early.
M: Oh. I thought you said 12:00.
R. No.... I said 2.
M: Oh. I can't make 2.
R: Well how about Wednesday. And you know, we do have walk-in hours every day, so if you need help right away...
M: Thanks.