Today is the first day of Blowout! Guess who isn't drinking? RIGHT! Actually, it's probably going to be pretty boring for yours truly...since about 99% of Blowout is how smashed you can get in a 24-hour period without dying, getting caught by the cops, or causing various forms of damage to oneself or others. However, since I run the risk of turning this into an anti-alcohol diatribe, I'm going to stop here.
Yesterday was great. I went out to the Sunken Gardens yet again, and the weather was perfect for the Bubble Thing (seriously, it's becoming quite addictive). This time quite a few people came up and talked to me. Interesting side note: one girl, named Kanene, remembered me from last September when I played "Hallelujah" at Open Mic Night. I think it's the hat that people remember the most--it's good to have a trademark. Now I'm known for my bubble-blowing mastery as well as my guitar-playing skills.
At any rate, Happy Blowout, all. Please don't come in and toast my room, Seniors. I've placed C4 in various strategic locations and I'd rather not spend my weekend cleaning viscera off the walls.

Meh. So-so day. English and Chem were both pretty boring: we're watching the film version of Tess in the former and studying dehydration of alcohols in the latter, and I guess I'm underwhelmed and overwhelmed at the same time. This afternoon was fun, though...I took the Bubble Thing (and yes, that is its formal name) out to the Sunken Gardens and within five minutes this girl came running up. Apparently she saw the huge, beachball-sized ones from the far end of the Gardens and wanted to see what was going on. So I guess it is a chick magnet, if only in the literal, singular sense of the word. At any rate, we hung out for a bit, she tried her hand at it and made a few. This group of prospective students came by while we were waiting for the wind to die down; one of the girls in it asked me if what I was doing was for a class. I was tempted to say, Yes, we're doing a field study on the properties of miscible polar liquids. Here, we're testing the effects of wind, temperature, air pressure, and humidity on spherical contortions of a soap and water solution. But I didn't because she seemed like a nice kid. They asked me how many students we had, what the buildings around the Garden were, and the usual stuff. Nice people...friendly and curious.
Then I took a nap. Always a bad idea. My stomach, for some strange reason, gets really upset whenever I take naps during the day. But when you're tired, you're tired, and I am worn out already. Here's hoping Exams don't destroy me.

So I get online to talk to people and it turns out Danny Wysong is busy playing in an online Scrabble tournament. Deja vu, anyone??! (For those of you that I haven't already told, my parents play Scrabble like Kerry flip-flops--as often as possible and sometimes with very little stimulus.)
So yeah, today was slow. I made a bunch of giant bubbles--some as large as two feet in diameter. I've been experimenting with it--I found that during the middle of the day when it was warm but rather dry and with a touch of breeze was the best possible conditions. So yeah, guess how I'm going to be avoiding studying these next few weeks?
In other news, psych helps me realize the things I'm doing wrong but it doesn't do jack shit to help me figure out where to go from there. And I don't really feel like keeping a rubber band around my wrist and snapping it every time I have a negative thought--at the rate I'm going at this point in time I'd do serious tissue damage. So Social Sciences are the Devil. But we knew that already.

Sunday was good; I had a lot of fun eating lunch with my extended family (mom, dad, brother, sister-in-law, stepnephew and stepniece, baby niece, and "adopted" aunt and uncle). We got huge servings of Italian food at this restaurant in Richmond and during the meal they passed out the presents. I got a giant bubble-making kit which I am going to try out as soon as I finish this blog (yippee skippee! Thank you, Harry and Jane). I also got a bunch of books, to while away the hours when I should be working but don't feel like it (plus I got all that free time with exams coming up, on the days when I don't have anything scheduled). Then there was the ever-useful and ever-wonderful money (mmm...), and my parents brought me a bunch of food. Cup Noodles and Swiss cake rolls.

Wait...Swiss cake rolls??

You guys must miss me. :-p

But Monday was not so good, sadly. I had a bunch of stuff happen that kind of brought me down, including, but not limited to, losing (but luckily finding) my lucky plaid cloth cap and getting in a bike accident. The bike accident is rather a metaphor for my life right now. It tore me up and left me bleeding and in pain, but ultimately, I was forced to get up and walk away. Some bike accidents are like that; you can't get ambulance rides away from all of 'em.
I'll let you guys mull over the symbology of that, but suffice it to say that my Monday fulfilled every possible expectation a superstitious person could dream of. With that in mind, here's looking forward to Friday...

Today was quite a fun day. I got up early (read: before noon) and read the news, got dressed, and went out and had brunch with Liz Sadock and Chrissy. We talked about KQ and various things that happened there: how much Kenji loves dancing, how goofy Andy Badke is, etc. Then I came back here and puttered around for a bit doing various things and uploading the pictures from last night.
Since the theme of the PMA/NKE formal was "Famous Lovers," Alicia and I were going as Tex and Mary Catherine (my fraternity big brother and his girlfriend) as they're the "couple" of the frat that gets the most good-natured ribbing (for various reasons--they're both really good people, though, so it's all in fun). So, I had to go over to the Russian House and get Tex's cowboy hat and his Texas belt. Everyone said I needed the cowboy boots as well (Tex is very particular) but I didn't feel like going THAT all-out. Anyways, all four of us met for a pre-formal dinner at the gazebo behind Swem Library around 7 or so and had lasagna. Tex was really happy because he got into this summer research program at MD Anderson in Houston, where he lives--it's exciting because it'll look really good on his resume. I encouraged him to go with the Molecular Genetics program because that is definitely what I would take, without hesitation, in his place. After dinner, we went back to Barrett Alicia got some of Mary Catherine's things (primarily a shirt with monkies on it that MC always wears). It ended at 11:30 mainly because the NKE pledges had to go over to Cabell Hall to watch a movie for their Clue Week (a frat/sorority thing--part of the pledge process). So I walked her back there with Emily (who is also pledging) and her date, Austin (who came dressed as Melkor from The Simarillion). Both of them gave me a closer look at Skiffy, one that I liked (for once). Apparently not all science fiction/fantasy people are EXTREMELY intense and passionate about every aspect of every nerdular thing. I mean, I'm as geeky as the next guy at W & M--but there's a happy medium and Skiffy is nowhere near it and proud of the fact. At any rate, they were cool people and we made a bunch of jokes pertaining to Lord of the Rings. For example:

Melkor as a drug dealer: "Hey, there, m'man...wanna buy a palantir? How about one o' these rings?"

Melkor as one of the Ghetto Boyz: "Damn it feels good to be a Dark Lord!"

Melkor as the guy singing "Hey Ya:" "What's eviller than being evil? MELKOR!!"

(And yes, I am quite happy in my dorkdom.)

Again...wow.
There's something very magical about freshman year King and Queen's Ball, I guess. The lights, the tents, the live band, and all the dressed up people milling around. You see a lot of people you know but their hair is up and they have on a beautiful dress or they're showered, shaved, and wearing a suit/tux. It's hard to believe some of them were the people I share a campus with.
I believe I've heard some people describe your first experience with dances like that as intoxicating. I've never been drunk, so I can't attest to that, but if you have the right date and if you realize, like me, that you're not as afraid of dancing as you used to be, then the music and the beat sort of call to you, and get inside your blood. I'm not saying I'm a terrific dancer--I'm saying I had fun. Which, for me, at a dance, is quite a feat.
And naturally Alicia looked quite stunning. She had on this coppery colored dress, and as part of the Nu Kappa Epsilon "Clue Week" she had to wear these four colored spangly things in her hair the entire night. We were a little bit diffident about some of the dances but overall I think we danced quite a bit (if the soreness of my right foot is any sort of signal).
I don't think many nights could top the way I felt last night. Maybe one or two at Chanco, maybe some of the nights I spent at the Blackstone retreats (both of them Episcopal Youth Community retreats)--but other than that, that may have been one of the most enjoyable and--well, yes--intoxicating evenings of my life.
And with that in mind, I'm going to go get brunch and then start getting ready for the Phi Mu Alpha formal.

So much to say, but I don't think the words I could use right now would do it justice. King and Queen's was, obviously, a blast...I don't think I've ever danced so much. Now I see why people go to them--you just have to have the right date and the right frame of mind (crazy). But yes...it was quite a night. And that's really all I feel like saying about it right now. *mischievous grin*

I'm much too sensitive about cliches to want to put any down here. As Billy Joel says, "The simple lines have all been taken, and the radio repeats them every day." With that in mind...I spent an amazing evening with great people. From 9 till about midnight, I had coffee with Alicia. I can't remember half the stuff we talked about--I think we covered music, video games, scary movies, and childhood memories of dollhouses and trains. I knew I had to get back to Tali to celebrate my birthday (at 11:45, almost the exact time of my arrival into this "blighted sphere"), so I figured I could spend about ten minutes more sitting outside with her, after we realized it was almost 11.
Well, ten minutes later it was midnight so I wandered back to Tali. Everyone gave me a hard time and it was great. They all sang to me and I blew out the one candle shaped like a '?' because Matt had bought it without knowing how old I was. Lauren helped me cut the cake and I felt so loved, so utterly accepted and wrapped in a warm blanket of Taliaferroan goodness.
I realize how disjointed and wacky this sounds...and yes, I am posting extremely late. But it is--was--my birthday, and I'm guess I've become rather manic over how great life has been lately. So, "forgive the egg salad stains," to make a metaphorical reference to Billy Collins.
I think I feel good about it.

I'm nineteen years old today! (As Danny Wysong said, "Congrats! Welcome to the age that means nothing!")
And I have a date to King and Queen's Ball! (Which happens to also be Alicia.)
Can anyone blame me for feeling as volatile as the weather over fields of Scottish heather the night before Hallowe'en?

What an interesting 24 hours.

So after the run-in with the Unnamed Girl (not because I don't like her or am mad at her, just because I don't feel like her putting her name out when she isn't one of my close friends), I was feeling pretty down. Actually, I was feeling awful. All my attempts to go to KQ had fallen through, I wasn't going to the Phi Mu Alpha/Nu Kappa Epsilon "Abnormal Formal," and the Unnamed Girl HAD been giving me the run around all along. So I almost skipped going to the Phi Mu Alpha meeting on Tuesday.
Almost...until Anderson reminded that NKE was taking their pledges out for ice cream at Baskin Robbins and Phi Mu Alpha had been invited along.
So I decided it would be a welcome distraction. I like my brothers and the NKE's are a fun bunch (I know a few from my dealings at Waltz Ball, Normal Formal, etc.), so at least I'd get to be out with people. When I hit relative minima (sorry, shameless calc terminology) like yesterday, my heart of hearts tells me I need to get out and do stuff and see people--not hide away talking on IM and hoping someone will heal my wounds or maybe just feel sorry for me. At any rate...so I went over to Baskin Robbins and wasn't feeling much better, hung out a bit, talked to people here and there but wasn't really getting into it.
Then we started dispersing--the NKE's to their dorms or evening activities and the PMA guys in the general direction of Ewell Hall, since we had our meeting later on. Ryan Carpenter and I happened to walk with a couple of NKE's, in no particular direction. I noticed that we had left everyone else behind--or, more likely, they had left us. At any rate, we started breaking apart until it was about five of us: me, Ryan, and three girls who are currently pledging NKE, one of whom is named Alicia. She and Ryan and I started talking about Orgo and drifted around to the subject of grades at W & M, Williamsburg in general, Douglas Adams--basically, we just stood outside free associating. Ryan and I had nowhere to go until 9:00 (the time of the meeting) and she was free the rest of the night. So, when Ethan came up on his way over to Ewell and started talking to Ryan, I took the oppurtunity to ask Alicia if she had a date to the formal? No? Would she like to go with me? She would?
It's funny how a little success puts a rosy hue on things. Not that I have any expectations, hope, fancies--whatever. All I needed was some reaffirmation and a nice chat outside on a spring evening with a few friends, to let me know that things were maybe not as bad as they seemed.
After all, if the Unnamed Girl and I had made plans, then I would have let King and Queen's Ball and Abnormal Formal slip away and focused primarily on her instead. Some people would call it Fate; I have another theory. But that's a story for another post.
The lesson is: even if King and Queen's eludes your grasp, you still have it made if you get a date to a formal with a girl who wears an "I <3 Nerds" t-shirt.

Early in the morning, risin' to the street
Light me up that cigarette and I strap shoes on my feet
Got to find a reason, a reason things went wrong
Got to find a reason why my money's all gone...

I got a dalmation, and I can still get high
I can play the guitar like a motherf***ing riot
Life is too short, so love the one you got
'Cause you might get run over or you might get shot...

-Sublime

A Post on the "Unnamed Girl"

One of the things that's always bothered me is that most of the girls I become interested in--and maybe this is true across the board--are unable to be straightforward. In the long run, it hurts me less to hear, "I'm really not interested, but we can still hang out or whatever" than to hear "Well, not today, but maybe next week..." The second response just gives me a sense of forlorn hope that ends up making me look like a jerk. Yes, I'm a reasonable human being--but I'm also male. Think of Lloyd in Dumb and Dumber: "So you're telling me there's a CHANCE!" My life has been devoid of that sort of "chance" for so long that I tend to make as much as I can out of the smallest stimulus. So, as usual, it's a failure on both parts...but even so, it's a lot less hurtful in the long run if a girl can be straightforward (not necessarily rude or hurtful--tact is possible, even in situations like these). But I'm guessing that's yet another forlorn hope.

"Bitches crazy, man. Bitches crazy."
(unknown man in a Cincinatti bar, addressed to Eric Anderson)

These end-of-days are finally ending in a blaze...

A blaze of new-found glory, perhaps. But we shall see. I don't know why things feel so good...sometimes it's really hard to put a handle on it, when it's spring and it's finally warm again and for once, you can look up and see green instead of blue.
I must say, I miss the beginning of the year a little bit--there's a loss of innocence that accompanies every change, but sometimes even with that loss comes a strengthening of self and of a sense of self. Who we are is born in these years, whether or not we go to college--but if you're in an academic institution the focus is so much greater on YOU. Don't most colleges vie for superiority in terms of who promotes the most self-awareness, whos is the most student-oriented rather than admistration- or program-oriented?
I realize I'm rambling slightly here, but that's probably to be expected.
At any rate...I discovered last night that Pleasants 1st is all male, as per an administrative decision Hank and I only discovered after the fact. Hank was very phlegmatic about the whole thing--he said the situation would be cool either way. I was a bit dissapointed, I must admit. It's always nice having girls around. Stephanie got sort of annoyed with me and said that "it's not like you HAVE to date the girls on your hall." I told her that I was a fan of diversity, and that girls could also cook a lot better than approximately 100% of the guys we'd be living with. Anyways, I hate the assumption that girls think guys want women on their floor for one reason and one reason only. Fact is, our attractions, though perhaps simpler-appearing on the surface, can be just as complex as women's. Sometimes the mere pleasure of being around girls--of being part of their day-to-day lives, I guess you could say--is enough to bring joy back into our lives. I know that I have felt more alive, more alive since I got here...no doubt I would have felt that way had I been placed in all-male housing, but the fact remains is that co-ed housing puts that certain edge back in your life. And goodness knows that edge has been absent long enough for me to enjoy it now.
I realize this probably sounds like an obsessive post--but please understand, I'm just extremely overanalytic. Hamlet had NOTHING on me.

The Great Lottery Debacle

So Hank and I did quite a bit of research this afternoon trying to find good rooms. After carefully looking at floor plans in Jefferson we narrowed our choices down to a couple well-sized rooms on the Third Floor. After all, it's a "sub-free" hall and neither of us drink, smoke, or toke, so we had nothing to worry about. And wouldn't the party people avoid the sub-free halls leaving them for us?
Well, we got to the Lottery over in Trinkle and happened to notice that a bunch of rooms in Chandler weren't taken. Chandler is a very nice dorm with spacious rooms and a suite set-up (i.e., two rooms share a bathroom between them). So we figured we had it made--we could go for Chandler and fall back on the big rooms on Jefferson Third if it came to that.
Fate caught up with us, however, and the people in front of us took the last room in Jefferson (and Chandler went like wildfire in California). Hank and I were using lottery number 1987 (mine) and apparently Jefferson started emptying around 1960 or so. Basically, we got shafted. So we started sweating bullets--it was either Bryan Basement, which is basically a dungeon, or Dillard Complex which is a residential Hell for those of us who don't want or can't afford a car. So we ended up going with Pleasants. After overhearing a chance remark that the first floor is independent co-ed (since most of Randolph Complex, where Pleasants is located, is frats or langauge housing), I told Hank we should definitely aim for it. After all, the set-up is okay, the rooms are decently sized, it's right near Tex (my PMA big brother), and the frat above us, Sig Ep, isn't too noisy (although they're a bit sketchy).
So we went over to the Pleasants table where they recieved us with open arms. The entire first floor was open and after a bit of friendly bickering we settled on Pleasants 108. Hank was somewhat put-out; he really had his heart set on Jefferson. However, novel experiences at college tend to be more positive than novel experiences anywhere else, and I'm looking forward to next year. On my urging we went over and toured Pleasants First and got to see our room; Hank was delighted to find out that we are on a co-ed floor, seperated from the girls by only a kitchen and a few couches. It was, in his words, a "pimp" arrangement.
So yeah. Should be good. Here's the room, for those of you who are interested. It's gonna be a party...

*Stretch* Well, I tried to institute a policy of "Up Before Noon on Weekends" but my body capriciously decided to disobey. Ah well. I can still make it to brunch on time. Speaking of which, on Saturdays they have this neat system where you can go up and get a real fruit smoothie, made right in front of you. You tell the person behind the counter what kind of fruits you want to go into it, and they put them in a cup with ice cream. Then, they hand it to another person who adds a little bit of milk and pours it into a blender. After about thirty seconds they hand you perhaps of the most delicious drinks I've ever tasted. It's enough to make a man want to get up on time.

Visit here to generate your own random Evil Plan. (Or you can build your own. But the randomly generated ones are funnier. Especially the ones dealing with fluffy bunnies.)


Your objective is simple: Destroy the Earth. [Of course, I'm a Republican neocon treeburner]

Your motive is a little bit more complex: Love (Yes, it works) [hell yes it does]

Stage One
To begin your plan, you must first clone a Superman. This will cause the world to swallow nervously, shocked by your arrival. Who is this Sadistic Fiend? Where did they come from? And why do they look so good in a Supervillain Costume with Gimmicks? [because a handsome man look good in anything he throw on]


Stage Two
Next, you must desecrate the Eiffel Tower [damn right--stupid French]. This will all be done from a ancient tomb, a mysterious place of unrivaled dark glory. Upon seeing this, the world will weep uncontrollably, as countless hordes of corporate suits [what else? Only the best clothes for my minions] hasten to do your every bidding.


Stage Three
Finally, you must release your arcane ritual, bringing about an Unending Cacophony of Screams. Your name shall become synonymous with evil, and no man will ever again dare sabotage your music career [hmm...so I WILL have one]. Everyone will bow before your Unbreakable Will [of course Will is unbreakable--women aside], and the world will have no choice but to make you their god.

Anyone who wants to read an exceptional article by the unparalleled Victor Davis Hanson on the 9/11 "Commission" should click on the National Review link to the right. He can say it much better than perhaps anyone can--though Mark Steyn, Jonah Goldberg, and James Lileks all come close. Here's a short excerpt, and one that very quickly and concisely gets to the nub of the laughability of the preening and posturing of those on the "Commission."

"Then came these 9/11 hearings in the midst of war, and a most surprising new thesis was advanced. A Clinton administration that had done very little to retaliate during some eight years of terrorist attacks and provocations was now seen as less culpable than the newly inaugurated Bush team. About-face critics alleged that the latter, in its initial dozen weeks of governance, had not properly digested intelligence data, steeled its will — and, yes, preempted the terrorists by sending American troops far abroad to kill them before they could kill us. Apparently, the notoriously preemptory Mr. Bush was now to be condemned as not preemptory enough." [emphasis in original]
-VDH

"What's your damage, little boy??"

Wanna know how I'm feeling? Well, in the spirit of methaphor and simile a la Tennyson, whom I just so happen to be analyzing for a paper, I'll respond by telling a joke:

A group of economists decides to take a vacation in the Blue Ridge Mountains. They're hiking along one of the many trails and they finally decide that they don't quite know where they are. So the leader pulls out his map and compass and starts looking at it. Finally, after about five minutes, one of them gets impatient and asks, "Well, where the hell are we?" The leader looks up and points to a distant peak and says "On that mountain over there."

Well, that's about how it's going for me too. Never quite sure where I am but nevertheless "locked towards the future," as Cat Stevens says, so at least I know where I'm going. I think I'm going to hit up Wawa tonight--lab really took it out of me and I still haven't eaten yet. Later all.
Oh, yes...the sun was out today! All day! About damn time!!


I'm waitin', waitin' on a sunny day
Gonna chase the clouds away
Waitin' on a sunny day...

Hard times baby, well they come to us all
Sure as the tickin' of the clock on the wall
Sure as the turnin' of the night into day
Your smile, girl, brings the morning light to my eyes
Lifts away the blues when I rise
I hope that you're coming to stay...

--The Boss

So here's a typical Marketplace breakfast...

"Belly Up" is the only place to go for breakfast, and probably the only sensible place for dinner as well. They have some of the best food. The way it goes is, you get eggs and two sides--though usually I only get one. (Potatoes, as a nod to my Irish ancestry. But no whiskey.) Then you can get coffee or juice, though I get both, since the counter person usually doesn't notice--except today, when I am forced to put the extra drink on my Flex points. Anyways, the lady at the Belly Up breakfast counter looks at my plate and says, "Is that all, sweetie?" And I say, yeah, I'm good, thinking she's in a hurry to close the counter since it's almost 10:30. But instead, she takes my plate and says "Here, let me get you some more apples," and ladles enough stewed apples onto my plate to fill the needs of Taliaferro. This is what I love about the Marketplace. I'd go there just for the atmosphere, let alone the fact that it's a mere stumble (when you're half awake) or stagger (when you're half asleep), depending on the time of day, away from the dorm. The coffee wasn't so great, but then again, to paraphrase Robert Parker, "Even bad coffee is good." But now, alas alack, I must go to Calc. Luckily I'm biking over so I shouldn't be late again, as usual.
Oh yes, good news on that score--I got an 83 on the last test. Which leaves me with probably a solid B in the class. So now I just have to really buckle down.

Has anyone read the news recently?? Bush just gave a firm, unequivocal endorsement of Israel's fight against Palestenian terrorists. Note that I don't say "Palestinians"; that creates a strong generalization. It's sort of like the situation in the movie (whose name I forget) that dealt with a scheme by young Brazilian students to kidnap the American diplomat and get U.S. recognition of their plight under a totalitarian regime. At one point, a police officer confides to his wife that he's going to have to torture the students to extract information and he basically admits that the kids are the unwilling dupes of scum who are recruiting impressionable people for their bloody revolutionary ideals. And that's the way the Palestinian situation is: once they are no longer being urged to blow themselves up and recieve their virgins in heaven, the suicide bombings will stop. And the way to end those urgings is through a change in Palestinian government. The first step to that change is--you guessed it--strengthening of our bond with Israel and assurance that we will stand by them and see them through their dark days. So thank God for something to be glad about in these hours of doubt and uncertainty.

Hello, Blue Sky, you're my sunny day...
Yep, it's true, the sun finally came out today. I wandered out of a psycho psych experiment into the 6:30 sunshine. Wait--SUNshine? So I looked up and sure enough, blue sky was peering out the cloudbanks. I guess the rain is finally over...now that we're saturated in water.
Tonight I biked over to Wawa. Someone took the orange Campus Bike I stole/commandeered, but I found another one out front that was in even better condition--good brakes, good tires, adjustable seat, etc. So I took it for a spin out to Wawa and got a meatball sub (f course) and some iced tea, since I've found that my body is more sensitive to caffeine lately. I think stress makes me more reactive to external stimuli than I am normally.
This is going to be a great week! If the rain continues to stay away. I can't wait to bike around campus like a maniac.

We have new record, people. The Roommate broke his promise to get off the computer at a reasonable hour within three (3) days. Yes, that's right--no sooner is the weekend done and over than BAM he comes crashing in at 3:30. In fact, it's basically just a repeat of last week...loud, disruptive noises of him coming in, turning on the light, etc etc on a Monday night/Tuesday morning, him staying up till 4 AM, and so forth. When I told him that it was almost an hour and a half past our agreed computers-off time, he said that he was getting "emotional support." I reminded him that we agreed he could that in the study lounge if he needed to use his IM service past 2:30. He responded with some sort of sigh and went back to his computer.
I hope for his sake he has a better defense for his actions than the one he gave me.

Birthday wish list (to whom it may concern) *innocent look*:

Poetic Justice, with Miles Wilkinson, Buddy Mondlock, Guy Clark, Nanci Griffith, and Ellis Paul

A trenchcoat. And not one of those sketch trenchcoats made famous by Klebold and Harris. A dressy trenchcoat to go with a suit. (Preferably in a dark shade of gray so it matches mine.)

A new cold weather shirt. Something loose and comfortable, preferably in a neutral color, like khaki.

Black pants. Always more black pants.

Another cloth cap. Those are expensive, though...I'd take the trenchcoat over a cloth cap any day.

Those flying lessons I got promised back in the Christmas of...when was it, '96??? *grin*

Ties. And a dress shirt. Maybe dark red? Dark blue would work well with the suit, too.

Some new black dress shoes. Polish and shining can only do so much.

A new coffee cup.

A Reagan poster. Or a Bush poster. Or a Grateful Dead poster. Any/all of these would be great. (Next semester's roommate is a fellow conservative, so there's no need to worry about defacement.)

A book of Tennyson's poetry. I just realized this semester how much I like that man's work.

That's all that comes to mind right now. I realize the trenchcoat is probably a pipe dream but *shrugs* whatev. I thought of it the other night (probably for initiation) when I got cold wearing the suit and imagined how nice (and tres stylish) it would be to have a dress trenchcoat to wear with it. The rest is mainly just random stuff that's occured to me since I got here. Too bad I can't remember more of it...

Hey all. I'm blogging from the Daily Grind (coffeehouse here on campus). I found one of the orange Campus Bikes--side note: yes, we have community bikes. Bad news: most of them are rusty and in various stages of decay. If they were horses they'd be long due for the knacker's. At any rate, I found a good one that had two full tires and good brakes and I've been riding around campus. I had no idea how good the hills were! There's one that runs between Ewell Hall and Jefferson and goes all the way down past Barrett. Then it goes up past Chandler and Landrum and if you stay on the sidewalk that circles the Crim Dell, you build up good speed. Come down off the sidewalk and over onto the path that runs along Crim Dell creek and you keep your momentum, because it gently slopes down. That way you come out right next to the UC from the woods side, and it's a short hop over to the Grind, which is in one of the old Lodges. I realize this makes no sense to those of you who have never been W & M, but I know at least a few people reading this will have some idea of the geography. At any rate, my point is, due to physics and force vectors, it's actually almost as fast to take the long way 'round as it is to take the short way.
But yeah...bike riding here on campus is perhaps the most freeing thing I've done in a long time. What a great night.

Later.

Finally, the situation has gotten better. Andrew and I talked to Gabi and got mediation, and managed to agree on some reasonable computers-off times. He and I both agreed we were tired of fighting--it had sort of become akin to trench warfare anyway. With that behind me, though, I guess things can start to get better. This whole situation has been so mad and crazy, it's going to seem weird, going back to normality, or an approximation thereof. At any rate...here's hoping that I never have to post another complaint post.

Vince Scully's toast: "May our vices die before we do."

So yeah, this is going to be a complaint post. More specifically, a complaint post about The Roommate. He comes barging into the room at 3:00 last night, literally as I'm falling asleep. Naturally, he goes straight for the computer and commences tapping away. I ask him to please have it off in ten minutes--a reasonable request since I have a 10:00 class. He answers in a rude tone of voice that he'll go to bed when he's finished his post. After fifteen minutes I realized that he wasn't going to bed anytime soon so I went downstairs and turned off the power to our room. Looking back now, that was probably not the best move, considering that I want an end to all this bullshit; however, considering that my night was pretty much shot by that point (i.e., being woken up and kept awake past the critical hour of 3 AM), I wasn't at my emotional best--especially when my night is shot at 3:00 in the morning.
At any rate, I'd like to take this oppurtunity to say that I'm appalled and amazed by my roommate's narcissistic, egotistical, thoughtless, rude, irresponsible, hypocritical, and otherwise selfish and immature behavior. For someone who blathers on so much about how people shouldn't disrupt your lifestyle and how you have a need to express yourself, you display a lack of comprehension of others' need to do the same. But then again, I'd expect no less from someone with such a feeble grasp of the feelings and needs of those around you. For God's sake, you're 18--learn to at least ACT like an adult.

Another late post

Some reflections on Taliaferro and the "Cult" therein:

Wysong will keep jury-rigging and BS'ing his way through scholarships, a trip to Russia, and life in general.
Matt will continue to sleep during the day and play video games all night.
Hank will continue to be the center of most dorm dramas, and will doubtless keep talking trash.
Liz and Christina will always be dancing across the Lounge, any hour of the day.
Catherine will continue to be our conscience.
J.P. will continue to be a manpho.
Dave will always refer to the people around him as "biyatch."
Brothers will always be a dork.
Chrissy will continue to overwork herself and spend more time at Swem than she does asleep.
Sarah will always be able to beat up any guy in the dorm.
Idaho will forever be a goofy kid.
Tyler will always be full of strange yet profound wisdom.
Mike will continue to finish anything he does with "F*** this game!"
And Joe will always have only two topics of conversation, one of which is math.

Note to self #2: Teach roommate to clean sink after he shaves. Ick.

I realize this is a late post, but I wanted to share with you a passage from "Tess of the D'Urbervilles" that really stuck out for me. (This is upon the death of Tess' infant child, born out of wedlock).

So passed away Sorrow the Undesired -- that intrusive creature, the bastard gift of shameless Nature who respects not the civil law; a waif to whom eternal Time had been a matter of days merely, who knew not that such things as years and centuries ever were; to whom the cottage interior was the universe, the week's weather climate, new-born babyhood human existence, and the instinct to suck human knowledge.

And I thought that I was melancholy at times. I've got nothing on Hardy. Speaking of which--note to self: Don't read "Tess" late at night ever again. I'd read the cliffs notes but they're probably just as depressing, if not all the more depressing for their brevity and staleness.
...
Good lord, his manner of writing has gotten into my psyche! I think I need bed. Night, all.

I now have something like 140 pictures from around the dorm. Is that cool or what?? Even with my super-fast laptop it takes about 10 seconds just to open the folder. Now that's success. And there's something to be said for going to bed on time...this is the first time this year I've gotten up before my alarm went off and not felt horribly disgusting and unawake. I guess things are getting better much more quickly than I thought they would.
I'd like to say it's all because of things internal, but I know that Adam and the People of Taliaferro had a large part to play as well. Grazie, all.

What a weekend. Adam and I had a lot of fun--he was sort of the catalyst for things that I cannot do. Like be perpetually wacky and insane. He said he wanted everyone in the dorm to hate him by the time he left, but I doubt he really meant it. Most of them were a combination of amused and freaked out, which is the usual reaction (to Adam, that is--it was my first reaction to him, after all).
Phi Mu Alpha also had initiation this weekend, which was great. (Three new brothers! All right!) We had a bunch of people from Longwood, JMU, and Hampton show up, so all in all about 70 people ended up coming. Then we all went to Second Street afterwards and I got chicken florentine asiago, which is probably one of the smartest things I've done all week.
One of the highlights of my weekend was when Adam walked into the lounge after I had put on "Echo Echo." What's this? he wanted to know. I told him it was Carbon Leaf. "Wow...and Howard Stern said they sucked!" I told him that proved that Howard Stern deserved to be taken off the air. "Yeah, obviously!" he replied, listening in awe to CL. So yeah. A combination of the Leaves, Adam Block, and PMA has partially ameliorated the strain of the past few days. Personally, I'm almost glad to see the summer coming, after the stress of this semester.

Looks like it's going to be a good weekend. Katie stopped IM'ing me--I think she finally got the idea that I don't want anything to do with her. However, flashbacks from December started again, so it looks like I've regressed somewhat. At least I have Tali to keep me grounded in reality and healthy in mind and spirit. Also, Adam Block (friend from EYC) is coming down from VCU to hang out, so should be a good time.
In other news...I usually don't blog about noteworthy girls, especially with my parents--and perhaps teachers--reading, but I met this really neat girl who happens to be in both my Chem Lab and my Calc III class. Her name's Heather and she's really nice, and Danni and I usually consult her and her lab partner on Thursdays. Speaking of which, I could be wrong, but it always seems like more people are consulting me and Danni for help or confirmation of problem sets or whatever. Which is sort of weird, because sometimes I feel like we're the clueless ones--always asking questions, breaking glassware, laughing too hard or whatever. Oh well. Maybe they consult other people just as much, but I'd rather think it was because we're seen as the "smart ones." I need SOMEthing to feel good about, dammit.