Well, this weekend was definitely everything I could have wanted it to be.
I woke up late on Saturday and worked on my German paper. I got into a zone, did two and a half pages, then bummed around here for a bit. At 7:00 I went over to Natasha and Elizabeth's and we walked over to Ewell Circle, where everyone was getting together to go Contra line dancing. It's in this old meeting hall or something, the kind of place you see in war movies when they have USO dances. (May I remind you again that I feel I would have fit in better in the '40's and '50's than I do in my own time?)
Anyways, it was a LOT of fun. I think I enjoyed it more than English country dancing; there's more contact with your partner, and it's much more fast paced and energetic. Also, the instruction was much more gentle. The guy at the English country dancing thing was very impatient; I think he is one of those people that doesn't do well when other people don't understand what he's saying (and I can sympathize--sometimes I have the exact same obstruction). I danced with Natasha, Elizabeth, and Juliana...it seemed wise to stay within my comfort zone of friends while learning the basics, before dancing with strangers. Elizabeth is a lot of fun to dance with--I think she was my partner three or four times, including the last waltz of the evening.
Then afterwards I went home with Eric Anderson and some friends of his. I ended up meeting them for coffee at the Grind at about 11 or so, and talked with this guy who was with them. Turns out he was in the Navy and is now going to be a SEAL. We talked about the War on Terror, the warrior ethos, John Boyd, Sparta, what makes a gentleman, and why it is necessary for the military to be a rough, uncivilized place. In other words, the kind of conversation that I love to have. The kind of conversation that is cheesecake to my soul, the comfort food of my mind and spirit. I have been dying to talk about the OODA Loop and manuever warfare with someone who had an hour to spare and ideas to kick around. Anyways, after that, I went back to Pleasants and spent six hours talking to Maria online. I think this is the first time I have stayed up all night since freshman year. And boy, was it ever worth it.
I think this was the perfect way to end the semester. Last year I ended it with an uncertain, unhealthy faux-romantic tryst. This year, I ended it with real stuff--dancing with friends, long talks, and companionship. Perhaps things will be OK after all.
I woke up late on Saturday and worked on my German paper. I got into a zone, did two and a half pages, then bummed around here for a bit. At 7:00 I went over to Natasha and Elizabeth's and we walked over to Ewell Circle, where everyone was getting together to go Contra line dancing. It's in this old meeting hall or something, the kind of place you see in war movies when they have USO dances. (May I remind you again that I feel I would have fit in better in the '40's and '50's than I do in my own time?)
Anyways, it was a LOT of fun. I think I enjoyed it more than English country dancing; there's more contact with your partner, and it's much more fast paced and energetic. Also, the instruction was much more gentle. The guy at the English country dancing thing was very impatient; I think he is one of those people that doesn't do well when other people don't understand what he's saying (and I can sympathize--sometimes I have the exact same obstruction). I danced with Natasha, Elizabeth, and Juliana...it seemed wise to stay within my comfort zone of friends while learning the basics, before dancing with strangers. Elizabeth is a lot of fun to dance with--I think she was my partner three or four times, including the last waltz of the evening.
Then afterwards I went home with Eric Anderson and some friends of his. I ended up meeting them for coffee at the Grind at about 11 or so, and talked with this guy who was with them. Turns out he was in the Navy and is now going to be a SEAL. We talked about the War on Terror, the warrior ethos, John Boyd, Sparta, what makes a gentleman, and why it is necessary for the military to be a rough, uncivilized place. In other words, the kind of conversation that I love to have. The kind of conversation that is cheesecake to my soul, the comfort food of my mind and spirit. I have been dying to talk about the OODA Loop and manuever warfare with someone who had an hour to spare and ideas to kick around. Anyways, after that, I went back to Pleasants and spent six hours talking to Maria online. I think this is the first time I have stayed up all night since freshman year. And boy, was it ever worth it.
I think this was the perfect way to end the semester. Last year I ended it with an uncertain, unhealthy faux-romantic tryst. This year, I ended it with real stuff--dancing with friends, long talks, and companionship. Perhaps things will be OK after all.
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