Homeward Bound
(17-26 May 2001)

26 May 2001
[from Albuquerque]
-2400 words & counting.
-I need to remember that amidst all this writing, I ought not neglect e-mail either.  As yet I have been, but there's people I need to stay in touch with too & balancing the real world with my new created one may prove difficult.  It's interesting how consumed I am by having a plot mapped out in advance.

25 May 2001
[from Albuquerque]
-The novel keeps getting stalled-out.  Though I had a lotta errands to run today, including getting pics devloped from the roll that went from the late days in Waltham till just last week.  Highlights of this included the only pictures I currently own of Madeline... I'll put one up soon, even though I know she'd kill me for it.  I need to revamp the Pond in general soon.  Though the novel must take precedence.  It'll be underway by June, I promise.  Who am I promising?  Myself, I guess.
-Much of the reason for the current delays was spending a long time helping my Dad get used to the web today.  I'm trying to get him to start a webpage, which he wants to do, but it's all or nothing with him--if he's going to do it, it has to be BIG.  We'll see...
-In the process of showing him the web, I ran across the fact that Steve Yuhan, famed Princeton debater & all-around good guy (with an interesting webpage which might lead you to believe he's a non-profit) has linked my page!  Egads.  But this discovery led to the even more astounding fact that fellow-Nats-semifinalist Amy Phillips of NYU acclaim (see here for HER page) was at CTY in '95 with me at Dickinson!  & we just missed by a year in Balt'mer, as well.  I think we ran in slightly different circles, though... I'll bet she wasn't playing much Diplomacy there.

24 May 2001
[from Albuquerque]
-Eliaii kills me when he talks about how much money he's saved not getting a car while I'm driving him home.  Every time.
-Things are not as bad as they might have seemed on some fronts, proving yet once again that worry is utterly unnecessary.  A waste in all ways.  Though there is reason for conCERN.  How much remains to be seen, as do most things.  Yeah.
-Methinks later today will be the official launch date for the novel!  This would be so much more fun if I had a working title.  But at the same time, maybe the lack thereof is what will make success a possibility.  Maybe I'm just makin' stuff up.

23 May 2001
[from Albuquerque]
-Trains are still fun, even if I'm getting familiar with the territory travelled & I'm more the observer than the speaker.  It's good to be in observation mode with this whole novel thing pending.
-So many interesting e-mails that bring good cheer from myriad sources!  Yay.
-I think my Dad's more excited about the WYN project than any of the rest of us are/were.  Hey, whatever works.

22 May 2001
[from San Diego]
-Given Fish's rampant affinity for cheese, it would seem that a likely candidate for his personal savior would be "Cheesus".  This was the product of a visit to Ralph's (a local super market) that was filled with irony & strangeness.  Especially when the debate over apples began & a UCSD alum who Fish vaguely knows chimed in about random conspiracies.  Ah, the craziness.
-How much things change; how much things stay the same.  Too many facets to that reality, really.
-"Goodnight fish!".  This was after I turned the lights out on the local apartment's fishtank, but Fish was right there.  Yeah, you woulda had to be there.
-Definitely gonna miss San Diego, but it's time to move on.  I've also missed Burque & my parents quite a bit.  I'm leaving on a train this afternoon & will be in town halfway through tomorrow...

21 May 2001
[from San Diego]
-After a good weekend with DK, Jaque, & of course Fish, I'm a little down about all of our futures... not in general, but relative to each other.  Proximity is the big issue.  I'm finding a bit of irony in the idea of both Kunx & Fisher wending their ways toward the east coast as I promise myself to ne'er return after I graduate 'Deis.  Also of interest to me, however, is the fact that Fish & especially Jake just don't give themselves enough credit for anything.  I got the unfortunate feeling that both of them underestimate themselves to no end.  At least DK has a healthy introspective perspective... he only underrates his so-called "hovel", actually a nice place & so close to the Frontier!  Maybe it's the A-plusses that do it.  Seriously, though, Jaker & Fishbop are cooler than they think.  I guess that's the summation.
-Ah, a train ride tomorrow.  But I'm surely gonna miss SoCal.  It's been a ton of fun, as per usual.  This is my last of these trips, I s'pose, since next year I'll be at my own graduation & then MAYBE I'll drive out here, but probably not before Fish's graduation.  I was gonna say I'd pick up DK's on the way, but he's on the 5-year-plan now.
-The human body's healing abilities never fail to amaze me.

20 May 2001
[from San Diego]
-"Shrek" is good romping fun.  Though I'd still love to let some Sociology majors go at it about that movie.
-Lauren is too quiet around us.  Though, who wouldn't be?  Still, it's a shame, because I think she has a lot to say.
-Well, look at the latest feedback... Fish called it "a long essay".  I guess it's a sign of amicability, if not more.  Reassuring.  But I still can't get over this slightly slighted sensation.
-Happy Birthday, Stina!
-Sometimes I just gotta say life is great.  This would be one of those times.  That's really all I need to say right now.

19 May 2001
[from San Diego]
-I am a complete idiot.  Running down a hill that had been easy to walk up, I careened down at a scary angle into an asphalt road.  I'm actually quite lucky a car wasn't coming & thus got away with bad scrapes to my left elbow, right hand, & right knee.  More pain & blood than I would've expected, though I was good at catching myself & not damaging my head, for example.  But I still feel really dumb.
-The above injuries didn't (surprisingly) prevent me from playing basketball, though they still hurt more than they should.  But apparently I've stayed in really good shape this year, at least relative to DK, Jaque, & Fish.
-Ah, harebrained schemes.  It's great to have a large part of the crew around though.
-Happy Birthday, Mesco!

18 May 2001
[from San Diego]
-Camping was fun, even if it was my first introduction to "car camping", which apparently is camping outta the back of one's car at a politcally correct "campground".  A far cry from the Canyon, though most things are.  Also a far cry because I was pretty much silent on this trip... though I really like Suarez, the rest of the gang were nice, but I didn't quite click with them at first.  So it goes.
-The Weakerthans show was amazing.  Even the 2 opening acts were pretty solid, though lots of folks cleared out before the Weakerthans closed the show, which was both disappointing & nice because we got to move up to about 5 people-rows back of stage.  Highlights included "Aside" (2nd song in the set, as well as on the disc) & "Left & Leaving", which wasn't as good live as on the disc unfortunately.  The lead singer, who looks exactly like an un-green Kermit the Frog, cracked up in the middle of "Pamphleteer", skipping almost all of the words as he kept laughing.  But there was much new stuff, including a great song in the encore, so maybe a new release is upcoming.

17 May 2001
[from San Diego]
-I've been wondering a little bit about the technical precision of this here page.  It occurs to me that those little "from San Diego"s from this & the past year should really possibly say "from La Jolla", since that city (village?) has jurisdiction over where I am &, interestingly, all of UCSD.  Which sorta begs the question of why it isn't UCLJ.  Berkeley isn't UC-Oakland & Davis isn't UC-Sacremento (though here I admit my ignorance of that area by not knowing exactly how close those 2 really are).  Why does San Diego get special rights?  I guess that question alone is enough for me to not start saying "from La Jolla".  Like everything else on this page, it needs salt.
-Lisha's page is cracking me up of late, though it (apparently?) is bothering her Hahvahd mates a bit.  Either way, some interesting notes on the nature of lack of food messing with people.  Stina is famous for her self-analysis of this & it seems to be an increasing theme.  Maybe revolutions of the starving is not so much an issue of rights violations as low blood sugar getting people ornery!
-I'm gonna see the Weakerthans tomorrow!  In a venue approximately the size of Chum's.  Sweet.  I dunno how relevant a setlist will be since I only have 1 of their 2 albums & they'll probably play most of that.  It would be a little like the MB20 setlist from Baltimore, in a show where they played all but 3 or 4 tracks they've ever released.
-Sometimes it worries me that all my friends 'round here are materialists.  I still think Gris would enjoy making Danny Korman's film idea of "The Philosophy Room", though.  But we'd need Hirsch himself, a decrepit basement, & some quality black & white film.
-Amen to Lisha!  She reiterates that no one has to read these types of pages if they don't want to.  A point that, at a more turbulent time a while back, I was ardent about.  Nevertheless, the people who DO want to read these raise some interesting issues.  For example, last night I met Emily, a PIRG friend of Fish's from 'round here.  After the "I've heard so much about you" (typical around here... I guess Fish & I talk a lot about each other to our college friends), she proceeded to back that up by telling me she's seen pictures of me, been to my website, & even seen my quiz.  It was a wee bit strange.  & it certainly shouldn't be... this is all out there for potential public consumption & shows up on search engines, for the love of the baby!  I guess I don't always consider that even friends of friends may be reading this & it's interesting to confront that face-to-face.

 

Introspection, My Worst Friend* (Current)
Ye Olde Archive (Past)

Tell me this is not the end...*


*-lyrics from an as-yet unreleased song, "The Same Old Frontiers", by SWClayton.