Let the good times roll
It's been a good couple of weeks.
First there was Labor Day weekend, wherein I got to hang out with the old high school gang not once, but twice. Friday night was spent in Chapel Hill at Eric's apartment listening to old vinyl records (which I must say is a first for me; my family was using tape players by the time my first lasting memories were formed) and drinking good beer and playing Scrabble. I nearly won point-wise (that honor went to Chelle) but I think I won in spirit when I invented a word (quare) that was actually in the dictionary we were using. Kick ass. Saturday night was spent at my apartment, which none of my friends had seen yet. As expected, they mocked the "excessive" tidiness, the recycling station I've set up next to my kitchen and the lack of unhealthy food in my fridge. I'm sure they're just jealous of my OCD... at least that's what I tell myself. We drank more good beer and played a round of Taboo for old times' sake, followed by some Apples To Apples. Then we hiked the half mile to my apartment complex's pool, where we swam until about 2AM when we finally decided it was time for everyone to dry off and go home.
On Sunday I drove down to my grandparents' house for a cookout, which my parents, sisters and uncle also attended. We had about an hour of good food and friendly banter, followed by an hour of semi-friendly debate arguing about Iraq, followed by two hours of a ridiculous Sylvester Stallone movie called Cliffhanger.
The rest of the day, as well as Labor Day itself, was spent in Fayetteville with Rachel. Which provided some much needed R&R to recharge the batteries before heading back to school the following day.
Speaking of school, this semester is ridiculously good. I'm so glad I changed majors, and every day when I get to sit through classes I actually enjoy, I'm reminded of just how happy I am with the decision. My favorite class is PS 305, which covers the American Justice System. I especially love the parts of the lectures that touch on the nitty-gritty details of the legal process and how attorneys and courts operate, giving me more reason to believe that I might actually like law school (whereas I had previously thrown it out mainly to justify my decision to ditch the highly-lucrative field of engineering).
This past weekend was spent at my parents' new retirement condo on Lake Wylie. They've finally finished moving in, and the place looks amazing. Rachel came with me, so the four of us got to spend most of the weekend together. Saturday night, before an amazing dinner my parents made, we all watched Zodiac, which I had mixed feelings about. The acting was all really good, the editing and cinematography were spot on and the story was, from what Rachel told me, pretty historically accurate. That said, it was kind of slow, with some scenes mixed in that pretty nearly made me throw up or cry or yell or I don't even know what. I guess such a visceral/emotional reaction is every director's dream, but I just don't know... it seems like our society's become so desensitized to violence; there is something very wrong when people pay to watch, among other things, a couple get tied up and gruesomely stabbed to death. And I don't know why the violence in some movies hits me harder than others: perhaps it has something to do with the perceived reality of it all? The knowledge that the depicted events actually happened? I don't know what it is, but sometimes I just can't stomach all the violence.
On a happier note, did I mention I got an iPhone? They dropped the price last Wednesday to $399 and since I had already been pondering buying one at the original $599, I ran out to the Apple Store hours later to lay down some plastic. Short review: the thing is effing amazing. The single most awesome device I've ever owned. Long review: see my blog later this week.
First there was Labor Day weekend, wherein I got to hang out with the old high school gang not once, but twice. Friday night was spent in Chapel Hill at Eric's apartment listening to old vinyl records (which I must say is a first for me; my family was using tape players by the time my first lasting memories were formed) and drinking good beer and playing Scrabble. I nearly won point-wise (that honor went to Chelle) but I think I won in spirit when I invented a word (quare) that was actually in the dictionary we were using. Kick ass. Saturday night was spent at my apartment, which none of my friends had seen yet. As expected, they mocked the "excessive" tidiness, the recycling station I've set up next to my kitchen and the lack of unhealthy food in my fridge. I'm sure they're just jealous of my OCD... at least that's what I tell myself. We drank more good beer and played a round of Taboo for old times' sake, followed by some Apples To Apples. Then we hiked the half mile to my apartment complex's pool, where we swam until about 2AM when we finally decided it was time for everyone to dry off and go home.
On Sunday I drove down to my grandparents' house for a cookout, which my parents, sisters and uncle also attended. We had about an hour of good food and friendly banter, followed by an hour of semi-friendly debate arguing about Iraq, followed by two hours of a ridiculous Sylvester Stallone movie called Cliffhanger.
The rest of the day, as well as Labor Day itself, was spent in Fayetteville with Rachel. Which provided some much needed R&R to recharge the batteries before heading back to school the following day.
Speaking of school, this semester is ridiculously good. I'm so glad I changed majors, and every day when I get to sit through classes I actually enjoy, I'm reminded of just how happy I am with the decision. My favorite class is PS 305, which covers the American Justice System. I especially love the parts of the lectures that touch on the nitty-gritty details of the legal process and how attorneys and courts operate, giving me more reason to believe that I might actually like law school (whereas I had previously thrown it out mainly to justify my decision to ditch the highly-lucrative field of engineering).
This past weekend was spent at my parents' new retirement condo on Lake Wylie. They've finally finished moving in, and the place looks amazing. Rachel came with me, so the four of us got to spend most of the weekend together. Saturday night, before an amazing dinner my parents made, we all watched Zodiac, which I had mixed feelings about. The acting was all really good, the editing and cinematography were spot on and the story was, from what Rachel told me, pretty historically accurate. That said, it was kind of slow, with some scenes mixed in that pretty nearly made me throw up or cry or yell or I don't even know what. I guess such a visceral/emotional reaction is every director's dream, but I just don't know... it seems like our society's become so desensitized to violence; there is something very wrong when people pay to watch, among other things, a couple get tied up and gruesomely stabbed to death. And I don't know why the violence in some movies hits me harder than others: perhaps it has something to do with the perceived reality of it all? The knowledge that the depicted events actually happened? I don't know what it is, but sometimes I just can't stomach all the violence.
On a happier note, did I mention I got an iPhone? They dropped the price last Wednesday to $399 and since I had already been pondering buying one at the original $599, I ran out to the Apple Store hours later to lay down some plastic. Short review: the thing is effing amazing. The single most awesome device I've ever owned. Long review: see my blog later this week.