(no subject)
So, my past week-and-a-half in review (apologies, anarchist_nomad, for shamelessly stealing your journaling format! *grin*):
Weekend before last, I saw N. sing in an early-music concert in a church uptown, which was lovely, and went out with N. and her college friends afterward. Otherwise, I spent much of last week ostensibly working on my grad school statement of purpose, although that mostly seemed to entail bitching about it to whomever would listen to me, and staring at my computer, and pacing my apartment, all the while thinking that I clearly have no brain, and why on earth am I applying to graduate school? I sound maudlin, although really I'm laughing at myself about this. It's pretty ridiculous, really. Last week was truly a festival of introspection. Some conclusions include that 1) I'm a little tired of the navel-gazing all of the transitions of the past, oh, four years have wrought; 2) I use the words "fascinating," "hierarchy," "social / cultural imagination," and "clearly" an awful lot. I have also been trying to avoid using words like "hegemony," and it's making me a little twitchy; 3) I like having other people around; 4) my mood is incredibly susceptible to the influence of media; I think that not watching Angel (I've been working my way through the series for the past six months or so) any more will help reduce angst to a somewhat embarrassing degree. I'm also thinking that I may have to put a temporary ban on the Smiths.
The week was not all inner turmoil, however; I did get to have an excellent telephone conversation with anarchist_nomad Wednesday evening, and on Thursday, I brought R. a couple of pots and pans, and he cooked me a very tasty dinner at his new apartment in Brooklyn, where we had a fantastic time talking up a storm as always. Friday night, as boring as it sounds, I did some very necessary catching-up on housework while watching the very end of Angel, finally. I also went on what will probably be my last outdoor run until the weather gets warmer; I was hoping I could keep on through the winter, but apparently my lungs had a different plan. I think I will take up swimming, since I have access to a couple of gyms with indoor pools through work, and I have been missing swimming a great deal (I am such a water person). My last couple of runs, even if they were a wee bit asthmatic, were still really nice - I love getting to tool around the city.
Saturday (November 15) I got up early and took the train out to Brooklyn to help a new work friend move (I was there largely to offer my truck-driving expertise, although I am actually quite a good mover at this point). I did not stay for too long, as I had to head back to Manhattan to meet Dr. J for some vegetarian dim sum upon her arrival from Connecticut. We proceeded from there to the anti-Prop 8 protest rally at City Hall (from which the previously posted picture hails). The protest was a lot of fun; it's so inspiring to be surrounded by people who really care. Plus, Dr. J was a big hit with her "I [heart] Dumbledore" shirt. Interestingly, while it rained pretty much all day on Saturday, it let up basically just for the protest (it stopped as people were gathering, and started back up again just after we got off the train back to my neighborhood). Everyone was joking that God loves us queers after all, with the weather as evidence. We went back to my apartment for a brief rest, then walked to Union Square with the goal of dropping off my compost (alas! they were again not there! It was very tragic.) and of seeking dinner. We ended up at another vegetarian restaurant (have I mentioned that I love love love this city?) and ate yummy mock-meat. Thus sated, we went for a walk up into Chelsea, then watched Kinky Boots (yay Netflix!) at my apartment while we rested up / waited to meet up with N. Dr. J and I headed out around 11 pm, met up with N., and danced until around 3 am. Dr. J did some extremely entertaining pole dancing; a good (if totally rain-drenched) time was had by all.
Sunday, we slept rather late (gloriously), then headed uptown to see Gypsy with Patti LuPone! It was awesome. Also, it was nice to finally see the show, since I've been hearing Dr. J sing the songs from it since we were in high school. We headed to Grand Central Station after the show, where we hung out together waiting for Dr. J's train back to Connecticut. I went home and made a vat of vegetable soup to freeze and take to work for lunches, which always makes me feel so prepared and industrious, even though it's actually not much effort.
Yesterday, it was back to work, then home to do the preparatory training for the volunteer project I signed up for the next 6 weeks (I started tonight; I'm working for the Medicare Rights Center, helping people navigate the process of enrolling in prescription plans). I also spent a lot of last night youtubing B-52s videos, and remembering how much I really, really love them, and dancing in front of my computer (while reading information about Medicare). It's true; I am that much of a geek. It was awesome.
Incidentally, today, I had my first cup of coffee since my french press committed suicide (always a good excuse to break the addiction); I would have stayed strong, but I literally fell asleep at my desk. When the jerking of my head awoke me, I looked around to make sure no one saw (luckily, nobody had), and decided that today, it would be all right. It was a good cup of coffee, but I don't really miss it, and it's been nice not being reliant upon a substance. So hopefully I'll be more alert tomorrow. To that end - I think I should shuttle myself to bed promptly. Apologies for the epic entry! Kisses to anyone who manages to have made it this far (bonus hugs for commenters, as well).
Weekend before last, I saw N. sing in an early-music concert in a church uptown, which was lovely, and went out with N. and her college friends afterward. Otherwise, I spent much of last week ostensibly working on my grad school statement of purpose, although that mostly seemed to entail bitching about it to whomever would listen to me, and staring at my computer, and pacing my apartment, all the while thinking that I clearly have no brain, and why on earth am I applying to graduate school? I sound maudlin, although really I'm laughing at myself about this. It's pretty ridiculous, really. Last week was truly a festival of introspection. Some conclusions include that 1) I'm a little tired of the navel-gazing all of the transitions of the past, oh, four years have wrought; 2) I use the words "fascinating," "hierarchy," "social / cultural imagination," and "clearly" an awful lot. I have also been trying to avoid using words like "hegemony," and it's making me a little twitchy; 3) I like having other people around; 4) my mood is incredibly susceptible to the influence of media; I think that not watching Angel (I've been working my way through the series for the past six months or so) any more will help reduce angst to a somewhat embarrassing degree. I'm also thinking that I may have to put a temporary ban on the Smiths.
The week was not all inner turmoil, however; I did get to have an excellent telephone conversation with anarchist_nomad Wednesday evening, and on Thursday, I brought R. a couple of pots and pans, and he cooked me a very tasty dinner at his new apartment in Brooklyn, where we had a fantastic time talking up a storm as always. Friday night, as boring as it sounds, I did some very necessary catching-up on housework while watching the very end of Angel, finally. I also went on what will probably be my last outdoor run until the weather gets warmer; I was hoping I could keep on through the winter, but apparently my lungs had a different plan. I think I will take up swimming, since I have access to a couple of gyms with indoor pools through work, and I have been missing swimming a great deal (I am such a water person). My last couple of runs, even if they were a wee bit asthmatic, were still really nice - I love getting to tool around the city.
Saturday (November 15) I got up early and took the train out to Brooklyn to help a new work friend move (I was there largely to offer my truck-driving expertise, although I am actually quite a good mover at this point). I did not stay for too long, as I had to head back to Manhattan to meet Dr. J for some vegetarian dim sum upon her arrival from Connecticut. We proceeded from there to the anti-Prop 8 protest rally at City Hall (from which the previously posted picture hails). The protest was a lot of fun; it's so inspiring to be surrounded by people who really care. Plus, Dr. J was a big hit with her "I [heart] Dumbledore" shirt. Interestingly, while it rained pretty much all day on Saturday, it let up basically just for the protest (it stopped as people were gathering, and started back up again just after we got off the train back to my neighborhood). Everyone was joking that God loves us queers after all, with the weather as evidence. We went back to my apartment for a brief rest, then walked to Union Square with the goal of dropping off my compost (alas! they were again not there! It was very tragic.) and of seeking dinner. We ended up at another vegetarian restaurant (have I mentioned that I love love love this city?) and ate yummy mock-meat. Thus sated, we went for a walk up into Chelsea, then watched Kinky Boots (yay Netflix!) at my apartment while we rested up / waited to meet up with N. Dr. J and I headed out around 11 pm, met up with N., and danced until around 3 am. Dr. J did some extremely entertaining pole dancing; a good (if totally rain-drenched) time was had by all.
Sunday, we slept rather late (gloriously), then headed uptown to see Gypsy with Patti LuPone! It was awesome. Also, it was nice to finally see the show, since I've been hearing Dr. J sing the songs from it since we were in high school. We headed to Grand Central Station after the show, where we hung out together waiting for Dr. J's train back to Connecticut. I went home and made a vat of vegetable soup to freeze and take to work for lunches, which always makes me feel so prepared and industrious, even though it's actually not much effort.
Yesterday, it was back to work, then home to do the preparatory training for the volunteer project I signed up for the next 6 weeks (I started tonight; I'm working for the Medicare Rights Center, helping people navigate the process of enrolling in prescription plans). I also spent a lot of last night youtubing B-52s videos, and remembering how much I really, really love them, and dancing in front of my computer (while reading information about Medicare). It's true; I am that much of a geek. It was awesome.
Incidentally, today, I had my first cup of coffee since my french press committed suicide (always a good excuse to break the addiction); I would have stayed strong, but I literally fell asleep at my desk. When the jerking of my head awoke me, I looked around to make sure no one saw (luckily, nobody had), and decided that today, it would be all right. It was a good cup of coffee, but I don't really miss it, and it's been nice not being reliant upon a substance. So hopefully I'll be more alert tomorrow. To that end - I think I should shuttle myself to bed promptly. Apologies for the epic entry! Kisses to anyone who manages to have made it this far (bonus hugs for commenters, as well).