"Do they even have a word for "happy" in German?"
It has been a crazy week. No time for blog updates. Honestly, I shouldn't be writing one right now. I should be studying Russian. Ah well. Unfortunately, I have a lot to update so, as always, this is gonna be long. I'll see what I can do though...
So let us go back to...umm...not last Saturday, but the one before. Becuase there were events in need of documentation. I think I last mentioned Patty the Leprechaun and how I love dancing with him. The only other part of the dance that really warrants mention is that The Muppet (brother to the Fella) and their friend Jezebel finally came to a dance. I think I've mentioned the Muppet before--I have this odd maternal concern over him. I'm always worried about him and whether or not he is happy. Silly, but there it is. As for Jezebel, I met her at the Yellow House of Doom a while back and we seemed to get along pretty well. With one point of subtle friction: she is possesive of those boys. All three, the Muppet, the Fella, and Ducky, are her personal property and no one is allowed to know them better than her, date them without her permission, or even spend time with them unless she is there, or approves. She's subtle about it though, like I said. I actually feel pretty honored because I seem to have obtained approval to be friends with them. But any time I would say ANYthing about the fella there was always a teeny bit of tension. I am ok with this though. She's known them all for years and you know, she can have 'em. At least, I was ok until the dance when she saw Sunshine (club pres.) and said "Oh my gosh! The Fella went on a date with that girl once! I told him he could not date her! She's such a bimbo!" Ok, you can be possesive and sort of judgemental towards all the girls who come in the room. But you did not just call Sunshine--the cutest, sweetest girl in this entire university--a bimbo! And tell the fella not to date her! If I had to choose one person other than me to date a guy that I liked , Sunshine would be it! At that point I realized that Jezebel and I will never be more than friendly acquaintances. She's nice to me, very friendly, but I think if I ever spent much time with her I would have to punch her in the face and tell her to get over herself. Does this make me a bad person? Oh well.
Anyway, that's all that needs be said about that. After the dance, however, there was a bit of confusion. See, normally we have Crazy Joaquin strolling around yelling "MALT SHOPPE"! at the top of his lungs, so everyone knows we're going there. But Crazy Joaquin, tragically, has moved back to California AGAIN, and for good this time. Sad. So without him it ws a much more furitive, unsure, "malt shop?"
But eventually we did seem to come to a general agreement that we were going there. So I invited the Fella (though I was annoyingly interrupted in the midst of this conversation by Benito who chose that moment to come and air his insecurities to me) and then went and invited the Flapper. Well, first I asked her if I could call her by the nickname I'd made up for her, which she approved. Then, when I invited her she was so sweet and thanked me for inviting her to Denny's on Thursday and said she wasn't sure if she was coming tonight. So then I drove Annie, Lil' Brudder, and uh...Leubov down there. It was awesome, as I was walking out I said to them "Ok, I want to see who wins the fight for the front seat. Go!" Leubov just kept walking, but Annie and Lil' Brudder took off sprinting and spent the next three minutes wrestling at the door while I finished walking across the parking lot and unlocked it. I don't know why I found that so entertaining, but I did...and still do. Pretty much, that is the physical representation of why I'm friends with these people. Because they're cool like that. Anyway...
When we got to the Malt Shoppe, turns out there were LOTS of people there. And guess who showed up a few mintues after us? The Flapper and the Fella! I was so glad they'd come. But then they sat far away, kinda by themselves, but not in a "We want to be alone, if you know what we mean" kinda way, but in the awkward, "we don't know who to sit with" kinda way. So I decided, since it was at least a a little bit my fault that there were there, that I should go and sit with them. So I did. And guess what? It was really fun! The Fella is pretty much a million times more fun with The Flapper around than without. We laughed and chatted and it was comapinonable and lovely. I was so happy that we could all be friends. I'm very glad I had the talk with the Fella because, having gotten rid of all that unsureity, I am able to just enjoy being friends with him. I never could before because I was always so busy trying to analyze everything he did to find some more significant implication. But when he touched my knee to ask me a question I didn't have to wonder, I just knew that it is his way of getting someone's attention. And I realized that he and Katrina are a really good couple and its really kind of sad that they're not together any more. I was so gratified to have the realization--to be able to have it. It was just a really fun night. I discovered that the Flapper loves games so next time I have a game night I'll have to invite her. That night she actually invited me to come to her place the next day for birthday cake.
Annie and I had concluded to go so as to broaden our social horizons. But guess what happened instead? Lil' Brudder and I were chatting on facebook (I had engineered a date between him and Denim and he'd thrown out some very cryptic remarks about it at the Malt Shoppe that I was trying to convince him to clarify) and he invited me to go to the Christmas Devotional with him! Blonde's mother in law is a member of Motab so I guess they give them tickets to all those sorts of things. First he was just asking me for ideas of people to invite, but then (after failing with all of them) he was like "wait a minute! Why don't YOU come with me?!" So I got to go and hear the choir and the prophet. We drove down with Rob Dawg, Blonde's father-in-law, who took to me as soon as he discovered that I'm a comp lit major. We then talked about books for the rest of the drive, with Lil' Brudder throwing out completely random comments here and there. It was very fun. And we got to the conference center an hour early, so I was able to get Lil' Brudder to give me the full story about Denim. When Rob Dawg dropped us off I was about to walk into my building and Lil' Brudder grabbed me in a dang headlock pretending like it was a hug. It was marvelously awkward, but really funny.
After that I headed straight over to Lyra's for her goodbye party. She's off to live and work on a boat in the Gulf of Mexico. At first it was just her, and me, Annie, Tina Turner, and LCG. But then these random people from Eno's ward showed up, and most of them left relatively quickly. But one guy stayed and played the piano for us and we had this absolutely divine impromptu singalong that made me inexpressibly happy. It was almost like being back at home, save for the actual musical selection. People were singing harmony and it was great. I felt a little bit awkward for Tina Turner when Benito showed up and instead of sitting with her he joined me on the loveseat and sat on my feet to try to warm the up. I should have moved and let Tina Turner sit there...but my feet were soooooo cold! No excuse. I should have moved. Next time.
So, that was the weekend before last. I could now start a new post for last week, but either way its gonna be a ton of writing so I might as well just leave it all as one post, eh?
Last week, let me just tell you, was pretty much the week of death! Monday was my last midterm in my Humanities of Asia class (have I mentioned that teachers who give you a midterm in the last week of class are the devil?) and I walked out of the testing center with the feeling that my brain was a soupy mass running out my ears. I seriously was not making connections. And guess who I should see, as I was walking through the Tanner building toward my ward's Christmas Party (read "free food")? Fate! You know, the guy who has an inexplicable accent, wears scarves (and scarlet socks with his black suit), and seems to have a perpetual scruff. This is the guy I've decided needs to take Annie out on a date. Since having this realization I have not seen him once. So I was very excited to see him walking toward me down the hall...in all my non-cognizant state. Our conversation went something like this:
Me: Fate!!!
Fate: Uhhh...hi.
Me: You're just the person I've been looking for! I have a question for you!
Fate: Ok?
Me: Having spoken to you, what? maybe 3 times?
Fate: Yeah, i think its something like that
Me: Right. Well, for no reason whatever I have come to the decision. And by decision I mean conclusion. That you should...How do you feel about blind dates?
Fate: Ah..mmm....Oh, well, I'm ok with them...
Me: Oh good! I think you ought to go on a date with my friend Anneke
Fate: WHAT is her name?
Me: Anneke. A.n.n....e.k.e (I really did get lost trying to spell it--brain was so broken!)
Fate: Oh! Ok. I thought you said "Anarchy" I wasn't sure I wanted to go out with a girl named Anarchy.
Me: No. Anneke.
We went on a bit from there, deciding that I'd get in touch with him after the break and we'd figure something out. But that is the funny bit. I am pretty sure he was just thinking "Oh thank heaven's she wasn't working round to asking me on a date herself! I hope she and her friend aren't too similar" But hey, at least I asked him and he said yes, right? Right.
Tuesday was our last lesson of the semester. We didn't even teach Lindy. Link finally got his chance to teach that "swingin' soul" routine and it was...a bit complex, but fun. There weren't many people there. it was mostly just unremarkable.
Wednesday was Lil' Brudder's klezmer concert which Annie and I attended. We learned how do dance Jewish. Very fun.
Thursday was the last day of classes. I had a paper due, or rather, a revision due. I didn't think it would take me that long. False! Took forever! And melted my brain. I ended up being two hours late for blues dancing which was LAME! Then, when Annie and I got there Lil' Brudder wasn't there! Apparently it was too cold. Double lame! And then I only got to dance with three people. Tripple lame! And yet, still totaly worth it. I danced with Mel (I LOVE that guy!) and Spitz and...umm...oh yeah...I can never remember his pseudonym. Sven? Sure. He's Sven for today. He is...intense. It surprises me every time i dance with him. I can't decide what I think about it, but I do kinda wish he didn't have that non-thingy-thing with Bunny. He's kinda real good looking and very nice. Shoot.
Lil' Brudder invited me, after blues, to come over to his brother's and watch a movie. He denies it, but he was totally using me for my car. Cause what he really wanted was for Denim to come and watch a movie, but she had no means of transportation. So I got to sit on the floor while the Blonde and his wife snuggled, Shaggy and his girlfriend snuggled, and Lil' Brudder and Denim snuggled. I have graduated all the way up to being the 7th wheel! Well done me!
Friday was Sunshine's birthday party, to which Anneke and I had been invited a while before and we were kind of unsure whether or not we wanted to go until the very last minute. Funny story--we didn't know the address so we googled "Omni" apartments and got an address west of University. When we get there we realize that this complex is where Benito and Kenny G and...another guy live. Cool. But then we are looking around and the numbers don't seem to go up high enough. We knock on a door that is as close as we can get and ask the very nice girl if she knows Sunshine or Betty and she pulls out her ward directory. They don't seem to exist in this ward. Hmmm...So we decide to call Betty (because it is better to call the person throwing the party rather than the person catching it) but she doesn't answer her phone. Well, tacky be damned, we call Sunshine herself and she answers and I say "Hey...you're having a birthday party right now aren't you? Yes? Ok, well, we're at an apartment complex called Omni and your apartment doesn't exist. What's your address?" Turns out there is ANOTHER Omni apartments east of University. But how much of a coincicdence that there would be swing people in the one we went to mistakenly? So yeah, that was our funny story. But we finally made it to the party and it was really fun. The Fella, the Flapper, Sven, Bunny, Betty, Tyresius, and Link were all there (though Link showed up at the very end). And there were also some other friends of Sunshine's that Annie and I didn't know. But we all stood round in the kitchen talking, and then Tyresius, Sven, and the Flapper played Egyptian Rat Screw and we all watched with bated breath. Then Sven blew all our minds with his crazy card tricks, and Sunshine showed us one as well. And then the best part, we all gathered around the piano and Bunny played while we all sang Christmas Carols. At one point Link was standing on my left singing the alto line in the bass register and the Fella was on my right singing tenor and it was joy. So I got another singalong!
Oh, one other funny story. At least, its funny to me. One of Sunshine's friends was playing some stuff in the background during the card game and he said something about playing "Final Countdown" and I said "Oh, I know how to play that on the trumpet!" and the Fella looks at me and says "I didn't know you played the trumpet! I play the trumpet!" And I'm just like "Yeah, I know. And you knew that I play because I told you." "No! I would remember if you told me something like that! You never told me..." "Actually, I've told you about three times." "No way!" Sunshine was laughing quite a lot at the Fella at this point so I just let it go. I could have told him the specific conversations in which it had come up, but I figure that would be a bit creepy. (I told you that one time we were discussing the book you want to write and I was trying to get Linus to play the guitar and we talked about instruments we all play. And I told you online when I messaged you about how I've never heard you play. And I told you once when we discussed said facebook at your new house. Yeah...that's not creepy at all) Anyway, it made me laugh.
After the birthday party Anneke and I went to the mall because she didn't want to go home. I feel badly because she was obviously in a "let's go out and do something" kinda mood and I was very much in a "sit and watch a movie" mood. I don't think I was much fun. But I tried to be. I did buy a sweet belt at Journey because I'd forgotten to wear one. And we got Orange Julius. And I ran into Peter Parker! I haven't seen him since he helped me move at the beginning of the summer. I love that guy. Don't know why he never asked me out. Sad day. Of course, I looked like a total scrub (you know, I saw the Fella--not that it matters how I look when I see him, right?--and Peter Parker; figures I'm gonna look awful) but oh well. What are you gonna do, right? But it was nice to see him and catch up. And he informed me that old roommate of death #2 is engaged (old roommate of death #1 got married to Spock, the really really nice guy in August). wow.
And to wrap up this post of death, we finally come to Sunday. I was woken up at 9:30 by Wannabe!Linus calling for my birthday AGAIN! This has got to be the 5th or 6th time, I swear! Off to church, and then back home to be visit taught by two sweet girls who's names I can never remember for the life of me. Then I tried to bond with the roommates instead of lurking in my room. We watched "The Family Man" with Nicholas Cage. It was pretty good. Lil' Brudder came over for a while...I can't actually remember why. But he asked me if I wanted to watch a movie after he finished writing his paper and I said I was visitin my old roommate soon, so it would depend. Do you know why I was visiting my old roommate? Because she is officially engaged!!!!! WOOHOOOOO!!! So I went over so that I could see the ring and hear the story. But she wasn't there! I was so sad! I stopped round Miss Piggy's apartment, and she wasn't there either, but Katya was (I feel like a rockstar every time I see that girl, she gives me such an enthusiastic welcome) and she gave me some of the details about the proposal. But I didn't really have anything to do, so I went over to see Notorius B.I.G. and Kanyette instead. Notorius was there for a while, until she left to hang out with Big Black Guy. But Kanyette and I worked on a fun little project where we cannibalized her old art books and cut out the pictures we liked. We also had a nice talk. I'm so glad we've remained friends after our experience in the House of Death. Mom didn't think we'd be able to. But I'm really grateful for both of them. I hardly see Notorius though. Anyway. I vaguely contemplated stopping by the Yellow House of Doom after I left, but I decided not to. I've seen rather a lot of the Fella in the last week, so I didn't want to make a pest of myself.
I got back to the Hood round 9:45 and Lil' Brudder came over to pick a movie. We ended up having to watch it on my dinky postage-stamp-sized TV because his roommates were using his beasty one. He chose The Labrynth, which he had never before seen. He has since downloaded "Cry, Baby, Cry" and plans on playing it if he ever dj's a dance. It was fun. After the movie we broke curfew by about 45 minutes while he told me more about his sordid love life. What a nut!
And now, I have brought you all up to date. Except that I'm not going to try and write about today or I'll never finish. I'm really sorry this is such a beast. Hopefully, once finals are over, I will be able to keep up on the blog posting. I mean, I'm sure I will. Anyway, I'm outta here!