What exactly is a spring clean for the May Queen? And what does it have to do with a hedgerow?
I just finished interviewing Al, the 88-year-old card swiper at Elder. It was amoung the most amazingly fascinating things I have ever been part of. He has led such a full and impressive life, I can only aspire to be that fantastic when I am approaching 90. I want to go back and talk to him again, but in an unofficial capacity. He lived in the Chicago area during the hey day of the mafia; you all know that makes him more interesting than everyone else.
I have to admit, I was fearful of this interview. I love talking to people and usually find even the most boring of them interesting, but I don't like things to be formal. I want to just have a conversation. Luckily, though, Al was all for taking over and offering up information I didn't even ask for. It was surprisingly easy to ask follow-up questions and his responses to my questions were so interesting, I didn't have to stretch to think of more questions to ask. What's more, as I finished, Al informed me of the ten or so interviews he's done in the past little while, I was one of the best interviewers he's worked with. I was so pleased, and I floated home. I even started to wonder what it would be like if I were a journalist. But then I realized I would probably hate every minute of it. That and the majority of mortuary science is talking to people, anyway.
On another vein, I feel I need to talk about my weekend. Friday night was movies with Ann, and then Monopoly with Jeff when we realized he was actually in the dorm and hadn't gone home as we thought he had. Oops. Saturday brought a trip to Evanston with Jamie and Ann, then a trip to Dance Marathon for Family Feud and the dance show. The Feud was sadly lost by the SESP advisors, but I got two new SESP shirts. Yippee. The dance show was excellent, as Boomshaka, Deeva, the Ladycats, and the Graffiti dancers performed, and I knew someone in each group. Tanvi did wonderfully, even if she thinks she's bad at hip-hop. And the Graffiti dancers danced to "Worked Up so Sexual." Ion, the Faint was stuck in my head for the rest of the night, and woah was it a long one (the night, that is). Ann, Dave and I picked up the Dance Marathoners (they had been up for 30 hours straight), and we then had a fun dance party on the 4th floor. Consequently, the night did not end until 5 am and I didn't wake up until 2:30 yesterday afternoon. Ah, those crazy college students.
Anyway, after much panic yesterday when I realized I had no tape recorder to record my interview, Tanvi, Jeff, and I sought safe haven at the condo. There was really nothing I needed more. A lovely shower, a comfy big bed, a kickass view, delicious Indian food, a complex game of Chess, and much friendship was to be had. Tanvi, Jeff, and I took a beautiful walk around part of the city: window shopping in Marshall Fields, climbing a statue of a cow (ok, that was just me), and eventually ending up ice skating at the outdoor ice rink in Millennium Park. I miss ice skating, and pretending to be a figure skater with two of my closest friends was more fun than I've had in a long time. I felt downright carefree. We concluded our excursion out of doors with a trip to the swings (Jeff gave me an underdog. Don't worry, Stank--it didn't quite compare to yours) and kicking it around the playground for awhile. We challenged the laws of physics, and returned across the street to the condo with a Jeff covered in grass, leaves, and other debris.
I do believe nothing could have given me a more enjoyable last night, and it will go down in my memory as one of my all-time favorite nights.
I have to admit, I was fearful of this interview. I love talking to people and usually find even the most boring of them interesting, but I don't like things to be formal. I want to just have a conversation. Luckily, though, Al was all for taking over and offering up information I didn't even ask for. It was surprisingly easy to ask follow-up questions and his responses to my questions were so interesting, I didn't have to stretch to think of more questions to ask. What's more, as I finished, Al informed me of the ten or so interviews he's done in the past little while, I was one of the best interviewers he's worked with. I was so pleased, and I floated home. I even started to wonder what it would be like if I were a journalist. But then I realized I would probably hate every minute of it. That and the majority of mortuary science is talking to people, anyway.
On another vein, I feel I need to talk about my weekend. Friday night was movies with Ann, and then Monopoly with Jeff when we realized he was actually in the dorm and hadn't gone home as we thought he had. Oops. Saturday brought a trip to Evanston with Jamie and Ann, then a trip to Dance Marathon for Family Feud and the dance show. The Feud was sadly lost by the SESP advisors, but I got two new SESP shirts. Yippee. The dance show was excellent, as Boomshaka, Deeva, the Ladycats, and the Graffiti dancers performed, and I knew someone in each group. Tanvi did wonderfully, even if she thinks she's bad at hip-hop. And the Graffiti dancers danced to "Worked Up so Sexual." Ion, the Faint was stuck in my head for the rest of the night, and woah was it a long one (the night, that is). Ann, Dave and I picked up the Dance Marathoners (they had been up for 30 hours straight), and we then had a fun dance party on the 4th floor. Consequently, the night did not end until 5 am and I didn't wake up until 2:30 yesterday afternoon. Ah, those crazy college students.
Anyway, after much panic yesterday when I realized I had no tape recorder to record my interview, Tanvi, Jeff, and I sought safe haven at the condo. There was really nothing I needed more. A lovely shower, a comfy big bed, a kickass view, delicious Indian food, a complex game of Chess, and much friendship was to be had. Tanvi, Jeff, and I took a beautiful walk around part of the city: window shopping in Marshall Fields, climbing a statue of a cow (ok, that was just me), and eventually ending up ice skating at the outdoor ice rink in Millennium Park. I miss ice skating, and pretending to be a figure skater with two of my closest friends was more fun than I've had in a long time. I felt downright carefree. We concluded our excursion out of doors with a trip to the swings (Jeff gave me an underdog. Don't worry, Stank--it didn't quite compare to yours) and kicking it around the playground for awhile. We challenged the laws of physics, and returned across the street to the condo with a Jeff covered in grass, leaves, and other debris.
I do believe nothing could have given me a more enjoyable last night, and it will go down in my memory as one of my all-time favorite nights.