American food in France

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Good luck and happy blogging!

Ch-ch-ch-changes

So many things have changed since two posts ago (which was a significant time ago, I understand). For example, I have glasses now. Weird. Now Annah and Amy and I look even more like the triumvirate people accuse us of being. They are a weak prescription, but there nonetheless. People tend not to notice them, or the fact that I have glasses now and didn't before. But whatever, man -- joke's on them, because I can see now!

Additionally, I just found out two days ago that I got accepted to the France Assistantship program, and I'll be teaching in the rainy parts of northern France (vaguely around Rouen, a city that is vexing my grandmother greatly when she tries to pronounce it). I'm incredibly excited and happy. Unfortunately, I don't know more until I get my contract in the mail in June-ish, but for now, just the fact that I'm living and teaching English in France next year is enough to keep me floating on air.

Also, I've been hired to teach at a Northwestern theatre program this summer, and I'm super psyched about that. Looks like my summer will be split into three parts: living with my mom at home for 6 weeks, NU for 6 weeks, home again for 6 weeks. Then, FRANCE!

Life is pretty good.

We just had a Passover Seder for the Jews in my life, and I realized that all of my best school friends are Jewish. Charles' parents told me I'm "basically a Jew" and that made me pretty happy. Also a good thing.

OK, just thought I'd send out the update. Someday, I'm going to start a blog about France things. But for now, our old-school ballnanza will have to do the trick for my occasional mindless ramblings.

xo.

Heart and Soul/I fell in love with you

I don't even know what play I'm writing anymore. Impulse 24/7 is going strong at the moment, and I'm sure no one else in the world is awake from it except for, predictably, me. I don't know what I think I don't need to sleep.

My play is about a pizza delivery guy who is a baby and he comes to deliver the pizza to a pregnant dude and this other dude, and the delivery baby gets into a fight with the non-pregnant dude over who the father is, so they wrestle it out animal kingdom style (to the sweet croonings of M.I.A.) and then the baby goes away but the dude goes into labor and the baby delivery guy comes out and is the baby. And then "The Circle of Life" plays. I think the play has some deeper meaning but I'm not sure quite what it is.

I said I was a boy; I'm glad he didn't check.

I'm nannying right now. Elden is asleep. But we have grand plans today, including the eating of some peas and some pear and some avocado, and probably some yogurt with tahini (sesame seed butter) mixed into it. This kid eats like royalty.

I might graduate someday. That would be nice.

In other news, I've realized that I love snow and I hate rain. I mean, I don't love snow. But I certainly prefer it to rain. Because you can shake the snow off, but rain makes you wet and cold and it's actually awful. And it covers everything with such a beautiful dusting of white. For a minute, you can pretend that everything is pure and perfect. Then, of course, the slush sets in -- but until that point, it's lovely. And I really don't mind the cold weather. Maybe it's because I have bits of padding all over, but it really doesn't set in deep to my body. But rain, oh Rain, you chill me to the bone. No thank you.

Speaking of rain, waiting until May might be the end of me. I'll explain the connection. I've applied to go teach English in France next year but I don't find anything out until May. What an excruciating waiting period. The other night, I had a dream that I found out I got accepted early but I was placed in a city that I had never heard of. So I Wikipedia'd it in my dream and the article said, "In that city, it rains all the time. And you will have no neighbors." That's all it said, and I was really depressed. But at least I found out, right? So when I woke up, I was in a bad mood about the impending rain, and then relieved that I got accepted, and then disappointed that it was all pretend. ajdf;lkajd;flkajsdf.

I'm gonna go read some Queer Theory now. *pushes glasses up on nose even though I don't actually wear glasses* Oy.

Oops. I guess we haven't posted in a long time. So... what's up?

I am working a lot. All of Winter "Break," I worked every day except for Christmas (when I was with family), New Years (when I was recovering), and then one other day when I was on my way back from Chicago. I took 3 days off from all of my jobs to work at Theatre Fest which I dreaded and then it ended up being a really pleasant surprise. Maybe just because it was a change of pace and a bit of money, but I'll take it.

Now the semester has started but I can't really tell a difference except that I've stopped working at ERC and I've moved over to nannying. So I'm at Rentertainment which is great except I kind of suck at alphabetizing, and I nanny for this way cute 10 month old baby, and I teach English to this 5 year old Korean boy named Edward who kept calling Obama "ROCK OBAMA!" which was really cute, and hypothetically I'm teaching French too. We'll see about that one. Oh, and I'm taking a class and Stage Managing WISP which is the play that Amy wrote and Annah's directing and we're a little gross/amazing. Quite possibly the most incestuous play ever produced, in that we live together and work together and dance together and eat together, etc. [NOTE: The play is in the Armory on April 3 and 4 if anyone is interested. You should be.]

Speaking of Obama: pretty cool. I got to go to DC and stand in the cold and then go to the Staff Ball and drink lots of wine and make out with Ben from Tallahassee. That's all I have to say about that.

I closed Renter tonight and I'm opening it tomorrow morning, so I'm gonna go now. Peace out.

I have a crush on a slightly questionable candidate.

Whatever.

In other news, I'm starting a blues band. I am also currently cleaning the 712 W. Illinois kitchen, listening to Billie Holiday, smelling the smell of my banana bread baking, and pondering my next move. I think I shall watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas" tonight. Yes. That sounds good.

I want to sleep forever and ever. In other news, I asked to work full-time next week and I got ... ONE SHIFT. Five whole hours. Thanks, Johnny! Glad I can pay my heat bill this month...

JK, kind of.

For two days, I have had all my clean laundry on my bed, ready to be put away. I keep thinking that if it's on my bed, I will surely have to put it away before I go to sleep. But instead I just kind of shove it to the side and sleep on half of my bed.

In other news, I got drunk today and went to class. Three of my classmates were drunk too. It's a lot more exciting to do that when it's not Unofficial-- it's so cliché when everyone else is doing it, but today it felt like a big secret. Scandal! And my directing class is going to Murphy's tomorrow for class. Oops. Guess I'm drinking a lot these days.

My foot hurts, but not as bad as it did before. Hopefully it's healing itself and I can run again soon. I miss it.

OKbye.

The show opens today! Finally! We've been in rehearsal since September 2nd! Ahhhhhh!

Soooo, now I'm IN Map Light.

Rarhahrharhahrhar.

My first and last Krannert show, aren't you all proud of me??

Thanks, Laurie Carlos.

-Amy

I burned my hand and it really hurts. Now I'm using some frozen cut leaf spinach (in a bag) to ice it. I might take a nap. And some Advil. And then go to the gym. Because I am a hardcore dude like that. Also, the snow is nice but only if you don't have to walk far in it. Then, cars are nice, but only if the brakes work.

Boston was a great, necessary thing. I'm glad to be back but it was good good good. Now I'm going to the gym and eating super healthy (well, at least making vague efforts to do that) to work off all the JP Licks. See, they had a new monthly flavor called Peanut Butter Oreo. Turns out the winter is not even enough to keep me away. Good thing I don't live there. (NOT!)

Anyways. I really like working out at the ARC (the new IMPE). It has weight machines that counts for you. I feel really good about this. Oh modern technology...

Back to get a part of me...

I'm off to Boston. I'll miss you!

Thoughts

Every so often I feel like going on a wild road trip, thinking I just need to see more parts of the country.

I don't know where I want to go, though. I just think, though, that it's important to remind ourselves how small we are every once and a while. Or daily, really. It's not that we're completely insignificant, but there's so much out there in the world that we haven't seen yet, so I don't know why I hold and hold and hold onto things. It's not as if I'll forget them, I remember so much.

But I think it's unhealthy to try to re-live things. Because there are some things that are constant in our lives (for me, it's cookies, and music, and my friends, and my cousins, and my mom, and these days it's even my dad most of the time) that can always be present, and others that can't, I guess, like old loves and old feelings and old weights and old laughs, even if the joke is still funny, or the person is still beautiful, or whatever.

I guess that all I'm trying to say is that there are so many people and things I've never seen or smelled or touched or tasted, there are even words I've never said or written into anything at all.

I just want to drive and drive, but I can't be all places at once, because here at school is a good good place to be.

I need to stop stretching myself so thin and just be where I am.

Thank you thank you, where I am.

NVM. We're good.

Phew!

VOTE FOR OBAMA

Today was really scary. I went to the polling place and got in line and got my ballot and went into the booth. All fine. But then I pulled out the pen and opened the ballot and almost started crying. It has never been real to me, the idea that McCain could actually be our next president. I have been joking in my brain, thinking, "Oh, haha, I'm gonna vote for Sarah Palin because she's HOTT." But I never actually thought about the fact that some people might be walking in to the booth trying to hand John McCain our country. It was really really scary.

The choice has seemed so clear, so apparent to me from Day 1. I've been an Obama supporter since he ran for Senate. I guess it never seemed like much of a decision. But seeing other names there on that ballot made everything real. Terrifying and real.

So I hope that everyone goes out there and does what they can to save our country. I'm scared. But I've done my part -- I'm just crossing my fingers now and hoping really hard. We'll see...

Where'd my b-e-e-d go?

Basically, I have become an old man. I'm going to bed now. But I'm working at 6 am so I feel justified.

I've eaten weird foods tonight. Like a vague salad, some cool whip whipped cream, a bite of butter pecan ice cream, and oatmeal with raisins.

I am learning a lot about cats, like the different kinds that there are. From our clock. There's Selkirk Rex, Russian Blue, Persian, Maine Coon, and American Curl, to name a few. But that's just midnight to 4. You'll just have to wait for the rest.

That's enough. I'll leave you with a (partial) list of things we think are funny but no one else does:
1) Hamlet
2) Harvard
2b) Harvard Electrical School
3) CATS, the musical
4) Cameron Cornell dot net
5) Where'd my beej go? I can't find it.
6) Animals dressing up as other animals
7) Animals dressing up as themselves
8) Our dads
9) Unitards
10) Standing against the wall.
BONUS) Wambaaaaa, JH, AH, JHK (like the friendly ghost but with a K)

Allllll byyyyy myyyyse-e-elf...

Wear Your Love Like Heaven

Hello.

I think that what I need to do at this point in my life follows:

1. Listen to more records than I already do
2. Put together nice outfits for myself so I feel nice
3. Work on my abs
4. Make delicious warm vegetarian stews with lots of protein in them in my croc pot
5. Play my guitar more so my band, Old Dirty Boot, can get really famous

And I will continue to

1. Work on my play
2. Write poems
3. Not have a crush on anybody
4. Writewritewritereadreadread

Stuff that will never stop making me happy:

1. When Kinzie does German accents
2. The mismatched buttons I just sewed on my coat today
3. When my parents and I go to Chinatown
4. Murphy Lipman

Possible Halloween costumes:

1. George Washington
2. A green pea
3. Snoopy

I don't know.

Love,
Amy

Fiyah haus, JA!

Freshman year, Ernie would yell things out in a faux German accent every time we walked by Firehaus. I think we walked by once. Total. But he yelled some things that one glorious time. Yes he did. Now I'm the one who "tawks like ze Djermahns und makes ze djoks ubout ze Djermahn pahty wis ze peenis rhouund of ze beehr pong."

I should never be allowed in public.

I had grand plans to go to Firehaus tonight for about five minutes. But then I drove up and parked and observed the obscenely long line. So I cut in line and promptly saw a girl who was sitting and barfing a lot. And Firehaus guys were walking around going, "Whose friend is she?" ("Where'd my beej go? I can't find it.) So then I texted J3 and went home. To not-my-home.

I'm dog sitting again and it's good. We're going running tomorrow. Me and Merlin. The dog. Tonight we're gonna schmurfle. AKA he'll snore and drool on my pillow but I'm okay with it. We get each other.

Earlier, Annah and Amy and I looked at a lot of pictures from the past. There were so many epitomes and it was nice. I really like thinking about how things were and I also really like thinking about how much we're not like that anymore.

okbye.

Hiatus Done.

Yeah, okay, I'm back. There's something vaguely intimidating about posting for the first time in a while-- like, "my post's gotta be so brilliant to make up for lost time." Or something. But whatever, man, whatever. It's all chill up in hurr.

School is in full swing. I made it through a really intense two weeks of midterms/papers and I'm feeling alright about things now. Actually, I feel so on track in a lot of areas of my life, and that's something that doesn't usually happen. I often get really on top of one thing or another, but then something else slides. But right now, I'm kicking butt in a few of my classes that are hard, and I'm working out and eating right (and I've lost 8 lbs), and I'm sleeping and socializing and, yes, my room is messy, but let's be honest-- when isn't it messy?

And I just bought a spontaneous plane ticket to go to Boston for the end of the week before Thanksgiving break. I'll get to see my kids and my various Boston friends and for a day or two, I'll visit my friends who go to Smith and Hampshire. [Perhaps I'll even get to meet Daisy?/Michelle, wanna go to Tip Top Thai at some point when I'm there?] Basically, I can't wait to be back in Boston where I am a happy pup because Rachel and Alexander are there and so are many other great people/places/things. And I will get some JP Licks.

I'm skipping Jewish Storytelling right now so I can "do some homework" but really I'm just watching Grey's Anatomy and doing some good ol' sitting. Maybe I'll read for class now. Yep, that's what I'm going to do*.







*Let's be honest: I'm going to go get a spoonful of Cool Whip and watch another episode of Grey's. Duh.

It's true, Michelle!

I will post someday. Maybe after I take my French test from Hell™. But for now, keep in mind that the French verb "bondir" means "to leap" but in the expression "faire bondir," it means to make someone's blood boil. Or to make them "really hopping mad." According to my French book. Which is basically God.

Rewind: Freshman Year

Last night we went to a party. An Urbana house party. And it was as it should be (have been): loud; sweaty; drunken; and complete with awkward freshmen who think they're really cool and who do keg stands and put their butts on people.

Please don't get the wrong idea-- you will be hard pressed to find something that I enjoy more than a sweaty, shirtless freshman swaying into me while checking out the ladies at the party, attempting to remain vertical. I really do love it.

But I felt old. And I know I'm not old. Actually I'm a baby. Just turned 7 months old yesterday. Not really. But the point is, I felt incredibly out of place at the party. Except I wasn't drunk enough to convince myself that I was a freshman again, and I wasn't sober enough to stand back and judge everyone (though that's no fun anyways). So I danced a lot. And put my butt on some people, and did a couple of fist pumps in beat with the pounding music. There were a lot of people who were making out, including this freshman girl who made the rounds. Seriously, every time I saw her, she was snogging a different dude. I stared at her awkwardly for a while until I realized that that was basically me my freshman year. And then I just sighed a wise old sigh about my wasted youth.

In other news, I discovered this in the online slang dictionary:

zoom-in Featured Word

noun

1. an unexpected and usually undesirable kiss.

She pulled a zoom-in on me last night.


word.