Surprises

I think this is the semester where I learn to like Shakespeare. Like reading it, even, in a can't-put-it-down kind of way. Taking this class was a good decision.

I have made a lot of good decisions this year. They have surprised me.

Back in the Cold

I finally made it back to freezing cold Wisconsin last night. We left the house in Florida at 10 AM Saturday morning, and I got back to my apartment at 9 PM Sunday night. That is a long time to spend in a car. To be fair, we stopped at a theatre in Atlanta for 5 hours to do a show. Then in Tennessee there was an entire section of the interstate closed down because the roads were icy and there were 40 accidents. Forty! The cops wouldn't let us though so we had to pull over t0 the parking lot of a fireworks store at 3:30 AM and sleep until 6:30 when we could leave. Tennessee is a strange place. Georgia is weirder, Kentucky is less weird, and Indiana is boring.

The week was awesome though. It didn't get that warm while we were there, but we went to the beach one day anyway. I got attacked by seagulls. They stole my lunch. We swam a lot at the house, played cards for hours on end, and had one of the wildest nights Titanic has ever had. Then finally on out last day some people ventured out to St. Petersburg to see the Salvador Dali museum, which was amazing. And I ate turtle! It was in soup, and surprisingly good. I'm really bitter that I can't sit around being lazy anymore. And I'm weirded out that I'm all alone in my apartment after being surrounded by 12 other people for the last week and a half. It's a weird adjustment. So is the weather. And the fact that I have to go to class tomorrow.

I don't play to lose, but I don't play to win either

Last night a bunch of us got together to watch Scrubs (the new season is really good by the way, despite the network change), and then played a game of Risk. I worked furiously to conquer Europe, and had enough of a stronghold is Asia that I could feasibly take that over too, but as soon as I got Europe I didn't want anything else. I was content to eat cheese and go to art museums, and didn't care if I won the game or not. I realized then, that I don't care if I'm in first place, as long as I'm not in last place. It was an interesting thing to discover.

This week is glorious. I'm relaxed and productive at the same time, and in 2 days I'll be en route to Florida for the beauty that is tour. Two of our counterparts at the U of I will be sticking around for the first couple days of our tour because of a transportation issue--I'm really excited to hang out with them and have some inter-Titanic bonding. I need to go get a book to read by the pool...I doubt I'll have much luck finding the Year of Living Biblically at Avol's, and it's too late to order it on Amazon :( Perhaps some more Vonnegut. It is always more Vonnegut...

Uncluttered

Madison is so quiet these days. There's something vast and lazy about it that makes me feel relaxed. Last night I went to see Yesman, which is a worthwhile movie, but the moment where I (loudly) exploded a bag of Reese's Pieces all over the floor just as the movie was starting might have been the funniest part. Today has been lazy. I saw Amelia, and I finally have a few groceries. There's hardly anybody in town, but I don't care. I'm not feeling very social. I'm going to clean my bedroom this week, and bake cookies, and maybe write a little. I'm at peace. It's great.