sunday, 29 february 2004

overheard: "the long memory is the most radical idea in america" -utah phillips

it's hard to believe that missy had puppies 12 years ago today. that dog is old. old, i tell you. sorry about no update yesterday. was feeling uninspired. went to the gym, though, and wrote 500 words of the seminar presentation. dinner at the dean's on friday was aight. wish i'd gotten to see the gardens at the deanery. other than that, i can't really report much excitement from the ox1. welcome to 7th week. say goodbye to february. i love how quickly this month always seems to go. and once it's gone, that means spring is practically here. hurrah! the daffodils jack got for my desk are in full bloom and look espcially lovely from across the road.

friday, 27 february 2004

overheard: "i've never masturbated" -number 706

i'm sure there was something splendid that happened yesterday. i love those little images that float around my head just before i drift off to sleep. last night it was a dog-like creature wearing a leather cap (like the old football helmets) that was encrusted with different colors of rhinestones. the dog was laughing. very odd. we had our first student presentations in my seminar last night. my presentation is in 13 days. ack! definitely need to write 2500 words this weekend. and transcribe all that guildhall stuff. i topped up my international phone card yesterday...it's surprising to me that i still haven't spent £20 on international calling since the start of michaelmas term. i think i'll head to the gym now, and then to that bod place thing.

thursday, 26 february 2004

overheard: "say something funny!" -amanda

last night was capped by a surprise (but certainly welcome)3am call from danielle. we discussed spam. my spamming her. jesus. georgetown. lesbians. new york city politics. &c. quite pleasant. and then i went back to sleep. i had hoped to go to the gym before breakfast today, but when that alarm went off, i was way tired. today, i vow to be productive. or i'll try to be productive. or something. aight. breakfast.

wednesday, 25 february 2004

ash wednesday
overheard: "your sister didn't check out my ears" -jack

as y'all may have guessed, i didn't actually go to london, i went to washington. and i surprised manda and got her real drunk for her 21st birthday. and all was right with the world. it was a great weekend, filled with lots of food, lots of amanda, ian and joe, and lots of random run-ins with hoyas. i had lunch with fr ribeiro and dinner with fr kemp and another lunch with dr astarita. and all in all had a lovely time. lent starts today, so no more alcohol for me. but i did get really trashed at the graduate dinner last night. wow. definitely the nicest the college has been to us all year. pictures will be forthcoming. i had a good workout yesterday. and i hear a rumor that formal hall will soon include coffee and perhaps cheese. very exciting. oh. and ps: i fully expect every queer person (and everyone with queer parents/children/siblings/friends) to vote in november against george w. bigot.

wednesday, 18 february 2004

overheard: "[amanda] is really a gay man in a woman's body" -joe

so it's way too early to be up. i may or may not have worn my boxers inside out all day yesterday. i'm headed into london for another round of transcribing 16th century manuscripts. i may stay the night in the capital, so don't go expecting an update tomorrow. which, i suppose, means i ought to wish the aforementioned amanda happy 21st birthday early. this evening, weez, i call on you to remember the rules of drinking at georgetown: the first rule of drinking at georgetown is you do not talk about drinking at georgetown. the second rule of drinking at georgetown is you do not talk about drinking at georgetown. the third rule: no waste. the fourth rule: don't die...so, keep it in perspective, and get totally drunk.

tuesday, 17 february 2004

overheard: "there's nothing funny about chairman mao" -the turf

what is it they say about polite conversation avoiding sex, politics, and religion? what is polite conversation, in any case? i'm quite sure i've never been involved in one. what would that leave? sport and the weather, i suppose? oh, and my favorite topic: food. well, i refuse to discuss sport. the weather is nice. i really should stick to food, then. alright. so be it.

monday, 16 february 2004

overheard: "i miss aaron" -jack

my parents and bo.ho got home from a weekend visiting becky safely last night. i wonder if it's spirit olympic week at the ol' g prep. in the process, i hear, they bought becky a black dress for the rhodes ball in may. which means she's coming. which means i'm quite excited. hurrah. i'm having lunch today with mr simon and a meeting with dr archer this evening. oh. and i hadn't mentioned it yet, but how much fun is the mayor of san francisco's civil disobedience? and how ridiculous is the very thought of writing any form of discrimination into a constitution in 2004? apparently not worthy of enough ridicule. so let me add my voice to those who say, "mr president, you and every single one of your hate-mongering, jesus-appropriating, fascist followers should keep your hands off the constitution. in fifty years, your children's children (and my children's children) will look back on you with the same contempt my generation holds for governor wallace and every other racist fuck who tried to keep little black kids out of sacrosanct white schools."

sunday, 15 february 2004

overheard: "girls are squishy" -jeremy

black tie dinner last night was lovely. they did a much better job with the steak than i expected. but i wasn't in the mood to get drunk, so the thrust of the guest dinner was lost on me, i'm afraid. i hope that boston and denver are going well for my respective family members this weekend. i still hate valtentine's day. i am a bit hungry. and i have plenty of work to do before wednesday.

saturday, 14 february 2004

as joe says, happy vd
overheard: "i don't like it when other people touch my sleeping bag...it's not sanitary" -brian

so yeah, the meeting thing yesterday was super cool. very interesting people/ideas/free smoothie. two dinners, of course. jack made me a veritable thai feast. so full. black sticky rice with mango is the best breakfast/dessert ever. and also, lawrence stone makes me happy. i also found out just now that mike and jr and jennifer and abbey will be living practically next door to me next year, which will make my life much more enjoyable. weird doppelganger picture takers just rode by on the top deck of a bus. freaky. i'm out.

friday, 13 february 2004

happy birthday, bekah!
overheard: "he's somewhat competent" -jeremy

how does one maintain peace when confronted with a black hole of negativity? this is my quasi hypothetical question of the end of the week. my presentation, i found out, isn't until 8th week. which makes my life much easier. four months, eh? who knew? um. i think i owe mr crawford a letter. perhaps that will be my goal for the weekend. most of my family is in denver this week. except me. and amanda, who is in boston visiting tree and maybe getting to see allison and callie. i'm jealous of all four of them. what a good time. joe is in boston this weekend as well. travelly weekend, it seems. oh and it's friday the 13th. which is kinda like the day bekah was born. which is fun. and about five years ago this weekend, allison and parker broke up. and now he's married. oh, the memories.

thursday, 12 february 2004

overheard: "if a boy's in my bed i have sex with him" -my my my

dinner at keble high table last night was lovely. a whole new side of dr archer. he's really got his finger on the pulse of the university. it's too bad they shuffle people out of the provost's office as soon as they know what's best for this place. when i left keble, i walked back to the house in what can only be described as a lovely evening. warm and sweet-smelling, it reminded me of those nights in georgetown when the sidewalks practically beg you to take a nighttime walk. so by the time i got back to my room, i was mighty reminiscent about my good old college days. so i listened to my gina young cd and thought of my googlebutric friends. and ian. *sigh*

wednesday, 11 february 2004

overheard: "if it's not a sin, i'm not playing" -manda

london yesterday: a dig cam success story. and now i have something to do at the weekends. namely, transcribe from the computer. hot chocolate was so good. the bus back from london yesterday was opppressively hot. dinner in hall wasn't as good as mexican night. which was great. and now i'm going to rho.ho for the morning and then FREE JAPANESE LUNCH. life is good.

tuesday, 10 february 2004

overheard: "probably serves me right" -jack

in london for the day. working like a madman. i hope. and not starving. also i hope. it's chilly but oh well. i'm taking my dig cam. um. yes. disjointed update. sorry. 6.30 am. just woke up. not feeling the coherence thing so much right now.

monday, 9 february 2004

overheard: "you feel so awesome on top of me" -not me to someone else who is also not me, but a good quote nonethelss

goodness gracious! did i neglect to update yesterday? how'd i manage that. i'm deeply remorseful, i'm sure. i had a dream last night in which manda started smoking, and she would insist on smoking near gramma. and i had to tell her to quit that. and becky married some prince, and became princess becky. so i could hardly be surprised when i woke up this morning to an IM from becky saying she and bobsforth are going to be baby jonathan's godparents. how very exciting is that?!? they will be contractually bound to spoil him for the rest of his life. totally not fair that they're beating me and the wheeze to godparenthood. but oh well. i'm set to have another painfully productive week. i love my research. and i'm going into london tomorrow, methinks. break. oh. fakeout. did anyone watch meet the press yesterday? how pathetic was W's showing? he's like one of those stuffed toys where you pull the string on the back and hear one of four things..."you can't trust a madman, and saddam was a madman"; "he had the ability to make weapons-related program activities"; "we're in a war against terror"; or "what budget deficit?"

saturday, 7 february 2004

overheard: "i don't have many fat friends" -greg

dinner at new college was great last night. it had been a long time since i had eaten steak. i think i ground my teeth in my sleep last night, though. lots of intersting articles in today's new york times. i particularly liked the one about homosexuality among animals. how cute were those two chinstrap penguins? the article about the continued assassinations of the iraqi professional class was very sad. the ones about bush were encouraging. i wish i could watch this meet the press on sunday. russert should eat him alive. today: lots of work. plenty of work. and then a thai dinner. which should be nice. dumb headache.

friday, 6 february 2004

overheard: "you are obligated to swallow" -brian, who was in rare form at dinner tuesday

so yeah, 3rd week is almost over. these terms go to fast. i need to turn my examination registration form in soon. it's weird to turn in titles for papers that i haven't written yet. oh, oxford. what else is of import today? second day in a row doing some laundry. yesterday was only mildly productive. i mostly worked on stow. but i started howards end, which was a pleasant read. and it was rhodent day at la fitness. anna and devi. very nice. dinner last night was awful. tonight i'm going to the new college guest dinner with kathleen. i'm looking forward to that.

thursday, 5 february 2004

overheard: "progressive policy is the road to socialism and ruin" -poster outside guildhall toilets

where's the month going? i love february because it goes by so darn fast. and because it's tropical in england right now. my mommy sent me cookies for her birthday. as jack said, 'how catholic of her.' i spent yesterday at the guildhall library, where it took me 5 hours to transcribe 6 pages of 1598 and 1599 st katharine's constables accounts. but i enjoyed it a lot. and on my way back toward oxford, i wandered around the City and saw several of the little places i'm studying. and man are they little. early modern london was little. and crowded as sin. anyway, it's unnerving how easy it is to get manuscripts at the guildhall library. at the british library, they practically ask for your index finger as collateral. at the guildhall, though, you don't even have to register. or show identification. crazy. how unbritish. all, in all, it was a GREAT day. and dr archer invited me to high table at keble next wednesday. i'm quite excited.

tuesday, 3 february 2004

overheard: "don't mind me, i'm just playing with myself down there" -charlie

happy st blaise day. i need to go get my throat blessed. think that do that at the cathedral? i didn't sleep too well last night. i think i was grinding my teeth. oh well. dr archer gave me a copy of his book last night. which is great, because i can finallly write in it. i had a very productive monday, i must say. hopefully that won't equate to an unproductive tuesday. we'll see. i have a meeting with the warden of rho.ho at 11, and i'm planning to go get my railcard after that. hurrah. later tonight, i'm going to see the room they assigned me for next year. then i can decide whether to take it. yesterday, i got two fun items in my pidge: the graduate feedback form from chch and the examination registration form i need to fill out to get my m stud. so yeah. OH. i'm starting a new section of my website: quotes. i hope y'all enjoy it.

monday, 2 february 2004

in short, lillian's ball was lovely. and i had a very productive saturday, i could say. despite not even starting on my work until 3 pm. today looks like it may be quite similar. but oh well. it's warm again in oxford. and i got to wear my new coat for the first time last night. good work, m&d. ba was at the gym yesterday. no complaints from me on that account. ummmm. what else? i'm trying like mad to use my book grant. and i'm getting really excited for my family's visit...in two months. ok. on to work.