A Panoply

I did a lot of things yesterday. It was a long day, in the colloquial sense. It started out with a lovely breakfast with Boppy at Mundays. I got the most delicious challah french toast and we talked about...well...everything. Then she drove me to the train and I came back to BK.

Carrie was at the apt when I got back, we spent a bit of time together, then I had to shower and get some work done. I tried to evade most of my work, as usual. Then at 4 I hopped on a train to Columbia to meet with my anthro group. We had to do some fieldwork for out upcoming paper on infrastructure and technology. We took a cab, using it for its mini TV to locate a restaurant to eat dinner at. We observed the mobile TV as a way of observing infrastructure, then we got off in times square and walked to a restaurant. The food was way too spicy, but I got 2 glasses of wine, so I was happy. I feel like I fit in with my group, however they are all undergrads and I believe, at a different stage in their lives than me. It's weird. I mean, I was never into college life in undergrad and they're all up in it. I guess maybe it has something to do with living on campus and being away from home. But I think, even if I did do that in undergrad, I wouldn't have had the same points of excitement and whatnot. Whatever, I guess we're all different, and I can't pinpoint anyone into any specific group. The guy in my group was talking about all the countries he has visited, I was amazied. He's been practically everywhere, and he's only 21.

After dinner, I went to meet up with Blair at the New Museum. I got lost on the train and wound up in south BK. I finally got there around 8 and we checked out the exhibits. They were rather underwhelming. Usually, the New Museum has really innovative, unique stuff, with a great deal of sculpture. Of the 4 floors we checked out, 2 were solely films, both of which I was not terribly interested in. I suppose the most interesting part of this exhibit was the top floor, or information center, where they had the room set up like a detainment camp in Israel. There were sheets pinned to the ceiling, so that peering in seemed more personal and voyeuristic. There were food items in the pantry, messily strewn about, toys sprawled out on the floor, crushed food on bunk beds and a TV played music and video of their culture. (see picture above)

After the museum, Blair and I came back to my apt and watched an episode of 'the Wire' . I was having trouble keeping my eyes open. It is one of those shows where you have to pay really close attention. I don't know how into it I can get. Hopefully it picks up soon. Next I made hot chocolate and Blair and I talked and he played guitar and I played him some recordings. He is a really good listener and is really open minded. I feel like he's so far above me in some ways. Like, even if I tried, I wouldn't be able to not like him because he's so damn nice. Later we watched 'I <3 huckabees' and quickly fell asleep. The heat was on full throttle in the apt and even with 2 windows open I was sweating my ass off.

All in all, a good day.

Mental Institution.

Did somebody let the crazies out today? Cause I think I ran into a few of them on my way home. This one girl in particular was wearing a pink furry coat, which didn't at all go with her drab business attire, and had a mini tape player or something which she was holding up to her ear, as if she was having a personal conversation with it, huddled in her seat on the subway. A Linkin Park song blasted from its speaker and she sang along with meaningful fervor. I kept trying to read my book, but I could not look away from this girl. Other than that, people were speaking in tongues to themselves, you know, the usual.

-A side note. Class was awesome today. It usually is on Thursdays, but today especially. We started talking about the trajectory of the public sphere according to Habermas. I had never read him before, but he is a big social thinker who designed theories on the transformation of the public sphere dating back to feudalism. I got to talk about my passion in life, which is the pacification of the masses through ideological restraints which are put out in a diverse array mass media forms. I feel smart in this class. This is what I should have been taking classes in all along. Why is it that only one of my classes pinpoints my desire to slander the media?

-Another side note: I am reading Charles Dickens Hard Times. I am only 35 pages in and I already hate it. The title explains it all. I understand the concept, but why must Dickens go on and on about describing dumb things that don't matter? I feel like I am reading the phantom tollbooth. This book needs to make up its mind if it wishes to be a whimsical, childlike fantasy or to use the language of a literary scholar including a panoply of words I have never seen or heard of, even in my advanced academic stage. What the hell!