III

Claire and I just returned from Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. It seemed long and every scene with Natalie Portman was cringewothry, but I liked it on a whole. The actor playing Skywalker did a very good job (somewhat better than he did in Episode II and much better than the child actor did in Episode I).

Service

One of the unfortunate results of my decision to drop out of high school after my sophomore year (to attend college) was that I missed out on the National Honors Society activities. Since I had dropped out of my church even earlier, I really never did much community service. I've always prided myself on being involved in my educational communities: I was a greeter and pass-runner in junior high; I assisted my Spanish teacher in senior high; I was a resident assistant at Simon's Rock and involved myself in numerous aspects of campus life; I ran the Honors Student Organization film society for one semester at Madison. But other than working on Simon's Rock's adopted highway, I haven't done much of the kind of community service that most résumé-conscious students do.

Tonight, I made a first step to amend that. My family's church (and probably the only church with which I will ever feel any connection), Pilgrim's United Church of Christ, hosted a banquet for the school district's Special Education Parental Advisory Council. The over the course of the two-hour affair a number of community members were honored for their contribution to the lives of students with special needs. About ten members of the church served a dinner of homemade spaghetti with Olive Garden salad and breadsticks to the entire group of about seventy people. My family of four were actually the only servers (the rest cooked and washed dishes), and I think we did a pretty decent job. Our whole family wore black pants and white shirts, and I think it made up for our somewhat unprofessional technique. My mom had drilled us on proper serving technique in the car on the way over, but the tables were too cramped for us to actually follow etiquette. We were also hampered by the less-that-ideal planning, which meant that we had to wash and reuse utensils a number of times throughout the meal. Fortunately, the nature of the dinner/presentation gave us the time we needed. My feet are sore, but it was a rewarding experience.

Last Letters

All of my grades have been posted. I received an 'AB' in James Joyce; I'm quite pleased with that since the course was not recommended for anyone but advanced English majors. My GPA for the semester was 3.647, which raised my cumulative GPA to 3.569, which isn't up to my Simon's Rock level (stemming from the combination of harder math classes and the replacement of the 3.667 'A-' with the 3.500 'AB'), but it's not shabby either.

Caffeination

I worked a shift at the Osseo Junior High School pool this evening. It's not my favorite job since its a number of uninterrupted hours of sitting in the same chair watching swimming lessons, but tonight was at least made interesting by one of the assistant instructors. When I arrived she was conversing with her co-workers:

AMY: So, I had six Mountain Dews and two Caribou Coffees.
KYLE: All today?
AMY: Yeah. I'm so wired, but I think its wearing off. I'm just happy I'm not pregnant.

A few hours later, Amy walked by my stand.

JAMES: How's your caffeine fix holding up?
AMY: It's pretty much gone. I'm so tired.
JAMES: At least you'll sleep well tonight.
AMY: I won't though.
JAMES: Why not?
AMY: I'm afraid of the dark.
JAMES: That'll do it.

Wine Instead Of Bourbon

I'm home, and although I don't have all my grades yet I suspect I've graduated from college. In 16-18 weeks my parents should find in their mail a diploma that proclaims that I hold a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics.

I know that bourbon is the drink for a college graduate (when he's not being seduced by Mrs. Robinson or scuba diving in the backyard pool), wine is more to my liking. Breaking from our pleasant trip home, my dad and I took a tour of Wollersheim Winery, a vineyard not far outside of Madison which was founded by the same man who founded the first vineyard in the Sonoma Valley in California. The tour concluded with a wine tasting, and I tried five wines starting with a chardonnay and ending with a port. I helped my dad with the shopping, and he was kind enough to buy a bottle of the port at my request. I was rather tired from a very short night of sleep (90 minutes), so we kept the music going to stay awake during the drive back. We played Nine Inch Nails, Dave Matthew Band, The Smashing Pumpkins, and CAKE, so I was happy despite my drowsiness.

I'm not sure how often I'll be posting this summer, but I suspect it will be somewhat less frequent than I do during the school year.

[I didn't mention the tasting in the first draft of this post since I wasn't sure if I should have been carded, but it seems that Wisconsin state law allows minors to consume alcohol in the presence of their parents independent of location, a somewhat looser exception to the drinking age than that to which I'm accustomed here in Minnesota. Thanks to Claire with her unsettling extensive knowledge of drinking laws for the tip.]

A Needed Pick-Me-Up

Despite taking my preparatory studying seriously, the Cryptography exam was still like a sledgehammer to the face. I actually took a moment to calculate the exam's probable affect on my GPA. (I still expect to graduate.)

On my way back from the exam I popped into to Walgreens to buy a 16 oz. "double size" can of ROCKST★R Energy Drink, which I discovered during the finals period last December was a caffeine source much to my liking. As I continued back toward the Highlander, I ran into a stand with people handing out free 8.4 oz cans of the same stuff. I asked the guy who handed me a can, "Where were you when I was down the street buying a big can?" He looked surprised and asked me if I had the can on me, which, of course, I did. I showed him and he told me I could have either a t-shirt or a cap. I'm not a cap guy, so I took a t-shirt, which actually looks pretty cool. It was a pick-me-up without the caffeine.

(I note that the Oxford English Dictionary uses a quotation from Ulysses as an example for a very different definition of 'pick-me-up':

2. A woman who readily allows herself to be picked up; a prostitute. Cf. PICK-UP n. 3. 1922 JOYCE Ulysses 49 She lives in Leeson park, with a grief and kickshaws, a lady of letters. Talk that to some else, Stevie: a pickmeup.

which comes from lines 3.429-430 in the Gabler edition.)

Back From The Windy City

I'm back from my thirty-hour trip to Chicago. After the show I caught the Blue Line to Washington, then transferred to the Red Line, which I took to 47th, where I took the #15 Bus to Hyde Park. It was an interesting trip, taking me through a variety of socio-economic regions. The neighborhood where the Congress is located isn't great, and I was glad to be amid a stream of departing concert-goers. I'm pretty comfortable on the trains, but the bus was a pretty intimidating place. I was the only white face of twenty or so people, and I was essential unable to understand the other passengers because of their South Side dialect. Eric, fortunately, had given me very good instructions to his place, and I got there without incident or even having to pause to get my bearings.

It was good to see Eric again, and I took him to a diner for breakfast this morning to repay him for the use of his couch and the hours of sleep I cost him. We said our goodbyes, and I caught the #15 to the Green Line, which I took up to the Loop. I met my freshman-year roommate Kyle and his long-time girlfriend Megan in Millennium Park. We spent our time together wandering through the starting grounds of an impressively-sized Polish independence parade, visiting the Shedd Aquarium, and eating stuffed pizza at my usual Giordano's.

My bus ride on Friday had been late due to a combination of the time needed to load a wheelchair-bound passenger and serious congestion in the Chicago area, but the return trip was quiet and speedy. Amanda and Leah, the two RAs on my floor, greeted me as soon as I walked in the door, asking how the concert went, and it felt good to be back.

Broken/Fixed

I saw Nine Inch Nails at the Congress Theater in Chicago on this evening. The venue was quite nice; although it needed to be repainted, it was good enough shape that it seemed "historic" rather than just "old." The audience of about twenty-six hundred felt just right. This was my first concert with general admission seating, and I was apprehensive about ending up in the back corner, but it turned out to be just fine. Actually, there were definite advantages to the approach. The head-banging, fist-pumping fans settled to the main floor, and the less active, lets-watch-and-listen fans drifted to the balcony. I was quite pleased with my seat in the second row, which allowed me to watch the show and the fans below. I was close enough to distinguish band members, but not see facial expressions.

The Dresden Dolls opened, and I found them to be as enjoyable live as in their studio release. I knew that vocalist/pianist Amanda Palmer put on quite the dramatic act, but I was surprised by the showmanship of percussionist Brian Viglione. An entire ballet was performed between his shoulders and the tips of his drumsticks. It was a joy to watch him (whenever I wasn't being distracted by Amanda's gymnastic, striped-stockinged legs, that is). I was quite pleased to hear "Coin Operated Boy" and "Half Jack," and I enjoyed both covers they performed.

Good Day
Gravity
War Pigs (Black Sabbath)
Missed Me
Coin-Operated Boy
Port Of Amsterdam (Jacques Brel)
Half Jack
Girl Anachronism

The NIN set was marred by technical difficulties. Reznor's microphone was the only thing properly miked, so the "The Frail" was all but completely lost, and "The Wretched" was pretty much drumming and vocals. I was disappointed that the songs were not repeated properly. I wouldn't be surprised if Trent Reznor had been screaming at people backstage, but to the audience he was humble and apologetic regarding the technical difficulties. I was also disappointed that the set included so few tracks from With Teeth, especially since I so enjoyed what few songs did make it into the show. Highlights of the show included the performance of "Home," the vinyl-only b-side for "The Hand That Feeds," and "With Teeth," during which Reznor actually played tambourine. "Piggy" had an enjoyable extended outro, and "Closer" included an instrumental which I believe may have been borrowed from "The Only Time."

The Frail
The Wretched
[remedial sound check]
Wish
March Of The Pigs
The Line Begins To Blur
Piggy
Terrible Lie
Burn
With Teeth
Closer
Home
Reptile
The Big Come Down
Gave Up
The Day The World Went Away
Suck
Hurt
The Hand That Feeds
Head Like A Hole

The was no encore, but I understand this is normal for NIN.

Sinking De Mayo

I had my last James Joyce class today; I'm feeling more down about it than I expected. Ulysses buoyed up my spirits during my loneliest moments this semester, and I haven't gotten to know my classmates so well in any other course since I left Simon's Rock. I feel like a simple letter grade, even a good one, is an unsatisfying conclusion.

For Hitler...And Germany!

Sarah and I just returned from a highly enjoyable evening of singing, dancing, and swastikas, which is to say that we just returned from a production of Mel Brooks's Broadway hit The Producers. We were in row N of the third balcony, our backs to the wall and our eyes cast rather far downward. No, our seats weren't the best, but for the ten dollars I paid for each ticket, I can't complain. (The Honors Student Organization picked up the other 23.50 that comprised the group-rate price.) The musical isn't really my format, but this one was funny enough for me to forgive the long stretches of singing and dancing.

This week reminds me of the first week of May 2003, when I saw Ballet Hispanico on Friday 2 and Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds on Monday 5. Hopefully this week's second musical event, Nine Inch Nails and the Dresden Dolls, will be as enjoyable.

B$3,603.97

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