« March 2007 | Main | May 2007 »
April 30, 2007
The Half Cent
Its the big one, folks! Entry numero 50! This entry comes at the end of April with May looming right around the corner. May brings June. And June? June brings me home. I booked my ticket back home for mid-June. It really hit hard. I can't believe it's been a school year almost. I wish I could stay just a little bit longer. But, alas, I must return to my original alma mater to see what's going on. It's gonna be a bit depressing. I think I'm going to get hit by massive cultural shock. My feelings towards American Football have completely 180'ed over the year. I used to like it but now I realize that its the reason I have A.D.D. 20 seconds of play, 2 minutes of commercial, rinse, repeat. Its really quite ridiculous.
What's wrong with proper football? Nothing at all. People say it's a wussy sport. But we're talking about running for 45 minutes straight...TWICE! There's no commercial breaks. No time outs. The only break you get is when somebody falls over or when the ball goes out. If the argument is that there is no hitting in football, that's just a stupid argument. You have to be incredibly aggressive trying to get the ball from the other guy. Just because you're not hitting the person head on does not mean its stupid.
I will definitely miss playing football a lot. Nobody really plays at Albright. And the American style of futbol is just run after the ball. That's so ghey. I think futbol is more of an upper-middle-class WASP sport. I'll also miss watching football. Football was on twice, three times a week and it was easily accessible. Now, I'm going to have to watch it via chinese tv or something. *lets out one big sigh* But I don't think anybody really understands.
Regardless, I am focusing on what is happening NOW. For example, I am writing an essay on the most boring part of the world, Scandinavia. And I want to get it basically done before Friday, which is the SPIDER-MAN 3 OPENING WOOOOO!!!! The essay isn't due until next Friday, but after that come finals so I gotta get it done now.
Soon...I will be home.
Soon.
Posted by salaamthebody at 4:33 AM
April 19, 2007
Lost Misplacements
There's this place where lost wallets go. When they fall out of your pockets and you frantically search for them, they all go to this little crevice in an unknown location. You look for it, but it isn't looking for you. It is enjoying that free air feeling for as long as it can before it must return to its rightful owner; wedged between the denim that surrounds its life, stuffed until it feels like it will explode.
It needed a break. So, at the right moment, it jumped out of my pocket. Just jumped out. It had felt some motion and heat and decided it would be a great place to take a brief vacation. I didn't notice this directly. I didn't even notice it that day. The process of unpacking one's pockets at the end of the day becomes so routine that I forgot that there was something important missing. I just assumed it was there. It always was before.
In these wallets are placed the plastics of our lives. They dictate how much we can spend, where we are permitted to go, what we are allowed to do, and essentially tell us how much we're worth. One of the plastics was my key to food as it gained me entry into the dining hall. Come breakfast time, this reformed oil product had seemed to slip from my very hands. I subconsciously smacked my desk where the wallet should have been, expecting it to be there. When my hand felt the hard wood, bespeckled with rivets and scratches, I knew something was wrong. And thus, my misplaced wallet woes began. However, my wallet had now been out of my pocket for a good 12 hours. Oh, those 12 hours better have been great for it. Because if I ever found him, I would...ah, this is no time for frustration or anger. I must treat it better if it ever decides to return.
Regardless of its trip, I decided to tear apart my 9 X 10 cell. Pockets were turned inside out, mattresses and bedspreads were turned upside down and shaken, bookbags were searched. All this to no avail. The dude was gone. I even searched clothes I hadn't worn the night in question.
Ah well, I may as well check if anybody had turned it in. And so I walked out of my dorm and into the chilly, rainy morning as I cursed myself for having forgotten my rain jacket and umbrella.
At the desk, nothing had been turned in, but breakfast was still allowed. And I ate, albeit begrudgingly. All my friends told me that the first place I should search was the car I had been in. I knew this, but they were being good friends.
Half hour later, stories of lost wallets and calling to cancel credit cards have sparked concern in me. Oh no, I think, if I have to cancel my credit card, that means I can't watch Spider-Man 3 (because I had booked my ticket online and needed to bring it to the theater to confirm that I, indeed, was the Spider-Nerd who chose that perfect seat so many weeks in advance). I decided to forget about my wallet for a minute because worrying about it would not bring it any closer to me, it would only remind me how faraway I was from my state-given identity.
Upon leaving the dining hall, the rain had stopped and the sun was shining. Blue skies, I saw. This intrigued me. If my day started rainy but was now progressing to sunshine, could I possibly find my misplaced wallet? If so, would this mean that my predicaments would be determined by the weather? If so, I would make sure to move to the Bahamas.
I woke my friend up, I think, when I knocked on his window. I told him I had misplaced my wallet. He said, "You lost your wallet?!" And I don't like using that word 'lost' so quickly. But everybody had been using it by now. I was afraid that my wallet was indeed lost. Or maybe it had fallen onto the carpet in my room somewhere.
Regardless, we went over to his car. The closer we were to his car, the more desperate my prayers became. Once the distance between soul and vehicle were mere meters, all talking stopped. It was the silence, nay, the deep breath before the plunge. *CLICK* the unlocking of the car was too amplified for my liking. It gave a call of *LOOK HERE FOR THAT WHICH YOU WILL NOT FIND!* I gave it a shot, I opened the passenger door. My eyes glanced over the seat and they searched the foot part, briefly passing over the bit between door and seat.
And there, blending in with the shadows of the seat, was a piece of a chocolate. I jest. There, amongst the shadows, was my wallet. I grabbed it, held it with both hands, and raised it high above my head. I had found my misplaced wallet. Those twelve hours have better been great for it, because I made sure that, however long it decided to stay with me, those would be the best days.
Moral of the story: Take care of your wallets. Place them in the side pockets of your pants and not the side pockets of those track jackets because you will forget to zip them up. I know I did.
Posted by salaamthebody at 4:39 AM
April 10, 2007
The Best of...
So. I'm back in the real world now. Rome was nice. Nay, Rome was amazing. I was there from Sunday the 25th to Saturday the 31st. And I took about 900 pictures. SERIOUSLY. oh snap, I just capitalized a whole word. i am sorry. that must have felt like yellings in your head. i remember when i would IM people and then I would walk away from my computer and not put up my away message and people would be like 'where are you' 'HELLO?!' "COME BACK!!!!" and it'd be in caps lock with the exclamation points but why would you do that? i can't actually hear what you are typing and i can't actually read all that UNTIL i've come back so when I read it, all i have is an IM Box with you yelling at me.
Stop yelling at me.
And please turn off your cell phones in theaters.
I took about 900 pictures whilst in Roma. 900 pictures in 7 days. So I am going to try and choose the best picture or two from each day and just post it down here and let you see a bit of Roma.
Day 1 - basically spent at Piazza de Popolo
Day 2 - a good bit of Traveling, here is a Pyramid in Rome. Below that is a sunset beside the Coliseum.
Day 3 - Was spent in the Coliseum. This picture shows me, the just ruler, making an appearance to the peasants.
This is a poetic verse I really enjoyed. It was on display in the Coliseum.
This is the Monument of Vittorio Emanuele II, who was the first king of a unified Italy.
Day 4 - Went all over Rome with some friends of a friend. This is a picture from the top of the Spanish steps
Us on the Spanish Steps
This is a picture of St. Peter's Basilica
In front of the Pantheon
Day 5 - An afternoon at the Zoo
Seeing this in real life was pretty cool
A Man's Quest for Solace
Day 6 - I left the group and went on my own
Here I am at the Mediterranean
Piazza Navona
Day 7 - Final Day was spent at the culminating Roman attraction: the Vatican museums
This was the line for the Vatican. The line was literally a mile long. If you actually stood and waited in line, you are a tool. Just cut in somewhere.
here is one of the many, many paintings in the Vatican. I enjoyed this piece.
And of course, the penultimate experience, look at this one carefully to see what i refer to
Alas, all good things must come to an end, and so we left Rome, but we left it right where it was so that you can go and visit
So. Moral of the story. Study abroad. You will meet great people and will have the opportunity to take advantage of awesome situations. Albright has a great array of scholarships that you can apply for from different societies and organizations to make your young life just a little bet more cultured. Oh, and whilst you're in Rome, go to the Gelatria next to the Piazza de Roma. It is quality.
Posted by salaamthebody at 3:47 PM