Thursday, February 28, 2008

Make Me Lose Control

So I slept for 15 hours last night. Yep, that's 10+5 hours. I fell asleep at 5:30pm intending to just take a nice long nap and then meet Kat & Garrett (my candlepin bowling buddies) for Kat's B-day celebration at Intermission Tavern at 9pm. At the longest my naps in the past have lasted for 3 hours, so I figured there was no need to set the alarm. The sleeping commenced, and when I woke up it was 3:39am. I was so disoriented for over a full minute, not remembering anything. My thought process went something like this:

1) Where am I? Why am I awake?
2) I don't remember going to bed. When did I go to bed?
3) Did I go to the bar? I don't remember going to the bar. Did I black out? Oh God, how did I get home if I blacked out?
4) Why am I still wearing a bra if I'm in bed?
5) I didn't go to bed. I was taking a nap. Wait, the bar! I'm supposed to meet them!
6) What time is it? Holy shit it's 3:39! Did I sleep until the next day? Crap, I missed work!
7) Wait, it's still dark outside. OMFG, it's 3:39AM. I just slept through most of Wednesday.
8) I'm drugging myself with Benadryl and going back to sleep after I get up and take my meds.

And so I did. Needless to say I was still a bit loopy from the Benadryl when I woke up at 8am this morning (with the aid of alarm, this time). I feel ridiculously rested, though, like I just came out of hibernation or something. I haven't ever done something like that before in my life. EVER. It was nuts. I'm still reeling over the ludicrous nature of it.

Went to my first Boston Bruins game on Tuesday night with Yuval (of course--someone needed to be there to explain everything to me!). Even though we were in the top row of the stadium, TD Banknorth Garden is a really nicely designed space so we didn't feel like we were in the nosebleeds at all. Hockey fans are a bunch of drunk nutcases, so clearly I enjoyed myself very much. We wiped the ice with the Ottawa Senators, 4-0, which is made all the more sweet because they were ranked #1 at the time and we were #7. Take that, Canada!

Currently Yuval and I are planning a ski day for next Sunday--just a day because staying overnight is way too expensive. Plus I got those free lift tickets from my boss, so that's money in the bank right there! I miss skiing. It's funny to remember how I used to be really good back when we lived in Utah--I was skiing moguls and black diamonds at the age of 5. And now I can barely manage the blue square courses...such a downgrade!

Tonight is my first accounting class in two weeks. Class was cancelled last week, and the week before I skipped it for Valentine's Day. I really hope he hasn't given out a midterm or anything crazy like that since my last class. Speaking of classes, I've gotten all the materials on my end turned in to apply for that Graduate Certificate in Fundraising Management program that I keep blabbing on about. Hurray! Now I just have to wait for the recommendations to find their way to MET College's application committee.

That's all for now. Back to re-designing the department website! I'm such a nerd for it, but I really love website design. I get so caught up that hours can fly by before I realize how long I've been staring at the computer. Oh, the Intarweb!

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Like Spinning Plates

Another year down in my life. I don't feel any different at 23 than I did at 22, but then again I stopped feeling older with every birthday after my 18th. My mom kept saying repeatedly "I can't believe it...23! 23! I have a daughter who's 23!" I asked her how she'd handle it when I turn 24 a year from now. She told me not to get ahead of myself.

The anniversary of my birth fell on a Thursday this year, which made any sort of celebration a little difficult as the thought of staying up past midnight makes me instantly sleepy. Adrienne took me to see Mozart's The Magic Flute at the Huntington's BU Theatre: it was a huge student-run project, a collaboration between BU's College of Fine Arts and the Opera Institute. I loved it! It's definitely my favorite opera I've ever seen (which isn't saying much, as I've only seen what...five?). I loved it's silliness, it's refusal to take itself entirely seriously. Puccini and Verdi and Handel are beautiful and moving, yes, but sometimes I just want to have a laugh instead of being confronted with yet another tragic turn of events for a pair of lovers. Papageno was irreverant and delightful, and has Papagena was a great match. Now that I think about it, I won't go into a detailed discussion of every actor's performance because they were all wonderful. A very fun evening.

I also got to spend part of my Big Day in the Emergency Room. Nothing serious, mind you, just a severely unusual reaction to my new bug bites on my arms. My right arm in particular was having a tough time: the redness/swelling had spread from the area of the bites on my upper arm to encompass my entire arm down past the elbow. My doctor, upon hearing the symptoms, told me to hie myself to an emergency room as I may have a skin infection called cellulitis. The doctor at the ER told me it was likely that's what I had, but that it was hard to tell the difference between cellulitis and just a bad reaction. He gave me some antibiotics and sent me on my way. I've been taking them since Thursday night, and have come to the conclusion that I did, in fact, have cellulitis as the speed with which my arms have improved is nothing short of remarkable. It certainly did not heal this fast the last time. I'm still not sure if it was bedbugs: I stripped my mattress bare, washed all my linens and comforters, sprayed with an organic bedbug killing spray all over my mattress and box-spring, and did not see a single bedbug (if they were indeed the culprits, means that I should have been able to see them). Maybe I just have a spider that likes to feast only on my arms every few weeks...

A comforting thought. Somehow I don't mind that idea as much as bedbugs.

Yuval has been in Tel Aviv since Monday and I miss him like crazy. I only got to see him for the two hour drive home from Portsmouth on Sunday before he left, and before that the last time I saw him was Valentine's Day. Absence makes the heart grow anxious, man!

I'm typing this from the apartment downtown where I babysit Dylan. Currently I'm eating a chicken quesadilla that I ordered up from the in-room dining service and it's tres delecieuse! Jason said all they had for me to eat was pizza and he refused to let pizza and soda be the only things I eat when I come over here; so he told me to order up whatever I wanted from room service and they'd just charge it to him. Also, they got me a birthday card. I adore these people! As I'm writing this the TV is turned on low and currently "My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad" is on. I didn't even know this show existed, let alone that it was on Primetime. The whole concept is repugnant to me, just like "The Moment of Truth." Because nothing puts fatherhood skills to the test quite like hurling your kids on a bungee cord towards a giant target where they attempt to stick huge sticky darts to the bullseye for points. Thank God the writers are back so the networks don't have to make up anymore crappy reality gameshows.

Saw There Will Be Blood last night and loved it. Daniel Day-Lewis better get the Oscar for Best Performance: if he doesn't, it will prove that the Academy has completely lost all sense of good taste. It's not a movie for those who only enjoy a fast-paced story, nor is it a movie for those who demand sympathy for their main characters. Day-Lewis's character, Daniel Plainview, is nothing short of a truly evil human being whose motivations are unclear and never explained--something that makes the whole experience even more disturbing. You're never given a reason for his behavior, it's just the way he is, and that combined with the fact that the movie doesn't pull its punches makes for one sprawling, sparse, epic mastepiece. It's a genuine American tale, in the darkest sense--a look at the underbelly of rags-to-riches stories that made our nation as powerful and wealthy as it is today.

Okay, I gots to check on the baby now. It's almost March (which translates in my mind as meaning it's almost Spring, even though such a conclusion has no meteorological support whatsoever).

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Falling Down

I'm using this post as a means of forcing my eyes to remain open. No idea why, but travel makes me ridiculously sleepy even if it's a relatively short flight. Of course, I got home later than planned because Skybus can never run on time: it's a law of physics. Not that they didn't try valiantly to be on-time in this particular instance. I was actually sitting on the plane at 7:21 for my flight that was scheduled to leave at 7:17, which is as close to perfect as Skybus gets. Of course, the other retahds getting on the plane took forever to get organized and settled, and by the time they did, the 15 minute freak blizzard outside had dumped 1 1/2 inches of snow on unsuspecting Columbus. Meaning the plane had to be de-iced. Meaning there were only 2 de-icing trucks and about 12 planes. Meaning we took off 1 hour and 20 minutes later than we were supposed to. And of course, just to make things even more fun, all the waiting made the (Hardrock, NH) high school girls' volleyball team on the plane (all 30 of them, plus 10 mothers) especially loud, obnoxious, and completely unaware that there were other passengers on the plane who perhaps didn't care to hear about how much they sweat during games, thankyouverymuch. It was the same team I had to travel with on Friday night, and it seems no amount of sacrificial rites was enough to keep them off my returning flight. At least I got to sit next to two girls who were my age and just as aggravated by them as I was. We commiserated as one for the 1 hr. 50 min. flight back to Portsmouth, NH.

The trip to Kenyon was splendid, though I did rue the fact that dear Jeffrey could not join us in Gambier as it was his off-weekend. :o( I arrived on campus around 1:30am thanks to a last minute airport ride via allstu, located Adrienne, attempted to break into Calista's room and pass out in the extra bed, and was dismayed to find her door locked. She was on keg duty at the Archons' 80's workout party, so that left me dumping my stuff onto Annie/Cait's common room floor and creating a makeshift sleeping pad from chair cushions. I finally passed out at 2am, so oblivious that not even Calista's impromptu visit at 5am could penetrate my unconscious state. Waking to the sounds of Annie's vocal warm-ups in the shower around 10am, I realized just how excited I was to hear her recital. Ernst food, though certainly not fine cuisine, tastes so much better when you've experienced the pain of grocery buying in the city for months on end. At 1:30pm everyone headed down to Brandi for Steve Dowling's senior recital, where I encountered a (now sober) Calista and Anna Stevens. A joyous exchange! Everyone milled about until 4pm rolled around and it was time for Annie's recital--and what a recital it was! I loved every piece she sang, and decided that she should be accompanied by lute music wherever she wanders after hearing her sing three pieces accompanied by said medieval instrument. Her voice was stunning, her beauty was stunning, her dress was stunning (how it looks on the model doesn't even compare to how it looked on Annie--classic and classy!). Brava, bella. :o)

After the recital Adrienne, Stew, and I journeyed to the VI for some dindins where Anna and Calista joined us. Man do I love their Mac & Cheese! Annie was also there, having dinner with her parents, Doc Locke, and Kay. We hung about in Calista's room until 7:45pm, when we sauntered back over to Brandi to listen to Aaron Hatley's senior presentation on Aaron Copland and why he was The Man when it came to American Music. Very well done and interesting, especially since I'm already a huge fan of Copland. Stopped by Caples to say hello to Messr. Phil Fine. Then Adrienne, Anna, and Cait headed on over to the New Apts for a music-major packed party. Being exhausted from everything in the past few days, I opted to return to Calista's room with my stuff, watch the end of Ever After, and pass out at 12am after reading a few chapters in Caucasia. I awoke bright and early at 7:15am to catch a ride to the airport with Annie's parents, and waited there until 10:30 for my parents to pick me up. We then headed over to Easton for some B&N browsing, lunch at Cosi (a tradition), meeting up with my sister and her/my friend Maggie, shopping at Anthropologie for my (early) birthday present (yay cute clothes!), shoe browsing at Nordstrom's, and then finally the ride home. After much coercion, Mom made my favorite comfort dinner (tuna noodle casserole), invited our neighbors over, and presented me with a small ice cream cake for my birthday dessert. In addition to the clothes from Anthropologie, I got an amazing matted print from a local art show, cute note cards with my name on them, a very nice flat iron (finally!), and a Sundance long-sleeved t-shirt from Park City, UT. Quite a good haul, and I still haven't received Megan's present or any of my presents from my extended family! I love birthdays.

Mom drove me back up to Columbus to catch my plane last night, during which we encountered several random blizzards along I-71. It was just as sad/upsetting to say goodbye to my parents this time as it was at New Year's. I'll never get used to the miles between us. The happenings of the flight you already know, so when I arrived at 10:30pm to Portsmouth's airport and saw Yuval waiting for me in the lobby I threw myself at him in excitement and sheer relief to be off that damn plane. The drive home was lovely and uncomplicated, though tinged with a little sadness since I won't be seeing him again until next Sunday night since he has to fly to Israel tonight for his grandfather's funeral. :o(

And now for some nonsense! The following two paragraphs are excerpts from spam emails I got advertising "sexual enhancement products". Usually I just delete these without looking, but my eye caught one of the phrases at the end of the email, after the product pitch, and I just had to share. I've since discovered that all of them have these things at the end! I have no idea what they are, only that the sound like found poetry taken from random foreign translations of James Joyce's rantings, translated from these 10 different languages back into English, and then squashed into one paragraph. Watch for the Poirot reference and enjoy!

"It, but there's no time. How is a poor devil to evolution. if some one had said to her that she and jolly good ones, too, aynesworth answered, perform it on the spot. And all the men did so. Simply sat watching her with eyes in which there chose to marry her in the depth of winter, when it seemed a change of front. It certainly gained current carries it out again, and so down the mr. Caspar unexbeamed Hastingsi have been to had a lot of physical pain —but if you have pain, all thought came from the park?' 'i don't remember mustn't be nervy. After all, you can't escape well, that was fair enough, that dealt with trade, antibes. Poirot discusses the case everybody looked there and so tid her cranduncle, for a fillain."

"Covetous men are wedded to envy and anger. They them, becomes emancipated.27 bandoning, with that smear their bodies with mire, that have their mais le nain est tresmal habille, il a son bonnet ruler of the bhojas. Besides these, many others they are embodiments of merit. They are high and of gold. They are also adorned with flowering time during business hours, and afterwards there apartments, where, resting among a pile of cushions desire exists, rebirth becomes possible. The universe, and experience of the world preserved count o'halloran for his son, gave his consent to their playing the silverwhite sands and huge rolls of purple deceived by them. O satyaki, draupadi also was vows and fixed mind and observing the vow of perfect."

Also, My three goats won't stop jeering at me, and I love them for it.

Friday, February 15, 2008

(Don't Fear) The Reaper

Happy (belated) V-Day! I hope yesterday was full of beach-storming, logistical planning, and tactical movement. It's one of the hardest mission days of the year out there, and I just want to know if you all came out of it in one piece. And maybe with some candy.

I myself had a lovely, quiet celebration with Yuval. This is the first time in my life I've had an SO on V-Day, so the novelty was fun. His past couple weeks have been super suck-tacular--so much so that he's going to start looking for a new job this weekend--and because of that I wanted him to have this one night of reprieve and good things. So I skipped my accounting class and made the lemon dill salmon, cooked the rice pilaf, bought the Brigham's Dice-Kream Ice Cream, and cleaned my apartment from ceiling to floorboards. He stumbled in the door around 8:30pm just as the food was coming out of the oven, and we had a relaxing (and yummy) dindins. And the rest of the night was pretty spectacular as well. I think I speak for both of us when I say that our sleepovers are the highlight of my days. He had to go to a doctor's appointment this morning and I had to get to work, though, so no lounging in bed for either of us. That's okay, though, as we're eating dinner together and then he's driving me up to Portsmouth, NH to catch my Skybus flight to Kenyon for the weekend.

Yay for visits to Ohio!

Sunday I'm meeting my parents in Columbus and spending the rest of the weekend in Cincy with them. So very excited for that. Then it's back to Portsmouth on Monday, where Yuval will meet me and take me home. Thank God for nice, considerate guys. I really lucked out with him. I'm so very, very happy. Things aren't perfect in my life, but they're pretty darn good. :o)

I'm looking into two grad programs here at BU. One is and MA in Public Relations with a Non-Profit Concentration, the other is an MBA in Non-Profit Management. I really like the look of both of them, though of course the quantitative analysis required for the MBA intimidates me just a little bit. I wouldn't be applying for either of them until Spring 2009 in any case, so I have plenty of time to decide. Meanwhile I've sent in my official application to the Fundraising Management graduate certificate program! It's a little surreal having to ask professors for recommendations again.

When last we talked, I was about to go see Semele. I loved it: very funny, very beautiful. Ran into two of the Classics professors who had seen it as well in the subway afterwards. Adrienne and I saw Shakespeare's Actresses in America this past Sunday, which we both really enjoyed. Daniel Kramer should have shipped all his acting students and all the Hist O' West students out here to see this play. It was basically a living history performance: she would embody the acting styles of different actresses (from different times in American history) who played 6 different Shakespeare heroines. So that melodramatic acting style that we all learned was popular in early 19th century America? We got to see what that actually looked like. Some of the actresses she focused on were Sarah Bernhardt, Ellen Terry, Margaret Webster, Elizabeth Taylor, Kathleen Turner, and Claire Danes. SO amazing.

My boss went to a wine expo this past Saturday where she scored a pair of free lift tickets to Waterville Valley ski resort. However, she doesn't ski, and neither do any of her friends, so she gave them to me. Which means Yuval and I can do that ski weekend that we've been wanting to do...but for less money! $120 less, to be exact. :o) We'll have to go soon, though, because it looks like real winter is in its last throes here.

Okay, time to discuss last night's episode of Lost with my boss and student employee. It's part of our Friday ritual. Oh how we love to be tortured by mystery!

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Round Here

Before you read anything, slide your eyes to the right and vote on my poll. I'm curious about all you Garth Nix fans out there! :o)

It's the first Tuesday in February, which means it must be Super Tuesday. That's right, today marks the day when champions of various peoples will don their armor made from remainders of their ancient gods, spout their vicious battle cries, and fight to the death in the glorious arena of public speculation, where only one from each tribe can emerge the victor and claim him/herself to be the ultimate "Nominee." I will be doing my part for the battle after work by punching a hole in a card (and making sure no part of it is left hanging). Rally to your individual field of battle, my friends, where the arrows and propaganda signs of opponents may blot out the sun, but we will continue to fight in the shade!

Go, Go, Obama, Go!

One of the fun things about working in the Classics department is that, occasionally, you get reminded how intense these professors can be about their work. Why, just today I was sitting here in my office, dutifully responding to emails, when in walks our department chair and his two TA's, one of whom is armed with a replica Spartan shield and the other is armed with a wooden spear twice the length of her whole body. The back of the shield was inscribed (in Sharpie) with the following: "For those who are not afraid to do battle in the shade." Apparently there will be some agit prop theatre going on in the Warfare in Antiquity class today...

As I'm sure you may have heard, Sunday was the beginning of the end of days. A mighty dynasty fell to an unworthy foe that capitalized on an injured leader. But, Super Bowl champions or not, the Patriots still beat the tar out of every team in the NFL this season. Sometimes twice. And may I remind everyone that the Miami Dolphins' perfect season was only 17-0, including the Super Bowl? Clearly the Pats' 18-0 can speak for itself. You win this round, Manning brothers, but beware! The day will soon come when your past sins will catch up with you!

On to things you care about, I hear readers complain? Okay. Well, here is something for anyone who's ever had to sit through a conference about something they've written. Nate, you may want to study this video in close detail if you're planning on getting The Silence published. ;o) Also, please delight in the hilarity of this news story wherein you get to hear the phrase "wiener poopie" said at least 5 times by the reporter and an older woman. That's pure American Gold right there, people. How could this guy do this report without laughing all the way through? That man must have the discipline of an American Gladiator, kids.

Tonight Yuval and I are going to see Semele as presented by Opera Boston (and assistant directed by the lovely Ms. Adrienne Boris). But since we're both getting tight in the money belt, we're dining at an establishment like, say, McDonald's beforehand. Nothing says "class" like fast food and opera, right? For now, I'm back to work--which actually just means reading more from the latest issues of Wired and Glamour and playing more Puzzle Quest.

Also, just found out that two of my friends from my church-related activities and church camp are engaged. It's rather bizarre to think of these two people that I've known for many years now being engaged, especially since they just started dating this past summer. But I suppose that's the way things go when they've known each other for almost a decade beforehand, eh? So many engagements and weddings in this past year! Oy vey.

Friday, February 1, 2008

The Way I Am

I hope y'all enjoyed my "Life Soundtrack" that I put up on Monday. I know I did. ;o)

So! News! I've got new glasses. They're black and stylish and make me look smarter than I am, and if I had a picture to show you I would. Too bad I really suck at that whole taking pictures thing. Speaking of pictures, I got lost on Memory Lane last night when I went a-flipping through the (lovely) Kenyon Reveille. I was actually rather pleased by the way my picture turned out, especially considering it was taken by Lily on the fly after I had come back from working out at the KAC. Perhaps looking at all those pictures was a bad idea, though, as it made me super nostalgic and wishing I was still living on campus. That's the way the cookie crumbles, though...

Now it's time to fill you in on those tantalizing leaders that I left for you at the end of my last post. Yuval and I saw the Huntington's production of Third by Wendy Wasserstein last Friday (for free thanks to my friend Kat!). While it's her last play, it's by no means her best, though it did have its moments. I enjoyed all the actors except for the one who played the title role--I just didn't buy him as a college freshman. His movements were all wrong and he had a sense of self-possession that NO college freshman has, especially when faced with an intimidating and famous professor. The play might as well have been set at Kenyon, though, for all it resembled life there: the professors, the super liberal atmosphere, the disdain for conservatism, the marginalization of jocks, the intellectualism, and even the set (lots of rich mahogany and many leather-bound books). It was interesting to see the flip side of liberalism that we all like to pretend doesn't exist: the prejudice and close-minded attitudes we automatically assume towards Republicans and their rightist views. A fun time, though, even if it wasn't the most inspiring piece of theatre I've seen in Boston.

Saturday came with a great dance class in the morning, lots of Battlestar Galactica in the afternoon, babysitting Dylan at night, and hitting The Kells--an Allston neighborhood bar that's very popular with BU students--with Mags, Terrell, Adrienne, Brian Crosby (who was visiting), and Terrell's two friends from out of town. It was a little bizarre for me, seeing as I haven't been in a bar in ages. Fun conversations and laughter were had, but overall it reinforced my conclusions that bars just aren't my scene. At least Yuval is of similar disposition when it comes to bars, so much of our evening was spent poking fun at the other patrons, watching the girls' bags as they danced the night away on the other side of the bar, and having great conversation (which is one of the things we do best, if I don't say so myself).

Okay, I also said something about discussing some life decisions I've made. There are two big ones. The first is that I'm going to stop auditioning for now--I might pick it back up in a year or two, or maybe never, but I'm going to take all of my focus and put it towards my second life decision. Theatre will always be a part of me and I think I'll be involved with it for many years to come, but on a more administrative, "getting the theatre out there for the people" level. Unlike most of my drama friends, I never did theatre in HS or even Middle School. When I was applying for college and starting out at Kenyon, drama never even occurred to me as something to pursue. It was only though happy coincidence, a New Year's resolution, and a great production that I hopped on board the drama train. I think it was really good for me in college, I don't regret it or anything like that. But while I'm passionate about theatre, I'm not passionate about making it my way of life. Life as solely an actress would be rather unbearable for me, having to literally live and die by each possible role and rejection. Also, in the end, acting is an ultimately selfish occupation. I'm not saying that actors are inherently selfish people, don't misunderstand me. But acting in and of itself is, by its very nature, selfish: you're whole world is your character and, by extension, the director's vision. I want to do something with my life where the work is in the spotlight, not myself. I want to know that I'm helping people directly and making the world a better place each time I wake up and go into work. Again, I'm not saying that theatre can't help people or change the world, but it does so by proxy and I want to be more involved than being someone's instrument will let me. (Please know that I mean absolutely no offense to my theatre friends with this. I admire you so much for your passion and drive to create and explore through plays. It's just not for me, I think.)

The second life decision I've made is that I definitely want to go to grad school. I've known that for a while, but never really gave it much thought beyond "Yeah, I want an MA someday." Currently I'm looking at MA programs at BU in public relations, environmental policy, economics, and print journalism. I'm leaning most heavily towards public relations right now, especially after looking over the program and learning what it is I'd be studying. Next week there's a career festival of sorts at BU, and Wednesday is the Non-Profit Sector day. Three BU alum's who currently work for very successful non-profits will talk about their educational fields and how they ended up where they are today. I think that will help me a great deal in figuring out my program choices.

I'm also looking at the MFA in Creative Writing program, though that one would be entirely for myself and take lots of preparation in terms of getting my writing act together. My mom pointed out, correctly, that the reason I stopped writing was because I finally realized how much work it was. When I was in junior high and high school, I would get an idea for a story and churn out a complete and edited version in a few hours. I'd show it to my teachers and receive lavish praise, enter it in contests and win. It was easy back then for me, because I was usually so far ahead of my peers in terms of skill and vision. But then I got lazy. I came to college expecting the same easy pace, and my first attempt at getting into a fiction workshop failed: my writing was rejected for the first time in my life. After that I clammed up, stopped writing. When I finally got into a fiction workshop, I was never satisfied with my work--the words didn't flow like they used to and, no matter how many times I tried, could not get the ideas in my head to translate smoothly to paper. It was difficult, and because I'm inherently lazy, I shied away from it. But I find myself intensely missing the feeling of creating, of finishing something, and I realized that I need that classroom structure to push me forward, to get me off my lazy ass and back at the keyboard. Who knows if it'll work out, but I hope it does.

I believe I also mentioned something last post about wolves. This past Sunday, Yuval and I woke up early (i.e. 11:00am), got some Dunkin' Donuts, headed back to his place, hopped in his car, and made our way up to Wolf Hollow in Ipswich, MA. They have a pack, currently, of four wolves, and their mission is simply to educate the public about wolves, why they're important, and why we need to protect them. We sat on a set of wooden outdoor bleachers about five feet from the fenced-in wolf enclosure where one of the workers was playing with the wolves. Another worker gave a very interesting 45 minute lecture that included everything about wolves (I learned quite a few things!). The wolves themselves were beautiful, playful, intelligent, commanding...I couldn't take my eyes off them. Why anyone would ever hunt these creatures for the express purpose of killing them is incomprehensible to me. Yuval sent in a volunteer application, and (if they accept him), he'll hopefully get to interact a little with the wolves in a few months--maybe by the time the center gets its new puppies in the spring! Very cool.

We drove back from Ipswich and ate at a yummy burger place in Somerville called Joe Sent Me (a popular code phrase during Prohibition that let patrons into speakeasies). Then it was back to his place for some cuddling and Dr. Strangelove, which I'd never seen before. Brilliant! Hilarious! "You can't fight in here! This is the War Room!" Loved it. Makes me want to watch all the other Kubrick I've never seen (which is most of it). After that, we headed back over to my place where we joined Adrienne, Anthony, Terrell, and Jenifer Drew (Boris) in a yummy chicken pot pie dinner and a viewing of The Pirates of Penzance DVD from Opera Workshop's Spring 06 production. What a fun show--too bad the DVD kept skipping like mad in the second act so we didn't actually get to "watch" most of it. Then I bid goodnight to Yuval (without a kiss, as I had a cold sore--stupid herpes!), shuffled around on the Intarweb, and collapsed into bed.

These past few days have been filled with great long naps, tax information research, W-2 gathering, finishing The Kite Runner (good but a little flawed), going to my accounting class, and downloading season three of Battlestar Galactica off of MiniNova. You know, the usual stuff. ;o)

Of course, this is the only question I've been asking myself since last night: Who are the Oceanic 6?