Round-up

1. I have been pondering on Doctor Who for a while, since I watched the End of Time pt 2. I think I am a fan, but I’m not sure what ‘fan’ means. If you like the concept of something, but for the most part can’t stand the execution, are you still a fan? What if you only like certain aspects? I’ll make a post on this later, weeks behind everyone else as usual.

2. Am unfortunately behind on my thesis. Going back to campus tomorrow to kick myself into high gear. Things that need to be done: formalize my thoughts on re-reading Matilda, read Barthes’s The Rustle of Language, come up with a list of potential interview questions, email Professor E / make an appointment with Bank Street, and lose my nervousness about approaching strangers.

3. Went jewellery shopping the other day, to help a friend find something for his girlfriend. I saw this today:

which is really this:

and want. Desperately want. Please keep records for my future and currently non-existent boyfriend. This goes in the same pile as the mockingjay pendant and Tiffany Aching’s uff horse necklace.

4. New goal: figure out twitter. The Internet is the new Grid, and re: Professor Baron’s “always on” theory, you either have an online presence or you don’t exist. It’s not official until it’s on facebook. Etc. I have a feeling twitter can be useful for professional reasons, but I half-cringe at the thought of reading what everyone’s had for lunch. Tim Adams wrote an interesting article over The Observer that inspired my final paper for Specters of Culture:

Slowly all the aspects of the world that were formerly external to us, out there – friends, shops, newspapers and now books – are being accommodated into this space [machines like mobiles, laptops], so that they can be contained almost entirely on our personalised screens: aspects of our selves, part of our understanding of who we are.

I actually find that pretty scary, but then again, recently, I’ve been finding myself looking to the past. Hence one of the reasons I find steampunk fascinating.

5. Narrate boot camp starts today!

6. New goal: give my blog a makeover. I want to be able to put the URL on a resume and a business card, though I doubt this will actually happen (I’m way too shy). I found a lovely simple Wordpress template that I’m planning to customize and have up by the end of January. I use my blog 100% for personal reasons, not to draw an audience or spark a discussion, but just for me, though I don’t mind if people look on.

7. Books I read recently, rehashed from goodreads: more »

rilo kiley, pinkberry, and homesickness

I went to go see Rilo Kiley play Webster Hall last week–they were excellent. I was a little anxious since I can’t decide whether or not I like their new stuff. No, I like their new stuff, but not as much as their older stuff, it’s much more disco-esque and poppy, which, if it’s the direction the band is going in, is totally all right by me. I was even more nervous because the two openers were pretty anti-climatic. In any case, Rilo played an excellent mixture of old songs, new songs, songs from Blake and Jenny’s solo records, a cover. I’m sure the set list is floating online somewhere, but my favourite moment was when Blake and Jenny played “With Arms Outstretched” and had, literally, all of us singing along with them. I was actually pleasantly shocked at how on key we all were! That moment ranks as one of the highest in my paltry gig-going history, along with Franz Ferdinand’s “Take Me Out” and Amy Millan’s cover of “I Will Follow You Into the Dark.”

Liz bought a cute halter that was made by the lady who makes clothes for Jenny Lewis, and I thought that was pretty damn cool, and wished that there were some in my size.

Did I mention that Liz almost burned down my kitchen that day? We were trying to cook, and failed.

She still owes me $4 and ice cream. I want ice cream so badly.

Speaking of “ice cream,” Dana came to visit Matt and I from RISD yesterday and I discovered the delights of pinkberry, a non-fro-yo place that’s opening up two blocks away from my building that is supposed to cure (cause? which is it?) cancer. Yum, it was like getting green tea ice cream, and I adore green tea ice cream, except not really ice cream and not really fro-yo, with lots of yummy fresh fruit.

In other news, I’m terribly homesick. I really want to go home next weekend, as my dad’s returning from China. I want to be able to talk to my brother about books and school and life since he’s just awful on the phone, and I want to go grocery shopping with my mom and watch football with my dad. Also, it doesn’t help that I have absolutely nothing in my fridge since I ate the last of everything for lunch just now.