What Up Kemosabe

          We had a fun rehearsal at the ballroom and played "Zoot Suit Riot" for the first time this season. I was bedecked in Rangers colors, but it did nothing for their luck and they dropped 4-2 to the Flyers. After rehearsal, the council held a small powwow to discuss the upcoming laser tag event and compare notes. We went back to Iris's for even more clam chowder and corn muffins; naturally, I failed to bring my Husky ID, and she was kind enough to put some in tupperware for me. I hung out with Sean while he caught up on Gotham and spent another night on the couch in an effort to wake more promptly. It was sometime late in the night when I realized I'd left my iPod in my trumpet case in Curry, and would be music-less for at least a day at work. The struggle is real.

Torts or Storts?

          A few days ago, someone vomited just inside the front door to our building. I left for work this morning while a single gnat buzzed around it. Newly discovered advantage to my two-finger typing style: band-aids impact me less in terms of speed. In the evening, Nathan, Alaric and I went to Iris's for a classic Grandma dinner of clam chowder and corn muffins. I ate about 30 trillion corn muffins as usual. When we got home, Alaric and I watched more preseason hockey and were eventually joined by Nathan, who I presume was either working or not working.
          I was at least mildly happy with every game tonight with the exception of Vancouver v. Arizona, in which case I just couldn't bring myself to care. The Rangers beat up the Flyers 6-3 (including some hilarious play by "the slowest man in the universe", Filthy Philly's Zach Stortini.) The Wild smashed the Penguins 4-1 via a 3rd period hat trick from Pominville, and the Stars narrowly beat the Panthers 5-4 with a hat trick from Seguin. Alaric and I realized that the odds of us watching two teams wearing green pull off hat tricks in the same night was "destiny bond" status, and decided to smoke. Columbus's goal at 4:20 in the second period during a 3-0 blank of the Predators sealed the deal. Also, the Oilers beat the Jets, and the Red Wings smacked the Maple Leafs 3-0. After we were sportsed out for the night, we watched the second episode of Gotham. I continue to be impressed and am hungry for more.

Star of the East

          I dragged myself up off the super ottoman to get to the first women's hockey game of the season, a bout with the Montreal Stars. These ladies are the closest equivalent to a women's NHL, not to mention Canadians, and the Huskies gave them a run for their money. We were up 3-2 in the third period, and within two minutes it turned into a 4-3 heartbreaker. Regardless, the game was an exciting showing and a sign of a good season to come. A few of us watched part of Justice League: War before I met Iris for a Green Line ride to Lechmere. We used a groupon and had dinner at a hot-pot place called Shabu & Mein. Each table has a burner in it, and a superheated pot of stock cooks your choice of protein (sirloin beef for us) in about thirty seconds. Vegetables take a little longer, but a delicious soup is ready to eat in less than eight minutes; we chose a goji berry stock to lend it a sweet flavor. I was somehow sloppier at this meal than any in recent memory. When we got back, we met with Jules, Nathan, Haley, Luke, and Alaric to watch TV and share the hookah. The extremely poor quality of the hockey streams led to a screening of the Family Guy/The Simpsons crossover episode. Personally, I would have preferred any old episode of The Simpsons, but this was a well-executed combination. Highlight of the show: Homer throwing a closetful of Emmy awards at Peter. Highlight of the evening: Jules bringing us pumpkin muffins.
          Quotes of the day:
"There was a kid we called Ki-Adi-Mundi." - Tom
"There's 2 options for Tom. Killing it, or really killing it." - Johnny

Behind the Moon

          We had a few last hours to hang out with Peter before he went back to New York, and took full advantage. Later, Emily and I watched Falling Down because we're masochists, followed by a tremendous quantity of Courage the Cowardly Dog (easily my favorite Cartoon network show.) Fun moment: Emily initially perceiving the movie as a capitalist wet dream, thanks to D-Fens' wild rants about overpriced goods and the apparent racism in its earlier scenes. Also, a bunch of Rangers prospects rolled the Blackhawks' projected top six, and it was glorious. Check out that flukey fourth goal for some vintage chaw.
          Quote of the day:
"He's the federally elected version of Franklin." - Johnny

The Wrong Order

          Alaric threw a cheesesteak cookout at our place, but I was too tired and moody after work to take part. I napped for a few hours, eventually getting up at the tail end of the party. I had a beer and proceeded to Our House East with Johnny, Peter, Evan, and Iris. We ran into Gavin, and the two of us had a conversation about local politics on the Cape. I passed off my drink to Johnny and we danced a bit, completely surrounded by airheads, and Evan made a particular fool of himself in the process of having fun. Near closing, I waited outside while the others made their way out and listened to two girls who were completely mystified about why they'd been ejected. One gave the bartender two IDs, the other gave her sorority card, I figured all this out from what they were saying, but they were still going on about it when they left. After I bought a couple of slices of pizza at BHOP (and made a Lundqvist-esque save when the paper plate buckled), we went back to Johnny's to smoke and chill out. On the way home, we saw a boxer-clad freshman trying to adjust his window on the third floor of Speare. Evan hollered, "Don't fall out!" and the dude instantly closed his blinds.

When I Give My Heart

          Work was all filing, all day. Meredith came over in the evening and we prepared a quiet dinner, catching up along the way. It was good to spend some quality time with her - we haven't seen each other in ages, and of all "the girls", I think she is the most similar to me. Alaric, Nathan, and Ryan L had been at a Yawkey gig and the ensuing game, and came back to our place after the Sox put an 11-1 beatdown on Tampa. We shared some hookah, a few people left, and Alaric, Sean and I watched a couple episodes of The Sopranos. I ended up rocking a productive all-nighter, getting in a long Fens run, organizing some yet-to-be-unpacked apartment gear, and picking up groceries. Highlights: Resisting the urge to impulsively purchase snacks, only allowing myself a $1 bag of Big League Chew; singing to myself in an empty Star Market. Anti-highlight: Dragging two large bags of deposit-eligible recyclables over to the supermarket, only to find that the can return doesn't open until 7. We need to see civil rights legislation for night owls in the near future.
          Quotes of the day:
"They're addicted to their paper." - Dru
"Do you do the Twitter?" - Emmett

Up and At 'Em

          Work was very busy, but I got in some downtime: a birthday party for all the September babies, including a huge amount of JP Licks. Sundae of choice: A scoop each of cookie dough and apple crisp ice cream, peanut M&Ms, caramel, and an equal or greater amount of whipped cream. Later, I was daydreaming at reception and had a feverish vision. Brian and I were brutally mocking our old friend and antagonist Evan. "You're weak! You're weak! You're weak!" I woke up with a start and stayed that way.
          After I got out, I sank into that nasty mood that stirs in me when I'm overly hungry. I got home as quickly as possible, already dreading the thought of rehearsal. I was then made to remember that it was scheduled for the Fenway Center, so I had to go all the way to Curry for my instrument and then back to St. Stephens Street. My mood would worsen, as we spent two hours purely on "Game of Thrones" (love it), "No Diggity", "Stacy's Mom", and finally JL's brainchild: a "Thriller" dance routine. Low point: JL giving very specific and very showboaty instructions to the trumpet section on how to breathe during "No Diggity". Post-rehearsal, I tried to rustle up some company, failed, and went to bed feeling dejected.

Ottoman Empire

          The first thing I did this morning was streeeeeeeetch my body out as long as possible. The very next thing I did was feel a shearing pain in my calf, and I limped around for the rest of the day. In an frustrating twist, I tried to get up early, failed that, and ended up being late. Truly, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. My boss finally talked to me about my tardiness, though it was more of a gentle course correction than a lecture. ("Why don't you take it easy with the lunch-hour overtime until you're settled?") I just put my nose to the grindstone and got a lot of work done. I also got conned into opening a Citizens Bank account, which I'd been mulling over but never had the initiative to complete. (They told me there would be a charge to do the petty cash unless I had an account, since the check was made out to me.) Regardless, I felt a little duped when I returned to work and the controller, Diane, flew into a rage at the bank -- there should have been a letter on file for me, or something. I did want to make an account, but I didn't love the feeling of some bank manager getting over on me.
          After work, I went home to listen to hockey. The Flyers got owned 4-0 by the Maple Leafs to the tune of commentators who couldn't go two minutes without talking about William Nylander, the Jackets put Pittsburgh on blast in a 2-0 shutout, and Montreal shanked the Bruins in a 3-2 comeback. I put up the first set of posters in my room (four of last year's hockey/basketball/volleyball schedules), cleaned house, and cleared off the big ottoman thing. (Shortly before the move, Alaric and I found a comfy piece of furniture that resembles an ottoman, but that word doesn't quite describe it -- it's olive green and roughly armchair-sized.) Alaric needed to forget the Flyers' performance, so we went to Tasty Burger with Nathan and got takeout. We sat at a picnic table while the food was prepared, and were joined by two of the most ratchet women I have ever met. Honestly, they would not have been out of place as backups for Nicki Minaj, except minus any positive attributes. They also asked Nathan if he smoked crack and heroin, and spoke in English so broken that it's a wonder they can function in society. The Kahuna Burger was worth all that.

Kick In the Door

          It seemed like today was going to be one of those days; the very first thing I managed to do was to submerge an earbud in my coffee mug. Magically, it survived, and everything worked out after that. Walter is on a two-week vacation in Ireland, buying me a little more time during the day, and my duties seemed to fly by. After work, Stephanie and I shared dinner at El Pelon and bumped into Andrew as well. We went back to the apartment, where the boys let the hockey fervor take over. Twelve games were going on, partly due to split-squad events, and we chose to stream the Wild/Jets and Blues/Stars matchups. I was going to write about the games, but since so much was happening, I'll just group the outcomes into categories based on my feelings.

• Heheheh.... Yessss. Very good.
• Detroit 2 – Penguins 1
• Blues 3 – Stars 4
• Kings 4 – Coyotes 5 [Shootout]
• DUCKS FLY TOGETHER! DUCKS FLY TOGETHER! DUCKS FLY TOGETHER!
• Ducks 5 – Avalanche 2
• Avalanche 0 – Ducks 4
• Positive outcome
• Capitals 4 - Flyers 5
• Negative outcome
• Wild 1 – Jets 2
• Coyotes 3 – Kings 4 [Shootout]
• Maple Leafs 3 – Flyers 2 [Shootout]
• Senators 2 – Islanders 3
• Senators 2 – Islanders 3 [Shootout]
• It’s important to remember the preseason doesn't count and only prospects played anyway.
• Devils 5 - Rangers 4

          My emotions were all over the map. At least Heater scored a goal for Anaheim in that 4-0 blowout. Nathan is showing the makings of a Jets fan, though he still insists that the Bruins are his #1; if only it wasn't at the expense of the Wild. Stephanie also protested when I hated on the Devils, meaning that there might be a third Devils fan in my life (barf.) We watched a video that showed every goal from the first round of the 2013-2014 playoffs, which was kind of shock therapy for Alaric and feel-good entertainment for me. (If the later rounds were included, it might have been a different story, though beating up the Pens would certainly be a highlight.) After Stephanie took off, we watched the first episode of Gotham. As I expected, it dodged the hype and was neither stellar nor awful. I'm leaning toward the first superlative, but it might take a little time to grow on me. I will say that I'm very happy that Penguin is the first recognizable, big-name villain; his actor is appropriately weird and captures that hallmark Penguin "fishiness." This series' interpretation of Falcone is also shaping up to be much better than that of the Nolan trilogy. I reserve judgment for now, but this taste of Gotham has been promising.

Bunny In the Box

          Emily and I went to Tasty Burger and were served by a super-friendly waitress. We returned to the apartment, got faded and watched the incomparable Con Air. The closest I can think of in terms of entertainment, one-liners and explosions is True Lies. Nic Cage is as perfect as ever, and the backing cast is surprisingly deep: Danny Trejo, Dave Chappelle, John Cusack, John Malkovich, Ving Rhames, and even Steve Buscemi! "He's got the whole world in his haaaands..." Alaric and Sean eventually arrived, and we all watched more of The Sopranos. Alaric and I ended up finishing out season 2, and were very happy to see a certain character "go into the witness protection program." Pizza helped. Later, I stupidly went for a run and felt terrible due to being completely full of food. Fun fact: In over seven years of running distance, I have never thrown up after a race or run. Some guys were like clockwork that way - warm up, 5k, splat.
          Also, hey, preseason hockey began today! The Blue Jackets edged the Hurricanes and the Blues in two 4-3 games, and though the preseason doesn't matter at all, I'm already psyched to watch this team. I'm going to have fun seeing them beat up teams I hate, but since Malcolm actually roots for them now, I can also assign them a degree of rivalry (as with Alaric and the Flyers, or everyone in Boston and the Bruins.) The wait is over. The NHL is back in session!

"It's the Jackeeeets!"

Sox Nation

          An early council meeting preceded our second volleyball game in two days. I went in with shades of the Rangers' playoff schedule in my head and a bad feeling in my gut. The game started well enough; Julia, Nathaniel, and three freshman trumpets (Kevin, Seamus and Maddie) were making conversation and enjoying the first set, in which the Huskies built a humongous seven-point lead early on. They somehow managed to drop that set, narrowly won the next one, and were defeated in sets three and four - a painful loss, though Harvard is somehow less annoying than BC or BU. There was a burst of excitement during the final set, in which we were only down by two, when a game-winning point by Harvard was recalled by the referees, buying us another rally. Of course, this led to an epic choke, but the crowd really ramped it up for a few shining moments. This was also the exact opposite of the set results from yesterday, a little irony.
          Post-game, I decided to have a small party and invited several people over. As it turned out, the attendees would be the colorful combination Emily, Matt T, Julia, Stephanie, and a lone freshman, Halley. (Three others who had expressed interest in coming didn't text back.) She gave the most adorable, frosh-est reply when I provided the address: "I don't think I'm gonna make it, walking across the Fens at night is definitely not gonna happen." Nathan and I went to meet her near Punter's and crossed paths with Stephanie on the way; Nathan peeled off to go to campus, and we did our best to assuage Halley's fear of the Fens. (Some dangerous characters probably smoke weed in there...) Julia, Stephanie and I all ate special cookies, everyone but Halley had a drink, and we sat around and talked. The phrase "pound back Yuenglings" was employed; J&S were as intimidating a pair as ever; and Halley spoke very few words. Regardless, I think it counted as a non-negative experience with upperclassmen, so good for band acclimation purposes, yes? Also, I turned the inside of our front door into a Red Sox shrine -- it's a Boston thing more than a Sox Nation thing.

ALL I DO IS WIN WIN WIN

          Following this week's trend, I got roughly three hours of sleep, but this time I woke up before the alarm. I tried not to think about that and hustled out into the cold. (Hey, it got cold out!) At work, Jim B and I briefly discussed the Scotland independence vote -- unsurprisingly, he approves. Aside: There are three Jims who work in the office. Most of my time at reception was spent either in a heart-to-heart with Stephanie via Gchat, or catching up on entries; I've done 29 just this week. Another unstoppable push or two and I'll be within grasping distance of "caught up".
          I was hyped for the pep band's first appearance at women's volleyball this year. The opponent: Boston College. The Huskies took the first set by the skin of their teeth, ate an embarrassing loss in the second, then crushed the Eagles in the third and never looked back. The fourth set was closer, but Northeastern stood its ground for a decisive win. Jared and I talked, cheered and rocked out, just like old times. The crowd was the largest and rowdiest I've ever seen at a women's volleyball game, creating an unusually exciting atmosphere in Cabot; I don't remember ever doing the "Sucks" chant at volleyball before. The contest itself was among the finest I've witnessed. After the game, we headed home for an amusing Shrek drinking game with Alaric, Nathan, Sean, Lizandro, Malcolm, and Sara. I hadn't anticipated joining in, but I forgot how great that movie's soundtrack is. The nostalgia was intense and I stuck around for the whole thing. Malcolm also went on a vitriolic rant about his hatred for Ohio sports teams (including the Cavaliers, the Browns, the Bengals, anything at OSU, and my Indians, but not including the Columbus Blue Jackets, who he roots for.)
          Quote of the day:
"Listen, I'm not always right, but I am definitely always right." - me

Mister GQ

          Walter needed to obtain new clothes before his vacation in Ireland, so I accompanied him to Brooks Brothers for a fitting. He may not be as ancient as Harold, but where Harold is tiny and kind of shriveled like a walnut, Walter seems more debilitated. He must have been a large, tall guy when he was younger, and now he's like a big sack of organs. In the elevator, all I could focus on was the way he was sucking breath, every movement stiff and painful. I never want to be like that.
          We took a cab to Brooks Brothers, I escorted him inside, and they whisked him off to a fitting room. I spent the next ten or fifteen minutes wandering around the store. I lusted after their suits, ties, cologne, pretty much every product on the shelves. A single suit jacket would bankrupt me. Also, the tie that Stephanie gave me for free must have costed upward of $60 off the rack. Eventually, Walter came out and we had to wait for his adjustments to be completed. The next half hour was spent sitting in a soft armchair and reading the in-house publications (catalogs semi-masquerading as cultured journalism). The music was excellent for a retail store, the establishment was very quiet, and there was nothing overly interesting to concentrate on; combine these factors and you have a battle with drowsiness. Though I had no responsibilities at the moment, I was disinclined to pass out in front of Walter and struggled hard to stay alert. We made it back without incident, following a cab ride in which Walter and I discussed the finer points of the Emerald Isle. I'm jealous of his itinerary; Ireland is the place I most desire to visit in the world.
          For some reason, I felt very daring in conversation today. First, I busted Chris C's balls about his all-blue outfit ("What's your favorite color?" "Blue." "Yeah, I know.") and earned some snark in response. I then pushed the envelope with Jim F: "Have a good night!" "I'm not leaving yet." [disappointed tone] "Why not?" I mused about what off-brand M&Ms should rightly be called and relaxed before my shift was finished. Afterward, I met Emily at Our House East, where we briefly sat under the jurisdiction of a strange, impersonal bartender and were forced to talk to randoms. We then moved to a table, where we were waited on by an equally weird server and shared a conversation about politics, rednecks, and West Virginia. After this, we bailed to get home and smoke hookah. Nathan and Alaric were present as well, and Matthew S, Johnny and Wyatt all made the trek over to our place. We largely listened to music and watched Electric Sheep for a while, then switched to an assortment of videos of lightning. We tracked the Scotland independence referendum (the decision was a wise No), then played with a clever Facebook app called "Take This Lollipop" (click.) Without spoiling the surprise, I had an especially good round with the inclusion of everyone currently in the room. Finally, I committed a justified wutter foul: knocking over a beer while striking at Alaric's hand when he tried to circle-game me. I did manage to break the circle and relished the two punches, but it was less fun when the boys mixed me up a witches' brew to "restore my valor." Hint: cheap red wine, lemonade, vermouth, and vodka do not combine well. I put on my big boy pants and killed the drink, becoming the second to fall and climb back up.
          Quotes of the day:
"You're very observant. Dangerously observant." - Chris C
"There's wives in the water!" - Emily
"Racism is dead in America!" - Johnny
"Secularism is fucking pussy." - Wyatt
"Look, it's Ryan Miller's five hole!" - me, re: the Gateway Arch
...
Wyatt: "Have you ever noticed that the cartridge is orange?"
Johnny: "The cartridge is yellow."
Wyatt: "... ...I'm colorblind, John. Race doesn't matter to me."

Get a Look

           Stephanie canceled our plans for tonight, again. I watched two episodes of The Sopranos with Alaric and Nathan, and we stopped to give Julia time to catch up. We are already up to the ninth episode of the second season -- one night we watched five or six in a row. If you've ever watched a show with a friend, you're probably familiar with what we call "the look" - that smiling eye contact that everyone makes after an episode when no one wants to actually say that we're definitely going to watch another episode even though it's already 2 in the morning.

Over the River and Through the Woods

          Once again, I was in an irritable mood for rehearsal after work. We played "Come On Feel the Noize" (not the original spelling), "Kashmir", and other new stuff. I found a computer charger in Curry and Julia returned the mysterious book to me. After rehearsal, we went to Grandma's Iris's for apple crisp. I went home to continue The Sopranos with Sean, organize some more, and collect loose magazine articles for separate cataloging.

Jackson Browne

          I was utterly wiped at work, and made it through the day on extreme amounts of coffee and dumb luck. I'm usually a two-cups-a-week type of guy, so this was a departure from the routine. When I got home, I hung out with Sean while he caught up on The Sopranos, cleaned, and slept for a few hours. Within the last few days, I've found myself mired in a twisted situation between Alaric, Stephanie, Julia and myself, and this laid heavy on my thoughts.

Henbrick Wallqvist

          Sunday held another rehearsal for us. I was in a grim mood and didn't speak much to anyone, though we did test out some new tunes. After we were finished in the ballroom, I went to lunch at IV with Malcolm, Chelsea, Sara, Lizandro, and Nate (briefly), during which we talked mostly about the upcoming hockey season. A few of us went to Burstein, where I obtained a donut from Iris and checked out Chelsea and Rachelle's wall of hockey. Malcolm came to our place a little later for Borderlands 2, The Sopranos, and a test run of the large white hookah we found while moving. We've dubbed it Saruman the White.

"Winds of change, they blow in my direction..."

The entry for September 11, 2014 has been updated with an extra quote.

          I eventually rose from my slumber to find Julia and Stephanie long awake. Steph was unfortunately busy, but Julia and I decided to go to the Freedom Rally/Hempfest and headed back to our apartment. Along with Sean, we watched the first few episodes of The Sopranos -- I'm just trying to hook everyone at this point, and if you're reading this and haven't watched it, you should. Johnny turned up in the afternoon and we left for the rally after a few cheap, green beers. (I'm still not fully acclimated to Heineken, but I'm beginning to subscribe to the idea that every beer has a proper place and time... except for Natty Ice.)
          After a few missed connections -- I should have expected multiple fried dough stands -- we met up with Wyatt and Evan. I picked up a great deal of random poster-type things, brochures, a few stickers, etc. for later decoration. It started to rain and people were bailing out left and right, but we decided to stick around and smoke under a tree. During this time, I bought a "Northeastern Institute of Cannabis" lighter (yes, this is a real place); found an evidently homemade book of stream-of-consciousness-type craziness that Julia and I plan to read aloud at some point; and rummaged through an abandoned jacket to find a small nugget and five unidentifiable pills, the latter of which I threw away. We split up when the rain began to get heavy. Johnny, Julia and I returned to watch some more of The Sopranos.
          In time, we headed to Jared's party at his new place at the bottom of Mission Hill. First off, his home is a bona fide crib: two spacious stories, roof access and a basement for five guys, not to mention a small, fenced backyard. Numerous band members were in attendance, beer pong and slap cup were in session, and Ryan L was putting in disco DJ work upstairs. With his help, a killer dance party was well on its way, and I was quick to join in. I danced with Shannon for a while and we filled each other in on how things were going. Also, I instantly saw through her explanation of her breakup and we shared an uncharacteristically deep moment. I convinced Emily to dance as well, which was excellent, and even Anthony joined in! A few freshmen were there for a little while and I introduced myself to them as well, though recalling names is a permanent challenge for me. At one point, I chilled out back with Emily, Julia, Johnny, and Matthew S; at another, I met with Jared and Clay in a classic trumpet heart-to-heart. Sara took several incredible Polaroids, including one of me that I'm very pleased with. When the party finally died down, Julia came back to crash at our place, but not before a regrettable exchange.
          Quote of the day:
"That's what my stomach feels like when I wake up after drinking. It feels like guilt." - Julia

Fatally Yours

          Of all the days for me to be on time this week, today was the least likely. Running on maybe four hours of sleep, three of which were stolen on a tile floor in the lobby of our craptacular building, I got up, got dressed and got to work. I decided to take a chance on the Green Line and it paid off, hitching from the MFA to Park. Park is an extra minute or two away from my workplace on Federal Street, but the MFA is a hell of a lot closer to our apartment than Ruggles. At work, Kathy and I put Harold's office through the wringer, wiping down practically every surface and cleaning out drawers full of crumbs, expired medicine and stained papers. (Regarding the medicine: some of it expired before I was born.) It smelled much more lemony and much less like an old guy when we were done; I was particularly proud of how much better his shelves looked. During this process, I found an ancient atlas that I plan to cut up for decoration, as well as a little magazine blurb about Harold's chess exploits. He once beat Bobby Fischer and was carried from the room on the spectators' shoulders! Aside: Abner's comment about how there's never a line when I show up at the bank already has me jinxed.
          I went to Julia, Jennifer, Cara, and Ethan's housewarming party tonight. Regina, Emily D, and others were also present, as well as Alaric and Nathan. Highlights: Picking up $200+ worth of alcohol; testing out Aviation gin, which has an interestingly savory taste; failing to make jello shots and a giant jello gummy bear; and a mighty internal struggle. After much smoking and not enough drinking (as is typically the case with me), I crashed on the couch and was quickly asleep. My mother is a real RN, but they could call me a registered nurse with the way I hang on to drinks.
          Quotes of the day:
"This is PTSD status." - me, cleaning Harold's office
"And you got a FedEx letter to boot!" - the UPS guy, after someone delayed him in the elevator
"If you ain't getting drunk, get the fuck out the club. Socrates." - Stephanie
"You know what's the funniest thing about scalping?" - me
"If you saw me in makeup for the first time, you'd just come all over the place." - Julia
"I wish I was an astronaut but I don't have perfect vision." - Stephanie
"I want my skin to feel like this on the inside." - Julia
"Better safe than guac-less." - Cara

Take the Money and Run

          I was somehow late again today, though not as drastically as yesterday. Still, no one has commented, but I'm expecting a talk soon if I don't become more punctual. I swear that I'm trying. Once again, my coworkers invited me out for drinks after work, but again, I had a previous engagement. Iris and I shared dinner and a talk, which went moderately well. After more than enough soul-searching, I left to meet Johnny at Conor Larkin's. We ran into Wyatt, who was accompanied by Evan (a friend of Johnny's, out celebrating his birthday) and Avri, a friend of Evan's who can be described as "45% likable." We drank a couple of rounds and shot some pool, during which I teamed with Johnny and carried us in a narrow loss. Evan and Wyatt also dropped a close game against some guys who could be called pool sharks in fairness.
          I proposed a move to Wally's, and we walked over to find it predictably packed. A Latin jazz/salsa outfit was jamming out and patrons of all ages were tapping fingers and feet. I killed a gin and tonic, Evan threw back a birthday Jagerbomb, and we stuck around to listen for a few minutes before squeezing out. I'd love to return to Wally's, but getting in early and grabbing a seat is probably a must if comfort is a concern. New York Pizza was mere moments away, so I refueled with a simply massive slice of Hawaiian pizza before continuing. We then returned to Conor's for another round, telling jokes and paying mild attention to the Ravens/Steelers game.
          I had reached full Bukowski mode by this juncture, and was up for anything. We decided to go to the Fens to smoke at the war memorial, and did so. Evan gave "an address to the nation" and Avri broke a stone bench via sheer idiocy, which pissed off me and Wyatt to no end. I'm no superpatriot, or even really a patriot at all, but disrespect for a memorial for war dead crosses a sacred line. Who's going to fix that? Probably no one. Johnny and I went back to his place on Huntington for another session and a long chat about the Supreme Court. I took too long getting home and ended up locked out for the night (my keys have been missing for a few days.) In a strong contender for one of my most uncomfortable nights ever, I napped on the floor in our lobby with a stone step for a pillow. Mercifully, Sean woke up around 4, saw my text and let me in. I can sleep practically anywhere, but that was dreadful.
          Quotes of the day:
"My hips just don't move that way!" - Catherine
"It's not luck, it's intuition." - me, re: Abner calling me lucky for never standing in line at the bank
"Andy, this is just like the Death Star trench run, man." - Wyatt
"We got a fucking think tank going on over here." - Evan
Looking at the Pru...
Me: "Rangers colors!"
Johnny: "Or 9/11."

XBOX LIEK WATER

          I overslept my alarm and was an hour and a half late, but beyond some concerns about whether I was doing okay, my supervisors seemed not to mind too much. I helped to begin a large rearrangement of certain supplies and files in the office to make way for potential construction. After work, we had another rehearsal, this time with the new recruits and the veterans. The band was XBOX HUEG, but JL somehow fit everyone on stage. A third or more of the band was sight reading, but our sound is amazing now. I scooped up contact information for all of the trumpets and look forward to shenanigans in the near future. (I'm starting to feel like the old guy now, but more on that later.) At home, we finished the first season of The Sopranos, culminating in one of my favorite "whacks" of the entire series.

New World Order

The entry for August 29, 2014 has been updated with some quotes that I found scribbled on a sticky note. Thanks for reading.

          I was enormously productive at work for the second day in a row. I went home, changed and then headed straight to Blackman for the pep band's first rehearsal with the rookies. It was wild seeing thirty or forty-some new faces, fresh and full of expectation. For Pete's sake, that alone is more than twice the number of people we used to have at some of the women's basketball games! The council and some other volunteers hung around in a meet 'n greet fashion, talked to the newcomers and did our best to create a welcoming environment. JL has big plans for this year -- think dance routines and serious choreography, stuff I've supported for some time now -- and I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish with such a large ensemble. After band, we watched more of The Sopranos and then an episode of Rick and Morty on Adult Swim. On the subject of more "mature" cartoons, I was wrong to initially discredit Adventure Time; this was less of a pleasant surprise than a jumble of mediocrity, but it did have its moments.

Struggles Station

          My routine for getting to work since the move has been to cross the Fens and Northeastern's campus to get to Ruggles, take the Orange Line to Downtown Crossing, and walk from there. It's not the longest commute (40 minutes, give or take) but it feels like a lifetime. I'm toying with the idea of the Green Line, but past GL experiences have left a nasty taste in my mouth. At work, I got a computer upgrade (finally!) and my favorite teller at Citizen's Bank is still there (he was gone for a few days and I got anxious.) After work, I smoked and watched The Sopranos late into the night with Alaric, Nathan and Iris.

We Were Always Here

          Sunday rehearsals are notoriously annoying to get up for, and today's was no exception. JL talked for an hour and a half, and then we played for half an hour, focusing only on "Thriller" (excellent) and "Light 'Em Up" (not so excellent). The post-rehearsal council meeting was mercifully short, as everyone was too tired to have much to say. Nathan and I played a brief clix game in which he won after I allowed handicap reinforcements; he is already showing tactical acumen and I'm sure our next game will be much more evenly fought. After more El Pelon and an afternoon nap, Alaric and Malcolm joined us for three episodes of The Sopranos.

The Detective

          I cleaned extensively and got all of my laundry out of the way in anticipation of company. For our new apartment's first real party, Julia, Emily, Jared, Malcolm, Sara, Iris, Clay, Becky, and Johnny joined Nathan, Alaric and me for drinks and revelry. Emily crashed on the couch in vintage fashion, and Julia and I ran around in the rain and laughed our faces off. Party school is back in session.
          Quote of the day:
"Talia al-Boobs." - Sean, re: gratuitous cleavage

All of Me

          I returned to work today and got back into the groove, though I wasn't at peak efficiency. I went to Julia's new place in Allston afterward and hung out with her, Stephanie, and Cara. Their apartment is equal in slum status to ours, including random wiring everywhere and a peerlessly decrepit toilet -- a hair tie is holding the lever on. Stephanie, Julia and I walked around for a while, smoked, visited JFK's birthplace, and mused on how strange Allston is. I love that it goes from mildly urban to woodsy/residential in the span of a few yards, with random side streets stretching out into the trees. It reminds me a little bit of home, and a little bit of places away from home. I decided to catch the train home before it was too late and arrived to find Alaric, Nathan, Eli, and his companions partying. I talked them into playing Purple for a little while before I went to sleep early (again.) This time, at least, we made friends.
          Quote of the day:
"I like tedious things." - Julia

Our Leaves

Due to an unrefreshed tab and my tendency to spam the save button "just in case," plus the ease of discarding used paper notes, the second half of this post was lost. I will rebuild it in a crude way, but will kick myself the whole time.

          I woke up with a lurching sensation in my stomach that quickly devolved into pure nausea. I opted to take a sick day and recover; I've been burning the candle at both ends with this moving business. Later, I felt strong enough to go to the pep band's Student Activity Fair performance at Curry. I was the only trumpet present in an ensemble of about twenty people, and I really had to wail on it to get a decent sound out after a few songs. (This is the part where I admit to not playing music all summer.) Matt T was conducting and kindly deferred to me when I said I couldn't handle this or that song, and we got through several songs without major incident. Afterward, Shay blew me away by claiming she was down to chill/drink/party or whatever, and I felt like I was dreaming for a moment. She seems to have changed a lot in her time abroad, and this is a new avenue of friendship that I'm excited to explore.
          After the performance, I sat at the band table and talked to some more orchestra-oriented freshmen. Shannon obtained a fancy Snow Ball glass for me, but I declined to wait in the tremendous line for a tiny RSA smoothie. I did, however, wait in a relatively shorter one for a custom street sign. The idea is that freshmen would get such charming decorations as "Susie's Street" or "Dan Avenue" or "BIOHAZARD: Meredith and Lauren B's room! Do Not Enter!" I decided to do a hockey joke instead and went with "Parking For Kaner Only / All Others Will Be Towed Away". Initially, I was leaning toward "Parental Advisory: Sidney's Room. No Adults Allowed!" but decided that brevity was the soul of wit. I went home to drink a beer and read A Feast For Crows, which I don't remember finishing but somehow recall all of the plot twists once they happen. Alaric and Nathan eventually showed up with Sara, Elizabeth, Eli, and a couple of his friends from the University of Pittsburgh, but I was wiped by this point and retired early.

America's Favorite Pastime

          After work, I met Johnny at Conor Larkin's for brews and catching up. Conor's is much larger than it appears from the outside, and is clearly a campus bar; it was teeming with students when we got there. The place has a cool "college basement"-type vibe, and I wish I owned half of the vintage beer signs and memorabilia plastered all over the walls. We sat at the bar and watched the Nationals vs. Dodgers game because it was already on TV; when we arrived, it was already in the 11th inning. Johnny and I each killed a house amber or two (recommended) and decided to move to Our House East, another bar over on Gainsborough. This place was nearly empty, and we convinced the bartender to switch the TV to the LA/Washington game. Neither of us care about either team, but we had to see the end of it at this point, so we both decided to root for Washington. A wonderfully pumpkin-y Jack-O Traveler shandy, a well-made gin and tonic, and a batch of onion rings later, the Nationals prevailed 8-5 in the 14th inning! Quite drunk by now, Johnny and I went to our place to enjoy a hookah/smoke session after digging out spaces to sit among all the junk.
          Quote of the day:
"If I had a gun, I would shoot him!" - someone in a mediation

Benjamin Barker

          My bed is still covered in random stuff, but I did get some kitchen and common room organization done. Our apartment is coming together very slowly. Emily showed up to join Alaric, Nathan and me to enjoy Sweeney Todd, hookah, beers, and a Bachelorette Party Kit that I found the other night. Pink plastic tiaras? Yes yes.
          Quote of the day:
"Once you go Blacula, you never go backula." - me

Human Again

          Moving day was a nightmare. My father, Scott (Alaric's dad), and his boyfriend Blase turned up to help us move everything out; we had three vehicles, including Nathan's car. The seven of us battled intense heat, horrible traffic, and a nasty parking situation just making our way to 56 Queensberry. Since we had to be out of the building as quickly as possible, we moved all of our things outside 1023 Tremont and at least one person had to guard them at all times. At the new place, someone had to stick with the cars at all times to be sure that we wouldn't get ticketed or towed. Whoever was left was tasked with hauling our stuff up four narrow flights of stairs. I can't fully communicate how hard this was. The day seemed to go on forever, partly because I hadn't slept a wink and partly because I still hadn't fully digested the breakup with Iris.
          We stopped for pizza and beer before finishing up, and things should have been good. I was too worn out to see that and was barely keeping it together by the end of the day. I was unhappy with the new apartment (it's kind of a dump -- the bathroom doorknob falls off if you pull it), upset to see my father go, in shock from the breakup. I slept for a while in the common room and woke to gifts of cigars and Maker's Mark from Scott and Blase. Nathan and I hit up El Pelon, and I went to bed in a vastly improved state of mind.
          Quote of the day:
"You guys smell like goat." - Blase