So this is pretty much the main reason why I'd rather not study abroad in Germany. I think it's a pretty valid one.

Moskau

You might as well watch the whole thing. I was about to stop it, but realized there wasn't really a reason to.

Bloody hell, it's been three weeks, hasn't it? And what a wacky three weeks it's been. Orson Welles, Javier + the Bear, the Sahdy Dealer, a wedding, a divorce, all kinds of characters. Must admit some of my plans for the year have already derailed, but we'll see what happens. Must pop off to dinner and Too Much Light. Also Chris has made a sculpture out of mangled dining hall silverware. He calls it "anger," as it was brought on by a bad fish dinner. We have a new suite-mate too, as our Mormon went on a 2-year misson trip. Seriously. Anyway. More on that later.

So here I am after a fabulous and strange New Year’s getting ready to go back to school. Well, not so much getting ready as psyching myself up. What, me pack? Really, at the very least, this quarter has to make more sense than the last one (didn’t I say that last quarter? ah, well.), and hopefull I can pick up the grades a little. Anyway, so the simultaneous start of a new year and a new quarter have got me all sentimental, but first New Year’s Eve.

I spent the Eve (this is what the hip kids call it, starting now) down in Champaign-Urbana, ostensibly to see a band, more accurately to party. and party we did, although I think I had more fun at the pre-game than the party. It had guns. actually, ther were a lot of guns throughout, one of which was mine. I ended up firing that one into the kitchen of a diner and losing the dart. Fortunately no one noticed, and we hope it didn’t land in the fryer. However, I did hit Marty Sweeney in a Steak ’n’ Shake, and he was very surprised.

Anyway, I did this with the honorable Maciej, Kohout, aforementioned target Sweeney, Altier, Afro-Joe, and their respective female associates. I only say that to point out how surprisingly less single this group has become. Or as I said to Joe:

“Joe, do you remember when this group had no couples in it?”
And Joe: “I hear you. Alright, you and me, let’s make out, now!”

I’ll leave the rest to your imagination… which you had better not be using, or I’ll be scared.

Where was I? Right, pre-gaming was most entertaining. Thanks to some vodka, some plastic champagne flutes, and some pink lemonade mix. “Why are you doing that?” “Because it’s vodka!” Also, handguns, of the entirely fake and the airsoft variety. Steve Vai will think twice before he poses with Yngwie Malmsteen again. Madness. And then we walked to a party, where the re were people and music, and apparently my walking switches to a well-controlled stumble when drunk. Also, I met somebody from the U of C, who was apparently the host. It was at this time that Maciej became a bit too drunk, and Joe was emphatic that he was not drunk enough. Fortunately, Maciej had a shining moment of clarity which saved Marty’s New Year’s, despite later mistaking him for Altier and asking where his house was (“North, Maciej, really far north, and a little east”).

Wow, I type a lot, and I can’t form a coherent narrative to save my life. In the end, most of us “crashed” at Nic White’s “pad” and had a “blast”, and returned this afternoon jubilant with hope for the coming twelvemonth.

I can, however, cram a very large number of inside jokes into a post. Somebody handle the ones I missed, okay?

And this is to say nothing of Saturday, which featured both a birthday extravaganza for Maciej and a rousing game of Trivial Pursuit with Kate, Alex, and Peter, who I did not see nearly enough of this break. Not that I’m done seeing people yet, as everybody but Kate (who is off on a well-earned trip to Germany) is in town a couple more weeks, and the U of C will be partying at some point. And y’all know I can’t miss a Javier and the Bear show.

Terse. I can be terse. Once in flight school I was laconic… anyway…

Happy New Year! Maybe resolutions/retrospection soon.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot and days of auld lang syne?
And auld lang syne, my dear
And auld lang syne
Should auld acquaintance be forgot and days of auld lang syne?
…
We’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet, for auld lang syne!