october has indeed been decidedly busy. besides working 20 hours a week, having an abundance of papers to write, being second-in-command at the biweekly 24-page newspaper, and trying to plan activities in all of my clubs, i have been really working on having fun on the weekends. going downtown, hanging out with different people, stretching my comfort zone, being independent, etc.
i am very lucky to have my brother louie visiting right now. he flew out on thursday and is staying until monday. some friends of mine had heard about a concert of the delightful swedish indie musician jens lekman in dc, which ended up being that same thursday, so we picked louie up at the airport and headed straight down to the black cat club in dc. despite an unusual bout of heavy rain, the entire night was amazing. jens' band consisted of six swedish women (two horn players, a bass player, a drummer, and two violinists) dressed in white dresses and white patent leather shoes, some of them wearing odd little hats. he also had an extremely lanky young man wearing blue highwater pants as a dj. jens himself had an air of contentment that was just adorable. as he sang his witty lyrics, he closed his eyes and had a charming half-smile on his face. his swedish accent shone through ("my fodder" and "happy birfday") but his english was impeccable. my two favorite moments of the concert were when everyone on stage dropped their instruments and began dancing in unison, and when jens led an encore performance of his tune "pocketful of money" with almost the entire audience singing with him. if you want music to bring a smile to your face, get your hands on some jens lekman.
the rain has not let up since thursday, but i hope to show louie the unique, artsy and interesting neighborhoods of baltimore today. besides that, my plans include lots and lots of homework...
10.27.2007
10.12.2007
fall break
we don't have classes today to mark the half-way point in fall semester. this would ordinarily be great, but i have so much homework due in the next week, that it's hardly a break at all. i suppose it is just a nice way to do my work at my own speed and enjoy the finally cool autumn weather- it was 90 degrees up until a few days ago!
my fall, so far, has been busy busy busy and much more interesting than last year. i have been specifically going out of my way to see new parts of the city, spend time with different people, and step outside my comfort level. i usually end up going to baltimore city every saturday and being completely swamped in homework every sunday. during the week i usually have about ten minutes of down time between classes, work and activities. again- that's how i like it.
i've been to many festivals this fall: the baltimore book festival, reggae and brew at the zoo, hampdenfest, the chocolate festival at lexington market. i've also had a chance to explore some awesome neighborhoods: hampden (home of the biggest slice of pizza in baltimore, a variety of hip bars, and near a strange but artsy cinematheque/theatre), canton, catonsville, mount vernon, the other side of towson, etc. i saw a wonderful, intriguing, beautiful and plotless film about iceland made by the band sigur ros; i went duckpin bowling to celebrate my good friend timmy's 22nd birthday; i've been to several bars (who knew you could get in if you're under 21?); i've met many, many colorful and genuine friends; i saw the fabulous musician andrew bird in concert; i started working on a project for the maryland state folklorist. this fall has been packed so far, and i hope this trend continues!
although i should be studying for my midterms right now and working on the next issue of the newspaper, i am going to pause to share a list of things i feel everyone should do at some point in their life (in no real order):
1. explore a city without a car. living in both boston and baltimore without a car has been such a valuable experience. not only does it improve your problem-solving skills and confidence in being independent, but it can also give you a unique view of a city that you completely miss from the safety of your own vehicle. public transportation is there for a reason, and i strongly feel that everyone should be able to use it. although, i won't lie- today, i got a ride instead of taking five different buses and it made my day so much more simple. i suppose the best solution is to have access to a car but to utilize public transportation whenever possible.
2. learn about architecture and art history. you appreciate city life so much more if you can walk down the street and identify the order of columns supporting a building or know why the architect chose a certain style. your space becomes illuminated as you learn about the decisions that went into building it. art history is a mirror of society at any given time- it's important to know!
3. go to a baseball game. for the ultimate american experience, try to absorb as much of the surroundings as possible. i suppose those of us who abstain from sporting events (ie. the husted family) are more of a minority, but it really is beneficial to understanding american culture.
4. march on washington. even if your particular protest may not change the world, being surrounded by impassioned activists in one of the most powerful cities imaginable is quite the experience.
5. among other things, sit/stand in the front at a concert, be in the minority of a group, send a letter to an old friend, keep a journal, and travel whenever possible.
here are some recent photos-
my fall, so far, has been busy busy busy and much more interesting than last year. i have been specifically going out of my way to see new parts of the city, spend time with different people, and step outside my comfort level. i usually end up going to baltimore city every saturday and being completely swamped in homework every sunday. during the week i usually have about ten minutes of down time between classes, work and activities. again- that's how i like it.
i've been to many festivals this fall: the baltimore book festival, reggae and brew at the zoo, hampdenfest, the chocolate festival at lexington market. i've also had a chance to explore some awesome neighborhoods: hampden (home of the biggest slice of pizza in baltimore, a variety of hip bars, and near a strange but artsy cinematheque/theatre), canton, catonsville, mount vernon, the other side of towson, etc. i saw a wonderful, intriguing, beautiful and plotless film about iceland made by the band sigur ros; i went duckpin bowling to celebrate my good friend timmy's 22nd birthday; i've been to several bars (who knew you could get in if you're under 21?); i've met many, many colorful and genuine friends; i saw the fabulous musician andrew bird in concert; i started working on a project for the maryland state folklorist. this fall has been packed so far, and i hope this trend continues!
although i should be studying for my midterms right now and working on the next issue of the newspaper, i am going to pause to share a list of things i feel everyone should do at some point in their life (in no real order):
1. explore a city without a car. living in both boston and baltimore without a car has been such a valuable experience. not only does it improve your problem-solving skills and confidence in being independent, but it can also give you a unique view of a city that you completely miss from the safety of your own vehicle. public transportation is there for a reason, and i strongly feel that everyone should be able to use it. although, i won't lie- today, i got a ride instead of taking five different buses and it made my day so much more simple. i suppose the best solution is to have access to a car but to utilize public transportation whenever possible.
2. learn about architecture and art history. you appreciate city life so much more if you can walk down the street and identify the order of columns supporting a building or know why the architect chose a certain style. your space becomes illuminated as you learn about the decisions that went into building it. art history is a mirror of society at any given time- it's important to know!
3. go to a baseball game. for the ultimate american experience, try to absorb as much of the surroundings as possible. i suppose those of us who abstain from sporting events (ie. the husted family) are more of a minority, but it really is beneficial to understanding american culture.
4. march on washington. even if your particular protest may not change the world, being surrounded by impassioned activists in one of the most powerful cities imaginable is quite the experience.
5. among other things, sit/stand in the front at a concert, be in the minority of a group, send a letter to an old friend, keep a journal, and travel whenever possible.
here are some recent photos-
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