The Update Which Never Came

[jackofallgeeks]

*huff*
I'm afraid that if I don't get this done now, it will never get done. And that if I keep putting it off, I'll just get more rushed, wanting to update about more things, and saying less about anything at all. I apologize about the length, but please do read it.

School's been good to me so far. I love my two philosophy courses, Metaphysics and Logic, though I'm enjoying Metaphysics more than Logic, I think. More thinking, mulling over the ideas in your head and twisting your brain around to look at things in this new light. It's fun.

I'm also enjoying my Creative Writing class. My teacher is really enthusiastic -- like, really, really enthusiastic. But in a good way, and I think she makes me feel more confident and energized to write. Granted, I haven't actually written any- No, no that's not true, either. We did an exercise last week about envisioning hands in our mind's eye, and from those hands I drew out and entire character. -grins- It was a lot of fun, and I may post that writing up here.

I got my critique on Tuesday. I turned in Sunglow and The Study to be read and reviewed. And it was really grand -- there were a few who didn't get it, but some of them really understood what I was saying! And it was great, cause it was more than just "make it better" -- it was "here's how you might make it better." And I even almost have ideas on how to flesh out those snippets more into their own little stories, especially The Study. I may get some done on that, and I'll post it here when I do. Curiously, can any of you tell me what's going on in The Study? Because a lot of them were baffled -- they couldn't tell if he was a mobster, a historian, and accountant, a lunatic, or dead! -laughs!-

But I'm getting ahead of myself. I wanted to start by talking about last Wednesday. Last wednesday, Anastasiya and I got together to spend some time and walk around DC a bit. It was really cool -- almost down-right cold! (That's a joke, people, laugh.) Asya felt a little odd, I think, as she was padded down with a jacket, a couple sweaters, gloves, and a scarf. I had on a pair of cords and a knit sweater. -grins-

But it was really nice. We went down to Dupont Circle, where I got some food and then we went to Starbucks (she wanted coffee; I got a hot chocolate). We wandered down to the monuments, walking hand-in-hand around the lake-area by the vietnam memorial, and just talking. It was really nice friend-type stuff which, if you didn't know before, really means the world to me. Then we wandered around Downtown a bit, the really nice looking part of DC, the part of DC that I mind the least, and in fact almost like. She, of course, kept me busy keeping up with her, as she would bound off across traffic while my head was turned and I would have to run after her. But it was fun. She stayed with me a bit after we got back to CUA, since her dad was still out, and then went home after I'd printed my pages for Creative Writing.

Thursday started out on a bad foot, but things were OK after classes finied up. I met Claire down in Fredericksburg for dinner, and after a difficult time getting me to where she was, we ate at Fudruckers. It was really good to see her again, since we haven't talked nearly since she'd gone off to college. We spent a couple hours chatting over dinner, and after we'd been sitting with empty trays for a while just talking about nothing in particular, we decided to wander around the Shopping Center some. She wanted to get some pants, so we headed out to Walmart and Kohls, but they were all out of her size. And, apparently, she STILL hasn't found her pants, even online. Poor girl.

Anyways, it was really nice seeing her again. After the fact, on my way home, I was just charged full of energy, and got back to campus in *ahem* record time. Anastasiya was there with the guys, cause she and Zack were going to New York the next morning. I would have gone, too, but had family-type stuff already planned, so I had to pass. Still, we had a nice evening, whereby several of us played some MtG, and then Asya and I ended up watching some TV together and then sat up talking. I fear we stayed up together far too long, in fact, as it was quite early in the morning before I got back to my bed. I did, somehow, manage to function through my classes that day, though, but decided not to go home until Saturday, instead of Friday evening.

Saturday we celebrated Gene's Birthday for, I think, the third time. But this was with the cousins and uncles and all included, so it was cool. In fact, several cousins who I never get to see very often showed up, namely Erin (26+), Julia (12?) and Anna-Louise (8?). Erin is really cool, rather artsy, and just all-around nice. Julia (Anna's sister, Erin's cousin), as I found the next day, is generally a snobby, spoiled, back-talking little brat. Not the most charming little girl I've ever met. Anna-Louise, though, is my favorite; she's a good kid (though at times shows drops of venom the like of which her sister swims in -- she's mischievous, her sister's just rude and ill-mannered), and I just have a lot of fun with her. She definitely likes getting her picture taken more than Julia -- she would pose and sit with the other girls for shots when I took out my camera, while Julia did no less than wail whenever she found I was tracking her with my lense.

Anyways, though, I'm getting ahead of myself again, as that was all mostly Sunday stuff. After cake and all, when people left, we started a game of Diplomacy, the players being myself, Jenny, Shawn, Gene, Josh, and Tina. Un fortunately, we didn't start until late, and had to end around 1:00 or 2:00. Still, I think I had it in the bag. I had orchestrated the downfall of Russia, all of Europe was turning it's attention on Turkey, and then the next target was Germany. Though, I think I tipped my hand when, before Turkey was out, I captured a couple German strongholds. Still, I had a very secure position, being England, and wasn't too concerned on how the war might go -- it would have been, I think, and interesting shift for them to try and turn on me (the second most powerful, if not the most powerful). I love that game. Zack bought a copy the other day at Wizard's, and it'd be cool if we got a game going (particularly, I think, if we got myself, Zack, Chris, Curtis, Anastasiya, and Carly to play...). We really should try that sometime.

Sunday was a memorial Mass for my Great Uncle Jim, and really the main reason that I stayed home as opposed to going to New York. I don't know, I'm not sure there's much I can really say... He was my grandmother's uncle, an Irish Catholic Priest (the best kind, doncha know). He was a really cool guy, always bringing candy for us kids, and telling stories and singing songs. Liked his wine, too, but what good Irishman (particularly a Catholic Priest!) doesn't? He was a good guy. I think I was about, what, 14 when he died, maybe...? It was in the winter, I think he died of cancer. I know I was old enough that I'd just started making a connection to him as a person, but still too young to have really gotten to know him, y'know? I'm not going to say I've been through anything where I specifically would have wanted to talk with him (*cough*datinganepiscopalian*cough*) but, you know, there were nights when it would have been nice to be able to ask him questions. So, yeah... The Mass itself was just a Mass, and nothing really spectacular happened, but it was kind of important to me to be there, so... *shrugs*

So, yeah... I THINK that covers all the bases... Now I can start getting back to updating about the present, instead of the past.

Comments

Andrew, Andrew, Andrew..*shakes head*

[masqerade.livejournal.com]

Uncle Jim died in January of 1999. I know this because it was shortly after I started dating Shawn. Shawn even came to the funeral(for moral support for me). It was that weekend(I think)that we came home from our trip to Rhode Island. All the trees were frozen and almost everyone was without power. They had a horrible ice storm shortly before we travled home. We all stayed the night at grandma's house bundled up in blankets around a fire in the fire place of the family room(great grandma's old room), but it was still very cold. I called Shawn and talked to him for awhile because I was so upset about Uncle Jim being in the hospital. This was the fith year anniversary of his death(hence the memorial mass). I was hoping that he would one day marry me to my husband but he died too early. I am so glad that Shawn was able to meet him and know him for a few months, that was very important and significant to me. I really miss him and think about him all the time.

[jackofallgeeks.livejournal.com]

-smirk- You shake your head at me, but I was pretty close -- I remember that ice storm, and decembr of '98 and January of '99 aren't so far different.

Anyways, yeah, I kinda miss him, too.