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Kylie Minogue "Step Back In Time" |
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Gasp! Ahoy! I've made it back! They said it couldn't be done, but alas I, Louis "Formerly of the Fugees" Virtel have survived midterms week and all in all the most hectic Wednesday of the schoolyear (unless that one day where my internet was gone was a Wednesday... in which case forget everything I just said). It is SO nice to be back and sitting here. So nice to be unrolling all the wound-up tenseness and channeling it into positive, cathartic, rational, relaxed energy. I hate that I can't update this thing more, guys. I really fucking hate it. I was reading one of Alanis Morissette's online journal entries, and she said something like how... stream-of-conscious writing is the best use of her brain, that she feels like she's working on all cylinders when she writes in stream-of-conscious fashion. What can I say but that my Canadian soulmate is once again taking the words right out my mouth. The DJ is the place where I can filter out any of my neuroses and simply release [what I've construed to be] truth. Nothing like letting it all go, feeling like the answers at my fingertips, being (once again) truthful, observant and more than anything I love being able to discover new truths while still being able to make a joke about it. Like cyber fresh air. Sorry if that last snappy remark was too fucking clever and deep for you all... we all know there are only two people who really understand me (Chris Carabba and your mom, naturally). Sigh. I have wanted to be back here for like...days now. I could've killed to be able to write in this when I was flipping out the other night about my Acting class script bullshit. Anyway, I will rewind for a little while. Here we go, a week's worth of review. Buckle your seatbelts. It's going to be a sexy ride.
Last Friday I performed my old "Mommy" skit for a one-time No Shame show in the lounge of Currier (aka my dorm... not only for this year but for next year too). I was one of like... eight acts. It was basically an exhibition of what happens at actual No Shame shows so that new people could see what it's all about. I went over well; all the appropriate jokes got big laughs. Before I went onstage, I saw that Phil was in the audience, and no lie, that threw me off a step. I didn't think he would be like... scowling at me or anything, but I think I instictively put pressure on myself to make people like him laugh to sort of prove myself to them. Either way, I went over well. After the show, Michael Tabor, the head of No Shame, told me to come to the later No Shame show at 11 because he would be performing a satire of the skit I did last week (the Jafar sketch that I posted in my previous entry). I couldn't resist such flattery, and so I went to that show... Michael's skit was indeed very funny, but the most memorable part of that night for me had to be when I took my seat and could see a few other girls near me that were like... obviously talking about me. I didn't know what they were saying at first, but then one girl goes out loud "THE KING OF MODESTY!" And then they all swarmed me! These high school girls were all like... "You wore a purple shirt last week and... it was so hot!" And one girl asked me, "...can I shake your hand?" I have to say, this fucking wowwed me. It felt good to know that there were people who really remembered me and thought I was funny. It was too bad that the majority of the rest of the show that night was abysmal. I couldn't bring myself to do a pity clap after a few particular skits. Then again it's hard to clap when one of your hands is fingerbanging three members of your high school fanclub.
Then the next day I logged in to good old evil Facebook to find I had a message. "Who could it be from?" I wondered. Yep, you guessed it. It was Phil, back and better than ever. I was pretty surprised to receive this message, and I couldn't have opened it at a better time, because Rachel had just logged on. The drama could begin. Basically the message read something like... how Phil liked my No Shame piece and missed my sense of humor... and then he went on to say that he'd be living two doors down from me next year and that we should salvage some type of friendship. All I can say is it wasn't what I expected. The effort on his part was mature and thorough, and so I had no problem replying to him by saying what would have to happen if we were to salvage anything at all... but I did acknowledge that it was nice to hear from him. Because it was... it was refreshing to hear that he wanted to be adult about this instead of just deciding to give me the cold shoulder permanently for things I hadn't done. So it IS official: next year I will be living again in E132... which is two doors away from E136, where Our Friend Philly will take residence. What a tantalizing teaser that'll be for the 2005-06 schoolyear deadjournal entries. Stay tuned, hos. Maybe there'll be surprise cameos... I'm thinking a drunken appearance by Todd at least once, people. This shit will make a killing during sweeps week.
In other news... I just went (as in a couple hours ago) and saw the play Metamorphoses which was just incredible, and I can finally say for once in my life, "I EVEN READ THE BOOK FIRST!" There's no ego value to be savored in that statement; I had to read the book for Literature of Rome back during first semester. Most of the action of the play takes place in a giant pool located in the middle of the room. Let's not forget that I got to see the bare ass of the guy playing Eros. Props to him, you show that shit off, you grad student, you. In addition, Rachel Hasselhuhn was in the play, and she was in the theatrical masterpiece The Tale of Little Lily with yours truly. After the show, I forgave her for not putting on as professional a show as Lily... I thought maybe Metamorphoses would at least step it up and have a powerpoint presentation action scene like Lily did, but no... they settled for actual action. Typical. This occasion was doubly special because I was accompanied by a "date." Don't get your pantyhose in a twirl... it's just this guy from upstairs. I basically know nothing is going to come of this because, well, I don't want anything to come of it. I don't want any relationship at all at this point because I think I place to much emphasis on what kind of... self-esteem kick I get out of it. It makes it hard to be sincere in a relationship or even very aware of how I feel since my intentions (oooh, that's such an Acting I keyword) aren't in the right place. What I want to be doing is getting my creative energy out and about... and I guess if I stumble upon someone in that mystical quest, then who knows, whatever. Until then though, I'm tomb raiding on my own.
Alright, it's time to get on with the explanation of the cray-zay-est Wednesday in recent memory. Well, it started with a healthy dose of Acting I, where Meredith went on about our spring break assignment and a bunch of other assignments for, oh, years. Then the gauntlet began. First of all, I had a couldn't-be-more-special Earth Science quiz in lab... chock full of unconformities, relative age dating, and topography. Love how this fits right in with that whole Journalism-Theatre thing I'm going for. The quiz was basically a success as far as I know. Zoomed outta there to get back to my room to cram for the History of Jazz final... 125 questions of pure jazz trivia. The test turned out to be pretty easy, believe it or not, especially the whole thing was multiple choice and on things we'd been quizzed on before. That ended at 7... at which point my Acting partner Meagan told me that Meredith REJECTED our choice for a partner scene. Seeing at the due date was that day, we had to find a new scene and email it to Meredith within the next five hours otherwise we'd... have to handwash all of Meredith's tech vests. Which would mean I wouldn't make it home until Labor Day. Unfortunately, I had a midterm for Earth Science to study for with Alyssa, so at first I went to Starbucks with her to study before feeling bad for Meagan... which meant I ended up booking it to the library at 10. After finding close to nothing at the library, the two of us admitted defeat and emailed Meredith asking for a recommendation. Surprisingly, the next day, she was upbeat about giving us a scene... and so now we have a new scene... and I don't know what the penalty is for getting ours approved late. Anyway, I still had that mega test for Earth Science to study for (this was for Earth Science lecture, not lab... that's where I had the earlier quiz), So Alyssa and I got to studying at 10 and went on till 1:30. Jesus, what a day. After you keep your brain on high alert for long enough, studying is much easier, I find. I think I retained all of that new Earth Science material much more efficiently because of the previous studying I'd done for jazz than if I'd been just facebooking for hours before attempting to study. That test is also over and done, and I know I did well. Now all that's left is to pack up the old suitcase, make sure sure I've got all my laundry, bug Tess Feldman to help me haul shit to her car, and prep for the week break back in Lemont. Ah, but that's not all! On Saturday, Alyssa and her family are coming to Joliet because they have family there... and that means that ALYSSA IS VISITING LEMONT! I can't believe it! I thought Tess stepping inside my house the last time we set off for Iowa was a trip. Alyssa being in Lemont = badass x 45. She has to see all of Lemont's historic landmarks... including the lavish tourist attractions such as Bellybusters, the abandoned True Value, and the LHS climbing wall. Chris Traina may as well be a landmark. God, I guess that means we'd have to mount her... oooh... surely we will IDPE ourselves into a clusterfuck. We'll see though. To quote Elyse, regarding Alyssa being in Lemont, "I think she would be blown away, Louis." Luckily I'm equipping Alyssa with a helmet. There may be a Louis-Alyssa ambush of PT's house. I can only fucking hope. Maybe there will be pictures.
I think I'll be in touch more often over break. I'll keep y'all posted on my job hunt and the general happenings of the Lemont realm. Eric, Feej, and Corey should all be home, not to mention the Lemont regulars Elyse and Katie. Sarah and I are also trying out a way to get me to be able to sleep over at UIC. I am so ready to judge the fuck out of that guy Steve. He better be cool, or I'm afraid I'll have to show him hell... show him... what eight years of AYSO soccer have taught me (to play fair but to cheat when the ref isn't looking... thank you, Todd Osbourne, for everything). Definitely hoping to pull a babysitting job during my time home as well. I do have quite a bit of schoolwork to accomplish while I'm on the homefront as well... but it'll get done. Between scattered Panera visits, it will get done. It sure is my bedtime, and so for now I have to depart, but expect me back soon (for real, I mean it... I think).
I say this verbatim every journal entry but, y'all, I love you guys so much. Do stay in touch and thank you for again listening and laughing and thinking whatever you think. Appreciate your hearing me out. I'm feeling a little unsure about what exactly my goals are, but at the same time I'm floating on by, amusing myself the best I can. And here you all are, along for that ride. Thanks again.
Love you, love you, love you.
We've always only just begun, xoxo,
Louis.
P.S. Guilty pleasure song of the moment is the Bangles' "Eternal Flame". Here I go, dashing out of the room before the tomatoes hit me.
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