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Madonna "Sorry" |
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Hey there, happenin' hombres. Checking the main page, it seems I've been gone ten full days. That's a lot of L-Town action to tabulate in just one DJ entry... but anyway, how the hell are we, I'm doing pretty well as of now though I am fucking tired. Dad drove me back to Iowa this morning, and I slept the whole way here. Apparently that wasn't enough, because each time I lift a typing finger, I doze off just a little bit. It's not looking good for me. However, last night I stayed up and recounted all the highlights of the past week... so without further ado, here they are in all of their abbreviated, bulleted glory.
-Thursday, the 17th- After driving home with Gloria, I settled in back in Lemont, exhaled for a moment, and then went to Panera with Kimmie. Nothing is a better greeting back to Illinois than a cup of broccoli-cheese and a sassy quart of Kimmie goodness. We got down to business and shredded lame-asses to bits with our mad throwdown skills.
-Friday, the 18th- Chipain's reeled me back in. I ended up working in total about 37 hours over break, which isn't too shabby for me. That Friday night, Sarah, her cousin Candice, and I went back to our roots (Oberweis) and dished. You'll start to notice a theme with these daily tidbits... as in I eat out every day.
-Saturday, the 19th- I worked... and I can't remember what else I did. I'm sure I had eleven donuts from Dunkin' Donuts since that's how I fill my break time at Chipain's. And you wonder why my middle name is Big Spender.
-Sunday, the 20th- After an exhausting day of typing UPC codes and learning what turkeys I'm supposed to not scan, Kinga IMed me with a craving for Wendy's. Off we headed to my favorite State St. national treasure, and then Kinga took me on a first-class refinery tour. She also waxed poetic about astrology... which is something I still don't get besides that Madonna and I are under the same sign and should go bowling together. Later that evening, Corey and Lizzo dropped by my house unexpectedly, and so we had lots of pop and chatted. Low-key, but I was so fucking tired that night. Like I am now... I get the feeling this entry is boring as hell. Don't worry, only six more days to review! Wink!
-Monday, the 21st- No work for the first day all break, so I celebrated with a trip to the Aurora Outlet Mall with Corey and his friend Alice from ISU. I explored the majority of the place, eventually buying a $16 sweater from the Gap. Pretty damn sweet. I would soon wear it on Thanksgiving and stun relatives with my bargain-store pizzazz. Corey, Alice, and I then went to Best Buy, and I caved and bought a Saturday Night Live: The Best of Gilda Radner DVD. I watched the whole thing from start to finish, and I have to say, and I didn't laugh nearly as hard as I expected to. Perhaps I'm just used to the material by now... but the skits with Madeline Kahn were hysterical. When I went to the front counter at Best Buy to buy the DVD, I instantly recognized the cashier. He auditioned with me at DePaul way back in November, 2003, and I also happened to run into him at theaterfest two months after that. The big difference between the two of us turned out to be that he got into DePaul and I didn't. This is not to say he didn't deserve his admission: when I witnessed (along with Erin and Monica at the time) his monologue from Death of a Salesman, I knew instantly he had the confident panache that colleges looked for. We chatted for a second at the counter, and I should've gotten a look at his nametag. Strangely enough, he asked if I knew who Joe Bette was after I said I went to U of Iowa, and I totally know Joe (though he transferred to DePaul). Anyway, it was really weird to run into this guy, and it's even weirder that we both recognized each other so immediately. Truth is, if I got into DePaul, I wouldn't have even gone... but it's bizarre for me to run into someone who kind of represents that unexplored road my life could've been. Thankfully, writing is a huge part of my life and will certainly be a big chunk of my profession... and that sounds like the way things should be. Talk about coincidence though: I ran into this guy almost two years to the day I auditioned at DePaul... which means it was almost two years to the day I officially came out to most of my friends and decided there was no turning back. Maybe I'll talk more about that later.
-Tuesday, the 22nd- Work. I know other things happened on Tuesday, but for right now you'll have to deal with me being a sexy amnesiac.
-Wednesday, the 23rd- After work, I took a quick walk with Jena Simone, a formerly familiar Chipain's face who got fired after dropping the F bomb in front of a prude customer. We talked about crazy people, including ourselves, and we meant to meet up again, but it turned out we would only see each other Saturday when I was at Chipain's. I meant to call her, but everything got fucking backed up. Anyhoo, Rachel came home that night (fucking finally), and Sarah's BF Steve was ready for a Trivial Pursuit showdown. This meant I hauled my ass along with Rachel to Mokena, met up with Sarah, and parked my competitive self at Steve's. His mom and other friend Mike joined in the grudge match... and although everyone had six pie pieces by the time the game ended (including me and Rachel, clearly the most stylish duo of the three teams), Steve's mom and Mike won. Kimmie arrived near the middle of the game, which means she only had to sit through, oh, two hours of gameplay. All of us went to White Castle afterwards, and I had a generic strawberry shake that still made my night. An awesome evening... so many key players (literally) were around.
-Thursday, the 24th- Spanksgiving. Rachel came over and so did my godmother's family and my cousin Tyler's family. Though the turkey, snacks, and video game playing relatives all had their moments, the best part of the night was when Rachel, my brother Mark, and I sat around and nitpicked our favorite people during an epic game of "Marry, Date, or Dump". If you are Sarah Geoghegan, Natalie Imbruglia, or LHS gym teacher Mr. Mahawlik, there is a slight chance I will marry you someday. Honestly, I've already registered at city hall.
-Friday, the 25th- The mega 7+ hour shift at Chipain's kicked my ass, but afterwards I went to Frankfort where a "fiesta" for Elyse and this girl Sunny happened. Monica, Brad, Katie Erk, Adam Carter, Jeanine, and many more also attended. Monica and I had our mini discussion on Madonna's new album, and eventually I drank more than I ever had before, which isn't saying much. Margaritas are tasty some of the time, I've learned, even if made in the hands of amateurs. I wasn't drunk by any means, just kind of light-headed. Elyse also schooled ass on the dancefloor with her inert version of "the worm." I drove Brad home later that night, and we talked about coming out and gayness and parents. Fun stuff... unless it's harrowing and awful, but mostly fun.
-Satuday, the 26th- My last day of break, I went quietly insane during the last hour of my work day, and I asked if there was any way Nanette, the sweet-ass new customer service woman, could let me off early. She totally complied (as I would expect of any 43-year-old woman with a Green Day tattoo), and I ditched Chipain's an hour early. I shot out a couple emails after getting home, but then I picked up Rachel and went to the mall to get a new pair of jeans. She got some Christmas shopping done herself, and then we picked up Lauren Neybert (who I hadn't seen all break! Travesty!) and jetted to Loew's to see Rent with a huge group of Class-of-'09ers. I really want to see the movie again actually, because I really enjoyed a lot of it. AIDS has never seemed so fun. White Castle with Lauren and Rachel afterwards, and then I went home for some time to myself. And now I'm back at Iowa. The infamous homestretch before Christmas break.
I made it back in time for the DI arts meeting at 2. What can I say but it was fucking depressing to assign myself three brand new stories to tame for the coming week. I think I want to quit the DI next year so I can do more theater stuff... I'm pretty much half-assing that major right now. Also, I have to say, the process of working a daily newspaper is pretty isolating. There's no sense of community and barely any sense of communication. I talk to my editor and a few of the arts people sometimes, but other than that, I'm doing repetitive work. Furthermore, it is really difficult to do extra features pieces to complement my newsier articles. It's all so much work. Granted, a lot of it is key in establishing a solid journalism portfolio, but other than that, I am really just bogging myself down with commitments. Jesus, if only I weren't such a rolling stone... maybe then I'd fit in the system. Doubt it, though.
So as I mentioned before, I just hit the two-year anniversary of the day(s) I "came out." In the end, all I've really learned is that insecurity about relationships and sexuality is not bound to one type of sexual orientation. I have learned I am a damn human, and even though I've created lots of distracting theories and ideas concerning how I feel about past relationships and myself in general, I know that no amount of self-proclaimed strength will ever equate actual contentment. I've got to just keep loving, opening up, and being honest with those who appreciate and reciprocate honesty. The past two years have been tumultuous, extreme, and (let's face it) dull in terms of intimate relationships, and I'll be damned, I'm just as Louis-y as ever. None the wiser, but all the more planted in reality. Doesn't mean I'm not down on myself or ever fully divorced from my obsession with the past, but I don't ever feel like anything is the end of the world. To commemorate just how actually ridiculous things are, I had dinner with Phil tonight at Z'Merik's, an Italian restaurant where I had no choice but to spend seven bucks on a meal. I probably had a choice in deciding whether or not to spend money at Jimmy John's later that night with Lauren, but you wouldn't have guessed it by how speedily I drew my debit card. I am so poor, but so determinedly ignorant about it. C'est la vie boheme pour moi, bien sur.
I have to wrassle my 8:30 theater lecture tomorrow, so off I go for now. The next few days are sure to be hectic throes in the world of journalism, so wish me luck. Love you guys so much... thanks for the chance and thanks for being around. I am about to fall forward at this keyboard... but could it be I'm fallin' for your crazy love? Paula Abdul = gospel.
Powering forward like the debonair speedboat captain I am in my dreams, xoxo,
Louis
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