A blog? Oh dear, what's this?

Hmmm. So it's been a while. I was out of a bloggy stage. I may be back into it...though probably not, let's be honest. For today, at least, I am.

Working with mixed success (mixed meaning, 'mixed with watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer') on 3 projects: A statistical analysis of AIDS vs education vs opinion in Africa as it relates to sustainability (yes, whatever that may mean), a fairly staightforward-if-a-bit-broad essay for Political Ecology: "All environmental issues are political issues--discuss", and an academic book review of a book about porn theatres in Times Square. Because why not!

I've cast my new show, a devised piece we will workshop into existence from the sentence, "this is the story of a small girl pursued by a strange wind", with one of the best casts I've had so far, all girls, half with dancing or acrobatic training and at least half hardcore intellectuals. It's kinda intimidating, but I am very much looking forward to it. We have our first rehearsal tonight.

On the social side, last week was Raisin weekend, and as a third year this year I had academic kids and threw a fuck-off party for them, which is the first big party-party I've had or really gone all-out for this year. Last night was more pleasant, if anything--I went to a friend's thanksgiving bash, which a very calm and insanely delicious dinner-party sort of thing, with the freedom of movement and size of a party-party.

I have been in an odd place this week and so haven't been productive in any way or particularly in any area, but with the realisation of my 3 deadlines fast approaching I am starting to crack down and get to work. Or I would be if I wasn't blogging!

Thoughts are taken up by a range of things. My Urban Cultural Geography class is fantastic, and reading Foucoult and thinking about poststructuralism is giving me a good overlay of academic thought about life etc, thinking about systems, agency and power in everyday life. I've been spending a lot of time and having good chats with Ben...and realizing, I think, the categories of 'best friends' that I need. This is just occurring to me, so bear with me. I need the quasi-intellectual, the person who analyses and intellectualizes every situation (though usually without a formal academic framework) and with whom I can trade impressions of people and behaviour. Then I need a theatre/art friend (or a few) to bounce ideas off of and to magnify creative thought. Next, I need a 'fun' friend, someone that I just *like* and have fun spending time with, regardless of context or content. Finally, I need a 'confidant' friend, whose definition is pretty self-explanatory. I think this is roughly the structure of friendship I had in high school, and it is starting to repeat here, though of course in a somewhat different form--multiple people for one role, a single for others.

I have been horribly disconnected from the outside world at large, both news and friends and family. Part of this has been inconsistent computer/internet access, though most has just been me. I feel the need to have a few hermit days where I just read followed by re-connecting with the outside world with fresh eyes coming on.