first and foremost, i must brag about my mini-victory over all the nerds that attend uw-madison. last sunday was the annual 2005 quiz bowl on campus for which i was recruited, specifically for the pop culture section. what an honor it was. i really didn't know what to expect, something inbetween e. l. konigsburg's the view from saturday and college jeopardy maybe. let me tell you, it was an absolute nerd convention. these kids knew everything, pulling obscure factoids out of their asses with ease and haughtiness. my mini-victory came about at the end of a tied round, in which case, we had a bonus round. now please, just take one guess at what the subject of this bonus round was... physics laws? civil war battles? supreme court justices? 19th century russian literature? oh, no. KELLY CLARKSON, thank you very much. in this room packed full of nerd brainiac boys, i was the only person who knew the answers to all 3 bonus questions, leading our team to victory in that most intense round.
it was really a great moment, watching those geniuses become baffled by simple simple questions of renee zellweger's wedding location or the actors in the american pie movies. sigh.
just recently, i added 2 movies to my most emotional movie list. i'm speaking abstractly, i do not actually keep movie lists like that. sometime last week zana briski (director and amazing person) showed her film "born into brothels" in a packed lecture hall. so glad i got to see it in this way with a real people (aka: diversely-aged) crowd, rather than renting it on a saturday night with a couple friends. not a saturday night movie. although it was distrubing enough to me sick and puke afterwards, i still loved it for its wonderful PHOTOGRAPHY and how it was filled with parts that left you laughing and crying in the same breath.
why do movies move and motivate so effectively? my new 7-word mantra: I REFUSE TO SIT ON MY ARSE. i would really like to do something else with my time, but i am scared shitless that i do not have the balls to choose the road less traveled, as opposed to my dream ikea-esque apartment and j.crew herringbone business suits. i also understand that the idea of hurling yourself at african orphans or peace corps-ing it up generally becomes most appealing at college age when attempting to figure out any sort of meaning and identity, but as much as i would love to spend years of my life galivanting over the world and helping those in need, i have to remember that such specific acts do not singularly define a meaningful life. oh, i really don't know what i'm going to do with the rest of my (hopefully) 80 or so years of life (i probably just jinxed that).
this reminds me of the ONLY (and oh-so-terrible, because i was going on 3 hours of sleep) church service that i've been to since school started, stating the well-worded point that giving is really in fact, a privilege.
oh, the other somewhat life-changing movie was "the weather man" which was an unexpected treat, because really, nicolas cage does not thrill me that much. especially when he does his "false pensive, one-eyebrow raised" face. fortunately, this movie hardly had any of those faces. haha. i love how i've been complaining about not seeing enough movies lately. i can't exactly say why, but nicolas cage in that loveable-asshole role was so charming. also, that night i came home with soaked clothes after walking through at least 2 miles of street rivers and curbside lakes. i pulled a few of those inside-out umbrella moments and got a full body shower by a passing car when standing on the curb, not smart on my part. still, i can't say that i've been THAT soaked in a while and even though i was pretty much covered in dirty street water, it felt sort of cleansing.
i was going to write about my family's visit the other day, but it's almost time for me to go. i am being forced to watch the OC while eating chinese food, how cruel. i've been missing my family terribly, but the visit was pretty anti-climatic and dull. nobody was very talkative, as my sister doesn't even count because she was texting on her cell for the majority of the time. there seems to be some expectation involved whenever a group of people drives more than 3 hours to see specifically you. instead of being some big reunion, it was fairly low-key and i love low-key because i'm not used to outwardly expressing extra emotion whenever i see these people that i've lived with for nearly two decades.
the girls in my hall have been so sweet to me lately. by the way, who has ever heard of farina? i hadn't until last week when shannon let me try hers. immediately after the first bite, i claimed it as a new favorite. apparently they only sell it in new york grocery stores, boo.
this is a woah lot of writing, what can i say? apparently a lot happens in a week.