DAY 16
February 17
Prompt: "BLOODY ROOM INSPECTIONS."
Oh, Lord...you know what, I think I'll just provide you with a comprehensive list of things that were said about my dorm room:
"I think she might have a hygiene problem."
"I'll help you clean...where's the rubber gloves?"
"Are you kidding me?"
"Where's your laundry bag?"
"This is YOUR room? BUT IT'S ACTUALLY CLEAN!"
"Well...I've seen worse."
"I've smelled worse."
"What is that peanut butter jar doing there?"
"What's that smell?"
"Why is your bed not made?"
"What's that under your desk?"
"What's in your fridge?"
"Please tell me that's not what I think it is."
"When's the last time you cleaned?"
"Just don't leave anything in there that smells like ass."
"What IS that?!"
"Exam week is NOT a good excuse!"
And finally, my all-time favorite:
"Your room smells like a bucket of fuck that was stepped in and kicked over."
Friday, February 17, 2012
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Interlochen February, Day 15: Peace? What's that?
DAY 15
February 16
Prompt: "Your most peaceful moment."
Hmm...this is a tough one. There was very little peace at this school, I can assure you of that. I think the moments when I probably enjoyed myself the most were, ironically enough, the moments that I was alone (ironic because I spent a good amount of time complaining about how "unwanted" I was, being the little angstmonger that I was)--time spent wandering around with my camera, reading at Braeside, painting by the waterfront on a sunny day, curled up reading The Three Musketeers in the Writing House on a snowy night...
But that's not to say that I never had peaceful moments with anyone else. I think breakfasts with Isaac might have to take the top spot in this category...though walking in the snow with Thomas was definitely a close second, and of course watching Mary-Carole play video games was always fun (at least, when I wasn't trying to force myself to do homework at the same time), and I don't think I've ever had a better time at a dance than when I went with Krista and Rachel.
Peace is such a relative term at Interlochen. You're never really settled; everything is always going on all at once and you can either deal with it and keep up, or you get your ass kicked. Finding moments to yourself is always a blessing...but when it comes down to it, nothing beats having your friends there. Even if you don't talk. Even if you're just sitting there reading together, you're still bonding...and trust me, that's something you never, ever want to take for granted.
February 16
Prompt: "Your most peaceful moment."
Hmm...this is a tough one. There was very little peace at this school, I can assure you of that. I think the moments when I probably enjoyed myself the most were, ironically enough, the moments that I was alone (ironic because I spent a good amount of time complaining about how "unwanted" I was, being the little angstmonger that I was)--time spent wandering around with my camera, reading at Braeside, painting by the waterfront on a sunny day, curled up reading The Three Musketeers in the Writing House on a snowy night...
But that's not to say that I never had peaceful moments with anyone else. I think breakfasts with Isaac might have to take the top spot in this category...though walking in the snow with Thomas was definitely a close second, and of course watching Mary-Carole play video games was always fun (at least, when I wasn't trying to force myself to do homework at the same time), and I don't think I've ever had a better time at a dance than when I went with Krista and Rachel.
Peace is such a relative term at Interlochen. You're never really settled; everything is always going on all at once and you can either deal with it and keep up, or you get your ass kicked. Finding moments to yourself is always a blessing...but when it comes down to it, nothing beats having your friends there. Even if you don't talk. Even if you're just sitting there reading together, you're still bonding...and trust me, that's something you never, ever want to take for granted.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Interlochen February, Day 14: Talk the Talk
DAY 14
February 15
Prompt: "The Language of Interlochen."
With nothing to do but a so-easy-I-could-handle-it-in-my-sleep Psychology assignment, and enough anxious energy in me to burn through the computer screen (*pleaseacceptmyfilmNashville, pleasepleaseplease*), I have to pass the time SOMEHOW. So, I think tonight, instead of taking the prompt literally, I'll supply you with a bit of Dead Poet lingo, so you can actually understand what the hell I'm talking about, should you ever meet me face-to-face (that is, if you haven't already). Check it out:
Anemic Gecko - an idiot, a tool, someone who cannot be taken seriously, or someone who is not worth your time.
Ass Hat - see above.
Bearspam - the practice of using the emoticons on Skype to send dozens, even hundreds of animated, hugging bears. Can be used as both a display of affection and as a device of complete and total irritation.
Because Edward loves Bella and vampires have two extra chromosomes - perfectly acceptable answer to any unanswerable question.
Beatnik - a true hipster: a real nonconformist, not a soulless anti-consumer who gives real hipsters a bad name. Someone who knows what they love and who knows who they are and who does not base their likes and dislikes on what others like or dislike.
But I'm from Michigan! - what one says after screwing up.
But I want to adopt it! - this will be easy!
Death Trap - dangerous means of transportation, most commonly referring to a scooter or motorcycle.
Direct me to the ass which needs kicking - this one is self-explanatory, I think...
Douche/Douchey - mainly used to indicate pretension. Can also mean showy, edgy, old-fashioned, or exclusive.
Douche Cave - a hangout place (ex.: inviting someone to the Writing House - "We're in the Douche Cave, come hang out with us!") or a state of mind (ex.: "I was in such a weird mood last night...I was really lost in the Douche Cave.")
Douche Up - get ready; dress up as pretentiously as possible.
Greyhouse moment - a silly or ineffectual action.
Jack Kerouac would do it! - can be used as an excuse to rebel or to convince someone else to rebel.
Macaroni stop - all-purpose frustrated interjection. Generally used in the face of a roadblock, or just a major pain in the ass.
Manure hits the air circulator - a phrase stolen from an Artemis Fowl novel. A more interesting way of saying, "When something goes really, really wrong."
Sarcasm Hand - a reference to Dan Bergstein's Blogging Twilight, this one is obvious: raising one's hand during a moment of sarcasm.
So Much Class/SMC - used to indicate approval.
Tyler Durden look - danger face; an expression that says "We are going to do some damage here tonight!"
What even is that thing? - What the hell just happened? or, What the hell is going on?
And of course, I have to follow that up with some...
STOLEN DIALOGUE
"If I were a prison warden, I'd want my prisoners sitting around doing Buddhist meditation, too."
"He told me he was in prison for 25 years, and I'm thinking...shit!"
Person one: Are you talking about an episode of Charmed?
Person two (shifty eyes): ...Maybe.
"'This piece of work' is just an awkward expression."
Person one: They obviously think that all women are hooker-pants.
Person two: I've never heard that expression before, but okay...
Person one: I like that shirt on you, but I would prefer if you wore suspenders all the time.
Person two: For a minute, I thought that sentence was going somewhere a lot worse than it did.
Person one: I heard you ate dirt?
Person two: That could've been ANY 16-year-old physicist at McDaniel!
Person one (reading): "There is a lot of vagina on your shirt."
Person two: There's a lot of vagina in these quotes!
"Apparently, bestiality is more common than human sex in some parts of the world - what the fuck? Pardon my language, but that's just really weird..."
"I've never thought of a feminist as being tough, dry, overcooked, and hard to cut."
Student: That true/false question was tricky.
Teacher (Prof. Richard): Yes, that's Richard being an asshole, right there.
"The War of the Worlds...well, the clearest answer I got there was that humanity doesn't have a hell of a lot of control over anything."
"When you've got 200 cars to move, after awhile you probably just go 'What the hell?'"
"In The Thing From Another World, you've got this power-mongering, crazy fucker who doesn't care if all his friends die...so that's an example of an irrational scientist there..."
"It's sort of thinly-veiled political posturing...done by an alien."
February 15
Prompt: "The Language of Interlochen."
With nothing to do but a so-easy-I-could-handle-it-in-my-sleep Psychology assignment, and enough anxious energy in me to burn through the computer screen (*pleaseacceptmyfilmNashville, pleasepleaseplease*), I have to pass the time SOMEHOW. So, I think tonight, instead of taking the prompt literally, I'll supply you with a bit of Dead Poet lingo, so you can actually understand what the hell I'm talking about, should you ever meet me face-to-face (that is, if you haven't already). Check it out:
Anemic Gecko - an idiot, a tool, someone who cannot be taken seriously, or someone who is not worth your time.
Ass Hat - see above.
Bearspam - the practice of using the emoticons on Skype to send dozens, even hundreds of animated, hugging bears. Can be used as both a display of affection and as a device of complete and total irritation.
Because Edward loves Bella and vampires have two extra chromosomes - perfectly acceptable answer to any unanswerable question.
Beatnik - a true hipster: a real nonconformist, not a soulless anti-consumer who gives real hipsters a bad name. Someone who knows what they love and who knows who they are and who does not base their likes and dislikes on what others like or dislike.
But I'm from Michigan! - what one says after screwing up.
But I want to adopt it! - this will be easy!
Death Trap - dangerous means of transportation, most commonly referring to a scooter or motorcycle.
Direct me to the ass which needs kicking - this one is self-explanatory, I think...
Douche/Douchey - mainly used to indicate pretension. Can also mean showy, edgy, old-fashioned, or exclusive.
Douche Cave - a hangout place (ex.: inviting someone to the Writing House - "We're in the Douche Cave, come hang out with us!") or a state of mind (ex.: "I was in such a weird mood last night...I was really lost in the Douche Cave.")
Douche Up - get ready; dress up as pretentiously as possible.
Greyhouse moment - a silly or ineffectual action.
Jack Kerouac would do it! - can be used as an excuse to rebel or to convince someone else to rebel.
Macaroni stop - all-purpose frustrated interjection. Generally used in the face of a roadblock, or just a major pain in the ass.
Manure hits the air circulator - a phrase stolen from an Artemis Fowl novel. A more interesting way of saying, "When something goes really, really wrong."
Sarcasm Hand - a reference to Dan Bergstein's Blogging Twilight, this one is obvious: raising one's hand during a moment of sarcasm.
So Much Class/SMC - used to indicate approval.
Tyler Durden look - danger face; an expression that says "We are going to do some damage here tonight!"
What even is that thing? - What the hell just happened? or, What the hell is going on?
And of course, I have to follow that up with some...
STOLEN DIALOGUE
"If I were a prison warden, I'd want my prisoners sitting around doing Buddhist meditation, too."
"He told me he was in prison for 25 years, and I'm thinking...shit!"
Person one: Are you talking about an episode of Charmed?
Person two (shifty eyes): ...Maybe.
"'This piece of work' is just an awkward expression."
Person one: They obviously think that all women are hooker-pants.
Person two: I've never heard that expression before, but okay...
Person one: I like that shirt on you, but I would prefer if you wore suspenders all the time.
Person two: For a minute, I thought that sentence was going somewhere a lot worse than it did.
Person one: I heard you ate dirt?
Person two: That could've been ANY 16-year-old physicist at McDaniel!
Person one (reading): "There is a lot of vagina on your shirt."
Person two: There's a lot of vagina in these quotes!
"Apparently, bestiality is more common than human sex in some parts of the world - what the fuck? Pardon my language, but that's just really weird..."
"I've never thought of a feminist as being tough, dry, overcooked, and hard to cut."
Student: That true/false question was tricky.
Teacher (Prof. Richard): Yes, that's Richard being an asshole, right there.
"The War of the Worlds...well, the clearest answer I got there was that humanity doesn't have a hell of a lot of control over anything."
"When you've got 200 cars to move, after awhile you probably just go 'What the hell?'"
"In The Thing From Another World, you've got this power-mongering, crazy fucker who doesn't care if all his friends die...so that's an example of an irrational scientist there..."
"It's sort of thinly-veiled political posturing...done by an alien."
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Interlochen February, Day 13: Blame It On the Valentines
DAY 13
February 14
Prompt: "Shimmying Szemetylo on Valentine's Day."
So in honor of Valentine's Day, I thought I would detail one of the greatest traditions of Interlochen: The Singing Valentines.
And, of course, Shimmying Szemetylo.
See, it all started, as far as I know, with Gyrating Johnny. The concept was simple: either you could buy your loved one a boring carnation, or you could surprise them with a singing Valentine...or, if even THAT wasn't enough for you, you could surprise them with a Gyrating Johnny, a.k.a. a dance major who went around with a boom box and basically danced in people's faces. But then Johnny graduated...oh no! What to do?
Easy: Get a theatre major, of course. Oh, and an MPA. They go hand in hand, you know.
And that led to this...
and this...
and this...
and this...
and THIS:
Interlochen...whaddyagonnado, amirite? ;)
Happy Valentine's Day, everyone.
February 14
Prompt: "Shimmying Szemetylo on Valentine's Day."
So in honor of Valentine's Day, I thought I would detail one of the greatest traditions of Interlochen: The Singing Valentines.
And, of course, Shimmying Szemetylo.
See, it all started, as far as I know, with Gyrating Johnny. The concept was simple: either you could buy your loved one a boring carnation, or you could surprise them with a singing Valentine...or, if even THAT wasn't enough for you, you could surprise them with a Gyrating Johnny, a.k.a. a dance major who went around with a boom box and basically danced in people's faces. But then Johnny graduated...oh no! What to do?
Easy: Get a theatre major, of course. Oh, and an MPA. They go hand in hand, you know.
And that led to this...
and this...
Interlochen...whaddyagonnado, amirite? ;)
Happy Valentine's Day, everyone.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Interlochen February, Day 12: Yes, I Made Another Clockwork Orange Reference
DAY 12
February 13
Prompt: "Reciting Random Poetry Day."
Oh, the Poetry Stunt. It wasn't even my idea, it was Mishka's, but she didn't feel like doing it, so I decided to see if I could get people to do it with me. I don't remember who else agreed to it--I don't think it was very many of our circle of friends--but I remember that Isaac agreed to it. We even talked about it beforehand and decided on different approaches: he would stand in the middle of a crowded area and recite it to whoever happened to be standing there, while I would simply walk up to people, friends and strangers alike, and say it to them as intensely as possible--and then walk away.
I love doing this kind of thing, because it accomplishes two things: 1) It forces you to get over any insecurity you might have--if you can walk up to a random stranger and recite "Patterns," you know you've got serious guts. 2) It guarantees people will remember you. If someone gets up in your face, recites a poem or quote, and walks away, you're not going to forget that person anytime soon.
So, there's not much to tell. I walked around reciting (not singing, RECITING) random bits of RJA lyrics, the more intense the better. I got to push Harry against a wall, which was quite interesting, seeing as he seemed completely unaffected by it (most people I know would have at least shoved me away). There were a couple of people who looked like they were seriously considering calling Health Services, or maybe Campus Safety, on me. The common reaction was something along the lines of "What the hell just happened?"
But that was kind of the point, I suppose.
No, you know what? When I look back on it, the Dead Poets really was not about spreading chaos. We weren't Alex and his violent Droogs; we were just a merry band of so-called miscreants who had absolutely no rules and no inhibition. If we wanted to sit under the table, we would. If we wanted to wear sunglasses to community meetings, we would. If we wanted to play Hide-and-Seek or Loup-Garou in the Writing House, we would. There was no reason, no method to our alleged madness. And it wasn't really madness, anyway--it was about us. What we wanted to do, regardless of whether it was "normal" or not.
The Dead Poets of Interlochen were not about rebellion.
We were about honesty--staying true to ourselves.
February 13
Prompt: "Reciting Random Poetry Day."
Oh, the Poetry Stunt. It wasn't even my idea, it was Mishka's, but she didn't feel like doing it, so I decided to see if I could get people to do it with me. I don't remember who else agreed to it--I don't think it was very many of our circle of friends--but I remember that Isaac agreed to it. We even talked about it beforehand and decided on different approaches: he would stand in the middle of a crowded area and recite it to whoever happened to be standing there, while I would simply walk up to people, friends and strangers alike, and say it to them as intensely as possible--and then walk away.
I love doing this kind of thing, because it accomplishes two things: 1) It forces you to get over any insecurity you might have--if you can walk up to a random stranger and recite "Patterns," you know you've got serious guts. 2) It guarantees people will remember you. If someone gets up in your face, recites a poem or quote, and walks away, you're not going to forget that person anytime soon.
So, there's not much to tell. I walked around reciting (not singing, RECITING) random bits of RJA lyrics, the more intense the better. I got to push Harry against a wall, which was quite interesting, seeing as he seemed completely unaffected by it (most people I know would have at least shoved me away). There were a couple of people who looked like they were seriously considering calling Health Services, or maybe Campus Safety, on me. The common reaction was something along the lines of "What the hell just happened?"
But that was kind of the point, I suppose.
No, you know what? When I look back on it, the Dead Poets really was not about spreading chaos. We weren't Alex and his violent Droogs; we were just a merry band of so-called miscreants who had absolutely no rules and no inhibition. If we wanted to sit under the table, we would. If we wanted to wear sunglasses to community meetings, we would. If we wanted to play Hide-and-Seek or Loup-Garou in the Writing House, we would. There was no reason, no method to our alleged madness. And it wasn't really madness, anyway--it was about us. What we wanted to do, regardless of whether it was "normal" or not.
The Dead Poets of Interlochen were not about rebellion.
We were about honesty--staying true to ourselves.
Oops...
Right, I missed yesterday. Sorry about that. There were extenuating circumstances (i.e., it was decided that not walking across a cold campus at midnight was more beneficial to my health and safety than doing so just so I could write a blog post), but don't worry, there WILL be a post today. I might post two, to make up for yesterday's fail. Just hold on for a couple more hours while I go and take a Film Analysis test, and then Interlochen February will resume with a vengance! ;)
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Interlochen February, Day 10: Rules Are Sooooo Mainstream
DAY 10
February 11
Prompt: "The biggest rule you broke."
I don't think I actually broke that many "big" rules. I know plenty of people who broke the Big Three (alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes), but that wasn't really my thing. (To anyone who has read my posts on Red Ribbon Week: Insert huge "Duh" here.) I preferred subtler methods of rebellion.
But when I did break rules, I did so with a certain amount of relish. I hung out on the roof of the dance building, both with friends and alone. I snuck out during thunderstorms and tornado warnings, once for a very stupid reason. I got past the Internet blockers with the help of a very computer-savvy friend. I spent a bit of time in my guy friends' rooms after lights-out (let me assure you that they were FRIENDS, and nothing more; there was no illicit reason for my visits, unless you count playing Monopoly). I hung out in the laundry room after lights-out quite a few times. I would sneak into the summer buildings, Braeside being my preference, but willing to accept Kresge or the Bowl in a pinch. I'd go over to the boys' side of the summer camp without signing out, but that was mostly due to forgetting than a desire to beat the system.
To be honest, I never really broke any "exciting" rules. I preferred hearing others' thrilling expulsion/suspension/dorming stories to creating my own. Most of the mischief my friends and I got into wasn't technically against the rules; it just confused and sometimes annoyed people...but I'll save those stories for a later post, shall I? ;)
February 11
Prompt: "The biggest rule you broke."
I don't think I actually broke that many "big" rules. I know plenty of people who broke the Big Three (alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes), but that wasn't really my thing. (To anyone who has read my posts on Red Ribbon Week: Insert huge "Duh" here.) I preferred subtler methods of rebellion.
But when I did break rules, I did so with a certain amount of relish. I hung out on the roof of the dance building, both with friends and alone. I snuck out during thunderstorms and tornado warnings, once for a very stupid reason. I got past the Internet blockers with the help of a very computer-savvy friend. I spent a bit of time in my guy friends' rooms after lights-out (let me assure you that they were FRIENDS, and nothing more; there was no illicit reason for my visits, unless you count playing Monopoly). I hung out in the laundry room after lights-out quite a few times. I would sneak into the summer buildings, Braeside being my preference, but willing to accept Kresge or the Bowl in a pinch. I'd go over to the boys' side of the summer camp without signing out, but that was mostly due to forgetting than a desire to beat the system.
To be honest, I never really broke any "exciting" rules. I preferred hearing others' thrilling expulsion/suspension/dorming stories to creating my own. Most of the mischief my friends and I got into wasn't technically against the rules; it just confused and sometimes annoyed people...but I'll save those stories for a later post, shall I? ;)
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