As you may or may not know, this journal is mostly friends-locked. If you would like to read this blasted thing, comment here and I'll add you. Or languish in silence.
Love,
Aries
You have just met, by chance. She is pretty, but not gorgeous; your face dazzles, though your body leaves a lot to be desired. You flirt with her, sounding like you could be arguing, but about something meaningless. You are babbling, you realize.
"I have to go..." she says.
"You need to read this book," you say, opening your bag. "You'll love it."
"What book?" she asks.
"I'll write down the title."
"Cool!" She smiles at you. She has a terrible memory.
You scribble down the title, and underneath that, your telephone number.
"When you finish it, give me a call," you say. "It's a short read."
The big part of my job is collecting, editing and publishing stories for the Oberlin Stories Project. The project aims to have Obies (both past and present) define the Oberlin Community with their own experiences and thoughts. Most folks like the project... but not enough actually write the stories.
This is where you come in. Friends, you beautiful bunch of troublemakers, I need your stories. Stories about you, about what you care about. Stories to make other people understand what you care about. The story is 80% you, 20% Oberlin. You define the college, it doesn't define you. So, if you remember a specific adventure while you were a student, or some crazy incident that makes you say, "Yeah, that's me." or "Yeah, that's Oberlin." ... I'd love to hear it.
Specifics:
- Audience is alums, outsiders and prospective students. Over a thousand a day. If you want publicity for a project, this is a good way to get it.
- About 800 words. A bit more or less is fine.
- Specific and awesome are my keywords.
- Make it about you.
Examples?
Well, the project itself is here.
Jane wrote an awesome story, as did Anne, Please do this, folks.
* “When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.
You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.”
Billy - age 4
* “Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.”
Karl - age 5
* “Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.”
Terri - age 4
* “Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.”
Bobby - age 7
* “Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.”
Noelle - age 7
* “You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.”
Jessica - age 8
* “When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.”
Karen - age 7
Read the contentious "Is your baby racist?" article in Newsweek. It suggested discussing race the way one discusses gender with kids. That is: with clarity and exact details.
NOT COOL.
I gave a tour to the direct descendant of John F. Oberlin, for whom the college was named. I was nervous, of course. The only details about the Perrus: French, from Paris and middle-age. Possibly, they had never been to the US before.
In high school, my French teacher was a Parisian. Though an excellent teacher, she terrified me. A strict person, both in diction and behavior, she did not approve of my chronic lateness, imperfect accent or adoration of comic books (I wrote an essay on the Sandman).
In my head, I pictured giving a tour to a pair of irritated blonds, infuriated by my foolish blathering and my inability to discuss Oberlin achievements in conversational French. They would probably bolt from the tour, forcing Ben to fire me for insubordination to historic guests. From there, I would move to the Canada, shamed beyond measure, and wandering across the tundra until I was eaten by rabid bears.
I met the couple in archives, where I confessed I knew nothing about the Oberlin memorial, where we were doing a short photo op. In two seconds, one of the archivists grabbed a book on designs and explained it. The Oberlin Archives are really cool: they have letters from the civil war, including two officers in the USCT. Oberlin is an incredibly historic place, so the archives has plenty of fascinating local information on abolition, racial justice, gender equality, as well as a ton of books completely unrelated to Oberlin. For History and Structure of the English Language, one of our assignments took us to archives, just to see what Old and Middle English scripts looked like. In my Hebrew Bible class, an archivist brought in objects over a thousand years old.
As a history nerd, I explode with glee every time a librarian puts on gloves to look over a text.
The Perrus sat at a table, looking over super-historic documents. I stared at them for a minute. They didn’t look terrifying. Then they shook my hand, smiling. I sighed with relief.
The Perrus with Marvin Krislov.
Oberlin students don’t know much about John Frederic Oberlin. ( Read more... )
Founders Slash.
Soon-to-be-named: Tappan Square, Oberlin, OH. Sometime in the 1800's...
( Read more... )
Architect: What if we structure the library to look like a concrete monolith of learning?
Designer: Yeah! Concrete!
-they look over blueprints-
Admin: Can we make the image more gentle?
Architect: A vaginal entrance that evokes the yonic ideal? Beautiful in its terror and ability to enrapture all scholars?
Designer: Cute chairs! Mini-yonic!
Architect: Many nooks and crannies made for discrete lovemaking for couples ensnared by the erotic tendrils of academic stress?
Designer: Rainbows!
-they all nod-
Admin: ...I like it. Can we have couches?
What are your thoughts on visiting Oberlin?
Do you want to visit?
Do you feel welcome?
Have you visited before? When?
Would making an alumni-come-back-now weekend be appealing, if it were aimed primarily at younger alums (ie. ppl under 30)?
If you were environmental studies major, did you hear about the upcoming enviro-alums reunion?
--
Confession:
As a new alum + staff member, I'm a bit frustrated with times for alums to visit. I've been being very... er... forward with the Alumni Association regarding this, and would really love any advice/sentiments/ideas you have. Even if you never want to visit ever again, I'd like to know that.
--
Thanks,
Aries
PS: I REALLY WANT ALL OF YOU TO VISIT.
I now own:
- a navy blue tennis (3$)
- 2 vintage Penthouse magazines (TAN LINES. GUH.) (2$)
- 2 bustiers (5$)
- a sweater (50¢)
Yeah, Oberlin city garage sale! Yeah!
--
I vary my self identification between geek and nerd. Occasionally dork.
--
Storytelling Exco tonight! Ooooh!
Over the last two years, I've found that for every emphatic opinion, there exists the equal and opposite reaction, delivered just as piercingly. Say these freshmen, Joan and Oliver, are talking about Orientation. You might get something like this:
Oliver: It's too boring.
Joan: It's too busy.
Oliver: Jeez! Is there anyone who doesn't play music?
Joan: Yay! Everyone plays music! Win, win, win!
Oliver: Where's the noise at night? I miss the city.
Joan: Why are my hallmates so loud? I can hear them playing Lady Gaga in the lounge!
Oliver: It's all talk-talk-talk; everyone is telling me what to do!
Joan: I don't know what to do! Someone tell me!
Oliver: Dude, it's freakin flat here.
Joan: It's so beautiful! The sky is so bright, the trees are so green! I'm going to go picnic in the Arb!
Oliver: Registration is so simple. Are we done now?
Joan: WTF PRESTO ATE MY CLASS. FML.
Oliver: I got everything I want! Classes should start now.
Joan: WHERE ARE MY APs? HELP PLS.
Oliver: I really miss my girlfriend. This is going to really hurt.
Joan: The cute boy in Barrows made eye contact with me! Yes!
Oliver: People are really awkward. I can't wait for things to get rolling.
Joan: Everyone is so friendly! This already feels like home.
Oliver: I left so much stuff at home. Strangely, I don't miss it. There's something great about being in a new place.
Joan: It's weird not to go to the living room and see my brother and my dog. I mean, my dormmates are cool, but they're not my family.
That said, this year feels different. Everyone is relaxed, and while there may be some absolutist Joans and Olivers... they aren't as many out there. The freshmen are mature, active and wonderful. I feel so lucky to be here.
( Read more... )
PS: Every year, around this time of the season, I listen to "This Will Be Our Year" by The Zombies (or the cover by OK Go). Sometimes it applies to relationships (blush), but mostly to school, to hope, to change. This year, it seems more fitting than ever.
The warmth of your smile
smile for me, little one
and this will be our year
took a long time to come
You don't have to worry
all your worried days are gone
this will be our year
took a long time to come.
- There's a cardinal at my window. It comes when it's hungry.
- there's a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out
- There are little birds who talk about obscure bands and make stupid jokes.
- Nobody counted the grouse. They shot them. It's all very, very noisy out there. Very hard to spot the tune.
---
Saw Garden State with Harris, Alyssa and Rachel. Snarky review:
Like:
Zach Braff pulled off the narrator really well. There's a lot of difficulty in making an unhappy, passive character sympathetic. Were it not for Scrubs and my overwhelming love for JD, I probably would have found Andrew less endearing. I could have stood for more Andrew-without-Sam times and some expressions of depressed surrender. Those were the most successful parts of the film.
( Read more... )
Obviously, I danced a lot.
( Read more... )
The Band:
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Big Bad played an awesome set: over an hour of tunes. I remember "Mr. Pinstripe Suit," "Minnie the Moocher", "You And Me And The Bottle Makes 3 Tonight" and "I Want to Be Like You," though there were certainly more. It was solid. Sadly, they didn't play "Maddest Kind of Love." But they nailed out a lot of fast songs with tight playing. Though after a while, I focused less on musicianship and more on the beat.
The venue was a grassy valley, a natural amphitheater. Grass and swing dance aren't great bedfellows, which I never knew before. Brandi suggested wearing sneakers, not flats, but my sneakers looked pretty smelly, so I went with my casual flats. Ugh. The ground had very little traction, and any footwork I had... went away. I danced badly, unsure of my footing.
The swing crowd was tight. Out of the general audience of 300 - 400, there were about 25 swing dancers. They knew their stuff. There was a Greg Schram doppleganger. I wanted to dance with him, but he was really good and had a girlfriend, who he danced with for the whole show. Damn you, monogamoid couple.
John and Brandi were some of the most talented dancers there. John gets totally immersed in the musicality of the song; he scat calls as he dances and is one of the most outwardly happy dancers I've met. Most swing dancers seem to take it very, very seriously. Brandi wields an incredible style: cute, sultry and exact. She prances and pouts when she dances, her hips always moving.
I was only disappointed with the audience. While the grass was full with lawn chairs and picnic blankets, no one stood up. Clapping was minimal. Cheering was slight. Singing call-backs were quiet. The audience was mostly older folks and families; folks who gave little energy back to the band save their presence. Watching amazing performers for free is an incredible privilege. Fail, people.
( Read more... )
I unleashed my litany of self-defeating woes on a follow, a really good one, asking for her advice. Her name was Miriam and she moved like a tricked-out ballerina.
"Well," Miriam said, "All of us were once where you are now. We all remember how much it sucks. So when you ask a guy to dance, don't apologize, just say, "I only know the basics." That always works."
All: What magazines did you read in high school? What do your younger siblings read?
I read "Water for Elephants." Everyone told me to do it.
Water for Elephants was an okay book. Cleanly written. Digests easily. A good book for a plane, here you need something for 4 hours to take your brain away. It was solid, but not very interesting. In part because the characters weren’t very… spicy.
Warning: Lots of pictures. Tons.
Characters:
( Read more... )
Plot---
Jacob: I shall care for nothing.
Circus clowns: It's the circus, you ninny.
Jacob: I shall care for animals.
August: I am charming and highly competent. This boy seems like an excellent lackey. Come, lackey! I will enjoy breaking you! Would you like to wear my suit? It can be a metaphor!
Jacob: I don't... understand... I thought... but you're my boss.
Clowns: Oi, watch the show.
----A circus ensues, followed by circus, cooch, hooch and poverty----
Jacob: Gosh, that Marlene is pretty.
August: My wife is indeed attractive. _pause_ If you smile at her, I will fuck you with a hook and feed you to the clowns.
Jacob: Ah, it is time to run away now. Where were the hookers?
August: My hook is right here, boy. Whenever you want it.
--- There is mad drama because Jacob likes Marlene ---
Marlene: Jacob, don't get upset when August beats me. He can't help it.
Jacob: Angry.
August: I am bigger than you in all ways.
Jacob: You are a bad man.
August: You cannot control your manhood.
Jacob: You’re insane.
Marlene: I am going to cry!
August: I had carnal relations with your mother last night.
Jacob: My mother has been dead for months.
--- Cut scene: fight ---
( Read more... )
And now you know what I think.
The backlogged road trip is now over! Still to come: Dallas, NY, Obietown!
Onwards!...
We stopped at Hope, Alabama, birthplace of President Clinton and strolled around. While walking, Yoshi and I had a heated talk on small town living. At first, I lauded them, a bit too strongly. And as we move towards the cold, steel talons of the real world… the closeness of a village is a lovely thing.
Yoshi questioned me: citing the slowness, the insularity and the backwardness. It would be hard for us to find “our people” in nearly any small town. They sold a unicycle in the Hope Bike Shop… but a single unicycle does not make a circus.
( Read more... )
After dinner at IHOP (strawberry pancakes drenched in diabetes-sweet syrup), we went to the casinos: Sam’s Town, Horseshoe and Boomtown. There were a few surface differences between them, mostly in the uniform of the waitresses. Questions were: How pretty were they? How tall were they? What was the color of the waitress costume? Did the skirt end with the thigh, or did the fabric slide away as the ass was finishing its final rotation into the pelvis? How much junk was packed into that trunk?
As we spent more time in the casinos, I felt my disgust grow and grow. Not at the players, but at the structure, which enabled addiction. Pure addiction. The casinos allowed cigarette smoking, had little lights on each machine to allow patrons to order drinks while they played the slots, chatted up high-rollers…. it’s all good business, but to a foul end. The slot machine customers resembled cows at a feedlot.
Given my own associations with addictive behavior, I felt queasy and overwhelmed. The “Requiem for a Dream” theme rang through my ears. Although these were apparently bottom-of-the-barrel places, it was nice to see what remained when the glitz washed away. Gambling in the raw.
We watched one guy play a “sexy” slot machine game for a while. Most of the symbols seemed arbitrary, hearts and diamonds, with one figure of a foxy cartoon chick. He kept playing and playing. I couldn’t even see when he won – most of the lines seemed irregular, and it was unclear which figures were wilds. The machine behind Yoshi and I made a huge noise whenever anyone did anything to it, and all loud, heart-popping jingles. The sound, coupled with the flashing lights and the smell of smoke and booze, made my head hurt.
Yoshi, who had been to Vegas, wasn’t as revolted as I. He played one slot machine based on “House of the Dead” and made $30. While I’m glad he won, and I don’t begrudge him for playing… I was fine avoiding it.
It was a smart system, Yoshi noticed. All of the slot machines were more of less the same, and as computer systems, it would only take a few adjustments in code to make a completely new game. Slap a new plastic cover on it, and it would be done. The Scream game becomes the Blair Witch game becomes the Hostel game, all on the same piece of hardware.
I was happy when we left.
The job search is one of the most stressful experiences I’ve ever had. The only time I’ve ever felt so confused and overwhelmed was writing my college applications.
( Read more... )
While doing homework, I procrastinated on the jobs site at the Chronicle of Higher Education. I applied for admissions jobs at a few of the big liberal arts colleges, places where my interning skills would be good preparation. In between dealing with circus-related shenanigans, I looked up common interview questions. When I was jogging, I asked myself in “Interview Voice,” “Miss Indenbaum, how would you describe your strengths and weaknesses to the esteemed selection committee?”
All the fancy guidebooks I borrowed from Career Services said that of one’s many flaws, one should choose the one that could double as a strength.
My tactlessness… was honesty! I kept it real!
My stubbornness… was grit! I persevered through obstacles!
My eccentricities… made me distinctive! I’m an individual!
When I was trying to get into college, there was a clear timeline. I knew that by mid-March, I would know the results of my January application. In April, I would visit schools and by May 1st, it would be done.
But when I sent out my job application, I didn’t know when I’d get the call back. Or the post card telling me to be patient. My calls went to overbooked secretaries who told me to wait it out. When I looked at my graduation date, I felt the bile within my stomach rise. I needed a job soon.
There was one job I was really excited about: the Communication Fellowship at Oberlin. As a fellow, I would maintain the Blogs (that you read right now), manage the Stories Project , and do a lot of the web content management. Unlike the other jobs, it wasn’t painful to write my cover letter or edit my resume.
In my spare time, I was already spending time at Communications, working on a Creative Writing Anthology with Harris Bard Lapiroff, Internet/Arts/Design Mastermind. For reference, Harris is one of the most charming people ever invented.
Harris, on the job!
( Read more... )
On Interview Day, I felt horrible. The butterflies in my stomach were kicking up a hurricane across the tubes of my intestines. I accidentally arrived too early, mistaking 10:30 at 10:00. I paced outside, chewing down a pack of Rolaids.
This was weird -- I give interviews on a regular basis. For months, I’d asked high school seniors why they wanted to go to Oberlin, what they did in their spare time, what they wanted to do after college. I assumed that I would be cool when the shoe was on the other foot. Besides, I knew these people, I’d worked for them. I should be fine. Totally fine.
As I shook hands with my interviewers, my stomach whimpered. Sweat trickled down my neck.
There were four interviewers: Ben Jones, Cary Foster, Lillie Chilen and Shane Macdonald. Imagine the Fantastic Four. Now imagine them asking you how you’d work within the structure of the Justice League.
Clobbering time, noob.
I don’t remember much of the interview. Sadly, they didn’t ask me my strengths and weakness. I would find out the results during the Wednesday of Senior Week.
And you know how that went.
Do you have a tumblr? Or a twitter?
If so, would you feel kind enough to comment with a link to yours, if we are not already following one another? I am:
http://go-aries-go.tumblr.com/
http://twitter.com/iAries
Mirrored Blogs:
(for facebook):: http://go-aries-go.blogspot.com/
(for college):: http://blogs.oberlin.edu/Aries.shtm
--
Things I learned recently, descriptions to come:
- Benadryl is a sedative! I don't like sedatives!
- Fireworks in Oberlin were shockingly great!
- I really like the summer crew.
- Visitor from out of town made me feel at home.
Love,
Aries
But in summer, Oberlin slows down. There’s still a few amazing festivals, like Juneteenth and the Chalk Walk, but the fast-paced vibe of campus eases. It’s a sleepy little town. The most exciting thing happening right now is a bagpipe conference.
After a long, stressful semester, I love that.
For a day or two.
But with a full week with nothing to do? Yoshi and I looked towards Cleveland.
Great Lakes Science Center + Cleveland.
( Read more... )
At a display on Salmonella, there was a space for visitors to write questions they had after viewing information. While waiting for Yoshi, I added these questions:
“Will Salmonella help me lose weight?”
“Is Salmonella sexually transmitted?”
“When was Salmonella invented?”
“Can I buy Salmonella at Target?”
The second we left the building, we were on Lake Erie, next to a maritime museum. We held hands and watched the seagulls destroy some fish.
From there, we headed to University Circle… And promptly got lost. The map indicated a park bordering the road to University Circle, but it didn’t say what that street was called, nor did it have any nearby streets labeled. So, when we left the road to find a place to park, we got really lost, driving up and down residential roads. Mercifully, the park hugging the road was lovely. It hosted a row of “culture gardens” - statues and alters with fountains.
Meanwhile, the collective blood sugar in the car was sinking, making navigating and communicating more complex. Yoshi’s voice gets flatter when he’s tired, while I start to make less and less sense. We go to our poles. I become Delerium, Yoshi becomes Squall .
vs.
Aries: Germany, Estonia, India, Ireland. The world is so big in Cleeeeeveland. The grass is just so super-green. I could wrap a tree in it and call it good.
Yoshi. Yes.
Aries: Can we stop now and walk through the cultures? I want to see Latvia. Anna’s from Latvia. I hope they have bears.
Yoshi: Parking.
Aries: What time is it? I can’t find my cell. I hope I didn’t drop it in the lake. Let’s go swimming with the duckies…
Yoshi: Food.
Given our hunger, we decided to pass on the culture gardens for a bit and try to find some food in University Circle. Despite staring at a map for a few minutes, we walked the wrong way for a bit too long. Then, we trailed up Euclid and got to Case Western Reserve. Despite having been to Case twice, I had no idea what I was looking for. There seemed to be no food despite the collection of awesome buildings, museums and hospitals. It was an odd campus – I loved the buildings, but it seemed to weird that huge streets ran through the whole thing.
Awesomely geeky garbage cans! Yeah, CASE!
We finally found a strip of restaurants. A cop was going into the pizza shop. We quibbled about whether he was busting someone or whether he was hungry. There was a Chinese restaurant, a deli, a Starbucks… out pickings were slim. We looked across the street and in the same breath said “Felafel?”
Mediterranean food is a rarity in my life and as a long-time vegetarian, hummus is a joy I cannot eat enough of. That said, I didn’t have high expectations. The place itself was not so gorgeous, filled with plenty of plastic tables. The ketchup packets stuck to each other. There were only a few people in the restaurant. The place seemed… greasy.
Yoshi got a lamb kebab; I got the cabbage stew. Both dishes were frighteningly great. The soup was flavorful without being too rich, the vegetable delicious. Yoshi’s kebab was excellent; the pitas offered were light and tangy. Later, we discovered that we stumbled into one of the best restaurants in Cleveland; Falafel Café was rated in the top five restaurants in the city for the past few years. While I went to the bathroom, Yoshi spoke with owner-chef who was from Beirut. “Of course Lebanese food is great!” he announced, “Why else would you go to Lebanon?”
Hunger eased, we walked through Case, past the museums, and to the Culture Gardens, where we wandered around for over two hours.
Highlights:( Read more... )
We didn’t realize the sun had set until the park was dark and the moon was high. Tired out, we strolled back to the car and drove back to Oberlin. A great day. High five, Cleveland.
( Read more... )
"And yet I feel that the most real home I'll ever have is the space where our roads merged and traveled along together."
I miss you so much.
Adventures?
Travel?
Classes?
Job?
Recent cool discoveries?
xoxo,
Aries
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