A week into 23...

Long time no update! But I found myself an otherwise-unproductive half-hour between a lunch filled with rich discussion and my upcoming group meeting, and there is much to say on all fronts.

First things first. Through many changes of mind and heart in turn, I've decided to stay at Harvard next year after all. For one, the timing of trying to find a job in Boston for June while signing a lease sometime this spring is just tricky, and there aren't that many jobs I can do that would be any more enjoyable than school. Even if I opened up the field to include San Francisco and L.A., that makes the logistics of the future even more complicated and foreboding. Perhaps the worst thing for me to do for my mental health would be to thrust myself through asteroid belt of logistics into a black hole of uncertainties. I don't hate my schoolwork. I ust hate it when I feel like I'm being trapped into a career that isn't me or that is compromising my artistic identity. If I just treat school as my job at the moment, and take assignments maybe a mite less seriously, it's a pretty good deal.

The primary reason, perhaps, that I don't want to uproot myself is the fact that my social life is richer than it's ever been before. Outside of my department, which is a good place in its own right, I now have two solid, awesome, large groups of friends. I call them "Second Floor" and "Fourth Floor" crews, but really they both cross floors and even dorms. "Second Floor" consists of Emma, Philip, Matt, Mauricio, Lindsey, Natalie and Julian (who are kind of separate now sine they became an item and spend every minute together) Albert, Atanu, Ashley, and others. We meet in the South Kitchen where I proceed to devour the remains of the Classics Happy Hour snacks while the rest of them top off the drinks and Lindsey tries to do work.

Tangential to the Second (2FC) is my new rock band, The Vinyl Pants, which developed out of a particularly festive South Kitchen Friday night. There are Albert and Billy, Atanu, Garga, and Gourab, Andy, and me. Plus perhaps some Emma and other occasionally contributing 2FC members. After our next band practice I think I will make honor the VPs with their very own post.

"Fourth Floor" is my first group and will always hold a place in my heart. Peter was my key into this group, and remains my beloved neighbor and shopping buddy, the best excuse to go into an Abercrombie that ever walked the earth. Tom is my soulmate. Then there are Myrna, Maria, Lisa, the other Tom, Rob, Chris, Bens Woodring and Robbins, Giorgio, Kyle, Lauren, and the dearly departed Bryan, whom we all miss. Memorable 4FC activities have included our Christmas (Except You, Robbins) Party, the Harvard-Yale game, and Queen's Head Wednesdays.

It's interesting to compare the two groups. I enjoy spending time with both of them equally, but for different reasons. When I hang with the 4FC, we often get ourselves embroiled in deeply fascinating conversations about academic, philosophical, or political matters. This rarely happens in 2FC, which can be taken as both a pro and a con of each group. I think this difference owes itself to the fact that 4FC hails from a more diverse group of majors and has more Europeans in it. In 2FC, y contrast, we insult each other a lot, with very, very quick humor. The whole thing resembles some offbeat sitcom. We laugh a lot. We make music.

I love my friends.

On the academic front, my lab sample request has been submitted, and my llama domestication paper has been turned in. I'm drowning in Japanese archaeological thought at the moment and wishing I'd chosen to write about anime. On Sunday, from noon to midnight, is our China take-home final. I have no idea what to expect from that, but afterwards I have a full week to write my five- to seven-page China paper. From the 18th to the 30th, I have no obligations, save whatever labwork becomes possible that early on, band practice, toning in the gym with Emma, editing NaNoWriMo, roleplaying, and hanging out with aforementioned friends.

Finally, the PRIMARIES! This sure has turned out to be an exciting race. I'm pretty happy with the way things have been going. I really like Obama, but I wish I liked him more. People are finally starting to acknowledge Edwards, though I'm sure he won't win, and Clinton...well, I have to say, I'm not terribily surprised. What party is dumb enough to nominate a candidate that so many people (through no fault of her own) hate? I happen to think Hillary would be a good President, but it will be nice to have a reprieve from the Clinton-Bush family feud. I suppose honestly it's still anybody's game, though I'd all but bet my paycheck on Obama, and do it with a smile.

On the Republican side, while none of the candidates are remotely reasonable, at least autocracreep Giuliani and numbskull Romney have been knocked off their frontrunner perches. Huckabee is a nutcase, and would make a sickening President, but I think the electorate -- and even his own party -- know that and won't let it happen. McCain's war stance made me lose a lot of respect for him, but I've always admired his environmentalism and felt bad for what he suffered from the Bush campaign in 2000. He's always been my pick for lesser of nine evils. The flip side of that is, if too many independents like him enough, he might be able to pull votes away from Obama, which would be really lame.

It was 65 degrees this afternoon in Cambridge. Crazy, crazy world.