Observation #1

The pit on Friday mornings is a very calm place. After people rush out of class to grab alpine and disappear, everyone who is left sits in the fresh air, usually not alone. Anyone who is sitting alone is working. There are no loud noises to break the sounds of the wind blowing between the buildings; there is a quiet din of voices, none coherent. Every now and then the serenity is broken by a laugh or a quick yelp as someone’s breakfast attempts to fly away in the wind. Unless a friend is spotted moving by the union, people rarely talk outside of their own tables, unless you need a chair. Moving through the tables, everyone tries to avoid bumping into or touching other people; if there is not enough space between the tables, people walk around. As it gets later in the morning, tour groups start wandering through; the conversation for at least one table, at some point, mentions the tour groups.

I haven't been feeling too well lately. Because of this, I have been less productive lately, so i have been watching movies. What better thing to do when you feel sick but to lay around and watch movies. And of course I was excited when the movie i got on amozon, which wasn't supposed to be shipped until monday or tuesday, arrived monday afternoon. It is a great movie; one of my favorite french movies, Bon Voyage. Its a world war 2 movie that has a crazy plot line and it has Gerard Depardieu in it. He is in all french movies.

Now i have to make up all the work I put off. I have a presentation due on maybe tuesday maybe thursday(that is as definative a date as i will get) and I am going to be gone all weekend. My aunt is getting remarried and I am supposed to take pictures for her wedding. It will be a very hastily put together wedding seeing as they have only been engaged for a month and they lived in separate states (6 hours apart) until about last week...the week before? I'm not quite sure, but she is happy that's all that matters.

I know I am not the coolest person in the world and that is okay with me. I like to think that I have more fun then the average person, so it all balances out. Unfortunately, I think today I hit a new level in my own special brand of dork. I have a big accounting test on monday that i have been procrastinating studying for by playing scrabble on facebook. I know; I am amazing. To make myself feel better about it, I am going to sell out my friends, because they play with me. We have been playing epic games all afternoon, which we are all in more than one game.

The only problem is that none of us are really very good at scrabble. In one game alone, the word cunt is used twice. It is okay though; they are connected to each other (I'm not really sure if that justifies it, but I am going to say it does.). If playing scrabble doesn't make us lame, my friend and I and anxiously awaiting the new episode of general college; it's a great show. I don't usually watch dramas or television at all, but i watch this. When there is nothing on, I always check the unc channel hoping it will be on.

I cannot deny the fact that i have long surpassed the age when I could act stupid and immature on a daily basis. Now all of my decisions have to be rational and fully thought through. It's kind of sad when chil-like whimsy is looked down on. A few of my friends even give me a what the hell look when I come up with stupid, but fun, things to do. However I am lucky to have other friends who share in my desire to give in to our childhood desires.

Last night for instance, three of us were sitting around going through old pictures and talking about people we used to know and things we used to do in high school. In the process we came across some pictures of last semester when we played on this tire swing that is in a church yard across from our dorm. Of course it is midnight and we should be doing the work we procrastinated all day, but instead we decided to get dressed and run across the street to play on the tire swing. We stayed out there on the swing for about 45 minutes acting stupid, taking stupid pictures, and sings songs from the across the universe soundtrack and the new kayne cd. we are just that cool. We decided to go back after three cop cars drove by and one sped down one of the side streets next to us a few minutes after a couple other cars sped down it. Our rational decision making skills came back and we decided that we didn't want to be around if anything went to, especially because we think we might have been treaspassing. Who knows?

I have an econ test on monday, and I have yet to study. I should have started a few days ago, but the papers that I put off, I had to write. Once I got done with those, I just felt like I needed a break. I probably did not, but I'm lazy so it happened. And of course, the UNC duke game on wednesday killed my productivity. The game was amazing, and of course, my firends and I rushed Franklin Street. It is one of those freshman experiences that you just cannot pass up. It also enabled me to procrastinate that much more.

Franklin street was halarious, though. Everyone was lighting fires and jumping them. I jumped a couple; my friends were a little nervous about it, until they did it. Jumping the tiny fires is not a very strenuous feat but i did it. It was halarious; some guy tried to jump the fire backwards and fell in. He didn't get hurt but it was pretty fun to laugh at. And, the first fire almost caught my friend's shirt on fire; we were even that close to it.

Event #1- performance at memorial hall

Last friday i attended the Performance for Peace: A Diary of Darfur featuring Emmanuel Jal. It consisted of several performances from on campus groups to tell the heart breaking stories of the people caught in the tragedy in Darfur. The event showcased Erot, Inversions Modern Dance company, Zankiliwa, and the Lorelies. After the lead up events, Emmanuel Jal came on stage and told a general then a more in depth version of his story. He told funny stories of moments in his life before the conflict and after a woman named Emma saved him, but they were followed by the tragedy that he encountered. He concluded his story by informing the audience that he is giving up two meals a day and using the money he is saving to buy bricks for a school he is building in Sudan.

Events like this one are very important to the culture on the UNC campus. We are one of the most devoted to projects that can help benifit our community and the enitre world. By coming to UNC Emmanuel Jal most likely made his story known to more people who will take an active interest in working to aid those who need it. The audience is the heart of this performance because he is telling us his story so we can help him make a difference. Performances like this not only help to make us aware of gobal events, but also the cultural differences between all of us. The way he enunciated his words was unique to the way we speak as well as the way he danced to the song that he performed for us. Events of this nature are what we need to help those who need it. I think that UNC should sponsor more events like this.

I wouldn't say that I'm not productive on a normal basis; I'm just not overly motivated about everything. But for some odd reason, yesterday I felt the need to be less productive and slept for almost 12 hours. That's about 2 or 3 times longer than I normally sleep. Today, though, I am motivated to do everything. Unfortunately, it's friday and I have only one class; the motivation was wasted in productive school things. However, my room is amazingly clean. I did all of my laundry, not just clothes but towels and sheets too. I took out the recycle that I was hoping my roommate's boyfriend would take out for the past week and I did dishes. Now, I am updating and backing up all of my music. If it wasn't friday maybe I would do homework; I will tell myself that at least. I am also planning to play tennis and eat dinner in the next 3 hours before i go to seen the guy who used to be a youth soldier at memorial. Maybe if I'm lucky, I can be this productive again tomorrow, seeing as i have had about 3 days worth of sleep, and actually get work done. Fingers crossed.

I hope my computer doesn't crash before I get to back everything up. now that i said that it will. I know it.

I, like almost every one else on campus avidly sign up for and eagerly check my inbox to see if I was lucky enough to get basketball tickets. Unfortunately for me, I am not usually a lucky person. However, bad luck struck my friend who was lucky enough to get tickets; he had class. Even though I felt bad that he was missing it, I was fully prepared to help him out and take them off his hands. Especially for this game. My family lives in Maryland; I have grown up cheering for Maryland. I was 12 and intently watched Maryland win the National Championship. Until I came to UNC, Maryland was my team.
Now I have to support my school, the one that gave me riser seats to watch the game in. I was great. Since we killed them, it was my turn to call my dad and report the final score like he had done to me when the football team lost to Maryland. Except, I didn't attempt to imitate the Maryland turtle that he once saw on a commercial and roar like a lion.
And they broke 100, so i can get free bo's tomorrow before 12; assuming I can get there and have no class. Hope for snow.
Maryland can still be my team just not when they are playing UNC.