Rants of an Internet Nobody

Sometimes, I'm sad that I'm an 'Internet Nobody' but usually that means that my opinions don't get lambasted for much of the 'net to see. I have an opinion, put it out here, and it usually gets ignored. Sometimes I want a response, but when someone decides to hate on my because I don't fall on my knees to worship something else, that would almost make me question if I have a right ot an opinion. I have an opinion, if you don't like it, so what?

This is about a response to a post by David Faraci on CHUD.com. His opinion of the movie was that it wasn't as special as James Cameron is making it out to be. Someone from the crew of the film decided that Faraci was not allowed to say that the film wasn't revolutionary. The story doesn't sound all that interesting to me, I'm not out to see this movie. Some paraplegic military-man gets some magical alien legs and is The One who will save the alien world. Big whoop.

I see where the crew member is coming from, to a point when starts defending Cameron's work. The one Cameron film I saw was Titanic. I thought the movie sucked. Hell, I probably would have liked it more without the romance, but then it's a ship full of [mostly] white people going down. I never gave a rat's ass about Titanic before, so that's not something that's really going to change for me. And so what, one guy, on one site didn't like the preview. Why is he not entitled to not like something?

In my decision to have some sort of response, I have decided to question what this man, let's assume, wrote. It's after 3 o'clock in the fucking morning, and his e-mail was poorly written. I'm not saying this criticism is perfect by any means, but why not entertain myself for a bit?

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Everyone is entitled to views, yes even you Devin. which as colleagues point out you share endlessly on "Attack the show" or whatever the title may be. and all this was before a friend shared with me your views on Avatar...

That should be a comma and not a period between 'Devin' and 'which'. If you're oging to criticize him, be respectful enough to get his show title right. I didn't seen Faraci's name on 'Attack of the Show' so I don't know what this person is talking about. Ooh! Does having a differing 'view' from yours means he lost his right to having one?!? Where oh where did you get that magnanimous power to revoke someone's ability to have an opinion? Use the fucking 'shift' key. I assume you're an intelligent enough adult to know where it's place. It gets used sporadically. Jumping down a bit.

James Cameron has a vision, James Cameron has a cause, and that cause is to make the viewing experience of watching a film, better for the movie going people, not to mention the home market. James Cameron doesn't compromise. so when i read shitty statements like "The story that I could gather looked very bleh" it really f**ks me off.

I've already spoken about how this guy doesn't know how to use the shift key Something I learned in English or in Journalism in high school, after using someone's proper name the first time, you don't need to use their entire name. I see the point, but it almost seems akin to talking about yourself in the third person. Learn how to use the comma, it will only then be your friend. And should be use at the end of that list of how Cameron's film will change things 'forever.' I'm also curious as to how words on a screen and fuck you off. I mean, what doesn't that entail? Is it anything like fellatio? Something like masturbation? Or does it feel like someone is shoving those words up your rectum, or up your urethra?

this is Avatar, NOT dances with wolves in space. and further more it will be a CLASSIC. and what movies are ever classic just for CGI ? so are you aware that this movie IS going to change the face of cinema ? its already started. and when the change hits home for you, lets have less bitching and whining, and have more for the people striving to make you movie going experience a better one! after all isn't that where your bread and butter is made ? unless of course you still want to be watching movies in 20 years time the way you are now ?

I guess I'll stop hounding on this guys inability to use the shift key. How do you know this will be a classic, and since when were classics in ALL CAPS? Why does that next sentence start with 'and?' The word is in capital letters seems like that is more of a statement than a question, and like he's yelling. Is he yelling? I guess he's been yelling for most of his letter anyway, so why not yell a little louder? 'people striving to make you movie' I guess I can't turn a blind eye to that typographical error. Comma after 'after all' Why are there spaces before almost all of his question marks? Excessive comma use use earlier, and not enough commas in that last bit.

Avatar IS photo real.

How? It's a CGI environment. The flora will be based off of what's found on Earth. A different planet means evolution happened differently, so the plants won't be the same as those found on Earth, so how is a 'photo real?'

"your walk of shame speaks volumes for the real you" while there may well be people who hate Avatar when they see it, i promise you they will be the minority, anyone who knows anything about movies in a professional light is going to be as swept up as the person next door, who goes once a year, and owns scary movie on DVD.

Woo! Run on sentences for the win! Two separate thoughts and that comma doesn't work. A semi-colon or better yet, a period should be between 'the minority' and 'anyone who.' Does the person next door know anything about movies? How does any of this correlate to someone owning a horror, excuse me, 'scary' movie? Or does he mean Scary Movie, use of that silly little shift key would have that all clear and easy to understand.

and as for the rest of you, real movie fans with no hidden agenda. have faith in us and show up. we will not let you down. we promise.

There are so many paragraphs in between those last two quotes that I didn't feel like tearing to pieces, so fuck them. I question, since when did movie fans have an agenda? My film going agenda is pretty much to be entertained, maybe to think about something if the movie is a thinker piece. Here we have another instance of comma-period transference. Well, I don't have that many expectations about this film so if I ever do see it, I might not be let down. I mean, how much further could it go? I've gone into movies with low expectations and have been surprised. I've also gone into movies with high expectations only to see them go crash and burn.

you will see things never seen before, in ways never considered before, made for you by one of the last great gunslingers of our times. oh and there wont be a talking ape in sight :-) sorry Devin. we like our talking guys and girls tall and strong.

If something hasn't been seen, how could it be considered? I mean, God has been 'considered' in many ways, does that count as being 'seen?' 'There wont be a talking ape?' Webster's defines 'wont' as 'accustomed' 'there accustomed be a talking ape'? Ohh! He means 'won't' as in 'will not' Silly lack of apostrophe. I don't even know what to make of that last sentence.

what is the in word for the online community ? EPIC FAIL ? NOT US :-)

What? This e-mail was an 'epic fail' in an of itself.

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Wow, that hour just flew by. I could have said more, but I think I did enough. That, and I would like to go to sleep now. This was almost as much fun as group editing English papers in class! And by fun, I really hope person had no hand in writing Avatar because this was so abysmally written. I could have written a better angry e-mail in 10th grade.

Jasmine P.

Piece of a Rant

This rant could have gone on ages longer, but posted items on facebook have a character limit, which I hit. So the rant stopped, but it would have continued along the same vein as it started. But here I'm only sharing what was written, and that's not near my entire opinion about book banning.

banning and burning books makes me sad. It's not right for one group of parents to try to police other people's children. I ask, how does a pro-homosexual book just being in a library affect one person's mental well being? What about the bookstore down the street? That same book could be purchased by someone who would borrow it from the library, thusly putting more money into 'the wrong hands'

parents should police their own kids and let others on their way and their own business. Whatever future kids i'll have, if they pick up the bible, i'll let them read it. If they pick up The Color Purple, they can read it. If they pick up Mein Kampf, I'll have questions as to why, but in the long run, I'd probably let them read it because my mom very rarely kept me from reading something. If a kid can ask a question, give them a straight answer. If they pick up any time of 'grown up' or 'adult' book that causes them to think about their life a little, I'll be the first to champion them to read

Jasmine P.

Batshit Fanbases

I have no shame in admitting I'm a fan of something. But I'm not one of those obsessive and insane, batshit fans. I collect information and media, I collect facts. I like knowing things, it's more of a pipedream to actually meet anything I'm a fan of. If I ever met the actors I like, I'd do my best to not act like an idiot fan, he'll I'd probably become aware of my idiocy and say under my breath 'fuck, I'm acting like a stupid fan' because I say 'fuck, I'm acting like a girl' when I do act like a soft cunt Betty Alice, to take a phrase from my sorely missed and deceased mother. Hell, I have a relative reasonable prediction of how I'd act if I actually met, and wasn't just in the presence of any of them. I'd probably say little and not act like an idiot. If I had any time to actually interact, after ten minutes I'd probably be passed the idiot fan part and act like I had some sense. It'd probably be similar to how I acted when I met Hawk and Anath or Dina Stu, of Pandect fame, at Otakon in 2007, I was nervous, told them I loved the comic, and gave them some fan art. If I met an actor I like, I'd probably tell them I enjoy their work, and I'd probably try to ask a question they're not often asked by fans. I like trying to set my self apart from a crowd. But that's my prediction of how I would act.

That being said, this has been written after reading about how fucking batshit insane the Twilight fan-base is, and the worry that normal SDCC participants have. It's understandable considering just how fuckign retarded they cam be when they may be meeting the object of their desire, and just how much they clogged the system last year, that SDCC regulars, or not just Twilight attendees, are worried about what will be happening with this year's impending SDCC, which kicks off in a way tonight as people migrate to San Diego, but in actuality tomorrow.

While reading through things that /Film has written, but also through the comments, it has reaffirmed my knowledge that people are too fucking ignorant. The Twilight-tards are ignorant for acting the way they do. I don't care how personal the writing may be, as if you're the protagonist of the story, it's not fucking real. And to the seemingly male dominated posters at /Film, for shame. Some of the comments were incredibly, and disgustingly ignorant. 'Who cries over a book' which was apparently about some Harry Potter fan who was sad they couldn't get their book when it was released. I don't often cry while interacting with inanimate objects, or with a book or movie, but some of each have and will. I'm sure that fan-boy has cried over some book out there, but he's acting like a dick to make other fans feel worse.

To the batshit fanbases, relax. No, I have never crossed state lines to see any of the actors i've been interested in. But why would I want to be apart of a mob where I'd just be another face in a sea of insane faces. No object of my desire is worth my life, nor anyone else's life. In another way of thinking about it, would you want to hurt that which you have put up on some ignorantly tall pedestal? I highly doubt it.

I say shame on the batshit fans, and shame on those who lump all women together in thinking that some retarded vampire gets their knickers wet. Yeah, I have thought vampires were interesting, but I'm now more for the violence of it all and not the fact that they're all gorgeous pretty boys. I look forward to Daybreakers where the vampires rule the earth. I'm probably a lot closer to the sexist anti-Twilight people, but I have admitted to being sexist against women, it happens, a teacher I had back in tenth grade was the same. That aside, I won't read the books, I won't watch the movies, and in a few years everything will blow over. There will be another big insane pretty boy out there that those easily swayed women will cream over, and I'll probably avoid that too. I don't like insane fan-bases, they actually turn me off of things. If you really want someone to respect your opinion, don't go batshit and bludgeon them over the head with why they should love it too, be reasonable. Or don't give a rat's ass. I love Pushing Daisies, my brother's don't. Oh well. Big fucking whoop, we have differing opinions, but it's not like it's something we all have to deal with. Hell, ever. I'll enjoy the dead show and wish it had continued, and maybe one day they'll want to watch it, if not, so the fuck what?

My guess is that most of this will be preaching to the choir for anyone who reads this. What was the point of this, because my rant was incredibly non linear...I guess, mostly to tell people to calm down, on both, or possibly every side of an opinion. Fans, calm down, anti-fans, calm down. It's not that big a deal. If you don't like it, avoid it at all costs, if you do, don't be a bitch about it. Whatever my point is, it's still probably lost in the words of this long and winding rant.

Jasmine P.

101-204 Movie list

Just the next leg of my movie viewing extravaganza. As of posting this, I am 4 flicks ahead. Hoping to be ahead by 50 when classes start up again in a month.
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101) The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys: May 7

102) The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys w/ commentary: May 7

103) Fast Times at Ridgemont High: May 7

104) Fast Times at Ridgemont High w/ commentary: May 7

105) Serial Mom: May 8

106) Serial Mom w. 2007 commentary: May 9

107) Serial Mom w. 1999 commentary: May 9

108) Star Trek: May 9

109) Pulp Fiction: May 10

110) Pulp Fiction w. trivia: May 10

111) Untitled (Almost Famous Director’s Cut): May 11

112) Almost Famous -theatrical: May 11

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[the wondeful world of movies]

i love movies and these past few have shows my love and adoration for John Waters. if I ever made a movie, I want the gusto of Waters, the blind courage of Kevin Smith, and i’m sure something else.

113) Divine Trash: May 12

114) This Filthy World: May 12

115) Perfume: May 12

116) The Talented Mr. Ripley: May 13

117) The Talented Mr. Ripely w. commentary: May 13

118) The Times of Harvey Milk: May 13

119) The Times of Harvey Milk w. commentary: May 13

120) The Air I Breath: May 14

121) The Air I Breath w. commentary: May 15

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[another film in the wall]

i’m just flying through movies now. two, three films on the daily. I’ll break even soon, and then surpass one film per day, but keeping it up until December will be the harder part.

122) Milk: May 15

123) Last King of Scottland: May 16

124) Last King of Scottland w/ commentary: May 16

125) The Darjeeling Limited: May 17

126) The Darjeeling Limited w. commentary: May 17

127) I, Robot: May 17

128) I, Robot w/ commentary: May 18

129) Fame: May 18

130) Fame w. commentary: May 19

131) Small Soldiers: May 19

May 18 is the 138th day of the year and I’ve made it to 128 flicks. Cheers! I should break even by the end of the week.

[no time for flicks dr. m]

the movies I watch when I should be and am doing my field botany work. so many gatdamn plants…

132) Jerry Maguire: May 20

133) Jerry Maguire w/ commentary: May 21

134) Carlito’s Way: May 22

135) The Pianist: May 22

136) Mr. Holland’s Opus: May 22

137) Imiginary Heroes: May 22

138) Imaginary Heroes w. commentnary by Segourney Weaver: May 23

139) Imaginary Heroes w. commentary by Emile Hirsch and Dan Harris: May 23

140) Vanilla Sky: May 23

141) Vanilla Sky w/ Commentary: May 23

—Three days off as of today :)

[grindehouse]

I was three days ff, now i’m 6…damn…no real time to catch up, nd saddly no time to rent anything… boo!

142) Planet Terror: May 28

143) Planet Terror w/ audience reaction: May 28

144) Taken: May 31

145) A Chorus Line: June 3

146) Hairspray: June 4

147) Hairspray w/ Commentary: June 4

148) The Emperor’s Club: June 5

149) The Emperor’s Club w/ commetentary: June 5

150) 21 Grams: June 6

151) The Girl Next Door: June 6

152) The Girl Next Door w. commentary and trivia: June 6

153) Role Models: June 28

[sweet and fucked up movie memories]

more fliks from…well..wheever :)

154) Little Shop of Horrors 1960: June 8

155) Little Shop of Horrors 1960 w/ Mike Neson Commentary: June 8

156) Clifford: June 8

157) Kinky Boots: June 9

158) Up in 3-D: June 10

159) Caberet: June 10

160) The People vs. Larry Flynt: June 11

161) Hair: June 11

162) Hoodlum: June 11

163) Black Snake Moan: Jun 12

164) Speed Racer: June 15

[and the list goes on]

More movies, like always. Getting caught up again. I’m hopein to be a few days ahead beore I go out to Wisonsin on Saturday.

165) Wall-E: June 15

166) Double Jeopardy: June 16

167) The Iron Giant: June 17

168) 2001: A Space Odyssey: June 17

169) Dan In Real Life: June 18

170) 1408: June 18

171) Hairspray (2007): June 18

172) Rent: June 20

173) Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride: July 1

174)Grosse Pointe Blank: July 2

175) Say Anything: July 2

[more movieeesss]

Fell behind from going out to Wisconsin. Then was on a television kick, but who can blame me? Fuller’s work is awesome. Lee Pace is adorable, Tyrone Leitso is adorable, and when there’s that trio, awesome writer and adorable actors, I gotta watch. Hot damn, seriously. Buy hopping back up on the movie watching list is one, Meister Jazz!

176) The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: July 3

177) Swingers: July 3

178) Vampires Anonymous: July 5

179) Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day: July 6

180) Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day w. Commenary: July 6

181) Good Will Hunting: July 6

182) Public Enemies: July 7

183) Transformers: The Revenge of the Fallen: July 7

184) Good Will Hunting w. Commentary: July 7

185) Twelve Monkeys: July 8

186) Casablanca: July 8

187) Young Frankenstein: July 8

188) Caffeine: July 9

189) Natural Born Killers: July 10

190) True Romance: July 10

[burning celluloid]

Every day more and more dvds and movies are watched.

191) True Romance w. actor comm: July 11

192) True Romance with writer comm.: July 11

193) Death at a Funeral: July 11

194) Death at a Funeral w. writer and and actor commentary: July 12

195) The Fall: July 12

196) The Fall w. director commentary: July 13

197) The Fall w. actor and writer comm.: July 13

198) Little Miss Sunshine: July 16

199) Little Miss Sunshine w. director comm: July 16

200) Little Miss Sunshine w. wrter & director comm: July 16

201) Thank You For Smoking: July 16

202) Thank You For Smoking w. director commentary: July 17

203) Thank You For Smoking w. dir and actor comm: July 17

204) Vulgar: July 17

Jasmine P.

Theater Quotes

Actors and Crew on Twitter have been posting a small army of theater and actor quotes. I decided to collect them :)

"The word 'theatre' is Greek. It means the seeing place. It is where people come to see the truth about life." - Stella Adler

"It's one of the tragic ironies of theatre that only one man in it can count on steady work - the night watchman." Tallulah Bankhead

"Acting should be bigger than life. Scripts should be bigger than life. It should all be bigger than life." Bette Davis

"With any part you play, there is a certain amount of yourself in it...otherwise it's just not acting. It's lying." Johnny Depp [i've used this one before :)]

"Hollywood is a place where they'll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss and fifty cents for your soul." - Marilyn Monroe

"In Hollywood, a marriage is a success if it outlasts milk." Rita Rudner

"The real violence in Hollywood isn't what's on the screen. It's what you have to do to raise the money." - David Mamet

"Strip away the phony tinsel of Hollywood and you'll find the real tinsel underneath." - Oscar Levant

"Quality survives." - Leonard Maltin

"I had to go grassroots, start at the bottom and go on 150 auditions before someone finally gave me a shot." - Donnie Wahlberg

"The more auditions you go on, the more you will learn not to take it personally." - Paula Abdul

"If you're not failing every now and again, it's a sign you're not doing anything very innovative." - Woody Allen

"Photography is truth. The cinema is truth twenty-four times per second." - Jean-Luc Godard

"Work in the theater sharpened my verse and my cinema." - James Broughton

"Drama is life with the dull bits cut out." - Alfred Hitchcock

"Anybody can direct, but there are only eleven good writers." - Mel Brooks

"Well, a lot of politics is communicating with people, and obviously comedy has something to do with that." - SENATOR Al Franken :)

"An ounce of performance is worth pounds of promises." - Mae West

"Brevity is the soul of wit." Wm. Shakespeare

"An actor is a poet who writes on the sand." - Antoine Vitez

"I always wanted to be somebody, but I now I realize I should have been more specific." - Lily Tomlin

"The harder I work, the luckier I get." - Samuel Goldwyn

"The object of art is to give life a shape." - Wm Shakespeare

"I don't take the movies seriously, and anyone who does is in for a headache." - Bette Davis

"Filmmaking is not about the tiny details. It's about the big picture." - Ed Wood

"Watching television is like taking black spray paint to your third eye." - Bill Hicks

Why should people go out to see bad films when they can stay at home and see bad television for nothing?" - Samuel Goldwyn

"Comedy always works best when it is mean-spirited." - John Cleese

"Acting is a delicate balance between being Visibly Entertaining and Entertainingly Visible" - Alle 2009

"There's no business like show business, but there are several businesses like accounting." - David Letterman

"If you look around at the people in show business today they are basically the people who didn't give up." - Brent Spiner

"I believe entertainment can aspire to be art, and can become art, but if you set out to make art you're an idiot." - Steve Martin

"New York's like a boxing match. In Hollywood, it's like a Fellini movie or something." - John Cusack

"In Hollywood...you should always forgive your enemies: you never know when you'll have to work with them." - Lana Turner

"To grasp the full significance of life is the actor's duty; to interpret it his problem; and to express it his dedication." - James Dean

"The term 'serious actor' is kind of an oxymoron, isn't it? Like 'Republican party' or 'airplane food.' - Johnny Depp

"An actor shouldn't undergo psychoanalysis, because there are a lot of things you're better off not knowing." - Paul Lynde

"All I want to see from an actor is the intensity and accuracy of their listening." - Alan Rickman

"Casting is 65 percent of directing." - John Frankenheimer

I don't deserve this award, but I have arthritis and I don't deserve that either." -Jack Benny

"I think the way it works is that when you're casting a movie, you usually want to work with people that you believe in." - Owen Wilson

"A film is never really good unless the camera is an eye in the head of a poet." - Orson Welles

"Everyone told me to pass on Speed because it was a 'bus movie.'" - Sandra Bullock

"In feature films the director is God; in documentary films God is the director." - Alfred Hitchcock

"The secret to film is that it's an illusion." - George Lucas

In Beverly Hills... they don't throw their garbage away. They make it into television shows." - Woody Allen

"Without wonder and insight, acting is just a trade. With it, it becomes creation." -Bette Davis

"Comedy is underrepresented in every actor's life, because it's so bloody difficult to write." - Michael Caine

"Jackie Gleason said that comedy is the most exacting form of dramatic art, because it has an instant critic: laughter." - Chuck Jones

"I always claim that the writer has done 90 percent of the director's work." - Harold Ramis

The absolute truth is the thing that makes people laugh." - Carl Reiner

"My education was doing good plays and also stinkers. When you do a stinker, you learn how to act." - Jeffrey Tambor

"Hollywood is an extraordinary kind of temporary place." - John Schlesinger

Usually, the stuff that's your best idea or work is going to be attacked the most." - Francis Ford Coppola

"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." - Will Rogers

"Money and success don't change people; they merely amplify what is already there." - Will Smith

"Showing off is the fool's idea of glory." - Bruce Lee

"There are only two ways up the ladder. Rung by rung or claw your way to the top. It's been tough on my nails." - Jack Nicholson

In Hollywood, an equitable divorce settlement means each party getting fifty percent of the publicity." - Lauren Bacall

"Wit is educated insolence." - Aristotle

'Hollywood is a cruel and shallow money trench where thieves and pimps run free and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side.' - Hunter S. Thompson

"I learned a long time ago in Hollywood that the only person I should vote for is myself." - Jack Nicholson

"Hollywood is a sewer with service from the Ritz Carlton." - Wilson Mizner

"Life's like a play: it's not the length, but the excellence of the acting that matters." - Seneca

"Acting has to do with saying it as if you meant it, so for me the words are always very important." - Christopher Walken

"Acting isn't really a creative profession. It's an interpretative one." - Paul Newman

"Success in show business depends on your ability to make and keep friends." - Sophie Tucker

"The key to acting is the reality of the doing." -Brent Noel

"Every crowd has a silver lining." - P. T. Barnum

"Politics is the entertainment branch of industry." - Frank Zappa

"Pain is temporary, film is forever." - Michael J. Fox

"Who's ever going to write a film in which I get the girl? Me!" - John Cleese

"On film you put all your energies into a single glance." - Alan Rickman

"Great art direction is NOT the same thing as great film direction!" - Gene Wilder

"One longs for a director with a sense of imagination." - Alan Rickman

"Age is not important unless you're a cheese." Helen Hayes

"I just play him as myself, I don't ease myself into any role really. I stick a beard on and play me." - Michael Gambon

"I like the ephemeral thing about theatre, every performance is like a ghost - it's there and then it's gone." - Maggie Smith

You just have to keep on doing what you do. It's the lesson I get from my husband; he says 'start by starting'." - Meryl Streep

"Acting has to do with discovering character through your own experience, and we're all different." - Ian Mckellen

"Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself." - Charlie Chaplin

"I don't act, anyway... my pictures are made without script or written directions of any kind." - Buster Keaton

Flesh sells. People don't want to see pictures of churches. They want to see naked bodies." - Hellen Mirren


Jasmine P.

Wanderin' 'Round Wisconsin

Monday.

I'm up around6 so i can take my time-ish, getting ready, bandages are still hell. I wake up Janelle when proceed downstairs and across a covered walkway, and around to the convention center. I meet Ralph and Scott P. and Alani, some of the metors. Ralph hadn't been at the thing on Sunday, so I think I was the first mentee to meet him. I then actually get into the introductory plenary session that's to get the ball rolling on everything. The introduction is fine, but the speaker, some woman who's presenting some information about Wisconsin wetlands. The woman was a horrible speaker. Now, I can't remember what I disliked about it, but I ws not enjoying listening to her, so I stepped out a minute earlier than the session ended.

There was some time before the first mentor-mentee thing that frank had set up for us, so I bought some terrible coffee from the hotel. Mein gott, it was bad, burnt to high hell. Waste of money. The session the mentors had for us was specifically about being a minority and getting minorites interested in the sciences. It was interesting enough. I had a short conversation with one of the speakers after this, but I'll get to that.

That session broke and we were free for lunch and whatever else we felt like doing. There's a rumor of free sandwiches upstairs, so I get one, then leave the other girls and wander back downstairs. In the convention center I run into the mentors, Kellen and Jennifer. The mentors and presenters were heading out for lunch, so I lead the group to the Great Dane, the third time there in as many days.

This time we're seated outside. I'm situated between Ralph [i think] and Dwayne, one of the speakers. Ken is there, Alani, one of the other speakers, Frank, I think both Scotts. I hve a grilled cheese sammich and some fresh vegetables. The conversation started about what the speakers had to say. I think I mostly listened. Can't remember it all. It was a fine lunch. We had back to the convention. I pop into a few more sessions before going up to the room to relax and change before the Student Mixer on the roof of the Convention Center. I see some fucked up shit on the news then go to the mixer itself. The food is alright. I eat enough for it to be my dinner.

I leave the mixer because it's hot as hell, and go back to the room. I stay there for a bit, then want to wander down state street, but not alone, so I go back to the roof of the CC and find some people there. I decide on ice cream, and the Scotts, Alani, Chelsea and I think Janediy leave with me, thinking ice cream would also be good. As we're walking I start explaining to Scott L., Chelsea and Janadiy the awesomeness of fencing, then we realize that Scott P. and Alani are lagging. We all stop and wait for them, then Alani tells us something bad has happened. By the end of the week I've pieced together that her mother got ill, well that's my assumption. We're all kind of down for a moment, and I point out a lady bug in Janadiy's hair. We've had a moment of silence, not knowing what to say, and this ladybug and the rest of the walk are a small reprieve for Alani. We all continue to a locally owned place in the middle of State St.

Scott L. ducks out because he needs to catch the tram back to his hotel, but Alani, Scott P. and Janadiy continue walking with me to the Walgreens down the hill. I'm in need of tape because I forgot to topp it into my bag before flying out. Tape and some edibles it's back up the hill to the hotel. It's late now, around 11 or something. I retire to my room and relax with the internet before going to bed.

Tuesday

I spend my morning on the internet, not wanting to go to see any of the speakers. I finally leave the room because of a session with the mentors. This is an interesting affair and it's treated as a dialogue between the mentors and us undergraduates. I can't remember what I did between this and the evening dinner. I remember, I sat in on parts of sessions. One I had to leave because the girl was so nervous that I couldn't stand listening to her. I felt bad for her. She knew her information, but was incredibly uncomfortable speaking in front of a crowd. I think I popped in and out of presentations until sitting in the hallway and chatting with people. Today was the first day of poster presentations. I didn't have one, but I did mingle and look at other people's posters.

The dinner was alright. Chicken something or other. The speaker was much better than I'd previously thought. He was a journalist and wrote a book based off of research about treaties and such in relation to the Great Lakes. How it was diverged and what not. Pretty damn interesting.

After dinner most of us undergrads went out down State Street. This night we shop together a little, I think, then hit a bar that cards me and lets me in. I end up buying a bunch of $1 drinks because it was easier than trying to think of mixed drinks to order, and lot cheaper. We leave this one after some time, and go into a second one. I don't feel like staying, and walk back on my own. This is the night my walk took forever. I stop and pee in a Greek place, and make it back to the hotel safely. I crash, it's going on 2am I think.

Wednesday

I get up early, proving to Nakoa and Freddy that I'm not so lazy as to no go to some speakers. I can't remember what I sat in on, but I go to a few. Needing caffeine I buy a espresso from the hotel. I should have learned my lesson from the day before, but apparently I hadn't. Hmm, today there's the luncheon for the mentors and mentees and that's pretty chill. Sandwiches, soup, a potato salad. The food was right tasty. The conversation amusing.

After lunch I hang out in the hallway waiting for the second career session to start. I chat with some people and pop in and out of sessions for a bit. I also collect some swag from the exhibition hall. I go to the afternoon career session. This one is much more formal than the one from the day before was. I was also really tired an started dozing. I felt a little bad about that.

I head off on my own for dinner. It's one of those days I get after being around people for too long. I need to be alone, so I go to eat alone. I'm sorely mistaken when I get back to the room. Janelle and Jennifer are up there. I grab my books, the Ames one and Public Enemies, and head downstairs. I get a glass of cranberry juice from the bar. They're nice and give it to me for free. I just sit and read for a while. Enjoying being on my own for an hour or two. It's pleasant. I'm tired, it's about midnight, so I go back upstairs, but Jennifer is still there. I'm fighting my antisocial urge of being rude and chat with the two of them before finally going to sleep.

Jasmine P.

Wildin' Out in Wisconsin

After regaling the Ficus with tales of Wisconsin, I think I might hop to and get started on writing about that week before it gets too far away from me. From the other entry, before my heartbroken and voyeuristic rant, I left off from the night before leaving for Madison, WI.

After sobering up and waiting for my flight, between Norfolk and Detroit was uneventful. There was that weird bitch who wanted to wait in a longer line, but that was before the flight. I had an aisle seat which was pretty chill. I stayed awake the entire time and read through my new Esquire after I finished the SMod I'd been listening to. In Detroit I was originally worried about not being able to find my next terminal, but they were damn near side by side. from A-2 to A-7, so I grabbed an overpriced sandwich from Quiznos because it had been 12+ hours since my previous meal. I chilled and hopped onto my second flight. This time I was closer to the front of the plane, still in the aisle, and this plane was only 5 seats across, unlike the first which was 6.

In Wisconsin there was some trouble at the airport because the courtesy phones were being worked on or something, so the lady at the information desk called the hotel for me, and I waited. It took the kid about 30 min to get me, then it was just the two of us in one of those vans. DC sniper style, plus windows. Hmm, a regular van, I dunno. I checked into the hotel and freaked out because my check card was mia, but at some point I'd put it into the larger pocket where cash goes instead of behind my liscense. All was good about and hour later. I checked in and fucked around on the internet for a while.

Starved, I got a map and left the hotel on my own, striking out to find something cheap and close. I ended up going to the Great Dane, a bar, and order some pretzels. They were huge puffy pretzel sticks and in store made mustard. The pretzels were tasty, and the mustard a different experience. It had horserdish in it, made it some spicy shit. Seriously. My sinuses were clear, every time it tuched my tongue my mouth watered and my eyes teared. The bartender was nice and kept asking if I wanted anything else, I drank water. In retrospect I might have been able to get booze, but it was well enough that I hadn't tried for it.

Finished with my snack and adventure I headed back to the hotel and soon met with my roommate Janelle. I was quiet and wary, probably from being tired. I dunno. We both took naps and were the last to show up for dinner with Prof. Day, who I may or may not refer to as Frank for the rest of this post. Anywho, it's Frank, myself, Janelle, Chelsea, Freddy, Nakoa and Kellen at dinner this evening. Jenediy[sp] and Jennifer don't arrive until 10 so we go out without them for a group dinner.

We all walk down state street and decide on an Italian place. The conversation is tame, compared to the rest of the week. Freddy tells a bunch of silly stories and so the jokes start. Making fun of him. He said 'i don't know why, but girls keep giving me things' or silly things like that. After dinner Frank goes back to the hotel and our group continues down State St. where we just look around. Some of us buy some very tasty gellato from a local place. We keep on down the hill, eying places to check out later. I see a hat place called 'The Stuffed Feather' and decide to go there the next day.

We all walk all the way down the hill before some of us go back to the hotel. The boys, Nakoa and Freddy, keep walking around and find a bar eventually, apparently, from what they tell us later. Janelle and I chat a bit before going to sleep.

Sunday, June 22.
I wake sometime mid morning. I hang in the hotel for a while, until I'm too hungry to not wander, and eventually leave, heading down State St. where I go to the hat place. I buy my awesome new corduroy cap then head to the Noodle Company for lunch. I think now I wander back to the hotel so I can register for the week and get my name tag and program. Originally I'm not on the list for my field trip, so I get that sorted out. I then hang out in the lobby before the unndergrads and their mentors all meet up. Here there's a preliminry introduction to the rest of the mentors. I meet both Scotts there, Rebecca, Ken, Jacoby, and Alani. Ralph is late, I forget why.

Our big ole group heads to the Great Dane for dinner. The food is fantastic. I buy a chicken pot pie. Mmm, tasty. I spend the evening chatting with one of the Scotts, not registering there are two of them. I think I make and interesting impression on Scott L. who ends up being one of my favorite people to chat with for the entire week. Also at my table are Nakoa, Ken, Frank, Chelsea, and Jenediay. There was another man there, but I'm not sure who. The conversation goes from out ages to our interests. It's loose and fun.

After dinner the mentors roll out, and use undergrads walk down State St. to the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus is. Their student center sells beer. I drink some horrible weak miller light then decide I'm really not a beer person. Freddy tries to give me crap about it, but I defend my point that I think beer tastes horrible, and that I like real alcohol, liquor and such. We all walk back because we have an early morning.

Back in the hotel Janelle and I end up staying up for a time on out computers. Janelle is apparently having a fight with her boyfriend and stays up until 4. We're supposed to go to the plenary session in the morning. I try to sleep, and do succeed for the most part, sleeping until I need to get ready.

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Ooh, so much writing for only two days. I'll continue on my play-by-play of the week after sleeping seeing as how I have things I need to do in the morning and would like sleep myself. Next post, Monday and the plenary session until...Tuesday or Wednesday I presume. It depends on when I start writing. Geez, this post is so epically long.

Jasmine P.