In case anyone is wondering, yes it is windy in Chicago.
The urge to pierce my lip is getting really strong again, so I dyed my hair black and I think I'll get my ears pierced again or something. Curse my parents for this philosophical, bordering on religious objection they have to piercing! Humph.
Anna Karenina is the best book ever. I'm only 200 pages in, and it's completely overwhelming. Every sentence is this beautifully crafted chunk of writing, perfectly balanced between intellect and intuition. It's a good thing the copy's from the library, otherwise I would underline the whole book. Now I understand why people love the Russians so much.
I hereby command everyone to regale me (via el blogg-o) with their Halloween Escapades.
miss you all loads

Oh my god, I want to have sex with George Stephanoplous. He may only be 5'4", but doesn't matter when you're lying down. Although he wasn't necessarily that engaging tonight, I was mentally undressing him with my eyes.

Love,
Caitlin

also, sometimes a glass of water tastes really good.

things seen from the train window:
1) Ravine full of old tires
2) Man with a big camera on a tripod by the trackes
3) Half a canoe (not near water)
4) Loads and loads of fields of dead corn
5) Approximately 30 forest service men in bright orange jackets playing horseshoes.

Songs for a Train Mix CD (in no particular order)
* River in the Rain (Big River)
* Airplane (AniD)
* Chelsea Morning (Joni Mitchell)
* Heartbeat (Tahiti 80)
* 1981 (Reclinerland)
* Beautiful People (Reclinerland AND beatles versions)
* Diamonds on the soles of her shoes (paul simon)
* Wildflowers (tom Petty)
* Signe (Clapton)
* Boy in the Bubble (Paul Simon)

DC was good, although 19 hours each way on the train appears to be a bit much for my sensibilities.
At some point this week I have to go buy black licorice scotty dogs for my aunt susan who just had surgery. I'm also supposed to find some random ice cream shop my other aun judy has fond memories of... my family is so strange.

Unfortunately, due to the enormous amount of crap I put off too long, i've made the decision not to go to hear Dean on Monday. Sigh... OH well, George Stephanopolous will be good on Wednesday. I had an interesting time at our football game, I got on ESPN!! Yeehaw!! Then I went to a gay party and had a little too much of the punch, good thing Dave was there to walk me home. Yikes, more midterms and papers this week!! Hugs!

So I may get a $500 dollar scholarship just for being a female "interested in" swedish culture. I just have to submit a 250 word essay about the benefits of learning about other cultures. I'm living in a black hole of Scandinavians. Our boats for crew are named things like "Valborg", "Herland" and "Grodprosses" or something (which means "frog princess," I'm told). The place they served catered meals for special occasions here is the Scandinavian Center. (I laughed every time I saw the sign advertising for the dinner for the students of color's families in there....)

The Wind Ensemble is doing a Maslanka (a la Hell's Gate, for any of you who weren't in band) piece this year, and he's traveling over here to work with them in another few weeks. *sigh, tear* Apparently it's a fairly new piece... I can't remember the blasted name just now though.

Tomorrow is Belgian Waffle day at food service. YUM!

Anyone going to be home for Thanksgiving?

finumerativationally (adj.)- In the manner of the urge-driven Scandinavian practice of bestowing random passers-by with frosty, thirstytwoouncer sized, homemade
Belgian-chocolate milk shakes, as if saying, "Hey, Mr. Coldnesswinterocity, we're ignoring you, in a chilled dairy fashion." - have a good weekend everyone

Not only am I volunteering for the Howard Dean campaign on Monday, I get to hear him speak!! So excited!! Also, George Stephanopolous is coming on Wednesday. Its a whole lotta politics, whoo hoo!!! I plan on getting drunk Saturday night in my crazy purple booty shorts, Homecoming is fun!!

Love,
Caitlin

Weirdness, I go to Washington DC tomorrow. East coast every weekend, yo. I'm going to the Jewish Constituency Retreat for NCB, which should be... a learning experience. No, I do want to go, it's just making me nervous too.
In other news, I found my pipe! It was (dun-da-da-dun!) wrapped in Larke's sweater which I rarely wear because it really is too small. When I got home from Cornell, though, I was really homesick so I wore it yesterday and as I was putting it on in my half awake state, out falls the pipe james brought me from morocco! So exciting.
My aunt got off on the first apartment she and her friends shared their junior and senior years of college, which sounds crazy. I mean insanity. Once, when they first moved to Chicago, (I should mention that my aunt has this close group of friends since college who all live in Chicago now, too) she and Kathe were having everyone over for Thanksgiving dinner and the night before they decided to paint the room BLACK. Um, yeah. And their sophomore year they wallpapered their dorm room with red and white stripes, and then almost had to pay for the damage done to the walls.
Miss you, kiddos.

Things I discovered recently: 1. You can buy advice from a Rabbi for 5 cents ala "Lucy from Peanuts style" at our campus center 2. Hazelnut Frappucinos suck, never buy them. 3. Northwestern Gourmet Cuisine night consists of Fried Popcorn shrimp, real chicken breasts, chocolate covered strawberries, and lots of desserts. 4. I really, really like my bed, even though I have to hoist myself up into it and I can't roll around much. 5. School is hard, very very hard, pooh.

Love!

Hello everyone Im sitting here just chillin in my room listening to music and putting off toil because theres been way too much of it lately I had a wonderful afternoon sailing in crazy wind and rain and the sailing teacher is going to take his classes and the club to a bar next week to split the main board as they say it when youre a sailor and off your shift like I wasnt last weekend when half the population of missoula visited here including five of eight of the sears and lily and van most of whom stayed in my room let me tell you it was awesome playing host to those guys for a change but I missed a trip to the coast because I had to finish up a paper which was sad in every possible way but its all over now and theres more to come including thanksgiving break which Im looking forward to with all my excitement because there are more and more people deciding to come home on the train with me and riley to eat and sleep and play and bottle wine yes wine cant wait but while I do Ill send my love to all of you!,.",".','.'!!:,()!!!!!

I got a package in the mail today from my Grandma full of cookies and hand-me-down-clothes from my cousin. I feel like I should be playing dress up instead of writing an essay based upon the theories of violence in our readings and how they apply to an incident of violence in my own life. I'm going to put on some Bobby McFerrin and Yo-Yo Ma.

My antrho prof talked a lot about masturbation today. I learned a new word, "onanism" which is the polite way of saying spanking your monkey. I'm sad that the Cubs lost as well, although the only thing I got "drunk" on was playing ultimate Pictionary in the basement. Extra points were given if a phallus (sp?) was inserted logically into the drawing. College is good.

the cubs lost, thus I'm vaguely drunk alone.
Things I like: that the el is above ground, the smashing pumpkins, maggie estep, beck, vinyl, boots, the brothers K, feeling kind of numb.

Things I dislike: the pointy things as you exit the subway, trying to write a love letter, Briar Diggs' photography.

Sometimes, stupid people send E-mails to the class list that are just meant for the professor. It's usually just annoying. But in this case, it was different. Here is the return letter my sociology professor sent to a student in my class after she apologized for sleeping in and missing class and gave an example from the reading to prove that she read it. enjoy. :

Thanks for the update, Mia. I appreciate that kind of integrity in a student. I can assure you that you will not be penalized for this absence. However I am sorry to report that you will be on random drug testing for the duration of the course, due to your assertion that drug testing is unfair. We all know that the only reason you would make such a claim is if you were a tree-hugging, birkenstock-wearing, bong-toting hippie. No hard feelings. -Big Bad Bruce

(I love it here)
p.s. it might be even funnier if you get a look at this guy. (http://www.lclark.edu/~podobnik/Pictures.html)
p.p.s. cangradulations on quitting, Larke.

I quit my job!!!

coolest thing. The Bon hired a polka band to play during dinner today for octoberfest. three old men, and a bunch of german food. sadly, there was no beer. otherwise it was awesome...

Oh lordy, we watched this terrible film in cinema class yesterday and like five people walked out of the class. It was all I could do to stay for the lecture. Its called Jud Suss and its (loosely) based on historical fact. Its about this Jew who becomes treasurer for the duke and opens up the gates of Stuttgart to Jews (horror of horrors), drives the duke to becoming a dictator, calls in soldiers from a neighboring dukedom to quash a revolt and rapes a Christian woman (those Nazis pulled out all the stops). In actuality Suss was just a by stander who was trying to bring about reform and actually helped the revolt (but they hung him anyway). And the whole thing about the young woman who then kills herself was made up completely. It was shown in '39 just before the implementation of the final solution, to make sure the Germans were completely ready for genocide. Every member of the SS was required to see it and it was parachuted to the front lines. It was disgusting and terrible and it was all I could do to not throw up (and I am not exaggerating). Even now thinking about it makes me shiver.

WEEKEND REPORT
Friday: went to synagogue which sucked, went to Loyola University to hang out with some friends which was fun, came home very tired and slept until 9:30 on
Saturday: called every photo place in town to find the cheapest price on Fuji NPH 400 (varies from $7.45 to $3.75 a roll, jeepers people what a racket) met zach and caitlin to shop (whoah) went to dinner with my aunt and her friend APHRODITE LOTUS (don't you wish that were your name?) then saw "The Goat: or Who Is Sylvia?" this bizarre play by Edward Albee about a man who is cheating on his wife WITH A GOAT. I kid you not (no pun intended), went up to northwestern and to a party at a co-op which was loads of fun, woke zach up to let me into his room, went to bed
Sunday: went to breakfast with zach, came home, photographed a party, saw Intolerable Cruelty, came home. Now very tired.
Excited for new york next weekend, oh baby oh baby.
I miss y'all.

Last night we had a crew retreat at the boathouse. Because I'm slightly masochisitc (or so I've been told) I decided to keep my Wyoming friend Heidi company and re-row my 6K time trial on the ERG (read: rowing machine). After many bonding activities we slept on a cement floor with a thin coating of carpet, and then got up and rowed again at 7 a.m. My back hates me. I've been contemplating why exactly I'm doing crew at all. I can't think what possessed me to try it, and I can't imagine why I like it, but I'm obsessed with it now.

For those of you withing driving distance of Portland, PLU has its first regatta (like a track meet for boats) this weekend (Oct. 11). I may *keep your fingers crossed* be rowing, but I don't know for sure. They are only letting the top sixteen novice women row, the rest of us get to go anyway and watch. Either way, I'll be in Portland, and I want to try to see as many of you as possible! More details as I get them.

I was talking to a girl I found on the crew team who's a sophomore and from Missoula... all we can talk about is how we wish we had a Staggering Ox Sandwich.... mmmmmm!

Right, must go beg my boy down the hall to give me massage.

Slightly random thoughts:
now back from a portland expidition: went down at six with Riley, Becca, and Zach (who has decided to come back with us for thanksgiving). Completed my interview with a bum (actually four bums)... a very interesting experience... I wrote notes in pioneer square in the center of town. They have two places that you can stand and talk to yourself for perfect acoustics... VERY cool... yelled at some religious yellers and then walked around town for a bit with a video camera to shoot some random scenes. rode the mall escalators for a while, then got in a fake fight with riley that ended up with my face plastered up agianst a window right next to someone's dinner table... becca left and we three hooligans continued across the river... had a huge argument about how high the bridge was (riley wanted to jump, I said it was higher than he thought... I won the argument later on in the evening). then flattened pennies and other metal objects by the railroad. proceeded thirty blocks to a friend's house in the hippy district of portland. played video games and ate gudah cheese for an hour before returning to school to eat the pie and pizza we stole at dinner this evening. I think a song should be written about it all... maybe I'll do it tonight... two midterms down and one to go... I'm not sure if I can really write a 12 page paper... riley and zach attempted to steal a five gallon jug of Ice Cream and pan of pizza DURING dinner wednesday night and were politely (during the process) asked by the dean of students to return it so as to avoid any "follow up"... (I love this place)... and even cooler, later that night they found a way into the bon through the ceiling and took two huge things of cereal, three gallons of milk and a five gallon tub of Ice Cream.... mmmmmm... I think I'm going to start a "journal of good times" because there are so many that I'm not even going to remember, and thats sad... before I can do that, I must sleep.......(...)

dude, ok, here's the best thing about Chicago so far: you can rent DVDs at the library for FREE! I kid you not, absolutely free. This could save me SO much money.
Sad, did I miss the expedition to the Evanston hookah bar?
My job is boring. But after yesterday I'm $50 richer!
I'm going to NYC next weekend and DC the weekend after. Should be a badass few weeks.

Hookah is amazing. Missoula really needs a Hookah bar. I highly reccommend it. College is crazy. AHHH!

I'm not even supposed to be here today!

http://www.pangloss.com/seidel/Shaker/


check it out yo!

wonder of wonders, I got a job! A boring one, filing for a property management company, but a $10 an hour one! and only 10 hours a week. Booyah. I'm photographing this dude's birthday party this weekend, which is making me quite nervous because he wants color (ew ew ew) and it's inside, so I have to mess with filters and changing the film speed and blah blah blah. Highly irksome. I did have a long discussion about it with Mikhal, the photography teacher at Marwen, who's about the coolest person I know. She went to Cooper Union (this INSANE art school in NYC, if you get in it's free but they have all these weird things like they only give tours of the school two days a year, etc...) then taught photography at a school in NY, now she's a photographer for the museum of contemporary art which means she photographs the exhibits for slides and museum catalogues, etc, and then she does freelance and teaches at marwen. She's also israeli. I worship her, even if she adores digital.

So, tonight, I attended an event in my dorm to watch the California Recall events. Not only did we have lots of food, fun times, and love, but we watched Total Recall, starring Governor (shudder) Schwarzenegger. Isn't that sweet? I love my dorm. The asian beetles are infesting our campus. I picked out three of my hair today, and their are five in my room. disgusting.

crazy amounts of work coming up, and I'm feeling bloated from the bon, but I'm ok because my room is finally navigable, I aced a physics test, and soon I get to interview a homeless person or someone else from a social minority group. Fall break is this weekend, but I think I'll just hang here on campus because I've got 17 pages of paper due, two midterms (holy shit, already?) and a couple of books to read within the next two weeks. Also a few gallons of wine to start. Its raining cats and weasles outside. I like it because I didnt get enough last summer and it makes the inside really cozy and the outside less of a procrastination tool. good then, I'll stop using the blog to procrastinate now. bye.

I tell you what rasp is without the berry - no longer a word with a silent letter! TRAGIC!

Go Cubbies. For a brief few hours tonight, watching my computer, I'll forget about the hundreds of pages of reading I have to do. I love you all.

Greetings my poptarts. My room looks (of course) like a hurricane has hit. Weekend summary: went to a music major party, had coffee with middlebury graduate, saw a play (Topdog Underdog at Steppenwolf, depressing and incredible), went to a stupid party at Loyola, home now going back to bed then to buy socks and a hat and synagogue at 6:30. Jeepers creepers.
I've also read the old man and the sea in the past two days and it's very very good.
I'm going to new york weekend after next! Then up to Cornell to see Anna Scott in The Laramie Project and see THE CASTLE she lives in. Badass, y'all.
peace.

Went to the homecoming dance last night. I've never been groped by so many people. It was cool though. took place (after a packed bus ride) in the crystal ballroom downtown, it has a spring loaded floor and loud loud music. a little alcohol would've made the night a bit more fun but I've had enough with it for a while. A few websites for you all: --- http://muffinfilms.com and furnitureporn.com--- check it out! ciao.

After missing synagogue/wimping out on synagogue, I am now in Zach's room drinking some of Chris' wine with Zach (doink) and Caitlin and David. We watched some of the cubs game too, like the good Chicago-ans we are. Some girl asked Zach if she could be his "fag-hag." Um... right.
Conversation between Zach and Ledah went (partially) as follows
Zach: I would date Anna scott.
Ledah: I wouldn't (sorry scotty, but I wouldn't)
Zach: What? She was the hottest girl in our class
Ledah: Yeah but she'd be incorrigible to date (sorry Scotty but you would be)
Zach: No, I would guess she's super romantic and I bet she's a BEAST in bed.
Ledah: I know she's a beast... I mean, I'm sure she is.
etc etc.
Chris, the wine is fine.
Miss y'all.

just watched Requium for a Dream. What a mindfuck, but good. especially on the big screen. I then wandered around campus in a weird sort of altered-state for about an hour. to all of those who I was annoyed with saying, "its too intense for tonight": you are forgiven. everything else has been cool, watched people jugle fire for a bit tonight... my music collection has soared past 6GB and is still growing :)... I think I'll do the survey...
Describe three people on your floor: I have a fairly interesting floor. Anna is a very small skinny girl from berkley, smokes alot of pot, she came into our room in the first week to ask if we wanted to smoke with her, upon decline, she said, "thats's depressing." and its been a joke ever since. very nice though. Lindsey lives across the hall, she is joe's (my roommate's) girl, and basically our fifth roommate. Zach, my RA, is supposedly the hottest guy on campus, and, in my opinion, one of the weirdest. he has many many girl problems and will open up to you after knowing you for five seconds.
Favorite dining hall food so far?: pretty much one choice here: "the bon apetit," or, as we say, the "bone" not too bad, but it grows old pretty quick.
Experience (not that kind!) with communal bathrooms? joe and lindsey are always showering together next to me, we talk, its a bit strange, but cool.
Describe your least favorite professor: thats the good thing, I don't have one, they are all some of the coolest, most interesting people I know.
Random petition that you've signed while walking on campus: never seen one, suprisingly, I did pass on one that went around in class, something about signing away my rights to the government (like locke says).

yo yo, just got back from my first round of club volleyball tryouts. It could have been better, but then, it could have been worse, so, ya know. I'm really, really sore, so sleeping will feel good, but waking up, no. I don't know about pacts, unless I get to sign something in blood, it's not worth it.

Pact to what?

Pact pact pact pact pact! The reality of not coming home for Christmas is hitting me, so anyone who's going to be in Missoula for Thanksgiving, please tell me and we can all get together.

I am going on a "Residence Hall Retreat" this weekend to Ocean Shores resort or some-such. As far as I can tell it's so we can all get off campus in order to break the "dry campus" and "visitaion hours" rules. *mwah ha ha ha*

I've found the most delicious place in chicago. It's this bookstore called "Bookstore: rare, used and well done." It was small and crowded, not just ordinary-used-bookstore-crowded but I mean utterly cluttered, piles and piles of books all over the place, narrow aisles with towering shelves stuffed to bursting, leaning against each other desperately trying to hold their contents. I was not just the only person under sixty in the store, I was also the only female. The owner sat behind this counter surrounded on all sides by shelves crammed with books and shouted things to the other patrons like "TRY FRANCE!! DID YOU LOOK IN FRANCE?" or "CHECK MEDICINE." He also called everyone "pardner." "Take it easy, pardner" he'd say as a patron left. At one point, one of the men's wife came in and inquired as to how much longer he would be in there in a very "You-come-here-way-too-much" tone of voice. Really, this place is heaven. I think I'll go there once a week and pester the man to give me a job. I also went to Powell's on the north side which is good but very neat.

Describe three people on your floor: 1. Henry, ultra conservative, but very friendly, curly hair, doesn't believe in minimum wage. 2. Yahima, only non-freshman in my suite, black, cool, hair, in the marching band, rarely seen. 3. Reed, plays hockey, studies alone in room, easy to talk to, good conversationalist.

Favorite dining hall food so far? Hmm, I had a damned good calzone at Allison today, but in agreement with Zach too.
Experience (not that kind!) with communal bathrooms? I don't like doodieing not in private, but i'm surviving. I enjoy my shower, nice high placed shower head
Describe your least favorite professor: My Anthropology prof. Very high strung, yet oddly relaxed, hard to figure out. Very intelligent, but she has probably spent too much time in South America
Random petition that you've signed while walking on campus: I don't sign, I stab with pens given to me.

ok, a pact. A pact between those who went away to college, those who stayed to college, and those who don't go to college. Please? this is really very painful.

Describe three people on your floor: and fuck you. I could rant here for at least a thousand words but I won’t. But please do understand how frustrating, infuriating, and condescending that is. So anyway:
Michael: this cool girl who went to the same school as me. She works full time helping America. She has short dark hair and an acid wit (to use a terrible cliche. Im sorry Im sorry)
Erik: Tall with shaggy light brown hair. He’s cooking chicken in the kitchen right now and I think I may need to work out a meal sharing plan with him. Boy does it smell good. He’s currently looking for a job so he can save money to go somewhere exotic and study Spanish.
Casey: shorter than Erik but still way taller than me. He’s gonna be a teacher I think. He’s got less shaggy blond hair and has more homework than me (sucker). He likes Garth Brooks and moved in with a large stereo. He likes Ava, which is always a good sign.
Favorite dining hall food so far? My stew. The weather will stay warm as long as there is stew in the frig.
Experience (not that kind!) with communal bathrooms? Umm, they get messy really quick.
So my mom underwent surgery today and is now wearing a big eye patch. I think I will get her a stuffed parrot on my way up there today. They say everything’s ok but the more I think about it the more scared I get. Sure it’s Benign, but it’s got the cancer word in there none the less.
Across the street in the rose garden some old woman is crying. I cant believe the roses are blooming this late. Sometimes I cant really believe anything…

This post will not be as intense or interesting as zach's, it's mostly about Andy Warhol. I'm reading "The Philosophy of Andy Warhol" which is, of course, insane. He says things like "Something that I look for in an associate is a certain amount of misunderstanding of what I'm trying to do." Everyone should read this book. It's addiction as all hell, I'm almost done and I started it like four days ago. I've decided to read a book a week, or as close to it as I can, while I'm here in Chicago and without homework and suchlike to do.
Regarding the boy Colby on Zach's floor, he's incredibly cool. Ok, so I haven't actually talked to him, but every time I walk by his room he's playing good music like the Dandy Warhols and Rolling Stones, so he must rock. I want to get to know him but I think I'll just stalk him instead.