Brian, Jorge, and I went to Boston from Sunday morning to Tuesday night! Lots of fun and shenanigans!

We got on the bus to Boston in the morning and after sleepiness, a long ride, sitting at Dunkin Donuts, and then a ride on the T, we arrived at Harvard. I called Vicky and she told us to meet her at a place that we had never heard of, so we wandered around for a little bit, and Jorge decided that we should pretend to be prospective international students from Peru, Korea, and China, respectively, and speak absolutely no English. It was kind of funny seeing and hearing all the tourists around marveling at Harvard and taking lots of photos. Of course, most of these people were Chinese. Finally, Vicky decided that we were hopeless and would come to wherever it was we were. As we spoke on the phone, we saw each other and, hanging up the phone, dropping all my bags, I bounded towards her. She did the same, and we hugged in the middle, Korean drama style! Introductions were made, but since Harvard didn't get out for break till Wednesday, VIcky had two midterms to study for and couldn't dawdle with us Amherst delinquents. She let us into her room, which is huge, by the way, gave us some directions, and then took off for the library. After resting for a bit, the three of us explored Cambridge in the freezing cold. I kept leading them in the wrong direction, apparently, and so Brian became the navigator. According to him, it doesn't matter if you're actually going in the right direction; as long as you walk forward purposefully, everyone will follow, which was pretty much true when it came to Jorge and me. At least Brian got us to the right place eventually. We had dinner at Chipotle, where they gave JORGE a two dollar discount on his quesadilla AND a free drink for no stinking reason. NO FAIR. Brian and I shared a burrito, but then we were still hungry, and since Jorge's quesadilla was only four bucks, we decided that we would get one too. But NO, they charged us the same price as a burrito, and when we went to go argue with them, they realized they'd given Jorge all that for free. Grr. It's because he talked to them in Spanish. I know it. No fair. Oh well. It was nice to have Chipotle again for the first time in months!! :)

After that, Jean called and told us that he was visiting his friend at Harvard as well, so we went over to join him and Dang at his friend's dorm. We walked into his friend's dorm and there was another random Amherst person there!! At one point, there were more Amherst kids than Harvard kids in the building... the six of us versus the three of them. It was ridiculous. We hung out with them for a bit, with Jean and Dang showing us the newest dance moves they learned at salsa class. Eventually, we went back to Vicky's and went to bed, with Brian and me sleeping on the futon and Jorge's sleeping in the round sofa chair thing..

It is a futile task trying to rouse Jorge from his sleep. The alarm went off and I, frozen stiff from Brian stealing all three blankets, kicked them both awake. Jorge tossed and turned and then muttered, "Five more minutes!" every time I tried to wake him up. Alas... an hour later, we were finally out the door. Yay! We took the T to Quincy Market, which is gorgeous!! We got there pretty early in the morning, when all the shops were just opening up and there weren't that many people there, and it was just nice to enjoy the peaceful beauty of the place. They had a gigantic decorated Christmas tree, which I loved. It was beautiful and I felt so warm and fuzzy inside. If I ever have kids, they will so have a pretty Christmas tree every year. :) We wandered around the shops, and I bought something for Kathleen and for my mom, and Brian found the most adorable stuffed animal beaver EVER.. it had huge eyes and buck teeth.. so cute! PIty it was eight dollars and I refused to buy it or let him buy it. By this time, we were hungry, so we went into the interminable food stalls and wandered around them all twice, searching for the cheapest possible deal in the already expensive place. I ended up just getting a burger, which was the most reasonably priced thing. Brian had a clam chowder bread bowl, which was delicious, and Jorge, as ALWAYS, had chicken fingers with fries. He couldn't finish them because he'd eaten a sandwich earlier in the morning, so he put the two remaining chicken fingers in his now empty boba cup and carried it around. He wanted a plastic bag to put it in so he didn't look like a weirdo, and there was a plastic bag at the feet of a table of men two tables away from us, and Jorge wanted to wait until they left to snatch it from them. Too bad for him. They never did.

I wanted to see the harbour, but we couldn't really figure out which way that was, but en route, while crossing the street, I saw the TA for my seminar walk across the street. I grabbed Brian and said, "OH MY GOODNESS!! That's Jakob!! The TA for my seminar!!!"
"Which one?" as Jakob was walking with about five other people.
"The guy with the hat and the jeans!!"
Brian stared at me incredulously, "Which one?!?! They're all wearing jeans and a hat!!!"
And by that time, you couldn't see Jakob anymore, and Brian spent the next twenty minutes tormenting me about how almost every single guy walking on the streets of Boston was wearing jeans and a hat, which, in reality, they were. Grr.

We then took the Freedom Trail and searched for the spot where the Boston Massacre took place, to no avail. Jorge then took us to the Holocaust Memorial, which was just about the most depressing memorial I've ever been to. I had tears in my eyes by the end of it. Jorge then proceeded to "recreate photos." He basically made me stand at an exact distance from some pose that he'd taken a picture at the last time he'd visited Boston. That night, he showed us the old picture and compared it to the new one to see how he changed.

We made our way to Boston Common, which was really beautiful despite the leafless trees. From the distance, we saw an outdoor skating rink with lots of children and adults skating around, a la the scene in "Serendipity." I dragged Jorge and Brian over, as ice skating ranks up there in my favourite things, but sadly, it cost too much. Jorge refused to go on anyway, ranting about how he was going to fall. We stood there and watched the kids of all ages, the lovers, and the parents skating round and round, the laughter and the happy shrieks resounding in the air. I love ice skating!!
Behind the rink, we found a pile of artificial snow, and the chaos ensued. Brian and Jorge started attacking each other while I documented it with Jorge's camera. Brian then started attacking me, and despite my freezing hands, I tried to fight back. It didn't work. I either missed completely or Brian would catch the snowball and throw it back at me. So not cool. After an hour of that and then playing with an extremely friendly squirrel that I think Jorge got a picture of, we ran into the closest Starbucks for warmth and refuge. Hot chocolate is good. :)

We met up with Jean and Dang in the CVS in Chinatown, which was slightly sketchy. Jorge bought contact solution while Dang and I took pictures. :) Jorge and Brian kept trying to get me to talk to people in Chinese. Grr. We eventually ate at a quasi-Chinese restaurant, which wasn't very good but still better than Amherst standards. And at the one meal where Jorge cannot order chicken figures, he orders sweet and sour chicken... sigh. Hopeless. We wandered around and made it to a Chinese supermarket, where Jorge, of all people, went on a shopping spree of Asian food products. Brian and I merely stared at Asian food products and salivated... but NO! I can make it another two weeks! I did buy Vicky a box of Happy Panda to thank her for her lovely hospitality, though.

We got back to Harvard and hung out with Vicky, who is as wonderful and funny as ever! We met up with her in Annenburg, their dining hall, which is INSIDE A CATHEDRAL. WHAT THE HECK!! And what's even more unfair? On weekdays, they always have study break/snacktime at their dining hall at night, so you can go there to get snacks and sustenance. VAL closes on us at 7:30 and forces us to starve or spend money!! Not cool!
Back in her room, Vicky showed us hilarious videos, performed on the bass guitar I never knew she played, and laughed in her wonderful, Vicky way! She still had homework to do however, and so gave us her computer. Efrem started talking to her on gchat, and she told me to talk to him. However, I only had the chance to greet him before the computer was ruthlessly commandeered away from me by Jorge and Brian, who then proceeded to hit on him in Spanish and English. Grr. In my name. GRR. Vicky must set things right!! I was half asleep at this time and not inclined to forcibly remove the computer from their clutches. Our sleeping arrangement was pretty hilarious, and I can't wait for Vicky to post the pictures. Brian and Jorge slept vertically on the futon, with half of their bodies on it and their legs falling off, and I slept perpendicular to them, with my head and shoulders on the futon and the rest of me on the sofa chair. It was actually really comfortable. And warm, since Brian couldn't steal the blankets. Jorge went to sleep fully dressed, and the next morning, again, refused to get up. "Five more minutes" turned into 45 minutes later, and when he finally changed his smelly clothing, he went back to sleep.

We left after writing Vicky a lovely note of thanks and set off for the love of Brian's life, Fenway Park. It was pouring rain though and Fenway is closed, so he didn't really get to see it. :( We then walked around DRENCHED in the rain in search of Lollicup, which Jorge really wanted. He called his sister who used to go to BU and we finally found it. He went into Lollicup while Brian and I went into the restaurant next door to eat and wait for him. Jorge comes in and tells me, "Elaine, there's a guy in Lollicup that's wearing a shirt that says, 'Troy High Wrestling.'" Astonished, I think back to who could be wearing that... and my only conclusion was Ben Park. So I walk awkwardly into Lollicup and LO! There's Ben Park!! We talked for a little bit about how small the world is, and then I set back out.. we walk in the pouring rain for more until we finally got onto the T to go to Milton to meet Heather, my mom's friend, who was giving us a ride back to Amherst.
We had to wait for her to pick up her daughter, so we awkwardly sought refuge in the Bank of America across the street from the T station... the security guard kept casting us sketchy looks... probably thought we were going to rob the bank with all our luggage.

We eventually made it back to Amherst and after eating, collapsed from exhaustion.
Yesterday, I introduced Brian to the lovely "Juno," which is only the first phase of his cultural education. He hasn't seen 75% of Disney movies!! or any other movies that aren't action movies!!! What is this madness!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!! I will be eating lots of food tomorrow and not today, and I kind of miss home, but at least I have Brian here to keep my lovely company. To continue my annual tradition:

I'm Thankful For...
-Valentine Dining Hall: In my week without Val, I retract all complaints and evil mutterings I have uttered against this holy vessel. My apologies, Val. Please feed me again.
-Brian: the most amazing person ever who I hope gets over his present sickness soon! Despite his lack of exposure to Disney movies, he really is one of the nicest people I've ever met. Thank you to Brian for always taking care of me and understanding my fits and moods, and for always keeping me warm, even if it means only wearing one glove and holding my hand with the other.
-my dad: He who never ceases to grill me on Chinese. :) My daddy who has already listed all the things he's going to cook when I get home and who I miss immensely, even if it means a restriction of freedom.
-Kathleen: Even if I'm currently not speaking to her because she went to the Backstreet Boys concert without me, she's still my bestest friend ever. She sends me pretty postcards, and we always pick right back up from where we left off, regardless of time and distance apart.
-Shannon: the best roommate I could ask for who is just as nosy as I am and always speaks the truth.
-Camille: My other "roommate" who brightens up the room with her smile and lets us make fun of her Minnesotan accent.
-Shayne: Always brightens up my day with his witty remarks and his essays. :) And then he told me that he missed me, which, from Shayne, means a lot. And he's still the only person who understands my history/Tolkien/Celtic love!!
-Liverpool Football Club for always entertaining me :)
-Jen for always calling and making me smile with her updates on life
-the crazy occupants of South College, especially first floor... from our daily dinners to our Apples to Apples games
-Matthew for making me laugh like no one else can and somehow still being my friend
-Royston for always reading this and being happy nowadays! :)
-Sarah and Vicki for their random texts
-Andy for his awesome blog posts
-Everyone else at home that I can't wait to see!
-dental floss for getting stuff out of my teeth... it's really frustrating, even if I hate flossing

I know I've missed a billion things, and please don't be hurt if you're not explicitly on the list... I still love you and I'm just in a hurry to get to dinner at the moment!! Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I'm in my room horribly disgusted with the state of mankind right now. Since 3/4 of the dorm has left for home already and the rest are planning to leave except for a few (including me), we were all laying around relaxing. All the guys were playing video games and Camille and I were reading our respective books: "The Time Traveler's Wife" and "The Accordionist's Son" on the couches. My book is about the Basques and the Spanish Civil War and I'm laying there reading about the utter cruelty and violence that occurred, with the local priest screaming at the Fascists that they hadn't killed enough people and to "finish them all off," dragging innocent people out of their homes and shooting them. Women started cleaning up the blood and the captain told them not to because he wanted the new recruits for his army to stand in the blood of the dead!
And as I'm reading this, all I hear in the background are shots being fired every four seconds in their stupid James Bond video game. RAWR!!
WAR IS BAD!!!!!

Oh the joys and woes of a newspaper!

Yesterday, after class ended at around 1, I ate at Val per usual and then read Vaclav Havel's essay for history for about an hour. Then, at 3:10 PM, I set off, took pictures of a science building that we had article on (renovation) and by 3:20, was sitting in front of a computer in the newspaper office. Oh how I love and loathe InDesign at the same time. By 5:30, I went to dinner because I had to attend a lecture at 7:30 (and it was going to be packed so I had to get there early) because I was writing an article on it that was going in the paper that night. The lecture was by Dennis Ross, who served in the Reagan, George HW Bush, and Clinton Administration as a Middle East envoy, and was Obama's chief advisor on the Middle East during the campaign and now figures to be high up in the administration. It was really, really good, though slightly biased. Camille, Kuhuk, and I got there twenty minutes early, and it was already more than half full. I brought my laptop with me and sat there transcribing the entire lecture, which was not only very difficult and tiresome, but also earned me unceasing dirty looks from a bunch of people around me. Did they think that I WANTED to sit there and type as fast as I possibly could to catch every word? Did they think that I wanted to sit there knowing that I had to crank out a huge article immediately after? GRR!! Especially these adults who were probably from town who were sitting around us who had the gall to actually question me and give me death looks. WHATEVER.

If anyone would like to read the six page transcript, you're welcome to it.
The lecture was very educational and very fascinating, as he talked about possible ways the Obama administration could bring about peace in the Middle East. He addressed Iraq, Iran, Syria, and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and really revealed a lot of layers and aspects we the public never consider. However, in the Q&A session afterwards, some people began asking questions that represented the Palestinian side of the argument. How can the US claim to be an unbiased mediator in the conflict when we give billions of dollars in money and arms to Israel every year? People began becoming hostile, and at one point, after one slightly-deranged, hysterical woman started shrieking anti-Israel accusations, they began booing loudly. I understand that, but then after that, a student, one who was legitimately called upon by Ambassador Ross, asked another pro-Palestinian question, half of the audience started booing halfway through his question. That is absolutely ridiculous. I understand that the event was partially sponsored by Hillel, the Jewish group on campus, and that Amherst is something like 1/3 Jewish, but that makes it even worse. It just shows what a long way we have to go in this whole peace process. If students in a lecture hall can't even listen to each other because of their own beliefs and roots, then how can the actual people living in that situation? I was so ashamed of what happened. And what was worse was that the ambassador skirted around the issue. He did not directly address the Palestinian side, something that the entire nation doesn't as well, which is ridiculous.

I ran back to my room afterwards, grabbed my cable so I could upload the photos I very sneakily took of Dennis Ross. NOT BECAUSE PHOTOS WERE FORBIDDEN, BUT BECAUSE THE STUPID PEOPLE AROUND ME KEPT GLARING AT ME. Mind your own damn business. I wasn't even using flash. I need a press pass or something so they stop giving me death stares, like this one old man who actually waited for me to look up so he could fix me with his death glare. I interviewed Camille about her thoughts on the lecture, and then ran to the office to actually write.

I also called Amal, an international student from Palestine who I knew was there, and asked her what she thought because I thought it would be really fascinating to hear from someone who actually lived in that environment, one I could never even imagine. She was really angry with the lecture and basically said that Americans are being robbed of information and that we are never informed on the Palestinian side. People always undermine the Palestinian struggle because they marginalize them and think that they'll be happy with things like the elimination of checkpoints and do not understand that the Palestinians want security and livelihood as well. They are murdered and bombed every day as well and don't even have the means to protect themselves that the Israelis have.

I sat there and cranked out a 2000 word article in about an hour and a half and then started working on layout. I was rather annoyed when my article was sent to an editor who was in the office earlier yelling about how pro-Palestinian people shouldn't be allowed in those lectures because I knew he'd try to change the wording in my article about those questions. And yup, he did. So I took out some of the adjectives he added so that it fit my original message, which was definitely not a condemnation of the Palestinian questions.

If anyone wants to, they can read the article at:
http://amherststudent.amherst.edu/current/news/view.php?year=2008-2009&issue=10§ion=news&article=01

All in all, with edits and issues that arose in the last minute and all the rest, I stayed there till 4 AM. Yes. Four in the morning. So yesterday, I was awake for 19 hours and spent twelve of them at the newspaper. Yet somehow I still do it. For some reason, I still love doing it, despite the stress and death. Brian, who is a managing editor of arts & living, was done around 11, but he stayed up until I came back to make me feel better. :)

My mom's coming to visit today, which will be... interesting.. I'm sure. Alright. Gotta go to history now!

I can't let a post go by without screaming: OBAMA!!!!!!
We have a TV in our dorm room so we had it on to CNN the whole night while we were doing our homework. My two hopes for the night were (at least in regards to the presidential race): Obama would win (obviously) and California would be the one to clinch it.
Lo and behold! The moment the polls closed in California, CNN projected him as the official winner. We ran out of dorm room screaming (there were about 50 people.. the rest of the dorm) in the common room watching, and we wanted to celebrate with them. But they were watching Jon Stewart's show on the election (don't know if you know him.. comedian) instead of CNN so they hadn't seen the projection, and they didn't understand why we were screaming. We yelled at them to change it to CNN and the entire building ERUPTED!! People started screaming and hugging and jumping up and down and a bunch of people ran into the quad. There were about 200 people on the grass screaming and chanting, "OBAMA! OBAMA!" and later, "WE'RE NOT F***ED!!!"
It was absolutely amazing.. just the amount of happiness and energy out there. I know his presidency won't just magically fix everything, and I really hope that people realize that he won't be able to do everything and that it will be hard and he's not a magician, but just the amount of hope that we have now is amazing. :)

Last week was absolutely insane. I had four papers of some sort due Monday and Tuesday, including a 2000 word feature article! I wrote a feature!!! Isn't that amazing? And starting today, I'm going to be the new managing news editor on the newspaper... This kind of scares me and it's a huge time commitment, so I'm going to start complaining out of love very soon.

It's really scary how the semester is almost over. I feel like I've just gotten here. I'm really frustrated that my dad doesn't want me to take French next semester. I can never get over it. If I don't take it now, I'll spend the rest of my life wanting to take French, and this is the best time to finally do it. Grr. And plus, I want to work in Europe. I know that for a fact, and French is highly useful on the continent. More so than Spanish.

I went into town today with Brian after visiting him at work. The bank doors were locked when we got there, much to our dismay, but we didn't understand it since the ATMs should always be open! And then this other guy wearing a very bright blue beanie came as well and tugged on the doors. He then, brilliantly, stuck his ATM card in the slot that would fit an ATM and acts as a key! Yes, Elaine. You're so smart! But AHA! the first time he did it, the door made a sound but when he pulled, it wouldn't open. But he tried it again, and I pulled and they opened! Teamwork!! which is what he said. :)

We wandered around CVS for a really long time, since Brian couldn't remember what he wanted to buy and thus decided that he was going to walk through every aisle at least twice until he saw it. Alas, he never did, and he kept muttering, "AY!! What did I need to buy? I'm gonna go back to the room and realize what I need and be really mad!!" He hasn't discovered it yet though. Loser.

I have to go to layout in a bit.. hmm..

Quote of the day:
As we're leaving Val, Brian grabs one of the many copies of the yellow pages they have laying there for us to take.
I ask him in my usual shrill demand, "What are you doing?? What could you possibly need the Yellow Pages for??"
Brian (in his version of the story) flips open the Yellow Pages randomly and reads off the first thing he says, "ABORTION!"

Quote of the day:
I was opening a 1920s film on my computer so I could watch it for seminar. I clicked something wrong and all of a sudden, exclaimed, "WHO IS THIS STRANGE MAN ON MY SCREEN???"
Shannon, on the other side of the room, straightening her hair asks, "Is he attractive???"