:: Pedantic Platitudes ::

:: Thursday, June 01, 2006 ::

On Tuesday, I started the day by having lunch with a friend, who talked to me about Christianity. It was an interesting conversation, but it didn't really change my mind about religion. Afterwards, I spent some time with some other friends, watched videos from parties from previous years, and chatted. I then went to get a haircut to look nice for graduation next week. I then went to the MAC, where I ran for a mile and did some general exercise.

At night, I met up with some friends and had dinner. We then went to the Harvard Square theater to watch The Da Vinci Code. I hadn't read the book, so I enjoyed the movie simply as a summer blockbuster thriller. I liked the movie a lot because I am a fan of treasure hunt/mystery thriller films. It reminded me of National Treasure, but more serious. I liked all the scenes in Paris and the Louvre because I went there last summer when I was in Europe for the first time. It was cool because I kept noticing in the movie all the places I'd been... like the streets around the Louvre, the glass pyramids outside, the hall with all the Da Vinci paintings, the Mona Lisa, etc. I remember when I was at the Louvre that lots of tourists were carrying copies of The Da Vinci Code, trying to see all the artwork and locations that were mentioned in the book. Even the sketchy park where the drug dealers were in the movie... the friend with whom I stayed while I was in Paris actually lives a few blocks from that park, and even though the park is sketchy, the neighborhood where my friend lives is actually really nice and upscale.

I don't think I've shared these before, but here are some pictures I took last summer when I was at the Louvre of things that I think appeared in the movie:











Watching The Da Vinci Code was particularly interesting because of my conversation earlier in the day with my super-Christian friend, who tried to impart to me the importance of Jesus Christ as the "son of god." I told her that while I agree that he was a real historical figure and that he had some significant, meaningful, and world-changing teachings, I had trouble believing that he was anything more than just a man. The Da Vinci code touched on this theme of whether Jesus was divine or merely a man, and Tom Hanks' character says, "What matters is what you believe." How true. How strangely appropriate.

Yesterday, I had lunch, then went to pick up tickets for myself and my family for graduation events next week. I then rushed to the psychology department and participated in three hour-long psychology studies to make $30 in cash. Yay, money. I had nothing better to do in the afternoon, and it was nice to make some money, considering how much I've been spending this week on food (since we don't get dinner in the dining hall anymore). I then went downtown, hung out, and then went to the school-sponsored senior class "Last Chance Dance," where singles take the chance to hook up with each other sketchily on the dance floor. Because I am pure and innocent, there were no such dirrrty hookups for me on the dance floor. However, earlier in the day I had run into a former date, and that was extremely awkward.

The DJ at the Last Chance Dance was actually really good. S/he played a great mix of pop/techno/hip hop, and I enjoyed dancing to the music. The lighting in the huge club ("The Roxy") was great, too, and there were great snacks. I had a great time partying. Afterwards, instead of taking a cab back to school, my friends and I decided it was too nice of an evening to waste, so we walked back to campus. It actually only took us one hour to get back, and at our brisk pace, it was probably a 5-mile walk. But it was such a beautiful, clear, warm night that the return trip was well-worth the exertion. Plus it was a good wind-down from the intensity of the dance. When we crossed the bridge over the Charles River on our way back, the view of the Boston skyline was so beautiful in the nighttime, with the water in the foreground. I wish I had my camera with me so I could have taken pictures. For some reason, this view underscored just how little time I have left here in the city. I'm going to miss Boston a lot, having spent so many years here. I can't believe that graduation is so soon and that I'll have to leave all my friends.

Today, I slept in because I was so tired, and then I went to a "luau" at the Quad. Since the dining hall doesn't serve dinner anymore, it was nice to have this free dinner. And what a great dinner it was. There was sweet and sour chicken, coconut rice, pineapple glazed pork, salad with sesame soy dressing, seared mahi mahi, fresh pineapple chunks, and macadamia nut chocolate chip cookies. There were also ice cream sandwiches and Klondike Bars. Yum yum. Best dinner evarrr. I socialized with friends and listened to the god-awful karaoke singers, who sang along to some pretty fun tunes. But then it started raining heavily, so we walked to the theater for the senior talent show.

The talent show featured several students from our class performing a variety of acts, from cultural dances to personally-written pop songs to piano instrumental performances and sing-alongs. It was interesting because some of the people who performed at this senior talent show also performed at the freshman talent show four years ago. It was so full circle. There was also a slide show of images from throughout our four years here. Oh, once again I am reminded of how imminent my departure from this amazing institution is.

After the show, my friends and I went to Uno's pizzeria to get some food. I split the pizza skins appetizer, which was basically like a pizza, as well as the "Chocolate WOW," which was a very rich warm chocolate brownie with lots of chocolate sauce, vanilla ice cream, and whipped cream. I ate so much today. Afterwards, I went to visit my friends, with whom I played Settlers of Catan, an addictive board game. We also chatted a lot.

Tomorrow will be fun fun fun!!! There is a big senior class trip to Six Flags New England, and a lot of my friends are going. We will enjoy amazing roller coasters and hang out with each other! It will also be a strange full circle experience with my friend Kayt because I went to Six Flags with her freshman year, and that was one of our first activities as friends after we first met. We also have this theme park thing going on, since we spent so much time at Walt Disney World during spring break this year. Oh, good times.

Quote(s) of the Day: "Asian is the new Jewish."

"I don't care about what's going on in Afghanistan ... I care about my ORGASM!"

"Do you like them small and perky?" "All you need is a mouthful! I need ice cream."

:: SL 12:40 AM [+] ::
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