Hitting Olney Ave Running

Moving back into school is always nice. It's filled with struggle (lifting stuff just sucks), excitement (new digs, new roommates, new year, optimism ensues), and each move-in just seems different in its own right. This one, unsurprisingly, kept with the theme....but was more extreme in every way. I had to lift a HOUSEFUL of stuff and my single is on the THIRD FLOOR so that was a definite struggle. And the excitement of living with my amazing friends and cooking and having my own room and being in the much anticipated townhouse was...well, the stuff dreams are made of, really. And this time around was probably the most different because it lasted for a whole week.

Yes, this week of getting settled and preparing for the year was special. There's no better way to get back into the swing of things than with meetings to prep for club stuff and shopping for final clothing, living, and food touches. OH wait! There was a point to this post (at least one that went beyond restfully reminiscing on a week done good). I did something really, really cool this week! As part of early move-in training for students leading service programs the powers that be scheduled us with meetings, a clean up, and (GASP!) a ropes course.

Now, most people hear ropes course and go "Pish posh, no biggie." But I thought, "Well shit. I have legitimate anxiety about being out of control of the situation. And I don't especially like heights. And I don't like being at the mercy of others (even if they're future Saints). And....I don't know that I can do this." But I had to do it. It was important and I wanted to and Goddammit it's not that big of a deal! So I climbed the poles (heh) and I walked across wooden discs 30 feet in the air and I reached the top of the rock wall. And I pwned. So go me for letting go of control and being all free and unfettered and shit.

Other news:
-Michael Vick sucks
-Drake is Jimmy from Degrassi and I'm still laughing at that
-The New Radicals are cool
-True Blood is amazing
-Project Runway's models don't matter at all...and don't deserve their own show

Yeah, I Cried and So Would You

Today was an epic one. I got a free meal at work since they kind of wasted my time, I completed another day as a truly domestic person, and (most importantly) I finally saw Dear Zachary, the documentary I've been dying to see since January. Now, I knew that it would be sad, I knew that I would likely cry, but I didn't know that it would be....pretty much devastating. The hour and a half I spent in my friend's living room, bleary-eyed over the HD Netflix rental, was likely the saddest experience I can recall in a very long time.
But the thing that gets me most about the film is that it hits you with sad news, angering news, and then it just blows you out of the water in shock. I was seething, depressed, and baffled by the end and I didn't even ever know the people involved. All day I've persistently reverted back to the ever-nagging, film encapsulating question: Why? Now, I don't want to give anything else away, but all I really need to leave off saying is that everyone should see this movie. I wish I could make it a requirement. If nothing else, people need to know that this story happened and some people persisted through it with resilience and strength unparalleled. (Or people need to watch it so I have someone to talk to about it. Either way, I expect to be moved for quite some time because it truly left its mark.)