What if I stayed? What if I just stayed here in Chicago? Griffin's room is empty and up for whoever wants it, I like it here, I'd pay less rent than back home and I have company that actually can talk (no-one should feel offended; this is in reference to my cats). Plus almost all of my roommates have asked me to stay. And it'll only get warmer from now on.
Who here thinks this is a great idea? Who back home gets up on their hind legs at the mere thought of it? Or, also possible - let's not be too self-confident -: who here really thinks I should go? Who back home would be thrilled by my staying on the other side of the ocean?
(It would be kinda sad if no-one reacted to this on the blog, so please everyone who rather emails me instead: go crazy in public!)
Tuesday 26 February 2008
about life, basketball and saying goodbye
It's been silent in Chicago. It's been snowing and thawing, and snowing and frrrreezing. And the night is always grey. Never blue or black. Always grey and forsaken by the stars. Oh right, and the Oscars were on tv last night; some stars there. Not that I watched. I have a life. I guess.
What's up? Not much. We had Romance languages tea on Valentine's day. Amazing and worrying how many people showed up. Amazing because that meant we hadn't made all that delicious food for no-one. Worrying because it confronted us with the fact that linguists don't seem to have a love life. A life we have, though. I guess.
What's up? A lot of sports. Two basketball games last week featuring the Dynasty, the team of roommates Keenan and Kelvin. One game won, one game lost. Both played well. And although the season is over now, the games continue in our living room (see pictures: Kappa Gardens). With the downstairs neighbors as our biggest fans. Or not. No, they have a life. I guess.
What's up? I'm sad. I'm sad because exactly four weeks from now I will be on my plane home. I'm sad because there is so much I still want to do here, but my day doesn't contain 48 hours anymore like it used to. I'm sad because people are the same everywhere and still they touch me more than they realize. No, wait, I'm happy because of that. I'm sad because Griffin (one of my roommates) is leaving tomorrow. No, wait, he's going to be happy back home though, and you can't possibly be sad then. I'm not sad. I have a life.
What's up? Not much. We had Romance languages tea on Valentine's day. Amazing and worrying how many people showed up. Amazing because that meant we hadn't made all that delicious food for no-one. Worrying because it confronted us with the fact that linguists don't seem to have a love life. A life we have, though. I guess.
What's up? A lot of sports. Two basketball games last week featuring the Dynasty, the team of roommates Keenan and Kelvin. One game won, one game lost. Both played well. And although the season is over now, the games continue in our living room (see pictures: Kappa Gardens). With the downstairs neighbors as our biggest fans. Or not. No, they have a life. I guess.
What's up? I'm sad. I'm sad because exactly four weeks from now I will be on my plane home. I'm sad because there is so much I still want to do here, but my day doesn't contain 48 hours anymore like it used to. I'm sad because people are the same everywhere and still they touch me more than they realize. No, wait, I'm happy because of that. I'm sad because Griffin (one of my roommates) is leaving tomorrow. No, wait, he's going to be happy back home though, and you can't possibly be sad then. I'm not sad. I have a life.
Thursday 7 February 2008
live from quote to quote
This past week seems to be most adequately defined in quotes:
"If you say all boys are in the classroom, you don't necessarily mean that only boys are in the classroom. There might also be 2 cats, 14 girls and 1 egg."
"Habits are addictive." (which I subscribe)
"I like big buts and I cannot lie." (which I don't subscribe)
"Chicago is the city of crazy ideas. I'm not sure having huge self-creating swimming-pools at every cross-roads in the middle of winter was one of the better instantiations, however."
"Roargh." (translation: "do the dinosaur")
"Shiiiiiiet..." (while throwing both hands down, letting them cross)
"Come on" (while moving both hands up towards you)
"This relationship is extinct."
"There's cheating and there's cheating."
"So there are gardens on the roof surface of the skyscrapers. Now that is cool, but no-one's allowed to go there, because if you fall down, you might get hurt."
Haiku: "Hippopotamus. Anti-hippopotamus. Annihilation."
"I'm telepathetic." (for the record: not my quote)
"Byebye douche bag!"
"If you say all boys are in the classroom, you don't necessarily mean that only boys are in the classroom. There might also be 2 cats, 14 girls and 1 egg."
"Habits are addictive." (which I subscribe)
"I like big buts and I cannot lie." (which I don't subscribe)
"Chicago is the city of crazy ideas. I'm not sure having huge self-creating swimming-pools at every cross-roads in the middle of winter was one of the better instantiations, however."
"Roargh." (translation: "do the dinosaur")
"Shiiiiiiet..." (while throwing both hands down, letting them cross)
"Come on" (while moving both hands up towards you)
"This relationship is extinct."
"There's cheating and there's cheating."
"So there are gardens on the roof surface of the skyscrapers. Now that is cool, but no-one's allowed to go there, because if you fall down, you might get hurt."
Haiku: "Hippopotamus. Anti-hippopotamus. Annihilation."
"I'm telepathetic." (for the record: not my quote)
"Byebye douche bag!"
Tuesday 5 February 2008
Oops I did it again...
Mia by Gorki, or by Milow, or by me, whichever: it's gonna be a hit in America. Or at least in Chicago. Or definitely in the Green Mill. Hell, it already is!
Last Saturday two of my friends from Belgium, Monika and Joris, voluntarily underwent the nine-hour flight from Brussels to O'Hare, Chicago, just to visit me for a week - and in the meanwhile have a look at my new hometown, since they're here anyway. So what better place to take them to than the Green Mill? With Mark Smith - so what! -, the legend that became a man, as host and a - not so cramped - vintage Jazz bar as setting, our Superbowl Sunday couldn't possibly need anything else. (Before anyone starts freaking out: there was a small tv-screen near the entrance showing America's favorite game). Anti-Superbowl Poetry Slam, here we go!
Apparently they like Belgians there, because our kind was endowed with the honorable duty of judging the poems, again. Apparently they love Belgians there, because Mark Smith called me onto the stage, again. To sing "Mia", both in Dutch and in English, again. And they recorded it (together with the rest of the evening, but still...)! Little girls leave their marks, and they leave them good. :-)
We even made it to the newspaper! The Chicago Tribune of Monday February 4, 2008 contains a picture of the Poetry Slam at the Green Mill and we're on it. Well, at least you can almost distinguish our good looks in the black silhouettes if you look very closely. And no, we're not obsessed by the media. Where are those paparazzi when you need them? ;-)
Note: Pictures are freely available here: http://picasaweb.google.com/superpurr/IMGonnaBeAStar. Requests for autographs can be send to my email address and may or may not be complied with. "Don't be too big for your shoes, girly"-emails will be considered as spam and will therefore be ignored. :-)
Last Saturday two of my friends from Belgium, Monika and Joris, voluntarily underwent the nine-hour flight from Brussels to O'Hare, Chicago, just to visit me for a week - and in the meanwhile have a look at my new hometown, since they're here anyway. So what better place to take them to than the Green Mill? With Mark Smith - so what! -, the legend that became a man, as host and a - not so cramped - vintage Jazz bar as setting, our Superbowl Sunday couldn't possibly need anything else. (Before anyone starts freaking out: there was a small tv-screen near the entrance showing America's favorite game). Anti-Superbowl Poetry Slam, here we go!
Apparently they like Belgians there, because our kind was endowed with the honorable duty of judging the poems, again. Apparently they love Belgians there, because Mark Smith called me onto the stage, again. To sing "Mia", both in Dutch and in English, again. And they recorded it (together with the rest of the evening, but still...)! Little girls leave their marks, and they leave them good. :-)
We even made it to the newspaper! The Chicago Tribune of Monday February 4, 2008 contains a picture of the Poetry Slam at the Green Mill and we're on it. Well, at least you can almost distinguish our good looks in the black silhouettes if you look very closely. And no, we're not obsessed by the media. Where are those paparazzi when you need them? ;-)
Note: Pictures are freely available here: http://picasaweb.google.com/superpurr/IMGonnaBeAStar. Requests for autographs can be send to my email address and may or may not be complied with. "Don't be too big for your shoes, girly"-emails will be considered as spam and will therefore be ignored. :-)
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