What Kind of Week Has It Been
Oct 1, 2003 · 1 minute read
Ann Coulter is delivering a talk at UNC on Wednesday. That makes as much sense as Enoch Powell hosting a talk in Harlem, or Bill Clinton being the keynote speaker at the Conservative Party Conference. Still, I’m tempted to go, just to see if she gets out alive.
Spent this afternoon in the Pit. Hurrah! I got my Pit Preacher experience again. I think this was one of the same ones that I saw earlier this year, one of the more reasonable ones. We had some good discussions on the historical accuracy of the Gospels, although I think he was on dicey ground when he tried to convince us that Gandhi was in Hell because he wasn't a Christian. Not wishing to get all Godwin on his ass, I didn't ask about the current location of Hitler. Then somebody brought up evolution. I wish they wouldn't, as it it inevitably leads to a forty-five minute discussion that goes nowhere. The guy has been doing this for years now; he has a veritable truckload of anti-evolution rhetoric and arguments. And. He. Will. Use. Them. All. Meanwhile, most of us don't seem to be Biology majors, so we can't really argue back. I agree that the Theory of Evolution has a few problems, which is probably why it's still a Theory. On the other hand, I can't accept the Creationist line of "God clicked hir fingers, and it was all there. Don't ask questions!", as it makes everything far too simple.
I have to admire the guy, actually. I don't agree with a lot of what he says, but he's been doing this for years, and he seems like quite a nice person (the best part of the afternoon was when he was talking about his children, rather than preaching). Anyway, I left as the evolution debate threatened to stretch out into its second half hour.
After this morning’s latest installment of “Ian should really think about things before he opens his mouth, so as to avoid potentially embarrassing situations which he could have easily averted if he had engaged his brain”, I went to the Carrboro Music Festival, with it being the right day for it and everything.
I love this place. They close down the main street of Carrboro, set up open-air concerts, open all the music venues, plus they have a big blue train. Do not underestimate the appeal of a big blue train, especially one driven by a crazy madman who likes driving in circles and chasing people down the street.
The music itself was wide and eclectic, varying from bluegrass to avant-garde jazz, African storytellers to Russian folk, white noise to melodic pop. And the whitest band ever performing Sly and The Family Stone's "Thank You (For Letting Me Be Myself)", which was much better than you would have expected. I finally discovered where the Go! concert venue was (funnily enough, there's a big sign on the front that says GO, but I must have missed that when walking past it for an entire year); it was a lot smaller than I expected, but it gets by due to the nice floppy sofas it has in the raised section, and for placing the toilets on either side of the stage, rather than, say, at the back.
Yesterday, random people were shouting my name and waving hello from a car. Today, I bumped into Ryan from the new UNITAS floor (I met him on Friday night during a very drunken game of electric taboo), and we wandered around the festival together for a little while. He pointed out a stall where a man was making stunning drawings by just using spraypaint, and only taking about ten-fifteen minutes to boot. It was pretty amazing.
I decided to leave after they reopened the road at six. The big blue train could no longer run free along the road, and it felt as if the heart of the festival had gone (I really liked the train, ok?). Plus, I wanted to get back before it got dark. Hey ho.
Oh, and from last night: we got bhangra mix CDs to take home. The quick KLF masterclass if you want to repeat the success of Mundian To Bach Ke: 1. find a nice, uptempo bhangra beat. Preferably with vocals. 2. Locate an a cappella section in a fairly popular Western song, e.g. parts of SNAP's "You Got The Power". 3. Apply ProTools. Hurrah! International fame is now within your grasp (offer void where applicable).
Okay, could someone explain why when I get really drunk, I decide that the best thing to do in the circumstance is to start reciting T.S. Eliot poems? It’s rather strange…
Yesterday, I decided I'd go and check out the Carrboro Music Festival, a big event with over 200 bands. I walked in to town, all the way to Carrboro, to discover that I had got the date wrong - it's actually today. Felt rather dumb. But! I shall be going along today.
I suppose the big event last night was the bhangra party at some random person's house. Sadly, the police got called fairly early on for noise control, so it was a little subdued, but fun nonetheless. I even bumped into a girl from London (and Laura was convinced that a guy from South Carolina was also English, but she was, how shall we say, a little tipsy at this point). Once again, there was a lot of drink involved. Still hangover-free though.
Today is a new day…let's make it precious.
Okay. There was vodka. Ever-so-slightly stronger than Sona and I imagined. Of course, by the time we discovered this, it was already too late. There then followed a period of dancing. Be grateful that you didn’t see the sight of a white boy attempting to dance to bhangra music (not that I did any better with the more traditional songs, either, but anyway)…
It turns out that Hungry Hungry Hippos is an excellent activity to while away the evening. The strategy! the tension! The furious pounding, resulting in the death of a poor hippo’s jaw! It is the game of kings. Or is it horse-racing? I can never remember. I think HHH would be a better game for world leaders though. Get Bush, Blair, Schroeder and Chirac around for a few games, I’m sure the world’s troubles would be ironed out (although I’ll guess that Mr. Bush would object to being the pink one).
Yesterday nicely divided into two halves; the sucky early/day part where my blisters and shoulders finally cried enough, and I had to spend most of the afternoon inside as I simply couldn't walk any further, and a most enjoyable evening involving watching the Friends premiere at a friend of Laura's, followed by the aforementioned Hungry Hippos tournament (I still suck, by the way), and then I went out with Sona, Kavi, and Parthe. A good time was had by all. Even if everybody took it in turns to mock my speech patterns. I can't help talking like a stuffy English person! Sadly, it's what I am 8-). (I protest a little too much here. It's fun to be the "mad foreigner" again)
A question: when you have blisters on your little toes that are almost as big as the toes themselves, is it a bad thing?
One small word. And yet it makes a world of difference.
Ow.
Ow.
Ow.
With their bushy tails and scheming eyes.
In celebration of my first day back at Chapel Hill...I walked to Carrboro. There's nothing quite like settling back into a routine. And, yes, Bonnie, the shop is still has the howitzer on sale.
It hasn't changed too much, although I've only been away five months, so I wouldn't expect it to look vastly different. A few shops have come and gone, half the university appears to be undergoing renovation, and Carmichael is still hidden behind road works.
I've been bumping into a few people around campus. It was quite fun walking through Sitterson Hall, going past people I taught last year, and seeing the slightly confused looks on their faces. I had quick word with Janet Jones, the Graduate Student Services Manager, who gave me a lot of help and advice last year, for which I'm extremely grateful. Then I ran into Sona (almost literally, as I was doing my "off in a little dreamworld all of my own" walk through the campus), and had lunch with him. Haven't managed to meet up with Kavita yet, but I imagine it won't be too long.
****PSA****
This may be protesting a little too much, but I want it on the record: my knowing that Britney Spears has a new record out in the next few months is simply a result of reading the music press. I do not endorse Ms. Spears or her products.
****PSA****
Right, off back to the Pit to see if any scary religious guys will be turning up this afternoon…