16 October 2000
So I just lifted weights, then went to yoga class, then came home and ate a third of a pint of Haagen Dazs. Is that amusing to anyone else but me? I remind myself of this guy I saw years ago in the express lane at Pick 'N Save, buying a 20oz. Diet Coke and an 8-pack of ice cream Drumsticks.
The results that have come of the past month of working out are motivating me into a full-on fitness binge-- now that I can see some new muscle definition, I want to keep it coming. My hope is that my motivation will be maintained by working at Ye Olde Sweat Shoppe. One of these years I'm going to have to determine an actual goal to keep me healthy and exercising; after awhile the novelty of muscles has got to wear off.
Coming Out Week was done as of the wee hours of Saturday morning, and truly not a moment too soon. Having all those events AND the preparations for the Creating Change conference going on simultaneously and so close to the start of the semester was absurdly stressful. I've kind of bottomed out when it comes to energy for QU persuits-- I'm ready to start handing off the torch, as it were, to the next co-chairs.
Actually, it will be good to have some time to pass on what I know to the new people; one of the fundamental problems of student organizations is that since their leadership changes abruptly every year, new people must figure out how to do everything all over again, which is an astounding waste of energy. Even a school as small as Macalester has it's red tape, and learning to navigate it all is exhausting. Today for example, I found out (for the first time, no less) that it is necessary to have three signatures to be reimbursed, say, five bucks from a student organization's account. THREE! It's almost easier to give up and forget your five bucks rather than find all the necessary signers.
Enough of that stuff. I don't even want to think about it. I'm not really feeling very invested in Macalester and Saint Paul lately-- Anne and I have decided to move to Seattle after graduation, and it's much easier and more relaxing to hold that out as something to which I can look forward. The very idea of being removed from an academic context for a year, just having a job that I like and meeting new people and exploring a new city, is incredibly appealing when things get stressful around here. I know moving across the country is not without its hassles, but I'm ready for a new scene. I feel really 'done' with Macalester, like I've gotten nearly everything I can out of my time here.
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Latest CD acquisition:
Samuel Barber: Leontyne Price Sings...
This one has been on my "to buy" list for several years, but it kept on losing out to flashier/more transitory contemporary music. Barber has such an incredible feel for melody- his are pleasing and lyric yet rythmically unexpected- and vocal songs are great showcase for that talent. I have to say that at times Price's voice has a bit too much vibrato for my taste and, dare I say, the style of the music, but the dynamic spectrum she imparts to the songs makes up for it. Sadly, the original recording was made back in 1968, so the sound quality doesn't do justice to the performers. A good buy nonetheless; it has been in steady rotation in my CD player for the week since I've received it.