In the city
Jun. 15th, 2004 04:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fredericksJust returned from a trek to Manhattan to get some school paperwork done. I'm not used to the big school run-around at all. Brown's spoiled me severely. It would seem that I have my FAFSA (Federal Aid Form) all completed and I'm officially considered an independent (from my parents - yay being 24!), but because I have a degree already I don't qualify for grants. Which means, basically, more loans. I might have joked about having to give up a child to the government before, but as my debt to Uncle Sam piles up it seems more and more likely. And I still have to run around and get some additional paperwork handed in to Hunter's financial aid office ASAP so I can hold the classes I register for. Since I wasn't called back for the Geico gig I'm not so worried about fixing my schedule so I can be done by 2PM. I surmised that evening classes are all that are left when I glanced at the class openings online. I'm feeling the necessary anatomy/physiology, organic chem, and maybe italian and spanish. Who knows? Well, I *should* know, seeing as I need to pick these things on Thursday. Ack.
Made arrangements to meet up with an aunt downtown afterwards for lunch, requiring riding of the subway. It always amuses me how people studiously avoid eye contact when on a rush hour train. We're all jammed in this thing - I'm standing against the door bracing myself on the nearest bit of ceiling because handholds are at a minimum - and everyone is looking out into space, or trying their darnest to read those ridiculous ads found along the siding over and over again, just in case they missed the point the first time around. A train full of beautiful people and everyone's trying to pretend they're alone. Typical. I played right along. Story of my life.
Anyway, said aunt works right at the World Trade. Or, rather, close to where it used to be. Her office actually used to be *in* the World Trade, but after the bombing a few years back they prudently moved it out to a nearby building. This was the first time I'd seen the site upclose since 9/11, and I was struck by how massive everything was. Sounds idiotic, but when you see it all on television you're stuck with a 13 (or however large your TV may be) inch perspective on the matter, no matter how empathetic you may be. I remember treking through the shopping center in the basement of the buildings, meeting Tad Williams in the Borders, buying chocolate from the Godivas, and now all that remains is lots of scaffolding and dust. She (my aunt) told me that it's hard for her to traverse the rebuilding site day in and say out, seeing as everything she remembered is gone. I mentioned that, well, they are *rebuilding*, and although it is depressing and a reminder of what happened it's also sort of a message of hope. She told me that it's different for someone that had to live through the events, quickly shutting me up.
During our lunch we discussed plans of me possibly moving in with her. She told me she'd been thinking about renovating her basement into an apartment, and I said I was game. I just hadn't told my mother about the plans yet. For some reason I feel like she'd get really upset about the matter. I'm hedging. Awkward moment: we were sitting next to a very annoying very loud table of businessmen. One of them mentioned the fact that his father died of stomach cancer and that if his father had just had regular check-ups once he hit 40 they might have detected it in time. My aunt's husband died of stomach cancer as well. Recently. Painful reminder. But we both just continued with our lunch as if we'd heard nothing.
I'm here, having to fill out online forms and write up notes to various departments, and all I feel like doing is taking a nap. Hmm. Not so good.
Right. Some things that struck me as interesting that I read while on the trains today:
-It would seem that Trent's (NIN) working on a new album entitled Bleed Through, which he's quoted in this month's Spin as saying there will be "no chords. Anywhere." Now, I know I'm going to buy this thing, but chords? Trent? They're not overrated. Not in the least. And I can't believe it's been five years since "Into the Void" came out. Sweet Bejesus. I also can't believe it's been about 8 months since I've listened to it. Who would have thought that I wouldn't be in a NIN mood in 8 months? Must remedy that immediately.
-The Daily News (tagline - "Hey, at least we're not The Post") reports that Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger have a makeout scene in the upcoming movie "Brokeback Mountain" (okay, the title? too much. I'm trying so very very hard to restrain myself). AND (fuckin' AND) there's a graphic sex scene between the two in the script of the movie. Alright (those of a prudish nature should probably look away from the screen...NOW), I likes me the boy/boy (and girl/girl, and, to a lesser extent, girl/boy) action onscreen, but usually only if it does something to advance the plot (like the sex scene in "Bound" gave us a foundation for the Corky/Violet bond). But in this case I'm willing to make a damned exception. W00t!!!!!!1
There's more, but I suddenly lost my train of thought.
Made arrangements to meet up with an aunt downtown afterwards for lunch, requiring riding of the subway. It always amuses me how people studiously avoid eye contact when on a rush hour train. We're all jammed in this thing - I'm standing against the door bracing myself on the nearest bit of ceiling because handholds are at a minimum - and everyone is looking out into space, or trying their darnest to read those ridiculous ads found along the siding over and over again, just in case they missed the point the first time around. A train full of beautiful people and everyone's trying to pretend they're alone. Typical. I played right along. Story of my life.
Anyway, said aunt works right at the World Trade. Or, rather, close to where it used to be. Her office actually used to be *in* the World Trade, but after the bombing a few years back they prudently moved it out to a nearby building. This was the first time I'd seen the site upclose since 9/11, and I was struck by how massive everything was. Sounds idiotic, but when you see it all on television you're stuck with a 13 (or however large your TV may be) inch perspective on the matter, no matter how empathetic you may be. I remember treking through the shopping center in the basement of the buildings, meeting Tad Williams in the Borders, buying chocolate from the Godivas, and now all that remains is lots of scaffolding and dust. She (my aunt) told me that it's hard for her to traverse the rebuilding site day in and say out, seeing as everything she remembered is gone. I mentioned that, well, they are *rebuilding*, and although it is depressing and a reminder of what happened it's also sort of a message of hope. She told me that it's different for someone that had to live through the events, quickly shutting me up.
During our lunch we discussed plans of me possibly moving in with her. She told me she'd been thinking about renovating her basement into an apartment, and I said I was game. I just hadn't told my mother about the plans yet. For some reason I feel like she'd get really upset about the matter. I'm hedging. Awkward moment: we were sitting next to a very annoying very loud table of businessmen. One of them mentioned the fact that his father died of stomach cancer and that if his father had just had regular check-ups once he hit 40 they might have detected it in time. My aunt's husband died of stomach cancer as well. Recently. Painful reminder. But we both just continued with our lunch as if we'd heard nothing.
I'm here, having to fill out online forms and write up notes to various departments, and all I feel like doing is taking a nap. Hmm. Not so good.
Right. Some things that struck me as interesting that I read while on the trains today:
-It would seem that Trent's (NIN) working on a new album entitled Bleed Through, which he's quoted in this month's Spin as saying there will be "no chords. Anywhere." Now, I know I'm going to buy this thing, but chords? Trent? They're not overrated. Not in the least. And I can't believe it's been five years since "Into the Void" came out. Sweet Bejesus. I also can't believe it's been about 8 months since I've listened to it. Who would have thought that I wouldn't be in a NIN mood in 8 months? Must remedy that immediately.
-The Daily News (tagline - "Hey, at least we're not The Post") reports that Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger have a makeout scene in the upcoming movie "Brokeback Mountain" (okay, the title? too much. I'm trying so very very hard to restrain myself). AND (fuckin' AND) there's a graphic sex scene between the two in the script of the movie. Alright (those of a prudish nature should probably look away from the screen...NOW), I likes me the boy/boy (and girl/girl, and, to a lesser extent, girl/boy) action onscreen, but usually only if it does something to advance the plot (like the sex scene in "Bound" gave us a foundation for the Corky/Violet bond). But in this case I'm willing to make a damned exception. W00t!!!!!!1
There's more, but I suddenly lost my train of thought.
