Monday's Music of the Moment

Stars

In acknowledgement of finals time, and the need for simple easy to follow rhymes that you can sort of still follow while memorizing the "important" stuff, I'll throw this band out there. I like the sound, the instrumental parts (when you can hear them), and most of the messages that the songs are trying (I think?) to get across; though the second album Set Yourself on Fire is infinitely better then the first (though that's usually the case, isn't it?).

It must be stated for the record, however, I'm desperately looking for some quality emo-like band that doesn't have a song devoted to some broken love affair. Is love and all that jazz important? Sure. Does it need to be in ninety percent of the songs out there? No.

Soft Revolution

And a dream inside our heads

And after changing everything

They couldn't tell we couldn't sing...

And that changes everything

The feminist lurking inside of me

Is more upsetting things happening, or is everything just upsetting me more?

I finished up my philosophy class today; an intro class to logic, something that filled my schedule at 8am three days a week, that I never really had to study for or try real hard because of previous classes taken already addressing the material. It was boring in some parts, in terms of how often the same concept was explained, especially days before tests, and what not, but altogether a pretty easy run. Until today's final.

The last question was detailing how 'Pete' doesn't like to be treated as a child, so therefore he shouldn't treat his wife like one. So I'm going along underlining the premises, as per the directions, and otherwise answering the questions, thinking there are probably a dozen more reasons why this dude shouldn't treat his wife like a child, I come up to the last part: write a counterexample that illustrates a situation where this would not be the case.

Immediately, I shockingly(especially having just diagrammed various other reasons to myself why this would be the case) can't think of anything. Then, as I'm trying just to finish up the test, and tell myself there are plenty of times where I've taken the other side of the argument, and a measly four point question where I do just that, shouldn't be any type of problem for me; I decide that I really don't want to. I don't want to spend any time trying to think up a situation where it would be okay for a guy to treat his wife like a child, because it's not okay. Maybe I'm thinking about this way too much, or not putting the question in context or something; but I feel like that act would always intrinsically be offensive and sexist. And furthermore, (because let's face it, if I'm taking it this far, I might as well go all the way) thirty people thinking about a situation where it would be okay to treat a wife as a child is probably a bad idea. So, just getting more upset really, I just wrote that (not that I didn't want to do the question, though if I hadn't spent the time fuming I probably could have wrote a lot about that too) and that the correct answer is there is no logical example where this would be permissible. And I probably got it wrong, but I feel like the question was wrong also.

I love NYC, and... yes, I think it loves me

This post is extremely delayed in coming, but the semester ending and having to do essentially "make-up" shifts for work (ie, apparently taking one weekend off a month means you have to be able to work everyone else's shift that can't make it for the next five weeks) has left me extremely busy.

But---the Baruch debate tournament was a giant success for everyone (okay! the two active Buffalo debaters!!) on the UB Debate team, and even most of Rochester's team as well. Even more then the technically successful front (I haven't ever made it to semi-finals...), I just had so much fun. Genuine, all out fun. Something that I really had lost, especially last year, and am still brimming with excitement about, even now, weeks latter. I love the stuff we're talking about, cutting our own evidence, and even, not carrying around tubs (though it does pose a slight problem-one expando can only hold so many crazy liberal vegan bumper stickers...).

And to top the debate portion off-we were in New York City, and a half a mile from the nearest all veg place, and so after the last round I googled the nearest place and set off. I went to Curly's Vegetarian Lunch (http://www.curlyslunch.com/)- and was shell shocked with all of my dining options. Seriously, I forgot what it was like to have legitimate dining options. I get excited when I see hummus on a menu so this... was almost to much to take it. The waitress was clearly annoyed with how long I was taking, but I was determined in my fight not to be rushed. Even with the extra time, I think I made a rash decision and ordered the BBQ seitan meal specifically because it had three vegan hush puppies. Oh, they were well worth it though-the only sad thing is I really forget how I don't really eat meals so much anymore, but rather munch on stuff every other hour. Some carrots here, nuts two hours latter, a banana, then some cous-cous. So of course, after I ate the hush puppies I was depressingly full (even though I had thought I had pre-gamed a bit and not ate anything during the last debate), and only nibbled on the wild rice, chili, and the main course. That did not stop me from ordering some cake and taking everything to go and eating it during the rest of the time in the city (as a side note-chili should not be packaged in with anything--it just turns it the whole meal into a big spicy bean mess--a delicious mess; but a mess).

Even with my solitary adventure that filled my vegan tummy up like it hasn't seen in awhile, I was able to make it to the arranged meeting spot fifteen minutes early (which I neurotically view as on time). And then feel incredibly stupid and akward when the bus came twenty minutes latter and no one else had showed up. As the bus driver opened the door and asked me where everyone was (because I would totally be the one that would posess the info where the entire Rochester folk were), it dawned on me what sort of complete dork I was. Here everyone's out partying in the city after a hard but successful day of de-bates, then there is me; holding my vegan cake and Angela Davis book at the pick up location ten minutes early. What is even maybe a bigger testimate is the fact I still think the entire time was well spent. C'est la vie.