amplified to rock
Superchunk
tour dates have been announced. The Chicago show is on November 16 at Metro--which is, conveniently, the first day of my Thanksgiving vacation. I'll see you there,
Quinn.
I am trying to live my life as normally as possible because I really think it's the best response to recent events. Don't get me wrong, I'm still shocked and saddened by everything that's happened, and I still look at my photos of the Manhattan skyline with disbelief, and I still cry when I see family members and friends of victims on the news, holding photos of people they will most likely never see alive again. But I feel the need to go on with things, to do my schoolwork and watch television programs that aren't news, to listen to music and laugh and try to have a good time.
The mood around campus has been noticeably somber for the past couple of days. On Wednesday morning, when I went to my 9 AM class, I noticed that nobody was talking when I walked into the classroom. Everything was silent, everyone sat there staring at the front of the room. When I walked home from the library tonight, campus seemed unusually empty.
Jackie organized a small candlelight vigil last night on the quad. Several of us sat out there quietly for about an hour, then we started talking. And after I talked about how I've been feeling, I felt somewhat better--a little less sensitive, a little less angry, a little further from tears.
I think I am almost back to being myself. This event has changed me somewhat--I think I realize how fragile our lives really can be, and I appreciate what I have a lot more. I'd really like to be more thoughtful, helpful, and generous, because I think that, by being a good person, I can make some small difference in the world. Making a small difference is all that most of us have the ability to do, but it all counts.
Oh, and I need to insert something cranky into my little lovefest here, so here it is: My neighbor is playing Lenny Kravitz VERY LOUD and it's extremely fucking annoying. I consider myself a very tolerant person, but I cannot tolerate having my space invaded by that ungodly cover of "American Woman." He's got some really bizarre music-listening habits--he listens to one song REALLY LOUD and then that's it. No more noise. It's not worth fussing or slamming the door over, but I usually put my own music on loud to cover up his racket. Besides, once winter comes, this won't be an issue at all--I'll be hermetically sealed into my little apartment, safe from Chet-across-the-courtyard's shitty musical taste. The only neighbor-noise I'll ever hear during the winter is the sound of the Chinese couple upstairs talking in their bathroom, and I find that oddly endearing.
On the way home from the
library a few minutes ago, I heard a news report on one of the Chicago AM news radio stations (which I can pick up down here, though they're staticky) that gas prices have increased dramatically over the past several hours due to the terrorist attack. Some towns (they were speaking of Decatur, Shelbyville, and Moweaqua in particular) have reported gas prices as high as $4.50/gallon. It seems that people are panicking and are flocking to gas stations to fill their cars with gas. When I drove past the Amoco on the corner near my apartment complex, the lines of cars extended out into the street, but prices were only up to $1.99/gallon (they were $1.77 when I filled my gas tank on Sunday night). According to the reporters on the radio, there's really no reason for this--though gas prices have risen, they haven't risen dramatically enough to justify the price gouging that's going on.
Since I can't afford to make a financial contribution to the relief efforts, I'm going to make sure I get out to donate blood sometime this week. Any of you other Chambanaites want to go with me? I'll probably head out on Thursday around 3:30, or maybe sometime on Saturday. Let me know.
I dug through the photographs I took last year on my vacation to New York, looking for one particular picture. It's the one that hung on my bulletin board at my old job--a blurry picture of the Manhattan skyline, taken from the Statue of Liberty. It was an unnaturally warm day for early March, but a little cloudy. The World Trade Center sticks out from the middle of the Manhattan skyline like two sore thumbs, towering over all the surrounding skyscrapers.
Ray, Sandra, and I went through the lobby of the building that morning--we got off the subway there and walked out towards the park to catch the ferry to the Statue of Liberty. I remember that it was absolutely teeming with people, all rushing around with things to do, going about their work days.
The fact that it just isn't there any more is scary.
My heart goes out to the friends and families of those who were lost in this horrific incident. It's reminded me that I really need to be thankful, every minute of every day, for the wonderful people who surround me. You honestly never know what could happen. You could wake up one morning--as many did today--to find that your world has entirely changed.
My mother called me this morning at 9 AM. I didn't know it was her when the phone rang, but I got up and answered it anyhow. Of course, my old piece-of-shit phone wasn't working right, so I had to press the talk button about five times before I could answer.
"You probably haven't heard this yet because you've been asleep, but the World Trade Center has been hit by an airplane, and the Pentagon and possibly the White House are on fire. Your father's in the Federal Building, and they're under lockdown. He was in a meeting when this started."
For the past hour, I've been a wreck. This is the sort of thing that many people my age were terrified of as children. I know nothing's happened in downtown Chicago, but I'm scared that something will. I know a lot of people who are working there--my father in the Federal Building, and Tim and Matty in their respective workplaces. (UPDATE: Tim's at home. He called me around 10. The Dirksen Federal Building has been evacuated, so my dad is hopefully safe. I suspect Matty has made it home by now--I should give him a call.) I've been thinking about everyone I know in New York and Washington DC, and I hope everyone is safe. There's already been a tremendous loss of life, and I hope that additional losses can be prevented.
I'll probably be on AIM at some point today if anyone wants to chat. It's just one of those times where I really don't like being alone in a semi-strange town where I don't know too many people.
