2004-08-07 - 11:53 p.m.
It's been a while since I've updated. In the meantime, Josh was here for a little fun and games in Minnesota. I was glad that my folks got the chance to meet him, as I'll be living with him this year.
Speaking of which, we got a great apartment in Columbus that's only 5 blocks or so from campus. I'm hoping it'll be great; there may be some issues with such things as maintenance and general house appliances and electrical and gas and water and parking and these sorts of things... but I think the location and the price and the size of the place balance out all of these potential downpoints.
While Josh was in Minnesota he hooked up with a former friend of his whom he met through some kind of Wisconsin church camp, and we met her husband and went to a baseball game with them and TJ and Amber. Also we went to the News Room beforehand sans chick and her husband. Rachel! That's her name. The Twins kicked ass, and something I didn't realize previously is that there's the world's largest milk jug in the metrodome! (?) It lights up when people hit a homerun, or other great and super things happen. I'm quite fond of it. I like ridiculous gimmicks.
We also went to Mystic Lake, and although Josh and I only did so-so, Dad won about $800 playing blackjack. We decided Josh's new name is 16, because he got an inordinate amount of 16s dealt to him.
Also this week, Jimmie and I had a decent conversation over the phone.
We also went to the races on Thursday, which I love. Josh is not alone in enjoying the casino more, but I have to say that there's something about the racetrack that I adore. Amber and TJ joined us that evening and so did Seth, who was up to his usual "topper hat" hijinks, as is his habit when around a group of people. For instance, bragging about paying $6 for the tickets we payed $7.50 for. Not so much bragging as pointing out how stupid we are to not be like SETH. Maybe I'm too hard on him. Although Josh did comment that Seth was a real asshole as we were leaving, so maybe it isn't just me.
Speaking of being hard on people, I'm reading Franny and Zooey right now, a book I read years ago when I was still in high school. I didn't think much of it at the time and didn't understand why people liked it so much. Now I'm reading it and understanding a little more, but I still don't understand why people like this book. It's so fucking supercillious, and the characters are so hard on everyone around them. Nobody's perfect, and everyone has some good in them; what's the problem with accepting the faults in others? I was reading it and I thought of Emily at one point when Franny is talking about how she couldn't stop picking on people, even though she knew she was hurting their feelings, she couldn't stop. I could see how people would identify with that, and by people I mean a lot of friends I have from high school. The harshness of it all.
I'm not feeling terribly eloquent tonight. Maybe tomorrow I will expound more on my feelings about this book, this book that everyone seems to love and is critically acclaimed, but I can't help but think while I'm reading:
J.D. Salinger should have gotten off his high horse before he wrote this book.
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