Life update!
May. 22nd, 2010 12:19 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
majutsukaiPlaced under multiple cuts because big.
The funny thing about this place, Ridgeway Complex, is... back before I came to this school, it was described as a place that "fosters tight-knit communities with close friends". I wasn't sure, at the time, how much I believed that, but in retrospect, I see that it's true... and I have some new insight into what that means.
You see, the thing about a "tight knit" is... it's tight. Inflexible. There's no space between the warp and the weft; nothing can squeeze in unless it fits into the very predictable pattern of what a tight knit ought to be.
And yeah, this community is pretty damn ill-equipped to deal with things outside the standard! Nobody seems to know quite what to do with me. I don't give a shit about sports, I don't drink, I enjoy quiet, laid-back free time, parties make me uncomfortable (unless they're largely composed of people I already know and like, which is never the case here), and I'm generally not amused by the schoolboy shenanigans that go down here.
The result is something that feels suspiciously like high school, for me-- only expanded into an entire living arrangement.
And no, in this case, I do not mean that in the ameliorative sense.
With my lack of enthusiasm for things like beer, sports, and girls, I'm sure that, to these guys, I look like I'm totally empty. A walking husk. And they don't really have any counterexample to speak against that impression-- this place is like a massive echo chamber. The only voices that do not sanctify the holy trinity of Beer, Boobs, and Basketball, get lost in the din of vodka and testosterone.
At any rate, my point is, these guys have the nerve to consider me boring, when they're the ones that can't enjoy an evening without a BAC of at least 0.05. They are seriously shocked to see me awake past midnight when all I'm doing is using the computer!
I'll admit that I'm committing a certain level of closed-mindedness myself, but I really can't help the level of mutual incompatibility here. If you don't play sports, can't party, and don't get a pre-adolescent stiffy at the barest hint of the female form, you basically have no place in the warp and weft of the Ridgeway community. And god help you if gaming is anything more than a time-waster for you. (Most seem unable to comprehend that it could be anything else.)
I guess you're just a pretentious loser if, every once in a while, you can't drop your inhibitions and surround yourself with strangers you will never meet again, who are all talking loudly, making a lot of noise, and breaking things. To that I say: Fuck. That. Shit.
I've got news for you, Ridgeway Beta: I HAVE a life. It's just not HERE. Maybe that will change next year. I'm going to Buchanan Towers. It's co-ed and the accommodations are a lot more comfortable, so I'm optimistic about it. Maybe the echo chamber will be muffled a little bit by the presence of the fairer sex. (Have I mentioned how appreciative I am to have friends that are both guys and girls? Because I feel that's worth mentioning at this juncture.)
But one upside to this experience is that my own sense of identity is reinforced.
Since coming here, I've noticed that I don't have a lot of things that reflect my own interests-- things like shirts and posters and other paraphernalia that one would use to put one's hobbies and interests on display.
Most of the shirts I own don't even come close to representing me-- there's the Avatar shirt (I haven't and don't plan to see the movie), the "Most Of The People Who Drive Me Nuts Are In My Family" shirt (which is not strictly true), the "My Perfect Day" shirt (which IS a gamer thing, but sort of shoehorns me into a stereotype), and the rest are pretty neutral.
Now that I've noticed this, I kind of feel like it needs fixing.
I have my +20 Frost Resistance jacket, which is pretty much the only piece of clothing I own which I find personally expressive-- I've been kind of clinging to it, wearing it every day and hoping it projects the image I want it to, and maybe starts a conversation or two. Because of that, I think it's starting to wear out a bit. I need to learn to sew.
I recently broke down and bought a Sepulchritude poster print, which is now the single thing hanging on my dorm room wall-- I like it, but I feel like I still need more stuff to put up. I guess in this oppressive atmosphere I sort of feel like I have something to prove.
I have a few ideas for things I might get in the future to put up-- and I'm going to ask my Mom if we have any matte photo paper so I can possibly print some stuff of my own.
Then there's the matter of clothing. I have a lot of shirts and stuff I'd like to own, but obviously I am not made of money. Once I get a job, I think I need to start building a wardrobe of stuff that actually feels like it belongs to me. Again, I have ideas of what this might include, but obviously that mess is not a possibility on my current budget. I guess we'll see.
(But if anybody ever wondered what to get me for my birthday or Christmas, now you know!)
Japanese is getting progressively more difficult, and in turn progressively more rewarding. Plus I'm making friends in my class finally, so man are things ever getting easier for me.
Oh yeah, and Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life-- volume one of the SP series-- came in the mail yesterday! Burned through it in a few hours, and man, I have never loved a comic more than this.
Basically, if you like the idea of A) a world where video game abstractions are real things, and B) a story basically packed to the gills with nerdy jokes and stuff while still actually being a serious story, you'd probably like this story a lot.
Seems there's a movie version coming out in August, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. Michael Cera is playing Scott-- a mismatched casting decision if I've ever seen one, but it looks pretty neat regardless.
I almost was able to get a job on campus. There was a custodial job open for a while, which is one thing that I think I would actually have a shot at getting, but it closed up before I could apply. Looks like I'm going to have to wait till summer to get a job.
I'll... I'll make it work.
The funny thing about this place, Ridgeway Complex, is... back before I came to this school, it was described as a place that "fosters tight-knit communities with close friends". I wasn't sure, at the time, how much I believed that, but in retrospect, I see that it's true... and I have some new insight into what that means.
You see, the thing about a "tight knit" is... it's tight. Inflexible. There's no space between the warp and the weft; nothing can squeeze in unless it fits into the very predictable pattern of what a tight knit ought to be.
And yeah, this community is pretty damn ill-equipped to deal with things outside the standard! Nobody seems to know quite what to do with me. I don't give a shit about sports, I don't drink, I enjoy quiet, laid-back free time, parties make me uncomfortable (unless they're largely composed of people I already know and like, which is never the case here), and I'm generally not amused by the schoolboy shenanigans that go down here.
The result is something that feels suspiciously like high school, for me-- only expanded into an entire living arrangement.
And no, in this case, I do not mean that in the ameliorative sense.
With my lack of enthusiasm for things like beer, sports, and girls, I'm sure that, to these guys, I look like I'm totally empty. A walking husk. And they don't really have any counterexample to speak against that impression-- this place is like a massive echo chamber. The only voices that do not sanctify the holy trinity of Beer, Boobs, and Basketball, get lost in the din of vodka and testosterone.
At any rate, my point is, these guys have the nerve to consider me boring, when they're the ones that can't enjoy an evening without a BAC of at least 0.05. They are seriously shocked to see me awake past midnight when all I'm doing is using the computer!
I'll admit that I'm committing a certain level of closed-mindedness myself, but I really can't help the level of mutual incompatibility here. If you don't play sports, can't party, and don't get a pre-adolescent stiffy at the barest hint of the female form, you basically have no place in the warp and weft of the Ridgeway community. And god help you if gaming is anything more than a time-waster for you. (Most seem unable to comprehend that it could be anything else.)
I guess you're just a pretentious loser if, every once in a while, you can't drop your inhibitions and surround yourself with strangers you will never meet again, who are all talking loudly, making a lot of noise, and breaking things. To that I say: Fuck. That. Shit.
I've got news for you, Ridgeway Beta: I HAVE a life. It's just not HERE. Maybe that will change next year. I'm going to Buchanan Towers. It's co-ed and the accommodations are a lot more comfortable, so I'm optimistic about it. Maybe the echo chamber will be muffled a little bit by the presence of the fairer sex. (Have I mentioned how appreciative I am to have friends that are both guys and girls? Because I feel that's worth mentioning at this juncture.)
But one upside to this experience is that my own sense of identity is reinforced.
Since coming here, I've noticed that I don't have a lot of things that reflect my own interests-- things like shirts and posters and other paraphernalia that one would use to put one's hobbies and interests on display.
Most of the shirts I own don't even come close to representing me-- there's the Avatar shirt (I haven't and don't plan to see the movie), the "Most Of The People Who Drive Me Nuts Are In My Family" shirt (which is not strictly true), the "My Perfect Day" shirt (which IS a gamer thing, but sort of shoehorns me into a stereotype), and the rest are pretty neutral.
Now that I've noticed this, I kind of feel like it needs fixing.
I have my +20 Frost Resistance jacket, which is pretty much the only piece of clothing I own which I find personally expressive-- I've been kind of clinging to it, wearing it every day and hoping it projects the image I want it to, and maybe starts a conversation or two. Because of that, I think it's starting to wear out a bit. I need to learn to sew.
I recently broke down and bought a Sepulchritude poster print, which is now the single thing hanging on my dorm room wall-- I like it, but I feel like I still need more stuff to put up. I guess in this oppressive atmosphere I sort of feel like I have something to prove.
I have a few ideas for things I might get in the future to put up-- and I'm going to ask my Mom if we have any matte photo paper so I can possibly print some stuff of my own.
Then there's the matter of clothing. I have a lot of shirts and stuff I'd like to own, but obviously I am not made of money. Once I get a job, I think I need to start building a wardrobe of stuff that actually feels like it belongs to me. Again, I have ideas of what this might include, but obviously that mess is not a possibility on my current budget. I guess we'll see.
(But if anybody ever wondered what to get me for my birthday or Christmas, now you know!)
Japanese is getting progressively more difficult, and in turn progressively more rewarding. Plus I'm making friends in my class finally, so man are things ever getting easier for me.
Oh yeah, and Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life-- volume one of the SP series-- came in the mail yesterday! Burned through it in a few hours, and man, I have never loved a comic more than this.
Basically, if you like the idea of A) a world where video game abstractions are real things, and B) a story basically packed to the gills with nerdy jokes and stuff while still actually being a serious story, you'd probably like this story a lot.
Seems there's a movie version coming out in August, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. Michael Cera is playing Scott-- a mismatched casting decision if I've ever seen one, but it looks pretty neat regardless.
I almost was able to get a job on campus. There was a custodial job open for a while, which is one thing that I think I would actually have a shot at getting, but it closed up before I could apply. Looks like I'm going to have to wait till summer to get a job.
I'll... I'll make it work.
