Euchre night at Karen’s was decent, even though I kept getting euchred with whoever I was partnered with. It’s only February but I think I’ve already seen the funniest thing I’ll see all year; a penis-beating table-talk impression. I haven’t laughed so hard since I heard the choda story, and I had to apologize for my ebullience.
It was all in Aaron’s expression. A sort of half-frenzied, half-excited, shaky look of urgency while he mutters, “CLUBS”.
I swear like a fucking sailor.
I haven’t seen Pat in more than two months. We’re trying to schedule something for March, and by that time it’ll be an entire quarter year since we’ve hung out. I’ve come a long way since I last saw him, in terms of mindset, and he’s probably the only one who totally understands how gravely important that is to me. It’s too bad that my other close friends don’t completely understand me, although it’s no fault of their own and I don’t hold it against them.
It takes pain to understand pain, and Pat is the one who’s had the most similar experiences. If there was one person in this world who has me figured out, it’s him. It used to feel as though he would have to come to my level to talk to me, to understand what I was going through, to give me guidance and support.
Now it feels as if I’ve come to his level, and I understand his attitude, motivations, and worldview much better as a result of this. He admitted that he always wondered when I’d get there, and he’s curious if he’ll notice a change the next time he sees me.
I see all the influences that change me as adding more to my mind, another piece to the quilt.
Keeping every piece becomes as important as gaining more.
I’ve been giving Train of Thought a fair chance, and now I can’t stop listening to it. I’m thoroughly impressed. They’ve really developed as a band, and are definitely more confident as composers. They can stick to their key signatures with more creativity now, and I’m glad that almost every song is given the time to develop all the motifs that they introduce (most are over 10 minutes long). There’s only one song that sounds like filler, because it uses a lot of the same little tricks from other albums, such as Portnoy’s exact syncopated snare roll from Scenes From a Memory or other such riffs. The lyrics remain a tad simple though; these guys are definitely music majors and not English majors.
I took Dolly for a walk today, and brought her over to Tom’s apartment. She started freaking out as soon as we got outside. I set her down and she would have bolted if it wasn’t for the leash. She was alright when we got to Tom’s place, and she set herself in a steady pounce position in front of his birdcage. When I got back, I set her down outside the apartment door to unlock it, and as soon as the door was open she rushed back in again. I guess she’s really comfortable and secure in her little controlled area. I really wish I knew how she reacted the first time she was let out, but I probably won’t be trying it again anytime soon. That means that I’ll probably end up not even bothering with the microchip operation.