I Am a Failure at Surprises

One of my old professors was giving a poetry reading, and obviously I wanted to go.  She hadn't seen me in a while, so I decided I should try to surprise her. 
The problem with me trying to surprise someone is that it often gets ruined. 
I decided to go that afternoon to a study room to do some reading and writing.  I frequent this particular study room, and it's usually pretty quiet on weekday afternoons.  At most, I've seen one person in there at this time of day, and even then, it's usually someone who just looks in and then walks away. 
I went in and, for about an hour, worked.  And then Chelsea walked in. 

I hadn't seen Chelsea in a long time either.  I was trying to remember the last conversation I had with her.  I vaguely remembered talking to her about four years ago about a book series we both liked.  I remembered this conversation because I didn't really know a lot of people who read this series; my best friend had introduced me to them years previous to that, and I had only spoken about the series with a man in a library once who read The Dresden Files, which I was also familiar with and was similar.  I think during that conversation Chelsea also mentioned that she was really good at interviewing for jobs and that's why she was always employed.  At the time this had impressed me because I had always felt like my interviewing skills were terrible.  (I am happy to report now that I've learned better interviewing techniques and that I think I've even impressed some people.)
But Chelsea didn't really acknowledge me.  She just sat down and read something.  Oh, I thought.  She must not remember me. 
Not that she really should remember me.  We were really friends of friends and I mean, I'm sure there have been more important people out there. 
We sat in silence for another half hour, I continuing with my work.  Then she looked up at me. 

"Have you ever read Foucault?" she asked. 
I had, but it had been a long time ago.  And because I had found him frustratingly difficult in English, I had looked up a passage in the original French.  It had been easier to understand, but that was all I remembered. 
Chelsea talked to me about some of Foucault's ideas.  She mentioned being in a particular class, which Kristina was also in.  (And had mentioned I should come to just to see what it was like.) 
Chelsea, as a fellow feminist, was not so sure she liked the ideas of Foucault.  He said some problematic things about women. 
"I always interpreted Foucault to be saying simply what is and not how things should be.  I don't think his statements are meant to be interpreted as him endorsing that view, just observing it." 
She nodded her head, looking far away.  "That sounds like something Foucault would say."
I smiled.  Now that was a compliment.  Alex had liked Foucault.  It was one of the things we had talked about in the interview.  Alex had said how beautiful she found his writing. 
I suddenly realized that I had a question for Chelsea.  "Are you one of the people from that feminist organization that recently formed?"
"I'm not really part of it.  That's Bianca." 
That surprised me.  Bianca and I had been in a class together last year.  She had been relatively quiet.  Despite this, it had been obvious to me she was thoughtful and way cooler than I am (though, I would argue pretty much everyone is cooler than me.) 
I made a mental note, if I ran into Bianca anytime soon, that I should tell her how much I had admired her work.  Erin had told me all about it. 
"Are you going to the poetry reading tonight?"  So Chelsea must have known more about me than I anticipated, because she remembered that I worked with that professor. 
"I am, but she doesn't know I'm coming, so don't tell anyone I'm here.  It's a surprise." 
Seeing Chelsea was really nice, but I had to go over to Nate's to get some stuff and to have dinner, so I said goodbye and left.  I was turning the corner on the stairway, thinking merrily of how much I liked Chelsea and how I was going to get to see people tonight at this reading, when I was startled to see Stephanie, three steps down from me, staring up at me.  Her eyes went wide.
And this wasn't just Stephanie my friend.  She was also Stephanie, the assistant to this professor. 
She hadn't seen me in a long time either. 
Oh shit, I thought. 
"Don't tell her I'm here!" I said, slightly loud.  "I don't want her to know I'm coming tonight!  I'm trying to surprise her!"
See what I mean about surprises?  Hours before the surprise, I manage to run into two people who actually could blow it.  This was especially annoying considering how long I'd been planning this. 
Stephanie sort of laughed at me and was happy to see me.  She gave me this great big hug that made me feel great.  (Oh, to have a thousand friend hugs that I could store in a chest somewhere.)  She wanted to hear what I was up to, and we talked briefly before both of us had to be elsewhere. 
I went over to Nate's.  It had been his birthday recently, and he had all sorts of coupons for free food.  That night, he was taking me out for pizza. 

Vicki's Plans

Vicki has gotten an interview for a possible job, but she's not happy about it, since she thinks she's going to be leaving soon.  Ruth and I tried this morning to tell her to go for the interview anyway, since she has no idea how it's going to turn out.
Vicki says she doesn't want to change the plans she's made for the near future, but there's a selfish part of me that wishes she would, because that means she might be around here for a little while longer.

Conscientious Objector Josh Stieber

Found this great interview today with a young man named Josh Stieber who served in the military and then became a conscientious objector after experiencing the War in Iraq. 
It's interesting that his first hints of disappointment was within his own peer group, where lots of his friends came from the same beliefs but weren't willing to put them into practice like he did.  And I like that he talks about trying to find solutions for the problems in Iraq based on his own experience there.  
As as final note, I want to know if this man is single.  He seems like a thoughtful young man, and if there's anything I like in other people, it's when they're thoughtful. 

Politics and Music

I was reading this interview with a member of Thievery Corporation.  I'm not taking issue with anything said in the interview, just with the detail that audience members didn't like the politics in Massive Attack's part of the show.  (They're on tour together.)


This really irks me, because their latest album, Heligoland, is political.  And not in a bad way.  "Atlas Air," for example, is about torture.  "The Flat of the Blade" is about the recent stabbings in South London.  Audience members apparently couldn't see what politics had to do with the music, but if you're listening to the music, you know the answer. 


And, seriously, check the album out.  It's amazing. 

Nervous Nellie

So, I got the job that I was interviewing for a while back.  It's been an alright gig at this point. 
I'm working with Ashley right now, which I was a little wary about, but again, it's been okay.  We did stock the other day, and the two of us got super fast at getting stuff done.  She would open the box, and I would pull out all the packing stuff (in this case, mostly that brown paper they wad up).  Then she would go through the inventory checklist and I would move the stuff onto the storage shelves.  If there was extra still, she'd move those products too.  And then whoever had their hands free next went to get the next box, and we moved all over again.  We were very efficient, and I was happy as a clam.
Out on the floor, things were not so simple.  I'm struggling to learn the cash register.  Certain things were never taught to me and other things are just confusing.  My superior told me not to be nervous, and that made me feel bad, because I honestly don't feel particularly nervous.
Interacting with the customers went very well.  A young woman who worked at the caf at school came in, and I jokingly said that I visited her at her workplace, so she could visit me at mine.  And then my Mom and sister came in. 
Later on, a woman with four young girls came in looking for a game.  I sold them a game by American Girl called I Wish.  One of them cried a little at not getting something else, but there are occasionally tears around here.  Parents usually handle it, and it's okay.  

Interviewing Music

Yes, the interview went okay.  I say okay because I don't think I have the experience for it, but I did my best.  I don't know why, but I wasn't as excited for this interview as I was for previous interviews.
I was being interviewed in a coffee shop, which would have been fine, but music I recognized kept playing.  Two of them were the following: Radiohead's "House of Cards" and Spoon's "Paper Tiger".

This might be my favorite Radiohead song, though I must admit I am also a fan of Thom Yorke's "Hearing Damage."  I like how mellow this song is.  I like how it's a song about trying to get a woman to have an affair.  The singer talks about the woman's relationship as a house of cards, but anyone familiar with affairs knows what they qualify as.  (The singer is a jerk, obviously.)  Also, this video is really cool!

And this is Spoon's "Paper Tiger."  The moment this song started I thought "Oh, it's Spoon!"  I've been in love with this band for almost ten years now. 
Music has an odd way of dropping into one's life.  As a listener, you construct meaning for a song based on the moment in your life it came around.  I don't think I ever imagined either of these songs being associated with interviewing. 

Researching and Interviewing

I spent the evening researching for an interview.  All the articles out there say that if you're going to give an interview, you should know as much as possible about the company and their mission.  So I spent the evening on their site, looking at everything I could about them.  Then I Googled them to see if interesting things came up.  The only thing that really caught my eye was a short set of pieces that discussed their history.  They've only been around thirty years here, though they discussed the old school way of doing things and I found myself profoundly grateful that it was the old school and not the norm any longer. 
Everyone wish me luck on this.  I'm really going to need it. 

Ray Bradbury

Today, I've been reading through this interview with Ray Bradbury. I really loved Fahrenheit 451 and Dandelion Wine when I was a teenager, so of course I was curious about this.
There's something odd in the way this man talks. He sounds like the old men in his books: slightly unhinged and paranoid.

Interview Prayer

Josie has her interview today to get into graduate school. She sent me an email this morning asking me to pray for her.
I'm going to ask the rest of you to do the same.
Since we're both of a certain religious persuation, I did a little research. One of the patron saints of schools is Thomas Aquinas. (Which makes a lot of sense, if you're familiar with him. He spent a lot of time working at the University of Paris and was a Dominican, a type of friar famous for working as teachers and preachers.)
I did a little looking online, I found a Student's Prayer, which is actually surprisingly decent. I had a high school teacher mention that as long as there are tests, there will be prayer in schools. I found an more official looking prayer, but nothing that actually helps me pray that Josie will get into the school she wants to. You'd think by now, someone would have begged Thomas Aquinas for that exact thing.