A Date....ish?

So, do you guys remember the cynical Russian guy I was obsessed with?  Well, we were talking online the other day, and he ended up asking me to join him for coffee and chess at the local hipster coffee shop.  I'm nervous and excited all at once.  I'm not sure if this is a date or not, so that puts a bit of pressure on me, since I'm not really in a place right now where I'm looking for a boyfriend....plus, we would totally kill each other if we ever tried to date.  Still, I don't want to hurt his feelings.  I think for now, I'll just treat this like a "two friends hanging out" sort of thing and see what happens.  Either way, wish me luck! :D

Everything's Coming to Em

Things have been a bit of a roller coaster these past few days, but I think I can safely say that as of today, I'm starting to see a break in the metaphorical clouds.  I'm not promising anything is going to happen; or if something does, that its going to happen the way that I had pictured things happening, but I have a good feeling about life right now.

Okay, so this story goes back to last semester.  There was a guy in my class.  He was real quiet.  Not shy, but quiet.  And when he would finally talk in class, I couldn't help but sit up and take notice.  I felt like most of the other people in that class didn't have much to say, but this guy...this guy made a ton of sense.  I'd always get excited when he would raise his hand, because it was always something interesting and thought-provoking.  This guy was good.

I've had a crush on him since that point.  And this semester, I had two classes with him instead of one, making it harder to just forget about him; to just not think about him.  More often than not, I just ignore those feelings, because when I like someone, I act like a complete and utter fool.  And I don't want to further embarrass myself and scare everyone off (the only ones who seem to be okay with my jittery affection are those who are more socially awkward than me).

I've had good feelings about my life this semester.  Not concerning this guy.  Just good feelings in general.  And when I saw that I had two more classes with him (meaning I'd see him every day), I thought perhaps there might be a chance.  Well, that was until I saw how he only ever seemed to talk to one of my friends.  I mean, I know that they had a class together, but I always got the feeling that he thought she was cute and that he kinda liked her.  And this feeling gnawed at me for the longest time.  In fact, today in class, I saw them talking...animatedly (and this guy almost never shows that kind of excitement), and I decided my chances were over.

My next class was cancelled, so I was wandering around the English department when I ran into him again.  Now, my original intention was to have my friends buy me coffee while I whined and complained about how frustratingly dead my dating life was.  But, instead, I decided to go and say "hi".  I've been rejected by men multiple times, so being turned down is nothing new.  And besides, I reasoned that there is nothing wrong with small talk, and if I didn't make a move when I actually had an opportunity to talk with him, I'd regret it forever, even if talking to him didn't change a damn thing.

So...I went up to him, started a little bit of small talk, and soon, we were involved in a lengthy discussion about books, literary styles, authors, interests, and God only knows what else.  He made a comment about coffee, so I suggested we go and get some (he had over an hour before his next class, and besides, I had been intending on getting coffee before work anyway).  So, we did.  We got coffee....we talked some more.  He went out for a smoking break, showing me a secret little area where he liked to go.  We talked some more.

He told me so much about himself....where he was from, his frustrations and motivations, things that he said he wished he could tell everyone; things that he said I probably wouldn't believe.  I can't remember the last time someone told me their life's story so quickly like that.  I can't remember the last time someone spilled all these details to me without even thinking about it.  Like it was just natural for him to talk about it and for me to listen.

However, I think the most amazing part were the silences.  When I'm with someone I don't know very well, I hate the silences.  It's uncomfortable.  It makes me nervous.  With this guy, however, it was different.  The silences were okay.  I felt calm, comfortable, and relaxed.  It was natural.  Silence with him was not dead space, but a calm break for a few seconds...or a few minutes.  It just worked.

I don't know what to think about this, so I'm not going to try.  I'll rant about it to friends tonight, and then I'll tuck it in the back of my mind and let it go.  He says he loves a challenge, and so, if I even want to consider wanting him, I'm going to make it a challenge.  Not that I'm going to be aloof or distant.  I'm just not going to revert to my old habits of throwing myself at the other person like I'm a small dog or a child screaming "Look at me!  Love me!  Love me!"

Regardless of what happens, I have a good feeling about this. Friendship would be fine.  This guy is unlike anyone I've ever met, and I want to discover a bit more about him.  He fascinates me.  And regardless of all this, I can safely say that I have a real good feeling about this semester in general.  Finally: everything's coming to Em. ;)

The Wonders of Wodehouse

When one is feeling down, nothing can cheer you up faster than a cup of coffee (or some other pleasant tasting beverage), a quiet corner (or three, if you have trouble sitting still), and a P.G. Wodehouse book (this one is non-negotiable...it HAS to be Wodehouse for the magic to happen!) I'm not going to lie to you; I was feeling like shit all day today. But, I have to say that I feel about 100x better than I did before. In fact, I'm all smiles and life is good. Wodehouse has that effect on people, especially me :) Speaking of Wodehouse, I'm thinking about bringing back the Weekly Wodehouse from last year. I think the last installment was way back in October! (For those of you who don't know about Weekly Wodehouse, as well as those who would like to relive the wonder, you can find the achieves for the most part HERE). So, starting today, I'll be attempting to post a Weekly Wodehouse quote every Sunday :)

Snarky Translator?

We had to read The Oresteia by Aeschylus for one of my classes, and I have to say, I think that the translator must have had a sense of humor (or perhaps he was just being snarky). I mean, when Aegisthus first comes on stage after killing Agamemnon (sorry for the spoiler D:), he begins with a quote something like this:

:: What a glorious day of retribution!::

or

::O glad dawn of the day that brings redress!::

My translator offers this interpretation instead...

"O what a brilliant day it is for vengeance!" O.o

Umm....looks like Aegisthus remembered to have his morning coffee...

(And I can totally imagine him coming out of the palace, a huge smile on his face, planting his hands on his hips, taking a huge breath of fresh air, and looking as perky as can be! I definetly don't get this impression from other translations. It automatically makes Aegisthus that much cooler in my book! :D (You know, even though he killed the king and whatnot...)

Should I Be Scared?

Okay, so my one friend, who is usually not affectionate in any way shape or form that involves physical contact, has been a bit overly affectionate today... Affectionate as in rubbing my shoulders, putting his arm around me, trying to steal my coffee and my shoe...and ambushing me into a group hug... All of this in one day. I love him like a brother, and I will admit that I love hugs and showing affection, but this was a bit scary, since I'm not really used to super-hugs and whatnot from my friends (at least, not yet...) And since this is so out of character for him, I can only wonder as to what is going on...

And of course, to address the elephant in the room...Should I be scared?

Canceled Class, Carmel Coffee, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

So, today was the Ides of March. I come to Latin and we talked about Caesar for quite a while, which was awesome, but then I go to my literature class, expecting some wonderful literary analysis of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (I had even highlighted the passages I wanted to discuss) and to my chagrin, I come to class only to find no professor! Now, of course, we only assume that he is running late, but we waited for fifteen minutes, and he still didn't show up! At that point, we all just left, but I will freely admit that I was disappointed. :'(

So, I've come down to the campus coffee shop, and am attempting to warm my spirits with a cup of coffee (Carmel flavored, of course :P). It it most depressing, since today is a misty, wet, and grey day (which I love) but I only love it because its the perfect day to read a book; and the only thing that could make reading a book any better is reading it with a class and discussing every little nuance of it!

As I'm sure you guessed already, I'm currently reading A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Samuel Clemens. I"m not a huge fan of Mark Twain, but so far, it is rather interesting. I've been highlighting like crazy (something I try very hard not to do in books, but since I have two copies of it, its okay). And, during one of these highlighting sprees, I came across this passage...

"Things ran along, a tournament nearly every week; and now and then the boys used to want me to take a hand-- I mean Sir Launcelot and the rest-- but I said I would by and by; no hurry yet, and too much government machinery to oil up and set to rights and start a-going."

~Samuel Clemens (A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court)

This passage seriously makes me laugh; or gape, my reaction varies every time I look at it. I mean, basically, Hank Morgan, the narrator, makes it seem so commonplace to be able to talk to one of the greatest knights of all time!!! He refers to Launcelot as though he was just "one of the boys," as though he was just a kid from the neighborhood! I can't even imagine that, especially after just having read excerpts (because we don't have enough time in class for the whole book) from Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur, which makes Launcelot out to be this amazing hero!

One does have to give Clemens/Twain points for being original, hehe!

Snow

The snow is just so beautiful today, although incredibly cold. As I stare out the window of my dorm room, watching the puffy white flakes flying around dizzily, I can't help but think how wonderful today would be with a cup of hot coffee, a good book, and a cute man to cuddle with :")

Well...hehe...the only coffee I have access to right now (as in, if I want to stay inside where it is warm...) is rather lukewarm, and bittter, since I was in a rush, and didn't have the chance to add any sugar this morning, when I bought it! :P As for a good book, I actually don't have anything that I really want to read right now, and there is no cute guy for me to cuddle with...just a fleece blanket covered in hearts; the roomie and I refer to it as "The Blanket of Love," lol. So...I guess I'll just continue staring out the window at the snow. It's peaceful and beautiful, and it makes me happy...