soulscape

- To answer Monicow’s question in the chatterbox on the right, I have only so far gone to this salsa class a friend teaches at the Gold’s Gym in downtown LA. It’s in the shopping center thing on the corner of Figueroa and 8th. The beginner’s class is at 1pm on Saturdays, with an intermediate class coming after. I’ll probably be there again this Saturday. I hear there’s another salsa class taught Sundays near Chinatown on the corner of Alpine and Yale (?). I think it was called the Alpine recreation center, with the beginner class at 2pm and intermediate at 3pm.

- Sometimes this blog feels like it’s my online journal, but it’s not. Not everyone I know knows about it so I feel free to express myself pretty openly, but I definitely do not let my deepest darkest thoughts out on here. No way. Not with all you heartless wolves out there lurking in the shadows. Yes, I see you — all two of you. Everyone has to maintain somewhat of a facade after all, right?

- My hair is growing longer and longer…I forget when the last time I had it cut was, though I KNOW I haven’t cut it in the three-plus months I’ve been back in Los Angeles. And I also know that this is the longest my hair has ever been. Some of my friends who can’t accept me with long hair have said I’m growing a mullet, but in general, I’m digging it.

- I am in the middle of reading “My Life” by Bill Clinton. I am on page 228 and I still haven’t gotten to his Presidency yet. In fact, he’s not even governor of Arkansas yet on page 228. On page 228, he has recently graduated from Yale Law School, found work as an assistant professor at the University of Arkansas School of Law, and had just narrowly lossed in his first attempt at elected office (for Congressman). Two things about Clinton: he has the most amazingly detailed memory, and he’s gotta be the most peoplest people person who ever lived. Yes, that’s right, I just made up a word. The whole book is 957 pages. It should last me through the rest of January or much further beyond because:

- Man, I knew I was going to have a lot of reading this quarter but this is ridiculous. In my Sociology of Family class, we’re assigned SIX required texts. These includes a textbook, a novel and a course reader. And I haven’t seen the syllabus for my Self and Society class but I hear there’s a lot of reading there too. And I haven’t even gone to my Politics and Society class yet. My Self and Society professor is a character. In her own words, she puts on a show for us, and I think she expects us to be dazzled. I had a straight face for the most part, so I think she had it in for me. At one point I looked down towards my notes and she snaps, “Sir with the hat — eyes open!” Sure, I had less than four hours of sleep last night, but I certainly never closed my eyes. In my book, she’s gonna have to make up for that blunder.

- I enrolled in netflix.com, and the next seven or so movies I have lined up in my queue are all Akira Kurosawa flicks. I had seen his “Seven Samurai” last year and loved it. Then I recently got a documentary on him from netflix and enjoyed that, so now I’m going to go on a Kurosawa binge. I’ve just seen “Ran” after the documentary, which was somewhat depressing but very enjoyable. I think “Rashomon”, his first global real hit, is next in line, then “Yojimbo” after that. I also have “The Magnificent Seven” and “A Fistful of Dollars” mixed in there because those are western remakes of “Seven Samurai” and “Yojimbo” respectively.