Just like Christmas Break, but with less Breeze.

So as I mentioned this week is semana santa, a.k.a Holy Week, a.k.a Easter vacation, a.k.a Spring Break. Let me start by saying there hasn’t been a lot “holy” about it per say, and for that I actually do feel a little bit terrible. I talked to my mom today, and she tried to quiz me on what the “holy” names for these next 3 days were and I passed (thankyouverymuch 16 years of CCD). However my faith in a higher power was restored last week when my state tax return came in a time when I desperately needed it. I won’t bore you with the inconsequential details of my financial life, but just know it was a very, very happy day.

What have I been up to, you ask? Well friends, nothing out of the ordinary except with a *little* more down time thrown into the mix.

I have decided I am going to stop drinking 151 (unless it’s a special occasion, with my definition of “special” being fairly broad here) because it was brought to my attention this week by an observent friend that it is often used as a means of fueling fire (in restaurants, bars… possibly for other reasons as well, i don't know.) – a fact that I was already aware of, but have never really processed the significance of it. I am drinking lighter fluid, and that just can’t be good for internal equipment. I started drinking it last semester (Jaybo inspired it on the Wed. night outings - not that I blame you for my addictions, J), and just kept to it because economically it made sense to buy a bottle for like $11 and it lasts for weeks, rather than continuously buying bottles of cheap wine at a minimum of $5 a pop and they usually only last one night (I don’t believe in corking wine). So there. That is my Spring Cleaning resolution.

On Friday, I tried to scheme my way into getting someone to drive me to Rincon to meet Leibo and Jaybo, and it worked! Almost. Only partially because the plan ultimately failed, as they often do here on this island. Not to say it wasn’t a very fantastic night! Sharon (another grad student) and I planned to go out, and at the last minute she thought it would be a good idea to bring her girlfriend with. I mean, it wasn’t a bad idea, but now it meant I was outnumbered straight to gays, which meant instead of Rincon (original plan), we were to stop at a gay bar first on the way. Not a problem (151, 1 do <3 you). I drank my 151 and coke con limon, met some fine people, and ended up seeing a professor from the humanities dept. at the university and had a lovely conversation with him. Then I drunk dialed MBC, my old boss/friend from Mpls whom I haven’t talked to in months and had another v. nice convo. Then we left for Rincon. It was 12.30.

In Rincon, Jay and Lei were on the DL by this time, so we decided it would be a good idea to drive to Aguadilla, which is 30 minutes away, because they have a lounge there is open until 4am.

Uh, IT WAS A GREAT IDEA. My perceptions may have been clouded in a pleasant, delicious rum haze, but I believe this place was actually amazing. To start, they had a dance floor and the DJ was not playing reggaeton. That alone qualifies it for The Best Bar I’ve Been to in Puerto Rico. I’m not exactly sure where the time went, but I can tell you that it was mainly spent on the dance floor and before I knew it Sharon was dragging me off of it because the bar was closing. I'm not even sure music was still playing at this point, but believe me, I was still dancing. Why does 4am have to come so soon?

On St. Patty’s Day, however, my plan to get someone to drive me to Rincon FAILED, and it failed miserably. You can’t win them all, I guess (but I usually like to try anyway).

I have been working on some things for school, and trying to narrowly down my thesis research/create a viewing and reading list. That problem in that is 3 fold: One, I am so fucking sick of reading about Dandyism from my del otro l’ao presentation I could spit 2.) I am beginning to realize I seriously should have considered sociology or history (or, dare I say it, psychology….*shudder* and 3.) I am interested in too many goddamn things.

I am seeking help from the public. Let me share with you my ideas:

1.) As of now, my topic is Dandyism. 19th century or modern. What am I focusing on? Good question – I don’t know yet. Some of my ideas are as follows:
a.) The Dandy Identity: introspection v. observation (with my position being that dandies consider observation to be more reliable in maintaining and understanding their own identities )
b.) Gender identity in the New Woman/la garconne
c.) Dandy Diaries (partially inspired from a New Yorker article about diaries) --- examining autobiographies/diaries from historical dandies and using them to examine identity (this could be good because it could more easily be purposed under the Literature track. You know, because actual books would be involved...)
d.) Fashion and Identity (this could probably be tied into option “a”…)
Obviously I guess this “identity” and "perception" thing is a trend….(sometimes you just need to lay everything out in order to see the obvious…)

2.) This is completely different, but something to do with cookbooks. I know it sounds random….but think about this
a.) Looking at cookbooks as narratives (for generations or otherwise)
b.) Cookbooks in the U.S.: looking at regional cookbooks and examining the history of the American palette.

3.) This probably wouldn’t work for a literature thesis, unfortunately, but I think it would be fun to write and ties into something I and Madam Chell- Peavey (yeah, that’s right, I hyphenated your last name) have been “working on” for like 3 years now….yikes.
a.) Documenting the weird ass local traditions that U.S. cities have; since most of my readers are Gburg people: i.e. “Watercross”; “Asswipe”…these things just aren’t normal or civilized things but we accepted them as such (could stretch it and propose it as a literature thesis focusing on regionalism/local vernaculars?) Would extend past the Middle West, obviously, and look at a variety of events that happen across the U.S. (maybe 15-20 of them?)


I am so sorry this is long as hell! I am off now; still have a bottle of 151 to finish off before Operation Spring Cleaning goes into effect (I don’t like to waste, you see. :) Then it's back to being a heart healthy wino , with the occassional $1 Medalla (on Mondays and Wednesdays for sure), or Amstel when I'm feeling wealthy, and Miller when I'm homesick.