The Past is on my Walls

Hey all. I'm in Chicago. It's lovely. Like... really. I'm halfway oriented (as far as NU Law is concerned), and was just about the only white guy at yesterday's diverse orientation day (clearly there not due to ethnic diversity, me). It's been a mild mid/late August here, which is perfectly fine by me. We have lockers in law school, because--as I've heard repeatedly--law school is like high school. Not having experienced 'real' high school, I think this one's lost on me. But it's kinda hilarious--orientation, that is. We met our profs today, which was cool. I'm only worried about one of them. Property. The prof sounds dull. Not merely what he says, but even his voice. Dull. Ah well. The other four (Crim, Civ Pro--the prof with the best sense of humor of them all, so I'm actually mildly excited--Contracts, and CLR aka Legal Writing) seem to be headed in good directions, as far as the profs go.

Haven't found dancing yet. Haven't really seriously looked. It's on my hypothetical to do list for once I get my apartment fully set up. I need to find a whole bunch of classy-looking yet cheap frames, both in the 8.5x11 (or 8x12 for non-printer-paper deals) and the full-on poster size. In the two years of living at home, I seem to have outgrown the notion of pasting posters to walls and calling it home. Odd, huh.

At the moment, what little is on my walls is history. I've got a few posters that need frames and as such are waiting to go up. I've got a wall scroll from Cowboy Bebop, half hidden behind my perpetually open bedroom door (yes, my bedroom has a door. That was the apartment's chief selling point--not the 26th floor, not the city [non-lake] view, not the 647 sq. feet. The door to the bedroom). I've got another wall scroll, bought in a village near Stonehenge with celtic scrollwork on it just outside the kitchen. I've got my Welsh flag covering the open doorway where the sliding glass doors define the apartment as a convertible by connecting the bedroom space to the living room space. It's hung properly this time: there will be no mounds of duct tape. I've got a drawing that Joey did to put on his door his VIth form (my IIIrd form) year at St. Mark's, which I acquired at the end of the year and have had since, now in a nice frame I had to fold it a bit to get it into. It's temporarily above my desk, until I find a nice tacky cheap frame suitable for Out Damned Spot's 'Lawyers! Free lawyers for all!' sign to go there. Then it'll be moved, probably to my bedroom beside the three calligraphy characters I was given as a going-away present when I was in Japan. I have my neighborhood crime watch sign up behind the left monitor (of desktops) on my desk, to the right of Joey's Fire Goddess drawing. I have a picture of the observatory Kyle took and had printed and gave to me for valentine's day senior year at Carleton above a dresser in the nook outside the bathroom, which will at some point soon be joined by a picture I took of the chapel at one point while visiting him (and various others) the year following (once I get it printed out either at home and sent, or at Kinko's. Will choose strictly by economy). There'll be the subway poster, the cathedral poster, and an odd-sized piece of artwork a Hiep (another of my St. Mark's Seniors) did for her AP portfolio and ended up not using). I'll possibly be using the dragon I've had for forever. Not sure--it's not in the greatest of shape... For planning purposes, I need to acquire another white board, to put on the other major wallspace by my desk.

I also have a fair amount of furniture, but less of which is really worthy of description (inherited couch/chair/bed, my grandmother's teak end-tables for the couch, a table from boarding school. Miscellaneous IKEA stuff including the all-important bookcases and a kickass wrap-around desk that takes up a significant amount of real-estate in my living room). Since today involved a field trip to IKEA to get miscellaneous shit (and bookshelves, on my part. Jade got miscellaneous shit and furniture, and was the main reason we went. Jimmy drove us, and got pretty much nothing except entertainment at how horrible Jade and I are as people. Jimmy (Dimitrios, his full name, which actually makes sense to shorten it to Jimmy in Greek) is my locker buddy. This entertains me no end. Lockers, that is. Makes sense, though, when this term's books (required ones only) clock in at ~30 lbs.

Tomorrow's tasks include getting bookshelves--now that I have sufficient shelves, because IKEA's never come with enough as such but more must be bought--filled with books, which also means I'll finally get the various shit I've got on my apartment-wide window sill off it and into them, along with the books (yes, I brought books from home. Don't bug me). Once that's done, and I get another load of laundry run through downstairs, I think I'll be pretty well entirely set in.

It's pleasant. I'm going to love winter. Most of you who read this and find yourselves in Chicago at any point may be expected at least to come see me (and the apartment). Staying may be an option, but is not compulsory--I have an aerobed and sheets, though. I've run myself out of computer games (and WoW. Most importantly, WoW), which is both good and intentional. I wish boys weren't stupid. I miss dancing (particularly the marathon of 20 miles walked and 20 hours danced in four days of my last week in DC).