Toe-jam Football.

Here come old flattop he come grooving up slowly
He got joo-joo eyeball he one holy roller
He got hair down to his knee
Got to be a joker he just do what he please

He wear no shoeshine he got toe-jam football
He got monkey finger he shoot coca-cola
He say I know you, you know me
One thing I can tell you is you got to be free
Come together right now over me

He bad production he got walrus gumboot
He got ono sideboard he one spinal cracker
He got feet down below his knee
Hold you in his armchair you can feel his disease
Come together right now over me

He roller-coaster he got early warning
He got muddy water he one mojo filter
He say one and one and one is three
Got to be good-looking ’cause he’s so hard to see
Come together right now over me

My eighth-grade English teacher used to include a Beatles lyrics bonus on every vocab quiz. It's raining today. I never bring an umbrella and I don't really mind. When I was little and it used to rain I skated around on my rollerblades "saving" all the earthworms that came out of the flooded dirt from being stepped on or run over by cars. I'd cover my whole neighborhood and come back with a huge bucket of survivors.

4 cups of coffee.

I'm going to Kenya. (And maybe Dubai?)

I. love. noise. canceling. headphones.

And my roommate. Snig is THE BEST!

Can I please go to Kenya?

Back in New Haven which means back in the Studio. I'm waiting for my second coat of gesso to try. Have you ever watched paint dry?

It seems like maybe this year will be better than the last...

Live from Queens

I'm in pain. I love Snigdha's Mommy's food too much. I think I should just move to India for a year and eat.

I need to stop eating out so much this term. For my belly and my moolah.

I miss dance. I want to either join the Ballroom team again or find somewhere to take dance lessons. Or just invest in a fake so I can do Wednesday salsa at Ivy Lounge on a regular basis.

Notes from airplane mode:
Noise canceling headphones are my new best friend. I still haven’t worked up the courage to talk to my dad about Kenya. Will do soon. Somebody just farted on the plane and it smells delicious. I miss the constant re-filling of green tea on Japan airlines. Apparently Delta is thinking about partnering with them which would be groovy for my Skymiles and sushi cravings. I got a lot of good advice over this past week from the old wise men. Uncle Jake and Dad. Grandpa too. They all bring their different experiences to the table. I never used to listen but I do now. They know what they’re talking about. I’ve become a lot less idealistic and more realistic this week. I’m looking for an internship now and I’m going to take some Econ classes. My dad thinks everything in the world is sales of some kind. Except for starving artists, everyone participates in the economy. I sat next to an awesome lady from Jimmy Choo on my flight to Omaha who encouraged me to major in English. Hmm. I feel like I’m not going to learn painting technique at Yale anyway. The reason why I’ve been improving is the amount of time I’ve put in the studio. In many ways Yale is all about theory—I mean, it’s great that we learn how to think and communicate. I guess that’s what a liberal arts education means. I’ve just realized that I need to work on developing practical skills elsewhere during my summers. Oh, and Yale is not the place for dating. I think I've finally gotten that through my head.

And, I want to rent a house next year with all of my best friends and cook for them. I think it would be wonderful. Bathtub. Cat.

Right now I'm wearing this medallion from my Mom's junior NHS. I added a charm from Spain, a character from 中国, and an Australian opal.

Question I'm pondering: Do Asians place emphasis on context while Westerners place more emphasis on individuals? Next on my "for me" reading list when I'm caught up with Cold War will be "The Geography of Thought: Why We Think the Way We Do" Also, I love how Asian people don't wear shoes in their houses.

P.S. I think I like making generalizations too much.

Farewell 4401 Red Fox Lane

Swingdancing last night with Tom and Jane. Snigdha's pad tonight. New York then New Haven tomorrow!

Suddenly I realize/ That if I stepped out of my body I would break/ Into blossom

I'm listening to Thee Michelle Gun Elephants (Japanese band) with my two little cousins. Nathan is in third grade and already a pro on the electric guitar, just like his Daddy. He likes Neil Young and the White Stripes. How much I miss when I'm away. I talked to Grandma G about how Grandpa wanted to build a fallout shelter during the Cold War. Uncle Jake told me about trains in Russia in the 70s. We talked about liberal arts education and me relaxing about figuring this life thing out. We talked about making money. Aunt Betty got her hair chemically-straightened. I cleaned my room and found a thank-you note I had written to Aunt Jo and Uncle Cal eight years ago and gave it to them. They had given me AmericanGirl books. Mom made amazing stuffing. And Grandma G's red velvet cake recipe. I've been going through my room packing clothes to take for school I forgot I had. It's like buying new stuff. I'm throwing away the things I'm never going to wear again. Throwing away all the Georgetown Journals of International Affairs, Foreign Affairs, and Economists that I will never have time to read. Stopping and looking at the pictures from Australia. Remembering Fitzroy Island. Vernon and I had a really nice chat at the Tea Smith last night. At home, everything reminds me of something. While I clean, I stop from time to time and look through an old journal or homework assignment. I keep a few special ones and throw the rest away. My parents never throw anything away. My mom is telling a story about her chicken that hatched duck eggs. My teeth feel coated in sugary pie residue. Grandma Mari made biscotti. I hope I have pretty thick gray hair like Grandma G.

On this Thanksgiving I am thankful for:
-My family
-My health
-My friends
-Yale
-Slippers
-Tea
-Books
-My iPhone

That's all folks.

;)

Beauty?

Monday in 402.

Grip by Ashley Thalman
Doesn't it make your heart swell?

In other news, I've been enjoying Lifetime Fitness, Whole Foods, and The TeaSmith. Mom taught me how to sew today so I've been making cute little dolls to sell on Etsy. I'm in the midst of a massive sushi binge. I also had a realization today that I both need and want a real job, in addition to making things.

P.S. In Boobs vs. Kidlet, Boobs win.

I'm home.

Oh, Omaha. Oh, Midwest. I missed you.

HAPPY :D

I'm sitting in Caribou Coffee in Minneapolis writing a satire piece on the eightfold path. They do this thang were they melt huge chunks of chocolate into your coffee. AMAZING. Yesterday was a beautiful fest of consumerism. I found some sexay black JBrand pants. I'm very much into black these days. I also got some white eyeliner for a little surprise. I actually didn't buy that much. Now I see stuff as space-taker-uppers. Apparently, Dad bought a new pimpmobile yesterday. He picked me up in this ridiculous white (very crunk) Escalade. I thought we had enough cars. Maybe I should get him a grill for Christmas? In other news, Mall of America is at once everything that's wrong with and wonderful about America. I'm trying to upload some pictures from my iPhone of Sirius in the hotel bed and Ariel with a "Christmas donut" (note: family story). I'm also questing for a funny picture to send my English teacher as a prank (a picture is worth a thousand words) for my essay. Confession: I think it's really funny when my parents are mad that Sirius doesn't win his breed. To do for the drive home: convince my parents that I must go to Kenya for December. Avoid answering any questions about majors or life plans. Check.

How to wake your sleeping lover:

Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman

Mermaids.

It's a little known fact that my mom named me after the mermaid in Splash played by Daryl Hannah. After coming out of the water and growing legs she looks up at a street sign on Madison Ave in NY and decides "Madison" should be her name. I collect pictures of Madison Ave street signs. I was James Madison in my third grade's President's play. My mom has a thing for mermaids. My little sister's name is Ariel. True story: When I get in the water, my legs meld into one scaly, orange fin. Oh and the drawing is a Madison Grinnell original.

Sushi Tacos.

The lover and I had amazing sushi and sashimi (R.I.P.) at Sushi on Chapel last night after the Asian Masculinity talk. In other news I'm into liquid eyeliner and making my eyes look like an anime character's. I'm also knitting a lot. I just invested in a gigantic luxurious memory-foam mattress pad (Overstock.com) and more layers to make me want to spend more time in bed. The dryer is presently fluffing my pillow and Sniggle's too.