a++ would smuggle into space again

I didn't sleep last night, but I did go down to Wicker Park today -- acquisitions include [redacted birthday gift which I'm reading first], A Place of Greater Safety (finally, Ji!), Flaubert in Egypt for my mother, and Co. Aytch: Sam Watkin's Memoirs or whatever the official title is. (I walked into a beautiful two-story used bookstore, all towering bookcases that would be illegal in San Francisco because they're so fantastically earthquake unsafe, fiction winding around the whole back of the building, and as a train roared by overhead, Co. Aytch was the first thing that caught my eye. I don't care how soulgrinding Chicago is, sometimes; it's worth it to live in a city in which Time Traveler Day is redundant.) I also got a blue shirt ... thing ... and a brilliant a capella idea, largely due to Emily, for a Sympathy for the Devil medley arrangement. Ohh, man, we're going to sound so cool when the first years are the ones in charge.

( useless snow rambles )

Thank you, all of you, for your helpful advices; finals are not the end of the world, and finals are not everything, and I just have to keep reminding myself: a) you cannot commit seppuku if you are not a samurai, b) I owe everyone an all-expenses paid trip to Hawaii for my funeral, c) I chose this for myself knowing that it would be unpleasant and difficult, d) the sunny side of the street is not a myth. If you commented on the Thomas dvd commentary, please understand that the only reason I have not yet responded to you is that there is no way that I can actually fit my enormous, hideous gratitude into a comment box. I am working on the technology.

I keep noticing the way that, at the beginning of Shanty for the Arethusa, Colin plays "Happy Birthday" on the creaky ropes. I can't recall if I've pointed this out on LJ before, but every time I notice, it traumatises me more. Also, our arrangement of Drive My Car has a section that sounds like the Sound of Music. The More You Know!

Humanities class has not, so far, blown my mind. It might in the near future, but I doubt it, seeing as a good, healthy grasp on nihilism prevents future growth. My mental life has been rather full of the futility of existence!! lately. Also severed arms, but that's a whole different story.

Arabic, on the other hand, has taught me to say all these amazing things relating to spy novels. Basically, I can translate John Le Carre, but I can't say "My name is Emma." Good class!

Arranging Waster for a cappella: crazy? Good idea? Not instrumental enough?