2-14-00 (11:46 p.m.) I feel really dumb for checking the date on my computer, but old habits die hard, or not at all. I suspect that I'm one of very few people, who've spent years not giving a damn about Valentine's day, and then the first year I have a girlfriend I get morose about it. I never said I was normal, in fact I claim the opposite more often than it's true. With the exception of last year, which I mentioned in a past entry, all of my Feb 14ths, have passed in much the same way. I could always count on a hokey box of chocolates from my father, something like "Bee mine" or "I choo-choo-choose you" with around 5 or so pieces of that nasty el-cheapo chocolate, that I happen to like. So, that was kind of a comfortable family tradition, and other than that I mostly ignored the "holiday" all together. Then this year rolls around. I kept hearing from Colin what Joe had for Angela, and what they had planned and such. I also walked with Peng down to the Florist following English. Hillary is a botanist or something along those lines. So, standing there in a shop with a bunch of people who are just like: "Um...can I get a rose?" He knows to be more specific. So, on the walk to West campus, he's talking about how much nicer his are than the other people's. This is cool and all, but I start to feel kind of left out. It's not that the 14th really has a specific significance...that's kind of an artificial construct of Hallmark and FTD, but it's an excuse to do something nice, or do something together, or (in my case) to remind myself just how much I miss Kate. I called her after 10:30 check, and talked to her until the 26 minutes left on my calling card ran out, but it's not the same. The next time I see her'll be the weekend of our anniversary, when we're going to see my sister dance. That's the weekend after next, but that's a long time away, at least I think so. I'm not sure what all the plans are for that weekend yet, but we'll figure something out. Colin, Joe, Peng and I stayed up all night in the AURICS room, and I got a lot of work done, though not so much as I would've liked. I have a steady trickle of major assignments due here over the next couple of weeks. I need to start working ahead of my deadlines. I think that the peoples are beginning to realize that I have not only a lot of work to do on a regular basis, but stuff like classes and TA sessions to attend. I don't think the idea of a schedule really occurs to them, especially Joe, and to a lesser degree Colin. Today, at 10:00 I'm hanging out in Colin's room, then Joe and Angela come in bringing Encore, this game they think we'll like. I, being my compliant usual self, don't mention that actually I was going to hang around for a little longer, then walk 1/2 mile back to my room and call Kate. This game consists of naming songs with certain words in the lyrics, and trying to complete different categories, etc. Angela and Joe are talking during one of our turns, and I find it distracting...it was an easy word too "boy" I think something like half the songs ever written have the word "boy" in them somewhere. That's exaggeration, but we should've been able to come up with one, but we had Joe and Angela chattering in the background. I didn't try to argue we should have another word to do over, but I ask them not to talk during our turns. Angela does the smartass thing, and says we can talk during their turns. I try to explain to her that that arrangement really doesn't work for me. I also resisted the urge to be a butt. I was really tempted to blabber into her ears during their turn, instead I looked at my watch and realize that it's 10:19, and it takes about 15 minutes to cross campus on foot, walking at a comfortable pace. So, I tell her I'll just leave and we can pick the game up later. She decides she can be quiet during our turns. I was more concerned with being in my room to start trying to get through on the phone in her hall, than whether or not Angela was going to be quiet. It still bothered me that Angela wouldn't listen. She and Joe can be very self-centered a lot of the time. I don't want to say it was unselfish of me to walk out in the middle of a game, or to insist they be quiet during my turns. Those are selfish to an extent, but when you tell someone that something bothers you, and they ignore you completely, then when you remove yourself from their presence, they want to negotiate. At that point, you really have to let that person go. If you say "Ok, we'll do it your way, just stay" that supports such behavior as a way to get what you want. I often draw analogies between the behavior of my friends, and the behaviors of small children. This is especially true when Angela or Seph enter the picture...neither of them really has a sense of when their playful "I'm a 5-year old" behaviors are acceptable and when they aren't. Hint number 1, when someone makes a serious request...they probably want a serious response...or maybe that's just me. That's the part of today I can remember. Now I'm going to try to do my work, and get to bed. Maybe I'll make it to Discrete tomorrow....we can hope. Maybe I won't screw up in Archery...but I highly suspect that my stance still has major problems. I'm going to talk to Wilbur about maybe coming in at other times to practice.