LAN Party: Day 1 (Continued)

7:52 PM: I have joined their ranks. Having only ever played creative mode, the actual game of Minecraft is my new challenge. Additionally, a run to Costco has satisfied the Urban Dictionary definition requirement of a LAN party having junk food.

Almost everyone that is planning to attend is here. There are only one or two others who are even thinking of attending not here, but they actually live in the area, so we are at the out-of-towner capacity.

LAN Party: Day 1

About six months ago, I moved into a house with four of my best friends I've made whilst in school up here in Dallas. This may not sound weird in and of itself, but it's a bit amusing when one considers the fact that I am the only girl living here.

Despite what many people may think, this has never caused any problems. We had a really smooth transition, I think partially because I was already such good friends with them and partially because I'm a lot more chill and relaxed than a lot of other girls.

Another major factor contributing to the harmony is that we are all geeks. Normally, I'd be inclined to think I was just as geeky as the guys. Now I think I'm just as geeky, but in some very different ways. This weekend will be my first experience with a LAN party, and it has been quite curious so far.

For those not attuned to computer geek culture, Urban Dictionary defines a LAN party as "A party where people bring their own computers, hook them up, and game all night long with each other. Also involves mass consumption of caffeine and junk food."

The first thing I noticed upon waking up this morning was the sound of the vacuum cleaner. This was strange because any time anyone has used the vacuum cleaner other than me, it's been when I asked someone to help me clean. When I emerged from my bedroom an hour later, all of our furniture had been reconfigured. Our couches had been moved from the living room to the dining room, and the process had begun of most of The Roommates' moving of their desks and computers from their rooms to the living room and setting up desks for those coming for just the weekend.

After returning from lunch, two of our guests had arrived and were in the midst of setting up THEIR computers in the living room. Looking down the room, I am now reminded of a messier Mission Control with all the computers and monitors. And that brings me to another staple of the hard-core gamer: everyone has at LEAST two monitors.

And that's the status as of May 30, 2014, at 5:51 PM. I'm not sure the "Official LAN" has begun yet because there hasn't been a single unifying game that they've all played yet; people have either been playing Hearthstone (which is basically Magic: the Gathering, but online) or their own one-player games or YouTube videos. Additionally, another two of our friends who live in the area haven't moved their computers in, AND one of The Roommates' girlfriend and her siblings haven't arrived in Dallas yet.

I'm really curious to see how everyone ends up fitting their computers and themselves in the house, since it seems that people won't be leaving for most of the weekend. Cabin fever hasn't set in yet, but with all these people in the house, I'm sure a retreat into my room will happen at some point.

"Two people who were once very close can without blame or grand betrayal become strangers. Perhaps this is the saddest thing in the world."

Warsan Shire

On Rejection

It shouldn't surprise me, but it does, at how quickly I can go from feeling on top of the world to completely worthless. Take yesterday and today for instance. Despite everything I've been struggling with for the past two months, I felt like I could conquer anything. I've always identified with this song, but I really felt like I wasn't afraid of ANYTHING yesterday. I was ready to take on everything; I was ready to go on adventures; I wasn't afraid.

Then today... I found out I was rejected (again) for one of the (many) internships I've interviewed for. It's basically the end of the school year, and I don't have work for the summer. Despite the fact I've been interviewing for two semesters. Despite the fact every single interview has gone really well. Despite the fact I consistently get through to final rounds of interviews.

And all of this is on my mind the day I need to study for my last final tomorrow.

Theatre Junkies Anonymous Confession Time

I know it's very much in alternative culture vogue and also a bit in mainstream vogue to dislike Romeo and Juliet. I get it, I really do. Because in most productions of Romeo and Juliet, it's hard to get the audience to care about two kids who fall in love, seemingly on a whim, and cause all these problems and kill themselves at the end. (Spoiler alert for Romeo and Juliet.)

But I do not share this hate for Romeo and Juliet because I have seen a little version of Romeo and Juliet directed by one Baz Lurmann. (otherwise known as my favorite film director of all time.) In this version, Baz Lurmann used the source material exactly, but he understood how in Shakespeare's day, very few instructions were given as to the blocking of the show except in the actual words spoken by the actors. Some amateur directors take that as a sign that anything that's not there should not be included, but that robs the show of what is needed for a sympathetic love story: the setup. Why do these characters love each other so much? What drives them to risk so much and ultimately die rather than live apart?

Baz Lurmann is brilliant for many reasons, but in my opinion, the most important part of his movie is the scene when Romeo and Juliet see each other for the first time. Instead of a corny moment when crowds part, they see each other, and are instantly in love, you see a very true moment of connection that grows to attraction and then finally to love. Without this moment of connection, the rest of the movie loses meaning because the audience wouldn't be able to CARE ABOUT THE CHARACTERS.

I digress. This post isn't technically meant to be about Romeo and Juliet, but whenever I talk about Baz Lurmann's movies, I get excited.

The confession I have to make isn't that I love Romeo and Juliet; my confession is that I really don't like A Midsummer Night's Dream. I preface this by saying that I have not seen a version of this play actually performed. I reserve the right to change my mind if I see a really good performance of the show that's able to change my mind.
Every single time I read A Midsummer Night's Dream, I finish the play and wonder, "Why did I just read that?" Most recently, I have an answer: It's what my current Art and Performance Elements class is discussing. But I didn't like the play much more than when I first read it. I'm glad to understand more of the elements we talked about in class such as the historical context and the mythology Shakespeare alludes to. I also really enjoy certain passages of the play because Shakespeare was wonderful with words.

But I really don't care about the characters. I am given no reason to sympathize with Hermia and Lysander running into the forest and eloping. I understand they need to run off to give the opportunity for Demetrius the Douche and Helena the Hopeless to follow them and get caught up in hilarity, but other than the funny situations, I really don't see the point of that whole love rectangle.
The fairies are even worse. Other than the fact that the world is screwed up because the Fairy King and Queen are fighting, I don't care. I don't care which of them gets the kid, and I don't care about the power struggle.

Does anyone have ANY recommendations of a good version of A Midsummer Night's Dream that I could watch that could change my mind?

Some Post Debate Observations

Warning: political observations ahead. Do not continue if you hate politics, are easily offended, or have a natural bias against libertarians.

No, I have not seen the debate, but I didn't need to. I'm already what they call a "disillusioned voter," and I have no intention of being wooed back to the Republican party to vote for Romney. If they didn't want us before, why should we come back now? So what I'm about to say probably doesn't mean anything as far as either establishment goes.

I've been listening and observing around my campus and on the internet after the debate last night, and there's one thought that has kept running through my head:

I am SICK and TIRED of people acting like Obama and Romney are any different.

Hint: They're not.

They may have different strategies, but a vote for either of them is a vote for more deficit spending, more foreign entanglements we have no business getting into, and more regulation and laws that are NOT NEEDED.

I'm tired of hearing that Obama is "for the middle class" when he signed into law the massive "Affordable Care Act" that will become a massive burden for everyone, most of all the middle class. I'm tired to hearing that Romney is "better than Obama" when they both support continual renewal of the Patriot Act.

This is making me depressed.

And if you don't believe me, here's 100 Ways Mitt Romney is Just Like Barack Obama from the Independent Voters Network. If any of you are so happy and excited about supporting one over the other, I would really rethink that. I'm not telling you to just change your views because I said so, but in the words of Mark Twain, "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect."

And where will I be this November? Still voting. Still planning to send in my absentee ballot. They may marginalize me and pretend my views don't matter, but I'm still going to keep expressing them by either voting for Gary Johnson or writing in Ron Paul.

Wasted vote? No. It's not wasted because I believe in whom I'm voting for. Can any of you say the same?