Flock Hall

The Only Constant in Life IS Change

2006-06-12T00:47:00.000-07:00

Well, Flock Hall isn't what it used to be.... P-Squidly has moved on to live with "other" people. Ben is up at Christian youth camp for the rest of the summer and has another place already lined up for the Fall. Linus will not be staying after the end of summer, and Tessa and I will be looking for a new place in August as well.

So over the summer it will be Linus, Tessa, and I with some visits from Ben, when he is in town for the weekend, or Squid, when she happens to pop on by. Also, I may be getting a job in northern Nevada which would have me gone for a good 20 days out of a month (blocks of 10 days at a time).

No. It is for certain that Flock Hall has seen better days. Ajax's shreeks and yacks sound out hollow down the hallway these days, and the gold-fish just don't seem to be as excited when I feed them in the morning, or late afternoon when I get up. Even the kitchen table has shrunk... we just don't need the extra room anymore.

Brittany's room being vacant though has provided us with a music room and an easier route to our roof/"porch". And the summer allows for more Bar-B-Ques, and sing alongs out on the roof. But much has changed either way. With the remainder of the house all having degrees and bigger plans for the future there'e just no need to slum it down by the tracks anymore.

But Flock Hall will always have a special place in my heart. I will always remember the time spent down here on North 2nd Street. And I'm sure that the others will too. But until then, us here at Flock Hall have a summer ahead of us and a lot of fun still to be had.

Flock Hall Lives

2006-05-02T03:22:00.000-07:00

Despite the recent silence here, Flock Hall is alive and well. We are all taking finals and most of us are graduating. It is a time of uncertainty, as none of us really know where we are headed. The next phase of life is unclear, but it does look like all but one of the housemates will be staying on until the end of August. We will have summer adventures! And I will make sure they are refcorded here for posterity...

New Technology

2006-01-24T05:44:00.000-07:00

The level of gadgetry at Flock hall has become quite high of late. My goo-dispensing shaver is not the only new toy in the house :

Silicone bakeware - loaf and cake pans, muffin tins, Zoidburgs (oven mits), spatulas, and hot pads, all made of flexible rubbery stuff, nonstick, and able to handle 650 degree temperatures. This stuff really seems like magic - it's the elven cookware of the new millenium.

Laptops - the house is suddenly lousy with them. With Squid and I getting laptops as gifts, everyone in the house now has one but Ben. Poor, technologically disadvantaged Ben*. In fact, even guests like Gina and Christin have laptops - we may make it mandatory for all visitors in the near future. Mine is the only Mac, and I feel the jealous eyes upon me...
*Ben has a new desktop system, so it's not all bad.

Cable TV - the installer is coming on Friday! I have mixed emotions about letting the one-eyed monster into our home, but I feel very cut off from the world without it. We each have our favorite shows - I want to watch Black Books and other British comedies, Mark wants to see The Daily Show, for Britt it's The L Word, Tessa wants Food Network, and Ben is tired of trying to unscramble those cable smut channels by hand. As sad as this may sound, I think it might bring us together more as well. It may serve as the flickering campfire our tribe huddles around in the cold winter months.

Cell phones - we all have them, and mine just got much sexier (see Motorola Razor V3 above). I am not nearly hip enough for this phone. It's so slick - when I pull it out, everyone just assumes I stole it.

My last phone was in the habit of shutting itself off randomly, so I went to see about a replacement. I am somewhat picky about phones; I have several old injuries that make using a phone difficult for me. Due to an accident many years ago, I only hear well in my left ear. Unfortunately, my left elbow and shoulder have suffered a few injuries that make it hard for me to hold a phone to my left ear for long periods of time, so a headset is mandatory for any call lasting more than about five minutes. I have had limited success with headsets - I am hard on them, as I usually manage to catch the wire on something and rip them off my head. I had my last phone for eleven months, and in that time I went through 4 headsets. I am hoping that a wireless headset is the answer. Hence the need for a bluetooth phone like the Razor, and this Motorola bluetooth headset...

When I'm wearing it, it should look something like this...

As I type this on my iBook G4, I am chatting with a friend using my bluetooth headset and munching a piece of bread that Mark baked in silicone loaf pans. Soon, I'll be doing all of that while watching the SciFi channel. If only my death ray were operational, my life would be complete...

Clean Shave

2006-01-13T04:04:00.000-07:00

This is my new razor - the Norelco 7735X Cool Skin Rechargeable Cordless Razor, to be exact. After asking unsuccessfully for a razor that can be taken into the shower for three Christmases now, I finally just broke down and bought one for myself. It set me back about $100, but it was worth it. It has these cartridges full of goo

that oozes out on the head while you shave. It sounds like a silly gimmick, but I can honestly say that this is the closest shave I have ever managed to give myself with an electric shaver, and it's better in most respects than what usually results from using a regular razor. In fact, I'd say that my skin has only felt this smooth on two other occassions in my adult life - once when I got a shave from a Phillipino barber (a highly recommended treat for your face), and once when I singed off all my facial hair lighting a propane grill (a not so highly recommended treat for your friends, who will laugh themselves sick at your eyebrowless expense).

This has only the tiniest, most tangential, link to the theme of this blog, but where else am I going to rave about this new toy? It is linked to our experiement in communal living only because the replacement packets of goo hang in the shower that everyone uses. I realize that some of the inmates of Flock Hall might be tempted to open said packets and use the contents as conditioner, moisturizer, lubricant, toothpaste, spermicide, piercing cleaner, labia polish, or a light snack, but please try to refrain - the goo is kind of pricey, and doesn't taste good at all.

Papal Fortress

2005-11-21T19:16:00.000-07:00

We didn't get much snow in North Carolina when I was a kid, so instead of snowballs, we threw other stuff at each other. Painful, messy stuff like unripe persimmons and sap-covered green pine cones that would stick in your hair. These missiles called for serious protection, so we became serious fort builders. We had a big wood pile in our backyard that always served as one wall, and then my friends and I improvised the other three. The best was the time we found huge pallets and made a bunker with a roof. It was almost safe. I still have a small scar on my scalp from when it collapsed under the combined weight of John Lusk and Scotty Miller... man, were they fat.

These days, the weapons have changed. It's mostly lightsabers in the hallway, or the occassional towel snapping battle in the kitchen, but the need for a sound fortress into which one can retreat remains. I don't know, maybe it's the male version of that nesting urge that women get. At any rate, I gave in to my need for a fort this past weekend, and constructed my very own ghetto fabulous Fortress of Solitude (and it's really quite cool, despite the fact that I stole the name from Superman, who is totally lame).

The bed is 64" high, which leaves ample room underneath for my "lair"...

As Captain Corley put it, "My fortress brings all the kids to the yard..."

(Note: Fuck-proof brackets by Strong Soviet Mother Inc.)

My Bread

2005-11-19T11:20:00.000-07:00

Tessa got me a Cooking With Honey cookbook, and as some of you know, but probably not that many, I really enjoy honey. Also, when I was living with Benny K and Kit we invested in a gi-normous bag of organic cracked wheat. So I put two and two together (and made four... ha ha ha) and made some bread (we already had the yeast too).

It seems to have been a hit so far, it was only my first batch, so we'll see how the second batch goes and work from there. Ben (el capitan) has already suggested that I get a booth down at the Farmer's Market, could be fun.

Well, come on over for a slice of bread some day, later.

The Kitchen's Alive!!!!!

2005-11-11T12:54:00.000-07:00

For the past three to four weeks now I have been the one to clean up the week's worth of dishes in the kitchen. I'm not complaining or anything, but rather making some interesting observations.

The Kitchen, being cleaned the weekend (or friday) before gets progressively worse until all of the glassware and silverware have all been completely used up and are found within every possible room and corner in the house. The kitchen table is full of the past week's mail and assorted lunches.... and the living room is where you go to collect the dirty dishes that have not migrated to the kitchen sink yet.

I start by sorting the dishes into piles of similar type on the kitchen table, we don't have a dish washer, but we do have two sinks and a drying rack. The silverware and utensils go into one of the sinks to soak. and I proceed to wash some and then dry some... and then wash some and then dry some... and then wash some and then dry some, and then wash and dry, and then wash and then dry... (repeat as necessary).

It is not as though no one in the house never does dishes, it's just that they a) do them poorly, or b) don't dry them, they just fill up the drying rack and call it done. No one bothers to collect dishes and take them to the sink or even clean off the table from time to time. But as the monks at Mt. Michael taught me, "drying is half the dishes." So in order to claim that I did the dishes I would need to wash and dry the dishes, multiple times even.... what a novel concept one might say... well, I do what I can.

During this weekly rite i grab the stereo out of the living room and put it atop the frig/microwave combo so that only the male population of the house can reach it. This ensures that I get to listen to whatever I want to listen to as I wash AND dry the dishes (i emphasize this so that it might be engrained into the subconsciousness of my flatmates). I also clean the stove-top, the counters, and the table, as well as sweep and mop the floors. It has become a very meditative and envigoring assignment.

For a while I thought that the house was just too lazy to get the dishes done, but now i realize that people are never home, and that when they are home they are sleeping, rushing to leave, or other. I am glad to live in such an affordable place which such wonderful people, but sometimes I wish that the house was cleaner more often.

Welcome Ajax!

2005-10-31T17:02:00.000-07:00

The Flock has a new member!

Ajax is an African Grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus erithacus). His age is unknown, but he is probably about 3-4 years old. He came from a rather strange environment, where he received a very good diet, but he had to work for every bite. His previous owner didn't believe in freefeeding, so the birds (their were 7 Greys living in this house) had water in their cages, but they had to do tricks for all of their food. Although the birds were all very tame, none of them talk - which is very odd for Greys. Most of the tricks were cued by hand gestures, and so very little conversation was going on between the birds and the human. I think the constant working for food made them focus very hard on physical behaviors, and not much on mimicking sounds.

His previous owner also didn't offer the birds much in the way of toys, because they were out of their cages all the time. In his new cage, he has a lot of toys, and he is slowly learning how to play with them. He woke me up today by ringing a bell toy - which was very cute, except that it happened at about 6:15 this morning.

I'll post more about his progress along the way.

An Odd Weekend

2005-10-24T16:48:00.000-07:00

It was certainly indeed an odd weekend. Our ring leader His Sinfullness went out on the road to Columbus and left us to our own devious deeds. Friday wasn't bad most of the house went to a costume party down in Colorado at our friend Rachel's house. I woke to an empty house Saturday morning and after came home to an empty house. Now in a house that normally at least has one other person in it this was just creepy. Tessa and Gina took off to Boulder to go see Dar Williams live that I sent them to, and Ben and Mark were at the first annual Home Grown Drag Show in town. Both shows were 21+ so I, alas, could not attend. I stayed home Saturday night and finally got used to the creek of the doors and floors, reminding myself that really the ninja's would not attack while Linus was away. I enjoyed having the entire living room to myself being able to play music, watch what ever movie I wanted and just relaxing.

Maybe you guys could plan another weekend away and I could have the house to myself for the entire weekend, just imagine what fun I could have ;) Tomorrow Linus will come home and the world as we now will go back to normal, and I am kinda excited about that.

To whomever cleaned the bath tub and kitchen today - thanks!

2005-10-17T18:35:00.000-07:00

Like a miracle, the bath tub became cleaner overnight. There was this spot, on the left side near the middle, that wouldn't come clean - but today it was gone. My first reaction was that Tess probably did it, but that explanation fails to satisfy my innate sense of wonder. Perhaps it is because I have read too much Irish folklore, but I want to believe that there is a sparkling and magical Otherworld, which intersects our own. The little people are all around us, and we need only to put aside all the trappings of adulthood, and return to our childlike selves to be able to see them.

I imagine going to the bathroom some early morning and as I draw near the door I hear small voices, singing the sort of jolly songs that make work go faster. I peek inside and find a tiny gnome sleeping by the sink with his hat over his eyes, and his little bucket and mop propped against the cotton swabs. I'd pull back the shower curtain slowly and quietly, to see his little friends scrubbing the tub, rapelling with detal floss down the walls of the shower stall, and polishing the chrome spigot with some magical cleanser that only the wee ones know the secret of making.

After reveling in this rare sight for a bit, I'd gently pick up the one on the vanity, and shake him awake. Once he had a moment to rub the sand from his eyes, I'd lean in so close that I'd be able to see the tiny flower in the buttonhole of his wee little lapel, and I'd say...

"GET BACK TO WORK YOU LAZY LITTLE BITCH! DON'T YOU SEE THE FILTH ON THE FLOOR BY THE HEAT REGISTER!? AND HAVE YOU LOOKED IN CORLEY'S FUCKING ROOM!? THERE'S MOLD APPROACHING SENTIENCE IN THERE! I'M TEMPTED TO JUST DUMP A HUNGRY CAT IN HERE WITH YOU WORTHLESS LITTLE FUCKERS AND COME BACK IN THE MORNING! NOW GET IN MY ROOM AND SWEEP BEHIND THE BED, YOU NO-GREENCARD-HAVIN' LITTLE BASTARD!! Wonder of the Celtic Otherworld, my ass..."

*DISCLAIMER* (to keep the hippy-pagans of the Flock happy...)
No Wee People were harmed in the making of this post.

some observations

2005-10-16T12:25:00.000-07:00

As Fall proceeds to wax and wane, as temperature and snow come and go... us at Flock Hall find new patterns and routines. Linus no longer can fly kites as often he used to be able. The windows stay closed for longer periods of time, and the dishes get done less and less. Work, school, and play have their appropriate spaces and soon enough the holidays will be upon us with their expectations and weighty situations.

But, until then... I will spend my time amongst the autumn leaves and crisp breeze of the surrounding season. I will soak in the light and glow of the autumn sun and pray for life to linger for but a little longer, before sleep.

yay for fall

2005-09-30T13:30:00.000-07:00

i have been dreading the arrival of fall for the past month or so... if you have ever experienced seasons in wyoming you know that this dread is not premature... but now that the bite is in the air and the leaves are changing the dread has abated, though i am sure that not all of my roommates share this sentiment. i think for me it is the smells that made the transition more peaceful. the smells inside the house will be changing too, with fall comes the need to close the windows due to the chill. no fresh air means stronger boy smells, not always a good thing, and there is only really me to counter that smell (sorry britt, but you don't normally smell like a girl). i am a little trepidatious about this change... hopefully i will find it as painless as the transition to fall has been...

In the Arms of Comfort

2005-09-26T14:28:00.000-07:00

Slowly, the living room has become a place of ever increasing fung shooy-ness. The Comfy Throne has migrated from Tessa and I's room and mingles with the other furniture. And the entire room seems to envelop one's senses as one might wrap up in a blanket after a day out in the harsh wind.

It is as if a gypsy caravan, carrying plush pillows, decadent hangings, plump cushions and warm blankets has arrived in our living room and lain all comfiness about the room. I find myself revelling in wonderful delight of such a place that I spend hours just soaking in the room.

It has also become a place of study, soft music playing, quiet conversation and daily meditation. The afternoon light allows a space for a soul to breathe, as evening provides a more somber environment for a good book or a film among friends.

The living room is an enchanted place, a place to unwind, relax, and step back from life for a while. I'll see you all there soon...

Blog Housekeeping

2005-09-22T11:10:00.000-07:00

Just a brief update - I added a verification step to our comments because I deleted four pieces of "comment spam" from Tessa's lovely post this morning. When you comment in the future, you'll see this sort of thingy...

Roommate swap

2005-09-21T21:18:00.000-07:00

the semester has gotten off to an interesting and at times jerky start, but i think that i have got the pattern down. i am really enjoying the pattern of evenings ending with the house, mostly, sitting around in the super comfy chairs in the living room and chatting. i say mostly because it seems to me that the semester beginning has brought on a change to the roommmate population. ben, who actully sleeps in the house (maybe, this has not yet been confirmed) seems to never be there; or if he is, he never joins us. gina, on the other hand doesn't live at flock hall, but instead purportedly resides at mcintyre hall, is quite often an active participant in these lively discussions - in addition to cooking, cleaning and sometimes sleeping at the residence. i know for a fact that we see more of her than ben. so it seems that we have swapped one roommate for another, much prettier, one (sorry ben, but you know she is). by the way ben, we miss you, and there is more than enough room in the ghetto for both of you!

Partners in Crime

2005-09-07T09:30:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about living in Flock Hall is that you almost never have to be alone. Certainly, you can go in your room and close the door, but if you want company it is readily available. If you feel like walking to the mini-mart, someone is usually around and willing to go with you. If you want to share dinner, somebody will likely join you. Doing dishes, taking out the trash - all things that you don't have to do alone.

I suppose it's not all that unusual, really. Most people who live in a communal setting probably experience the same thing - but we here at Flock Hall sometimes serve above and beyond the call of duty. Here are some of the things you can count on your fellow Flock Hall inmates to share with you:

If you want to test fly a new stack of kites in the train yard at midnight...
If you come home at 1:00 AM 'shroomed out of your mind and want to go get food...
If you want to watch really bad TV ("Tribe" springs to mind)...
If you want to shave your head, bleach and/or dye your hair, or get pierced...
If you have no sex life of your own (in this case the sharing is only audible)...

Public Service Announcement

2005-08-31T14:44:00.000-07:00

i feel that posting is really unfair when i don't have a whole lot to say, yet here i am babbling away.. i have been gone for most of August and started working on adapting to my new school schedule since i got back, as have the rest of the household members... thus time spent at home is sketchy ... coolness exists in that my sister gina is back in town, back in school, and hanging out with me... YAY! so now you know...

I'm The Reason Why We Can't Have Nice Things.

2005-08-28T16:34:00.000-07:00

Finally the 6th roomate has emerged from the closet at the top of the stairs. I do apologizse it has taken me so long to introduce myself. I am Brittany, Squid, The Little Sister, The Punk, the reason why we can't have nice things. Let me explain that last one there, you see, I am just a little spastic at times, ok my other roomates would say a lot and all of the time but oh well, I digress as well. I am not exactly sure how this line came about, but the story I most remember is when we were helping Mark and Tessa move into our new ghetto-fabulous home, we were helping them clean their old apartment. I was spazing out because clean supplies inhaled all day tend to do that to a person, and I had leaned up against the wall, mistakenly against the curtain and ended up pulling the entire curtain rod down ontop of me. The room went quite and Linus looked at me straight faced and said "See, Brittany this is the reason why we can't have nice things." Then there is "Did you forget your helmet again Brittany?" but alas that is a story for another time.

This summer had been one of my best, with moving in with some great friends and finding new ones, learning to fly kites with Linus, taking a trip to a dance club with Mark and Ben. We have even hosted two of our own house parties, but have consequently been yelled at for them. At the turning of midnight tonight however brings about a new time not only to our little abode, but to the entire town as it starts to look to academia, which brings late night study sessions, only weekend parties, and an absence in my heart. See I am the only one of Flock Hall that will not be attending school this fall this saddens me a little because I would much rather be buying books, finding my classes, and soaking my head into something new and exiciting. Instead I have taken it upon myself to go into the real world and get a real job. Yes I can proudly say that I am part of the white collar, 40 hours a week, 8am-5pm world. So as Linus said we we'll see how our schedules come together this fall, and how morning bathroom time turns out to be.

Patterns

2005-08-22T08:54:00.000-07:00

We have settled into certain patterns at Flock Hall... call it the Rhythm of Summer. All too soon, classes will start and a new rhythm will have to be established. No more staying up late hanging out and talking. No more afternoons spent napping. No more sleeping in just because we can. No more wandering around downtown with nothing to do. In one week, most of us will be back into the grind of school, and our relaxed commune-style house will have to turn into an academic cloister.

A part of me wants to really go all out this week - burn the last few days of Summer in a white-hot excess. I want to stay out late every night amongst the other Summer dwellers of Laramie, before the influx of students brings Fall with them. Of course that part of me still thinks I'm 25 and can do that sort of thing without paying much of a price.

A quieter, saner part of me wants to get ready for the semester by going to bed earlier each night. Setting my room and desk to rights, eating properly, getting some exercise every day, meditating, and preparing myself for the mental efforts to come. That part of me is apparently an 80 year old nun. I'm thinking of quietly stuffing her in a confessional and locking the door.

No doubt, I will do a little of both. I might get to bed a bit earlier, but it's not likely that I'll do it every night - I want to get out to the kite field at least once for a night fly. I'll probably try to get my life a bit more organized, but I'm not going to alphabetize my bookcase. I'm curious how the rest of the inmates here will handle the change... the next few weeks should be interesting.

Liquid Crackalicious

2005-08-04T14:34:00.000-07:00

So I just got this new mix and am going to be brewing bout a gallon every morning. Cats rock. It's 2 parts mate, 2 parts coffee that has had the chance to steep for a few days, and one part lady gray to give it that "arrogant little vintage" feel. Bunnies are fast. It is kicking my ass around the call center and i told a woman to piss up a rope a few seconds ago. Snakes are evil.

VIVA LA CAFFEINE!!!

Ghetto Fabulous

2005-08-02T15:17:00.000-07:00

Flock Hall is in the ghetto - on a dead-end street, next to an overpass, down by the train tracks, with a neighbor who plays his drum set at odd hours of the night. In spite of the almost constant noise, our downstairs neighbor has decided that we are keeping him up at night.

I grant that there have been two parties recently, and that Ben, Mark, and I tread the hundred-year-old stairs like angry buffalo, but come on - the freight trains blowing their whistles as they go by at 60mph don't wake you, but chairs scraping on the kitchen floor do? Funking prink*...

At any rate, I have added a piece of ghetto fabulous furniture. I think that twelve cinderblocks and four 1x8s makes a lovely wall unit, and compliments the pale green walls very nicely. For the first time since coming to Laramie in the fall of 2002, I am fully unpacked.

*See "Shaun of the Dead"

So, the Desperate Housewives were slightly less reprehensible tonight....

2005-07-31T21:00:00.000-07:00

Due to the lack of cable here in the ghetto, Linus and I took ourselves over to Ruby Slippers to watch this week's episode of The 4400. Groovy! AnnoyingApril is gone, but unfortunately I still want to beat Danny and Tom about the head and shoulders. Anyway, after that was over, Desperate Houswives came on, which our fabulous host enjoys. Last week, Linus and I had to leave half way through because everyone on that show is a complete cunt and we could barely contain our loathing. This week, either they were slightly less loathsome, or we were simply too tired to care.

Why were we so tired, you ask? Because we've been staying up until the wee hours of the morning, which is always fun. See, left to our own devices, we're complete night owls. I think I may be worse than Linus, though. My days and nights would be the complete reverse of the "normal" schedule if I had a choice. However, since I don't have a choice, I've been trying to keep my days as days and nights as nights so I'm not in pain when I have to go to grad school in September. However, the last few nights have been late ones. All of our roomies were gone Saturday and half of today, so Linus and I had the house to ourselves. That was fun, even though he spent most of Sat. napping and surfing eBay for knives and I spent most of it reading graphic novels and playing Kindom of Loathing. We did go to Cheyenne on a whim at, like, 9 pm and ended up at Target. We bought a double package of DVDs (Underworld and Hellboy), and then went right back to Laramie. So very exciting.

Unfortunately, the quiet and relaxing Saturday and fun time with Jim made the craziness we returned to tonight seem even worse. There's a big drinking party going on and I feel like a miserable bitch about it. I have the patience of a gnat right now and I want these screaming drunk people to go far, far away from me. And the nice clean kitchen (which I've had to clean alone for the past three times now, and with Tessa's help the time before that) is fucking thrashed. *sigh*

I'm very, very tired.

The Morning After: Wow, I was cranky last night. I feel better today. Honestly, I'm barely taking any pleasure at all in everyone's hangovers. Also, John is a great houseguest. While Mark and Britt did clean up a bit last night before bed, John got up this morning and cleaned everything up. He can crash in our livingroom anytime he wants, as far as I'm concerned. Thanks, man!

Taking A Break From My Kingdom of Loathing Addiction To Post....

2005-07-27T20:34:00.000-07:00

So, I've finally returned from the scary ass militia haven that is northern Idaho to live in Flock Hall with my wonderfully wacky friends. It's been a lot of fun, much to my surprise. It's not that there's anything wrong with the people who live here (well, there is, but it's mostly harmless), it's just that I'm not known for being overly-social or able to share my living space with people. Maybe it's that anything looks good in comparison to the crazy house I was living in back in Idaho, or that I know this is only a temporary living situation, as I will be going to grad school in Ohio in September, but whatever it is, this place is a lot of fun. I really enjoy the little things, like sitting in the living room and reading with Britt and Tessa or getting certain roomies addicted to televised crack.

The one big surprise for me so far has been a pleasant one. I was not expecting it to be so easy for six people to share one bathroom! Yay us!

Identity in Negation

2005-07-26T09:38:00.000-07:00

It can sometimes be hard to recall who you are, especially when you are a member of a collective. I have constructed this handy reminder for myself.

I can't be a goth because I'm too tan
I can't be a lesbian because I'm a man
I can't be a stoner because I don't smoke
I can't be queer because semen makes me choke
I can't be a Republican because I'm too bright
I can't be a minority because I'm too white
I can't be a dancer because I'm too vain
I can't be an anarchist because I'm too sane
I can't be vegetarian because I love shellfish
I can't be enlightened because I'm too selfish
I can't be a writer because I'm too lazy
and I won't be a poet because I'm not crazy

Separate, yet one

2005-07-24T23:26:00.000-07:00

We live our lives as separate people might go about a subway car, but just like that car rolling on the tracks we are together, moving past eachother trying to get to where we want to be. The roar and bussle of the day is constant yet stagnant while we all come and go as we please.

The evening of the day brings a more somber feeling as the sky assumes autumn hues and the soul becomes restful and weary. Those of us that relish in the dew of night might not be so eager for sleep, but still a sense of settled motion overlays itself upon the house.

Such are the moods of Flock Hall as I can percieve them... we stand as trees within a forest. Separate yet one.

namaste

Dancing Flies

2005-07-19T15:29:00.000-07:00

We have a group of flies that like to hang out in the living room and play WWI dog-fighting routines. This was fun to watch for the first week or so, as the flies would hover about one another and swoop and dive towards eachother. Some called this mating, some called this dancing, some called this annoying, and Finally we all called it "done".

So we bought some fly paper. I have yet to see if it is going to work. But today marks the end of the dancing flies.

new day...

2005-07-15T13:17:00.000-07:00

so i stayed up late last night talking and reading, and have come to the conclusion that the melancholy was all me... or at least mostly me... i am better now =)

Sup, sup YO!

2005-07-14T15:13:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the pic, but I thought we should jus break da ice wit dat. Hi, My name is Mark.... that's Kram, backwards. I'm the jester of the house, I'm also the sivant, the thinker, the Cthulhu follower, the Friar, the fixer, the hard-core camper, the geology nerd, the lifter, the fashion consultant and I like to ride my bicycle... from time to time.

I am currently working two jobs, sleeping when I can, spending a lot of time chatting with the roomies late at night and painting Linus' room. I also enjoy the cheaper rent and the myriad of opportunities to pose for pictures on Linus' blog.

I am also a very spiritually based individual, I accept the knowledge and wisdom of all faiths and walks of life. I think that you'll find that we are a very open, honest and fun-loving crowd.

Have fun out there... and try not to get hurt.

Introduction

2005-07-14T14:09:00.000-07:00

For those of you who just tuned in, I'm Robin called Linus. I'm actually known by many names... The Black Pope, His Sinfulness, the Dark Pontiff, Darth Furious, or the "old guy who lives at the end of the hall."

I'm in the final semester of a BS in Religion, then I'll be going on to a PhD program. Don't let the names or the field of study fool you - I'm no believer. In fact, I'm about as skeptical as possible where religion is concerned. The way I see it, that makes me the best possible candidate for the rational study of religion, that least rational of all topics. I'm writing a paper on the conversion experiences of American Bahá'ís in Wyoming. Seriously, it's dead fascinating...

I moved into Flock Hall because I wanted a few things:
1) Cheaper rent
2) Lower utility bills
3) Bathtub
We've got all of those things - my rent is half what it used to be, utilities are split five ways, and the bathtub is great. Living with four friends, however, is a hilarious fringe benefit.

Sometimes, I'm the dad.
("Don't use THAT tape for wiring - you'll burn the fucking house down!")

Sometimes, I'm the oldest kid.
(I put the shirt in the freezer, but it was Mark's idea to soak it in water first...)

Sometimes, I'm the instigator.
("Did you kiss her yet? Go on Britt, she wants you to kiss her!")

I plan to use this blog to record all of my many roles in Flock Hall. Someday, years from now, when my students are bitching about how crazy I am, one of them will unearth this record and say, "Yup, he was a jackass back THEN too!"

ghosts in the hallway

2005-07-14T12:24:00.000-07:00

so i thought that living with all these people would mean that i saw them all the time and we spent all our time together and it would be great fun until we were heartily sick of one another... while this may eventually be the case i have found that recently i feel like i hardly see any of my friends. i know this is not true - i can name off activities and those present, but it feels much like we are simply occupying the same general space rather than spending time together... now admittedly this could be, and probably is, as much my fault as any other member of the new household - we are all still very wrapped up in our individual lives, and that is not a bad thing... it is not anything like i imagined in my vauge, misty imaginings of what this group living together would be like... well, that is not entirely true, the pranks have started, and i imagine that they are not at full force yet either... we shall see what happens... and then the cyberworld will read about it.