a brief update on life

I've decided to quit ballroom dancing. Not exactly my choice; my new job conflicts with dance class pretty regularly, and I've been stressing out about not having a partner so it didn't make me happy anymore. ah. oh well. That's life, I suppose. I'm going to keep my shoes though. Don't know when I'll ever wear them, unless I go to a social dance. That's a good idea. I'll keep them for that.

freaking out

note to self:
must work on frame
and head position
and gliding around without falling off-balance

calc test tomorrow (well, today)
physics quiz Friday

buy milk
pack dance bag for sunday (and chem study stuff, letterhead, etc.)

buy top, jewelry, hair spray, hair nets, bobby pins, etc.

write letters at competition

chem test Monday

oh god.

an amalgam of stuff

We have to read The Cholera Years by Charles Rosenberg for my humanities class (STS.005 Disease and Society in America) this week. This footnote from the book, which commented on the fact that the symptoms of cholera were very similar of those of acute arsenical poisoning, said this: "A cholera epidemic provided an ideal occasion for the removal of unwanted spouses, affluent and immoderately aged uncles, and the like." It is quite sobering, is it not, that people would take advantage of an epidemic for personal gain. Makes me wonder what is wrong with the people in this world. And the cholera epidemic mentioned was in the mid-1800s, too. If society has been on a moral decline since then, which is very possible, I can't even begin to imagine what monstrosities are happening now. crazy.

Ah but those of us living sheltered lives can shrug it off, pull our coats tighter across our shoulders to ward against evil. I find myself doing that a lot, sometimes on purpose, other times just instinctively. Does this make me a bad person? Because as teachers often say, giving no answer is the same as giving a silent agreement. Does walking by it with my eyes pointed straight ahead mean that I am approving of it? Because I am not. Are we obligated to fix every wrong we witness so as not to appear content? I do not know.

But now on to happier, less brain-hurting thoughts. How about... vintage dresses! hm what a sad reflection of my personality: a brief discussion on morals to clothes. Ah I'll reflect on this later. But Timeless Vixen Vintage has great dresses, mostly from the 1950s, characterized by the cinched waists and flared skirts. absolutely love


I imagine this to be a coming-out type of dress. Virginal with the white, demure with the neckline and shoulders, but hinting at what's to come with the deep red sash and embellishments. Reminds me of Liesl from Sound of Music. Now that girl has a good sense of style.




loving the diagonal sash


big, big like on the asymmetrical bodice and flowing Grecian hints


my absolute favorite. The asymmetrical/exposed skirt is pure genius. ♥ x a bajillion!

Okay, my computer is running out of battery...

(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´ thzhou

anticlimactic

It snowed today. Yes, that almost-crystalline structure that makes the solid phase less dense than the liquid phase, diving from the clouds into puddles on the streets of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Snow in the middle of October. Who would have imagined?

I sat inside most of the day today, sipping tea, reacquainting myself with the melodies Enya, and (for the most part) drafting my paper. It's quite an interesting prompt, actually, for a deep, deep class. STS.005 Disease and Society in America. yup. In this paper, we have to interview a subject and analyze the efficacy of the treatment he/she received, using information from colonial therapeutics to compare, contrast, and be smart. Did you know, being studious used to considered a bad health condition? According to William Buchan, at least. He was an interesting man. But if "intense thinking is so destructive to health," then we students at MIT must be decreasing our lifespan with each minute we spend tooling. Oh those conniving professors... =P

Also today, I had two-and-a-half hours of dance. Ballroom dance, to be precise. And not all at once, thank goodness. My first competition is next Sunday, at Harvard Beginners, so it's crunch time right now. I met with my veteran partner for the first time today to go through choreography for the rookie-vet team match. For this, each team consists of five couples, with each couple made up of one rookie and one veteran team member. I'm dancing foxtrot, which is a lot of fun, especially since I've graduated from the slow-slow-quick-quick, punctuated, and boring basic step of newcomers to this snazzy combination called a continuity. I won't go into the details of the continuity, other than my wish that we'll be the only ones on the floor to attempt it. How cool would that be, having everyone else shuffling around in the slow-slow-quick-quick, and then have Ben and me (I?) gliding past on this crazy intricate sequence? As long as I don't fall on my face...

And speaking of ballroom dancing, have I mentioned the costumes? Unfortunately, newcomers can't wear costumes, just off-the-shelf stuff, but still, starting January, hello beautiful gowns! The standard dresses are so elegant and classily seductive with the billow of the skirts, the flow of the sleeves, the cutaway back, and embellishments. I can't wait to wear something like this.


Well, I could segue this into my absurd fascination for wedding gowns, cakes, and color schemes, or else my desire to design and sew my own ballroom costume (and wedding gown, for that matter), or the amazing clothes I found at the Garment District. Heck, I should probably also explain who Biffy and Wiffy are, too. I'll get to that someday, I promise. But for now, I'll sign off and go finish Mastering Physics (argh...). At least it's just simple harmonic motion and momentum and inertia. Nothing quite resembling rocket science, although I'm sure a percentage of the students are doing just that here. Probably right at this moment, too. I wouldn't be surprised. Anyways, Mastering Physics is beckoning, with my paper peeking out from behind his shoulder in anticipation. I shan't disappoint them.

(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´ thzhou


Now playing: I'll Make a Man Out of You - Mulan Soundtrack (mysterious as the dark side of the moooonnn!)

P.S. I promise more pictures next time. I was (not uncharacteristically) verbose today, but I'll try to keep it to a minimum in the future...
P.P.S. and hello!