I returned from the debauchery and decadence of touring the east coast with a renewed zest for migrating away from the evils of myspace. So welcome, dear readers, to Lorien's legitamite blog. My trip back to the east coast was truly awe inspiring. I had to marvel that it was in fact my life I was living. I arrived in Norfolk and my mother took me to a spa and then to a wine bar where I drank alot of delicious spanish wines and got drunk enough to regale my mother with tales of the Rioja I had been drinking in Madrid and other true stories about myself. As Mike Birbiglia says, "I should have said Nothing". My favorite wine of the night was Pinot Evil. Ive read some poor reviews of it online, but this batch was outstanding- light tannins with a hint of black cherry.
The next morning my mother handed me the keys to a convertible and I drove across statelines to a rather famous crab-shack virtually inaccessible by car (you must sail or row or motorboat), where my father, brother, aunt stephanie, cousin Melissa and Roxie were waiting for me. I sat down and my father said "Lorien this is Raul and Alejandro from Peru, give them your car keys." Unwittingly, I did. I ate some very non-vegan (as was characteristic of the trip) crab dip and boarded Roxie's sailboat, Dalliance. We rafted up with Second Star, my father's boat and eventually sailed home. Thankfully, I still had a convertible AND one in working condition when I returned. I never saw Raul or Alejandro from Peru again.
During the next week I spent quite a bit of time at Harry Browne's, an upscale bar and restuarant in posh pretentious Annapolis with my unerringly anti-posh and unpretentious crew, whom I still refer to lovingly as the Grotto kids. Many of them had just returned (packing, as it were) from Bonnaroo. I learned a few things about myself that week. For instance, when I am already drunk I tend to order bourbon, Old fashioneds, to be specific. Additionally, Brooks and I wear the same size pants. A fact I became aware of through a trial and error process on state circle. I probably would have been embarrassed if I felt shame. However, I still stare blankly, quizzically when people exclaim "You have NO Shame!" as if shame were something worth having. I also ran into my high school boyfriend Chris... while I was wearing Brooks' pants. Other lessons included: Engaging Bobbick in a game of King of the Vampires, or any biting based game is pure folly; My brother loves me enough to drive me to New Carrollton station at the drop of a hat; the Visionary Art Museum never disappoints; Baltimore is still a relic; Nathaniel is charming and his ceiling fan may indeed be the Best Thing Ever. The climax of this fantastic journey was my final evening on Jesse's beach across the creek from my father's house. It was that evening that reminded me of the other-worldly nature of my life out there and of the stories that had my urban bay area folk scratching their heads wondering why I yearned for a past that was clearly fictitious fantasy at best.
We intended to go boat house jumping, but the jellyfish twarted our best efforts. Its an experience of loss of control and trust. Not everyone can do it. Under cover of night you climb to the roof of a boathouse and walk bravely to the edge. Peering downwards there is nothing to be seen but a black abyss and I always have to take a deep breath, contemplating leaping into that abyss. The boathouse we generally use (which needless to say does not belong to any of us) is approximately 40 ft above the water. That means you are in free-fall just long enough that the scream which inevitable eminates from your terrified physicality (convinced of the peril your mentality has inflicted) is muffled by your splashing entrance into the Severn River. In a word, it is exhilarating, that is, when there are few or no jellyfish. Instead we built a fire on the beach, drank some vino and went jellyfish hunting. It was Jesse, armed with a headlamp who snarred the most and moreover it was his initiative to make an act of war against thier kind. He lamented in the end that Jellyfish have no nerve ending and could not feel their deaths in the common sense. We piled them so high atop our beach fire that Jesse's bacon tips possessed a jellyfish-smoked flavor, or so I am told. I did not indulge in the bacon personally. After a few entendre-ridden verbal rounds with Tyghe I curled up next to Nathaniel and took a very contented cat nap listening to the tide slowly creep up on me. The tide made my exit interesting, to say the least. I was wear 4 inch heels, which turned out to be the precise footwear for the occasion up until the tide had come in. Generally, barefoot is proper foot attire for the beach, however our beach was crawling with sand fleas. I alone emerged unscathed, unbitten, albeit cursing my soggy feet.
I accidently left my camera behind in Berkeley. I have a precious few photos:


Returning to the east bay was disorienting. I was again the Czar of Labor, a student and employee, all positions with great responsibility. I was thrust immediately into dealing with the 100 or so miscreant hippies who I had thus far blissfully ignored. I love Cz, but organizing Czars often seems a futile endeavor. It also brings out the decietful and manipulative aspects one doesnt often see in one's friends and co-habitants.
I started my computer science class, which means I started learning Scheme. The most impressive thing I have done so far is write a rock-paper-scissors machine. This was a feat for me considering that for a good 3 days it was just a win machine. No matter what 2 variable combination of rock paper scissors you entered you won! As good for self esteem as it was, it was not accomplishing its intended function. Finally, I got the code working. I was so ecstatic I squealed in delight, much to the astonishment of my teacher and classmates. Many of whom laughed at my childishness. In some ways, coding like video games is a drug. It engages the reward centers and releases delicious chemicals and endorphines. Its recursive, the coding is a reward in and of itself. That is the impetus that lead me to find the Knights of the Lambda Calculus. Im considering making buttons to advertise our loyalty for my entire class. Maybe I am a child, no?
The photos of me were taken by Micah. last week.

xoxox
Lorien
"All knowledge is worth having."