So classy.

I'm really confused by this one advertisement for KFC I keep seeing on TV. Basically, this dude and a girl are sitting on a front porch eating chicken sandwiches. This other guy walks out and is like, "The dollar I found in your couch is worthless, you can't buy jack shit with a dollar." The people eating the chicken are then like, "Well you can go to KFC and get a chicken sandwich, like we did."

I'm sorry, but if your friends go to KFC while you're passed out or still sleeping, and fail to pick you up a $1 chicken sandwich while they buy them for themselves, they're clearly not your friends. They're assholes. That's all I have to say.

Ho hum, classes are officially done at Luther. I will never again attend an undergraduate course. How does that make me feel? Nonchalant, actually. In general, I've felt very nonchalant about this whole end of college thing. Like, I recognize that it's important, I know it's significant. I'm just a blowin' in the wind I guess.

I really think my relative lack of separation anxiety stems from my overdose last year in England. I remember flipping shit about having to leave Nottingham. Maybe I didn't project it like some did, but I was literally having aneurysms about entering Luther again, about leaving England, keeping friendships, etc., etc., etc. In the end though, if I've learned anything, it's that when confronted with separations or radical changes, stuff seems to work itself out. I mean yes, Luther is a special place, and forever will be. It has a certain Luthery-ness that won't be recaptured, just as Nottingham had a certain Nottinghammy-ness which hasn't been recaptured, much as I've tried with my Yorkshire Gold and pronunciation of "progress." Yes, I suppose all good things come to an end. But typically, other good things cone and build on those other ending good things. Like a giant cake or something. A giant, happy cake of perpetually regenerating good times.

I thought my life was over when I decided to go to Nottingham. All my friends, family, comfort zone, shot down the drain. I ended up having a life changing experience, gaining new friends and figuring out some things about me as a person. And those people I left back at Luther, well, they were still around. When I left England, I thought everything would go to hell. Well, some of those friendships may have dissipated, and I can't go to London for the weekend quite as easily, but the things and people that really matter have stuck around. I suppose, the place of Luther won't be around anymore and it won't be quite so convenient to walk 5 minutes and see best friends. But good things last, regardless of location. So I'm not going to tweak.

For sure though, some things will be missed. Playing music, for one. Seeing people like Dr. Smith and Tony.

One other thing I will miss is classy parties, like the one some pals and I had last night. There's something fascinating to me about sitting around in black suits, having a gin and tonic, listening to jazz, and just shooting the breeze. Probably explains my preference for La Rana over say, Roscoes or Corner. Everyone's chill, everyone's relaxed, we're just enjoying each other's company. No reliance on some outside thing to make the friendship exist. Friends for the sake of being friends, it's a good feeling. It is sort of pretentious though.

I am a relatively pretentious person, I'll admit it. Tis' an effect of studying abroad and a liberal arts education. In fact, it might be unavoidable. I think most people who really take the liberal arts seriously are affected by this complex. I mean, I'm not proud of coming off as a dick. There's a very fine line between coming off as cultured and coming off as a total d-bag, a line which I don't know if I tread very carefully. But maybe, secretly, somewhere in the darkest subconscious of my brain, I like tripping over that line. My id likes to be a pompous ass. It really, really enjoys telling everyone exactly why jazz is better than anything else and why the people who listen to it are basically better people than the rest of the world. Or traveling to Istanbul makes me fundamentally awesome. You know, stuff like that.

Obviously, these things are not true. And it's really not a good habit to get into. People tend not to respond too positively to it. I will stop that. I don't buy the argument that women are attracted to assholes. At least, smart ones aren't. Evident by the traveling hordes of bar-ho's seen prowling around Decorah every weekend with their dumbass football players. Who by the way, if evidenced by the people who live above me, are disgusting people.

While we're on the subject though, I can't help but brag just a titch: damn, our jazz orchestra recording from our spring concert is fucking sweet. I'm usually very pessimistic about how our recordings turn out. You know, usually they just sound unpolished. This however, this is a thing of mastery. I want people to hear it, I'm really proud. The snap of the cymbals on Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue is pure sonic beauty. So pumped to go do this up in Brazil. People are going to have a good time listening to us, which is frekking awesome.

Anyways, time to go. Catch everyone later.