so much train travel: metro, septa, amtrak ... the nice thing about amtrak is that you're relatively assured of two hours of peace, and in the faceless placelessness of a train, it seems that anchoring yourself to a solid book is the most appropriate thing to do. i've picked up barth's sot-weed factor again which i started over fall break but put down b/c i was simultaneously reading two other books in which the protagonists were arrogant misogynists. however good the writing was in each (no one could argue the objective merit of delillo, kundera, or barth) i just couldn't stand it. i finished the other two and left sot-weed -- kind of an odd choice considering it's the most entertaining of the bunch. at least it recognizes that its protagonist is an jackass and makes fun of him for it.

brigid just arrived, a vision in a purple sweater vest, and invited me to see amelie in the city w/ ross, two of the blonde lodge girls, and her. the former three are all in a french class that demands a viewing -- brigid is providing transportation out of the goodness of her heart and desire to see the thing. i've spent enough money on entertainment this weekend, tho. i think i need to stay in one place and reflect on the state of the world, or at least the state of ebenezer cooke's.
i'm glad i went. it's always worth it to get off campus and i'm always thrilled to see lana and jamie. the mckeown concert didn't quite measure up, only b/c she opened while susan werner dominated. werner's energy is quite different and more appropriate to the birchmere's 35+ audience; she's just more conventional. mckeown is spritely, sprightly, spunky, and clever. we all left humming "la petite mort," which was the peak of the concert: mckeown got the whole roomful of sedate arlingtonians shouting, occasionally moaning, "oh estelle!" jamie lana and i, of course, needed no coaxing. lookalike-comfort-friends my ass. they're just two of the coolest people i know.