juxtapositions

Hello boys and girls. Ah, Tuesday. The odd-child out of the week. Not exactly Wednesday, which is smack-dab in the middle. Or Thursday which is so close to Friday that people give it pre-emptive weekend love. This weekend was really great - I went to the wedding of a friend from college. Hoo-wee, what a mind trip. Actually, this was the first wedding of a college friend I've attended, so all the requisite neurotic thoughts surfaced:

Will I ever get married? I bought them a saucepan as a gift? If I ever get married I'm registering for a lifetime supply of Snickers Bars. I don't even have a boyfriend. Or a saucepan. Man I gotta get me some kids. I can't figure out my own life. Or even my laundry situation. Boy the bride looks pretty. How are they so calm? They just got married!! EEE!

But a lovely, lovely affair. I really adore the couple and they are going to be living in Boston next year, so they can officially be my first real married friends that are my age.

I returned back on Sunday and cracked open my notes to take a first peek at the information I was going to be tested on Monday morning. Last minute cramming, nothing like it. We are allowed to drop one of our exams so I assumed this would be the exam I would drop, since I was not prepared at all. But I stayed up into the wee hours studying anyway and left it to fate.

The result: my highest exam score yet. Wha-wha? I love and hate it when that happens. Loved the pleasant surprise and ego boost. Hate the devil on my shoulder saying "See, this is the way to do it. Don't study that much, just cram a little bit and you'll ace the class." Because that is b-a-d. Really bad because my final is next week, and no matter which way I cut it, cramming for a final the day before is not a good idea. Luck is a huge factor - several answers were guesses, and I lucked out that I was right.

This afternoon I was sitting outside the Science Center (for those of you who know it). There is a fountain surrounded by large rocks where people often sit in the area outside the building. It is especially crowded in the summertime. So today, as I sat soaking in some sunlight in the afternoon, I observed what I thought to be a truly interesting scene:

There was a conservative Muslim family. The woman was wearing a hijab, and her husband and toddler were by her side. They were speaking either Turkish or Farsi. Not even five feet away, was a young lesbian couple. Making out. I mean, making out. Not pecks or cuddling. Full blown going at it. Which was a little strange - not because they were lesbians, but because that kind of making out hasn't been seen on a Harvard campus since ... well, ever.

The most fascinating thing was watching the Muslim woman watch the lesbians. I wish you could have seen her face. It was captivated disgust. Her eyes were wide and her head was shaking side to side; she muttered what I can only imagine as words of utter vexation to her husband and shielded her baby from the sight. And the girls kept making out. (And guys, I hate to burst any sort of fantasy bubbles - but this was no porn-star convention. It was more the granola / I heart Sylvia Plath convention.)

I found the juxtaposition of the two to be thoroughly intriguing. Only in America folks. All things to all people. Especially new immigrants and what my educated guess says was two high school girls here for summer classes exploring their sexuality. Because only people in the infant stages of a relationship and necessarily under the age of 21 could ever indulge in such an extended PDA.

On a slight tangent, a few weeks ago a good friend and I had gone out to dinner in NYC. Rue des Crepes, quite good actually. Anyway, both my friend and I forgot that the restaurant was smack dab in the middle of Chelsea when deciding on our venue. It was only when I saw that I was the only female in the restaurant that I became aware of our surrounding neighborhood. Chelsea is great - it's a very gay neighborhood and all couples - gay, straight, whatever, walk hand in hand. Later that night I was telling my mom about the restaurant and the neighborhood. She's the cutest. She said "Really? I don't believe it. Take me there someday, I really want to see it." Jeez mom, it's not like Disneyworld! Though I have to think from her perspective, she really has never seen anything like that, you know? Somethings that I take for granted are so dependent on culture and generation.

Mi hermano is in town for the day, which is fun. We had a very lazy day that included going to the post office, the book store and of course, Dunkin Donuts (though I was disappointed by their "New Lattes!" I still like Starbucks.) Perhaps we will go to the movies tonight. Perhaps not.