My Exciting Fall Break Life

Ahh, fall break. The options for how I could spend my time are limitless. I could do service in Appalachia! I could learn about life issues in DC! I could pray in Montreal! I could travel to some exciting foreign land starting with an I, like Ireland or Italy or Israel (yes, I have friends in all of those I places right now)! I could go to Logansport!

Spoiler alert: I did that last one!

The way I see it, I'm going abroad next semester, so I can make up for my completely uninteresting breaks thus far in my college career during those four months. For now, though, it's Logansport or bust, and let me tell you - things are thrilling. To keep you all entertained, I thought I'd break down my fascinating life on a day by day basis.

On Monday, I didn't leave my house. Heck, I never even put on shoes! Did I brush my hair? I don't know. I don't care! I read an entire novel about angry, scary freedom fighters. I read a terribly depressing article about military funerals. After briefly stumbling out of my bed at 6:30 for the chocolate chip pancakes my mother had made, I went back to sleep and didn't wake up until noon -  because my strenuous fall break life requires a lot of rest, you know?

Tuesday was a red-letter day. I left my house!! Now, don't get me wrong; I still slept until well past the time when I would normally be in class. But big steps were made. I went to Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch, thus experiencing 50% of Logansport's dining culture in under one hour. In the afternoon, I stopped by my old high school and took pictures at dress rehearsal for the evening's choir concert. I even helped the remarkably dim-witted youth of my community realize their full potential as practitioners of (almost) foolproof step-touch dance moves. Later that evening, I returned to the high school for October's big event: the Fall Choral Preview. I stole the auditorium's best seats for my own use as semi-official photographer of the LHS Choirs (guys I have a DSLR, I'm clearly a professional, it's fine) and settled in. I saw 12-year-olds dressed like they were going to the club, listened in on all the juiciest Ltown gossip, and watched my heart melt all over the floor when the middle school choir danced. Eventually, we came to my favorite part of the program - the show choir. [Note @ Brian, Augie, Tim, Paul, etc:...costumes?!] For this show, the Swing Choir did four numbers. Two of them were originally performed - and perfected, if I may say so myself - by the 2008 LHS Swing Choir. So when "Another Op'nin'" and "Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine" came up, I perched on the edge of my seat, snapping pictures and quietly doing the choreography to myself. This was clearly the highest point of both my fall break and the Tuesday nights of all the confused parents of middle school kids whose games of Angry Birds I had interrupted with my enthusiasm. Following the concert, I came home, sidled up to a packet of Sour Punch Straws (thanks, speech team candy sales) and tuned in to the presidential debate.

I briefly considered dedicating a whole post to that three-ring circus, but I then remembered that the goal of my blog is not actually to bore people to death. That said, I will make the following statements: if you live-tweet the presidential debate, your sole purpose should be to entertain. (See @poniewozik. Hilarious.) Point out stupid-looking people in the audience. Tweet your general musings on debate structures. Please, please stop with your political rants. I assure you that no one cares. Oh, and if you were ranting in favor of the candidate I do not support and I am still following you on Twitter, you should know that I keep you around primarily for my own amusement.

Then came Wednesday - another big day. I finished the full Logansport Dining Tour on Wednesday with lunch at El Arriero, which is, to my knowledge, still pronounced by most of our fine citizenry as "El Uh-RAHR-ee-oh's." I ventured into the brave new world that is Family Video before 9 PM to find the obscure, early-90s John Travolta movie I needed for American Film. To my delight, they had exactly one copy in stock (and it wasn't even on VHS! which I half expected!), proving that Logansport is good for things after all. I watched my terrible Travolta film, read some scholarship on African feminism (have I mentioned that break is exciting?), and hunkered down in my house through the week's thirty-fifth gale-force windstorm. To give you some context on this, an earlier storm blew a branch through the previously blemish-free screen on my bedroom window and blew a bench cushion from our front porch to the middle of our backyard. Then there was Wednesday night, when I watched two episodes of NCIS and fell asleep at 10. I am beginning to think I may be somewhat narcoleptic.

Today was, like, actually exciting, seeing as I did what all Logansport residents do for fun - go to Indianapolis. I had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. I am living the high life, people. I bought red pants today! I explored the almost completed renovations at the Fashion Mall and got to experience the ultimate first-world problem: is it possible to choke to death on the sawdust inhaled en route from Anthropologie to Madewell? Oh, and I ended my day with Sycamore ice cream at my grandmother's house, so sarcasm aside, Sycamore, glittery new clothing, red pants (red!!)...it was a good day.

Oh, and finally, I must throw out one shameless plug. Currently, I'm sitting in my dad's office at the high school eavesdropping on rehearsal for the upcoming LHS production of Oklahoma!. My sister is starring in it alongside her onetime boyfriend. (The kids assure me this is not awkward. I do not understand the youngfolk these days.) The production hits the McHale PAC stage on Friday, November 16, and I will be going. But I simply refuse to go alone. This, my dear readers, is where you come in. My Notre Dame friends have been begging to see into the mysterious world that is Logansport, Indiana, since practically day one of freshman year - and, I mean, I can't blame you. This is your chance! I'll be coming home to Ltown on that Friday night to see the show, heading to town just long enough to see the show and get back to campus with plenty of time for social gatherings. My car can fit up to four people who aren't me, and I would love to fill those seats with you! Come with me! (And you'll be in a world of pure imagination!) It'll be great! Woo hoo!

But seriously, let me know if you want to come. So fun. We can listen to "Some Nights" for the whole hour and a half from ND to my house.

So that's my exciting fall break life. It is...exciting. I don't really have anything clever to wrap this up with, so I will see you all back on campus very soon! Enjoy the rest of your break, everyone!