a winning 96ish hrs

Weeks like this remind me that things can really pull together, that there's a direction that all those other weekends spent trying to make progress on some godawful thesis-related reading. Wednesday night, like I mentioned, featured the reading of my piece in writing class, which was honestly just validating on so many levels. I feel like I'm starting to bridge the gap: I've been having ideas to write about for a while, but this was the first time I was able to build what I wanted to say through prose. It's a different feeling from any other kind of writing I've done in a looooong time, possibly ever. It was a good night.

Thursday and Friday morning, I worked my little tush off to get my math thesis talk in working order. This involved the complete deletion of everything I'd tried to do last week and the streamlining of my content. Oh, and pictures, which as it turns out are a pain in the ass to make. But it all got done in plenty of time. I was in bed by a reasonable hour, cut class to rehearse but didn't get too stressed about everything. Got complimented on my tie. Said everything I wanted to say, more importantly communicated at least some of what drew me into the topic, and to some extent into math in general. And then afterwards, I was given an American Mathematical Society pocket-protector. Oh yeah.

Also friday, Dr. Angela Davis came to campus to give a lecture. Although I felt like her talk had a lot of educating (that problems exist) instead of expanding (on where we can start dismantling), her arguments and words were more elegant than anything I've ever said. She related a little bit about her background without over-dramatizing; she made institutional racism concrete without resorting to stories of offensive comments or ambiguous awkward situations, without relying on shock to convince whatever skeptics were in the house. Even when a (white, male) audience member asked a hostile question, her answer was complete, reasonable, and most of all patient. I feel like becoming politicized, working for social justice, even just trying to be conscious of the ways in which we all are complicit in institutions of injustice can be so depressing. But somehow, Dr. Davis has overcome all the doubters in her life, a trial for three capital crimes, and all of the additional garbage flung at public icons involved in activism. And she has done so without sounding weary or angry or any of the feelings that seem like such a natural response.

Saturday, slept way in (wonderfully, warmly). Went to a bar in K-town with Min and Kim for beer, pajeon, and korean-style fried chicken. The food was stunning, the bar was fun, and I had a wave of enthusiasm for if-I-actually-get-this-Fulbright. Afterwards, we had plain frozen yogurt without toppings at Pinkberry, which had a richness of flavor I would never have believed could come from frozen yogurt prior to last night.

Today, woke up late again, and hit up sushi cruise with Kim. We got the all you can eat and doubled up the cost of our meals (taking a copy of the price sheet to calculate value on the way home).

And now I just have a ton of work that needs to get done over the next couple days. A small price to pay, I would say, for actually enjoying a weekend. Most of the "breaks" I've been taking this year have been ultimately dissatisfying--just another way of rationalizing avoiding my responsibilities, not really enjoyed. This was something else entirely.