for the win

Have I mentioned yet how much I love being in UNCA? If I have, I don’t think I’ve said it enough.

If it’s not the beautiful campus, the awesome professors, the beautiful downtown, or all the little perks that come with being a UNCA student like free bus passes, it’s the lifestyle in general. And the people. I swear, this place was made for people like me. I just can’t get over how perfect this place is.

I was content with life before this, but getting increasingly fed up with having been in the same damn place and doing the same damn thing, dealing with the same damn assholes. I’m the type of person who gets bored of routine. Humans are creatures of habit and I’m no different, but I thrive on novelty and change. In Gastonia there wasn’t much of that. I was starting to feel like I was going to go stale.

Once I settled in here and realized “oh snap, I can do whatever the hell I want to!”, you can’t imagine how thrilling it was. Being a person who runs on spontaneity, I get a kick out of being able to decide at eleven o’clock at night that I want a midnight snack from the Highsmith and mosey over to the Highsmith, get me a snack, and mosey on back to Founders with a stop in front of the hall just to soak in the nighttime early autumn atmosphere. Or to sit outside in the rain just for the helluvit. Or take up residence in the study room for several hours because I want some solitude. Or to say “sure!” when Steven walks up and says “Hey Ann, got a few hours to kill? Wanna come downtown with me?” and just tell Sarah I’ll be gone for a while, collect my stuff, and head on out.

Of course, I’m trying not to let that freedom go to my head. So far it seems to be working fairly well. At first I stayed mostly in the room and didn’t venture out unless I had class, but that quickly got boring. Then I started chumming up with people, and chumming up with people usually means being drug around by those people. That was how I developed my newest hobby: pool. I’m so glad my people-skills have improved since middle school or I’d be such a hermit and rather miserable and bored. It’s allowed me to realize that I don’t actually mind being around people, and I actually enjoy it as long as the people aren’t jackasses. For me that’s quite a revelation.

So far I’ve established another part of my weekly routine: on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I pay the Health and Fitness Center a visit for about an hour. On MW it’s something of a dance to fit it into my schedule between soc and math, but this past week it’s worked. At this point all I do it run on the ellip and treadmill, but this is as much therapeutic let-my-mind-wander-while-i-exercise as it is trying to get into better shape. Which is the second reason I started doing this. Because honestly, I am rather out of shape, especially since I stopped taking riding lessons.

But yeah. I do so love it here. I can’t get over it. It’s just so awesome. =D

And if you noticed the sudden capitalization, it’s because I typed this in Word before putting it on Blogger. I was in the study room when I typed it and there’s no intarwebz in there. that rant over with...

i'm rather ashamed at myself for waiting this long to report about the Journey concert. actually, what i have to say about that event can be boiled down to just one word: EPIC

Night Ranger opened, and i have to say that they impressed me. at first i'd been neutral about them, knowing that they probably wouldn't be horrible if they were opening for Journey, but i was more concerned about the headliner, naturally. but when Night Ranger came onto the stage, after the second or third song i found myself just as enthusiastic as any of the more diehard Night Ranger fans. they're an old-ish band, from the '80s, but since when have i ever had a problem with older bands? XP

but then came Journey. and it was epic. =D it was interesting to see them all on stage, from the 6o-year-old bassist Ross Valory to their new lead vocalist Arnel Pineda, who does not look like he's 42. o_O i swear to God i thought he was in his thirties when i saw him on stage. he sounds soooo much like Steve Perry~ and i wondered as i was watching how the man got his energy. he was bouncing around all over creation, i kid you not.

and yes, i did cry. when they played Open Arms, i cried. and i'll admit it. you can't not be moved by that song. listening to it on my iTunes is one thing, but being there and hearing it live is something wholly else, and if you don't choke up during a song like that, there's a problem.

by two songs into Night Ranger's hour-long performance, my hearing was blunted. >_> Night Ranger played from 7:30 until 8:30, then we got a half-hour break before Journey came out. then they played for two hours, so by the time Dave and i got out of the colosseum parking lot (which was inhabited by a large number of people in various states of inebriation) and got to a place where we could be picked up, it was eleven-thirty or so. Then Patrick and Patrick picked us up and we spent a few hours chilling with them at Greensboro College before going back to the hotel and crashing on the fold-out couchbed thing. why in the name of God we had to get up at 6:30 in the damn morning i dunno, but after breakfast at Waffle House with the two Patricks, both of us promptly crashed again in the car on the way back. and then when i got to the apartment i crashed again. XP it was a weekend for crashing, but that's a concert weekend for you.

anyhow. back to life at UNCA. i have recently learned how to use the bus system -- did i mention that UNCA students, if we show our OneCard, get free rides on the buses? -- and so can now get around in Asheville proper whenever. i've made a mental note that, one day when i have nothing better to do, to dedicate an afternoon or something to just getting on a few different bus routes and watch. this area is beautiful, and the bus routes sometimes take you out into the beautimous countryside. i've always liked road-trips, and since i can ride free, hell, why not? it's a little chaotic getting the schedule and routes straight so you can get where you want to be, but once you get the hang of it, it's a good way to get around and spares the hassle of walking. without the bus system grocery shopping would be miserable.

last week, Steven drug me out of the room and we went on a little adventure downtown to the mall. it was quite fun -- i located the Barnes & Nobles and Hot Topic, both of which are admittedly about the same level of sad as the ones in Gastonia. but oh well. and Steven introduced me to this amazing little hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant not far from campus. the food there is MOUTHGASMIC OHMAGAAAAHD, and decently priced too. definitely going there again. =D

so anyway. enough of my rambling, i need to study for that midterm tomorrow. -sigh-