Sr. Helen Prejean at Georgetown

I just saw a reading of The Death of Innocents by Sister Helen Prejean in Gaston Hall at Georgetown University, and it was arguably better than a full-on stage production. Sister Helen Prejean read her own part, and Georgetown undergrads and professional actors served as the ensemble cast.

I had read Dead Man Walking (and seen the play and the movie) in high school, so I wondered what else Prejean could say about the death penalty. She said a whole lot more. The Death of Innocents focuses on two men whom she believes to be innocent and in two emotional acts, she convincingly flaunts the faults of the U.S. justice system. I cried twice, which is actually a first for me with plays.

I still really, really dislike Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Do you remember my post last year after his lecture at LSE? If you happen to read the book or see a performance like this, you'll see why. Read this CNN article on one inmate who was profiled in Act II of The Death of Innocents. Really alarming stuff.

I'll be writing a review of the performance for a class, so I'll cut this post short. Happy Monday.

Haircut Philosophy

Today has been both a lazy and productive day. In accordance with the gods, I'm feeling like I'm coming down with a cold of some sort. Each Thanksgiving I tend to come down with something whether it be the pneumonia + bronchitis + lung infection triple threat of 2nd grade or just a simple sinus infection. But here I am with my sick voice and roll of toilet paper ready to blow my nose.

I'm feeling pretty good though. This morning I biked to Bang Salon on U Street for my pre-Thanksgiving haircut. In the past, haircuts have been mildly traumatic experiences. I'd endure split ends for months at a time just so I could go to my stylist at home. But since I haven't been home in over a year, I decided to buck up and face my fears.

I usually feel out of place and under dressed at salons. My t-shirts and Nike Dunks are out of place among ladies with manicured nails and high heels. I suck it up though, because these are the places where I feel like I can come away with a good haircut. Still, I can tell that the stylists are a little confused by me. They're not sure what kind of conversation to start with me and combined with my initial reservedness, silence inevitably ensues. This problem was solved by stylist at home, who is conveniently the mom of a girl I went to school with since the 4th grade. Ten years worth of talking material!

While at Georgetown, I'd occasionally get a haircut from my sister's stylist. Moshi made me nervous with his shaky hands and I endured some awkward conversation, but his cuts always turned out fine. Then in London, both money and apprehension kept me from the scissors for a bit. The hipster places in Spitalfields intimidated me. I could shop confidently in the cool record stores there, but was not alternative enough for Pimps and Pinups. After all, I was neither pimp nor pinup. Finally I caved in and went to a place in Soho where I paid a small fortune for a trim and peace of mind.

Flash forward to the present. My stylist has more tattoos than he can count and his flat iron is decorated with a skull and crossbones pattern. Bang Salon has the perfect mix of traditional and hip. Lawyers and rock star types get their hair cut here, and somewhere in the middle is me. I feel comfortable, which has contributed to an unusually high frequency of haircuts since June.

So to everyone that dreads haircuts, for everyone that dreads that awkward mandatory conversation with their stylist, go out and find a new one. That was a long tangent that began with Thanksgiving and ended with haircuts, but I hope it was mildly entertaining. Hope everyone has a good weekend.

Buying Things

It's been a busy, busy week with two concerts (Amos Lee and Kaki King/The Mountain Goats), some meetings, a badminton tournament, birthday pie-making, and work, but I have survived. Even though the events were fun, I'm not quite cut out for the non-stop action.

I'm very much a person that needs her quota of "nothing" time and when that quota is not met, I buy things. Usually I buy things that I need. "Need" is obviously subjective. Last time I bought Season 2 of 30 Rock and a digital voice recorder.

This time I snagged a pair of hot pink ODI Ruffian Lock-On Grips. I know what you're thinking... Why hot pink? I respond to you, why not hot pink? These suckers will hopefully remedy the treacherous grip rotation that I experience when biking up cobbly O and P Streets. More importantly, I'm contributing to the American Cancer Society, and the grips will add quirkiness to my otherwise boring (but highly functional) $70 mountain bike.

Perhaps I've also overlooked another fundamental question. Why am I excited about bike grips? I love , love, love gear, and I blame/thank my dad for it. He advocated "researching" my purchases, subscribed to Consumer Reports, and created the monster I am today. I'll let you know how my purchase turns out but until then, farewell. My "nothing" time has expired.

Whoa Nelly

Whoa nelly. It's been almost three weeks since I've posted. Two housemates' 21st birthdays, three concerts, and a lot of working at Patagonia have taken it out of me. But I'm back and ready to write interesting and compelling things about my modest life as a Senior in college. Things I'm excited about lately...

Barack Obama has been elected the 44th American president! I'm watching John McCain's concession speech now, and I'm even proud of him. His speech is a good one, although his supporters are a bit creepy. For the rest of the night, I'll be keeping my eye on California's Prop 8 and the rest of the state ballot measures banning gay marriage, gay adoption, gay... people. It's not looking good, folks.

I'm now officially double majoring in Political Economy and American Musical Culture! This is exciting for me, because now I can legitimately say music is more than my hobby. Writing cover letters for music and entertainment industry jobs will hopefully be less difficult to swing this spring.

Also, I played one of my songs this past Wednesday at an Open Mic Night. I still remember crying in the 6th grade after my saxophone teacher forced me to play a duet from Aladdin with some older kid during my lesson at The Music Tree, so it looks like I've come a long way in social development. Lots of friends showed up to support me, and I felt especially loved that night.

Finally, I've been to a slew of really great concerts. Ben Kweller played Rock 'n Roll Hotel on Oct. 21; The Magnetic Fields played GWU's Lisner Auditorium Oct. 26; and I just saw Amos Lee at 9:30 Club last night. It was my third time seeing Ben Kweller and his indie twang style suited my lazy mood for the night. Old favorites were twangified, although noticeably absent was "Wasted and Ready." I'm looking forward to his new album Changing Horses set for February release. The Magnetic Fields were absolutely amazing, and I felt so fortunate that DC was on their curiously eccentric October tour. I loved every song they played, including old favorites "I Don't Believe You" and "Yeah! Oh Yeah!" and new favorite "Drive On, Driver." Lastly, I saw Amos Lee yesterday. He played a solid hour-and-a-half set including almost every song from his self-titled debut. His new material is great! It's what I like to call Sunday music for reclining and relaxing. Mmm.

Alright. I've gone on too long, but I will try to post more frequently in next few weeks. I think I'll post about my exciting Patagonia gear soon. I definitely have immense brand loyalty from this job. Happy Election Day! I'm relieved that the world will wake up to Barack Obama as the winner.