Get yer study on!

Hey everyone

Get my study on...ooooohhhh yeah!! Well at least that's the idea. I've just been trying to force myself to study, get back in the swing of school, and the like. It's hard to study a) because these classes "honk me off" (as Marni might say) b)I haven't been in school in ages c)there are better things I could be doing than memorizing amino acid structures and reactions. But I'm doing it! Ask me about Arginine and Lysine...do it! I can tell you the structure and side chain properties, promise! Slow and steady...Secret Agent Brain, save me!

This week has been sort of low. Probably because I actually have to focus on work instead of just floating thru the atmosphere, but maybe it's just about that time in the "culture shock" spectrum where I turn my thoughts to home. I'm not homesick per se, but it's easy to feed my brain happy thoughts of riding the El (yes I just wrote that!), bouncing around 2101 S Michigan's mattress room, evenings w/Clara n Carlo, steak tacos w/lime and Mexican hot sauce, Chad's swing, and such. I definitely haven't hit my stride here and I think that's playing into it too. I feel like a lot of my energy is going into just sorting out my day (I still don't know my class schedule and locations w/out looking at a piece of paper where it's written down) that I'm sort of scrambling around instead of living. Like a chicken w/its head cut off.

I also have not found "my people" yet...or even "my person." This was an issue for me when I was in SA before. Urbana and Chicago are counterculture breeding grounds. The counterculture in some places is the norm. Hipsters, where u at baby? I don't get that feeling now in Pretoria and I didn't get that feeling in Pietermaritzburg. There is a definite norm here that is pretty strictly followed...w/out imagination. So far as I can tell. I feel like a complete weirdo here as far as what I'm into and where I'm going with my life. What I can and can't be bothered with. Am I a weirdo? Does it matter? Can I live with being a weirdo (without going crazy)? These are all things I'm dealing with. In PMB I didn't have enough time to find "my people." It's much harder to find people here that are on their own thing instead of just following the herd. I must find these people...I can't hang w/the herd here on more than a superficial level. Well so far as I can tell right now anyways. I have more time to find people here, so I need to look hard to find some folks on the same vibe as me. Or at least a similar wavelength. I'm sure these people are around somewheres....come out, come out!

I had my first production project at the radio station and I don't think I did tooooo bad. My project definitely didn't go out on the air yet cos I'm just learning. I'm getting the idea, but I just need to polish many many skills. Practice, practice, practice. I think this week I'll get another project where I can have a bit more freedom as far as choosing the music and stuff, so that will be cool. Man I wish I could spend more time in the studio and less w/a biochem book in my hand!!!!

This weekend I went to a show to see a SA HipHop dude called Max Normal (yeah Helen!). He has a new project called Max Normal TV (www.maxnormal.tv) that was an integral component of the show. A lot of his show was about being your own person, etc. Making your own system. It was a great show and really appropriate to what I've been thinking about all week. I was recommended to the show by my boss at the radio station and was very glad he pointed me in that direction. I'm going to have to tap into his brain to find more of this type of thing. Maybe he will be my "space coyote" on this tip...

Don't forget that "Day in the Life" is coming up. Thursday March 15th. Please send your photo links to me at: lynseemelchi@gmail.com. For those of you not w/us last month...I'm taking a photo 1x per hour (preferably at the top of the hour) of my day on March 15th. Anyone reading this is invited to participate and we will compare the results of our day online later this week. I will attempt (once some of this work dies away) to put all the photos together online in a more cohesive format. I think I'm going to stick w/Picasa so I'll try to get all the photos over to there...but no promises! Any questions...email me! And don't worry if your day is boring...all are welcome to participate. My day last month wasn't particularly riveting. Just studying and going to class. But please, share!

Also my bday is this Sunday. I'm going w/my boss to see DJ Krush in Joburg. Nice! I think the show is actually on Tuesday, but I can wait. And I can't get too rowdy this weekend cos I have 2 tests next week (d'oh!). But luckily Wed next week is a public holiday here (Human Rights Day) so if I go out on Tuesday I can "go big." (as they say here) DJ Krush is a DJ from Japan that is known for his massive beats, crazy styles, and I guess musically he does a lot w/hiphop and jazzy type stuff. Triphop...is that the right term? I don't know. I'm happy to see DJ Krush here cos I can actually afford tickets and I don't think anyone here really knows who he is so I bet it won't be sold out. Nice!

Hope you are all well. And if you think about it...take a nice shot of daffodils for me. Even if it's just a mental photo :)

Later
Love Lynsee