mind over matter

well, i had journey stuck in my head walking back from my buddhism seminar, but i've put radiohead on, so i won't be belting "don't stop believing" today. that was an american bonding moment in the kitchen last night, to the brits' amusement, and i think it should stay that way . . .

i'm finally going to hear live music tonight! it's open mic night at pendle, so i think ian and i are going to go check it out. and then i'm going to watch zodiac with hannah and steven.

i think this evening is going to be good for me. i need to return to my old ways a little bit, for, although i don't feel i've lost myself, i've definitely put myself in very different surroundings than what i'm used to. and to put a backwoods acoustic personality into clubs with r&b and techno just doesn't quite fit. i mean, it's definitely a part of me, but it's not the only part, and i feel i've been neglecting my acoustic side while i've been here. and i have yet to find a piano that's not terribly out-of-tune and in the middle of the billiards room in county bar.

also, i haven't watched a thought-provoking movie in what feels like ages - i lived off of them over the summer and since i moved into school in the states i haven't really watched any. except the nanny diaries, but that was just fun (though more substantial fun than most chick-flicks), so it doesn't really count.

but zodiac. zodiac counts.

i'm ready.

i've decided i'm going to attempt to limit myself to 20 pounds a week. i'm not sure i can do it, especially if i want to include grocery shopping in the 20, but i'm going to try. if i think i'm going to travel anywhere i need to start saving my money up. and even if i don't keep to exactly 20 pounds, i will be thinking about the money i'm spending and thus i will spend less, yeah?

i really don't want to read my psychology. it's fascinating stuff, but i'm so out of the academic mindset by now that i just don't want to do work. at all. i'm not sure exactly how i think i'm going to make it through getting my ph.d. if i can't even read a chapter in cognitive psychology, but i'll worry about that when i get there, i suppose.

when i first listened to the new radiohead album i didn't like it, but it's been on all day - it's growing on me pretty quickly. and it makes wonderful background music for thinking. as does feist. but feist is just wonderful all the way around.

ok. i'm going to go check e-mail, etc. and then crack the book open a little before my 5pm lecture.