About Me
- Name: Well
- Location: Washington, DC, United States
I'm not good at journaling. But I do like my Mac. And I often have random bits of ideas float through my head that I wish I could pin down in a portable format. Hence, this blog: a place for outward commentary, and digital logging of things I might want to remember later.
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Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Ode to Abounding Joy
The taste of pleasure....
I cannot begin to describe the incredible joy that I experienced today, and every other day that I visit Heladería Amazonas, but I shall try.
The combination of ephemeral ecstatic moments that left me with lingering joy all day started with the simple fact that today is Wednesday, and I don't have class until 1pm. I revel in the sweet relaxation of sleeping in... I was left with plenty of time to slowly enjoy the short stories I had a quiz over today, a quiz for which I was freshly prepared due to my productive morning. Then, for an hour after class, I lounged by the pond with Raq and Ann, listening and ocassionally contributing to a practice session of one of my favorite subjects (Spanish... is it strange that I find grammar/pronunciation rules utterly gratifying?), while simultaneously freeing knobby, grassy roots from their earthly entrenchment, which led to the discovery of two fascinatingly disgusting wormy insects.
This playground-ish endeavor was immediately followed by an hour of Salsa, a joy I recently described, which was extended by chittering conversations about Bilmedes the attractive professor with the perfect-for-imitation-accent while spinning and hip-swaying ridicously down the sidewalk after class.
And then, the news I have been waiting now 2 months to hear: I had mail in the International Office-- FAMILY GUY! My shrill exclamations of sheer delight caught Ann off-guard as sprinted to claim my packaged elation. I now own every episode of this show on DVD, I can watch any of them, any time I want, the intense relief of boredom or anxiety or gray-days that is the random intelligently stupid humor of this genius cartoon for adults is now at my fingertips, just a laptop away, every single day!!
My grin at this point could only be complimented by one thing:
*Mango Sherbert*
As I walk out of the university (still surprised everyday by the striking view of the mountians), all I can concentrate on is the prospect of un helado. We approach Heladería Amazona and I am nearly overcome by irrational giddyness. Liz and Kathleen understand this phenomena so I am not preoccupied with trying to contain it. We enter la heladería and I walk single-mindedly, undeterred by any or all distractions, to the counter to consider intently my decision. 2 scoops, one flavor each, and a sugar cone, $.70. The combination must be perfect. Always mango, siempre mango, but what else? Pineapple? Guayaba ( an absolutely delicious flavor of jelly I just tried last week)? Naranjilla? Coconut? Or, oh I just saw this one, I hadn't even realized before that it was an option- Membrillo, one of my favorite foods in Spain! I try a sample, and, just as honest as all the other flavors, with more integrity than our USAmerican green apple or watermelon, for example, which never taste like green apple or watermelon, this tastes just like membrillo. Yes, that's the one, definitely. Anxiety over the pending decision gives way to anxiety for the pending exchange. My $.30 in change is returned, and I am handed joy in a cone. Everytime this transaction is completed, I am sure my last experience was an exaggeration, that sherbert cannot be this moving, this succulent, but it is, everytime it is! I'm caught between wanting to devour it all at once and wanting to savor every bite. I opt for the latter, slowly making my way through the first scoop (membrillo), before arriving at the pinnacle of deliciousness(mango). I can't help but exclaim occasionally, as I have every other time, just how good this is, it's not even logical how much enjoyment I get from this sherbert! Liz concurs, saying, as she has every other time, that with these helados, the only thing you can do is eat them and enjoy; it's impossible to think about anything else in the meantime. I am almost sure that I need nothing else but helado and this gorgeous sunny day in order to be happy with my life. Then I remember Salsa and Family Guy, and I am convinced that my life is complete. Nearing the cone, I wish there were so much more mango, though I've never opted for two scoops of the same flavor, but soon it's gone. I drink up any last melted sherbert and offer the cone to someone; without the sherbert it's just a sugarcone, no longer so enjoyable. But I am happy inside... everything seems extra beautiful and while part of me realizes that this cannot be a normal reaction to sherbert, most of me doesn't really care, I know I'm not the only one. Ahh, the sweet satisfaction of small pleasures.
Interjection: Oh my god... multi-tasking as always, I just opened up my GC email account to see if I had any electronic correspondence, and the first subject line I see is SPRING BREAK!!! from Amanda Esh. Could this mean..? Is it possible...? Is it conceivable that this day of overwhelmingly joyous moments should be culminated in such an unexpected and ridiculously exciting manner?!? I almost don't want to know. I wait in anxious anticipation for the (slow, slow) page to open....:
¨Chicas, great news! Last night tickets dropped and we bought them and are coming down to see you for spring break!!¨ ¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Unbelievable, unbelievable, unbelievable!! I have been blessed beyond belief today!
Now, I'm sure of it; I am, at this instant, consciously passing through what will surely be one of the happiest moments of my life, and the fact that I know this makes it even better! Life has favored me today with an incredible combination of joyfully bursting occasions!
I cannot begin to describe the incredible joy that I experienced today, and every other day that I visit Heladería Amazonas, but I shall try.
The combination of ephemeral ecstatic moments that left me with lingering joy all day started with the simple fact that today is Wednesday, and I don't have class until 1pm. I revel in the sweet relaxation of sleeping in... I was left with plenty of time to slowly enjoy the short stories I had a quiz over today, a quiz for which I was freshly prepared due to my productive morning. Then, for an hour after class, I lounged by the pond with Raq and Ann, listening and ocassionally contributing to a practice session of one of my favorite subjects (Spanish... is it strange that I find grammar/pronunciation rules utterly gratifying?), while simultaneously freeing knobby, grassy roots from their earthly entrenchment, which led to the discovery of two fascinatingly disgusting wormy insects.
This playground-ish endeavor was immediately followed by an hour of Salsa, a joy I recently described, which was extended by chittering conversations about Bilmedes the attractive professor with the perfect-for-imitation-accent while spinning and hip-swaying ridicously down the sidewalk after class.
And then, the news I have been waiting now 2 months to hear: I had mail in the International Office-- FAMILY GUY! My shrill exclamations of sheer delight caught Ann off-guard as sprinted to claim my packaged elation. I now own every episode of this show on DVD, I can watch any of them, any time I want, the intense relief of boredom or anxiety or gray-days that is the random intelligently stupid humor of this genius cartoon for adults is now at my fingertips, just a laptop away, every single day!!
My grin at this point could only be complimented by one thing:
*Mango Sherbert*
As I walk out of the university (still surprised everyday by the striking view of the mountians), all I can concentrate on is the prospect of un helado. We approach Heladería Amazona and I am nearly overcome by irrational giddyness. Liz and Kathleen understand this phenomena so I am not preoccupied with trying to contain it. We enter la heladería and I walk single-mindedly, undeterred by any or all distractions, to the counter to consider intently my decision. 2 scoops, one flavor each, and a sugar cone, $.70. The combination must be perfect. Always mango, siempre mango, but what else? Pineapple? Guayaba ( an absolutely delicious flavor of jelly I just tried last week)? Naranjilla? Coconut? Or, oh I just saw this one, I hadn't even realized before that it was an option- Membrillo, one of my favorite foods in Spain! I try a sample, and, just as honest as all the other flavors, with more integrity than our USAmerican green apple or watermelon, for example, which never taste like green apple or watermelon, this tastes just like membrillo. Yes, that's the one, definitely. Anxiety over the pending decision gives way to anxiety for the pending exchange. My $.30 in change is returned, and I am handed joy in a cone. Everytime this transaction is completed, I am sure my last experience was an exaggeration, that sherbert cannot be this moving, this succulent, but it is, everytime it is! I'm caught between wanting to devour it all at once and wanting to savor every bite. I opt for the latter, slowly making my way through the first scoop (membrillo), before arriving at the pinnacle of deliciousness(mango). I can't help but exclaim occasionally, as I have every other time, just how good this is, it's not even logical how much enjoyment I get from this sherbert! Liz concurs, saying, as she has every other time, that with these helados, the only thing you can do is eat them and enjoy; it's impossible to think about anything else in the meantime. I am almost sure that I need nothing else but helado and this gorgeous sunny day in order to be happy with my life. Then I remember Salsa and Family Guy, and I am convinced that my life is complete. Nearing the cone, I wish there were so much more mango, though I've never opted for two scoops of the same flavor, but soon it's gone. I drink up any last melted sherbert and offer the cone to someone; without the sherbert it's just a sugarcone, no longer so enjoyable. But I am happy inside... everything seems extra beautiful and while part of me realizes that this cannot be a normal reaction to sherbert, most of me doesn't really care, I know I'm not the only one. Ahh, the sweet satisfaction of small pleasures.
Interjection: Oh my god... multi-tasking as always, I just opened up my GC email account to see if I had any electronic correspondence, and the first subject line I see is SPRING BREAK!!! from Amanda Esh. Could this mean..? Is it possible...? Is it conceivable that this day of overwhelmingly joyous moments should be culminated in such an unexpected and ridiculously exciting manner?!? I almost don't want to know. I wait in anxious anticipation for the (slow, slow) page to open....:
¨Chicas, great news! Last night tickets dropped and we bought them and are coming down to see you for spring break!!¨ ¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Unbelievable, unbelievable, unbelievable!! I have been blessed beyond belief today!
Now, I'm sure of it; I am, at this instant, consciously passing through what will surely be one of the happiest moments of my life, and the fact that I know this makes it even better! Life has favored me today with an incredible combination of joyfully bursting occasions!
Posted by: Well / 2:16 PM 
