hello sinisteria, I was sitting around our campus hang-out, the 'Daily Grind' (SUCH a witty name!!), when I got restless and wandered into the back room to see if anyone was willing to smoke with me. I found nothing but a notebook covered with stickers. No one was around, so I checked to see to whom it belonged, but there wasn't any name. lots of english lit. notes, but not much else. then i noticed something written on the inside of the front cover. it was interesting. i copied it because it was quite good. this might violate some ethical conceptions, but i don't think i'll burn in hell. for that anyway. B&S stuff: the copy of IYFS that i donated was playing when i found it... check it: In the coffeeshop, it’s hard to separate the voices from the tired ‘modern rock’ that repeats ad nauseum. The two in the corner are on a date- if staring about numbly and awkwardly listing ‘favorites’ can be called a date. His mud brown hair is a nice juxtaposition with her white blond mop. You can tell it’s a first date- all the telltale signs are there: he keeps looking over his shoulder as if expecting some accident- a catalyst for more conversation; he’s wiggling his foot constantly (there’s enough kinetic energy there to power a German chocolate oven); and the last sign- the god damn burning bush of a first date- he’s not looked her in the eye for more than the time it takes to blink. But there’s hope I think. This one might just last; I mean it’s no Astrophil and Stella, but possibly more of a Burt Reynolds/Loni Anderson coupling. Of course the onus of the boy’s fate rests squarely on blondie’s chakra point-topped head. And she seems receptive. Indulgent even. She’s patiently swirling and cradling her coffee in her hands- trying to let him know that quiet spots and mumbled phrases are OK- but let’s try to keep it together ace. She’s leaning towards him, screaming in her body language that she’s very interested. It’s a shame this kid needs an interpreter. Smiling and prodding she’s blinking like a cat….or almost. Raising the bottoms to meet the top lids. Blondie’s comfortable in herself- I think she could easily maintain stately decorum even if this kid happened to plop a severed hand on the table. “Voila! un main a la carte!” No amount of lip biting on his part could fret her- at least this time. Maybe in the weeks ahead the shy and coy song and dance will grow old and will seem less like an act and more like the real thing. When the awkward pauses become painful and ineluctable- deserts of silence to traverse without any Bedouin training- or in his case, without any previous experience. There’s a girl near the window and she’s reading carefully- ostensibly so as not to shatter the images of life she wished she could live. It’s an Amy Bloom novel- “Even a Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You”. I know because I stole a look at it on my way to the bathroom. Short chestnut hair posed on top of tiny eyes and nerd- thick glasses. She turns the pages and sighs- expressing through exhalation her blocked wishes for the pages to turn themselves, or at the very least be continuous. That’s not too much to ask, is it? Chestnut twirls her hair (just like I do, between the thumb and middle finger, like a pinch of snuff) to release the stress. Except I only do it in private, I’m a closet hair twirler. You can relate, I’m sure. The couple just left, and I’m surprised at how much I miss them already. The loss of their white noise conversation lessens the general din, and now this place has the atmosphere of a linen closet. He (mud brown hair) walked out before her- loving every second of her presence, but paradoxically anticipating the end eagerly. He held the door for her too (they’re both hip- Cosmo compatible), but would he do that for the overweight girl behind the counter? In my experience at least, chivalry is shown selectively, just like your best Jerry Lewis impression. +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister@missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo@missprint.org. WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "peculiarly deranged fanbase" +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+