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| The Odyssey(T is sitting on a bench, hunched over. His hands cover his face. G enters, walks over to bench.)
G: Oh. It's you.
T: ...
G: Long time no see, eh? (G chuckles)
T: ...
G: Quite a beaut, this one is. She's got potential, don't you think?
T: Don't they all.
G: Why the pessimism? Haven't seen you in ages it seems. When was the last time we worked together? Why--
T: I was separated from Andy.
G: ... Oh.
T: We were amazing together. I can't see myself being partners with anyone else. We've never been apart and suddenly... Suddenly... (T chokes, his voice wavers) I've stood right next to her during every assignment. I made sure of it. (Quietly) What are the chances?
G: How long have you been together, if you don't mind me asking?
T: Since always. (T thinks for a moment) Since-since... Since "Adam."
G: The first?
T: ...
G: Well, if it makes you feel any better, I was quite close with my partner until we were randomly assigned to different stations too. Not as long as you've been with Andy but--
T: What was her name?
G: Her name? Uh, C... (long pause) Well look at that. I can't even remember her name. I'm pretty sure it's C-something though.
T: You must have been very close.
G: .... I've never seen you like this. Your new partner may be just as good.
T: We're going to be incompatible. I can tell. I... I almost feel sorry for this one.
G: Don't jinx it. I want another nice, long voyage, you hear? I've lost too many friends because of people like you.
(Rumbling can be heard in the distance)
G: .... It's beginning.
(T pauses for a long time before speaking)
T: This used to be her favorite part. Andy would always--
G: Cut it out. I'm sure A... A-whatever her name is will work wonders with you. I barely got out of the "Mary" alive thanks to Trent's inconsolable moping.
T: I-I'm sorry. I just want to know that Andy made it alright.
G: I'm sure she made the cross. You'll meet again. We did, right?
T: .... Are you always so sure about everything?
G: What can I say? I'm an optimist. I'm actually excited to meet my new partner. (G grins) Women love me.
T: Don't flatter yourself.
(Rumbling is louder now, beckoning)
G: She's calling. Ready?
T: As ever. (T stands) No pun intended.
G: That's my man! (G slaps T on the back) Don't let her hear you though. Immortality isn't something to be taken lightly.
T: I know that better than anyone.
(They both pause, as if waiting for the other to speak.)
G: ... This is still my favorite part.
T: Mine too.
(Both exit.)
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"As the cistrons leave one body and enter the next, as they board sperm or egg for the journey into the next generation, they are likely to find that the little vessel contains their close neighbors of the previous voyage, old shipmates with whom they sailed on the long odyssey from the bodies of distant ancestors. Neighboring cistrons on the same chromosome form a tightly-knit troupe of traveling companions who seldom fail to get on board the same vessel..."
- The Selfish Gene, "Immortal Coils"
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| the daily bruin makes ramee sound clicheso i've been quoted in the daily bruin about the SD fires. the guy talked to me for a little less than a minute and a half (over the phone) and while i was most interested in talking to him about how so many people (including myself) kept refreshing the cbs fire map every five seconds to see if the fire had moved even a smidge--all of us stressing out and unable to study for midterms--he wanted the most mediocre quote from me to finish up his article.
“My sister was watching TV, and she saw our street with a bunch of
houses on fire,” said Ramee Younes, a second-year psychobiology
student. “Fortunately our house didn’t burn down, but it still
literally hit really close to home.”
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| Emerald Hill ZoneWhen I'm bored, I like to look at the "Shared" section of my iTunes and listen to songs that I wouldn't be able to otherwise. This one guy on my floor who rarely ever leaves the comfort of his World of Warcraft level 70 has a HUGE collection of video game and anime tracks. I feel like a little kid every time I click on his playlist and only do so when my roommates aren't looking. On one such occasion, I scrolled down to find the Video Game Pianist's rendition of the Sonic 2 themes. The Emerald Hill Zone, Chemical Plant Zone...
Robotnik's theme.
We'd force our cousins to bring along their Sega every time they came to visit our little apartment and they'd oblige, dragging it along in a beat-up red duffel bag. The second-player's controller's wire had long since lost its protective covering where it meets the handle--that's how we knew which one was which. It would take us hardly any time to decide what game to play since Sonic II was the one that worked best, i.e. took the least amount of spittle to get it to work. Mudar would pull the game out of my hand when it wouldn't start and show me what to do.
"You're doing it wrong! See, like this." Apparently, it's too hard for a 6-year-old to blow clear air into the bottom of the cartridge without an extra little something. He'd smash it in the system with both hands for added oomph. With a flick of the switch and a blue flash on the T.V. screen, the tell-tale music would start playing and we'd take turns every stage or until someone died. For hours. We'd only pause when our parents would call us to eat and even then we'd throw some food on our plates, spill a bit of orange soda into our cups and carry them back to the game to save for when it wasn't our turn.
Zuhar and I were Tails and we'd compete as to who could play him the best. Shereen called Knuckles and no one would complain because everyone knew how much he sucked. (But, during every Robotnik cut-scene, Sami would make sure to remind Shereen of her resemblance to the egg-shaped villain: "Look, Shereen! It's you! Don't kill me!")
I want to play again.
I want to play again. | | |
| co-evolution?hmm. i think i'll update xanga today.
i've been thinking about really random things. it's probably just the aftereffects of LS lecture and my aggravating textbook. (yes, it deserves the word aggravating because it's the worst read on the face of the planet and the author has the wonderfully extensive vocabulary of an eighth-grader. you have no idea how many times he writes "to drive this point home" in a single chapter.)
so. if plants were to have co-evolved with humans instead of insects. that's what i've been considering this past week. i keep seeing this weird image in my head - fake, pseudo-human perfect women coming out of corners behind buildings, especially voluptuous and pheromone-exuding with massive amounts of gooey pollen on their breasts and nether regions. [yes, i like hyphens.] they're kind of creepy with their arms extending toward me in mock despair, with little pockets for eyes and a mouth opening. if orchids have the ability to lure male wasps to them by mimicking female wasp genitalia, who's to say the same couldn't have happened if we'd co-evolved with the plants instead of insects? (let's not consider the fact that we have enormous brains for the moment, k?) instead of ultraviolet patterns on flowers to attract pollinators, these flower-women would have evolved skin colors that would be particularly pleasing to men. different regions would have different colors of flower-humans - asian and middle-eastern flower-women would probably be amazingly white while north american ones would be tanner, i expect. the males of our species would become phenomenally effective pollinators; pollen would have the ability to latch on and travel to places far beyond its wind-dispersal range because of--and i don't mean to sound pessimistic here-- the human male's large sexual capacity.
they're really clever, you know. i think i would be able to write a whole sci-fi novel about this if i could ever get myself to write anything. i hardly follow through! look at how often i update xanga.
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| vista.vista is awesome. i love it. it's so aesthetically appealing!! everything's transparent and it just flows. like water. (like a mac) true, the "widget" is now a "gadget," but seriously. i think the bubbles screensaver and the new window-switching alone are enough to make you want to update. :]
watch! go here and click "See it now."
yeay! too bad i have to reinstall photoshop AND word. :[
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