I Love the Smell of Old Elevators

There is one at MIT that has to be at least 40 years old. It has this really intricate metal work along the top, and the walls are that old fashioned brushed metal. I'm a big fan. I especially like the smell: that subtle mix of machined metal and a hit of oil, mixed with years of use. Not surprisingly, it reminds me of where I first smelled it: the drama building at LSU. When I was much younger, I was in the children's' chorus / was the children's' chorus for a few operas. The building that housed our rehearsals was the colossal old performance hall, filled with dusty old rooms and rickety stairs. And of course, an old elevator. Guess those days are gone.

Yesterday I saw a movie at the MFA in their Gay and Lesbian Film Series. The movie was "Dorian Blue," a very cute coming of age story for a young gay man with a difficult father. The best part was that I got to see it for free because I volunteered to help out before the show. I handed out "Will Call" tickets for a while. That was really interesting. By far the nicest person to me was one of the producers. Other people were nice enough to say "thank you" and to smile at me. Others just stood there, not even telling me their names! After handing out tickets, I got to help this older woman take tickets. They didn't have a good system for tearing tickets: where should the stubs go? We were given a small wicker basket for the both of us, but that's not efficient. I just dropped stubs on the floor after tearing them. By the time most of the people had entered the theater, this other volunteer came up to me and said, "I've been volunteering here for 12 years, and I've never seen someone do that". At the time, I took it as a compliment, though there is a real chance she was slyly commenting on my uncouthness. Who knows!

Yesterday after the movie, I wandered for a bit around Newbury, and I found an old T-station entrance! It may be one that just isn't used often, but I don't recall ever seeing it open. I think that things like this will be good fodder for pictures, once my digital camera arrives (Tuesday afternoon, selon FedEx).

I used to broadcast my current mental state by absolutely falling in love with a particular song and playing it over and over. The one getting the most play right now is "Bridge over Troubled Waters". Any thoughts?

My summertime goal is to gain 20 pounds. It'll take a lot of work, working out, and actually eating. Keep me motivated!

I read "the curious incident of the dog in the night-time" today. It was a fast read, so I spent the early afternoon just wandering around reading it. Funny how many traits I recognized in myself and my friends. Of course, I don't mind being touched, and I don't mind strangers, and I don't normally respond to situations by screaming or groaning. On the other hand, I know a lot of prime numbers, I play number games to calm myself, and I know tons of random facts. I guess the jury is still out, then.