late night in the South Side

Neha, some random lush, and Stephanie at Smokin' Joes on South Side

Extremely tired, but for a good reason...went out a-drinking tonight w/ some ISPM folks-- Shaun, Barrett, Daniel, Stephanie, Tim, Jerem, Neha, Julia, Rick. Rick was in fine form this evening--but that's not any deviation from the norm. Had a real tasty Ommegang ale which made me nostalgic about California--I used to get them real cheap at TJ's...sigh. We hit Smokin' Joes and Dee's, and B showed me the original crime scene of his ill-fated hook-up (a scuzzy looking corner table next to the pool tables at Dee's). I love that place--just the right amount of dive-i-ness and lots of excellent body art. Cheap Yuenlings too..

I can't really keep on doing this nowadays....aside from my flagging stamina, there's the minor issue of keeping up w/ schoolwork.

I am reminded that I need to post my Germany pics up here soon...they are forthcoming, I promise!

Right about now I am going to zone out to some Samuel Barber songs for piano and voice...my absolute favorite is "Of That so Sweet Imprisonment", using lyrics by James Joyce. Although Cheryl Studer (the soprano on this piece) has been maligned as being too operatic w/ her work on this record, I find this a poignantly beautiful piece...

here are the lyrics:

Of that so sweet imprisonment
My soul, dearest, is fain --
Soft arms that woo me to relent
And woo me to detain.
Ah, could they ever hold me there
Gladly were I a prisoner!

Dearest, through interwoven arms
By love made tremulous,
That night allures me where alarms
Nowise may trouble us;
But sleep to dreamier sleep be wed
Where soul with soul lies prisoned.