Let the Countdown Begin...

Nine days left. Today something about me hates Madison more than other days. I woke up in a great mood, in fact about an hour early. Managed to get in the shower before my roommate woke up, which means I would be on time for class. Used the new overpriced shampoo I bought yesterday at the mall. Well it is really good stuff even if it was more than I wanted to spend. It promised to make my hair curl the way I like it, even here in Madison with the heat/humidity. And it did until I got to class, then the curls fell out. Then I had a quiz in class that was difficult because I did a bad job of paying attention this week. I can write in Tagalog just fine, but if I dont remember the topic I need to be writing about, things fall apart. Then we learned MAKI- and MAKIPAG- verbs, Then watched Cavite. I dont know if that movie hit you guys like it hit me. But it kind of fucked up my mood. I dont talk about movies right after watching them. I takes me quite a while to digest them properly before I can respond. So none of that right now. But the movie made me feel sick, and irritated, and prompted me to avoid all my classmates and bike up to the coffee shop so I could be among strangers with my melancholy for a bit. I learned the other day that 'melancholy' was a hot word in the social science crowd about ten years ago and has kind of fallen out of vogue lately. While I am just a simple biological scientist, I really like this word and at least the way I define it, I think fits my thoughts and conscious pretty well. But Kris and Eric and the others give me a funny look when I use it, so maybe I am wrong. ANYWAY I am in the kind of mood now where I really want to drink an entire bottle of wine. Even though its not even 2pm yet. I dont want to go back to my place, because I hate it there. They sell wine by the bottle here at Barriques, but I dont really want to insight that kind of judgment from my fellow coffee shop patrons and Eric likes this place enough that he might be on his way here, and I am purposefully hiding in the back corner so he wont see me. As of about 45 minutes ago, I hit the point that he hit nearly three weeks ago at which you are so sick of this place that you go into survival mode. It becomes necessary to find new people to talk to, and some kind of substance to take your mind off boredom. I have no pot resources here other than Eric's roommate which is out of the question, and I am not about to go any harder than that right now, but I am glad I only have nine days left here. This place does something to you. I don't smoke cigarettes, in fact if you know me, you know I have a personal vendetta against them for killing off my extended family. But I have smoked more here than ever before (we are talking not more than 4 whole cigarettes, so dont get worried) and the other day when I was sick of waiting for someone, I went out looking for food or cigarettes whichever I found first. Luckily for my lungs, I met my friend before finding either. But I am still dangerously close. I will try to stick to wine.

So here is my list of what I hate about Madison followed by what I like in an attempt to better my mood.

Hate:
the weather
allergies
my house-for its distance from everything, no internet, no cable (=no shark week), one bitch roommate and one that I have no common ground with
no good bars
nothing to do other than go to mediocre bars
the food is only decent
coffee is only good at Barriques or Indie Coffee
getting sick of my classmates/having them get sick of me
grocery stores are all far away
being scared at night
the wisconsin accent
that people think I am from here because I look like every one else (i.e white)
my bike is too tall = daily bruises and worse because I cannot stop quickly or get on and off with out difficulty
that I didn't pack very well
I have a terrible sense of direction
the screen on my phone is black because I dropped it=no text messaging (the preferred way for classmates to get in touch)
white hippies with dreadlocks
The college student 'dress code' where everyone looks the same, and not like anyone I want to talk to (guys: tshirt, tan cargo shorts, backwards hat, flip flops. girls: denim cut-off skirt, long tank top, flip flops, fake tan, ironed flat hair)

Like:

My red bike, even if its too tall, I will miss it and the freedom to explore the city it has given me, to get home when buses end, exercise that i enjoy, a way to get home from class when it is too hot to walk etc...
they sell alcohol everywhere including coffee shops
the lakes are pretty from a distance
Capitol Square farmers market
Marigold cafe brunch (one of a few exceptions the the above food comment)
Tagalog-when I am not limited by my vocabulary
Not working
cheese
Fireflies!

(I will try to add more, but my nausea has subsided and now I want some lunch)