This world sold its fate for parking lots and drunk sincerity

Cathi and I went to go see The Crucible over at Central tonight, and it was probably the best play I've seen this year, aside from All State. Not that NVHS’s plays weren't good, but I prefer tragic dramas to outrageous comedy and drunk vampires. The acting was excellent, the set was well made, with a good use of scrims, and though John Proctor appeared to have a bit of a lisp, he still came out of it my favorite character.

My Lenten sweet/junk food abdication has been so far fairly successful, which is a fact I take some pride in. I've never really noticed before just how often I'm offered cookies.

And as for the Purpose Driven Life study at church, Ben brought up what I thought to be an interesting topic in our group tonight, that really had nothing to do with our topic of "fellowship, which had to do with the way people greet each other nowadays. The phrase "What's up?" isn't really a question as to the current events in one's life anymore, but more of a greeting. If person A greets person B with that question, person B must decide whether to actually respond with his take on his well being, or to reply ambiguitively with a response like "not much," or to reply to it as if it were another form of hello. Similarly is the development of the question "How are you?". Many times I hear someone inquire as to the health of another, only to get annoyed when their askee actually TELLS them exactly how well, or in many cases, unwell, they are feeling. It's true that there are some instances where replying with "Well, my boyfriend just dumped me for my cousin and I think I have an eating disorder..." wouldn't be appropriate. But that's beside the point.

I don't really like that people are so self absorbed and/or indifferent to not take the time to actually accept a proper response to a question that they initiate. It's like saying "Hey, I'm going to pretend I care for the sake of appearances, but in reality I'd just like you to give me a socially acceptably content response and move on."

That's a blatant exaggeration, of course, as I'm sure most people would be quick to argue that they really do have concern for those they ask those questions of. But I do think it's little things like that that make people like me sometimes feel like no one wants to hear anything but the pleasant things in life.

*steps off her random soapbox of nitpicky topics*

Anyway.

Annoyances of the week: American politics, wood stain, the unit circle, being single.