Yes, I am reminiscing about my childhood mall.

Some late-week randomness by way of updates. First, I was sorely disappointed by Mallrats, for which I had (perhaps unreasonably?) high expectations. The dialogue was terrible and wooden! The acting was just terrible! The songs didn't seem to correspond to the scenes during which they were played! I liked the premise, though. Additionally, watching the movie made me overwhelmingly nostalgic for my childhood mall: Northtown Mall. Ah, yes: Northtown, whose logo was (is?) a Viking ship, whose lack of stable anchor stores has not diminished my appreciation! When I was in elementary and middle school, I was obsessed with this mall store called 20/20 sound - a music shop that specialized in "alternative" albums/apparel. There, I almost bought "Under the Table and Dreaming" (still have never owned any DMB: and I never will), and it was there my dad got me a Soundgarden tee the Christmas of sixth grade. Ah, 20/20 Sound. It strikes me now as a bit incongruous that they were selling DMB, but whatevs.
What else about Northtown? In late high school/when I'd come back on breaks from college, Ali and I would go to the Gap approximately once every three days. The reasoning behind this was unclear, though I think this is what happened: Ali always had an item (a lace-edged cami, a pair of chinos) that she wanted, but she was really indecisive about buying said item. So she'd put the item in question on hold, go back the next day to look at item, decide she didn't want it, and return the item to the shelf. But a few days later, she'd rethink her previous decision and trek back to the Gap. What a cycle!

In other news, I am still stoked about the upcoming move to Wisconsin! I've gotten into the mindset that my life will be way more exciting and jawesome with this pending shift in geography - though I know I'll still have irksome schtuff to deal with once I'm there. Certainly, I am excited to be moving to a place where I actually want to live (as opposed to having to live in a certain, not-as-awesome place for purposes of grad school); and I have been doing research re: all the things I want to do upon arrival at the WI border. (I almost wrote, "the shores of Wisconsin," because I am a pioneer like that.) Maybe my excitement boils down to the thrill of change, but it's more than that. I miss the open spaces of the Midwest, driving through farmland at spring dusk. Yeah, there are farms here, but even these seem tiny and cramped. Everything here seems tiny and cramped and only 2 hours away (or 3, but who's counting?), and also the Iowa-80 Rest Stop is awesome. The end!