5/30/2001:

I have a really hard time talking to Lia these days. Even though she and Sil have lived together this year, when I go over there, I'm definitely there to see Sil, you know? And I think I call way too much.

Lia and I used to improv together freshman and sophomore years. She's got this way of saying things that are incredibly painful quite matter of factly like "When I do scenes with you, Kip, it's like you deaden my soul." Afterwards, we went out for pie to talk and sort of connect so that we wouldn't have such a flattening effect on each other onstage but it was still awkward, understandably so.

Last summer, we did improv downtown on the same team and we were much better with each other there. And we'd ride the el down and talk so I think we got a bit closer during that time. But then she stopped coming and I got tired of defending her absences to the rest of the team and then she got kicked out and then I did too (for not ponying up the cash to play).

Anyway, after that, we went in different directions. She went on to the incredibly popular short form improv group on campus and I stayed with our old long form group. She also moved off campus and I stayed on. Etc etc, but the long and short of it is that I don't talk to her a heck of a lot.

Why? Well, it's sort of the same reasons why I had a hard time doing improv with her... she's so out there and presents such a sure version of herself that I'm taken aback. But I admire her, I really do. If nothing more than the fact that her side of her room is just as messy as Sil's. Most of the time.

So Sil's really really gone now. She'll be checking email sporadically, but she does that anyway. Let her know how much you miss her, folks. Last night was kinda rough for me saying goodbye to her. It helped thatI helped her move tons of stuff so I was too tired to make a big scene out of it.

It's the nomination time for the cartoonist's choice awards. If you're a fellow webcomic artist, register, cast your votes, etc. And remember... there's no shame in voting for your own comic. That's what I keep telling myself. ;-)

Song time: I can't believe I haven't put up a BNL song yet. Just to show that I'm not one of those latecomers to the party... here's a pretty rare track from them. Teenage Wasteland. Speaking of songs... no one's identified this one yet. UPDATE: The song is "Seventeen" by Jimmy Eat World. Thanks to Josh Barratt for IDing it.

song removed for space reasons

i first met nellie in art class in high school
and in a short brown bob she was better than bateman's best
i never thought i'd ever see a miracle
and who'd have though it'd be in an arcade

she moved like an angel
and she spoke like a memory
and she smoked like a chimney
and she completed dragon's lair on just one quarter on just one quarter

i called her up but she wasn't home
i knew she was downstairs but her dad didn't like me
and so i waited for what seemed like eternity
called her back in ten minutes and disguised my voice

i spoke like an actor
and i moved like a burglar
and i lied like a carpet
and then i did a phony survey on her whole family on her whole family

nobody at school knew what i was trying to do
right after art class i made history
'cause when you love someone yeah and you don't even know, know why

she moved like an angel
she spoke like a memory
then she moved to alberta
i'm gonna visit her at grandma's
maybe next week yeah maybe next week ok maybe not next week maybe never
maybe it doesn't matter
maybe it never did
it didn't matter at all
she didn't even notice me

-Kip