bicoastal.

in california, people seem to use the term "east coast" as an adjective for certain types of people, organizations, events, institutions. but mainly for an attitude that is so "east coast". everyone knows what it means, and mainly californians use it to describe someone who is stuffy, pompous, elitist.

i've never thought about it, but i don't think people on the east coast think of themselves as a region - much less an identity. and we never compare ourselves to the west coast as a whole coast. it's more like, should the topic come up, we'll discuss california (something can be "so california") or seattle. but it isn't a point of reference. is that because we just assume that the two are incomparable? "california is a nice place. but i live in boston." period. does the coast mean more to the people who live here? is it a state of mind, and not just a locaation? i think to some people it is. and folks back home are just so used to things running on eastern standard - to being the standard - to think of their location as a state of mind.


in ANY case. i went to a fun party tonight where i didn't know a soul. well, i had met this guy, mike, on thursday at the sociology lecture with adam. adam knew most of these people, actually, since they go to school with him, but he couldn't make it to the party. so. i went. and chatted it up with the mostly male grad students. it was very weird. but pretty fun. and nice to know that i can do that - just walk into a party where i don't know anyone and make a bunch of new friends. "it's just like kindergarten" i kept telling myself. when i walked up to people on the playground, and, shyly looked for the right moment in the conversation to interject with "will you be my friend?" i remember ashley rose in particular being a little taken aback by this approach.

oh! and nealon was in town from sf. one minute i was talking to him on the phone and the next minute, he said "jess mele, i'm hopping on a train right now to come see you and help you at this party." so, then i had one friend. hooray!

another highlight, franco, some guy at this party, was "sooo california." he rhetorically asking about the dance music (hip hop) in that spaced out stoner voice of constant awe:
him: "i wonder why people like that kind of music so much.........(pause)...this black guy told me that it's because it's where we came from......and it's *in* us......it's in our soul..........and when we get alcohol in us, we just......"
me: "feel it?"
him: "yeah....you feel it. i think it's because it's dance music."

i can only assume he meant that the music was african-inspired, and since we all came from africa, somehow modern hiphop resonates with all of us. genetically or something. it was hard to follow, but pretty funny.

all in all, met some new people, got myself out there, and had some fun with nealon. so, a good night!