Differences between this year's Clarion West and last year's:

We all (well, all but one) went to the party on Friday. Of course, this was only the first party....

We always wash our dishes after each meal. So far.

Our group observes POV as an important tool in storytelling. So far.

We value emotion in the story (as well as conflict and resolution), as emphasized by our first week instructor. Again, so far.

We are not keeping score (ha! get it? irony!). So far.

We have written fewer new stories and fewer words per story than the previous year's class had by this time.

So far.

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Today, I visited home to pick up a spare hard drive with which to back up my computer, pick up some more music CDs, and visit with Paulette -- as well as a couple of friends in Redmond -- before returning to the dorm. At various times during the day, I chipped away at the reading and critiquing that is due on Monday (finally finishing at about half past midnight).

A few of us made a quick run to Cosco where we picked up our respective supplies of water, soda, pop tarts, and/or cereal in bulk. I finally conceded that I'm not going to be kicking my Dr Pepper habit anytime soon, and went ahead and bought a case (a two or three day supply?) for about half the price that I'd normally spend at the grocery store.

Four of us went out for dinner to Pagliacci's Pizza on Broadway, and happened to catch some gay rights parade that was making its way down the very same street heading in the other direction. This is the third or fourth such parade to which I've been an unintentional witness. I wish I could add some pithy observation about the parade, but really... there's not much to tell. There were lots of chicks walking down the street with police escorts holding signs that said "Dyke Pride Now" and the like. Sorry; that was bad writing. The paraders held the signs. The police escorts did not. But, the sentence is too funny for me to re-write.

Back when I was in college, protests and marches usually centered upon something that I could either get behind or stand against. Divestment was one. This was the idea that the university should divest itself of investments in companies that did business with apartheid-bound South Africa. These parades and sit-ins called attention to a political issue that you could at least hold an opinion about.

Where do you stand on "Dyke Pride"? Who cares? I find it hard to have an opinion about whether lesbians should have good self-esteem. Quite frankly, as battle cries go, it just doesn't sing to me.

I must confess, though, that one person in the parade carried a sign that said "Free Abortions On Demand" and I started thinking that the idea of mandatory abortions was a little odd. I mean, is it really such a good idea that anyone can go around and freely demand that people have abortions?

"You, there, with the sign. I demand that you have a free abortion. Now!"

Sorry. I'm getting side-tracked here.

Upon our return to the dorm, we joined most of the rest of the Clarionites to watch "The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T," a '50's children's movie that was co-written by and featured set-designs and music lyrics by Dr. Seuss. This was a true Mystery Science Theater 3000 moment (well, 90 minutes), as we all made wisecracks throughout this decidedly silly movie.

Tomorrow, one of our fellow Clarionites will be making a much touted spicy Thai dish for the rest of us, and we'll meet our instructor for week 2: Bradley Denton. Yee-haw!