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It's been so long since I woke up early. The first day is always rough. I vaguely remember washing my face and coasting downtown on my bike. Not knowing where I wanted to go, I naturally gravitated toward campus, even though I haven't taken classes for two terms now.

I got breakfast at the Ione, where the waitress smiled too much and talked to me as if I was a hurt child. Trying to ignore her, I read my book, but my brain couldn't seem to focus. Every paragraph seemed to end with me thinking about the jelly containers. I would reread, and even though my brain was determined to process the printed words, my thoughts would come out being about the leaves on the trees outside. I wanted to stay for a few more cups of coffee and see if that would jumpstart my brain, but I couldn't bare to be around the waitress any longer.

I really dislike tiping people who's presence I find to be unpleasant, but she wasn't rude, so I did anyway.

Since I was on campus, I decided to visit the zine symposium. I walked around to all the tables, and was pleased to discover that the Students For Unity table was not present. I can't imagine what made them decide not to come. Maybe they didn't feel safe at an event where they weren't lauded as the end-all-be-all activist organization. Or, maybe they just weren't organized enough to make it to an event that was taking place an entire floor above their office. I don't know; I shouldn't talk shit. Maybe they weren't even supposed to be on the list of tables.

I made a few impulse-buys at the tables. One of which was a t-shirt that says "Bikers attack cars in this area." It's in need of a washing. I bought a zine from the kid who made the shirt, because it started off with a message that read "I first thought of making this zine 6 years ago, but didn't until now..." I saw it as a "How not to make a zine" guide. Maybe this kid has written other good zines, but this isn't one of them. If it was a weblog, I would have closed the screen. But, the layout is nice, and I liked the idea of reading somebody's first effort.

I also bought a few anarchist zines, Brainscan #20, and made a button just to see the button maker work. I was just going to write "button" on it, which would have been clever, but instead, I wrote "revolution is not a crime." I think I'm the only one who says that, and I've written it on so many things that it's cliche to me.

The real reason I went was the silk-screening workshop, where I ran into a girl I kissed once. she had no interest in talking to me, so I just concentrated on the instruction. I learned a few things, but was kinda put off by how many times the girl who was doing the workshop said "and if this doesn't make sense to you it explains all of this on the package when you buy a hobby silkscreen kit." so, basically, my notes were "read the instructions." Maybe it was the fact that I used to take classes in the room where they did the workshop, but I had to repeatedly remind myself that I was not paying for this instruction, and that these people were doing the best they could.

Then came the print Gocco, and I was impressed. I want one.

All in all, it was nice to see the symposium. It seems that it was more of a way for D.I.Y. people from around the continent to connect with each other more than anything else. I would recommend it, but make sure to drink lots of coffee beforehand (or just don't be tired,) otherwise it will be a complete blur.

I'm still extremely tired. I seem to have been sleep walking this whole day.