Today was nightmarish, yet educational and worthwhile. First, I shall explain what is going on in certain parts of Cincinnati.

There are huge riots going on. It all started when a white cop shot a black man who had failed to appear in court numerous times. (I think...I'm hardly the expert.) The policeman shouldn't have shot the guy, obviously, but it happened. Case closed... or not! Now it's an all-out war between whites and blacks. Turning on the news, we are warned to stay away from this area and that area. People are getting hurt and killed. Blacks are harming innocent white people. And white cops are harming innocent black people in an attempt to keep the peace (though they're doing just the opposite). It's horrible and scary and childish. I had no intentions of going near any of this, but it just kind of happened today. Lots of UC students didn't even go to school because UC's right by where the riots are, but I went, and all was fine. But tonight, Angelina and I decided to go to Vine Street (just a block from UC) to go tatoo shop perusing. We thought we were at least somewhat away from the hatred, but we weren't, I guess. We got out of my car and were walking down the street, and all of a sudden some African American dudes start yelling "Fuck you, mother fuckers!" It was kind of frightening. God, now I know how they feel, being judged merely by the color of their skin. How incredibly horrible racism is!

Angelina and I visited two tatoo shops. I picked out a fairy tatoo I wanted to get done, but they were booked for the rest of the night. So we went to the other tatoo place, Uptown Tatoo, and one of the tatooist girls there drew a fairy for me based on what I described to her that I wanted, and it's SO perfect and beautiful. So, unless the riots keep up, I'm going to go back and get my tatoo on Tuesday. It's going to be on my collarbone to the left hand side -- a fairy, flying towards my throat. It's SO cute. Yay for tats!

Angelina got her labret pierced tonight, and it looks SO incredibly cute! I cannot even begin to describe how adorable it is on her. I held her hand while she got it done. It bled everywhere...it was kinda gross. But she lived through it. = )

Anyway, so then we left to take her back home, but the way we were gonna go was blocked off by cops because I guess it was a bad area. So we tried to go home this alternate way, stumbling upon Angelina's friend's apartment along the way. So we visited her friend, and he pulled us in all scared like, "Why are you out in this?!" And we're like, "What?" And he's like, "There are riots going on here, too! I got sent home an hour early from work." This place we were at wasn't even very close to the main riot spot, so we had felt safe, but I guess we were wrong. So then they gave us these other directions to get home because they said the way we were gonna go would be blocked off. But we couldn't figure that way out so still went our own way. It wasn't blocked off, per se, but we had to wait in a dead standstill on the interstate for like fifteen minutes. BUT, finally, we got home. I have never been so afraid in my entire life...okay, well at least not in a long time. I'm so disgusted at what's happening. It's so ignorant. I really thought society was starting to grow up a bit and be more openminded, but I guess I was wrong. It really sucked having to fear for my life tonight...I've never gone through that before. Oh, and then after I finally got Angelina home, I was going home, and for some odd reason, a police car with a construction truck next to it were driving SEVEN MILES PER HOUR on the interstate. And we couldn't get around them. So, it took me like an hour and a half to get home rather than my usual half hour. What a not good night! Yet somehow Angelina and I still kinda had fun (we always do, no matter what), and I'm at least getting a tatoo on Tuesday (or soon).

I took Andrew to the Olive Garden tonight for his birthday. We had a good time. We went to the mall afterwards and totally bull-shitted around for like two hours, buying nothing. (Well, I did buy a pair of fun glasses.)

I get to hang out with Karen tomorrow night! And the rest of the Van on Friday and Saturday! Oh happy day!

I should go to bed. I'm emotionally and physically drained. I was home all of one hour today. Goodnight!

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