Gah!

Dr. Doom is so damn emo. I mean, seriously, who wears an iron body because of an itsy bitsy scar on their face? Who?

Me. That's who.

Your results:
You are Dr. Doom

Dr. Doom 64% Poison Ivy 62% Magneto 61% Mystique 61% Catwoman 60% Apocalypse 57% Lex Luthor 51% The Joker 48% Dark Phoenix 45% Two-Face 45% Mr. Freeze 43% Green Goblin 41% Riddler 37% Juggernaut 37% Kingpin 32% Venom 31%

Blessed with smarts and power but burdened by vanity.

Click here to take the Supervillain Personality Quiz

I'm going to Kansas City -- Kansas City, here I come!

So, here I am.

I'm currently in the Kansas City, MO International Airport.
I have no idea why they call it an international airport. It is a small airport. A very small airport. But, thank god it has free wireless internet. I was really concerned this layover would totally suck.

Yay free WiFi!

We've got about an hour left. . .

Okay, folks. So, I'm about to pack up my ol' laptop soon. Here are some things that I have learned over the semester:

• Busy people may get things done, but those things may not be done well.
  
• Plan, plan, plan.
• Never schedule 3 conferences in one semester (again).
• Sleeping pills, even if they are Advil PM, are EVIL!
• Television, even if it contains only local channels, is EVIL!
• Drunk people are not always pretty people. However, they are really easy to beat at air hockey!
  
• Harry Potter plus foreign language readings skills = good times.
• If you get sick, drop everything, and sleep for 14 hours. This is the greatest cure on earth!
• The new Blogger is pretty freakin' cool.
• Porn is traumatic. For everyone.
• I heart my office mates. All of them!
• Never let your weekly cleaning get out of control.
• Flipping my sleep schedule = good idea for about 2 days, bad idea for 363 days.

I am so excited! For food, folks, and fun! And lots of food! And family! And snow!


Wait a minute. . . did I say snow? Yep. Surprisingly, Madison has had a warm spell since I've been here. This is strange. I can run around outside without a jacket for at least 10 minutes without getting frostbite. That is weird. Yet, Colorado got a huge blizzard. Very strange indeed! Sounds like the work of. . . .


duh duh duh. . .

Global Warming!

Be on the lookout everyone. This is bad news.

And with that, I bid you a farewell until I reach my final destination. . .

Guess who will be doing laundry when they arrive in Denver?

ME!!!

You guessed it.

Oh boy, oh boy!

At any rate, I've been busy with grading exams. . . Not too shabby though. I do have to say that my students, so far, have been doing a good job.

But, I've only graded their IDs so far. . . not their essays. . .

So. . . WE SHALL SEE


On another note, because O'Hare has been totally swamped by delayed travelers, I will be arriving about 3 hours early to make sure I catch my flight without much suffering. What this also means is that I will need to catch the 5am bus to Chicago. Guess who's pulling an all-nighter again?!

That's right! It's me! And yes, I remembered to purchase the cheese. Now, I must be sure to pack it tonight!

O Tannenbaum

You Are a Minimal Christmas Tree

You're not a total Scrooge, but you feel no need to go overboard at Christmas. Less is more, and your Christmas reflects refined quality.

What Christmas Tree Are You?

Watching the show Identity makes me think. . .

What the Hell? So, all my students tell me that there is an interior and an exterior to every person, and that these two things can be completely different. And yet, there is this TV show that has a contestant guess who a person is based on their appearance.

So, do our external appearances really tell others what we are like on the inside? So much so that a complete stranger can guess who we are without anything but?

Woo-hoo! My list is nearly complete!

Looky-look!!!

What I must get done and when:

• Film presentation (like tomorrow, literally!)
• Film paper (next Thursday)
• Grading of last minute stuff and extra credit (this weekend)
• 18C novel paper (December 20th)
• Grading of final exams (December 23rd)
• Finding my S.O.'s sister an xmas gift (ASAP)
• Cleaning my house so I don't return in a state of chaos (priceless. . . oh, I mean, whenever)

Yes, I'm procrastinating. Leave me alone. Or not.

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm You're probably in the final stages of a Ph.D. or otherwise finding a way to make your living out of reading. You are one of the literati. Other people's grammatical mistakes make you insane.
Dedicated Reader
Book Snob
Literate Good Citizen
Non-Reader
Fad Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Create Your Own Quiz

I'm going in communicado (as if that changes anything)

So, now we are finally approaching the final nail to my semester's coffin. Here's to you, nail!

What I must get done and when:

• Film presentation (like tomorrow, literally!)
• Film paper (next Thursday)
• Grading of last minute stuff and extra credit (this weekend)
• 18C novel paper (December 20th)
• Grading of final exams (December 23rd)
• Finding my S.O.'s sister an xmas gift (ASAP)
• Cleaning my house so I don't return in a state of chaos (priceless. . . oh, I mean, whenever)

When it comes right down to it, I always say that I will get things done early in the semester, and I always fail to do so. What I need to do is to stop saying such things. The world is always in a state of chaos, and I am always waiting there with my shoe box and personal organizer.

On a totally different note, I am in love with these notebooks. They are the best things ever, and I would argue that they are the next evolutionary step in notebook-ness.

Song survey

Per Christina:
Go to Pop Culture Madness and select the year you turned 18. Snip the best 75 songs from the list and paste it in your journal. Bold the ones you like, strike the ones you dislike, italicize the ones you know but neither like nor dislike and leave the ones you don't know as common text.

1. Cotten Eye Joe - Rednex
2. One Sweet Day - Mariah Carey & Boys II Men
3. I'll Be There For You - Rembrandts
4. Run Away - Real McCoy
5. You Gotta Be - Des'ree
6. Boombastic - Shaggy
7. I Could Fall In Love - Selena
8. Take Your Time (Do It Right) - Max-A-Million
9. Better Man - Pearl Jam
10. Fantasy - Mariah Carey
11. We've Got It Goin' On - Backstreet Boys
12. Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman? - Bryan Adams
13. Fat Boy - Max-A-Million
14. This Is How We Do It - Montell Jordan
15. I Like It, I Love It - Tim McGraw
16. Ants Marching - Dave Matthews Band
17. Hey Lover - LL Cool J
18. The Woman In Me - Shania Twain
19. I Wish - Skee-Lo
20. Jeremy - Pearl Jam
21. Come And Get Your Love - Real McCoy
22. When I Come Around - Green Day
23. Sexual Healing - Max-A-Million
24. Thank You - Boyz II Men
25. Kiss From A Rose - Seal
26. Total Eclipse of the Heart - Nikki French
27. Any Man Of Mine - Shania Twain
28. What Would You Say - Dave Matthews Band
29. Big Poppa - Notorious B.I.G.
30. Tootsie Roll - 69 Boyz
31. I Believe - Blessid Union Of Souls
32. Send Me On My Way - Rusted Root
33. Bizarre Love Triangle - New Order
34. Gangsta's Paradise - Coolio
35. Everything Zen - Bush
36. New Age Girl - Dead Eye Dick
37. The Bomb! - The Bucketheads
38. I Got Id - Pearl Jam
39. Let Me Be The One - Blessid Union Of Souls
40. Colors Of The Wind - Vanessa Williams
41. Age Ain't Nothin' But A Number - Aaliyah
42. Lightning Crashes - Live
43. Boom Boom Boom - Outhere Bros.
44. Good - Better Than Ezra
45. Tonight Is The Night - Le Click
46. Short Short Man - 20 Fingers
47. Run-Around - Blues Traveller
48. Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop) - Scatman
49. December - Collective Soul
50. Hooked On You - Silk
51. Waterfalls - TLC
52. (I Could Only) Whisper Your Name - Harry Connick, Jr.
53. Creep - TLC
54. Dreaming Of You - Selena
55. Good Intentions - Toad The Wet Sprocket
56. Misery - Soul Asylum
57. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me - U2
58. Buddy Holly - Weezer
59. Roll To Me - Del Amitri
60. You Oughta Know - Alanis Morissette
61. Hurt - Nine Inch Nails
62. As I Lay Me Down - Sophie B. Hawkins
63. Baby Baby - Corona
64. Lick It - Roula
65. Carnival - Natalie Merchant
66. Girlstown - Supercat
67. Baby - Brandy
68. Hand In My Pocket - Alanis Morissette
69. I Kissed A Girl - Jill Sobule
70. Seether - Veruca Salt
71. Let Her Cry - Hootie and the Blowfish
72. Exhale (Shoop Shoop) - Whitney Houston
73. Wonderful - Adam Ant
74. Fake Plastic Trees - Radiohead
75. I'm The Only One - Melissa Ethridge

Why can't I be a grading machine?

Btw, if you happen to write a full sonnet which is more fabulous than my current epilogue, by all means post it in the comments!

I really wanted to get grading completed before Turkey day, but I have failed in my task. Alas, everything I look at those papers, I get depressed and frustrated. Hell, I merely retreat into reading novels. Tristram Shandy has become my sole comfort!

Me vs. The Library Fines Lady; or, An Example of Beauracracy

Dramatis Personae
Me
LFL (aka Library Fines Lady)
Kristiane (my friend)
Tricia (my other friend)

Act I: The Present
(Tricia is in the office. Emily enters)
Tricia: Whoa, Em. You look frustrated. What's wrong?
Me: Grr. . .
T: Is it the Library, again?
Me: Yes. Indeed it is.
T: It seems like you've been tackling this problem for a while. Did it finally get resolved?
Me: Yes. Today. Grr. . . Completely idiotic.
T: Start from the beginning. What happened?


Act II: September
(Library Fines Lady is in Room 170. Kristiane enters with many books and an eagerness to get things resolved)
LFL: Hi, how may I help you?
Kristiane: I would like to return these books my friend Emily checked out for me. I would also like to pay her fines.
LFL: Shame, shame, shame ON YOU! You can certainly return these books, but we're still going to make your life hell.
K: How so?
LFL: We won't allow you to pay her fines. In fact, we won't even tell you how much the fine is. Your friend will need to come in, with you perhaps? She will then need to pay the fine and have you pay her immediately after. That way we can waste your time and her time simultaneously.
K: How much is the fine?
LFL: I'm not telling.
K: Even though the book has been returned?
LFL: Lalalala. . . I can't hear you?
K: You do realize this is ridiculous?
LFL: Yup. Now get out. . . NEXT!
(Exuent Kristiane)


ACT III: October
(Library Fines Lady is still in Room 170. Emily comes in with a positive attitude and an eagerness to resolve this issue)
LFL: Hi, how may I help you?
Me: A few weeks ago, my friend returned some books she borrowed under my name. She also asked to pay the fines, but you refused. You said that I would have to pay.
LFL: And pay you shall. . . . muhahaha!
Me: What?
LFL: Oh nothing. . .
Me: Anyway, I would like to pay. How much is the fine?
LFL: The book was from a different library. They are the ones fining you. We can't tell you how much the fine is. But we will lift the hold on your library account if you write a check for the exact amount of the fine and provide a stamp and envelope.
Me: Well, I have my checkbook. Could I purchase a stamp and envelope from you?
LFL: No.
Me: But I can see a stack of stamps and envelopes on your desk over there. Couldn't I give you cash for those?
LFL: No.
Me: Ummm. . . What about the cost of the fine? How can I find this out?
LFL: You can call this number. It leads to a voicemail that no one answers. You can leave an unlimited number of voicemails and no one will respond.
Me: Uh. . .
LFL: Now, be gone! I have a lunch break!
(Exuent Emily)


Act IV: October, part II
(LFL is in Room 170. Emily enters, frustrated)
LFL: Hi, how may I help you?
Me: You gave me a phone number to call for my fine. I've called that number. I leave voicemail messages. No one calls back. I can't pay my fine unless I know the exact amount. Yet, I cannot know the exact amount. I am frustrated. I want to check out library books.
LFL: Muhahaha!
(Exuent Emily, pursued by a bear)


Act V: November
(LFL is in Room 170. Emily enters, exasperated)
LFL: Hi, how may I help you?
Me: Alright, you evil thing. You've won. You've bested me. You got that?? You've won. I'm going to write a check for $20 and assume that this is more than enough for this damn library fine.
LFL: Hold on. . . let me check to see if this is the sum you need to pay.
Me: What? You told me that you couldn't look up the amount!
LFL: I can't be bothered by your concerns.
Me: What?
LFL: Hmmm. . . According to our computer, you don't have a fine. I just need to click this button and your hold disappears.
Me: *makes whimpering noise*
LFL: Yup. There you go. I clicked on a button. You may now proceed with checking out books.
Me: You broke me.
LFL: Have a nice day!
(Exuent Emily)


Epilogue
Tricia: As you can see, the library's no friend.
Her struggle with the library woman
Left her with no options towards the end.
A matter of stress for any human.

It's starting. . . it's starting. . . it started!

It is now officially that time in the semester when I have more than I can chew! I can now panic over trivial matters, sound incoherent as I lurch around without any sleep, and do ridiculous things like procrastinate via many MANY games of spider solitaire! Rejoice all! The end is near! . . . Well, hopefully the end of the semester is near.

I hit my porn limit yesterday

Okay. So our film class is finally in its porn segment. We are studying Women and Film from the 1930s on, and one of our final segments is pornography. Well. On Monday, we watched a full length porn, the famous "The Opening of Misty Beethoven." I then read half of Linda William's Hard Core, which is a book that theorizes the porn genre. And I read it for several days. Then in class, we watched these French mini films that are closely related to our version of stag films. AT that point, I realized that I hit my porn limit. All I wanted to do was lay down in a fetal position in a dark corner of a room and not touch anything. . . It was something in my head that screamed, "If I have to see one more money shot!!!"

At any rate, here is probably the only "safe" clip to show from Misty Beethoven, and I would also say that you shouldn't show it with the volume on at work:

What is wrong with people?!!

I'm going to rant here: I can't believe they passed that damn civil union ban. What does this mean? This not only affects same sex couples, but it affects all folks that do or do not want to get married. Thanks a lot voters of Wisconsin! You've ruined everyone's lives!



In other news, I split an entire bottle of wine with another friend yesterday because she was having a really bad day. Soon after, we had to screen "The Opening of Misty Beethoven" a rather. . . well. . . mid 1970s porno for class. That was a weird experience. To top it all off, we ran over to the Sun Room Cafe for mussels and other food. An odd day.

Hooray! Scary Go Round!!!

Tessa and Rachel have returned to Scary Go Round .

It was about damn time!

In other news, sorry I haven't posted for a while. I've been busy. Ril, ril, ril busy. So this is what's been going on (in my usual bulleted list form):

• I've given 2/3 conference papers this semester. All different conference papers, all the time.
• I have successfully given a quickie lecture. . . well, at least I think it was successful. . .
• I wrote my first schoolish website for my 167 Lecture (I don't do the lecture or teach myself)
  
• I have watched The Departed and Borat.
• I've just finished my Writing Center training.
• I have 50% of my dissertation committee completed. But, hey, they are the more important and special 50%.
• I'm catching up on Scrubs and Sex and the City
• I've tried Indian food in Madison. It's pretty good!
• I not only stopped my caffeine sobriety but am fully embracing it. I drink way too much caffeine now.

Things to come in the near future:

• Two final papers this term -- I have no idea what I will be writing on yet.
• I am turning 30 in July.
• I will take my final semester of English Lit courses in the spring.
• I have yet to eat any ice cream since my return to Madison (crazy, I know!).
• I will move out of my one bedroom and move into a 2-3 bedroom with my S.O.
• Studying for prelims will consume me this summer.

Things to come in the distant future:

• What shall my dissertation be? Aack!
• What shall my career be and where? Aack!
• Wassup with all of these Aacks!? Aack!
  

What's the difference here?

What, if any, is the difference between the Beta Blogger and the old version. . . I don't get it.

More Simpsons goodies

Per Christina. Awesome!

Dance, monkey, dance!

Per Karina. Awesome!

Men's Restroom (Lockean social contract)

Per Christina (but designed for Keith):

Livin' Large!

Per Dave, although I'm quite surprised that he has experienced 4% more of life than I have!:

You've Experienced 76% of Life

You have all of the life experience that most adults will ever get. And unless you're already in your 40s, you're probably wise beyond your years.

How Much Life Experience Do You Have?

Christina and Ellen, you'll love this!

Incredible, award-winning rotoscoped anime mashup combining footage from over 100 anime movies to create a "Whacky Race." Music by Weezer and Island in the Sun. See http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=78914 for more. Here's a list of the anime and music this film draws upon: Music: * Weezer Island in the Sun * Wiseguys Ooh La La ! # Anime: * Ai Yori Aoshi * Angelic Layer * Animatrix, The * Argento Soma * BECK, Mongolian Chop Squad * Berserk * Bleach * Boboboubo Boubobo * Captain Future (Kyaputen Fyuuchaa) * Captain Tsubasa * Chobits * City Hunter (TV) * Condor Hero * Cowboy Bebop * Detective Conan (Case Closed) * Doraemon * DragonBall GT * DragonBall Z * Eat-Man * Excel Saga * Fruits Basket * Full Metal Panic * Full Metal Panic: Fumoffu * Fullmetal Alchemist (TV) * Gankutsuou * GANTZ * Gatekeepers * GetBackers * Gokusen * Great Teacher Onizuka * Grenadier * Groove Adventure Rave * Gundam Seed * Hanada Shonen-shi * High School Kimengumi * Hikaru no Go * Hunter X Hunter * Inu Yasha (TV) * Jungle Wa Itsumo Hale Nochi Guu * Last Exile * Love Hina (TV) * Lunar Legend Tsukihime (Shingetsutan Tsukihime) * Lupin III: First Contact (2002 Special) * Monster (TV) * Mysterious Cities of Gold, The * Naruto * Neon Genesis Evangelion * One Piece * Otogizoushi * Paranoia Agent * Pokémon (TV) * RahXephon (TV) * Rurouni Kenshin (TV) * Saint Seiya * Saiyuki * Samurai 7 * Samurai Champloo * School Rumble * Scrapped Princess * Shaman King * Shingetsutan Tsukihime * Slam Dunk * Tenchi Muyo! (OAV) * Tenjou Tenge * Tenshi na Konamaiki * Trigun * Twelve Kingdoms * Twin Spica * UFO Robo Grendizer * Vision of Escaflowne, The * Wolf's Rain * X (TV) * Yakitate!! Japan (TV) Here's the producer's summary: The idea to do such a video came on a discussion with Tyler. We were talking about the numerous scenes of people running in animes. I also had instantly the idea to use this to do a sort of marathon of anime characters. I started so to prospect for concepts to put into this race. The first difficulty was to find a sort of scenario to this video. As i often say, one of my goal in amvmaking is to do more scenaristic videos, like Vlad did wih "Transcending love" [réf.] or E-ko in "Tainted Donuts" [réf.]. I realy wanted to do something different from "Shounen Bushido" or "Project Love united". So i search for a story that can motivate the characters to participate to the race. I had the idea of a mysterious Great Prize that no one know what it is. So the participants are imagining what they wondering deeply in their own anime story. And one of the stress i put on me was to absolutely not do another "singing" video. Now i have the background of the video, i started to search the characters. The first character wich came in mind was Spike from Cowboy Bebop since i already saw him running in "Tainted Donuts". To say the true, it is possible that this video indirectly influenced me in making this video. But i really wanted to do something different evan if it was still people running inside. Then i think about Luffy of One Piece on second. Because, every funny thing ou need in AMV, you can be sure Luffy did it. Naruto, Kirua from Hunter X Hunter, and Edward of Full Metal Alchemist came after that. Once i had my main charcters, i started to edit the scenes, and see what can i do with the different piece of anime i had. After a few minutes of editing i realize that, just putting characters in a race, make them run from a point to an other, should be boring. So i had the idea to put in it some "Chibi Things"-like fighting. Now my race became a fighting race. A sort of "Wacky Race" with participants, tricking, cheating, to win the great prize. I was prepared to do a lot of rotoscoping, but at this point i never imagined how much of cutings i'm going to do, to complete this project. After 1 year of editing, and many stops caused by boringness, world of warcraft or my Ph D. rush ... i finally finish the vid. I would like to thanks some editors for the help they provided: Kirua for making me discover the song, and for the sequences i lacked of and he sent it to me ; and Laria for reviewing my beta version and tell me where i needed to correct some misshaps. If you have time, go look their videos, and let an opinion ;). I would like to thanks [R]ay and Ayor which are not amvmakers but that helped a lot by providing me some stuff i didn't have in my stock of anime videos. I hope you'll enjoy the video. Video Encoding: Divx 5.1.1 - 2pass - 3000 KBps Audio Encoding: MP3 - 44 KHz - 160 KBps ************************************************************** Anime USA (Vienna, 2005) - Viewer's Choice Award - Upbeat Runner-Up AC Cubed (Ottawa, 2005) - Best Overall Anime Week-end Atlanta XI Pro Contest (Atlanta, 2005) - Best Fun/Upbeat - Best Technical - Best in Show - Nominated in 3 categories Connichi AMV Contest (Kassel, 2005) - Best Fun

Who doesn't love. . . a ninja?

Oh Serenity, how I miss thee!

Per Christina:

Your results:
You are Kaylee Frye (Ship Mechanic)

Kaylee Frye (Ship Mechanic) 100% Malcolm Reynolds (Captain) 80% Dr. Simon Tam (Ship Medic) 70% Zoe Washburne (Second-in-command) 60% Inara Serra (Companion) 60% Wash (Ship Pilot) 60% River (Stowaway) 50% Derrial Book (Shepherd) 40% Jayne Cobb (Mercenary) 20% Alliance 20% A Reaver (Cannibal) 0%

You are good at fixing things. You are usually cheerful. You appreciate being treated with delicacy and specialness.

Click here to take the "Which Serenity character am I?" quiz...

Douglas Adams - hyperland

Hyperland. . . with Tom Baker and Douglas Adams. Can I just say how cool this video is? It is really cool. Circa 1990.

It's raining. I hadn't noticed.

Since I'm from Colorado, I am always shocked when it consistently rains for an entire day. Or an entire week, for that matter. And today was one of those days that had rain from the early morning straight through the late afternoon.

My students had to read Vol. 1 of Pride and Prejudice. Remember the scene with Elizabeth Bennet tromping across fields and neighboring backyards, only to turn up happy from exercise and dirty from tromping? Well, that would basically sum up today. I was wearing nice, grey, wide-leg trousers, a cardigan, and tank top. My shoes and the long hems of my pants were soaked and dirty, but I was excited and pink from walking to lecture. It was a living moment of literary allusion.

Did the students enjoy it? No, they were probably sulking like the Bingley sisters about coming to class in the rain as they stared in astonishment at my wet feet and pants.

What was I thinking?

Well, today. . . or yesterday, since it's now 1am. . . was my first day of classes for the fall semester. Yay! I worked in the Writing Center for 3 hours, which was equivalent to chatting up writers as they came in for appointments and instructors as they sat waiting for appointments. It was nice. I also went to my 18C novel class, which was fantastic! I am very pleased.

My silly mistakes this evening included the following:

1. Forget to buy food before today. Or Labor Day.
   
2. Forget to eat. I should have eaten either before 6pm or after 8:30pm
3. Go to the library without eating
4. Stay at the library without checking the time
5. Print out my syllabus and student questionaires for tomorrow for FREE at the office
6. Go home at 10:30 and just chill for a couple of hours
7. Run to Taco Bell and Kinkos because I didn't eat or copy earlier in the evening.
8. Get back at 1am and begin typing a long blog
9. Sign up for a 7am Sunrise Yoga class. Duh!

I wanted Yoga to be a release from stress. Now I realize how stress inducing that idea is. I will have to get up and dress up, then dress down, then sweat, then undress, then shower, then dress up again in order to look presentable for teaching. Haha!
I'll probably fall out of bed, catch the bus, do the yoga thing and hate it, nearly fall asleep, climb back on the bus, get showered and dressed at home, come back and realize I forgot something important (like my bra, syllabus, etc).

We shall see! Have at thee, Sunrise Yoga class!

Cat playing with computer

This one is equally hilarious:

OCD Cat and the Toilet

Per Mr Darcy:

Haha. . . Look at Walmart now!

So, it looks like Walmart attempts to tantalize grandparents and their grandchildren by selling bundles of the Nintendo DS Lite in a "Grandparents' Day" special :




Would it be considered an insult to grandparents to receive this as a Grandparents' Day gift?

My feet hurt!

What Pirates of the Caribbean character are you? Your Result: Tia Dalma You are Tia Dalma! You are a voodo . You belive in superstisous stuff. You may have been Davy Jones's former lover. Good job, know he wants everyone to die because you broke up with him!
Will Turner
Elizabeth Swann
Jack Sparrow
Hector Barbossa
Cutler Beckett
James Norrington
Davy Jones
What Pirates of the Caribbean character are you?

Why can't I kick self-doubt's ass??

So a couple of things happened today. The first is that I was still working on my conference paper (which should have been in the mail today), and I realized that it was pretty shitty. The thesis is not entirely there. Also, I discovered that someone else had recently published an entire book on the very subject that I was discussing. According to several reviews, it looks like I have an identical thesis. And this is very bad.

The second thing is that I had submitted my essay for a competition. . . and lost. I didn't even receive an honorable mention, and I realized that I may have only been one of two competitors. This made me even more embarrased and sad. And no one even knew. I didn't have the guts to tell anyone. Well, till now.

In brief retrospect, I realize that these problems (and other problems like it) are all in my head. Sure my essay may suck, but that's what public forums are for. It's a matter of correction, not humiliation. I also may not suck as bad as I think I do. I'm probably just okay. And I also don't know that I'm the only person in the world who can't write. . . Maybe I am actually ok. . . not the best, not the worst. Well, it's difficult to say.

So I'm turning over a new leaf. I'm not going to trust my gut, since my gut constantly tries to undermine my intelligence and talent. I'm going to trust the guts of others and depend more on reliable peer and faculty reviews. Fuck negativity. I'm going to kick self-doubt's ass!

Celebrity look-alike thingy

Okay, I've never even heard of these people before. Please tell me that these are real celebrities and not porn stars!

As I clean, I ponder

(not actual house depicted.)

This afternoon is my first contact with the fall semester. I will be attending a benefits meeting for new TAs, and it's as if I'm renewing a life cycle (or something to that effect).

I am planning on having an excellent semester. Although the summer had some harrowing moments, I really learned a great deal. I think my teaching style has made marked improvements, and I finally learned to take my education much more seriously than I have in the past. I would say that many of my old UNC profs were right, but, como siempre, we have to learn these things through our own experience.

I guess I'm not a manly man

You Are 30% Boyish and 70% Girlish

Even if you're not a girl, you're very feminine. You're in touch with your feelings, and your heart rules you. A bit of a emotional roller coaster, one moment you're up and the next you're down. But no matter what, you try to be as cute and perky as possible.

How Boyish or Girlish Are You?

Daily Show, Target: USA

Per Catherine. This is just too funny to pass up.

It's a mad, mad world!

Well, I'm finally back in Madison. And I'm too tired to celebrate. Blah.

Here's a picture of my sister running away from a Diet Coke bottle filled with Mentos. Yup, it sure does work:
Here's a link to her journal that discusses what's going on, I guess.

Simpsons Marathon

My lovely sisters have given me season 6 and 7 of the Simpsons. Woo-hoo!

You Are Lisa Simpson

A total child prodigy and super genius, you have the mind for world domination. But you prefer world peace, Buddhism, and tofu dogs. You will be remembered for: all your academic accomplishments Your life philosophy: "I refuse to believe that everybody refuses to believe the truth"

The Simpsons Personality Test

I'm finished with the summer job! Woo-hoo!!!

Finally!

All I need to do now is pack, pack, pack. . . ship, ship, ship. . . clean, clean, clean. . . and shake, shake, shake!!!

I also got fed up with seeing Kirk Cameron's videos on my TV screen. . . so I deleted the religion channel from our line up. It's low down and dirty, but at this point in time, tormenting my roommate in little ways is the only entertainment I have in Mordor. So sue me. Besides, if she understands the nature of TV remotes, she'll eventually figure out what to do.

One Week More!

After Sunday, I only have one week left of teaching for this company! Woo-hoo!!!

I will go home and eat myself silly. I will wear ugly, comfy clothes. I will read and write as much as I want!

I want to watch my DVDs. I want to pet my sister's guinea pig and feed it bananas and mandarin oranges.

I want to go to the Shakespeare Fest. I want to go shopping at Park Meadows. I want to visit casinos and Buffalo Bill's grave (well, one of them).

I want to veg without worrying about students, parents, roommates, and other teachers.

In about a week and a few days, I will be out on a plane to Denver!!! Woo-hoo!!!

Ugh

I finally have an opportunity to post! If this is any indication of how the summer has been, I can't wait to get back to school and relax!

• I am not a religious person, but I generally respect worship and religious practice. However, I have now converted to being a fundamental atheist and an intolerant jerk all thanks to my summer roommate. The hypocracy and domineering spirit of this roommate serves as a reminder of why I have never joined any church or religious group. I realize that she takes these things to an extreme, but she has completely turned me off from anyone in the religious right -- forever!!!
• She's also a terrifying control freak. I thought it was just me, but her persona silences everyone. I'm now typing away at my hotel room in Tucson because I'm terrified of her looming presence.
  
• My job feels like it has no end. One fellow became extremely ill, and I ended up with a ton of classes to teach in the past two weeks. When I wake up every morning, I think I have to go to work. When I teach, I teach like a robot. This is horrible.
• I really want to quit my job, but I am unable to. They shipped me to the desert on a horse with no name. Hell, I don't even have a horse with no name!
• I have no idea what day it is. I have to ask a 6 year old what day it is. That's just plain sad.

At any rate, I probably won't be able to post on my blog until I get out of "Dodge." So, here's to the last 2 weeks of this nightmare!

My obituary

'What will your obituary say?' at QuizGalaxy.com

RIP Nermal, aka little bunnia

My poor little bunnia passed away last night. May she rest in peace.


She lived for nearly four years. She brought sunshine and smiles to Keith and I. She also became a lifelong companion and friend to Suki, aka big bunnia. She will be missed.

Jedi Skills

This is the beginning of the wind down for our first teaching session. All of the students now know the drill and have started re-challenging my authority. However, the classes in general have been melancholy -- I'm proud of my students for what they have accomplished, and I am sad that I will not see them again after next week. I suppose, teaching becomes a balance between caring and letting go.

Speaking of balance, here's that seriously long yet amusing Jedi quiz.
Per Christina and Keith:

You scored as Yoda. You are master Yoda. Yoda's teachings are far reaching within the Jedi order. Ever the diplomat, scholar and teacher - Yoda seeks to enlighten through wisdom, experience and discipline. Yoda employs the lightsaber form Ataru in which the practioner uses The Force in conjunction with his own physical prowess to achieve unparalleled acrobatic skill, accuracy and speed. Skill is stressed over raw power. He has trained many Master Jedi - most notably Count Dooku, Mace Windu and Obi-Wan Kenobi and is one of only four Jedi to have preserved his personal identity after death. Yoda 93% Obi-Wan Kenobi (Pre Death of Qui-Gon Jinn) 79% Bastila Shan 75% Obi-Wan Kenobi (Post Death of Qui-Gon Jinn) 71% Qui-Gon Jinn 68% Mace Windu 64% Darth Revan 64% Luke Skywalker 61% Count Dooku/Darth Tyranus 61% Darth Sidious 43% Anakin Skywalker 39% Darth Vader 36% Exar Kun 32% Darth Maul 25% What Star Wars Jedi or Sith character is most like your personality? created with QuizFarm.com

When you work on the weekends, you forget what day it is

So, this past week or two (I honestly have no concept of time any more) I've been working some extra classes because my fellow posse-people have been ill. This job has been so detrimental to the health of so many of us. Knock on wood that I don't get sick in the next 10 weeks. That seriously make me angry.

My friends and I from UNC did get into the MAPACA's conference on Popular Culture. We will be on a panel called "After Altamont: The Contemporary Rock Film Genre." I was attempting to be cool and witty, punning off of the Rolling Stones Gimme Shelter and the many interests in deMan-ish "After Auschwitz" courses in recent lit studies stuff. I'm hoping to make my title-creating into a new career. . . and of course, I'm only kidding about that last part. At any rate, we will be living it up for a weekend in Baltimore! I'm now hunting down a possible lift from Ivan. . . please???

I'm trying to revise one of my seminar papers into something a bit more cohesive. It's on Miyazaki's Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, and I've decided to focus my topic more on the issues surrounding invasions in the pastoral space. I think I'm going to call it "Space Invaders," which will probably give the paper a more sci-fi feel. Although, I whole-heartedly object to dubbing all anime, particularly Miyazaki's, as sci-fi. Don't we limit our experiences of these films when we label them as sci-fi?

Welcome to Mordor

My uncle mentioned that Phoenix is also known as Mordor. Well, here's to Mordor (survey per Christina):

The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Sixth Level of Hell - The City of Dis!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Very Low
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	Very Low
Level 2 (Lustful)	Very High
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	Extreme
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	Very High
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	High
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Extreme
Level 7 (Violent)	High
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	Very High
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	Low

Take the Dante Inferno Hell Test

Yet another moment for surveys!

You are a Brainy Girl!

Whether you're an official student or a casual learner, you enjoy hitting the books. You know a little bit about everything, and you're always dying to know more. For a guy to win your heart, he's got to share some of your intellectual interests. A awesome book collection of his own doesn't hurt either!

What Kind of Girl Are You?

Your Style is 1950s

High heels, pretty dresses, classic makeup... You're a feminine beauty who knows how to play up her assets!

What Decade Matches Your Style?

Your Love Song Is

Your Body Is a Wonderland by John Mayer "One mile to every inch of Your skin like porcelain One pair of candy lips and Your bubblegum tongue" Why go out... when so much fun can be had indoors?

What Love Song Are You?

You Are Trinity

"Touch me and that hand will never touch anything again."

What Superheroine Are You?

First Full Week Finally Finished

Today was my day of recovery from my 9 class teaching load this past week. Let me tell ya, it was quite a load.

What they don't tell you in training:

• Wear comfortable shoes. Like nursing shoes. Otherwise, your feet will blister and bleed in places you never knew existed.
• Drink lots of water, but pace it. You need the water to prevent voice loss, but if you drink too much water, you have to pee. With nowhere to pee, where would that lead you?
• Moisturize. Moisturize. Moisturize.
• Advil is everyone's friend. Especially the 400 mg kind.
  
• Eat a big breakfast. That will be your last meal for the day.
• Don't choke on food that you try to choke down quickly.
• Put up that sun visor in your car. Seriously.
• Folks in the AZ think that air conditioning is great at 80 degrees.

It's safe to say that I learned a lot about the new sport I've labeled "Power Lecturing." It should be an olympic sport, like the triatholon. I can see it now: thousands of TAs lining up at the starting line with tatoos like the Ironman competitors. Good times, good times.

Mystery Meat

My roommate and I were getting ready to chow down when we notice an unfamiliar leftover container in our fridge. Lo and behold, it's filled with sesame chicken. Now, neither one of us has eaten chinese food in Arizona yet. . . So, this mysterious, chinese chicken is from someone else.

This confirms our suspicions from earlier this week. About two days ago, my roommate was getting ready for bed when she noticed something touching her feet. She looked under the bed straight away and found a pair of white sandals!!! Neither one of us own these shoes. . . what is going on???

Let me suggest our hypothesis. Our current digs are owned by a subletting company. We suspect that the owners of said company have been snooping around in our apartment, causing this mayhem. . . We're going to leave them an earfull tomorrow morning. Bastards!

On another note, it's still freakin' hot here. And I can't believe I missed the last scene at the end of the credits of X-men 3. I'm usually so good about that. Sigh.

Living it up in Scottsdale, AZ

So, I've finally arrived in Scottsdale, AZ. . . Well, I arrived a few days ago, but we were still in "Work" mode, and we still are. . .

Anyway, we are again in a lovely apartment with central air and all the other most convenient and modern appliances. I also received my very own rental car, a Chevy Cobalt. . . It's a scoupe in bright yellow! Very fun.

Can I tell you how odd the weather is? We get to Phoenix in the late evening, around 10pm, and it's 98 degrees outside!!! I mean, it's hotter in Phoenix at night than it was in California at noon. And the heat is not just any heat, it's the kind that permeates your SOUL!!! (Imagine that dungeon guy from The Princess Bride saying this before he cleared his throat)

On a lighter note, I convinced my company to allow us to expense a cheap printer for our use. . . This has become a revolutionary breakthrough. . . No more driving to Kinkos at odd hours. :)

Even one more thing: I just saw X-Men 3 last night. It's good. Real good. If you loved the other X-men films, you're going to see it anyway. . . If you don't, I don't think you'll like this one that much. But, I liked it. :)

Iron runs in the family

Per Christina:

Fe... Iron You scored 22 Mass, 44 Electronegativity, 63 Metal, and 0 Radioactivity!

I don't really need to describe you do I? You're the backbone of any well put together group... communally minded, out going and social, but you don't demand to be the center of attention. Without groups of people like you, human society would crumble. I mean that... don't change. With respect to realtionships, I don't know what to tell ya. I guess I'd reccommend a first row transition metal... or if you don't mind being submissive then go for an oxygen... everyone else will wonder how you ended up with one of those drama queens, but you'll probably secretly love it and he/she will bring out colors of you that you didn't know existed.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 9% on Mass You scored higher than 85% on Electroneg You scored higher than 67% on Metal You scored higher than 0% on Radioactivity

Link: The Which Chemical Element Am I Test written by effataigus on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

Pig farming and other novels that have bad subject matter

My training thus far has been quite smooth. I've found I can fall asleep during the instruction portion and still maintain an okay ability to perform the tasks at hand. Honestly though, I've really enjoyed the training, and I am really excited to get my summer going in Phoenix.

While I've been in Long Beach, I've seen a few of the sites:

• The LACMA and their current exhibit of five Gustav Klimt paintings (oh yeah!)
• The beach at Long Beach (we live 2 blocks away)
• The island of Naples (we live 1 block away) and Sushi of Naples, an AMAZING restaurant
• The Queen Mary (unfortunately not Mary of Scots, but the ship)
• Alhambra, Monterey Park, and La Canada (there's a tilde somewhere in there)
  
• The joy of mochi, belgium chocolates, dim sum, and wicked strong coffee

I still have this weekend to visit the Glendale Galleria with my extended family, enjoy a night of drunken revelry with my new found friends, visit West Coast Choppers during my lunch break (I'll try and get bumper stickers), and go night clubbing (yeah, right). As for the usual touristy things to do in SoCal, I will be skipping those. After all, Disney probably hasn't changed in the last 15 years. . .

Ironically, one of the favorite restaurants for my fellow co-workers happens to be Mimi's Cafe. That's just plain funny. I've basically travelled a thousand miles for food that I can get in my home town(s). Woo-hoo.

Celebrate!

I'm finally finished with my spring semester!!! Woo-hoo!!!

I probably turned in one of the worst papers I have ever written, but I don't care! No more all-nighters and full work days this summer!!! Woo-hoo!

Sleepy

Finally finished semester. Going to nap now before work. . . zzzzzzzzz

Now I know why Austen wrote about interiors rather than exteriors

Many of my friends have asked me what California is like thus far, and I can only talk about how nice my apartment is. Well, I just realized that my paper (which I am still writing) has kept me indoors the entire time I have been here. So, I obviously can't comment on any of the beaches, the weather. . . you know, the usual thing that people comment on when they travel to new and exciting places.

I am, of course, still writing my paper. I have about 8 pages (probably all crap). I have no idea if my argument is too plain jane, and I may be too uncritical and not using my full range of sources. Nonetheless, I will still push through, burning the midnight oil, tonight and try to finish by the crack of dawn tomorrow morning. Hopefully I can then clean it up and send it in on Sunday night/Monday morning.

AAAAAHHHHH! Then FREEDOM! 2-4-6-0-1!!!!!!

I'm in L.A.

My summer job is about to start in an hour, and I am currently sitting in "my apartment" in Seal Beach, just south of Los Angeles. The weather is nice (as always). I have a really NICE bed. I miss having a bed this nice (did I ever have a bed this nice?).

I'm a bit nervous. . . but not entirely of the job. I'm still working on my paper for my class, but I have yet to type A SINGLE PAGE. I've been compiling a ton of information on the author and his work, and I'm in the midst of close reading passages with swains in them. Yep. Swains (not swans, look it up). Blah.

I'm already freaking out inside. I am worried this is not going to make it to my professor in time. I have no idea if he will offer me an incomplete. . . and ultimately, I'm not sure if I want to take it. This is a rather precarious situation to be in. . . Who's fault is it? Mine Mine Mine.

Our work schedule is 8:30-4:30, but it takes about 15-30 to drive to our work site. I have no idea what this will be like, but I have a feeling that it will be uncomfortable. This is one of the philosophies of the company. Put people into a state of disequilibrium so that they must learn more in order to adjust to a state of equilibrium. Pretty much like grad school.

A new yu!

Just kidding. . . anyway, here's a picture of me and my new haircut. The picture looks grainy and unkempt because of the lighting:


I've gained quite a bit of weight in the last month of this semester, but I hope to drop it all once I start working and actually DOING something instead of writing papers. . .

It still hasn't hit me that I will be leaving town on Sunday. . . for a LONG time. Ah well. . .

Gah! I look like a man!

AAAACK! Dread of last paper

Have I started my final paper? The very last paper that will guarantee me solace and relief from the past semester? Nope.

This is a problem. This means I either have to write it straight through in the next 2 days, or I will have to bring all of my work with me on the plane.

I'm off to get a haircut and not worry about it for now. I'll show y'all a picture when I get back.

2 down, 1 to go

I know I haven't been keeping you abreast of my mayem lately, but that's because I've been busy working my weary hands on some very sinister papers. So, I'm at the point right now where I have finished my pastoral paper (incidentally on Miyazaki's Nausicaa), and I am now taking a quick blogging break before I begin work on Thomson's Seasons. Little did I know that this work is rather cumbersome and has an extensive publication history. .. well, actually. . . I did know this, but I decided to do it anyway. Meh.

I just found out that I will be in LA this summer for about a month and then moving my way to Phoenix until August. Hopefully I will be an amazing teacher. Hopefully. I want to say that this may determine my future in academia. I've found more and more enjoyment in the editing and writing process than I actually do in the literary analysis process (but not so much in the way of composition studies). So. I never really tried my best in terms of my teaching. . . This may be the summer for me to give it my all and find out how rewarding it could be (or not be!).

I take delight in moments where I practically resolve issues in papers. . . It makes my heart skip a beat. I wonder if I can feel the same way about literary analysis again. . . I know I can about theory, but it's been a while for the thing that I'm actually supposed to enjoy. . . Is this pathetic, or am I just exhausted?

While enjoying my miel (yes, it's now one of my favorite caffeinated beverages), I noticed how cold it is. . . Drink faster, Em. . . faster!

It is Sunday and I am scared!

For some reason, every time I type an apostrohe, my Find function keeps popping up. That is just plain annoying. Oh well!

Anyway, it is Sunday (and I am avoiding the use of contractions and the like), I am currently at Panera Bread, hurriedly typing away at my Troilus paper. Okay. I am glad, at least, to know that I do not really enjoy Middle English in the ways that others do. However, I did really enjoy reading Chaucer. He is a kick in the pants, but his scholarship is a bit scary.

I have about 7 pages, including two 3-passage long quotes. That is not good. But I only need about 12-15 pages for this bad boy. . . Soon I will be starting my paper on Thomson and his Seasons. That should be interesting, to say the least.

Yet again, I wonder why I always procrastinate till I can no longer wait. What am I thinking? Well, I suppose I am not thinking. I believe that subconsciously I want to fail. . . I desire failure so that I can stop what I am currently doing (because it is too difficult) and move on to something else. But it's not too difficult (yay! that damn apostrophe thing finally went away). And I know that I can accomplish these things, not easily but y'know. I think I'm just plain lazy.

Woo-hoo! Just a week left, and I'll be on my way to someplace else!

Yeah, my summer job. . . I've no idea where I'm going, and I've no idea where I'll be, so this becomes an excitin' new exper'ence that'll shape the way I think. Hop'fully, not too much.

Christina, we're driving almost the same car!

You Should Drive a Jaguar XK 4.2

You don't care how you get there as long as you get there with class. And having a little power doesn't hurt either!

What 2007 Car Should You Drive?

'Tis an honor!

Hi all,
I just received a message regarding Carol's Friends of the Friendless Marching Band and Friendly Fridays. . . Apparently, this blog is being monitored by many people now. . .

I originally started this blog as a venting mechanism, like so many others also have. At the moment, it's a way for me to communicate with family and friends that I hardly ever seen now that I am working on my degree in Madison.

Thanks for featuring my blog this week! I hope that y'all will also take a look at my sisters' blogs (they are located on the side links, I believe).

Best,
Bemmie

Best Caffeinated Beverage of All Time

I don't know what I would have done in my life if I hadn't tried this beverage. Yes, I've fallen off the wagon, and I've started drinking caffeine again. I now drink Coke but not as much as I used to in my younger and slightly wanton days. However, my friend introduced me to Electric Earth (cute coffee shop), and I tried something the call "Miel." This may be old hat for some of you, but it's a new experience for me!

It's basically like liquid incredible! It's a latte, but they press the espresso shot with cinnamon, and then they fill the bottom of the glass with honey before they pour in the latte. I get it with soy milk, so I don't have to suffer through traumatizing lactose-intolerance pains. This has just the right amount of sweet with spice, and it keeps me up for many MANY hours.

Of course, now it is problematic as I am typing to a heart attack as we speak...

One day, I shall conquer you again caffeine. . . oh yes, I shall!

More quizzy mcquiz quiz stuff

Your Five Factor Personality Profile

Extroversion: You have medium extroversion. You're not the life of the party, but you do show up for the party. Sometimes you are full of energy and open to new social experiences. But you also need to hibernate and enjoy your "down time." Conscientiousness: You have medium conscientiousness. You're generally good at balancing work and play. When you need to buckle down, you can usually get tasks done. But you've been known to goof off when you know you can get away with it. Agreeableness: You have medium agreeableness. You're generally a friendly and trusting person. But you also have a healthy dose of cynicism. You get along well with others, as long as they play fair. Neuroticism: You have low neuroticism. You are very emotionally stable and mentally together. Only the greatest setbacks upset you, and you bounce back quickly. Overall, you are typically calm and relaxed - making others feel secure. Openness to experience: Your openness to new experiences is high. In life, you tend to be an early adopter of all new things and ideas. You'll try almost anything interesting, and you're constantly pushing your own limits. A great connoisseir of art and beauty, you can find the positive side of almost anything.

The Five Factor Personality Test

What can I say? I'm bored. . .

Your Hair Should Be Purple

Intense, thoughtful, and unconventional. You're always philosophizing and inspiring others with your insights.

What's Your Funky Inner Hair Color?

You Belong in Paris

You enjoy all that life has to offer, and you can appreciate the fine tastes and sites of Paris. You're the perfect person to wander the streets of Paris aimlessly, enjoying architecture and a crepe.

What European City Do You Belong In?

You Should Get a PhD in Liberal Arts (like political science, literature, or philosophy)

You're a great thinker and a true philosopher. You'd make a talented professor or writer.

What Advanced Degree Should You Get?

I guess, he's okay

I've lately been thinking about the actor Billy Bob Thornton, and I finally came to the following realization: I like Billy Bob Thornton. Now, I'm not saying that I want to have his babies or kiss his hillbilly feet. Billy Bob is quite an accomplished character actor. He keeps it real. He keeps me entertained. And at the end of the day, what more could you possibly expect from an actor? His depictions of mentally disabled Slingblade man to I could give a shit less safe cracking Santa are really quite strong. They're memorable. He's memorable. And there are definitely some instances when I am completely appalled by how grotesque he is, but there are also roles that are quite endearing in that "average joe just trying to make it" way. I like the fact that he seems practical and smart, but not booksmart, just reasonable. He's also quite matter of fact about getting laid. . . who couldn't appreciate that?

Anyway, that particular confession has been weighing down on me for months. There. I said it. I like Billy Bob Thornton. We can now move on.

Interview #237

I'm waiting in anticipation for possibly my final interview with this company. I've interviewed with the same company for the same job for the past 2 months, and I think I may finally discover what the result of all this interviewing is. It's really all part of some secret government experiment to test my nerves (and how quickly I can get so terribly annoyed by this process). I could understand if each interview involved some different questions or techniques, but I have been answering the same questions repeatedly over the last five or six interviews (including the one in person). I know they have a file on me. I know that all the interviewers communicate with each other. So, why don't they know it??

In other news, the semester is winding down to the last three weeks of school. I remember that the last three weeks were so much more chaotic in my mind last semester. Now, I feel underprepared yet calm. I don't know which is worse.

Today I'm wearing my black ballet slippers, which is a significant change from recent foot events. I can't wear regular shoes because my baby toe has swollen joints that make it painful and impossible to walk. I can't wear flip flops because I have a former blister scabbed over between my toes. And I can't go barefoot because restaurants like McDonalds and Burger King refuse to service me. So, it's either ballet slippers or crocs.

Disney Fun House

Sick and Twisted

So, right now I'm laying in bed, watching crappy infomercials that remind me of those trailers for Resident Evil, and finishing up my state taxes for last year. Blah.

I can't believe how much information is required for Madison financial aid, especially when I don't recall having to fill out this much information in Colorado. They require special forms, FAFSA, and a signed income tax return. That's just crazy talk!

Anyway, I'm not the one whose thinking and typing right now. . . Mr. Nyquil has taken over my mind and is making me do things while I am knocked out unconscious in my bed. Laalalala. . . *Devious laughter ensues*

I can't wait to go back to school again. . . I'm so sick of laying around, reading and watching infomercials. Blah.

This is the end, the end, my friend, the end.

Well, not quite the end of the semester yet, I'm afraid. But, that doesn't mean I don't want it to come any faster.
I'm currently working on rough drafts for all of my classes. Is it me, or do these rough drafts take a lot longer than they used to? I don't know if it's me being hedgy, or if I'm being much more meticulous in my writing. Meh.

This weekend will be both fun and incredibly strenuous. One of my professors is retiring, so they are having a 2 day conference in his honor. This is a fantastic event with the major players in the field. However, I also have about 4600 words due on Monday. I'm currently around 1000. So, we'll see how this turns out.

I promised many people that I would go out for shooting pool and partying to my heart's desire on Thursday (whoa, that's tomorrow!), but I now realize that promises were made to be broken. Damnit, I'm going to have that draft complete by Monday!

As the semester closes in upon me like a lion to its prey, I wonder why this particular semester felt so much better than the last? Have I stopped caring? Have I started to care again? Have I figured out a momentum that works for me? Well, I don't know. . . All I know is that I feel a lot better about graduate school and this particular graduate program. I'm also okay about being locationally separated from significant other. That was one of the more difficult parts of last term. I also don't feel like I have to be perfect in the eyes of most of my professors. They assume that I won't be anyway. So, I don't feel this stress about having to prove myself all the time. As for the other students. . . well, as usually, I don't honestly care what they think of me.

I ought to be depressed or something

This weekend has been crazy, and I haven't done a lick of intended work. I went to school yesterday, and that was fine, went home, packed, and then drove for about 3.5 hours to get to downtown Chicago. It was around 10:30 or 11pm when I checked into the Marriott.

It was a gorgeous hotel, beautiful view, etc. But, the gigantic king sized bed took up about 75% of the room. Also, I had to literally $40 for parking, $70 for gas, and $30 for a hamburger and beer. Yeah.

I went to my job interview today which went okay, but on my way back to the hotel to pick up my car, I tripped over a random curb which appeared in the MIDDLE of the sidewalk, and I think I may have sprained (sp?) my ankle and toes. It hurts like hell.

I proceeded to drive back up to Madison. Unfortunately, it took me about 2 hours to get out of the downtown area (due to heavy traffic). I then drove all the way back (seems fine). Once I got home and looked at my foot, I noticed that it is entirely swollen, starting bruise, and extremely painful. Now I need to spend the rest of my weekend writing stuff up, researching and writing for my rough draft due next Monday.

Oh yeah, of course I also need to set my clocks up and watch yet another hour of my life disappear into nothingness.

"Complexification"

I attended a lecture on Women and Print Culture earlier this week. The speaker was "winging it" from a series of notes and an outline. . . She was very nervous. At some point, instead of saying a situation had "complication," she used the term "complexification." -- That term pretty much means what it is. . . if it were a real term. I sympathized with her nerves, but she is a professional scholar. . . she's been in the "biz" for quite some time, so I'm rather surprised that she employed techniques that would be for a more casual, informal talk on a lecture that was supposed to spark interest in a recent collaborative publication. It was bizarre. Moreover, she unintentionally insulted the English department -- this was not a good thing, given that many people in the audience were from the English department. She later apologized for it, but still. . . it was very strange.

I'm in the midst of lackadaisical procrastination. I remember how my friend Misty from high school loved the term lackadaisical. It was another one of those terms that is what it is. Anyway, I feel like killing time with video games, surfing the internet, writing my blog (hurr), and other miscellaneous non-school activities. Spring Break at mid-semester can do these things to a person.

I feel that I may be too prolix. Which is a term that isn't what it is. Hmmm. WWWD? (What would Wittgenstein do?)





**Another funny note. Blogger's spell check actually picked up the term "blog" as a misspelled word. That's hilarious.

**Even funnier, I think I've been misspelling the word "misspelled" for most of my life.

Rare Disney VD movie

I saw this from BoingBoing quoting google video:

End of the week, beginning of the end

This would be the one time in the semester where we all bunker down, stop having fun, and start living in . .. the real world. haha, just kidding.

Honestly, it's the approach of our last weeks in the semester when all of our reading material and course work is supposed to help enlighten a path for our final projects. I only know of one thing I'm interested in writing on this semester, and perhaps two larger/general ideas, yet the way I've formulated my ideas for the past 9 weeks is coming from an approach that isn't really literature oriented. Perhaps, am I returning to my roots of philosophy and film? Hmm. . . interesting.

We also had an interesting discussion on Interdisciplinarity Today. To a certain extent, there is now a return to the "Renaissance Man" -- generally, a person who is well-versed in many areas and an expert in many things. However, there is this danger (could it be an exciting danger??) to experiment with issues, genres, media, and concepts that you are not an expert in (and will probably never become an expert in). . . Although this experimentation could open many possibilities, there is the risk of being mediocre and uninformed in a scattershot manner rather than an expert in more things that one. This presents interdisciplinarity in a more intellectually elitist light, and I'm not sure that's the kind of "bad" elitism that people fear and disdain. Instead, I would like to think that this kind of elitism is one in which we push ourselves to learn more and become so much more adept. Interdisciplinarity is one of those things that if you are good at, you are really good; however, on the flip side, if you are bad, well... you get the idea.

I'm feeling so pensive right now. It could be the after-effects of reading good ol' Wittgenstein, or it could be my desire to (my lack of) sleep and regain the things I have already lost.

Which reminds me. . . I'm really enjoying the theoretical work in the pastoral genre (particularly space). Why do I keep returning to these genres that reflect a sense of loss or nostalgia? What is it that drives me to seek these things out? What we produce is a reflection of the issues and concerns we've been struggling to answer throughout our lives.

Okay. . . that was quite Emo of me. Back to work. . .