fantasticmuse

I am DONE.

This morning, I got up at eight even though I didn't have class today, and finished my grad school app.

It's done. Completely. I mailed it this afternoon.

Also I wrote thank you notes to the profs that wrote me letters of recommendation, mailed different thank you notes to my scholarship people, called in some prescriptions, dropped of Tiff's check to deposit, cashed my own check and made a list of every. single. article. I've ever written for the newspaper as well as writing my letter of intent and eating some much deserved pizza.

If I can manage to take a shower and get some laundry done, this will be my most productive day in like... a year.

Damn.

Fandom is so. Wow.

Though I'm really just an observer, I still can't help feeling a little O.O at times. I mean, on one end we have actors showing up to chill at canceled cons and all sorts of wonderful writing and a glorious sense of community. And on the other... seriously, people? Arguing heatedly over something as stupid as the wording of a warning? I can understand having an opinion on the issue, but actively hating someone over it? Yikes.

Oh, fandom.


In other, more boring news, I went to the Christmas concert last night. It...hurt a lot more than I'd care to admit and it was also wonderful. Bah. I have many complex feelings on the issue that I'm unable to express. I miss making music.

On a better note, I FINISHED one of my papers. It clocked in just a bit short of my goal, which is okay, because it's finished. Only one more to go. I know, I know, you're sick of hearing about them. Well, too bad. :P

After a brief stint of panicking myself into oblivion last night, I realized that I was putting undue stress on myself.

Unfortunately, to get rid of the stress I had to cancel my weekend plans, but in the long run that'll be okay too. We were supposed to leave around 3 on Friday, and between now and then I need to write six or seven more pages of my paper, do some finalizing research and finish my IRB. Oh, and do a weekend's worth of paper layout TONIGHT.

Not gonna happen.

The IRB is due today, but it's mostly done anyhow, so. Super-Cool Comm Prof has taken pity on my poor soul and told me my paper can be done any time on Friday. (Well, she said I have 'til Sunday, but I'm not going to take advantage of her like that.)

So that just means I'll have to do layout tonight into the wee hours of the morning and spend friday doing my paper. It sucks that I can't head up to canada with vocal_kitty and starrgazer411, but it's either that or go insane in the next 24 hours.

Well. More insane.

Right. I realize this is all incredibly boring, but such is my life. At least until this weekend is over, maybe then I can make an attempt at being awesome again.

So, the communication discipline?

Yeah, it still sucks.

*hates on Research Methods*


However, Taco Bell being open 'til 2am is clearly proof that god loves me. Mmmmm.

Whew, this week has felt like a marathon. And for now particular reason, too, other than just a bunch of homework. Stupid capstone courses.

Anyhow, I survived today, which means my life gets easier. It seemed most everything was due today. Although the second I stop running in circles is when my body decides it can start up with the coughing, so I'll be keeping a close eye on that.


I'd also just like to note that "I swear to GOD there are thieving gnomes in my room" is possibly the best quote that has ever come out of the brains of my friends. Oh, so special.


***

I am taking this course on poetry which is quite exciting. We've written and performed our own work (for some reason, when it comes to poetry, the idea of this scares the everloving hell out of me. not anything else, just poetry. I'm positively giddy by the time class is over and I've actually gotten through the reading.)

Anyway, we were discussing word meanings and the prof mentioned that he has only seen the word "amidst" used in Minnesota and North Dakota, at least with regularity. So I'm asking you guys, how about it? Have you ever heard/seen the word "amidst" used in your region of the world?

Also, you should give me ideas of poems to memorize and perform. You know you want to.

So here's an interesting story to start off the school year.

I went to the registrar earlier this morning to audit a class. Now, the guy knows who I am, despite the millions of students he must see. I take this to mean that I change my schedule too often. I'm in there at least twice at the begining of each semester.

Anyway.

So he fixes my schedule, gives me my directed study sheet then looks at me and says: "Did you get Dr. (Dean of Students)'s phone call?"

And I go: "Bzuh?"

"He wants to talk to you."

"Um. He wants to talk to the directed study students?"

"No. Dr. (Super Cool Comm Prof) is in the hospital. She called and said that she wanted you to do something with her 11 o'clock class."

"...!"


So, yeah. I called the hospital, she's going to be just fine-- she had been dizzy all day yesterday. But scary! And now I'm off to figure out how the hell I'm going to lead a class I haven't taken yet. Wish me luck.

Sweet merciful lord. Comm Theory paper finished, minus revisions.

Up next: 10 pages of career studies and reports for B&P Comm.

Followed by: "Literary Journalism" for Advanced Comp.

Then: 8-10 pages for Inklings. (Note- deadline extended, whee! Not that it was hard anyway.)

And then some finals.


AND THEN.

I am going to Italy to forget that I'm even in school. It will rock so much, even if the doctor has thwarted some of my plans by giving me meds that mean I can't partake of the delicious Italian wine.

IT WILL STILL ROCK.

(Yes, this is mostly for my own benefit. Plis to be helping keep me sane?)

I have been awake for many hours. Sort of. I have had a nap.

I proctored an ACT exam this morning, which was... fun, I guess. Except for the 7 in the morning crap, but whatever. It's not bad, being paid seventy bucks to sit and do homework and occasionally make sure kids aren't cheating.

The funny thing... they all looked so young. Babies, almost. And I'm not that much older than them-- funny what a difference four or five years can make. But I'm sure they don't see it that way. A few of them thought I was there to take the test, you should have seen their faces when I sat down and started processing their forms and telling them where to go.

Makes me glad I'm done with all that, certainly. All the stress and silliness of high school.

It's weird being grown up.


So to counteract that, several of us got food and went to the park and spent a few hours on the swing set and jungle gym. It's become a tradition for us, ever since freshman year, to take a few suppers a year at each of the local parks. As much as I dislike this town, I do love the fact that there are a half dozen parks, and most of them on the river.

When we came home, we all commented on how nice it was that we could finally get out and about again- springtime in the north is not a gentle bloom, it's an explosion. People get mad with it, and everyone is outside and running around and talking.

Example: Today, as we walked into the building, our next door neighbor threw open his (second story) window to yell down at us-- we stayed and chatted for a bit. Within a few minutes, three or four other people gathered under the window to talk. And then the guy who lives on the first floor, who's rooms we were just outside of, opened his window to talk as well. We must have stayed and chatted for almost 45 minutes, just enjoying the weather. We must have seen a dozen or more people out walking and playing as well. Big news after the near-death quiet of this campus in the winter.

It put a happy glow in all of us. Tiffany says "It's like home! Only without the expletives that usually are in the ghetto!"

I am so glad my last choir day trip is over. Being gone all day sunday absolutely destroys my weekend.

Although. It was sad, too.

Um. Have I rambled about choir, here? I don't think so, actually. Hmm. How to summarize?

Okay, basically what was/is going on is that it's been a very hard year in choir. Over half the choir is made up of newbies, who require constant attention. On top of that some of the more senior members have been extra whiny and disgruntled with our director. And we're preparing for a tour of Italy, which means singing in the most famous churches in the world.

So here's the thing. I really like our director. He's never been anything but kind to me and my family, he's worked very hard to build a family atmosphere in choir and I feel like he genuinely cares about people. I'm told other people don't feel this way, to which I say fuck off, I can feel how I want.

Anyway, the choir was out of control earlier this year. A few of the girls in my section went to talk to the director about it, where we learned quite a few things about what exactly is going on in his life. It's not been pretty, and that's all I feel compelled to say about that in a public forum.

And then yesterday he announced that he had resigned as director and was moving back to Canada.

I'm not surprised, but I am very sad.

And I don't want to dwell on that for long, so. I just aced a test! Granted, it was on Lord of the Rings, but you never know with this prof. He could say "identify Gandalf" or he could say "what's the orc-ish word for 'dinner?'" Silly man.

But he went easy on us, and it was a breeze. There was one thing I couldn't identify, but eh. I got every other point that was offered. So that's a big hell yes.

That's all.

Meh. Workout kicked my ass today. I must have been lazy last week.

I should... work on my English paper, huh? Or possibly do some communications homework. I am very freaking sick of school and it doesn't help that I'm spending a lot of time looking for another school to spend a whole bunch more years at getting my master's. Sigh.

Am having a crisis about whether or not I can get into UBC's graduate program. Or any graduate program, natch. My grades are good, but not stellar. I have a very small portfolio of original fiction and poetry, so I've definitely got to kick my writing up a notch. Would anyone be opposed to me spamming with orginal work?

Hrph. Best quit stalling and get to work on homework.