Still letting myself get distracted, but does that really come as any surprise?

Mo... Molybdenum
You scored 45 Mass, 36 Electronegativity, 58 Metal, and 10 Radioactivity!

I like to think of you as the miracle worker in The Princess Bride... you can do anything and you do it for the betterment of society. Just because you can raise the dead and make flying wagons and stuff doesn't mean that you show off about it though. You are capable of forming bizarre webs of relationships in which individuals are accomplices, lovers, coworkers, and so on all at once. I once saw you hanging out at the center of a cycloheptatriene... it was completely freakish and bizarre, and I'm not sure I've known what to think of you since. But hey, to each their own. Oh, and stay away from the carbon monoxide... you suck that stuff up.

The Which Chemical Element Am I Test

Work now. Really.

I am officially an English Literature major. Woot.

I also got sucked in by the latest puzzle in Cornell instead of writing my classics paper. Not woot. However, the puzzle is done (it was easy, everything after the pink puzzle seems so simple), so at least I accomplished something, right?

Time to write.

My WA draft of my philosophy paper is done, coming in at a bit under 6 full pages. It's back to bed for me now, thank goodness.

It's almost 4 am. I took a nap, woke up at 3 am to work on my paper more. Despite the hour, the guy next to me is still up. That would be fine, except for the fact that he is up and singing... And sounds kind of like a banshee. I can't explain it, but his wordless (as far as I can tell, the walls muffle it slightly) song is quite possible the most annoying thing ever when I'm trying to work. It's practically headache inducing... Yet I don't feel like I can really tell him to stop. Well, maybe now, just because it's so late, but during normal waking hours, not so much.

Time to break out the headphones, I think.

I don't even know the girl. I may have seen her in the breakfast room, but that's it. And she's doing okay, it was only 8 pills, only 8 Tylenol... She's going to be fine. So why are my eyes welling up with tears?

Must not think about it, must not think about it. I have to finish the paper, then either sleep or do reading.

I want this week to be over.

The productive drive of yesterday has faded. I am tired, I want to sleep, I want to sit and do nothing. Of course, I can't. I'm working on my philosophy paper at the moment -- I gathered most of my thoughts yesterday, and now I'm starting the actual writing. I have the introduction done at the moment, which is kind of 2 pronged: this is what Nietzsche says, and this is what I think about it. So that's about 2/3rds of a page there. Now I just need about 4 more pages before tomorrow...

Radio show tonight:

#* The Decemberists - 16 Military Wives
A.C. Newman - Better Than Most
Interpol - PDA
Driver of the Year - The Vamp, Stars, & Bars
Spoon - Back to the Life
Super Furry Animals - Venus and Serena
#* Everybody Else - I Gotta Run (off of A House Full of Friends comp)
TV on the Radio - Staring at the Sun
* The Unicorns - Les Os
Beulah - Wipe Those Prints and Run
* 13 and God - Men of Station
#* I Live the Life of a Movie Star Hideout - Indochine Kru (Come and See) (off of A House Full of Friends comp)
Elliot Smith - The Enemy is You
Pedro the Lion - Promise
* You Me & Iowa - Runways & Freeways
* The Evens - Shelter Two
* Prosiacs - Teeth
Nirvana - Stay Away
Nine Inch Nails - The Hand That Feeds
Zeitmahl - Girl Unknown
A Perfect Circle - Judith
AFI - Ever and a Day
Filter - Hey Man Nice Shot
Lo Fidelity Allstars - Battleflag
Switchblade Symphony - Witches
Fischerspooner - Emerge
* Louis XIV - Finding Out True Love is Blind
* The Futureheads - Alms
#* The Decemberists - The Mariner’s Revenge Song (an actual phoned-in request! *le gasp*)

Bed now, another productive day (hopefully) tomorrow.

Finished book 2 of the Aeneid, and my brain is shutting down. I think I'll have to forgo the 3rd book for now. I'll try to read it between English and classics class tomorrow; we probably won't get that far in discussion anyway. So I guess I got almost everything done today that I wanted to. Yay, I guess, but a week of days like this is going to be very, very not fun.

Done with the Eliot reading, now back to the Virgil. Still feeling nauseous.

I miss the days when feeling bad meant being cared for by someone else instead of forcing yourself to go on in spite of everything.

I have a strong desire for Tang, but none is to be had.

2 hours until radio show, 4 hours until I can head home, ? hours until I go to bed.

Things I've managed to get done today:

Response paper on the Ives plays
A sort of outline/gathering of thoughts for my philosophy paper
Read the first book of the Aeneid (30 of the 90 pages I need to read for tomorrow)

I have not taken a nap, despite very strong urges from my body to do so. My body is unhappy in general. I've felt nauseous for most of the day [this space available for any bad jokes about me reading Sartre's Nausea for class today and then feeling nauseous]... I haven't felt like I was about to vomit, but like I was on the verge of feeling on the verge of being sick. It's an unpleasant sensation, especially when added onto being tired (I was up until 3:30 am finishing Nausea) and having a headache (most likely from stress). I've tried Sprite and crackers, and neither has pacified the beast. *sigh*

In theory I probably should have gone to the poetry reading that is currently taking place. However, I know that had I gone, I would have struggled to stay awake. My energy will be better spent either forging ahead in the Aeneid or starting on T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets... The large print and slim spine of the poetry book appeals to me, and since I have English before classics tomorrow, I should probably get that work done first.

Off to work.

So I think I've decided how I'm going to have to get through this week, and possibly next. Very good focus, very little sleep, and lots of caffeine.

On my list for this week:

WA draft of philosophy paper due Thurs
WA draft of classics paper due Fri
3 page response to Ives plays for acting, theoretically due Wed
Decide what classes I'm taking next semester
Read first 3 books of the Aeneid for Wed
Read T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets for Wed
Watch original Scarface for Fri
Read more Sartre for Thurs

Should be done this week but probably won't be:

Finish reading An Actor Prepares, write response paper, theoretically due yesterday
Write response paper on Sartre reading
Write draft of English paper
Reply to various emails

*curls up in ball, whimpers*

Only a month of classes left...

On the non-school front;

Sims 2 for Macs will be out in May, supposedly. As soon as it comes out, I will probably get it, and then my free time during the summer will be CONSUMED.

They're making a Soul Calibur III - PS2 only (sorry Gamecube users). It's supposed to be out sometime this year, not sure when. 3 new characters AND the option to create your own character (Oh man, that will be so cool!)... It's also supposed to have a few new gameplay modes, which could be cool.

I'm excited. :)

My to-do list is out of control. Dear god, I want it to be summer soon.

Curses! Thwarted again! Turns out that you can only take one creative writing workshop at a time... So I will have to chose between Grendel's Workshop and Lyric Encounters. I think I may sign up for both and see what happens with lotteries. The unfortunate thing is that whichever one I chose will be the only one I get to take -- they won't be offered again in my time here. So the question is: which do I want to take more?

If I take Lyric Encounters, I can take the Playwriting Workshop as well (I don't think it's counted in the workshop limit, as it is not an English course). However, playwriting will probably be offered again the next semester, I think, so that's not really a deciding factor.

Lyric Encounters is, in theory, similar to the Poetry Workshop... But to get into that, you need to submit a portfolio -- I tried that once already and was turned down.

I've taken a lot of poetry classes here, so doing something very different (i.e. Grendel's Workshop) could be very cool. However, the reason I've taken a lot of poetry classes is because I really like them.

The prof for Lyric Encounters is Nat, who is perhaps one of my favorite profs ever. I don't really know the other one, Williamson, though I do know that he teaches various pre-1830s classes.

If I do Grendel's Workshop, then I'll most likely end up taking Costume Design. If I do Lyric Encounters, I'll probably take playwriting. Until I learn about the sewing requirements of Costume Design, I can't really commit myself to it.

The chance to write poetry and get better at it is very tempting. The chance to write prose and force myself to expand in that direction is also tempting. Same goes for playwriting.

I have a feeling this will be decided by the sewing involved in the costume design class and/or the outcome of lotteries. Hopefully I'll end up with one, at least. Getting lotteried out of both would suck...

It would also mess up with a newly-hatched scheme: the possibility of having a Creative Writing Emphasis. It's only 3 credits, generally 2 workshops and a directed creative writing project. If I do Lyric and Playwriting, I have the 2 workshops and would try to do the project during senior fall, I think. If I do Grendel, I'd hopefully take Playwriting the next semester and still try to do the project senior fall. However... "Admission into the program will depend on the quality of the student's written work and the availability of faculty to supervise the work." So... I don't know. But taking creative writing classes will be cool, even if I don't end up with an emphasis.

Time to fetch laundry.

Alright, so here's what I'm thinking for next semester:

Grendel's Workshop - New Texts from Old... A writing class, spent reworking fairy tales, etc. Should be cool, but I may get lotteried out. If I do, then I turn to the Playwriting Workshop.

Life Drawing... Yay art!

Philosophy of Religion... The one part of my intro religion course that I really enjoyed was focused on this sort of stuff, so it should be interesting.

Costume Design... This could be really interesting, and I could see it as a throwback to the days when I wanted to be a fashion designer. Yes, I did want that. I wrote a paper on it in 8th grade. Then I realized I probably would never be able to sew that well. On a related note, taking this course will hinge on how much sewing is involved, how much sewing experience is expected, etc. Or I may throw caution to the wind and take it not matter what. We'll see.

Ballet I... Yes, ballet. I would take this as a gym class. Other possibility, if I chicken out, would be to just do fitness training again. But taking ballet could be really cool.

So, my schedule for next semester could look like this:

Monday: Nothing. Repeat after me: nothing. Oh, bliss!

Tuesday: Life Drawing, 8:30-11:10 am... Painful but worth it, I think. And it's not like I'll have to be nicely dressed for class.
Philosophy of Religion, 1:15-2:30 pm
Ballet or fitness training, 2:40-3:55 pm

Wednesday: Grendel's Workshop or Playwriting Workshop, 1:15-4 pm
Choir, 7:15-9:45 pm... That's right, I'm going back. I want to sing.

Thursday: Same as Tuesday

Friday: Costume Design, 2:15-5:15 pm

So the 8:30s are scary, but made up by having nothing on Monday and nothing before lunch on Wednesday or Friday. Same for having a late afternoon class on Friday. The scary thing is that I won't have a "real" English class -- Grendel's Workshop would count as an English credit, but it's a creative writing class rather than what I'm used to. And if that falls through, playwriting is technically a theatre course. The idea of not having an English lit class is scary, the idea of not having any class in my major at all is even scarier. However, if I get into Grendel and then take all the other English courses I'm planning on, I will meet all the requirements, plus have an extra English credit. If I don't, I'll meet all the requirements and still be okay. And it looks like I'll be taking 2 English courses per semester after next fall anyway, so that should make up for it guilt-wise.

Still, the idea is scary, since I don't know if the courses I want to after this semester will conflict. At the same time, there just aren't many English lit classes that I want to take next semester -- most of the classes are First Year Seminars or real seminars, which are either unavailable to me or just too damn long, and the ones that are left... Well, they just don't excite me so much.

Looking over the offerings again, there is one other possibility to think of: Lyric Encounters, another writing course. 1, it's with Nat, who is an amazing prof. 2, it seems a lot like the poetry workshop only with "substantial literary analysis" added on, and without the portfolio submission requirement. So maybe I'll do that instead of costume design?

That would make my schedule look like this:

Monday: Lyric Encounters, 1:15-4 pm

Tuesday: Life Drawing, 8:30-11:10 am
Philosophy of Religion, 1:15-2:30 pm
Ballet or fitness training, 2:40-3:55 pm

Wednesday: Grendel's Workshop or Playwriting Workshop, 1:15-4 pm
Choir, 7:15-9:45 pm

Thursday: Same as Tuesday

Friday: No classes!

And to be honest, isn't a Friday without classes even better than a Monday without classes? And if I do Lyric Encounters AND Grendel's Workshop, the only English requirement I'll have to make sure to get is the pre-1830s ones, which I can manage -- the post-1830s is a piece of cake as I only need one more. And if I don't get into Grendel's, I'd still be in an English class. And if I don't get into either, then I panic briefly and fill the slots in with theatre classes, hopefully, and still manage to fulfill my major requirements in the following semesters.

Okay. So here's what I'm hoping to take next semester:

Academic classes: Lyric Encounters, Grendel's Workshop, Life Drawing, Philosophy of Religion
Other credits: Choir, Ballet I

Rock.

I have been deceived. Well, not really. But one of the courses I was planning on taking next semester, one that was supposed to be offered, is apparently not being offered. It was, unfortunately one of the pre-1830s courses that I need for my major. I could take Shakespeare instead, but I really wanted to do that next fall, when Nora is teaching it. But I need another pre-1830s class now. Semester after next I'm tentatively taking 2 post-1830s classes, and I don't want to give either of those up. Fall semester of senior year I want to take Shakespeare... I don't really want to do the seminar, though that would give me both credits I need. There are a few other options of things I could take, but none of them sound super-thrilling... And the idea of doing both my pre-1830s classes in one semester is less than ideal, because, well, I just don't like that stuff as much. At the same time, leaving a requirement until spring of my senior year makes me worried -- plus, none of those options sound very thrilling.

So I think I'm toying between going with a) the Shakespeare seminar or b) doing the Shakespeare course and the Beowulf to Milton survey in Fall 2006.

Pros for option a) Get both credits at once, read lots of Shakespeare, should be able to get in because I'll be a senior major
Cons for option b) Read lots of Shakespeare (2 plays a week), have a 4 hour long class, may have trouble getting in since I'm not an honors major

Pros for option b) Non-seminar courses, shouldn't have trouble getting into the survey course since it's a core course and is therefore fairly large
Cons for option b) 2 pre-1830s at once

I could substitute Lyric Poem in English for the survey course, but I'm not sure about that. I like the prof, but it focuses on the elements of poetry that I'm not as interested in -- namely the rhythm, the syllables, the effect that has. I did some of it in my Modern American Poetry class (it was the same professor), and while it was interesting, I'm not sure how well I'd do with it when it's an entire class. Also, it apparently will feature an in-depth study of one poet as part of the course... And I don't know who that poet will be.

I guess I'll be putting this decision on hold until this time next year... Now to find a replacement for the course I thought I was going to take, as well as a backup in case I get lotteried out of the writing course I want to take. Gah.

I just sent an email to all of my profs saying that I won't be in class today because I don't feel well. And it's true. I don't. I don't feel sick, exactly, but just tired and unable to do much of anything. I just can't make myself get up and think and actually DO anything...

I love Interpol (even if they didn't play "Obstacle 2")... They sounded amazing, the lead singer is fantastic, and Carlos is a very cool bass player. Blonde Redhead opened, and they were great as well. A very good concert, all in all, and we only got a little lost on the way there and managed to get unlost on the way back okay. Curses to unclear directions and small street signs. Yay to me for being able to back up nicely in a big pickup trick. And yay again to Interpol for just being so damn cool.

Work now, while I'm still energetic, then sleep. I need a weekend to recover from this weekend...

It seems that my Sager experience was a bit tamer than some of my friends'. But then I wasn't at Olde Club in the end, when it became a happy groping fest... I did have a fantastic time with my boyfriend and faux boyfriend (Kyle and Rob, respectively), and am really glad I went.

Off to shower, then to brunch, then to WORK. Oh, so much work to be done... Arg.

Sager tonight. We went early, to keep Robert company as he tended the bar from 10 to 11 pm. We took in both venues (Paces and Olde Club), and had a grand old time. I think we left around 12:30 or 1 am, not really sure. I had a lot of fun, and it made me wonder why I don't do things like this more often.

Also, I met Sager himself. Seemed like a very nice guy, quite cool with the whole thing.

To sleep now, to work tomorrow, to concert tomorrow night. Woot!

And so the busy weekend begins.

Yesterday I had class, lunch, and then settled down to label my spring break photos and watch Godfather III. Sophia Coppala is a much better director than actress, I discovered. After that it was time for a nap, then dinner, then a brief bit of work, then the Mixed Company concert with University of Chicago's Ransom Notes, then a party with the groups afterwards. It was fun -- we got into a debate over which school was geekier. I don't think we ever declared a winner. Latkes were made and were delicious, Jager tastes like black licorice and reminded me of the Swedish candy (minus the immense saltiness), and I was in bed by 12:30 because I was just too tired to continue.

Today: brunch, prejudice reduction workshop, dinner, All in the Timing, Sager.
Tomorrow: brunch, work work work, dinner, drive to Philly, Interpol.

Busy busy busy, but also a whole lot of fun.

I have a car for Sunday night! And I have Fischerspooner to listen to, and access to more interesting music! And I need to read the first half of Jason and the Golden Fleece!

Okay, so there's no real excitement about the last one, but the other 2 make me very, very happy.

I just got back from watching the musical Dance Dangerously, which was written, music, lyrics, script, etc. by a senior. The music was fantastic, and the show was funny, but the overall plot was kind of eh. Still, a good time. And there were puppets in the balcony making comments at time. A rip-off of The Muppet Show, sure, but fun anyway.

To work!

And Saka got into Swat! WOOT! You better come, Erik, or there will be sadness for me.

It's weird how much the sound of my radio show can change over the course of 2 hours. Tonight started off very soft and even a bit folky, and by the end it was dance-punk.

The playlist:

#* Marianne Faithfull - In the Factory
U.N.K.L.E. - Rabbit in Your Headlights
Ulysses - The Falcon
* M. Ward - Lullaby + Exile
Belly - Someone to Die For
* Iron and Wine - Freedom Hangs Like Heaven
Fiona Apple - Window
#* Ben Lee - Gamble Everything for Love
#* The Decemberists - The Sporting Life
#* The Lucksmiths - Once Again (off of A House Full of Friends comp)
#* Dressy Bessy - Hey May (off of A House Full of Friends comp)
* Ida - Laurel Blues
Yo La Tengo - Autumn Sweater
Driver of the Year - Black as Soul
* Low - Step
TV on the Radio - Satellite
Interpol - Obstacle 2
The Unicorns - Sea Ghost
* ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead - Will You Smile Again?
# The Washdown - Learning Makes You Handsome
The Natural History - Watch This House
Desaparecidos - Greater Omaha
Elf Power - The Naughty Villian
#* Mates of State - Invitation Inn (off of A House Full of Friends comp)
The Rapture - Out of the Races and Onto the Tracks
* Death From Above 1979 - Blood on Our Hands
Sahara Hotnights - Walk on the Wire
Bloc Party - She’s Hearing Voices
* Mosquitos - Domesticada

Time to read some T.S. Eliot and then get some sleep.

Going to see Interpol on Sunday! Not sure how I'm getting there yet, but going anyway, somehow!

Oddly enough, Ticketmaster would not sell a single ticket. They would, however, sell me a pair of tickets. No idea why. But this means that Peter, who is considering going, cannot go unless he finds another person to go with him...

On a very related note: anyone with a car want to lend it to me and Siyuan? Or better yet, someone with a car want to go, killing 2 birds with 1 stone?

This will be a crazy weekend now: Thursday see the musical, Friday go to the Mixed Company show, Saturday see the play Emily is in as well as go to Sager, Sunday go see Interpol. Woohoo!

It's spring -- yay! It's raining -- grr!

I have become addicted to the anime Samurai Champloo... It's by the same guy who did Cowboy Bebop, and it's really, really good. I just watched about 9 episodes in a row, and I am now forcing myself to stop.

I've done no real work today. Yay for lazy Saturdays, but boo to the busy Sundays that inevitably follow them.

Better now. Sometimes you just need some sleep and to be around people you really like.

Feeling like an insignificant speck, despite all reason. I hate it when I get like this.

Fiona Apple recorded a album called Extraordinary Machine that Sony hasn't released because they say it doesn't have a marketable single. Silly Sony. You can get a leaked version here -- it's pretty good. There's a petition to Sony to get it released here.

Tomorrow is Friday. Yay weekend!

And happy St. Patrick's Day to anyone who cares.

Heidegger's Introduction to Being and Time: very interesting, but also kind of mind-numbing and dense. I'm sure it doesn't help that I'm tired. Still, I'm kind of enjoying it when I can wrap my mind around it.

Back to reading.

I gave blood for my second time today. Once again, they determined that there are no veins in my left arm that are of use to them. So once again, my right arm, the arm I actually need to use, is achy. I look a bit like a junkie, I think, now that the bandage has been removed and the iodine has been washed off. All that's there is a red mark and a slowly growing bruise, accompanied by a dull ache.

On a somewhat related note: when washing off the iodine, which is yellowish on my arm, I looked at the paper towel I was using. It was turning bluish black. Anyone know what that is, why the color changes like that?

Not much else to say. Time to do work so that I can sleep. Yay sleep.

My two favorite pairs of jeans are, almost quite literally, falling apart at the seams. This is making me have to actually think about what I'm going to wear, which cannot be allowed. I will have to remedy the situation by buying new jeans to replace them. Luckily, the Gap has yet to discontinue that particular style, meaning that I should be able to do this without too much trouble (*knock on wood*)... And there is a Gap in the Springfield Mall on the Pike. Anyone up for an excursion to the mall this weekend?

Radio show was kind of lackluster tonight... Tiredness resulted in babbling at points. Whee. On to the playlist:

* Iron and Wine - Woman King
M. Ward - Poor Boy, Minor Key
A.C. Newman - Come Crash
#* Ben Lee - Begin
* Audible - October Song
Final Fantasy - Please Please Please
#* Cowboy - Kneebending (off of A House Full of Friends comp)
Bloc Party - This Modern Love
That Dog - Lip Gloss
Lemon Jelly - The Fruity Track
* Black Mountain - Modern Music
* Hot Hot Heat - Goodnight, Goodnight
Harvey Danger - Jack the Lion
#* The Features - Exhibit A
The Shins - Fighting in a Sack
Yo La Tengo - You Can Have It All
Wilco - I Am Trying to Break Your Heart
The Wrens - Faster Gun
* The Frames - Finally
Live - The Dolphin’s Cry
Nirvana - Lithium
* ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead - The Rest Will Follow
* Matt Sweeney and Bonnie “Prince” Billy - Lift Us Up
* Laura Viers - Cloud Room
* Low - Just Stand Back
* Bright Eyes - Take It Easy (Love Nothing)
* LCD Soundsystem - Movement
The Smiths - A Rush and a Push and the Land is Ours
The Cure - Boys Don’t Cry
Elf Power - Embrace the Crimson Tide
Beulah - If We Can Land a Man on the Moon, Surely I Can Win Your Heart
* Louis XIV - Illegal Tender
Annie - Always Too Late

Fun stuff. Now to do as much reading as I can manage before I collapse.

Much amusement can be found at zefrank.com. I recommend the interactive stuff, especially the scribbler and the flake maker. Kill time and make pretty things, yay.

Walking up the hill from Mertz to catch the shuttle, I heard strange noises -- someone singing very loudly (and fairly poorly). A few more steps, and I could actually pick out the words -- "Scare your son, scare your daughter". That's when I cracked up laughing. I am not the only person on campus who walks around belting out The Arcade Fire.

In other news... Not much. I'm strangely tired, so I think I'll be going to bed early (for me). I was also strangely energetic during dinner and afterwards... I think the energy came from acting class -- we had a special voice class with a visiting person, and it was quite fun.

Radio show tomorrow, sleep now.

Happy early birthday to my dad.

The bathroom is attacking. The other side of the basement had issues with flooding before break, and now apparently it's our turn. Whee...

The soda machine and my body have formed a conspiracy against me. I fed the machine each and every one of my dollar bills in turn, and it rejected all of them. I don't have enough change to buy a soda that way. Rar. I shall have to stay awake through pure will power and the wonders of ice cold water. Woot.

Though it is not even 9:30 pm, my body is trying to encourage me to go to bed. I, however, have work to be done. I also normally stay up until 2 am. Obviously jet lag is to blame. Silly jet lag. Stupid body for being messed up by jet lag.

Off in search of caffeine, and then back to Sophocles' Ajax.

Came across another web comic through Questionable Content: Bunny. It's a simple one panel comic with a great sketch-like style. I devoured the archives quickly and have linked to it in my sidebar.

In true grade school fashion, I shall title this entry "How I Spent My Spring Break"

Please note: not mentioned, but always present are constant picture taking and double prices to convert them into dollars.

Friday, March 4: Go to classes. Pay some attention. Eat lunch. Go back to ML, do last minute packing. Take suitcases up to campus, hang out in Mertz. Go to train station. Catch train to Philly. Get on another train. Miss the train we wanted to take, the next train doesn't come. Finally get on a train. Much stress. Get to airport about 30 minutes before boarding. Stress. Get checked in, head to gate, where they are already boarding. Get on plane, sit between overly made up Russian woman and kind of sketchy English man. Watch Closer and I <3 Huckabees. Do not sleep at all.

Saturday, March 5: Get into Heathrow airport around 9 am London time. Get bags, go through customs. Sit around airport for a bit while waiting for shuttle. Take shuttle to hostel, feel nauseous the entire way. Thankfully do not vomit. Leave luggage at hostel because it's too early to check in. Go to ATM, discover the bank card I wanted to use will not work, have to use other one from account with significantly much less money. Jet lag plus this equals stress. Lunch helps. Check into hostel room. Give in to jet lag and stress, take nap while others wander around. Meet hostel roommates: 2 Swedish girls, Helen and Teresa (names Americanized for ease). Later meet Dennis, an American currently studying in Italy. Have dinner at a local pub, get a drink despite the cost, therefore cementing my "group lush" status (like it was ever in doubt). Sleep.

Sunday, March 6: Wake up at decent hour, but curse jet lag. Meet up with Maki, a Swattie who is studying in London this semester. Head towards the Tate, randomly passing bits of history on our way: a replica of the Golden Hinde (Sir Francis Drake's ship), the Clink Prison (which gave rise to the slang term), the Globe Theatre. Go to the Tate, discover that modern art does not hold my attention for very long. Tempted to go to the August Strindberg exhibit, but the cost prevents me. There wouldn't have been any mention of Helium anyway. We continue our wandering. See St. Paul's, London Eye, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament from a distance. Cross the interestingly-designed Millennium Bridge. Get lunch in a little cafe, go by Trafalgar Square, where there are far fewer pigeons than I remember. Go to the National Gallery, find that early art also does not hold my attention, but that my love for Impressionism is still strong. Admire the Monets and Van Gogh's most of all, am tempted by a t-shirt in the shop but refuse to pay the insane price. Wander through Picadilly Circus and down Oxford Street to Maki's dorm. She cooks us dinner, we worship her and make use of her free internet. We go to a local pub (I get a rum and coke), then take the Tube back to the hostel. Sore feet, but good day.

Monday, March 7: Wake up, endure cold shower. Head to the Tower of London, see the Tower Bridge on the way. Spend a great deal of time there. See the Crown Jewels -- twice; once from both sides since there wasn't a line. Am drawn to the sparkle. Hear stories of torture, am morbidly interested. Climb many spiral staircases, look at armour and old weapons. Leave Tower, go to a nice pizza place for lunch. Walk towards the Dali Universe, passing the London Eye on the way. Go to the Dali Universe. It has none of his famous paintings, but instead has sculptures, sketches, illustrations for books, water colors, and more. Decided Dali was weird and kind of crazy, but made some awesome art. Wander in the direction of the hostel, passing the Old Vic Theatre, which is advertising National Anthems, staring Kevin Spacey and Steven Weber. Emily decides to see if they still have tickets. They do, put the 12 pound student area only has bad seat left. The lady offers us the 40 pound normal floor seats for 15 pounds. We buy them, then have dinner at Tas, a kind of Mediterranean place. I decide that I love lamb. We head back to the theatre, see Kevin Spacey on the London Stage for about $30 each. The play is pretty good, Spacey is great. Head back to hostel, collapse.

Tuesday, March 8: Greg heads to Paris to visit a friend, Emily and Alex hang out with Maki, and Kyle and I go to Cambridge and visit my brother. We go via King's Cross Station, where they have Platfrom 9 and 3/4 set up with a luggage trolley going through the wall. Yay Harry Potter! Cambridge isn't too exciting, but the college buildings are interesting, and it was nice to see Ben. We have Thai for dinner, and I bring my trip drink total up to 3 with a hard cider. We head back to London fairly early, relishing the fact that we didn't spend the entire day walking.

Wednesday, March 9: Greg is still in Paris. The rest of us head to Portabello Road (home of the market seen in Bedknobs and Broomsticks. The big flea market isn't set up since it isn't Saturday, but there are still many shops to go into. I am pulled away from shoe stores, most likely for the best. Have lunch at a cafe. Go to a used book store that has a section of comics. I buy a copy of Sandman issue 6 from 1989, as well as a Sandman spinoff and another graphic novel that looks interesting. I decide that given my reaction to the comic/graphic novel section (i.e. I could not be pulled away until I was done) that maybe I should go into comic publishing. Vow to investigate the Fantagraphics internship for next summer. Wander through Kennsington Gardens and Hyde Park, go down Oxford Street, and kill time in Foyle's, a large independent book shop. We meet up with Greg, have a nice Italian dinner. We then go to the theatre, pick up our tickets for Festen, a play based off a Dogme 95 movie (something about very simplified production, etc... Alex and Kyle saw it in Intro Film Studies). We wander to a mall/entertainment complex to kill time, then head back to the theatre. The theatre next to ours is showing something with Joshua Jackson and Patrick Stewart, which just seems weird. We see our play, which has no one that I know acting in it. It's amazing, albeit disturbing, since it's about incest/molestation/suicide in a wealthy Danish family. Stop at a little shop to get desert (ice cream for me, cake for Greg, no one else partakes), then take the Tube back to the hostel, where the roommate situation has changed: Dennis has left, and no one has replaced him yet.

Thursday, March 10: Greg goes to southern Wales to see castles. Kyle and I go to the British Library (Alex and Emily went on Tuesday), see many old, nifty books. We take less time than we expected, wander down the streets in the drizzle, have lunch at a tiny cafe. We meet up with Emily, Alex, and Maki by St. Paul's. We wander through the cathedral, but I decide to opt out of the long climb to the top of the dome. I fall asleep in the nave while they climb -- I feel guilty but realize that I have done more sacrilegious things than that. After they return, I decide to head back to the hostel for a nap. Kyle comes with me, Alex and Emily wander the streets of London with Maki until she has to go on a tour with her school group. We (and 2 of Maki's friends and Greg) meet up for dinner at Wagamama, which is noisy and crowded but gives me such delicious ramen and chicken that I don't care. We go to a pub and get dessert (yay chocolate chip cheesecake), and I bring my lush total up to 4 with a double vodka and cranberry juice. We part ways with Maki, then take the Tube back to the hostel, where Craig from Australia has taken over Dennis' old spot. He's moved here with a friend, planning to get an apartment and a job and then see the rest of Europe in his free time. He apparently manages at least the first, because he says he has some leads on the apartment that night and then we don't see him again.

Friday, March 11: We head over to the Houses of Parliament, stand in line to get in and listen to the debates. We wait. People are let in, but not us. We are now at the head of the line. We wait. And wait. And wait. They're discussing their terror bill in the longest running session in history. There are groups that are sponsored by their member of Parliament that are getting in ahead of us. No one is leaving because the discussion is actually interesting, which means we can't get in. After 2 hours of standing in the cold dealing with the bitter wind, Kyle and I concede defeat. Emily, Alex, and Greg do not. Kyle and I find lunch and warmth, then go back to the line. It's been 45 minutes, and they're still there. They say there are rumors that people will be let in soon, since the House of Commons will start sitting soon (before it was the House of Lords). We wish them luck, say we'll see them later. We go to Westminster Abbey, then wander by Buckingham Palace. We head back to the hostel, passing through a market. We get fresh bread, Welsh cheese, and sheep's milk cheese for our dinner. I also get an amazing smoothie and a divine chocolate creation called a Chocolate Nemesis. We go back to the hostel, hang out. Emily and Greg return. They never got in, and eventually left so that Alex could meet up with a friend from high school who he was supposed to have dinner with. Alex eventually comes back, and the rest of the evening is spent playing cards, packing, etc.

Saturday, March 12: We get up, check out, take the Tube to Heathrow. We get checked in with minimal trouble, eat lunch in the airport, board the plane. We've managed to get seated near each other this time, and the plane is only 2/3rds full, so there's plenty of room to spread out. I knit and watch The Machinist. It's good but freaky. Christian Bale does a good job, but I wince every time I see him without his shirt on -- he lost a lot of weight to play the role, and is about 120 pounds or something in the movie... You can see every bone, and it's really scary. I nap. I wake up and knit more while watching Kinsey. We land, wait for our luggage, get through customs in no time. Alex's dad picks us up, drives us back to Swat. It's nice to be back.

Today: I went to bed around 12:30 and woke up around 5:30 am, and the jet lag wouldn't let me fall back asleep. So I got up and read web comics and such... Around 8 am I got tired again (my body thought it was 1 pm and wanted an afternoon nap), so I went back to sleep and got up around noon. I haven't done anything productive yet, and having a nice, long, warm shower was the highlight of my day thus far (yay cleanliness and not having to push a button every minute or 2 to keep the water running!) I'll unpack now, then go to dinner, then attack my work fiercely. Whee.

London trip by the numbers:
Miles walked: Too many. Ow, ow, ow.
Drinks: Only 4, 6 if you count the wine with meals on the planes. Some lush I am.
Plays seen: 2
Number of times Helen told us that reindeer are stupid: Lost count.
Number of Swedish girl jokes and South of France references made (Yay inside jokes!): More than were needed.
Postcards sent: 3
Hours spent on plane: 13 or so.
Money spent: Please don't remind me.
Fun had: So very much!

Things I already miss about London: not being on a set schedule, not having to do work, the accents, eating out every night, being able to drink legally.

Things I don't miss: cold showers, hitting my head on the bunk bed, flat pillows, the prices.

Things I appreciate now that I'm back here: my comfy bed, my own room, continuously running warm showers, lower prices.

It was a good trip.

Back in the States after a week in England. More details about what I did in London will follow -- most likely tomorrow when I procrastinate instead of doing my work. All in all, though, a very good trip.

All my stuff fit into the suitcase without any problem. This never happens with me. I'm slightly concerned -- I feel like I must have forgotten something. But I can't think of anything. Perhaps I've actually learned to pack well. Of course, I'll probably still end up with more stuff than anyone else, but whatever. For this moment at least I feel like I've packed well.

16 hours until the train leaves. 21 hours until the plane leaves. 28 hours or so until I'm in England. Wow.

This Russian flash animation of a sketch being done is incredible. It's about 5 min long and is just awesome. I don't want to describe it too much -- just watch it.

Finally got the letter -- I am an RA for next year! Woot! That's the great news. The okay news is that it's for ML basement, so I won't have any freshmen and I may end up with people who really don't want to be there. But that's okay -- I will adopt the rest of the freshmen, much like Jawaad has done this year. And I will win the others over. *happy dance*

And I found out that Jawaad has known since Sunday night and didn't tell me, just like Cuddles. Grr to both of you, should you ever read this. :)

Time for real work now, assuming my hands will stop shaking so much.

The article I ranted about last week has been retracted by The Phoenix for numerous reasons, many of them involving screwed up quotes, etc.

In other news, the RA Selection Committee is toying with me. There was nothing in my mailbox before lunch. There was nothing in my mailbox after lunch. Hopefully there will be something there when I check it on my way to class... Otherwise, sadness and a very frustrating philosophy class as I anxiously check the time, waiting to be able to run down to Parrish and check again. Gah.

I shouldn't look around my room and ponder how I can best rearrange it at 2 am. Because then I start rearranging it because I can't resist. On the plus side, I'm quite happy with the results.

RA announcements made today... I'll find out whenever I drag myself up to campus and check my mail. *crosses fingers*

I shouldn't look around my room and ponder how I can best rearrange it at 2 am. Because then I start rearranging it because I can't resist. On the plus side, I'm quite happy with the results.

RA announcements made today... I'll find out whenever I drag myself up to campus and check my mail. *crosses fingers*

Wow. I got an email from someone who had come across my website -- not this blog, but the actual never-updated website. I almost deleted it as spam, because I very rarely get actual mail to that email address. But since there were 2 emails, from the same person, with different, normal sounding subject lines, I decided to read them. And I'm glad I did, because hey, acknowledgment from an outside, unknown source is pretty cool. This may actually motivate me to do stuff with this site, like move it to SCCS to get rid of the ads, actually update it, etc. Of course, having time in which to do that would be useful. So maybe this summer... (I always say that, but maybe this time it'll actually happen...)

Things I want to do right now:

Knit
Sleep
Kill time online

Things I don't want to do:

Work

Guess which one I should be doing?

Oh work ethic, where did you go? I need you to come back...

Another radio show... Whee.

* Menocu - Legoland Trees
Built to Spill - Big Dipper
Elf Power - Skeleton
Iron and Wine - My Lady’s House
* Black Mountain - No Satisfaction
Low - Canada
Cat Power - Nude as the News
Spoon - Reservations
* Laura Viers - Icebound Stream
Wilco - Can’t Stand It
The Weakerthans - The Reasons
Yo La Tengo - Don’t Have to Be Sad
* ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead - Caterwaul
* The Fiery Furnaces - Here Comes the Summer
The Magnetic Fields - (Crazy for You But) Not That Crazy
Final Fantasy - That’s When the Audience Died
Man Man - Zebra
The Arcade Fire - Crown of Love
Crooked Fingers - Pigeon Kicker
* Damon & Naomi - Sometimes
#* Marianne Faithfull - Last Song
Grandaddy - A.M. 180
The Avalanches - Frontier Psychiatrist
Bloc Party - Banquet
Sahara Hotnights - Mind Over Matter
* Mob Stereo - Other Stepped In
Blur - Tracy Jacks
Pretty Girls Make Graves - Blue Lights
Nine Inch Nails - Hurt (Quiet)
* The Dead Science - Film Studio Collage

My mom got to listen to the whole thing, my brother said he was going to try to listen to it, and my boyfriend got to hear a little bit. I feel loved.

I don't, however, feel any love for whoever took some CDs from the playlist. They took the Iron and Wine EP (which I thankfully ripped last week, because it's amazing) and the Bonnie "Prince" Billy and Matt Sweeny CD, which I wanted to hear more of. Grr.

I took a nap this evening instead of doing work and going to a poetry reading. The nap helped a lot, though I do wish I had gotten to hear the poetry. Life goes on, I guess.

Now it's time to make up for the work I haven't done today. Gah.

So I just got back the photos from the disposable camera that I've had since January and my externship. However, it seems many of them just aren't there, including all of the ones I took at Alex's birthday party, as well as all of the ones I took of the furry creatures at my host's house. Not sure what's up with that... Maybe they were poorly lit and therefore not developed? I'm not sure, but I'm kind of grumpy about it... Because trust me, I took way more than 11 pictures on that camera. Arg. However, I know I'm too lazy to do anything about it, so this will be a one-time complaint, and then I will forget about it.

I drifted in and out of philosophy class today. Not sure why I'm so tired -- I got a decent amount of sleep. But I can't seem to stay fully awake at all. It's most unfortunate.

Time to do as much work as I can before I have to go rehearse for acting... We present our scene tomorrow -- hopefully it will go well. We'll see.