Pfft. The Sequel.

Graduation is exactly two months away. I'm trying not to think about it, really. Partially because I have so much other stuff to do, but also because I feel like I started freshman year yesterday and I'm not quite sure I'm ready to leave. Yeah, I've had my complains about this place, but the whole college experience is something I'll never have again. Supposedly graduate school is the new college, but how much truth is there in that statement? Graduate school is where you go to get a degree that will earn you an actual living (but only if you're a humanities or psych major-- everyone else pretty much has it made), so means no more slacking off. Showing up to class in pajamas will be out, as will late night trips to WaHo (that's Waffle House to you-- that unfortunate clotter of Southern arteries) followed by the late nights spent awake wishing you had just stayed home. What else will I be missing out on? Major study sessions which have all ended in one of three ways.
1) A trip to Waffle House
2) Duck chasing. Nuff said.
3) A nervous breakdown by one or more people.
The higher the number of people having breakdowns is directly related to how
challenging the study guide is. The biggest ever group hissy fit: US
Diplomatic History

Having no classes on Tuesday is a little bit of a drag. Yeah, I'll be really glad about that a little later on in the semester when I have to seriously start working on my senior thesis, but now it's a little boring.

Last night I went to a Green Student United meeting, and managed to be appointed chair of the waste reduction committee. As chair, I get to help get the school adopt some sort of recycling program, and figure out how much trash the school as a whole gets rid of. That will probably involve, though I try not to think about it, getting up close and personal with the trash. Nah, I can handle it.

Having survived my first few days back at school, I can honestly say that I feel pretty good about being back up here. Despite everything. Everything being that I have to write a senior thesis, take the GRE, get my grad school applications in, get the fat naked guy to stop lurking by my window, and find a way to get Sallie Mae to quit screwing with me. "Dear Ms. B---, Congratulations on graduating early. Screw you. Now pay us a bunch of stupid fees that normal students don't have to pay."

On no longer being SLAMmed

Yesterday was my school's first ever undergrad research symposium, oddly named SLAM. I'm not the world's best public speaker, and yet I did a presentation. I can practice for hours, and I did, but then I step out on stage and my mind goes completely blank. Somehow I managed to survive the presentation without a) running out of the theatre, b) having another mini-breakdown in which I questioned my sanity, or c) making people fall asleep in their chairs. My good feelings about my presentation kinda evaporated after the college sweetheart gave her presentation, but hey, that's life. I'm kinda glad that we were presenting in the same session. There would have been a lot less people there without her.

Our keynote speaker was, pretty much, the world's foremost scholar on hip hop. Visit her website, she's awesome! Hip hop and rap aren't my favorite genres, but after hearing Dr. Rose's lecture, I was struck by the urge to start listening to more rap and hip hop. Funny how easily something/someone can come along and change your entire opinion.

It's also funny how an entire college campus can piss and moan about having to go to all the presentations, but then have no problem showing up for an iPod drawing. Ahh, people.

I'm sick of naming my posts

It's been raining all day. I'm normally not a big fan of rain, because it always manages to catch me without an umbrella. This rain was okay though. It was just rain. Not mixed with snow, ice or anything winterish. Just rain. The rain actually started last night, along with some hellacious thunder. The thunder woke me up around two, and after realizing that the back wall of my room was still there and I wasn't going to fall into the abyss, I managed to go back to sleep. Of course I didn't realize that in the process of being scared shitless by the thunder, I somehow managed to send my alarm clock flying across the room. I still don't know exactly where it is. Without the alarm clock though, I kinda missed my eight o'clock wakeup to go down to the gym. I managed to drag my unhappy butt down there at nine thirty. Mmm, it's awesome not having class until eleven. Its also awesome being able to go outside without a ginormous winter coat, hat, gloves, scarf, etc. That's probably why I was able to get out of bed so easily this morning without cursing myself for deciding to enroll at a school in the mountains. You know, cold weather just sucks the life right out of you. Maybe I should pick a grad school in a warmer place. Too bad I wouldn't get anything done at the U of Hawaii. Even if they did have a public history program.

Hooray for warmer weather! Even if it isn't going to last. At least I got to go to Asheville without my heavy coat. Downtown Asheville is one of my favorite places because there's always something going on. I was there for three hours yesterday, and I got a bunch of great pictures for my photography class, as well as some chocolate covered espresso beans from Mast. I heart Mast! Not only do they have chocolate espresso beans for a reasonable price, they also have all kinds of cute Life is Good stuff and candy that I remember from my childhood. Gummy Coke bottles anyone?

As if I don't have enough going on in my life already, I'm working on my research proposal for Spring Slam. I've got my topic, it's the same one I presented over the summer to community college faculty from all over the country. Dr. K is of the opinion that it will look good on my CV for grad school, and I'm pretty much up for anything that helps with grad school. These last few months I've really started coming out of my shell. Being the shy, quiet one is getting so old. Speaking up in class is something I used to never do, but just last week Dr. G asked a question and the next thing I know I'm explaining to the class what the pogroms were. Dr. G's jaw dropped, and AK acted like a proud momma. "Look at you steppin' up! And I know where you learned the answer!" I actually learned the answer from Golda Meir's autobiography, not my intro class. Sorry AK.

And some days you just want to be alone

Over the last two days, I managed to haul all my stuff out of my old room, and into my brand new single room. My new room is about 2/3 the size of my old one, but I am ok with that.

Old room: ugly desk looking thing attached along the entire back wall
New room: ugly desk taking up only half the wall

Old room: overlooking a walkway, where passersby would always stop to look in the room
New room: no more walkway

Old room: 3 channels came in (Comedy Central, Cartoon Network and TBS)
New room: 35 channels (and no more South Park, Adult Swim and Sex in the City as my only viewing options. I enjoy all of those shows, but enough is enough)

Old room: en suite bathroom (shared with a nymphomanic klepto who enjoyed stealing my triple blade razors as much as she enjoyed having sex in the shower that I too had to use).
New room: private bathroom (with a bathtub!) And now I will know for sure that that off white liquidy looking stuff is actually my conditioner, and not... well, you know.

Now all I have to do is unpack all the boxes laying around. Sigh.

Random ramblings

I can't stand the classrooms in the education building. They almost seem like classrooms that a real college would have.

My NC Gov't/History teacher is the best NC Gov't/History class teacher to ever come out of Pennsylvania.

AK finally had her first real drink, ever. My baby's all grown up!

My new suitemate has a penchant for rearranging the furniture in her room at least one a day. While blaring Fall Out Boy.

I could convert by this December. Emotionally, however, I don't think I'll be ready. That doesn't mean I haven't emotionally matured a ton over the last few months.

Tuesday Night Blues

Less than one week before I get out of this overpriced, overdeveloped hellhole of a city and back to my real life. Studying geography, Japanese history and leading tour groups through the Thomas Wolfe house will be infinitely more exciting than selling Coach and Dooney & Bourke handbags to spoiled teenagers. If only Look Homeward Angel wasn't so hellishly boring. Was Wolfe really that brilliant? Who knows? He did, however, have the good fortune to be born in Asheville.

*Primal Scream*

30 November: take home exam due
1 December: presentation on Santeria

4 December: Biology exam and paper on Santeria due
5 December: exam on Nigerian and Iranian politics
7 December: presentation, write-up and possible exam
8 December: final exams in Western Civ, contemp. Latin America and Biology

Someone shoot me now.

Why can't I have a weak stomach?

Ok, that isn't a question that a lot of people ask. But after spending two hours this morning, elbow deep in fetal pig guts, I would kill to be the squeamish one, instead of the one who always has to do the nasty stuff because no one else will. When Biology started, the teacher gave us all the impression that there would be no dissections. And yet, there I was at eight in the morning opening up a baby pig while the stench of formaldahyde nearly knocked me out. Not to mention having to put up with my very freshman lab partner. "Pig wiener!!!!!"

*WARNING: Stop here if easily grossed out. Seriously.*

See, I can totally handle looking at dead animal insides, if I didn't make that clear enough. The thing that bothers me is that I love animals and I get overly attached to them. Piggie wasn't any different than the cat I had to first skin and then dissect back in high school. Yes, I had to dissect a cat. Yes, I am still bothered by that four years later. Here's a giant example of how attached I get to animals: I remember looking down at poor little piggie this morning and thinking to myself: "This is so wrong. I bet this little critter (yeah, I'm Southern, deal with it) had hopes and dreams that did NOT involve lying on a table with her stomach cut open and her legs up in the air!" Later on when I found out she was a girl, I had to fight the urge to grab some paper towels and cover her up.

This has been my most graphic post ever. If you managed to finish reading it, go get yourself a nice treat. You deserve it.

This Just In...

I have a newfound appreciation for:


Marching bands

and...

Leggy blondes.


Not to mention marching bands with leggy blondes.

On Culture, or the lack thereof

Going to a small college in the middle of nowhere certainly has its benefits. Having to drive at least twenty miles in either direction to find anything slightly resembling culture is not one of them. So what are a bunch of bored out of their minds college students to do on a Friday night? Organize and hold a Womanless Beauty Pageant! An hour of guys in dresses prancing around to the utter delight (and sheer horror) of their classmates. How can you go wrong with that?

The Countdown Begins

This week was early registration. The happy, oh so happy time in which all the students wake themselves at the unholiest of all hours in the hope that maybe, just maybe, they will get the good classes. Me dragging my unhappy ass out of bed at 8 AM on my only morning off certainly did pay off. I managed to get one of the last available spots in the digital photography class. Woo hoo, I will soon be able to take neat little artsy pictures of my very own. I will no longer have to rely on stealing pictures from my friends' Facebook and Myspace pages.

When I was signing up for classes, I had a nice conversation with my advisor about graduation. I have just two semesters left, after I finish up with this one. Next semester will be spent interning at the Thomas Wolfe house, and my last will be spent preparing my senior thesis. Good thing I already have a general idea of what it will be on. Immigration, or perhaps ethnic communities in the Queen City. Good Lord it better not change. I don't have time to be fickle any more. I have a Plan. A few months ago I used to think that my Plan involved sticking around for that extra semester, taking a bunch of electives, hanging out with my friends, and all that jazz, but now I don't see the point in it. Sure, I'd love to have some more time with my friends, who wouldn't? However, I chose to attend a private school that was affordable when I first enrolled, but is no longer affordable thanks to ridiculous tuition hikes. Now all I want to do is graduate, get into State's Public History program, and then find the best, highest paying job available to me so I can start paying off all this money that I owe.