I am a new fan of Family Guy. A few people suggested I watch it–people whose taste in comedy I respect. For some reason, I could never get into it on tv, but the dvds have been great. So, that’s my weekend, Family Guy, pizza, Tillamook’s mountain huckleberry icecream, and things of that nature.

Sarah Palin says that she just did beauty pageants to pay for college. Well, um, lets see… College costs thousands of dollars. The prize for winning is usually a scholarship of a thousand dollars or so. The cost of travel, the evening wear, the beautification, etc, thousand of dollars. Beauty queens do it for the love, not the money. (Although money will likely come later after they’ve married their prince.)
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ASUS Eee PC 2GB Surf 7" Mini Notebook Computer with Linux – Lush Green
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Here is the new mini I bought. Isn’t it darling? It is supposed to arrive in the mail sometime next week. I’ve been in sort of a dilemma about my computer situation. My red Ferrari is the computer I use the most. I keep it stationary at my desk. I heart it, and it is not something I can take to school or take to classes because it is too big. Also, I don’t really want to risk the wear and tear. So, I bought this little mini. Mostly, it will be for taking notes and some drafting. It will also be for internet use. I’ll probably take it to school with me every day, which I can do because it’s a measly 2 pounds.  A few other people in the department have these and seem to love them. When I saw that they went on sell this week, well, I just had to buy. I know, I know, I know, I may end up buying another full blown computer soon enough, but I won’t until I absolutely have to.

It looks like we’re going to have some good people here after all. I’m picking up on good senses of humor, interesting private lives, interesting people overall.
Okay, so, I’m not on the verge of crying, but I do have a mild case of hives. I think it’s from the nerves, but I can also get hives from my mild wheat allergy (self diagnosed). I have been eating more wheat than usual. This tends to happen when I am busy and can’t prepare the kind of food I want/need. Bottom line, it’s really hard to nail down the cause. If I’m going to use a cliche, I’m going to use two.
Right now, I have lots of really interesting looking books to read. Lots of work to do. But, it all seems good. I am happy.

Today was my first day of classes. Mondays are going to be brutal. I have four classes, and one of those four is three hours long. I was gobbling Panda Express by myself in between class breaks (a sad sight, I’m sure). I hate it when my stomach growls in quiet little seminars of eleven people. I mean, most of the classes seemed like they’re going to be interesting. I am overwhelmed by the reading load. And, of course, I am terrified of the big essay that’s always due at the end, but I have to get accustomed to that.
The final class today, the pedagogy class that all of the newbies are taking as a teacher prep, was interesting. This group seems to take themselves too seriously in my opinion. Although, my problem is that I sometimes don’t take myself seriously enough. In fact, most evenings I’ve worried over things I said. Did I offend? Did I come across too strong? Did I make someone uncomfortable? Hate me? What? I think this is mostly nerves, but I also know that I can be blunt in a way that is surprising/off-putting to some people. This is tough because I want to be myself. I want to build collegiality with my peers and the best way for me to really start to feel comfortable is through humor, teasing each other, self-deprecation, etc.
Okay, so, in today’s pedagogy class, which I totally think I’m going to like–like the fellow students and like the prof–we were talking about “why we’re here.” It got super touchy feely. I keep thinking, even during orientation, are these people about to burst into tears? I think everyone is just on edge, and rightly so. This is a very stressful endeavor. But still, I think it comes back to taking ourselves too seriously. We need to laugh, we need to enjoy. We also need to challenge each other and even argue, but that, I think, is done most effectively in a climate where real friendship and laughter can also occur and develop.

Where to begin? Tomorrow I start classes. I’m not really sure how to feel or whether or not I’m doing the right thing. This weekend was full of mindless self-indulgence, the kind of indulgence that Isaiah and I perfected. So, it ended up making me miss him a lot more. That, plus the missed phone calls and time by myself–
Last week’s orientation went well. I felt completely at ease, minus some of the awkward socializing. I want to be comfortable in this program. I want to have friends, or a friend. That will take awhile though.
I watched The Savages and definately consider it a drama, opposed to the comedic drama I was expecting. Laura Linney has a way of irritating me. That might make her a good actress, but it seems like the roles sometimes call for something else, yet she only ever delivers the irritating thing. I want to like her. I am probably just like her. My mom reminds me of every actress she’s ever mentioned that she didn’t like.
I watched Orange County and did not like it because I did not laugh very much. The main character was not funny.  The girlfriend was annoying. For me, a comedy needs to have a funny lead: Seth Rogen (my new secret crush), Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller, or John C. Reilly, for instance.
Speaking of comedies, Ricky Martin’s twins by way of surrogacy seems strangely reminiscent of the father in Blades of Glory. He adopts promising young orphans and puts them through rigorous training programs to make gold metalists out of them. Then if they don’t work out, he “unadopts” them. I imagine Ricky Martin creating little pop icons in his own image, his own little blinged out, collar-popped back up dancers.
So anyways, I tried to do the most unintellectual things I could think of all weekend. Actually, most of the summer was spent watching comedies and reading something called “chick lit,” which turned out to be just what the doctor ordered. I mean, the next four years will be full of something intellectual. If I’m not reading or writing for a class, then I’ll be reading to prepare for my exams or reading or writing for my dissertation. Hopefully I’ll get proficient and it won’t take quite the toll such work as taken on me in the past.
So, here I go.

This is for all the haters who told me to toss my old computer and buy a new one. Well, the old one is up and working like a charm. I took it into  computer services here on campus and they revamped it. I got Windows XP, an anti-virus, and I’ll be adding a few other programs shortly. Yes, the monitor is huge and is probably frying my retinas, but I love this computer.

Evidently on May 3rd, 1998, a riot broke out when police tried to quiet noisy students on College Hill, which houses the sororities and fraternities and other student living options. The riot lasted 5 hours as drunken students attacked authorities, injuring 23 police officers and several students.
Yesterday, when I went for a run, a carload of guys yelled at me to get out of the road, even though it was my turn. I had just finished smiling and waving at them as I jogged past. They were at a stop sign. I was totally legit. I am scared of these young men, out to party, out to have a good time, without care or consequence.

Things have been peaceful around here. I am single. Amid all of the moving and chaos, I’ve finally developed a routine, the kind of routine that reminds me that I am very, very single again.
I made dinner. I went for a run. Tonight, I will read.
Due to the fire between an Aries and a Sagittarius (as illustrated in previous post), I have had less time for peace and calm over the past year.
I’m sure that the loneliness will get to me soon enough. Right now I’m just on a runner’s high and feeling good.
Tomorrow is the departmental orientation where I will meet the people who will be my comrades of the next two/four years and hopefully my officemate too. I am curious. By the way, my office is getting better. Today I rearranged my desk, found an electrical outlet, and Windexed the whole thing. Much, much better. 

Today was the first day of orientation. I won’t even tell you how many minutes I made it before excusing myself to make a phone call to set up an appointment. I thought I would go back after a quick visit to the library. Then to look at my still empty, bleak office. Then, geez, I don’t know, I just went home. Tomorrow I actually have to be there for the TA info. Then a departmental orientation during the last half of the week. Today’s just seemed so unnecessary.
My office. It is bare and bleak. I share it with another student whom I haven’t met. I was looking around for an internet connection. Nothing. Then I realized, there aren’t even any electrical outlets! I was told that my office would be like my second home, but every home of mine has an internet connection. I mean, I really want it to be an office this time. I want a comfortable space to work. I want to be able to read peacefully there. I want to be able to write there. I want to be able to fool around on the internet. Unfortunately, as of right now, I just don’t think it’s going to be that kind of place.
My apartment. A couple of my closest neighbors are Middle Eastern or Indian. That means that dinner smells are full of exotic spices; they waft up to my apartment, making me wish I had put a little forethought into my own dinner.
Graduate school. At orientation, there were mostly Indian students. Either the white students blew off orientation, or that rumor is true that foreigners are taking up all the tech and science jobs. As an American, I wouldn’t know anything about that.
Weather. Tonight is a blustery night. The wind is supposed to blow in thunderstorms. I am told that in the winter, this gentle morning breeze turns into a bone chilling cold.