BLARG
I do NOT want to be back in school yet. Unfortunately, Spring Break is over and its time to get back to the daily grind. Considering my circumstances, it seems fairly obvious to me that I want to talk about me-things. Sorry, but you’ll have to let me indulge in that a wee bit. Of curse there are some pretty big political/social happenings recently that you KNOW I have to comment on. Thus, I’m expecting this particular post to shake out to be half about my “life stuff” and half about “world stuff.” Seeing as how both of those things might turn some people off, I might also throw in some brief musings about Guilty Pleasures, but you’ll have to look for them! O.O
Shall we set sail?
I Don't Know What's Right-Side Up Anymore
So… considering I’m just back from my first class of the post-Spring Break period, I’m going to start with the scholastics.
This morning I got up expecting to take a massive Hebrew Vocabulary test. I’d been studying for it for some time now, and I killed myself last night going over them all yet again. I expected said test to occur today based on the information of one of my fellow students. I suppose this shows why I shouldn’t trust a thing any of my fellow students have to say.
Yup. No test. I studied and studied and studied and lost sleep… so I could not take the test the next day.
Not cool.
Oh, sure, I guess I’m “Prepared” for the actual test (A Week From Today,) but I was looking forward to putting this thing in the rearview mirror so I could focus on other things that demand my attention.
Such as…
My Prophetic Studies Paper. Ug. Not sure where to begin on his one. I think I’m a little bit confused as to what exactly we are supposed to do. We need to write a five page paper about something. It’s the something I’m not sure of. Is it one verse? A cluster of verses? Can we pick a whole darn chapter? I don’t know. I’m kinda hoping for the full chapter thing. That would be nice. Still not sure what chapter I’d do it on…
The point is, of course, that this thing will be time consuming. It would be easier to find time for it if I wasn’t also having to study for the blasted Hebrew test. And more ominously, It’d be easier if I didn’t also have to…
...write...write...write...write...
Come up with a good short story for the Rough Writer’s Second Annual Writing Contest. I suppose I might also write a poem, but I’m particularly interested in the Short Story entry and the 100 smackeroonies I’d get out of it.
That, and I like writing them. Of course 🙂
The trouble is coming up with something, and being that creative while a massive vocab test and a nebulous paper are bearing down on you is… trying. On the other hand, I don’t exact have all the time in the world.
I’m thinking Sci-Fi, but I’ll write whatever comes to me between now and then. More details as this unfolds.
Anyway, I’m really going to have to prioritize. I need to look up when the Prophetic Paper is due, and if it is sometime in April, I may focus on the story and Hebrew for now. If it’s due by the end of the month. … … eeeeeeeeeeeee *pulls hair*
Great Book. I suggest you read. Yes.
So I’m under some stress. All stress needs relieving, and I’ve been only partially satisfied as of late. I finished “A Meeting At Corvalis,” a book I was reading (and borrowing from Dr. Robinson) early in the week. It was great, and a nice cap off to the first trilogy in the series. The trio was obviously written to be read one right after the other, as each one feels terribly incomplete without the rest. The third book finally provided the climax the other two lacked. It kinda WAS the climax, with loads of battles and other such. I still think “The Protector’s War” was a misleading title for the second book, but it would fit very nicely on the third. War indeed.
But finishing that book so early left me without any other reading materials until I came back home, where I grabbed “Alcatraz versus the Scrivener’s Bones.” Like the first book, it is easy to read (obviously, as it is a kid’s book,) and very good. It was also over in a flash, and I am left once again without reading material. On the brink of going to a Doctor’s Appointment, no less. *SIGH*
Ah well. I’m hoping to get the next book in the Change Series from Dr. Robinson soon (what I wouldn’t give to have it before the appointment) and the next Alcatraz book in the mail from Amazon.
MUST PLAY *stumbles toward gamestop like a zombie*
I’ve been doing loads of reading lately, and this singular focus on literary pursuits is due largely to the fact that my other main hobby, Videogaming, is currently wacky.
What is wacky? Wacky is having loads of awesome games I still have to play in my possession, while the three games I want to play most are not. My mind’s timeshare is consumed almost entirely by Final Fantasy XIII, Mass Effect 2 and God of War III. Especially God of War III. My hands ache to be behind the controls of Kratos, but I do not have the financial stability to make a 60 dollar purchase at the moment.
It hurts us, Precious! It hurts us!
A Natural 20 and Foreshadowing? Niiiiiice.
On the other hand, it’s looking likelier and likelier that Katie might be interested in playing D&D with me in the future. We watched the first 10 videos of the Writers of Robot Chicken playing D&D, and she seemed to like the idea that the game is like a communal story, told by all of the players and the DM combined. While she eventually grew tired of the videos, I have high hopes for when we actually play.
The real challenge is finding a group of non-creepy people to play with, a DM who knows what he is doing, and a day when we can all meet for extended play periods.
Yeesh. This stuff is dificil.
Speaking of Katie, Spring Break was awesome, and we got to spend lots of time together, doing fun stuff, or looking up apartments for when she moves down here in late May. Needless to say, today I am fairly depressed due to her absence. May can’t come fast enough.
Ug… I need a jolt of happy.
How about some Streaming Videos of Animals At The Zoo? Well… that’s kind of neat, but… *sigh*.
Okay, enough about that. I’ll just deal.
One last thing before all the political Yim-Yam. On Saturday night, Kimberly, her boyfriend Jacob (Yacob – Let’s see if Kimberly ever reads my Blog anymore, lol,) and me and Katie decided to watch some movies. For whatever reason they all settled on Twilight and New Moon. Yes, Even Jacob, though I believe he didn’t know quite what he was asking for.
Confession Time: I’m fairly hypocritical. In public I often roll my eyes at chick-flick stuff and Romance-y whatnot. And then I go read shojo manga.
Keeping to my usual habits, I rolled my eyes and cracked jokes about us all watching the films. Then, while I watch the films with the lot of them, I find myself enjoying them. I should also mention that I’ve read the books, and while the first one always struck me as “meh” (what with all those breathy sighs and fluffy adjectives) they got better and better till I was addicted by the last one.
So here I find myself admitting to what must be some kind of Man-Sin, and I can’t help but feel guilty about it.
What makes a guilty pleasure? My only conclusion is that guilty pleasures are those elements of taste in which an individual differs from the majority opinion of his peers.
I say that because in the right company, Star Trek is not a guilty pleasure at all. But if I hung out with Star Trek haters all the time, well then it would be a guilty pleasure.
This makes me think the whole notion is societal. I have a tendency to disregard society as a prime reason for doing anything (though I do make decisions based on societal pressures and norms every day, when I differ from society, I say – “So be it.”) So why should I feel guilty about it?
What are some of your guilty pleasures? Should anybody ever feel guilty about their pleasures, and why?
I suppose that’s my Community Question for the week.
Moving on to politics, I’m going to try and keep this short and simple.
Love the Horse-Blinders Look. It's totally in fashion.
First: Texas’ board of Education has no right to call itself an authority. Well, maybe a right by law, but not by sanity. Why? Because they recently Passed A Ridiculous Vote On Textbooks.
I’ll let you read the specifics of it at the site, but amongst their greater failings, they’ve cut Thomas Jefferson (yes. THAT Thomas Jefferson) from “a list of figures whose writings inspired revolutions in the late 18th century and 19th century,” mostly because he advocated the separation of Church and State.
I’m a BIG proponent of separation of church and state. I might define it a little differently than most people, but I believe in it. Jefferson should not be left out of this.
They also didn’t include any prominent Hispanics in the textbook (even though they are, you know, an INTRINSIC PART OF AMERICAN HISTORY.)
Really, the list of weird and wacky decisions by the board is kind of sickening. I’m glad I’ve held on to my history books. I’m going to need them so I can add in the bits the board left out for my own kids.
Cause I want them to have what used to be called an Education.
*Flips the Bird at the board*
A Victory For Liberty
And finally, after a lot of arguing, harassing and hilarious political comics, we finally have a passed Health Care Bill. Congress managed this despite all of the Vile and Shocking Racism of the Protesting Tea Parties, not to mention their Offensive Signs and Propaganda. All of which are just a few more reasons why I can’t stand the Tea Partiers. Some people think these sorts of things Undermine The Tea Party Movement. I sure hope so, but we need to be cautious. Let’s hope they don’t pull a Nazi and somehow end up in charge of the joint.
I don’t really have that much to say myself that can’t be said better by These Guys, and by the President, Barack Obama himself. I was going to say more, but John Scalzi Beat Me To The Punch With Pretty Much Exactly What I Was Going To Say.
I will add just this one thing, though. In many respects, I have doubts about this bill which have been instilled in me by my Republican upbringing. This bill is, for me, a political laboratory experiment. I’ve been setting sail for more liberal economic waters, and this is the first time I get to see how sea-worthy my new political vessel is. This is a grand experiment, and I hope this bill works.
Oh, and one last thing for a chuckle:
Man! I LOVE XKCD!
Adios, amigos!
– Edward L. Cheever II~
Into the Deep 