Starshine

...
End of year stuff hath eaten my brain. Been busy with stuff for finals, moving out, or trying to keep my sanity by not thinking about either. @_@ The argument in my head is something like this:

Neurotic side: muststudymustpackARRRRRRRRRGHweonlyhaveafewmoredaysGETMOVINGWILLYOU??!!

Other side: Noo~! I want to read and relax and not think about all that for it is scary!

Me: *collapses*

So...yeah. Please to be moving along and ignoring the strange, stressed-out lady.

Tuesday, June 11, 2002,11:52 a.m.

Is this a hoot or what?
This message was attached to an official-looking form I got from the registrar's office:

TO: Rising Seniors
FROM: *name of sender*
RE: Diploma Information
Completion of this form will show your intent to graduate with the class of 2003. Please fill out this form and return it to the Registrar's Office by June 13, 2002
Thank you!

Ummmmm...Correct me if I'm wrong, but last time I checked I'm a sophomore. At least, according to the number of classes I've taken at this school. I guess AP stuff gets counted, even if the school won't let me out of taking classes because of them. If I actually could I would graduate early. I'd actually be out of college at 22 then, and save on tuition.

Ah well. I still find this highly amusing.

Thursday, June 6, 2002,05:27 p.m.

It's raining, it's pouring...
Well, maybe not now, but it has been cloudy and rainy since Monday. Ah well. All the better to not feel bad about having to do papers instead of running around outside.

I will be so glad to go home. Just one week from tomorrow, I'll be leaving this place for nine months. ^____^ Very happy.

On a happy note, as if I didn't think my Women and Goddesses prof. wasn't a cool lady already, my opinion of her went up many points today. How many profs. can you go to see with the intention of discussing a paper, and end up also talking about cars, driving, cartoons, folklore, and swing sets? Eventually we got things sorted out and I have a much better idea on how to make my paper much better. It means erasing the eight pages I already have and starting over with a new thesis, but that's okay. I can deal with it.

Oh, thought you two might want to know: The X TV series is going to be brought over here and translated. Crispin Freeman, the dude who played Touga in the dubbed version of Utena, is going to be playing Fuuma.

Wednesday, June 5, 2002,06:48 p.m.

Love me
With the exception of a mid afternoon break and dinner break that were were about an hour combined, I have been sitting in a computer lab, looking up episode summaries and taking notes so that if I need to refer to a specific episode, I've got the information right there. My right wrist hates me and my poor mind is screaming bloody murder from overload.

I'd better get a good grade on this paper, damnit.

Sunday, June 2, 2002,08:55 p.m.

Battle of wits

Can we guess what Kei-chan is reading tonight? ^_^ Borrowed the book from the library mostly so I could copy down this poem in a notebook somewhere, but I think I'll actually give it a read. It's been a while since I read any Lewis Carroll, and I've got both Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass right here. Tempting, it is. I think I'll read it and then read the Japanese folktales for Women and Goddesses. That should make my dreams interesting, if not break my mind.

I so need a hermitting night.

Friday, May 31, 2002,08:49 p.m.

Why does this need a title anyway?
It feels strange to have a Thursday go by without worrying about orientation. That said, I did enjoy the chance to get things done without an interruption in the middle of the day. Took tapes back to Video Hits Plus (quite a hike) and saw goslings at the little pond that's on the way. They were so cute! ^_^ No feathers yet, just down, so they looked like fluffballs with a head and two legs attached. Thankfully I knew better than to get too close with their probably very protective parents nearby.^^;

Had to do my oral presentation today in Mind/Body. I guess it went okay, I ended up not having much time after the video we were watching ended. Still, I got to yak about Hospice and what a great thing it is, which was good. Quite the emotional class period, since we're talking about death and dying now. Wonder what we're going to do next week...

The Tempest last night was great. It never was one of my favorites, but I like it well enough. The actors did a good job, at least none of them stand out as having done badly. My only complaint was with the amount of effects. They were all terrific, but a bit overdone in some areas. There's a point at which I'm reasonally convinced there's a storm going on, then the point at which I get annoyed because the "thunder" makes me jump once too many times and distracts me from what's going on onstage.

Thursday, May 30, 2002,10:15 p.m.

Confuzzled
Weather, dear, please make up your mind. You made the first week of the quarter cold, the week or so after that unbearably hot and have been waffling around ever since. Is it too much to ask for some consistency even here in Michigan? 'Ttaku. Oh well. I'll be back in KY two weeks from ThorsDay. ^_^

Tomorrow I go see The Tempest with various other Theatre Arts Department folks. We head out for Chicago after classes are through for the day. Should be really fun, I just hope everything goes smoothly. Wouldn't want anybody to get left behind.

Tuesday, May 28, 2002,11:57 a.m.

It's so quiet...
Most of the students up here have gone home for the long weekend, so there's not much going on up here at the moment. The roommate's friend has left for home after what appears to have been a very fun visit for the two of them. I wouldn't know, I've been running around with Lauren and Jamie renting videos and watching them. Through odd cirucmstances I was the only one who had the necessary ID to get memberships at the video places. Meaning if I hadn't been there no videos would have been rented. Scary.

Anyhoo, Friday we watched the second Care Bears movie and The Last Unicorn. The major lesson learned? Red eyes=bad. Yes. We wanted to rent more silly cartoons on Saturday, but couldn't find any, so we rented The Phantom Tollbooth, The Wiz, and My Fair Lady. Lauren and I got into our usual debate over how much to read into movies/T.V. shows. I'm of the "it's just a movie/whatever" camp, while she likes to harp on how they portray gender roles and whether or not certain things are "appropriate". Now, I'm all for analyzing the media and what it says about our culture, but I'm definitely not on the side of constantly monitoring everything to make sure people don't get the wrong idea.

Blargh. That's a rant for another day. Hope everyone is having a good long weekend.

Sunday, May 26, 2002,12:52 p.m.

Mmmmm...Mac lab
I'm starting to like Macs much better than PCs. ^_^ I'll probably get one the next time I buy a 'puter...in about 5 years. >_> Or at least as soon as Win 98 just doesn't cut it anymore.

I had my last, and probably least nerve-wracking, Study Abroad orientation today. We just went over all the wonderful hints they had for living in a different country and culture. Stuff I've heard before, but a reminder is always useful.

Much as I roll my eyes about having to go to orientation meetings, they weren't that bad. Just boring and with very little information we couldn't gain from using our common sense. At least they kind of made me think about the fact that I will indeed be leaving the country for a long period of time in just about three months.

Now I must hie myself to the cafeteria and feed myself before writing a paper for Harlem Renaissance and cleaning mine room.

Thursday, May 23, 2002,05:01 p.m.

Do-wah-ditty-ditty...
Dum-ditty-do...I hate it when that song gets stuck in my head. >_< Oh well. It'll get out of there eventually.

Feeling better than I was on Saturday. Jabbering about old cartoons with Lauren and Jamie at dinner and making plans to watch stuff with them this weekend helped a lot. Time to pull a raid on the kid's section of the video rental place. >:) One of the roomie's friends is visiting this weekend, too, so that should be interesting. And we have to clean up the room. Poop.

The end of the quarter means I have to do a paper for my class on women's roles in Asian religion. I have permission from the prof. to do a paper on anime women and how they're viewed in Japan and America. So the questions I have for those few people that read this are: what do you think of all those animated girls? Who do you like, who do you not like, and why? You can email me (nighthawk_20@hotmail.com) with your response or write it in your blog if you have one. I would most appreciate it.

Yes, I know who you are talking about. If he brings his hormonal man-parts near you, smack him. It's been a while since we've called him "he whose fingers stick to the keyboard"...*laughs*

Tuesday, May 21, 2002,04:37 p.m.

Happy Saturday
Or at least I hope it is for most people. Mweh, I haven't written for a lo~ng time. Bad Katie! Well, I guess I have the excuse of having had a stomach bug-like thing until Thurday afternoon. Then I spent 24 hours only drinking liquids. I think that scared my stomach into behaving again.

Not much going on up here anyhoo. Day of Gracious Living was on Wednesday, and we had great weather for it. ^_^ My friends actually didn't do homework for once. Now, if they would have tried to plan fun things instead of just doing whatever, I would have been most happy. Unorganized events have a tendency to leave me out. I think I mind it more here because back home I know that even if I have to hear about people hanging out together without me, I'll eventually get to visit with them at some point. I'm not as sure of that up here. :/ I'm sick and tired of always being the one to go find them. It takes up too much of my time and energy.

Blargh. Things haven't been all bad. Crystal Ball was last night, so people had fun cross-dressing (if they wanted) and partying. The theme was Pajama Party. :) Let's hear it for the "token campus homo group" (as we've joked about renaming it) putting on one helluva good event.

Saturday, May 18, 2002,10:22 p.m.

Six weeks down, five to go
As we head into the seventh week of our quarter. Tension is high as everyone starts speculating about when the Day of Gracious Living will be. See, at this school which stresses it's students so much, there is a tradition that one day of Spring quarter classes is canceled. The Student Commision president chooses what day will this will be, and nobody knows exactly when it is; the only rule is that it has to happen after midterms and not on Tuesday or Thursday. So we're all starting to speculate on days. Right now the best possibliities seeme to be this Wednesday, next Monday, or next Wednesday. Why is it called the Day of Gracious Living? Because technically we're supposed to spend it reflecting on various serious subjects or doing some volunteer work, but most of us just do fun stuff or homework. Last year my roomie went to the beach at Lake Michigan while I hung out and did absolutely nothing productive, indcluding watching anime. My friends did homework for most of the day, then we got together in the evening to hang out.

Finished up Escaflowne this weekend. I really like that anime, despite the fact that things seemed a bit too rushed at the end. Certain things warrented further explanation IMHO. Liked Folken, Van, Dryden, and Dilandau. Thought Hitomi could have been better, but still think she's kinda cool. Ended up not liking Allen so much even if he is voiced by a seiyuu I like.

Monday, May 13, 2002,12:46 p.m.