Today I did something that I have not done in a really, really long time. Absolutely nothing. I have been watching movies since 5pm, after sleeping in really late, going shopping with my brother and MS, and sitting around. While at first I felt guilty for my massive lack of activity, somewhere during movie number 2 (which was "About a Boy" for anyone who might be curious) I realized that I never do nothing. And considering the fact that I will spend the next 5 days being productive in some respect this was probably a more or less healthy thing for me to do.
Granted, I don't want to make this sound like I am an insane workaholic. That's only part of the time - but my extracurriculars and social calender also get in the way of the nothingness that I achieved today. While those latter activities are of course very fun they can also be very physically and emotionally draining. I have spent the first half of my semester going non-stop between school and activities, averaging 6 to 7 hours of sleep a night and 1 hour naps during the day on rare occasions. And even before that, I was abroad and when I got home it was a whirlwind of getting caught up with dozens of people and getting ready to head back to school.
And so I learned - every once in a while you just have to do NOTHING and let your brain turn into mush.
With that happy thought I shall now hit the hay and get LOTS of sleep and wake up tomorrow ready to be productive again (hopefully).
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
I'm At Work and Have Nothing To Do...
... Well that's not completely true. I should probably start reading "The Moonstone" by Wilkie Collins for my 19th Century British Novel Course, but that's not due until after Spring Break. The procrastinating college student in me smiles with glee while the I-must-get-everything-done-ahead-of-time personality that I have lived with my whole life is shuddering. But obviously not that much since I am here writing a blog to my 2 newly acquired followers (thanks guys for making me feel loved and like I am no longer talking to an empty void!).
Speaking of school - as some of you may know I am currently enrolled in American Literature to fulfill one of my major requirements and we recently finished reading excerpts from Harriet Jacobs' "Incident from the Life of a Slave Girl" (the title explains it all). At one point near the end of her book where a friend of Harriot's purchases her freedom she makes a comment about the receipt of sale and how "It may hereafter prove a useful document to antiquaries...future generations will learn from it that women were articles of traffic in New York, late in the nineteenth century of the Christian religion." What an interesting thing that she realized - a document about her would be and is now a historical artifact. It got me thinking about the future of my possessions - do I have anything "21st century" enough that it will be held onto by SOMEONE somewhere and changed into a historic artifact? My jewelry? My clothes? My homework assignments? My Coach heals of which I am so proud and keep in immaculate condition? Lord knows I have enough journals, scrapbooks, and various memorabilia to inform a whole historic society about the workings and events of my life (sad or impressive - you decide).
But then, who doesn't have this excess of memorabilia anymore? I mean just look at us - look at Facebook. Our entire LIVES are recorded for the world to see - I'm proving that very fact at this exact minute by informing you of my latest musings and how I don't feel like doing my reading assignments! If archaeologists of the future can just keep a contemporary Internet system afloat there will be TONS of information for them to research and utilize when 2011 becomes a time long past. In fact, archaeologists might soon be out of a job (and by soon I mean in like terms of the universe - rather than in terms of our lives) considering how exceedingly easy it will be to find information regarding a 21st century society and its various happenings.
Super weird to think about, right? I just hope that when some of my personal effects end up in a museum of 21st century America, the tour guides are able to pronounce my last name correctly since I won't be there to correct them.
Speaking of school - as some of you may know I am currently enrolled in American Literature to fulfill one of my major requirements and we recently finished reading excerpts from Harriet Jacobs' "Incident from the Life of a Slave Girl" (the title explains it all). At one point near the end of her book where a friend of Harriot's purchases her freedom she makes a comment about the receipt of sale and how "It may hereafter prove a useful document to antiquaries...future generations will learn from it that women were articles of traffic in New York, late in the nineteenth century of the Christian religion." What an interesting thing that she realized - a document about her would be and is now a historical artifact. It got me thinking about the future of my possessions - do I have anything "21st century" enough that it will be held onto by SOMEONE somewhere and changed into a historic artifact? My jewelry? My clothes? My homework assignments? My Coach heals of which I am so proud and keep in immaculate condition? Lord knows I have enough journals, scrapbooks, and various memorabilia to inform a whole historic society about the workings and events of my life (sad or impressive - you decide).
But then, who doesn't have this excess of memorabilia anymore? I mean just look at us - look at Facebook. Our entire LIVES are recorded for the world to see - I'm proving that very fact at this exact minute by informing you of my latest musings and how I don't feel like doing my reading assignments! If archaeologists of the future can just keep a contemporary Internet system afloat there will be TONS of information for them to research and utilize when 2011 becomes a time long past. In fact, archaeologists might soon be out of a job (and by soon I mean in like terms of the universe - rather than in terms of our lives) considering how exceedingly easy it will be to find information regarding a 21st century society and its various happenings.
Super weird to think about, right? I just hope that when some of my personal effects end up in a museum of 21st century America, the tour guides are able to pronounce my last name correctly since I won't be there to correct them.
Excited for Nothing
Oh my lovely invisible readers who follow me from the realm of my imagination,
I cannot tell you how excited I am to go home for Spring Break and have absolutely NO plans and do NOTHING but sleep and catch up on work and drink wine with my parents. I keep hearing all these exciting things about people going to Vegas, Cancun, Miami, etc, but for once I am actually really not at all that jealous. I mean, sure all those things would be great fun! But they would also wear me out and would cost money (the false idol I must currently worship so that I can build up my checking account to a decent place once more).
MS is coming to stay for the first weekend back home, but like I said - we have no set plans. Except maybe go shopping. Yeah. I think there will definetly be some shopping.
But until then I unfortunately have a paper that needs editing, some articles that need reading, views of 19th century women that need researching and a party that needs attending (ok that last one isn't going to be difficult but hey, its something I gotta do before I leave LA for 10 lovely days). But on the bright side, I have gotten a lot of stuff done, including an American Lit final, the draft of said paper, AND various other reading assignments. Go me. I am my own cheerleading team.
I cannot tell you how excited I am to go home for Spring Break and have absolutely NO plans and do NOTHING but sleep and catch up on work and drink wine with my parents. I keep hearing all these exciting things about people going to Vegas, Cancun, Miami, etc, but for once I am actually really not at all that jealous. I mean, sure all those things would be great fun! But they would also wear me out and would cost money (the false idol I must currently worship so that I can build up my checking account to a decent place once more).
MS is coming to stay for the first weekend back home, but like I said - we have no set plans. Except maybe go shopping. Yeah. I think there will definetly be some shopping.
But until then I unfortunately have a paper that needs editing, some articles that need reading, views of 19th century women that need researching and a party that needs attending (ok that last one isn't going to be difficult but hey, its something I gotta do before I leave LA for 10 lovely days). But on the bright side, I have gotten a lot of stuff done, including an American Lit final, the draft of said paper, AND various other reading assignments. Go me. I am my own cheerleading team.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
The Unfairness that is Life
Ok, still invisible alter-world audience who does not actually exist, I know life is not fair. I have been consistently reminded of this fact since before I can remember. In fact one of my dad's favorite phrases is "Life's hard and then you die" meaning of course that life's a bitch - get over it now. We all know, we all hate it, but we deal with it.
But let's be real pretend-audience, we all WANT life to be fair and when it's not, we get annoyed. Especially when its the type of unfairness that is somewhat within the control of those around us - ie when unfairness is caused by our friends, teachers, parent, other relatives, etc. And here comes the bit where I complain of the unfairness in my life this past week:
Case of unfairness #1: The Case of JJ (see last blog for various discussion/description of this individual)
I asked him to Crush Party last Saturday - almost exactly one week before the day. Considering that no one had asked him yet I assumed that my other sorority sister did not in fact like him, as I had originally conjectured. When he said yes I was happy. Cut to approximately noon of the next day and I get a phone call from JJ asking me if he can back out of going to Crush Party with me because Other-sorority-sister-who-apparently-actually-does-like-him asked him mere hours after myself. He tried to be gentlemanly but it was obvious the love-struck puppy was just dying to go with this other girl. As a gracious person I assured him that I understood and let him go. While part of me understands his feelings, another part of me (the part that has been bombarded with lessons in etiquette since the young age of 11) feels slighted and angry at this, lets face it, less than polite behaviour. But to be real - if I knew he was pining for some OTHER girl the whole night and if he spent his time with her rather than me I would have been miserable. But its still unfair. Sigh. (However, there is a good side to this - I asked SZ from 19th century novel to go with me and he said yes - huzzah!)
Case of unfairness #2: The Dr. Y (female version - not the Dr. Y who teaches playwrighting and whom I'm just a little bit in love with) and Criterion.
This is my third year, and due to my impending early graduation, final year on the Criterion staff. I love this magazine - I did everything that I could as a lowly reviewer the past to years to assert and prove myself. I have always done everything required of me and have been on the staff the longest (even longer than the current senior editor!!!!!) with the exception of RD. But of the two people who have been on the staff the longest, who doesn't get promoted to Associate Editor (the level between Reviewer and Senior Editor). If you couldn't by the title - that would be me. I have petitioned multiple times to be promoted, stating all me reasons AND I have taken on extra responsibilities this year and have done just as much, if not more work, that some of the other Associate Editors and certainly FAR MORE work than my current "fellow" reviewers. Example - I spent an hour sending individual rejection e-mails to the students whose work was not chosen for publication when I could have been working on my latest play. But apparently NONE of that matters to Dr. Y. And so my work goes ungratified with the simple title it deserves. AND I am taking a class from Dr. Y so I have to like her.
And that invisi-audience is my life is unfair.
On the plus side I have decided what to name the penguin behind the Rain's Front Desk - I call him Rufus!
But let's be real pretend-audience, we all WANT life to be fair and when it's not, we get annoyed. Especially when its the type of unfairness that is somewhat within the control of those around us - ie when unfairness is caused by our friends, teachers, parent, other relatives, etc. And here comes the bit where I complain of the unfairness in my life this past week:
Case of unfairness #1: The Case of JJ (see last blog for various discussion/description of this individual)
I asked him to Crush Party last Saturday - almost exactly one week before the day. Considering that no one had asked him yet I assumed that my other sorority sister did not in fact like him, as I had originally conjectured. When he said yes I was happy. Cut to approximately noon of the next day and I get a phone call from JJ asking me if he can back out of going to Crush Party with me because Other-sorority-sister-who-apparently-actually-does-like-him asked him mere hours after myself. He tried to be gentlemanly but it was obvious the love-struck puppy was just dying to go with this other girl. As a gracious person I assured him that I understood and let him go. While part of me understands his feelings, another part of me (the part that has been bombarded with lessons in etiquette since the young age of 11) feels slighted and angry at this, lets face it, less than polite behaviour. But to be real - if I knew he was pining for some OTHER girl the whole night and if he spent his time with her rather than me I would have been miserable. But its still unfair. Sigh. (However, there is a good side to this - I asked SZ from 19th century novel to go with me and he said yes - huzzah!)
Case of unfairness #2: The Dr. Y (female version - not the Dr. Y who teaches playwrighting and whom I'm just a little bit in love with) and Criterion.
This is my third year, and due to my impending early graduation, final year on the Criterion staff. I love this magazine - I did everything that I could as a lowly reviewer the past to years to assert and prove myself. I have always done everything required of me and have been on the staff the longest (even longer than the current senior editor!!!!!) with the exception of RD. But of the two people who have been on the staff the longest, who doesn't get promoted to Associate Editor (the level between Reviewer and Senior Editor). If you couldn't by the title - that would be me. I have petitioned multiple times to be promoted, stating all me reasons AND I have taken on extra responsibilities this year and have done just as much, if not more work, that some of the other Associate Editors and certainly FAR MORE work than my current "fellow" reviewers. Example - I spent an hour sending individual rejection e-mails to the students whose work was not chosen for publication when I could have been working on my latest play. But apparently NONE of that matters to Dr. Y. And so my work goes ungratified with the simple title it deserves. AND I am taking a class from Dr. Y so I have to like her.
And that invisi-audience is my life is unfair.
On the plus side I have decided what to name the penguin behind the Rain's Front Desk - I call him Rufus!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
The Girl Who is Up Even After the Partiers Have Come Home
Yes my yet to be existent readers - that girl is me. Because I recently got a job as a front desk manager at one of the residence halls here at my lovely university. Why, you ask, would anyone take such a boring job where one sits around for hours on end with little or no responsibility until about 4 in the morning on a FRIDAY night? Because someone (ie me) just got back from Study Abroad London and therefore has very low funds and sitting around to make sure random strangers don't waltz into the building pays very well. And lets be honest - I've been sitting behind this desk for about 3 hours and so far I have played Uno, gotten homework done, had multiple entertaining conversations and now get to update this lovely blog for my faithful, infinite, and invisible audience. So for $10 an hour its not too bad. And its not like this missing out on Friday and Saturday nights will become a habit. There are plenty of people to trade shifts with AND we get to set up our own schedules (kinda). So its a good use of my overabundant work study $$$ as far as I am concerned.
And an additional bonus - the people watching is delightful. I silently (or when I have someone to talk to - thanks for the visits RD and MS!) judge just about every person who walks through the door. Whether on thier slovenly drunkness, lack of manners, slutty outfit, or mating-like behavior, I make a comment on it to someone. Even if that someone is myself. So if you're not a friend of mine, beware walking into this building. You are ALL fair game.
One odd thing though. There is a 4 foot tall stuffed penguin that lives behind the desk with me. Which is... odd. Why would you put a large stuffed penguin back here? Why does the building even own a stuffed penguin to begin with? I'm pretty sure I saw it blink out of the coroner of my eye at one point, but that could just be sleep deprivation. And despite the fact that it could be a living stuffed animal, I have developed quite a fondness for this penguin in the 3 short hours that I have been here (1 more to go!). I'm not sure what to name him yet (because let's face it - I have a compulsive need to name everything, including my sword and surfboard - who are Roderigo and Baby respectively, for anyone who is curious). But I am sure it will come to me with time. I will, after all, be here for a few more months. And possibly for part of next year.
But to move onto to other more interesting topics since I have time to kill and no one actually reads this yet so I do not have a fear of making these posts too long.
BOYS! If you know me at all, this topic should not at all be surprising. So I have decided to invite JJ to Crush Party next Friday, but I am affeared that he might like this other girl in my sorority :/ Awkward? Maybe. Especially since I know for a fact he had a crush on me LAST spring and I kinda sorta not really turned him down. Let's be real though - EV had JUST dumped me and I REALLY liked him so I was a little bit broken for a while - especially since he almost immediatly started dating one of my Delta Zeta sisters. Additinally I was going abroad anyway and JJ was a freshman then. (Yeah I kinda can't believe I just said that either, but hey it mattered last year - silly? Totally). We went on one "date" at the Lair (does that even count?) and we had a really great conversation and I enjoyed my time, but I also hinted that I wasn't interested. It took him a while to get it, but eventually he stopped texting and calling me. Of course NOW I have a crush back on him. Ugh. Dear God, are you trying to teach me some kind of lesson?
MS was at a party tonight, which JJ was also attending and she apparently told him to keep Crush Party night open. Apparently he hasn't been asked yet, so maybe that other Delta Zeta doesn't like him... I guess I have a chance. And we have seen each other a few times this semester and he seemed as friendly as ever so I guess we'll just see where this goes.
Also having to do with guys, I had a dream about AE from London last night. In which we were in love and I hadn't left the country yet and he went on about how much he loved me but we weren't going to work out but he just wanted me to know so that in case I ever came back to London we would have a complete understanding of each other even if we were no longer in love and had moved on. Unfortunately (or actually more like, fortunately) that didn't actually happen when I was in London. But DAMN that dream, because it made me go back and look through my London pics (again) today and there was much sighing and bemoaning of "love lost." Yes, color me melodramatic. It happens. But part of me wonders if I really do miss him (and SR from London for that matter) or if the fact that I have been dreaming about London people for the past three nights is just making me super nostalgic. Probably the latter. Either way I resolved today to get rid of the picture with me, RD, AC, and the London boys as my computer background. It just brings back lots of memories that probably don't need reminescing right now.
On the bright side! I was deathly ill (I say with some hyperbole) on Tuesday and was not feeling 100% the rest of the week - until today! Thank GOD for HC, who basically played my nurse this week. I cannot remember the last time I was that sick. Shoddy british flu jab.... One never quite appreciates health so much as when they are feeling like shit.
But I guess that's everything interesting that's happened this week. Wish me luck in my ventures with boys. Because with my history I actually feel like I need it.
Cheers.
And an additional bonus - the people watching is delightful. I silently (or when I have someone to talk to - thanks for the visits RD and MS!) judge just about every person who walks through the door. Whether on thier slovenly drunkness, lack of manners, slutty outfit, or mating-like behavior, I make a comment on it to someone. Even if that someone is myself. So if you're not a friend of mine, beware walking into this building. You are ALL fair game.
One odd thing though. There is a 4 foot tall stuffed penguin that lives behind the desk with me. Which is... odd. Why would you put a large stuffed penguin back here? Why does the building even own a stuffed penguin to begin with? I'm pretty sure I saw it blink out of the coroner of my eye at one point, but that could just be sleep deprivation. And despite the fact that it could be a living stuffed animal, I have developed quite a fondness for this penguin in the 3 short hours that I have been here (1 more to go!). I'm not sure what to name him yet (because let's face it - I have a compulsive need to name everything, including my sword and surfboard - who are Roderigo and Baby respectively, for anyone who is curious). But I am sure it will come to me with time. I will, after all, be here for a few more months. And possibly for part of next year.
But to move onto to other more interesting topics since I have time to kill and no one actually reads this yet so I do not have a fear of making these posts too long.
BOYS! If you know me at all, this topic should not at all be surprising. So I have decided to invite JJ to Crush Party next Friday, but I am affeared that he might like this other girl in my sorority :/ Awkward? Maybe. Especially since I know for a fact he had a crush on me LAST spring and I kinda sorta not really turned him down. Let's be real though - EV had JUST dumped me and I REALLY liked him so I was a little bit broken for a while - especially since he almost immediatly started dating one of my Delta Zeta sisters. Additinally I was going abroad anyway and JJ was a freshman then. (Yeah I kinda can't believe I just said that either, but hey it mattered last year - silly? Totally). We went on one "date" at the Lair (does that even count?) and we had a really great conversation and I enjoyed my time, but I also hinted that I wasn't interested. It took him a while to get it, but eventually he stopped texting and calling me. Of course NOW I have a crush back on him. Ugh. Dear God, are you trying to teach me some kind of lesson?
MS was at a party tonight, which JJ was also attending and she apparently told him to keep Crush Party night open. Apparently he hasn't been asked yet, so maybe that other Delta Zeta doesn't like him... I guess I have a chance. And we have seen each other a few times this semester and he seemed as friendly as ever so I guess we'll just see where this goes.
Also having to do with guys, I had a dream about AE from London last night. In which we were in love and I hadn't left the country yet and he went on about how much he loved me but we weren't going to work out but he just wanted me to know so that in case I ever came back to London we would have a complete understanding of each other even if we were no longer in love and had moved on. Unfortunately (or actually more like, fortunately) that didn't actually happen when I was in London. But DAMN that dream, because it made me go back and look through my London pics (again) today and there was much sighing and bemoaning of "love lost." Yes, color me melodramatic. It happens. But part of me wonders if I really do miss him (and SR from London for that matter) or if the fact that I have been dreaming about London people for the past three nights is just making me super nostalgic. Probably the latter. Either way I resolved today to get rid of the picture with me, RD, AC, and the London boys as my computer background. It just brings back lots of memories that probably don't need reminescing right now.
On the bright side! I was deathly ill (I say with some hyperbole) on Tuesday and was not feeling 100% the rest of the week - until today! Thank GOD for HC, who basically played my nurse this week. I cannot remember the last time I was that sick. Shoddy british flu jab.... One never quite appreciates health so much as when they are feeling like shit.
But I guess that's everything interesting that's happened this week. Wish me luck in my ventures with boys. Because with my history I actually feel like I need it.
Cheers.
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