willowisp | Week 2 Update, Fall

Whether the weather was warm or the humidity was high (or a bit of both), this was a week of much sweating. The nights were nice, though -- cool enough for sleeping, but not so cold that blankets were needed. I'm beginning to get into routine; I no longer need to look up room numbers for classes.

I've discovered for my MWF classes that the time between my first class and my second is a little too long for lunch but a little too short to get anything done. Luckily the classroom for my second class is empty the period before mine starts, so I've taken to getting there early (I heard you all fainting) and whiling away the time by reading.

I'm still floundering somewhat in my TTh classes. I think part of the problem with the seminar is that I despise the poem we're working on ("Lycidas" by Milton). Even before I found out he barely knew the guy he was grieving I thought the poem seemed pompous and forced. Further reading has only reinforced the first impression. It seems like he's saying "Look at me, I'm using all this mythology and literary cleverness!" instead of, you know, actually caring about the guy who died.

As for my second TTh class, in a fit of shame (the professor was calling us chickens and saying "bawk bawk bawk") I offered to send in the first paragraph of my first essay for the class to look at. I was uncertain about the first bit I'd written about the poem, so I decided to abandon it and write an intro from scratch. The people assigned to mine (five others submitted their first paragraphs as well, although the professor couldn't open one of them) had a few nice things to say, but rightfully tore apart the thesis as being far too vague and the topic too abstract. After class I talked with the professor and showed her my original snippet, which she said I should run with.

I may have the broadest sense of a topic for my Asian theatre paper. I'm thinking of doing something with the Natya Shastra of Sanskrit Indian fame. I am fairly versed in Japanese theatre and passingly familiar with Chinese, but I know next to nothing about Indian. Doing a paper on historical Indian theatre would give me a chance to get to know it instead of concentrating on something I'm already conversant with.

In other news, I spoke with the adviser for my major and for general ed. We once again rehashed the old program and how my classes fit in. I didn't ask him about the sophomore seminar after all. I did, however, ask him about signing off on my theatre minor, which he did. The paperwork was submitted last Wednesday and the minor shows up on my registration page. My adviser recommended I apply for graduation as soon as the deadline for December graduation passes. That way he gets a senior checklist and we can be sure there are no unpleasant surprises lurking within.