Random Ramblings

The big news is that I registered for next semester's classes on Monday (last Monday, since this is a day late). They had every course I needed to take, including one I was hoping would be available. As a bonus, a professor I really like this semester is teaching it. There were also two courses which caught my eye: Science Fiction and a seminar on Tolkien. It turned out I couldn't take the former because one of my required courses is in the same time slot. I ended up signing up for five courses because I couldn't decide between two others (my two favorite professors were teaching them). If this semester kicks my <ahem> too badly I'll probably drop one.

I got back my Asian theatre exam on Monday or Wednesday; 171 out of 200. Not as high as I might want, but better than expected. I also got a care package from Tom and Emily, Andy's parents. There was a photo of his dad with his MGs, an adorable little bear, a letter, and candy. I'd planned on participating in the safe trick or treating hosted by the various dorms on campus, but ended up being unable to.

The big news for last week was my being sick. I don't think I had a fever and I had no aches, so I don't think it was the flu, h1n1 or otherwise. Aside from a bit of a sore throat on Monday and a runny nose, the only symptom I had was a hacking cough. It's probably just a cold, but the tenaciousness and the intensity of the cough has Andy worried, so I'll be going to the health center tomorrow to have it checked out.

For this coming week I have my second test in Gothic American lit, and papers for criticism on Tuesday and genre on Thursday. Hopefully all of the time I've lost being sick (I slept through Saturday) won't cause too much of a problem, though I am somewhat panicking over the crit paper; I've been so busy chasing down stuff for the third essay that I'm not as far along on the second as I should be. That being said, time to get back to writing.

Not much to report this week, other than getting back the essay I'd angsted so much over with a grade of C+ and a really thorough assessment from the professor. In the same class I handed in my proposal for the third essay of the year, which I hope to be doing on Jeanette Winterson's Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit. Unfortunately I jumped the gun and got a bunch of books about it via inter-library loan, but the paper isn't due until December, so I'll have to hope I can renew them.

I got back my topic proposal from Asian Theatre and it's a go. I have an annotated bibliography requiring seven works due Friday -- yipes. I hope inter-library loan works fast on these books. Friday is also the day Andy will arrive for friends and family weekend. I can't wait!

I went to a family reunion this weekend. It was nice to see people again, but it got a little overwhelming. We celebrated my great-aunt's 90th birthday -- she does not look that old by a long shot. Pamela baked four cakes (three midnight chocolate and one carrot) and two pies (apple and Dutch apple pumpkin). I have what's left of one of the cakes in my refrigerator; I'll do my best to eat it before it goes bad.

I turned in the essay which was giving me such angst on Tuesday. No grade yet. Likewise I took a test on Friday, so obviously no grade yet. Although we spent a whole class period in sophomore seminar discussing what to write about in the essay due next Thursday in that class, I still have no idea what to write about. So much for essay angst being over.

For fun this weekend I decided to try my first time in a LARP -- in Changeling, a game system I'd never played before. I played Vampire (tabletop, not LARP) my first time at Oswego, so somewhere between 17 and 20 years ago, which means I remember very little of the overall WoD theme, even before all of the revisions it's undergone since then. It was sort of neat; about half of the time was spent in chargen, and my character still isn't done. I'm waffling between finishing her and running her in the next session or starting over with what I've learned in the first session.

It's sort of neat seeing how the gaming club is now. When we founded it way back then it was not a Student Association (SA) approved/funded group. It was more of an informal place for gamers to meet and greet than anything. Now it's called Storyteller's Guild (STG) and is fully sanctioned by SA. Among other things this means the meetings are more formalized than they used to be. Another side effect is that we were allowed to use rooms in the student center (which didn't exist the last time I was here) for the game. We had three rooms; one was OOC, the other two were for the various scenes going on. We also took over the hallway and one of the little nooks.

I have a family reunion in two weeks, and Andy will be visiting the weekend after. I can't wait to see him again.

A bit late, but oh well.

Since I'm already a fair bit into week 4, some of what happened in week 3 is fading in my memory, or mingling with other weeks. The weather was sunny for the most part, yet nice and cool, sometimes even chilly, which I love. Some of the trees haven't begun changing but most have at least a few token non-green leaves. One or two are fully changed and about as many are already changed and losing leaves.

Classes are classes. Essays and tests are pouring on, and the first essay for literary criticism was extended last Tuesday so that the second draft was due then, and the final essay was due today. While I don't think I did very well, at least it's over. Since this is technically stuff about week 4 I'll stop now so I have something to write about, hopefully on Saturday or Sunday instead of sometime in the middle of week 5.

On Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays I have Asian Theatre and the 19th Century American Novel. The former should be pretty self-explanatory, while I squeed in a previous post about the novel course concentrating on Gothic literature, including Poe.

One of the requirements for the novel course was a presentation, and I decided to give the first one offered, on Poe's biography. I gave the presentation on Friday. I don't know the grade for it yet, but the professor smiled a few times when I hit on certain points and, in his followup, said "Like Cat said" several times, which I think bodes well. While I still have essays and such to write for the class, I'm glad to have gotten the presentation out of the way early. Not only does it lift the weight of having to give it off of my shoulders, but also I don't have to worry if another student sets the bar high.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays I have Sophomore Seminar on genres and Literary Criticism. Both of them seem intimidating at the moment, and I feel really out of place in the seminar since emphasis is on us getting to know one another as English majors in the same year. I'm wondering if I should ask for alternate courses to the sophomore and junior seminars (there is no senior seminar yet; I'm expecting it will be introduced next year) since they're specifically for groups which I don't fall into. I'll probably mention it when talking to my adviser on Wednesday to get my declaration of minor signed.

I had thought I had seen the last of the online course stuff when I finished the summer course, but it turns out that the university is encouraging professors to make use of it, and at least one of mine, the Sophomore Seminar one, has embraced it big time. I'm currently procrastinating making my first post on a discussion in the online system. I have a hard deadline of 11:59 on the 7th, so it'll be done soon enough.

At least two of my courses involve papers in which the professor will be checking up by requiring bibliography and drafts handed in before the paper itself. Tomorrow I'm going to avail myself of the day off to chart when those things are due and see what overlap, if any, there are with the major projects and with lesser essays and such for the other courses.

The day started with a fire alarm -- I guess they want to get them out of the way pronto. I just hope there isn't one tomorrow.

I had two classes today. The first is theatre of China, India, and Japan. I think the professor originally wanted to be an English teacher. The second is the 19th century American novel, and will be focusing on Gothic, especially Poe. Squee!

My interview with the head of the theatre department went well. He determined that so long as I pass the Asian theatre course, I already have the minor. I'll be getting a waiver for the practical experience course, but I had so many leftover theatre courses that I'll make up the one credit hour easily. Now I just need to get the adviser from my major to sign off on it.

I ran into my former choir professor while in the music/theatre building. She recognized me, and told me she's no longer directing choir; she's a dean now.

Tomorrow I have my other two courses, plus a theatre major/minor meeting in the evening. I'm seriously considering auditioning for the first play of the year. He also needs a stage manager, but I'm not sure I could pull that off. Maybe if I don't get a part (or even if I do and it's a fairly limited one) I'll help backstage somehow.