A Bookish Update and Summer Reading

Hello, all!

So, I'm not sure how many of you actually read my blog anymore (and that's okay--I haven't been the best about posting anyway...) but in case you are still reading, I wanted to talk a bit about books and my summer reading plans.  Every year since I started this blog, I've had some form of summer reading plan set up.  But, this year, I'm pretty stumped.  Usually, I can think of something clever and creative to read about, but right now, I have nothing.  Zip.  Nada.  Zilch.  So, I'm in a bit of a rut while I try to figure out what to read next.

So, if there is anyone still reading, I would really appreciate some suggestions for new books to read.  I mean, not so much new books as a new book topic.  Those of you who are my friends on Goodreads know just how many books I have on my to-read list!  So, how can I parcel these titles out?  Part of me is thinking that my summer reading theme should just be to read as much as I can off my Goodreads account, or from this little notebook I keep that has even more suggestions.  But, I'm not entirely sure yet.

As for the rest of this post, I wanted to say that I'll be making a real effort to start posting book reviews on here again.  I know most of my reviews have been on Goodreads, and that not all of you (if there are any of you) follow me on Goodreads.  So, I'll be trying to post them here instead, so that you can keep up with the good, the bad, and the ugly of the books I've been reading.

Summer is almost here.  I'm just struggling through one last class.  The sad part is that the class isn't even that hard.  I just have one paper left, and that's not even that hard.  But, I've been working on this freakishly easy paper for over two weeks now, and I just can't write anything.  My writer's block has been terrible.  I almost want to cry.  The saddest thing is that I've had ideas spouting out of my ears for every other writing assignment you could think of.  I've been jotting down ideas for a novel I've been wanting to write, and even if I do say so myself, these ideas are pretty good!  But, when it comes to writing for this stupid paper, I just sort of gape at it blankly, like a caveman who has just discovered television and can't figure out what to do about it.  So, I'll be muddling through that over the next few days.  It's due on Wednesday at noon, so I want to be done by tomorrow night.  Wish me luck.  Hope to write again soon.

Final Finals

This week is my last official finals week as an undergrad.  And I'll be honest, I'm not sure if it just hasn't hit me yet, or perhaps I'm finally starting to become comfortable with the fact I'm graduating, but honestly, it doesn't look like things are going to be too bad.

 

I completed my Detective Fiction final this afternoon, after a coffee date with a friend.  I have a paper due on Wednesday and a collection of creative writing due on Friday.  Other than that, I have another coffee date tomorrow, dinner with a couple of my professors on Wednesday, and I'm helping out a friend with her acting final on Thursday.  Time has finally slowed down just enough, and I'm preparing for summer.  This is really the first time since the semester started that I'm actually looking forward to school being over, for real.  I mean, I wish it would last forever, but at the same time, I need a bit of a break.

 

What will my summer consist of?  Books, mostly.  I'll be working at the local library, and participating in two book discussion groups (on top of my own personal reading schedule).  I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to start with, but I know for sure that Sarah and I were planning on reading Moby Dick together.  I was supposed to read it for class last semester, so I'm looking forward to reading it for real this time around.

 

Going off book recommendations, I've started a few new series that I'm really looking forward to completing.  The first is The Dresden Files.  This is a series about a detective wizard named Harry Dresden, who solves supernatural crimes (like rogue wizards, vampires, werewolves, hell-spawn; you get the idea).  Anyways, I'm on book two, Fool Moon (book one was Storm Front).  As you can probably guess from the title, this is a werewolf book.  Personally, I preferred the first one, but I heard that the series gets better and better, so I'm looking forward to reading onward.

 

Also, I've been reading the Space Odyssey books.  (You know, like 2001: A Space Odyssey, etc.)  And those have been really interesting.  I just finished book two last week (2010: Odyssey Two).  I've been told that the other books aren't really worth reading (I'm guessing like the last two books of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series), but even so, I'd like to read them just to say I did.

 

After I finish Fool Moon, I'm going to attempt to wrestle Cloud Atlas into literary submission....before finals are over.  Or whenever the library closes.  We have a week of senior activities coming up.  I hope that they don't mind if I keep the book during that time....

 

In other news, I've been drinking WAY too much coffee, so I'm super-hyper and my metabolism is racing.  That means I'm jittery and hungry.  And I'm at work.  Not a good combination, people!

Finals

Three finals down and one to go.  And it really bothers me that I'm just blazing through these things.  Each time, I'm the first to finish; something that NEVER happens to me!  It's nice to be done, but at the same time, it's worrisome; I keep thinking my test was missing a page.

The first English final was easy; done in 20 minutes.  The next took me an hour, but I was still the first to finish.  This last one took me 35 minutes.  That's the one that I'm worried about.  It's for my political science course (which is not my strongest subject, by far!) and I was unprepared to answer the questions.  I studied, yes, but I was also helping my wonderful roommate Italia prepare to move out.  The format for the test involved a list of seven questions to prepare for, and on the day of the test, the professor chooses two.  Of the seven, there were three I wished to avoid at all costs.  She chose two of them.

Just preparing to finish up a few things; there's a guy I sorta like sitting at the computer just a little ways away from me.  He's in one of my English classes.  He's a real nice guy; writes movie review articles for the school newspaper after Movie Boy stopped doing them.  He's one of those people I almost wished I would have gotten to know better; he seems like a real quality person.  Ah well.  Nothing to be done at this point, since he's graduating.  Nothing to be done except wish him well.

Finals Week

It's nearly three in the morning.  I've gone past the slap-happy stage to the dead-exhaustion stage.  I need sleep.  I'm going to fail my Earth Science final tomorrow....or is it technically TODAY?

I don't care.  I'm going to bed.

Finals Week....

Finals week is almost at an end....FINALLY. I'm very lonely here, though, since most of my friends went home, and those who are here are busy studying for finals. I'd call one of those who went home (I actually have a certain professor in mind), but I don't want to come across as that lame, clingy person who calls as soon as you leave because she misses you. It's just that I'm lonely and want someone to talk to...is that so bad? :(

Luckily, before she left, the wonderful Roomie gave me cookies made of sugar, butter, and pure joy, which have been a life-saver :P

Finals Week

Sorry I haven't been very dedicated to posting lately. I've just been very busy with stuff, and now, I'm in the beginning of finals week. I don't have any classes today, which is nice, but even so, I'm a bit overwhelmed with stuff. It's snowing like the Dickens outside, and I don't want to leave my nice, warm dorm room, even to go get food.

I have two finals tomorrow, and the one is seriously going to kill me. Its about the Roman Empire, and I have to memorize so many dates and random facts about emperors and architecture! Here is just my emperor list:

Augustus (27BC-14AD), Tiberius (14-37), Gaius "Caligula" (37-41), Claudius (41-54), Nero (54-68), Vespasian (69-79), Titus (79-81), Domitian (81-96), Nerva (96-98), Trajan (98-117), Hadrian (117-138), Antininus Pius (138-161), Lucius Versus (161-169), Marcus Aurelius (161-180), Commodus (176-192), Diocletian (284-305), and Constantine (306-324).

I hope I'll have more fun things to post as the week goes on, and especially over the break. Right now, I'm just trying to keep my head above water. I don't want to mess up this final. Wish me luck, o faithful readers! ;)

Oh, and I got the most awesome inside joke for Christmas this year! Thanks, Roomie! :D

One Down...Three to Go...

Yes, that's right...I have finished my first final! I am now completely done with Arthurian Literature!!! :D I can't even begin to think about what that means...one of my hardest classes is now over, and my second hardest final is also out of the way. I have three more finals to go, but I'm feeling much better about everything.

Also, I got back my Arthurian Literature essay...the one about Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. I GOT AN A- ~!!!!! I can't believe it! I was so certain that I was going to fail, because I started very late, was functioning on very little sleep, and this professor is a beast on grading essays. But no! I did it!!! :D

And, to celebrate this final being done, I'm posting a video version of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. It's in the modern idiom, easy to understand, and beautifully presented. I hope you enjoy.

My Arthurian Hero Doesn't Wear Armor; He Wears Glasses!

It really is true that people can be so different from what everyone else thinks of them. For example, this guy from my literature class. Willoughby knew him in high school, and tells me constantly how much of a player and a tool this guy is. And, I guess, just like Elizabeth Bennett, I was inclined to believe Wickham over Darcy. Not saying that the case is as extreme as that, but its a similar story: "I knew this guy and he's bad news, stay away!" and it turns out that he's a pretty nice guy after all. I mean, he's helped me out a heap today, and without me even having to come to him for assistance!

Basically, it was this: I lost some of my notes for one of the books in my literature class, and I need those notes for the stuff that's going to be on the final. So, I sent out a mass email to everyone, saying "Could you please give me a copy of your notes?" No one did. Then, out of nowhere, I run into this guy at the library, and he's like, "Hey, do you still need those notes?" (which of course, I did) and not only did he get me a copy of the notes, but he used his own money for it. I mean, I know it wasn't a lot (like 50 cents) but still, that was really, really nice of him, and I appreciate him trying to help me out like that.

I really wish there were more guys like him out there: just nice guys who are willing to help someone out just because they can. (And I feel as though I've learned an important lesson right now. I mean, I always thought he was a nice guy, and I tried to ignore what Willoughby was saying, but this just cemented in my mind all that I was trying to believe). So, I want to send out a huge thank you to Pete, who will prolly never read this post, but thank you! You are my hero for this class!!! :P

Pavlov's Emmy

Yeah, so as the title might suggest, I've been studying for my Psychology final recently. Also, as the title suggests, I had a embarrassing discovery today. I was at lunch, seated between Kiity and Professor Thomas, and as usual, both were trying to make me extremely uncomfortable and jumpy by poking me in the ribs. (Yes, dear readers, I am a bit ticklish...)

Well, after their having done this to me for so long, apparently, I've developed this condition where I will jump and emit an embarrassing, high-pitched squeal before they poke me, just as I would when they poke me. Professor Thomas was quite pleased with this discovery, and then went on to explain to Kiity and the Roomie (as though he were teaching a Psychology course, with me as the test subject) that if you observe, the gesture and threats of poking have now become a conditioned response. Basically, I'll jump and squeal if you poke me; and now, if either of them simply makes the move to poke me, I'll do the same exact thing. Murr...

The only thing that I can say is that this has strengthened my understanding of Classical Conditioning, and if nothing else, I'm sure to ace that portion of the final. Still, this does nothing for my sense of pride :P

Finals Care Package #2 DANCE MIX!

This post idea came from Chess, who asked for a playlist of my favorite dance tunes. Love the idea, but alas, I have a confession to make: I'm not a dancer! :X I know, I know! It's terrible, but I compiled a dance mix as best as I could. I hope you like it and can dance to it :P I know I love all of these songs...so, at least you can tell if I have good taste in music or not, hehe...

Finals Care Package #1 PIRATES!

Arrh! Pirates was brought to you by our wonderful Reader Ash! So, here are a few pirate themed items to help you pass the time whilst studying/taking finals.

This is a strange video, but kinda funny...

And after that, we have a few remixes from Pirates of the Caribbean...



A quick display of infamous pirate flags...And finally...

Finals Week

Finals week is fast approaching for me, and I'm sure that for some of you, its already here. So, I had a silly little idea. I know while I'm studying, I always want a short diversion that will get my mind off things for about half an hour or so. So, I thought I would make a couple little "care packages"...erhrm...sorry... "care posts" that contain videos, pictures, quotes, etc. all revolving around a certain theme. And that's where you come in! I'm going to be doing this for about two weeks, so you're going to have to give me plenty of ideas to work on. (Even if you're no longer a student, please feel free to offer something!) And remember, it can be about anything...

-School topics (ie. Math, English, Spanish)

-Themes (ie. Romance, Comedy)

-Random (ie. Pirates vs. Ninjas, Stupid Criminals, Origami)

So, please let me know as soon as possible so I can start compiling stuff for you guys! Have a great finals week! :)

Julius Caesar and Sir Gawaine

This weekend is going to be fun, consisting of two projects and the looming threat of finals. First, I have been asked by my brother to help him proofread an essay on Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, and then I have to start a 5-6 page essay on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a poem written in Middle English that retells one of Sir Gawain's adventures. Its going to be difficult, since I'm not using a translated version to read the play. I love Old English, Middle English, and of course, our modern idiom, but even so, its not the easiest challenge. The paper is due on Wednesday, but if I need some extra time, my professor said he would let us turn it in on Friday. I want to be done by Wednesday.

While all this is going on, I still find myself struggling with my own issues. First, I'm still not completely over Odysseus, and the more I think about what he's said to me, the more angry I get. He's really hurt me this past week, and I really wish I hadn't even given him those two weeks of my life. I don't honestly know if it was worth it or not. On top of this inner struggle, I have the looming threat of finals on the horizon, and I haven't had a good night's sleep in a week. I'm barely surviving, mostly relying on Moutain Dew to help me make it from day to day. I need the caffeine to function. (And speaking of Moutain Dew, they have three limited time flavors out, and they're actually pretty good :) You should check them out: White Out is citrus flavored, Typhoon is tropical, and Distortion is lime. Typhoon is the best.)