Sleepy Sleep

Last night I went to a Halloween party; it was rather fun. We were all dressed as allegorical figures; I went as grief. I was a grieving widow with a black hat with veil, black gloves, a calla lily, pearls (a rich grieving widow!)--it was a bit Jackie O. Once again Josh set an incredible table...he told me that every man after him was going to be a disappointment because none would be able to live up to him. While I agree, I think the obvious (he's not looking for a girl) will be able to sustain me. (Besides I like to cook, so I don't mind if that's my job.)

The extra hour of sleep was wonderful...I went to the earlier church service instead of the later one. This worked out nicely; I ran into Jeff, who I haven't seen in a long time, and set up dinner on Thursday. I might go to his small group, too, though I really oughtn't give up such a huge block of time, academically. However, spiritually, I need to have some fellowship. Though there are other Christians at my school, I'm not really tight with any of them, and I feel myself becoming jaded and hard in the environment.

I got to see Katie! This was wonderful; I wish she and the other girls from school could all be nearby enough that we could do stuff together. (As in running errands, having meals, etc. the everyday things, as opposed to the big we-are-getting-together-and-doing-something sort of things.)

I took a nap (despite daylight savings' gift of an hour) and am still a bit discombobulated, hence the lack of transitions between thoughts.

A Oath to Myself

I haven't been to a movie in over a month. I hate it. I hate that I don't have the time and have to be so discerning in which films I see in the theatre because I don't get to go every week. This weekend I was finally going to be able to visit my local Kerasotes, and the two films I'd been eagerly anticipating (Proof and Serenity) both left on Thursday. Double-guh-err.

Today I saw my first trailer for Derailed, a Clive Owen/ Jennifer Aniston film that I was slightly aware of and, well, excited inasmuch as I adored Clive but am not crazy about Jennifer. So watching the trailer with mild interest, I catch a brief (and I mean brief) shot of a bearded man that sent me rushing to IMDB to find...YES! it was! it is! be still my heart!

Vincent Cassel

My top two celebrity crushes are appearing in a film together. Come hell or high water, I am seeing that film opening weekend.

Autumn is a Collegiate Season

I love today. I didn't set an alarm clock, but got up around 8:30 satiated. I was able to go for a long walk in the woods. I've been able to be semi-productive, but yet relaxed...grading papers while watching the second half of The Cooler and Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen. I don't have to drive anywhere, go to class, nothing. All that is required of me is that I sit at home (my favorite thing ever), drink hot chocolate, and listen to British 80s pop music.

Sure, I've got lots of school work to be doing, which I'm rocking! (98 on my Irish presentation last week--nobody gets full credit in grad school.) But I have time to concentrate on school, since I'm not leaving the state this weekend! Huzzah! Huzzah!

Done and Done.

Finished with pumping the resume with conference presentations for now. I'm tired and need a normal weekend to do normal weekend things like grade papers, read books, and work on term papers. I put my two week notice in at ATL because I feel overwhelmed by the fact that I haven't had a chance to do anything to get ahead, only keep my head above water. Almost every night before class, I'm still finishing the reading until the hour before, which doesn't give me much time to process the information so that I have smart things to say in class. Tonight I'm going to see how much of To the Lighthouse I can get through before falling asleep. Virgina Woolf (Woolfie, as I've taken to calling her) needs a rather alert mind to comprehend. But I'll try.

Shocking

My presentation went well even though I was talking a mile a minute in order to get all my information in before 8:40. I didn't want to be the person who keeps everyone after class; people just want to go home by that point. Plus, I nearly electrocuted myself plugging in the dvd player to show a clip. My hand has mostly stopped tingling at this point.

How about a media update? I read J.M. Coetzee's Disgrace. I read Brian Friel's Translations and am watching a movie based on his play Philadelphia, Here I Come. I partially read Lytton Strachey's Eminent Victorians and Salaman Rushdie's Midnight's Children. I haven't had much time to watch anything else, all though I am catching the odd episode of Sex and the City before I go to bed. Amusing.

Right now, I wish I had time to reread all the Harry Potter books because everyone at the conference knew the minutest details about the stories that I couldn't remember (and I like to think I have a pretty sharp reading eye). Alas, probably not until Christmas or even next summer with how many books and movies I've said I'll deal with over Christmas break. I mean I haven't even seen Serenity yet--that's how busy I am.

Under Your Spell

I just returned yesterday from a five-day Harry Potter conference in Salem, MA. It was exhilarating and exhausting. Programming from 9am to 11pm, plus an hour or so of transportation on either end, plus trying to spend time with my brother/sister-in-law/niece, as well as my roomie/her husband/their daughter (my goddaughter). I had a ton of fun, got a lot of good ideas on how to use HP in the class, and communed with fellow HP lovers. There's lots more I could say, and I hope to have the time, but for now, I'll just link to my favorite part of the trip: Harry and the Potters, a punk band comprised of Harry Potter Year 4 and Harry Potter Year 7, these brothers rock! They have awesome songs like "Save Ginny Weasley," "Voldemorte Can't Stop the Rock," "SPEW," "The Missing Arm of Viktor Krum," and "Stick it to Dolores" amongst others. They were awesome. I bought t-shirts; I ordered cd's. You should, too.