clean getaway...

moving on

collapsing.sandcastles@gmail.com — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 19:54:15 GMT

Hey kids. I'm moving! This journal, _starkiss, which I believe I've had for like four or five years now, will no longer be updated.

You will be able to find me at katreads, or at the good old book blog. My new journal is a reading journal only, where I'll be posting about what I read. I basically created it so that I can still participate on Livejournal in some book-related communities. I've grown tired of journaling about my life because a) not much happens, and b) I find it more interesting to think about something other than my daily routine. With me putting more energy into the blog, this place has been kind of neglected anyway.

I've been friends with some people on LJ for a long time and I'll be sad to leave that behind. Please feel free to add my new username, and I will of course add you back (the journal won't be locked anyway), but not everyone is as obsessed with reading as I am, so I'll understand if you don't follow me. It's been fun, anyway, and I hope to see everyone around.

pointless entry #98459843

collapsing.sandcastles@gmail.com — Sat, 24 May 2008 21:56:07 GMT

Yeah. I haven't been posting much here because... I don't have much to say. I was looking for a job for a while, and then I got three at once, so now I have to quit two, or possibly one and a half. In any event, the lit blog I write is more active, but that's only if you can stomach my musings on Jane Eyre and the New York Times book blog. In any event, I'll be around this summer, probably more there than here. Such as.

or should i just....

collapsing.sandcastles@gmail.com — Wed, 07 May 2008 02:22:26 GMT

I'm feeling the urge to write. I'm not working on anything in particular right now - I edited a bit of what I started for NaNo back in November, but I haven't had the energy to actually heed my own comments and make some changes. I want to start something new. This is what I do - start something and get totally into it, then let it sit for a while, lose interest and move on. The difference is that I haven't really wanted to start anything new in a while, and now I do. This is good.

I'm feeling the urge to write, to start something new and see where it takes me.

the more i know, the less i understand

collapsing.sandcastles@gmail.com — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 19:10:12 GMT

I am done exams! And at home in Toronto! Yee-haw! Although I still have a paper to finish and hand in by e-mail. I am working on that right now. Yes, I am not actually typing this, but am in fact making glorious insights into the poetry of Thomas Hardy. In case anyone asks.

OK, so I had the most stressful week of my life last week, and somehow got through it with a crippling migraine (the reason the essay isn't yet done) as the only side effect. Success! I've already started gorging myself on fiction for fun, which is wonderful because I haven't been able to do that in a long while. I bring you.... the whopping 8 books I've managed to read since January. What a pathetic number, and TWO of them were for school. Sheesh.

I've decided to count some re-reads this year, which I normally don't, in an effort to reach my goal (60 books by December 31st). Not all will be counted because I frequently re-read things like Agatha Christie and YA fiction, quick reads that I've often read three or four times before. So, only substantial re-reads will make it on the list, but hopefully I'll get a bit closer to my goal than I did last year.

Book #1

Shakespeare: The World as Stage by Bill Bryson

Summary: A short bio of the Bard.
My Thoughts: Very entertaining, quick read! Lots of fascinating detail about the era packed in because we don’t know much about Shakespeare’s actual life. Bryson reigns himself in a bit (more calm than his travel lit, anyway) and is quite funny without being crude or trying too hard. Highly recommended for people wanting the Shakespeare basics.

Book #2

Pretty Little Mistakes by Heather McElhatton

Summary: A choose-your-own-ending book for adults, beginning with the choice between going to college and travelling.
My Thoughts: I’m not sure how to decide when I’ve actually “finished” this book, because there are 150 endings, according to the cover. It’s an interesting concept, but McElhatton fails a bit in execution. Written entirely in second person, the prose isn’t particularly special. The events of the many plots are all very dramatic, which I guess is part of the appeal: people get to make choices they never would in real life and watch their lives implode. Then, you start again. The process was interesting but everything that happened was just so unrealistic! That’s probably just a me thing, though. It’s a fun book to read but I don’t even know if I’d classify it as a novel.

Book #3

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (re-read)

Summary: Austen’s beloved novel follows Elizabeth Bennet and her four sisters as they navigate the social codes of Regency England.
My Thoughts: Re-read this for a class, fell in love all over again.

Book #4

Jane Austen by Carol Shields

Summary: Carol Shields penned this short biography of Jane Austen for the Penguin Lives series.
My Thoughts: Shields is an excellent biographer who is obviously sympathetic to her subject and a genuine lover of Austen’s novels. She is also able to bring her own experience as a novelist into play when assessing what persona Austen took on as a writer. This is a short biography, but it is compellingly and delightfully written in clear prose, with many interesting details for the reader to ponder. Highly recommended to Austen fans.

Book #5

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

Summary: A strict Baptist takes his wife and four daughters to Africa.
My Thoughts: Good. Lord. Brutal, sad, upsetting, violent, thought-provoking. The incredibly descriptive prose gets a bit tiresome, but really, I read this remarkably fast for how long it is. The ending is not quite as strong as you’d expect, given the power of the early chapters, but still a good read.

Book #6

Hard Times by Charles Dickens

Summary: The intertwining stories of the Gradgrind family (committed Utilitarians), Mr. Bounderby (not who he seems), the dandy James Harthouse, and poor factory workers Rachael and Stephen in small-town England.
My Thoughts: Not my favourite Dickens, but it’s Dickens – enjoyable and insightful. He misunderstands utilitarianism, so his critique is a bit over the top, but his insights into the life of a factory worker and his character descriptions – wonderful as always – are well worth the read.

Book #7

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

Summary: A young woman arrives at a secluded country estate to be the new governess for two children. When she begins to see strange figures on the estate, she wonders if the boy and girl know more than they’ve let on.
My Thoughts: I’m going to count this as one book even though it’s a novella, because it’s fairly long to be a short story. It is so creepy. James is excellent at keeping the tension alive. I felt a little letdown by the ending because in today’s horror-movie-culture, not much is left to the imagination anymore, so I was surprised. But I honestly could not put this down, and it creeped me right out. Wonderful!

Book #8

Neither Here nor There by Bill Bryson (re-read)

Summary: Bryson takes on Europe in this memoir of a backpacking trip through cultures and clichés.
My Thoughts: Bryson can sometimes be an annoying narrator – he’s a bit crude for my tastes, which makes me sound like an uptight woman of a certain age, but whatever – but I really like this travel narrative. It’s funny without being ridiculously crude, and Bryson always seems to be full of those pointed little observations about human nature that you yourself are familiar with but never really put into words. As you can see from the previous sentence, I often suffer from that inability to put things into words. Anyway, if you’re interested in Europe, travel, or simply some funny writing, check it out.

Yeah, so probably no one cares about that, but I like to keep track.

it's the _____

collapsing.sandcastles@gmail.com — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 03:34:47 GMT

It's crunch time! (I am so lame.) So basically I have not had a full night's sleep in three days and I STILL have three final papers to write and I also have five exams in one week and why am I still awake right now?

The next two weeks will be hell. I still don't have a summer job either. Added to a suddenly sketchy apartment Internet connection and I will probably be absent from this place for some time. Unless someone wants to proofread my papers on Herbert, Hardy, and Wordsworth.

I've been watching Oz while taking breaks and HOLY CRAP it is so amazing. Violent and weird, but great. Recommended!

LJ politics

collapsing.sandcastles@gmail.com — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 22:02:20 GMT

Um, so there is a strike, or something? Google "LJ Strike" and you will find out all about it, I'm too lazy to link at the moment. Hey, it's Thursday evening on a long weekend, I AM EXHAUSTED, and going to eat/watch a marathon of ANTM/sleep as soon as I'm done here.

Anyway, so the LJ-bosses-in-charge want to get rid of Basic accounts and do other nefarious things. I have a Basic account and a) I can't afford to pay to keep up my tiny Internet journal, and b) I don't appreciate ads all over the place when I signed up with LJ precisely BECAUSE of the lack of ads. Strike starts 8pm Eastern, see you when it's over, I guess!

Oh and I don't really do this anymore, but I wanted to mention that I just posted a mammoth blog entry about Jane Austen over at that place where I blog. It's about Pride and Prejudice, more specifically.

Have a good long weekend!

no face, no name, no voice i know

collapsing.sandcastles@gmail.com — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 04:26:48 GMT

New colours, because I am bored. I also need a new haircut, a new wardrobe, and a new life, not necessarily in that order. I think all this Victorian literature is getting to me.

I actually have nothing to say as per usual, just feel the urge to ramble somewhere or other. Crazy Roommate continues to be crazy. I'm starting a countdown to the end of this hellish semester. Not long now. Unfortunately, I still don't have a summer job, but let's not worry before we have to on that front, right?

I finally made it
I made a clean getaway...

For some reason that's what I want to do right now, get in a car and drive off somewhere with a suitcase. Start fresh. I can't drive and don't have a car, but details don't matter! Road trip!

I should go to bed.

buried in a snow drift

collapsing.sandcastles@gmail.com — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 18:45:10 GMT

WHERE HAS THE SUN GONE?!

Seriously, I think it has been snowing here for three days. This is getting ridiculous. What if it never stops? At the back of my apartment is a little unshoveled courtyard thingie, which my room looks out onto, and the snow is halfway up my window! Granted, we're on the first floor, BUT STILL. That's like four feet of snow. Help me, please.

So it's the perfect weather to barricade myself inside with hot chocolate and finish all of my Kierkegaard and Romantic poetry readings, right? That explains why I've been watching America's Next Top Model all weekend.

living is the problem for me

collapsing.sandcastles@gmail.com — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 03:37:23 GMT

This week I'm just... meh. I'm back at school, oh-so-wonderful as always (total sarcasm right there) and I just feel so lonely. It's all this snow that keeps falling, the heat that doesn't work in my apartment. I haven't been warm since October.

Oh god, here I go again. I can just tell that I'm about to embark upon a massive session of feeling sorry for myself. Can someone smack me and get me back to reality here? I have poetry to read and papers to write.

I really need something new to happen. My life is too structured: classes, home, studying. Some occasional apartment hunting. BORING.

I want to sleep for about a week and wake up to spring. And I really want to wear my new red shoes. ;)

"It's your gradual descent into a life you never meant..." <-- this song is amazing.

a meaningless update

collapsing.sandcastles@gmail.com — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 21:09:35 GMT

Last night my friend took me to see the Spice Girls concert here in Toronto. Oh my goodness. It was so much fun! OK, so they're the Spice Girls but man, that is the music of my childhood and that awkward age where you first start to appreciate music, and I LOVE THEM. Posh Spice is obviously the most fabulous person in the world. She wore sunglasses at one point and walked down the stage like it was a runway. She hardly did any singing, just stood there looking fierce. I loved it.

That's about all that's going on. I'm on my week-long break from school (THANK GOD) and I'm not doing a whole lot of anything. It's wonderful.

pulling me through

collapsing.sandcastles@gmail.com — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 02:54:22 GMT

As most of you know, this school year (so far, anyway) has been quite tough. There have been apartment problems, mounds of schoolwork (and accompanying stress), and roommate issues galore. I could handle two out of the above three, but all together they are killing me. Luckily, Reading Week is next week. I just have to get through one more midterm and I can relax - a little, anyway.

I haven't noticed this until now, but this insane stress has really taken a toll on my writing. I haven't written anything - be it a poem or a short story - since my attempt at NaNoWriMo, which got to be too much for me about a week in. I always notice that a good night's sleep is the first thing to go when I'm stressed, but perhaps it's actually my creativity. I can't remember the last time I was actually motivated to write. NaNo doesn't really count because I forced myself to keep going for six days once I had started. Then, I had to write papers for school instead.

I really hope next year is more low-key. I've been living at a high level of stress for a long time now. I can't really remember the last time I was totally, completely relaxed - even when I take breaks, there is just so much work to get done that I feel guilty. My roommate (the non-psychotic one) and I are prone to fits of hysterical giggling because everything just keeps going so wrong. Whenever one of us voices the hope that things can't possibly get any worse - they do. Is that Murphy's Law or just the Life Sucks Clause?

It's funny because life still interesting, challenging, exciting... it's just that there's too much of it for me to handle. I think I've just forgotten what a simple life is like. At this point I am really clinging to sanity, organisation, whatever, by my very fingertips. If I didn't have next week off, I do believe that I might do something drastic.

These are just some random thoughts. Most of my school stress is self-created; if I worked on things earlier and stayed completely on top of readings things would be slightly better. However, the crappy apartment I live in and my nutty roommate are not things I can fix until I move out of here, and that sucks.

nothing in particular

collapsing.sandcastles@gmail.com — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 14:54:51 GMT

Valentine's Day. Usually I spend today mocking people who have real things to do today, with candy and flowers and significant others (gagging as I type, I hate that expression). But unfortunately, I have too much work to do, so the mocking will recommence next year, I guess. Maybe I'm maturing! (Probably not.)

Have a Happy Valentine's Day if you're into that. If not, I'm one of you.

.....

collapsing.sandcastles@gmail.com — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 01:19:26 GMT

I honestly don't know what to say anymore. There have been a series of small disasters since I last posted in here. It seems like every time something starts to go even the tiniest bit right, another five things go wrong.

On top of school stress and yet more stuff in our apartment deciding to break, as well as some money issues, I slipped on some ice on Friday. I hit my head pretty hard and also injured my back. I have been lying around in pain for the majority of the past few days, with breaks to write a paper.

This has really been an awful few weeks, from the electricity going out to the fridge breaking to the toilet exploding (yesterday). And the workload! Oh, the workload. I really don't have anything to say about my life. Today my roommates and I got some bad news and we just looked at each other like, How can this possibly get any worse? I'm afraid to find out.

civil war skeletons in their graves

collapsing.sandcastles@gmail.com — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 04:35:36 GMT

Things are looking up, as weird as that seems after a semester and three weeks of unrelenting stress. The workload hasn't changed, but I've discovered the key to everything: organisation. A to-do list, people. And tomorrow afternoon, I will be sitting in the cafe around the corner from my apartment, crossing things off one at a time.

So things had been odd all fall in the apartment with my roommates and constant bickering, passive aggressive behaviour, etc. Roomie #1 just joined a sorority, which - I don't really know how I feel about that. She just got pledged or initiated or whatever this week and she's already changed. She never used to leave the apartment and now she's out every night. Still not going to class, but. She also wants to live alone next year, so it will just be Roomie #2 and I, which is good because Roomie #1 was responsible for almost all of the stress. She is hard to live with.

Let the apartment hunt begin!

For the first time in a long while, I'm looking forward to tomorrow and the next day, and the hard work, and life in general. Roomie #2 and I have also been making plans, partly in response to Roomie #1's sudden social life, and we have concerts and parties and clubbing to look forward to in the next few weeks. Bring on the fun! Work hard and party hard, right? OK, now I sound like a sorority girl. Disregard.

what to say, what to say

collapsing.sandcastles@gmail.com — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 03:44:35 GMT

The Internet is reeling from Heath Ledger's death. I don't even know what to say. It is totally stunning. I thought Amy Winehouse was teetering on the edge there, but no, instead it's Ennis del Mar. WHAT.

Anyway, I loved Heath in such classics as Brokeback Mountain, Ned Kelly, and Monster's Ball. AND, of course, 10 Things I Hate About You. So RIP, Heath.

This is crass, but how in the heck are they going to market that new Batman movie now? So fucking creepy. Honestly, I was only going to see it for Heath anyway - those posters and some stills I've seen look awesome.

It's just so weird when someone young and famous dies. He was just starting out, it feels like. Very sad.

is this what you want?

collapsing.sandcastles@gmail.com — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 23:34:24 GMT

Theoretically, I like school. I like the idea of learning really obscure philosophical systems and reading 17th-century poetry that no one else cares about. But I can't seem to work up any practical interest. I fail at life these days. I don't know what to do.

I don't really know how to articulate the feeling, either. I want to be here. I want to do well. I cannot translate that from my head to my life, though.

keeping things clean doesn't change anything

collapsing.sandcastles@gmail.com — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 01:27:49 GMT

I'm bored. I have a lot of reading I could be doing, both school-related and pleasure. I could clean my apartment. I could talk to my roommates. I could do any number of things, but I don't want to do anything at all other than complain about being bored. Yes, it is One of Those Moods.

All apartment problems have now been fixed. But seriously, what a week that was. Yikes.

Last night I had a very strange dream in which I was dating Seth Rogen. I don't particularly care for Seth Rogen; in fact, I've never really given him much thought before. I've seen Superbad, Knocked Up and every single episode of Undeclared, but... not because I'm a Seth Rogen FAN or anything. So yeah, that was weird. My asleep-brain is obviously just as bored as my awake-brain. What am I even talking about right now? I think I need to go for a brisk jog or something.

blah blah blah

collapsing.sandcastles@gmail.com — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 23:47:38 GMT

I'm not having a good time of it right now. We were without heat and electricity for a while. Then as soon as that was fixed, the fridge and our wireless router both broke. Probably because of the power surge, but we don't know, because we're waiting for someone to come look at the fridge. We've been without it now since Monday afternoon, so the food situation is precarious, to say the least. On top of all that, I've been spending a crapload of money buying new textbooks, and the stress of settling in for a new term isn't much of a picnic either. Oh, and I still don't know my marks from last semester! Thanks, university. You make my life so much easier.

I've been in a pissy mood for about five days straight now. My roommates and I have begun snapping at the smallest offences, so we're currently not speaking unless it's essential. This sucks, basically. How sad is it that I just got back from vacation and I could already use another one? 2008 hasn't started out as well as I had hoped.

I don't know, maybe the whole no-power, no-heat, no-fridge thing would seem like a minor inconvenience for some, especially since we have the heat and power back now. But, this is the second time this year that the fridge has broken. And frankly, I don't have much going on in my life at the moment besides school, which stresses me out enough. I like my apartment to be a stress-free environment.

Anyway, I should get to some reading before something else goes wrong.

didn't know it was a devil town

collapsing.sandcastles@gmail.com — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 16:39:16 GMT

I forgot how annoying it is to be constantly freezing. My parents' house had actual heat! Oh, my apartment is so crappy. Heh. I'm wearing leggings and pajama pants and two sweaters and big slippers and I'm still cold.

I don't have class until this afternoon, which is kind of foreign to me. I'm worried I'm going to spend all my extra time sleeping instead of working. My marks from last semester are STILL being held hostage by the university - well, everyone's are, but I'm really getting panicky about it. I need to know. I need to know right NOW. Argh.

I have nothing much to say, but I'm ready to get back to work now. There is this constant push-pull for me in terms of school. A simultaneous love-hate relationship. How many other cliches can I use? I'll stop now.

the year that was

collapsing.sandcastles@gmail.com — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 18:59:01 GMT

Happy New Year, everyone!

That subject line is not quite true, because I'm not going to do one of those long retrospective Livejournal posts about my life in 2007. It wasn't a great year for me. I made a lot of mistakes - I know I grew up and matured, but that learning process isn't always fun to live through. Looking back on what went wrong this year, I'm happy I made it through to 2008. So here's to the new year! May it be better than the last.

Anyway, I head back to school tomorrow. Most of my resolutions can be encompassed in: Improve my study habits. I need to do more of my readings on time, start papers farther in advance, etc. So that's what I'll be working on. And then I've resolved to eat better and, as always, try to read more. I didn't make it to my goal, which was 60 books this year, but I got to more than half. Honestly, I wasn't really expecting to make it, but it's nice to have some kind of finish line.

Book #31
Murder on the Calais Coach (Murder on the Orient Express) by Agatha Christie
Summary: Thirteen strangers, and Hercule Poirot, are stranded on a train through Europe after a snowstorm. The next morning, a man turns up dead. Which of the passengers isn’t who he says he is?
My Thoughts: I actually can’t believe I hadn’t read this before. I snatched it up for $0.50 at a campus book sale. I saw the movie a long while ago, so I knew the ending, but enjoyed the story anyway. I was curious to see if Christie could pull it off – the type of ending she went for here is not one of my favourite murder-mystery resolutions. (Don’t want to give it away). But it does work, thanks, as always, to the bravado and little grey cells of one Hercule Poirot.

Book #32
Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O’Neill
Summary: At thirteen, Baby is living in seedy neighbourhoods in Montreal with her addict father. When a pimp takes notice of her, Baby’s world is changed forever.
My Thoughts: I liked this book right until the end, where the publisher had included an interview with Heather O’Neill. Usually I prefer to let the writing speak for itself, but she came off as kind of obnoxious. The novel itself is well-written – creative comparisons (ie, similes and metaphors), which I love, as well as an engrossing focus on the minute details of Baby’s world and her slum-like neighbourhood. I live near some of the areas described and I saw them in new ways through O’Neill’s descriptive prose. However, the book is depressing. Bad things happen to Baby, and the reader will want someone – a social worker, a teacher, her drifter of a father – to DO something. But both Baby and O’Neill seem to shake off these troubling events. Maybe it’s just me, but I thought turning tricks at the age of thirteen would be slightly emotionally scarring. Oh well. It’s still an excellently written book.

Book #33
The Twelve Deaths of Christmas by Marian Babson
Summary (ripped from the back cover): All London was dreaming of a white Christmas, but somewhere on the West End a killer was dreaming of bloody murder.
My Thoughts: That summary really tells you all you need to know. This was a disposable murder mystery, kind of laughably terrible.

Book #34
Fourth Comings by Megan McCafferty
Summary: McCafferty's fourth novel finds her heroine Jessica Darling in New York City, a barely-employed college grad who has just one week to decide whether to marry her on-again, off-again boyfriend Marcus. All the usual characters make cameo appearances.
My Thoughts: Much, much better than the third book. I was so relieved. I do love books one and two, and most of the characters, so it was nice to see Jessica become more like the character I knew and loved in this fourth outing. It was pretty long for taking place all in one week, and I would have liked more time with former series regulars like Manda, Bridget, and Len. Overall, though, very enjoyable. But can we call it quits now? I feel like we know all we need to about Jessica's life now. I'd love to see McCafferty do something else.

Book #35
Skylight Confessions by Alice Hoffman
Summary: Arlyn and John's hasty marriage results in a lifetime of conflict and struggle for their children and grandchild.
My Thoughts: I don't know what it is about Alice Hoffman. Maybe it's because I first encountered her when I was young and impressionable, but I always read her latest novels, no matter how derivative and recycled they feel. My favourite is still the first one I ever picked up, which was Practical Magic. This novel is a quick and entertaining read, but like most Hoffman novels, centres around infidelity, unhappy relationships, family conflict and just a hint of the supernatural. If you like lyrical prose about any of the above, which I happen to, you'll love it. Otherwise, stay away.

I hope everyone's 2008 is what they want it to be. Here we go.

destressing

collapsing.sandcastles@gmail.com — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 22:44:16 GMT

Now that I'm home and finals are over, my biggest worry has suddenly become my plans for the evening and where I'm meeting my friends for dinner. It's nice, to say the least. I'll be back in Montreal soon enough, stressing over a new round of courses. I haven't heard on any of my marks for the fall semester but I'm emphatically NOT worrying about it just yet. I need some time off.

I hope everyone is having a great holiday.

crap

collapsing.sandcastles@gmail.com — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 16:41:32 GMT

So I do believe that I just failed my logic exam. Whatever. I'm going home now.

To sum up my 2007: what a shitty year.

the time for freaking out is now

collapsing.sandcastles@gmail.com — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 00:34:05 GMT

Logic exam countdown: 37.5 hours. I think. I'm really bad at math (and logic).

Yeah, I'm pretty screwed at this point. I don't know if I've ever been less prepared for an exam in my life. There was an incident with calculus in high school, but even then I managed to pull off an insanely high (for my skill level, natch) mark due to blind luck. I've been writing in here a lot lately - very needy, I am. I'll be so happy when this semester is over and logic is behind me forever. But I need to pass first, or else it won't count towards my major and I'll have to become a minor or take it again. Oh, dear. Why do they make philosophy majors take logic anyway? Many of us are just about the least logical people alive.

I just want to go home and decorate a freakin' Christmas tree! :(

Back to studying, I suppose... Both of my roommates are now officially home for the holidays. I'm so jealous!

take a pill and swallow it

collapsing.sandcastles@gmail.com — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 22:35:31 GMT

I can't think anymore. I just can't. It's too bad, then, that I have three more exams.

I feel like I've been living in this hellish limbo of exam time forever, but really it's only been two weeks. I'm not done until Friday. Please send help.

OK, truth be told, one of the exams I have left is a take-home. It's due tomorrow, and I'm finishing it up right now. But I have to say, I really do not give a flying monkey's bum about de Beauvoir and Sartre anymore. They've taken up too much of my time this fall as it is. And now I have to finish this bloody take home exam with fifteen million obscure quotes to identify!

Not to mention I still have logic to look forward to, which I am in serious danger of failing because goddamnit, school is hard. Oh, I want winter vacation right now. Please.

sometimes i just don't know

collapsing.sandcastles@gmail.com — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 16:58:34 GMT

This headline is truly appalling. Do people think domestic abuse is funny? Because it most certainly is not. I used to work in a shelter for women and children and let me tell you, there is absolutely nothing amusing about women with black eyes and broken limbs who have nowhere else to go because their husbands abuse them, repeatedly. I can't even express my disgust coherently because I am outraged. I've never read The New York Post before - is this type of thing common? Jesus.

Anyway, finals suck, etc. etc. Just wanted to share that ridiculous and disgusting headline. Write a letter to the editor if you have time.