congratulations are in order

It seems like all my professors have something to celebrate these days. PRof. Carr married her long-time significant other, Pete LeBarr, who runs the Allegheny Bookstore, on the 26th (as I discovered in class yesterday. I was unaware they even had anything planned).

Also, Alexander Oscar Bakken was born yesterday, so congratulations to both my cretive writing professors on their second child.

Will post more later.

got back from Jess's house in New Jersey okay. Time now for a shower and then sleep.

I feel smart!

Last week, ROse asked me if I wanted to join her college bowl team with Derek and...a friend of hers whose name escapes me at the moment so I feel like a jerk . I shrugged and said "sure", not really giving it a second thought. UNtil last night, when I realized that since I had promised Jess we'd go see the new Harry Potter movie (it was really good, BTW), I may very well have been late to the competition. THankfully, I got there just in time to take a seat and a buzzer and play in the first match. We did really well that round, and made it to the semi-finals. THen we shut out the other team in the first half of the semi-final round. THey played well and scored some points the second half, though, but just couldn't catch up to us.
The finals round was nerve-racking. We were backl by maybe 30-40 points at the half (that's only like, 2 questions), and Rose was sure we'd lost by the end of the round, but I'd been keeping loose track of how many questions both teams were answerring correctly, and wasn't so sure we'd lost. TUrns out I was right. We are now the school champion team for College Bowl! We're going to the regionals in Feb., and since it's a school "sport" now, Allegheny will pay our travel expenses! Woot!
I admit that I wasn't the most useful mamber of the team, but I did buzz in on a couple toss-ups (how come nobody else seemed to know our President has repeatedly refused to speak to the NAACP?) and was helpful on the bonuses, where we get to confer with team-mates (for five seconds, anyway) because, apparenly, I was the only one who knew the Nike symbol is called a "swoosh". I may not be the fastest with a buzzer, but I do know stuff. If only they'd asked about comic books... ;)

Hey, it's snowing!

Insurance

You know what sucks about being 22?
I'm not eligible for my parent's insurance any more. I guess it's my own fault for being born in November of '83 instead of later like July of '84 and therefore not graduating from college when I was still 21.
So I guess now all I have to do is remain perfectly healthy and tell the chiropractor to stop billing to Mutual of Omaha. I wonder what exactly I get with the coverage my parent's got me from the school? probably very little.

so tired...

because I got up at like, 7:15 this morning. Because JEss and I drove all the way into middle of nowhere Ohio to rescue these 8 adorable (if somewhat malodorous and mangy) puppies that would have been put down otherwise. THankfully we made it back in time for my classes. But I'm just now beginning work on a five page paper that's due at 4 in the afternoon. I think it may be a tad late. But it's worth it, really. Saving puppies makes me feel good. :)

on literature

've been thinking about this a lot the last day or so, since I finished Blue Angel. FOr me at least, I can tell I've read a really good book when I get to the end and feel kind of depressed just because it's over. A good book should be like a good friend--always surprising you, making you want to spend time with it, and then leaving a gaping hole when it's not there anymore. That's kinda what I see good literature like, and if I could do that, I'd feel really, really good about my writing.

More of my birthday

Well, it's been okay so far. Not sure what I'm gonna do tonight, but I'll think of something.
I'm afraid I may have been a little terse with my parents this morning when they called. My own fault, I had just gotten up and had work that still needed to be done. Sorry 'bout that.

birthdaze

I feel kinda weird right now. Maybe its 'cause it's almost my birthday. Or because I was actually emo0tionally involved in a novel I had to read for school which I just finished. Or I haven't had anough sleep. Or spent more time at work than ever, yet got less done than ever. I dunno. I'm just... processing a lot right now.
Had a nice chat with Grandma earlier; she wished me a happy birthday, and was thrilled to hea the apple cake she sent me a while back was still good when it arrived.
Oh, and the Virginia tax sticker arrived on Friday for my car. Thanks, Adam.
Wow. 22. It's an almost meaningless number, but it somehow feels significant.
I have nothing planned for tomorrow, really. Get up, go to class. Talk to my parents at some point. (I'm in class from 1:30 to 4:30, just to remind you. THat's... what? 8:30 until 11:30 over there? MAybe you should call before I go to class. But then I won't get to talk to Dad. Well, you'll figure something out.) In any case, they sent me something in the mail. No telling when it'll get here, or what it is (although, my father assures me, it is not a ream of paper.)

Thanks, Jess!!

Jess and I went down to Pittsburgh last night so she could buy me Indian food. IT was totally worth the half-a-tank of gas and four dollars in tolls. Yay Indian Food! And anything with mangoes in it!

Halloween stuff

have added some very low-res pics of my Halloween "costume" to the webcam page

To do:

in no particular order

1) go to Chiropractor tomorrow
2) write a poem for Thursday
3)write paper for Art and the Occult that's due tomorrow
4) read most of Blue Angel, which I'm enjoying, but just haven't had the time for
5) get used to being clean-shaven. It's weird, almost nobody seems to have noticed that I shaved.