I'm Back...

...if only for a short time.

Thru night’s Women N Lit class was enjoyable. The discussion over the book was very active and lively. The video we watched in the last ½ of class just kept dragging on. I could have sworn it lasted more than an hour, despite what the time told me. One of my new buddies in that class lives on the other side of campus across several busy streets and knowing my Grandmothers would feel better about my night class if someone walked with me to the car; I now have a buddy and she now has a ride. Everyone wins this round.

My teeth are now out, the anticipation of it was worse than anything. I asked for the gas when I was put in the chair, so when they put the IV in I was already half out. I still cried when they were prepping me for the IV but the nurse was really nice and put her hand on my knee. The dentist wanted to count to 3, thinking I would feel better and I told him not to tell me. He was going to show me the needle after he took it out but I kept my eyes closed. The next thing I know, I’m stumbling down the hall—I don’t even remember putting my glasses back on.

The painkillers are great at putting me to sleep. I’m even feeling well enough to think about going to the Hullabaloo. If I do, I probably won’t stay long.

If anything good came out of staying in bed all afternoon, it would be that I am nearly finished with Stepsister No 2’s Christmas knit. And I get to look at the pretty plant and balloon my Dad sent. The bad part was, the left part of my mouth bleed a lot. But it’s good now. I’m chewing and talking very carefully for the next few days.

In a Nut Shell

-It turns out, I only have my top wisdom teeth which is good news according to the dentist I saw today.

-There was a death in the family (someone I met like 12+ years ago) and everyone came over. The youngest of the bunch, who is a few months younger than the girls, accidentally slammed a door. Too bad my fingers were the things it slammed into. It would not have been as bad if I could have just cussed one good time. But with 3 preschoolers less than 15 feet away, that just wasn’t possible. She was really upset and cried even after I told her I was fine and gave her a big sister hug.

-It took me all day to work up the patience to complete a 23 minute assignment that I was going to do earlier in the day but never got around to.

-This is the first time all semester that I just don’t want to go to class tomorrow. But as I am already set to drive someone in the morning, I might as well go. Great, another 14 hour day on campus: should get lots of reading done.

-There are approximately 85 days till Christmas. I’ve made the list of people I’m buying for, have to start knitting, and have to finish. Panic will shortly set in.

In a single hour at the yarn store, I had to rip back over five times. That seems to sum up my day.

The field trip to the library was fun, I hadn’t figured out the finer points of the website resources. Lucky for me, the database searches for the Humanities (at least the Lit ones) all look the same. Which means, I’ll be knee-deep in resources by this time next week.

And tomorrow I go to the oral surgeon to have them look at my teeth. Fun stuff.

A Very Busy Monday

I read “The Museum of Kitschy Stitches” by Stitchy McYarnpants this weekend. It was hilarious; I recommend it even to non-knitters. Sadly, some of the patterns it laughed at were some the Maternal Grandmother liked. I was scared.

The teeth are not causing near the pain they did last week but the appointments have been made and there is no sense of backing out now. They have to come out or be dealt with eventually.

Part of my homework this week was to read the chapter of Feminist Criticism in Lois Tyson’s “Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guild.” Not a bad broad overview but I do not agree with some of the points. But this is not that unusual.

I went with Mom and the Younger Twin to the doctor today. We came back with a very large plush unicorn. The kid dragged it around the store and did not put it down for anything. I would have gone with the smaller one, if only to avoid the battle of why you can’t take it to church and school. Mom wants to leave it here at the Maternal Grandparents, which won’t happen if I can manage it.

Now back to homework…

I'm Back

I had a great weekend. The Paternal Grandmother and I went shopping, watched movies, and sat around and talked. Amazing how much time can be spent doing 3 activities. It was really great to disappear for a few days. But now, sadly, I must face reality (a.k.a. the 3.5 feet of books and journal entries).

Today was so a Wednesday

Today was productively unproductive. Several small non-school related tasks were completed this afternoon (earmarked for school work). However, this meant several hours of delay between the times I could have spent doing homework/research/reading ahead.

On a brighter note: the Purple Spider Web is now 10.5 inches long (up 2.5 inches from yesterday) and I do not have to work on Friday as that business had to close today several months before it was going to. This allows me to spend a full weekend at the Paternal Grandmother’s house in a town that now boasts about having 3 red lights that work.

Now everything for classes tomorrow has printed and only 1 chapter left unread.

An Overview of Tuesday

Note to self: spend an hour knitting after each Lit Research class; great way to decompress mind after 1.5 hours of lit criticism theory. In fact, I may bring something simple to work on during class. I wonder how many washcloths can be made during that time.

There will be no sleeping in this week as I will be driving early as a chauffer or going to class. But I knew there would be weeks like this when I started. No complaining. Just enjoy what you get.

Puppy and I took an early walk this evening so I can get ahead in some reading since I am out of commission next weekend. Speaking of which, I better go do that. Before I do, here is a pic of the Purple Spider Web (ar e the mistakes very visible?)

Life is good.

Yea for me, I have an appointment with an oral surgeon to see what needs to be done about my teeth. I am thrilled. (Not sure what the accuracy:sarcasm rate of that statement is.)

I am nearly finished with the red vest for my Maternal Grandfather. Most of it was completed while we watched PBS; even after acquiring cable the family still watches PBS. Living with grandparents is great. (Absolutely no sarcasm there.)

And shock of all shock, I almost finished all of my homework. Wow. I was beginning to think that could never happen. In celebration, I plan to take an hour off from life and find a nice quite corner of a yarn store to knit.

Weekend Update

Yesterday was hectic; I now have the experience of eating lunch with a four year old in my lap whose plates take up our side of the table. But it was the only way we could get the child to enter the restaurant. Then there was the church get-together at our house, I thought it was for today and I am glad the Maternal Grandmother knew better. Otherwise we would have had a truck load of people and not enough food.

Today has been nice, if one overlooks the wisdom tooth pain. The Maternal Grandmother and I went shopping for a new pair of jeans. Of course that meant we needed shirts to go with the jeans and she picked up a new winter coat. Now that I have new jeans, the time has come to trash the pair that is falling apart. And just when they were getting good and comfortable.

Tomorrow is already full: call the dentist, take someone to work, take a mentor to school, finish up a Christmas knit, write a summery of Nietzsche, read Harriet Jacobs, and write a journal entry for Women in Lit. Believe it or not, Nietzsche is not the easiest person to sum up in a page.

Friday News

The Bad News: I am spending yet another Friday listening to someone I don’t particularly like talk while working. And I think I am trying to cut a wisdom tooth. Fun stuff, as I do not see any chance of going to the dentist for another week and a half. True, it could be the sinuses acting up; either way I need to pick up some tooth-numbing stuff tomorrow when I pick up my other meds.

The Good News: I got to sleep in and will have plenty of time today to knit and work on my German. I may actually get a chance to write some e-mails. Classes yesterday were fun; the Af/Am Lit discussion could have gone a lot worse on my part. Lit Research was more philosophy and we will go over Nietzsche on Tuesday which should be interesting. To no surprise, a room full of women tends to get sidetracked in our discussion groups. Still, it was a good discussion.

A Quick Post

Today has been very good indeed. Nearly all of my homework is done. I got to sleep in this morning, both the last book for my classes and some yarn came in the mail, and (yea) Helmut Lotti has a video and pre-listenings on his website. I am so loving the song, “Caterina.” Simple and very 1950-ish, yes, but the style is catchy and he sings it well.

Tomorrow is my long day on campus, but it is nothing I cannot handle.

The shawl I am working on is very feminine and delicate: I think I am knitting up a spider’s web.

This post is very random and scattered because Puppy is begging to go for a walk. I’ll indulge her before wrapping up homework.

Theories

Hmm…all the Structure Theory stuff is enough to make my head hurt. Granted, not much help is need in that department but the comment/feeling stands. A good majority of these theories feels like philosophy on some level. The prof helped explain the rougher parts but I still left class in a blur. Af/Am Lit rocked this morning. Sojourner Truth is one of my favorite orators of all time and something about her Narrative/‘Book of Life’/Memorable Chapter clicked when I was reading it. One of the PhD students and I did the most commenting but we did let others speak.

In other news, it seems another good friend of mine (m’lord Oberon as it were) is thinking about planning a trip down the aisle. Alas, another one is lost to us. Five to be exact. Seriously, I am ecstatic for her as this guy sounds like someone that is good for her and to her. This is a long time coming for many of us and she is beyond lucky to have found him so soon. It will probably be an even longer time for me; however, I am not even concerned with looking for it now. Let those who have found their happiness take it and enjoy.

Now why can Lit Theories be as simple as this?

Life From a Window Seat Looks Wonderful

Another afternoon spent in the window seat with a cup of tea: pure bliss. I am more than happy to report that not only is the bulk of my homework done but I actually understood nearly all of it. This is scary.

I was in the neighborhood of a yarn store this morning and could not resist. Needless to say, it will be another week before I can even think about ordering Helmut Lotti’s new CD. Ah well, I need to figure out exactly how much it will cost me and crunch the numbers again. Sadly, I cannot bring myself to regret buying this beautiful worsted alpaca/wool blend in a natural looking color. In fact, all I can think about (outside of homework) is how nice it will look as a lacy shawl.

Can I sleep yet?

Well, this has been a weekend. It was almost as busy as last week put together.

Saturday: finally watched Domino (not bad), went with Mom and the Twins to the bookstore, installed new window treatments (less sunlight in my room is always a plus), and went to dinner with the local family minus the grandmothers.

Sunday: helped Mom get the Twins into the car, church, b-day lunch for Step-Paternal Grandmother with the entire local family, quick dash across the bridge to see The Illusionist (pretty cool movie, I didn’t have it figured out), looked at dishwashers and refrigerators at a DIY place, started dog-sitting, installed Anti-virus on Step-Paternal Grandmother’s computer (missed church because of it), and I am ready to crash and burn.

Too bad I need to finish reading a chapter for Lit Research and get to bed early.

Bad words. Very bad words.

I thought I would have the day to goof off and study. No. I was asked to work at the same place I was last Friday. Not fun at all. I was able to do some studying already, but I really wanted my head to cave in so I have a legitimate excuse to go home. Yesterday was much fun; the classes are defiantly getting better. The work load is more than I thought it would be but less than I was told to expect.

For my Lit Research class, my seminar paper topic was approved with conditions. Yea. I plan on looking at Ariel (The Tempest) and Puck (Midsummer Nights Dream) and comparing their attitudes towards their masters. Naturally, I’ll be looking at it through a Marxist lens and my prof reminded me to look at Postcolonial-ism as well. Ok. So I am a Lit dork who is quickly coming out of the massive Shakespeare closet.

In the world of knitting, I have started the front of my maternal grandfather’s vest, a purple shawl, and ordered two more skeins of the purple lace yarn. Like I need more yarn, well in this case I do but the principle remains.

So this weekend: take step-paternal grandma to the movies, watch the used DVD I bought last weekend, knit, church, study, and start dog-sitting for one of mom’s coworkers (hey, a broke grad student always needs a little extra cash and there is that Lotti CD…).

Homework Stump

I hate having just enough homework done that you decide to slow down. Then you get a cookie and something to drink. Then you stare out the window for awhile, after all most of your homework is done and the rest can be done later.

I have reached such a point. Now, despite knowing I will have no time later tonight, I cannot motivate myself enough to write a simple one page summery of a chapter I have already read.

But on a brighter note, Helmut Lotti’s double CD is coming out this month. Only 21 euros plus an ungodly amount for shipping.

Well, I think I’ll take a quick walk to see if that helps at all.

We (mom, twins, step-dad, me) went to the zoo yesterday and had a great time. The twins no longer like my favorite snow-cone flavor. At last, I do not have to share! Yes, the main reason I like it so much is because no one else does. ^_^

I finally found the most annoying fellow grad student on campus. It takes much self-control not to throw things at him when he speaks. He contributes to topics 5 minutes after everyone else has moved on, cannot be brief in his speech (I know, pot and kettle, but I think in Early Modern English but we don’t speck it in class), and has the personality equal to a toadstool. Oh, and he is in 2 of my 3 classes this semester. Great.

The class that did not have a book list for the longest time now has books that cannot be found in any of the bookstores (both the one on and off campus). She emailed the books were in. The people with name tags in the bookstores cannot find them in the computer or on the selves. I spent a good hour walking from one location to the other and back with no luck in locating the book we were suppose to read. Which was aggravating when she lectured us about coming to class prepared or we are just wasting time. Sorry, I can only move so many mountains before class.

Despite all of that, I am still loving grad school. I might need another CAT scan though; liking Lit Theory this much isn’t normal.

No zoo today. But I did buy a few used DVDs at Blockbuster. The step-paternal grandmother and I watched Casanova. It was a great movie. We were very glad we decided to buy it over renting.

Anyway, the zoo has been pushed to tomorrow and now I may or may not go. I need to understand this chapter on New Criticism before Tue afternoon. Fates only know what will actually happen tomorrow.

I finished 2/3 of another “11^th Hour Hat.” And no, most of it was not knitted up during church…just the brim.

A Trip to the Botanical Garden

We spent the day in Memphis running errands. Mostly, we had a list of things we had to get done and places we had to go. I picked up two leather bound books at an estate sale for about $30, not bad for a good copy of Plato and a much better—complete—copy of Tristram Shandy than the one I had. However, at one point we were close enough to the Botanical Garden to spend an hour or so. As we walked around, feeding the koi and admiring the beauty, this poem came to mind (minus the last stanza about how only a virtuous soul lives forever).

Virtue
By George Herbert

Sweet day, so cool, so calm, so bright,
The bridal of the earth and sky:
The dew shall weep thy fall to night;
For thou must die.

Sweet rose, whose hue angry and brave
Bids the rash gazer wipe his eye:
Thy root is ever in its grave,
And thou must die.

Sweet spring, full of sweet days and roses,
A box where sweets compacted lie;
My music shows ye have your closes,
And all must die.

--1633

I might go to the zoo tomorrow. We shall see how things go.

making up for yesterday

I spent the day at my stepdad’s business learning how things are done. Later this month, I am supposed to be able to handle things by myself for a day while the regular worker takes a day off. That meant I had to listen to her talk all day long. For over 8 hours. About some drama surrounding her boyfriend’s divorce; incidentally he and his soon to be ex are members of the church and I had heard most of it before. Sadly, I could think of no polite way of telling her to keep silent on the matter and she never picked up on my nonverbal signals.

Thankfully, I was able to finish the body of a purse I am working on for stepsister no 2’s Christmas knit. A picture will come after it is blocked and pieced together. I might scrap it altogether.

I am ecstatic about my night class. The Prof has actually seen the study of Women in Lit from the start of its academic life; meaning when it quit being a handful of major writers (Emily Dickens and Virginia Woolf mostly) to having dissertations written about a single woman writer. How cool is that? The class is going to be focused around the voice of women (or lack thereof) and how it comes out literature. My day classes are still fun: I am leading my Af/Am class on the 12^th when we go over S. Truth’s ‘Ain’t I a woman’ speech; and my Lit Research Prof made the dull readings exciting. Don’t misunderstand, I love theory but the background makes me want to bang my head against the wall.

Here is a pic of the building I have class in. It is
kinda weird, walking into the second floor lobby. For my friends back at my undergrad university—I mean a real lobby. With chairs, tables, chairs, benches, and a small food/coffee area where we can buy Pepsi, chips, candy, pre-made sandwiches, hamburgers, etc. And did I mention there are tables and chairs to eat at? And benches to sit on? Granted, we still have to sit on the floor outside of classrooms waiting for the other class to get out; but we have a well-lit lobby and the halls are white with many florescent lighting. And an overhead on the walkway so we can smoke/eat/meet/talk outside and not get wet or be too much in the way. The building looks funky, but I am so loving it. Though it is weird to not be in ‘the dark cave of Irby Hall.’