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Homework Avoidance Mode...ON!
Oct. 6th, 2003 09:06 pmWell, I've been scribbling in my notebook on and off for the past week or so, trying to get an LJ update going. However, life has been so crazy that I've only got some snippets, which I will attempt to put together here:
I want some tea and I can't figure out where all my good pens have gone. My throat hurts and this stupid cough won't leave me alone. All is angst and woe, etc. etc. Oh, and I have homework, but my brain refuses to work properly. Augh.
(Please note that, since writing this paragraph, I have taken a nap with my kitty and I feel much better now.)
If you're terribly interested in Alex's and my trip to California (which was lovely), as well as my opinions on San Francisco driving and general customs, please see the bottom of this entry. Other than that, I plan to ramble on about my first week of college at University of Oregon and its effects on my sanity and sleep habits. Clear? Great.
I started classes at U of O last Monday. This term, I have Japanese, Medieval Romance, and Introduction to the English Major on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I just have Japanese. All of these classes are great, but they're all a lot of work.
As far as I can tell, Introduction to the English Major is more of a "Literature Through the Ages" class. It goes on for three terms, and we start with Anglo-Saxon epic poetery and go from there. Thus far, it's rather interesting, and we get to read some extremely spiffy things. My mind was full of poetry last week, thanks to a wonderful little piece called "The Wanderer." I just sat there in awe. All fans of Tolkien's style of writing should try to find a good translation of this poem (it's in Old English, originally); I recommend the E.T. Donaldson translation. It is so splendid. Best homework I ever read.
Japanese is a difficult class, to say the least. It's very intense. My teacher for Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays is throwing all kinds of new information at us; I barely have time to breathe. I'm doing pretty well at keeping up so far, thank goodness. I'm terrified of falling behind, but I expect that I'll get used to the workload.
I think my favorite class so far is definitely Medieval Romance. We are not, thank heavens, studying romance novels, or even exclusively love stories. According to my teacher, "romance" refers to adventure stories with little or no relation to reality, like Gawain and the Green Knight. Hey, it sounds good to me! At the moment, we're studying The Lais of Marie de France. She was a mysterious (and rather racy, in some ways) writer in the 12th century. Intriguing woman, mainly because no one knows exactly who she was. The mysteries of ancient literature fascinate me.
I also had this great idea of writing a thesis/book relating Tolkien's work to Anglo-Saxon poetery--in the translation, at least, much of Anglo-Saxon poetry has phrasing and wording very similar to Tolkien's. I got all excited about it...and then found out that a lot of it has probably already been done. There is, at least, a book connecting Tolkien's work with ancient mythology. I'll have to look that book up, in any case.
In other news, the God Awful Fanfiction Message Board is gone. *sniffles* I was really fond of that message board, as well as all the people on it. I wonder what happened? I wonder if I shall ever know? If anybody here who reads this journal and might have even lurked on that board knows anything about its mysterious disappearance, will you please tell me? Thanks.
And now, for your reading pleasure, my account of our travels to California!
( Honeymoon: Mark II! )
And that's the trip, pretty much. My parents got an adorable new kitten while Alex and I were gone, as Spooky was missing her grumpy-toy (Zypo). I don't think they've completely settled on a name yet, but when Alex and I were over there on Sunday, Dad started calling her "Knid." He was referring to Willy Wonka's Vermicious Knids. I have a feeling that Josh is going to wind up calling her Vermine for short. *shakes head and grins*
Well, I should study Japanese or write my 2-page paper or something. A quick note before I go: I have a new desk, which means I should have a scanner set up within the next week. Scanning and posting will ensue! (I know, I know...promises, promises...)
I want some tea and I can't figure out where all my good pens have gone. My throat hurts and this stupid cough won't leave me alone. All is angst and woe, etc. etc. Oh, and I have homework, but my brain refuses to work properly. Augh.
(Please note that, since writing this paragraph, I have taken a nap with my kitty and I feel much better now.)
If you're terribly interested in Alex's and my trip to California (which was lovely), as well as my opinions on San Francisco driving and general customs, please see the bottom of this entry. Other than that, I plan to ramble on about my first week of college at University of Oregon and its effects on my sanity and sleep habits. Clear? Great.
I started classes at U of O last Monday. This term, I have Japanese, Medieval Romance, and Introduction to the English Major on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I just have Japanese. All of these classes are great, but they're all a lot of work.
As far as I can tell, Introduction to the English Major is more of a "Literature Through the Ages" class. It goes on for three terms, and we start with Anglo-Saxon epic poetery and go from there. Thus far, it's rather interesting, and we get to read some extremely spiffy things. My mind was full of poetry last week, thanks to a wonderful little piece called "The Wanderer." I just sat there in awe. All fans of Tolkien's style of writing should try to find a good translation of this poem (it's in Old English, originally); I recommend the E.T. Donaldson translation. It is so splendid. Best homework I ever read.
Japanese is a difficult class, to say the least. It's very intense. My teacher for Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays is throwing all kinds of new information at us; I barely have time to breathe. I'm doing pretty well at keeping up so far, thank goodness. I'm terrified of falling behind, but I expect that I'll get used to the workload.
I think my favorite class so far is definitely Medieval Romance. We are not, thank heavens, studying romance novels, or even exclusively love stories. According to my teacher, "romance" refers to adventure stories with little or no relation to reality, like Gawain and the Green Knight. Hey, it sounds good to me! At the moment, we're studying The Lais of Marie de France. She was a mysterious (and rather racy, in some ways) writer in the 12th century. Intriguing woman, mainly because no one knows exactly who she was. The mysteries of ancient literature fascinate me.
I also had this great idea of writing a thesis/book relating Tolkien's work to Anglo-Saxon poetery--in the translation, at least, much of Anglo-Saxon poetry has phrasing and wording very similar to Tolkien's. I got all excited about it...and then found out that a lot of it has probably already been done. There is, at least, a book connecting Tolkien's work with ancient mythology. I'll have to look that book up, in any case.
In other news, the God Awful Fanfiction Message Board is gone. *sniffles* I was really fond of that message board, as well as all the people on it. I wonder what happened? I wonder if I shall ever know? If anybody here who reads this journal and might have even lurked on that board knows anything about its mysterious disappearance, will you please tell me? Thanks.
And now, for your reading pleasure, my account of our travels to California!
( Honeymoon: Mark II! )
And that's the trip, pretty much. My parents got an adorable new kitten while Alex and I were gone, as Spooky was missing her grumpy-toy (Zypo). I don't think they've completely settled on a name yet, but when Alex and I were over there on Sunday, Dad started calling her "Knid." He was referring to Willy Wonka's Vermicious Knids. I have a feeling that Josh is going to wind up calling her Vermine for short. *shakes head and grins*
Well, I should study Japanese or write my 2-page paper or something. A quick note before I go: I have a new desk, which means I should have a scanner set up within the next week. Scanning and posting will ensue! (I know, I know...promises, promises...)
