Some people choose Hallmark to provide warm Christmas greetings to friends and loved ones. I, however, choose Steve Carell.
A big thanks to JMT for passing this gem along.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Friday, December 14, 2007
Exhaling
You know the musical montage scenes in cheesy movies, when the characters do all sorts of crazy, kooky things while mugging for the camera, dancing around, and laughing for no apparent reason? That’s how my life has felt since school ended Monday night. I feel ten years younger and six inches taller. Suddenly my life is set to fun, happy music. It’s as though the Spin Doctors follow me wherever I go.
I have FREE TIME. Sure, there’s that full-time job, but that’s it. I can spend my lunch hours doing whatever I want, and with the weather all week hovering near 80 degrees, they’re often spent at Freedom Park or walking to errands instead of being the ugly American who drives the half mile to the grocery store. I don’t have to wake up early to write papers, but sometimes do anyway just so I can be awake in the morning and NOT writing a paper. The novelty!
My evenings are wide open. Wednesday night, I went to trivia at Murphy’s with friends and our crack team won every round but one, racking up $55 in gift certificates. Did you know that the second sequel to the Flintstones movie was called “Viva Rock Vegas”? We did. Thursday night, my hockey game dreams came true. While at a Charlotte Checkers game, Jimmy caught a t-shirt from the air gun, and in the coolest part of all, we got on the “Kiss Cam” on the jumbotron. During countless Caps games, I’d lament that no one in the 400 section ever got on the Kiss Cam, and those lucky 100 section people who did never provided enough gusto for the crowd. But there we were, two rows from the ice, suckin’ face in front of Bobcats Arena. (When we realized the camera was on us, Jimmy attacked me with lovin’ and then afterwards said loudly, “Sorry, Sis!” much to the crowd’s amusement.)
AND I can read whatever book I choose! Utterly liberating! My favorite part of ending the semester is walking into Joseph-Beth bookstore (my happy place) and finding a fun book, one that won’t have to be read with a pen ready to underline and take notes on applicable literary theory. My current picks: The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox (a new release! I’m reading a book by an author still living!), The World Without Us (NONFICTION! I get to read nonfiction!), and a book that’s a Christmas present for Jimmy that I became unexpectedly caught up in and have to finish so I can wrap it. As I ended the semester, many well-meaning people told me that I’d have a month-long break when I wouldn’t have to read a single word. Meanwhile, every night I’d salivate while telling Jimmy about a book I was planning on cracking the minute the semester ended; it was like literary foreplay. I’m not alone in this: this week I received an email from a classmate, whom I’d never seen use an exclamation point, and it read, “I’m DONE! I’m going book shopping tonight!!!” I hear ya, sister.
The transition has been a little rough. I can’t help but think of paper topics as I read my “fun” books, and even considered writing a “fun” essay just for the hell of it. I know this is sick and wrong, so I stopped myself. Hopefully within a week or two I’ll read with half my brain shut off, drooling onto my lap as I go. And then it’ll be just in time for the new semester to begin.
The funny part is that before I was in school, I’d always complain about not having time enough to do anything. I'd sit, watching reruns of The Daily Show, lamenting the little spare time I had. But there’s nothing like a busy schedule to make me realize how many minutes are packed into a day. And during the next three weeks, I’m going to enjoy every one of them.
I have FREE TIME. Sure, there’s that full-time job, but that’s it. I can spend my lunch hours doing whatever I want, and with the weather all week hovering near 80 degrees, they’re often spent at Freedom Park or walking to errands instead of being the ugly American who drives the half mile to the grocery store. I don’t have to wake up early to write papers, but sometimes do anyway just so I can be awake in the morning and NOT writing a paper. The novelty!
My evenings are wide open. Wednesday night, I went to trivia at Murphy’s with friends and our crack team won every round but one, racking up $55 in gift certificates. Did you know that the second sequel to the Flintstones movie was called “Viva Rock Vegas”? We did. Thursday night, my hockey game dreams came true. While at a Charlotte Checkers game, Jimmy caught a t-shirt from the air gun, and in the coolest part of all, we got on the “Kiss Cam” on the jumbotron. During countless Caps games, I’d lament that no one in the 400 section ever got on the Kiss Cam, and those lucky 100 section people who did never provided enough gusto for the crowd. But there we were, two rows from the ice, suckin’ face in front of Bobcats Arena. (When we realized the camera was on us, Jimmy attacked me with lovin’ and then afterwards said loudly, “Sorry, Sis!” much to the crowd’s amusement.)
AND I can read whatever book I choose! Utterly liberating! My favorite part of ending the semester is walking into Joseph-Beth bookstore (my happy place) and finding a fun book, one that won’t have to be read with a pen ready to underline and take notes on applicable literary theory. My current picks: The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox (a new release! I’m reading a book by an author still living!), The World Without Us (NONFICTION! I get to read nonfiction!), and a book that’s a Christmas present for Jimmy that I became unexpectedly caught up in and have to finish so I can wrap it. As I ended the semester, many well-meaning people told me that I’d have a month-long break when I wouldn’t have to read a single word. Meanwhile, every night I’d salivate while telling Jimmy about a book I was planning on cracking the minute the semester ended; it was like literary foreplay. I’m not alone in this: this week I received an email from a classmate, whom I’d never seen use an exclamation point, and it read, “I’m DONE! I’m going book shopping tonight!!!” I hear ya, sister.
The transition has been a little rough. I can’t help but think of paper topics as I read my “fun” books, and even considered writing a “fun” essay just for the hell of it. I know this is sick and wrong, so I stopped myself. Hopefully within a week or two I’ll read with half my brain shut off, drooling onto my lap as I go. And then it’ll be just in time for the new semester to begin.
The funny part is that before I was in school, I’d always complain about not having time enough to do anything. I'd sit, watching reruns of The Daily Show, lamenting the little spare time I had. But there’s nothing like a busy schedule to make me realize how many minutes are packed into a day. And during the next three weeks, I’m going to enjoy every one of them.
Friday, December 07, 2007
Can't... Go... On...
Can anyone tell I was listening to Amy Winehouse while I procrastinated writing my final paper today? To the tune of "Rehab":
They try to make me write my paper
I say No, No, No.
My brain’s gone hazy
And when I go crazy
You’ll know, know, know.
JSTOR makes me sad.
I should’ve stuck with undergrad.
They try to make me write my paper
But I say No, No, No.
I’m hostage at my computer screen
With no society but Mikhail Bakhtin.
I’m gonna, I’m gonna lose my patience
But I buckle down and increase my caffeine.
I didn’t learn much from Melville.
Only that to finish Moby Dick takes all my self will.
They try to make me write my paper
I say No, No, No.
My brain’s gone hazy
And when I go crazy
You’ll know, know, know.
JSTOR makes me sad.
I should’ve stuck with undergrad.
They try to make me write my paper
But I say No, No, No.
They try to make me write my paper
I say No, No, No.
My brain’s gone hazy
And when I go crazy
You’ll know, know, know.
JSTOR makes me sad.
I should’ve stuck with undergrad.
They try to make me write my paper
But I say No, No, No.
I’m hostage at my computer screen
With no society but Mikhail Bakhtin.
I’m gonna, I’m gonna lose my patience
But I buckle down and increase my caffeine.
I didn’t learn much from Melville.
Only that to finish Moby Dick takes all my self will.
They try to make me write my paper
I say No, No, No.
My brain’s gone hazy
And when I go crazy
You’ll know, know, know.
JSTOR makes me sad.
I should’ve stuck with undergrad.
They try to make me write my paper
But I say No, No, No.
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