{ 04 } Course selection, augh!

3/12/2008 at 4:08 PM

So yes, I spoke to my English Adviser(s) today, and snagged the course outline booklet to see what I still need for an English Major. 24 credit hours, that's what I still need. Nnnrgh. So I grabbed my 6ch for my pre-1660 literature requirement, and 12 ch for my 18ch of other advanced-level courses. Fuckit, I thought I had 21 of my necessary 30 or more credit hours, but apparently 6 of those credit hours are needed in general, and while they count towards an English Major, it's not part of the minimum 30ch.

So, I'm trying to plan around Education courses that I haven't looked at yet (SERIOUSLY need to speak to someone about that, it's on the list of things to do this week, I might hunt someone down tomorrow in the Education department, or I might wait until after my appointment with Dr Andrews on Monday; she might be able to help me better. ) Anyway, I have four English courses selected for next year, although one doesn't count to the major, it looks fun (Literature of Atlantic Canada), but I will drop it if I need the slot for another course. No, my main problem is two of my full-year courses that I'd like to take. My third one, Shakespeare, is perfectly fine in its slot. The other two, Victorian Literature and Chaucer & Co, are back to back on Mondays and Wednesdays, and it's a full three hours. I have two classes back to back on Tuesdays and Thursdays this year for three hours, and my comment on that is a combination of "OW&I'MHUNGRY."

So yeah, we'll see what my adviser says. I'll probably do it anyway, even though three hours straight is really pushing it for my wrist (one hour of writing is enough to take it out for the day).

If I leave it as is, and not counting the Atlantic Lit course, I'll have 27 out of 30 and need 3ch more in another 3000/4000 level course. Nothing interests me in what's offered this year, so I'll probably leave that last 3ch for my last year, and see if the interesting courses I saw listed are available then. I really want to try and focus on my Arts degree next year, as I've neglected it for the past couple for Education courses. We'll see how much I have left in my Education course, to see how many I take next year.

Oh, and somebody, after the 17th of March, tell me to get my ass in gear and register for my courses, please? I really shouldn't leave things like that until May, like I did this year, and potentially screw myself over. This is why I'm rather concerned about things this year, because of that little stunt I pulled.

Oops. So yeah, if someone wants to poke me on the 18th or something, I'd love you forever! XD

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{ 03 } A mystery of a different sort

2/1/2008 at 9:58 PM

Well, well, well. I have a mystery story brewing in my head right now.....

This is strange, as I've never really been into mysteries (for all that I love NCIS, it isn't really a mystery show). But in one of my classes, we were to read the first 75 pages of an Anne Perry mystery novel that our professor provided. I've been resisting the temptation to read further (I'm on page 129 as of tonight....), and it has inspired me to write a mystery story of my own.

Now, at first, it was a fanfiction. I know, I know, I'm such a geek. My bad. P: But now I'm considering just yoinking the basic plot, twisting it all to pieces, change the year, change names and faces, change ages, change everything so it is completely original.

The mystery genre has several categories:
- True Crime (self-explanatory)
- Detective Fiction: with the subcategories of Private-Eye (self-explanatory), Cozy (little old lady solving crimes in small villages; think Agatha Christie), Chick Lit (hot young woman being swept off her feet and solving the mystery all the while *gags*) and Police Procedurals (story focusing on the crime-solving procedure rather than the characters themselves)
- Whodunits (just puzzle-solving with logic)
- Mystery Novel (with the story as its main focus, readers usually get to know the perps as well as the investigators)
- Thriller (action, hero vs villain, lotsa close calls, hero always victorious. Hurrah. *sarcasm*)
- Suspense (psychological, or, to me, mind-fucks. Yay!)
(definitions above are yoinked from here. Hey, gotta know a bit about the genre before I can categorize my own, right? Right.)

So anyway. I noticed one distinct lack in the mystery genre. Focusing on: A) action; B) method of solving; C) investigator; or D) heros/investigators and villains/perpetrators. I skimmed the website not five minutes ago, and before starting this entry, went, "Hmmmm. *grins* Ooooo, yay."

I'm gonna write my mystery focusing on the VICTIM'S BROTHER rather than on the mystery-solving aspect. Oh yes, I will have the mystery solved, but this is mainly going to be on one who would normally be a side-character. I want to say that it's gonna be a psychological, in a way. Mostly because I'm going to mentally torment said victim's brother. But I don't think that would fall under the suspense/psychological genre, persay.

So yeah, the prof of aforementioned class has told us to do ten minutes of the beginning of our mystery story in USSW (Uninterrupted Sustained Silent Writing). I don't know if she plans on having us FINISH this story, but I'll likely do that anyway.

In this, I have discovered that when a teacher tells me to write something, I take it and experiment with it beyond my normal writing methods. This is three for three that uses some form of first-person narrative; I'm all about the third-person omniscient usually. Or I'll experiment in some other manner, such as a topic, or genre that I haven't touched yet. Mind, I do that anyway, given my rather broad subject range, but the first person narrative is an odd thing for me.

Fweehee~

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{ 02 } Overwhelming cross-stitch

1/27/2008 at 4:08 PM

Ha! My Art Education professor has no idea what he's getting himself into by letting me not only do my Term Project on cross-stitch, but letting me design my own pattern. *cackles* I'm having so damn much fun!

I have my main sketch completed in pencil, however I have no access to a scanner at the moment (my laptop and my scanner detest each other with a burning passion). I'd like to ink it, as that will make it easier to see on the tracing paper that I printed a blank cross-stitch grid on to make the pattern proper, but I never ink before scanning the pencil.

Oh yeah, I'm totally going to copyright my pattern when it's finished, and send it off to some magazines or something. Someone out there will like to do an angel cross-stitch I imagine, even if mine does go more into classic angel symbolism than the generic angel-lady in crazy-complex dresses.

Hmmm.....

*jitters in seat* Gonna go back and see what else I can do, fwee~

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{ 01 } Weather and a birthday!

1/21/2008 at 12:31 PM

Woof, it's a bit nippy outside today! Twas -24C this morning; long-john time!

Now then, I love my apartment. It's a fifteen minute walk to campus and lets me think that I have a life away from university, something that residence definitely did not offer to me. But blessed be, is it a pain in the rear to get around in the winter! Getting to campus isn't an issue, what with the bus and all, it's the coming from that's painful. And I mean that quite literally at this time of year. The sidewalks are sheets of ice, and the Chapman Field Parking lot is even worse. The bus schedule does not afford me time to get to the stop after class without having to wait for a while, but I'm seriously considering to start waiting.

Tense back, sore thighs, my left knee is complaining loudly, and my legs twitch a lot at night when I'm on my back. And wow was my left hip killing last night. I normally sleep on that side to curl up closer to the heater, but not last night, that's for sure! So tense from skidding and slipping on the ice! Haven't fallen yet, only to one knee a couple times, but man do your muscles hurt after a few serious slips and skids! I almost prefer going to my knee, cause it at least completes the muscle movement and doesn't leave them quite so tense.

I'll probably have an epsom salt bath after Sparks/Brownies tonight, just to relax at least my back.

I find it funny that everyone's bitching about the cold; I don't mind the cold, and the wind chill isn't even a major factor right now (that's what makes me miserable in winter, temperature wise; kills my joints worse than slipping on ice). This weather is quite pleasant actually, I find. I just dislike all this fucking ice! Owie!

I don't even walk on the sidewalk down the path from the university. Downhill on an ice patch? Thankyoubutnofuckingthanks. I don't think so. Walking on the road is preferable, and it's not a traffic-heavy road at all, a car didn't even pass me as I went down. I wasn't risking falling badly on that, not when I have to be able to run after ten little girls tonight; Erin's torn a ligament in her foot and is unable to hobble stairs very well, let alone run. Tomorrow? Sure, I'll take a tumble then, if I must. Just not tonight, kthnxbai.

Oh! Happy birthday to my bestest-best friend today! Hope it's a good one, lovely! I have a cross-stitch as a present for you, but you can tell me to fuckoff and go buy you a real present too! XD Hugs and kisses!

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