Daily Rant Archives

December Rant Archives
Check it out... all the interesting things that happend in my life during the month of December! Not much went on this month besides the bombing of a couple finals, but it all turned out well in the end.

Sweet, Sweet Freedom!
December 15th, 2001 - 2:39 AM
I had my last two finals today, and I'm feeling great. I didn't even study for them too much, but they both went quite well. I guess by the end of the week, professors don't want to give tests that will be hard to grade. I'm expecting about a B on my Artificial Intelligence final, and an A on my Digital Systems test. Hopefully these good grades will help negate my utter failure in Statistics and Greek. After the tests I hung out with Neevred, because there was literally nobody else around. Llahned was around for a while, but I think he might have left late this evening. Besides, he's a traitor, and I'm mad at him. I was supposed to live with him next semester, but he's decided to stay with his current roommate instead. Since Leah's moving to an apartment, I'll be forced to take my chances with a random assignment. I'd sooner die than face the possibility of another Bob... I'm considering becoming an RA, and not just because my mom's making me though. It's a really good deal, though... you get free room and board, and even a salary, I think. The only problem is that you have to stay in you room like one night in eight, and you have to host lame social gatherings and the like. I think the biggest hurdle for me will be learning the names of all the people on my floor. Hopefully I'll be assigned to one of the honors dorms, so I'll be close to my friends, but for free board and a single room, I'll go anywhere they want me to.

But back to my hanging out with Neevred. We rented A Fish Called Wanda, which we had both heard of, but hadn't seen. It was a pretty good movie, even though Jamie Lee Curtis humps everything in sight. But before the movie we watched an episode of The Tick that Neevred had taped the night before. It's really a fantastic show, if you've never seen it, and far more entertaining than Survivor, which is running opposite it. It comes on right after The Family Guy, which is also highly amusing. Anyway, A Fish Called Wanda was pretty entertaining... and earns an 8/10 on the Mecherath Movie Scale. I might get around to writing a full-fledged review for it, but then again, maybe not. In about seven hours my dad will be here to take me home for my three week vacation, where I have no work to do whatsoever... I can't wait.

Currently Listening to: REM - Pop Song '89
This is from the album entitled Green, which Llon actually doesn't own. My dad has it on cassette, which doesn't really do me any good. I've already downloaded most of the songs from it though, and it joins the long list of CDs I'll be buying if I ever have money. I think REM has officially surpassed Ace of Base as my favorite band, though the Swedish pop sensations are still high on my list.

All is Not Lost, Fortunately
December 14th, 2001 - 1:35 AM
It turns out that studying served me well for once, because I managed to score an 89% on my calculus final. My grade was 80% going into it, which has now gone up to 84%. I was expecting a C+ at best, possibly a B-... but I greatly prefer the B. And who knows... if there's a curve of some kind, I might even snag a B+. I can find out my Greek grade tomorrow by e-mailing the teacher, but I'm too scared to do it. I'll just worry patiently until late December when the grades become available on the PSU website. I've got two exams tomorrow, back to back, and I've only studied for one of them. I should have enough time to study for the other one tomorrow morning though, so I'm not too worried. In seventeen short hours, I'll be done with my last final and ready to go into full Christmas break mode. I don't have a single thing I have to do for three solid weeks, except to write up a resume. I won't mind working at VF again this summer, but it would be a lot better to score an internship of some kind. I also might do some planning for a computer game I want to make, but I'm sure that won't go anywhere. There's another game I might be designing with Neevred depending on our work loads next semester, and that should be cool. It can't go any worse than our Quintessence game... lousy Microsoft judges...

In other news, there's this little Wizard guy who has been hanging around my computer ever since I installed Windows XP. He's the Office Assistant, and he's called Merlin, which is really lame, but I've become rather attached to him. He's way cooler than that paper clip thing, though I sort of liked the robot. Anyway, Merlin just stopped showing up for work today. Usually when I run the spellchecker on my posts, he pops up and yells at me for using passive voice, or html tags, or made up words like kawuzzle. But today I got nothing. I don't know what the deal is, but I'd better see Merlin and his pointy little hat next time I start up Word... or there's gonna be trouble.

Currently Listening to: They Might Be Giants - The World's Address
This is an incredibly weird song, even for They Might Be Giants. I only like a relatively small number of their songs, but I have to give them credit for being a successful nerd band. I almost saw them in concert once, but because of Elocina, I never got a ticket. Oh well... I didn't really have the money to see them anyway. It would have been great though.

Things Aren't Getting Any Better
December 13th, 2001 - 3:18 AM
I had two exams today, and neither one was spectacular. I did pretty well on my Calculus final at 12:20, and I should be able to pull off a B. There's a chance of a C, but I'm hoping for a curve of some kind. As for my Stats exam at 6:50, that's a different story. I think I might have actually done worse than I did on the Greek test yesterday. And when I talked to other people, they had the same impression. This is a good sign, because it indicates a heavy curve. I don't have a very good chance at an A in either Greek or Stats anymore, though I should be able to secure B's rather easily, as long as the teachers aren't particularly evil. I have a feeling I'm going to have to work extra hard next semester, and there's no chance of me getting a job... possibly some plasma donation though, if they'll take my stupid blood. I've got two more exams coming up on Friday, back to back, but then I'm done for the semester. My mom and a friend from church are picking Neevred and I up on Saturday afternoon, when we're going to see Harry Potter and grab some lunch... probably at Damon's, if I know my mom.

I got my TV back today, after four long months. The last time I watched it, the TV was sitting on the floor, and it's much more intimidating when it's sitting on the TV stand. My parents say it's way to large for a dorm room, but I don't think they know what they're talking about. If there's still room to walk, my TV isn't nearly large enough. It's got four times the screen area of the TV we used to use, so that's a definite plus. Unfortunately the futon is pretty close to the screen, so my video games are looking slightly pixilated... only the PS1 games though. I'm actually going to try to have lunch with my friends tomorrow, for the first time in like three days... finals week sucks!

Currently Listening to: Van Halen - Right Now
This happens to be the only Van Halen song on my computer, and I don't see things changing much in the near future. I really love the video for this song, and that alone was enough to download the mp3. I actually try to picture the video when I'm listening to the song, but that doesn't work very well, because I have no mind's eye to speak of...

Worst Testing Experience of My Life
December 11th, 2001 - 10:50 PM
I studied for my Greek final today... I really did. Anybody who was at the HUB between 1:30 and 4:00 can attest to that. Apparently I didn't study nearly well enough, or I studied all the wrong stuff, because I absolutely bombed the exam. Seriously... I don't remember feeling this poorly about an exam since Latin back in high school. The test got me so flustered that I was actually forgetting stuff I used to know. The few people I've talked to though thought it was equally horrible, but I'm still betting I had one of the worst grades in the class. The test lasted 110 minutes, and not a single person finished early. That means almost everybody, including me, must have left stuff blank when they handed it in. I had a good shot at an A before, now I'm hoping for a B. I still have a shot in hell at a B+, if the teacher is kind and generous, but I'm not counting on it. I don't know what I was smoking when I was studying for this test. Hindsight is 20/20, and I know about thirty things I would have paid special care to learn if I had known. I'm hoping that my grades on previous tests and quizzes will make her realize that today's sorry performance was just a fluke.

In other news, I apparently scratched Akira's copy of New Adventures in Hi-Fi when I borrowed it a few days ago, so I'm gonna have to buy her a new one. I decided to pick it up from half.com, where I can supposedly get a factory sealed copy for $7.29. It works kind of like E-bay, in that somebody else is sending it to me, but I'm pretty sure I can return if it's in fact, not factory sealed. If this works, I'll be able to get a copy for myself as well, for the same price that it would have cost to buy one copy in the first place. Well, I've gotta get studying for my calculus final, and I certainly don't want a repeat of today's performance. And considering my calc exam track record, I'm going to need all the study time I can get.

My TV is Finally Fixed
December 11th, 2001 - 4:05 AM
It took over three months, but my television is finally fixed. The guys over at the shop says it works fine for them, and the balance due is $97, which is exactly what they estimated back in the day. It's going to be so great to have a big TV in my room... I can't even deal with it. It's too bad it has to be fixed smack in the middle of finals week though. I won't even have much time to enjoy it until Wednesday night or so. And the way things are going, I might not even be able to pick it up until Thursday.... I've got my first exam tomorrow at 4:40, and I'm sorry to say that I haven't studied for it too much yet. I should be able to get a solid three to four hours in tomorrow though, so I'm not too worried. After that exam, it's time to study for my Calculus final Wednesday at 12:20. Then as soon as the Calc final is over, I get to study for my Stats final being held the same day at 6:50. Stupid lousy exam week. I had to meet a friend to work on the last Digital Systems assignment today, and even though we had the answers, it still took us over two hours. We did manage to learn most of the concepts though, which is good since that exam is on Friday.

Leah and Akira started playing Civ III recently, and since Akira has a Mac, and Leah's computer hard drive is filled with episodes of Buffy, they both use my computer. Luckily I've been busy with studying and review sessions lately, so they've been able to get some time on. It's an incredibly complicated game if you've never played it before, but it's also quite fun. I'm currently working my way through the second difficulty level, and I'm doing alright. I think that I'm playing on too large a map though, because the enemy civilizations are all over the place. I'm in the process of beating the Russians into submission, but they're putting up much more of a fight than I'm used to. And whenever I try to take over their cites, the loser citizens always overthrow me and defect back to their mother country... quite annoying. I'm going to be going to bed before 4 AM in the first time in a while, because I need to do that Greek studying tomorrow morning... And if you're wondering about today's Haiku, during the summer I sleep in a storage room behind our second floor bathroom. It's got no insulation to speak of, which is why I can't sleep there during the winter.

Currently Listening to: Terry Jacks - Seasons in the Sun
I first fell in love with this song when making a birthday present for Esor. Since I was too poor to afford a real gift, I offered to burn her three CDs. She was happy to accept, and after a few hours of Napster searching, I was done. I ended up deleting most of the stuff after the CDs were made, but I just couldn't bear to delete this little gem. I think I prefer "Happy Together" by The Turtles though...

Windows XP R0x0rs
December 10th, 2001 - 4:05 AM
I just installed Windows XP today, and I'm in love. It's very similar to Windows 2000, which I had installed previously, and I haven't found any compatability issues yet. Well, actually it says that Visual J++ won't work anymore, but I never use that program anyway. The interface has a totally new look which I'm slowly getting used to, and lots of cool little features. Items on your taskbar that use the same program are grouped together. And if you run out of space, instead of shrinking the taskbar icons to a luducrious size, a pop-up menu lets you select from a list of open notepad files, for instance. Since I do most of my work in notepad, this is a very handy feature. Today is the last day of the semester that I'm able to do absolutely nothing. I've got two review sessions to go to tomorrow, and I have to start studying for my Greek final. I got my Discrete Math grade, and it's an 89%. I'm hoping for a slight curve to boost me into the A- range, or possibly even the A range. My attendance wasn't too hot in that class though, so I hope she doesn't take that into account. Akira has been coming to my room to play Civ III lately, whenever I'm not using the computer. I've given her free reign to mess around on it, though it's understood that I get to use it whenever it suits my fancy. She has a Mac in her room, which is good for image processing, and not much else. Even though I'll be studying alot the next few days, you can be sure that I'll take ample study breaks... it keeps me from going crazy, you know.

Currently Listening to: REM - Carnival of Sorts
This is one of the earliest REM songs ever released, from their first album, Chronic Town. So far as I know, you can only get it on vinyl, which my dad of course owns. The five tracks are included in certain versions of Dead Letter Office though, so all is not lost. I really like this song right now, though who knows what I'll think about it after I listen to it 20 times in a row... It does take me a very long time to get tired of a song though.

Snow of Sorts
December 9th, 2001 - 4:00 AM
Well, it snowed today, and it was the most significant accumulation we've had so far. That is to say, there was snow on the grass and slush everywhere else. It's a lot better than nothing mind you, but I'd like enough to build a Snowmecherath at the very least. I do like the cold weather associated with snow though, because it's actually nice in our room when the windows partially open. If I'm lucky, it will be so cold in the morning that I won't want to get out of bad. Being under warm covers when the rest of the room is freezing cold is a wonderful feeling. And with our radiator, it's a rare feeling as well. I did nothing constructive today, as ususal, though I might actually do some work tomorrow. If I don't do anything tomorrow, it will be my last day of video games until Friday night, because I've got to start studying for finals Monday afternoon at the latest. I watched some Outlaw Star today, and it was fantastic. I'd have to say that it's my favorite anime, though that doesn't say much, since the only other series I own is Record of Lodoss War. Well, I'm off to pray for snow... you do the same. Currently Listening to: Indigo Girls - Least Complicated
This is one of two Indigo Girls songs I have on my computer, the other being "Closer to Fine." Both of these songs totally rox0r, and they're delightfully mellow. That's about the extent of my musical analysis abilities, and I don't even know if I'd call the songs mellow, but it's the first word that I thought of, so I'm sticking with it.

What the Hell is Wrong with you Joe?
December 8th, 2001 - 4:15 AM
That's a fake line from my favorite infomercial of all time. It's for the Red Devil, and it basically stars two people: the main demonstrator (whose name I forget), and the skeptical assistant, Joe. Anyway, the main guy is always yelling at Joe because he doesn't believe that the Red Devil can cook cake and lobster... but it can. It's truly a wonder machine. But enough about infomercials... let's talk about me. I'm officially done with classes today, and I've never felt better. Actually, I'll feel a heck of a lot better next Friday, when I'm also done with finals. Five finals is never a fun thing under any circumstances, but at least they're fairly well spread out. Today was a typical Mecherath day, with lots of Civ III and Valkyrie Profile. I played a little more Neopets than usual, but that's because the connection up here is especially fast this time of morning. I did a few things today that weren't anti-social video game playing. I played Quadra with a bunch of friends for a while, and it has a built in chat window, making it a social video game, like EverQuest. Besides that, I watched In and Out with Llon, Neevred, Esor, and Akira. Leah might have joined us, but he was still recovering with the all-nigher he pulled earlier today. Anyway, I'm ludicrously tired, so I'm heading to bed.

Currently Listening to: Destiny's Child - Say My Name
This is the only Destiny's Child song I like, and I generally can't stand them. "Bootylicious" and "Survivor" are especially annoying in fact. When I first heard this song I thought they were singing "Serenade," which would be better, in my opinion. Oh... I also hate "Independent Women: Part 1," or whatever that stupid song is. This one is basically a diamond in the rough. Like Aladdin... a fantabulous Disney movie.

I'm Oficially Cultured Now
December 7th, 2001 - 2:05 AM
I just saw Rent today, which is probably the first musical I've ever seen of my own free will. It was pretty darn good, and I actually liked some of the songs. "Seasons of Love" was my favorite though, and ever since high school chorus, it will always have a special place in my heart. Apparently I wasn't paying too much attention in the first act of the show though, because I didn't really know what was going on... I was in row Q, which was like 23 rows back. Now, I know you're counting on your fingers right now, and you've figured out that Q is the 17th letter in the alphabet, not the 23rd. Well, you seem to have forgotten about rows AA-FF, which they put in whenever they don't need a pit orchestra or an expanded stage. Anyway, back to how stupid I was. I don't know if you've seen the musical, but one of the main characters is Angel, who is going out with Tom Collins. Angel is dressed as a woman the whole time and sings with a rather feminine voice, so I assumed that the character was female. Well, it turns out that Angel is a drag queen, and he and Collins are gay lovers, making a perfect addition to the lesbians already in the production. Apparently I wasn't the only one who was confused about Angel's gender, because this one girl five rows ahead of me was explaining the whole thing to a bunch of guys sitting behind her. So I'd see Rent again if I had the chance, but next time I'd rather go with somebody I know, rather than sit by myself.

So, I had an 8:00 class today, but I didn't wake up until after eleven. I gave Neevred a call as soon as I was awake, and he assured me that I didn't miss much. Of course, by this time I was running late for my 11:15 class, so I had to rush over there without taking a shower. I absolutely hate going to classes dirty, and I'm sure the people sitting next to me didn't like it either. I studiously copied down notes for Wednesday�s exam, after which I hurried back to my room to shower and read webcomics. Then came lunch, where I had grilled cheese and fish, a rather mediocre meal in the grand scheme of things. After lunch I played Civ III until I beat it, and then moved on to Valkyrie Profile. I'm going to start again with Civ III on a higher difficulty tomorrow, when I'll probably play seven hours again or something. Dudes was cancelled for tomorrow, which makes me feel really bad for skipping it last week. By the time I see the little kids again next semester, it would have been over two months. I hope they're doing alright without me...

Currently Listening to: REM - Catapult
This is a track from Murmur, one of the many CDs I borrowed from Llon last semester. It's a decent song, but hardly one of my favorites. Right now I think my favorite REM song might be "Monty Got a Raw Deal", though "Texarkana" is high on the list.

You Can't Go Wrong with Pasta Night
December 6th, 2001 - 12:41 AM
We had my favorite meal over at the dining commons today, and it was fantastic. It was Pick-a-Pasta night, and though they didn't have many selections, they managed to get all my favorite varieties. I had a plate of fettuccini with milano sauce and a bowl of penne with alfredo sauce. Throw in a piece of garlic bread, some applesauce, and a few chocolate chip cookies, and you've got a meal fit for a king. Just thinking about it now makes me hungry again, though of course, it has been six hours since I've eaten something. Nostre was eating dinner with some of her friends at the table next to ours, but I was forced to ignore her since I was already in a group of six. After dinner I played Civ III for a while before moving on to Valkyrie Profile. I thought about playing some Lost Vikings II, but decided against it.

Well it turns out that Artificial Intelligence wasn't cancelled for tomorrow, which makes me very upset. I was so looking forward to sleeping until 10, and now I'll have to get up at like 7:20 if I want to shower and read my webcomics before class. Maybe I'll accidentally oversleep or something... Actually, I'll be sure to go, because he's going to be telling us what to study for the exam. The only review session I've skipped willingly is the one for Stats, and that's because I'm convinced Babu doesn't have the foggiest idea what he's doing. I'll be missing the Digital Systems review against my will, since it's being held at the same time as my Stats exam. For the next few days I have nothing to do besides go to class and play video games. Since my first final isn't until Tuesday, I won't have to start studying until Sunday at the earliest, and probably not until Monday. It's good to be me.

Currently Listening to: Clash - Rock the Casbah
This is another one of those 80's songs that I just can't stop listening to. If I had the money, I'd be a total sucker for those "Best of the 80's" collections they're always coming out with. I mean, not every song can be the best... maybe they should have a "Mediocre Songs of the 80's" collection... I'd definitely buy that. And I know that the band is called "The Clash", but I always remove the word "The" from band names...

Time Flies When You're Playing Civ III
December 5th, 2001 - 1:34 AM
I played Civilization III for no less than seven hours today, and it felt like nothing. It's amazing how fast an hour goes by when you're trying to manage thirty-odd cites, fight a war on two fronts, and discover gunpowder before anybody else. I managed to beat the French into submission, and I'm currently working on Zululand. Apparently the Zulu discovered gunpowder as well though, because they're actually shooting back. My cavalry is used to going against pikemen and the like... they totally freak out when it's an even battle. Anyway, even I can admit that seven hours if far too long to be playing a single game. I did take a break to do some Greek homework and go for a walk though, so I don't feel too awful. If all goes well, I'd like to keep going on my walks all semester. It's not much exercise really, but it's about all I'm willing to do... plus I get some fresh air.

I woke up on time today, and I actually managed to get to AI before Neevred, for the first time ever. The lecture was moderately interesting, and I'm pretty sure I stayed awake for the whole thing. At the end of class we got our papers back, and I'm very pleased to say that I scored a 90%. Considering I was expecting something in the C range, this came as quite a surprise. I kinda wish I had gotten a bad grade though... the fact that I got a good grade after waiting until the last minute proves that working ahead is totally useless. If I manage to do well on the final in that class, I might actually get an A, which would be fantastic. I've only got six more classes this semester, when I would usually have 10 left by this point in the week. Stats isn't meeting on Wednesday or Friday, and Discrete Math isn't meeting on Friday. And to top it of, there's a good chance that AI won't meet Thursday morning. I'm going to get lots of quality sleeping in this week, and I can't wait. Speaking of sleeping, I skipped my nap today, so I'm practically falling asleep in my chair.

Currently Listening to: Cranberries - Copycat
This is from Bury the Hatchet, the only Cranberries album I own, and it just happens to be the one Cranberries song that all of my friends hate most. The main chorus is kind of annoying, but I like the rest of the song, so I can ignore that. The Cranberries are one of my favorite bands right now, and if I actually had some money, I'd pick up the rest of their stuff.

Apparently I Suck at Calculus
December 4th, 2001 - 12:41 AM
I went to do some Calc homework today, after playing way too much Civ III. I'm actually doing pretty good, but when I was screwing around for a while, I learned that every civilization I've made contact with is going to declare war on me in about five turns, which is quite annoying, as you might imagine. Anyway, back to the calculus homework... I managed to get the first section, because the book explained it pretty well. But as for the second section, I was completely clueless. We probably went over it in class on Thursday, but I was recovering from the all-nighter I pulled for AI. Fortunately we get to drop three quizzes and two homeworks, so my grade won't be hurt by not getting this homework. But it will mean a bit more studying for the final. I did a little number crunching, and as long as I pass this final, I won't do any worse than a C. If I manage to ace it, I can score a B+. So I'm hoping for something in the B-/C+ range. It's only a two-credit class though, so it doesn't matter too much. I'm hovering around the A-/B+ range in most of my other classes, and I actually have a good shot at an A in Greek. So, long story short, I shouldn't have any trouble keeping my 3.2 this semester. Sorry I don't have anything interesting to say, but all I did today was play Civ III and try to do calculus homework.

I Never Play Favorites
December 3rd, 2001 - 1:32 AM
I did a little bit of everything today, because I feel guilty if I spend good money on a game and then don't play it. I played a little Neopets before brunch, where I ate by myself since everybody else went to some restaurant or something. After brunch I played a little Lost Vikings 2, followed by some Valkyrie Profile. Then I played EverQuest for a bit, but got tired of it and switched to Quadra. I had just started playing a little more Lost Vikings when my little brother called me up for some help with his Latin homework. I can't remember too much about Latin, and everything I do remember is all mixed up with Greek. I'm pretty sure I was able to help him, but it doesn't really matter, because he's switching to another language next year. After I finished helping out my brother, it was time for dinner. I ate with Llon, and afterwards we picked up our housing contracts for next year. I'm going to live with Llahned, which is almost guaranteed. If I was trying to stay in the same room, I would definitely get it, but there's a slight risk involved with switching buildings. That's a chance I'm willing to take though, because I can't stand living across the street from all the drunks. After securing my housing contract I played Civilization III until about 9:15, when I had to meet Llon, Leah, and a friend of his to see Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back at the HUB. I've liked every movie Kevin Smith put out, especially Clerks and Mallrats, but this movie did nothing for me. Silent Bob was the only character in the movie I could tolerate, and that's because he only spoke twice. I like swearing just as much, or possibly more than the next guy, but even I was sick of it by the end of the movie. This movie has some funny moments, but for the most part, it fails to achieve the quality of other Kevin Smith films. Even though I hated it, you should see it if you're a fan of the other movies, because there's lots of cameos and references to previous films. Of course, with all this video game playing, I totally forgot about my Greek homework. It only took about 25 minutes though, so that's all taken care of now.

Currently Listening to: Everclear - What It's Like
This is the only Everclear song I like, if only for the entertainment value the radio edit provides. Between swear words and references to drugs or guns, every other word is bleeped out. This song is all about not judging people and stuff, but it's interesting that every single person in the song ends up dead... at least they do in the video.

The Earth Spins Way Too Fast
December 2nd, 2001 - 4:00 AM
We definitely need more than 24 hours in a day. I played video games of various sorts all day, and I still didn't have time for any EverQuest or Civilization III. If I just had about six more hours, I could definitely get my shaman to level 12, and start the first leg of my quest to lead the Greeks to global domination. My problems would be solved if I just stopped sleeping. I waste seven or eight prime game playing hours every night that way. I'm joking of course, since sleep is one of my favorite things to so. I beat Lost Vikings today, though I'm afraid I had to cheat a little on the final boss. Lost Vikings 2 is really cool, but significantly easier, so I should be done with that in a few days. I started over in Valkyrie Profile, but I'm already almost as far as I was a few days ago. And did you know that the voice actors for Valkyrie Profile are the same ones that do Pokemon? I've currently got Ash, Misty, and Brock in my party... no Pikachu though. Besides video games, the only interesting thing I did today was see Ghost World, which I added a review for.

Currently Listening to: Dido - Don't Think of Me
This is one of the five Dido songs I have on my computer, and I'm sorely disappointed that it hasn't been released as a single yet. Right now "Thank You," "Here With Me," and "Hunter" are the only ones to have made it to the radio. I can only hope that this song follows next. Leah picked this CD up a while ago, and it's one that I wouldn't mind owning, if I had any semblance of financial security.

How Did it Get So Late So Soon?
December 1st, 2001 - 4:13 AM
This is the first line to a really cool Dr. Seuss poem, which I'm going to post right here:

     How did it get so late so soon?
     It's night before it's afternoon.
     December is here before it's June.
     My goodness how the time has flewn.
     How did it get so late so soon?''
          - Dr. Seuss

Besides being really cool, this poem is very appropriate to what I'm feeling right now, because I can't freaking believe that it's December already. It seems like only yesterday that I was graduating from high school, and now I'm about to finish my third semester of college. Actually, it doesn't seem like yesterday at all, but I felt like using a clich� just then. Today started off really badly, but actually ended pretty well. To start it off, I woke up about an hour after I wanted to, so I didn't have any time to study Greek before Digital Systems. And because it was raining outside, I couldn't study between classes either. I tried to do some studying in class, but we were going over stuff I don't understand very well, so I had to pay some attention. And then at the end of class, he asked us to hand in the quiz that was assigned on Wednesday. I wasn't even in class on Wednesday, but luckily nobody got the right answer, so he worked it out on the board. A little frantic copying, and I'm none the worse for wear. Anyway, because of this series of bad circumstances, I got like zero studying time in for my Greek quiz. I think I probably got a D on it, which isn't catastrophic, but it's a lot worse than I would have liked to do. I should still be in pretty good shape for an A though, and if not, I'll certainly get an A-. I played some Lost Vikings after Greek instead of taking my daily nap, and I'm actually on the final level now. After that I went to Stats, where I nearly fell asleep in my chair copying mind-numbingly boring notes. Then I headed upstairs to prepare for my Discrete Math final. I spent about an hour making a note card to use on the test, and it served me well. There's only one question that I know I got wrong, and I'm pretty sure I got the rest right.

Now that my AI projects and Discrete Math final are out of the way, I'm not going to do anything even remotely constructive this weekend. My time is going to be equally divided between Lost Vikings, EverQuest, Valkyrie Profile, Civilization III, Quadra, Fellowship of the Ring, and working on the site. I've actually got to do a little Greek homework in there somewhere, but that should only take like 20 minutes. I skipped Dudes today, because the huge workload I've had in the past few days made me too tired to hang out with little kids. If I had gone, I would have just sat there in a chair like a lump, with kids poking me to make sure I'm not dead. I played Bingo tonight for the last time this semester, and I managed to win again, along with three other people. I picked up another 10-pack of CD-Rs, which is kind of disappointing since I was supposed to win a DVD. But apparently you only get a DVD if you're the only one to have won that round... who knew? Anyway, I've stayed up far too late again, and I'd like to be up for brunch by like noon.

Currently Listening to: Aphex Twin - If
This song is seven freaking minutes long, and no actual lyrics, except for a few randomly space sound clips. Actually that's not very surprising at all, since a lot of Aphex Twin's stuff doesn't have any words. And one of my favorite songs of all time is seven minutes long without any words... "Children" by Robert Miles. Good stuff.