Whilwind of EVERYTHING

I’m taking time out of my incredibly busy day to write this, because if I don’t take a break from academic writing I believe I just might lose my mind, and then I’d have to go catch it, and stuff it in my head again….well, it’d just take too much time. So here we are.

Been an awesome time for me. Unfortunately, awesome in this case means my head nearly exploded a few times in there trying to juggle everything.

Step 1) GRE
Step 2) PAPERS PAPERS PAPERS PAPERS PAPERS
Step 3) GROUPS
Step 4) HEAD EXPLODY
Step 5) ????????????
Step 6) Profit!

I swear, every time I think I’m done, someone manages to hit me with another 15 things while I wasn’t paying attention. But enough of my whining, right?
So not much is actually happening, though my schedule wouldn’t suggest it. Things are busier than ever, but I don’t mind. Well, except for the not being able to write creatively, but still…

Sugoi-con was a blast as always, had a lot of fun with everybody. I’m sure you can find pictures online somewhere (I forgot my camera). Nerdded it up with everyone, and went a little crazy. But it was crazy awesome.

::WARNING: POLITICAL OPINION AHEAD::

The house passed a bill for Healthcare reform, but it probably won’t get through the senate because of filibuster. Nice try though. I wish we’d just get to reforming the system already. I’m all for a public option, but that’s going to be an uphill battle, and we need pre-existing conditions to disappear, as well as the tort reform.

But the opposition is rather…vocal…about their objection, and some silly people actually began believing that they represent the whole of America….

::END POLITICAL OPINION::

OH. Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson came out with a book. The first part of A Memory of Light, The Gathering Storm came out a couple of weeks ago, and I finally got around to reading it. This is it, the last story in one of the absolute best series in fantasy. This series is close to my heart, and when I heard of Jordan’s death in 2007, I thought he took a little part of me with him. I never thought I’d see the day when Jordan’s legacy would be done right, but here we are. Sanderson did a wonderful job, and I couldn’t be happier with it. It was glorious in its scope, and it covered a veritable ton of side stories and tied loose ends. That it was the first third in the last story is even more exciting and makes me yearn for the rest of it (for the uninformed out there, this was supposed to be the last book in the series, but it was so big that Sanderson split it into 3 parts). Glorious.

This post is a little disjointed right now, since stress seems to be setting back in. Back to the grindstone I go. More update later.

-Pat out

A New Semester

Ah, Two weeks off.

It's been a quiet two weeks, with only minor events happening. It was good just being able to sleep and not worry about assignments or meetings or class or work. Just sitting in my chair, in a minor coma, quietly reading or watching hulu.

But now it's back to work.

Back to school, to assignments, to meetings, to work. It's not all bad, it is just the end to relaxation. Back to being swamped by papers, or worrying about the future. It is a return for writing both for class and on my own. It is a return to life.

The campus is overwhelmed by students and cars, not a parking spot to be found. People bustle about, running to class and trying to get back to their normal schedules after summer break. The bands in the square try to entertain when no one wants to listen, they run to class, annoyed at the wailing speakers and campus guides. "Do you want a credit card?" "How about signing up to help our athletic program?" " Free Food!"...well, the last one isn't so bad, but still. I've never been a fan of the first few weeks of school, as everyone is trying to normalize their lives, and the constant attempts by the school to be hip does not work. If they did these events throughout the year, maybe it would be different, but these things only appear twice a year, at the beginning of each semester. Eventually life will return to normal, but for now, the falsely overburdened campus will continue its dance through the weeks ahead.