It has been quite a while since I've had the time to sit down and write here. My time is constantly divided between classes, work, and what I can manage to make into a social life. Don't get me wrong though, I love being busy. I'm much happier when I'm running nonstop...until the lack of sleep catches up with me. So, what have I been up to? Well, I guess I can try to start at the beginning and fill in the missing pieces.

Apartment Living: I love the apartment. I love having my own room. And I love making and having my own food, despite the times when I am too tired/rushed to cook and end up eating a PB sandwich. Grocery shopping is fun. And makes me feel old. I've realized that I'm really good at getting a lot for my money. Except when it comes to toilet paper because damn, that is expensive. My room is super bright and super pretty. I originally hated it because with all of the pink, I felt like I was doing gender to the max. Now, I love it and feel like I live inside a bag of skittles. I've recently decided to love my bathroom sink, also. I decorated my mirror with the things that inspire me so that when I'm straightening my hair in the morning, I become inspired for the day. Please note that some of the things that inspire me include Bridget McManus and the female orgasm.

Social Life: When I'm not running here and there, going to classes, work, meetings and whatnot, I attempt to have some sort of social contact. Kenya comes up and visits. Jess is living in the building on one side of me, Diana and Kayleigh on the other side. I haven't been to any soccer games recently because well, I don't have the time. Plus, the field is on the other side of campus and getting anywhere from my apartment is like a 30 minute commitment. I joined the group for VDay this year. Trying to get involved with their planning and awareness projects. And might end up trying out for the Vagina Monologues come November.

Classes: I realize that I already started to talk about classes in my last post but I feel like now that I'm going into my fourth week of them, I have a much more supported opinion on them. I'm taking five classes this semester: Gender in the WP (WP), Linguistics (L), Sociology of Gender (AM), Social Theory (ST), and Women & Violence (WV). Those are the abbreviations I use for them because typing out the name of a class over and over again really starts to suck. Anyway, I like my WP class. So far, it has been able to keep me interested (maybe because we're actually going beyond just using the glass ceiling as the answer for everything). Everyone rags on the professor, but honestly, I like her and haven't found anything she does to be bad at all. I tend to be one of those "I like everyone until they give me a reason not to" types of people anyway. In true Women's Studies department fashion, we have a large group project for that class and hopefully, I'll be able to handle it. I'm not one for group projects. Mostly because I am way too controlling. Especially when it comes to my grades. Linguistics is as horrible as it sounds. It's a general ed, so I feel like it's required to suck. Plus, I have discussion session at the crack of dawn on Fridays for it. BLECH! AM wins the award for favorite class this semester. I'm having slight issues with it despite my love for it though. As Amanda and I discussed yesterday, it is a loooot of repeat for me. Having had her for three semesters already, I know the way she teaches. I know her examples, her favorite readings to assign, exactly what she wants in an answer. I've gotten to the point where I can probably finish her sentences. Some of the readings we're doing this semester are ones I did with her a year ago in intro. She told me that she thinks she has imparted me with all of her knowledge and doesn't have much left to teach. I disagree though. I think that if I were to do a sexuality ind. study with her, it would be awesome. Because at that point, she wouldn't be stuck teaching basics in order to get everyone on a level playing field. She knows what I know, knows what I don't know, and I think she would be awesome at doing a class catered toward sexuality for me. ST sucks, sucks, sucks. I'm glad that Lindsey is in that class because otherwise, I probably would never go. I really feel like if you've ever taken a theory course, you know how much they suck, so I don't feel the need to go on. WV is not on my list of favorites, either. Though having MadDog there obviously makes it ten times better. The woman who teaches it just seems all over the place. And spends two and half hours teaching something that can be taught in ten minutes (or really, not at all because I feel like if you're in a 200 level WS course, you should know what the hell patriarchy means). And Lord help me if we have to hear about the projects from last semester one more time. I might just explode from the uterus on out. And when I say she teaches or discusses something, I use those terms VERY loosely because we never delve deep into anything. Rather, we pick the most obvious, narrow minded answer and stick to it. And have we even discussed the readings yet? I don't think so. I spent money on three books for this class and I think I've read one chapter that hasn't even been mentioned since.

I realize that it seems like I am complaining a lot about classes but really, for the most part, I do not mind them. I think that it is just that I am getting to the point in my studies in which I need to be challenged. I need new ideas thrown at me. New concepts and ways to think. The problem with both the Sociology and WS departments is that their classes tend to cater to students on all different levels of knowledge. You have the kids that have never taken courses like this before and are amazed by looking at how something is socially constructed. Then, you have the kids who know their shit, have been around the block, encounter these ways of thinking in their everyday life and want more. Amanda always tells me that since I'm so passionate about topics and do a lot outside of the classroom to further my studies, that I'm probably going to encounter a lot of redundancy in my classes. She said that at that point, the only thing I can do is speak up more in classes, make my professors' lives easier, and impart my knowledge on those around me. And though I hate to say it, she's right.

So, I think that's about it. I covered the basics at least. And if you need more from me, Twitter and Flickr are usually up to date. Especially Twitter because I always update that via text. I'm off to go cook dinner and call my mom.

Drop me a line, if you please!