Slacker or Overcommitted?

I want to do a good job on this paper for last semester. I suspect if I turn in what I have I’ll get at least a C. More than good enough to pass. But my current paper sucks. It’s poorly researched, the thesis is uninspired. It’s fairly well written. But I dislike turning in crap. I feel like I could take this paper somewhere and learn from it. Or I could turn it in as written (on my second deadline) and pass, and graduate. Lovely. Education v Grading, as pointed out, are very much not the same thing.

And some guy I’ve never met on a hookup site corrected me when I said I was a slacker, saying I’m just overcommitted. Not unlike the comment I received from my politics and public affairs professor, who was passive-aggressively criticizing me by saying it’s a great tragedy when really bright people overcommit. How the fuck would she know whether or not I’m brilliant? I don’t talk much in class, and I got a 33/77 on her midterm (which was a C, btw, a 73% was apparently an A). Ugh.

And also WAA’s comment about people with great oars who don’t row well at all v people with paper cups who use that more effectively.

In case it’s unclear, I’m partially frustrated with myself, partially frustrated with the expectations people have of me.

post workout binging

I hit the gym hardcore today.

Then I ate. Alot.

I hit muddypaws cheesecake, got granola and a slice of vegan lemon cheesecake (hint, for the people who throw me a surprise birthday party: pumpkin vegan cheesecake is the only present you need to get me). I made box of uncle ben’s black bean and rice soup and downed most of it. I ordered tofu vegetable stuff, and scarfed it down, planning on virtuously ignoring the rice. Then I ate the rice too. My stomach hurts, but I still have the urge to consume. I think this is a habit built up after regular post-swimming wendy’s/rax all you can eat superbars in high school.

I don’t think I’m ever going to have a six pack. But that’s really okay. =)

Travel plans

So, thus far this semester I have traveled not at all. No wonder I’m cranky. =)

I plan on making a trip to chicago before graduation, but leaving that aside, I’m planning massive travel time between graduation and gao time.

I plan to schlep my stuff down to some storage spot in chicago on the monday or tuesday following graduation. From there I’m thinking of flying to London, maybe meet up with Ro, if he’s available. Spend a couple days checking out London. Then Amsterdam. Then Northwestern Germany to meet up with Scott and/or any lj peeps in that rough vicinity who would like to get together. After that, Prague, maybe see if Fostin would like to hang out. And ending the european segment of the trip, taking a flight back to Austin to hang with , , , Simon, , Rehana, , etc, etc, etc for the weekend of june 10th or so. After that, I should work some travel time in to pittsburgh, maybe nyc. I’d also like to check out Seattle and/or Portland. Maybe a week or so around Pride time in the Bay, by which point in time, I should be so thoroughly sick of traveling that I’ll be quite happy to chill in Chicago. That’s my rough plan, anyway.

Sadly, it seems that an eurorail pass would do me no good, since that doesn’t seem to cover the UK or the Czech Republic, and so I’d basically be looking at the train from Amsterdam to wherever-I-end-up in NW Germany.

Last Vorkosigan Novel

Well, I finally got around to getting Mirror Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold (as part of an anthology containing 2 other works I’d already read). The night I got it, I read it all save the last chapter. As far as I know, I’ve read everything else in the Vorkosigan Universe. It’s been three days and I still haven’t gotten around to reading that chapter. I’m sure it’ll be good, but I don’t want it to be over.

European Travel Plans

So, my original spring break plans for traveling to Europe didn’t work out, which is just as well; it’s given me the opportunity to get some stuff done at home. But, I am going to do it between graduation and first day on the job, which allows me a much longer time there. I’m planning on 3 weeks. This makes my plan for more than one destination not-insane. Currently considering London, Oxford (Ro), Amsterdam, Scott in Dusseldorf, possibly ljers in Germany if they’ll be around/available, Prague, and/or Copenhagen. I don’t think I’ll try to see more than 4 cities. Any recommendations? Who wants to meet me while I’m out there? Anyone want to travel with?

Memoirs and Capote

I saw memoirs of a geisha. It was … enh. I was sorta primed to view it this way, but it reminds me a bit of the movie I’ve bitched about alot recently: In & Out. Both movies may be about a particular culture, but really, they’re for an audience that is not particularly aware of that culture, and only wants to be entertained, not challenged, educated, or introduced to anything terribly significant about it. A movie by white americans, for white americans about the japanese (starring chinese and malaysian actresses, but really, what white american knows the difference?) It was entertaining. At $2 and a couple hours of my life, I do not feel robbed. And I enjoyed the company I saw it with. But I doubt I’ll ever watch it again.

I saw Capote last night with QGPA. That was a much better done film, but not a treat to watch. It follows a profoundly self-absorbed writer as he gathers information on a set of murders in Kansas, primarily from one of the murderers. Neither of the main characters provides a rewarding target of empathy. You’re left to choose between an egomaniac who lacks empathy, and a murderer. The actors do a great job. The writing was not bad. Another movie I don’t plan on watching again, but for very different reasons.

Political zinger on religion & state

“Senator, when you took your oath of office, you placed your hand on the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution. You didn’t place your hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible.”

-Jamie Raskin, testifying Wednesday, March 1, 2006 before the Maryland Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee in response to a question from Republican Senator Nancy Jacobs about whether marriage discrimination against gay people is required by “God’s Law.”