quadruplify | Nov. 10th, 2009

Stolen from

fegie:

Leave me a comment saying ~~"Resistance is Futile."~~ that you want to do this meme
I'll respond by asking you five questions so I can satisfy my curiosity
Update your journal with the answers to the questions
Include this explanation in the post and offer to ask other people questions

The questions I got:

1) What kind of brownies are they?
2) What's your current favorite song?
3) Who is the guy in most of your icons?
4) What is something that never fails to irritate you?
5) What is the one thing that almost never fails to cheer you up? (Because there's no such thing as something that works every time, yes?)

1) Chocolate fudge. Straight out of the oven. With chocolate chunks in them and without burned edges. *craves*
2) "Trenches" by Aereogramme. I've been obsessed with this song lately, it's so good. ^_^
3) That would be Yang Wen-li, from the excellent anime OVA Legend of the Galactic Heroes. Highly recommended, even if it's not your thing. ;-)
4) Whenever people say they lose their faith in humanity for whatever reason. Jesus frikkin' Christ, just because a small percentage of people get noticed because they say or do stupid or evil stuff doesn't mean the entirety of the human race is like that. Seeing or hearing stuff like that can be discouraging, yes, but it's not a good enough reason to give up hope.
5) Good music, good movies, interesting conversations, finding out that I'm not alone in thinking or feeling a certain way. Live concerts have had a good track record so far, too.

So I saw one of my Japanese professors this afternoon to take

mcollinknight's advice and see what options I have in continuing to learn Japanese in case I can't continue because of deciding to focus solely on ES or some other reason. She told me that although there are a couple of programs that former students have gone to, including ones in Japan, none of them are as comprehensive as a program affiliated with my college; very few programs out there teach Japanese at an advanced level, and while the programs in Japan have the advantage of actually being in Japan, they don't do as much and they cost about the same anyway. So I don't really have any options outside Language School and college classes.

However, she did suggest that it would certainly be possible to double major in ES and Japanese. Here's how it would work:

I don't enroll in Japanese next semester (because of the time conflict with GIS), but I still buy the textbook, still receive class e-mails, and still study what the class is studying on my own. I can also audit drill sections if I want.
I enroll in Language School this summer (June 11-August 13), where I will do the equivalent of third-year Japanese.
I then place into fourth-year Japanese next year (my senior year) and take it for the whole year, fulfilling that part of the major.

Between the classes for both majors I would still need to take, my schedule for the rest of my time in college will be completely full -- I may even have to take 5 classes my last semester if I can fulfill one of my required classes in J-term. I would also be really rolling the dice if I do this; there's a good chance classes I want to take either won't be offered next year or will conflict with other required classes, which could mean I either take classes I won't like as much, or graduate late. But if this works out as it should, it would be a lot of work, but it would be really awesome if I pull this off. :D Not to mention the classes I'll get to take should be pretty good, too. (And if my schedule next semester works out, I could have no classes on Fridays. 8D It would be great, because not only would I have THREE-DAY WEEKENDS!!!, but I would have more time to work on GIS and the Japanese class I would be "auditing.")

As for Language School, the professor reassured me that I could always get jobs on campus before, during, and after my stint there, and I would find a job/something to do after I graduate anyway. And it's not as if I can't get financial aid for Language School, as I've mentioned before. The only thing that's a real drawback is that my summer will be cut way short, and I won't spend all that much time at home. Then again, it's not like I've done anything these past few summers, so this would give me something to do, and I'm sure my grumbling over having to go back and forth to college during the summer would go away soon enough.

I'm still considering all my options, though; I could either just major in ES and minor in Japanese (in which I audit the class next semester, not do Language School, and take third-year Japanese and one other culture class next year), or vice versa (in which I audit the class, go to Language School, and try to take it easy next year considering I will have already fulfilled the ES minor). Both of these would definitely be easier and less risky, but then I have to decide what is more important, and whether or not I'm willing to put in the extra time for whatever I choose as a result. I know this sort of decision isn't that important, but in a way it is because it's less about how this will determine my future, and more about what I value more and what can snap me out of this intellectual rut I'm in right now. Thoughts, anyone?

In other news:

I have a Dreamwidth account now! It is here ---> mecteol. I created it because scans_daily is moving there soon, and I like watching it (I'm no comics fan, but occasionally there's something really funny or interesting there, and they feature manga sometimes too). Don't worry, I'm not leaving LJ, and this will still be my journal of preference. But if you have a DW, please friend me! :DDDDDD And please suggest journals and communities I should watch because of their amazingness. (A couple of questions for any DW users out there: How can I post simultaneously on LJ and DW? And is there anything like porn_battle or springkink on DW that I can watch?)
I have become obsessed with this song lately; it gives me chills every time I listen to it ---> The Twilight Sad, "Made to Disappear"