all our lonely kicks are getting harder to find

So here's my schedule for the next eek:

SAUTRDAY
--bang out my take-home exam (8-12 pp.) for Politics of Virtual Realities, considering I already have it outlined
--start prep work for my Japanese lit paper (12 pp.)

SUNDAY
--finish Japanese lit paper prep work
--write first 6-7 pp. of Japanese lit paper

MONDAY
--finish Japanese lit paper
--hand both papers in (since they're due in the afternoon)

TUESDAY - WEDNESDAY - THURSDAY
--cram for my African Politics exam (and maybe go to office hours?)

FRIDAY 5/13
--African Politics exam (9 AM-noon)
--rejoice in being DONE WITH COLLEGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So yeah, this is going to be a hellish weekend, but I've been through worse.  It doesn't help that I have zero motivation to do any of this, and my allergies are really acting up on me (my eyes are itchy like hell, and Zyrtec is only helping a little bit), but I'm going to try to stick to this plan for once.  We'll see how it goes.  :P

In any case, other than procrastinating on Tumblr, I'll probably be scarce around these parts for a couple of days, at least until Monday.  And not much happened this week, except:

a.) Verbal Onslaught on Thursday (which I didn't perform in, alas, mostly because I hadn't been feeling good recently, though I'm slowly starting to get better)
b.) going to the bar with some people from my Social Movements class Wednesday night (I didn't have anything, mostly because the meds would screw with me if I did), where I listened to stories of some of the stupid irresponsible things they did while being all-out drunk (which annoys the hell out of me, in case you haven't guessed already), though this was improved somewhat by one young woman who told stories about, among other things, the time she was doing an environmental journalism project in Kansas and met a man who helped her a lot, even though he was also a registered sex offender who ran an illegal back-room sex shop called Hillbilly's and pressured her into buying an $80 extra-large dildo nicknamed "the Great American Challenge"
c.) a lecture on sexual identity and mental health on Tuesday
d.) this week's episode of Community (OMG SO AWESOME :DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD)

And that's about it, I guess.  I really need to go to bed soon, so I can get a good night's sleep (since I won't be getting one for quite a while) and just get everything out of the way as quickly as possible.  Hope everyone else out there is doing all right.  ;-)

1. So I've just been made one of the new maintainers for durarara, which is very exciting! Even though I'm a total lurker and not exactly the most active guy in the fandom. (OH GOD WHAT THE HELL DID I GET MYSELF INTO DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD:) Anyway, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, or if there are any not-so-funny shenanigans I don't already know about, feel free to PM me, e-mail me (mecteol@gmail.com), or leave a comment in my latest public entry on this journal. I do try to keep tabs on everything as much as possible, so I'll definitely try to respond ASAP. (And while we're at it, here are the rules in case you need a refresher.)

Between that and drrr_bigbang seriously tempting me, I just might get more involved in the fandom after all. I still haven't finished rewatching the series, and I haven't yet gotten a chance to look at episodes 12.5 and 25 and the light novels, so I should probably get on that when I have the chance.

2. All right, RL update! This past Friday was the Spring Student Symposium, where students talk about the independent work they've done this past year, whether it's thesis work, senior essays, or anything else they've been researching on their own time. It's very cool because you get to talk to your friends about all the interesting stuff they've done, all in a pretty relaxed atmosphere. Some of the presentations I went to included ones on post-apocalyptic fiction, why the Taliban have gotten stronger in Afghanistan over the past few years, factors that affect how long insurgencies last, a sociological analysis of a campus celebrity, Jerry Springer, prospects for Korean reunification, honor killings in Turkey, the English-only movement in the U.S. and why it's completely and utterly stupid, how hard it is to translate fiction, attitudes toward beach littering in Chile, and ecopsychology. If some of them sound boring, trust me, they weren't -- the kinds of larger themes people talked about were fascinating, and I learned a ton. A perfect event for eggheads like me. XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

(Oh, and there was an impromptu Improv Everywhere-style dance-off in the main area of the science building during the reception at the end of the day. And it was pretty fucking awesome, if I do say so myself! ^_^;)

3. Before I forget, I'd like to mention HELA, a non-profit organization whose purpose is to help Afghan women, primarily through building schools, developing other education programs for women, and building and maintaining wells, among other things. What's really good about this group is that they work with the Afghan government and existing structures and systems in order to make sure these projects can stick around for the long term (something I know mcollinknight can appreciate). The president of HELA is a senior at my college originally from Afghanistan, and she's also the executive director of the Afghan Youth Initiative. Here's some more info about her, and here's an interview she did on NBC's Today show back in September. Please spread the word; this is a great cause that more people should know about!

4. Last Friday I also went to Playing at War, a one-man play put on by a senior Theatre/History double-major about British theatre -- especially plays put on by British soldiers -- during the American Revolution. The student played William Dunlap, a playwright who wrote the first history of American theatre in 1832; he was also a British Loyalist who wasn't a big fan of Washington and his ilk, and it showed. (Like how he mentioned how the Sons of Liberty wanted to ban theatre because it was a "foreign influence" and "un-American," even to the point of burning one down in New York City after it was known that the controversial Stamp Act had been repealed. Nevermind that the theatre had an important role to play for the people living in the colonies at the time. Sound familiar?) It was a fascinating alternate look at history, especially something that's often ignored, and it was interesting to hear about the British military's appreciation of theatre, which is something you wouldn't expect. I definitely don't regret going. (Especially since I got in for free! :B)

5. I finally got around to finishing Kafka on the Shore, and it was EXCELLENT. I had been meaning to read that one for a while now, and I'm glad I did! Highly recommended. ;-)

6. Has anyone seen the first episode of A Game of Thrones yet? It's gotten a lot of hype lately, but I'm wondering what people thought of it if they saw it, or if they've read the books. I won't have a lot of time in the next few days, so I'm wondering if it's worth it.

Well, that's about it for me right now. How is everyone else doing?