| Abeno Seimei |
[Mar. 21st, 2008|04:49 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  confused | ] |
You know, the more I see it, the more Japanese culture scares me...in a good way! Sort of! Really!~ Maybe! Yes! Possibly! |
|
|
| ^_^ |
[Aug. 31st, 2007|11:31 pm] |
For the fourth semester out of 5 I may again have a 4 day weekend....I rock...or at least my scheduling does
Math 25: 9:55-11:10 Tues and Thurs
Intro to Philosophy: 11:20-12:35 Tues and Thurs
Transnationalism Honors Seminar: 1:15-5:00 Thursday |
|
|
| Hi |
[Jul. 12th, 2007|03:06 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  pissed off | ] |
Hi,
To anyone out there that went into my room last night and changed all my alarms, thanks, thanks a bundle you fucking assholes, violating my privacy like that and all. You know, it feels great knowing that someone went into my room and screwed with my stuff, just fucking jolly! Anyway, if anyone on here did it, an apology would be in order, if not...well *sighs* I'll be locking my room from now on,
Pupkin |
|
|
| Yay! |
[Jun. 6th, 2007|12:12 pm] |
Well, I found out that I did well this semester, 2 A's, 1 A-, and a pass, pushing my GPA up to 3.6...go team me! |
|
|
| Fucked! |
[May. 12th, 2007|02:49 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  distressed | ] |
Now, the questions are:
Will I be able to get sleep tonight?
Will I get above a 60 on my Stat final?
Am I totally fucked?
Whoooooooo! |
|
|
| Huh? |
[Apr. 17th, 2007|07:11 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | confused | ] |
I'm wondering, who is John Coulton? I mean I heard Finlay and Will talking about him... |
|
|
| Well, that's a Catch 22 if I've ever seen one |
[Apr. 5th, 2007|02:33 am] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | ML! | ] |
| [ | mood |
| | confused | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Katamari Damacy! | ] |
On one hand, I'm too lazy to update my profile. On the other, I'm not too lazy to bitch about it...you know, that's sort of a sucky Catch 22... |
|
|
| Damn Dirty Hippies, Part 2 |
[Mar. 28th, 2007|07:01 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  Charge! Windmills ahead! | ] |
Well, at the CIA recruiting session, the number of protesters easily outnumbers, by at least a factor of two, the number of people here who are honestly looking for a job. I mean, it's like a siren call for Swatties, a government agency that has a checkered past! We must protest! Who cares that it's only for hiring! We've gotta dissolve the agency! Who cares about the realities of the world! Common sense is for losers! *whine whine bitch moan moan anger anger bitch*
Anyway, yes, Eliza is beside me making an awesome picture that I <3 ever so much that shows this perfectly...maybe she'll scan it. |
|
|
| Shame? |
[Mar. 27th, 2007|02:21 pm] |
Should I feel bad that I once called George Lackey a dirty hippie and told him to take a shower, cut his hair, change his clothes, put on shoes, and rejoin productive society. Cause if I should, well, I don't... |
|
|
| What the fuck is wrong with me? |
[Mar. 26th, 2007|01:38 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  depressed | ] |
I went to bed at 2 AM last night, setting multiple alarms to wake up at 10:30 to make it for class tomorrow. And yet, I wake up at 1:30 PM today, what the hell is wrong with me? I got 8 hours of sleep last night, and the night before, and the night before that, but why? Do I have mono or something?
Worst part is, I missed Stat, the class I'm really trying to do well in, and the Prof is probably like, "now that's why you don't do well, cause you never come" and I'll be like, "I can't help it! Should I get a fourth alarm?!" *goes off and sobs* |
|
|
| Mary Sue-ness |
[Mar. 21st, 2007|11:39 pm] |
A Mary Sue is defined as a near perfect character that an author adds to fanfiction to romance the main characters/characters of desire. Most of the time, they're written in badly and generally don't fit the plot of the damn thing at all. They make reading fics with them in it bad reads; they're unfun, egotistical, and generally boring. But what if the author does it himself. As in, in the original work, what if the author makes a Mary Sue. I mean, in all ways, aren't all novels fanfictions of something? Anyway, I mean, what do you think when reading a book that's merely an extension of an author's ego? I really can't read a book seriously when I know that the author is guilty of this. The book is no longer telling a story, it becomes just a conduit for an ego. Reading becomes an act of praise for this ego, the very action of scanning the pages turns into a touch of worship for the author. Of course, when you need to read the book for school it's worse. You go through the book fully aware of what's going on but you have to read it. I find it disgusting, sort of, anyway. |
|
|
| (no subject) |
[Mar. 18th, 2007|02:14 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  Unmotivated | ] |
You don't bring any book to an event. There's beach reads, school reads, serious reads. A different type of book for each type of thing. Back at the convention, going to my last entry, when I decided to bring a book I knew, instinctively, that it could not be a trashy novel. Missing a speech by a high profile speaker for something "intellectual" is one thing, missing it for Diane Steel is another thing all together. It struck me as interesting that though the process for reading both is the same, the mindset you have to be in is completely different for a trashy novel and an intellectual book. It's obvious, of course. One is a brainless fun read, the other is a work of high impotence and cultural significance. Yet at the same time, both are books. It seems that with both all you need to do is sit down and read, but, for a trashy novel, you can just flip it open and skim. For an "intellectual book" it's actually a process, opening it up and reading is really an effort which you have to prepare your mind for. At least this is what I've always found, you have to be in a mindset to do it, and not being so means that you'll just crash and burn on the reading.
Reading also is...well, beyond fascinating to me for one singular reason which happened to me while reading at the convention, the time capsule quality of books. When something is written, it's written for the day. It's based on current information, current beliefs, current norms. Even the most far reaching and visionary book will eventually become an anachronism. What may be science fiction today will become an archaic work describing obsolete customs and ancient technology. The book I was reading was describing the war in Iraq. It was published in 2004 and already was showing its age. Despite describing mistakes in the war and the ensuing attempt at the peace, it still talked about how the war has the chance to show that democracy can flourish in a formerly despotic country filled with tribal rivalries. This alone showed its age...but that I was reading it at the same time as listening to Dick Cheney speak the party line on how Iraq is necessary, that there is no civil war, that the insurgents must be defeated, truly brought home how quickly a book can change from a timely analysis to an antique. I thought of the French science fiction book, how we found it surprising that it's merely a 25th century version of 18th century France. It made sense then, but to us, it's silly. A book is a time capsule, in the best and most topical of ways, and reading something allows us to see into that past, if only for a bit and if only with a limited view. |
|
|
| The Effort of Reading |
[Mar. 16th, 2007|10:53 pm] |
It's strange, the way reading works that is. You can find yourself starting a book one second, then, a moment later, you're halfway done and two hours have gone by. It happened on Monday, most recently. I was at a conference and, of all people, the Vice President was speaking. We got to the convention hall and sat down. The opening talks were boring so I pulled out the book. When I looked up again, Cheney had just finished talking. I couldn't believe it, that almost two hours had gone by in less than an instant. Less than an instant to me anyway. Reading is better and much more effective than TV at this. That one can get absorbed into a book with just the viewing of a few words. Television is like this, but, television you can just watch, you don't have to think. It can absorb you, but not engage, at least not like a good book. I mean, television is hearing, listening. But reading is tactile, visual, auditory. You feel the pages, hear them turn, read the information on them, smell the book....if you want to. It's total immersion. It requires all the senses, meaning that you have to pay attention when watching. It takes an effort to read, television only needs presence. |
|
|
| About Bloody Time! |
[Mar. 13th, 2007|01:01 am] |
For the past few days I've been promising to get started on my reading journal, and now I am. Last Wednesday I had just finished up the first independent study/directed reading class I had with James Kurth in a few weeks. My study, a look at China policy has required me to read a number of books dealing with the possibility of a PRC attack on Taiwan. And, it was mere coincidence that I found myself in a discussion about what the PRC might do with Taiwan that night with a native of the island, someone who's family had moved to the United States when he was very young. While an American citizen, he has a strong connection to the island and feels strongly about it. When the topic of a PRC attack (People's Republic of China) came up, he dismissed it instantly. To him, the idea that the PRC would even think about attacking was beyond preposterous. It was silly, inane, foolishness and madness to even entertain the thought. Thus, I was left with a conundrum. I could tell him that he was wrong, that his delusions were unfounded in reality because of what scholars said. Or I could step back and look at the situation from where he is. The scholars are just that, experts in a specific field, people who are paid to have opinions on subjects that they view through certain lenses regardless of how unbiased they attempt to be. The person's is their opinion, the experts are (at least in this case) drawn from extensive fact and research, yet at the same time, the story that each tells is correct and true. That the reading I did, though factual and even brilliant, is still only as true as what this person, an immigrant who now is at Swarthmore College, says. In reading non-fiction, facts are concrete, they cannot (well should not, but this is a different story) be changed or modified or lied about. A fact is a fact, no denying it. Yet at the same time, the interpretation of those facts is valid, equally in nearly all cases, to the reader. Every person gets something out of a collection of facts, and each is valid in it's own way, even if it is completely wrong. Reading means that you take away what you want, that your own view is as valid as anyone else's. It's empowering and in many ways, frusturating, but still, amazing.
Anyway, this is the reading journal, it's not very good and I'll revise the ideas and structure tomorrow when I'm not so exhausted from the AIPAC convention. So, yeah and all... |
|
|
| On the last half-semister |
[Mar. 8th, 2007|11:57 am] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | ML (sick) | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  sick | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Tentacles! (Shoggoth on the Roof) | ] |
I've been feeling various stages of horrible. Sick these past two weeks and general ennui before that. I've missed class, too much class. I've been horrible in many ways. But, this will change the next half of the semester...I'll turn over a new leaf, trying to attend every class. It's just these past 6 weeks have been hard for me...
Anyway, I'll update later tonight on my reading journal (which I'm starting tonight) and such. Expect an entry on reading dense political science articles....and slash fiction....DON"T JUDGE ME! |
|
|
| Because, damnit! |
[Feb. 8th, 2007|10:31 am] |
Post a comment here and I will:
1)Tell you why I friended you.
2)Associate you with a song/movie.
3)Tell a random fact about you.
4)Tell my first memory of you.
5)Tell you what I would change about you in the Chuniverse.
6)Ask something I've always wanted to know about you.
7)In return, you MUST spread this disease in your LJ. |
|
|
| ...... |
[Dec. 7th, 2006|12:45 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  disappointed | ] |
I wish I knew how to do LJ cuts...
Several other wishes here too but hey, I won't go into them. |
|
|
| Election Day |
[Nov. 7th, 2006|04:52 pm] |
My first election. I bitched about the lack of a paper trail and skipped two classes to do work. Anyway, hopefully we take back the house and senate and stuff. |
|
|
| SWIL-ANGST! |
[Oct. 20th, 2006|12:16 am] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | ML Basement | ] |
| [ | mood |
| | SWIL? @_@ | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Blueberry Boat | ] |
Wow, I've got no idea what's going on with SWIL now....well this angst anyway |
|
|
| Sick |
[Oct. 10th, 2006|06:42 pm] |
I think I may have the flu and I missed all my classes today by sleeping through them....should I feel guilty becuase I do |
|
|
| navigation |
| [ |
viewing |
| |
most recent entries |
] |
| [ |
go |
| |
earlier |
] |
| |
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
justice_fishy's journal
Fuck yeah *nods*
awake
amused
tired