Yes, I finally have had time to update. Things have been so unbelievably busy. Even now, I am in desperate need of sleep but I feel like writing a update/rant. I should start doing this at work.

That is a good place to start, work. I have a new job in a campus office. It is very nice, I like it alot. The people are great, I get a computer with AIM and my own personal settings (funky color combos & Goran Visnjic wallpaper baby!), I can do my homework, they call me charming, give me food and baby aloe plants. It pays $8.50 an hour. It's the best job I've ever had.

Then school and the ice hockey clinic started. The clinic was harder than hell, but a blast. I really miss it and we're looking at joining the DWHL but can't find the time or money at the moment. The only complaint about the clinic--a slightly psychotic coach and psychotic, overly masculine women, including one who thought it would be very fun to take me out. Well, she was very wrong. Stupid bitch.

Anyhoo. School is going very well, a nice change for a fall semester. Except once again, I amazed at the stupidity I find everywhere I look. After a week of feeling extremely bad about myself--I became convinced the only reason I was getting good grades was lack of a social life and writing skill--I realized now that I am a very good student, for two reasons. First, that I listen and second, that I actually comprehend. My brain is able to come to a conclusion and not go around in circles. You would think this was a commonplace talent, but it's not...

For example, I was put in charge of American Revolution this week. I didn't have to lecture or anything, I just had to pop in a video about Thomas Jefferson at 10:00 and stop it at 10:45. Everyone was supposed to just watch quietly and write their name on the attendance sheet. I was actually a little embarressed, because the professor pointed me out several times to announce I would be in charge. Why me, I wondered. Well, I now know why. Because she knew I could find the history office, get the tapes, put them in the VCR, push play and then stop, without having a complete mental breakdown.

Despite being told umpteen times over the last week that the professor would be gone, the students quickly became scared and confused when she didn't arrive. When they found out that there was to be a quiz on the American Constitution, they became even more frightened and asked if we could "review on Friday." It's like they are toddlers, not adults. I had briefly thought about instituting a dictatorship, but then realized they would be too stupid to do my bidding.

College is an odd place. There is very little middle ground, you have either the very stupid, or the very pompous. Often, they are the same thing. Another example: Literary Studies. Pompous behavior runs rampant in English majors and usually for no good reason. They are prone to saying things like "My sonnets are just as good as Shakespeare's." And the only thing worse than having to listen to them is *work* with them. In Literary Studies, we have writing groups. And you know me and group projects.

There are only three people in our group. One never brings a paper, but lets loose on ours. Even if you tell him "My intro is not any good" he will make a point of lecturing you how horrible your intro really is. The latest "Do you really know enough about Anton Chekhov to question a critical judgement of the character?" No, but since there's little evidence that I can find proving *me* otherwise, I will just write the paper my way, thanks. I can guarantee you don't know enough about Anton Chekhov either. I shouldn't let it get to me, especially after reading one of his papers...which strengthened my conclusion about (most) English majors remains the same: They are full of talk, but most of them can't write for shit...

Wow, my rant got alot longer than I intended it too. But I had alot to catch up on. Is it just me, or are they just not as good as they used to be...

Elisabeth