Thursday, April 26, 2007

Classes are Over

Happy Thursday at last!

Thursday really is the day when I can stop for the afternoon and not worry about anything. And then I get to watch amazing television.

Tuesday after class, I started re-writing my 10 page paper on The Office for media class. Well, more like reading scholarly sources for it (including an article on X-Files fans--I love my major). I did this until I went to bed at one. I woke up early at 7:30, wrote for an hour and then went to chapel. Then I came back and wrote until one, where I turned it in (through the internet) and went to clay class. We just cleaned things there, so we got out early and now it's technically over. Then I napped in the grass and then in my room, and then I went to media class, where everyone talked about their papers. I went last, but it was alright because I just got to ramble about The Office and quote fans from Facebook. We got out just early enough for me to swing by the caf, and while I was in there, I saw Aubrey and Leandra and their buddy, so I ate with them. And then they gave me a ride over to Bowles 'cause that's where they live, and I was going to go there later to watch Lost at Megan's. And also I was supposed to be starting another paper due this morning for Jesus class we were both in.

But I didn't. So I went straight home after Lost and went to sleep. Got up an hour early at 7, managed to write something like what was assigned for that class and print it out and go to it. There wasn't a lecture, just weird videos made by a former student, and we got out early and now that's over. So straight from there I came back and formed my Japanese presentation for later that day (and it's in the form of the set on Flickr called "Watashi no Kazoku"). Finished just in time to go to film/lit at one.....that was an alrightish class and now it's over. Went straight to Japanese (as always) and threw my hand in the air to go first since I was really sick worrying about getting it over with. But it wasn't that bad, and she'd brought Japanese snacks. Two were excellent (totemo umai yo) and one was bizarre. And unfortunately now my formal Japanese education is over.

I still have to write papers/essays/movies, though. Jesus class and Japanese are just test-finals, and I'm not worried about those at all.

Clay class, I have to write another paper (what is up with that??) on three of my pieces (which are all done....but I never got around to making a lidded container....chansey....). Media class, part one of the final is three 3-4 page essays; part two is a trivial fact multiple choice test. Film and lit, I have to finish my weird movie project thing, and then there's a T/F/multiple choice/short answer/group presentation final.

Gah. It can't be over soon enough. But I guess it won't be, so I don't have much to worry about. I mean. It will be over soon. This is what I mean. A weekend, and a week, and that's it, and I'm back in town working somewhere and watching anime and finishing FFXII. And cooking! I want to cook. And bake. (and sew) And write!! I have a lot of ideas tumbling around because I don't want to be working on all this school work. You know how it is?

This year and this semester went by crazy fast. Although last semester seems so long ago. Like, I actually forget what classes I had last semester, and what people I met only last semester. It's like I've known everyone forever. Sigh, college. It's where all the cool kids be at.

One more chapel. One more meal. 13 more dining dollars. One more class meeting each. Packing up again. Moving home again. Saying good bye again.

Yesterday, amid the hecticness of shuffling myself back and forth, I passed an interesting sight: A take-out box from the caf, sitting on the ground. At its side, one of those cookies you can get at the Den. Facing both of these--a spray bottle of no drip Windex. I wrote a haiku:

Abduction
The aliens thought
it would be polite to leave
something in return

-Steph

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Tales of the Caf, Vol. II

April 19, 2007

Dealing with the caf this week has been especially dangerous. It seems to be going through a previously un-documented phase, where it exhibits the traits of other culinary species. We've tentatively named the phenomenon "International Cuisine Week."

The first few days were shaky, as if the caf was having trouble adjusting to the changes it was experiencing. But the worst seems to be past, peaking yesterday evening, and today things have...well, they've far from returned to normal, but at least they've steadied out.

All signs point to this tempermental stage only lasting through tomorrow. While this was a learning experience for both the subject and the observer, my colleagues and I look forward to things returning to normal. We will, however, be on the lookout for this kind of behavior in the future.

Taken from the journal of Dr. Stephanie Anderson

_________________________

Happy Thursday!

It isn't strictly the "international" that I worry about--it's the "cuisine" that makes me raise a dubious eyebrow. I don't care what it's called, I don't even necessarily need to be able to identify all the ingredients. I just want to be able to eat it.

Other news: the box of oranges invited a scourge of little flies, so we had to get rid of the dregs.

Other other news:

Last updated: Wednesday, April 18, 8:40 a.m.

Notice to APU
Students, Faculty, and Staff:

APU Campus Safety Department, in
conjunction with the Azusa Police
Department, has given an all-clear on East
Campus. Classes, chapel, and
other events will proceed as scheduled. The two
departments' quick action
helped to assure the safety of our
community.

Additional patrols will take place throughout the day to
ensure the safety
and security of the campus.

We thank you once
again for your cooperation in this matter. If you have
further questions,
call Campus Safety dial (626) 815-3898. For emergencies,
call 811 from an
on-campus phone or 911 from off campus.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
www.apu.edu/response/

Last updated: Wednesday, April 18, 12:45
a.m.

Notice to East Campus APU Residents:

A suspect
with two outstanding warrants was thought to be on the APU campus;
however,
the Azusa Police Department has called off the search. The suspect
is known
not to be violent by Azusa PD and the Chief of Campus Safety.
Students are
restricted to their residences until sunrise. Campus Safety is
providing
on-campus escorts to the residences. Residence Directors have
conducted a
search of their facilities and found no suspicious person.

Students
should remain inside their residences, lock their doors, and
contact Campus
Safety if they see any suspicious activity. To contact Campus
Safety, dial
811 from an on-campus phone (911 from off campus) or
(626)
815-3898.

We appreciate your cooperation in ensuring your
safety


That was a little scary. The four of us hung out in our little hallway with our laptops until like 1. It was a cute little bonding time.

School's somehow almost over. Me and Megan got an apartment in UP, which is the closest set of apartments. Our random third roommate is one Kelly Yandell. Hullo, Kelly. I have a lot of writing to do for pretty much every class (another paper for clay class???), but I've been doing creative and fun writing instead. (To be fair, though, one of the creative writings is also one of these class writings) I've also been listening to a lot of music. I also was a little sick over the weekend, and now I still have a bit of a cough. But I finally got a good night's sleep last night, and that was fun. Also, I tried my first energy drink, a Full Throttle Blue Demon flavor or whatever, and it is very disgusting. But, I only have around $20 left on my school-food monies, and I can easily use that up on snacks in the next week.

I'm happy the weekend is here. Stay classy, San Diego.

-Steph

Thursday, April 12, 2007

I'm really bad at coming up with titles

Happy Thursday! I'm super surprised how fast it came around. It's probably because I had three days of school this week. Which was very nice. And I even got out of a few classes early. Yaaaaaay.

What do I talk about today?

I'm going to write you a story.

Once upon a time, I went to the caf for dinner. I didn't know what was going to be there, but I was going to hope for the best. Outside of the caf, I met a guy named Eric Bridges. He was deciding whether he should go to the caf or to the den (because the choices at the den were never as nebulous).

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm going....to eat...hopefully," I vaugely responded.

"What are you going to do...instead of eating?" he asked.

That might not have been exactly what he said, but what he meant was: "Why don't you sound so sure about eating?"

So I thought about it. "A flood could come in, and wash everything away. And then nothing would be left. Except for ......... a skating rink." Ah-- "Without a snack bar," I finished.

"Yeah, I was about to call you on that," he said.

"Yeah, I'm glad I caught it."

And then, the flood came and we found ourselves on top of the skating rink. We climbed down and found it to be full of 80s music and disco lights. Megan Hoffmann was there, having class (because this was the only building left, of course).

Unfortunately, the snackbar was cemented over, and Eric had no food in his backpack. Coincidentally, none of the students had anyfood in their backpacks, either. We didn't want to ask the skaters, but they seemed to be enjoying the music, so we were slightly frightened of them.

"I'm going out," I bravely declared, "and I will see if there is any food to be found out there."

Everyone wished me luck, and I ventured out. I was somewhat surprised to find that we were now in the mountains, and that it was raining. All that remained of the flood was a pond out back. A shady looking man stepped out from behind a tree and approached.

"My name is Rodolpho, and I train a league of circus skull monkeys. Care to donate?"

I saw my chance. "Only if you have any food on you." I drove a hard bargain, I did.

He thought about it. "Yeah, I think I have a box of oranges hanging around somewhere."

"That'll work," I said.

And that's the story about how I aquired a box of oranges, which still exists to this very day.

The man's name was Johnny Carson, by the way.

-Steph

Thursday, April 05, 2007

Late on a Thursday!

Happy Thursday! I'm super tired! Yay~

So I got my wisdom teeth out last friday. That was thrilling. Had some fun adventures with vicodin, but now I'm on Advil. Gonna see the doctor again tomorrow! He has a great name: Hooman Zarrinkelk. Is that not amazing or what?

Oh, yeah, I'm on spring break, if I haven't mentioned that before. I always forget to mention important stuff like that. It's a fun week off, except for the whole surgery part. And not being able to eat most things, or anything quickly.

Today me and Carolyn had a sort of movie day, where we watched Curse of the Golden Flower and Subway. Wow. What a mix.

Golden Flower you may have heard of, it's a recentish Chinese movie with Chun Yow Fat and Gong Li. It is........bizarre. Confusing. Not a lot of plot. Some crazy family ....stuff. The palace is a crazy place to be in, anad it's all different colors. There's a lot of gold, too. It was pretty funny at times, but not because it wanted to be. XD

Subway, on the other hand, managed to make a bit more sense while being a lot more boring. We saw it last time we rented movies, with it's crazy 80s cover (and it's a tape XD!), and we finally got around to watching it......it's a French movie! Except since it was so old and on tape, it was dubbed. And I'd forgotten how dubbing is entirely weird when it's real people rather than anime. Sorta amazed that we got through the whole thing...but we're pretty resilient to not great movies.

And then we watched tv! But I don't remember it all anymore. There was Survivorman, but we didn't see if he made it off the island because we went and watched The Office and 30 Rock and Scrubs and Zim. In fact, I'm still watching Zim. But I'm really tired, so I probably won't be up so much later after it's over.

Hmmmmmmmmmmyes. Sleepy.

-Steph