Week 4

Has it really been 3 weeks since I wrote last? It seems like time is doing a crazy warp-dance. That's what happens when I get too busy, I start bustin' out the moves.

Lately though, I've just been bustin' out the papers! I had my first assignment due this week and I've got another due this coming Thursday. Also I have a field trip tomorrow through Sunday night, then an intensive class from 9-5 from Monday through Thursday next week. I also have my normal classes from 6-9 after my intensive class. Did I mention that intensive class is in law? Any subject that TV has turned into a soap/drama/comedy (to some people they're all the same) is a subject I don't want to study. If I take this law class, will I turn into the Good Wife? If I had studied medicine, would I have to be a hussy like Meredith Grey? If I studied forensics... ew, I'd never study forensics. I can't even handle an overripe cantaloupe, let alone a bloated stiff. ANYWAY, I'm going to be one sad little pile of goo by the time Good Friday rolls around. Come to think of it, Good Friday won't begin to do April 2nd any justice whatsoever. No, I think FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC Friday is more appropriate. Surviving next week might be the most challenging thing I've done in quite a while. Yes, that includes the "Let's Try!" 44km trudge. I think it even tops doing taxes.

You know what else will be great about next week being over? How much chocolate is going to be on sale after Easter! YES!! It's a bit different the way Easter works here- everyone buys everyone else a big chocolate Easter Egg. I think the Easter Egg replaces the Easter basket. They still do egg hunts though. Interesting. They have those express-tickets-to-diabetes, also known as Cadbury Creme Eggs, here as well. Excellent.

So, tomorrow is a big day- I'm heading up to Cowan for a GIS field trip. We're taking readings that feed into our final project, so it's pretty important that I show up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. I'll try and take some photos and things, but we'll see how it goes.

Assuming I survive next week, talk to you later!!

Week 1

The first week of classes has whooshed by and I have so far managed to be somewhat on top of things. YES!

I'll spare you a shake-down on my classes, but rest assured there's loads of readings. One of the shockers is how much more independent this level of study is than undergrad- in one way it's nice because I don't have to do piles of work on things I already understand, but on the flipside I spend a lot of time explaining things I don't instantly grasp to myself. There are also many, many more things that fall into the WTF category.

In addition to that, the classes I'm in are, with the exception of one, completely new territory. The class that is familiar is now being framed in terms of issues and perspectives I've never really thought twice about, so that's a bit of a mind-warp as well. I don't think I've bitten off more than I can chew, but I definitely have my work cut out for me.

Logistics are smoothing themselves out as well, and I've even learned which coffee shops are crap and which sushi stands are best left untouched. I even found a place that sells 山菜おにぎりー　やった！　(mountain vegetable rice balls- hooray!) Ah, the power of food... some things will never change.