The Friday Five:
1. What kind of computer do you have? (Mac, iBook, Dell, etc.) I have a Dell Inspiron 1150 laptop.
2. How old is it? Are you happy with it? It's just under a year and a half old. It was a graduation present from my parents. I could use better speakers, but I don't listen to music on my computer all that often. Sometimes I get lag, like today, and last week it froze twice, but usually it runs fine. I scratched up the lid when I was installing my wireless card, which upset me a lot, but I've moved on.
3. How many computers are in your household? (at home if you are away at school) What a thoughtful question-writer. We have three computers at home when I'm there. One is a Dell desktop that still has the old HP's monitor. The other is so old it doesn't have a recognizable brand. We use it as a backup, and that's where the rugrats load all the random game compilations they get at Target for $10.
4. What are your favorite games/timewasters on your computer? Like Ms. Rowling, I love Minesweeper. My beginner level record is 16 seconds. I also like Solitaire. To compound the time-wasting capabilities, I taught myself to play Solitaire using only the keyboard. I don't remember how to anymore, though.
5. If money were no object, what kind of computer would you like to have? If I could make mine lighter, fix the screen, and get a bigger hard drive (like I need it) and better speakers, it'd be perfect.

I have had two good days. They both had the little annoyances that would usually drive me up the wall, but for some reason, I'm okay. As I say, I'm not going to argue; I'll just go with it.

I read the poem "November and Aunt Jemima" for ENGL 301, loved it, and used it for my poetry analysis. It's got all that symbolism and image business that usually upsets me so much about poetry, but it was just. so. awesome. We weren't allowed to consult any secondary sources, so it wasn't until I Googled after I turned in my paper that I found out the author, Thylias Moss, is a woman. I'm glad I went with an uncertainly-gendered "speaker" -- Word says I didn't use "he" or "his" anywhere except to refer to Christ. I had trouble when I started writing, but Maura told me to "just get it out". Her advice worked like a charm, and I was only up half an hour later than usual finishing it. My paper is titled "Casting Pancakes". Here's the text of the poem. I have posted it on our door, decorated with a cute but subject-inappropriate butterfly corner border.

November and Aunt Jemima

We sit at the table and that is grace,
the way one commits the prelude to kowtowing
by folding into the chair.

Usually we eat as if on a subway,
among strangers, standing to avoid the
toilet seat. Today, though, is Thanksgiving

so guilt bibs us, an extra place
is set for Aunt Jemima, the pancake box
occupies the chair, the family resemblance

unmistakeable. Hips full as Southern Baptist
tents but of a different doctrine.
Teeth white as the shock of lynching, thirty-two

tombstones. Despite the headrag
neither she nor her sister that bore me
are mistaken for gypsies.

The color of corrosion, she is not called
classic. The syrup that is the liquid
version of her skin flows like the promised

milk and honey so once a year we welcome
her. Even Christ would not be welcome every
day. Especially Christ who cannot come

without judgment just as she cannot come
without pancakes, flat, humane stones
still thrown at her by those whose sins

being white are invisible as her pain, the
mix in the box after the grinding of bones.
                                     -- Thylias Moss (1990)

Here is a list of other good things that happened yesterday:

• My printer worked when I printed out my paper in the morning before class (no printer demons).


• I only got caught in drizzle of rain on my way to church.


• I made it to church on time, even though I got sidetracked helping my mom format her contribution to the family reunion book. (I'm not going to the reunion. They can say I had to study, which I inevitably will be doing.)


• I got to lector at noon Mass. I missed the other pages of the lector sign-up list, so all the noon Sunday masses (except this weekend, which I took) are taken. I kind of want to switch to 10 AM, but then I'd have to get up at 6:30 on Sundays (I wash my hair before church), and I wouldn't get to go with my friends. I think God was saying, you'll get to lector regardless of when it happens. You're good at it. Just show up and be ready.


• I hadn't been able to receive communion under both species for three Masses in a row because I thought I might still be sick, but I was well enough to finally do it again.


• I got a response to my search for a Comm interview subject, and she can meet at the time that works best for me. I'll miss Thursday Mass next week, though.


• When I was sifting through my new roll of quarters as I did my laundry, I found a Canadian quarter. So random.


• I understood the one ARHU reading I managed to get through (St. Thomas Aquinas, "The Five Ways of Knowing God," from Summa Theologica). I had a discussion with Maura as we were getting ready for class about how most of the ARHU material goes right over my head, and then I finally understood. (God again? Thomas Aquinas was a saint, after all.)


• I dug up an example of metaphysics to contribute to our ARHU discussion. I rarely manage to contribute, so that was a big deal.


• I had a lovely dinner with a bunch of HH friends, Maura, and her friend Jen.


• I went to the Commons Shop with Alex and had lovely conversation.


• It was tv premiere night on the WB. Fortress of solitude! Forrest! (Remember him from Buffy?) James Marsters! Everwood!

That has been such a lovely end to the week, since going into it sucked. I didn't go out or do anything fun, even just watching Joan, all weekend. I spent Sunday after church working on my Comm project paper in preparation for meeting with my partner, Pia. I had such a terrible time with that paper. I had to get through a bunch of journal articles and books, and manage to incorporate that into a paper with some kind of structure. It sucked. We met again on Monday night and smoothed it out, but that has to be among the worst research papers I've written. I guess it's because I'm not studying special education, so I'm not invested in it. I'm in it for the grade. I wouldn't be taking Comm if I didn't have to. And since I had to meet with Pia, I missed 7th Heaven. Boo. I spent Tuesday night working on the accompanying question outline for my interview, which is also a piece of crap. I don't expect bad grades on them, but I'm getting to know my teacher, and I think entertaining him somehow would have been a good idea. Ugh. At least we watch good media clips in that class: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, an episodeThe West Wing, The Muppet Movie, and Lost in Translation today.

Wednesday morning was icky because I hadn't had time to read for (ENGL) 280, and I was running out of cereal. In Spanish class, I'd misunderstood the assignment, so I didn't have my homework. That's a rarity. I spent Wednesday afternoon procrastinating on the aforementioned 301 paper. Maura's friend Greg (a totally different Greg than I usually write about) came over, so we all talked for a while, then went to dinner with Dan. After dinner, Maura kick-started me, like I said.

That whole list was about yesterday. Today was also relatively good. I actually did eat the last of my cereal this morning. I got sidetracked online and felt late for 280, but I was early as usual. We discussed verb forms and tensed. I geeked out with Danielle on the way up toward the SC Diner. My mom called a few days ago to tell me Jenny sent me Amazon Wishlist presents for my birthday: Men in Black on DVD, and a grammar book called Woe Is I. I'm so excited. In Spanish class, we shared "confessions", starting with our teacher. It was her unique way of practicing preterite tense verbs. Comm discussion was kind of interesting, because in the scene we watched, Scarlett Johansson's and Bill Murray's characters were totally into each other... but we had to prove it beyond "they're giving each other 'the look.'" It was an interesting class, especially since I wasn't as end-of-the-week mopey as I usually am.

No plans for tonight. Maybe some homework, so I don't have to do as much for the rest of the weekend. I might go shopping with Maura on Sunday. Gah. I need something to do. You know how to reach me.

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