Fellmama

I wrote this paper on nationalism. Giving its bearing on a thread in rootlesscosmo's journal, I thought I would post a link to it: Nationalism and philology.
By the way, what font do you usually write in? I'm sick of Times New Roman.

Well, break is half over, and so far I have:
~Studied Greek
~Studied Latin
~Read about 150 pages for orals
~(Kinda) finalized my grad school list
~Worked on applying to schools
~Played a ton of WOW
~Slept a lot
~Practiced once

Things that still need to be done:
~Study more Greek
~Actually memorize Latin
~Read about 850 pages for orals
~Revise personal statement for every school
~Work out transcript requests, etc.
~Get GRE scores list
~Finalize recommender stuff
~Practice about five more times
~Memorize voice stuff
~Study physics
~Pick Greek paper topic/start writing paper

"Vay-cay-shun"? What is this "vay-cay-shun"?

Semi-final grad school list:
Columbia University
Cornell University
Harvard University
Stanford University
University of California, Berkeley, Ancient History and Mediterranean Archeology Group
University of California, Los Angeles
University of Michigan
University of Pennsylvania
University of Washington
Yale University
I think I'll apply to all of them. Only six are due by mid-December, so I can think a little more about the others still.

Grad school list is down to eighteen:
Brown University
Columbia University
Cornell University
Harvard University
The Ohio State University
The Pennsylvania State University
Stanford University
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of Chicago
University of Illinois
University of Kentucky
University of Michigan
University of Missouri
University of Pennsylvania
University of Washington
Yale University
Current fancies: Yale University and Stanford University.
Problem: it must be shorter. Eight to ten apps is a reasonable number, I think, which means I must eliminate approximately half. Agh, so confused. Please feel free to chime in with any helpful advice. (Note: "Kentucky sucks" is not helpful advice. "Kentucky sucks because its classics program is slowly dying and its history profs are all old white guys" would be helpful advice.)
In other news, Kyra wants something written on my thesis for Wednesday. Like that's gonna happen.

Edit, 1:31 AM: Some comments on comments, as it were. UW is not known for ancient history, but it's still on the list because there's a quite well-known woman there that I might like to work with. And the pro/con idea is a good one. Fortunately, as I go through these things, only two (or maybe three, depending on where I apply at Berkeley) are due December 1. So I have a little more time than I thought I did.

This has not been a good day.

Despite having done it before, and despite our catalog being a legally binding document, I cannot PDF distribution, which means my B- in physics will indeed ruin my GPA.

I did not get a Rhodes interview, which means I will not go to Oxford.

I haven't done jack for my thesis. I don't even have a thesis for my thesis.

I need to ask profs about letters of rec, and I'm literally scared to do so now. I hate asking for something that takes so much of their time. And it's probably a waste of that time, anyway. I was one of fifty-five Rhodes applicants from this district, and I didn't even get an interview. What chance do I have to get into graduate school? Especially in a highly competitive field for which I am ill-prepared. Maybe I should just give up on the idea entirely.

To make matters worse, Aspen has been having an extremely good day. (Ask her about it.) I will do my best not to bring her down, but I'm thinking that I'm not the best of company right now. I begged off on performance class and my organ lesson, so now I'm off to try to salvage something of the tatters of my academic life.

You know what I hate? I don't think a single one of my professors has ever said to me: "You are good enough." I'm not looking for "You're perfect" or "You're the smartest student I've ever taught." I'd just like to say that I'm thinking about grad school or a Rhodes or writing a thesis and to hear in return: "I think you could do that." Maybe I don't know the magic words or something.

This has not been a good day.

So John has infected me with the Decemberists virus. But I have a problem: WHY DO I ALREADY KNOW "BILLY LIAR"? Is it in a movie? On the TV? Does one of YOU listen to it on repeat? WHY DO I KNOW THIS SONG? Please, save my sanity.
It's pretty tenuous, anyway. Four hours of sleep, one crappy Greek paper, and thirteen Latin sentences later, I am all about the physics. Now to absorb four weeks of lectures in four hours. Must . . . cram . . .

I am now addicted to The Shins. I'm pretty sure that they will not change my life in any significant way, but Natalie Portman is correct in the sense that they are an excellent band.
In other news, I have to write a Greek paper. Not a paper in Greek, but a paper on Greek, specifically on no more than five lines of Plato's Apology. I have never written a paper such as this. And I have NO IDEA what to write about, especially given that the Apology is nonfiction prose. It's really hard to analyze symbolism in not-poetry not-fiction. *stab professor*
I also have a physics test next week. I should try to do better on this one than the last. What with wanting to pass and all.
I feel like I need a picture of Dan's cute Internet kitten here or something.


This will do nicely.

My policy of titling posts with song lyrics: charmingly eccentric or irritatingly compulsive? Thoughts requested.

I should be doing homework, practicing, or finishing some chores. Instead I am waiting for the WOW patch to download. Bad Mary! Bad bad bad! But I have to work tonight, so I'm saving my homework for the Writing Center. That's what I'm telling myself, anyway.

Rhodes is DONE AND MAILED. I am extremely pleased with this turn of events. Now to continue bullying my professors until they bow to my terrible will and write me excellent recommendations. Perhaps I will also bully them into giving me better grades; I haven't yet decided.
Serenity was . . . wow. Everyone who wants to see it and hasn't yet must do so RIGHT THIS VERY MOMENT so I can discuss it everywhere I go.
Five Flights was wonderful. The casting was perfect, the play was good . . . Liz, I thought you did a fabulous job. Kudos!
We went out to La Cas for Dianne's birthday and then went bowling. I love bowling. Everyone sucks, so the playing field is level--and I even won a game. Go me.
I'm thinkin' maybe I should do some homework tomorrow or something. Or not. Whatever.

I am currently so tired that I:
~Almost fell over taking off a sock.
~Hit my head on the shower door.
~Tripped on the bathtub.
~Just sent out an e-mail reminding profs about my Rhodes recommendation with an egregious subject/verb agreement error in the first sentence.

Don't eat any pork I give you.

So my Latin prof makes us write these lists. Like: "list every verb in the reading and analyze it." I understand the pedagogical point, but it also occurs to me that it's pretty damn pointless when 19 out of 25 verbs are third person singular (not to mention the 24 active indicatives on the list). Latin is so booooooring. I prefers me teh Greek, even if Plato is evil.
Ruty and I went shopping downtown for an hour or so today. My purchases were some miscellaneous birthday-present type goods (for a nameless individual) and some double-pointed needles. Someday I will have every size, and then I will no longer have to buy new ones every time I make a new pattern. Or I will go broke and end up on the street and have no money for yarn, let alone needles. Either way, problem solved!
Step into my office, baby. Heh, Compton knows which CD I'm listening to.