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Give me a second here just to let out a big "Phew!". That was the toughest week of school I think I've ever had. I hope it is correct to say that I handled it with grace and sanity (even though I did end up in sort of a bad position physically*).

This afternoon I "present" (stand next to) my posterboard in Buckman lobby from 2:45-3:30, during the judging. If you're in Memphis, come see it and make laudatory comments about it to the judges. I hear there's a prize associated.

After that, I only have finals.
     Monday May 2 (1:00-3:30): Econ 101 final exam.
     Tuesday May 3 (1:00-3:30): Search final exam.
     Wednesday May 4 (1:00-3:30): Astronomy final exam.
     Friday May 6 (by 12:00): turn in Spanish final exam (take-home).
     Saturday May 7 (8:30-11:00): Music of Latin America final exam.

*What I mean by this is that I had another semi-fainting spell Thursday night/Friday morning. I had finished my 10-page paper around 2:30 and went to bed. I woke up around 5:30 with considerable pain so I went to the bathroom--I thought I might throw up, but then I didn't, I just semi-fainted for a minute, and then got up around 15 minutes later when I felt okay to walk. What a stupid time. Bodies are so limiting.

I also have yoga on Wednesday nights 6:00-7:30, for the last half of the semester (Oct 19 - Dec 14).

Yesterday I wrote a 10-page paper.

Today I attended two classes and created a poster-board presentation of three poems by Garcia Lorca.

I am tired. Goodnight.

I'm ridin' high upon a deep depression.. I'm only happy when it-- wait. Or not. Thanks anyway, Garbage.

My actual new obsession is washing my face. Not that I never did it before, but whenever I get stressed these days, I go to the bathroom sink and wash my face. I come out feeling sparkly, or at least, un-greased, which is always a good time. I use, thanks to my mom, Herbalism cleanser and Mask of Magnaminty (which I have mentioned before, both from Lush. Don't let Herbalism's appearance (or odor) scare you away: it's amazing. I mean, it hasn't helped my acne any (nothing short of Accutane could help that), but it has improved the feeling of my skin: it is soooo soft. And the Mask of Magnaminty is more just for fun; I love that crisp chocolatey mint feeling I have after using it. Just talking about it relieves some of my stress, of which there are copious amounts: they run by the name of "Ten-Page Book Report for My Music of Latin America Class" (due Thursday, and I've only just begun reading the book) and "Poster-board Presentation of the Poetry of Federico Garcia Lorca" (due Friday around 2:30; thankfully I've done all the work on this that there is to due except the cutting and glueing).

Other than that, there's not much to report. I went outside earlier this evening to take pictures of the moon, because it looked nice.

Also, CONGRATULATIONS ON MY BRILLIANT BROTHER FOR ACHIEVING A 31 ON THE ACT! WAY TO ROX0RS, BUDDY!

In case you didn't know, I only achieved a 30 on the ACT and a 1370 on the SAT. However, I am not bitter, but insanely proud. This just means that I get to be the sister of a future Nobel prize-winner (one who will actually accept it, unlike that snobby Sartre.)

P.S. I have decided that I want to learn some Portuguese this summer. (I can be trilingual just as much as you, Intelligent Sibling Who I Shall Not Name. You know who you are. *wink*)

Sometimes nothing make sense.

And the the semester ends, which just makes it worse.

Maybe you've heard of the latest American held hostage in Iraq, pleading for his life while having assault rifles aimed at his head.

"Obviously, the United States continues to hold to a policy that we do not negotiate with terrorists," Rice told reporters after meeting Italian Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini. "It only encourages them."

What is going to happen to this poor man? He's somebody's son. What are they possibly going to do to get him out of there, BUT NEGOTIATE? And even if they don't negotiate this time and YET ANOTHER HUMAN DIES, won't it just continue to happen again and again?

I don't have a solution. But it seems like everyone is desperate for one.

I'm just sick of doing work. I want to get it all over with so I can go home, and do job-type work and get PAID for it, and work out in the evenings so I actually can fit in my darn clothes again. I don't have time to work out here and I can't eat well at all. I'm stressed out and broken out: I should go tanning or get some sun or something to try to improve my skin a little, but I don't think it will help.

Woe is me.

I got all the homework that is due tomorrow out of the way last night so that I could dedicate myself to working on this paper that is also due tomorrow. I'm going to try to answer, "What is the 'self' for Schopenhauer? For Freud? What am I like according to each?". Unfortunately this paper is going to suck because I'm just not a philosophy person, I fear.

My Spanish class was cancelled once we all got up and went to class, but this leaves me with 35 minutes or so to get started on the paper.

Yikes.

I hate seeing this looming in front of me, with thoughts mooing slowly about in my head like cows. You try pushing a cow onto a little piece of paper. It's hard. Hasta whenever.

It's been a while since I have written anything, I know; I had hoped that pictures would satisfy you readers for a while, but you seem to be getting restless. I can just feel it. In any case, it has been an extraordinarily busy and dramatic and exhausting week, and I don't want to talk about it. What I will tell you is that I am spending this weekend largely dedicated to getting some things back on track: homework, registration, papers, sending off resumes, etc.

I'm kind of tired at looking at the back of Melissa's neck up there, especially now that I have met her (she's Olivia's friend). Before it was sort of anonymously artistic, and now, I feel it's just bordering on the creepy. So maybe I'll get a free weekend or something (unlikely, with the end of the school year approaching) and will redesign. I had new ideas back in February, but they've gone stale.

One positive thing to think about: one of the classes for which I registered this morning is called Southern Cone Literature; the "Southern Cone" in the name of the course refers to the part of South America closest to the South Pole. This region includes Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Chile. This should be exciting for me since I've read mostly writers from Spain and a few from various parts of Central America, but I am intrigued, especially about Chile. All I have read from there is maybe one or two poems by Pablo Neruda, from Chile. In any case, I am extremely excited/stoked/psyched/etc. about this class. Plus it's taught by Prof. Henager, and I've heard only good things about him. (I hear he even uses the Spanish lisp, which I am fascinated with.)

I should probably comment on the John Paul II's passing. I'm not Catholic, but it seems like you'd have to be a extremely good-hearted person (at least) to be Pope, at least in this day and age. Granted, you get some power and influence in the world, but you also give up a lot. Sacrifice is kind of the big idea, seems like. So, while I wasn't alive for/conscious of much of John Paul II's papacy, it seems fair to say that he was a good man and will be remembered that way.

On a related note, before he was made Pope, Karol Wojtyla was a playwright and a poet, and I will be interested to read The Jeweler's Shop one of these days. In fact, I have a feeling that I will want to read a lot this summer. Stupid job, getting in the way. Oh well.

So maybe somewhere along the line, I will post the pictures that we took at the zoo during Easter break, but don't count on it being soon. I'll talk to you later. Hasta entonces.