show · me · your · riffs

I actually have some things to write about, how amazing.

I moved into my new house September 3rd. My roommates are cool, and everything seems to be working out well. MUCH better than my situation in first year, for example. My room looks pretty nice. It's furnished with Ikea furniture in black and white, my signature (lack of) colour scheme. I would take pictures but the room is messy and I am lazy.

I'm back at Black's, unsurprisingly. Some girl (I didn't really know her) quit without giving two weeks notice, so I'm working about 30 lab hours a week. This sucks because it takes up most of my free time, but also rules because I'm rakin' in the cash. This has resulted in unnecessary but nice amounts of online shopping.
- Smiths t-shirt
- "Show Me Your Riffs" shirt (zomgz like the one in my icon!)
- Bikini Kill t-shirt
- various buttons for adorning various items (Smiths, Sleater-Kinney, Bikini Kill, Le Tigre...wowilistentotoomuchriotgrrrl, etc)

As soon as my size is in stock, I also plan on purchasing shirts that say "Future Librarian" and "Reading is Sexy." Yes, reading is oh, so, sexy.

I have been approved for work study at Western, which means a possible library position. The last thing I need is another job, but I really could use some library experience. Anything to help me get into grad school is definitely worthwhile. I've e-mailed the appropriate folks, so we'll see what happens.

I also purchased my Wii in August. It rules, and all those Nintendo haters are silly. Lego Batman is coming out on Tuesday, and in case you didn't know, this is very exciting.

I think that's it for now. If I get a library job expect an excitement-filled update.

Semester 1
MIT 3000 - Designing and Critiquing Research Methods (required)
MIT 3402 - Photography, Politics, History
MIT 3403 - The Outlaw: Representations in Film, Media and Cyberculture
MIT 3718 - Work in a Wired World
ENG 2901 - Jane Austen: Life & Works

Semester 2:
MIT 3100 - Information in the Public Sphere (required)
MIT 2408 - Sexuality in the Media
MIT 2411 - The (Cult)ure of Genius
MIT 3215 - Killer Culture: War and the Mediation of Reality in the 20th-21st Centuries
MIT 3432 - Exile in Guyville? Popular Music and Gender (if I don't get into this course, I may actually shed tears)

I haven't updated in a while because there hasn't been much to say. The semester is winding down and thus there are many papers to write. I am so glad I am going back to Black's Trinity Common in May because otherwise, I would probably be quitting my job due to my manager in London being a stupid cunt who favours every other lab operator above me. She keeps doing stupid shit like scheduling me for days that I can't work and then not replacing the shift. Thanks!

I am pretty broke, which is another reason I am glad to be going back to Trinity - more hours = more $$$$. I need to save to buy a lot of things for my house next year: bed, some form of desk (I don't think the one I currently have at home in Brampton will really fit), bookcase because I am a big book nerd, a dresser/small chest of drawers...probably some other things that I am forgetting. The bed will be like $200 alone. I will likely be getting it all from Ikea, because Ikea things are cheap but also stylish in a Coupland sort of way.

Since Rogers finally returned the $50 deposit I made when I signed my cell phone contract, I don't have to pay my bill this month. I used that as justification to buy this jacket that I have been eyeing for at least a month.

( say hi to Morrissey )

My new classes:

MIT 202 - The History of Communication (Required)
This class is incredibly dull so far. During the first lecture, the professor talked at length about papyrus and Native American poems.

MIT 203 - The Matter of Technology (Required)
This class is going to be SO much work. There are four 250 word assignments, and essay, a group presentation, a midterm and a final. That's more work than almost all of my classes combined.

MIT 250 - Popular Music on Television
This seems like a pretty neat course. The prof is really cool, and we get to watch music videos and old music shows like American Bandstand and Ed Sullivan. Two short essays and a midterm - win.

MIT 256 - The Next Generation Web
The prof is such a cute little library nerd! He even mentioned Joss Whedon during the first lecture. There are 4 five-page assignments, and no exams. Win!

Astronomy 121 - The Search for Life in the Universe
The course title is pretty self-explanatory. I find the textbook very interesting, surprisingly. The profs (yes, there are two) are a little dull, but it's not so bad. There are 4 short assignments, and a midterm and final (both of which are multiple choice only).

My grades will probably be lower this semester, as my faculty has gotten in shit for having inflated grades. The class average MUST fall between 70% and 75%, so there are only a certain number of people that can get an A. I guess I'll just have to try harder.

Happy birthday to me - the big 2-0. Honestly, I'm pretty glad that my teenage years are over. There were some good years and some bad ones, but overall the seven years were pretty angst-ridden.

Stuff I got:
- new bag
- a bunch of makeup from Sephora
- a few books
- money

I came home for the weekend on VIA Rail. A return ticket cost me $60, but I considered it worth it as I can walk home from the station. If I had taken Greyhound, I would have had to take another bus from Mississauga/Toronto, and then Brampton Transit home.

Back to school at 1130 tomorrow. Blahhhh.

The weather is entirely shitty in Brampton...probably worse in London but I'm not there right now (yay!).

After waiting for the bus for 45 minutes, I felt like I was going to either die or have to have my toes amputated. I called in to work and they said I don't have to come in, as there is another person in the lab and the mall will be totally dead due to the weather. I wish I had done that before I left home. Oops!

I got home on Thursday. I don't think I aced my two exams but I think I can expect a solid 75%. I got one grade back...86% in Writing! I'm happy.

Anyway, it's time to sleep and/or watch Daria.

Around 2AM this morning, I decided to trash the thesis for the paper I was writing and start anew. I finished at around 6AM. I set my alarm for 945, so I would have plenty of time to get to the library to print it before my tutorial.

I wake up at 1058, having no recollection of my alarm going off. Tutorial is in 32 minutes. I don't have time to do anything except get dressed (and I HATE going out without makeup). On the way out, I check my e-mail and discover that I exceeded my bandwidth limits by downloading too much, and if I don't "cease immediately" my Internet will be disconnected for a minimum of 5 days.

When I get to the library, the computer's version of MS Office, Star Office, is horredously slow. The formatting of my paper is also fucked. I fix it, and print. It comes out landscape instead of portrait. I go back to the computer, check the settings, and print again. I'm told by the printer I don't have enough credits on my copy card, so I go put another 25 cents on. I go print again, and it still comes out landscape. I go back to the computer, export it as a PDF, then go back to the print station. I have to refill my card again, and in my rage end up putting $2 on it instead of 25 cents. It finally prints out properly, so I rush to my tutorial. We get our midterms back, and my grade is mediocre at best.

I'm tired as fuck, and I have to work tonight. When I get home, I have to write a 1250 word research paper (for which I've done barely any research) for Writing, which is fortunately only a draft. Then I have to go to work for 8 hours, which means getting up at 730.

I hate my life.

Mapping Media and Cultural Theory: I think I did decently except for one of the two essay questions which I fucked up completely.

Popular Music in Society: The multiple choice/true or false were ridiculously easy. The essay wasn't bad either. We got our papers back after we handed in the mideterm, and I got 75%. Not bad considered I wrote it in less than a day.

Political Economy of Media: Meh. I don't think I included enough examples of the theories, and on a few of the questions I ran out of things to say.

I really need to get my shit together. I know this is probably the most common student goal ever, but I need to stop procrastinating. For example, I could have made my paper for Music much better if I had just had even a few hours to proof read it. If I had finished my book review last week when I was supposed to, I would have had more time to study. Speaking of which, I still haven't finished that. The class is a joke so I'm not worried.

I need to keep my average up.

I spent $170 bucks on a new winter coat at the Gap today.

....uh, what? Yeah, it really happened.

I'm not so sure about it now that I have it at home. I really need a petite version (only available in the US, like everything else good) or an XXS. Nevertheless, it's still a definite improvement over my old ugly coat. I have 90 days to return it (unworn), so I'm leaving the tags on until I'm positive about it.

It's this one (in black).

I have just finished my essay on ideological interpellation, and it's only 323. An early finish, I say.

Today's schedule:
- hand in essay in 204 tutorial
- do reading and summary of its 3 main points for 201 tutorial, nap if time allows
- go to 201 tutorial
- go to work (530-9)
- come home and begin Writing assignment (1000 word analysis of an ad and its various elements)

Thursday's schedule
- writing assignment con't
- go to work (9-5, which means getting up at 730, eep!)
- come home, go to Writing (7-10)
- come home, enjoy glorious sleep

Friday's schedule
- go to work (9-2)
- go grocery shopping
- go to library and choose book for MIT 234 book review
- come home and do absolutely fucking nothing! (except maybe read some of the aforementioned book)

Saturday's schedule:
- go to work (1-9)
- come home, read book

Sunday's schedule:
- sleep in for as long as I fucking want
- read book
- write review

Rest of next week's schedule:
- study, study, study, study (especially MIT 204 and 236)

I might skip 201 tutorial tomorrow and use the time to get started on my Writing thing. I also considered skipping Writing, but you can only miss 2 classes before you lose a full letter off of your final grade, so if I need to miss a class sometime later, I'll be fucked. I can't go to the class without the assignment, as we have to have a draft to hand in for a completion mark and for the peer-review session. It's not the final draft, but I don't want it to so bad that it's embarrassing for other people in my class to read it. I hate that course - there's something due every class, and my grade so far (although only from one assignment) is prety shitty.

Blahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

I think my music essay is horrible. I've done all the required research and have a pretty good thesis. I think the actual writing is bad - as in the diction and syntax. I don't know why, but so far this year I've been preoccupied with the belief that I can't write to save my life. Up until this point I've thought my writing was rather good, so I'm not sure what's happened.Also, the professor for the course included one of his own papers in our course pack, and reading didn't make me feel any better about my own writing.

This essay is worth 35% of my mark, so I hope I can get at least a 75% on it.

EDIT: I just bought a new black ink cartridge for my printer last week, and have maybe printed off 10 sheets with it. Well apparently it has run out already! There's something wrong with the printer I think, because the cartridge I replaced lasted for an abnormally short time. However, I'll worry about that later. Right now I'm busy being angry that I have to get up early to go print this shitty essay off at the library.

I have to write a 3000 word essay for my Popular Music in Society course, due on Tuesday. I work Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but that isn't what's scaring me.

I feel like my ideas aren't going to be "intellectual" enough for my pretentious professor. My thesis isn't very original, and I'm sure it has been argued before (and will be argued by other people in the class). We're supposed to "engage in meaningful debate" with the course readings within the essay, but there isn't anything in them that I really wish to debate.

I've started to make an outline of the points I'm going to address. The question is a little broad, so I'm hoping that my thesis is specfic enough that it brings the three required points together (the basic question is "how do the categories of social practice, text and performance each shape our understanding of popular music?").

I also haven't written an essay this long since my Extended Essay for IB (and I had about a year to write that). I'm planning on going to Weldon for most of the day tomorrow (I don't have class until 7) to write a rough draft. Hopefully that plan won't be ruined by my sleeping in.

I hate essays! Too bad my program is based very heavily on them.

P.S. - The new battery for my cell phone still hasn't arrived. It was supposed to come in 3-5 business days, and it's been 8. Awesome!