Things I learned this week…

This week I learned…

…that nothing strikes fear in my heart, or pisses me off more than being surrounded by young, obnoxious kids in a freshmen level class. This semester I am taking Intro to Sociology. It is a low-level course and thus, it is expected that the majority of the class will be under the legal drinking age. I knew this going in. I was prepared for it. Turns out one can’t really prepare for a surprise invasion by six hockey players. They sauntered in five minutes after the professor began to take roll, and proceeded to occupy all of the seats at my table. I can’t tell you what to expect this semester in Sociology. I can’t tell you when our first exam will be, or what our first writing assignment entails. However, I can tell you that the six hockey players are all good buddies and play for the same team – their camaraderie is nauseating; Collin College is just a pit stop – they fully expect to be scouted soon; they all think that Sociology is going to be a stupid class; they are all in agreement that it is a good thing that this professor will not be grading attendance – I myself can’t attest to this as I was unable to hear that part of the introduction; and one of them insists that he is from England and can turn his accent off at will – I call bullshit on this one. If he’s English, I’m the queen of Denmark. It’s going to be a long semester; and before it’s over, I might need bail money – and a good defense attorney.

…that Rick Perry has come slinking back home to Texas. I am relieved by this. I don’t look forward to his continued leadership, but at least I can watch the nightly news without seeing his smug mug and incompetent gaffs splashed all over every channel.

…that the librarian who mans the circulation desk at my college library conspires against me, I just know it. I am a huge advocate of their online card catalog system that allows a student to electronically browse all of the districts books, media, etc. I can order any book I choose – as long as it is not checked out – and it will be delivered to my campus. All I have to do is go pick them up. I love this and take advantage of it every change I get. Unfortunately, the books seldom arrive at the same time. This is where the conspiracy comes in. I will pick up part of my order with the expectation that the rest will not be delivered until a later date. Inevitably, twenty minutes after I’ve left campus, the librarian will call me to tell me the rest of my books have arrived. She does this to me every semester. She did it to me again on Friday. I think she holds my books behind that circulation desk of hers and waits until she knows I am too far away to turn around and come back.

…that my new “Yoga for a grade class” is going to very interesting. Very touchy-feely; much like I imagine group therapy to be. I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but I’m not much of a “kumbaya” kinda gal. I’d rather remain anonymous, quietly sitting in the back of the class assessing my classmates. An impossibility in this one. On the bright side, I’m sure I will benefit from the five minutes of meditation that will close out each class period. That just might keep me from doing harm to the hockey team in Sociology. Or, at the very least, allow me to contemplate a proper disposal method.

…that after five months, I finally finished the third installment of Daniel Silva’s Gabriel Allon series. I don’t want to give the impression that it wasn’t a good book. It was. Great, in fact. I just have a very hard time committing myself to doing nothing but reading. Yes, I can hear my fellow writers groaning at me. Shut up. I always have something else that takes precedence. Since Christmas, I have been determined to finish it and I had to resort to an audio-book to get the job done. That worked out so well, that I’ve decided that audio-books are not cheating after all and am going to listen my way through the rest of his books. I am already a third of the way through the next one. The only problem I have with audio-books is that sometimes in the carpool line when I am watching the moron’s around me, I lose track of the story and have to back up.

…that a new spy thriller has quietly been released when I wasn’t looking. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. It’s based on the 1974 novel of the same name by John le Carre. Gary Oldman, John Hurt, Colin Firth and who? Benedict Cumberbatch? My new favorite Sherlock Holmes? Where do I buy my ticket?

…that I am going to have to step away from Retribution or else I will end up burning it. I tried the weekly word count push, but if the story isn’t there, it isn’t there. No matter how much I desire to finish it, I feel that I am force it. I think I’ve just made it too complicated and I lack the experience to work through. Does this make me feel like an utter failure? Yes, and I don’t want to talk about it.

…that upon editing this post, I notice that I had a lot of negative energy this week. Hmmm…

…that – in trying to find something a little more positive – the smell of new leather in a new car is almost as good as the smell of rich, dark chocolate – but without the caloric consequences.

…and last but not least, this week’s awww moment is brought to you by this adorable baby hippo.