New Year's Eve and this blog's 1st Anniversary

I'm not big on new year's resolutions; however, it's been exactly a year since I talked about ice cream which precipitated this blog. So I'll talk about what's gone on since that fateful dream of vanilla ice cream that started this whole thing. What has changed since? I still work at the hospital. But I have started going back to school. I don't feel as listless and hopeless. Despite some nurses (ahem...a tall, leggy Russian one at that) rolling their eyes at me upon discovering that I'm not taking nursing but something as 'useful' as English Literature, it's been ok. I survived. My God. 2011. I wonder what's in store this year.

Please let me have the Fulbright.
Please let me have the Fulbright.
Please let me have the Fulbright.

post-semester thoughts

It was a hard semester. I realized a few things though:
1. I missed school.
- While working at the hospital environment since 2007 gave me invaluable people and life skills experience, I really, really, REALLY missed school.
2. My brain actually still works.
- Didn't know if I could be in an academic setting. I mean, it's been almost ten years since my undergrad years. (Oh, snap...people will realize how old I am!!!)
3. I still can't write academic papers for shit.
- I practiced an unorthodox brand of writing that apparently had a name called "performative writing" (read up on Peggy Phelan). But sometimes, it's just plain old sloppiness. Got a lot to learn. I need to master the MLA or APA style of citation...

Anyway, I got an A- for one of the classes. I don't know about the other one but so far, it's looking like a B+/A-.

A Breath of Air

I've been pulling hair, teeth and other non-appendage-like substances from out of me the past two weeks and will probably do so in the next two because, it is, tuh-duh-dum-!- FINALS. I'm only taking two graduate classes. But, man! Those two classes are kicking my butt. I'm taking two medieval literature courses - one on Chaucer and the other on Apocalyptic Medieval Literature. Fun. No, really - fun.

Now, some friendly words from our friendly (and deceased) neighborhood Spanish Jesuit and baroque writer, Balthasar Gracian:

Aphorism #82 Drain Nothing to the Dregs, neither Good nor Ill.
A sage once reduced all virtue to the golden mean. Push right to the extreme and it becomes wrong: press all the juice from an orange and it becomes bitter. Even in enjoyment never go to extremes. Thought too subtle is dull. If you milk a cow too much you draw blood, not milk.