Looking at my schedule for this semester, you wouldn't even know I'm a French major. I only have one class, my senior thesis, and that doesn't have a scheduled meeting time each week. I'm taking 2 classes in the cinema studies department and 3 in the English department. I figure I've done almost all of my required coursework, so I might as well take fun stuff. In more detail:

• CINE 419: Russian and Eastern European Film (I'm really looking forward to this one)
  
  
• CINE 261: Survey of World Cinema Before the Sound Era (required for minor)
  
  
• ENGL 273: Intermediate Film Studies (required for minor)
  
  
• ENGL 455: Major Authors - Poe (I've been trying for over a month to get into this one and then finally yesterday it worked)
  
  
• ENGL 451: American Novel 1914-1945
  
  
• FR 492: Senior Honors Thesis
  

Class starts tomorrow. I don't think I have any TAs, which is good. I was worried about taking semi-intro courses that I would get stuck with TAs, and as a senior it's weird having someone a year or two older than you acting as an authority figure (not to mention that professors are just better).

Workmen: It's 7 am--that means it's time to start construction on a fence outside your apartment. Fire up the saws, boys! That metal stuff doesn't belong here--throw it over there!
Me: Oh, you guys!
Workmen: Remember, fellas, you can't expect those nails to stay put unless you use every fiber of your strength to pound them in!

A while ago, right after I left for Seattle, they started construction on a new fence outside my apartment building, leaving our parking lot unpark-inable. The work was originally scheduled to be done before I got back from Seattle. However, when I got back on Thursday they barely had anything done. Oddly enough, they didn't do any work on Friday. Anyway, until they finish I have to park halfway across the complex. I have a lot of stuff in my car that still needs to be moved into my apartment, but there's no way I'm carrying that all that way.

Day 3 of cramps. I hate my uterus.

Just over an hour ago, I realized I had a somewhat strange desire: I wanted to chew gum. I didn't want to just idly chew a piece of gum, but I wanted to have several pieces in my mouth at the same time, I wanted to suck every last bit of flavor from those pieces, and I wanted to chew angrily, with impossible vigor and strength. I got to work on half a pack of Orbit Sweet Mint; after about 30 minutes, I had six sticks in my mouth. It wasn't enough--I could still taste the gum; I simultaneously wanted to rid the gob entirely of its flavor and to taste that flavor forever. I don't know what possessed me. I was reminded of a similar part in A Million Little Pieces where James Frey is demonstrating an addict's mindset in saying that he wanted more than just a piece of gum, he wanted a million pieces of gum. Or something--it's been a while since I've read it, and I don't particularly care to pick it up ever again (incidentally, that has nothing to do with Frey making shit up; I found it to be derivative, even as a work of fiction, as if he had taken Creative Writing 101 and followed the checklist provided in the textbook).

Anyway, after about 45 minutes on the gum, I decided I was done with that. What I really want is a vegetable sandwich, very similar to the one I got earlier this evening from Subway. I need a vegetable sandwich right now; I have no idea how I'll be able to sleep without one. I made a shopping list. There are a couple 24-hour groceries near me, but there's no way I'm going out at 3 am to gather the ingredients for a sandwich. Right now I'd give anything for an avocado, a green pepper, an onion, a cucumber, some mozzarella cheese, and soft, warm, freshly-baked bread. Ohhhhhh jeez.

I know exactly where this fantasy comes from. During the past two days I've suffered terrible cramps, the likes of which I haven't felt since before I went on hormone therapy. The cramps effectively quashed any appetite I had. On Saturday all I ingested was a milkshake and a can of Pepsi; today, it was just a banana and a vegetable sandwich. As I type this, my cramps are coming out of their recently-imposed dormancy, as if to remind me that it's not imperative that I eat within the next 24 hours. All I know is that, cramps or not, I will be stuffing my face full of Chinese buffet offerings; it's been far too long since I've last done that. Mongolian pork, General Tso's chicken, lo mein, pepper steak... Sigh.

In completely different news, I absolutely hate this layout. Sometime when I have a lot of time I plan on messing around with Blogger Beta's WYSIWYG stuff.
ETA: I just decided to do it now. I'm a little sad to see that I can't yet edit the HTML on the prepackaged template. There are a few things that frustrate me: I can't center my picture; the columns are too close together; there's too much empty space at the sides; and other stuff. Sigh. Hopefully they'll change this soon. This new color scheme was inspired by the DVD cover for Rushmore.

Ugh. I'm having some really bad cramps right now, even though my period isn't due for another week and a half. They're so bad that I haven't eaten a single thing today, despite the fact that it's after 7pm. Eesh. I think I'm going to head to Culver's and get a Reese's Pieces shake.

I just got back from Snakes on a Plane. I was expecting to be disappointed, but it was so incredible. Audience participation really enhances it as well. I have to gather my thoughts on it, but overall it was awesome.

Talia:

Last night, an hour or so after I got off the phone with you, I went downstairs to get my pajamas, which were woefully located in a room that would require me to walk past the spider. I surveyed each square foot of carpet before I took another step. Then, to my surprise, the spider was gone. This meant trouble, since now the spider was in hiding, ready to pop out at any second and scare the hell out of me. I gingerly picked up each item of clothing and shook it several times to rid it of any potential spiders. Then I turned each sleeve and leg inside out to do another check. I was safe so far.

This morning I had to go down to that room again to get dirty clothes for laundry. (This was actually an interesting internal debate: would I rather chance an encounter with the spider, or wait until I got back to school and pay for laundry? Being the cheapskate I am, I decided to take my chances with the spider.) The spider, again, was nowhere to be seen. Its whereabouts remain unknown at this moment. Shudder.

I forgot to mention: both times I let Kelsey down ahead of me, figuring if he ate the spider that would solve my problems. Unfortunately he didn't find the spider, but he did find several socks. Good for him.

For everyone else: This spider was huge. I've never seen a spider this big before. The body was about the size of a half-dollar, no lie. It was so hideous; I'm getting nauseated just thinking about it.