Been a long time, shouldn'ta left you....

Well, as I lay on my bed the weekend before the summer semester is to begin, I figured it might be a good idea to update my blog. Apparently I still get a few readers every now and then but I have no idea from where they come or how they find it. It's probably just my mother. Love you, mom.

So I've successfully completed my first semester at university and I must say that I am pleased. I made straight A's and had a paper published in an undergraduate research journal. I've applied for a position on the editorial board for the same journal and also have applied for a seat on the Student Senate. We'll see how that plays out. It's amazing how quickly my brain, body, and lifestyle have adapted to that of a college student. I'm staying up several hours later than I used to, I can sleep till noon if given the chance, I even take naps every now and then. The naps, however, cannot be planned. They just have to happen. But I think that I'm now in a better position to allow it to happen, given that my schedule is so wacky nowadays.

I've also begun eating much more like a college student. Before this semester, I hadn't had peanut butter in many years. But I'm already halfway through my second giant tub. I think its shelf-life and general ability to fill me up quickly has something to do with it. It's not like I love peanut butter or anything. I do love ramen though. The significantly inexpensive pricetag may be affecting my tastebuds but I don't care. It's so darn good. Honestly, that's about the extent of my cooking for this year with only a few exceptions. If I can keep it in the cupboard for extended periods of time and eat it without much preparation, I'm likely to enjoy it. Luckily, I'm sans vehicle so I walk off all my unhealthy eating habits. I've actually lost quite a bit of weight since January.

My room is a disaster and I shared my futon bed with two loads of clean laundry for at least a week or two before I reluctantly put them away during the summer vacation. I have flip-flop tan lines on my feet. I've used more febreze in the last four months than I had in the last four years. Free anything makes my day. The most interesting and disconcerting aspect of my transition to academia though has been my skin's apparently ability to sense its environment and act accordingly. As much as I enjoy looking younger than I actually am I don't enjoy the breakouts and blemishes. But it's a trade that I would glady make a million times over because I absolutely love being in college again.

Yellow Fever

There are 97.6 million results when you google "China is going to take over the world." Good thing I'm taking Elementary Chinese in the spring semester! I've registered for my first semester as a full-time student at a major university and it's going to be a very Oriental beginning. Besides my two required classes (Computer literacy and Political Science Research) I am taking three decidedly Eastern courses: Elementary Chinese, Emerging Democracies of NE Asia, and Buddhist Traditions. It wasn't my original intent to immerse myself in Asian studies; it just happened that way. I believe the Emerging Democracies class was my first chosen course. A double major in International Affairs (Polisci prelaw & Int'l Affairs) requires an intermediate foreign language and some courses from a chosen concentration. I chose Religion as my concentration and Buddhist Tradition as my course. And with all of that already in place, Chinese seemed like the most reasonable language to learn.
I suppose it would be prudent for me to take as many Eastern related courses as possible in order to fully utilize my chosen language. I'm quite nervous about learning Chinese too. But it was exciting last night as I lay in bed, daydreaming about a part-time job in a Chinese takeout restaurant or an Asian market and a future career in a highrise building in the middle of a Chinese metropolis. The notion seemed quite romantic. I think I'm going to research some prominent and/or emerging East Asian legal fields in International law.

Deer in my dreams

I posted awhile back on witnessing a deer shortly after being injured by a passing vehicle. It was tragic. The other night I had a somewhat similar incident in my dreams. Well, I say 'similar' when in fact the only things they share are a deer and death. The other night I had a dream that I was in the wilderness and I was forced to feed myself. I suppose I was sick of gathering berries and whatnot so I planned on some game hunting. Some very shallow trenches were dug and a trap set in the bottom of each. The trap mechanism was similar to that of a bear trap only on a smaller, less-intensely-bone-crunching scale. And then I just sat there and waited. Everything was perfectly still for who knows how long when a single deer came wandering in. I remember getting excited, hoping the deer would step on the trap, and of course he did. And then I wrestled the deer down and broke his neck. Just like that. That's kind of where the dream ends, thankfully. The last thing I would have wanted was an even more graphic dream of skinning and gutting the deer. Or maybe I would've just ripped into it's flesh as if it were a turkey leg at the carnival.

Speaking of eating raw meat...I saw a show on TV not too long ago about a guy that regularly purchased meat from the grocery store and just ate it. Raw steaks and even ground fucking beef. Honestly, the idea is slightly intriguing except for the ground beef part. I've had steak tartar, I love sushi, and I always order my steaks bloody rare. One time, while dining and an expensive and reputable restaurant, I ordered a rare 22 oz porterhouse. It wasn't my best decision but it was certainly an experience.

So back to my swiftly snapping a deer's neck in my dreams. Dream interpretation has always fascinated me so why not analyze this dream right now and see what it means? I won't be using one source for my interpretation. Instead, I'll find the best (or most interesting) meanings that fit with my current situation since dreams are supposed to be subconcious reflections on our waking life.

• Deer: grace, compassion, gentleness, innocence, meekness, the feminine
• Killing a deer: mastery over instincts I've struggled to control
• Catching an animal in a trap: I will be successful in his/her chosen career

Hmm, very interesting...not sure exactly what to make of it. Maybe I need to man up and not be so compassionate. Or maybe I should remain meek and graceful until I'm "successful in my chosen career" and then I should break my meekness's neck and turn into a real douchebag. Or maybe I should master my feminine side. I've grown out my beard again. That counts for something, right? And I did just work out the night before I had that dream after a nearly month long hiatus (broken rib). So maybe all that extra adrenaline and stuff pushed me into caveman mode.