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Fantastically terrifying.
[2009-08-20] @ [9:49 p.m.]
I fall asleep to my iPod playing usually to some symphonic metal or heavy rock. I normally fall asleep without anything on. I sleep better that way. But the metal and rock blocks out everything else. There is a car alarm that goes off like an alarm clock. I do not know how many people I heard calling each other dirty whores, laughing, and probably were drunk until two this morning. The people that probably just moved up stairs sound like men constantly punching something or some obnoxious bass sound.
Thus begins adaptation in my new habitat. It's not so bad but it's going to take some adjustment.
Everything is going to take adjustment. I had the departmental orientation today. This is where I learn what the English program is all about. I was a bit peeved that my name was misspelled. This was the first thing I learned as folders were passed out containing the materials for the department orientation. My name was massacred. I can understand my last name being misspelled. It's a tricky one. But my first name? I would have been less peeved about if they had spelled a variation of Kelly since there's at least three. But how does changing my name to Kerry come about? Really. I thought I had it taken care of earlier today, but I need to go by tomorrow to take care of it in person. I want to make sure that my name is not a typo in all the records in the department therefore screwing up everything.
Aside from the renaming of me, the orientation itself was really fantastic and terrifying all at the same time. Hearing about a research class that I have to take had me reaching for my stuffed Duckie and crawling underneath the blankets to hide from the evil library. This research class is going to have me living in the library all the time in living by my planner like it is my bible. This is the class that has scared me the most, but I think it is designed to do so.
Likewise, the 600 level coursework does not sound easy either, nor does learning to go that extra mile and adopting that graduate way of thinking. It's going to be a challenge learning to apply myself to readings, doing background research, challenging arguments, and so on. I was told we were going to be treated as professionals by professors for now on and we can't afford to screw up. At all. Talk about paranoia.
But the cohort of English grad students seem really nice. A couple of the second years took us fresh meat out to drinks. It was only seven us but between the beer, mixed drinks, and food, this group seems at the very least very friendly. Hopefully this will keep me from going stir crazy these next few months.
I actually got my first readings today. And there's a lot for just two classes. So I'm going to be the good little grad student and go off and read with extra critical care.
Till then, cheers.
So, quick thanks for the image from confusedvision, under the Creative Commons License 2.0. The inspiration came from Lacuna Coil, an awesome gothic metal band from Italy.
This place on the web is fueled by diaryland, firefox, psp 9, caffeine in any form, books, slavic literature, and random bursts of ideas. With the exception of the image
and lyrics, the design and code involved is mine. Graize.
