Books-->to the Office:

(not THE OFFICE, which is one of my favorite shows on NBC)

But my new "office" (by way of my sister's recent departure to Oklahoma)...it is currently bare except for a mini bookcase (already jammed full of books, and most of them are in storage)....

And two empty desks (dueling desks) ready to be arranged and filled as well.

There is enough floor room to successfully practice yoga (yes, you read that correctly). I rolled out my mat today and it there is ample space...so it's not just Office Space (one of my favorite movies), but an honest to goodness Yoga Space.

My Summer Reading Program™

Everyone is Beautiful (Katherine Center)
Delta of Venus (Anaïs Nin)
Tender is the Night (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
Atonement (Ian McEwan)
Mrs. Dalloway (Virginia Woolf)*
The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
The Reader (Bernhard Schlink)
Jane Eyre (Charlotte Brontë)
Wide Sargasso Sea (Jean Rhys)

finished
*in progress

I have also watched a few films, but nothing worthy of mentioning (other than THE READER, which I expected to love hard and long and strong, and I did!) Quick! Go rent/buy/watch it now. Hurry!

And here's the point where I recommend a short story (so related to the movie that thinking about a particular scene, makes me want to cry):

The Lady with the Dog by Anton Chekhov
(complete text available)

~~J

The Summer of Books:

I have started my Summer Reading Program™

Everyone is Beautiful (Katherine Center)
Delta of Venus (Anaïs Nin)
Jane Eyre (Charlotte Brontë)*
Wide Sargasso Sea (Jean Rhys)
Tender is the Night (F. Scott Fitzgerald)*
The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
Atonement (Ian McEwan)*
The Reader (Bernhard Schlink)

finished
*in progress

Jane Eyre/Wide Sargasso Sea are the Norton Critical Editions (yes, yes, I refuse to leave the warmth of knowledge):

No other series of classic texts achieves the editorial standard of the Norton Critical Editions. Each volume combines the most authoritative text available with contextual and critical materials that bring the work to life for students.

Careful editing, first-rate translation, thorough explanatory annotations, chronologies, and selected bibliographies make each text accessible to students while encouraging in-depth study. Each volume in the series is printed on acid-free paper, and every text remains in print.

I am the eternal student, nevertheless.

The margins of the texts I read this semester are filled with various markings--highlighting, underlining, class notes...a friend borrowed one (Outer Dark, Cormac McCarthy) and I warned her that it might be distracting to read--she said, "I probably need the notes..."

She probably does NOT need the notes!

Another book/manual I have to tackle is the Kaplan GRE Premier Program 2009 Edition... aside from the online practice tests available online from GRE this grants me access to even more practice exams!

According to several trusted sources, practice exams are the key.

And I thought class was over (until July)...HA!

NOT complaining in the least!

~~J

Spring leads to Summer:

The semester is "officially" in the books.

I looked Online today and saw my grades nicely and neatly calculated--including all the GPA information. I'm very proud to say that my last "full-time" semester as an undergraduate resulted in another stint on the Dean's List.

*throws confetti*

Two more classes (5 hours) along with the big, bad "German language for Credit" oral and written exam (9 hours) is all that stands between me and the elusive BA in English (Creative Writing)! I can barely believe it!

Now that I'm full-speed ahead on planning the next "round" of schooling. *whew*

Aside from finishing out a successful semester I have also "turned" another year older since the last time I updated. No need to worry about the numbers, folks. The only thing that really matters is:

3 nights of celebration!

1) Chicken Salsa Fresca + 2 Sangria Swirl Margaritas + 2 shots of Patron...oh my my!
2) Bosco's Squared + The Blue Monkey + Bayou Bar & Grill patio...
3) Florentine Salad + Stuffed Shells + a Trivial Pursuit VICTORY...

Thank you, Thank you--I am still alive!

I have even started my Summer Reading/Film Program™...that will get its very own blog entry, naturally.

Epiphany: Sometimes I feel like a force of nature, but sometimes I only feel like a little firefly in the night.

~~J

Filled with Mirth:

So I finally bought a box of GRE words from Kaplan today after studying for 2.5 hours for my American Gothic Fiction final. The study session was not complete until I e-mailed my professor with another question.

He is either a) impressed with my desire to learn... or b) annoyed with me already

I am going to keep telling myself A! A! A! A! A!
(do you see what I did there?)

I will try and randomly share some with you are a half-way regular basis:

Nadir(noun)
lowest point
(bottom, depth, pit)

Myopic(adjective)
lacking foresight; having a narrow view
(short-sighted, unthinking)

Dilatory(adjective)
intended to delay
(tardy, lagging, slow, dragging)

Mirth(noun)
gaiety, laughter
(glee, merriment)

Ardor(noun)
intense and passionate feeling
(devotion, fire, zeal, passion)

I have my first final at 8am tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed!

~~J

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
(Robert Frost)

So here I sit, the rain is coming down in steady streams and I am on "vacation." This is a vacation from work--(paid, for the next week)--as I have plenty of "school" work to complete in order to end this semester successfully.

To Do:
*study for Editing
*study for American Gothic (comprehensive! writing-intensive!)
*study for Modern Brit Lit
*revise a B+ 1,800 word paper (because torturing myself is fun)
(poetry writing & fiction workshop is complete)

And the grand new announcement--the crazy realization I am ready to share with the world: I want to continue being a student for as long as possible...id est, I want to go to graduate school!!

I've had this notion in the back of my mind all semester. I first said it aloud to my Fiction Workshop professor during a scheduled conference. She was very receptive and complimentary, offering to do whatever she can to help me.

One Reason for this Epiphany:

*I love school (plain and simple)*

Being on campus over the last two semesters has been an absolute pleasure. I feel alive and complete as soon as I begin interacting with classmates and professors.

My mid-morning Patterson Lobby Crew on Tuesdays & Thursdays...priceless.

Anything involving literature this semester has been fulfilling. Inspiration struck and I am ready to start working on my own "Gothic" genre piece.

I learned the first 14-lines of a poem taught in one class for recitation in another class.

The very idea of being in front of a college classroom--teaching writing or literature or composition makes my brain explode. I LOVE being around creative and intelligent people & they are all over the place!

Memphis? George Mason? Florida? LSU? Alabama?
Oh, the Places I want to Go!

But first there is the business of my BA (English--Creative Writing/Journalism minor)...December 2009 seems to be the month...but then again, I have four days until my first Final Exam...priorities, priorities.

~~J