I just keep barrelling through school. It seems like there is not enough time to do all the reading, so I have decided to do only some of the reading and to skim the rest. It is the sheer number of pages that is overwhelming. The pointlessness of many of the readings frustrates me. I have confidence in my decision to skim.

Favorite moments from the weekend:

* Realizing once again that I am not nearly as conservative as people think I am, especially as compared to people who drive 50 mph on 680 on a Saturday, when there is NO TRAFFIC.

* Saying to my carpool companion that my dad's first Miles Davis album is called "Bitch's Brew." She said, with oh so condescending a tone, "Well, I'll just have to listen to that with my daughter!" (her daughter is 9). Clearly not the right person for this conversation...

* Napoleon Dynamite

* Skimming De-Lovely, "Oh, is he dying? Oh, okay, it's the story of his life. He met this girl. He's gay? Oh, it's an 'arrangement.' Okay, he slept with a guy. She made him move to Hollywood. He hates Hollywood. She hates Hollywood. He needs Hollywood. He gets sick. They move to Massachuesetts. She gets sick. He gets grumpy. She picks him out a male companion for when she's gone. She dies. Back to story of life device. He's carried up to Heaven." A 2 hour move in 30 minutes; it can't be beat!

* 3-mile walk around Paradise Cove to the tune of "Savannah-New York-Boston-San Diego-Boston-Providence-Sacramento-Connecticut-Providence-Boston." What, exactly, happened to Savannah?

From Brand New Shoes, a new show in Fairfield (yes FAIRFIELD):

"I dance to the beat of my own drum, and sometimes it's a lazy-ass drum!"

Yeaaahhhh! Saturday was sooooo much fun! Thanks, Hayley, for such being such a gracious hostess and for the yummy banana cream pie.

I had a wonderful time chatting and playing Scattergories (A Wall Cabinet IS furniture, but wax is not a school supply :)) and otherwise catching up with some wonderful people I'm truly blessed to know.

Meanwhile, Hayley is inspiration for all of those future brides out there. She's so calm in the midst of a storm of magazines, planners, site fees, and alterations!

In other news:

Okay, I get Kanye West now. That performance of "Jesus Walks" on the Grammy's last night gave me chills, anyone else?

Baseball season starts the day before Mommy's birthday, but we have something even more exciting to celebrate today: NO MORE BRACES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait to see your smiling face when I get home!!!

An actual honest to goodness update from me! Aren't you just thrilled?

First, go Patriots! That's all.

Next. The school updated. Well, the start of week 3 (out of like 17 weeks or something - aren't I organized?) is fast approaching, and here is a list of things I have not yet done:

* Killed anyone (whoohoo!)
* Broken down in tears (go me!)
* Screamed, shouted, or thrown anything.

Wow! Sounds like I'm going to survive this thing, afterall.

What have I learned? I've learned that I'm ever so grateful that I've already worked with Access and have some idea of what it means to create a data structure and a "controlled vocabulary." I've learned that those hours spent reading as a teenager have actually paid off, and I can soundly judge Young Adult resources. I've learned that not only did my time in Boston give me an odd affinity for the Patriots and the Red Sox (I've always had an affinity for the Celtics), but Emerson taught me how to write a graduate level paper. So, while stressed (just a bit), I'm not ovewhelmingly confused. Yeah!

Oh? What's happening in my personal, not school world? Not much. I get to walk around the library pond with some work folks and get a little socialization that way. My parents are working around my school schedule, and I got to watch I-Robot while doing my homework last night (yes, really, thanks to AIM, the dining room, and the WB while at Cal, I am the mistress of multi-tasking). My cats are claiming abandonment; my dogs give me a guilt trip (via spontaneous and high pitched yelps of joy) every time I walk anywhere in even the closest vicinity to them. And I get to see my friends on Saturday! YEEEEAAHHH!

Das all, folks.

I love Super Bowl Sunday. I love knowing that in about 2.5 hours, everyone in the country will be hunkering down for snacks and football. Okay, for some of us, it's more for snacks and commercials, but still just wonderful.

It's one of the few times I feel like America has a shared culture.

Even SNL's Weekend Update's Amy Poeler had something to say:

"And I have it on good authority that Paul McCartney is going to whip out his dong."

Tina Fey and Amy proceded to fight over which team would win.

It ended with Amy, arguing for the Pats, getting the last argument, "Your motha's a whore, and your fatha keeps the money," (said in a Boston accent, of course). Which of course means that the Pats are going to kick some Eagle butt...

I love the Super Bowl!

Go Pats!!!