Grades. Every fall semester, a day or two before Christmas, final grades are posted on K-State Access Technology System (KATS). Each year the anticipation gets more and more gnawing... especially this year, as I didn't really work "up to par" in any one of my four classes. I figured this would be my worst semester yet, and that I might have to take some classes over in order to earn the C's that are required for graduation in my English courses. ANYWAY... the results of my semester ARE.........

Intro to Philosophy: B (Thoughts: What the hell did I do to deserve this??? Granted, I got B+ on two of my assignments, but never once (save on those two occasions when it was required) did I do the reading. Clearly, an overwhelming sense of generosity must have overcome the Scotsman as he sat there grading bluebooks.)

British Survey 2: B (Thoughts: I was sure I was getting a D - maybe a C - in this class, due to the fact that I only posted on the class message board four out of the seven required times, I missed two more classes than the cut-off line to be able to get an A or a B, and I neglected to revise my midterm essay, which I earned a C on. Clearly, the fact that I earned a B is proof that Naomi J. Wood, the woman born and raised in the Congo, is the coolest, best professor on the Kansas State University campus.)

Structure of the English Language: B (Thoughts: I think I already told you all about this one... it is undeserved, but welcome nevertheless. So what if he murdered his ex-wife? He's cool in my book!)

Intro to Poetry Writing: A (Thoughts: I hoped I would get an A, but I was prepared for a B, since I pretty much stopped doing the reading and therefore sucked it up on a few quizzes. I guess my poetry (which can be read at the left) is just that awesome. I have this professor (who is also my advisor) in a class next semester... Environmental Topics in American Literature. Should be fun. :\)

Insert Cryptic Title Here. A lot of things have happened since you last heard from me. Then again, a lot of things haven't happened... but that's another story.

I finished with my finals at around 5:30 pm on Thursday, at which point I deposited all of my notes and such in the nearest waste receptical I could find and frolicked to my apartment for a drink. Actually, not really, but we had a party that night, so LATER there were drinks, but first we (I) had to clean... which didn't really happen. Instead I watched Chad play classic 8-bit Zelda and then hurriedly made my bed... but it's the thought that counts, eh? I did end up creating a particularly festive hors d'ouveres table... man oh man. I need to watch more football or shoot stuff.

Return of the King, which I saw on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, was particularly good. I plan on seeing it tomorrow with my brother and dad. I am looking forward to this event.

I got all my presents wrapped and they are now under the tree here in Olathe... which alludes to the fact that I drove home for Christmas tonight. I won't be here TOO long (I plan on going back Saturday afternoon), but still, it's longer than a lot of people I know.

On Saturday, my family came out to Manhattan to visit and see my Christmas tree and such. We went around and looked at some stores in Aggieville, then went back to my apartment and ate pizza and drank beer. Between those two events, we stopped off at Sears, and my parents purchased my main Christmas gift... a 27" television. I'm pretty excited about that, considering we've been watching a measley 19" screen for the past six months. I'm moving my way up in the world, which I believe is commendable.

I rented 'The Office', and despite an annoying scratch on the DVD in the middle of the second episode, it was pretty hilarious. I only got to watch three episodes though (I think there are twelve total) due to work, tiredness, and other obligations. Sometime over our ridiculously long break (we go back on January 22nd) I will have to re-rent it.

Speaking of work, they have been training me to be a manager, so that while the boss's go to Las Vegas on the 4th, me and the other two crew leaders can run the store. It's been all right except for the 9:00 am starting time, which is still a little out of my league. Today I learned how to clean the Ghea, though, so it was totally worth it. That and I got almost $5.00 in tips. If anyone needs to borrow any money, let me know.

ALSO speaking of work, I got a love note from a customer on Sunday afternoon. It informed me that she comes to Cold Stone a lot, and that she is scared to talk to me because I am the cutest guy she has ever seen up close. She wouldn't usually have said anything, but she felt she would
have regretted not doing anything about it. So now, I have this girl's phone number, and I don't know what to do. I mean, I know my answer is an emphatic "NO" - for several reasons, such as the fact that it's kind of creepy and the fact that she is a Junior........ in high school. But hey, at least now I know I can still woo sixteen year-old girls. Just like back in the day, eh, Katie?

A Window. I experienced something today that I had never before experienced - I felt myself literally going insane. I don't know if this is really what was going on, but... man I felt weird for about thirty minutes. Maybe it'll be a good thing... there are a lot of geniouses who end up going insane.

It's 4:00am the morning before my first and most difficult final of the semester, and yet I cannot fall asleep. I am watching Moulin Rouge and realizing how much this movie inspires me. It's weird... it makes me want so much to write, and yet when I sit here in front of the screen, I am overtaken by a sort of creative-impotence; I just can't come up with anything. So instead of writing a brilliant piece of fiction, I instead post to my blog. Maybe that's commendable as well, though. A lot of great fiction writers start out by writing memoirs. We might even call this page my memoir, although usually the only great memoirs are those centered around people who have exceptionally extraordinary lives. Then again, maybe mine will be great for being exceptionally ordinary... something we can all relate to. After all, as I've said before, I do desire connection.

In twenty hours, I will never be forced to think about philosophy again, and I will be watching The Return of the King. Both things make me so very happy.

Fa la la la la. Last night I drove to Kansas City to see the Extended Version of The Two Towers at AMC 30. When we got out of the theatre at about 12:15, it was snowing, and seemed like it had been doing so for some time. The drive home was scary, but fun nevertheless.

Today is kind of "blah". It's snowy and cloudy and cold, but still a nice day. I haven't really done much other study some for my philosophy final on Tuesday. I am so over my classes. I am about done Christmas shopping... just a few more little things for the family. I think I might go do that stuff right now, since the weather's kind of fitting.

Other News. My bosses are going to be out of town for a short period in January, so I will be in charge of the store for some of that time. This means I will have a key and ULTIMATE COLD STONE POWER! ... which is cool. Last night, Vicki trained me on a few parts of the Key Closer (counting down the drawers, financial reports, etc.) and then informed me that I will be on a higher wage during the time they're gone. I'm thinking "SHIT YEAH!" and playing the whole "Oh... really?"/:::inquisitive face::: until I saw the amount. $6.50. I mean, okay, that's nice...$.75 more an hour than I make now... but... ya know? JESUS... I'm RUNNING THE STORE!! God... I bet I'll never make $7.00 an hour; I don't see how much higher up the Cold Stone ladder I could get! So now, all my hopes for a good, significant, life-altering raise have been dashed. I will probably continue to allow my already low work effort to decline to the point where annoying-ass Chelsea will find something I'm doing wrong every five minutes instead of every fifteen. I will get later and later for work every day. I will give out more and more (illegal) cheap and free ice cream until one day... when they're pretty close to firing me, I will decide to put in my two weeks notice. That's pretty much how I do it. I can already see the onset of the pattern. Blah.

Aside from my whining, today is the last day of classes, and I only have one, and it starts in about forty five minutes. I am really freaking excited. Tonight, I am going to eat a special Holiday Dinner at the dorm (and thank God, because I am out of food here. I had a can of pork and beans for dinner last night... blegh. But at the time it was good, because I was starving.) THEN I'm hoping to drive home quickly to see the final showing of the extended version of The Fellowship of the Ring at AMC 30, then stay overnight and see the noon showing of the Two Towers. But we'll see... things never seem to work out that easily for me. Plus we have the Cold Stone Christmas party at 4:00 on Friday, and so I'd miss that... but... meh. I'm about halfway through reading The Two Towers. HOPEFULLY I can finish it before Return of the King comes out NEXT WEDNESDAY!!!!!

So basically, as this post would have it, my life involves two things right now: Cold Stone Creamery and Lord of the Rings. When I look at that, it seems pretty pathetic, but I guess it's better than Peterson Clinical Lab and Lord of the Rings.

Everybody's Happy. I can't say anything about last night's game that hasn't already been said other than... did you know that I went to school with Darren Sproles? Yeah... he moved to my school district in fourth grade, and we've gone to school together ever since. Oh... wait... I guess I've already said that. Maybe a couple times. I've always been bad about that.

I've been having a really good weekend... I've just been a lot happier and a lot more motivated to do things. I think I've discovered (or remembered) that the thing I desire most in life is connection. And this weekend... I've kind of rediscovered my favorite connection of all. But I guess I don't really know what to say about that here, because I fear I'll be making too big of a deal about it. Regardless... it has made me happy.

Okay. Now I'm really going to go do my homework. After this reading, I'm pretty much done aside from finals. I don't even want to think about those. Blegh.

Game Day In just a few short hours, K-State will embark in a battle of epic proportions on the fields of Arrowhead Stadium. People will be beaten, blood will be spilled, and helmets will roll. Hopefully they can pull out a miracle in the battle against Oklahoma. I am faithful. Yes. I am faithful.

A Quick Note: I love how Coco Bolos always plays the Vanilla Sky Soundtrack. I love that CD. I also love the movie... I love the version of love portrayed in the lucid dream... it is so simple and beautiful and elegant. I wish my life could be that way; profound and beautiful and yeah. But... who's to say it won't be?

Also, check out Emoily's ER Fan Page. It makes me chuckle (speaking of which, I apologize for the title of the blog entry from this Monday. Blegh.)

An idea. You know the old question "If you could have dinner with anyone living or dead, who would you choose?" We know that most of our answers are impossible... but here's something that I think needs to be done, either by me and people I know, or by famous writers who might actually make a buck or two.

I like anthologies where all of my favorite writers team up and write short stories and compile them into one book and I can read what all of them are doing in one neatly bound volume for about thirteen dollars and ninety nine cents (because I don't believe in libraries.) (okay, not really... but yeah). None of these stories usually have anything to do with one another other than perhaps a common central theme (DEATH, or GENRE FICTION, or rabbits), and that is fine by me.

WELL... I think it would great if these same authors (or maybe me and some writing friends of mine) got together and wrote a series of short stories that are actually segments of the same story, and each writer takes a different perspective. Lets say Jason and I went into this endeavor along with Dave Eggers and Elmore Leonard. Maybe the story could be about a four prison buddies getting together for dinner five years after the one man who committed the murders for which they were all blamed was discovered - causing their release. Or maybe it could be about the only four surviving passengers on the same airplane that crash lands in the middle of Cuba. Each writer have a unique perspective... and unique style in which to portray their characters.

Does any of this make sense? Is it a good idea? Has it been done before? I envision the book being a novel... written by four authors (or thereabouts)... hmmmmmmm.

The Christmas decorations are up... let the holiday hijinks ensue.

Giggle Thank God classes are almost over! Soon I will be free of all of the British and the poetry and the sentence derivations... and I will move on to Americans, fiction, and the environment!

It's true what they say... college is less about learning about what they teach in classes and more about learning about life. I will admit, that I, like most people I know, don't have it all figured out... I think I'd be vain to say that I will EVER have everything figured out. However, today I've learned something - I've learned that you should listen to your friends... your good ones anyway. You should at least consider partaking in their advice because chances are, they want to help you avoid three years of agony rather than endure it. I guess maybe that was a mistake I made, but I've learned my lesson. So, maybe it's pointless for me to put that down here, because you probably won't learn from it... you'll probably have to go and make mistakes yourself. But yeah.

It's good to be back in Manhattan - I kind of missed my apartment (even though it's not equipped with the fifty-one inch HDTV). Speaking of which, anyone wanting to get me anything for Christmas might consider contributing to the "buy Michael a bigger TV" fund. There's a 52" HDTV on sale at Best Buy for only $999.99! For those of you who don't price high-definition televisions... that is an extremely good price. But anyway...

Pirates of the Carribbean comes out at midnight tonight, so I'm happy.