The more I think about it, the more I want to say that this semester was simply an aberration. Somehow, I managed to take two courses at once whose workload I found to be extraordinarily manageable, and by that I mean I didn’t have to go the library at all this term.
Neither course included a research writing project, which is consistently the item that causes the greatest frustration for me in post-secondary education. The spring promises no such fortune. In an independent study, I mean to take research upon myself, and in Charlie Hill’s class, there will certainly be a large paper at one point or another. I think I’m prepared, especially after this (relative) vacation of a fall.
Over the weekend, I did a few different things. Friday night, the Financial Aid Office had its Christmas party at the home of our assistant director, Mike White. Mike started back in October, and has relocated from Ann Arbor, MI. His house is awesome. He says it’s especially neat to have furniture now.
After that event ended, Knitt and I took a ride to see Closer up in Appleton. I enjoyed it. The reviews you’re hearing are accurate – it’s a movie for grown-ups. It is a disturbing, real-feeling story of the pain of relationships. Joe and I agreed that we felt pretty bad after it was over. I think going to movies should be like that from time to time. I also think that you should buy Napoleon Dynamite when it comes out on DVD.
Saturday, I spent the daytime hours cleaning the apartment and poring over some poetry revisions.
Sonofabitch, I need wrapping paper.
Yeah, so that’s what I did during the day Saturday, and late in the evening, I went bowling with Lorch and Jamie. They had karaoke at the bar there, so I wowed the patrons with some favorites from the J.A. Bock Karaoke Catalog: “Just a Gigolo,” “Piano Man,” and, catering to the crowd, I closed with “Friends in Low Places.” I was a big enough hit that one girl wanted to sing with me (but she couldn’t find the song she wanted) and another drunk townie wanted to go home with me. At that point, we evacuated.
Sunday I worked on some more homework, and I also had a bunch of people over for the Packers game. Knitt, Lorch/Jamie, Dave Schrubbe and the Poquettes all came over. I fed them popcorn and pizza. I thought for sure when the Pack was down 13-0 at halftime, they were going to get beat at home (again) by the Lions of all teams, who had never beaten Favre at Lambeau. It was nice to see them pull out the victory, but at the same time, it’s unfortunate from a fan’s standpoint to know your team will be in the postseason and get spanked by one of the elite teams in the conference. Ah, well.
Speaking of sports and no pain, did you see the Crew send three guys out of town in the past week? Michael Hunt, a columnist for the Journal-Sentinel?, put it in perspective for me this morning when he basically said, “Hey, check it out: the Brewers plucked these two guys off the scrap heap and turned them into trade bait. Not bad.” Not bad indeed. With the Bucks season in full force now, it’s time to start asking, “How long ’til spring training?”