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I've been at school for about a month. My classes are fine. I'm taking sixteen credits and managing fairly well. The only classes I'm having a hard time in are Energy! (on my transcript that exclaimation point will be included) which is a physics, chemistry combo. It's not horrible, I just really hate doing math and this class requires all sorts of conversions; economics is similar, but more theory, so not as difficult and at least I find it interesting and it'll be helpful in journalism; and last, Focused Inquiry - it's the required freshman course, it's very similar to what English was like my first two years of high school, except my teacher is horrible and I want to punch him in the face and he's always "encouraging" us to be "creative" and to "step out of the 5-paragraph box" but when I do he tells me that I'm doing everything wrong.

Focused Inquiry is the worst replacement for an English 101 class. I understand that kids don't know how to write upon their arrival to college. I get that, but at least in high school I wasn't clumped with them in English (I was in advanced and AP English courses). So now he, an acting major (this class is taught by professors from all concentrations) is trying to teach me how to write.

This includes giving us "worksheets" aka busywork, that we have to fill out instead of writing comments and making corrections directly on each others' papers. I find assignments like this exhausting. Nothing is benefited from them. I can write, fairly well, I'm not Vanity Fair material...yet.

Anyway, I started doing homework yesterday and then I couldn't concentrate, so I wrote a blog. That kind of got everything out of system. Not really. I miss DC. A lot. People should not be this attached to cities. I know I've been very negative about Richmond, and it not having anything to offer, but it's true. It is unbelievable true. I can only imagine how much unhappier I would be at somewhere like JMU or even UVA.

I'm really trying to like Richmond. I went out Friday and Saturday. Friday we (my roommate Jessica, Garrett from econ and his friend Bryan) were going to go to that toga/underwear themed party, but none of felt like dressing up, and they wouldn't let us in unless we took our clothes off. Then we made it to a frat-party Jessica knew about. We were let in, and stayed for maybe ten minutes, because we all weren't invited (just Jessica) we were kicked out. It was disgusting. So after calling the cops and reporting underage drinking, we headed to Garrett's friend's house. That, while being a little awkward when his ex showed up, was far better than the previous two attempts to have a good time.

Luckily Saturday was my first day at work - Images Salon. It was a slight distraction from all the craziness that is my life, but of course there was salon drama. My first day was another girl's last. She was very bitter, not at me, just in general. I had two clients, and made at least a hundred bucks, plus tips, so I think I'll be making pretty decent money in no time.

By the time work was over the rain was gone and I was looking forward to exploing the city a bit more. Jessica keeps being added by these random guys on facebook who see her in the VCu network. She talks to them via facebook and they asked if she wanted to meet in the commons for dinner. I of course accompanied her. It was awkward and they were not fabulously good looking, I don't know what she was thinking.

Anyway we ended up inviting them to go see Cartel at the Canal Club with us. They came. We went. We saw the most horrible "venue" in the world. It is a combination "venue" and sports bar. Like Jaxx, but about four times the size.Ick! And to make it worse it was all ages, which is fine in DC, but in Richmond that meanst that the shows have to be done by ten thirty, on a saturday night. Really. I'm not even a fan of Cartel, and the crowd was full of fourteen-year-old scensters wearing the band shirts their parents bought for them that night. AWFUL!

And then of course yesterday I started crying, for a multitude of reasons, but mostly because I miss DC and Richmond is not close to coming up anytime soon.

I eventually got in touch with April and she came and picked me up. We went to Chop Suey (a used bookstore, awesome) and got ice cream. It was what I needed. Afterwards I met up with friends at Panda Veg (vegan chinese restaurant that is surprisingly good) and then went to the Ink (magazine) meeting.

I think Ink will probably be the defining factor as far as my college experience goes. I hope it works out. Wish me luck!

How to use a Telephone

Everyone I know is incapable of using the telephone, more spceifically, their cell phones. I believe that I am one-hundred percent correct in thinking that the reason we have telephones is so that we can be reached virtually any time.

I'll admit, I'm needy, and am very much a phone person because I like to be in constant contact with the rest of the world. Unfortunately all the people that I'm closest with are idiots in the telephone realm and never pick up. This becomes a large problem when I'm having a shitty day and need someone to vent to, am having computer problems, have made plans with them, etc.

Now I understand that sometimes people need time to themselves or whatever, but this isn't an occasional thing; this happens to me all the time. Literally.

The only acceptable reasons for not answering the phone are as follows:

1. You are using the bathroom - Now, I know people that use that phone while they're taking a dump. I personally find this repulsive.

2. You are in the shower - I also know people talk on the phone in the shower (I hear them here at school) but I don't see how combining electronics and water is ever a good idea.

3. You don't have service/are on the metro/bus - Alright, so these could all be separate, but they're very similar. If you don't have service, that's fine, or if you lose it while we're talking, have the decency to call me back. If you're on the metro/bus, everyone knows you should never talk on the phone because you will annoy everyone around you.

4. You are having sex - Actually, I hope that for all the times I call people and they don't answer that they are having sex because that would mean that they have an exceptionally healthy sex life. And everyone knows that they more you have the happier you are. So when you're done, you should be in a really good mood and therefore even more pleasant to talk to, so call me back.

5. You're at work - So, this isn't really an excuse unless you have a government job and aren't allowed to take your phone to work. At every other job, you most likely have your phone at work and will be fired if you're talking on it excessively, I understand that, I really do, but that's why you have a plan with texting, so you can tell me that. Duh.
If you don't have texting then we will probably never be in contact again.

If I'm calling I obviously have something to say, and when you don't answer or call back you just make me mad.

Yesterday my sister and I made plans to hang out today. She told me to call her at any time today so that she could come pick me up. It's been two hours since I first called. Her husband also didn't answer, so by God they better be having sex.

So goes it

I have been in Richmond for about three weeks. I am missing The District quite horribly and everone who is aware of this assures me that I'm writing Richmond off far too quickly and that I should give it a chance. They are right, I know they are. It's just far more difficult to find something to do in the evenings than it is in DC.

Of course I'm not including parties, well, because that's not really my thing. I'm fine with everyone having a gay old time, but once the cocaine is out, I'm gone. People in this city are much more laid back than I am. I don't understand their lack-luster qualities. They like to consider themselves artists and work waiting tables. And afterward go to a house party. A house party? Really? I understand that people have them at all ages, but when you grow up their referred to as an "open house," a "get together," "a cookout," etc. They are not, however, referred to as "house parties."

House parties usually incorporate lots of underage kids getting smashed and then having irresponsible sex with each other, or going home alone wishing they were having irresponsible sex, though they refer to it as just sex.

I'm being too analytical. I know. I should probably be immersing myself in the college culture, but how many times have I said that I was born five years too late? Really people, I know I'm a snob, but I am so above this.

I'm not going to lie and say that I don't drink, because I do, occasionally, but never in excess, because I'm a control freak. I've had lots of people in my lifetime tell me to "loosen up." It has not happened. I have remained this very tight, judgmental person. It suits me very well thank you.

Drinking should be enjoyed, the end result isn't to get drunk as everyone on any campus would have you believe, it is to be tasted, not chugged. Though chugging is the only way anyone would be able to drink the cheap stuff they've got. It's gross. Natural Ice, or "Natty's" is probably the absolute worst thing I have ever tasted; how I would imagine piss tasting. And yet, they drink it, and it's siblings Budlight, Corona, etc.

Sex. We all know that college boys only care about getting laid, which is fine, whatever, it's expected, and that would be all fine and dandy if girls were programmed the same way. Some are, some aren't. Most aren't. And most are stupid. They dress up in their trashiest attire wanting to look "hot" - they set out wanting to attract these overly-hormonal boys and expect to be respected? That's idiotic, but because they are idiots, they will have sex with these guys and almost immediately regret it. Luckily my roommate isn't one of these idiots.

So, what will I be doing tonight? I've been invited to a couple parties, one of which is "lingerie/boxers/toga" themed. It does not sound exceptionally entertaining, and I'm going to go ahead an guess that the music will be horrendous. If this were going on in DC, at The Hotel, which it does, annually, except it's just "underwear" themed it would be full of somewhat responsible, despite being intoxicated adults.

I hate my peers. It's a problem I have, I'm well aware of it, and I should appreciate that they're "growing up" but I'd really much rather just skip that part. But since I'm going to be here for four years, I suppose I'll just have to dig deeper to find something worthwhile.

Like friends. I should make some. It's not that I haven't been trying. I've been pleasant to everyone I've met, but I haven't met anyone that has really struck my fancy. My roommate is cool, the RD in my building is cool -he's also thirty-two, this kid that sits next to me in economics is pretty cool (despite being a townie). So I'm trying, I really am, kind of, when I'm not wondering around on my bike or studying at Penny Lane's.

Despite my quasi-anti-social appearance the past few weeks. I have made an effort. I have been to information meetings regarding the school paper, magazine (non-literary, those people were weirder than they were in high school, of course I was ed-in-chief, so I'm biased, but still) and the radio-station. And for the first time ever I'm actually doing homework/studying, even if it interrupted by videos of Christopher Hitchens on YouTube.

In addition to all of this craziness I've managed to erase my entire music library from my Ipod. So now, I'm stuck listening to a bunch of mixed CD's (though the best mixes ever made) a friend made for me, the two CD's I've bought since coming here - Lykke Li, and Wolf Parade - the albums I have, but I need to get a preamp, and of course the internet. I've been listening to this song a lot and listening to Imeem.

I'm going to take a nap. SCHWING!

Trash, the good kind

Let it be known that I love horrible television. Not the Jerry Springer type of trash but the dramatic type of horror.

Since coming to school my roommate and I have made a habit of catching 'Project Runway' each way. And after the first week an very sad kind of doofy girl on our floor has started to join us. She talks throughout the whole show. And not just comments like "That's cute" or "What were they thinking!" Comments like "I really like this show, which season is this?" and she'll go on. And it's not just during the commercials, it's during the actual show. We just deal because we don't want to be mean. Crazy, I know.

So currently I"m watching 'Gossip Girl' and she has walked by several times, each of which she feels the need to comment on how much she likes this show. Luckily she's not actually watching it with me. Thank God.

We Are Scientists

The interview, my first - ever, I did with them is up at Brightest Young Things.

You should go read it. It's pretty awesome. As all (five) of you expect of me anyways.