(Excuses, Excuses)

I know, I know...Yall don't have to tell me that I suck. It's evident by the sudden disappearance of Followers, that you guys think so. For all my loyal gals and guys out there, thank you for sticking with me and not unsubscribing as soon as the going gets tough.

What can I say, I've been BIZZZZAAY. And school has barely started yet. But I won't bore you guys with the details of my hectic schedule, and the insanity that ensued during the whole move-in process. All I will say is that things have finally seemed to slow down a bit, and I have a moment to update.

Unfortunately, I don't have the internet at home yet, and for once it's not because I'm too broke to afford it. There's something funky going on with the server where people aren't getting a wireless connection, and I decided to save my pennies and walk to the library when I need the internet. I know, defeats the purpose of having a personal computer but it also saves me money. Speaking of saving money, today I returned my HP and traded it in for a Toshiba. HPs are usually considered top of the line computers, but I was more or less unimpressed by mine. Plus, it weighed about 8lbs (not kidding) and it was a pain to lug around from class to class. It locked up a little more often than it should've and a terrible battery life, considering I payed a pretty penny for it. So, today I took it back and bought a smaller, sleeker Toshiba. Has the same specs but a cuter body, and it cost $100 less. Time will tell, but so far I'm loving this little laptop a lot more than the HP.

Sidenote: I rarely blog about mundane things like this, but I kind of want to right now. If you're bored, feel free to stop reading.

What's really been keeping me busy are my classes. I know I say this just about every semester, and I end up eating my words, but I love my schedule!

ARTH(istory) 310: African Art and Society I
ARTH 430: Italian Renaissance Sculpture
ARTH 114: Introduction to Japanese Art
ARTE(ducation) 260: Museums in Action
ANTH 143: Biology of Human Behavior

As I anticipated, all of my classes are research intensive, and require LOTS of writing. What I like about these classes is, even though each one focuses on a different region, all of them are cohesive. The skills I'm learning are ones that are absolutely critical in museum work, and I'm getting the experience all in one semester. In ARTH 310, for the entire semester we will be working on research files for the museum I work at. We will also be working closely with the curator to propose an exhibit installation for next year. In ARTE 260, we will undergo training on how to be museum educators. We'll be responsible for researching the objects in the museum, planning public events, going to local schools to teach children about art, and eventually, guide a 1 hour tour. Intimidating stuff...But I'm excited because this is experience that I need. I have to learn how to verbalize what I'm used to articulating through writing.

Let's see, what else....Oh! I'm training to get my motorcycle license. Before you say it, I promise I am NOT having any type of life crisis. It's just that my apartment is so far from where all my classes are, and I wanted a quicker way to get around. I had been contemplating a car, but didn't want to buy one just to go down the street. And I had been seeing a lot of people riding on scooters, mopeds, and motorcycles, that I just decided to go for it. Not to mention the gas mileage is incredible--you get about 80-100 miles/gln. It might seem random, but it's actually pretty practical. I've been studying the manual and I plan on taking the driving test in a couple of weeks. I already ordered my bike so when it comes, I'll get to start putting in the practice. I'm super geeked.

Note: In Illinios, you are required to have a motorcycle license for any motor engine powered vehicle. But the type of bike I'm getting is only 50cc, meaning it tops off at about 40mph. Which also means that it's classified as a moped, not a motorcycle.

Anyway, I have some reading to do so I'm going to stop here for now. I'm going to keep my mouth shut and not make any promises about the next time I'll blog. It seems to work out better when I do it that way...

A million kisses,
bloggal