It's only October, for crying out loud

And already, look at what I have to do THIS WEEK:

Grade exams, papers, quizzes, more exams, more papers, more quizzes. Did I use to think this was actually fun?

Rewrite a prospectus for my Civil War research paper since the one I wrote before was a) on a topic that I'm no longer interested in, b) quite awful, according to my professor, and c) counts for quite a bit of my grade. Did I mention I got points knocked off because it was marked "Late" when I distinctly remember bringing it to class and turning it in on the day marked in the syllabus? Mmmm-hmm. Oh, you better believe this is not the end of that little story. My professor will be in London over the weekend preparing a conference, but when he gets back, there will be a conflict beyond all comparison with the Civil War ones.

Write up a (immodestly humongous) proposal for a huge AmSt project that is supposed to take over my life for the next two months and change history for all time. I'm pretty much supposed to know exactly everything in the world about the project BEFORE I've researched it, and it's worth roughly 10,000,000 points plus my immortal soul, so yeah, it's kindofabig deal.

Write a 3-4 page paper on Emerson, due Monday. I've already got the outline and am pretty sure I could do it in a day, but WHO HAS A DAY TO SPARE!?

Read until my brain or my eyes give out - I have chunky (thick), clunky (boring) readings for all four of my classes, not to mention a ton of extra reading to do for the CW and AmSt paper/project/big monstrous deathtraps.

Spend all day Saturday at a (required) field trip - we're going to Arches National Park. Can I bring my laptop and write in the car? Maybe. Will I do it anyway? Yes.

And this is all for THIS WEEK. Next week, I've got THIS to look forward to:

10 reviews to start (thankfully, not finish) writing for my film class
Assignment on Experiment in Criticism for my film class (15 paragraphs... that's like, SEVEN PAGES!)
3 novels, whups, JOURNAL ENTRIES, required for my AmSt class
CW test and notes to type up (a relatively low priority, but essential nonetheless if I hope to raise my grade beyond its current status of "UGH!!!")
Finish Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey (which wouldn't take so long if he didn't insist on techniques such as using at least 20 different words to say "rock" and 30 adjectives to describe "dirt.")
Grading, grading, grading - I guess this is why professors need TAs, huh?

I haven't even talked about my life outside of school, but that's pretty much because it doesn't exist. I still go to the International Cinema, the Asian Cinema Club (well, actually I missed the last one - Yip Man - have you seen it, Kirsti? Joseph?), the occasional lecture (LOVED Terryl Given's presentation on the provenance and prominence of Christian themes in the Book of Mormon, by the way), and plays at BYU when I can. Yesterday I took Sarah and Hannah to BYU to see "Psycho" (1960) - it was the first time any of us had seen it, and I think we all enjoyed the experience, though none of us is likely to repeat it any time soon.

As for the movie itself, four things jumped out at/surprised/intrigued me: 1) How calm and tame the shower scene appeared in contrast to my expectations - the violin music didn't even seem all that grating or frightening, to be honest. 2) How many times I had to keep reminding myself that Norman Bates was despicable and villainous, and never mind that he's so attractive and friendly and softspoken and really just a poor troubled....ah, there it goes again. It was just so much easier to dislike him before I ever saw the film! 3) How WELL the strings-only musical score worked - it never felt lacking or inappropriate for the scene, kept the tensions high but not unbearably so, and gave me real live heebie-jeebies during the second murder and the fruit cellar scenes - yipes! Just thinking about it sends a shiver down my spine. Don't you looooove that feeling!?????? The answer is yes. Especially in October. 4) It's rated "R." I did not know this until the movie was over, and it struck me as odd since I couldn't remember any cursing, excessive or degrading nudity, or graphic violence at all in the film. I don't how big of a deal the "R" rating was in 1960, and ratings don't really bother me since I've come to terms with the fact that my own "moral sentiment," as Emerson calls it, is a stricter and more authoritative (as well as more correct) judge than the MPAA in my experience, but anyway, that little "R" ignited a heated debate in the car, which developed into a quarrel, which climaxed into a full-blown argument with all the family involved in a battle over grandiose themes of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. There were yells, there were tears, there were interruptions and impassioned pleas - it was like the Civil War happening right here in our living room. Anyway, we eventually separated, the North to the upstairs and the South to the downstairs, licking our wounds and preparing future amunition for counterattacks in our minds, but we eventually reconciled the next morning in the Appomattox Bathroom. So all's well that ends well, I guess. Though, as we know from both Reconstruction and "Psycho 2," it ain't over till it's over.