Classes and Such

So I've totally failed at blogging so far this term, but I'm going to just pin that on people wanting to see me all the time because I was gone for months, and on my classes just diving right in to the heavy reading. But now it's really time for me to step it up. I can't have a neglected blog.

I could go on for a few paragraphs here about all my classes and what's what, but there are really only two classes at this point really worth talking about, so I'm gonna just kind of skip over Shakespeare and History, Sexuality and Power. That last one has the potential to be really awesome, when we get a little more into it, but right now it's stuck in the pretty good range. As for Shakespeare, there are a lot of little useless assignments and that's gonna drive me crazy.

Japanese, on the other hand, is actually somewhat noteworthy. Okay, really it's only noteworthy because I'm owning it, but still - I walked into class the first day and realised about halfway through that I understood everything Fujiwara-sensei was saying without having to think about or translate any of it. I'm able to just follow the Japanese lecture like I would a course conducted in English. It's beautiful.

But, putting all that aside, the course I'm really getting into is Literature and Sexuality. Because this class? Is amazing. Frann (the professor) is just badass. She's blunt and a little bit outrageous and more than a little radical. Basically, it's queer theory through the lens of text. Right now, actually, it's just queer theory because we're reading essays by people like Adrienne Rich and Eve Sedgwick.

And, oh, did Rich offend and bother the women in the class who strongly identify as heterosexual. They did not like "Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence" at all. The interpretation from three of the women was that it was an attack on female/male relationships in general - that Rich was saying that all relationships women have with men are inherently false. They took it very personally, which is interesting in itself because it begs the question of what they're so afraid of. Why did this essay from almost thirty years ago freak them out so much? I didn't ask because I try to pick my battles more carefully than that.

I actually interpreted the piece very differently and my issues with it are over Rich's desexualised treatment of lesbians. Because she does treat female bonds that way - it's all emotional and psychological, sex is a male thing. Frann actually said something about it that amused me enough to jot down:

"She does have this view that lesbians are all pink and cuddly and soft, and gay men are shallow and always going out to have sex with underage boys... and no. Lesbians are also all about the sex."

I am so glad I picked this class. The Joyce seminar just wouldn't have been as fun.

School and books - pretty much my life

Well, on Friday I'm heading down to Salem to move into my new room with Annie. Usually, I'd just be taking the train (or, more likely, getting a ride from Alex) back down with my suitcase and messenger bag, and everything would already be in my room the way I like it. This year, because of Japan, I'm doing my Massive Move of Doom in January.

Annie and I are pretty psyched about getting WISH 4, though, so even though I have to deal with dragging all my crap down to Oregon, at least we got our room.

Moving is still kind of a nightmare, though. Seriously, I don't even realise how much stuff I own until I have to move it. Clothes and books and whatnot aside, there are sheets, towels, laundry stuff... it's crazy. Since it's only four months, rather than the whole year, I'm going to be very good and limit the number of books and DVDs I take. Just the essentials, which is a bigger list than you might imagine.

Speaking of books, I've finished book one of my 50 books for 2009, so I'm going to get a running list started. Every time I have a book to add, I'll put the entire list, just to keep track (and remind you guys that there are brilliant books waiting to be read). If there's an asterisk, it means the book is extra awesome and you should read it.

1. Autobiography of a Blue-eyed Devil - Inga Muscio*

Actually, that book deserves, like, five asterisk, but for the sake of my organisation system, I'll stick to one. I'll write up some sort of proper review/recommendation later, for the media blog, but suffice it to say, everyone should read this book. She's so badass, I love her. For a couple of different reasons, I've started reeducating myself so I can do something to help take down the racist/sexist/imperialist/heteronormative institutions that have been hanging on way too long, and this was a recommendation from my high school friend Ashalyn. It really is a good start, if you want to try getting a little bit more aware of what's going on around you.

As a final note, take a look at my spring semester:

-Shakespeare: The Comedies
-Literature and Sexuality
-Gender, Sexuality and Power
-Intermediate Japanese 2
-Voce

I'm pretty excited, it's all going to be really interesting, but I'm also a little leery of the amount of reading that's going to get dropped on my head. Two literature classes and a philosophy, while also taking a foreign language. And nothing is below a 300-level. I'm anticipating that I'll hit March, maybe, and have a 'that's it, I can't take it anymore' moment. But I've always recovered from those in the past. It'll be fine.

Now if Willamette would just get me an accurate tuition invoice, everything would be cool. But that's it's own post, so I'll leave it for later. When I'm less irritated with student accounts and financial aid.

First post of the new year

First of all, the obligatory Happy New Year to all. Here's to a 2009 filled with happiness, amusing adventures and good books. And a nice variety of tea and tasty food. That certainly wouldn't go amiss.

Speaking of books, you know that trend that's become at least marginally popular in the past few years, where people resolve to read x-number of books in x-year? Usually it's 100 because 100 is an impressive-sounding number? Yeah, that. Well, seeing as my pursuit of a liberal arts degree, amongst other things (like going to Japan), has done some hardcore damage to my reading habits, I've decided to do something similar. Except, I'm taking all 300 and 400-level classes, two of which are literary and one of which is philosophical (the third is third-year Japanese), so 100 books might actually be unreasonable.

So, I am going to read 50 books in 2009. Books for classes don't count - it's gotta be all for my own benefit here.

I'll keep you guys posted on my progress, mostly to keep track and partially to subtly nudge people towards good stuff. Since I'm also going to start up my media blog soon (I've only been thinking about it since July), the really good ones will get proper reviews and recommendations there. Keep an eye out for that - believe it or not, I've actually got pretty varied taste in books and music and might be able to hook you up with something you never would have noticed before. There will probably be a fair amount of world music because you really can't go wrong with adding some diversity to your music library.

Or, you know, your bookcase, since I'll be recommending books, too.