Quiz Bowl!

Today was the first meeting of Quiz Bowl. We went through two packets. There are two types of packets--Academic packets and "TRASH" packets (Triva Recall... About Strange Happenings? I believe). TRASH packets are basically pop culture. There was an inordinate number of sports questions, though there was also a "Losing My Religion" question that I answered, and also one about tentacle rape.


Yes, you read that correctly; no, I'm not kidding.
And no, I didn't answer that one.

Toto, we're not in high school anymore.

But other than that episode of epic brain death (quite serious about that), and other than all the sports questions that just went over my head entirely, it was quite fun. It's a little mind-numbing though... the questions are really long, starting with the most obscure hints and ending with something fairly obvious, so when a question goes over your head, it just KEEPS GOING OVER YOUR HEAD FOR ABOUT THIRTY SECONDS. I mean at several points I just covered my ears because trying to understand some of those questions (particularly the science ones and the sports ones) was like trying to understand a foreign language.

First anime club

But we didn't watch anime, we played games.
Game, rather.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl!
A biiiiig tournament. And I actually survived the first round. With dear Luca. Dear even though they had the audacity to take out Mewtwo and replace him with a fighting/steel Pokemon. How rude, really.

I chickened out of J-2 and I need to change my schedule more because World of Japan is likely to stop existing as well.
Had my first computer programming class today... the professor... is not much of a speaker. -_-; And, I know the advisor said it's okay to change just because you don't think you can listen to the professor all semester, but... I can't get used to that, and anyway my schedule's screwy enough as it issss. In any case I need to go see her (the advisor) tomorrow in order to iron out what I'll take instead of WoJ.

So today was my first day of classes.

To iu yori... class.
There was no Japanese today, 'cause recitations aren't starting till after the first lecture, which is tomorrow. I did have lit class though, and it was pleasant. Also, before (annnnnnnnd during, but I SWEAR I paid attention, really, I discussed and everything) class, I sketched....... Jindal! He still exists! I haven't forgotten about him! And then I was writing text by him, in Japanese 'cause that's what I do, and I, oddly, decided that half of his words are randomly in katakana. For example:
ワルいケド、まえのコトはやっぱり、ウソだった。
("Sorry, but what I said before was a lie after all.") (Meh, "yappari" is a hard word to integrate. It's not really "after all" per se it's more like, "like you might have expected" but that makes for a clumsy sentence.)
You'll (who, exactly?) notice that he also doesn't use a kanji for "mae." I don't know the reasoning behind any of this... it's just kind of how it appeared to me.
He says "boku" and mainly "anta" or "anata."

Well so far today has been FAIL.

The morning was nice enough, but I spent the whole day thinking it was Tuesday rather than Wednesday and just barely made it to the first required program of the day. -Karmabreak- I bought one of my Japanese books--the speaking one--AND THERE ARE NO KANA OR KANJI TO BE FOUND, IT IS ALL ROMANJI AND IT MAKES MY BRAIN ACHE. I mean different romanization style aside, it's simply annoying to read large paragraphs of text broken up by... exactly nothing. Sigh.
I did sample the cafeteria food. Not too bad, nothing to write home about, but the format fascinates (the poor naive) me. You slide your card and then you go in and eat. You can eat as many things as you want while you're in there. Even cake! There's cake. It's no lie. I have suddenly come to understand the freshman fifteen. (No, seriously, before I was like, but we're poor, how can we get fat? But now I get it!)
But anyway.
When I came back from the mandatory program, I tried to get into my room and the thing was like pssssssh no. So. I went down to talk to the security lady who got me on hold with Panter Central and that took like a half-hour. At one point we were actually talking to Panther Central but the guy must have accidentally hit hang up instead of hold, so we had to start over, and that was epic fail so I had to ask my RA. But anyway, now I'm in my room.
Though I'm a little frustrated. I was going to get my free/cheap software today and wound up not doing that. (Painter for $5? Um, yesplz.) Also, I was going to go to a program on Personal Student Finance, but it started while I was on hold with Panther Central, so here I am on Kage-chan. After the next two mandatory programs I might go to a social thing but I might be too tired. By then the place with the computer stuff will be closed. Grr.

Update and to-do list

So, I talked with the Japanese professor(s) yesterday and (naaaaaaaantoka) got into second year. It took a lot of work (mostly my father's). Now they've got me doubting myself, but... I'll recover, and I'll get better! (If you were wondering, Diego's rule does not work if I care sufficiently. Rita's Water Ice, however, helps.) Apparently..., I mess particles up. ...I can't help but think that that's only in speech?? At the very least I understand the difference between "de" and "ni." (...But... that I think I remember doing, and now that I think of it I remember learning that... x_x Come on, I get flustered talking even in English.)
It's all because it's speaking. Because I don't have much practice. So practice is what I'll need, and I'll get that no matter which Japanese I'm in, and I might as well go to J-2 (you are speaking in high-school mode.) so that I don't have to go over the super-basics again. x______________x
And besides! It's about time a Japanese class challenged me.

Other than that, I got registered for classes today! I was so lucky. I got the first appointment. HA! -mentalhappydance-

Japanese recitation, M-F 10-10:50
Japanese lecture, T & Th 11-12
Lectures in Literature, M 3-4:15 and W 4:30-5:45
World of Japan, T & Th 2:30-3:45
Introduction to Computer Programming, T & Th 6-7:15


Yeah! I can take computer programming instead of taking another math class! I get to learn Basic.
Also! They were hiding their Creative Writing major under the title "English Writing." So I can double major in Japanese and Creative Writing. I know, CW seems frivolous... it really does... but I'm going to be a translator, a translator. Of books, as soon as it's financially feasible. (By which I mean that I may have to do boring things for a while... unless I can convince TokyoPop or someone that I'd be useful... at least I wouldn't randomly change the order of chapters. Or screw up the important-to-plot romanization of a character's name, but that's Viz.) A degree in writing is useful for that. Yes? Yes.

Okay, so, to-do list:
Talk to financial aide office
Have credits transferred from senior-to-sophomore colleges. Iru no wa: geo, English (?), the music class
Work study
Possibly find another job
Buy books--SHOP AROUND, THEY'RE FREAKING EXPENSIVE
Ask someone if the exact copy is needed for literature classes
Start wearing sneakers... so my feet don't hurt.
SOCIALIZE, DANGIT
Add to this list as I remember more
Cross things off on this list as I complete them

Things to keep in mind during next registration session:
Where have my AP credits disappeared to?
Take Honors Shakespeare class (nwn)
Take Intro to Fiction Writing
Take philosophy, arts, or social science class

Soooo I guess I should blog.

I'm at college~

-happydance?-
All moved into my dorm and everything. It's a nice little room. I'm in the Honors College and going through their orientation right now... the orientation basically being a way for everyone to get to know each other. And guess what. I'M SOCIALIZING. ...When coerced. And occasionally when not. I actually went and played Ultimate Frisbee today. It was fun...ish. But before that! There are a lot of anime fans here, oddly. And I've found another intended Japanese major who has also--PLAYED PHOENIX WRIGHT. Win! Also, I've found a DN fan. 8D

But I suppose it's a little odd?
I think I'm the geek version of a tomboy, maybe. For some reason I wind up in conversations with guys more often than conversations with girls... About video games and such.

I heard that CD I ran to allow me to access the internet also allows "them" to watch my computer activity.

...
Hi, oniisama computer-watching people!