Light Bulb!

GOVT-110. Politics in the U.S. Dear God, what did I do to deserve this? Oh right, I didn't take the AP test Senior year.
It's not just the fact that it's three hours long, twice a week (although she is generous about giving us breaks, unlike Brenner's strict "FIVE MINUTES!" policy). But it's from 1-4:10. 1-4:10! Anyone must know how awful it is staring at the sunrays filtering through the green leaves, fluttering in the ambiance of chirping birds - and taking this all in from the basement of Hurst.
And this is only one of two classes that I have to take over the next month. The other one is the slightly more interesting Arab-Israeli Conflict class, first meeting of which is tonight.
On a different note, I had a rather embarrassing experience when I was at Prince with some friends last night. This is aside from the usual awkward conversation attempts and jokes that are my trademarks (although those were in abundance too). I got up to slink off to the bathroom, and I spent a good five minutes stumbling around the bathroom clawing my hands against the wall because I could not find the light switch. Seriously, this is a more common occurrance than I'd care to admit, and it's caused me to look like a fool in any number of restaraunts and houses.
And speaking of lights, the light in our refrigerator is out. What is that light for, anyway?

I've got the powah.

Is there anyone else who thinks that the whole "assert yourself" thing is getting really old? I know that there is a lot of validity to it, but I think there comes a point where you have to wonder why you have to assert yourself so often in the first place. Every other moment of your waking life shouldn't have to be some battle of wills. You should be able to feel comfortable around people to the point where you can just simply state something that's on your mind or express your wishes, and at least have your feelings considered without people automatically seizing on the tiniest opportunity to throw their weight around.
I'm really not an assertive person, as you can tell. That's usually considered a bad thing...but is it really? So many people lean the other way, to the point where even someone stating their wishes or some random person walking too slowly in front of them is an obstacle to be shoved (sometimes literally) out of the way.
Just a thought that's been on my mind, particularly because I've been having debates over this subject with a lot of people lately. I guess my view of human nature is just a lot different than other people's. I remember writing a paper for Intro to Peace and Conflict Resolution where I tried to argue that power and empowerment don't always have to necessarily be defined as a zero-sum game, where it's a finite resource that is always defined in terms of power over other people.
And how ironic that I'm typing this at the expense of my own self-empowerment, because I really should be typing a paper that was due an hour ago! Tee hee.

Surfing the net and riding the rails

I love the Metro. Well, ahem, aside from the fact that it closes earlier than any other metro system, costs more than any other metro system, is less comprehensive than any other metro system, and is less well-funded than any other metro system (probably mainly due to the District's colonial status in the U.S.), there's just no other way that you can really get a feel for the city. Unless you'd rather drive around the city and get constantly tail-gated and beeped at by angry WASP lemmings, that is.
But after making the daily trek to and from Takoma Park for a week, I've come to enjoy it. On a ride that long, the people-watching opportunities are endless, and the section of the red line after Union Station goes above ground. Grab a discman and pop in a CD, to give yourself the perfect soundtrack, and see what I mean. Really. So many new things to discover.
Speaking of which, in my days net-surfing at my job, I feel like I just discover so many new factoids or stories every day. In the past few days some of the topics I have read about include: The Paris Commune, the Pakistani massacre in then-East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), Hindustani music, and others that I can't even remember. Of course none of this mental energy is ever devoted to work or school, but hey, knowledge is power! ...right?

Just call me "The Lion Tamer."

Today while I was robotically going about my new (paying) job of relinking and updating library holdings records, I realized that I have let this blog waste away once again. So I've decided to put a stop to that.
I've been shuttling back and forth between my apartment and Takoma Park this week. Professor Middents and Professor Dadak have fled the concrete jungle for the rock-fringed beachscapes of Cape Cod, and I have been charged with the care of their household flora and fauna. The former is a relatively simple affair; water the lawn and garden every other day without tangling myself up in a hose and turning into a walking sitcom.
The latter, however, is a bit more complicated. The fourth member of the Middents-Dadak household is a cat named Vega. The cosmic-sounding name is appropriate enough, because this animal truly is a planet unto itself. When I first started going to the house last week, I was surprised at how quickly this creature could morph from your average stiff upper-lipped feline into a fearsome ball of claws. But what really struck me was the fact that this was not some random occurrence without rhyme or reason. It was a concerted effort on the cat's part to manipulate a certain pattern of petting and ear-scratching out of me. So if I went up to the cat and started petting her, she would respond with hostility, yet if I was sitting on the sofa reading a book, she would saunter on over and start meowing pathetically. All you proponents of game theories and power dynamics would be positively drooling over this.
But alas, I have managed to beat Vega at her own game! You see, this cat was counting on me being as reliable and housebroken as she herself was. (Not a bad estimation on her part.) However, she did not take my ultra-erratic schedule into account. As I began leaving the house increasingly early in the morning and coming back later and later, Vega began to realize that a scatter-brained college student with no concept of night and day would not be whipped so easily. So now as soon as I open the door I am greeted by an attention-starved cat literally throwing herself on the floor in front of me. Score!
So now I have a relatively docile cat to jump into my lap at night, a quiet little house to go home to at night (for one more night at least), an awesome little neighborhood to explore, and an hour-long metro ride to listen to all my albums on. Life is good!
Oh, and I have 14 pages of work due tomorrow for my class. Maybe I'm still whipped after all.