Thank God June is Almost Over

Seriously, this month has been hellish. Taking three classes that are usually a semester long taught in five weeks is HARD. I know it was unavoidable, but MAN. I am going to be so happy for July to get here. Advanced Expository writing was surprisingly easy, considering we had four papers in one month; the professor says I have an "artful style of writing." Environmental Policy was tough, considering I don't have much of a background in environmental studies or politics, but it was interesting enough. I think I did well on my presentation, and as long as I do well on my essay test I should be fine.

The one class I'm nervous about is the one I thought would be easiest: online intro to American Politics.I have come to discover that online classes are an awful idea. For one thing, we only had three multiple choice tests. This sounds easy, but considering the questions are based on the reading we did, they were actually a nightmare. Each chapter was SO dense, and we had to get through one a day. I know that doesn't sound bad, but considering how long they are, how many terms, concepts, and examples are packed into each one, and having to juggle the workload for two other classes at the same time, it was tricky getting through them in time and actually absorbing what I was reading. The only other "assignment" we had was to respond to the questions the professor posted on the discussion board. She only posted three, so that doesn't provide a lot of cushioning for my poor test grades.

She hasn't posted my grade for the last test (which is stupid because it was multiple choice and the online program the class is posted on has the ability to automatically grade tests for her), and I'm super nervous. I don't THINK I failed, but I didn't think I'd fail the last one either, and I did. I don't know what to do if I did fail the final test, because I need this class to graduate. At worst, I think I could appeal to the dean or something, since I've never failed a class before, I've gotten consistently good grades, and I'm THIS close to graduating, so clearly I'm not a slacker or I wouldn't have made it this far. For now, though, I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed that it doesn't come to that.

In addition to my academic frustration, I'm a little bummed that I have to miss my family vacation to Park Rapids this year. In twenty-one years I've only had ONE summer that I haven't gone there, and that was so long ago that I barely remember it. Unfortunately, the trip is the same week that my first week of my last class starts, which I can't miss. On the bright side, I'm going to Milwaukee with a friend this weekend, so at least I'll have some sort of vacation.

Don't get me wrong. Life does not totally suck right now. It's been really nice spending the summer in Winona so far. I've gotten to know my roommate and have had a lot of fun hanging out with her; we've gotten lunch together a couple times at this great cafe downtown, drunk margaritas and played cards on the porch, and stayed up until 1 AM going over old poems we wrote (she was originally an English major too, so she likes writing as much as I do).

The Great River Shakespeare Festival started last week, so I went to the preview of A Midsummer Night's Dream. It was phenomenal.I read the play in high school and college, but this was the first time I'd seen it performed (besides the movie version that came out in '97 or '98, and that doesn't count; Callista Flockhart should stay away from Shakespeare). They're also performing Henry IV, and while I'm a little hesitant to see a history play (I had to read Henry V for my class last year and hated it), I've heard really good things about this one, and the preview video they posted on their site looks really promising.

Wow. Sorry about the rant. I'm sitting in the science building (again) with an iced coffee, so I'm fueled by caffeine, sugar, and slight panic right now. Also, sorry to the maybe three of you who actually read this for not updating more often. I'll try to write more this next month, and I'll definitely post pictures from my Milwaukee trip as soon as I get back.

3 Reasons Why my House is Like the Setting of a Horror Movie

1. My refrigerator growls. It's not just the usual mechanical churning noise refrigerators sometimes make; I'm talking about a guttural, animalistic noise that I only seem to hear at night when I'm sitting alone in my poorly-lit living room. The first time I heard it I thought it was one of my roommate's dogs until I realized that neither of them were in the house. This can only mean one of two things: my refrigerator is alive and wants to eat me (like the lawn mower in that Stephen King story in Night Shift ); or there's a monster living in it that is going to jump out and attack me the next time I try to grab my orange juice.

2. My bathroom has one of those above-the-sink mirror cabinets. Okay, I know that doesn't sound scary, but every time I open it, I'm scared I'll see someone standing behind me in the reflection when I close it. I feel like any time I go for my toothpaste or aspirin I'm making myself vulnerable by temporarily limiting my vision.

3. I have a REALLY creepy basement. This is probably the worst part, because the basement is where the washing machine and dryer are so I can't avoid it.Despite being dark (there's only one functioning light at the top of the stairs), dank,spider-infested, and smelly, it isn't exactly secure. We share it with the other tenants, and while we have a door that leads directly from inside our apartment to the basement, the others can get in through a door outside-and it doesn't have a lock. This means ANYONE can get in. Some hobo/serial killer/rapist could be living in a corner down there, and he could easily get into our apartment if Katie or I forget to lock our door; even if we DO lock it, it's easy enough to break; the only thing that keeps it locked is a shaky, sixty-year-old latch.

Dun dun DUNNNNNNNNNNNNN.