New Years' Resolutions

Well, 2016 is here, which means I'm going to have a lot of things I want to do. Here are a few of them.

1. Write or edit one of my novels at least three hours a week.
2. journal every day (and possibly read spiritual things too)
3. read at least one new book a month that's not for class
4. exercise effectively and eat well
5. Get a job.
6. built my savings account to where I can actually live on my own.
7. finish a large, long-term knitting project.
8. Don't buy new things (i.e. makeup, notebooks, pens, yarn) without using up the old ones first.
9. Try and move out by the end of 2016. I don't have any housing lined up for the future aside from living with my parents (nor do I really have the bank account for it just yet), so I need to work on that.

the glory of arm knitting

I recently discovered arm knitting. What this means is that, instead of using knitting needles as anchors for the stitches, one uses arms for the anchors. It creates large stitches and requires very thick yarn (or 3-5 strands of thinner yarn). The result is a lot of quickly knit but very warm garments (especially scarves. Arm-knit scarves are easy). TRY IT!

Yea or Nay: "Friends"

So I am rapidly coming to the end of the final season of the TV show FRIENDS. For reference, I was born within the twelve months preceding the release of the first episode, and so I was in fourth grade when the final episode aired. I have vague recollections of the show before middle and high school; in high school, one night of the choir tour my hotel roommates and I watched a few episodes of the show one night, because it was on before we went to bed. That and maybe a few passing references were the only real interactions I had with the show until Spring Break 2015. I signed up for a free month of Netflix and started watching. I recall rambling to a friend about how excited I was about Ross and Rachel in the first season.
The rest of the semester went by without much in the way of watching it, and then I signed up for Actual Paying Netflix and watched a lot of the episodes as I worked on knitting projects.
I now feel a little dumb for rambling about Ross and Rachel in March - at the beginning, they're so awkward about the relationship, but then WE WERE ON A BREAK happened. And then Ross started getting really annoying.
It's hard to quantify the time frame of everything in the show when watching 10 years worth of material in 10 months. There are a few hints in the show that serve as reminders to the time frame. One time Ross says that he and Rachel haven't dated for six years - my first thought was "no, you haven't dated since July... oh wait..."
So, do I like it? Yes. HOW YOU DOIN'? COULD I BE ANY MORE JOEY? (sorry...)
Is it totally a product of its time? Yes. The way the show handled the gender identity of Chandler's father would definitely be problematic today if the relevant episodes had been aired more recently. It also goes to show how much society has changed around the concept of gender identity and expression - I'm sure that, for the time, the presentation wasn't problematic at all.
In all, though, FRIENDS are.... friends. And I appreciate that.

Gifts for English Majors

In continuing with yesterday's theme, here are some gifts that I might recommend for an English Major. These are things I, as an English major (and a person with opinions), would totally appreciate, but keep in mind that these are only my opinion. Every English major is different.

First off, gift-giving hints:

1. There are a lot of lists on the Internet about "THINGS ENGLISH MAJORS WILL APPRECIATE." I will be completely honest with you: unless the English Major is interested in the cross-sections of Poe, Shakespeare, Austen, and loves the books they were assigned in high school, be wary of randomly selecting from these lists (including mine). I've met several English majors who can't stand Shakespeare. (I am not one of those people - I can't stand Samuel Beckett, and I say that after I wrote a capstone paper on him).
2. That being said, learn what sort of thing the English Major DOES and DOES NOT like. (This is a general gift-giving guideline, to be honest). See above about how some English Majors can't stand Shakespeare. If they're interested in Shakespeare, then you have a LOT of fun options. If they're not interested in William Shakespeare, James Joyce, Jane Austen, or Edgar Allen Poe, you still have options, but do ask because that means you'll have to do some more exploring.
3. Not all English majors want to be writers. (I do, but that's beside the point.) Not all English majors want to be editors. Not all English majors want to be journalists. Some English majors want to be teachers; others are going to grad school for something completely different. Many lists will include variations on the first three, but you may need to do more exploring.

Gifts for the Writer English Major

Definition: the Writer English Major wants to write fiction/ poetry/ etc. May have strong opinions on the Classic Works of Fiction.

1. This GO AWAY I'M WRITING bag. Ships from UK. 
2. Or any of these journals. Various prices. Ships from UK. 
3. This pin from Etsy on the attachment to fictional characters.
4. Or this "i write" one, also from Etsy.
5. Or quite possibly my favorite quote about writing, on a pin from Etsy.
6. This basic summation of writer's block.

Gifts for the Gothic Fan

Definition: Gothic works are basically dark horror and romance. There are different sub-genres (Southern Gothic, Romantic-Era Gothic, Victorian Gothic, etc) and I'm not very familiar with the differences among them. Edgar Allen Poe was a Victorian Gothic writer; Dracula, Wuthering Heights, and Jane Eyre are all classic Gothic novels. Search Wikipedia and Google for more information.

1. This bracelet, with a quote from Dracula. $40, Etsy (note that the shopkeeper says she won't be shipping until January 4).
2. Seriously, just google Edgar Allen Poe quotes and find something.
3. Or Jane Eyre. If you get anything related to a "Madwoman in the attic" then you're on the right track. Wuthering Heights is my least favorite book so I'm not going to say you should go search for it. I cannot willingly inflict that book onto anyone.
4. Jane Austen isn't Gothic. Unless you're reading Northanger Abbey, apparently.

Gifts for the Jane Austen fan

Definition: Someone who likes Jane Austen.

1. There are so many Jane Austen things. Google "Jane Austen quote jewelry."
2. CafePress is also good for this.
3. And Etsy.

Gifts for the Shakespeare fan

about as ubiquitous as the Jane Austen merchandise, you'll be able to find a loooooooooooooot of things online (especially Etsy). Be warned, though: if they have a strong opinion against A Midsummer Night's Dream, avoid things that say "though she is but little, she is fierce."

Gifts for Classics Students

Sometimes shopping for holiday gifts is hard - someone doesn't give you a list, and all you DO know is what they DON'T like.

So, this week is based on GIFTS BY MAJORS.

Today is Classics Majors (here included are Greek and Latin majors as well). I'd like to think I have SOME idea about this because I'm a Classical Studies minor, but here goes.

First, some basic advice: learn what language the major does (Greek, Latin, both, neither), and learn what sort of Classical thing they're interested in. For example, I've done Greek and never done Latin, and I'm vaguely interested in ancient religion and the transition to Christianity. Latin and Greek are different, and many majors WILL know the difference.

DEFINITELY TO BUY:

1. Find out their language - if they do Greek, Latin, or both. Once you find their language, find out if they have a favorite ancient author, and see if you can find a quote in the original language from the author. Put that quote onto a tote bag/ t-shirt/ hat/ diary/ item that you know they like.
2. If you're not super crafty but know what this person likes, follow THIS LINK - cafe press has a lot of really fun things in Latin/ Greek. 
3. BOOKS. Once you learn what sort of Classical thing they're interested in, find a book on it - even if it's only vaguely related. Does the Major study Latin or Roman things? Find a work on Roman emperors, gladiators, or the Roman mythos. If they study Greek things, look for Homer, Alexander the Great, Philip the Great, Athens, Sparta, ancient philosophers, the Ptolemaic line in Egypt....
4. Something to help with their language study. For example, something I wish I had gotten freshman year (instead of senior year) is a Greek Paradigm Handbook ($13 or so) that helps review noun and adjective declension and verb conjugations. And here is a comparable item for Latin ($19).
5. Search Etsy for some interesting finds, because goodness knows people are super creative. For example, this bracelet embossed with Homeric verses ($40), or this bracelet in Latin ($33). 

DEFINITELY DON'T BUY:

1. if the Classics Major is a Greek student, DO NOT buy them anything that uses the Greek letter Sigma as an "e". We know it looks like an "e," but EPSILON EXISTS FOR A REASON. What am I talking about? THIS.

Yea or Nay: Peppermint Things

on one hand, HOLIDAYS.
on the other, MINT.
Debate in comments.

Things I Learned This Semester

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN!!

ACADEMICS

1. Don't procrastinate. You think it's a good idea to catch up on ONE MORE EPISODE of your favorite show, or one more level on that game, or something. It's a terrible idea. Don't do it.
2. Do your reading. Take notes. It takes forever, but it will help you later. Especially if it's a literature course.
3. Unless your professor talks at you FROM THE READING for a lecture course. Just take a lot of notes during the lecture.
4. Pace your reading. Take breaks. Go for a run.
5. Do your research. And actually show up to class.

OTHER LIFE

1. Make friends, but don't hang out with huge groups. Friends help, but huge groups can lead to drama and everyone hating each other.
2. Friends can be for studying. use them.
3. Working out can help de-stress. If you have gym anxiety, learn when the off-peak hours are and go at those times when nobody will be there so you can focus on not freaking out about doing other things.
4. Do your laundry. Just do it.
5. Clean your room occasionally. It'll help. Seriously.

Things about Finals

Interesting fact: finals week isn't usually the most stressful part of the end of the semester. It's usually the week before, when everything is due. The week before is usually called "hell week" because it's ONE OF THE WORST INVENTIONS. Some people say that you get through these weeks because of caffeine, while others will swear by sleep and exercise.
Both of these people are crazy.
Want to survive finals and hell week? TIPS FROM A FOURTH-YEAR ENGLISH MAJOR.

PAPERS!
1. don't start research the same week a paper is due, unless you can survive on like 5 hours of sleep a night for a week. If you can do that, use that ability in the writing process. Still pace yourself on the research. You'll need it.
2. If you're the type who needs to dither about into your writing regimen, allow yourself time to do that. And also introduce yourself to the person who can survive on 5 hours of sleep.
3. Outline a lot. When you find a quote, put it in one of the supporting evidence points in the outline. Does it not fit neatly into one of your arguments? Try not to include it, unless it works well as a transition piece of evidence.
4. Don't. Procrastinate. Ever. If you're worried about starting/ finishing/ will it suck, STOP. If you NEED to dither until you finally do it, do that before Thanksgiving.
5. One thing I did this semester that was helpful in my final capstone paper is to have 4-5 index cards for each point. Label them as "general information," "quotes from text," "analysis of quotes+facts," and "tie back to thesis." Do this for as many points as you have/ need. Write down your sources on the index cards; include the citation on the back of the card. Use as many index cards as you need - you can probably get 100 for under $1.

TESTS
1. Study buddies are your best friends.
2. So are index cards.
3. And colored pens/ pencils. Color-code things. If it's a name you should remember, do it in one color. If it's a date, do another. If it's a particular piece of math, do another still. Or vocab, or plot points, or whatever.
4. Find out if the test is cumulative or since the midterm/ most recent test. If it's cumulative, study the most recent information first - since it's fresher, you won't need to spend as much time on it.
5. If anything involves long-answer/ essay questions, write out your study answers in complete sentences.

PRESENTATIONS
1. I have nothing. I don't really do presentations anymore.
2. I'm sorry.

On trigger warnings and coddling

I've heard some things about trigger warnings on college campuses lately, and I decided to put in my two cents on the matter. (This is your warning if things connected to triggers/ things that are potential triggers may be discussed here).
Firstly, let's define what a "trigger warning" is. According to dictionary.com, it is "a stated warning that the content of a text, video, etc., may upset or offend some people, especially those who have previously experienced a related trauma."
As I see it, the intended use of a trigger warning is just in the genre of "heads up, this is a thing that will be presented that may be problematic for some people." It's like how crime shows sometimes have a title card when they have reenactment in the next segment - "viewer discretion is advised." If you have had a particular experience that makes you particularly ill-disposed for that kind of content, it's a heads up that a particular kind of content will be featured.
Sometimes, college professors include trigger warnings where they're needed. Sometimes they don't. And whether they should has been a controversial topic for some.
Personally, I think that they should exist on the syllabus and that the professor should be available for for emails about missing class on a particular day. I get the feeling that many of those who need trigger warnings don't intentionally want a skip day from class; they probably just want permission to handle a potential problem in a personally safe space. If it's a movie, that might mean watching it on the student's own time and emailing comments to the professor, if that's part of the grade. Maybe that student does have some important and interesting thoughts about the particular content of that day's class, but doesn't feel totally comfortable sharing it in public.
To me, that's what trigger warnings are for - if it causes someone extreme emotional duress to interact with something in public, they should be allowed to handle it in private. They should not necessarily be exempt from interacting with the material (unless there are highly difficult circumstances associated with it). Light to moderate discomfort should be worked around in class - and trigger warnings provide a heads-up that light-to-moderate discomfort exists. It's supposed to be a heads-up, in case a student needs to emotionally/ psychologically prepare for a particular class beyond what they normally have to do.
What it does NOT mean is that everything should be warned as a trigger. If a student has some particular trigger material that isn't in the typical genre of "possibly triggering material," then part of the responsibility of both the student and the professor is to communicate about that. Not everything should be warned, but everyone should be open to compromise. If a student does get triggered by something that someone wouldn't think to warn people of, that would be a circumstance that needs communication between the professor and the student separately.

So those are my thoughts on triggers. What are yours?

That Time I Procrastinate

So procrastination exists. I've procrastinated on things before. I have a 12-15 page term paper due tomorrow that I still have to work on, but that's not the thing I've procrastinated on the most, though. The thing I've procrastinated on the most was an 18-page paper, which I had to to outline, write, and edit in 24 hours.
I didn't do well in that class.
I HAVE, however, got an outline, several quotes, and several points. I just need to write the thing.
So, mom, if you're reading this, DON'T FREAK OUT. EVERYTHING IS UNDER CONTROL. (Really. At this point, it's just the writing. Almost all the research has been done. I have an outline. I have most of my quotes. I just need to actually connect them to things.) But it's time to stop procrastinating and finish my work!
And if you, too, are procrastinating by spending time on this blog, LEAVE AND DO YOUR WORK.

When is it okay to start doing Christmas things?

It's been a long-standing pet peeve of mine that Christmas merchandise has entered shops earlier and earlier every year. I understand that fall/ Halloween merchandise is sometimes treated the same way - when I worked retail this summer, one floor set for early fall merchandise was on August 1st. However, I would contend that fall is a season, and not a holiday, and that there are no merchandise-based holidays between September and Halloween that would get attention, except the existence of Pumpkin Spice anything and cool-weather gear. Additionally, Halloween is given a pretty concise time frame between September and the end of October.
This pet peeve of mine comes from a love of both holidays for different reasons. I love sweater weather. My favorite color is orange, in part because autumn is possibly my favorite season. I love the spooky aspects of Halloween, obviously: I tell ghost stories for my job. I love the color scheme of Halloween, and the chance to dress however crazy (or not) I want for one day a year, and to change my appearance and not just be me.
I also love Christmas. I love the time of year that I get to see people I haven't seen for a while and decorate in a way that's completely different from Halloween. I like the scents of the holiday season and giving people presents and making things for and with people. It's also a good reminder to slow down and think about other people for once. I know I should think about others outside of December, but it's often a time to reevaluate - how well have I done to help people this year? (This year, I have a very shoddy evaluation).
However, Christmas is given as HUGE a time frame as possible, it seems. Some of it is Black Friday/ Cyber Monday things where you can get gift and life essentials for cheap if that's what you need/ want (and you're willing to risk getting run over by others). But not all of it is "get this super cheap thing so you can upgrade your life and give some good gifts but also not go broke!" While some of it is that, I've seen Christmas decorations put out before Halloween and not clearance items, either. I mean, there were more candy canes alone than autumn and Halloween combined. I know that mid-October means that Halloween is nigh and that autumn is almost halfway done, but it feels like Christmas decorations alone are really what drive profits up in November.
Maybe that's why so many stores do Christmas decorations so early.
I love holiday music as well, but I've always had a weird feeling about not playing Christmas music before Thanksgiving. In my household growing up, usually Christmas music was reserved for after we put the Christmas tree up - and that was at least after Advent.
Maybe that's why I have such an aversion to seeing Christmas merchandise before Halloween - since I grew up Christian, I always associate the Christmas season with Advent. Advent is a full calendar month after Halloween, which means that Halloween is the time for ghouls and goblins and ghosts, and NOT for fun and cheer and spices.
But that's my rant about that. I'll try and be more coherent tomorrow.

Welcome to Blogmas!

If you've never heard of Blogmas, it's probably because I may have made it up.
I got the idea from several video bloggers, who do Vlogmas - posting a vlog every day between December First (sometimes they start the day after Thanksgiving) and Christmas. That is what I may try and do here. I don't know how it's going to work out, but it's worth a shot. It may turn into BlogCember, but let me first survive this week and we'll see how that goes.

So, first Blogmas post is over. Because I said so. And because the intro is also the easiest thing to do, sometimes. Right now, it is. And also, I have to go get lunch in ten minutes and I haven't put my contacts in my eyes yet. So I should probably do that.

HUZZAH!