Update!

So, after going to the movies, I went to Borders. And I ended up buying a few more books than I intended on. I should have known better, really. I mean, I can't go into a bookstore without finding something, and I have this weird kinda rule that, in a store, if I can't find more than two things I really want, I don't get anything unless I went to get something explicitly. Today, I did go in with a mission, but ended up with four books. That's what happens when you find the book you were looking for for only $15.

Rundown of books purchased -- don't judge:

1) The Ayatollah Begs to Differ by Hooman Majd -- I've been waiting to get this book forever! I saw an interview with Majd on Real Time with Bill Maher, and the guy is fascinating! He used to work as an interpreter for Ahmadinejad! And the book is great so far.

2) The Last Campaign -- I had to replace this book, about Bobby Kennedy's 82 day presidential campaign, after lending it to a friend. I never mind replacing books -- I think of them as donations to boost others' collections.

3) The Bhagavad Gita -- I have to read selections from this for a Just War class I have, and I've been thinking about getting it anyway. India is pretty interesting to me (next frontier for obsession?)

4) The Quran -- Yes, I got a weird look from the cashier with this mix of stuff. But since I'm concentrating on Middle Eastern politics, having a copy of this makes sense. Plus, it's supposed to be really incredible, like the Bhagavad Gita. I may not be religious, but this stuff is still fascinating to me.

Gotta fill my bookshelves, now that I have some extra room!

With my favorite month ever (October) about to begin, I can't believe how busy I'm going to be! Autumn is my favorite time of year, hands down. But since I've been so busy, I haven't been able to enjoy it. Between homework and going home, it's been hard to find time to just relax. But October is going to be busy enough that I doubt I'll be able to make it home too much. Kim is coming up (YAY!) to visit in a few weeks, and Halloween weekend is going to be spent in Rockford (again, YAY!) In between, my weekends are going to be dominated by studying -- be it for the FSOT, which is coming up in less than two weeks, or the GRE, which I'm taking the first weekend of November. Since I love Autumn so much, though, I need to slow it down a little and enjoy the weather. I'll wish I had come winter.

Anyway, today is the first day I'm getting out of my apartment to do something fun. I'm going up the block to see Paris, a movie that just started airing in the US. It's described as a "love letter to Paris," and I pretty much love any movie described as such. Plus, it stars the woman who played Shoshanna in Inglourious Basterds, and Roman Duris, who is a French actor who starred in Dans Paris, which I've been dying to see. Louis Garrell actually starred in the movie The Dreamers, which was an obsession in high school. It's rated NC-17, and since I was 16 when it came out, my mom would have to rent it for me.

Anyway, that's my plan for today. I need to stop and get a copy of this book "The Ayatollah Begs to Differ" while I'm out and about, as well. I will probably be home early, so I could finish cleaning, but I might put it off until tomorrow. We'll see.

So this weekend was the last weekend Ben and I had together before he leaves for California. It was also the weekend of Steve and Lisa's wedding!! It was a gorgeous ceremony out at the Red Covered Bridge, followed by a really fun reception over in LaMoille. It was so great having so many people in town, and getting to meet Ben's friend, Pat, who I had heard so much about but never actually met. Plus, his girlfriend is super sweet, so that's a plus, too! But it was a really fun weekend spent with some of my favorite people, even though I ended up with the bouquet. A very pushy ten year old made a power grab for it, then promptly shoved it at me before walking away. So, ya know, thanks for making my plans for me, random child.

But it was kind of weird at the same time. It felt like any other weekend Ben and I had spent together during the summer. We were so busy with random wedding related things that we hardly had time to stop and notice that this was it until the morning after the wedding. Well, I had started growing concerned the night before, but SOMEONE (we won't name names) had a few too many shots at the PI and promptly passed out, hogging all the pillow and bed.

The day after the wedding we all went over for brunch at Steve's parents, which was really nice. It was good getting to say good bye to everyone properly, rather than those quick good byes at the bar. And plus, the food was wonderful. Pretty sure I just want to kidnap Steve's parents. They are awesome. But when we left, it was down to the last hour before I had to catch my train. Ben stayed at the station with me, of course, and I'm glad he did, cause the train was an hour late. It was nice having time to just sit and catch our breath, while keeping in mind it was our last hour or so before we would go our seperate ways for quite a while.

I'm not scared or anything, because we do fine with long distance. But I've loved having him so close this whole summer, and knowing he's going to be SO far away is going to be hard. But, it'll go by fast! Before I know it, I'll be done with school and we'll have a solid plan. Maybe I should call that ten year old from the wedding and ask her what we should do. . .

L'Ecole et Moi: Une Histoire d'Amour

So I guess considering that I spent nearly 24 hours on campus in the past three days, it shouldn't surprise me that I'm so bombed out and depleted today. Yup, all day Wednesday and Thursday, followed by half the day yesterday spent on campus doing homework. This year is already kicking my ass, and I've only gotten one meeting for each class in yet!

But, I love my classes. I was telling Ben that, while I had to buy a HUGE quantity of books (five for one classs) it didn't really bother me cause they all seem like books I would read on my own. Maybe I wouldn't have gotten four different books with the same title (The Origins of WWII) but Engaging the Muslim World is one you would find on my bookshelves. Now that I'm in my major classes, and in classes I really enjoy, I don't mind doubling my personal library for school.

The one thing that blows is my homework load. Yup, should have seen that coming from a six class schedule. Poli Sci is a really heavy reading major, and most teachers don't have a lot of day to day assignments. Most are based on the Midterm, Final, and Term Paper model, with no other grades going in. Tough, but whatever.

All in all, school year has started out good. Tough, but good.