breaking news

i am not up to a whole lot. very little, in fact. just wanted to keep you posted. in non-news:
exams are drawing perilously near. i have not been over-committed to concerning myself with them, but we are approaching the point where there is just too much ambient angsting to ignore around the school. in that environment, the worst things thrive and multiply. this is one of the many reasons i do not like to study there. there is so much anxiety and fear-mongering and even the inoculated succumb to the pandemic. i'm doing my best though. i'm not going to buy any fucking flash cards. all answers will be in the book. i already bought that. these people go through life solving problems by throwing money at them. i try to solve most problems by doing nothing. recent studies suggest that the two approaches have a nearly identical success rate. both of course fail when compared to logical, well-reasoned courses of action. that being said, i think logical inactions result from the preferred method more often than monetary transactions do. the takeaway comfort here is that, in law school at least, i am confident that i am just as well off as those poor souls oozing stress and returning that unique and putrid scent to the bunker we call a school. i don't know if it is them or flooding or something dead in the heating system anymore. however, the proximity of actual events does demand some attention that may or may not be forthcoming, as remains to be seen.
and just a little more law school: this morning i had the misfortune to sit by people before class. these were the sorts referred to above. amid other exam bitching, a girl mentions that she "doesn't get" why explanations for answers are an essential part of law school exams. after all, if she knows the answer, why should she ever need to understand it? just like math, she says: if she can write down the correct answer, why should a showing of methodology be demanded? foolishness, but a basic sort. this is only the set-up, though. then she adds that professors should assume she possesses requisite understanding if she has a correct answer because, of course, "i'm already in law school, they don't let idiots in here." shoot me now, folks.
just a little more law school: that one girl i used to complain about and may or may not have labelled as my personal nemesis? i have a class with her this year again. as it turns out, she is not so bad. not entirely unpleasant to talk with. really a pretty alright human being. i do not know which of us changed much, if either or both, but i suspect it is largely perception. although i swear she was a real bitch last year. we're not going to be best friends forever or anything, but she is a friendly acquaintance at this point.
not law school: i am currently sporting a moustache i must say i feel pretty good about. the beard is not entirely gone because for one thing, i didn't want it to be, and for another thing, that would require a razor that i do not own and do not wish to purchase. so basically i trimmed everything pretty far down except the moustace. the ends are curled up and kind of point toward my nose, as they can't quite complete the full circle yet. with a little more length or a bit of murray's, this should be doable. it is pretty silly, but also pretty old school. it goes well with the notorious h.a.t.. the best explaination so far is that i look like other a prospector or haberdasher. also, take that, law school. hah, snuck it in there on you.
pandora is treating me pretty well these days on jimi hendrix radio. the cool thing about pandora isn't always so much discovering a new artist with more than one song you dig or a deep cut from a favorite as much as it is hearing music you know and love but do not get to hear very often and wish you had purchased back when you bought a ton of music. the kind of albums a friend has and you always meant to get a copy of and never did. music you knew you like but had no idea how much.
recently made a christmas list. strange exercise, really. i'm not sure what it says about someone, but a collection of twelve or so items that one would enjoy but not necessarily independently purchase says something. it was also bizarre to put it together as a series of hyperlinks. a good thing, really, as there are more things available through the internet than any physical place in the world on its own. i do not understand how dhl fucked up in an era where so many things are shipped, but that is neither here nor there. i was able to suggest something that doesn't even exist in the specific form, and there is some mystical appeal to personalization these days. people have commissioned things for a long time, and this is simpler, but i think the appeal is somewhat similar.
finished that riddley walker book a while ago. very thought-provoking. my preferred kind of fiction, good story with lots of hazy metaphor and playing with language. the style forces you to constantly think and interpret and makes for slow going, but is ultimately fairly rewarding. if you don't like the idea of reading a book with everything spelled unconventionally, then you should probably make sure you do not read this book. if the concept doesn't bother you and you enjoy literature from when people still worried about nuclear war a whole bunch, this comes highly recommended.
the heater is finally kicking on. it has turned cold here, but no snow yet by any means. allegedly some shall fall soon, but i remain skeptical about its significance. i actually kind of want to see some snow fall though, and might even go outside and look. in any event, i am sure i will see enough when i go peninsula stlye. yeah, i went there. should be back on or around a week before christmas, and for a while. looking forward to seeing everyone.