Friday, September 29, 2006

"Couldn't it also mean this?"

English 104, Film Studies, is held Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 1:30 in one of the designated first year lectures. This class is great. First, I contemplate not going. It usually goes downhill from there since usually I go. I hate first year students so bad I can't even sentence properly write even or grammar use good. My impression of first year English students at UNBC are that while some are intelligent, mature students who chose English because they couldn't afford to travel and/or just wanted to make their parents happy, the rest are drama students who weren't smart enough to get out of Prince George and instead chose the next best subject.
First, a characterization of a Drama Student, also known as a Theatre Arts Person or Artist (if they describe themselves as a "singer-songwriter" you are legally required to smash their acoustic guitar over their head so that it comes out the hole). A Drama Student, not currently considered a medical disability though expected to change in the next DSM, suffers from high anxiety, mood swings, melodramatic tendencies, self-centeredness, constant need of validation from others, faux arrogance/confidence/superiority, rapid vocal pattern (often rising in pitch towards the end of a sentence), and tend to find solace from the rational, objective criticism they encounter from society in theatre, pretentious songwriting, poetry and in unfortunate cases, my English classes. Note that this is merely a description of a personality type and does not mean that anyone involved in the above interests is necessarily a theatre person, simply that these vocations attract these personality types. That should leave anybody who reads this confused as to whether or not they've been insulted :)
What these people fail to realize is that having an idea does not mean you get to say it out loud. First year classes are about understanding basic concepts, memorizing them, and being able to use them in an example on a midterm. You don't get to solve the world's problems in a first year lecture, don't bother, nobody cares what you think, stop trying to get yourself and your feelings validated. I had this beaten out of me in first year and as such the only appropriate manner in which to conduct oneself is with a weary, ironic take on the subject matter that results in class being dismissed on time with the requisite rote learning completed.

Thursday, September 28, 2006

"I have a question!!!"

Back in school for my last semester. To fill elective requirements, I've rounded out my sched with Comparative Religion and Film Studies to match my remaining requirements, Security and Intelligence and Chemistry For the Reality Impaired. The only class that isn't a first year class is Security but because we spent all this week looking at covert and special ops it counts as Awesome. So four classes, all Awesome, three because they are of personal interest and one because it is taught at my level of education , meaning Chemistry(see class title). This class is great. Like all core requirements, it's chosen based on being the complete opposite of what anyone taking it is good or capable at. In fact in my class, it's becoming enough of a challenge for chubby first year arts majors to get through a class without spewing idiocy all over their extra large hoodies and pajama pants. Of course, idiocy is contagious so once spewn it spreads to a few people, who spread it themselves and so forth, resulting in the unenviable task of controlling emotional, irrational questions and presumptions being asked in higher and higher pitches, brows more and more furrowed, and lips more and more disgusted with a Ph.D's inability to recognize their creativity and subsequently validate them. As any good yet ulcered fourth year student knows, the only way to halt the spread of infection is with a vaccination of objective, decisive "No, that's wrong. Here's a deliberately boring and convoluted explaination, without examples, designed not to clarify but to cut off any hope of fostering abstract connections necessary to continue this asinine line of questioning." As one would expect, four weeks into the semester has seen attendence thankfully drop.

Monday, September 18, 2006

Sorry

This story is boring me. There was a planned middle and end but I don't feel like taking up my whole blog with it. I'll finish it on my own and if anyone's curious they're welcome to check it out. Back to regularly scheduled sarcasm.

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

The weight of the night

The number mighta been fake, but there was nothing fake about the night's rainfall. Between the downpour and the darkness, anyone walking down the street tonight had a good reason, otherwise they'd be inside by the fire. Except my reason wasn't clear, coulda been good or bad. I pulled up the collar of my trench, pulled down my hat and headed towards the subway station.
I thought about the broad and nothing about that meeting made any sense. Fake phone number could mean anything, but I took it as a warning not to look for her. At least for now, since I had no reason to concern myself with finding her, it was information I needed. Information that I could trade for payment, and I was looking for a good exchange rate.
I reached the stairs at the subway station and things suddenly felt different. Harder, colder and unforgiving. And louder, damn, like a ringing. Hours later, when I woke up, the night had taken on a much darker tone.