The Geekess

I have been surprisingly social this term. It's the end of the second week, and I've already hung out with people five or six times. I think that's more social outings than last term total. Jamey and I have been hanging out with Clayton and neurophyre (both people who live in our apartment building), and we've hung out with our long time friend, sizzferret, aka Erikku.

Cosmic bowling in the basement of Smith with our neighbors was fun. The blacklights highlighted a couple really wacky stains on my pants. You couldn't see them normally, but they showed up as big white patches. I wonder what the stains were from. (Before you think CSI-dirty-body-fluids I should point out that not even Jamey is talented enough to make a six-inch diameter stain.)

I also started watching Wolf's Rain (an anime series) with Erikku. It's a post-apocolyptic drama about wolf shape-shifters, genetically engineered humans, and the various people who try to kill or control the two groups. Weird but gripping.

Speaking of anime, Jamey and I have been kicking around the idea of getting a subscription to netflix or a similar by-mail movie rental service. We'd do it mostly for the anime. Movie madness has a good selection, but it's a 45-minute bus ride away. Just Be Complex on Burnside also rents anime, but they're actually trying to get out of the anime business. They said they'd be selling off a lot of their collection soon.

Tonight Jamey and I hung out with Clayton and watched March of the Penguins. The documentary was slow in some parts, but we livened it up with some wise cracks:

An adult male pulls back its feathery belly to reveal an egg with a small hole in it.

Sarah: "I bet that chick is saying, 'I don't wanna come out! It's cold out there!'"

Jamey: "'Aw, just five more minutes, dad.' 'Son if you don't come out of that egg, I'll break it open myself.'"

I should start posting everyday so my entries aren't that long. We'll see how that goes.

Current mood: wet

Today I had my last class of the term. It was great to be done, but I was a little sad because I'm not sure if I'll see my stats study partner, Kristin, again. I have a lot of fun talking to her, but she lives off-campus with her folks. I'll just have to make the effort to meet up with her next term.

I had an odd moment when we were walking out of class. This one guy from class came up to Kristin and stole her umbrella and pretended to sneak up on her. He'd done this before as a joke, but it struck me in that moment, "Oh, he likes her and he's being a dork towards her because of it." He reminds me of several shy, geeky guys I knew in high school who used to do the same thing. The guy who always messed up your hair or stole your pencil. It made me feel...old. :( I don't know very many guys who still act silly like that, and I'm happily settled down, so I don't get teased that way anymore.

The scene just made me realize how much I've grown since I was in high school. Heck, I've even changed over the past three months. This term has been a good one, socially. I asked Kristin to be my study partner at the beginning of the term (something I never would have done a year ago), and I haven't regretted it since. I've hung out in the CS lounge more this term, and talked to a lot of people I wouldn't have if I'd stayed in my apartment. Granted, I got less work done, but I'm happier and I get to chat with interesting people.

I've also really impressed my operating systems professor; apparently he's been telling a few other professors how good I've been doing in his class. He even offered to write me a letter of recommendation for grad school.

Even if I totally bomb my statistics class (which seems somewhat unlikely at this time), I think I'll get A's in my operating systems and technical writing classes. I keep hoping that I'll get my cumulative up to 3.8 so I can be Magnum Cum Laude instead of just Cum Laude. However, that's my perfectionist side speaking, and I've been trying to squelch it recently. I have to concentrate on how much I've already achieved and not on what I haven't achieved yet or I'll get depressed.

Current mood: contemplative