Summer Update #1

Well, it’s been one week since I left Longview, and I suppose an update is in order.

First, an order of business. Since I should be able to come up with at least one decent post almost every week during the summer, the Word of the Week program will be going on hiatus. This will give me a chance to build up the stock of Fun Words so that, come Fall semester, I can keep you guys happy. That is, assuming any of you actually read and care about WoW in the first place. *shrugs*

Now, on with the update. The wedding went very well, as most of you know. I will add only one thing to the body of writing that many others have created. Some have noted that I was mysteriously and annoyingly absent during some of the pre-wedding photo shooting. I am well aware of the nuisance I caused, and would not have done so were I not under instructions from Scholl himself; he wanted me to hide his car so that it would not be tampered with. What was I supposed to do, blow off the groom? I think not. Unfortunately, I was followed when I went to retrieve the car, and it was “tampered with” despite my protests. (If you’re reading, Josh and Anna, I’m sorry.)

My flights from Longview to Dallas and from Dallas to Ontario (California) were nicely uneventful. I got through the second and third chapters of Literary Theory: An Introduction on the plane; this completed the first homework assignment for my Literary Theory and Criticism class, which met (for the second time) Monday night. My mother picked me up at the airport and drove me home, where I successfully unpacked my bags and reviewed my notes for class. Much to my delight, I found that I had actually only needed to read through chapter 2; I was one chapter ahead! With this knowledge putting a spring in my step (er, pedal foot), I drove to school.

Along the way, I remembered why I hate driving on freeways (at least So-Cal freeways) so much. Since I haven’t done any driving (or even a lot of riding) on Texas freeways, I’m really not sure how the two compare, but I know this: there are entirely too many crazy drivers out here. Driving 20 mph over the speed limit in a construction zone, weaving through bumper-to-bumper traffic without using turn signals, running red lights…my life flashes before my eyes more than once every time I drive to school.

The Literary Theory class was rather interesting. The professor just finished his doctoral work, and it shows. He knows what he’s talking about, and that’s no mean feat; this literary theory stuff can be pretty intense. Last Monday’s discussion focused on the New Criticism school, which essentially holds that the “real truth” of a text can only be found by considering the text “as it is,” without reference to authorial intent, historical background/context, or reader impressions. I think I’m going to like this class, though it’s not going to be an easy ride.

That left me Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday to read three chapters from my American History Since the Civil War textbook, take an online quiz for each chapter, read an essay from a secondary text and write a short paper on it, and post a discussion question (on BlackBoard) discussing which of three Reconstruction plans (Lincoln’s “10 percent plan,” Johnson’s plan, or the Wade-Davis Bill) was the “most biblical.” This pattern will be repeated every week, except in the second half of the term, when we only have two chapters per week so that we can focus on our research papers. A lot more work for this course than for Literary Theory, but it should at least be interesting. The professor knows the material and seems to enjoy teaching it, so things don’t look too bad.

Tomorrow in Lit Theory we will discuss Structuralism and semiotics, a game plan that promises either fun and amusement or pain and suffering; either way, there will be great quantities of both.

On Wednesday, I will go to RtB’s offices to set up my internship schedule. At this point, I’m hoping for Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday from 8am to 1pm. That should allow me some time to get all my coursework done but still accomplish something meaningful in the internship. At some point this week I’ll see about renewing my job with the registrar (see this post from last summer for details), shooting for a Thursday-Friday work schedule.

So, there it is. I'll have more updates as classes progress and the internship gets underway. In the meantime, don't be strangers; post comments, send email, keep up with blogs, do general "keep in touch" kinda things. Here's wishing you all great summers full of fun or productivity. Or both, if you can manage.