the Dalaverse

My Lit professor looks like a younger Edward James Olmos with the craziest long ponytail I've ever seen. The class is a lot of reading, but doesn't look too bad. Larry from last semester's Lit is in it, so that's a good guaranteed snark partner.

Then I hustled my butt over to the Hall for lunch, which I ate huddled in a corner by myself. At least it was good today -- beef pot pie and a chili bar. Most excellent. I had nearly an hour to kill by the time I was done, so I flipped through the lastest Rolling Stone in the bookstore before wandering over to the library. You know what? I really haven't given our library its due. Sure, it's crap compared to most other college libraries, even fellow small colleges like Mary Washington (with its beautiful, beautiful double-decker study nooks...sigh...), but it's still a library, and dammit, I live right next door to it! Must make a point of hanging out there more often. The armchairs are so beaten-up and comfy and that area has the best view of the pond. Today I skimmed the first chapter of Stupid White Men because I hadn't brought a book of my own with me. Okay, and maybe, maybe just a LITTLE gawking at that adorable pink-cheeked blond Southern boy I haven't seen since last September. He's in my Lit class too. He reads very intensely. I couldn't catch what book he had, but it must've been good.

Then I abandoned Michael Moore -- still haven't paid my library dues, bad Dala -- and trekked across the road to Kent. Man, the third floor classrooms are awesome! They have these little half-moon windows down at the floors, and they feel like attic garrets. Polysci looks like it's going to be a lot of fun. The professor seems very enthused, and yet laid-back, and contrary to all my other classes, the workload shouldn't be too bad.

And this is the semester when I swore I'd get a job. How the hell am I supposed to manage that with two English courses and Art History?

Anyway, that's the catching up for today. I was contemplating going to the campus Democrats club meeting tonight, but then that girl from the office e-mailed and invited me to dinner, and I'd be an idiot to pass up a chance at a non-cafeteria-food meal. Speaking of which, I haven't been to the Upper Deck since I got back. I'm craving a grilled turkey sandwich something awful.

Oh! Wicked! I finally finished it this morning. On the whole I would call it...satisfying. The politics and religion of Oz as Maguire describes them are very interesting, even if I'm still left wanting a clearer explanation of each faction. Elphaba was a fascinating character, and so was Glinda -- until she practically dropped out of the book after the first half ended. I loved that first half so much, especially the bit set in Shiz, that the second half was a bit of a let-down. I wouldn't say the Vinkus bits are boring, but they're not...I dunno, as compelling to me, like the Shiz bits were. Loved the end -- bittersweet, as I'd thought it would be. I would have liked to spend more time with Dorothy and crew, but I can understand that they were not the focus of the book. I guess it says a lot about the world Maguire created that I wanted to spend more time with so many people in it. I am definitely going to be on the lookout for his other novels.