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Update:

I may have a runner-up for my last update’s moment of duh. I just got back from my friend Mark’s house. On the way to Mark’s house, I am required to make one left turn. I made it. At a red light. Directly in front of the police station.

By the grace of someone holier than I, none of the six police cars sitting out front were occupied. It still doubled my blood pressure, though.

Sometimes, we get moments of zen. This week has been more about moments of duh. Just ask Megan. :)

Here’s my moment of duh for today:

I left work an hour ago and decided to make a brief pit-stop at the bank ‘on the way’ (a couple of miles out of my way, really) home. See, I’m generally a cash-free person, and I mean that every way possible. I’m broke, and I live by the grace of my debit card. :) Anyways, I had some excess cash on-hand after Christmas, so I decided to deposit the cash in the ATM so I didn’t have to feel so weird about carrying it around.

I filled out the envelope while in the car, sealed it tight, and deposited into the ATM. I glanced at the receipt the machine gave me and went to put it into my wallet, where it would likely become a piece of scratch paper. And then I realized:

I’d forgotten to put any money in the envelope.

Whoops. I wonder if I’ll get a call from the bank tomorrow. :)

I’ll give my good news first, since I just found out a few seconds ago and the good news is the entire reason I’ve decided to update just now. I was sitting down at the computer, mentally preparing myself to do some ‘real’ work (something I’ve ignored for a while now), and I remembered something rather important. My grade report for this last semester has been available online since Christmas eve, but I’d yet to check. So I logged in to have a look-see. My grades this semester are:

English 306 (Poetry): A
English 404 (Fiction Writing): A
English 413 (Instructional Material): A
English 416 (Visual Design): A

Yay! That means I’ll have a 4th Dean’s List accolade to stick on my vita, which is what I was sitting down to work on. I need a vita to apply to grad school. Applications are due January 15th, so I need to get to work. I had one professor tell me I was a shoe-in, which was a nice compliment and gave me a good feeling for the rest of the day.

Assuming, that is, that my bad news doesn’t get in the way. You see, undergraduate graduation applications were due on December 19th. I didn’t remember this until December 22nd, when I rushed over to turn mine in. Unfortunately, the office was closed, and the posted information said the office would remain closed until (I think) the 29th. Which means that, at the very minimum, my undergrad graduation application will be ten days late. Which ~could~ mean, if someone decides to be a stickler about it, that I won’t graduate until the summer term of 2004 instead of May 2004. Which ~could~ mean, if someone ~else~ decides to be a stickler about it, that I wouldn’t start grad school until the Spring semester.

In short, an annoying percentage of my future is in the balance, and I’m not the guy in charge of the scales. Assuming I get my vita and letter of application written and my portfolio in order, that is, which is a challenge unto itself. Right now, I need to focus. I need to concentrate. And unfortunately, this website here pretty much sums up my mental state at the moment (sound required).

Badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger vita vita!

I’ve seen Return of the King twice in the last two days. That’s over seven hours of my life. I think I’m addicted. *g*

Seriously, though. If you haven’t yet gone to see it, do so. This is one of those movies I’m infinitely glad I got the opportunity to see on a cinema-size screen. Though I fully intend to buy the DVD the day it comes out (and spend the ensuing 9 - 12 hours watching all three movies in order), I doubt the power of the film will be (or even could be) of the same intensity. Especially if you’re one of those people who, like me, are moved by things of great size and scope. I cried once during the first time I saw the movie, and it wasn’t even on a sad part (though there are plenty of those). It was when I saw that the few hundred horsemen that had been on-camera for the last few minutes (during a very emotional scene in its own right) were part of a great army of perhaps 10,000 horsemen, and then the camera panned again to show them galloping towards an army of easily 100,000 Orcs. Wow. :)

So! What are you still sitting here for? Shouldn’t you be out buying tickets or something? I recommend buying them at least a few hours in advance. Both shows I went to were sold out well before the movie started. So go buy tickets. And if you need someone to go with you, give me a call.

Oh, and I have to admit: Aragorn’s appearance has once again convinced me to attempt something. This time it’s to grow a full beard, something I’ve never really tried before. Mostly because I hate moustaches. I don’t feel too bad letting the third movie convince me to grow a beard, considering it was the ~first~ movie that made me decide to try for long hair, and overall, I’d consider the hair thing a success. I promise, mom: if the beard thing doesn’t look decent by Christmas day, I’ll shave it off for pictures. *grin*

I’ve been meaning to update for a few days now, but I haven’t had the time. It’s finals week, you know. And if you didn’t know, you do now. Behold the power that is the Internet. :)

I’m doing better emotionally, mentally and physically than I was the last time I updated. I would say I’m doing a ~lot~ better, but at this exact moment, I’m not. I almost envy Megan’s melancholy and mediocrity. Me, I’m a melodramatic rollercoaster ride, emotionally. The highs are few and awkwardly spaced but lovely when they come, and the lows make me think I’m gonna ralph on the next sharp turn.

How’s that for beating a visual image into the ground?

So, I appreciate the concern expressed by those who did so, and respect the distance offered me by others. I’ll get better. I’m almost sure of it now. And I’m just hoping to God (or maybe just Eros, if he’s listening) that it gets better without first getting worse.

But hey. This semester is almost over. I’ve got one more day of nastiness and then I’m relatively home free, scholastically speaking. And that’s gotta make things a little bit better, right? I’ll tell you after this weekend, maybe.