The redeeming feature of having to go to the university to collect research books on the weekend is that you can watch the knights practicing on the green in front of the library. No horses, of course, and their armor's a bit iffy, but it's entertaining, nonetheless. Also incredibly random.

I told my parents that they should start watching Merlin, and they have. So tonight I got a phone call.

Dad: Sarah!
Me: Hi Dad.
Dad: I have to tell you some important things for life!
Me: Oh yeah?
Dad: Merlin is Clark!
Me: Ahhhh. Yes...
Dad: And Gaius is Clark's mom and dad!
Me: Both of them.
Dad: And the Dragon is Jor-El!
Me: Haha!
Dad: When we started running through that and I realized that the Dragon was Jor-El, I had to call you!

I just realized that I told my parents to start watching Smallville as well, a long time ago. Whenever I watch it with them, my father always starts yelling at Clark: "Fly, Clark!!! Why aren't you flying???? FLY!" I keep telling him that I don't think it's going to happen, but he lives in hope.

The exciting news is that today I found out that I've been accepted as a panelist on the "Travel in Early Middle English Texts" session at the International Congress on Medieval Studies at Kalamazoo! As such, I will be presenting a paper based on part of my thesis there next May, and then I'll get to witness all the zaniness that I hear about first hand! And I'll get to see the professor who directed my thesis! It's all going to be terribly thrilling.

But first I need to survive this week.

Woo! I'm going (slightly more) north to visit my grandfather and assorted cousins, and I'll get to visit a friend on the way!

My brother sent me a link to this article with this commentary:
The Aussies are making new robo-soldiers!!! Fleeeeeeeeeee--* akka-akka-akka-akka-BOOM *

"G'DAY : : WE AH' THE WOHLLABY DEYTHBOHT CORPS : : YO' FLEYSH QUOSHI-ENT IS ABOHVE THA CURRENT MANDATOHRY ALLOW'BLE LEEMIT OF ZEROH PEHCENT : : YOU SHALL DOI !!! DOI, DOI, DOI !!!

This is an actual quote from the article:
The government wants to develop an "intelligent and fully autonomous system" capable of carrying out dangerous surveillance missions.

So... I already pretty much objected to A.I. (I'm half-convinced that my computer at work is already trying to make my life harder, I don't need ones that can actually decide to do that actively).

In this case I must ask the question: do these people not watch/read science fiction? This is going to end badly!

mood: adding "learn how to survive a nuclear holocaust" to my "to do" list.

My friend Beth talked me into going to the midnight Harry Potter premiere last night, so that was fun. She went by the theater around 8pm to pick up our (pre-bought) tickets, in case of crowds later.

Beth (on the phone): I'm at the mall getting our tickets. Just so you know. There are already a bunch of people here wandering around in graduation robes with sticks. It's awesome. Also, they said that all 12 showings are sold out.

So we went over early, anticipating costumed crowds and excitement. Instead, there were lots of happy, mostly early-twenties-aged people in street clothes wandering about, and no lines. Of course, neither of us dressed up, so we shouldn't really complain, but still! (We had a camera and everything!) However, the film was a lot of fun, and there were a few really good costumed movie-goers, and now I've been to a film premiere. (And then I slept in on purpose and went to work late, which is fine because they don't care when I show up).

( hidden, just in case you haven't seen Terminator 4 and are planning to... )

mood: amused, and still perplexed by twitter.

My family is all arriving, tomorrow is graduation (I think I'll hide something to read in the sleeves of my gown), and then off to the beach until Wednesday, when I start work!

mood: pleased

I just dropped off my last paper and project, so I am completely done with school for the year!
Except for distilling a conference paper proposal out of my thesis. But that doesn't count.

My family is coming to see me graduate this Friday, and then we're going to the beach for a few days! (proving that there are benefits to going to school in the south).

I have a summer job lined up doing data entry type work that begins after my family leaves and runs til mid-July. Happily we will be allowed to bring music to listen to while entering the data.

SO, I am suddenly faced with the prospect of free time, which leads to this question:

WHAT SHOULD I READ THIS SUMMER?

any suggestions?

After many installations, instructions on using Unicode, and researching Unicode symbols, my computer system is super-duper-up-to-date AND I CAN TYPE IN ANGLO-SAXON!!!!

HAHAHAA!

Which means I can now type up my palaeography homework AND MORE IMPORTANTLY I WILL NOT HAVE TO DRAW IN ALL THE EXTRA LETTERS FOR THE MIDDLE ENGLISH PORTIONS OF MY THESIS.

And now, if I want to accomplish anything during spring break, I should probably start editing.

~~~ Þþ ~~~ Ðð ~~~ Ƿƿ ~~~ Ȝȝ ~~~

mood: dancing a really, really pleased anti-Norman, Anglo-Saxon revolutionary dance

Yay, the conference is done, there were lots of interesting papers, and I'm told that mine was good. Now I can have spring break! I already know what non-scholastic activities I want to do! (Go to the beach, if the weather stays nice!)

If I survive this week, I might survive the rest of the semester.

- I have a presentation in class tomorrow (part of my horrible Wednesdays, I'm stuck in two back-to-back three-hour courses).
- I'm trying to turn in chapter three of my thesis... tomorrow. Erm.
- Everyone in the department has been roped into getting ready for Vagantes.
- I think my paper for that is done. I present on Saturday, regardless.

So. Yeah.

mood:

So far this week:
Electricity outages: 2/2

I would really appreciate it if the power would STAY ON for the rest of the week. This is ridiculous.
But at least it's back on now.

No electricity yesterday.

No hot water today, and none to be had until tomorrow because apparently the hot water heater has been leaking (which finally answers the question about why our utilities bill has been high).

Can this week please be over now?

I just want some time to be able to sit down and write about traveling and monsters.

At least we have electricity today, and cold water.

Does anyone reading this know how to use Junicode? I need to be able to type in Anglo-Saxon, and I can figure out the ash, but I cannot for the life of me find the wyn or the thorn. And the directions make no sense whatsoever, and they're not even proper directions.

...

This situation led to me yelling that THIS IS WHY ANGLO-SAXON DIED OUT! I CAN'T TYPE IN IT! THIS IS WHY IT IS A DEAD LANGUAGE. (disregarding the fact that it evolved into Modern English. Eventually).

And then my roommate (who is an Anglo-Saxonist, but doesn't know how to type it - this is for palaeography, our professor told us we should download this font, it's brilliant, you can use for transcription, etc. etc. etc.) decided to yell back that NO, THIS IS THE BLASTED NORMANS' FAULT. IF THEY HAD STAYED IN FRANCE, THINGS WOULD BE MUCH BETTER! AND CLEARLY THIS IS ONE MORE EXAMPLE OF NORMAN OPPRESSION AND THEIR NON-ANGLO-SAXON COMPATIBLE COMPUTER SYSTEMS.

I'm going to have to resort to using a pencil and paper for my homework, oh the horror.

mood: blasted normans.

I'm DONE! and doing my "I'm done!" dance.

Ok, I have my prospectus and the first of my papers turned in. So I need to finish writing one, then edit it and the other paper, then turn both of them in before 5 tomorrow. And I took my French Reading exam on Saturday, I think it went well.

PS- British Library, any time you want to tell me what the status of my image order is, that would be awesome.

So now I have one (very) rough draft done and two to go.
But first, some sleep.
I cannot wait until this semester is over.

I wrote five pages of my twenty-page paper for Propaganda today, so I feel moderately accomplished. So, fifteen more pages for this one, twenty for Pilgrimage, and twelve for Meso all due on December 5th and 9th. If only I actually knew what was going on in the Mesoamerican art I'm supposed to be writing about...

mood: moderately accomplished