We ratified the constitution last night. Or rather, they ratified the constitution, because Yansing was very unhappy with it and did not ratify. And I'm so pleased that the class is over.

Don't get me wrong. I love reacting, and that was a marvelous game, and I had lots of fun.

But at the same time, it's also a lot of work, and that was a hard game. Yansing may, in fact, have been the hardest role I've ever had. In some ways he was simple. I felt like I got a good grasp on who he was and what he wanted in the first game, and kept it pretty easily the whole way through (aside from the second paper, for which I couldn't seem to find any sources or come up with compelling arguments, and which was generally really hard to write). But being in character isn't the only part of reacting. I spent this entire semester so far having unpopular opinions, fighting battles I knew I wouldn't win. I was frequently one of only two people on my side of the argument. Sometimes it was just me, arguing alone. I'm sure the nationalists felt like there was lots of division within their side, and like they weren't getting what they wanted. But when it came to things I wanted, they usually stood firm - at least as far as Not What Yansing Wants, so I was usually defending my views against at least 2/3 of the group. I've been unpopular before; Louis XVI was not everyone's favorite person, but the way the French game is set up, I at least had the clergy and the nobility, plus tigerlofu, on my side.

I think that there were also more strong players in this game than any other I've ever played. Strong players are good for a game, but it can be rough when you're fighting with them. Maybe people are only attacking your character's views, but one of the strengths of Reacting is that you really care about those views - and that means that these discussions can feel like a personal attack.

And that's not even mentioning the social element where I couldn't talk to ANY of my friends in the game about the game, but had to watch them chatting happily about it, because we shared no common goals, and furthermore half of mine were Top Secret. But that's a chat for another day.

Please leave your belongings outside the Animal Quarters.
All cell phones must remain outside the Animal Quarters.
Please don't carry anything into the Animal Quarters.
No outside food or drink is allowed in the Animal Quarters.
Please wear a lab coat at all times. Not the blue ones on the coat rack, or the white ones on the coat rack; the white ones on the back wall.
Please put little blue booties over your shoes.
Please wash your hands BEFORE and AFTER handling the birds.
Here are some plastic gloves, in case washing your hands isn't good enough.


I rather expect to come in one day and see a sign that reads,
"Please do not cough, sneeze, or breathe in the Animal Quarters,"
Or perhaps,
"No unauthorized germs in the Animal Quarters."


In other news, three washings later, I think that my hands no longer smell like chickens.

There is a one-day reacting game on Saturday the 12th from 8am-3pm. It's about math (but don't freak out; it's about math in the same way that Henry VIII is about religion, more or less). It'll be fun, and we could use more players. The game is set in 1870; costumes are always good for getting in character.
Besides, you totally want to watch me flail as assistant gm or whatever I wind up doing, right?

If you're interested, e-mail Jim Henle at jhenle [at] math [dot] smith [dot] edu . (Do it now - you're already at the computer.)

Edited to add: There are also walk-in roles if you don't want to commit to the whole time or don't feel like having an actual character. Talk to Jim Henle about that, too.

*confetti*

Okay, I still don't know about the $n$ members of the Smith Sledding team. But they can figure out their own darn stuff.

Now if someone would just show up so that I can run over and turn it in . . .

This bleh with regards to productivity is really unattractive. I know that ConBust was last weekend and Fencing Nationals is tomorrow, but you still need to exert actual effort on your classwork, particularly on that Combinatorics midterms that you still don't know how to answer three problems on.

Cheers,
You

But it's been ConBust (aka GIANT student-run sci-fi/fantasy/anime/gaming/awesomeness convention), which tends to eat one's life. Of course, most of you have been participating in that, so you know about it already.

Now I just need to get through my Combinatorics take-home midterm and fencing nationals, and then I'll have free time. I could hang out with friends. Or read some of the books strewn about my room. That would be nice.
Also, we established this morning that if the fencing nationals flight is delayed such that I'm late for class on Tuesday (shouldn't happen, but one never knows), I can call the prof and turn in my exam to my grader (who happens to be epee mommy duck). So that's good.

Now I just need to figure out what classes I'm taking and convince Em to proxy for me (again). And, of course, finish any other homework that happens to be due this week, such as the proposal for the paper that I need to write in Portuguese.

I really want that whitewater kayaking class. But last I heard, I was on the waitlist (#2? #3?), and if I don't get an e-mail by tomorrow saying that I've gotten in, it's not happening. At least not this semester. *sigh*

On the subject of other Bannerweb-related things I want, it would be nice to know my grades from last semester. Or even just receive verification that the credits have gone through, or something. I'm not seriously worried about it (either the grades or the credits-going-through), but I'm pretty sure Smith got all of the relevant paperwork at the beginning of January. Or maybe mid-January, thinking about trans-Atlantic postal times. Although PRESHCO does have a fax machine.

In other news, life goes on, and it's better on days when I'm getting over being sick and have enough sleep. I even got enough sleep last night, contrary to popular belief (I'm all for five-college practice. But events at Mt. Holyoke that end at 10pm get to be a little much. Particularly when you're never sure if there's going to be a ride for you to get back to campus, or if you'll have to take the bus. But I did have fun, and got to bed at a nearly-reasonable time). And tomorrow is Friday. I should remember to get food tomorrow so that I can eat on Saturday.

Class will be over in a week. That's a very odd thought. Not only class, but exams will be over in a week. I have an exam on Saturday. How odd is that? Also, it feels kind of like being in high school again (except the Saturday), because all of my exams are scheduled and proctored.
Also, my archeology exam? Most of the exam will be an essay question - asking us the same question we turned in an exam on three-four weeks ago - "What is archeology?" - for which he basically just wanted us to regurgitate what he's told us in class. The Spanish school system is weird. He finally got around to giving us our essays back, though, so I just need to memorize my essay in a slightly condensed form.

I should probably think about what I'm going to do in the week between class being over and my family showing up. I wonder if Kona's actually going to Morocco, of if she's just wandering around southern Spain.

But really, the point of this post:
Yes, I've joined the lemmings.

I have an archeology paper due tomorrow, which I wrote over the weekend (hooray for foresight and willpower!), but didn't get around to editing and proofreading until this morning (not-so-hooray for willpower), and which it occurred to me that it will be difficult to print tomorrow before class, because I have bookbinding all morning. And I still haven't figured out if the computer lab is ever open in the afternoons, and I was worried that the printing lady wouldn't show up this morning before I had to go to class. But I arrived, and she was there, and there was no line, and in exchange for six centimos, I now have three pages of archeology paper (saying that makes it sound like a better bargain than it was, though; I still had to write the arheology paper, remember).

Voice lesson in half an hour. I'm going to try to get a little nano done before going over the words to the song again. Or maybe I'll just read my flist.

So once again I'm writing a paper and need to come up with a title. The paper traces the quote "Who are our enemies but our other selves?" throughout the novel Mindscape, focusing on the relations between three characters: Awa, Elleni, and Celestina.

I have three titles, none of them any good. Which should I use?

-Awa, Elleni, and Celestina and Other Selves

-Awa, Elleni, Celestina, and Their Other Selves Walk into a Bar

-Sing My Song, My Daughter: Mentors and Other Selves in Mindscape

Or something better which you're going to suggest?