Angel Boy

So......we lost.  Not much of a news flash, but there it is.  At least we got the score to a respectable 43-21 before the game ended.  I don't think we could've handled the consequences of a single digit score.

Any-whooo.....

I previously wrote about going to a university full of pretty people.  This still remains true, however, I wrote with only the female gender in mind.  Today, I'm latching onto the topic of Pretty People - Male Edition.

ASU is filled with every kind of guy; the Humble Nerd, the Geeky Physist, the Boneheaded Frat Brother, and every other mixture in between that you can think of.  However, regardless of the caste that they fit themselves into, there's a rather large percentage (I'd say in the 60% range) that are just as handsome/cute/HOTT as their female counterparts.

This is both a pro and a con.  Pro?  I do enjoy candy, and eye-candy is among the sweetest ;)

Con?  These guys know that they look good, and for the most part, they aren't afraid to flaunt it....directly in the line of sight of the Pretty People I am cursed to breathe air with.  They are sometimes arrogant and judgemental, and regardless of how hard I try, tend to make me feel self-conscious.

And don't get me wrong, there are some very sweet, very attractive guys here as well.  I just happen to be friends with them.  As in, JUST FRIENDS.  And I wouldn't change it for anything, but I'm just saying, I do not enjoy going from hot to cold in the span of sixty seconds.  'Tis not enjoyable, fine fellows, and I dare say it has put me on edge!

I am now receiving strange looks from my festive, painted pumpkin, since I acted that out as if I were a knight of yore.

But, there was a point to this post, and I am going to get to it.

I am a reader.  Avidly.  I consume books the way I've seen my male relatives consume food during game time.  And I've been getting tired of the way that protags describe their Main-Man as, "heartbreakingly beautiful, despite the fact that beautiful was a feminine word".  You know what I am talking about.

I've always seen attractive guys as either Cute, Handsome, Rugged/Dangerous, or Just Seriously Hott.  Never, "heartbreakingly beautiful", and so I was beginning to wonder if this was just some author-drabble used to spice up a plot.

Dear readers, they have not been lying.

The other day, I was late to my Comm lecture (ironic, since I had literally just posted about how I pride myself on leaving 15 minutes ahead of time to get there). I miraculously arrived only two minutes after the lecture started, and there were still empty seats up front that I could grab.  I was looking for my usual Comm Buddy (who's name I STILL don't know), and was surprised/disappointed when I saw she wasn't there.

Two guys were.  Two guys that I have never seen before in my life, let alone in the front row.  There was one seat between them.  And I was put in that awkward situation of having marched down the hall, confident of my place, only to be forced to make a five second decision whether to bail or take the seat.

I almost took a seat further down the row, rather than in the center, but then, He looked up.

The guy on the right was Cute. Dark hair, dark eyes, sporting a Mediterranean tan and sporting a bro-tank and cargo shorts that screamed, "Longboarder!"  (BTW, he did ride a longboard to class).

The guy on the left was, to reuse the piece of author-drabble I'd so despised after seeing it for so long, "heartbreakingly beautiful".

I don't know if you've ever read any of her books, but if you haven't, I recommend reading Lisa Desrochers's YA trilogy, Personal Demons.  It's complete, it's delicious, and it's a convincing portrayal of a love triangle.  The protag, Frannie, is torn between the *sexy, dangerous* demon, Luc (all dark hair/eyes and a wicked smile) and the *beautiful/loving* angel, Gabe.

And, dear God, Angel Boy is in my Comm class.

Quick description: lean, and well built, AZ tan, pale blonde hair that is naturally curly, a gorgeous face, a pale blue eyes that compelled me to sit down.

He also wore a pair of MEK jeans, and that, if nothing else, would endear him to me/my friends for a lifetime.  I'll probably do a post on guy's jeans soon, come to think of it....

Anyway, I took the seat between the two guys, and though we didn't speak, I couldn't help but think about how every time I'd read that phrase over and over, in hundreds of different novels, I'd scoffed at the idea of a guy, so beautiful it was heartbreaking.

Note to self.  Angel Boy does exist.  And I will never scoff again.

Detente

It's a huge night for ASU tonight. For all of you College Football fans, you are probably all aware of the much anticipated matchup between the AZ Sun Devils and the Oregon Ducks. And  OMG, you guys, if you were here on campus, you'd think we were expecting U of A (aka, the Source of All That is EVIL).  It's been insane!

You may have also heard of the prank that Oregon fans played on us Sun Devils, in the wee hours of the morn.  On Tempe Butte lays the iconic, and historic 'A' for ASU. Usually, it is painted Gold and can be seen from miles around. In the beginning of the year, Freshman join in the tradition of "White-Washing the A", painting it white in an effort to celebrate the new year. For this particular game, which is being called a 'Black Out', the A was painted black as well.

Oregon does not like black. And so, they painted it bright, Oregon green this early morning.  Not even three hours later, it was Back to Black. I can't help but be amazed at the efficiency on such aspects here.

Anyway...seeing/participating in this rivalry made me think about one of my earlier posts, and the seeming rivalry that would soon consume my dorm room.

My roommate and I (let's call her Sansa, and I am Daenerys) have reached a comfortable, pleasant, and dare I say it, friendly, camaraderie over the past two months.  I believe that those first two weeks were stressful and combustible because it was new, it was different and I had to adjust.

My friends, I have adjusted.

We've found several points that we agree/share a passion for (sleeping, respect, Avatar: The Last Airbender [the television show, not the God-awful live action film], Avatar: The Legend of Korra, The Avengers, Star Trek, Glee). We enjoy similar music tastes (except Sansa despises country, and I just laugh at her, and give her a pitying smile saying, 'Honey, you're living in the Wild West now. You offend Carrie, Miranda, Taylor, Brad, Luke, Blake, Dustin, etc., you offend the entire State!')

Sansa is a bit more cynical than me, and bit more judgemental (I mean, I can be judgy, but Sansa is judgy about EVERYTHING) but we get along well, and way better than our Suitemates.

In other words, I went from living with a Cersei to living with Sansa (except, I don't see my roommate as being anywhere near as vulnerable and deserving of my sympathy as the Game of Thrones Sansa).

Currently, the score is 15-7, Ducks.  Come on Sun Devils! Fork 'em! We're on a Duck Hunt!!!

Peace out!

C'est La Vie!

Bonjour mes amis!

No, I am not in France or in any French-speaking region, and therefore do not have a brilliant excuse as to why I have not updated in more than two weeks.  Alas, the only answer I can give is that I am a lowly first-year college student, who just had three combined weeks of two midterms a week and is finally on Fall Break (or the measly two day reprieve they deem to be 'Fall Break').  And so, a recap.

First midterm? Human Communication.  Not as dull as I previously thought during the first few weeks of the class, and now, I am really enjoying the lectures. It's funny, because I also have learned that I am a creature of habit (aren't we all?). Every Tuesday and Thursday, I leave my dorm anywhere from 15-20 minutes before the class, as it takes me at least ten minutes to bike there and maneuver my way around the Evil Pedestrian Crowds of DOOM (please refer to my Perils of Biking post). Then, once my bike is locked up and secure, I head into the building, which is composed of a small lobby, two restrooms, and a single lecture hall that can hold up to 400+ students.  I sit directly in the center of the front row (otherwise I'll get distracted by my Psychological Noise - hehe, I referenced a COMM term!) next to a girl I now consider to be a Sister at Arms. (I know this is really bad, but I don't remember her name, only that she's an architecture major and we talk about Gothic and Colonial architecture all the time).  But, I digress.

My COMM professor is an elderly gentleman who shares a striking resemblance to St. Nick aka Santa Claus.  And, he always wears Hawaiian/Floral vacation shirts, so, I have come to the conclusion, that I now know where Santa stays until Christmas - in sunny Arizona!

I received a 76 out of 80, which means an A on my first midterm! YEAH!

That same week, I took my first French Midterm.  Not yeah.  Very bad NAY! NAY, NAY, NAY!!!!!

Needless to say, I may have had a small mental breakdown after that extremely long and difficult exam, in which I called my parents, cried, freaked out, and caused them to worry... A LOT.  However, I am a firm believer that if an Honors Student does not have at least 1 freak out, per semester, they are dangerously close to losing it completely.  I see it as a healthy form of stress relieving.  Which is what I kept repeating to my parents after they continued to call/text/email me, every hour, on the hour, for the next two days.  Finally, I had to make them stop.

Mom: "Hey honey, how are you doing? Any better? You know I love you."

Me: "I'm doing fine, really, and yes I know you-"

Dad: "Do you want me to stop by before I leave? Check up on you?"

Me: "No Dad, I am seriously oka-"

Mom: "I think that would be a good idea, hon. Take her out to lunch or something?"

Me: "Guys, seriously I'm-"

Dad: "How does 2 sound?"

Me: "Guys! Just because I freaked out once, after having a seriously stressful week, and after trying to comprehend advanced grammar in a foreign language, does not mean that I am going to break down, drop out of school, and flip burgers for the rest of my life!"

SILENCE

Dad: "Sushi?"

*Sigh* Me: "Yeah, Dad, sushi would be good."

Anyway....

Next was my Global Politics midterm, and this is where it gets really frustrating.  I know the material.  I know, I know the material.  And yet, when I get the exam in front of me, the first half, I kick ass, and the second half, the questions are worded in such a way that they double-speak around my brain, negate half of what they are saying, and are only True/False.  Grrr...

I later found out that the guy who is physically teaching the class (aka, the Monotone Grad Student) wrote the second half of the exam on his own and that the actual professor, who assigned the readings and the lectures, wrote the first half.  Double grrrr....

I got an 80 on it, which isn't horrible, but it's frustrating when I know the material, etc. and that the only other grade in the book is a 10pt assignment.  So, my perfectly respectable 100% dropped to an 82%, and that, my friends, does not sit well with me.

I then wrote a paper for my Honors Class, which counts as my midterm, on the Gender roles of the Odyssey by Homer, arguing whether the men or the women were more heroic, and, if they BOTH were heroic, how did they differ.  Pending results...

My French professor came back and asked us what happened on the exam; apparently, every 201 class sucked hard on that exam, and all the 201 professors are scratching their heads muttering, "Pourquoi?"  In the words of my professor:

Prof: "Grading your exams made me want to drink heavily and for days."

So, we told him what was on our mind, and he said that we would receive the exams back, and that if we corrected our mistakes we could make up some of the points. Hooray! I got my exam back, and was pleasantly surprised: an 80, with the potential to achieve an 88 or an 89%! (Please note the difference between my Global Politics 80% and my French 201 80%, because I know I deserved higher than an 80% in the first, and expected a 50% in the second).

This past week, I took my first History Midterm, and it was exciting! One, I am a History Major, so if I don't enjoy my History class, we are going to have some issues.  But, I was done with the multiple choice in fifteen minutes (not rushing through it, just understanding and knowing with certainty the material) and done with the IDs (describing the Who, What, When, Where, Historical Significance of a specific person, group, peoples, wars, treaties, etc.) in the next fifteen. Pending results, but I'm super confident!

And last, but most certainly not least, was my French Oral Midterm, in which myself and a partner had to read an intense, two page dialogue, during which our instructor would listen meticulously to our pronunciation and flow, and then have a conversation with our partner, on a subject chosen/asked by our instructor.  The result?

I was complimented on my accent and pronunciation, merci beaucoup, and both my partner and I received a 98% overall on our midterm!  Commencing happy dance...now!

ANDDDD, I just received my first grade on my first History Paper that was sent in a few weeks ago.  95% (there's been a lot of Happy Dances), and the only main comment was not to pack in so much detail that I nearly double the required word count.  Hey, if my only problem is that I write too much, I will gladly take it!

And so, after three intense weeks of studying, and flash cards, and notes, and a brand new HP printer! (that's a story for next time), I arrived home Friday afternoon, got my nails done (they are super cute and Fall-timey), lazed around the house with my animals (3 cats, 2 dogs, 5 chickens, 1 lizard, and a partridge in a pear tree....not really, but if you minus the partridge, that is truly the list of my menagerie at home), went on a full day shopping spree with my best friend (pictures shall follow), and have a hair appointment later on today.  And I don't head back to campus until Wednesday morning!

Alas, C'est la vie! Et, la vie est belle!

Salut!