"because it's from outer space? what do you want from me?"

[rocknload]

This is the first time I've ever written a paper that's a whole page longer than the minimum specified requirements. Possibly because I got to speculate on the motivations of a carnivorous alien menace and include phrases like, "It's unfortunate that the scientifically motivated characters didn't get a chance to speculate more before they were killed and eaten."

It's possible I may be choosing the long line of work, here. Is there a line of work where you get to speculate about aliens? I'm totally there.

Edit: Though I may be ill-suited for science stuff, at least I didn't spent the entire class doodling about Dan the DNA Man and the wacky adventures of Mitosis and Meiosis. Unlike someone I know.

Also, I think I'm changing my schedule to take microbiology next semester. Holy crap, that topic drives me crazy. I must understand it.

Comments

[unicorn]

Your future career is Agent Mulder.

[rocknload.livejournal.com]

Best job ever. Better than Indiana Jones, even!

[unicorn]

Indy demonstrably gets to speculate on aliens too, though...

[rocknload.livejournal.com]

Very true. But that's stupid and I wish it hadn't happened!

[unicorn]

Okay! Though I did like the part where her head caught on fire. It's a good guide to behavior: never ask for all the knowledge in the universe. Ask for like. Half. Or "an amount such that my eyes will not explode."

[rocknload.livejournal.com]

I wonder what must be happening in the brain in order to light the eyes on fire.

Also, if this SEEKER OF ALL KNOWLEDGE chick had read, like, just one science fiction story in all of her seeking, I bet she would've known better than to ask for something as obviously doomed as all that.

[unicorn]

INSANE SCIFI THINGS

You'd think she'd have run across at least one mass-market paperback, with all the investigating of the occult and stuff...

[rocknload.livejournal.com]

LIKE WHAT. PEOPLE DON'T EXPLODE, GENERALLY.

Maybe they don't have those in Russia!

[yamiaudra.livejournal.com]

I'm glad your paper went well!

You should become a movie critic.

[rocknload.livejournal.com]

I hate most movies, though, and I have like, no taste for the "good" stuff. My absolute favorite movie at this very moment is Speed Racer.

[yamiaudra.livejournal.com]

The fact that you despise most movies would make you an awesome critic, because they usually only have negative things to say^^

[parcus.livejournal.com]

... what essay were you writing?

[rocknload.livejournal.com]

It was a scientifically based critique on The Thing! Another movie you should watch, though you wouldn't like it at all.

[parcus.livejournal.com]

....

[rocknload.livejournal.com]

Dude, I didn't make up the assignment. I just did it with enthusiasm.

[fillmydarksoul.livejournal.com]

I'm sure!

[rocknload.livejournal.com]

Extra credit in this class is fantastic. Now I have to write four one page papers on whatever I want. Unfortunately, it's gotta be, like, actual science, not the science I make up.

[fillmydarksoul.livejournal.com]

... Why didn't I get that? Dammit. :< my school sucks.

[immelmanturn.livejournal.com]

That's kind of why I'm taking a Media Studies course next semester.

[rocknload.livejournal.com]

Oooh, what kind of media? Just movies? Or television and radio and stuff?

[immelmanturn.livejournal.com]

I'm actually NOT SURE. The course description is possibly one of the most useless things I've ever read.

"References to the power and prevalence of “the media” are
commonplace. But what are “the media?” How do they work and for
whom? As media increasingly pervade the fabric of daily life, and
as fewer and fewer entities dominate media ownership, the urgency of
asking and answering these questions only grows in importance.

Yet, these questions are incredibly difficult to ask—much less to
answer—owing in part to the ways in which the structure and
functioning of the media remain, for many of us, taken for granted,
perhaps even something of a mystery. This course will introduce you
to the basic vocabularies of visual and media literacy and hone your
skills at analyzing media texts, institutions, apparatuses, and
audiences critically. We will focus on four prevalent media genres—
film, radio, television, and the internet—and our goal will be to
explore the relationships between and among form, content,
ownership, and meaning with respect to each. C190 will help you to
appreciate more fully the complex ways in which the media inhabit
and affect social, cultural, political, and economic life. More
importantly, it will provide you with the analytical, interpretive,
and critical skills by which to navigate and begin to make sense of
the densely mediated landscapes we inhabit.

Assessment will be based on attendance and participation, screening
notes, two exams, and two writing assignments."

I have heard, however, that the prof. is the bee's knees. So.

[rocknload.livejournal.com]

He might be the bee's knees, but he is a stranger to concise prose.

[immelmanturn.livejournal.com]

Straight up. I think I've wandered into his class on accident once before, actually! I was scoping out Ballantine Hall for a clothing swap (that had actually happened a month ago), and wandered into a huge lecture hall showing an episode of the office. I kind of chilled in the corner until it was over.

[rocknload.livejournal.com]

Did you learn?

[immelmanturn.livejournal.com]

Nope. I had to scram to get to a cloth-dyeing demonstration, so I left before the learning part started.