Today, Olivia finally got the big present I had been promising her since Christmas. David Sedaris came to town (yay!) and we went to see him, with Mom in tow.

As I figured, it was spectacular and hilarious. From the random 16-year-old he got to introduce him (damn kid...it coulda been me!), to the already-published stuff he read to us, plus his diary entries from his factfinding trip to Japan, and the review of The Zombie Survival Guide and subsequent discussion of zombie myth and steps one can take to accurately zombie-proof one's home (Tip 1: Zombies cannot climb. The second story of a house is your friend.), the evening was glorious.

Since we were sitting near the door, we were well-placed in the line afterwards for book signing. As he signed my book (which he also illustrated with a drawing of a jack o' lantern/monkey thing), he talked with me about studying English and reassured me that writing horrible, overwrought fiction at 22 is exactly what I ought to expect from myself now. So, yay. I suppose. I was rather glad he did most of the talking, because I wasn't sure what to say, and probably would have talked about the one time I dreamed I was in a zombie movie, except I was British, an ad executive, and a man. Which, looking back on it now, is perhaps too weird even to tell David Sedaris.

Olivia had no book to sign, so he signed her ticket instead, then offered her a choice between a bottle of hand lotion he got from his hotel in Santa Barbara, or a rubber peanut. She took the peanut. He then gave me a bottle of mouthwash. Not as cool as a rubber peanut, but still. David Sedaris mouthwash! Fabulous.

So, all told, I scored a great evening out, a signed copy of Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, and a bottle of mouthwash. Not bad for a Sunday.

They are making a movie of Edward Gorey's The Doubtful Guest. I am both happy and hoping that it will not ruin the goodness that is Gorey forever. Next up: The Gashlycrumb Tinies? *crosses fingers*

Also, there is a new adaptation of Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar in the works. It stars Julia Stiles, and is going to be humorous and avoid becoming "a depressing descent into the world of suicide." I...wait...WHAT? *incomprehensible and strangled noises of confusion*

This week is Graduation Fair week at the bookstore, where the Alumni Association, loan consolidation firms, class ring representatives, photography studios, florists, and graduation announcement providers all vie for your attention (and money). It's also the first chance you have to buy your graduation regalia (we get to call it regalia now! that's so cool, in a geeky kind of way!), and order other things you might need closer to the ceremony, like the Stole of Gratitude (which is, no joke, its real title).

Most of the graduation stuff comes in easy one-price packages. We bachelor's degree candidates have two options: the Basic, which includes regalia (*glee*), a diploma cover, the commencement fee, and a one-year membership to the alumni association; or the Standard, which is everything in the Basic, plus a $115 Elite Diploma Frame. I really don't think I have much need for a Diploma Frame, Elite or not, so I decided on the Basic package.

What I didn't know is they actually give you most of the stuff in the package right then and there, so now I'm actually in ownership of yet another itchy polyester graduation gown. At least this one, unlike my high school graduation gown, does not make me look that much like a frantic refugee from a gospel choir.

Of course, I had to inaugurate my new regalia with a series of bleak photographs, most of which I feel can be captioned, "WILL RECITE CHAUCER FOR FOOD. ANY BIT HELPS. GOD BLESS."

(and in answer to the subject line, a large pizza can feed a family of four.)

Career Connections (English Major Edition): Peppis again (yay!). Significantly less yelly today, probably because he's here mainly as a representative symbol of the English department. This is because the class is taught by Tony, the overly peppy human resources/architecture graduate student who's an employee of the Career Center. Tony talks in exclamation points! About how our future is so bright! And we English majors are so awesome! I want to strangle him!

Today, we took a 1950s-era personality test that was to help us determine what career areas we ought to go into. We promptly negated that test by just picking the careers that sounded most interesting off a list, then discussing why we chose the career fields we did. Tony! would chime in for each of us about how Career Connections could pair us up with so many awesome people from any one of the rich list of career choices(!).

Well, until he got to me. For one of my preferred career interests, I chose education. Tony asked me to tell him "what education means to you." Do I like children? Why no, Tony, as a matter of fact, children terrify me. They are too small and unwieldly.

He looked like I had just told him I ran his puppy over. Repeatedly. With tires made of jagged glass. "...Oh, well....we really need something we can help you find a career mentor for." I told him that I was sure I could think of something.

Introductory Geography: I'm taking this class because I like geography and maps. Also because I can get a science credit for it, and I need another one to graduate. You see, I thought I could be sneaky with my science credits and get away with taking no math classes at all, because math is classified as a science class. Thus the Human Sexuality and Fossil Record classes last term, and the Intro to Human Origins and Geography classes this term.

THERE IS MATH IN GEOGRAPHY. Granted, not hard math, just converting from metric to standard, or miles to inches, and things like that. Still, math.

I do like the instructor, though. She goes to lakes around the area and takes core samples of the lakebeds. That is the type of cool and geeky thing I would do, if I liked science more (and had a core sample maker-thingy).

Superheroes: WHY HELLO THERE SEXY BRITISH MAN IN YOUR VELVET BLAZER. Becky, Celeste, and I all sat in the front row and made inappropriate comments about Iron Man (and discussed our plans for the all-Jewish superhero team of Gold Man and Silver Man), while the rest of the class either went into geek spasms over the special guest visitors we have coming later in the term, or tried to think of appropriately intelligent and highbrow (read: pedantic assholey) things to say about the essentially futile nature of the Iron Man mythos.

I think I'm going to like this class. Besides, how often do you get to say you finished your college career by taking a class about superheroes?

Here is how I know I like learning way too much: It is my last term (woe!) at the UO. I am taking 17 credits worth of classes, which is close to the amount of credits people take normally.

Even though I know this, I feel like a slacker and that I should sign up for at least one more class.

Boy, I'm going to miss college when I'm done.

Unintentionally Funny Headline of the Day: ‘Bong Hits 4 Jesus’ case heads to high court. *snicker*

Classes are over (and evaluations written...muahaha), papers are done (yay!), finals begin next week, and then I only have one term left before I graduate.

Eeep. I don't think I'm ready for the real world. Nor do I think the real world's ready for me.

Seriously, how does it go by so fast? It's weird.