Ah, finals. That inexplicable time of year where you are suddenly expacted to have full command of an entire semester of information without the benefit of notes. I mean, come on, what is this exactly preparing us for? In the Real World, if I need to know the german word for "windshield wipers" (die Scheibenwischer, if you really want to know), I will look it up. I realize that this is supposed to make us remember more fully later on, but the fact is that most of what I memorize for finals is short-term stuff that's gone relatively quickly. I think that the few things that I retain that I wouldn't remember five years from now otherwise are far outweighed by the stress that finals places on me. Blah...

I'm sure everybody has times where life suddenly goes from being horrible and stressful and just generally miserable to being fabulous and full of joy again. I am having one of those times right now. Miraculously, there isn't even a good reason; I just suddenly feel happy and full of energy, whereas a week ago life just barely seemed worth the effort. Maybe it's reading the words of people who care what happens. I'm reading Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead, and, more importantly, Inga Muscio's Cunt. What a cool book! I had forgotten how inspiring it can be to read something that makes you feel happy to be who you are. Regardless of what's happening in my own personal life, there are things that can pull me out and make me feel alive again.

Finally, I think this is the official start to my blog. I don't necessarily intend to write all that often, but you never know. But anyway, it doesn't really matter, because I doubt much of anybody will ever actually read this.