blueswede

do-it-yourself applies to more than technology

I'm in the middle of a Talking Heads binge right now, which
I started after I realized that I didn't have nearly enough
of their songs. Truly a great band, I don't think they've
ever made a song that I actively dislike.

So we're entering finals week, and instead of using the time
to study like I probably should, I've been working like a
madman trying to pull down some extra cash. I worked a Nite
Owl (office term for graveyard shift) for the first time on
Thursday night, and actually found it quite enjoyable. I
don't know what it is, but there's something magical about
staying up all night and seeing the sky brighten.

At any rate, I'm seriously considering taking the Thursday
graveyard shift, since I'll only have one class on Fridays
and it'll be at 10:00 A.M. I figure I can crash for a while
on Thursday afternoon, work all night, shower and get myself
dressed before going to class, crash for three or four hours
upon my return, and then go to bed fairly early that night.

I'm working a grand total of 24 hours during finals week, so
I'll be pulling down some pretty sweet cash. I only have to
deal with two finals, math on Monday and CS on Thursday, so
I figure I can pull it off without too much trouble. I'll
also be trying to get an extra credit project done in CS to
boost my grade a little and take off some of the pressure on
me to do really super on the final.

As for further academic stuff, I'm somewhat looking forward
to next semester. I'll have second-semester calculus, Data
Structures, my required writing course, and the class I've
been most looking forward to: Game Theory. I think I've got
a pretty interesting lineup for next semester, and it should
probably be the point where I figure out what the hell I'm
doing with my education. Data Structures is said to be the
big hurdle in CS, and supposedly if you can clear it, then
you should be good to go for the rest of the major. So I'm
really hoping it works out, because frankly, I have no clue
what I'd do if computer science didn't end up as my major.
I don't really have a strong enough interest in anything,
save maybe math, to justify majoring in it. I suppose if
nothing else, there's always political science or economics,
but if I couldn't do computer science, then I'd be living
with my shattered dreams of game design all my life.

And socially, not a whole lot has changed. I'm still keen
on the girl I went to a movie with last weekend, though it
would seem that I have some competition from another fellow
I know. To make mattters worse, his roommate is trying to
get said girl to go out with him, and I'm flying solo. Of
course, there is a possibility that the situation would work
to my advantage, because my friend does seem to get rather
annoyed with the roommate's constant badgering.

Frankly, I can't see what the point is. Unless this other
dude has specifically asked his roommate to intercede on his
behalf, then the roommate should shut the fuck up and let
this dude deal with his social life on his own. I suppose
my opinion may be, at least in part, the result of a degree
of bitterness over both my perpetually single status and the
fact that none of my friends ever tried to hook me up with
anyone, but to tell you the truth, I probably would have
hated the results of any such hijinx.

It just seems to me that if you're fond of someone in that
way and you don't have the guts to take action, then you're
probably not deserving of their affection. Or, if you're
making your feelings quite obvious and the other person just
doesn't feel the same way, then other people shouldn't try
to convince them that they should go out with you.

I don't have a problem with people playing matchmaker, but I
do have a problem when it crosses that fine line and enters
the realm of interfering with someone's life. And really,
the whole matchmaking thing is only justified when the two
people don't know each other very well, if at all. If they
do know each other, then if one of them has any feelings at
all, they should take action themselves.

At any rate, I may have had very little dating success, but
at least I failed on my own merits, instead of having people
acting on my behalf and still managing to fail.

To make matters worse, the girl I'm keen on seems to enjoy
the single life, and will be visiting her ex at some point
over the winter break. I really have my work cut out for me
in this respect. I can't see any way to emerge victorious
within the next few days, so instead I plan to go into one
of my lockdowns and try to finish all of my work and get my
studying done for my exams. I guess if I can't find regular
happiness, I'll have to settle for intellectual fulfillment
and the kind of happiness that money can buy.

This is Dave, signing off.