Midterm Update

I should give my readers an update after over a fortnight of, well, nothing. Here ya go:

It's now the time of midterms for my campus, and at the end of this week I have to submit my Major Declaration Form so that I can officially declare my major before going on Winter Break for a week. I'm majoring in Classical Studies (or just Classics for short), and my long-term goal is to become a Professor of Classics. I want to bring Classical Greek and Roman literature to a wider audience. I want to help give back to the Humanities the prestige they once held in society. Due to a number of factors--the watering down of culture, a pernicious obsession with subjectivity over creativity, and the devaluation of knowledge and learning in favor of immediate gratification and over-reliance on technology--I think that Classics have been neglected for decades; as a result, people are too hesitant or unwilling to embrace a Classical education or even read Classics because they consider it too hoity-toity or upper-class or some nonsense like that. It really isn't. The common man should be able to read the Classics and appreciate them as the foundations of Western civilization.

This past weekend, I re-watched an old childhood favorite of mine: The Great Mouse Detective. I'm in love with it! The movie is such a cutesy, adventurous, but not overly-saccharine picture about a mouse (Basil of Baker Street) who's the rodent equivalent of Sherlock Holmes. He's contrasted with a villainous rat played to perfection by the late, great Vincent Price. The whole movie is a real treat to watch, and I'll probably be watching it again soon! It got me thinking about the Sherlock Holmes canon, some books of which I read when I was very young, and how I wanted once upon a time to write detective fiction. Since I'm going on holiday next week, I'll be able to dig out from among my many old boxes of books my copies of the Holmes canon. I'll read one story a day and write/talk about it. I'll make an audio recording as well as a written review which I will post, respectively, on YouTube and on this blog. It'll give me something to do while away from school--and believe me, I need something to do while away from school, since I don't want to constantly be around my family. Oy vey, me and my family...But that's a rant-post for another day.

Also, as an aside, I think I may have developed a bit of a fondness--a crush, if you will--on Basil himself. He's such a charming character and he reminds me of myself, in a way. (If the picture comes out looking screwy, do forgive me. I'm borderline computer-illiterate...)

Anywho, it's about half-past three in the morning, so I'll be off to bed shortly. I hope you have a good day or good night, and I'll be sure to post again very soon. Ta-ta!

On Sporadic Posting

I've been posting sporadically because I've been busy with schoolwork. I'm close to declaring my major, and I am considering applying for a study abroad program (the deadline is in a week and a half, so it's close to crunch time for that.)

Honestly, I'm really satisfied at how much better I am doing now when compared to how terribly I was doing last semester. That whole last term was a grab bag of awful, miserable, and blegh. As a result, I'm currently on academic probation. It's not a good look for me; rest assured, however, that I am doing my damndest to get up and back into good academic standing.

At the same time, however, I'm all full of nervousness. This is a new direction in my existence, a step towards something greater than myself, towards shaping a career and a life for myself without anyone guiding me or holding my hands. It feels wondrous and terrifying, exhilarating and fearsome. (I'll cut with the adjectives before I start sounding corny.)

Rest assured, readers, that I will be posting more regularly in the future. You all have my word.