I have my job decline e-mail for Poland all written out, but didn't have the guts to actually send it this morning. When I put my cursor over "Send," I had second thoughs about whether or not I was giving up the opportunity of a lifetime, and saved it as a draft instead. There are other abroad jobs out there for me-- TEFL teaching abroad and Au Pairs and such, so this is not signing a death-sentence for being trapped in the US for the rest of my life. I just don't want to regret this decision.

Yay for seeing movies with your Roman History class... even if it is about Greece. XD Going to see 300 at 4 o'clock.

Today was a really good day, up until the end. I got up early and set up my stuff at the study abroad fair. It was pretty quiet as far as fairs go, since I don't think they did very good advertising and a lot of people also had classes, but I did get to talk to quite a lot of people who seemed really interested in Salzburg and said it helped to be talking to a former student who had gone and not just a representative. So I gave away a bunch of brochures and material and talked to a lot of people about the experience and everything, and it just felt really nice. I found out that I didn't have my senior seminar afterall, so I could go for the full last session of the fair too. Theater class was fine. Between the end of the study abraod forum and my last class of the day, I treated myself to a smoothie and sat outside on the quad and listened to music, which was gorgeous (I am such a quad-study whore). We got assigned to our final project groups (ick), and we got a bunch of our stuff back in Russian history, of which I seem to have a solid B going. Which is fine.

I actually ended up missing almost ALL of my Peoples of the Russian Empire class, even though we got to have class outside in the beautiful open air on the steps of Kirk Memorial. I was attacked by horrendeous stomach pains, naseua, and stomachy... problems that lasted for nearly the last half-hour/45-minutes of class. I'm not sure if I've contracted a minor flu bug or food poisoning, but either seems possible I suppose. I have a slight fever of a 99.2, and even though I slept for a good two hours and skipped dinner, I still feel pretty iffy. Which sucks since I was going to do my Roman History rough draft due tomorrow, and I hope I can buck up enough to get it done, since I can not wash out on this assignment anymore than I already have. Blah, I suck. I think I'm going to drink some water, or go downstairs and get some gatorade, something to cleanse my system out.

Thanks to Caden, I have now seen SYLAR from HEROES... making out with another guy. I keep wanting to yell at this video "Don't kiss him! He'll cut your brain out!" So for any Heroes fans, here's evil Sylar being totally gay on that strange Tori Spelling show.

udy Have been asked to participate in a Study Abroad Forum next Thursday for students who want to study abroad in the future. I don't have to give a presentation or anything, which is nice because I wouldn't have done that, but I can bring my computer and show pictures of my study abroad experience and information about my country and program, and talk to anyone who might be interested in teh future. Should be fun, anyhow.

Fever popping in and out, but not too bad. Very tired despite sleeping in today. Must research. Yep

*Harry Potter FRIDAY!!! Any Trumanites going that I can tag along with? I soooo don't want to go by myself opening night, but I'll do it if I have to! Whoooot!

*Study Abroad News!
-my plane-tickets arrived at my house today! It's Chicago to Zurich, Zurich to Brussels! Whoooot!
-finished my application today, will ask Ash to take me to the post office to mail it so I can ask what kind of envelope to use/how many stamps are required for over-seas mail
-apparently visa application is trucking along just fine
- I need to get a notorized copy of any police file (?) I might have. WHich is weird, I guess it's some kind of good conduct thing. I don't think I have a police file... unless they wrote me up that one time the neighbors thought my friends and I were defacing cars in the neighborhood and it was just pockahtee's car in front of my house.


*BEST IDEA EVER: Anna Karenina SIMS!!! I haven't decided whether I should do book versions of the characters and have them all live in a neighborhood together and act the story out that way, or do my own teen romantic comedy version I was talkign about with Sims University, and act things out that way. I could like... print out the screenshots I take and put them into a story book, and put some of the movies I took on SIMS onto a disk for the professor. I need to ask her about this, but I think it's too fun. XD

*my computer is not happy for some reason. Maybe I have viruses, which I am trying to weed out as we speak. Tonight is LOST and then I nap until work, in which I'm going to read Persian Letters for history class and maybe make those Anna Karenina sims.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEN sister_midnite!!!!! I hope you have a WONDERFUL one! <3

I totally want to have some sort of going-away party over Winter Break with all the U. City peeps (and Ash, of course). I should look into this. Study abroad stuff is going along just fine, so far. I got an e-mail confirmation back about my class schedule proposal from Austria, my $500 deposit to hold my place is in, I got my International Student Identity Card back, and I have a plane ticket to Austria all bought and ready to go! Of course I still need to mail my father some documents so that he can continue to work on getting me a visa, get back an important form from my doctor back in St. Louis, and air-mail off my final application (mini-biography, health info sheet, housing information, etc) asap before Austria starts getting pissed at me for it being so late. God, I can't believe things are tying together...that I'm really going. I am promising right now to take a ton of picture and journal everything I can. I may even make a separate study-abroad journal... who knows. Anyway, it will never happen unless I get this application stuff back to them soon. Stupid air-mail and waiting for doctors to fill out forms.


Today I chit-chatted with Cute Conservative History Class Boy in Survey of Modern Europe today. Allison thinks I should "hit that." I also saw Cute Desk Boy when he was walking into the sub while I was eating dinner, in which we made very brief talk as he passed by, waved our arms around, and he made a Beatles joke. Mmmm. good times.

Annnnnyway, I really don't have time for this journal entry. I know I've been lax in updating lately, mostly because I've been so weighed down with stuff to do. This weekend was wonderful and relaxing, and I did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! you hear that?! And I was absolultely thrilled to do nothing all weekend, just watched Disney movies (Toy Story 2, Lion King), Princess Mononoke, and played Sims2 a lot. And oh MAN did I need a break this weekend, even though I really should have been writing papers, reading books, and so on and so forth.

So now I must get off livejournal (haha, as if I won't be checking for updates in... oh, 15 minutes) and start all my homework, and take a nice long shower in there somewhere. I ahve a lot to do this week, and this stuff is only the things I can remember off the top of my head!

For Tomorrow:
-History Summentary (read article and write summentary)
-Rough draft of Anna Karenina theater unit paper!!! (Waaaaaaaaah!)

Wednesday:
-Medieval Lit outline for term paper DUE (waaah)
-Do a Queer THeory QCQ

Thursday:
-Anna Karenina paper DUE

Friday:
-History paper on Persian Letters due

I never realised what a small study abroad programme I must have chosen! Outside of the required German and austrian civilization courses that every student must take, they are only offering 24 courses, and a lot of those are specialised business or art classes. So I'm really not going to be taking a lot of history classes, which is definitely going to set graduation back. Technically I could be taking the two European history classes being offered, but since I really have enough European history credits ANYWAY already filled and I really don't know if I want to be taking both a European Relations AND a European economics course at the same time (I think I'd have to kill myself), I'm opting for a music history and an art history class. Especially since music classes "require" trips to the symphony and the opera (WHOOT!) and art history "requires" trips to museums (whoot!!!). History classes are restricted to visiting concentration camps, which usually makes me cry.

Salzburg College Proposed Schedule:

Austrian Civilization (3 credits)
Advanced German (3 credits)
US/ European Relations since World War II (3 credits)*
History of Music: Romantic to Modern (3 credits)
History of Modern Art (3 credits)

Alternates:
Beginning Photography
Economics and Politics of the European Union (3 credits)

Huh, why does Truman seem to be TRYING to screw up my chances to study abroad? One day I'm getting an e-mail about the applications I Should have recieved from my university to Austria, only to have no idea what they're talking about. So I have to e-mail Austria to get exlectronic copies of the applications only two days ago, so I'm hardly finished filling them out at all much less have them in the air-mail to Austria. Then today I get an e-mail today thta they're going to be finalizing classes and they don't have my class schedule yet (Because that was part of the pre-mentioned packet I never recieved). So I'm going to ahve to send them the classes I want over e-mail some time today just to be safe either today between classes or tonight sometime.

man, when someone said not to trust the Study Abroad Office at Truman, they weren't kidding! And they'd been doing so well with my application so far. >_< So, today I must quickly choose some classes (not that hard, it's a small programme with a very small amount of classes beign offered), e-mail it off asap, and then complete the applications I printed out electronically and send them over air-mail soooon! Also drop off my $500 cheque today at the office to hold my place in the programme. Also, Ash is goign to take me to the liscence bureau tomorrow hopefully to get my "passport sized pictures" taken so that can actually happen.

The first thign that made me laugh today after stressing all morning about how awful the rest of this week (and next week) is going to be was from nobleplatypus's livejournal about the Harry Potter movie. :
"Was also looking at screenshots over at the leaky cauldron. They're all very pretty, aren't they? The actors, I mean. All pretty and wearing such hip clothes. Apparently, they've all transferred from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to St. Abercrombie's Modeling Academy. "Take those robes off and put on something trendy! Raa!"


This could not be worse timing for the Prism Dance this weekend. Not only do I have a book to finish (at least I'm 2/3 of the way through) and a Summentary due by 3:00 Sunday afternoon (and THAT'S after probably dancing the night away until 5 in the morning!!!), but also my Anna Karenina project to finish by Tuesday (I'm going to make paperdolls, I think. This requires work. And time. That I dont' have). This probably means that I cant' stay up too late Friday night and hang out with Denni because I'm going to need to get up Saturday and do my history summentary. Blarg. Also, my lit paper is due Friday and I really need to do well on it considering I completely and utterly bombed the midterm. Fuck, I have so much to doooo! At least I'm getting to see Denni and going to dance my ass off at the PRism dance and forget all about school for a few precious hours. Oh, and another good thing, I got an A- on my first Anna Karenina paper. Whoot.

Been thinking about how I'm going to post pictures on lj while in Austria. Because I know I'm going to take SHITLOADS of them. With no digital camera, it will be hard to post online, but I'm assuming the school will have scanners somewhere. I should remember to stock up on film when I'm getting ready to go. Also, check and make sure my camera still works, it's getting a little worse for wear, but it's a damn nice camera that I gto for Christmas like 4 years ago or... somethingand it works just fine last time I checked. I also, this weekend, need to double-check on money for study abroad, which worries me. I think I need all sorts of deposits in fairly soon. And go to the office and ask about the fees, because one is asking for a $500 deposit by November 17th adn then a seperate piece of paper says a $300 deposit, both to confirm my place in the program. So it'd be nice to know if it was one or the other or both. Also, I need to fill out the Student Identity Card application and give THEM $22 and fill out my Emergency Information. Waaah. I cant' concentrate on school stress AND trying to remember to get all this stuff paid.

Anyway, enough stressing for you guys! It's a fuckign beautiful 70 degrees outside... I love this weather so damn much.

I GOT ACCEPTED!!! I got accepted into the Austria programme!!! Damn, I turned in my application, like, less than two days ago, and today I get a phone-call that I have a packet at the study-abroad office I need to pick up. Being tired and stressed, I really had no idea what kind of packet I would really need to be picking up, but when I got it before class, my acceptence letter plus like... 15 other sheets were stuffed inside. "Dear Kara, I am pleased to inform you of your acceptence to participate in the CCIS-approved Semester in Austria Program at Salzburg College Spring 2006."

Of course now I'm even more stressed out because they need all this money and down-payments from me, so I ahve to like, e-mail copies to my parents and stuff. I wish I could go home BEFORE Thanksgiving so I could go over all the crap they gave me. Because I have to like, send in a shitload of cash to them by sometime mid-December to hold my place in the programme. I have emergency contact information to fill out, photographs to send to the school in Austria, an application for a Student STudy Abroad Identification Card, loans to get, bills to send to Austria, and papers to go through about what health stuff and visas and documents I need for Austria. AT least I was also sent a course catalouge, because I also have to register for classes. I did get a nice little information booklet about study abroad and how to prepare and what I'll need, etc, along with another packet about Austrian Culture (Note: Do not put my finger next to my temple or on the side of my forehead and twist it, because I will insult people. Chewing gum in public is rude. The weather is cold in the winter so I might freeze to death, but the mountains are pretty. Almost everyone is Roman Catholic. I should value cleanliness, etc etc). I have a LOT to do in a very little amount of time (it's weird to think about this happening in only 2 and a half months! How in the HELL is it possible to do this in time?!!? Especially all the MONEY issues *Cries*), but I am so excited I can barely contain myself. This is what I've been waiting for! I can't beleive I got in!

...It's going to be so weird being away from my family and friends... the idea that I'm not going to be here for Ash's last semester at Truman or not even be able to talk to Den or the roomies online or on the phone much because of the time difference. But... I'm going to bloody AUSTRIA. My god, I'm going!

Woah. I just e-mailed my Constitutional Government professor about my final grade? Apparently I got an 80% on the final. Which means I get a fucking B in the class because Prof. Hagerty promised us that if we did better on the final than the midterm, he would take that grade instead!!! THis is the same class where I got a 67% on the midterm even after studying my ass off and I was currently worrying about how I was going to have to take the course all over again and never graduate from college. DUDE. 80%! Man, I hope that was MY grade and not someone elses. I guess my studying over fall break paid off! *does victory dance*

Of course, that doesn't mean that I've learned anything, because I'm about to go take some Aleve for the cramps and take a bit of a nap instead of studying for my big scary Medieval Lit midterm tomorrow... stupid cramps. Tonight Queer Theory is showing Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, which I am going to see because it's for class and how could I pass something like that up?! Even though I should be studying studying studying.

Also, I guess I need to start picking out classes for so I can register for next semester in case I don't get to go abroad. There's an Ancient West Aisa and Egypt history class I'd kill to take if I am here next semester, along with Native American Lit, WOrld Cinema Lit class with my Queer Theory professor from this semester, Native American Frontiers hitory course, and Latin American Revolutions history course all sound really interesting. But despite the fun classes available next semester, I'm really hoping that I won't be here to take them. I'm really, really anxious about study abroad... the office told me they can easily fax my application to the study abroad programme at any time, so I don't have to worry about snail mail, but I cant' figure out what my other two professors with my reccomendations are up to. I've written thank you notes, reminder e-mails, and yet they still haven't turned anything in. I guess I'll have to go ask them about it AGAIN. Blarg. I hope my The Network cd comes soon! I also just copied my roomates Beatles Anthology into my itunes, and am enjoying it immensly.

anyway. naptime! B in Government! Whoot!

The horrible stomach ache I woke up with that had me wondering if I was coming down with the Flu turned out to just be really bad cramps. After staying up all night tryinhg to complete my Survey of Modern Europe midterm (Stupid midterms!!! You're not supposed to drag on for three weeks! Soon enough ti will be time for finals and we'll STILL BE TAKING MIDTERMS!), I totally crashed in a haze of Aleve, which I am planning to do again once Allison gets picked up this afternoon because Queer Theory was CANCELLED (hell yeah!). Also, my Medieval Literature midterm is Wednesday and I'm freaking the FUCK out about it because that's a damn lot of medieval texts in old English that we're goign to have to recognise on cue and be able to identify. I mean, I'm reallllly freaking out about it. So tonight I have my summentary for Survey of Modern Europe plus I need to get my ass moving on re-reading all these Medieval texts. Blarg, also I need to e-mail my Constitutional Government professor to see if I passed his stupid ass class so I can graduate from college.

I'm getting antsy about my study abroad crap. I turned in my application late last week (Thursday or Friday, I can't remember), but they haven't sent it off because only one of my three reccomendations were in. Which is NOT good because I'm assuming the programme office has to recieve the application by November 1st, not the Truman study abroad office. So I sent the Truman office and e-mail askign how worried I should be about this getting in on time, and also e-mails to my professors about the reccomendations themselves. One wrote me back right away saying she would drop it off this afternoon, but my Queer Theory professor has dissapeared off the face of the planet. Blarg, I really hope this works out... I will continue to check my e-mail like a fiend until I hear back from someone.

And now I might go against Allison's suggestion to wait until the picking-her-up stuff has blown over to go lie down, even instead of a possible fun excersion to Wal*Mart with Ash, because cramps... not so much fun. And sleep really is fun. I do, however, need some more Soup at Hands, I go through that stuff like... erm... insert metaphor here, probably something to do with hot guys or Rufus or slash. Wow. Brain is BROKEN hard-core. This calls for snuggling deep under my covers.

also, I can't get this damn song out of my head.
http://www.collegehumor.com/movies/46954/