Che cos'è?

Scrivo in l'italiano oggi, perchè... ho voglia di scrivere in l'italiano.
Anch'io do un esame orale lunedì. Allora...
Questa settimana scorsa è stata molto... interessante. A volte mi sono divertita; a volte mi sono rilassata. Mi è piaciuto il tempo perchè ha fatto bellisimo tutti i giorni! Ma povere Denise non ha visitato la spiaggia mai questo week-end... *piango*.
Ancora la mia famiglia ed io siamo stati felici. I miei genitori hanno decorato la casa con le luce, etc. per Natale... io mi sono annoiata, così sono uscita con mio fratello da vedere il film "Stranger Than Fiction"... dunque, mia madre è andata anche.
Allora, faccio molti compiti... leggo tanto, particolarmente per i corsi di economia e psicologia e biologia... ah, per tutti i miei corsi.
Capisci.
Così... ho molto sonno. Vado schiacciare un pisolino. A presto!

Bliss.

Family. Friends. Free food. What more could a college student ask for?

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Get a life. Then keep it.

Hey, Life. Remember me? The kid with the red hair? The kid who loves Apple Cinnamon Cheerios and That 70's Show? The kid who used to spend game night with her friends, shooting pool and playing ping-pong and listening to some tunes? The kid who had to sacrifice you, Life, and all that (except the hair, of course) to focus on mountains upon mountains of schoolwork?
Oh wait. I never did that. Must've been some other kid. Whoops.
That would be me, though, if I decided to take a 17-hour courseload next semester. Well, I assume that would be me. I have, however, opted out of that sad socially-lacking life. Instead, I have chosen a comfortable route of 14 hours, plus a job. Also, at the moment, I plan on allocating those three hours of now-free-time to clubs on campus - namely the Free Hugs Club. Today marks the first informal meeting of the Free Hugs Club - we will advance on the sign-making frontier in preparation for our first Hug-A-Thon! Onward, brave and noble huggers!
It's all so exciting. We've decided to have the Hug-A-Thon on the Monday before Thanksgiving as a kind of unwinding from the reservoir of tests everyone has recently waded through. Maybe we'll make someone's day brighter... maybe not. It's really their choice whether they take advantage of the free hugs or not. Anyway, the Hug-A-Thon is Monday, November 20th from 11 a.m. until the last hugger leaves. We'll be in the West Mall (you know, where every other club at UT camps out). So indeed, I hope to see some of you out there!

Don't mock me.

Because I did quite well in my mock interview today.
Beforehand, I nervously wrung my hands, paced back and forth like a caged lion, and furiously wiped the sweat from my brow time and time again.
Not really. I was fairly nervous, but then I realized that it was just a mock interview - I probably wouldn't be asked any job/industry-specific questions unless my interviewer just so happened to know quite a bit about Amgen (which would be extremely coincidental considering most college business students have hardly even heard of this, the world's leading biotech industry). And those are the kind of questions that I'm pretty sure I'm not ready for just yet.
Overall, though, I think I did pretty well. I still need to work on my STAR skillz. Yes... "skillz". Sure, I can handle the "Tell me about yourself" and the "Why did you decide to apply for this position?", but the STAR questions get me. Note to self: practice makes perfect. Or at least makes a perfectionist think it's perfect.
Perfect is a funny word.
On a happier note, this is my "off" week. By "off", I don't mean "off my rocker" (though some may argue that it certainly would apply); I mean, this is my week without tests. Without many perpetual hours of studying, without struggling to focus on mutagens while the sounds of DDR pounded through the dorm walls, without trying to combat the constant distraction of my fish tank (hey, when you concentrate too hard for too long, anything can distract you).
But you already knew that.
Ok, I'm starting to get side-tracked by the movie my friends are watching. "Deconstructing Harry"? Eh, I guess I'll watch it and see if it's any good. I'm not a huge Woody Allen fan, but maybe... just maybe.
Farewell for now. For those of you who have yet to go to your mock interview (or those have a regular interview in the near future), I wish you luck. Just don't forget to breathe.

Finally.

The insane week is over. I felt like a hermit all week long, mostly sticking to the study lounge or my dorm when I wasn't in class, studying my brains out, and getting anywhere from three to five hours of sleep each night. I'm so ready for a nap.
On the plus side, I don't have anymore tests until after Thanksgiving. And at least I didn't have 3+ reports to write, like so many people I talked to this week did.
However, The Examination Marathon is only half over: I still have to wait for my grades on the Psych test and on the Bio test. With my successful domination of the Eco and Italian exams (both A's!), my painstaking efforts seem to provide promising outlooks on the Psych and Bio results. Yay!
In other news, I registered for classes on Wednesday. I happy with my schedule, but I could be happier. Here it is thus far:
ITL 507: First-Year Italian II - Language and Culture
ECO 304L: Introduction to Macroeconomics
PSY 304: Introduction to Child Psychology
BA 324H: Business Communications - Oral and Written
I'm on a waitlist to get into MIS 301. If I do get into that class, I'm either going to need to drop one of my current courses or quit my job - I seriously don't think I could handle 17 hours and a job and maintain a social life. The mere thought makes my head spin.
Note to UT students: There's a Gigglepants Improv show tonight. I've only seen them once, but they're pretty hilarious. It's in Calhoun 100 and starts at 7 p.m. Best part about it? It's free. So if you're looking for a "cheap" laugh (ah, I really should stop with the puns), bring your friends! Your family! Your dog! Your collection of China dolls! Just go.

Thank you, Anonymous.

I stand corrected. I do not have four midterms next week. I have four plain exams that fall somewhere in between the start of the semester and the final exams; they are simply the "middle" tests - not the first, not the last (i.e. third, in most cases), but the middle (i.e. second).
And, Anonymous, assuming you're reading this, I'd appreciate it if you didn't insult my mathematical aptitude next time you choose to leave a comment - I make mistakes. That doesn't change the fact that I tested out of Calculus.

Class a drag? Hit The Drag.

Oh jeez. My puns are awful. But this one does have a purpose (or two, rather): A) There's a table set up close to the Co-op Outlet that's handing out free video games - demos or something. Not that I picked one up, because there's no way my computer would support them. B) the Outlet is having a sale today; four t-shirts for $20, and hoodies and sweatshirts are marked down. I don't know about you, but I'm a fan of cheap apparel. And even if you've already accumulated mountains of free t-shirts throughout the first quarter of the school year, this is still a great deal. So...
You. Go. Now.

The Amazing Remedial Powers of Office Hours

Attending my professors' office hours is apparently essential to my success as a student. Unfortunately, I learned the hard way: a C and quite a few B's have opened my eyes. Now, I know B's aren't bad, but I'm an overachiever. I want those A's. And it's so frustrating that I take the tests and I'm "positive" that I knew the answers to almost every question - only one or two questions make me hesitate. Yet I get my grades back and - what do you know? - I got an 86 or a 79 or a 88. Obviously, I got more than one or two questions wrong. So what do I do? I up the studying. More time, more focus, more everything. Still, a B on the test. Now, I'm at an impasse. I think there is absolutely nothing left for me to do. There is no way I can get above a B.
And then the clouds parted, and the light shined gloriously upon me: I had yet to attend office hours of my professors.
Not really, but you get my drift.
I went to my economics professor's office hours today, and I asked about everything that I didn't completely understand. Now, I am so much more confident about taking my test next week.
Of course, I guess I won't really know if the office hours helped or not until I get my test grade back.
In related news, I have four midterms next week. Count 'em: FOUR. Economics? Check. Italian? Check. Psychology? Check. And Genetics? Check.
Denise's Social Life for the Next 10 Days = Non-existent.