Monday, August 26, 2002
 

Today was a busy one (ie, no reading has gotten done yet). We had the English grad orientation from 8:45-2:00. First up was a tour of the library, which, believe me, was much needed. It's seven floors, and it's a newer building grafted onto an old building, which produces some weird twists and turns. No two staircases are located together, which is massively confusing. Then we had a tour of campus (also needed, at least for those of us, who, like myself, went to very small schools). After that, a meeting with the DGS and the acting chair for them to scare us into thinking about our dissertations (ARRRGH). They went over basic information: thesis, grading, language requirement, etc. After that, a two-hour lunch extravaganza with the faculty (read: boxed lunches in some windowless room in the basement of the student center). I sat with the highly entertaining Foucault-lookalike who I argued with extensively last time I was here. I love him to bits already. I chatted with a number of people, two of whom were celebrities of the nerdy world. I was also able to talk to Vereen Bell, my personal idol. After that, there was an hour between lunch and an all-grad student orientation. I had planned just to wander around campus, but it started to rain. I ended up going back to my apartment (and talking all the while, so I wasn't being antisocial), dumping a bunch of heavy stuff in my backpack, getting rain-ready . . . so, of course, it quit raining. I made it back over to campus, wandered around until I found where I was supposed to be, and went to the orientation (where I relocated two of my fellow students). Anyhoo, I have a buttload of reading to do, so I'd better get back to Homi Bhabha.

Elvisette philosophized at 4:49 PM