Stuff

Hi I'm Lauren:

And I read blogs all morning so I'm finally going to update my own blog.

This past week I was called "funny" or "entertaining" like twice. Twice is a lot of times so clearly I must be hysterical. Anyway, my shenanigans this week were related to one of my English classes.Here's a little backstory.

This semester I am taking what amounts to a freshman English course. I am a senior. I major in journalism and minor in English. Shenanigans were bound to ensue. This is what the official course listing says:

"An introduction to the nature and interpretation of literary works and to reading and writing critically about literature. Credit does not apply to English majors or minors."

Now, apparently you can be in the class anyway as a minor or something. I didn't really pay attention. All I needed to know is that I would get three whole credit hours for being in the class no matter what. I need them three hours to gradumacate. Not for the minor. I'm already done with that. This is for shits and giggles. Anyway, this is what the prof's description of the course goals are:

This course will help you to develop techniques for reading, discussing, and writing about literature of various genres. It will teach you to think and write critically, as well as nurture your life-long love of reading!

That sentence amounts to all that I have read of the syllabus. Exclamation points mean fun times. I also had a class with this prof my... freshman or sophomore year. I don't really remember which one as all these years are starting to blur together. Anyway, we pretty much talk about race and things. And by "we" I clearly mean the rest of the class talks while I make snarky comments in my head and on twitter.

Last week we had to watch Gone with the Wind. I found out I think the movie is stupid. Every Thursday we're supposed to turn in a journal about what we think about the weeks readings. This week I didn't forget to do mine which was awesome. I wrote it before class and turned it in and went about the rest of my day which largely involves me being non-productive and hanging out in one room in the English department 'cause all my (all two of them) classes are in that room.

Anyway, come class time I settled into my chair and prepared myself for another day of staring at the clock and hoping I've developed the ability to time travel. No such luck I'm afraid. We had an aural quiz over the movie and at some point during the procession the prof was all like "blah blah blah DEATH BY PONY". Now normally, I would continue staring at the clock and working on my superpowers, but today that phrase seemed awfully familiar so I looked up at my professor. Lo and behold she was actively staring at me. Laughing at some inside joke I had clearly forgotten about.

Turns out it was a phrase I had used in my journal about why I thought the movie was stupid. Oops. Then she proceeded to explain to the class that even though I just sit in my little corner not saying anything I am really funny. Or something like that. It was an awkward moment where everybody stared at me and I just continued looking like I was too awesome to be there. What with my hipster garb and stuff and stuff.

Anyway, class continued on with me still working on my superpowers when prof lady decided we needed a group activity. We were going to reproduce a scene of Gone with the Wind. And we were going to act it out. So we split into groups. Aka, stared at the people around us until they decided they could be in our group since they were close by. After some talking and a lot of words that I don't remember I accidentally convinced a group of people that sock puppets were a good idea. I will be bringing in a transformer as the couples new carriage because come on, what says status better than a transforming car?

Anyway, this brings me to the second time I was told I'm funny. This lady I worked with in high school that one time I actually had a job commented on my status. (Of course, after accidentally convincing these people it was a good idea I couldn't not let the internet know so I made it a status.) Anyway, she commented all like "you're one of the few people who i haven't blocked in my feed 'cause you're entertaining." and I'm all like I must be funny! So now I've written a blog about it and you should laugh and call me funny too.

Anyway. Back on topic. After being called funny two whole times in a day I had to go see just what it is I had written in this journal in the first place. Turns out I was accidentally more snarky that I intended on being. Oops. Here's some highlights:

"For the vast majority of Gone with the Wind I wanted to punch Scarlett in the face"

"Ashley was a tool, Melanie (I think that’s her name) was a tool, Bonnie was annoying, and Mammy and the slaves made me want to punch kitties."

"Every time I’d really heard the movie mentioned it was just with references to the civil war and love stories. It (was) never really about how some stupid lady totally gets owned after years of almost torturing the people in her life."

Parenthesis were added to the above because apparently I forget to write all the words I'm thinking. Even when I turn things in...

"Even more amusing were the parallels between Bonnie and her Grandfather, the whole death by pony thing was totally foreshadowed from the get-go."

... I don't know why I think it's a good idea to turn things like this in. Apparently all that academic writing I've had drilled into me since kindergarden amounted to nothing. Because no where in my learnings was this ever really described as ok.