After math class, one of my workshop group members was driving my roommate to the mall to pick up a game. Still naively thinking that I could pick up Clerks X, I shoehorned my way into the arrangement. After stopping at my room so that the height of my bed could be critiqued, we hit the other kid's floor and picked up a forth member. After a stroll to "B" lot, we took of on a wild and turbulent ride and ended up at Best Buy. This made me happy; surely Best Buy of all places would carry Clerks X! Alas, it was not to be. I hit Target two stores down, but they too didn't carry it. It was on the walk back from "B" lot that I got irritated. They took to calling me "Ivan the Terrible" which I would have thought was above a college student mentality. I could have probably taken it with a better sense of humor, but after a Calc class that while probably my best yet (first 5/5!) I was in no mood to put up with any bullshit, even what may have been good-natured ribbing. Sometimes you just don't gel. Desperate to get away from the people and situations I associated with my least favorite part of the day, I hit the dorm.

As luck would have it, the two Mikes were just getting through with a Chem test and hadn't eaten. I met up with one while the other (the one I bike with) dealt with having his computer checked out by ResNet. After a little while, we took off and he called to say he'd meet us there. After a really good dinner of a real cheeseburger, curly fries, and a 32 oz. pink lemonade plus a near square block of Rice Krispie Treat and a healthy download of my emotional stress to others, I was feeling much better about things. We agreed to meet at 8:15; they were going to play raquetball, I'd do my biking, and we'd meet up for hot tub at nine.

I ended up running late, and they had forgotten I was coming. So it was that I played catch-up from Sol straight to the hypotonuse path to the Field House. Through sheer chance, I passed my Orientation Advisor on the way. She couldn't find anyone to go see the CAB showing of The Exorcist at ten and would I be interested? I'd avoided the film because it always seemed too much of a mind fuck for me. But that was an invitation that I was not going to pass up.

I got in twenty minutes on the bike while flipping between the audio for O'Reilly Factor (the TV for that was behind the bikes), Will & Grace, and a show about the Making of The O.C. Afterwards, I scoured the raquetball courts (which I hadn't know existed) and the biking Mike and I hit the hot tub, talked with Toley from Shaker's Blends, until they kicked us out about ten minutes earlier than they should have. By the time I was dry and dressed, it was 9:35. I hit the SAU directly, and met up with my O.A. and another kid from my orientation group. We managed to scrounge two chairs up, and in spite my protests, they switched off halfway for who got chair and who got floor.

It didn't terrify me like I thought it would, but I had to admire its craftsmanship. Really well done. The build-up to Merrin is great. The subliminal imagery effective. So I had a hell of a time watching that with two familiar faces, and then when at that moment at the door of the dorm I realized I had felt at home for a couple hours, finally. Thank God, with one week to go before the real thing.

Yesterday, the big things were no Calc, two tests, Smallville premiere, and the room to myself. No Calc means that my day ends at four, which is just spectacularly freeing. My Comp. Sci. class was half lecture, half quiz. I'm relatively confident that I did well. Won't really know until Monday. The entirety of my Cultural Anthropology class was the test; 30 multiple choice questions and an essay. I was the fifth or sixth last to finish out of a lecture hall. It felt easy to me, but I won't really know until I have the test back to really understand what she looks for in an essay.

Jumping back to today, I got my Writing and Lit. paper back. A-, which is above par from the sound of things. I also like the way he grades; his criticisms are very pointed and specific and address the problems in a very informative fashion. The professor, whatever else he may be, had a much firmer grasp of the English language than I've ever experienced directly before.

Nothing against my roommate, but sometimes it's great just to have the room to yourself. Last night was one such night. He left for a club right before the premiere of Smallville, so I was able to close the door, turn out the lights and just get totally absorbed. And it was an awesome premiere, too. Possibly the best episode of the series. Couldn't have come at a better time for me.

Now I'm going to ride this blissfully persistent wave of contentment through teeth brushing and then bed. No classes tomorrow! Yay. A week from this very moment I should be home.