Fears Assuaged

College! Well, I've just become a senior. It's honestly a bit of a power trip. Going into Café Mac and having people mistake you for a freshman, then turning it against them and saying "No, I'm a senior" in a powerful tone of voice is an excellent experience. And through the magic of social interaction, I've discovered that all of my friends have formed a massive supergroup, so I can't go to a gathering of my peers without meeting at least two dozen people with whom I am familiar. It is most wonderful. Long gone are the sophomoric days of going to parties and knowing only one person. Long gone are the times when I'd actually have to introduce myself. Long gone are the heady days of youth when things like beerpong were a challenge to me. (Ok, disregard the last one, perhaps.) In any case, I am enjoying my senior year greatly.

My classes are going swimmingly. True, I have yet to break my mind of its firm hold on the idea that summer has yet to end, but luckily, I don't have a single paper due before October, and let's be fair, I've suffered a lot through the last three years. I am at my apogee, mentally, socially, and... I dunno what else. But what ever it is, it's apogeeing as well. Yes, I just invented that word. I rock like that. Being 21 is a delightful time. I've discovered that it is a transitory moment (a liminal moment, for the anthropologically-inclined) that encompasses the best of both worlds. I'm legally able to go to bars and hang out with a much "older crew" of people, but at the same time am socially accepted among my freshman and sophomore friends. It's wonderful. Plus, being a senior, I am gifted with the responsibility of age-induced madness. What would life be like if we were all staid and stoic? Boring, is the answer.

I am not doing an honors project, in part because my two years of frittering over ideas of what to research have never come to fruition, but that is alright. The workload would have been stressful, and even though I would have completely it with admirable kwality, I realize that if I'm not passionate about something (like the subject of my honors thesis) I should not be engaging in work related to that thing. That's fine. I will, however, endeavour to graduate at least cum laude if not magna cum laude (but don't hold your breath. That would require me to get straight A's for the next two semesters. And while I am capable of that, to quote the President of the United Federation of Planets in Star Trek VI - The Undiscovered Country, "Just because we can do a thing does not mean we must do that thing." Okay, so not exactly Cicero or Kennedy, but the point comes across.)

Speaking of which, I was deeply saddened by the death of Ted Kennedy. Since my high-school days, I have let go of politics as a fervent passion of mine. I am still interested in politics, but I'm not going to become the next Lee Atwater or *spit* Karl Rove. Good administration and good governance are skills not incumbent in good campaigning and good electioneering. Unfortunately, I might add. The Chinese, in their infinite discretion against the democratic model of governance, have in some ways stumbled across how to administer and govern oh, 1.3 billion people. Of course, I am certain that the 2010's will provide them adequate challenge in how to accommodate ethnic minorities within a Han-dominated state. These puzzles of how multi-ethnic (or multi-national) states exist in spite of internal differences is a pressing question for the future. All I'll say on subject is, let's hope Canada doesn't go bat-shit crazy. They seem to be the model of how to integrate diverse elements of society into a state-wide framework (and I use state in terms of the dominant and legitimate political authority of a particular geographic area.)

Anyways, my classes. Let's see. I'm taking The Post-Soviet Sphere, Biodiversity and Evolution, Population Geography and Medical Geography. The Post-Soviet Sphere, taught by a visiting professor of Georgian (Asian Georgia) and Armenian background, is an interesting class, but like all classes in the International Studies department, is intense and full of dense readings. I hope it will go well. I have a presentation on Monday about theories of nationalism. This weekend will be full of that stuff. Oy vey. My biggest fear is that the class will encompass the usual IS randos who are only in there because they weren't qualified enough to be Poli Sci or Econ majors (sorry, but it's true. I'm a geographer, so I've got that to back me up. No worries there.)

My next class is Biodiversity and Evolution, which is instructed by Kristi Curry Rogers, married to the chair of the geology department, and an expert on dinosaurs. Also, she is one of the most highly regarded professors at Macalester, and all of my friends are envious that I am taking this class. I am sad that I am only now getting around to taking a biology class, as I have always had a passion and fascination for biology. It is the only hard science which lacks scientific laws. This is, mostly, because in biology the scope of inquiry is isolated only to the planet Earth, and our means of comparison are slim. One day, with luck and no doubt tribulation, we will venture among the stars and discover whether or not we are unique or whether we are merely a portion of the plethora of forms of life in this wide, wide universe. After all, we haven't even scratched the surface in terms of our examination of life on this one little planet. I am looking forward to the class immensely. I will, however, probably take it pass/fail, just because I can, not because I am worried about poor grades. I've never taken a class pass/fail, but I believe it will be a relief more than a burden.

My third and fourth classes, both in the geography department, are population geography and medical geography. Thus far, I've only had one class - population geography - which met on Wednesday. The professor, Holly Barcus, was out of town Friday to go to a conference of Rural Geographers in Tuscon. She is an excellent professor, who instructed me for my Introduction to GIS course. That was a wonderful experience, and I am eagerly anticipating this course. Holly is very interested in population-related issues in geography, and it should be good fun. My other class, a Monday night class, is medical geography, taught by the perpetually-visiting professor Helen Hazen. Helen is also extremely well regarded by students, and medical geography is always full. I am not entirely sure what the class will entail, as we have yet to meet. I will go to it this Monday, and inform you all of what will lie ahead.

On the whole, I am anticipating an excellent semester. Long gone are the days when I had to worry about who I'd have dinner with or whether or not so and so would be my friend. Not having to deal with social vagaries is a tremendous burden lifted, and I feel that this whole year will only be rewarding. My biggest challenge will be in the next few days as I begin to transition out of my summer sloth into doing the whole college thing. Best of luck to me.

I would also like to give a shout out to Grandma Anne and Judy, the latter having recently undergone laproscopic surgery to remove her gallbladder. She is on the mend, and I spoke to her this afternoon and she and I laughed twice. I recall reading an article on the BBC website that as people age (mentally, at least) their faculties to comprehend humor diminish first. I am especially grateful that Grandma Anne has not lost her wonderful humor, and that she and I (and Judy and all my relatives) have had enjoyed many fruitful years of companionship with her. I think of how many of my friends did not have the opportunity to know their grandparents into their more mature years, and I consider myself quite lucky. Even if the worst were to come to pass, I am safe in knowing that every moment I have spent with my grandmothers will never be lost. It is a wonderful and comforting fact, for which I cannot possibly thank them enough.

Alright, I must be off to sleep. Goodnight all, and best wishes.