> going back for my last semester and feeling a greater sense of dread than usual. in part knowing that most people are taking fun classes, or branching out into different fields for their last semester, but i'm bogged down by 4 required classes and the thesis on which work is not going well at all, and also not looking forward to meeting with prof milbank who's sure to have something very negative but only too justified to say about my 20 pages. i would murder me if i were her. i really hope she won't make me drop it, and worse, i hope she doesn't give me one of those i'm very disappointed talks, cos i bet anything she's disappointed with me. i am quite prepared for a month or two of keeping my head down, being in disgrace and getting some work done. if she doesn't boot me. i know it. i am a disgrace. oh dear.

otherwise, all neatly packed up, no debts outstanding, or at least not to my stomach or the library, letters posted, room in a little less disorder than yesterday, had my fill of laksa and orh luat, haven't seen enough people - chen xinyi! who, it seems, i won't see in charlottesville either - this always happens! people fly into dc and say to me, minzhi, we're coming down! and the next thing i know they say, hang on, we've only got two days, hmm, would we rather see minzhi, or new york city? and new york always wins.

back in cville late monday afternoon. i think. earlier i hope. and, seeing that the 22nd is coming up, at the risk of sounding totally ungrateful and presumptuous: as usual i have lists at amazon and alibris, but i'd really rather people didn't send me any books, unless they are very frivolous, or very light - because i have very limited space for housing them, even less time for reading, at least for now, and am already very stressed about how to ship all my books home in little less than four months. amazon/borders gift certs, on the other hand, are always welcome.


p.s. vaughn tan! you know very well i am on the plane. stop it!