the usual miscellaney

My attention span decided to leave me for the day. Hopefully it will return tomorrow. (Naturally, it deserts me on the weekend I have a paper due. You know. Of course. Convenient timing, what?) I made the mistake of not taking an hour or two yesterday to go to the library and work on Latin (despite the fact that I have a Latin class in the morning), although I did get about an hour and a half in today: but see again, attention span effectively gone, which means I don't do the usual "search for the verb and rearrange the words in your head until they make sense" bit and instead went straight left to right, the way I do when I'm tired and it's hard for me to concentrate. (Apparently, some professors teach it this way, though, so at least it's not totally incorrect.)

I haven't been doing much studying in my dorm this semester, at least so far. I've been carrying my Latin textbook, notebook, and sheaf of looseleaf paper (so many trees die for me to study Latin: on the bright side, at least it's the latest in a long two thousand year tradition) around with me nearly everywhere, so I have the habit of, after my late afternoon classes, going to the library to work through another chapter or so of Latin. Or, when my roommates start acting up, collecting my things and going to the LBC or the library to work through some more Latin. (This is helped by the fact that after last semester's fiasco, I'm no longer particularly comfortable phoning home while anyone else is in the apartment, so I now tend to make my phone calls from the LBC or while I'm walking to Whole Foods. Also by the fact that sometimes I'm really, really uncomfortable in my apartment, for various reasons. I think I can say with some certainty, however, that PMS makes me paranoid (especially re: my roommates). I miss the days when it just resulted in chocolate cravings.) Only yesterday that never happened, because I don't have a late afternoon class on Fridays. *sighs* And nothing happened to make me leave my apartment in the evening. Seriously, I've spent more time out on campus after dark in the past two weeks than I have in the previous two and a half years put together, mostly just walking to or from the library and/or LBC. Also one of my classes that ends at 5:45. (I hate late afternoon classes.)

Anyway, I've been spending a lot of time in the LBC working through Latin, either back chapters or the chapters we're currently on (and, unfortunately, there's a gap of about five chapters in between those two), even after the food court closes -- the LBC is one of the few student centers in the U.S. that's open 24/7, so that's nice. Interesting to see who comes in after the main food court closes, though Der Rathskeller's open till about four in the morning. (The Rat's the World of Wings in the basement. Don't ask me why we have a basement when we're in a city that's below sea-level.) Today I think something was going on with Rush, since there was a herd of girls in short skirts and fancy heels migrating through the LBC. (I assume they were in nice dresses, but they were bundled up against the cold. The short skirts and fancy heels seemed mandatory, though. One reason why I shall never be in a sorority.)

Where was I? Oh. Attention span totally gone. May go back to knitting, since one of my goals for this weekend is to finish this sock, and I finished the gusset today and am partway through the foot. Which is pretty quick going, and I don't mind kitchener stitch. (Sad news: I started this pair of socks in October, and have only just once more picked up the second sock, which only had the cuff done. Am on a sock kick, though. No pun intended. Now I have a shawl with about eight rows remaining on my WIP/stash shelf.)

I made a great apple crisp earlier this week. Must pick up more apples and pecans at Whole Foods so I can do it again. I'm debating getting shortening, too: I can't get Crisco anywhere within walking distance, so I'd have to get the tub of organic whatever from Whole Foods, and I'm not sure I'll go through that much. (I use it for crostata dough and one particular biscuit recipe. I do have a cookie recipe that calls for it, though I usually use a variant that calls for canola oil instead.)

I have a teetiny bit of non-Dust Narnia fic in the works -- a continuation of this. Among other things, I'm trying to work through my problems with Jill POV. (Which is, uh, actually completely counter to what that fic's about, gah. I need to Jill On Her Own sometime, because most of what I have is Jill going, "Dude, the Pevensies are weird." Only she sounds more English. I mostly managed to conquer that with Eustace, now to do so with Jill.) Not sure what's going on with Dust 24: there are a couple different ways I could go, and I'm not sure which one to choose. (Could do both, might want to do the other one later, should probably have this scene, but don't really want to, this scene would be helpful, but I'm not even sure I want that character to exist, but the passage of time! and goddamn my choice of shoving a freaking festival into the middle of my fic too.)

In conclusion, a Narnia vid rec that is absolutely brilliant and gorgeous: Never the Same, by anonymous, for festivids. It is very smart, and very pretty, and has a great music choice. I generally don't watch Narnia vids or look at Narnia fanart or read Narnia fic or, well, uh, do anything relating to the fandom outside my own journal, actually, so I approached this vid with great trepidation. But it is brilliant.