a day of blah

I'm trying to post often--it's good to get writing, but some posts are going to be sucky I’m sure, the life of a grad student is often not exciting! Things that happened today:

1. Had physical therapy for my shoulder. I'm still not sure how I managed to hurt the thing, but my left shoulder had been getting more and more painful for about a month, so I went in and they sent me to do funny exercises, have a single shoulder massage, and get jelly and ulstrasound on it. Not as exciting as it sounds, although today I could actually hear the ulstrasound buzzing. I know it's sound waves, as was rather condescendingly pointed out to me when I commented, but I thought the whole point is that they're sound waves you can't hear, which is why they actually have a physical effect?

2. Went to class. It's uncomfortable, because I like the professor, but this class is a waste of my time. I appreciate academics being emotionally involved in their subjects as much as the next person (probably more, depending on whom I'm standing next to!), but he's just so... intense about it. The class is supposed to be on southwestern archaeology, but all he ever wants to talk about is how badly Native Americans have been treated by Anglos, and what that means for current populations (in the southwest mostly, so at least he's sticking to the correct region). And this is all true, I have no doubt about it, he has very good facts to hand. But it's NOT THE SUBJECT OF THE CLASS!! If I were taking a class on contemporary Native Americans in the southwest, I would be perfectly fine with this stuff, but I didn't sign on for that, so don't give it to me. I object to having to write my paper thinking not only of what I think, but also of what he is likely to feel about what I think, and tailoring the topic so as to be sure not to upset him. and the worst part is, I think he would be upset if I told him I feel this way, and all the little freshmen in the class don't seem to mind at all, so I’m keeping mum. rar!

3. Picked up the pot I painted from the studio. It turned out surprisingly well, actually. I may have a future in this--ten years down the road, all my income will come from selling my paint-your-own-ceramics items for vastly inflated prices! I will rule the world of pottery! ok, this is unlikely, but once I learn how to make the actual pot, Ii need never go container-less in the event of an apocalypse. It's funny that I always assume I would be one of the ones who survive the thing, left to fend for myself in unfamiliar and problematic surroundings. I'd say it was the eternal optimism of youth, only I'm no longer all that young, so it must be the overweening hubris of...I've got nothing here, actually. Grad students?
   
   4. Rehearsed with my scene partner. I think it will go pretty well, hopefully Shanlon wouldn't want to kill us if he saw it (unlike the first scene, which was appalling. never seen anyone projected backward into the air from a buss on the lips that way before, hope never to do so again! And he was the one who kissed me!)
   
   5. I sound so negative, don't I? Perhaps it’s the downswing of all the good things that happened last week, which I didn’t actually write about because I hadn’t yet resolved to write more. Hah! I taunt you! No, actually, I’m sure I will write about them eventually, but this is getting a little long.