The place where dreams might be made of

So!  Guess who's a college student?  Me!  That's right, people: little Ashlee has entered the big, bad world of university.  I am writing this blog entry from my brand new dorm room at the Truman State University campus.  Lauren and Kat have yet to move in, seeing as they're sophomores, so I'm on my own until Thursday.  But that hasn't stopped a periodic visit.  Teehee.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves.  The day before yesterday, the nineteenth (also Kat's twentieth birthday), I took my driving test.  And I failed.  I made stupid mistakes that I realized I made immediately after I made them, and I didn't get close enough to the cone in front of me for the parallel parking.  But oh, well.  I'll have to find time to take it again.  I'm not fretting about it (anymore).

That night, the three of us went to Truman where a hypnotist was . . . wait for it . . . hypnotizing people.  The event was generally for the international students who arrived that day, but we went anyway since we were already in Kirksville.  It was absolutely hilarious.  I would go into detail, but that would take forever, and my memory kind of sucks.  At first I wondered if people were faking it, but I guess they weren't.  Lauren and I almost got hypnotized, too, sitting in the audience.  At one point I couldn't open my eyes, but when he told us to, the effect wore off.  Three different people sitting in the audience were hypnotized completely, though.  'Twas pretty awesome.

Aaaand now I'm in college!  Yesterday was filled with annoying, humiliating get-to-know you games, the kind of stuff I've always hated.  But whatever.  This College Cup is so sans dignity, we had BETTER win just to make it worth it.  See what I'm sayin'?  Today was filled with a rather funny program on the same old stuff they tell you whenever you go to any peer-filled thing, whether it be a youth conference, camp, or college.  Drugs, alcohol, sex, the same old stuff.  But at least it was funny.  I just got back from dinner, which was a picnic at "The Mall," which is actually just a quad-like area in front of the student union.  I put far too much ketchup on my burger, which was probably the size of my head.

I also had my first class, which was Writing As Critical Thinking.  I have homework.  And I managed to embarrass myself.  See, the professor, who is from India, mentioned when I said I was from Yuba City, California that there were a lot of Sikh there.  But I, being the cultural fiend that I am, mistook that religion for Islam, and didn't quite get what she meant.  But when she explained  it, I got it.  Still, though.  I'm now afraid she thinks I'm one of "those" people who think all Indian religions are Islam and that I'm this uncultured wretch.  Which I'm NOT.  Sigh.  Shoot me.

But other than that, go Truman!

Pictures of my dorm will come on Tuesday when Lauren and Kat are moved in.  But until then:

There's my window.

there's corn . . . in the field . . . 'cause it's a cornfield

Blog o' mine!  I bet my insane amount of followers (not) have missed the incessant updates.  Unfortunately for them, nothing has changed too significantly since I last wrote.  The only thing that has changed, really, is that instead of taking Intro to Philosophy this Fall, I'll be taking Logic.  WOO!  It's like math, but with concepts.  Maybe that'll make the equations and things easier since there'll actually be something definitive behind the numbers.  It's the only class I've got that actually has me excited, actually.  I mean, I'm really looking forward to taking French and Russian, but Logic will be the only thing that's actually new to me.  I've been studying French for two years on my own, and I've done some Russian, obviously I've done writing and math, so Logic is really the only unknown territory.  But I'm still excited!

Speaking of school, I move in two weeks and one day from now!  August 20th I'll officially be a college student.  Scary thought, that.  It's still only summer and I feel like a completely different person.  Living in Pikeville seems like a whole lifetime away.  There's still that lingering fear that things will come crashing down like I'm used to them doing, but so far so good!  I know I'm just a pessimist in that regard.  I do miss my family, though.  I'll never miss Pikeville itself, but the people.  It'll be nice to visit for a little while over Christmas, I think.

In other news, I am currently sitting in Java Jive in Hannibal!  It's a lovely café that the students of Truman are unlikely to experience due to the fact that it's not in Kirksville.  And the café there can't really compare, unfortunately.  Java Jive has wonderful soda.  And cookies.  Yum.  But yes, I am here with Lauren, who is writing away beside me.  We also had some fun with my webcam and made a makeshift (or "ersatz," if you will [teehee]) photo strip out of goofiness and boredom!  Wee!  Observe it's awesomeness!