( I which I complain bitterly about my results from this semester. )

Also making life interesting is the fact that I have a choice to make regarding my second, non Media studies major. I was pretty firmly convinced that I would do my second major in International Relations but now the sociology department has introduced a sub-major within their department in Policy Studies that interests me greatly, at least as much and maybe even more so than International Relations, so now I'm going through the whole what should I do thing again.

My subjects in the International Relations major would roughly be:

The European Union
Introduction to American Politics
Nations and States
Ethics and International Relations
International Law and International Organisation
Theories of World Politics

My subjects in the Policy Studies major would be (also rough):

Critical Social Policy
Deviance, Criminality and Social Control
Families and Change
Sociology of Health and Medicine
Social Policy, Welfare and the State
Social Theories of Deviance

GUH! What I'm going to do (I think ETA: I just looked at my timetable an I can get away with only been at uni for two days/week in first semester, Tuesdays and Thursdays and possibly only two days second semester as well, one of my media classes is yet to be scheduled) is do my core first year sociology requirements next year, then decide.

Damnit the sun is coming up so I should probably go to bed, huh?

ETA the second: if anyone is actually interested in what the courses contain, not that I find that likely, the Policy Studies info can be found on this page and the International Relations stuff can be found here.

University continues to kick my ass but I'm finally getting the upper hand and feeling like I'm in control. I have finished my radio history essay (and feel really confident about it), am working on my essay about Pakistan (which would be going a lot better if I could find a workable definition of Islamic Republic from a non-Wikipedia source and knew how to use the Harvard referencing system, Chicago I can do in my sleep now but I'm still really weak with Harvard and suck at using MLA and APA) and will complete my other four (one of which is half-done so 3.5 and one which is actually an annotated bibliography not an essay so 2.5) essays when I'm in Sydney from the 26 October-6th November.

My mum, Julie and Gab are coming down on Tuesday and will be staying until Friday, then I'm going to Sydney because I AM GOING TO SEE CROWDED HOUSE (as much as I hate the circumstances in which Nick and Neil were brought together again and as much as it just won't be the same without Paul I still can't believe that I actually get to see Crowded House)!!! TWICE!!! AND AGAIN IN MELBOURNE!!! I can't believe it is only 14 days! It has been 11 months since I have seen a Finn perform live (That was Tim at the Forum in January) and almost 18 months since I have seen Neil in any incarnation. 11 months is the longest I have gone without seeing a Finn brother since July 2005 (which is the first time I saw either one of them live due to a variety of reasons including but not limited to student poverty, the Crowdies habit of playing in over 18's venues back in the day and my parents being total assholes and not letting me go to Farewell to the World, for which they will never be fully forgiven.)

I hope my Neil staking efforts pay off again, I have been lucky in the past:

( Adventures in stalking )

Still on a fannish note, I like the two most recent episodes of House but will need to watch them again, as I was so wiped out the first time I watched them I barely remember them and 30 Rock is my new girlfriend, until such time as I get a new one and since it has been three years I'm not exactly optimistic on that front.

On a not cool and not fannish note I fell over on Thursday night running to catch a bus and have done some semi-serious damage to my already damaged left knee. I was running, which I almost never do because I have mild foot drop (which is worse in my left foot thanks to some drunken asshole on a tram who stepped on my awkwardly positioned ankle last year tore a bunch of ligaments) and running makes it much worse, combine that with the fact that I was trying to get the bus drivers attention instead of looking where I was going (I almost always look down at my feet when I walk to make sure I'm aware of what is ahead of me so I can step higher if I need too which looks odd but is better than falling) and the next thing I know I've tripped over a speed hump/divider type thing in the road and fallen left knee first into the next one along. Thankfully the damage only soft tissue bruising but the knee couldn't really take anymore damage that it already had and has started to get all clicky and locky again from me trying to position it so it doesn't hurt, blerg.

I have more to say but I need to get back to my essay so more later.

I have three essays due buy 5pm next Monday.

Politics - "What Progress has been made in the establishment of an international human rights regime since the Universal declaration of human rights in 1948?" which I am seriously considering changing to "Do ecological considerations call into question the legitimacy of the theory of stare sovereignty ?" on the basis that my tutor does not believe that the human rights question allows for enough analysis - 1,500-2,000 words - due Thursday 5pm.

Media Studies - "'Australian radio audiences have long enjoyed the most diverse array of broadcasting options in the world.' With reference to the period covered in the lectures discuss this statement's value in helping to understand the development of radio in Australia." - 1,500 words - due Friday 5pm.

Asian Studies - "Explain why Pakistan was created in 1947." - 1,500 words - due 5pm next Monday.

I am going to go and kill myself now.

1. The damn politics thing is finished, suckily and 150 words overlong but done.

2. cryptictac is evil, she made me fall in love with House/Stacy (I merely liked them before,) Now I'm capping every House/Stacy scene to make icons because they deserve A LOT more love.

3. We get season 4 of House at the same time as the US, squee!

4. My parents, my sister, mum's friend Kerry (whom I've never actually met but know a ridiculous amount about) and Kerry's daughter Amy (who is the same age as my sister) are coming down here for two days next week. Then my parents and my sister are coming down for another week in two weeks time, maybe three and then mum and Julie (an possibly Gabby) are coming down in October and then mum is coming down in November with her friends Kerrie, Joanne and Brenda. Well that's my time with the family quota filled for the year. No I'm actually looking forward to seeing them again, it is amazing what time apart can do for family relationships, I actually talk to my dad on the phone about once every 10 days, I would have been lucky to have one decent conversation with him per month when I was living at home. The only downside to this is that this is all during term time and my parents fail at realizing just how much work is required to do well in an arts degree, also I'm staying at the hotel with them so I get little breaks from my evil housemates.

5. The loan is approved, I'm getting a new apartment! DOUBLE SQUEE! I'm going to be a little more motivated to haul my ass out of bed at 7am on a Sunday to go property hunting now.

6. I wish I had been a contestant on Temptation tonight, they asked questions about The West Wing and Angels In America, Temptation FTW!

7. ( I want these t-shirts so bad right now. )

I want a) because my Asian studies lecturer James has a massive range of Chinese kitcsh and I'm totally obsessed with it and I want b) because L.O.U.D. (La Trobe Organization of University Debaters, of which I'm a proud member, does this make me a total nerd Y/Y?) can turn a debate about any given topic in to one or any combination of the following i) The Jarvis defence ie: New Zealand fails epically at everything ergo everything else is better than NZ (bouns points are given if I'm ajudicating and you manage to detach Neil Finn from his Kiwi roots) ii) a series of increasingly outrageous and hilarious analogies to pornography or iii) a series of hilarious and increasingly irrelavant to the topic being debated "In Soviet Russia" jokes.

8. That is all, I declare this post over.