Okay, so to celebrate graduation, I'm going to give a "While I was in School"
awards ceremony to kind of tally what went on in the past four years, here in Ann Arbor. (So this won't include moments like Dr. Bob's Funeral or The Roadtrip...)

ACADEMIA:
Most Influential Teacher:
Anne Berggren, English 325, 225
Runners up:
Eileen Pollack, English 423
Annette Masson, Voice Curriculum

Best GSI's:
I've actually loved all my GSI's. Never had a problem with them. But the most influential have been James McNaughton of English 124 and Michelle Turner of English 223

Most Fun Class:
Dialects
Runner up:
Stage Combat

Class Most Loathed:
Acting XIII, Styles
Runner Up:
American Drama

Most Depressing Class:
American Drama
Runner Up:
Professor Back's English 229

Best Lecture:
Ralph Williams, Shakespeare

Easiest Class:
Politics and Pop Culture of the 1960's

Hardest Class:
Clown, and it was one credit!
Runner up:
Italian 101. My professora was nuts.

Favorite Book I read in College:
The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood.

Least Favorite Book I read:
The Theater History Text Book. What a terrible text.

Favorite Short Story:
Sonny's Blues
Runner Up: The Lump

Best Play Read in College:
The Tempest

Least Favorite Play read in College:
Oh, probably the London Merchant. I just did not want to read that.
Runner Up:
The Time of Your Life by Saroyan

Funniest Moment from a Professor:
When John Neville Andrews told me to "Shut the fuck up, Nora."

ON THE STAGE:
Most Fun on Stage:
The Miss Firecracker Contest

Hardest Show:
The Fantastiks, for many reasons, most of which I will do my best to forget. Though, I will never forget Saturday Night's slap and hives.

Least Fun on Stage:
Richard III

Worst Rehearsal Process:
The Grapes of Wrath

Weirdest play I was in:
The Possibilities

SOCIAL SCENE:
Funniest Roomate:
Elma Wu
Runner Up:
Bekah Brown

Most Dramatic Friendship:
Eric and Dan
Runner up:
Jenni :)

Friend with most Spiritual Influence:
Jenni (Ask me how we met)

Most Loyal to Bible Study:
Rebecca Ridenour (and I'm glad she is!).

Friend I most liked to spoil:
Bethany (Because she spoiled me too!)

Best Long Distance Relationship:
Lisa Czapski. Long distance on so many levels (and she's my spouse, according to our Nat'l Parks Pass-- Sorry Lisa! I couldn't resist).

Best Neighbors:
The Hot Germans (Ziegler's)

Worst neighbors:
The ones who burnt down my apt building.

Saddest Moment:
When Ben P. moved to LA

Worst Moment:
Crashing Evelyn into a sorority girl.

Scariest Moment:
Watching the Twin Towers come down

Most Influential CD:
The one Lisa made me before I got here, "Nora's Hip Tunes"
Runner Up:
U2: All That You Can't Leave Behind.

Best Concert:
They Might Be Giants. I went with Sarah Zeile!
Runner Up:
Bob Dylan at Hill
Sweet Honey in the Rock

Best Movie Experience:
Seeing Neverending Story at the State
Runner Up:
The Big Lebowski

Best Restaurant:
Zanzibar
Runner Up:
Raja Rani

Funniest Memory:
Ian and Rachel throwing woodchips at my window

Most memorable song:
Walk On
Runner Up:
My Name is Not Susan

Best Quote:
"Without prayer I'm just an angry old man... without duct tape"--Harry Martin
Runner up:
"There's no mistakes in the theater! You can't make a mistake. You might fuck up... But there're no mistakes" -JNA

.. More categories yet to be added...?

Which Legendary Actress are you?

I found the survey. I'm glad, very glad, that i'm not marilyn monroe.

Once again, I lost a wonderful song opportunity (The last time was when I didn't listen to LOVE IS JUST A FOUR-LETTER WORD by Bob Dylan on Valentine's Day). This time it was not listening to the Who singing I'M FREE on the day I finished classes. I used to listen to it on the last day of High School classes. Yet, as some remember, that was always my birthday because I refused to attend school past my Birthday, June 10. Only in the DPS could I get away with that brand of stubborness...

Hm. I guess I could listen to I'M FREE tomorrow, after graduation.

Graduation...
AH!

I got a job today! I'm now working at the Jamaican Jerk Pit as a waitress.

Haha.

Ian Trevethan works there. I went to visit him and then asked for an application, and the manager said, "When can you start?" as he handed me one. I guess they are short on employees. I start Saturday night, so if I told you I was free Saturday, I guess I was lying. Sorry!

Ask me about our Jamaican Hush Puppies!

Well, that didn't take long. I wonder how long it will take me to remember that I hate waitressing.

...It's snowing.

Okay, the news on the street is... No, it's not on the street. But the news in my life is that I need another job. Today Lisa and I are supposed to look for jobs. Not together--on the opposite sides of the Metro Detroit Area.

It's terrible, but I really don't want to work. Right now being that woman in a Jane Austen era novel who's educated but slightly bored and only looking for a good match--being that woman doesn't sound so bad.

I wish I had a job where I was paid to read good books and drink tea. Because THAT's what I want to do this summer.

Here are some bits of dialogue I've overheard lately:

1) A kid walking behind me on the way to S Quad, speaking on his cell phone:
"Girl, now you know there are three sides to every story. Your side, her side, and the truth."
I've never heard that one before.

2) Walking through the Natural History Museum to my job at the insects division, I heard three kids, no older than five years old, crowding over that wide tube that places have for donations. You know, you throw a coin in and watch it spin around and go down a drain type thing.
"A: What is that for?
B: It's a toilet.
A: No, it's not!
B: Yes it is!
C: It's an insect cup."

GOOD NEWS:
1) Kara and Mike are engaged.
2) I'm done with school for a while. Yippee
a. I can write what I want
b. I can read what I want
3) Thanks to Bethany, I now know how to sing "Ding dong the witch is dead" In German:
"Ding dong, die Hexe ist tot.
Welche alte Hexe?
Die bose Hexe!
Ding dong die bose Hexe ist tot!"

Okay, yes, I admit that the last thing was pretty random, but in a way, it fits. It is the first song of independence I ever learned... Hm.