took a three-hour study break in the middle of the day today: first a meeting with myrt, then hanging out/napping with claire in kohlberg, and finally to einstein brothers and pets-r-us, both on baltimore pike, with claire and megan. it was fun, but it reminded me, somewhat uncomfortably, that i'm ready for real life--you know, the kind of life where you get to have your own puppy instead of taking field trips to play with them. not that the playing with puppies part of my day wasn't the best...there was a particularly cute st. bernard, incredibly friendly and attention-seeking, who managed to get hold of my shirt with her teeth and tug until i was nearly in the pen with her. i guess i won't be wearing the blue tank top to special occasions any more. :-)

i'm beginning to feel slightly worried about whether i'll manage to complete both my fellowship apps and my class work this week. the short answer is no, i won't, and that'll just have to be too bad. i've been extraordinarily industrious this past week, but...well, application essays are the hardest ones. how in the hell do i explain everything i've done and everything i want to do in 1000 words?!?

...but we all have bigger fish to fry. it's funny how all the major media, as well as every politician on earth, are using the 9.11 anniversary to sell their agendas. most disturbing, of course, is the american myopia concerning the "need" to oust saddam hussein *right now*. if the bush administration was looking to increase rather than decrease the incidence of terrorism, i don't think they could come up with a better plan. how 'bout this: let's invade the middle east! and act aggressively just like the rest of the world expects! and get rid of bad governments! and replace them with weaklings! who swiftly lose control! and let people's lives go to hell! and become buried in a flood of anti-american fundamentalist wackiness! repeat!

shit.

it's also appalling to me that the bush administration would pull this stunt in such a clearly cynical manner--and that the american media would choose *not* to report it that way. having rushed into one conflict in afghanistan which clearly did not entirely serve its intended purpose (vanquish al qaeda? yeah right!), the administration is aware that overseas conflicts are a crowd-pleaser. so now, as people are beginning to question the 'of, by and for the rich' creed of this white house, with its enron and halliburton ties, it's clearly time to slaughter a few more civilians in order to pacify the populace. wheee.

sooo...no classes for me tomorrow, but laurel is putting together a peace vigil, for which i'm profoundly grateful. i just have to keep repeating to myself: dissent is patriotic. dissent is patriotic. dissent is patriotic. dissent is patriotic. dissent...and so on.