Introduction to a (Slightly) Stressed Philomath

Hello everyone! My name is Kathryn, and I am writing this post from the comfort of my armchair (which was featured in one of previous posts as one of my favorite places of all time only slightly facetiously. I love this chair), with a cup of tea in my hand and my hair standing on end from all the work that has descended upon me. It's only the first week of the semester! I think to myself. How could you already be so far underwater?

The truth is, I take a lot of classes because I'm interested in everything--but I'm still working on my time management skills. My major is anthropology (I'm actually double majoring in anthropology and linguistics, but the linguistics part is complicated). I knew it was going to be anthropology or nothing before I got to college. But I also really like writing--which is really why I was drawn to this class in the first place. Writing about myths and folk tales is a serious plus, because that's what I end up doing a lot anyway! I love to read mythology and folklore, and I don't get to do it enough. Plus I've always wanted to have a blog, but it was never really an option, time-wise. Also my life is kind of boring, day by day, which is what people generally blog about.

What do I do? I take a lot of classes during the semester. Sometimes I get in time for personal reading, but mostly I just flail uselessly under piles of assigned reading. I write essays (not stories so much, lately, but hopefully that'll change this semester). I procrastinate doing adult things like calling the bank and cleaning my room. And, last but not least, I memorize ridiculous amount of Arabic vocabulary. During breaks, I travel back to the Northeast, where my roots are, and do a lot of taekwondo and try to make money. Sometimes I sleep, but mostly I just kind of imagine how lucid I'd be if I DID sleep. I drink a lot of coffee. I cook (delicious!) food.

Not exactly riveting stuff. But this past break was pretty cool: in addition to taking the ground test for my private pilot's license (one of my goals for far, far in the future is to be able to fly places myself), I tested for my black belt in taekwondo. And, you know, got it. Which was awesome.

I also got to hug my dog a lot, which is always a huge plus. He's a mutt (part hound, but that's the only part we know) and his name is George--short for King George, because he's a bit spoiled and likes to cause trouble. Here's a picture:

(George, photo credit mine)

But that moment doesn't really encapsulate his personality, so here's another, slightly blurry photo, in which he demonstrates the fact that he really thinks he's a cat:

(King George the Household Tyrant, photo credit mine)

What else can I tell you? My favorite authors are Maggie Stiefvater (she is the bees' knees, people), Robin McKinley, and Diana Wynne Jones, but I'll read anything once. I'll also watch anything once, but my favorite movies are The Mummy and Contact. My taste in music is questionable, but I live attached to my headphones. I really like the color orange, and Wonder Woman, and homemade Indian food. If left to my own devices, with no responsibilities, I would probably become either a trapeze artist or a baker; instead, I will probably become an archaeologist/writer/Taekwondo Master, because I have a hard time choosing concrete paths in life.

Phew. I think that's enough of an introduction for now...

ETA: in case you didn't believe me about my taste in music, here's a few songs to illustrate: