Truth be told I'm putting off reading the nineteenth century essays on feminism by John Stuart Mills. I have until Thursday but ugh. He just goes on FOREVER. That's the thing about older style academic English writing, it's rather round about. So far from what I've read he is making an interesting comparison between women and slavery. Coincidentally I start my African American Slavery class on Monday.

Ooooh academics. But hey I'm ready and interested. The Afri-Amer class is wicked awesome to me because in one of the books we have we get to read is Frederick Douglas's biography. Frederick Douglas is essentially the whole reason I ever started reading. It was my catalyst. Once that book was in my hands in fourth grade it was as though I was finally reading something TRULY interesting. Next thing I knew I was reading two to four pages ahead of the class and had to backtrack when it was my turn to read out loud. Since that book I started reading and never stopped and also flew off on my love of history.
Before Frederick Douglas I was in all those slow reader therapy classes with words like "AND" and "THE" on flashcards and the only books I ever picked up were the ones with really good pictures. It was pretty much five years of me being thought of as really slow and rather idiotic. Frederick D. is the man that took me from flash cards to chapter books seemingly overnight.
African American history will always hold a special place for me because of him. I'm ready to get in to it.

I think I already have a topic for my Soc of Education class. I want to do something with disability and social norms or school inequality. A lot of the focus seems to be on race, class, gender and all. I want to go in to disability since that is really a strong part of the school system and my own past as well as my future. As a random fact though I really prefer the word "handicapped" over "disability" or "disabled".

Definitions via dictionary.com
hand⋅i⋅cap
  /ˈhændiˌkæp/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [han-dee-kap]
–noun
1. a race or other contest in which certain disadvantages or advantages of weight, distance, time, etc., are placed upon competitors to equalize their chances of winning.

dis⋅a⋅bil⋅i⋅ty
  /ˌdɪsəˈbɪlɪti/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [dis-uh-bil-i-tee]
–noun
1. lack of adequate power, strength, or physical or mental ability; incapacity.

See why I have the preference?
So yeah it's good to know I have a paper topic in mind. I'll have to focus it but I do have a direction that feels good to me.

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Speaking of handicaps my knees have already been in protest. At this point I'm accepting it as chronic and it sucks but whatever. Once again it's frustrating to know that I have to limit myself. I'm becoming steadily okay with it but all the same I just wish I could run and walk like I want to. Like yesterday I remembered some words that had really hurt me and had to go off on a walk and then both my legs were like "Ugh, ow. No no no" and I mentally whined back at them like "Pleeeease. I need you for this!" "Go slow." "Damn it but I just want to run." "You're cutting this route short." "Do you know how much I need to be fast and aggressive and strong right now?!" "Too bad." "Grrrr!" "Ow." "...ugh."
Walking has always been my escape when I just can't take my own mind anymore. I need an alternative physical activity to do when my mind and body have the bad day. I'm hoping the swimming class works out so that I can get a workout in the water as I've been told I need to.

I have borrowed an anatomy book so I know exactly where to identify pain. Now if they listed a function of each tendon and muscle that would really help. I think very mechanically so I want to know what it does rather than just look at it.

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Funny thing: I've thought my eyes were green for about six years. Nope, turns out they're blue. I spent two weeks examining them in different lighting in mirrors. They are a pale dusky grey/blue. The gold that comes out from my pupils often masks this and makes them appear green, even to camera lenses. Very few people know my real eye color, including me apparently.

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It's been fun bombing around with friends. Sammy and I were hanging out last night and it seems we'll be in each other's rooms a lot even without living together.
I've been getting to know the freshmen and they seem like a cool class. They have my approval as Odds.

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Oooh ooh! I got sunburned again! My back turned bright arse red! The sun loves me so much she kisses me wearing red lipstick and everything!

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I am soooo bored of dances. Same format for six years. Oh mi dios. I would love to have music to dance to that is worth the joint pain. Seriously. And I'd love for there to be more than three guys that know how to do something other than 1)rub genitals on you 2)sit until they find an appropriately slutty looking person to rub genitals on 3) stand mopeily on the sidelines because no one will ask them to dance but you know by looking at them that they don't dance anyway 4) think they can't move their hips and be sexy.
I'm starting to think there are better things to do than join the "I want to GET LAID!" ceremony that has been all public dances I've gone to. Because while I wouldn't mind getting laid I'm not going to look for it there. I just want to dance and not see a horn fest all around me. For the love of Bob they need a creative shot in the butt for these things instead of rap music and instructional "how to dance" songs. Have a real dang theme and stick to it. Ugh.

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With that I'm going to go and try and get some reading done.
Adios.
Peace.
~Lo