It’s wet, but it’s here. I love the first snow. I need to get my skis, they’re making me switch to parabolics….

I’m currently sitting in the ASEAN auditorium after a day and a half of SIMULEX. It was a lot more fun than people had said it would be. We were the rogue state, North Korea. They gave us five nukes, and it was hard not to deploy them, let me tell you. So we used 777 North Korean virgins instead.

Either way, it was a really great experience, I would suggest it to anyone.

Now it’s time to go home and get ready for Halloween festivities. I’m going to wear clothes….. a nudist on Halloween.

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I’m pretty sure I have the best professors at Fletcher. If not, someone please tell me what courses I should take to actually experience “the best”. Shultz is great, and an almost two hour lecture with him is sometimes too short (although I wish they’d put the free coffee out at 8am for us… that would be very helpful). Pfaltzgraff is funnier than he thinks he is, but I hear if he drinks coffee he’s off the wall (or so his co-workers at IFPA say). Martel is as funny as he thinks he is, which is fine because it IS funny, and I never see him without a huge smile on his face. And Hannum throws PC out the window, which is a nice breath of fresh air.

Oh not to mention their class material is enthralling…..

Apparently Hurricane Wilma is spitting on us…

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The semester is well on its way. I realized that when I had the familiar feeling that I was a month behind in my work, despite school commencing only 3 weeks ago. I should have started planning a week before school. Then again I should have published that paper I was supposed to improve on during the summer. I should have finished my thesis research. I should have got myself into shape so that when I bike up Mount Packard to school I am not puffing like a decrepit steam engine. That was the plan; the theory. But here at Fletcher we look at where theory meets practice. Where we realize why the world isn’t the way it should be but the way it is. Why I am as behind on everything as I am.

These expansive thoughts flooded my mind as I attended one of the ad hoc faculty panels discussing the relative merits of the UN summit. I never cease to be amazed at how numerous panel discussions and guest lectures seem to fill in every single free moment at Fletcher. Another sign that the semester has overtaken me. I take solace in the words of wisdom of a now graduated student – “You’ll never regret the additional reading you skipped but you will always regret the meeting you missed.” Not sure whether it has any empirical evidence to support it but it gives me an ideal excuse. Another reason why international law is only epiphenomenal, as observed by one of my professors- why states tend to comply with those rules which advance their interests. Yet another microcosmic reflection of the world – those late night readings tend to get to you after a while.

Yet the semester can’t be that far gone. We still have social activities every day. Monday night football, trivia nights, Thursday social hours, Green House parties, camping trips to Vermont, Ravi Shankar concerts… Then again the social aspects abate only ever so slightly, if at all, during the semester. The major cause for concern, of course, are those first years. They just don’t seem to be as cool as we were (or are for that matter). Perhaps it’s the complaint of every age, when it sees its reign drawing to an end. But we still control the Hall of Flags and for now that’s all that matters.

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Apparently not…. oh well.

I’m back from my second weekend at home, this time for my grandpa’s funeral. I know, why’s she writing about that? Well, my mind keeps drifting a little bit, but it’s all really good things. Celebration…. although it’s not good that my mind keeps drifting…. school is one of those things you just have to push through…. c’est la vie.

On a lighter note, working down at Pfaltzgraff’s IFPA, they told me that if he drinks caffeine, he’s off the wall…. I’m not surprised. For 72, he’s a little gunner (sidenote: that’s public knowledge, so don’t shoot the messenger).

Ok, this wireless internet anywhere does not do well for concentration…. I need to get back to class…..

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I always love it when I’m doing or reading something through and thank the lord I’m not doing or learning that stuff for a living. Take, for instance, law. Yes yes, we’re in the School of Law and Diplomacy, but I’m here for the latter part. That doesn’t allow me to skip out on law classes though.

I’m taking International Human Rights Law, and I read the technical articles and covenants and stuff, and I remember how two years ago I was pretty gung-ho about adding a law double degree to my schooling…. Good Lord am I happy that never happened. I’d be bored out of my skull.

Sometimes it makes me wonder if in two years I’m going to hate International Relations, but then I remember I’ve loved it for 5 years so I don’t get worried….

Hope I’m not fooling myself!

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Saturday night, I’m inside working. My neck sort of hurts, the OHS massuse called it “Fletcher Neck” the other day. I might as well get as used to it as possible, so we’ll shorten it to “FN” from here on out.

Someone is playing funky jazz across the street, so I’m happy. I’m trying to figure out where I’m going to watch the game tomorrow, since I have no cable. I should probably think about HOW I’m going to watch the game tomorrow with this work….but it’s the Sox so we’ll pretend that line of questioning doesn’t exist…

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