YA in the College Setting

Listening to nothing, but you'd better believe That Girl is playing on repeat in my head. Oh, JT...
Thinking about how daunting this semester is going to be.
    Before finalizing his plans for the semester, one of my professors did something that none of my other professors have done before. He did two things, actually. First, he sent the whole class a survey with about twenty books on it, asking us which we were most interested in reading. Secondly, almost every book on that list (it might have even been every book - I don't remember them all) was YA Lit.*
    Finally. Finally someone sees the significance of YA literature. Finally someone realizes that there is so much to be learned from these authors and their stories. Finally, y'all. There is hope for the future of YA. And I have to say I'm most excited that John Green's wonderful The Fault In Our Stars is on the list. I've been dying to read this book, but as an English/English Ed./Latin major, I really don't have time to read for pleasure during the semester. Oh, delight, someone's finally realized this book is worth studying in a class.
    Now I realize that so many educators have already seen the importance of these books, but not at my university. I've been reading the same books over and over for classes for the past nine years. I can't tell you how many times I've read Uncle Tom's Cabin (yes I can. Twice, and I didn't like it either time), and it's on yet another class's book list for this semester. At least one professor has finally realized that there is significance and import in contemporary YA authors' works that should be studied at a collegiate level. Studied, for that matter, so that it can be taught at a high school level.
    Thank God I have at least two classes I can look forward to this semester, because the other three will likely destroy me with the canon. (Get it? Lit pun. And you thought I was over those.)

Have any of your professors introduced YA into the college classroom?

 

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*Which is what I have always loved, read, and write.

**He was supposed to post the finalized book list today, and has not yet done so (it's nearly midnight), but I'm resting assured that most of the books on the list were books that I'd like to read.**

Things At Which I Am Pun-Skilled

from here

Chilling out to Waltz of the Snowflakes by Tchaikovsky, from the Nutcracker (Yes, I realize that it's no longer Christmas time, and that I'm also not "chilling" as the high today was about 65 degrees and it's January, and there isn't a snowflake in sight. Welcome to Georgia.)
Once again unable to sleep.
    Here's the deal, my little bloglets (I don't mean the diminutive form of "blog"... more of a cross of "blogger" and "Piglet." Don't judge me). I haven't gone to bed at a reasonable hour since last year. I don't mean that in a joking "it's only January, so it wasn't that long ago" way. I mean, for the past month I've laid staring up at my ceiling until 2:45-4 a.m., desperately longing to fall asleep and unable to do so. A month is a long time to survive on very little sleep, people. Yes, I have tried taking things like Benadryl and Advil P.M., and drinking herbal tea, and not doing things on my computer right before I want to sleep. For the most part, the most active thing I do before bed is read a book, and I know from the experience of falling asleep while reading in the past that this is not something that would keep me awake.
    Truth be told, I think it's stress. What I'm stressing over, I have no idea. My semester's going smoothly, work is fine, and the process of moving and getting to know my new roommates and Haley has been one of the most delightfully easy experiences ever. So why am I not sleeping? The answer remains illusive.
    So here I am, at two a.m. completely bushed, and not able to fall asleep. My solution? Blog! If this whole thing makes no sense, you now know why. Here are 5 things I'm not good at!

1. Sleeping. We've been through this.
2. Waking up on time. I feel this is sort of a cause and effect thing. I don't sleep, so I don't wake up. There you go.
3. Being prepared for things, like class. I'm actually getting better at this one this semester - I've been prepared for most of my classes these last two weeks. Other than not having my books yet, but I had ordered them, they just hadn't arrived. Not my fault. :)
4. Eating healthy. Another thing I'm improving on, but still not perfect. I eat healthily at work, and on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday need some help. I'm feeling some Chick-fil-A in my future. Bright side: the closest Chick-fil-A to my new house - which will henceforth be referred to as the SHAM-house* - is about ten to fifteen minutes away. Because I'm a lazy person, I'm hoping my laziness will override my love for Chick-fil-A. I know this is improbable, but here's hoping, right?
5. Working out when I really should. Yeah, I know what those of you who know me are saying: "You don't need to work out - you're skinny!" So what? Skinny people are still unhealthy and can get sick because of weak  immune systems and poor diets. Trust me; I know from experience. Luckily, my favorite way I've ever worked out is ballet, and there's a perfect banister at the SHAM-house to use for barre work. I just have to get my lazy butt up to do it!

    After all that negative, here are a few things I am good at: Puns!

• At work the other night, I made a dorky joke (when don't I?) and my co-worker Jessica said, "You are so corny." I replied, "What are you talking about? I'm a-maize-ing! Maize! Like corn? Corny?" Yeah, I probably didn't need to explain it, but I felt it necessary since she couldn't see me spelling "a-maize-ing" in my head as I spoke it. 
• I met Johnny and his girlfriend - who is all kinds of awesome - for a late lunch on Friday, and Johnny, skinny white nerd that he is, made this hilarious pun: "I'm so g I'm almost h." I feel like someone might have made that joke before, but based solely on my obnoxious guffaw when I heard it, you'd think otherwise. 
• On the same day, Johnny's girl Tori announced, "There's a hipster in the house!" So I said, "At least it's not a thigh-ster." Ha.

* Have you noticed I'm totally into asterisks right now? They're so freakin' fun! So, SHAM-house. It's from the initials of it's inhabitants: Sarah (Jane), Haley, Allison, Miranda. It was either SHAM or MASH. And we decided SHAM-house sounds like SHAM-WOW, so we liked that better.

Punder the Weather

from BellaRegazza931 at iconator.com

Listening to Sweet Afton by Nickel Creek. Very relaxing when you feel like death in a hoodie.
Chugging honey-lemon tea, eating honey-lemon cough drops, and burying myself in tissues. 
    In case you haven't guessed, I'm sick. Popped* into the minute clinic for a visit and they sent off a lovely little throat swab from yours truly - the symptoms just hit this morning, so they said the strep test may have given me a false negative. I can not get sick, though it's obvious I am. I'm going to visit Coco Bean on Wednesday, and I really don't want to make that trip sick. No fun at all.
    I'm the kind of person who's totally useless when sick. I actually fell asleep in the Commons on campus today, in the middle of the lunch rush when it's super loud and busy. I put my head down on the table and fell asleep. It wasn't for long, though, because Johnny kept poking me and asking, "Are you sure you're okay?" To which I lied, "yes." I can't even take naps in my bed in a quiet room when I'm healthy, but when sick, tables look pretty comfortable. Once when I was in high school home sick, my mother asked me to throw in a load of laundry for her, which I did. Without soap. I was so out of it, I didn't think to put soap in the washing machine.
    Also, I dislike doctors. Quite a lot. They have shots. And shots involve needles. And needles make Sarah's left eye twitch. That being said, I willingly took myself to the CVS minute clinic today. I even got a shot. That's right. I got the flu shot. I've got the band-aid to prove it. And I didn't even gag when she swabbed my throat! Okay, maybe that's a stretch. I didn't gag much. Hopefully I'll know by Saturday if it's just a virus or strep (no thank you). In the mean time... honey and lemon overdose.
    On a more positive note - a few puns (and jokes)!

• Our neighbor across the street recently got a new kitten. My sister Maggie loves cats. She nearly kisses the fur off of ours and they're fat and stupid, not young and adorable. She told me - in jest - that she wanted to break into their house and steal the kitten. I replied, "That would make you a cat-burglar." Ha! Oh c'mon. You have to admit that's a clever one. 
• At work, someone asked me how spicy the jalapeno cheddar bagels are. I said, "They have a little kick. You can bite these bagels, but they're gonna bite right back." Right? Right?
• And today at lunch. With Johnny. I can't have a punday without Johnny. With my head down on the table, I moaned in misery. Johnny, thinking I said something, asked, "What'd you say?" "Nothing, I was just moaning. Like Myrtle," I joked. He gave me a look that said, I'm about to make this dirty. But I beat him to the punch. "Well," I said, "it was a basilisk." Sorry for those of you who find dirty/slightly sexual jokes offensive. I really couldn't resist. I mean, it was Harry Potter.

*At first, I accidentally typed "pooped." I was thisclose to leaving it, but decided that was just a little too far.

Pun-forgettable, That's What You Are

Listening to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on ABC Family. I keep saying it's about time for a Harry Potter weekend! 
Stressing over grades, what else?
    Not sure if it's the stress or something I ate (the latter being more likely), but my stomach has been completely pathetic today. Luckily for you lovely readers I've a few puns I've gathered over the course of the week!

• During choir rehearsal at my church, the ladies were trying to find our note. The accompanist just happened to be playing a triple octave of the note - a D-flat. So one of the ladies said, "We must need to put on our 3D glasses!"
• At lunch today, my friend Johnny threw salt at everyone then said, "You've been a-salt-ed!" He's a clever one. ha ha.
• Also at lunch today, I was playing with my sauce from my pasta, and I admitted to Johnny that it was childish. He responded with, "No it's not - it's saucy!" 

    I don't know what I'd do without Johnny to make silly jokes during lunch! He's a hoot and a holler!

Testing, Pun-Two-Three

Is that not the most heart breaking thing you've ever seen?

Listening to Penny Lane by the Beatles, obviously (if you didn't already know that, go close your hand in a door)
Stressing over my stupid short story for Fiction Writing, and how I have absolutely 0.00 ideas for it. Help?!
    Alright someone out there obviously needs to take it upon themselves to yell at me when I don't write at least one post every week. Preferably on a Tuesday, but I will also take Thursdays if, say, I have a huge Statistics test on Tuesday that I'm freaking out and studying for and obviously can't manage a post because of. What? No of course I'm not making an excuse - what would give you that idea?
    In all seriousness, I had a slight panic attack right before that test. Heart racing, difficulty breathing, suddenly roasting hot, feelings of impending doom... It was horrible. And I studied hard for this one, which is not something I normally have to do, but the first test didn't end up so hot... *cough cough* So I did the study guides, and the worksheets, and went to the one study session that I could go to. I swear, I'm going to pass out from stress before Tuesday gets here (we get our tests back on Tuesday). If I make it out of this class with my sanity, it will be a miracle.
    On a positive note, get this. In my Tuesday/Thursday morning class at the dreadfully unbearable hour of 9:30 am (don't judge me - I'm not a morning person), we had a test last week. Let me preface this by telling you that I did next to no preparing for this test, only briefly skimmed the readings for the class, and hardly pay attention because I'm not awake yet (it's not that I'm not interested, I just have zero ability to focus on anything more than coffee and sometimes walking in a straight line in the mornings). Thing is, I'm really good at interpretation of quotes and what I'm reading in relation to the authors and their ideas. All the questions went all right, but I was kind of afraid I wasn't putting enough in my answers. And I may have started rambling about ancient Roman mythology and Irish legends in one because I didn't know what else to infer from the quote... I was afraid I'd not done well, so I let my friend Hayden look at it first and tell me if I wanted to see it.
    "Oh, you definitely don't want to see this," he said with a strained smile on his face. "We may as well just throw it away."
    Which meant I had to see it. I opened it and burst out laughing. 91.5. And the professor's note? Something to the effect of "you've obviously read the readings very carefully and thought hard about the writers' ideas. I'm impressed and can't wait to read more." Whoa, right? I guess I grasped more in my pre-coffee haze than I thought!!
    So here are some funny puns:

[From Hayden, in American Literature while we were discussing Walden by Thoreau]

• [in reference to a bike trail he likes] "It's my favorite place to thoreau down."

[From Eeyore on The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh]

• "It's not much of a tail, but I'm attached to it." I love Winnie the Pooh, I'll just tell you that right now. But especially Tigger. He's so awesome. I love when he's in the misty woods and Rabbit is trying to lose him, and you hear him going "Ha-looooo!!!" :)

   

Puns for the Sharp...ie... Of Mind

from DuxRockmySox17 at iconator.com

Listening to the breeze outside.
Waiting for it to turn cold! C'mon, Georgia. Hurry it up!
P.S. Sorry about the post title. It was a stretch, I know.
    Today, I went to the chiropractor. Like I do every Tuesday. I also went to classes and took notes and stuff, but the chiropractor was the big thing for me today. I always feel so good on Tuesday nights. By the time we roll around to Monday again, I'm sore and not sleeping. I wish I could get adjusted every day, but my meager paycheck does not allow for that. Especially when I'm saving for a roughly $350 plane ticket in November to visit Corey! Sorry. I'm way excited. Also I'm going through Coco withdrawals because he's out in the field playing with bombs and stuff for the next week and can't use his phone.
    How much money do I have in my bank account, you ask? Oh, about a hundred. And part of that will be gone by Monday, because I have to feed myself at work on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Yay. Take all of my money, please. I mean, I could easily just make food for myself and not pay, like I know many other people there do, but I feel really guilty when I do that. I'm not a rule breaker. I'm a liar, but not a rule breaker. Don't ask my why; I have no answer.
    So. Sarah's super good at the whole "blog-on-time-every-week" thing, right? I know, I'm awful. But I'm trying! I really am! I have a pun today! (Yes, just "a" pun...)    

•     On the wall in the commons was a poster advertising an Asian soup. It read: "What're you waiting pho?" Ha! Right? Because the soup is called pho? I laughed pretty hard. 
•     Oh wait! I have another! Courtesy of Johnny! I was talking about this boy. I told Johnny, "He's autistic." And Johnny says, "So he likes to dwaw?" Get it? I'm not explaining this one. Just say it out loud. Ha ha. Oh, so funny. :)

    In case anyone wanted to know, I bought sharpie pens today, and I'm super psyched to use them.

I also have the purple and orange. Yay - Secondary colors!!

    I can't wait to take notes in Latin tomorrow evening!! I am so nerdy, I know. Does anyone else get excited about new office supplies?