22 June, 2004
The reading journal is an ongoing project designed to get students in Professor Qualley's English 347 class (Young Adult Literature) thinking about the books we read. Professor Qualley says that the best way to think about literature is to write about it, and she is probably right. So I have little more to say on this first page. But after looking at this first page with its lovely sidebar and absolutely nothing in the content section, maybe I'll just fill a little space telling me who I am. I am twenty-one and a half years old, and a transfer student at Western Washington University though I do not claim any sort of allegiance at this school as of yet. I think it's ugly and even though this is my third quarter here I haven't met anyone yet. It's too big. There are too many people for any sort of real human interaction to take place.
I transferred from Randolph-Macon Woman's College in Lynchburg, Virginia because after I spent last summer being ridiculed all through my summer job I couldn't go back to an aggressive college where I was successful and well thought of. Most of the time I wish I could go back and know I can't. But it isn't all bad. Bellingham is a very cool, laid back place. Much better than central Virginia, anyway.
I like cats, horses, and Mongolian stir-fry. I do not like dogs, science, or salad dressing of any sort. I am an English major, a rising senior, and I expect to graduate on time. Eventually my partner and I hope to operate a horse business out of our (as yet nonexistant) home - riding lessons for kids and whatnot. I would also like to teach at a college or university, although an alternative high school might be fun for a while, too. I am going to publish a book someday, but not right now.
Hmm...it wants one more paragraph. My favorite authors at the moment are Pamela Dean and Bill Bryson. My favorite contemporary poets are William Stafford and Louise Gluck. I think Peter Pan may possibly be the greatest book ever written. I was going to minor in Victorian Children's Literature but when I transferred the university said my minor was too specific and I couldn't both major and minor in different facets of the English department. Such is life. On with the show.