Hi,

Another sunny day in Amsterdam. I'm starting to feel inundated, well actually drowning for that matter, in work. School is the most arduous, as the reading continues to mount within any hope of reprieval. In addition, I have a major presentation (3hrs+!) next week, papers due and more and more reading. It's not that I'm not enjoying the reading, because for the most part, I am... There is just so much. I don't know if a PhD is really the road I want to travel down; a research MA is hard enough.

Right now I'm beefing up on the theories abound in collective memory, given from the father figure of the discipline, Maurice Halwachs. He basically states that our memory is formed and directed in a collective manner - meaning, it's the people and groups around you and how you communicate them that shape memory. It's very marxist, but it makes sense. I have to write a response paper on it. Fun! Also, I'm reading up on the historiography surrounding the epic, and if epics are worthwhile in contemporary society. Think about that one...

I'm still figuring out how to link this to my indie rock theorem, and I have decided that I want to focus on two important websites that breed pretension in the industry; pitchfork and suicide girls. They are intrinsically different, but propose similar idealogies concerning style, fashion and music. I haven't figured out which theorists I'm going to connect this too, but I have many ideas brewing in my head.

I get my computer back tomorrow, hopefully fixed along with my external HD, also hopefully fixed. Tomorrow is a big day; I have a job interview, an appt for my tax number (my last immigration issue) and a dinner for Rosh Hashannah with some newly found Jewish friends. I also have to find time to read and research throughout, in addition to keeping up with job-work.

Things otherwise are unchanged. Life is good, all things considering, even though I have my 'alli' moments, as I call em, which come and go. I still feel like this is home though, and that is extremely important. Now if I could stop procrastinating and become as smart as everyone else - cause I'm the resident idiot - then all will be sorted.

peace-