Back to the Nuthouse

School started this week, and already I am feeling the abuse. My ass is feeling sore from sitting on that hard, wooden chair ALL DAY LONG. The a/c is always too low or too high. Teachers are warning us of the impending workload and to stay on top of things. Carrying my laptop and supplies to school is already straining my shoulders.

On the first day, the chair of the department talked to us with an ever-present, encouraging smile, but she let it slip that several of the models made by our class last semester ended up looking like "shit" and that we weren't going to let that happen this year. We were also given the grand opportunity to tackle an extra assignment this year for the Toy Industry Association, an assignment that was already failed by a world-famous graphic designer. Just like last semester, we have classes for most of the day, from Monday through Saturday, and 4 out of those 6 days, we don't finish classes until after 8 or 9pm.

This year, our major project is to write, design, illustrate, and create childrens' books, based on our storybook plush character that we designed last semester. And then we design licensed toy products based on the books we create.

So on Wednesday, we each took turns presenting our outlines and rough plots for our story characters. Very quickly, it became apparent that everyone's invented storybook character was a mirror of themselves. It got to the point that my BFF and I had to refrain ourselves from cracking up, because as soon as each person started to talk about their characters, it sounded like them talking about their autobiography. And most of them didn't even seem to realize it!

After each character was presented, the class would ask questions, give feedback, and brainstorm to help them develop their stories, in case it didn't feel complete or needed more direction. In the end, it seemed that this process helped everyone quite a bit.

But there were a few storylines that sounded a bit flawed and unbalanced, which felt very awkward and uncomfortable, because it seemed to reveal unresolved issues about that person! And so toward the second half of the day, it began to feel more like a group therapy session that would never end. Or a painful Alcoholics Anonymous session that needed to be picked up another day.

For example, one story involved two main characters, who were part-human, part-animal (drawn much cuter than it sounds). Basically the story starts with them being ostracized by people in the city, so the main characters escape to the forest to find each other as best friends, who bond through their different but complementary personality traits. But they never reconcile with the people they escaped from!

So basically the story makes it sound like people will forever be evil. Or that you should just run away from your problems. Another student asked for clarification on what the message of the story was about. The answer was, "Well I see it as a story about acceptance, like people should accept other differences." Really? Huh. Because it sounded like the message was that different people should be segregated. Luckily after some brainstorming, we helped her balance the story out and she agreed to leave out the "evil people." Phew!

When I shared my character's story with my class, K-boy asked me if there was a romantic interest in the story. I said, "No. Princess Mooki is too young. She probably thinks she's too good for boys at this point. Maybe that'll be for Volume 5." I didn't even realize until later, that I had basically outlined an unusually feminist princess story, where she wasn't going to be saved by a boy; boys didn't even enter into the plot, and it was all about her learning to be the ruler she was destined to be.

It was a little exhausting to go through a whole day of this. But at the same time, I think it will be exciting to see everyone's finished work at the end of the year. After that class ended, already my classmates were acting loopy, goofing around and making strange voices like they were drunk or high. Except nobody had ingested any alcohol or illegal substances. And this was just the FIRST WEEK!

You see why I am a little concerned.

And THEN, today it verged into physical abuse when the chair of the department actually smacked me on the arm! This was over a totally normal question I asked about what was due the next day. I think she must have misinterpreted the question, (to mean that I expected another student to do more work than she had to?). I believe she smacked me jokingly, but it was kind of hard! Half of the classmates that witnessed it gasped, and then laughed nervously, because they all already kind of fear her.

I don't fear her (because I'm old and I know I can already get a job, which gives me the opportunity to not really give a shit about what people think, and I already have a degree so I don't really care about getting a 2nd BA). But I was weirded out all the same, and so my reaction was, "Uh, WOW." It was totally uncalled for, and not really that funny.

But I have learned from a very early age, that there will always be crazy people around me, and I am not fazed by them. They are temporary distractions, and I don't let them get the best of my good energy. Nonetheless, wish me luck this year!

Oh, in other news, the girls in my class have decided that our MIT-alum, Ph.D-earning math teacher is this semester's eye candy. Well, except maybe for his buck teeth. We like his brains, humor, hair, clothes, and that he noticeably works out. But he ruined it for me today though, when he revealed that he was born in 1980. Holy crap I am old.

Anyway, I've decided to be a Golden Girl. I recently came to the revelation that dating and relationships don't do it for me, even if I did have the time for it. I'm a really contented person on my own, as long as I have my friends and my creativity. (Either way I figure it's inevitable that I will become a crazy old lady, probably not much different from the chair of my department!)

So, thank you for being a friend. Your heart is true, you're a pal and a confidante...