so i had my first day of class today. it was like any other first day: syllabi, outlining course goals, telling a little about yourself -- the usual. i wish i were more excited about my classes, but i'm worried they might end up disappointing me, especially my magazine editing class. it seems like it would have lots of potential, but the syllabus is packed with busywork and the professor appears to be a comatose lecturer. there's nothing worse than having to sit through a semester in any school with a teacher who doesn't exude excitement about the subject matter. i remember having the greatest biology professor in college who got me as excited as she was about all the fascinating stuff mitochondria could do. and i also remember being bored beyond interest by the egotistical, wannabe artist who taught the african-american art history class i took in college.

my investigative reporting class seems much more promising. i really like the prof, despite his use of the socratic method of calling on students by name to answer his questions. "so, ms. goldenberg, you're covering the justice department for the LA Times and the official you're interviewing leaves the room for a few minutes to use the restroom. do you rifle through the papers on his desk?"

my first assignment in that class requires that i interview one of the candidates running for california governor. with 134 people on the ballot, i hope to find one who will speak to me. tomorrow night i have my media law class, which should introduce me to the wonderful world of libel. i actually need to drop one of the three classes because of a financial aid glitch that won't allow me to take more units than i can pay for, or rather, than my stafford loans will pay for.

my final class consists of an unscheduled two units that count toward my thesis project. any ideas of what i should do? i really want it to be fun and challenging, something significant that i would be happy to devote a whole academic year to, something that will make me rich and famous. ok, maybe not famous, but rich. and thin too.

speaking of thin, i've been on the atkins diet for the past few weeks and i've dropped some pounds. when i was sitting on the beach in portugal in a baby blue swimsuit, i looked down and realized that there was simply too much of me. and given that i love to eat and hate to exercise, atkins seemed like the right choice. besides, i naturally love meat, fish, cheese, salads and vegetables, so giving up them carbs wasn't too difficult (though i do yearn for the occasional scone).

now if i could just shake the pesky cold that's overrun what's left of my flabby body. i feel like there's a warm icicle lodged up my nostril and it's just melting away by drip, drip, drip. pabs is kindly picking up some nyquil for me at the corner store, as i've had trouble falling asleep the past few nights due to the congestion.

ok, i guess that's about it for now. these entries always end up being much longer than i intended. is anyone still reading this shit? i feel like everyone dropped off after the end of my travels. please email me if you still are.

well, here i am in my new apartment with my DSL all hooked up and ready to reconnect me with the cyberworld and i have nothing to post. it sucks because i know that not too long ago, my life was quite interesting, if i may say so myself. but now, with all the traveling done and the impending school year ready to turn me into a stressed-out busybody under constant deadline pressure (again!), i'm morphing into a whiny, boring brat (which is probably what i've always been).

the official first day of school is today, but i don't have class until tomorrow, so i'm sitting at home today, trying to ward off a cold and figure out where my classes are tomorrow and where i can get some shelves built for the hallway closet. i know, fun friggin stuff. it seems like just a few weeks ago i was meandering the streets of prague, eating goulash and looking up at all the pretty buildings around me. oh wait, it was just a few weeks ago.

ok, ok, enough complaining. i know i truly have little to bitch about. this blog will get better, i promise. it will now record all the trials, tribulations and angst of an L.A.-based graduate student in journalism. sounds promising, eh?

alright, i'm still around, trying to get back into the swing of things and shit. DSL for my new place should be on this monday, and i can barely wait. i'm actually sitting in an internet cafe in hollywood right now. i'd much rather be in my new home writing this, and once i get up and running i'm sure i'll be doing a bunch more updating. i still need to put all my vacation photos up here and do some work on millatimes.com, including updating my resume and adding the clips from voice of america.

the last few days have been spent fixing up my new place, which is starting to look more and more like a home. just a few boxes left. i like the place a lot and the building is nice and old -- from the hollywood of the 1920s. it actually reminds me a lot of san francisco. it's a brick building with fire escapes and lots of charm. the whole area is full of them, and most have regal names, like the commodore, monecito, fonteroy, even one named chateau des fleures. mine is more modestly named palm court, presumably for the palm tree in the courtyard. the building is pretty nice and all my (60!) new neighbors seem alright, and the area... well, that's another story. it certainly isn't as nice as the last neighborhood i lived in, the one in west hollywood at beverly and fairfax. nope, no more of that hollywood-lite living, this new place is in Hollywood with a capital H, right in the belly of the beast. my new closest cross streets are hollywood and highland. but me and pabs chose the area because we're sharing one car to cut costs and it's walking distance to the metro. there's actually a train that comes pretty close to USC, which is convenient since both of us are USC students (pabs is beginning the MBA program this fall). it's a much more flavorful area, euphemistically named (by the homeowners just north of me) "whitley heights." there's more traffic and less parking. but it'll do for now -- at least for the next two years.

still here, yes now in LA, just having been blogging much lately. one reason is that i have no internet access at my parents' house, not even dial-up, so my online time has been cut drastically. another reason is that my days are no longer all that interesting. i'm back at the mundane stuff, trying to carve out a new routine. it sucks, and i've been depressed about it, and i don't want to just fill up this space with complaints about how lousy i have it, when, admittedly, it's not all that lousy. i'm trying to look on the bright side and all that jazz, but the bright side consists of memories of my trip, which are quickly being replaced by items on my "to do" list.

the good news is that in one short week, it looks like i may have found a job and an apartment. never thought it could be so easy. i went into the office of a place i used to edit for just a few days out of the month and asked, "what are the chances of me being able to work here on a more regular basis?" my new bossman said, "yeah, ok." and voila, i am now the part-time copy editor for this illustrious company, publisher of two magazines, CFQ, known to genre dorks everywhere, and Femme Fatales, also a favorite among genre dorks. i, of course, know next to nothing about sci-fi, but i'm learning real fast.

the apartment thingy was also pretty sudden. after viewing dump after dump, pablo and i stepped into a gorgeous (and HUGE!) place that i instantly fell in love with. hardwood floors, lots of light, plenty of storage, perfectly located, full of character, well-kept, etc. only problem was that it was beyond our budget and there was no parking. but hell, we took it anyway. we move in next week.

so things are looking up, i suppose.

back in hell-lay. aaaaaagh.