And our hands feel empty though they’re full, all the time

Poll: Can I make it to a Pet Shop Boys concert in Toronto at 8:00PM on a Wednesday night? My last class on Wednesday ends at 5:15PM, and my earliest class on Thursday is 9:30AM. Toronto is an hour from my campus, and I don’t have a car. I’ll have to find a way. It’s the Pet Shop Boys! How many countless hours have I spent dancing to their timeless tunes? I’ve never seen anyone whose music has been featured on DDR in concert before.

So I tried to figure my new printer out for days to no avail. It would not print or copy or do any of the handy things it claimed it could. I figured it must be missing a back-load rack for the paper, as the pile flopped to the ground and thus would not even enter the machine in the first place. I spent ages trying to feed paper in the back at the precise angle that the rack would have inserted it in, in hopes it might start working.

It turns out it’s a front-feed. Luckily I didn’t stay on the line long enough to actually get through to technical support.

And all this student visa woe! Why Canada? Why?

I have to go to the mayor’s office and have someone there write a letter proclaiming me to be a respectable citizen free of a criminal record, then bring it to the Canadian border officials. Is it just me, or does that sound silly?

I fail to remember Canada’s allure. Nonetheless, I’m going up a week from tomorrow. Feel the angst.

A good proportion of cell providers I looked at are either unbecomingly expensive or simply not work on this or that side of the border. Look at how complicated this is: on this phone, I hope to call individuals in Canada or the U.S. from Canada or the U.S. Unheard of! I have, maybe, one option. It’s kind of expensive, though. What if I dish out x dollars a month for service and then so happen to never call anyone. Pay as you go, as I’ve encountered it, is nation-specific. Maybe something workable will surface in the next couple of days. I can’t imagine why this is so difficult, though. Canada and the United States are bordering. Many people travel between them and study between them. These nations should be on better terms. If some candidate would advocate a universal North American cellular provider without extra fees or roaming, I’d vote for him or her.

I made a mix I am proud of. It is called The Dynamic Freshman Mix; every track is by Guster. This is the way things should be. It’s amazing how I spend hours trying to rebuild my music library on the ‘book, but when all is said and done every time I open up iTunes I listen exclusively to Guster.

Well, other things too, sometimes. Joe Pisapia.

I fail to see the allure of sleeping late. By this I mean that I cannot sleep late and always seem to wake early. More waking hours is a fuller life, foo’s.

If freshman year is not all it’s cracked up to be, I have a screenplay slash Flash animation brewing that should be elaborated on.

I know the campus like the back of my hand. That should count for something. (Editor’s Note: There is only one academic building.)

A dynamic portfolio is also in the making. If you enjoy simplifying people’s lives, go to my photography site (http://www.ashleyrattner.com) and let me know which photos should be included in such an endeavor. Thank you.

What if people shed exoskeletons like cicadas…?

I wish I could drive in Virginia. You see, I have a Vermont license which is valid and all, but Vermont didn’t have six lanes of traffic or multiple turn lanes or cars on the road. Basically driving has become an intricate dance in which I am a part yet do not know or understand once again.

I am grateful that my neighbors have WiFi and that they do not have passwords.

Back in my high school days I took a number of CLEP (College Level Examination Program) tests because I would told that they would count as college credit and that I would not have to take certain classes because I had already proved myself proficient in those areas or something. Redeemer does not accept them. University of Virginia does not accept them. I think JMU might, but their website is kind of cryptic.

My battery is now in the red zone. You know the drill.

My debit card just came in the mail. Life takes Visa. This inspires me to load up on Barenaked Ladies tickets. Oh, but how limited my funds are.

This upcoming year I’m enrolled as a freshman at Redeemer University College in Ancaster, Ontario. I’m not sure that I like this, and hope to visit the University of Virginia and James Madison University before this week concludes. You see, it occurred to me that I want to study graphic design after it occurred to me that I had already said yes to Redeemer. It’ll be an international experience, though.

I got all my plates and mugs and toothbrushes and sheets and such for my dorm. Do you know what the greatest laundry detergent in the world is? Tide with Color Safe Bleach.

And I’m excited.

It’s silly that the Dixie Chicks blame the fact that no one buys tickets to see them on their anti-Bush comments. No one buys tickets to see the Dixie Chicks because nobody wants to see the Dixie Chicks. They’re not being martyred for their political stance, they just lack fans for other reasons. Their music, perhaps. Other musical artists have made similar comments and are still able to enjoy profitable ticket sales.

Not the Barenaked Ladies, to my knowledge at least. They’re Canadian, you know.