Midterms and Musings

I feel rather cheerful at the moment. Whoo-hoo for that, long may it last!
Let's see...fun news, fun news...

I learned I am not able to an honors thesis in the major of my choice, but that's not very fun. Hmmm... Was noch? (Yes, that's German. As I tell everyone, French is for amusement and frustration, German is for everything else, and Italian is me trying and failing to speak Spanish.)

It's almost Halloween, and that means candy-corn! I can't believe you haven't heard of candy-corn; shame on you. Well, the Happy Dinosaur won't be visiting you. I will be a cute little kitty for Halloween. I'm told it fits my personality.

Anyway, I finished my last midterm exam today; now I can breathe for four days before I begin working on the next run of papers and other delectable assignments. Poo. (I whine; it's not that bad.)

My computer arrives on Friday! I'm so excited for a New Toy! So excited that...I speak in exclamation points and elipses. Oops.

I have been making lists. You all know how much I love lists. I have one of my more interesting classes this afternoon, and then I get to go wrangle small children who are much better behaved than I first thought. I'm really liking the Happy Dinosaur. Perhaps I should include him more often. (I have so many random photos saved on my computer; you have no idea, Reader.)

I am wearing pigtails today, since it started out cold and now it's warm. Hurrrrr. These in-between seasons require three or four changes of clothes a day. Good thing I am flexible with my wardrobe. None of my professors would approve of the way this post is structured; I hope none of you are newbies to me, otherwise I'll scare you off with my wackiness. But...I am just so wacky right now!

Let's see, was kann ich auch sagen? (I miss German, but not German class, hahaha.) The clock in the belltower is chiming two...two...two... Once the holiday season arrives they set the chimes to play hymns and carols; my favourite carol is either Silent Night or Do You Hear What I Hear. Yes, I am this person that won't sing carols in December, but sings them in May instead. Shush. I'll do as I please.

I received, via email, a lovely surprise the other day; a commission I'd ordered months ago from a Polish artist who does phenomenal ink work. I can't post it here (and besides, I'm still enjoying having all of my characters together at last) for copyright reasons, hers and mine. But now that I mention it, I'm not sure I've given my little rant/spiel about my novel. Yes, I have written a novel. No, it's not finished (and somehow, I don't think it ever will be. Sighhh). Perhaps I shall write about it when I have nothing more to say on another random topic.

My computer battery is driving me insane. In other news.

Tootles! I'm off to find something else to do.
WolfGrrl

Re: The Plague of Plagiarism

I am too tired and stressed to write anything original and cute right now; an old post will have to do. Sorry, faithful readers, for my lack of attention to you in the past few weeks. A whole crap-load of stuff has recently fallen on my head, with the end result being I don't really have the time or energy to devote to superfluous things. (Looking at YouTube videos of babies and cute dogs is preventative medicine, thank you very much. It doesn't require the use of my brain.) You know things are bad when I, who believe that unless I am dead or in the hospital I must be in class, considered skipping in favor of a nap.

I am appalled by my own irresponsibility. I have failed myself, even though I went, because that makes two classes today in which I have almost fallen asleep. But whatever; digressions are the product of a sleep-deprived (see the last post) and deranged mind. Instead have a little rant from a few months ago, dealing with one of my favorite soapbox topics of all time: Plagiarism.

Grrrr.
Yes, that's the sound I'm making right now on my computer in the library (sorry to my fellow students, but let's face it, some days you just gotta growl). The reason for the growling and the glaring? Well, if you're not like me and actually do keep up with current events you'll remember that there's been a recent upswing in college campaigns against plagiarism. And for good reason: it sucks to be plagiarized.

Now, thankfully I've never (to my knowledge) been plagiarized, but I have friends who have and everyone is familiar with the idiots scrambling to read off their neighbors' tests or "borrow" their papers. Folks, let's take a minute and think about the consequences of such actions, and I'm not just talking about what the college will do to you if you're caught. Captain Jack had it right when he said that "The deepest circle of Hell is reserved for betrayers and mutineers." Substitute "plagiarists" for "mutineers" and you've got a statement that's scary as crap...or should be to all you smug-faced tight-asses who bought your papers over the internet rather than wrote them like all the rest of us. It's people like you who make the world difficult for people like me, and on behalf of suspected plagiarists everywhere I'm letting you know that YOU SUCK.

These days there are so many plagiarists running around that even honest writing comes under suspicion when there's the slightest discrepancy between the quality of the author and the quality of the work. Now, because of my sterling reputation, obvious affinity with language, and the line of people twenty miles long willing to testify that I actually did write that paper, I've never received more than The Glance from a professor. But there are some people who lose scholarships or job interviews or even their careers because they don't have that stockpile of trust to balance the doubts of the Powers That Be. The reason being, of course, those faceless hordes who steal others' work but aren't smart enough to avoid getting caught. I think that people who plagiarize and get themselves busted are a greater menace than the ones who get away. Obviously, it's good to catch and punish such criminals, but on the other hand it gives the Powers That Be a precedent for scrutinizing all future comers with brutal - and not always unbiased - intensity.

Grrrr.

If I were so inclined I could probably spin this post off onto the topic of trust and relationships, but that's a digression for another day. For now I'll just leave you with a little bit of WolfGrrl Wisdom: supposedly 'Cheaters Never Prosper.' Please. We all know that's a bunch of crap. The saying should state that 'Cheaters Always Prosper...Until Someone Knocks Them on Their Asses.' Let that someone be you; take a stand against plagiarism. When you see the kid beside you sneaking a look at his textbook during the exam, give it a kick on your way to the bathroom. He won't be able to retrieve it without giving the game away. That girl waiting to photocopy her friend's history paper ten minutes before the deadline? Jam the photocopier when it's your turn.

All right, all right, these are all malicious and destructive responses to plagiarism. But hey, a little fantasizing never hurt anyone, right? The MOST EFFECTIVE way of stopping is plagiarism happens to be my personal favorite: Turn to the Evil Person and say, calmly to his/her face "I'm sorry you're too busy to write this paper/lab report/whatever. Perhaps you should take fewer classes next semester, or talk to your parents about transferring to a less academically rigorous school."

The expression on his or her face will, undoubtedly, make your day.
It sure made mine.

Mwahahahaha...no.
WolfGrrl