mid-quarter crisis

the dinner party is done. and suddenly, the blinders i've been wearing to the schoolwork i have to to just fell off... and oh boy is there a lot of it...

in the security program, security classes are heavy on the group projects and powerpoint presentations... and i have 3 powerpoints, 3 group presentations, 3 major research project all due within a week of each other, and i have to come up with and declare a thesis topic by next tuesday. i kinda sorta know what i want to theoretically do for a thesis topic (i'm undecided as to whether i'll actually write a thesis; it's optional in my program) but i don't really know the security related issues or know if i have the resources to pull it together in a week (and a teeny 5-slide powperpoint for thesis topic presentation).

so if the words "suicide bombing," "multinational terrorist organization," "small arms smuggling," "russian-irish technological espionage," "chinese economic security threats," "cross-strait relations," or any other phrases that seem like nonsequitors in the middle of a seemingly non-international security conversation, it's because i'm subconsciously writing papers in the back of my head while i'm talking to you.

in other news, since cutting back the dairy to almost nil (i haven't really been involved with cheese lately either!) last week with the sinus infection, i've shockingly become fond of hazelnut soy lattes... the soy milk is so sweet and nutty in of itself, however, that i usually ask for 1/2 of the amount of hazelnut just to give the impression that the sweet and nutty is from that and not the soy milk, because i still think soy milk is nowhere near as tasty as milk or rice milk...