Hello again! It seems like it was just yesterday that I was writing my second post. Time flies when you're at college; I can't believe it's almost been two months! This week has been, on the whole, the same. Class, work, food, sleep. Repeat. On most days, I have to sacrifice food for sleep, or vice-versa. The woes of college life!
As much as I'm inclined to tell you about my week, day by day, I won't. What's point? Who cares about what classes I went to, what I learned, etc. I don't even care. I will, however, write about one academic assignment that I enjoyed. For my FIG, we were assigned to read Man in the Dark by Paul Auster. I don't want to give away a lot; just enough to convince you to pick up this charming, 180 page novella.
Basically, the novel is about an old, wheelchair-bound author/journalist named August Brill, who is trying to counter his insomnia by telling himself a story. Unknowingly, the story he creates manifests into another world, with real people, real death, etc. The setting is America in 2006 (I believe), but instead of participating in the war in the Middle-East (which doesn't even exist), we are in a very violent civil war. The protagonist of this story is assigned to kill Brill, or "The Creator," to end his influence on their lives. What's interesting, though, are the parallels between Brill's life and the story he created; both himself and the protagonist share secrets of infidelity, thoughts of suicide, feelings of regret, and much more.
In very plain language, Auster writes of the immediacy of life and the immutability of the past. It sounds a bit depressing, especially after Brill recounts the story of how he met, cheated on, rekindled with, and watched the death of his wife, but the novel ends on a high note--the future, he realizes, has the potential to create happier memories. I may have give the crux of the novel away, but it doesn't matter; Man in the Dark is one of those books where the plot line, though good, is not what the reader takes away. It's the message that's important, and can be interpreted differently by everyone. I've also said that a good book assigned by a teacher is a gift from God.
Enough with books. On Friday, I went to my first college party! I'm not sure if I should write about this in detail, so I won't. BUT, parties are a timeless, "coming of age" experience for new students. Just remember to be safe! My friends and I actually abandoned the first place we went to, because I suspected a cave-in was imminent.
On Saturday, I went to the Homecoming game (of course)! Despite the chilly winds--harbingers of a cold winter, I think--it was a lot of fun. If you're looking for a spirited school, Rutgers has tons of it! At the bottom of this post I'll upload a picture of the stadium/the Red Sea. I thought I was in the perfect place to snap a photo.
Sunday has been, in every sense of the word, the Sabbath (I'm not particularly religious, though). I woke up at an ungodly hour, ate to my heart's content, did minimal homework, and treated myself to Season 1 of the Walking Dead. Yes, I'm lazy. No, I don't want to change my habits. The woes joys of college life!
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