16 February 2004 - 9:05 p.m.

If anyone wonders where I have been during my periodic absences, please check out my "What I'm Reading" field, down a ways from here.

I've bought about 100 books since last year, no exaggeration. Last night I started packing them up for the impending move to Mrs.ville (well, in my case, more like Married Ms.-ville), and thinking, "Who the hell is this person reading this stuff?"

I want to own my stuff, but my books are officially owning me. I used to think it would be cool to be well-read. Now I think it's a cross between slavery (grad student=slave to preconceived notions of erudtion) and compulsion.

Actually, I think it's still really cool to be a compulsive grad student, so maybe I better just take a deep breath and get over it.

I had the worst headache today. I hope it's not stress. I do have a paper due tomorrow, but I've already finished a decent draft, and without rest and aspirin breaks, the whole effort was maybe a 4-5 hour one, including the 30 minutes of proofing and printing I'll do tomorrow.

Of course, had I known that writing about My Darling Clementine would get the theme song in my head for an entire day, I might have picked Casablanca or To Be or Not to Be. Maybe that's what caused my headache.

The plus side of my illness was wussing out in front of the TV and catching some of the Law and Order President's Day Marathon. I like the older episodes because there's nobody in the world who can tell people to shut up like Chris Noth. This has nothing to do with my raging obsession with him. It's more like I've discovered his true purpose in the universe. I seriously just want him to go around screaming "SHUT UP! SHUUUUUT UUUUUP!" at perps in like, every role he plays.

I am watching Bad Apple right now, and it's pretty disappointing because this chick just told him to shut up. But on L&O, that was his thing, and I want it to stay his thing. Role reversals can be cool, but really, Chris Noth could like, sell potato chips by doing commecials in which he tells people to shut up.

That made sense in my head.

The next time I have a day off, I'm not wearing pink pajama bottoms and a pink sweater again, because I look like a mental patient when I try to be that comfy.

What I'm wearing: See above.

What I'm reading: Susan Douglas, _Where the Girls Are_.

What I'm doing after this: Crossing my fingers and hoping for a loud "shut up!"