Date: 2007-04-22
To: Scatterbrained Procrastination-Driven Thoughts
Miles today: 0.0

Well...the title says it all. I'm supposed to be writing my 4000 word paper which I have to give a presentation on on Thursday, and here I am naturally thinking about something completely different. Every time I have a brain numbing load of homework my default reaction is to get nothing done instead of get as much as I can done. I feel like I deserve some credit though, because I drove to campus and walked about a mile to the library with my 16 lb backpack and actually checked out books which increased the weight on the return trip. I see this as preparation for my thru Happily, 16 lbs I can easily handle even when the weight is on my shoulders. I'm learning about the Forma Urbis Romae, which is actually pretty interesting if you're as nerdy as I am. It was a huge (40 ft high!) carved marble map of Rome which depicts every architectural detail of the city--streets, houses, locations of doorways on houses and shops, locations of stairways in houses and shops, upper levels of some builings...even the locations of individual columns! The amount of detail in the map is astounding, and only about 10% of the map fragments have been found. Anywho...Somehow I have to use modern cogitive science theory to explain something about the map. So far I'm basing my entire paper on the psychological needs of Septimius Severus to feel powerful and in control of the city (hence the detail). Scholars also believe it was a form of propaganda, evidence of which I will include in my essay (mainly to take up space).Okay, I know the hiking community doesn't need to know about this, but I feel like I have to include at least something school-related so that I don't feel guilty for wasting time Plus it's helping me gather my thoughts for essay writing tonight.On a further nerdy bent, I will include a really funny historical tidbit I learned while researching the life of Septimius Severus. Well, It might not be very funny but things seem more funny than they really are when you're reading history. Okay, so here it goes. Before Severus was voted emperor by his troops and won the title in Rome, another emperor named Commodus was assassinated because he was going loopy. He liked to pretend that he was Hercules and kill beasts with his bare hands in the colliseum while forcing aristocrats to watch. The aristocrats had to try not to laugh at his insanity because Commodus would kill them if they did. This task was so difficult that the spectators had to chew on laurel leaves so they could disguise laughter as chewing. Commodus was also so self absorbed that he changed his name to Amazonius Invictus Pius Felix Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus Augustus Hercules Romanus Exsuperatorius in order to rename each month of the year after himself.On a non-school related note. Yesterday I took a little trip to REI and bought my very own coyote brown Ultraligh Backpacker Asymmetrical Hennessy Hammock. That's right. I also tried to hang it yesterday, but with very ambiguous hanging instructions paired with gusts of wind and my hammock's unexplainable desire to become a kite, the hanging process failed. Today I succeeded by wrapping the hammock with its stretchy tie-outs which hampered its chances of becoming a kite. I really really really really really want to spend a night in it. I don't think it's very safe to sleep outside at my apartment complex...last Thursday night at 2 a.m. Oliver and I were forced to listen to a fight between a man and two women. We think the husband was cheating and the wife walked in on them because this was the most vivid (ie LOUD) part of the fight, "I AIN'T YO' WIFE! I AIN'T YO' BITCH! I AIN'T YO HO! I AIN'T NOTHIN' TO YOU!!!!!!!!!" I can't wait to go camping this summer in my hammock! May 10=freedom. That's when my last essay is due. Deep breath. I predict some late nights this week.   You'd think I would've learned right now that procrastination is bad, but there's always the dread factor. The more I dread something the longer I put it off. After that my weekends will be free. I'm longing for Pedernales Falls State Park. Oh! I almost forgot. This week I'm expecting my pack to come in the mail. I ordered one, mainly just to try it out since the Austin REIs don't have much selection in the way of backpacks and I don't know of any other outfitters in Austin. Granite Gear Vapor Trail. My main concern with this pack is that there's not many pockets, but if it fits my body well that may be something I can overlook. We'll see. So if I like it, I can test both my hammock and pack by camping primitive at PFSP. Soon I will also construct my cat can stove, but until then Oliver's dad gave us a vintage Swedish army mess kit which contains a pot, heavy duty alcohol stove, windscreen. A bit heavy for the AT but probably just right for shorter hikes. Aaaahhhhhh.Lately I've been living in a world of dreams...everytime I walk anywhere I imagine I'm on the trail LIVING. I want to be doing something real. Something that requires vitality.But for now I'm off to the world of Septimius Severus and cognitive maps. Bleh.