gettin' itchy for the final frontier

well, i've officially been in fairbanks a month now

things have definitely settled down

the days lazily float along

and for the last week i feel like ive been on a much needed vacation

class is a joke

seriously

i dont mean to brag, but the amount of effort i need to invest in my studies in order to receive even above a 95% is virtually nil

last week i skipped all but one class, studied only for a couple hours before the exam by reading the lecture notes (which was like reading Jane/John stories), showed up late for the test, and scored 105%

wtf?!!?

so i really am feeling like im just paying for my credits and not gaining much other than a nice review which i could get by watching reruns of Bill Nye the Science Guy

oh well

this week too the daycare started cutting back my already-too-few hours so ive had a bunch of free time

some of it i've squandered, i must admit

but a lot of it has been soaked up by leisure activities that i've been long overdue to reacquaint myself with

reading, for example - now im tackling another murakami book, Kafka on the Shore

i love reading this bizarre japanese guy

much of his writing style i really appreciate and am inspired by

and cooking!

i had a craving for this African-chick-peanut soup my mom used to make so i got the recipe from her, biked to the store, and barricaded myself in the kitchen yesterday evening...

the verdict: delicious!

and plenty of leftovers too :)

(thanks mom!)

however, to the crux of my present sentiments, 'wither, alaska?'

ive been here a month, and other than the initial 2.5 weeks while i pitched tent, ive seen very little (firsthand, at least) of the beautiful surrounding nature im hearing so much about!

and im hearing a lot

i want to get out and hike, camp, canoe, run from moose, eat out of a can, and most of all, find the majestic isolation that can only be found in alaska

but im a student...

with a job...

and no car...

and little cash...

and even so, im getting to that point (i can see it not far off in the future) where i feel like saying 'screw it!' and go gallivanting off into nature

it's coming...

i know it...

i hope im ready...