By the way, I've actually thought a lot about what I'll do if I don't get accepted to any grad programs. I have high hopes that I will, but MFA progs are super-competitive since they generally take so few students per year, so I've been working on various alternatives.

One is to stay in Raleigh, look for a job, work for a year, apply for MAs for fall 2008. Those would be easier to get into, and taking the PhD track would actually make things a little simpler in terms of getting a teaching job someday.

Another option is just to say "screw it" and move somewhere else anyway. I'd be hesitant to do this by myself -- it's easier to get by with a roommate, at least financially speaking -- but I'd do it if I had to. I just have this sense that North Carolina was where I grew up, and now that I've basically grown up, I have to see what else is out there. I'm not sure why I have this instinct, but it is pretty strong.

Maybe I can go backpacking in Europe and become a professional bum. I know a few people that might be interested in going that route. We'd just have to know not to shampoo a shampooer on the way back through customs (a little reference for Mr. Show fans out there.)

I can't believe how lucid my thoughts are these days. It's kind of cool. It also forces me to face a lot of crap I'd been trying not to face about stuff in my past (see below posts.) But it's been really healthy overall.

I am starting to wish I never agreed to do this DipPouch editorship, though. I'm just not quite at the level of fanaticism over the game that some of these other people are, so I don't have ideas for thousands-of-words articles on tactics and strategy. For the first issue I'm writing my "first game" story, that of Pope Satan and rafting retreats. The gist of it is that I felt so screwed over by everyone in that game that I made it my mission not to let that happen again, and got really immersed in the Internet hobby so I'd be kicking ass next time I played against those guys. (It worked, but it was also kind of crazy. I was a weird kid.)

Oh well. Gotta go.