It took every ounce of willpower I possess not to buy one of these. They're the biggest ones I've ever seen... but they were 6 bucks a piece, and even I'm not that crazy. But still... these squishy spike balls (technical term) are some of the best stress relievers ever invented. Until you bust it open anyway.

I took my Latin American history midterm today. Thank God! I am sick to death of neocolonialism and hegemony. I think I did well... I might've messed up one of the essays, but overall I felt like I knew the material.

In German, we started talking about professions and various jobs. So my professor went around the room, asking what we each wanted to do with our lives. People said teachers, authors, politicians... and then she got to me, and I said I wanted to be a lawyer. She seemed really surprised, and asked me if that's what I really wanted to do - have to work every single day, have no family, live alone, and have no fun. But she didn't say anything like that to the two guys in my class who want to be lawyers! I was really offended. I thought she realized that I have a good work ethic and am a dedicated student. I do well in her class, one of the few people who does so. Maybe just because German isn't my life, she thinks I'm unwilling to work. And who says I can't have a career and a family? Women everywhere do just that... my mother, for example, works every day practically babysitting dozens of professors and hundreds of students, but she still manages to come home, cook dinner (often more than one meal, since we all like different foods), do laundry, and take care of my father and me. Why can't I do that? Sure, being a lawyer is hard work... but how dare she think that just because I'm female, I can't handle it! I'm so sorry that I don't want to go into teaching, like her, which I think is a waste of a good university degree.

Also, my trusty old Nikon Coolpix camera died recently... or at least I think it did. It's started randomly not turn on when I wanted to use it. Sometimes it does, just not every time, like it's supposed to. Maybe it's the batteries - I'm not really sure. Regardless, I think I want a new camera. This one is a little too big for my purposes, and I don't like that it blurs the pictures on all but two settings. Plus, I'll be able to use it in Oxford. I really like the Canon Powershot . It has great customer reviews, comes in pink, and has a pomeranian as a spokesperson. I'm sold!