MILES to GO || before I sleep

I told you I bombed my Geography midterm. I didn't think I'd bombed it so badly as to get a D (that's what a 65% is, right?), but alas! Such is the case. Half of me wishes they graded according to the Asian style, which would be something like this:
A = 90-100%
B = 79-89%
C = 59-78%
D = 39-58%
F = Anything below 39%
That would explain why Usagi always whined about 30%s, anyway...

Today's my Japanese midterm, and I'm much more confident. I've only been here in the Collaboratory for a half-hour, so I have plenty of time before my 2pm class to study... I think what I need to get down is the various readings (ON and KUN) of kanji, and review the sentence structures/patterns that we've learned:
~ni shimasu (I've decided on...)
~ni narimasu (...is set to/will become/becoming)
~sugimasu (too much)
~tai (Verbs+tai indicate desire of action. e.g. tabetai = want to eat)
~hoshii (Nouns+hoshii indicate desire of possession. e.g. kuruma ga hoshii = I want a car)
Verb stems ("tabe" from "tabemasu" is the verb stem. Use it in a a sentence construction with a destination and a noun to indicate purpose of movement and action. e.g. In-N-Out ni cheeseburger o tabe ni ikimasu. I'm going to In-N-Out to eat a cheeseburger.)
Informal speech (finding the "root" of verbs. Sometimes they're the same as verb stems/pre-masu verbs, but usually not.)
Negative questions/responses in informal speech. ("Restoran ni konai?" is not asking "Don't come to the restaurant, okay?" It's asking "Won't you come to the restaurant with me?" It kind of functions the same way the ~masen ka? structure works for formal speech.)

I don't have school/work on Friday because of Cesar Chavez day. We don't get off for Veteran's Day or anything else, but we get off for this... and we're one of the few CSU campuses to get it, too. I don't mind so much though, because we get a perfectly timed Spring Break (first time in probably 10 years for me). The long winter break is a thing of the past though, because of the new summer session that forces us to reorganize the Spring and Fall terms. I think this Winter (assuming I'm still here in SoCal), we'd start again on Jan. 6th or something.

Anyway, since it's Cesar Chavez week, tons of LAUSD high school students have been protesting this bill that originally made it a felony to be an illegal immigrant in California. I would have thought the whole "illegal" thing sort of made it obvious that it was a felony, but something's going on with the rewrite of the bill that would let those people stay, become naturalized citizens, and pay a fine and back taxes. I suppose that's agreeable, but I wish those so-called "undocumented citizens" would make the extra effort to BE a citizen and participate in the country, even if it takes a long time for everything to get processed. (Then again, is it really all that great to be an American at this time?)

Also, Erin, Joyce, my aunt-by-marriage Susy's daughter Karin, and her boyfriend Guy have all been staying at the house the past 3 days, and will keep on staying through Friday, or thereabouts. They're all on their Spring Break, but I rarely see Karin. Erin, Joyce, Baba, Grandpa and I went out to dinner at the Hot Wok last night (good Chinese food!), but since I'd had a pizza during English class (which I was late to, because I was typing up the revision to my Emily Dickinson essay in the language lab. Bad Mer, bad!) I only had a few potstickers.

Erin and even Grandpa insist that poodles (like Erin's miniature poodle, the "rat" known as Mokie) are hypoallergenic. Even if poodles do have fur and not hair (or the other way around?), I still think it sounds like bunk. They might not have body dander, but they can still have fleas. Here's this snippet from Dog Myths Debunked:
Dog lovers allergic to their beloved companions long for a simple solution. Unfortunately, non exists. Certain breeds may not shed or may shed less than others, but that doesn't make their owners allergy-free. Allergic people usually react to dander. As a dog grooms and licks itself, saliva is deposited on the skin and haircoat. As it dries, microscopic bits of the saliva, or dander, enter the air and environment and affect the owner.

Still-experimental allergy shots are available to owners, but most choose grooming and housecleaning options over this often painful and time-intensive option. Frequent shampooing of the dog can keep accumulation of dander to a minimum, as can regular washing of bedding and vacuuming of carpets. Many people also find a household HEPA air filter helpful. Simply keeping the dog out of the bedroom provides tremendous relief to others.

Also, from "How Do I Find a Puppy?": Many people believe that certain breeds (like poodles) are "hypoallergenic". True, there are breeds that do not shed hair but anyone that's highly allergic to dogs can also be allergic to these types. And remember that the non-shedding breeds require regular grooming which takes time & can become expensive (even if you do it yourself).

Erin goes by her brother, David. He was severely allergic to cats, to the point where his eyes got swollen. But he never had any such reaction to Mokie. I hardly think that makes her hypoallergenic. The whole TERM 'hypoallergenic' is a human-created thing, anyway; I don't think animals can be naturally hypo-allergenic. People can be allergic to anything.