Oh, the places you'll go...

I really must get some get-up-and-go from somewhere. Much as I'd love to, I can't just drift through life like I've been doing. All of the very few career-advancing moves I have made have involved an uncomfortable amount of unsolicited effort, and they've all been worth it. I've got to grit my teeth, get the CLEP tests studied for and taken, get a few scholarships applied for, and take a chance on a few of those great jobs that seem out of reach that mom keeps bugging me to apply for. I need to write a resume. I need to stop being spineless about a trip abroad. I let them talk me out of it this summer. I can't let myself get so scared about costs and being by myself and not knowing what to do. It's good to be careful, but at the same time growing always requires getting out of one's comfort zone a little (or a lot.) So many of my friends and people I know are studying abroad, or even joined clubs that involved studying abroad. They get involved with things and run things and manage to survive on tighter schedules than I've ever experienced. I've got to stop being scared of people and start hosting parties and reaching out to people I'd like to know. I've got to start my Etsy shop and stop being nervous about bad photography or whatever else it is that keeps me from doing it. I should join that Accounting fraternity and maybe set my goals a little higher. I've got to welcome leadership. It's about time I finally give in and take that long-awaited next step toward self-sufficiency. (I try not to make a habit of growing up too soon. Anyone who knows me can probably guess this, seeing how long it took me to get a job and a driver's license.) Which reminds me, I've got to get started on that boating license too, because I want to be able to pull dad skiing this summer before he starts getting too old to enjoy it.

Simply put, summer is not what it used to be. I will say this, though. It still beats school with a stick.

So I have 15 minutes before my Econ class, and I've had the blogging itch for a while, so here goes another ramble... Before the good stuff I have to get through the obligatory beginning of semester summary.

I have six classes, 16 credits. Last semester was a nice, easily managable 4 class, 13 credit affair that went pretty smoothly on the whole, except for my jackass of a native-French speaking Spanish prof. Considering how badly I did on some of his exams, the A- I got was higher than I expected, but my beloved 4.0 is now gone. I will miss it. It was good for raising eyebrows in the counselling office: "Well, you have to have a 2.5 to be admitted... Oh, *embarassed laugh* you'll have no problem with that, will you?" Nope. Although I guess you can't really sneeze at a 3.9 either, but it just doesn't have the magic of the 4.0. Mi professor no fue un buen tipo de professor, porque siempre gano un A en mis clases de espanol. Que lastima.



So yeah, this new semester is a bit of a rude awakening. For one thing, I have to write actual papers again. I've had a bit of a break from that and I am not looking forward to it. Especially since I'm pretty sure that the Macroeconomics research paper is supposed to be a group thing. How do you write a research paper as a group? Macroeconomics is definately the class I'm most leery of, (Prof w/ accent, projects up to wazoo) but Management Information Systems (lots of group projects, no idea what the class is about even after 3rd day, prof with accent) is a close second and Business Law (tricky subject matter, have to lead group discussion) could be a problem too. Stats seems easy enough so far, but we're only in the first chapter, it could get worse. *Since writing this sentance I have discovered that yes, indeed, it gets worse. For one thing, my mom's friend's son is in there too, and although we played together as infants, including him explaining his limited knowledge of the production process of chicken and stars soup to me, we really haven't had anything to do with eachother since. The last time we interacted at all was a year ago, I was babysitting his brothers, he walked in and yelled "Hi babysitter!" down the stairs, and went on to discuss his football game w/ the friends he had brought home. It was awkward. I am still trying to figure out if he even knows who I am. My Management Accounting class should be fine, I put my trust in good ole prof Stove from last semester's Financial Accounting class. He's a good egg. My 1 credit Accounting class shouldn't be a problem. It's just the acutal manual accounting and I get along w/ that okay.

So anyways, as usual, college leaves me with all too many opportunities to think and make observations, including but not limited to bus rides, waiting for class to start while trying not to make eye contact with anyone, and my breaks.

Observation #1: After having bought three semesters' worth of books, I have noticed an interesting trend in book binding techniques. Certain types of classes will always have softcover bindings, and other will inevitably be hard cover. Hardcover genres include all math books (including accounting) language books, and science books (when they are involved with medical majors). Softcover genres include gen ed classes (this is WITHOUT fail), computer books, and economics books. Why is this? Maybe the people responsible don't even realize what they are doing, but I like to think it has something to do with the age and permanancy of the information. Take your average math or anatomy book, for instance... The human anatomy doesn't change much, and neither do the ancient rules of algebra or geometry. They're old, they aren't gonna change, and therefore they get a hardcover binding. Your average gen ed book, however, isn't very large, or important, and is probably gonna be completely revolutionized as the fashionable ideas about the topic change. Take your average CS150 book. A signifigant portion of the content didn't exist 5 years ago. Almost none of it existed 15 years ago. In another 5 years the book will probably be completely irrelevant, so what's the point? That's kind of discouraging though... In most of my business subjects, everything I learn will be outdated in a few years. Why am I learning it at all? Why not just wait a few years and go to school then? Because what I learn then will then be outdated within a matter of months, if the exponential growth predictions are to be believed... What's gonna happen to us when we can't keep up anymore? This is annoying for other reasons too... Like buying a new computer. Buy one now, and have it become obsolete in a year, or put up with junk for another year so you can buy the latest technology and be cutting edge for a few months. But then that one will be outdated too. Same goes for speakers, cars, TV's, sound systems, etc... How is this gonna end?

Observation #2: In regular classrooms, the whatever it was in the old metaphor (chips?) tend to lie where they fall, which, being interpreted, means that within a few class periods an unofficial, unspoken seating chart has been created, to be upheld on pain of incensed glares from the owner of the usurped seat. This does not hold true for computer classes, however. The kids in my management class keep bouncing around like BB's in a boxcar, true, there is usually one or two unoperational computers each day (location varies) which tends to cause some disturbance, but honestly, why can't they pick a spot and usually stick with it? It's disconcerting to find the spot you had staked out for yourself one day occupied the next, leaving you to fend for yourself, and to have different neighbors every time.

Observation #3: I've been contemplating the ramifications of man being made of dust and woman being made from man's rib... First, that may explain why girls are on average smaller than guys. Second, I think this explains some of the big differences b/t men and women personaltiy wise. I've forgotten a lot of my conclusions about this, apparently, because none of the good ones are coming to mind, but one of them was that guys were made of earth, so they have colder personalities over all... Women were made of flesh, so they are more emotional and warm. Then again, earth isn't as strong a material as bone, which justifies my age-old theory that deep down men just aren't quite as strong as women. Another thing I think women being made of Adam's rib explains is why the sexes are so attracted to eachother. It kind of works like charged cells... Guys are missing a rib, and we have the missing rib... therefore we bond. Lol... Simplistic I know.

I'm glad nobody I know reads this blog anymore, because these observations offer a somewhat intimate glimpse into the weird wanderings of my bored mind. It's gonna be a good semester for the old blog, because I have a short break in which I am in close proximity to a few uncrowded computer labs, so expect more observations to follow.

Back In The Saddle Again

Hmmm... It would appear that blogging is a strictly college-related activity, at least for me. 'Cause I didn't post all summer, and here were are, 2nd day of classes, with a new post! Very little has changed, actually. Looking back at my "What I've learned from College" post, I'm seeing some horrible similarities. Most pressing is the whole "walk into Manitou = developing sudden need to hit the restroom" thing. I'm also on track to beat last years towering list of embarassing moments. Envision this scenario:

I'm heading for the bus stop. Bus is there, but isn't moving. Therefore, I don't speed up much. I start to get nervous, and quicken my pace. Bus begins to inch forward. I run. Bus continues to move, I continue to run. Bus never stops, even as I run along side it for a second. This all in front of a mildly interested multitude of about 30 or 40 peeps.

In other news, the Padnos steps continue to be a menace, even without slush. Last year I believe the score was Steps - 3, Me- 60. A new year means a new score, and it is currently Steps- 1, Me -0. This time I was walking up the steps and I attempted a left dodge to avoid a stream of pedestrians heading down. As my eyes met the beautiful blue optics of a male of the aforementioned stream, I realized that they weren't leaving enough room for me on the left so a sharp, emergency duck right was in order, while at the same time my left foot hit smooth tile and almost (not quite) slipped out from under me. I stumbed, and a full collision with the blue eyed guy was avoided, but it was a near thing. If either of us had on one more layer... Then dialouge ensued:

Simultaneous: "Sorry!"

Him: "Are you alright?"

Me: (No bodily harm, but the pride is heading to the nearest E.R.) "Yep, I'm fine."

Oh, and it looks like this years classes are all hard and boring. Really. There isn't one class I'm pumped for. And I'm still going for Accounting. Hm. Not good. But then again, I haven't really gotten into any of them yet, maybe they'll improve. At least it doesn't sound like I'll have a whole bunch of papers this year.

So WhoooHooooo! New Post! The Blog Lives!!!!

What I've learned in College...

Hey y'all, time for an update again, I guess. Thanks to my 3 or 4 faithful readers for checking in from time to time, it makes it all worth it, lol.

What I've Learned In College

• You DON'T use conjunctions in formal writing.
• If you enter a GDSU computer lab, you will feel a strong, sudden urge to go to the bathroom immediately upon login. This is not an exaggeration, it is an unescapable fact of life- be prepared.
• If you are like me and are uncomfortable using crowded public restrooms, it is important to know which ones are most likely to be empty. At GDSU these include the bathroom in the Southernmost end of the 2nd floor of Mak, the one hidden in the vending machine room to the right of the MAN entrance, and the 2nd level bathroom smack in the middle of KirkHoff.
• Bathrooms built after the 80's will not have an anteroom where you can dump your backpack- in these situations the proper thing to do is lean it against the door in your stall. Ew.
• Register the very first minute you possibly can. I know this, I just haven't put it into practice yet. But it seems like it would really help.
• Don't plan on using a college computer the week before finals.
• With the exception of above, computers are readily available any time after 4 pm.
• Lunch in the Landing is easiest to come by at 3 pm. The pizza is good, the ice cream is not. Pop is the same everywhere.
• The best bus seats are the two back corners, because you can prop your feet up. Unfortunately I didn't discover this until recently. The absolute worst seats are the first two seats where the back of the bus rises, because basically your at the eye level of anyone who is standing, or any of the sideways seats on a crowded bus because the view is inevitably an eyeful of posterior. The exception is if it is a good lookin' posterior. But still.
• There are some good points to Classical Music, particulary this once piece by Bach and Appalacian Spring by this one composer, but there are also pieces that should have been left to dissapear into the mists of time. I speak of the musical contemporaries of modern artists, particularly the opera Wozzak and the Hiroshima thing, where violins basicaly are made to imitate an atomic bomb and air raid sirens. My ears will never be the same.
• Book buyback can make you feel rich and cheated all at the same time.
• Ratemyprofessor.com is the brainchild of a very intelligent and benevolent person.
• Spanish classes are best taken with people you know, late at night.
• However, it is not a good idea to schedule days where you only have one class from 6-8, the timing is awkward, really splits your day up weird.
• One of our presidents died from food poisoning from rotten cherries.
• Spanish speakers have a very definate idea about what a pretty girl/heroine voice should be in animated movies. I'm pretty sure the same woman does the voices for Jasmine, Beauty, and the various other animated princesses and love interests in the Spanish films I've seen. Either that or all beautiful Spanish girls have the same voice.
• College isn't as great as it's cracked up to be, but not as bad either. It's survivable, as long as you have enough money and or brains, food, support, and manly fortitude.
• College Algebra is so much easier than high school Algebra. Go figure.
• It's really amazing how often you see people you know, even if, like me, you don't know all that many people. Just to prove me right, my cousin saw me in here and popped in to say hi. We have our Spanish exam in 1/2 hour.
• The best part about college, is, of course, break.

Happily, I will be on break in 3ish days, which will start a flurry of applications and resumes, and hopefully land me a job. I will also be working on (YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!!!) OUR COTTAGE!!!!!! Yep, you read that right, my fam bought a cottage on a lake about 20 minutes away from our house, right next to our cousins' cottage. How we came to get it is a long story, as is our refurbishing efforts and, hopefully, our adventures while spending time there. Hopefully I'll get around to telling this story sooner or later, and I also plan on updating the Clyde blog w/ Darren, so stay tuned for that, and check out Dren's profile to find the link if you haven't seen it! And I quote Scarlatti, "Tara!"

All My Life's a Circle...

...sunrise and sundown. ~Harry Chapin.
I (although I could be doing more productive things like the homework I've been freaking out about all day, or, even better, sleeping) have been reading the archives. And I have come to the conclusion that my life pretty much runs in a circular pattern. It starts off with hope and happiness, goes to despair, stress, and a ton of homework, even more despair and stress, mostly brought on by my bad time mangagement (see first sentance), then things start looking up, hope returns and happiness ensues, until another crushing blow falls upon me. It is a viscious cycle, and no wonder I've gotten so cynical, pessimistic and escapist. And- since I'm a good little Anthropology and Sociology student- I know this isn't my fault, it's the result of the the horrible American culture creating an environment that is influencing me. Seriously- all those classes consist of is the implied understanding that white American culture is of no value, that no other culture in the world is capable of doing anything wrong, and that, quite possibly, nobody has a right to say anything is "right" or "wrong." Bah. A pox on college, and on American culture, which encourages people to attend it. And now to bed, where I should have been 2 hours ago.

There's some days even my lucky rocketship underpants don't help. ~Calvin, of Calvin and Hobbes

The fury of the blizzard had ebbed, leaving a deep coating of dusty snow to muffle a world frozen to the negative 4 degree. She pulled her coat on over her pajamas, stuffed her feet into a pair of shoes and slipped out of the dark basement. Few things are more beautiful than a winter sky. The air is dry and clear-- all the water has frozen and fallen, and the stars are at their most reachable. Orion was the only recognizable constellation; a waxing moon and the nearby city blocked out lesser stars. The snow crunched as she angled for a better view. She thought about perfection, and how man had so completely ruined God's perfect world. Even now, in all the beauty of the black sky and the white snow, moon and stars, lay man's smudging, marring fingerprints. The city light blocked out the stars, and it's toxins lay in the glittering dust. Breaking the silence of the snow was the hum of the highway and the crunch of a snowplow across the woods. Woods (don't think about it) that had (it hurts, but I can't help it) more or less been doomed to be sacrificed on the altar of urban sprawl and human greed. It was, and is, a thought that panicked her. Her childhood, the precious memories that made life livable, chopped down, buldozed, and replaced with the proposed 20-house development where people would make memories of their own, never realizing that they had destroyed hers. The fragrant patch of wild lilly-of-the-valleys, the various forts she had built with the friends she no longer knew, the place she had buried her pets, and fled to when all seemed wrong with the world. She remembered how it had felt when another woods, equally precious, had been destroyed, and a few tears flowed down her face for the old pain of the little girl was, and the present fear that little girl had never anticipated.
To some people, change is a friend, but to her it was always an enemy, forcing her forward when all she wanted was to stay where she was, then retreating for awhile and lulling her into a false security, before whipping her world around again. It even had the gall to change her. This was why--although by most people's standards she was young--she felt old, defeated, and helpless, unsure of where she was going, what she was doing as she tore herself away from the world of snow and stars, and headed back into the house.
"Help me, Lord. Please... just help me."

Back at it...

There is one thing I like about returning to college. One thing, and one thing only. They always start things off on Mondays, as opposed to my high school, which would start things off on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and occasionally Thursdays. It just really throws things off when you don't start on Monday. Monday- even though it remains a "no man's land" of unpredictability- is also the day for starting things. It just makes sense starting on Monday. Perhaps it's a cultural thing, like in my Sociology 101 class. Maybe for my culture-breaking experiment I can start my week on a Tuesday!

Anyways, the good news first:
~It snowed!
~As far as non-class life is concerned, nothing has changed.
~I'm still having frequent sightings of the Language Lab tech and a Writing Consultant. Although that might not be good news. I'm gonna say it is though, b/c it's something familiar.
~I'm getting better at knitting.
~I'm not going to have any big tests/projects/papers/exams in Ant 204.

Bad News:
~It snowed~
~I'm hungry.
~There's no one to talk to in any of my classes. Yet.
~People I sit by tend to have 1 or 2 friends in the class with them, eliminating any possible chance of them talking to me.
~So far I have speeches in 2 of my classes. Gulp.
~So far I have chronic group discussion in 2 of my classes.
~So far I have constant readings scheduled for 2 of my classes.
~I've got a ton of pesky 3 pager essays slated.
~I still have 2 classes to go.
~I have to do a "breaking social norms" project for Soc 101, which involves, well, breaking social norms. Seeing as my life's mission is to blend in, this does not sit or bide well for me.