Ketchup

Great Googa Mooga! I have so much to catch up on.

Great Googa Mooga!

Steven Hawking Audiobook Master!

Second day. The second day of class was Thursday. Thursdays are my busiest of all days. 3 of my 4 classes are held on Thursdays. I went to the Rec center and ran a mile on the treadmill. For the better part of an hour I was the only one there. it was awesome. Oh yeah. The treadmill has a fan in it that is tied to how fast you go. The faster you run the more air it moves at you. After a shower it was off to...

First class Prof History. Foreign, but has been in the states long enough for his accent to wear down. Fun guy, it seems. Pretty much said "If I read and participate in class I should get an A". We'll see. A midterm and Final are a bit more than participating. Although, Nook Study can read aloud my History book. Granted it sounds like I'm being read to by Steven Hawking. It leaves my hands and eyes free to paint while digesting the books content.  Normally, I would watch/listen a documentary while painting. Now I can get school work done too!

Then it was time for Prof Pre-Calc's class of...Pain? Yes. He had not changed the way he instructed at all. After the class I politely tell him his instruction sucks and how to fix it. He seems pleased by the feedback. Maybe there's hope that I don't drop the class and sign up for the online version? I hate online math...

An hour to kill, but I have an appointment to see Dr. Physics-Chair. The idea is to make sure I know when to sign up for what over the next few years. On my way to the appointment I had to schedule with his secretary, I find him walking to a different building for some other meeting. I chat him up and find out that he isn't the best help at advisment until I am ready for my major classes.

Tired and looking to fill in some time I meander. All of a sudden I run into a Brennen. I know him from my Community College. In my capstone class he was on my team and even though we butted heads occasionally he was respectful and our whole team kicked a lot of... Well anyway, it was Brennen and boy howdy was he happy to see anyone he knew. He had found out, like I had the day before, people at this University are not nearly as friendly as they were at our CC. We talked and hung out a bit. He had 2 hours to kill I had only the one.

Like a light

Prof Bioethics pauses her speech every so often that it's distracting. It seems like she's imploring the students to vocalize and interact, but if they do she talks right over them.the class is 2 hours long and I am exhausted afterwards.

When I got home I tried not to, but I passed out.



Third day!

The Rec-center was filled by the Basketball team training. the entire area I use was filled with athletes sitting around watch two guys run at a time on 2 of the 4 treadmills. To be sure they occupy the entire area and the Rec-center staff say they have to let them, due to some agreement with the team. Whatever, I'll go to class and come back after. I'll have 2 hours to kill after English anyway.

English Class went better. Mostly, just busy work though. Interviewing another student. presenting them to the class.

Back to the Rec-center. 2 people are in there. TADA! I get to run in the air conditioning. with that special fan. This time I run a mile and a half.

Finally it was time to see how Prof Pre-Calc thought of my ...uh... criticism. HOLY MOLY! He is doing just what I told him to do! Suddenly the class is going so much faster and I'm learning stuff. The rusty wheels of math start turning again. Hooray!!!

After class there is a meeting of the University newspaper. They're recruiting writers. and after some free pizza and sweet tea, I'm the new space science writer for the paper! Not only can I write about stuff I love and have it published for others to read, but I'll get paid for the articles. How sweet is that? ("Really sweet," in can you were unsure or had the wrong answer)

Forth day (that's today):

Who cares? Run away from the sweaty flying fish monsters!

Rec-center. Again the basketball team are there all over the equipment. This time I change and go running out side. OMG!!! Humidity sucks.Really, it's my lungs that suck in the humidity, but I think you can understand. I run a half mile then come back in. The two really cool treadmills are in use, the other two are even powered. I finally get power to the other treadmills and run another mile. I need to talk about something I've noticed about the running, but I'll do it on a different day.

Time to see Prof. English. More of Friday's busy work.We still don't get finished. This guy just doesn't watch the clock. As long as I don't get caught up doing all the work at once I don't care. It's his class anyhow.

I go to the cafeteria and socialize with strangers. Then I start probing for a couple of recruits to help get a student organization going. I'm looking to start a War-gaming/strategy club. Again, we'll see.

Prof. Pre-Calc is still on the same track as last class. In fact, it's the same material, just different numbers. I'd be more upset if I wasn't still trying to remember this stuff. Class let's out and I completely couldn't remember where I parked. It takes me almost 5 minutes to remember. I'm outta there.

Now I'm sleepy... must complete entry... must comple....... ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzz

Short

As I said, I want to write everyday after class. Today, I do not have the energy or time to write a post of anything other than "I'll write tomorrow with today's adventure." To be sure today was an adventure. So, I'll write tomorrow with today's adventure.

First day!

Oh, how much I hurt...

There were good and bad points all day. First, I couldn't sleep last night.  Went to bed early, fell asleep, hour and a half later 100% wide awake. Went back to sleep sometime after 3am. Woke up and got out of bed about 6:30. 30 minutes later than I had intended to. I got out of the apartment and to school in good time. I purchased a locker for the semester at the rec center, but didn't really have time to get started. Checked on the bookstore. Closed. Realized I was very hungry and headed off to the meal hall.

All you can eat breakfast food. $7. So, I'm $7 poorer now, but the biscuits and sausage gravy was so good! After eating my fill I have 7 minutes to go about 200 yards to English class.I arrive at the class with 4 minutes to spare, but apparently he started a few minutes before that. Good to know now. Prof English goes on about the syllabus at length pausing sometimes to go into more depth of certain personal feeling of semi-related subject.

For instance, his absolute disdain for graduation ceremonies, stating vehemently he believes they are one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse and are the reason for all of the "sense of entitlement" that people have today. He goes on about this peeve of his for about 5 minutes. This instantly inspires me to write an essay that would surely put me at odds with my Professor. Whereas it'd be fun to tell him off on that topic, it would be more fun to get an 4.0 GPA at this school too.

After class I show a giant classmate where the IT Help-desk is. He says he just came from Chicago and that is what people call him. Why would people in Chicago call him that? Is he the epitome of Chicago? Are they all 6'6" basketball players? Is he the the Avatar of the city itself? If so, why is he in metro Atlanta? I may never know the answers to these questions. I don't think they're important questions, so it will be okay.

 I leave Chi-town and head over to the Physics office to see what's going on. I got 2 hours to kill be fore Pre-Calc. Two guys were hanging out there, both younger than me. I find out that one is a physics professor. LeJoné and I talk for a few minutes. He's hung over from a party last night.

I get over to the bookstore finally. I still had not received my email notification that my books were ready for pick-up and I wanted to know why. Found out that they were ready for pickup and I was on my way again.

This is where my lack of sleep punched me in the face. It was like being suddenly drowsy and drunk at the same time. I found a student organization handing out free coffee and had a cup. Good and bad move. The coffee got me going again, but it did so by letting me burn all of the energy at the bottom of the tank in one quick 25 minute burst.

Just in time for me to be 20 minutes early for Pre-Calc. I try to download the e-textbook. right at the critical point the network drops. The activation code used. Instantly I watch $80 fly right out the classroom window. Not a real $80, but the $80 I spent on that e-textbook.

People pile into the classroom. Oh yeah. The desks in the room are those desktop-attached-to-the-chair kind from when you were in middle school/Jr High. No really. The same exact ones. They were so tiny that my 15.6" laptop can just sit on the desktop and there is no room for anything else. Not even a pencil. It was this exact type of desk in the image.

Prof Pre-Calc arrives on time. introduces himself quietly and quickly. Goes over the syllabus in about 10 minutes and spends then next forty with his back to us in speaking writing on the chalkboard (yes there was a chalkboard) his body in the way of being able to see anything he wrote. Also, if there is a way to write in small type with chalk, Prof Pre-Calc has mastered it. He could probably teach a class on the subject. To bad you'd never be able to read his notes, as he doesn't lecture.

Back to the bookstore to find out what can be done about the lost e-textbook. I'm given the vendor's phone number and told to try and work it out with them and if nothing happens through that method the school will refund and then reissue the e-textbook. I go to the Help-desk to get a good WiFi connection and begin the journey.

Successful in my effort to get the e-textbook activated, I find that through this vendor (not a Nook Study book) I can only have access to the book when I am connected to the internet. Not to mention the atrocity that is their user interface. I make the decision to hang my head in shame and purchase a real copy of the text book. I might add that while at the Help-desk, I did a fair share of tech support. The line was constantly backing up out of the office all day.

Back to the bookstore. I get a copy of the Pre-Calc text book and the required graphing calculator and go home as fast as I can. Later this evening I decided to open the calculator and get to know it. Shortly after I get a call from a friend who in the course of conversation tells me that I shounld have used his calculator instead of buying one.

I'm hoping they'll take it back with an opened package.

I'm so exhausted.

It's good to be back in school!

Almost had me...

Today, I did the illogical thing of kinda celebrating the last day of summer vacation and stayed up way to late to be pleasant for an 8:00am class . I checked my e-mail again to see if Prof. Pre-Calc had replied and I found a retraction from Prof. English's previous e-mail. Hooray! I can still sleep in!

I have some extra insight now about Prof. English. First, He's excessively short in e-mail communication. Second, he considers some non-traditional word groupings appropriate for e-mail correspondence with his students.

Maybe, he won't be the "Maniacally Evil Professor English." Perhaps he's just the "How Hard Can It Be To Pick Up An English Class? Professor D'OtherSubject." If it's the case, I can live with that. I think...

Guess I'll find out Wednesday!

New Semester Tips

If you have a name in which others have difficulty pronouncing, e-mail your professors and give them a pronunciation guide. (Don't be a jerk in the process. This is not to say that I think Tchaikovsky would be a jerk about it.). This is also the time to ask any real questions about their expectations of the first day of class. Unless you are a complete idiot, you should not be able to blow this. If you do blow this, please switch your major to something less thought provoking. Animal grooming perhaps.

When I began my quest to enroll into my University, I was made aware that Mon the 15th 2011 was the official start of the Fall semester. Upon a second glance at my detailed schedule to verify my class times in conjunction together, I noticed that the calendar notes the first day of the semester id Wed the 17th. Since this would effect half of my classes, I fired off an email to all of my professors in the hopes of getting at least one response. Three of the four professors replied. In fact, the timeliness of their replies was in order of scheduling importance, reversed.

The first response was from my Bioethics professor, whose class I will only report to on Thursdays. Of the two options neither would effect my first day in her class, but I appreciated her timeliness nonetheless. When she responded that I was correct in that Wednesday is the first day of classes, it meant barely anything, except Happy Wednesday! .

The second response from my World History professor. His response was important in that I am scheduled to be in his class every Tuesday and Thursday till early December. His response was the same as my Bioethics professor. Wednesday.

The third, and so far final, response was from my English professor, whom I shall see every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning for the semester. 8:00am sharp. His response was rather strange. First, unlike the other professors, he did not include my e-mail in his response. Also, he said Monday; in a very short, slightly curt, message.

My Pre-Calculus Professor has yet to respond, and that is a class I scheduled for every weekday.

What to do? Well I'll be there bright and early Monday morning. In fact, I plan to be hitting the Rec-Center and hour before class. If my ID won't let me into the Rec-Center than I know the semester hasn't begun. Of course I'll still hang around for class. That's just how I am now-a-days.

It doesn't stop my paranoia from thinking he's trying to play some silly trick on me.
English professor: "OH WOW! You really believed that?!? MWA HA HA HA HA!! You fell for my wicked scheme to make you wait around!" (He is an English professor. That's how they all talk, right?)


Me: "Oh no! You thwarted me, you dastardly cur! A pox upon your and yours, for I shall never recover from the day I was at school (which is where I want to be) for no real reason. Mayhap, I shall hang my head for shame... Nah. I'm going over to the Physics Department. They have Mtn Dew!"