Self-evaluations, round 2

Over this past weekend, I had to write my self-evaluations, as it is "mid-terms" for everyone who goes to a normal college. They went a lot smoother this time compared to last, mostly because I'm much more comfortable in the classes I'm taking this semester than last. I participate in discussion more often, and the work is also slightly less challenging. I can't quite pinpoint what the differences are - if its me, the class, or the professor - but generally this semester I've participated much more in the classroom. It's always been discussion-based, but this time around I find that I have a lot more to say. I think it's most likely because the topics this semester (journalism, fiction, sex/love) are much more relatable ground for me than last semester's (postcolonialism, Latin American politics, war).
In my fiction writing class I was surprised to see that my story wasn't ripped apart, and actually quite well liked. I think that's just generally how I get with my creative writing, when I'm not entirely satisfied with it I don't expect anyone to like it. But it went quite well, and I got loads of good feedback and ideas to help improve it as well.
My friends and I have been talking about how this semester is moving so much faster than last. We figured it has something to do with the fact that we're much more adjusted to our situation now than we were last time, and because there are actually fewer days this semester anyway. There are less than two months left of the year, and while last semester that felt like forever, this semester that amount of time feels short. It's going by pretty fast.
Due to some strange occurrence in the weather, all the snow around here has melted and its 50 degrees out. Two of my friends and I hiked a nearby mountain, something we had been meaning to do since the fall. While the view was obviously less colorful than it would be in October, it was still really cool to see the entire valley that we live in, as well as our college and the other colleges nearby. It also felt good to get out and off campus after a winter of staying inside and going to movies.

Exactly What I Needed

This week has been exactly what I needed. We had a snow day on Monday. Although I hate snow it was very nice to have a day off. It allowed me to get some necessary work done. Then on Tuesday I did not have to go to my night class until an hour after it started as the class had to take an exam that I took on Friday. Then I took a mental health day or I guess mental health night as I skipped my stress management class and went to the Phantoms game instead. It was a tough decision, but well worth it. To top it all off my Spanish class was cancelled on Thursday. It does not get any better then that. Not only has this week been great but I only have one more week until spring break!!! 

Don't think that just because I had fewer classes, I had fewer adventures. Don't ask me to explain how either of these adventures happened because I don't think I could do them again if I tried. I was riding in the elevator trying to put on my jacket. I finally got the jacket on and was waiting for the elevator to open. The door opened and I began trying to walk out of the elevator. As I tried to walk the collar of my jacket began getting tighter around my neck. it was then I realized that the pocket of my jacket was stuck on my walker handle. After about five minutes I was able to free my jacket and continue on with my day. Another day this week I was walking up the ramp to go outside. There are two mats on the ramp. Unfortunately my feet got tangled in the first mat. I looked like I was about to do a belly flop on the floor. My arms and walker were moving forward and my feet were far behind. The thing about my walker is that it has automatic locks on the wheels so that you cannot go backward. In most cases this is a good thing, but when your feet are stuck behind you the wheels make it almost impossible to regain your balance. Thankfully two gentlemen were walking behind me and helped me. I may be able to avoid classes but I can never avoid adventures because everyday is an advemture 

College Should be Cancelled Anytime the Temperature is Above Fifty

Where does the time go? Probably the same place my motivation went. Out the window. I wish I could go to two classes and dedicate my time and effort to them.  They are Political Science and English. All of my other classes seem pointless, especially math. The professor is a great guy, but his voice is so monotone it is a struggle just to stay awake. My friend meets me by the elevator every class and convinces me that I should go. His job is only going to get tougher as the weather gets nicer. There is a park right next to campus and I love taking afternoon naps in the sun. This park plus math plus nice weather equals a disaster waiting to happen in terms of my attendance. This of course is only in my dreams because I would feel so guilty if I cut class, but boy is it tempting. Just a quick story. Last week my stress management teacher told us to clear our desk. I put my books on the ground. This was a bad idea since I would forget my head if it was not attached to my body. I'm sure you can guess what happened. I forgot them. When I went back to class two days later to get them they were gone. When I went to class  this Wednesday I asked a student if she had picked them up as she was in the classroom after me. When she said she hadn't I figured the books were gone forever. Fifteen minutes into class a security guard came in the room. I figured he was coming to tell us class was cancelled since the professor still had not shown up. Instead he said "Is anyone in this class missing books?" I guess it was my lucky day since everything was exactly how I left it. For once I avoided an adventure rather then going on a wild goose chase to find the books. This is surprising as everyday is an adventure.

Science hasn't changed

For the first time all year, I found myself completely zoning out during class, and, of course, it was during my science class. I'm doing all my work in the class and doing my best to pay attention, but a college science class is still a science class, and it's still over my head. I know it could be a lot worse, and I'm glad my professor is very understanding of the fact that not everybody is as passionate about what he's teaching, but whenever he begins speaking in thicker jargon and only a few students in the room really follow what he's doing, I find it really hard to pay attention.
But aside from that part of that class, everything else is going fine. I gave my first presentation of the year (with a partner) and it went smoother than I could have imagined. I was clearly overprepared, and my partner and I were more than ready to talk past our 15 minute time allotment. For my fiction writing class tomorrow, my story is being workshopped, and I'm pretty nervous since I wasn't particularly proud of the story. I've never written in the third-person for fiction before, and I think the story clearly reflects that, so I hope the class goes easy on me.
A thing that has been nice about this semester is that, in the absence of many of my friends who have moved into different buildings, I'm meeting more people. It's nice to know that the friend-making process doesn't simply end after the first few weeks, and people are willing to branch out as the year goes by.

They Told Me I Would Change My Mind

This week has been full of flashbacks. Surprise quizzes, moving students to the front of the room so they pay attention, me being quiet for two hours in order to prove a point... o wait that has never happened before and my personal favorite the conversations where people told me that I would change my mind about my career, a minimum of three times. I had always thought that people were wrong about the last one, especially since I had wanted to do something with the law since I could remember. It turns out I was wrong. I am taking a math class and the current chapter is logic. My professor is constantly saying how lawyers take numerous logic courses as it is the basis for their career. I hate it. I don't want to use complex, verbose language just to get what I want. I don't want to try to persuade people to agree with my point of view, but rather come together to find solutions to complex global problems in hopes of making other people's lives better. If anyone knows a career that fits these objectives please let me know. It looks like my college career will be full of work and adventure if I change my major. This is not surprising as everyday is an adventure!

Same as it ever was

At this point, I've resumed the same routine I had last semester, except perhaps with a little less writing. Looking back on my portfolios from last semester, I can't help but notice how heavy they are with paper, and when I look over my syllabuses for this semester it doesn't look like I'll match last semester's weight. When I compared the work I did last semester to what my friends were doing, both here and at other colleges, I also found that it was considerably more writing based than most, which I suppose might have been because I took 2 writing classes and two analysis-heavy classes. Though I may be getting small break from heavy writing, however, that doesn't mean that this semester will be a breeze. What I will have to do, that I've done little of previously, is give presentations. I don't have a lot of experience in giving presentations, so I'll probably pick up on that skill, or at least I hope I do.
The only other major change of this semester is adjusting to how often I see my friends. I had quite a few friends that were a year ahead of me, and when the new semester started, many of them moved into different housing that is both removed from the main area of campus and off the meal plan. Not that it is a major hassle, necessarily, since we all have phones and know where each other live, but spontaneously planned events have significantly decreased, mostly due to the fact that I don't see these people daily like I used to.

I Should Have Said No

Is it May 15th yet?  It certainly feels like it should be. This week has been full of school work, meetings and tutoring. I think the the most beneficial skill I could learn in college is how to say no. I have not been in college long enough, however because I could not say no to anything this week. I went in early to tutor someone in economics, attempted to help someone in Spanish and even tried to help my friend in physics. Anyone who knows me knows that I HATE physics and that it was the worst class I took prior to college Spanish. Those two are tied for my least favorite classes ever. I also told agreed to make a Black History Month pamphlet for the club I am president of. If Stress Management can work for me, it can work for anyone. I guess without the stress though life would be boring. That would not be good because everyday is an adventure!