Variety is the Spice of Life

It was today I realized that the school year is now in full swing, as far as academics goes at least. I was sitting in front of my computer trying to hammer out a 3 page paper only to remember that I still had a case scenario analysis (yea, I know, F*** me right) and some accounting homework (My world wouldn't be complete without it). As unorganized as I feel at points, I can tell by the way some of these teachers put together the assignments that they aren't much better off than I am. What makes it even tougher is the distraction that kills me every year, the lineup of football games on TV. As much as I try to turn the volume down and pretend that nothing exciting is going on, I always end up gravitating towards the tube. As soon as you flock to the common living room is when your doomed. Everyone is relaxing and having a good time, with full intentions of doing their work but obviously not until the Sunday Night Game is over. We have our study area, which is an extension of our living room and has become a pointless asset. You are much better off just staying in your room and trying to get work done rather than adding a potentially distracting social aspect to it all. I feel if my course load wasn't diversified then I would be in big trouble. Some of my classes require mostly papers, others short-write ups, and others online submission (Wiley-plus, If you don't know what it is your lucky). The variety is what gives me enough drive. A little bit of a contradiction for an accounting major, huh?

The Saturday Morning Ritual

Don't get me wrong, everyone I live with including myself loves to sleep in. It's tough once your internal clock is set to a certain time though, and we're all at about the same point. We all hear the room doors opening and closing and we know it's time to throw some decent attire on and get ready for our Saturday Morning (or sometimes afternoon) breakfast at Hope Dining Hall. I guess it just depends what you're in the mood for, but I'm partial to the home fries and dessert breakfast items like cinnamon rolls and danish pastries. Sometimes we have all ten of us trying to squeeze around a table, but usually there's two or three that physically can't get up that early, so they get a free pass that time. Conversation ranges from movie quotes to "who was that guy partying with us in our suite last night?" Today there was conversation of outrageous marketing ideas and pointing out each others disgusting habits (It's always in good fun). What makes it so enjoyable is the many different personalities within our group of friends. We have the very loud, animated types. The quiet, one liner types(That's me), and a couple funny, jokester types (I guess I could fit into this category too). I feel that we would make a great reality show because everything you hear from us would be completely unfiltered and straight forward. These kind of group activities have become part of our culture as college students. We rely on each other to survive. I know it sounds extreme, but without the laughs that we have and the support we give each other, I think I might go crazy. I feel that the smallest things can help us keep our sanity, don't you?

The Artform of Teaching

As for the incident I covered in my last post, everything has blown over and I know my friend is putting things in perspective with time. Switching gears a little bit, I had some time between classes to sit and reflect on my academic experience here, since I sit in the same room, in the same seat for a few hours straight. In recent years, especially since I've been a student here, I've realized just how much of an art form teaching is. It might sound exaggerated, but the more I sit through classes with teachers that have less than par presentations of lessons, the more I realize that I couldn't do much better of a job myself. I'm not saying I'm not guilty of it. Every time we leave class we curse and make fun of the teacher who poses the questions that nobody in their right mind would respond to. A theory that I've come up with is that there is huge range between the great teachers and the not so great ones. Once you've have become accustomed to a teacher with great delivery and has the ability to keep you engaged for an entire class period, then every other class fails to measure up to that one and becomes far less intriguing to you. Overall, I think this semester will be tough for me with a few exceptions, simply because some professors don't have the ability to keep students engaged. I really feel that the not so good professors make the great ones look like masters of their craft. Which one do you think it is? Are they really the masters we perceive them to be, or do they seem great in comparison?

Apology Not Accepted

I received a phone call from one of my co-workers at about 4:30 that we only had one person working at the store, and if I was trying to pick up extra hours, I could come in. I had class from 5 to 6:15, but I rushed there right after that so I could lend a helping hand, although I wasn't scheduled. I come back to find one of my good friends had passed out from having a little bit too much to drink. The Fray concert was last night and I think he had just a little bit too much beforehand. One of my other suite mates was nice enough to bring him back here and kept an eye on him. Apparently, they have very strict guidelines here and have a zero tolerance policy for puking anywhere on the premises. The kid almost got the cops called on him. If it weren't for the like-able character of my suite mate, I think it could have been a rougher night for m y friend. They got out of some jams that they probably shouldn't have. I talked to him this morning on his way to class and he was not only not feeling well physically, but he felt emotionally sick because the thought he ruined everyone's night. That's the kind of kid he is. Everyone has a rough night once in awhile, but it just depends how you rebound and represent yourself afterward. He was thinking about apologizing to everybody at some point today, but that just isn't necessary. We all view him as a class-act, and ultimately, we wouldn't feel right taking an apology from him anyway. He has been a good friend to all of us for so long, and we are certain that he would have helped any of us in the same situation. Genuine and good people deserve those 2nd, 3rd, and 20th chances, don't you think?