Wow, it's been such a long time it feels since I last posted anything. And there's just a lot to say...I am afraid this entry might be a little random.
Start with the boring stuff - midterms. Gahh... they are not fun. I finished my last one on Wednesday night, and I've been pretty much brain dead since. I finally regained enough motivation to start doing homework again yesterday evening. But realistically, I've been doing too much "fun" stuff to get very much done. So Sunday and Monday are going to be very long days. So much to study.... and another french test on Thursday. Geez....
What else? Um, it's Halloween weekend. Apparently that's like the biggest thing since Christmas cookies in Pullman. Being from a family that usually did nothing Halloween-y on Halloween, I still fail to see the excitement. I guess if I was a creative minded person, dressing up like fun things would be pretty cool. But to me, coming up with a costume is just a pain. All these crazy people that are trying to be a Playboy cover version of "insert-random-occupation here", and just wander around, drink, yell, and dance.... there's not even any free chocolate involved! So what's the point, guys, really?
However, while on the topic of Halloween weekend, I did the coolest thing Friday night - Fratcakes. :) Basically, the church I'm going to sets up a tent and hands out free pancakes and hot chocolate to all of the people walking up and down greek row from 10-1. It was such a blast! We froze, we laughed, we had some great conversations with people. It was fun to see all the costumes, and enjoy people watching. I think we probably passed out 500-700 pancakes, and a lot of the time, I volunteered to put the syrup on them for the people, or get the hot chocolate so they wouldn't have to figure out which button was the right one. Idk, it was just awesome though. You wouldn't think it would mean so much - that one measly free pancake. Key word - free. Between their choice expletives, most people were raving about how nice we were for doing this, and asking what charity this was for, or why we were giving them pancakes, or what made us want to do it. Talk about open door, right? Our basic answer was just, "We're with Resonate church, and we're just out here because we love you guys. So have a great night!" At first I was like...um..., what do I say? But I realized - I really do love doing stuff like that. I love the service. I've missed things like Key Club. And I do love those people. Sober or not. :)
Earlier that night, I went to a birthday party for my friend Christy. She's a foreign exchange student from China who went on the Fall Retreat with Chi Alpha, and so I met her there. What did I get her for a birthday gift? Chocolate, bubbles, and silly string. Hecka-yes! It was adorable too, because a lot of the guests were Chinese, and they hadn't seen silly string before! Also, what did she want to play for a birthday game? "Truths and Dare". ;) Yes, I explained Truth or Dare to 4 Chinese 20 year olds. Love it! And one of Christy's friends, "Angel", and I also really hit it off. Idk what it is, we just get along really well. She's a total sweetheart, and just seems like she really wants people to hang out with and to talk to. So tonight, Angel, Christy and I went to the Halloween Dance at McCroskey, and then went back to Angel's dorm and just hung out and talked for a while. They're just fun! I'm excited to get to know them better over this year. International students just make me happy.
In other news - the countdown to Thanksgiving has officially begun! Woot! I'm almost surprised though, time really has gone soo fast. Faster than high school time, but slower in some ways as well. I'm really looking forward to going back and seeing everybody again. I miss them a lot. I can't even imagine what it will be like though - we all have 3 months of stories to tell, and if everybody else has grown as much as I have, there will definitely be some changes in people. But I'm ready to see them. :D And I'm already tasting the food in my imagination. Ate dinner at Denny's tonight, and had a roll with my meal that just baarely reminded me of Aunt Kathy's potato rolls.... *sighs happily* Yes. I'm going to be a pig at Thanksgiving. No, I don't care. Hahaha.....
Well, that's it for now, I guess. I probably should try and get a little more sleep tonight than I did last night. We'll see how that goes. :)p
*Does Anybody Hear Her, Casting Crowns
10.31.2010
10.13.2010
"Three in the morning, and I'm still awake...so I picked up a pen and a page..."
"I started writing, just what I'd say, if we were face to face.
I'd tell you just what you mean to me, tell you these simple truths:
Be strong in the Lord, and never give up hope.
You're gonna do great things, I already know.
God's got his hand on you, so, don't live life in fear.
Forgive and forget but don't forget why you're here.
Take your time, and pray.
These are the words I would say."
This week has been crazy for so many people. I watch facebook, I text, I skype.... yeah, I'm pretty much doing everything I can to stay in touch with people's lives. There's stuff happening that I wish I was there to see and to experience, I wish I was there to encourage in person, but I can't be. And I don't know of a "non-creepy" way to explain how much I want to be without coming across as clingy. But I just love you guys. I get so excited for you when good stuff is happening, and I hurt for you when I know you are hurting. This kind of passion has to spill over somewhere. So I just want you guys to know....it's been spilling over where it counts - prayer. I'll think of somebody during the day, and start to pray for them and their situation, and then another person comes to mind, and another. This has just led to me going through the list (I go in order of how we sat in Bible last year so I don't forget anyone), and I pray for each of you by name. Specific things that God's put on my heart to pray for you.
Take tonight for example. I was at Chi Alpha, and it was an awesome time of worship. Everyone was praying for one another, and I just sat down and thought about how much I hoped that everyone was getting as plugged in to a community as I have been. And I started praying, and the words just wouldn't stop! I wished that the songs would have gone on longer, because I could've sat there and prayed for you all even longer. Just know that I'm not going to stop. No matter how distant we become, you're my family, and I love you. And I so want you to experience the richness of life as I am.
On that note, I'd like to just encourage you again, get involved in a church, guys. It's been the best way for God to stretch me - coming to this place, out of my comfort zone, completely removed from the familiar, I've been able to grow so much. I know that I'm different. I know more about myself than I have before, and I realize how much my fears and my "routine" were holding me back from being as open as I should have been. Is it hard to make yourself want to get plugged in somewhere new? Yes. Is it awkward at first, sharing your deepest spiritual issues with strangers? Yes. But is it also enlightening, eye-opening, life-changing, and healthy? Yes. So just do it! I promise you, you won't regret it. I can't even begin to explain how cool it is to notice that the phrase "the joy of the Lord is your strength" has gone farther than being a simple catchphrase. It's so true! I've always been a positive person, but I'm filled with joy now that really, I can't explain. I just want to dance and sing every day, because God is just that good!
My friends... I miss you guys a lot. But I know that Thanksgiving is only 5 weeks away, and I can't wait to just talk to you about life, and enjoy time together. Know that I'll be praying for you every step of the way, and that there's so much more out there for you if you only seek it. :)
*The Words I Would Say, Sidewalk Prophets
10.10.2010
"But if you try sometimes...you'll find... you get what you need."
It's been a pretty good week this week. Granted, I haven't gotten any results back yet from the chemistry quiz that I know I failed. Thank goodness we get to drop our 2 lowest scores from the semester. But aside from that, I really wrapped my brain around the math concepts, and I've had lunch/coffee with someone 3 days this week. Not so easy on my cash flow, but totally worth it. :) I'm definitely starting to get into a routine, which is good. This week was homecoming week, so there were tons of people here and lots of events going on. I didn't catch too many due to other commitments but I did go to the bonfire Friday night and the game on Saturday. Both really fun. I've discovered how much I love sporting events. Haha. There's just something very "school-spirity" about them. Not that I know ANY thing about football, but it's still cool. I'm super excited for basketball season - a: because we're actually pretty decent, and b: because I will be able to know what's going on due to my dedication last year as TRCS team photographer! Ahh...I will miss watching the Eagles, though. It's fun here because there's always a massive crowd. It was fun there because a: proportionally, it was a massive crowd, and b: because I knew everyone on the team. Luckily, the season overlaps C-mas break, so *crosses fingers* I'll get to see a game or two anyhow. Not so with volleyball. *glare* I still say.... WEBCAM! Somebody install one in the gym, please??
I don't really have any deep insight to share.... next weekend is Dad's Weekend so there'll be a lot of stuff going on which should be cool. However, that DOES mean that I have to get ahead on my homework so I can justify having time to just waste away. Oh well....I don't mind.
Cleaned tonight, because it was TIME. :) Washed the mirrors and dusted all the flat surfaces. Oh - and did the dishes. So now everything is ready to go. We still really need to vacuum in here, but lugging the vacuum up from the main floor is a pain, because it's loud and very heavy.
As of Friday, I've reached the "halfway" point to Thanksgiving. Only a few more weeks to go! I'm excited to see everyone again - though it'll probably be a little weird to some extent. Like, we all have so many new stories to tell, it will take forever to get caught up on everyone's life. Hopefully the time will pass slowly and I'll be able to savor it and not feel rushed through stuff.
*You Can't Always Get What You Want - Glee Cast version
I don't really have any deep insight to share.... next weekend is Dad's Weekend so there'll be a lot of stuff going on which should be cool. However, that DOES mean that I have to get ahead on my homework so I can justify having time to just waste away. Oh well....I don't mind.
Cleaned tonight, because it was TIME. :) Washed the mirrors and dusted all the flat surfaces. Oh - and did the dishes. So now everything is ready to go. We still really need to vacuum in here, but lugging the vacuum up from the main floor is a pain, because it's loud and very heavy.
As of Friday, I've reached the "halfway" point to Thanksgiving. Only a few more weeks to go! I'm excited to see everyone again - though it'll probably be a little weird to some extent. Like, we all have so many new stories to tell, it will take forever to get caught up on everyone's life. Hopefully the time will pass slowly and I'll be able to savor it and not feel rushed through stuff.
*You Can't Always Get What You Want - Glee Cast version
10.04.2010
"Time keeps on slippin'...into the future..."
I've got a lot of "serious" stuff that I feel will become a blog entry later this week. But I've been wanting to post something random and fun instead - little quirks/things that I've noticed since being here.
1) Since 2nd grade, I've been able to hear Mrs Herren's voice in my head saying , "Second graders, stay to your right..." as we walked past another group of people, thereby drilling into my head the fact that when you're heading towards somebody, each person veers to their right. However, here on campus, about 75% of people that I am walking towards choose to veer left. They go in the left side of the doors, left of the sidewalk....creating that awkward dance when you're trying to figure out who is going to surrender their side or not. It's just...strange. :)p
2) Fitness is a major focus of this campus (I don't know about other schools). Everyone is always talking about going to the rec, going for a run, the calorie information is posted EVERYwhere for the food places, and there's a big "eat healthy" focus in the cafeterias. However, it's also more expensive to eat healthy, and there are constantly junk food options being offered. Maybe it's just because it's the beginning of the year, or because I haven't really paid attention, but there are also not very many "large" people walking around. Everyone is skinny to average, thereby making average people like myself feel "larger". Lol.
3) It doesn't matter what you've been asked to do or go to, or who is asking you. If you say "I can't, I have to study/have homework," no further questions are asked. If you say "I can't, sorry," the next question is "Why, what else is going on?"
4) They always say that college is the time to try anything you want. It's really true. If I want to do ANYthing, any activity, any club, I can. And there's very few people who will give it a second thought when you say that you're joining/trying it.
5) Yes, getting "off campus" is that big of a deal. I get really, really excited when I run out of milk and have to make a 30 minute errand to Safeway. And I'll stand in the entry way for a few moments just breathing in the taste of civilization. It's not that we're lacking for entertainment, or food, or places to chill while we're in college. It's just that feeling that you're always "at work". The campus may be hundreds of acres, but by the middle of the week, it feels very, very small. And after walking all day every day, sitting in a moving vehicle is rather exhilarating. :)
6) Everyone from western Washington complains about the rain. Everyone who is from western WA and comes here is super happy to see the sunshine every day. And then once it starts to rain (which has been three times since August, btw), all of my western WA friends' facebook statuses turn to being really excited to see rain. Mine included. :)p
7) Time is a very weird thing. Days and hours tick by slow, and you look at the calendar and say "Oh my gosh, it's only Monday..." and then you wake up on Saturday and say "Wow...that week just flew!".
Ie: At this moment, 46 days sounds like a really long time. However, I pause and say, "Wasn't it just labor day weekend?" and realize that a month goes by a lot faster than you expect sometimes.
*Fly Like an Eagle, Steve Miller
1) Since 2nd grade, I've been able to hear Mrs Herren's voice in my head saying , "Second graders, stay to your right..." as we walked past another group of people, thereby drilling into my head the fact that when you're heading towards somebody, each person veers to their right. However, here on campus, about 75% of people that I am walking towards choose to veer left. They go in the left side of the doors, left of the sidewalk....creating that awkward dance when you're trying to figure out who is going to surrender their side or not. It's just...strange. :)p
2) Fitness is a major focus of this campus (I don't know about other schools). Everyone is always talking about going to the rec, going for a run, the calorie information is posted EVERYwhere for the food places, and there's a big "eat healthy" focus in the cafeterias. However, it's also more expensive to eat healthy, and there are constantly junk food options being offered. Maybe it's just because it's the beginning of the year, or because I haven't really paid attention, but there are also not very many "large" people walking around. Everyone is skinny to average, thereby making average people like myself feel "larger". Lol.
3) It doesn't matter what you've been asked to do or go to, or who is asking you. If you say "I can't, I have to study/have homework," no further questions are asked. If you say "I can't, sorry," the next question is "Why, what else is going on?"
4) They always say that college is the time to try anything you want. It's really true. If I want to do ANYthing, any activity, any club, I can. And there's very few people who will give it a second thought when you say that you're joining/trying it.
5) Yes, getting "off campus" is that big of a deal. I get really, really excited when I run out of milk and have to make a 30 minute errand to Safeway. And I'll stand in the entry way for a few moments just breathing in the taste of civilization. It's not that we're lacking for entertainment, or food, or places to chill while we're in college. It's just that feeling that you're always "at work". The campus may be hundreds of acres, but by the middle of the week, it feels very, very small. And after walking all day every day, sitting in a moving vehicle is rather exhilarating. :)
6) Everyone from western Washington complains about the rain. Everyone who is from western WA and comes here is super happy to see the sunshine every day. And then once it starts to rain (which has been three times since August, btw), all of my western WA friends' facebook statuses turn to being really excited to see rain. Mine included. :)p
7) Time is a very weird thing. Days and hours tick by slow, and you look at the calendar and say "Oh my gosh, it's only Monday..." and then you wake up on Saturday and say "Wow...that week just flew!".
Ie: At this moment, 46 days sounds like a really long time. However, I pause and say, "Wasn't it just labor day weekend?" and realize that a month goes by a lot faster than you expect sometimes.
*Fly Like an Eagle, Steve Miller
9.28.2010
"It just takes some time, little girl, you're in the middle of the ride..."
I'm having another one of those "I should update my blog" days, even though I don't really have a specific topic to talk about today. Feeling a little overwhelmed with homework, and even though my mid-term scores came back satisfactorily, I still am not used to feeling like I don't know how to guarantee that my grade is where I want it to be.
Is it sad that I'm already trying to plan out my schedule for next semester? I don't even know why I'm already trying to map things out when I should be focusing on what's going on right now. Maybe if I have the "next step" in line it's sub-consciously the light at the end of the tunnel? And I've got to take more credits than I am this semester, so that's going to be another change. Just adding onto the homework I guess. Lol.
This last weekend was super fun -- my family came up, and so I had lots of "chill" time where I didn't have to think about homework. :) Obviously, that means I have to hit the ground running this week to try and get back in the focus of school. It's so easy just to let everything I've learned just fall out of my head if I don't constantly work on school. I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving (52 days... :D) , but at the same time, I'm like, "How can I take 10 days off of homework and still remember anything when I get back?" I go without homework for 24 hours and it's hard to stay focused the next day! The other thing I did this weekend was get to see Myriah's volleyball team play up in Spokane. :) That was so much fun. I miss volleyball a lot...just the team feeling of it, yelling until your throat hurts, feeling in super good shape....
Anyhow, I got to talk to her for a few minutes after the game. :) It's crazy how much I've missed her - and everyone from school really - and I didn't even completely realize until we were just talking again. That's the down-side I guess, of our small school. I'm so attached to people. We've all known one another for so long, and always been together. It almost feels like I'm cheating to be having a "new" life without them, and I feel a little frustrated at them for having a new life without me! Granted, I know that it's supposed to work like this. And I'm not mad at people for following the path of their lives that they've been called to walk. But sometimes I wish that at least a few people had been called to the same path I have. I meet tons of people from huge high schools who have multiple friends from their classes here, and I am a little jealous, can't lie. I've loved meeting new people, and I really like the new friends I'm making. I just would love to have a few people here who've known me longer than a month... people who I know are on the same page and who know me so completely.
I'll probably look back and wonder why I wrote this slightly nostalgic and depressing entry...but it wouldn't be a true blog unless this was more than just my "life-is-wonderful" days. I'm tired, and just in one of those moods where life seems way out of the realm of my control. I guess that's good practice for me - life shouldn't be in MY control at all, much as I want it to be. Time is just weird. I don't want to move backwards, necessarily, but I just wish that some of the past could have joined me in the future. It's tricky business, this getting old stuff....
*The Middle, Jimmy Eat World
Is it sad that I'm already trying to plan out my schedule for next semester? I don't even know why I'm already trying to map things out when I should be focusing on what's going on right now. Maybe if I have the "next step" in line it's sub-consciously the light at the end of the tunnel? And I've got to take more credits than I am this semester, so that's going to be another change. Just adding onto the homework I guess. Lol.
This last weekend was super fun -- my family came up, and so I had lots of "chill" time where I didn't have to think about homework. :) Obviously, that means I have to hit the ground running this week to try and get back in the focus of school. It's so easy just to let everything I've learned just fall out of my head if I don't constantly work on school. I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving (52 days... :D) , but at the same time, I'm like, "How can I take 10 days off of homework and still remember anything when I get back?" I go without homework for 24 hours and it's hard to stay focused the next day! The other thing I did this weekend was get to see Myriah's volleyball team play up in Spokane. :) That was so much fun. I miss volleyball a lot...just the team feeling of it, yelling until your throat hurts, feeling in super good shape....
Anyhow, I got to talk to her for a few minutes after the game. :) It's crazy how much I've missed her - and everyone from school really - and I didn't even completely realize until we were just talking again. That's the down-side I guess, of our small school. I'm so attached to people. We've all known one another for so long, and always been together. It almost feels like I'm cheating to be having a "new" life without them, and I feel a little frustrated at them for having a new life without me! Granted, I know that it's supposed to work like this. And I'm not mad at people for following the path of their lives that they've been called to walk. But sometimes I wish that at least a few people had been called to the same path I have. I meet tons of people from huge high schools who have multiple friends from their classes here, and I am a little jealous, can't lie. I've loved meeting new people, and I really like the new friends I'm making. I just would love to have a few people here who've known me longer than a month... people who I know are on the same page and who know me so completely.
I'll probably look back and wonder why I wrote this slightly nostalgic and depressing entry...but it wouldn't be a true blog unless this was more than just my "life-is-wonderful" days. I'm tired, and just in one of those moods where life seems way out of the realm of my control. I guess that's good practice for me - life shouldn't be in MY control at all, much as I want it to be. Time is just weird. I don't want to move backwards, necessarily, but I just wish that some of the past could have joined me in the future. It's tricky business, this getting old stuff....
*The Middle, Jimmy Eat World
9.22.2010
"Good grades aren't what they seem...."
*heavy sigh* Such a long week.... but it's on the downhill stretch now!
I had my first "midterm" tonight. Calculus. Only 9 questions - but of course, some of them had part a-c, and the entire thing is worth a whopping 100 points.
It's funny how much stress homework can cause! I mean, in high school, homework was just a passing nuisance. As long as you kind of understood the concepts, you can fake your way through most of it, just regurgitating what was in the example problems or the lecture. Fill-in-the-blank exactly like the review sheet. Oh no...not any more. Homework is intentionally tricky. There's always something to be doing, because if you get even a little bit behind, well, you're pretty much up a creek without a paddle for the next week.
And with high school stuff, you have a class for a semester or an entire year. The amount of points possible is in the thousands. So naturally, you have the option of blowing off a few things, or failing a few assignments and it really doesn't change much in the long run. Here, this test I took tonight is 20 percent of the points I get all semester. Aka: if I bomb this, I've got to pull straight As for the next 2 months to average it up! So much stress! I basically sat down and felt like I was going to either get sick or pass out. Then of course, I breathe, and tell myself to take it easy and go one small step at a time and try and process the question. I think I did okay. But there are a few that I'm pretty sure I got wrong, which means that I'm looking at a B? Maybe?
That's weird for me too! I'm like, excited about the prospect of getting a B. From someone who was about ready to cry after my LCC A minus, that's a big transition. But I knew coming into college that I wasn't gonna be able to be the smart kid all the time anymore. I've adjusted my expectations for myself. Not that I'm not still trying for the A. I just don't make that my "standard", at least not this semester. The good news is, they say that your freshman semester is the lowest GPA you pull while in college. So it can only get better from here, right?
But yeah. Finished one midterm, and I have to turn around and study tonight and all day tomorrow for my chemistry mid-term tomorrow night. Ain't no rest for the wicked, I guess. ;) However, I was having a really great day today, which made it a lot easier to be motivated for a long day today and tomorrow. And then my family comes!! Yay for Mom's bday weekend and an excuse to not think about school!
I'm really missing all of my friends back home this week. Everyone starting LCC...going to classes together... Not going to lie - even though this is the right place for me, there are moments where I wish I would have just taken the easy way out. Of course, I still would've had to say goodbye to those who went away, so in either scenario it would have been hard. I just wish everyone would've come here with me! We could be out of Longview, have space to meet new people and stuff, but still been that security blanket. I know it's not how life works. But I just don't want to lose touch with my "brothers and sisters"! I <3 them! And it's weird not knowing how everyone's life is going! Even though Thanksgiving is a short break for most people (except me, hahaha, yay semester schools), I still want to see them all again before Christmas!
It is a weird time in life... that's all I gotta say about that....
*College Kids, Relient K
I had my first "midterm" tonight. Calculus. Only 9 questions - but of course, some of them had part a-c, and the entire thing is worth a whopping 100 points.
It's funny how much stress homework can cause! I mean, in high school, homework was just a passing nuisance. As long as you kind of understood the concepts, you can fake your way through most of it, just regurgitating what was in the example problems or the lecture. Fill-in-the-blank exactly like the review sheet. Oh no...not any more. Homework is intentionally tricky. There's always something to be doing, because if you get even a little bit behind, well, you're pretty much up a creek without a paddle for the next week.
And with high school stuff, you have a class for a semester or an entire year. The amount of points possible is in the thousands. So naturally, you have the option of blowing off a few things, or failing a few assignments and it really doesn't change much in the long run. Here, this test I took tonight is 20 percent of the points I get all semester. Aka: if I bomb this, I've got to pull straight As for the next 2 months to average it up! So much stress! I basically sat down and felt like I was going to either get sick or pass out. Then of course, I breathe, and tell myself to take it easy and go one small step at a time and try and process the question. I think I did okay. But there are a few that I'm pretty sure I got wrong, which means that I'm looking at a B? Maybe?
That's weird for me too! I'm like, excited about the prospect of getting a B. From someone who was about ready to cry after my LCC A minus, that's a big transition. But I knew coming into college that I wasn't gonna be able to be the smart kid all the time anymore. I've adjusted my expectations for myself. Not that I'm not still trying for the A. I just don't make that my "standard", at least not this semester. The good news is, they say that your freshman semester is the lowest GPA you pull while in college. So it can only get better from here, right?
But yeah. Finished one midterm, and I have to turn around and study tonight and all day tomorrow for my chemistry mid-term tomorrow night. Ain't no rest for the wicked, I guess. ;) However, I was having a really great day today, which made it a lot easier to be motivated for a long day today and tomorrow. And then my family comes!! Yay for Mom's bday weekend and an excuse to not think about school!
I'm really missing all of my friends back home this week. Everyone starting LCC...going to classes together... Not going to lie - even though this is the right place for me, there are moments where I wish I would have just taken the easy way out. Of course, I still would've had to say goodbye to those who went away, so in either scenario it would have been hard. I just wish everyone would've come here with me! We could be out of Longview, have space to meet new people and stuff, but still been that security blanket. I know it's not how life works. But I just don't want to lose touch with my "brothers and sisters"! I <3 them! And it's weird not knowing how everyone's life is going! Even though Thanksgiving is a short break for most people (except me, hahaha, yay semester schools), I still want to see them all again before Christmas!
It is a weird time in life... that's all I gotta say about that....
*College Kids, Relient K
9.18.2010
"And I play songs back to back until I go to bed..."
I'm not really sure where this post is going to go... I just feel that it's important to keep a regular schedule if I'm going to be an official part of the blog-o-sphere. Haha....
This has been such a stressful week! My first round of midterms began on Thursday, and I have another two tests next week. It's just so much homework, busy work, places to go, things to do.... I mean, I'm good at juggling a lot of commitments. But I'm also used to feeling like if I drop one, it's possible to pick it back up and keep going at the same pace. Not here. If I drop one, it starts this giant downward spiral of falling behind in classes. I feel like every hour has extreme significance, and it can't go to waste without good reason. If I'm in my room for more than 15 or 20 minutes, and I haven't started something "productive", I feel guilty. Granted, I try and keep it reasonable. If I've gotten enough done on my daily to-do list, I will justify spending some time on hulu, or hanging out with people, or whatever. But it's hard to let up on this pace at all, because once I start relaxing, it's really hard to get myself back into gear.
To any of you still in high school - be happy for the classes that give you lots of homework. The ones that have papers due, tests on the same week as other assignments, etc. Because that is SO the real world. Example: for my chemistry class, we have weekly online homework (20+ problems, and they're not "quick" ones), lectures MWF, weekly quizzes over the lecture material, a pre-lab due before our 3 hour lab time, and then a TON of calculations, post-lab questions, and a discussion over what the importance of it was, all due by the beginning of the next lab. So, add studying for a midterm on top of that, and you have my week. That's one class. Time management is so vital! I've never been more glad to have taken some "hard" classes through LCC. At least I had a clue of what I was getting into, and got the experience of this much homework at such a fast moving pace. I honestly don't know if I would survive without that experience. Not that I'm saying to ditch high school! Please, please, enjoy as much of your high school experience as you can. But if you get a chance to take one or two college classes before college actually comes - DO IT. Just enough to get your "feet wet".
So yeah, it has been a stressful week. And next week is looking just about as bad, but I've had such an awesome weekend. Friday I was able to have a slow afternoon, doing homework, watched some TV, spent the evening flopped on the floor. But it was really productive! And a good day, too. I felt really confident in my chemistry quiz, and I actually understood the calculus lecture! It's the little things in life, okay? Today I got to sleep in! Yay! And do laundry, vacuum, etc. for a very slow morning. Plus, I've finished a lot more of the chemistry stuff I have left, and worked on a bunch of math. Then tonight I walked down to my friend Aimee's house (she shares it with a bunch of roomies) and we had a movie night! I've missed sitting on a couch...with popcorn...just not worried about all the stuff I have to do. :) Plus, it's Saturday night. In Pullman. Therefore, everyone is out of the dorm and off doing whatever. Haha, except me! Nights are me time! Playlists, books, the random homework I decide to do....
And tomorrow is still an entire day! I'm feeling much more confident about being able to survive next week. My family is coming over Thursday night to stay the weekend, which is why it's so important to me to be a little bit ahead of schedule as far as the homework goes. I don't want to feel that looming over my head when I just want to have fun with them and not worry about school.
Well, that's really about all I have. It's 11:45pm, and I might just get ready for bed, review some flashcards, and get a full 8 or 9 hours in tonight! We'll see.... :D
*Melody - Kate Earl
This has been such a stressful week! My first round of midterms began on Thursday, and I have another two tests next week. It's just so much homework, busy work, places to go, things to do.... I mean, I'm good at juggling a lot of commitments. But I'm also used to feeling like if I drop one, it's possible to pick it back up and keep going at the same pace. Not here. If I drop one, it starts this giant downward spiral of falling behind in classes. I feel like every hour has extreme significance, and it can't go to waste without good reason. If I'm in my room for more than 15 or 20 minutes, and I haven't started something "productive", I feel guilty. Granted, I try and keep it reasonable. If I've gotten enough done on my daily to-do list, I will justify spending some time on hulu, or hanging out with people, or whatever. But it's hard to let up on this pace at all, because once I start relaxing, it's really hard to get myself back into gear.
To any of you still in high school - be happy for the classes that give you lots of homework. The ones that have papers due, tests on the same week as other assignments, etc. Because that is SO the real world. Example: for my chemistry class, we have weekly online homework (20+ problems, and they're not "quick" ones), lectures MWF, weekly quizzes over the lecture material, a pre-lab due before our 3 hour lab time, and then a TON of calculations, post-lab questions, and a discussion over what the importance of it was, all due by the beginning of the next lab. So, add studying for a midterm on top of that, and you have my week. That's one class. Time management is so vital! I've never been more glad to have taken some "hard" classes through LCC. At least I had a clue of what I was getting into, and got the experience of this much homework at such a fast moving pace. I honestly don't know if I would survive without that experience. Not that I'm saying to ditch high school! Please, please, enjoy as much of your high school experience as you can. But if you get a chance to take one or two college classes before college actually comes - DO IT. Just enough to get your "feet wet".
So yeah, it has been a stressful week. And next week is looking just about as bad, but I've had such an awesome weekend. Friday I was able to have a slow afternoon, doing homework, watched some TV, spent the evening flopped on the floor. But it was really productive! And a good day, too. I felt really confident in my chemistry quiz, and I actually understood the calculus lecture! It's the little things in life, okay? Today I got to sleep in! Yay! And do laundry, vacuum, etc. for a very slow morning. Plus, I've finished a lot more of the chemistry stuff I have left, and worked on a bunch of math. Then tonight I walked down to my friend Aimee's house (she shares it with a bunch of roomies) and we had a movie night! I've missed sitting on a couch...with popcorn...just not worried about all the stuff I have to do. :) Plus, it's Saturday night. In Pullman. Therefore, everyone is out of the dorm and off doing whatever. Haha, except me! Nights are me time! Playlists, books, the random homework I decide to do....
And tomorrow is still an entire day! I'm feeling much more confident about being able to survive next week. My family is coming over Thursday night to stay the weekend, which is why it's so important to me to be a little bit ahead of schedule as far as the homework goes. I don't want to feel that looming over my head when I just want to have fun with them and not worry about school.
Well, that's really about all I have. It's 11:45pm, and I might just get ready for bed, review some flashcards, and get a full 8 or 9 hours in tonight! We'll see.... :D
*Melody - Kate Earl
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