Excerpt

This excerpt was in the New York Times recently.  I love all the science-y references.  It reminds me of the affinity I feel for the element yttrium, an affinity built on nothing more than a 6th grade research project.  I chose yttrium because I didn't know what it was, and neither did anyone else.  I didn't even know how to pronounce it (y-t-t, what?  Who put those letters together?) which made it all the more appealing.  I was just that sort of kid.  And now I'm just that sort of college student.

Appreciation

I'd just like to list a few things I really appreciate (sarcastically) from professors.

1) When your website/the class website is incorrect on the syllabus.

2) When you don't speak English.  (Seriously, there's a reason I'm not taking linear algebra while studying abroad)

3) When you say the homework will be on the website... but its not.

4) When there aren't enough syllabi to go around, but you still don't cover what is on it (like what over-priced books I should be buying)

5) When you get the textbook wrong, so I and every other student in the class has to try to return the book and get the correct one before any homework is given.

6) Trying to download chemistry software that is "very very very very very very very very (etc) useful", if only for the first three weeks of class.

7) Classes that have a TBA location and a TBA time.

8) Having to fight for a seat on the first day... or the second... or the third.

9) Finding a class that sounds AWESOME, and then finding out its only for Freshmen.

Thanks again guys.

Hurricanes

I'm from Illinois, right, which is land locked.  Tornadoes are no big deal, but by the time any hurricane gets to us, its barely a tropical depression.  More like a tropical melancholy.  So my schema for hurricane is something like a tornado in the rain or a gigantic monstrous thing destined to be called "the big one" for years to come.  Neither concept is being particularly useful for preparations for Earl's arrival. My cluelessness is only compounded by the fact that they're not exactly common in Rhode Island either.  

I didn't even know Earl was heading our way til this morning when my mother texted me and my grandma e-mailed me.  They were worried and my response was more like, what are you talking about.  It doesn't help that I don't get a newspaper here and I don't watch much tv.  I've since learned ALL about Earl and Rhode Island hurricanes in general thanks to the web, but I had to know to look for the information.  It's a disarming feeling, the thought that something so physically huge could be so thoroughly ignored in a campus bubble.  Granted, we're still in the middle of freshmen orientation and today was the first day of classes so everything's still a little crazy, but still.

My informational concerns aside, I'm a bit nervous about some logistics.  I live on the first floor of a dorm on the lower end of college hill.  Worse, this first floor is actually about 10-15 feet lower than ground level due to some funky architecture.  It's not a basement, but almost.  Also, some of my friends have already experienced their windows (same building, same floor) leaking during some rain about a week ago.  Thus, I think I have reason to fear flooding.  Additionally, I'm still sick, making any extensive preparations miserable.

The storm is supposed to hit Friday night, so we'll see how the little Midwesterner's first hurricane goes.

Allergies

It's official.  I'm officially allergic to organic chemistry.  I've been on campus for a week, and felt fine.  But alas, tomorrow morning at 9 AM is my first day of the second semester of organic chem.  And what am I doing?  Lying in my bed pitifully with a horrible cold that started all of an hour ago.  Seriously.  I feel like crawling under a rock and dying.  Or anything but thinking about chemistry.  I am such a sad noodle right now.

Busy Busy Busy

As you may have guessed, I've been busy recently.  I just finished my internship on Friday, including a going away party on Thursday.  I leave to go back to school on Wednesday (1 day, 5 hours, 25 minutes to be exact).  My brother and sister started school last Wednesday.  And my best friend just got into town this afternoon after taking classes in Denver all summer.  

While I still have some packing left to do (as the piles of clothes in my living room can attest), I'm taking a short break to tell you what I've been reading during my other brief breaks.

An article on how being a 20 something is a new developmental stage.

A song (and its lyrics) that I heard on the radio.  I especially love the Steak and Shake reference.

And a website I just found.

Enjoy.

And may your life be simpler than mine is at the moment.

Prayers are Answered

I'm not sure, but this might be the answer to my travel prayers.  Hipmunk.  Who knew?  But everyone should.  It can sort flights by level of agony!  That's what I really want to know.  That and price, which is also an option.  And you can keep different searches in different tabs.  I don't know why other travel sites haven't done that.  As far as I can tell, Hipmunk isn't perfect, but its a very neat tool.  It would be nice to have a little more control during the initial search, and it still doesn't include information on trains, but it is definitely a big step in the right direction.  My favorite part is how much information you can see at one time.  It is more visually oriented rather than textually.  Basically it looks great and works great (as far as I can tell).  I've only played around with it so far, but I look forward to using it in the future.