Spring Break! Oh wait...it's over...

I've come to the conclusion that winter term is organized to be cruel. By which, I mean that I've recognized that the longest uninterrupted (save MLK day) stretch of the academic calender comes after the return from winter break and before spring break in March. It was long, it was stressful, it was cold, and it was dark. But then, it was over, and there was the glory of spring break to bring me hope again. We got a week off just as the sunshine and the warmth started to really return to the commonwealth...and then it was over, and we all realized there were four weeks until finals. Woops!

I had a pretty calm spring break myself. Unfortunately, unlike many of my friends going to various beaches in South Carolina and Florida or camping in Tennessee, I was stuck at home. Reason being, I had to get my wisdom teeth out. My operation went fairly well, but still, I'm glad it happened on break and mostly healed up before I got back; there's no way on earth that two or three days out of commission could have happened on campus. Even today, I'm writing between two meetings with a big stack of homework to greet me when I finish. But still, the more they throw on me, the more I get used to it. College, it would seem, is a better institution for habituating to the sort of workload in the "real world" than high school was. At least, this is true for my high school and for Transy specifically-not at all a plug for the quality of the institution.

On the bright side, the ability to once again wear sandals for days on end and avoid having to wash socks due to the warmer weather has done wonders for the general mood of campus. A few flowering trees and more daylight hours don't hurt that at all either. Sometimes I swear I was never this perceptive about the weather and its effect on me before college. Then I realize that I didn't have to walk outside between classes and to meals, and it the world makes sense again.

The other big news for me comes in the form of my employment at the university next year. During the 2011-2012 academic year, I've been hired as a Residence Adviser! Not only is this a godsend for me financially, it means I'll have the pleasure of working with 36 or so lucky first years on the first floor of Clay hall. Of course, it also means regular late night rounds, but I'm sure I can handle that. Although, if everyone would sporadically choose to behave themselves and make my job five times easier, I certainly won't complain.

On the note of my jobs, it's time for me to go get some more homework done before the Student Government Association convenes tonight to discuss a constitutional amendment (SGA constitution). So, I hope you're enjoying March, and I'll be sure to do the same myself!

Wait, I thought I was a Math and Physics Major?

Now, I know what my title might suggest. Some sort of existential and or introspective crisis and consequent epiphany following a long period of constant study which has caused me to reevaluate the academic interests and values in my life. Unfortunately, that's not what I meant. What I did mean is that although my studies require little other than pencil, paper, calculator, and occasionally a computer, I spent much of my weekend assisting a friend of mine in an entirely different field of study. Which involved just a little more mud, a little more labor, and a different perspective on research.

I suppose the preconceived notions of research involve people in white lab coats looking intensely into vials of strangely covered fluids being mixed with some sort of collection of incomprehensibly complex machines in the background. Why exactly biochemical medical research has become the icon of all scientific inquiry I'm not quite certain, but it's certainly not the full extent of the ivory tower endeavors in modern science. As I already said, any research I conduct in my fields will be distinctly chemical-less. The incomprehensibly complex machines are still a distinct possibility, but at least cyclotrons and lasers sound cool. My friend however, a senior environmental science major (self designed) has a distinctly different idea of what research means.

I don't know whether my proper title is field assistant or chauffeur but either way, I spent quite a few hours this weekend driving around Lexington, pushing through mud, and collecting samples of water with the esteemed infinitely more qualified environmental scientist. We were effectively locating various points, specifically chosen for their relation to natural or man made sites and phenomena , along streams that run through the city and gathering data. For one, we made use of a dissolved oxygen probe that, much as the name would imply, determines the content of dissolved oxygen in the stream at a given point. We took pictures, noted temperatures, and gathered samples for later work in the lab (this part I won't actually be involved in).

And of course, we got wet, we got muddy, and we got cold. All in the name of science, or at least quality water in Fayette county though. Before getting a chance to work on this project, I didn't think that I wanted to be an environmental scientist, biologist, ecologist, or anything of that sort. After working on it...I still don't think that at all. But still, I think it's good for me that I got to experience; and I think that's one of the major benefits of a campus where everyone knows everyone including LOTS of people completely outside of their area of study. Interdisciplinary study is the academically progressive movement, but even outside of that specifically, just interdisciplinary interaction is stimulating and rewarding.

Seriously though, just think about it: a cyclotron. Coolest sounding huge machine ever!

Love Is, Well, Supposed To Be In The Air

Yesterday was Valentine's Day, hurray! I was hoping to make some kind of a post about what it's like to be in a relationship on a college campus and specifically on Transy's campus in order to make a really cheesy but hopefully appropriate and helpful connection to the holiday; but as it turns out, I have not, in fact, been in a relationship all of my time here at Transylvania thus far. This, it would seem, will make it difficult to continue in describing what the status of lovers is like around here, but with a little guidance and a lot of observation, I'll do my best. In the meantime, feel free to note how absolutely lame I am. You're probably right, and no worries, you won't hurt my feelings.

I remember what it was like for people in high school. You share one or two classes with one another, and hopefully those aren't academically rigorous classes because very little focusing goes on some of the time, but other than that there's a lot of walking to classes together holding hands and thinking mushy thoughts. By junior or senior year, this has probably matured quite a bit, and once driving becomes an option, actual dates or even just hanging out at someone's house become serious options for spending quality time together with that certain special someone. The beauty, I think, about college is that you get all of that, the dates, the hanging out, the quality time, but without any of the work of getting to the other person. They do, after all, live just across back circle.

Seriousness of relationships certainly varies as one would expect. As it turns out however, I don't necessarily ascribe to the overwhelmingly popular myth that all college students ever do is "hook up." In fact, I know of quite a few more instances where people are in mature loving relationships than I do where a drunken night together has defined a couple. Especially by junior and senior year, a lot of students are looking to be quite serious, and it wasn't long before I realized that I just might actually see some of my friends get engaged or even married during my time here. I suppose we're growing up, and that this is where romance gets real, in a sense. It's almost been a shock to me, but in hindsight, it probably should have been expected.

It's certainly not hard to find interesting people here to talk to, nor is it hard to make great friends, both of which (conversation and friendship) I feel can quite easily lead to a romantic relationship of merit, given time to grow. Whether as a result of similar academic interests, extracurricular interests, or just of running into one another in a campus intimate enough where not running into someone is a little bit of a challenge, interesting and engaging people certainly aren't hard to find or in short supply. In fact, if those of you out there who are single like me feel more shame about it than I do, than have no fear, there's hope for you yet. Well, at least a little.

Chemistry, Physics, and Calculus, Oh My!

Whoever schedules exams in Brown Science center has a truly sick sense of humor. By which I mean that the compilation of tests dates that occurs as a consequence of the nearly identical way in which all math and science teachers divide their material is a cruel cruel thing for students. Last week, I had my first exams in Chemistry II, Physics II, and Calculus III, one on Wednesday morning, one Thursday afternoon, and another Thursday evening. It's not exactly having to take a lot of tests at once that bothers me, it was just a little challenging to study for all three of these things at once. By which I mean, I spent a lot of time studying, and not so much time doing...well...anything else.

Luckily however, this first round of tests has passed, and overall, I think successfully. I have been reminded once again however, that I should probably try to avoid taking two labs and three math/science classes in the same semester in the future. Regardless, if nothing else, the catharsis after finishing it all was quite wonderful, as was this weekend celebrating Chinese New Year's and a return to free time after it was all said and done.

In addition to just enjoying hanging out with people, I'm looking forward to what is coming up. Next week will mark the date of carousel for myself and any other potential RA's for the 2011-2012 academic year. This is a series of team building activities and group evaluations which should take a couple hours, and is the last step in the selection process in which everyone participates, in addition to the written application and the intake interview. After this, I just have to wait and see if my application thus far has been strong enough to secure an interview with the Director of Residence Life, and from there, I may find out whether I've got the job. *Fingers crossed!

Finally, I'm more and more becoming swayed to do something rather interesting with my time this summer. One of my friends, a graduating senior, is planning on hiking a little over 1,100 miles of the Appalachian Trail this summer, from West Virginia to Maine. She has invited me to join her, and the more I talk to her about it, the more I really want to try and make it happen. My goal ideally was to work at the Governor's Scholars Program or on a Research experience abroad, but especially as a freshman, both of these things have proved rather elusive and difficult to procure. So, I suppose I shall just have to wait and see what happens! Until then, I suppose it's back to my chemistry, physics, and calculus. Good times, good times

Night of The Living RA!!!

What a terrible Blog title. I mean really, I think I came up with better stuff in the fourth grade. I blame my roommate, someone needs to remind me to never ask him for help with a title again. Still, I guess it was kind of appropriate, since the two things I told him I wanted to talk about were RA applications and...well...zombies.

I'll start with the important one, zombies. You see, I've noticed something rather peculiar, an almost frightening phenomenon around campus. Thankfully, no one is walking around with oddly rotting flesh trying to nibble on other people's cranium. However, I have become fully aware of what seems to be a bizarre trend of conversation and entertainment among college students. Maybe I was just lame and this was a big deal beforehand, but it seems like conversations of zombie survival are expected to take place here in a way I have never entirely been familiar with. I really have no idea as to the propagation of it all. I can only assume we've all been infected as if by a disease of some sort, possibly viral. Man, that's awful humor.

Seriously though, tonight, while writing this, my roommate is playing Left For Dead, some other friends are playing Dead Rising on my x-box, and just down the hall some guys are playing Call of Duty Black Ops...Nazi Zombies, of course. So I guess my only point here is that if any of you have extensive experience defending against flesh eating monsters, or are even just enthusiasts about the undead, college, or at least my hall in Clay at Transylvania University, might just be the place for you.

So, aside from this rather amusing tidbit, school has been going well. I started today working today as a Natural Science and Mathematics tutor, in calculus specifically, even though I'm only a freshman. I'm actually really glad to have the position, not only is it potentially rewarding, but I get paid to boot! I suppose I should thank my first semester Calculus teacher for recommending me, it was honestly really nice to hear that this early on in my education, one of my teachers already has some sense of confidence in my abilities and or potential.

Speaking of jobs, I just recently applied to hopefully spend next year working as a Residence Adviser. For anyone not familiar with this position, RA's are residence life employees whose job it is both to enforce and maintain campus policies and to foster a powerful and supportive community among residents. It's an involved position with a lot of work and time commitment, but I also see in it potential for a lot of personal growth and reward. Externally, it pays room and board as an incentive, and internally, it an opportunity to take up a role of leadership and responsibility around campus, which I think is always a good thing. With any luck, I will have the privilege of being hired as an RA for the next school year.

So for now, that's about all I've got. School's good, zombies are good, and RA's are, well, hopefully good. The title of this post, in fact, is about the worst thing I can say about school at the moment...it's so abysmal.

And We're Back!

Second semester, week one = complete. That only leaves me with, well, a lot to go. It's been an eventful first week back. Professors seem to be of a consensus that we are no longer meager first year students that require superfluous coddling; and so unless I'm an exception, workloads have increased significantly. Maybe I'm just a little sick, but for the most part, I don't mind the problem sets I'm being assigned in Chemistry, Physics, and Calculus, especially since some of the concepts we are getting to work on now are a little more interesting and novel than what I'm used to being exposed to. For example, in Physics we are studying electric field theory, or as I prefer to say, more generally, force fields. The mathematics of it is proving both constructively challenging and really quite intriguing.

Outside of academics, I spent this morning downtown making use of the Lexington Community's celebration of MLK day. As a result of originally innocuous conversation at dinner, I ended up agreeing to volunteer to help set up for an annual march downtown of a few hundred people. Granted however, setting up wasn't too terribly challenging, it mostly consisted of taping some papers, hanging some banners, and passing things out. Still, it feels good every once in a while to get out and see what non-Transy folk do with themselves, especially in commemoration of a great and historic figure. In many ways I think it's important as a student to try and put together that the work that we do in the community, or more importantly, our attitudes toward ethics and our ethical choices, are tied in a very real way to the abstractions we read, such as Letter from Birmingham Jail in my FLA 1 class by MLK himself.

For a short news video about the MLK day event I volunteered at, no more than half a mile from Transy, see this link -------> http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/Celebrations_Honor_Martin_Luther_King_Junior_113892304.html

In other big news, one of the more longstanding and significant advances in my status here at Transy has changed today. I am now officially an active member of The Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity, Beta Mu chapter at Transylvania University. I really just like hearing how long and official that sounds. But seriously, it's a major honor and milestone to say that I've come into brotherhood with so many amazing men. I know that even over the course of my pledge period, they have embraced me, and come to change me in ways that have only been positive. I can only hope that I can give back to my fraternity in the same way, and that this sort of symbiotic relationship may continue for the entirety of my stay at Transy.

By the way, aside from electric fields, I highly recommend looking into the history, politics, and pertinent philosophy behind the infamous Galileo trials. This is the current topic of my FLA 2 class "Mad Scientists 2.0" and consequentially is also the topic of my reading at the moment. I leave now to work on writing for it, and for I think it's fair to say that in this instance I'm excited about putting pen to paper. In fact, I'm excited about most everything to do with being back at school. It's good to be home, in a strange sort of way.

Wherefore Art Thou Romeo

I was lucky enough this afternoon to be able to see my third drama production here at Transy, my second since becoming an actual student. They performed, as you can probably guess by the title of this entry, the Shakespearean classic, "Romeo and Juliet." Between the thine's, thy's, and thou's, I was pleasantly surprised at how very alive the actors were able to make the story, especially given that it was all performed on a barren stage. Also very interesting, the production was student directed, and I must say quite well at that. I'm not typically a Shakespeare fan; and although I don't think that changed, I at least enjoyed the show more than I thought I would and found a little tiny piece of new respect for the most celebrated writer of the English language.

"Romeo and Juliet" actually continues the rather theatrical weekend I've had. Saturday night I had a chance to see Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker" performed at the Lexington Opera House. It was an excellent professional production of the ballet, and I'm quite glad I was able to attend. Also at the Opera House, I will be going to see Spamalot during the beginning of the next semester, about which I am even more excited. In general, I really love taking advantage of the Opera House, given that it's only maybe a half mile or mile away from Transy.

Outside from the enjoyment of the arts, I should probably be stressing over the week to come, but I'm actually not all that perturbed by finals, at least not yet. Unlike most people, I don't have a final in my philosophy class or in my foundations of the liberal arts class; therefore I only have one for calculus 2 and physics. They are on Thursday and Friday respectively, so come Wednesday I'm sure I won't feel nearly as at ease as I do right now. However, fortunately my semester has gone relatively well in both of these classes, and the score I need to achieve in order to get an A is perfectly reasonable in both.

I'm actually rather enjoying the pre-finals period of time. Most of the true work of the semester is over, and while serious studying is definitely taking place, I find that I have at least a little more free time than I have grown accustomed to over the course of the semester. I've been making use of this time mainly to hang out with friends and enjoy people's company in a way I would have liked to have been able to do all year long. Between movies, rock band 3, and playing in the snow, I'm rather enjoying this right now.