Random College Tidbits

Tomorrow is my first day of school. I'm excited, but not enough that I can't sleep, unlike Melanie who didn't get to sleep until nearly 11:00 the night before school. Buying books for too much money is like a lightning strike to my school excitement.

I had a few thoughts and things to share before I get to school.

Here are the classes I'm taking this semester.

Intermediate Poetry Writing - I took creative writing from the same professor last semester and loved it. The class from Spring Semester compiled three different forms of creative writing - poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. This class focuses on poetry. Melanie loved the fact that one of my books for this class was about different forms of Haiku. The first half of the class will be focused on closed form poetry (writing a Haiku, sonnet, etc.) and the second half is open form (writing whatever we feel). I think both will be interesting, but closed form will definitely be more challenging. I'll have to write what I feel and fit it into someone else's form.

Introduction to Critical Literature and Theory - This English course will be a challenge for me. I've never taken a class that deals with any kind of theory, and so the subject idea will be new. And you should see the book for this class. I call it the purple bible, and it has over 2,000 pages. No joke. In double columns. With footnotes...well citations really, but it so reminds me of scripture. The English department chair, Dr. Kurt Harris, is teaching the class. I've contacted him through email a few times and he seems very friendly and helpful. Other students I've talked to said how accommodating he is. He's the one who waived English 1010 for me. These first two classes will actually have people I know in them! That's the first time that will have happened for me.

Human Development Through the Lifespan - Just a starter course for FLHD (Family Life and Human Development) courses. I've heard really good things about the professor, and I'm excited to get started.

Marriage & Family Relations - My brother-in-law Jon made the comment that this sounds like a class I'd take in church. Funny. This is the same teacher as for Human Development Through the Lifespan. In fact, it's in the same room, too. I told Ben I better find a seat I like because I'll be there for two hours. He said I better get up and walk around so I don't have numb bum.

How the Earth Works - Just a basic Geology course that fills the Physical Science general ed requirement. I'm taking it online, which makes me a teeny bit nervous. I've heard really good things about the ease of the course. It's self-paced and my goal is to finish it between the end of September and the end of October. And I so have a built-in tutor. You should have seen Ben when I opened my box of rocks. I really like Geology so this should be a good class.

On a new note, we have new neighbors. Mostly college boys, I think. I've seen a couple of girls here and there, but I think they just visit. They've been relatively quiet, which is great. Last year's college boys were anything but quiet. But why do they park in my carport? Can't they see the very visible 107 above my slot? The other day we came home and they were parked there. Ben knocked on the door to ask/tell them to move and no one answered. We just pulled in another spot, not someone else's carport, and a few minutes later they had pulled a motorcycle into their own spot. So now they were using their spot and my spot. I guess they get some of my annoyance that carried over from last year when the college boys did the same thing. It's not rocket science to know that the number above the carports matches all the house numbers in these townhouses and that YOU SHOULDN'T PARK IN MY SPOT! Sorry about the ranting. I'm calmed down now. Sort of. Temporarily.

Thursday night I went over to my friend's apartment and helped her organize her room. It was fun (I like organizing stuff), and we giggled, and she let me smell her coffee she brought home from Africa. Oh my goodness, it smelled so good. And everything she pulled out of the bag after the coffee smelled like the coffee. Did I mention I love the smell of coffee? Well, I do.

Anyway, we found this list and it made us roll around the floor in stitches.....probably due to the lateness of the hour, but the next day when I read the list to Ben, he giggled, too.

1. Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.

2. Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

3. Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.

4. Drive carefully . . . It's not only cars that can be recalled by their Maker.

5. If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

6. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

7. It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.

8. Never buy a car you can't push.

9. Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

10. Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep in.

11. The second mouse gets the cheese.

12. When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

13. Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.

14. Some mistakes are too fun to only make once.

15. We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty, and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.

16. Some days it's all fetching and no pats on the head.