I'm so excited to have finally figured out my schedule! Next semester I'm taking fine arts, group counseling, children's lit (an Ed, not English class), and two English classes (literary studies and Renaissance Brit Lit). Fine arts is my only core class next semester. My group counseling and children's lit classes are one afternoon a week each for three hours. I've never had a three hour class, but my friends who have say it's not as bad as it sounds. Since these classes will be subjects I'm interested in, I'm not too worried. For the first time in my college career, I'm looking forward to all of my classes (yay for only having 4 core classes left!).
Since I couldn't find any classes that interested me that started earlier than 4:10 MWF, I decided to switch from my T/TH multiethnic lit class to an English class that met MWF. My first choice was Contemporary American Lit because am I ilike American Lit, would start earlier, and I'd have the professor I have this semester, whom I really like. Because the class is a 400-level (longer papers and more in-depth research) and my literary studies class will require a fair amount of work, my advisor discouraged me from taking it. On Wednsday, I talked to my current professor and had him tell me about the workload in the class. Even though I would be able to do it if I had to, the workload felt over my head, so I decided that I would wait until after I had taken the literary studies and more 300-level English classes before tackling the challenges of a 400-level class.
I finally settled on Renaissance Brit. Lit (1400-1600). To be honest, I initially wasn't sure how interested I'd be in the class, as I'm more into American Lit. Luckily, I realized that this could be a good class to take before I go to London in the summer, as the readings will relate to a lot of what I'll see/read there. I really love learning about England, and prefer learning about it through literarture rather than a history textbook. I'm required to take three "historical lit classes," with one of them being before 1900, so this class knock one of those three classes out of the way. I start at 11:25 MWF, so I can still sleep in but not feel like I've wasted the whole day. Oh yeah, should I mention that I get to have another class with MY FAVORITE PROFESSOR EVER? That factor alone already makes me excited!
Despite this week being stressful with figuring out classes and having WAY too much to do, I still managed to have fun. Wednsday afternoon I attended a meeting for the Writers journal, a literary magazine that publishes poetry, short stories/essays, and photos, and we may even accept blogs and short plays this year. In Feburary, I'm going to help decide which submissions will go in the magazine. Last night my friends and I went to a "nacho crawl" where we got the different ingredients for nachos from each floor. Tonight was "kiddie night," where we watched Disney movies, played with Play-Doh, fingerpainted, and colored in coloring books. I had a lot of fun, and while I enjoy the freedom of being an adult, I really miss being a kid sometimes, especially when I have so much to do.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Registration Troubles ):
Despite being a sophomore who doesn't need many core classes, I thought registration would be a piece of cake this year. Not necessarily so, as abnormal psych filled up an hour before I could register. I'm not disappointed about not being able to take the class, as it's generally offered at least one semester a year. My problem is that not taking this class messes up my schedule. I had hoped to take musical theater workshop, but the days and times conflict with other psych and upper division electives.
At this point, I will have 3 hour classes Monday and Wednesday afternoons AND I wouldn't start at 4:10. While I dearly value the luxury of being able to sleep in, I'm afraid I won't get anything done. Also, I wouldn't have classes Fridays. This is a mixed blessing, as three day weekends sound awesome, yet am afraid I'll be bored. I guess not sure how I'll be able to handle three hour classes and having them spread out.
I'm also hoping to get into this marriage class, which is a "theological perspectives class." This class is taught by a sociology and theology professor, and I would get credit for both my upper division theology class and upper division class outside my major. Because of this class's popularity, I can't register online because I need a signature from one of the professors. Even though my advisor told me I wouldn't get in because seniors go for it (they register first), there are still 34 spots available. So I may be a lucky one who can get in as a sophomore, having taken world religions in the spring and am currently taking Bib Trad.
So far, I am lucky to be able to get into both of the English classes and fine arts section I wanted. The English classes I'll be taking are literary studies and multi ethnic lit. Despite the fact that I'm going to have to get up at 8:10 and the material won't be the most interesting, the professor is supposed to be VERY energetic, so hopefully his energy will make this class bearable. My multi ethnic lit class should be interesting. I haven't had either of these English professors yet, and I have heard that they're hard graders. This shouldn't kill me--if anything, it should make me a better writer. Fine arts should also be fun. My friend had the professor last fall and really liked him, not to mention an easy class and cool field trips (plays, art museum, concerts anyone?)
On the bright side, I'm meeting with my fantastic advisor tomorrow, and he'll help me figure out what I should do. I feel so lucky to have someone as wonderful as Herman to assure me that everything will be fine and work out.
Now, off too bed as tomorrow will be a new day...(:
At this point, I will have 3 hour classes Monday and Wednesday afternoons AND I wouldn't start at 4:10. While I dearly value the luxury of being able to sleep in, I'm afraid I won't get anything done. Also, I wouldn't have classes Fridays. This is a mixed blessing, as three day weekends sound awesome, yet am afraid I'll be bored. I guess not sure how I'll be able to handle three hour classes and having them spread out.
I'm also hoping to get into this marriage class, which is a "theological perspectives class." This class is taught by a sociology and theology professor, and I would get credit for both my upper division theology class and upper division class outside my major. Because of this class's popularity, I can't register online because I need a signature from one of the professors. Even though my advisor told me I wouldn't get in because seniors go for it (they register first), there are still 34 spots available. So I may be a lucky one who can get in as a sophomore, having taken world religions in the spring and am currently taking Bib Trad.
So far, I am lucky to be able to get into both of the English classes and fine arts section I wanted. The English classes I'll be taking are literary studies and multi ethnic lit. Despite the fact that I'm going to have to get up at 8:10 and the material won't be the most interesting, the professor is supposed to be VERY energetic, so hopefully his energy will make this class bearable. My multi ethnic lit class should be interesting. I haven't had either of these English professors yet, and I have heard that they're hard graders. This shouldn't kill me--if anything, it should make me a better writer. Fine arts should also be fun. My friend had the professor last fall and really liked him, not to mention an easy class and cool field trips (plays, art museum, concerts anyone?)
On the bright side, I'm meeting with my fantastic advisor tomorrow, and he'll help me figure out what I should do. I feel so lucky to have someone as wonderful as Herman to assure me that everything will be fine and work out.
Now, off too bed as tomorrow will be a new day...(:
Saturday, November 7, 2009
It Rained!
Today it has been raining cats and dogs. It rained so hard that I did not leave my dorm until 4 to do some research for Bib Trad at the library. I spent most of the day in my room relaxing and working on homework. My friends went out this afternoon, but I decided to stay back because of the rain and the need to work on my Bib Trad papers and finish my reading for English (and possibly do a response paper).
While I didn't have any tests and only one paper due last week, this week was BUSY! I had to study for an ethics test and a bib trad quiz, both of which were on Wed, plus edit/get ideas about my bib trad papers and keep up with my readings for English. As a result of this and the weather, I have been tired more than usual. Particularly, I've been tired Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, mainly because I'm taking psych pass/no pass and my science class is incredibly boring. It's hard to stay motivated for classes to which I don't have to devote a lot of time. On the plus side, my English class was canceled Wed. so I had the extra hour to catch up on homework/rest.
Despite how busy I get, I always make a point to do at least one fun thing over the weekend. Yesterday some friends and I went downtown to the Llyod Center for a much needed shopping day. I bought a pair of sunglasses at Ross, and a pair of grey zebra flats at Forever 21. These buys were a present to myself as a reward for my hard work, as I got a B on my English paper and an A minus on my Bib Trad quiz.
Thursday night I went to a reading by poet Chase Twichell (see picture below). She read various poems from several of her books, and then answered questions at the end. I was excited to learn that she's a Zen Buddhist (I'm not officially Zen, but am very interested in Buddhism), hates math, and did not like the "cool" girls in high school. I talked to her after the reading, and she is very nice and was touched that I enjoyed hearing her read. As an English major, it's very cool to hear authors/poets read in person, so I'm glad I was able to go. Speaking of English major stuff, I am planning on being a panel chair or respondent, in addition to submitting one (maybe two, haven't decided) of my papers for NUCL (the literary conference I mentioned back in September). The conference will be March 20th, and I'm very excited about participating in one or both of these ways.
Next Sunday I get to register for classes! Being that I'm a sophomore and most of the classes I want to take are upper division, I should be able to get the classes I want. (:
While I didn't have any tests and only one paper due last week, this week was BUSY! I had to study for an ethics test and a bib trad quiz, both of which were on Wed, plus edit/get ideas about my bib trad papers and keep up with my readings for English. As a result of this and the weather, I have been tired more than usual. Particularly, I've been tired Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, mainly because I'm taking psych pass/no pass and my science class is incredibly boring. It's hard to stay motivated for classes to which I don't have to devote a lot of time. On the plus side, my English class was canceled Wed. so I had the extra hour to catch up on homework/rest.
Despite how busy I get, I always make a point to do at least one fun thing over the weekend. Yesterday some friends and I went downtown to the Llyod Center for a much needed shopping day. I bought a pair of sunglasses at Ross, and a pair of grey zebra flats at Forever 21. These buys were a present to myself as a reward for my hard work, as I got a B on my English paper and an A minus on my Bib Trad quiz.
Thursday night I went to a reading by poet Chase Twichell (see picture below). She read various poems from several of her books, and then answered questions at the end. I was excited to learn that she's a Zen Buddhist (I'm not officially Zen, but am very interested in Buddhism), hates math, and did not like the "cool" girls in high school. I talked to her after the reading, and she is very nice and was touched that I enjoyed hearing her read. As an English major, it's very cool to hear authors/poets read in person, so I'm glad I was able to go. Speaking of English major stuff, I am planning on being a panel chair or respondent, in addition to submitting one (maybe two, haven't decided) of my papers for NUCL (the literary conference I mentioned back in September). The conference will be March 20th, and I'm very excited about participating in one or both of these ways.
Next Sunday I get to register for classes! Being that I'm a sophomore and most of the classes I want to take are upper division, I should be able to get the classes I want. (:
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Grades, English Major Stuff, and Halloween
Despite my reluctance to go back to classes after Fall Break, my week wasn't too bad. I got my midterms back, and I got an A on Bib Trad and a B minus on psych. Also, I found out that I actually got a C on the ethics test I thought I got an F on, thanks to my professor throwing out some questions and my misreading the grade. Okay, so maybe a C isn't great, but it's not the end of the world. Unlike last year, I'm not worried about failing any of my classes. Speaking of classes, I decided to take my psych class pass/no pass as opposed to getting a letter grade. Although I'm doing well in the class, I don't need the class since I'm not a psych major and I didn't see the need to worry about a letter grade. Plus it may even help with my GPA as I want to go abroad.
Another exciting event was that I not only met with Herman to plan my courses for next semester (more on that in a few weeks, as I don't register until 11/15 Sun night), but that I got my English major form back. This means that the College of Arts and Sciences and the Registrar's office recognize me as an English major. I had a great session Wed, and unlike last year where I only spent 5 (or fewer) minutes with my psych advisor, I spent 20 minutes with Herman. He gave me candy in honor of Halloween, but most importantly he told me that I give him hope (this deserves a seperate entry which I will post at the end of November!).
Registration form (yellow), pass/no pass form (white); major declaration form
Tonight was Halloween, and despite my inability to find a Mulan costume as I had hoped, I was still able to dress up. Thanks to the birthday tiara MacK gave me and one of Megan's prom dresses, I dressed up as a princess. I also handed out candy to kids who trick or treat in our building, who were extremely cute. Aside from giving out candy to the kids, I didn't do too much as I've had a headache since last night.
Sam and Lauren's door Dana and Kaelyn's door
Sam and I Dana and Kaelyn Megan, MacK, and Traci
As always, thanks for reading!
Another exciting event was that I not only met with Herman to plan my courses for next semester (more on that in a few weeks, as I don't register until 11/15 Sun night), but that I got my English major form back. This means that the College of Arts and Sciences and the Registrar's office recognize me as an English major. I had a great session Wed, and unlike last year where I only spent 5 (or fewer) minutes with my psych advisor, I spent 20 minutes with Herman. He gave me candy in honor of Halloween, but most importantly he told me that I give him hope (this deserves a seperate entry which I will post at the end of November!).
Registration form (yellow), pass/no pass form (white); major declaration form
Tonight was Halloween, and despite my inability to find a Mulan costume as I had hoped, I was still able to dress up. Thanks to the birthday tiara MacK gave me and one of Megan's prom dresses, I dressed up as a princess. I also handed out candy to kids who trick or treat in our building, who were extremely cute. Aside from giving out candy to the kids, I didn't do too much as I've had a headache since last night.
Sam and Lauren's door Dana and Kaelyn's door
Sam and I Dana and Kaelyn Megan, MacK, and Traci
As always, thanks for reading!
Friday, October 23, 2009
Yay for Fall Break!
Wow, I can't believe I go back to Portland on Sunday! Exactly a week ago I was sitting on the couch in Amy's apartment watching Friends and eating devil's food cake. I have been here in the bay since Sunday, and surprisingly, have been busier than I expected. I enjoyed lunch, coffee, and dinner dates with family friends and two of my four favorite high school teachers. I always enjoy going to my favorite restaurants, particularly Kirala, Sushiya, Soi Four, and Cactus. Although most of my friends are not in the area, I was lucky enough to enjoy the company of my girls Arielle and Jess. Arielle and I enjoyed sushi at Sushiya, while Jess and I had dinner at Cafe Roma (on College Ave) and saw the biopic Amelia. We both liked the movie, and agreed that the second half was better than the first. As many of you may know, my mom broke her leg six weeks ago. She's recovering well, but the process is slow. This means I've had to drive her to appointments and do errands, which I didn't mind doing. After all, she's driven me around for 18 years so I was more than happy to help. (: This afternoon my mom and I had lunch and got our nails done.
On another note, I've been doing something I don't normally do: watch TV. Because of this, I am now officially hooked on Glee. For those of you who aren't familiar with the show, it's about a teacher's challenge to direct a high school glee club and follow the lives of the kids in the club. The dance numbers are fantastic, and make me want to break out into song and dance. My mom told me about the show before I came home and thought I would love it. Lucky for me, I have some friends who are fans so now we can have Glee parties! I'm going to ask for the soundtrack for Christmas/my birthday, so now I have to listen to the songs on You Tube.
To be honest, I have mixed feelings about leaving. I'm excited to see my friends in Portland, but would like another 1-3 days to relax. Given the stress I've been under with studying for midterms and writing my English paper, I'm not sure I'm ready get back to the world of writing papers and studying for tests. But we shall see...
On another note, I've been doing something I don't normally do: watch TV. Because of this, I am now officially hooked on Glee. For those of you who aren't familiar with the show, it's about a teacher's challenge to direct a high school glee club and follow the lives of the kids in the club. The dance numbers are fantastic, and make me want to break out into song and dance. My mom told me about the show before I came home and thought I would love it. Lucky for me, I have some friends who are fans so now we can have Glee parties! I'm going to ask for the soundtrack for Christmas/my birthday, so now I have to listen to the songs on You Tube.
To be honest, I have mixed feelings about leaving. I'm excited to see my friends in Portland, but would like another 1-3 days to relax. Given the stress I've been under with studying for midterms and writing my English paper, I'm not sure I'm ready get back to the world of writing papers and studying for tests. But we shall see...
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Amazing Weekend of Amyness
I kicked off Fall Break by spending this weekend with my amazing friend Amy. While stats and bio sucked and I forgot virtually everything I learned, the one good thing about those classes was that I met Amy. She lived in my dorm so this made studying together convenient. We became really close, and unfortunately, she was not able to come back to UP for financial reasons. Although I am sad that we do not go to school together, we regularly talk on the phone or on Facebook. To make things even better, Stockton and Piedmont are only an hour and a half away, so this makes perfect for visits.
The weekend began on Friday when Amy picked me up from the Sacramento airport and went from there to her apartment. I just happened to arrive on her birthday, so along with her mom and aunt who was also visiting, we had devil's food cake and watched Friends. I pillaged cookies from the Commons (the cafeteria I eat at daily) and gave her a card and list of 19 things I like about our friendship. Besides the four of us cuddled up on the couch, we were lucky to be in the company of her 3 month old Maltese/poodle puppy Milly. Milly is very cute and fun, and likes jumping, licking, and biting people. We try to get her to stop biting by giving her a chew toy.
Saturday morning we went out to breakfast with her brother and his girlfriend. We went to a French restaurant called Brittanie's where we had delicious beingents and I had a Nutella crepe with strawberries. We saw her brother's dog at the vet as he is recovering from a virus, but is doing better. Afterwards, we went shopping and I bought a sweater at Forever 21. That night we celebrated her birthday with dinner at BJ's and frozen yogurt at Nubi (yay for pumpkin with a wide selection of topping choice, cost determined by the pound) with her friend Andrea.
My dad picked me up this afternoon so I have been home since 4:45. I went to Kirala with the fam to satisfy my six week sushi cravings. I've been home unpacking, visiting with my parents, and made pumpkin muffins. My week consists of coffee and lunch dates with family friends and old teachers, seeing Arielle and Jess (my two friends who are here), driving my mom places (she broke her leg a month ago-more to come on that), and relaxing.
The weekend began on Friday when Amy picked me up from the Sacramento airport and went from there to her apartment. I just happened to arrive on her birthday, so along with her mom and aunt who was also visiting, we had devil's food cake and watched Friends. I pillaged cookies from the Commons (the cafeteria I eat at daily) and gave her a card and list of 19 things I like about our friendship. Besides the four of us cuddled up on the couch, we were lucky to be in the company of her 3 month old Maltese/poodle puppy Milly. Milly is very cute and fun, and likes jumping, licking, and biting people. We try to get her to stop biting by giving her a chew toy.
Saturday morning we went out to breakfast with her brother and his girlfriend. We went to a French restaurant called Brittanie's where we had delicious beingents and I had a Nutella crepe with strawberries. We saw her brother's dog at the vet as he is recovering from a virus, but is doing better. Afterwards, we went shopping and I bought a sweater at Forever 21. That night we celebrated her birthday with dinner at BJ's and frozen yogurt at Nubi (yay for pumpkin with a wide selection of topping choice, cost determined by the pound) with her friend Andrea.
My dad picked me up this afternoon so I have been home since 4:45. I went to Kirala with the fam to satisfy my six week sushi cravings. I've been home unpacking, visiting with my parents, and made pumpkin muffins. My week consists of coffee and lunch dates with family friends and old teachers, seeing Arielle and Jess (my two friends who are here), driving my mom places (she broke her leg a month ago-more to come on that), and relaxing.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Wordstock, Coffeehouse, and The Usual Busyness
Today I had the pleasure of going to Wordstock with 6 other English Society members. This event took place at a convention center about 10 minutes away from UP. Local authors read from their works, and there's tons of book vendors where you can buy books on sale. I bought some bumper stickers and a book of essays from a teacher, and picked up a free journal of poetry and essays from local high school students and a few pins. We also listened to Candy Tan, a UP alum and romance novelist talk about creating romance novels. Besides listening to her talk, we did Mad libs, which was a lot of fun. This event broadened my literary horizons, and I'm really glad I went. Aside from the awesome events I get to participate in, I get to meet fun people in this club. It's nice having some literary nerds to hang out with, and we're trying to get non-English majors to attend. Of the seven of us who attended, only four of us are English majors; the other three are French (with an English minor), engineering, and environmental science majors. I even had a nice conversation with the cute environmental science major who is a vegan and into sci-fi. :)
Friday night I went to Coffeehouse. The Campus Program Board (CPB) brings various bands to campus, and students can attend at no charge. Also, there's free coffee drinks (courtesy of Espresso UP's baristas, the same people who provide free coffee drinks Wed. night) and goodies. The band who performed was a duo called Ryanhood, and their music was light rock/alternative. I really enjoyed being able to relax and hear some good music after a long week of classes.
This coming week is midterm week, so I have been busy studying for my psych and Bib Trad midterms. I've also been working on my English paper and managing a heavy load of 70-80 pages a night of In Cold Blood. For those of you who are not familiar with the book, In Cold Blood is Truman Capote's account of a murder, with several witnesses. All this work is tiring me out and I'm very excited for Fall Break. I'm going to spend the weekend with Amy in Stockton, and then home for a week with the fam. Hopefully, I'll make it through another week!
Friday night I went to Coffeehouse. The Campus Program Board (CPB) brings various bands to campus, and students can attend at no charge. Also, there's free coffee drinks (courtesy of Espresso UP's baristas, the same people who provide free coffee drinks Wed. night) and goodies. The band who performed was a duo called Ryanhood, and their music was light rock/alternative. I really enjoyed being able to relax and hear some good music after a long week of classes.
This coming week is midterm week, so I have been busy studying for my psych and Bib Trad midterms. I've also been working on my English paper and managing a heavy load of 70-80 pages a night of In Cold Blood. For those of you who are not familiar with the book, In Cold Blood is Truman Capote's account of a murder, with several witnesses. All this work is tiring me out and I'm very excited for Fall Break. I'm going to spend the weekend with Amy in Stockton, and then home for a week with the fam. Hopefully, I'll make it through another week!
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