Count down begins

Theres one more week of classes then finals. The count down for the final projects and last classes and tests have begun. Thanksgiving break was just a little tease of the freedom of school that I will experience during christmas break. Unfortunately i have a feeling that break is going to go by sooo fast this year. My last final is on Wednesday but I have to work on Thursday so I am not going to get home until Friday the 18th. I will spend the whole first part of my break relaxing and spending time with family and friends. Every year for christmas, my family goes and cuts down a christmas tree. Unfortunately I am getting home to late to go cut it down but I am going to be there to help decorate it. That always gets me in the christmas spirit. Once christmas is over, the fun part of my break comes. For new years eve, I am going to atlantic city to see OAR play a special new years eve concert. Its going to be a blast. Then the day we get back, I am getting on a bus to maine for a week long snowboarding trip with some friends. When I get back, I will only have 3 more days before returning to the good old delval. Its going to be an epic christmas break.

Its thanksgiving break

Its finally break time for us students. I know that we arent required to write a blog this week because of thanksgiving but I have been doing it since the beginning of the semester so why stop now. So far I have only been offically on break for 24 hours but they have been a good 24 hours. Last night I visited my old school and had a pretty epic party. I havent gone to that school in over a year but somehow, I was the only one able to get girls to come... Tell me why that is. I will never know. Woke up at a decent hour of 10am and went to the diner with my best friend. My brother who just got back from school in ohio last night also joined us for breakfast. Today, I have been hanging out with my brother and having a campfire in the back yard pretty much all day. My Dad always makes a huge pile of brush and wants us to make it disappear. I also realized that my car was way over due for an oil change so I also changed the oil. Well dinner is almost ready so I'm going to cut it short here. I cant wait for thanksgiving dinner tommorow and the weeks of left overs to come. Hope everyone is enjoying their break as much as I am.

hello my friend!

Weekend! You are finally here! Yes, I consider Thursday to be the weekend since I dont have class on Fridays. I had a really long week. It started with an Intro to Fine arts exam from hell. The professor expects us to be art and music experts from this intro class and remember the names and artists of over 15 art works and over 6 music peices and be able to analytically break them down. Why is this a required gen ed class??? This is making my appreciation of the fine arts fall really fast. 100% of my free time between monday and today was spent studying for a human phys test that I had this morning. It was on muscles, heart, blood pressure, and respiration. I had no idea exactly how complicated the human body functions were but now I do lol.

I cant beleive that there is only 2 and a half weeks left of the semester. Where did it go? It went by so fast. This happens every semester. We get near the end and it finally hits us how fast it actually went by. Somehow it surprises me every time.

So this Tuesday, I have a botany exam. The problem is, we still havent recieved our grades from the last exam we took. Ive been dying to know my grade and I check blackboard everyday. Im really hoping that he posts the grades before the test...

Im looking back at this post and reading it. My mind seems to be jumping around like crazy. Looks like I have already shut off the concentration switch. Have a great thanksgiving break everyone!

sore fingers

Back in October for my birthday, my girlfriend said she was going to get us both belay lessons so we can go to the doylestown rock gym and belay each other. It was also supposed to be something we could do together. We finally, over a month later, we went to get the lessons. It was pretty easy. All we needed to do was learn 2 knots and learn how to set up the belay device. First they show you how to do everything. Then you do it yourself and practice until you feel comfortable to take the test to become certified. The test included demonstrating that you know how to tie the knots and how to set up the belay device. It also tested your ability as the belayer to catch the climber 2 times while looking and 2 times without looking. After about an hour of practice we both successfully passed the test. Once we passed the test, we were able to belay each other for the rest of the day. We each climbed about 5 or 6 times each until our fingers were to sore to climb again. We are both going to have to build up calaces and endurance if we ever plan on climbing for more then 2 hours. To become completely certified, we are going to have to take the test again when we go next time to prove that we still know how to do it. After the second text, we will be certified for life at the gym.

Finals week?

Is it just me or is trying to figure out when your finals for your classes really confusing? At my old school, finals generally fell on the day you had the class, relatively close to the time you have the class. Well aparently thats not how it works here at delval. I just looked and I have finals all over the week including one on saturday. Now I need to give my work a whole new schedule but just for that week. Why do they have to make it this complicated? For example, I have speech on Mondays and Wednesdays. The final is scheduled for Friday. We all have english on Tuesdays and Thursdays but the final is scheduled for Saturday afternoon. I dont see the logic in that at all. For english, I am hoping that we can maybe take the final on the last day of class so we dont have to stick around untill Saturday the 18th to take it. I dont know about any of you, but I am pretty eager to start winter break. The same goes for my speech final. Im not sure if my speech final is going to be a speech or an actual test or something. If anyone has taken speech with Dr. Ziemer, would you let me know? Thanks.

Im sitting here watching the news and I realized something. The people who are broadcasting the news must be phili's fans. The are interveiwing all kinds of baseball fans and praising the phili's and bashing the yankees. They even showed a video clip of a steam roller rolling over pictures of all the yankees with their jerseys and apples. I'm guessing the apples are for new york, the big apple. But still. The news is supposed to have an unbiased point of veiw. They are constantly rubbing in the fact that last nights game was almost a sweep. And who does this guy think he is? Pedro claimed the he is the greatest influential player that ever stepped foot into yankees stadium? The mets got rid of him. The METS! LOL. They just finished a segment call "The top five things I hate about Yankees Stadium." What is with this new broadcast? One was the yankees logo on the sweet 'n low. Another was the fact that they had a philly cheesesteak stand in the stadium. Another was that when you sit down at the hard rock cafe, you have 70 minutes to order, eat, drink, and get out. The news reporter is acting like hes having a terrible time. Who wouldnt want to be a news reporter in Yankees stadium right now?

Considering that Delval is so close to Philadelphia, there are a suprising number of yankees fans. This is really nice considering I am a yankees fan. I do enjoy watching the extreme fans get into arguments in the pub though. Now when I say I am a yankees fan, I mean ill watch a game or 2. I was kinda just born into being one because I grew up in New Jersey. I would not concider myself a diehard fan. I think I have only ever been to 1 yankees game before in my life. And that was because we got tickets from somewhere. I actually sat 2 rows behind the yankees dugout. In the first inning, the third out was a fly ball to right field. As the right fielder ran into the dugout, he throw the ball into the bleachers and I caught it. I still have it stored away somewhere with my ticket to that game. Hopefully it will be worth something one day.

Well its getting closer to game time and I have other things I need to do so I can relax and watch the game without any interuptions. I also have to make dinner cause I am getting pretty hungry. The general consensus is that the philis are going to kick ass again tonight. However, thats according to everyone the news reporters just interviewed. They were probably going around asking people if they were phillys fans and if they werent, they wouldnt interview them... Anyway. Go Yankees!

Another crazy week

So I don't know about any of you but recently I feel like I haven't had any time to do anything I want to do. It feels like all I do is wake up and go to class. From class I either go right to work and then after go right home to do homework until I fall asleep. If I don't go to work, it feels like all I do after class is come home and do more homework all day. Its getting pretty ridiculous. Its not really the fact that I am falling behind on my homework either. It seems like I only have enough time to do what is due in the very near future. For 2 of my classes, there are 2 formal lab reports each due before thanksgiving. Knowing that is really stressing me out because I don't see anytime in the near future that I am going to be able to write them. I want to get them done now for a few reasons. One is that my one professor will actually take them early, grade them, and hand them back to us so we can revise them and get a better grade. But he will only do this if we hand it in early. The second reason is that if I don't do them know, I will all of a sudden have to do 4 formal lab reports in a week. If that happens, I say good bye to sleeping. And I need my sleep otherwise I get very grumpy. Just ask my roommate.

Today was a particularly long day. Thursdays are my day that classes go straight through from 9:25am to 4:20pm. Starting with Human Phys to Botany lecture to English then finally to Botany lab. That's why I always have food in English for those of you who noticed. So I get to my Human phys class like 2 minutes late and find that they are in the middle of a timed pop quiz. I rush to my seat and get out a paper and pen just fast enough to answer the first set of questions before the professor went to the next power point. Overall the pop quiz wasn't to bad but it just sucks having to do it first thing in the morning. Then after the lecture we got our tests back. Needless to say, it was more bad news for me. What a great way to start my morning. So at this point I was already looking forward to getting home later that day. Botany lecture and English lecture go bye and all I can think of is getting home and wanting the day to be over. Of course when I get home, there is only more homework waiting for me. The one good thing that happened to me today was that I got out of botany lab over an hour early. Now I'm finally home.... doing more homework.

crazy time of year

This past week was by far the busiest I have had this school year. It started Monday with a test in intro to fine arts. I did not think it would be to bad however, when I started looking at the material, I realized how much there was to know. The stuff really builds up fast when you have a class three days in a row when that Tuesday was a Monday. So that took up my Sunday. I was also supposed to prepare a speech for Monday. Unfortunatly, that didnt happen. Luckily for me, my professor said I could do it next Monday. So Monday, I went to class and took the test that was alot harder than I thought it would be. Needless to say, that put me in a great mood... After class I went to work. Right from work, I went back to school for a club meeting at 7. Finally after the meeting, I was able to come home and start doing homework again. There was nothing due on Tuesday, so it was my time to catch up on alot of things. That day I was out of the apartment from 9:10am to around 9pm because I had school until 1:30 and then work right after. That night, all I did was study for my speech quiz that I had the next day. I was also able to complete my human physiology homework that was due that thursday. It wasnt hard, just time consuming. So Wednesday, I went to class and took the quiz. It was also alot harder than I thought it would be. After class, I went to work again. I got home around 9pm and went right to studying for my botany lab practical that I had the next day. Anybody who has taken botany at this school knows that its a real bitch of a class that requires ALL of your time. At this point I just wanted Thursday to be done and over already. I wake up early on Thursday to get some more last minute studying in before heading off to my classes for the day. Botany lab is my last class of the day so during my other classes, I am just running through the different divisions of fungi and algae in my head. Fortunatly, English class was just not ment to be that day so I was able to leave early and get more last minute, much needed studying in. I took the practical and thought I did great until he went over the answers. I got my conidiospores and carpospores mixed up and I messed up an conidiogenesis cells. BUT the worst of my week was finally over. The botany professor makes you stay after the practicals to do a lab but I just kinda sat there pretending to look at stuff until we were able to leave. I would much rather come back on my own time when I feel like it. That way I can look at things in peace and relaxation without the classroom environment. My week of classes was finally over so I went home and sat around and did nothing for a while and it felt great.

something is missing

So my birthday was on October 6th. A Tuesday. There is not much you can do with that. I still had school and I still had work. Lucky for me, school was on a Monday schedule, which meant that I only had 2 of my easy classes. I was sad that we didn't have English 2 class though... Basically I was out of my apartment from 10:30am to 9:15pm and had no energy to do anything that night. I didn't mind to much because I am going to really celebrate this weekend. I did, however, have my last illegal drink Monday night at 11:30ish and my first legal drink at a bar at 12:05ish.

The two things that were missing was a birthday cake and birthday cards. I did not get a single birthday card on my birthday and no one got me a birthday cake. Its because I just moved out to PA and don't really know that many people yet. It was also because I really had no time on my actual birthday because of school and work. That's another reason why I'm looking forward to this weekend.

Finally 21...

So Im finally 21 after months of impatient waiting. It would not have been so bad except ALL of my other friends, including my gf, have already been 21 for a while now. I was not able to go to any of their 21st birthday parties and it just plain sucked. They would all go out to a bar or a show and invite me along before they remembered that I wasnt 21 yet so I couldnt go. I would just sit around bored since all my friends were out. To top it all off, I would be the drunk texts and phone calls which made me feel so much worse that I was missing out on all the fun they were having without me.

So this weekend I going home and having my party at a bar close to my hometown and my old school so all my friends who were 21 can now party it up at my birthday party. Its going to be a ton of fun and I can't wait. People have always told me that its not all its cracked up to be. I dont care. For me, its not the drinking that Im looking forward to, although it is a good part of it, its the fact that I can actually go out with my friends. Now I can finally change my response from "I can't, I'm not 21 yet...." to "Sure".

Im sure turning 21 will put a large empty space in my wallet. You could go out and get a handle of rum for 20 bucks at a liquer store, but at the bars, 20 bucks might get me like 3, maybe 4 shots if Im lucky. The sooner I come down from my "I can finally go to bars" kick, the better.

too many choices

I have started working at an animal medical clinic in doylestown as a kennel technician. Its close and the people there are great. However, I have experience as a vet tech and wish to be able to do more than just clean the kennel and feel the animals. On top of that they dont pay very well. On the bright side, i have only worked there 3 weeks and they are already starting to put me in tech positions, however, the pay hasnt been adjusted for the extra work. Last week I went for an interview at an emergency vet hospital and they said they would call me for a work interveiw and pay me about 4 more dollars/hour doing everything I am used to doing. But they still havent called me back. The problem I am having is trying to figure out what Im going to do if they do offer me a job. I cant work both jobs becuase there would be no time for school. I guess I'll just have to wait and see whats going to happen. I might just be stressing out about nothing.

rubix cubes

So for the past hour I have been working on trying to get my rubix cube back to its original form where all the sides are the same color. I looked online to see if there were any tricks. Apparently there are a ton of little tricks and tips on how to solve your rubix cube. Unfortunately most of them are not as simple as they claim to be. I got so frustrated that I took the cube apart and put it back together in its original form so I could just practice some of the move combinations and techniques and go back to the original form so I know I got them right. Well, not 3 mins after I got the cube back together, I jumbled it back up again while trying the "easy algerithems" that the website claimed to work. I am writing this blog as a way to control my anger towards the tiny cube that has caused me so much frustration. If anyone has any suggestions on how to make it easier, it would greatly appreciate it. The worst part is that I saw a guy one time I was on the subway in New York City and he was just messing it up and then fixing it in under a minute so I know its possible. This thing is going to be the death of me...

this week is finally over

This week was a particularly stressful one.

I have been out of school for basically a year and it has been pretty hard getting back into the swing of things. Managing my time for all the classes. Figuring out good study habits again. Keeping materials from all my classes organized. Its been a real challenge. This week I had my first tests of the semester. For Delval, apparently there is a rule that you should never take Botany and Human Physiology at the same time. Both of the professors basically tell you that this class will take up ALL of your free time. Well no one told me lol. So now I'm stuck with it. Thursday, I had a human phys test first thing in the morning and a botany lab practical at 1:40. Between the two classes I have Botany lecture and English with only the 10 minutes they give you between classes. I was caught in the dilemma of which test I should study for more. I have work right after school on Tuesdays so the only time I really had to study was Wednesday after class around 4. Finally I made up my mind to just study Human phys until I got tired of it. Then I would take a break and then study botany a little bit. Then when I would get bored of botany, I would take another break and switch back to human phys. That system worked out pretty well. By the time I had to go to school to take my human phys test, I felt pretty confident. My only hope was to finish the test early enough to look over my botany notes before botany lecture started. So what I did was look at the notes real quick before and after the two classes I had until the lab practical. It was getting closer and closer to the practical and I was getting nervous that I would sit down to take the practical and my mind would go blank and I wouldn't remember anything. Once I saw the first question, I finally was relieved. It was a really easy question. I figured it would get harder as it went on but overall it was really easy. The professor made it sound like it was going to be the hardest test we had ever taken.

For those of you who have had a science lab of some sort, isn't the last thing you want to do after a lab practical, a lab experiment? As soon as the test was over, he was already giving instructions on what we would be doing that day in lab. I was burnt out at this point and all I really wanted to do was go home and relax for a while. But if I left, he would have taken points off. So I just wondered around the lab, looking at some slides, pretending to do work until the lab was over. They keep the stuff out for a week so I am going to just go back to the lab another day to look at everything again. But at least this week is over.

are you serious?

So for one of my classes, the professor paired everyone up. Since I'm new to the school I got paired with this kid who also didn't have a partner. At first I was OK with it. But when I tried to get together with the kid, he didn't answer my call or respond to my message. We had agreed to do it over the phone since we both live off campus. Well again I call him when we had scheduled a time to call each other. Again, no answer so I left a message. The rest of the day and night goes by and I never hear back from him. At that point, the assignment was due the next day. I then did the only thing left for me to do. I emailed my professor explaining the whole situation. By this time its like 12:30 at night so I know he wont get the email until morning. I go to actually send it and then the internet cuts out and I lose the email. So now I'm even more pissed off. I write the email all over again and the same thing happened. I went to see if anything was in my sent box and there was nothing. I try this about 4 times in total before I get so angry I slammed my computer shut and walked away for a minute. That's when I got the great idea that I would just use my personal email address instead of the shitty delval email. This time it worked. The next morning before class I got an email from the professor telling me that it will be OK and my grade will not be affected because it was not my fault. I guess its a good thing I'm on his good side. Something that finally made me laugh was his little p.s. at the end. It said "P.S. thanks for the 5 emails LOL".
So anyway, back on track. The professor lets us out a little early so we can have a little time to talk to our partners about the topic. Unfortunately it wasn't enough time to get everything I needed so he said he would call me after his plans that night around 7. I wait and I wait. Now its 8 and I still haven't heard from him... AGAIN. So I text him and what does he do? He tries to postpone the phone call again. I basically tell him no, we are doing it tonight so he finally calls me back after another hour of waiting and I get everything I need.
The moral of the story is that I don't agree with the whole "professors put you into groups" thing. I believe you should be able to pick your partners because if you are a hard working, diligent student and you get stuck with someone who just doesn't care your grade will suffer. Its just not fair. If I was able to just pick someone to by my partner from the beginning, none of this nonsense would have occurred.

What is wrong with Pennsylvania roads

Can someone please tell me who designed the roads here in PA? Every other street corner there is a four-way stop or another traffic light. Did they want to make as least gas efficient as possible to drive around? The constant accelerating and decelerating just the accelerate again is really really annoying. I guess people like wasting gas around here especially since its at least 20 cents more per gallon that it is in New Jersey. I back this statement up by the fact that people slow down as they approach a green light, just in case it will turn red.

Also whats with the turning lane in the middle of the road??? Do people not know how to make a simple turn in PA without their own lane? No. They need to come to a complete stop before turning. Maybe they are afraid the car will flip if they turn while still moving forward. FYI. It won't!

Sorry about my rambling but where I come from, land of the jug handle exit ramps, the roads make a little more sense.

Got to love the people in PA

Recently I have realized that people in New Jersey generally fit the stereotype of not being very friendly. Since I grew up in New Jersey, I always thought that the stereotype was an exaggeration. Now that I live in PA, I notice how much nicer people are to you compared to NJ. In the grocery stores people smile and say hi as you pass; where as in NJ, they would keep their eyes to their business and ignore you. In parking lots, the cars will stop at the cross walks and actually let you pass. Some people might be saying that I'm weird for thinking this but in NJ, the pedestrian doesn't have the right of way. You must always keep your head up and watch where you are going in parking lots otherwise you might get hit by a careless driver.

There has only been one time that I can think of that we ran into someone not so nice. My brother, my friend, and I went to Wegmans and on our way back to the car, my brother saw a cart rolling towards another car. Instead of just watching it hit, he ran, jumped over a median and got to the cart right as it touched the bumper of the car. I could see the people in the car cursing as they unbuckled their seat belt and got out. The woman started yelling at my brother as the guy inspected the car. They thought he was riding the cart and was just playing around. He tried to explain that he was trying to stop the cart but they kept on yelling at him and telling him stuff like "you need to calm down buddy" and other things like that. It wasn't until my brother ignored her and got in the car that she got quiet enough for us to explain to her what actually happened and that he was only trying to help. As we drove away, we yelled out the window that next time she should get all the facts before she starts jumping to conclusions. She looked kind of embarrassed but never apologized for blaming my brother. Driving home, we couldn't help but feel insulted by what she said.