Still haven't missed class. Is this still week 1?
Lots to report but nothing of *import* I'm afraid. I'm over halfway through my class week, so there's a step in the right direction, and I've already done some homework. Of course, this evening and tomorrow morning is the tough shit, so here's hoping.
That I should leave for school by 8am tomorrow morning is a tad bit terrifying to me, considering I haven't been getting up that early lately, but it's not as if it's the earliest I've gotten up. I suppose it's just that I like to get up at the same time every day. Either I have to go back to getting up at 7am (or six or five) or I get up at 9 every day. Whichever. But one Saturday morning a week at 7am will get old fast.
The plan tomorrow will be to get up at 7, which is earlier than necessary, walk to Intelligencia, get my tea, and then go to school. Sounds simple enough, and there's that added bribery. MUST BUY MORE OATBRAN. AAARRGH.
I was delighted to discover there's an Intelligencia within easy walking distance of school. If I'm not already downtown for work, I come to school early anyway to skip the rush hour traffic. Glad to know I can wait around and study in yuppy caffeine land as easily downtown as I can in Lakeview.
Mmmm... school. Is already frustrating to me on week one, I can't imagine how it will be on week 10 or week 50. I like to think that I will get used to the dullness of my current studies and am even more cautiously optimistic that someday I will get to study something of interest or worth.
It is my limited opinion that people on average will live up to whatever expectations you have of them. Treat someone like an idiot and they will sure as hell act like an idiot. Don't give someone an option of working harder, just expect them to work harder, and most of the time, they will. The vast majority of the people in my classes are not stupid, they just have limited opportunities. The same with most of the folks in my classes at UofL.
These classes aren't supposed to be hard. But providing someone with limited information, particularly in a social studies class, is as bad as giving someone the wrong information. You fill in the gaps in your mind anyway.
A very minor thing that happened in my sociology class yesterday that none the less REALLY rubbed me the wrong way about the teacher:
The teacher was showing us slides demostrating the process he went through to find information at the Census bureau showing the average lifetime incomes of men who had graduated high school verses those who had graduated from a four year college.
One of his slides was how he did his google search, entering something like "census average education earnings" into the engine. The slide showed the google page.
So on the google page, there's the option to "Google Search" and there's the option "I'm feeling lucky." One of the girls in the class asked what "I'm feeling lucky" meant. And the teacher replied, with no discernable hesitation, that it meant that the button entered the quiry into a different search engine than google.
Which is wrong.
Multiple members of the class interjected, myself among them, giving the correct explanation, that the button would send you directly to whichever site came up first in the google search. This explanation took a little while since the professor had NO IDEA what the button actually was.
While the question is minor, and the incorrect information the professor provided didn't hurt the student in any way, and wouldn't have even if she'd gone away from the class thinking that the "im feeling lucky" button created a search using a different engine, what is unsettling to me is that the professor did not feel the need to say "I don't know" or "I *think* it's this" when answering. That's a nasty habit, particularly in a classroom scenario where students are not automatically inclined to show the extra effort of questioning everything the professor says.
I'm excited to have a little bit more of a plan concerning my psychology studies. A. There's a psychology club on campus. I don't really do clubs and I have no interest in making psychology study buddies that aren't Katya, but at least I'll have access to all the information about transferring to UIC or other places and what classes to take in terms of science/math/etc. I also heard back, very quickly, god bless 'em, from the Psychology department at UIC. They have their own advisor (huzzah) who was kind enough to warn me that the field of psych, clinical in particular, is hard and competitive, and that I need to take the minimum of psychology classes at HW and transfer to UIC quickly. No problem there. I will be at HW for 3 full semesters and a summer semester, get my tax information together, be sure that I can make myself work (not that I can make myself work at a certain level, but just that I can make myself put in a certain number of hours period), get any kind of money/loan I can, and get on with my life.
All this can be done. Damn straight. UIC will be 4,000 a semester, as opposed to here, which is costing me 1200, but it's still a good deal. And because I'm no longer a dependent on my parents, I'll be much more likely to qualify for financial aid. I think.
Someday, a long time from now, I WILL be in gradschool. I will. Dammit.
Anyhoo.
Away for now from the topic of school.
I went to see Baby Teeth yesterday, and they rocked, BTW. I'm maybe not into all their music, but it's very fun, and Abraham has a pretty killer voice. Very ... I'm Tina Turner only 6'3 and white. Boys that skinny, I can't even imagine where the sound comes from. They're uber indie, and it amuses me to know that Abraham used to be a whiffenpoof.
Were I capable of making music explode from my LJ post, I should certainly be playing Hustle Beach as we speak.
I'm looking forward to seeing several films in the next couple weeks, although the chances of me seeing everything are fairly small.
The Rape of Europa is still playing, and I'm going to check that out tomorrow, hellz or high water.
Tonight, if for some reason the teacher decides to read us the syllabus and let us leave, will be American Zombie. Otherwise alas, I'm going to have to skip it, because the other screening is on Monday, Katya and mine's first STUDY DAY. We are having our own little cone of silence on Mondays at my apartment where we shall learn things and not talk and not have the internets.
Side note of side note: They're making a Get Smart movie with Steve Carrell and Anne Hathaway. Alan Arkin will play the chief. Sadly, I used to love Get Smart, and I will have a hard time not seeing this movie.
Other movies:
For the Bible Tells Me So. Playing at the Gene Siskel film center. About Religious/Republican families and how they deal with members coming out.
I'm No Angel. Oh come on. Who doesn't want to see Mae West on the big screen? I've only recently started paying attention to what plays at the GSFC and man am I an idiot for that.
Charlie Wilson's War. Still haven't seen it.
There Will Be Blood. Still haven't seen it. Gaaah.
Little Miss Sunshine, which I've never seen, is playing at the Brew and View, and I'm thinking of going to see that because.. well... seeing movies on the big screen is fun. I don't know that I'll get anything in particular out of seeing it big, but eh. I'm also tempted to go see the Rocky Horror Picture show this weekend, since I haven't in years, but it's never as fun as I think it'll be. And silly boys from St. X are very unlikely to show up.
I've finished The Eye in the Door and moved on to The Ghost Road, which won the Booker Prize and is the culmination of Pat Barker's Trilogy. Startlingly enjoyable actually, and I'm sure I'll spend more time studying that period in psychology in the future. You know, if after this whole psychology education experience is over, I just go back to writing, I'm certain I'll be a better one. I'm going to have to learn some focus and discipline one way or the other.
"What we need more of is science" says Achewood.
On a completely shallow note, I hate my winter coat. It's huge on me and I'm finding being "sir"ed in various placing to be insulting. God, as if I didn't have enough body issues already, without having to question whether I look too masculine. I recognize that was going to be one of the problems when I cut my hair very short, but A. I really like short hair and B. constantly cutting it and keeping it conditioned is keeping the hair unstressed and IN MY HEAD instead of falling out. My hair loss has severely diminished/disappeared since I started wearing it shorter and also not pulling it back.
So yeah. Even though it's already mid January, I've had enough of this crap. I want a more stylish every day winter coat. I love the big JPG coat, but an oversized black faux-fur trench just doesn't go with my hoodies. So blah.
Anyways. This has been some long boring post. And probably more to come. Hope everyone's having a lovely day!
That I should leave for school by 8am tomorrow morning is a tad bit terrifying to me, considering I haven't been getting up that early lately, but it's not as if it's the earliest I've gotten up. I suppose it's just that I like to get up at the same time every day. Either I have to go back to getting up at 7am (or six or five) or I get up at 9 every day. Whichever. But one Saturday morning a week at 7am will get old fast.
The plan tomorrow will be to get up at 7, which is earlier than necessary, walk to Intelligencia, get my tea, and then go to school. Sounds simple enough, and there's that added bribery. MUST BUY MORE OATBRAN. AAARRGH.
I was delighted to discover there's an Intelligencia within easy walking distance of school. If I'm not already downtown for work, I come to school early anyway to skip the rush hour traffic. Glad to know I can wait around and study in yuppy caffeine land as easily downtown as I can in Lakeview.
Mmmm... school. Is already frustrating to me on week one, I can't imagine how it will be on week 10 or week 50. I like to think that I will get used to the dullness of my current studies and am even more cautiously optimistic that someday I will get to study something of interest or worth.
It is my limited opinion that people on average will live up to whatever expectations you have of them. Treat someone like an idiot and they will sure as hell act like an idiot. Don't give someone an option of working harder, just expect them to work harder, and most of the time, they will. The vast majority of the people in my classes are not stupid, they just have limited opportunities. The same with most of the folks in my classes at UofL.
These classes aren't supposed to be hard. But providing someone with limited information, particularly in a social studies class, is as bad as giving someone the wrong information. You fill in the gaps in your mind anyway.
A very minor thing that happened in my sociology class yesterday that none the less REALLY rubbed me the wrong way about the teacher:
The teacher was showing us slides demostrating the process he went through to find information at the Census bureau showing the average lifetime incomes of men who had graduated high school verses those who had graduated from a four year college.
One of his slides was how he did his google search, entering something like "census average education earnings" into the engine. The slide showed the google page.
So on the google page, there's the option to "Google Search" and there's the option "I'm feeling lucky." One of the girls in the class asked what "I'm feeling lucky" meant. And the teacher replied, with no discernable hesitation, that it meant that the button entered the quiry into a different search engine than google.
Which is wrong.
Multiple members of the class interjected, myself among them, giving the correct explanation, that the button would send you directly to whichever site came up first in the google search. This explanation took a little while since the professor had NO IDEA what the button actually was.
While the question is minor, and the incorrect information the professor provided didn't hurt the student in any way, and wouldn't have even if she'd gone away from the class thinking that the "im feeling lucky" button created a search using a different engine, what is unsettling to me is that the professor did not feel the need to say "I don't know" or "I *think* it's this" when answering. That's a nasty habit, particularly in a classroom scenario where students are not automatically inclined to show the extra effort of questioning everything the professor says.
I'm excited to have a little bit more of a plan concerning my psychology studies. A. There's a psychology club on campus. I don't really do clubs and I have no interest in making psychology study buddies that aren't Katya, but at least I'll have access to all the information about transferring to UIC or other places and what classes to take in terms of science/math/etc. I also heard back, very quickly, god bless 'em, from the Psychology department at UIC. They have their own advisor (huzzah) who was kind enough to warn me that the field of psych, clinical in particular, is hard and competitive, and that I need to take the minimum of psychology classes at HW and transfer to UIC quickly. No problem there. I will be at HW for 3 full semesters and a summer semester, get my tax information together, be sure that I can make myself work (not that I can make myself work at a certain level, but just that I can make myself put in a certain number of hours period), get any kind of money/loan I can, and get on with my life.
All this can be done. Damn straight. UIC will be 4,000 a semester, as opposed to here, which is costing me 1200, but it's still a good deal. And because I'm no longer a dependent on my parents, I'll be much more likely to qualify for financial aid. I think.
Someday, a long time from now, I WILL be in gradschool. I will. Dammit.
Anyhoo.
Away for now from the topic of school.
I went to see Baby Teeth yesterday, and they rocked, BTW. I'm maybe not into all their music, but it's very fun, and Abraham has a pretty killer voice. Very ... I'm Tina Turner only 6'3 and white. Boys that skinny, I can't even imagine where the sound comes from. They're uber indie, and it amuses me to know that Abraham used to be a whiffenpoof.
Were I capable of making music explode from my LJ post, I should certainly be playing Hustle Beach as we speak.
I'm looking forward to seeing several films in the next couple weeks, although the chances of me seeing everything are fairly small.
The Rape of Europa is still playing, and I'm going to check that out tomorrow, hellz or high water.
Tonight, if for some reason the teacher decides to read us the syllabus and let us leave, will be American Zombie. Otherwise alas, I'm going to have to skip it, because the other screening is on Monday, Katya and mine's first STUDY DAY. We are having our own little cone of silence on Mondays at my apartment where we shall learn things and not talk and not have the internets.
Side note of side note: They're making a Get Smart movie with Steve Carrell and Anne Hathaway. Alan Arkin will play the chief. Sadly, I used to love Get Smart, and I will have a hard time not seeing this movie.
Other movies:
For the Bible Tells Me So. Playing at the Gene Siskel film center. About Religious/Republican families and how they deal with members coming out.
I'm No Angel. Oh come on. Who doesn't want to see Mae West on the big screen? I've only recently started paying attention to what plays at the GSFC and man am I an idiot for that.
Charlie Wilson's War. Still haven't seen it.
There Will Be Blood. Still haven't seen it. Gaaah.
Little Miss Sunshine, which I've never seen, is playing at the Brew and View, and I'm thinking of going to see that because.. well... seeing movies on the big screen is fun. I don't know that I'll get anything in particular out of seeing it big, but eh. I'm also tempted to go see the Rocky Horror Picture show this weekend, since I haven't in years, but it's never as fun as I think it'll be. And silly boys from St. X are very unlikely to show up.
I've finished The Eye in the Door and moved on to The Ghost Road, which won the Booker Prize and is the culmination of Pat Barker's Trilogy. Startlingly enjoyable actually, and I'm sure I'll spend more time studying that period in psychology in the future. You know, if after this whole psychology education experience is over, I just go back to writing, I'm certain I'll be a better one. I'm going to have to learn some focus and discipline one way or the other.
"What we need more of is science" says Achewood.
On a completely shallow note, I hate my winter coat. It's huge on me and I'm finding being "sir"ed in various placing to be insulting. God, as if I didn't have enough body issues already, without having to question whether I look too masculine. I recognize that was going to be one of the problems when I cut my hair very short, but A. I really like short hair and B. constantly cutting it and keeping it conditioned is keeping the hair unstressed and IN MY HEAD instead of falling out. My hair loss has severely diminished/disappeared since I started wearing it shorter and also not pulling it back.
So yeah. Even though it's already mid January, I've had enough of this crap. I want a more stylish every day winter coat. I love the big JPG coat, but an oversized black faux-fur trench just doesn't go with my hoodies. So blah.
Anyways. This has been some long boring post. And probably more to come. Hope everyone's having a lovely day!