Homework Smackdown

Anyone else notice how all our work seems to come in waves?  We'll have no tests for a while, then, in one week, have all of them.  We'll get a break in our homework, but then have it all due at once.

Or, worse yet... We put off doing our homework to study for the bajilion and a half tests in two weeks... and end up doing homework all day and night to catch up.  Lovely.  Scheduling issue, much?

Okay, so now that that rant (albiet short) is now done.  We can talk about other stuff...  If I can think of anything else in my days that didn't revolve around homework.

Where did I leave off?  oh yes, Saturday.  With the family.  Two thumbs up!

Sunday:  Teach the children :):):).  Lunch with my other-family.  Swing dance lessons.  Very nice Sunday.  Crazy, but good.  I like Sundays :).

Monday:  Bad day.  I felt aweful, so I felt like everything I did took too long.  I studied, but it slogged in my dead-beat brain.  Even reading after dinner to relax, I felt slow.  I did get a nap, which I liked.  And got to bed early.  Last thing I needed was to feel bad for my test.

Tuesday:  Diff Eq test.  UGH!  Enough said.
After that, though, was more class.  I liked Dr. Rosenstien, the communications person that taught our engineering class today.  She talked about writing, and, as you know, I love writing.  Engineering writing is NOTHING like the fiction stuff I do, but there's something magical about putting pen to paper and having something legible come out.  Or, if you're a product of the computer age like myself, hitting all those little keys to make words and sentences.

I mean, really.  Stop and just think.  A blank, white sheet of paper.  A pen in hand.  It doesn't matter what you write, the very act is a creation, of a sort.  When you start, there's nothing.  When you end, there's something.  Better yet, there's something that you can hand to someone else and let them share in the magic of the written word.  I agree wholeheartedly with whoever famous it was that said the written word is man-kind's greatest achievement.  Writing is MAGIC!

Okay, another rant ;).  Must really be in that kind of mood today.  Actually, it's crazy, becaue I'm so very in the writing mood right now.  I think it's two full days of mathmatical problems bouncing around in my head.  My right-brain is going USE ME TOO!  and my left-brain is going USE HIM, I'M TIRED!

Yes, I do have a mental picture of a droopy brain and a bouncy brain with speech bubbles.  I'm that cool.

So.  Guess I'll stop talking your ear off and let you get to bed or do homework or whatever it is you should be doing instead of reading this.  :)  Of course, this is probably more fun.  Unless, of course, you're supposed to be doing something super awesome.  Like... hanging out with friends.  If that's the case, go away and hang!

I'm Very Weird, and you know it.

Goodnight to all, and to all a good night!
Loren

Weekend Wonders

So, I think I have a thing for alliteration.  Oh well, they're fun.

Yesterday, I got up, went to class, did homework.  Yes, very ordinary.  I spent some time yesterday afternoon on MatLab, my computer programming stuff.  I really don't like computer programming, but I have to pass this class.  Went well, and I think I'm getting the basics.  Which, if I can manage, will be enough for me.

Last night was awesome.  Kelsey and Devi and I made chicken alfredo for dinner and had a great time cooking, eating, and talking.  Lots of fun stuff and I'm so glad God brought these amazing girls into my life!  Getting to know them has been an adventure that I'm throughly enjoying.

After dinner, we headed to the swing dance.  At 8, we did a lesson for beginners, which I still count myself as one.  I got to work with some of the guys from Crossroads, and it was awesome to get to know them better and help them take their first few steps along the swing dance path.  Very entertaining. 

Around 9ish, the real dance started and the fun began.  I got to dance with a lot of incredible guys!  I also got to meet some more of the Crossroads girls as we hung out between dances.  Learned some cool swing dance moves, some of which I could do again and some of which I can't.  Some of the better dancers I danced with lead some complicated stuff which was cool, but I couldn't repeat it.

So somewhere around midnight, Devi and I walked back to North Ave.  Much fun was had by all.  The walk was fun too, but we decided that next time we'll drive.  Much better than walking in the dark, especially when exhausted from dancing!

This morning I got up and drove back.  Fallon marched in the Suwannee Day Parade with her ROTC.  Very cool.  She looked spiffy.  We watched the rest of the parade, then came on home.  Momma and Daddy went to the boothes before I got there and I didn't have that much of an interest.

We spent the afternoon just chilling.  I did some homework.  Momma and Fallon are trying to beat Halo Reach on the xbox.  Very interesting sounds coming from the living room :).

Daddy took me on a motorcycle ride!  Awesome!  We just rode up and over the Dam and back.  We stopped back by Blockbuster to get a movie, so we technically had a purpose to our drive.  We got Prince of Persia, so I'll have to let you know what I think of it later.

For now, I've got some more homework to do while the noodles cook.  Then dinner and a movie with the family.  Tomorrow's going to be a full day too, but I'll leave that for then.

Tuesday's Terrible Terrificness

Terrible Terrificness?  You're thinking, what in the world?  Has Loren lost her mind?

The short answer: probably.

The detailed answer:
Well, it started with an alarm at 6:30 this morning.  Way too early after a late night due to the inability to sleep. Got up, got dressed, went to class.  Had a terrible time trying to stay awake in Diff Eq.  My eyes just didn't want to stay open, no matter how much I squirmed.

So, get done with morning classes and head back to the dorm.  Too much homework, and a TA session at 1.  So I sit down to work on that homework some more (which, by the way, was the reason I was up late last night, plus the non-sleeping-ness). 

Ate lunch.  Leftovers are amazing, THANK YOU Momma!  Very yummy, very fast, no brain power.  On a terribly terrific tuesday, it was perfect.  Before I left, I dressed up for the career fair.  I took a piece of advice from my mom, and wore comfortable shoes, taking my nice ones with me.  They're her shoes, and they're too big when I wear panty-hose.

Then, the TA session.  Got some good help.  Thank goodness for TA's.  A valuable resource I wish I'd found earlier.  Its true, about pride and falling.

Of course, after all that craziness, my head was spinning with deformable bodies equations and all that stuff.  I headed to the Career Fair.

The Career Fair was ... overwhelming.

I got some good information, I think.  Now to sift through, learn from the craziness, and get more information.  Repeat.  Again.  And again.  And again.  But, its good learning experience and hopefully I'll get a job out of it.

After that, I came back to my dorm and made dinner.  Pasta-Roni is a lovely thing.  Very yummy, especially when cooked with chicken and bacon with green beans on the side and cheese biscuits.  I felt like a truely splendid cook!  Was yummy too, which I liked O:).

Then, more homework.  Yes, if you're noticing a theme, you are very perceptive.  I applaud you.

My evening finale was a trip to the Downtown, ATL Wal*Mart.  Yes, I was throughly amused walking through the isles.  Found some clearance picture frames that are blue to match my room.  But, my favorite section was the hats/belts and the college T-shirts. 

Of course, I did get groceries too.  Which was the main point of going.  Well, those and band-aids and black tights.   My new snazzy black dancing shoes gave me blisters.  So I'm fixing it with band-aids and black tights before the school dance on Friday.  Which I'm very excited about, I want you to know.

Now, I'm IMing with Momma and skyping with Fallon.  Sweetness.

Think I'll go to bed early.  I'm exhausted.

Monday's adventure

So. Monday. Blah.
One more class then the career fair. I actually had to iron my clothes! Ahh!
Well, since I'm waiting for class, I decided to try this. But gotta go now.

Phone Adventure

So I totally got a new phone today!  Well, its a temporary one, but it goes *ring*!

I had to go get a sim card from teh AT&T store.  I apparently went to Atlantic Station, which I didn't even know was that close to campus.  Very spiffy.  Lots of fun resturants, a target, a publix, a dillards, a movie theater, etc.  So, a good place to keep in my head.

Other than that, my day has been mostly normal.  Class this morning.  Went to my Def Bods teacher's office hours to get homework help.  You know, the Bible says "Pride goes before a fall."  And I'm convinced.  Once I got over myself enough to ask for help, I've gotten it!  Much better understanding has improved my confidance and grades.  Duh, Loren.

Now, for some more homework this afternoon.  Gotta finish my def bods, maybe make a start on my systems homework.  Check out Diff EQ.  Then do Matlab.  Yes, the class that never ends.

Anyway.  I need some new numbers for fun people to talk to ;)

Weekend

So, its been an interesting weekend so far.

Friday:  Got home, moved stuff around, packed for the lake.  Momma and I came out and went grocery shopping.  Nothing new there.  Then we hung out and just had fun at the house.  We'd gotten a new Wii game, so Fallon and I had fun with that.

This morning, we slept in.  Everybody, even Daddy.  Then went out on the boat.  That was fun.  Got to wakeboard.

More grocery shopping, because we had no idea what was for dinner when we went yesterday.  Then we made it.  Now we're here.  Going to the Price for dinner in a bit.

We did make homemade ice cream :).  Butterfinger!

Diff Eq, Dynamics, Dorm, and a New Friend

Hello all!

This is fun!  I used to blog very regularly, back in my high school days.  Part of me is looking forward to the challenge of being regular again.  Plus the interesting things I remember as I go over a day in a more journal-based post.

So this morning's classes were:  Differential Equations, Deformable Bodies, and Dynamics.  Yes, I've noticed the alliteration.  No, it never ceases to amuse me.  They're all math/physics based classes, for those of you in the un-Tech-literate population :).

Anyway, I have an hour break between Diff Eq and Def Bods.  Usually, I sit outside because its very nice out there on a bench beneath a tree.  The little bugs find me quite interesting.  They're no bigger than about |---| that big.  Yes, very scientific measuring there.  But they're really weird looking brown spider things.  I can't find it in my heart to kill them just cuz they wondered onto my finger or paper.  So then I have to figure out a way to get them off without murdering the tiny things.  Let's just say it probably amused me way too much.

This time, my sitting outside was a little bit more interesting than normal.  Bugs aside.  I met a new friend!  We talked about writing, the paranormal (yes, including Twilight.  No, we did NOT go "Ahh! cute guys!!" blah!), computer programming (even with punch cards!), engineering, and a whole lot of other things.  VERY fun conversation.  Besides, I always love to meet another "fantasy freak" especially one who likes the paranormal sub-genre.

Class was very typical.  We've got a sub-teacher in my Dyanmics class.  I almost like him better than the real teacher, but I'll give her another chance.  :)  I won't describe what we learned, I think I'd lose most of you at "We learned about ..." due to boredom!

After that, back to the dorm for lunch.  Eating breafast at 7 leaves you starving by 12:30!  Chicken parmesean noodles for me, with enough left over to eat for another lunch this week.  I do love dorms with kitchens!

Speaking of kitchens.  The outlets in ours weren't working again.  The maintainance guy came by and fixed it though.  We blew the breaker.  Can't use the microwave and another appliance (such as the toaster or water-boiler) at the same time.  Microwave sucks too much power.  Mlah!

Then, I re-checked out my super awesome new website which I'm very proud of myself for.  I even had to use HTML to get some of the links and things to work right.  Knowing computer programming DOES come in handy!  (Now, if I could just get my MatLab to work that well...).  Anyway, you should totally check it out.  I tried not to let it distract me too much, but it was difficult.

After that, more homework.  Seems I'm always doing that these days.  I know, you're thinking, "Duh, Loren!  You're at COLLEGE.  Sheesh, get a brain!"  And you'd be right.  But still, one doesn't lose one's wishful thinker when one recieves higher education.  I am getting a lot done though, which always makes me feel good.  Progress, yippee!

"Of course, progress for the sake of progress must be discouraged."  And if you know where that quote comes from, you might just be as big a fantasy freak as I am. 

The biggest news about homework is the research "paper" I did.  It's really three questions, but all told the paper was four pages long.  So I think it's fair to count it as a paper.  It's finished, which made me jump for joy.  (Almost literally, but my leg muscles were too sore.)  My Diff Eq and Dynamics are also almost done.

Now, I should probably returned to the formentioned Diff Eq and Dynamics problems.  My Diff Eq is at a standstill.  I'm stuck on the method of integrating factors.  My dynamics and I are going to have a serious heart-to-heart this afternoon, I need it done!

This evening, Taido again.  Yippee!  Its almost like someone couldn't decided if they wanted to do gymnastics or martial arts, so they made a sport that's both.  Very fun.  Wonder what my hall-mates would think if I started doing front-roll-punches down the hallway?  Intriguing proposition...

So, more later!
~Loren