Finally, the end of the year has arrived. As we enter finals week, I'm not sure what will happen in most of my classes. The only two classes that I have where we are still doing work are math and physics. All of the rest, we just sit around and talk or watch movies, and it's awesome. After a long and trying year, these few days of relaxing couldn't be more welcome. My brain filled up about two weeks ago, so the few classes that were cramming in more material before finals had none of my attention. All of my classes, actually, got very little attention from me. My brain is so fried that I am hardly worrying about my finals this year.
Normally, the weekend before finals is a huge cramming session. But, over the course of this year, I've realized that when I cram before a test I do just as well as if I rely on what I actually learned leading up to the test. It first came to me because I had enough work I didn't have time to study for a few tests, but now I'm starting to adopt a policy of only doing short reviews rather than cramming. I might not get those extra three or four points, but spending a few hours just for those isn't worth it to me anymore. It might just be laziness, but whatever.
The one test I am worried about is the calc final. A whole two hour time slot for math? It sounds to me like the hardest test ever. It is supposed to cover essentially everything we've learned. From my experience with Mrs. Boca's tests, they often involve problems with many parts, so if you mess up one part everything afterwards is also trashed. My fear is that the final will be a few very long questions and I will forget how to do one simple thing, ruining the rest of my test. With a two hour time slot, theres a lot of room for long questions. Not to mention I am trying to do the final homework assignment and I have absolutely no idea how to even start half of the problems. Plus, the final is worth some drastically in-proportionate amount of the total grade, so I can't just blow it off. Not going too well with my whole plan.
So because I am stuck on all of these math problems, I decided to switch things up and come write my blog post, so here it is.
Also I am feeling really sleepy lately, probably as a result of my diet. I need to start eating healthier. But now that summer is near, I am back on a fast food diet and probably will be on it until school is back in session. A whole 3 months away :] I've never been more ready. Summer! it sounds so nice.
Anyway, gotta get back on my grind. Probably my last blog post ever :( I usually just tweet things on my mind. follow me @fuzzybran if you have a twitter.
byebyeeee
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Election campaigns
I'm surprisingly irritated by the campaigns for class offices this year. Usually it's just the signs and some free food, and then the candidates leave me alone. This year, the campaigns of two people have been a little too in-my-face. Every day this week I've been bothered by a fight for attention between two of the presidential candidates. The supporting reasons that I should vote for them have no actual substance to them. Vote for me, I'm a guy vs vote for me just because I like being in studco. Honestly, I could care less about who wins, so when people put up stupid arguments like that all they do is lose my vote.
Besides, it's not like you can run the election like the actual presidential election, where I don't personally know the candidates. For the student council elections, I know everybody well enough that no matter what campaigning you do, I'm just going to vote for who I think would do the best job. Don't waste your time putting up posters everywhere and buying candy. If I know you're responsible and whatnot, you get my vote, because everyone else is just dicking around with posters and free food.
Also, when you have petty little fights via posters I really just find it irritating. Show us the birth certificate, vote for whoever or we'll kill this little animal, etc. At first it was amusing, but then it kept dragging on and kovacs got mad. You're just making trouble over something that I don't think the general population at Uni cares about. Even good campaigns don't change my vote, albeit I do respect you more. I enjoyed the posters with random women a lot. I can appreciate the humor and I like you more as a person, but sorry, my vote is still going to whoever would actually do the best. So when you do stupid campaigns, you don't get my vote, and you lose my respect.
Besides, it's not like you can run the election like the actual presidential election, where I don't personally know the candidates. For the student council elections, I know everybody well enough that no matter what campaigning you do, I'm just going to vote for who I think would do the best job. Don't waste your time putting up posters everywhere and buying candy. If I know you're responsible and whatnot, you get my vote, because everyone else is just dicking around with posters and free food.
Also, when you have petty little fights via posters I really just find it irritating. Show us the birth certificate, vote for whoever or we'll kill this little animal, etc. At first it was amusing, but then it kept dragging on and kovacs got mad. You're just making trouble over something that I don't think the general population at Uni cares about. Even good campaigns don't change my vote, albeit I do respect you more. I enjoyed the posters with random women a lot. I can appreciate the humor and I like you more as a person, but sorry, my vote is still going to whoever would actually do the best. So when you do stupid campaigns, you don't get my vote, and you lose my respect.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Parking lot nights
As the year is nearing its end, I am wondering what kind of things I will do during summer. Typically my summers have one or two activities that I'll do all summer. In freshman year I played basketball and mario kart every day. In sophomore year I got addicted to buying clothes and shoes, so I went to the mall all the time. I also biked everywhere - friends houses, the basketball courts, or the pool.
In junior year, everyone had gotten their licenses. I initially thought this would help me out because I wouldn't have to bike all the way across town to do something. While this is true, it brought up another problem. Before, when I got to someone's house, we stayed there. Nobody wanted to go through the trouble of changing locations. After my friends could drive, we could all move around with ease. So whenever someone would have friends over, a huge group of people would come because finding a ride was no longer a problem. Consequently, nobody wanted to have anybody over because it would mean that twenty or thirty people would be running around in your house, eating your food, drinking your drinks, and getting everything dirty. Whenever that happened, the host would just kick everyone out.
So the summer before junior year, a phenomenon came about in my circle of friends. We call it parking lot nights. It's when there is nothing to do (usually because nobody had enough money to go to the movies, shopping, or to eat), so everyone meets up in a parking lot to "come up with a plan." We never actually come up with a plan because it's such a hassle to have friends over, so we end up sitting in a parking lot until it's eleven and we have to go home. These parking lot nights ended up making the summer into the most boring summer yet.
With the upcoming summer, I'm hoping that my friends have grown up enough to find things to do other than parking lot nights. I figure that most people are getting jobs now, so we'll have money to actually do the things we want to do. While I like parking lot nights more than school, I feel that the glorious three months of freedom that we as students are given should be used to do more productive things. Well, not necessarily productive, but make better use of the time. I'll have to wait and see.
If you think about it, there's only a month and a half left of school, weekends included. It's an uplifting thought, as I've come down with senioritis in junior year.
In junior year, everyone had gotten their licenses. I initially thought this would help me out because I wouldn't have to bike all the way across town to do something. While this is true, it brought up another problem. Before, when I got to someone's house, we stayed there. Nobody wanted to go through the trouble of changing locations. After my friends could drive, we could all move around with ease. So whenever someone would have friends over, a huge group of people would come because finding a ride was no longer a problem. Consequently, nobody wanted to have anybody over because it would mean that twenty or thirty people would be running around in your house, eating your food, drinking your drinks, and getting everything dirty. Whenever that happened, the host would just kick everyone out.
So the summer before junior year, a phenomenon came about in my circle of friends. We call it parking lot nights. It's when there is nothing to do (usually because nobody had enough money to go to the movies, shopping, or to eat), so everyone meets up in a parking lot to "come up with a plan." We never actually come up with a plan because it's such a hassle to have friends over, so we end up sitting in a parking lot until it's eleven and we have to go home. These parking lot nights ended up making the summer into the most boring summer yet.
With the upcoming summer, I'm hoping that my friends have grown up enough to find things to do other than parking lot nights. I figure that most people are getting jobs now, so we'll have money to actually do the things we want to do. While I like parking lot nights more than school, I feel that the glorious three months of freedom that we as students are given should be used to do more productive things. Well, not necessarily productive, but make better use of the time. I'll have to wait and see.
If you think about it, there's only a month and a half left of school, weekends included. It's an uplifting thought, as I've come down with senioritis in junior year.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Problems with calculus
I'll be honest, I was expecting the first week back from spring break to be a breeze. It's a four day week and there shouldn't be any big projects to do. But, for some strange reason, my calculus class has a ridiculous amount of work. There is a quiz every day of the week except for Monday, only because it goes against the rules to schedule one on the first day back. The quizzes will be on material that wasn't covered in class. Our teacher strongly suggested that we look at some AP problems over the break. Unfortunately, doing math homework over spring break wasn't a priority for me.
So now that we're being quizzed consecutively three times, I am under prepared. I could study for them if I didn't have to do the math homework, which is a lot. Also, the homework is on a completely different topic, so by doing the homework, I am not studying the right material at all. I just get a little angry when our teacher does things like this. Of course, there are a few people who have done the work she suggested, so they will get perfect scores. But for anyone who didn't work over the break, it's hard to keep up. I feel like the no work over break rule should be enforced.
The other rule that my calculus teacher disobeys is the thirty minutes of homework rule. She assigns ridiculous amounts amounts of work that take well over thirty minutes. When we spend a period working on homework problems on the board, she will solve the problems herself. In the fifty minute period, she often has trouble finishing the four or five problems that we ask her about. In addition, she is the teacher and knows how to solve the problems already. For the students, the problems will undoubtedly take longer as we don't have as much experience. So the forty or fifty questions we usually have in a week take way longer than we should have to spend on calculus. Even if we work for an hour a day, that's only seven hours a week; completing the whole calculus assignment can take me even longer.
When you add these two factors together, the excessive homework and quizzing on work done over spring break, you get one unhappy camper. The general consensus across all the calculus students seems to agree with me in saying that we are getting unfair amounts of work. Even after many students have complained, nothing has changed. Luckily, we're on the final stretch, the last quarter of the year.
So now that we're being quizzed consecutively three times, I am under prepared. I could study for them if I didn't have to do the math homework, which is a lot. Also, the homework is on a completely different topic, so by doing the homework, I am not studying the right material at all. I just get a little angry when our teacher does things like this. Of course, there are a few people who have done the work she suggested, so they will get perfect scores. But for anyone who didn't work over the break, it's hard to keep up. I feel like the no work over break rule should be enforced.
The other rule that my calculus teacher disobeys is the thirty minutes of homework rule. She assigns ridiculous amounts amounts of work that take well over thirty minutes. When we spend a period working on homework problems on the board, she will solve the problems herself. In the fifty minute period, she often has trouble finishing the four or five problems that we ask her about. In addition, she is the teacher and knows how to solve the problems already. For the students, the problems will undoubtedly take longer as we don't have as much experience. So the forty or fifty questions we usually have in a week take way longer than we should have to spend on calculus. Even if we work for an hour a day, that's only seven hours a week; completing the whole calculus assignment can take me even longer.
When you add these two factors together, the excessive homework and quizzing on work done over spring break, you get one unhappy camper. The general consensus across all the calculus students seems to agree with me in saying that we are getting unfair amounts of work. Even after many students have complained, nothing has changed. Luckily, we're on the final stretch, the last quarter of the year.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Chompers
As I sit here in class I can hear the sound of Tahar's chips crunching over the music playing through my headphones. Granted that chips are normally a noisy food, Tahar is chewing with his mouth open, so it's pretty loud. Hearing him eating reminds me of the other times that he chomps on his food. I feel like his mother when I tell him, "Stop chewing with your mouth open!" Unfortunately, he never stops.
I thought that everyone had it drilled into their minds, "chew with your mouth closed." It came with, "Don't play with your food" for me. I'm not sure when all of you got the lesson, but apparently Tahar never got it. Whenever he eats, he "chomps" with his mouth open in a way that makes a loud smacking noise. It reminds me of people who chew their gum with their mouth open. Shouldn't people have the courtesy to keep their eating quiet?
Chomping goes against all the rules of table manners and etiquette. While there are other rules that are less strict, like having your elbows on the table or silverware placement, I feel chomping should be one of the most strict. Loud chewing is one of the most disturbing things you could do during a meal. Chewing with your mouth open also reveals the content of your mouth, sure to gross out anyone across the table. I can't point out anybody specific other than Tahar, but you should all make a conscious effort to stop chomping. If you're around a chomper, beat some manners into them! Please!
Also as I was finishing my post up I noticed a few people complaining about how loud Tahar's music was. I guess it's part of Tahar to be loud.
Anyway, good luck with whatever tests you have to finish up the quarter. Only one left! Some 40 days of school and I think 80 total days. I don't know how those numbers match up though...the countdown in the lounge must be far off. I'm excited for summer either way
I thought that everyone had it drilled into their minds, "chew with your mouth closed." It came with, "Don't play with your food" for me. I'm not sure when all of you got the lesson, but apparently Tahar never got it. Whenever he eats, he "chomps" with his mouth open in a way that makes a loud smacking noise. It reminds me of people who chew their gum with their mouth open. Shouldn't people have the courtesy to keep their eating quiet?
Chomping goes against all the rules of table manners and etiquette. While there are other rules that are less strict, like having your elbows on the table or silverware placement, I feel chomping should be one of the most strict. Loud chewing is one of the most disturbing things you could do during a meal. Chewing with your mouth open also reveals the content of your mouth, sure to gross out anyone across the table. I can't point out anybody specific other than Tahar, but you should all make a conscious effort to stop chomping. If you're around a chomper, beat some manners into them! Please!
Also as I was finishing my post up I noticed a few people complaining about how loud Tahar's music was. I guess it's part of Tahar to be loud.
Anyway, good luck with whatever tests you have to finish up the quarter. Only one left! Some 40 days of school and I think 80 total days. I don't know how those numbers match up though...the countdown in the lounge must be far off. I'm excited for summer either way
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Road Rage
As the due date for this blog post was nearing I was contemplating a few different topics to write about. I was having trouble deciding between them when I was granted with a gift in disguise. Some people think that I just have road rage, but I feel that my rage is legitimate most of the time. I was waiting at a stoplight to turn left and for some reason, I couldn't get a left turn light. To make matters worse, I was trapped behind some lady that refused to go if there was no left turn light.
So there I sat, waiting, and waiting, and waiting. Most people edge into the intersection so that when traffic stops coming, they can make their turn. I don't know where she learned to drive, but that was apparently out of the question. The more radical drivers do a "Pittsburgh Left", a quick left turn before the oncoming traffic starts coming. So we both sat waiting a ways back from behind the white line, which I figured out was the reason we couldn't get a green light. She was too far back for the sensor to work. The people going straight got their green, but I couldn't get a simple left arrow. She would not budge forward.
One light passed, then another, then another. After three whole lights had switched, there was finally a large enough gap in the oncoming traffic for her to make her left and I was freed from the prison of the left turn light. For some reason I have terrible luck when it comes to driving. Take a look at things that have happened to me in the one year of driving I've done:
-Someone stopped on first street to let out passengers (which was a jerk move in the first place), then their car stalled.
-I turn eastbound onto springfield right behind a truck that was too tall for the underpass. It got stuck.
-The car behind me didn't know their brights were on. They also followed me for seven city blocks
-There is a glass company on Neil just south of green street. The loading dock requires that the semi-truck backs into a small garage door. When they do that, they have to stop traffic because the truck spans across all four lanes. The truck driver messed up a few times before finally making it into the garage.
Maybe these things happen to everyone but whenever I drive, it seems to me whatever divine force controls the universe tries to hinder me as much as they can. It drives (pun) me crazy! I get so furious on the road. So I guess you could say that I have road rage.
So there I sat, waiting, and waiting, and waiting. Most people edge into the intersection so that when traffic stops coming, they can make their turn. I don't know where she learned to drive, but that was apparently out of the question. The more radical drivers do a "Pittsburgh Left", a quick left turn before the oncoming traffic starts coming. So we both sat waiting a ways back from behind the white line, which I figured out was the reason we couldn't get a green light. She was too far back for the sensor to work. The people going straight got their green, but I couldn't get a simple left arrow. She would not budge forward.
One light passed, then another, then another. After three whole lights had switched, there was finally a large enough gap in the oncoming traffic for her to make her left and I was freed from the prison of the left turn light. For some reason I have terrible luck when it comes to driving. Take a look at things that have happened to me in the one year of driving I've done:
-Someone stopped on first street to let out passengers (which was a jerk move in the first place), then their car stalled.
-I turn eastbound onto springfield right behind a truck that was too tall for the underpass. It got stuck.
-The car behind me didn't know their brights were on. They also followed me for seven city blocks
-There is a glass company on Neil just south of green street. The loading dock requires that the semi-truck backs into a small garage door. When they do that, they have to stop traffic because the truck spans across all four lanes. The truck driver messed up a few times before finally making it into the garage.
Maybe these things happen to everyone but whenever I drive, it seems to me whatever divine force controls the universe tries to hinder me as much as they can. It drives (pun) me crazy! I get so furious on the road. So I guess you could say that I have road rage.
Monday, January 31, 2011
the weathers not so hot (giggle)
If you take a look out your window on this splendid monday evening, you'll notice what looks like freezing rain or snow. Right now, my window is glazed over with ice so I can't really tell. I keep hearing a little pop-corn like noise that could be rain so we'll assume its rain. I don't know whats worse though. Snow and rain each have their ups and downs. Normally, I'd prefer rain. Theres less mess and it's gone quickly. I used to like snow when I could go out and sled on a nearby hill, but these days I don't do too much playing and more driving. Anyone who's driven in the snow knows that its no fun. Plus, the snow gets all dirty and gross, so I prefer rain.
Anyhow, I just checked and it's twenty five degrees outside. I'm no expert, but water freezes at thirty two degrees and stays frozen if it's less. Because of that, I can expect icy roads tomorrow! I already had to deal with ice today when my car was covered in it. I'm a new driver and so I've only scraped off my car a few times but its harder than I thought. My hands were frozen after I did a poor job on the windshield and I couldn't manage to clear off the side view mirrors (if any of you have some kind of trick please share). The roads were pretty well kept and I had no problems coming home.
Whenever theres snow on the roads, everyone drives very slow and carefully. I hate having to wake up earlier to get to school, but at least the normal idiots on the road are smart enough to slow down. Either that or they get trapped behind the other people driving slowly, so it all works out. Ice, on the other hand, is harder to see so those idiot drivers zoom around without thinking about it. Even expert drivers (like myself) end up sliding at one point. If you listened carefully today, you heard all the sirens going off that I'm sure were for people crashing due to the weather.
Hopefully everyone buckles up and drives safely tomorrow, that is, if theres school tomorrow. Same goes for wednesday as I've heard we're to get a lot of crappy weather tomorrow (tuesday) evening.
One more thing: to everyone that is hoping for a snow day, don't! Think about it, its one day in the middle of the week, what's so great? Oh, I know, we lose part of our four day weekend sometime later this year. For some reason or another, four days off feels better than three, but thats just me.
I pray that your house is warmer than mine! Stay safe the next few days
Anyhow, I just checked and it's twenty five degrees outside. I'm no expert, but water freezes at thirty two degrees and stays frozen if it's less. Because of that, I can expect icy roads tomorrow! I already had to deal with ice today when my car was covered in it. I'm a new driver and so I've only scraped off my car a few times but its harder than I thought. My hands were frozen after I did a poor job on the windshield and I couldn't manage to clear off the side view mirrors (if any of you have some kind of trick please share). The roads were pretty well kept and I had no problems coming home.
Whenever theres snow on the roads, everyone drives very slow and carefully. I hate having to wake up earlier to get to school, but at least the normal idiots on the road are smart enough to slow down. Either that or they get trapped behind the other people driving slowly, so it all works out. Ice, on the other hand, is harder to see so those idiot drivers zoom around without thinking about it. Even expert drivers (like myself) end up sliding at one point. If you listened carefully today, you heard all the sirens going off that I'm sure were for people crashing due to the weather.
Hopefully everyone buckles up and drives safely tomorrow, that is, if theres school tomorrow. Same goes for wednesday as I've heard we're to get a lot of crappy weather tomorrow (tuesday) evening.
One more thing: to everyone that is hoping for a snow day, don't! Think about it, its one day in the middle of the week, what's so great? Oh, I know, we lose part of our four day weekend sometime later this year. For some reason or another, four days off feels better than three, but thats just me.
I pray that your house is warmer than mine! Stay safe the next few days
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
You know what really grinds my gears? People who don't know how to walk through the halls. I feel that it's pretty standard that you walk on the right side of the hall. Its just like a road: to keep traffic moving, stay on the right and it will all be alright. While I can usually avoid the fools that walk down the wrong side of the hall, the doorways in the stairwells are a problem. there are two doors: a right and a left. If you are entering the hall, go through the right. If you're exiting, the left. Pretty simple, right?
Apparently not. Whenever the lazy students of Uni get a chance, we take the closest door. The problem is that when I exit the stairwell via the right door, the aforementioned fools take the close door (which is the same door that I go through) and I can't see them coming. If either of us is in a rush to get to class we end up colliding with one another and now nobody is happy. Mostly me though. This whole thing where I run into some subbie has turned into a huge pet peeve. Those that know me well could tell you that I'm easily frustrated. So, when somebody runs into me and drops their stuff, which is not my fault at all, I can either look like a jerk and keep walking (which I should do) or stop and help them pick it up. I'm also pretty selfish.
Another hallway problem I've encountered is the huge groups of people that block off the whole hall. This song explains my feelings: click me :]
For some reason or another, tons of new couples are popping up. To those new couples that haven't started the hand holding, don't make the mistake of being hallway stoppers. To those couples that have been together a while and do hold hands (hint: tahar), either walk faster or stop. The side by side, chained together by hands approach to going up the stairs stops me from getting up the stairs and forces me to watch you guys. No, I'm not jealous that you have a girlfriend, I just don't want to be stuck in the awkward situation of being behind you. Thanks tahar :]
Anyway, I'm sure I can find plenty of things that grind my gears to fill up this blog so stay tuned
duces buddies
Apparently not. Whenever the lazy students of Uni get a chance, we take the closest door. The problem is that when I exit the stairwell via the right door, the aforementioned fools take the close door (which is the same door that I go through) and I can't see them coming. If either of us is in a rush to get to class we end up colliding with one another and now nobody is happy. Mostly me though. This whole thing where I run into some subbie has turned into a huge pet peeve. Those that know me well could tell you that I'm easily frustrated. So, when somebody runs into me and drops their stuff, which is not my fault at all, I can either look like a jerk and keep walking (which I should do) or stop and help them pick it up. I'm also pretty selfish.
Another hallway problem I've encountered is the huge groups of people that block off the whole hall. This song explains my feelings: click me :]
For some reason or another, tons of new couples are popping up. To those new couples that haven't started the hand holding, don't make the mistake of being hallway stoppers. To those couples that have been together a while and do hold hands (hint: tahar), either walk faster or stop. The side by side, chained together by hands approach to going up the stairs stops me from getting up the stairs and forces me to watch you guys. No, I'm not jealous that you have a girlfriend, I just don't want to be stuck in the awkward situation of being behind you. Thanks tahar :]
Anyway, I'm sure I can find plenty of things that grind my gears to fill up this blog so stay tuned
duces buddies
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)