1 Week Off, Followed By FINALS?!

Hey guys,

I'm just going to ramble here a little bit about what's on my mind. It's been said that when you just spill everything out, you'll feel better. Here's praying...

I find it rather... not good... to have a full week off for Thanksgiving. Reason being is you come back and finals are staring you in the face. Of course people can say, "Well, just study over your break!" I will tell you that I studied off and on throughout the vacation, for about an hour here, and hour there... that sort of thing. But let's be real, I am in the minority, right? I wonder... how many college kids out there actually sit for more than an hour at a time, several times over their break? Please do feel free to comment and let me know...

So now that my sleep schedule is completely out of whack and I'm sitting in my empty Intro. to Lit. classroom, I find myself extremely tired and not really motivated to do anything but get through the day so that, come tomorrow, I can fully get back into the swing of things. So much so that maybe I'll forget about the vacation.

So... sleep. I'm wondering... has anyone else out there found themself lying in bed completely unable to shut their "thinker" off? I'll tell you, I'm a dreamer. A BIG dreamer.

There was a day back in Inglemoor... I recall listening to my Bruce Springsteen Greatest Hits CD on the bus. It was my new CD I got for Easter. I was listening to a song called "Thunder Road". Immediately, I found myself picturing a house so detailed and so memorable, I went home that day and drew out the floorplan. That, my friends, is my dream house. It still is, darn it all.

But at night, whenever my wife and I hit the sheets, I find myself thinking about that house. The gravel driveway leading to the concrete pad in front of the garage. The steps leading up to the wraparound porch. The front door open, but the screen door closed. Lori making her famous iced tea in the kitchen. Everything. It's so real, I can feel it. Every. Night.

Of course that leads to my other dream. The one where I win $315 million. Okay, so this one's completely unrealistic. But it's fun. What kind of Mercedes do I want? The dream house is then embellished some. Sure, tack on another 5 acres to the backyard. Turn the 2 car garage into a 6 car garage. Build a second, much smaller, house on the side of the driveway for friends and family.

Then, BAM! I'm confronted by reality. Finals. Crap.

Do we have a test in Japanese? Do I even remember any Japanese? My mind struggles to make sentences. It's difficult. My vocabulary. Crap! Where did it go? Intro. to Lit. - did we have anything to read? English Comp. - paper due November 30th. Two CTL sessions this week. Tuesday, 2 P.M., Dr. Leonard. Wednesday, 6 P.M., Thomas Webb. English Comp. - paper due November 30th. Analytical paper for English Lit. due December 5th. Is my topic good enough? Am I confident enough to go through with that topic? Japanese... oral interview. Did Maeda sensei e-mail me back?

*sigh* The dream house. Reality. Eventually I fall asleep, but by this time it's nearly 3 A.M.

More thoughts.

5 hours of sleep. I won't make it. I'll be too tired. Maybe I won't go to school tomorrow. No, don't be silly. You've pulled less sleep in the Navy, you can do it! Yeah, but I don't want to do it.

Eventually I fall asleep.

Spring Break I think I'll be fine, as there will be a good 2 months to go after it to get back into it all. Thankgiving.

The turkey was good. The break, not so much. *sigh*

I gotta go. I still have a good 15 minutes I can use to type some more into the two papers that are due soon.

However, I'm curious as to what you guys have to say about this. Does anyone else out there feel the same way?

God, I miss home.

Take care, you guys.

~ N.

Prayers Answered! :)

Hey All,

As it turned out, the "race for classes" went well!

I'm signed up for: (Monday & Wednesday)

Oral Com. from 10-11:40
English Comp. 2 from 12-1:40*
Criminal Justice 347 from 2-3:40
HOPEFULLY Japanese from 4-5:40

I'm also taking Jazz in American Culture, which is online.

Furthermore, I'm "waitlisted" for Art Appreciation, which is also online.

So depending on the outcome of my Japanese 151 grade, hopefully I'll get into the section I want. If not, I'll be forced to drop the Criminal Justice class and end up going home sooner. Also, I'll probably end up dropping the Art Appreciation and save that for a rainy semester.

I'm glad I'm definitely going to be a full-time student again next semester at UIS and look forward to the challenges that lay ahead.

You may have noticed there's an asterisk next to my English Comp. 2 class. I'm especially glad I'm taking this particular section which is to be taught be Dr. Jackson (I'm currently taking Intro. to Literature, which is being taught by him). This man is a phenomenal professor!

I asked him what section of English Comp. 102 he'd be teaching and he said, "It's the one on Mondays and Wednesdays starting at noon... but I'm tough!" To which I replied, "But you're good!" After much thought, I've found that I'd be willing to risk a lower grade being taught by a strict professor. I figure you'll get more out of the class, which is what I'm here for. To learn... right?

So what do you guys think? Would you be willing to risk a lower grade being taught by a strict professor? Or would you prefer getting a better grade in an easier professor's class?

Take care you guys, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

I'm sure I'll write again soon! Until then...

~N.

Hands Down, The MOST Frustrating Aspect of College!

Holy CRAP! It HAS to be signing up for classes.

Why is this? Well, it's a race to get the classes you want to get before others snatch 'em up.

So here I am, 9:45 at night jotting down potential schedules that I'd like to have, and then back-ups to those in case any of those classes are already taken!

It's a huge non-benefit to be a commuting student driving 45 minutes/ 45 miles each way My '01 Nissan Maxima lovingly named "Nessie" guzzles at least 2 gallons of gas... again, each way. *sigh*

Thankfully, my first semester has been wonderful. I've been a full time student attending 4 classes on only Mondays and Wednesdays. Still, I've spent over $300 on gas since my college career began, and we still have over a month to go for this semester.

It's NUTS!

So if you would, please say a prayer and cross your fingers for me that I'll get the classes I want!

And maybe also, that a brand new Toyota Prius would appear on my driveway. That'd be nice, too.

Thanks.

~ N.

Where Were the Midterms?!

October was a huge month for me, to say the least!

Not only was it my 28th birthday, I also got to celebrate my first college midterms!!

I'll be real, those suckers came and went faster than I realized. I found that if you just stay on top of your game throughout the semester, you shouldn't have any problems. Simply put: study.

Also! If you complete all of your homework in a timely and efficient manner, you'll have a lot more free time on your hands.

I remember feeling anxious and nervous about midterms. Like I'd spend every minute in each of my classes filling out a 500 question test. This is totally not the case. I can only assume that finals will be the same. Here's prayin'...