Schedule
School starts in less than two weeks. I feel like this summer needs to last awhile longer, which is odd, because usually by the end of most summers I start feeling like it’s time to go back to school. I’m really not looking forward to the fall, but I’ve only got two semesters left, so who am I to complain? I’ve gone through so much crap just to get the schedule I want - it’s ridiculous.
Dealing with the school’s bureaucracy crap is the stupidest thing a student ever has to go through. My advisors were great - they did what they could. But the rest of it was like DO YOU GUYS EVER THINK THIS THROUGH?! So, the state of Texas looked at the number of students who actually graduate in four years and it was insanely low, so they said, “Man, those kids sure are slacking. They’re probably taking useless classes they don’t even need. Let’s give them a financial incentive so they can get their butts into gear!”
Guess what happened? Despite the thousand or so dollars you get for graduating in four years, the numbers haven’t picked up. I guess we weren’t slacking after all.
No, they like to screw you over in the worst way possible. You’re unable to get into a class you need due to some stupid nonsense, like a section was canceled. So you’re all, “Okay, whatever, I’ll get into it next semester.”
Next semester, you try. But it turns out that class that you weren’t planning on taking conflicts with another class you WERE planning on taking! What do you do? They’re both required and this is your planned last semester before graduation. There’s nothing you CAN do at this point. You have to take another semester, delaying, or perhaps even ruining, all your plans for getting a job (maybe you got one already and now have to turn it down) or moving (you’ve got to delay that now) or traveling (you’ve got to try to trade in your tickets or maybe return them) or going to grad school (you have to somehow delay this by a semester or decline the admission).
I realized a few weeks ago I might run into this situation due to the lack of teachers in the computer science department - the waitlist for these classes were stretching to forty, even fifty people. I managed to get into both the classes I needed through a lot of thinking and stressing and figuring things out and living on the course schedule. But what if I couldn’t? It’s such a stupid system.
I realized a lot of people don’t graduate on time through no fault of their own. Now if only the state of Texas would realize that too …
August 19, 2008 @ 8:52 pm . Comments (0)
General — Tags: computer science, future, school
Obesity
Speaking of height as in my last post, this post is going to be about the dreaded subject - weight. I’ve been reading a lot of stuff about airlines charging more for larger people and it’s really making me think.
I’m not fat by any stretch of the imagination - my entire family is tall and skinny, except for my mum, who is short and skinny (sorry Mum!). My dad is 6′2″ and lanky, and I got all my genes from him. I’m like a walking rail. But I’ve watched my friends struggle to lose or maintain weight, and although I haven’t got first-hand experience in this, I can feel their pain and sympathize.
But there’s some things that really bother me. I’ve heard people say that people don’t choose to be overweight, they just are. But although there are a few people with illnesses and a few people with slow metabolism, I still have to wonder - in the 1970s, these same things existed - so why are people much fatter now? You can’t blame everything on that. And, furthermore, you will become powerless to lose weight if you believe that you cannot choose to be the weight that you are or want to be. Although it takes some measure of forcing yourself to admit that maybe you haven’t made the healthiest choices, it is also very empowering to know that YOU are responsible for your own change, and YOU can make it happen.
The fact of the matter is we as a nation are fatter and you can’t blame all of that on bad genes or illnesses. It’s not about image, it’s about health. Did you know that people are getting shorter? One of the main reasons that Americans are getting shorter is because of diet - we eat mostly junk and sugar and processed food, while our European friends eat homecooked meals with lots of vegetables and milk and vitamins. It really makes you think, huh? It’s such a harmless repercussion of our unhealthy eating habits, but it’s a repercussion you would never expect. Nowadays we scrutinize calories - we drink water instead of milk, which definitely cuts down the calories but also cuts down the amount of calcium and vitamins we’re getting. Why not drink both? Why not watch what you eat and ensure you’re eating just enough to make you full and no more?
Thin people need surprisingly little to stay happy and healthy. When I think about the food I eat every day I realize I don’t eat that much at all usually. For breakfast I have an egg and either a piece of toast with jam or a small bowl of oatmeal (plain, thank you very much). For lunch I pack a peanut butter sandwich and a slice of cheese, and for dinner I have something light and little like a plain salad with a sprinkle of vinegar and pepper or some vegetable dumplings. In the evenings I usually have a snack - often times it’s salted stove-popped popcorn, and to drink throughout the day I have juice and soy milk (sometimes water at work because it’s free). To me this feels like a lot of food but I realize it’s not. I don’t think people realize that you really don’t need a lot of food to feel good and to be healthy.
I also completely believe that my habits began in childhood. I was lucky enough to grow up loving vegetables - my mum tells stories about how I would sit in the cart in the grocery store and eat broccoli straight out of the bag. But my parents also forced me to eat lots of different types of foods - I remember hating pancakes and omelettes but I had to eat them almost every weekend. Now I love pancakes and omelettes are delicious too. I’m still not a huge fan of breakfast - most cereal makes me queasy and I can’t stand the thought of waffles or French toast (gross), but the point is my parents got me to like a wide range of foods.
Also, you could never keep me inside as a kid. I was always out and about, running and playing. Nowadays running is often banned from playgrounds at schools and so is tag. In my grammar school we would organize huge games of tag and spend the entire recess running around, and I was the fastest in the entire school, which made it even more fun. Kids don’t do that today. Everything is so sterile.
Kids stay inside and watch TV and eat terrible, terrible food for whatever reason. It’s like we prioritize all the wrong things and buy expensive cars when we can’t even afford to feed ourselves vegetables. People substitute meat as the most important part of their meals when vegetables are more healthy in general (and less fattening). They buy the cheapest food they can find that will fill them up quickly. It’s as if our bodies are less important than clothes and TV and movies.
And you know the worst part? They do it to their kids.
What do you think? Is obesity a choice? Why does this happen? What can we do to make it stop?
August 14, 2008 @ 5:32 pm . Comments (4)
Culture — Tags: health, trends
High heels
This post is about fashion and clothes. Readers who do not care, you may excuse yourself now.
This isn’t something I’m particularly proud of or particularly open about, but I’m a huge fashion addict. I love runways and tracking the latest trends. I don’t love shopping but I do love buying clothes (does that even make sense?). My style is … I don’t even know right now. All over the place.
But here’s my thing. Shoes. I hate shopping for shoes because everything that’s cute has a really high heel. This is a problem for two reasons - first, I’m uncomfortable in high heels. I don’t know how girls walk in them on a daily basis. That’s a whole ‘nother story, though. Second, and more importantly, I’m fairly tall. Not super huge tall, but tall, especially for a girl. I’m five foot eight with really, really long legs, so heels just make me seem HUGE. I took a poll of several of my male friends (redundant, as I hardly have any female friends), and they said that heels on tall girls are fine, even “hot,” as they put it.
But it still makes me uncomfortable to walk around in heels of any size larger than the teeny tiny kitten ones. A regular heel can pull me to six feet tall easy, which is just … scary. I mean, I get unnerved when I see a six foot tall girl walking toward me sometimes. I don’t think I have a good reason for this, but it still happens.
So, how tall is tall? I hate towering over everyone, and it doesn’t help that J is exactly my height. He doesn’t care at all if I wear heels - in fact, he encourages it - but still! I’m so jealous of these cute small girls in nice heels, continuing to be cute and small even with the heels on. I just feel like an elephant. Or a giraffe.
Not that giraffes are bad, but I prefer not to be one. Any suggestions or ideas? The worst part is I bought a pair of high heeled boots (they’re not as ugly as they sound, I promise) recently and I haven’t worn them once. Granted, it’s summer and over 100F, but I’m afraid they’re going to go completely unworn. Is tall-girls-in-heels a really scary concept, or is it just me?
August 9, 2008 @ 8:52 pm . Comments (3)
Friday
I’m back! Internet is installed and I have a million things to do today, so I’m going to make a more in-depth post later today or tomorrow.
Have a great Friday everyone! What are your guys weekend plans?
August 8, 2008 @ 9:37 am . Comments (3)
Keys
Just as I was getting to work this morning I realized I didn’t know where my keys were. I searched my bag twice and realized they definitely weren’t in there. Worried, I texted my roommate who informed me that she had noticed my keys in the apartment when she left this morning. Great.
My roommate’s mum is in town, and also she works, so she would be back at the apartment at 11:30, and then the only other time she would be there was at 9:00 in the evening. So I needed to get to the apartment before 11:30 or I wouldn’t be able to get in until 9.
I took my break early and ran for the bus. I was a minute late and completely missed it. I tried calling J to see if there were any other buses I could take, but he didn’t pick up. I ran all the way back to work, and he advised me on a different bus to take. I was off and running again.
Right as I got to the bus stop, I spotted my roommate heading back. Victory! I couldn’t believe my luck. We rode back together and I was excited that I could finally get my keys.
We arrived back at the apartment and began walking up to the door. Suddenly my roommate stopped, a horrified look on her face. Her mum had her keys. Her mum was not at the apartment, since she was out shopping.
We were both locked out now.
So, we spent about fifteen minutes trying to break into the apartment. Thankfully, no one called the cops on us. I wasn’t able to stay for very long, because I had to get back to work, so my roommate promised she’d put the keys in my mailbox so I could get to them.
All’s well that ends well, I guess, but this just demonstrates exactly WHY I’m such a pessimist sometimes.
August 7, 2008 @ 11:45 am . Comments (2)
Gaming — Tags: apartment, bad luck, real life
Thoughts about the future
So, I’m on day three of an Internet-less existence. Being alone in an apartment without contact with the outside world, as well as living by myself for the first time, has really given me a new perspective on myself. I’m finding out what I do when there’s no one around affects who I am. I’m realizing I’m often lazier than I thought I was, but on the other hand, I feel like I deserve a few weeks before school starts up.
I had a long conversation with my roommate last night that put a lot of things into perspective. I feel like I need to just settle down for awhile and relax and stop caring about what other people think. I’m nervous about the upcoming year, it’s true, but I don’t want to be nervous. I want things to go the way I want them to, which includes a lot of travel and a lot of volunteer work and maybe getting a job for a non-profit organization, but I feel like I have a duty to be responsible with a 9-5 for the sake of myself.
My roommate made things clear when she talked about her future plans. She wasn’t worried about money, or about proving herself, or about doing anything like that. She wasn’t afraid to do what she wants to do, and I admire that immensely. I just wish I could go back and rethink my plans to become a CS major. In all honesty, I wish I had decided to get a business degree.
Obviously it’s too late now - I’m graduating next year. I can still continue on to get an MBA, but I feel like I still made a mistake. Now I just have to figure out how to deal with that mistake.
I know what I don’t want. I don’t want to end up working for a huge corporation, expecting to code until my fingers bleed. I don’t want that kind of life. I don’t want it at all. I want to be able to travel, I want to work with people, I want to do design work and project management. I’m just not sure if I can get it.
August 5, 2008 @ 1:17 pm . Comments (3)
General — Tags: future, insecurities
Moving in
Moving is done. The whole experience was funny and hot and painful and a million other emotions all mixed up into one. However, I do not have Internet as of yet - that comes on Friday. Which means the only Internet I have is at work. Which means I’m not going to be posting very often in the coming week. Which is okay, but kind of sad, too.
I woke up rather early on Saturday, excited and rather nervous about the move. On Friday evening I had packed most of my stuff up, like books and art supplies, ready to go. At 10:30, my mum came and we began the move. Basically, most everything came from J’s place, where I had been storing it for the time being, but a few things had to come from home, like my table and TV.
The most fun was when my friend Thomas came and we had to move a huge Ikea bookcase. Even after taking out the shelves it was really heavy, and the three of us had to carry it down three flights of stairs. Thank goodness my new place is on the first floor.
The worst part was the heat - it was about 103 degrees the entire day. NO MERCY.
Now I’m all moved in and everything’s happy. On the first night I had some moving out anxiety. I was scared and lonely and frightened. I wanted to just go home. I don’t know why - I’m used to not living with my parents - but the first night was kind of scary. I didn’t sleep very well, but I lived through it.
Then on Sunday we moved in a bit more stuff - mostly little things. Mum bought me a BEAUTIFUL microwave and my place looks great. Now I can make ramen and go to bed at three in the morning and drink lots of beer and live the typical college student life!
Just kidding. Ugh, I shudder just thinking about it.
Anyway, pictures later, but no guarantees when - after all, I don’t have Internet until Friday.
August 4, 2008 @ 7:30 am . Comments (2)
General — Tags: apartment, insecurities, real life
A barber
I realized today that I’ve become an impromptu barber - the only one in town who bikes to your house at 9 o’clock in the evening to give you a trim. I slice, I dice! I even do sideburns!
It’s a really happy thought - a really good feeling to be biking around the city at night. Despite it being 91F at 10 at night, it’s still a gorgeous night. Stars shining, beautiful city noises, the feeling that takes your breath away. It’s the whole freedom thing - definitely not overrated.
Tomorrow J and I are going to the art museum. This is something I’ve been looking forward to for a month. I love looking at the art in museums - I feel like you’ve got to go more than once or even twice to get the full effect of all the art. You’ve got to go slowly to absorb it all, too. It’s inspiring and I hope to discover things for my own art.
Then starts the big move-in. I hope to take a lot of pictures so I’ll have a bunch to post. I’m nervous, but excited. We’ll see how it goes.
July 31, 2008 @ 10:22 pm . Comments (1)
General — Tags: apartment, real life, relaxing
Why I Hate Digg
Okay, hate is a little harsh. I can sometimes find one or two good articles in the first fifteen or so pages. But everything beyond that is often trash and the users are even worse. There is no method to the comments being thumbs up or down. Funny, informative comments may be worshiped or condemned, depending on whether it’s something that Diggers agree with. Even if it’s well-written, it’s dugg down if, for example, you doubt Obama. Or dislike Apple. Or think a popular article is a tad silly.
I used to be alright with Digg, but I’m starting to get tired of the ridiculous articles I’m seeing there. Diggers love drama as I’m finding out, and I don’t like it one bit. I like the science articles, the sociology articles, the design articles. But excessive politics? Tracking every single tiny thing Apple does? Posting articles about completely insignificant things such as the top 10 downloaded TV shows? I’m really getting tired of it.
Obviously there are people who really like reading these things. I guess these articles just don’t jive with my cares or beliefs. It’s fine for others to like Digg, but it’s not for me. Time to move on and find another source for interesting articles, I guess.
July 30, 2008 @ 8:36 pm . Comments (2)
Technology — Tags: internet, trends
Hot, Busy Day
Today’s been busy and fun. Here’s what I did:
- Faced with our bed dilemma, we went to Ikea this morning to purchase a bed. We found a sofabed - I like it because it folds up, giving me more room, or I can just keep it open too.
- I headed back to J’s and snoogled the cat, Augustus. He’s not quite nine months and a little terror. I love him so much.
- I payed rent for the new apartment. This is the first time I’ve ever paid rent. It was kind of scary.
- I dropped my other major. A few hours ago, I was a computer science and Chinese major. Now I’m only a lowly computer science major. My plan is to continue working on my Chinese and brush up on some French in the hopes I can do some traveling for any job I might get. Majoring in Chinese, though, is overkill. It would require me to take another year to graduate, and frankly that’s another year I just can’t afford.
- I visited my computer science counselor. After this coming semester I just need four more classes to graduate. Thank goodness.
- It is HOT outside. The temperature is 97F. So all of this stuff I just listed I did on my bike. I came home drenched in sweat and heat.
Now I’m going to play some more Mass Effect. I think I’m going to take J out for dinner tonight. Don’t tell him, though. It’s a secret. 
July 28, 2008 @ 3:09 pm . Comments (2)
General — Tags: apartment, computer science, real life
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