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Essay #6: Report Card I
I got my marks back now, so I can't put this thing off any longer. (and
we'll make Joe Chisolm happy too) Good day, everyone, and welcome to Report
Card I, a special 'look-back' on William Matheson's time of 2000-2001 Semester
I at Saint Mary's University. To show you how serious we're going to be,
I'll let the cat out of the bag right away:
| Course (Department, Course Number, Semester, Section) | Credit | Grade (Final) | Quality Points |
| AST215.1A (The Sky and Planets) | .5 | A+ | 2.150 |
| CLA201.1A (The Mythology of Greece and Rome I) | .5 | C+ | 1.150 |
| EGL204.1C (An Introduction to Literature II: Prose and Fiction) | .5 | B | 1.500 |
I have also received a mid-year mark for:
| Course (Department, Course Number, Semester, Section) | Grade (Mid-Year) |
| POL200.0C (Introductory Political Science) | B |
... so, my current standings are:
| Average | Value |
| Quality Point Average | 3.200 (up from 0.000) |
| Cumulative Quality Point Average | 3.200 (up from 0.000) |
Note that there is no actual report card involved; Saint Mary's is far too cheap for that. I retrieved my grades from S.A.T.U.R.N.; which does gain points for being expedient, at least. And I think that these marks are great considering that I half-expected to be going onto Academic Probation just a short month or so ago. (Speaking of which, this semester went by fast!)
So now you have my grades. But if you care to browse this 'essay' further, you'll find more - much more. For one thing, I'm going to present a breakdown of how I got the grades I got. If that alone sounds boring to you, you also get:
Aside from that, it's all here. Eat it up. Please.
A note to clarify things: I am a Bachelor of Arts student, and that's why I get to be exposed to such a wide variety of material in my first year. That's also why it seems like I'm going off in all directions. Report Cards III-VI will be all English-major and Film-minor related courses.
Another note: I really wish there was a way I could show you how I really kicked butt and took names on the December Examinations (except for English, where I don't think I soared much above the sixties). I mean, look at my Classics and Political Science December grades... draw your own conclusions. To add up, I must have preformed extraordinarily well. =) Thank you. (In January, I will go around and get the rest of those grades.)
And another note: I was going to mention the textbooks in my snippets, but then I thought, why bother? They're textbooks. Nice, albeit expensive (ridiculously so... how many books should be worth $110? I can explain why some spectacular hardcovers should be worth $50, but I'm at a loss here), textbooks. They'll only get mentioned if I find them to be useless.
Contents
Individual Courses
Information for Prospective University Students
The Start of a Long Snooze
AST215.1 - CLA201.1 - EGL204.1 - POL200.0
Department of Astronomy and Physics - Astronomy AST215.1 (The Sky and Planets)
There is a second course - 216 - called Stars and Galaxies. You need this credit, and that's not just because this is an easy course.
Now, it's not easy as in 'you already know all this, so go ahead and miss class', noooo. Such a thing does not exist, as far as I know. (But try not to take my advice as incredibly authoritative, because I am just a freshman, after all.) No, it's the good kind of easy; you still get the feeling that you're smart and accomplishing something. It's a difficult situation to express adequately in words.
On top of that, it's extremely entertaining, at least with Professor Pitcairn. Just about everyone looks forward to his lectures, and we all seem to be laughing something like half the time. Part of that may be due to the fact that the man often takes off on a whole other topic compared to what we are officially discussing, but I think that's mostly a good thing, and I identify with the man for this and several other reasons.
Basically, unless you hate Astronomy, you can't go wrong by taking AST215 (or 216, although that course is purported to be slightly more difficult). And if you like Astronomy at all, you'd be doing yourself a disservice by not taking the course.
[New information: Pitcairn tells me my A+ final was specifically a 98.1/100. Nice. This class rules.]
Tip: Read some good amateur astronomy books before coming into the class to get a running start (and to look like a genius). Terence Dickinson's Nightwatch comes highly recommended. Also, don't worry too much about the optional Observing Project; I didn't bother to do one myself, and I got an A+.
Caveat: The markers (fortunately only an issue on the Minor Assignments) are extremely incompetent. They take too long to grade things, and they don't mark hard so much as they mark unfairly.
View the Syllabus. (good reading, and Pitcairn's sense of humor shows up in the writing) Second page.
Synopsis in Brief:
| Task | Value (with OP) | Value (without OP) | My Grades |
| Minor Assignments | 20% | 25% | 50/50, 44/50, 49/50 |
| Observing Project | 20% | 0% | 0/?? |
| Mid-Term Examination | 20% | 25% | 21/20 |
| Final Examination | 40% | 50% | 48/50 |
| <Final Mark> | -- | -- | A+ |
Department of Modern Languages and Classics - Classics CLA201.1 (The Mythology of Greece and Rome I)
Another good place to go to fulfill those first-year Arts requirements is the Classics department. I say 'good' meaning 'refreshing, rewarding, and requiring a tiny bit of effort on your part'. Don't let that sway you from taking the 200-level mythology courses though; you'll be glad you did so, and you'll pick up a wealth of information - yes, you'll actually be learning - second only to (in my experience) Astronomy 215.
I was fortunate enough to have Dr. Thomas for my professor. She expects people to attend class and apply themselves, and it's refreshing to find a professor who takes these principles as seriously as they really should be taken. She is a very knowledgeable and eloquent person; my only problem with her is that I have a hard time making out her handwriting. You jest. Well, yes, normally it doesn't matter, but we're talking about proper nouns from Ancient Greece here! You cannot possibly have any idea how these things are spelt - sometimes, you still don't. You tell me I should sit up at the front. I do sit at the front, next to Manuela Dannbauer and Andrew Dukeshire! Oh boy, that was an awesome class.
One of my favorite moments was getting my second paper back from her, personally, at her office. Her comments began with, "I rather like this paper." I was on cloud nine.
Seriously, take this course and give it the college try. I loved it. There really is a lot to learn.
Tip: For the Euripidean character sketch, get yourself to the Library the day Thomas hands out her reading list. Since I knew I wouldn't be doing the project until the due date (literally, I arrived late with the completed project), I decided to be considerate and not tie up the books needed by other students. Boy, have I learned my lesson. An entire two-page list of books, all gone. So be selfish. Get those books. The ends justify the means. Also on the character sketch: I did mine without the extra reading (if only because I was forced to do without), but the extra reading really should be done (it's not difficult), and you'll feel better in the end. Another general research tip which applies to other subjects as well: Research means the Library, not the internet, and certainly not some hack website called "thegoddessathea.org". (That would be, of course, another one of my many mistakes.)
Caveat: For God's sake, don't skip the class!! You absolutely, positively, cannot afford to miss a class here, especially since this is a course that does rely somewhat on minute details in addition to general concepts. And people who think that they can "skip strategically" - in any course - are simply deluding themselves.
View the Syllabus. (Nah.)
Synopsis in Brief:
| Task | Value | My Grades |
| Attendance and Participation | 10% | 13/15 |
| Two Short Papers | 15%, 15% | C-, B |
| Mid-Term Examination | 25% | 52.5/100 |
| Final Examination | 35% | 75.5/100 |
| <Final Mark> | -- | C+ |
Department of English - English ENG204.1 (An Introduction to Literature II: Prose and Fiction)
Out of the courses in this first Report Card, more people will have gone through (or will be going through) this course than any other; mostly because 99% of the Saint Mary's students have to take it (or 203, Poetry and Drama) and 201, English Composition.
This course really isn't too bad (and I really kicked ass on the papers), but it does tend to lag a little here and there. Sadly, I think a lot of people get dissuaded from majoring in English after spending a lot of time here; fortunately, I was equipped to deal with the adversity with my stunning English and writing skills. My good sense of humor after bombing a quiz also helped. (From leaving my books in the locked-down Science Building - argghh! - to talking to Security before class instead of reading the article - I've done it all; I've had bad luck.)
Let's cut to the chase: The class was rewarding, but kind of boring. I can't stress enough that this didn't have anything to do with Professor Baker (aside from the fact that his ultra-soft voice puts me to sleep), because at the odd moment we would still lapse into brilliance and everything would click - for a moment. I guess analyzing short stories to death isn't all that interesting. That's the main point I'm trying to make. The class was okay, but don't expect the world.
The novel that we read was something called Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad. Every person in the class but one raised their hands when Baker asked if they didn't like it. I said it was so-so. It's a decent novel, but in the wrong hands it could dissuade someone from picking up a book ever again (and I was hearing the words 'I'm going to burn it' for the first time since Junior High), and as such I heartily recommend it primarily to human emotion die-hards and Conrad fans. Oh, here's a little in-joke for anyone who's read the book: Do I remind you of Marlow in any way? Fortunately or unfortunately, Baker won't be assigning Lord Jim again, so I won't mention it in my Tip or Caveat sections.
Tip: Again, properly research your papers and you'll soar. Try to stay awake if at all possible.
Caveat: It's easy to fall asleep.
View the Syllabus. (Nothing to write home about. Just a reading list, really.)
Synopsis in Brief:
| Task | Value | My Grades |
| Five Unannounced Quizzes | 2%, 2%, 2%, 2%, 2% | 0/2, 2/2, 2/2, 0/2, 1.5/2 |
| Two Short Essays | 15%, 15% | 13.5/15, 14/15 |
| Mid-Term Examination | 25% | 19.75/25 |
| Final Examination | 35% | 21.5/35 |
| <Final Mark> | -- | B |
Department of Political Science - Political Science POL200.0 (Introductory Political Science)
Yecchhh!! Avoid this course like the plague! If you want to learn about politics, go to Charles P. Allen High School and talk to Mr. Hamilton for about 40 minutes, plus read a copy of the Canadian Global Almanac. You'll learn more there, and it's also some $800 cheaper.
[Added information to be fair to Professor Doucet: It's not nearly as bad as I make it out to be in this first paragraph, and the class is actually kind of fun in a weird way. I sometimes say that the textbook is next to useless, but this is more due to Doucet's style and skill as a lecturer than any limitations of the textbook, though the book is stupid. Anyway, I'm starting to appreciate this class a lot more than I did in the first semester, especially in the early going.]
With that out of the way, let's look at how the Political Science course does not reek of stupidity. There are many valid points to the study. Going on with my life, I wouldn't want to be without the information about how we've transformed from a Welfare State into a Neo-Liberal State. I do find the material interesting. The textbook is a useless piece of crap, don't buy it; you only need it to write the Simulation Reports - ie: borrow someone else's! I had thoughts of minoring in Political Science. Now I am determined not to take a Political Science course ever again. And what exactly would one do, as a political scientist?! Let's finish this paragraph, and I'll assemble my thoughts more clearly.
Okay, about the 'science' itself: It's all someone's opinion, when it all comes down to it. History is not (usually) opinion. Chemistry is not opinion. Literature analysis in English is opinion, but at least it's not pretending to be something else. The fact is - and this is what they never tell you - is that "Political Science" is simply the art of taking a certain slant on historical events relating to the state. Bingo. Strictly speaking, anyone can be a political scientist, you just won't be a Political Scientist if you follow me here. What bugs me is that it cost me nearly $900 to figure this out. Not that the course isn't without value, but the concept of Political Science really is a joke. Rather, this course should simply be called "An Introduction to the State and its Evolution" (we did discuss other topics, but they escape my mind at the moment, and they all march back into this umbrella topic anyway), and other courses could be called "A Look at Governmental Systems and Political Figures".
The Simulation was fun, I'll give points for that. (We failed miserably, but it was still fun - in fact, I'm putting that document online right now.) Doucet usually knows what he's talking about, but sometimes he doesn't know what I'm talking about (I blame the fact that English isn't his first language):
DOUCET (showing on the blackboard how percentage of the popular
vote in Canada for the '97 election does not equate percentage of representation
in Parliament): And we can see that the Reform Party got (x) percent support
in votes, and (x) percent - basically the same amount - in representation.
The Liberals, on the other hand, got only (x) percent support, yet formed
the government.
MATHESON (raises hand, is called upon): I wonder if the reason
that the Reform Party's numbers are so close could be that they didn't
get much support outside the West; but where they were supported,
in the West, they won most of the seats?
DOUCET: [Silence.]
DOUCET: But... that's not what we're talking about. We're talking
about how the number of votes a party gets equates to the percentage of
representation they get in Parliament.
MATHESON: [Slaps hand to forehead, closes eyes, and shakes his
head.]
Now I realize that that alone doesn't seem like anything to get upset about, but this is not an isolated incident. The man has made me look like a buffoon several times this semester! But I'll let it pass. It's kind of been fun, everything put together. I've made some new friends, and I'm performing much better (I must have really ripped into the December mid-term!) academically.
Speaking of friends and people, you have no idea how little the average student knows about our governmental system. Basic concepts like, "the leader of the party with the most seats in the House of Commons gets to be the Prime Minister," slip right past these people. I don't hold it against them, and I believe that if a student has a question - even a seemingly ignorant one - it should always be asked; but I am still going to stand here, shocked and alarmed at people's lack of knowledge.
Anyway, this course is silly and stupid, but wacky enough to keep my interest. Bring it on.
Tip: Study those definitions! They're all trivial compared to your understanding of the subject, but it's the trivialities that get the grades in. (Or not, as in my case.)
Caveat: When performing the Simulation, make sure that the countries that you are allying with commit Defense Resources Points, or you'll be right up the creek within minutes. Also be on the lookout for inane chatter such as, "Country D must be sitting pretty right now."
View the Syllabus. (Ah, who cares? It's boring!!)
Synopsis in Brief:
| Task | Value | My Grades |
| Mid-Term Examination I | 15% | 8.6/15 |
| Simulation Report I | 15% | 11/15 |
| Term I Final Examination | 15% | 13.5/15 |
| <Mid-Year Mark> | -- | B |
| Mid-Term Examination II | 15% | -/- |
| Simulation Report II | 15% | -/- |
| Final Examination | 25% | -/- |
| <Final Mark> | -- | -- |
Information for Prospective University Students
Oh boy, that was one long section. Fortunately, this part won't be nearly as long.
What we're here to do is learn the William Matheson Method of Academic Success. The first rule is this:
Don't panic.
Seriously, attend class, write with eloquence and style such that your content isn't the main focus, don't panic and you'll do fine. At least that's what I do. What I'm trying to say is, don't be like those people who go to exams saying "I'm going to fail! I'm going to fail!" - they're idiots! Of course they're going to fail now!
Since it's 12:55am as I write this, I'm trying to avoid repeating myself. There are many tips embedded in my descriptions of the individual courses. A good second rule is:
Don't fall asleep in class.
I had trouble with this one up until about the middle of October when, after dozing for a bit in Classics, I woke up to find Manuela barking at me. Uh-oh, did I miss something? Supposedly, Dr. Thomas had pointed me out while I was asleep and said to the class that people like me would miss important details and probably do poorly on the examinations. And since this isn't High School anymore, no one would have laughed. They would have been scared and/or disgusted with me. So falling asleep just isn't worth it. Try... try your darndest to stay awake.
Try to pay some attention.
This is an important in absorbing the lecture as well as in notetaking. I went back to read my notes in Classics when 'studying' for the Final (really, just a ten-minute scan of my scribbling - my notes are horrid - before the exam started) and noticed that I had been plotting my bus route home on a particular page, and I couldn't distinguish Route 80's departure times from the Characteristics of Apollo if you catch my drift. So
Try to separate your topics in your notes so it's not a scrambled mess.
and
Do everything.
which is always good advice. And of course I have to mention the biggest, most important, rule of all (second only to Don't Panic.):
Attend class. Compulsively.
That's what I've been doing these past two years, and academically it's like this huge safety net. Honestly, my rules are a sure-fire ticket to success. Notice that I don't say anything about studying. That's just because I don't study; although I don't recommend not studying to everyone, especially since I have no way of knowing how those people will get along without doing so. I did bomb those two mid-terms, yes, but that had more to do with my being asleep than not studying. In January when I get the exact final exam grades up, you'll see what I mean.
I imagine everyone who's in University reading this is sitting back right now having a good laugh. Well, go ahead. This is the William Matheson Guide to Academic Success. That is, it only guarantees success for William Matheson. =)
Other Frosh Weeks: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
The biggest reason that I didn't finish this piece of writing is that it seems juvenile and naive (to an extreme). Why would I say that SMU is a "nice set of buildings" for instance?!?! The buildings stink compared to places like the University of Toronto (Hi, Brooke!!). Oh well. Enjoy.
It's also fit to mention now that the room I wrote most of this in (L287)
is really the Commerce Lounge. I don't go there anymore. It's always crowded,
anyhow. Just one more example of how this essay reeks of ignorance.
(Written Sunday, September 3rd just before Dry Pub at the Gorsebrook. Written in L287, SMU)
Well, here I am at SMU. It certainly is a nice set of buildings. More than that, I have little to say at the moment.
*Saturday*
I went on a large shopping trip on Saturday, and now I know something about shopping. I now understand why some women are addicted to it. I can't put the artificial excitement of acquiring material possessions into words, but afterwards it feels the same as booze, most drugs, and cheap sex. But I needed most of the things I bought. Oh, and I also purchased a bus pass (more on that later).
*Sunday*
It's
not going to be easy, I can feel it. But I'm used to having to fight a
little for my rights.
I
didn't understand. But nor did I enjoy talking to the man, so I grumbled
a bit then shut my mouth.
(Written Monday, September 4th in the late afternoon. Written in L287,
SMU)
At
that point, it was time for me to head to the Student Union Building for
Dry Pub Night. But more on that later.
New
information: Apparently some people get all these passes mixed up. To set
the record straight, there are five types of passes out there:
1-3. Metropasses (7-days-a-week, anytime access to everything mobile)
Anyway,
back to sunday night.
So
here I am sitting in Loyola 287. You'll never have a class in here, because
L287 is just another one of SMU's numerous student lounges. Right now,
it's really quiet and it's the perfect place to sit down and absorb everything
as I write this. (I was also up here last night before Dry Pub.)
(Written Tuesday, September 5th in the VERY early morning hours. Written
in the Upper Lounge of The Tower, SMU)
Technically,
it's Tuesday now. Finally, the holidays are freaking over and I can get
a bus when I want one. And the other campus buildings will be open. Hopefully.
Casino
Night was a blast. As soon as we went in it ruled. Besides the classic
funny money casino games (money to be used to bid on prizes at the auction),
there were also the cool inflatable 'rides': the one where two people race
through, plus the air mountain.
See?! It just rambles on, then stops!! =) Some really depressing things
happened after I finished the writing: let's just say that when BT came
around in the morning, I wasn't in the best of spirits. But things are
good now, and hopefully they'll more or less stay that way. Peace out.
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Prime example: Metro Transit. My God, these people are stingy. Anyone who
uses student passes and transfers knows what I'm talking about!
About the transfers: For those who don't know what one is, it's a system
you can use to complete a one-way trip (no stopovers) on multiple bus routes
when necessary. However, a good portion of the drivers are bound and determined
not to issue or honor them!
For instance, one day last year I boarded bus number 1 at the Mumford Terminal
in Halifax. My destination is the Terminal at MicMac Mall in Dartmouth.
Upon boarding the bus and paying the fare, I ask for, and receive, a transfer.
My route is all planned. And, someplace on Spring Garden Road, I'd like
to switch to the 10. This line of reasoning isn't really my own, the plan
was suggested by the kind folks at MetroInfo (490-6600).
Anyway, so I ask the driver how long I'll be waiting for the 10. And he
says "not too long". And then he asks, "Where are you going?".
"MicMac Mall."
At this point, he starts up and walks all the way to the back of the empty
bus, where I am seated.
"Give me back the transfer."
"What?"
He looked dangerous, so I gave him the transfer without a great deal of
protest. Then I let him have it with both barrels.
"Why? I'm on a one-way trip, aren't I?"
He said I wasn't, then said if I were to go onto the 84 and head for Sackville
through Dartmouth, then that would count.
Now we'll look at a more recent example. After purchasing this Student
Metropass, I couldn't wait to use it... in fact, I can't wait to use it
all the time to such an extravagance as has never been seen before, and
I'm happy I'll probably never need a transfer again for a while, which
prevents most people from going stupid places on the busses.
My future plans include taking the infamous 86 sometime, and you can bet
I'll be going on the ferries some afternoon just for the hell of it.
Okay, anyway, so I got the bus pass. But I don't have a student ID yet.
No problem, say the people at MetroInfo. The drivers, they say, normally
give the students a week or two to get ID's to go with their September
passes. Awesome.
Upon boarding the 2 at the Bayer's Road Terminal, I explain my lack of
ID to the driver. It's okay, he says. Yesss! Off to the corner of Robie
and North to pick up the 7.
Number 7 is always an ALF bus (Accessible Low Floor), which means they're
weird looking things with scary doors. But that is another story.
I board the bus and explain things to the driver. The lack of ID he seems
to live with, but he says that he thought Student Passes were only to be
used Monday to Friday before 5pm. (Uh-oh, I say in my head.) But to his
credit, he let's me on anyway without a fight, saying he'll check up on
the rules for that.
Gee, MetroInfo, nor the Rider's Guide, nor the crabby Sunnyside Mall merchant
who sold me the pass, nor the pass itself said anything about time restrictions!
I even told the MetroInfo lady I'd be using the pass this evening.
1 - Child / Senior Metropass
(cheap)
2 - Student Metropass (reasonably
priced, but only $6 cheaper than the Adult pass, so why all the fuss from
the drivers?)
3 - Adult Metropass (ridiculously
expensive)
4. School Bus Pass - I didn't know about this before yesterday, but
evidently the Almighty School Board gets Metro Transit to manufacture a
School Bus Pass for students who can't use the proper school for their
area. (That's so funny, how people jump around between different high schools
all the time! ... and you almost never hear about someone going out of
their way to go to CPAllen!) Now it seems that the restriction on these
jobbies is Monday-to-Friday and only to your school and back (major lame-out!!).
This is perhaps what the driver on Robie Street was thinking of. Oh well.
You have to be armed with information to set people straight nowadays.
5 - And I imagine that Metro Transit lets their employees get around
for free, but don't quote me on that. I'm only guessing such a pass exists.
Upon arrival, I felt intimidated. There's just no better way to put it
than that. Nervously, I approached the cluster of empty buildings then
came around past the (locked) library.
After being slighted by a few other frosh (curious thing, most of the frosh
leaders and other second-year plus students hanging around were really
nice, while most of the idiots were frosh. Of course, that's not to say
that most of the frosh are idiots, most of them are nice too.), I figured
I should pick up my Frosh Pak at the O'Donnel-Hennessy Student Union Building
(NEVER call it that in conversation!! Hereafter, we will refer to this
building the cool way everyone else does: The SUB.). Sign says other side.
So around I go. Mmm... lots of red-shirts. They must be the Frosh Leaders.
Frosh Paks? No dice, they stopped giving them away at six. Now this is
a problem because my ticket to this event is inside the frosh pak I have
already paid for. Well I didn't put up much of a fight here, 'cause I was
like 'hey, it's only two bucks'.
Why did they stop giving them out? Well, it seems that all the resident
frosh piled in earlier in the day, and then things slowed down. What they
didn't count on was non-residents coming in before 8 (before 7, in my case)
thinking they were able to pick up their paks like it said on the schedule.
(Hint: I was far from the only person put into this situation.) It's a
small case of mismanagement.
However, to their credit, things were somewhat remedied when the Dry Pub
kicked off, and most of us didn't have to pay to get in. I didn't pick
up my frosh pak until today.
Aside: Before Dry Pub started, I took some time out to write (more on that
later). And I also did some minor exploration of the grounds... next to
the library, you can walk up a flight of concrete steps and wind up walking
on grass on top of the buildings! Weird!
Dry Pub itself was kind of a blast, though I had to leave at quarter-to-twelve
to catch the last 1 headed for Mumford Terminal, from where I would walk
to Bayer's Road where I had left the Jeep. They really should run routes
like the 1 and the 80 all night. But anyway, so I get on the bus and these
girls are like "There's that guy! hahahaha" after I explain myself to the
driver, whom I later thank. I'm barely settled, and I hear things giggled
like "running commentary". I don't know what it is about me.
There was a lot of dancing and music at Dry Pub, and I played my way through
The Star Wars Trilogy Arcade. =)
You have to give these frosh leaders some credit. At first, I'd be sitting
by myself in corners, and while at CPA it's a good way to ensure that no
one will even look at you, at a SMU frosh week event it's a virtual guarantee
that a Frosh Leader (note inserted during typing: Even fellow frosh, and
even *chicks* will come and talk to me! It's sweet!! This is from experience
at both the dance and the Moist concert.) will come and talk to you. (Further
note: Those Frosh Leaders are awesome. They're responsible for curing me
of most of my antisocial tendencies, for getting me to dance around, for
giving me someone to talk to... they're awesome!!)
By the end of the evening, I had worked out most of my antisocial tendencies,
and had even moved around on the dance floor a bit. It was a good time.
I intend to have more good times.
Last night I often wondered if I was even allowed to be in here. But no
one told me anything different, and I'm getting the impression that I can
pretty much go wherever I want.
One thing I like about this place is the difference in getting singled
out. I still get noticed of course, but people here seem to appreciate
my sense of humor a lot more, and I also like not having the feeling that
people are whispering about me all the time. Things are going great. This
room is awesome.
The weather kind of sucks though. It's rained the last three times I've
been here! What gives? Well for TURFBURN the light drizzle wasn't too bad...
(more later!)
And it seems that even SMU has it's losers. Just a few moments ago I accidentally
slipped my hand under the table and touched a gum wad... yuck! Don't you
hate it when that happens? And why do people stick gum wads under desks
and tables anyway? I tell you... if I ever see someone try that, I'll let
'em have it with both barrels of my brain. And if someone who does this
is reading this now, please stop! It's stupid and disgusting and lazy.
Oh well, forget about them. Most people are nice. Some people are even
stopping to say 'hi' to me, which is really nice. This is a cool place
for a lounge.
For now, I'm going to stop writing because I'm hungry. Apparently, the
residence cafeteria here is open to non-residents. Since everything else
is closed, I think I'll go check it out. (typing note: The food is actually
quite good on campus, and I think the constant Aramark-bashing that goes
on in The Journal is getting old, but then, if you had to eat it day after
day...)
Today was a long, eventful day. The cap on it was terrible, but the rest
ranged from okay to great.
I arrived at the pre-TURFBURN gathering a little late. But it wasn't a
big deal, really.
TURFBURN was a blast. Except at the tail end of it when the pleasant drizzle
changed to a downpour, but... You can expect the tried-and-true frosh/pep
spirit-raisers like chanting and ragging on Dalhousie. Hey, I'll rag on
Dal too. If I wasn't good enough not to skip the waiting list for King's
Foundation Year Programme, then screw 'em. =)
But in my opinion the best place to go is Mount Saint Vincent. Chicks,
chicks, hot chicks, sexy chicks, smart chicks, and more chicks. It often
makes me wonder why I chose SMU, I could have easily gotten into MSV or
even regular programs at Dal/Kings.
Well, I guess maybe I thought I'd - now, come to think of it as I write
this in the Upper Lounge after the auction, there is absolutely no reason
why I am here. None whatsoever. Did I like the name or something?! Aw geez.
Well, I've cast my lot here, and it's no use wondering how I'd do at MSV,
the important thing is to do well where I've ended up. I intend to do this,
if I can only overcome these mood swings.
I feel better when I'm on a roll of people laughing along with me, people
paying some attention to me, people noticing me. But after some time elapses,
I always hit rock bottom. All my words fall flat on the ground, unlistened
to. Yes, I talk for the sake of talking, and I'm not sure why. Oy, I need
help. Or a girlfriend.
Enough of this. What was good about today? Lots of things. Especially the
Casino Night later on. Or the quiet moments in L287 with the rain pouring
down the windows and people wandering by popping in and asking me why I'm
doing homework.
And now I love Blackjack... I can't wait to get home and find a computer
version or people to play against. (for fun, of course)
