State of the David Address

I figured it was about time to do an update-post, so here goes.

School's been going quite well. I had my first Calculus 3 midterm last Wednesday, and we got the tests back on Friday. The exam was on functions of several variables, limits & continuity, and vectors. The, uh, class average was around a 60 (My section had the highest average at a 62.something - more on that in a moment, and others were in the 50s [I believe one section got below a 50]). I got a 98. So, ah, yeah. Doin' well. As I mentioned in the parenthesis, my class had the highest average at a 62 point something, which apparently was only because of three people in the class who got above a 90. Two of them (myself being one) got 98s, though I'm unsure of who the other one is.

I went and visited my high school at the end of last week and spent a while talking to my BC Calculus teacher. At one point he jokingly asked if I was happy with the 98 or if I was mad that I missed the two points that I did. My answer kind of summarizes my philosophy on learning and whatnot: I'm pretty much at the point where I don't really care about grades too much. I believe that I learn solely because I'm really interested in the material and really enjoy learning. Grades sort of follow along. Though it's a bit idealistic, I'd argue that this mindset is far superior to the "oh no I need to get a whateverpercent on this exam so I can maintain my whatevergrade so I can get a whateverGPA so I can graduate and go to whateverschool" that I see in a lot of people. If you're learning because you're genuinely interested in the material and want to understand it, you don't have to worry about grades because you'll understand the material. Moreover, I almost enjoy exams, because I view them as a way to learn new ways of applying the material, etc., and enjoy the challenge. So, yeah, that's me on education and learning.

Oh, I've got genetics and chemistry midterms this week, but again I'm not really too concerned, due to previous stuff.

We're currently working on a 'fission essay' in my writing class - essentially we have to use three items picked randomly to prove an also-randomly picked proverb. I'm using LEGOs, Ayn Rand, and Rorschach from Watchmen (Aw yeah, another assignment where I get to use Watchmen!) to prove the proverb "innocence is bliss". I've actually made pretty good headway in linking the three together and have a fairly in-depth and interesting essay in the works. I'll probably put it up once I finish.

In non-school-stuff, we've started learning tonfa in martial arts. I'm quite excited because I've wanted to learn them for a while now - they're reasonably sized and could theoretically be carried around. Potentially useful! We also modified ours a bit - the handles were a bit wobbly, so we put in screws from the bottom of the weapon into the handle so they're sturdy. I also engraved the Batman sign into the tops of the knobs on the handles: BAT-TONFAS. Pictures maybe sometime.

'Til next time!

One more day

One!

Day!

Mooooore!

[End Les Miserables reference.]

Indeed! I'm now three-quarters of the way done with finals, with only a chemistry final tomorrow morning. Pretty excited. Though, really, finals have been almost laughably easy so far. I had a sociology and biology exam last night, both of which I finished in just over half the time allotted, without having studied for them. I had a presentation in my intro to the Bible class today, for which my group did my one of my favorite books/movies of all time, Watchmen, and that went rather smoothly. The only final I'm actually taking somewhat seriously is tomorrow's chemistry exam, and I've barely studied even for that. I suppose they were right about IB really preparing you for college.

I've also been packing and getting ready to move out of the dorms. As of now, about two-thirds of my stuff is already moved, and the rest is mostly packed up and ready to go tomorrow. The number of containers required to hold all my stuff has gone up a bit since the beginning of the years, which is somewhat heartening (though it'll also be a hassle to move). It's interesting to look at my part of the room and actually ponder how it looks a bit blank without the miscellaneous comics and things I'd tacked up on the walls, as well as the now-empty bookshelf. Guess you do get attached to your space.

Anyway, tomorrow I'm planning to finish packing up before my exam, practice some piano if I have time, then take the exam and get ready to go. Huzzah.

oh no finals oh no

Nah, just kidding.

Finals week is next week and... quite honestly? I couldn't care less. I was told a few times before starting college that it'd be a huge transition, I wouldn't be able to continue my usual study habits (or, more appropriate, lack thereof), I'd meet people much much smarter than me, etcetera etcetera. Let's see.

There wasn't really any transition to speak of. Just school again, in a different setting, with a slightly different routine. The one thing I will note is that interaction with other people has changed quite a bit for me. I've never been very good at meeting people to begin with (though I'm okay at getting along with them once I'm past that initial bit), so it's incredibly difficult to meet new people when I don't see many people more than once a day, and there are so damned many people besides. A friend from high school, who I had lunch with over fall break, pointed out that IB did an excellent job of forcing us to meet people: It basically threw all of us into a room, said "These are the people you will be having class with for the next four years. Meet them.", and walked away. That's not to say that I don't like the people from high school - I believe that having a few good friends that you can really trust is preferable to having a huge network of people whom you are only somewhat acquainted with. Seems like a lot of people are really fixated on the latter. Insecurity? I don't know.

Study habits? Haven't changed a bit. When I've got a test coming up, I'll look over the things that I need to work on briefly, then not worry about it. And I'm doing fine. Actually, in MCDB (Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology), I did the best on the test that I didn't even bother studying for, because I'd gotten an average of a 90ish on the first two and they drop the lowest of the three. I also did quite well on a chemistry test which I walked into sick, with no preparation, and confused about what day it was due to a nap just previously. The results of that test were rather amusing.

Finally... smart people. While I know some very smart people from high school that are at college with me, I haven't met anyone new that blows me out of the water, so to speak. There are other smart students, to be sure, but no one on the scale that I was told to expect. Certainly people talk about having "genius roommates" and suchlike, but judging from the types of people that I hear having these conversations, well, I'm not convinced. (Of note: I really do try not to come across as arrogant. Sometimes it's difficult.)

Onwards towards finals week, then. And all that.

Rumors of my activity are greatly exaggerated

Aaaaand as promised, here's the Real Life Update post. RLU. Acronyms.

Well, let's see. The latest round of college exams is here and, uh, mostly over. I've got an MCDB exam tomorrow evening, but as a friend pointed out, they drop your lowest score. And since I've gotten 90s on the first two... well, motivation is a tad bit low. I took a chemistry exam last Thursday. The exam was supposed to take about an hour and a half. I finished in half an hour. I'm reminded of the time in freshman math when I finished a quiz before the teacher had finished handing them out to the rest of the class. The score comes back tomorrow. I hate to sound cocky, but I'm not too worried. I've never really had an issue with taking exams.

On a less exam-y note, I recently found out that I need to spend about $200 of "Munch Money" that came with my meal plan on food by the end of the semester, or else it will expire. So, I've been buying beverages and gelato like a madman. I think I went out for gelato with friends twice last week. We're planning to go again after the exam tomorrow night. And I've still got $180 left. Gah. Diabetes, here we come? (We actually calculated it, and I could have purchased 40 scoops of gelato with $200)

The last big thing that's happened is that I got a job working as a lab assistant for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which has a lab just by campus (I may have mentioned this previously. I do not recall.). Mostly I'm doing data crunching, though some calibration-stuff with the instrument will happen eventually. It can be a bit boring - I think if I had been involved with actually taking the data, even to a small degree, it would be a bit more engaging and, eh, relevant. Nonetheless, it's fairly interesting and I'll stick with it for now. I'm interested in getting a spot at my chemistry professor's lab - he's a Nobel Laureate, Thomas Cech, and his research is very interesting to me.

I've got next week off for fall break and I'm rather excited. Not to be home - I've been heading home most every weekend (because I'm borderline antisocial, alright?) - but to see friends that I haven't seen in a long time. I'm also thinking about visiting my high school when I get back home Friday. Plans, plans.

Hurfblargh

So, I guess it's probably a good time to update on what's been going on. Lessee...

I've been continuing to do sketches and suchlike. Apart from those five, I've also got a few ideas queued up for later - that is, whenever I've got some time to sketch.

School's been continuing as usual, though I just got sick the other day, and it's irritating as hell. Runny nose, sore throat, a headache, the works. I took a two-hour nap after my last class today, woke up feeling only slightly better and unsure of what day it was (I hate how that always seems to happen), went to eat dinner, where I decided to drink some red Gatorade because it looked like cough syrup and I was wondering if it'd work as a placebo (It didn't), and then went to a chemistry test which I had decided not to study for. Actually, I just got back from said test, and it went fine, though it took me a bit longer than expected due to the whole "head-felt-like-a-compressed-balloon" thing.

Outside of school, we've been working quite a bit on my apartment for next semester, and it's coming along nicely. I've got some pictures on my phone, but I'm too lazy to put them up now. Suffice to say, the walls are pretty much all painted, the bathroom's getting close to completion, and we're starting to work on installing the new cabinets in the kitchen. I should probably start thinking about furniture and layout soon.

Oh, and I'm pretty sure I got a job today as a lab assistant at the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) labs just off campus. Duties will involve lots of data processing and some work with their instruments. I'm excited.

On a completely irrelevant note, I purchased my Halloween costume today, though it has to ship and such. Unfortunately they only had it in small size, but I'm desperately hoping it'll fit. I won't say what it is now, so I can do a big dramatic unveiling or something.

That's all for now!

Miscellaneous adventures through time, space and AP scores

Well. Seems like all sorts of stuff is happening. From the top, then!

AP scores came in yesterday. I took BC calc and psychology, got 5s on both. Yayhooray. Wasn't altogether surprised at the score on calc, to be honest (hell, I was almost expecting to be audited), but was amused by the 5 on psych. I distinctly recall making up some terms and flat-out skipping another. Oh well!

So, I believe it's thank you time again!
Mr. Stearns: Thanks for guiding us through the curriculum this year (and dealing with some of the dumber things that we did). While I'm pretty good at picking things up, I do need someone to show me how to get started. So, thank you again.

Let's see. My orientation session at CU is tomorrow, and I realized earlier that I have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing in terms of class registration, course requirements, etc. Should be... Interesting.

Finally, my new laptopp should be coming in within a day or two. Surprisingly, UPS appears to finally have become competent, having shipped it from North Carolina to Kansas in just two days. Previously, they liked to ship it north a state or two, then west a bit, back south, etc. The final test will be to see if it sits in Commerce City for weeks on end.

That's about it for major news. I guess it's worth mentioning that this entiire post was written on my new cell phone (an LG Rumor Touch from Virgin Mobile), making it the longest thing I've ever written on a phone. Yeah, me!