Tuesday, September 4, 2012

The 1st Week of Senior Year: WHAT.

Hello, everyone. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend. (I love how people say "holiday weekend." I'm like, it's just Labor Day.)

So I neglected to post this entry on Saturday as I had intended to, but that won't stop me from posting this entry today. So here goes--my reaction/recap of my first week of senior year of college.


1. It did not feel like the first week of school. As I've said to several people, it felt more like we had come back from Winter break, except it's hot outside. The first day of school BBQ on the quad was cancelled because the new stoves/grills/ovens in Locke's have not yet been approved for use, therefore it was impossible for the staff to cook enough burgers using Dante's kitchen alone.

2. Speaking of Dante's, it's been virtually dead all week. All the food in Locke's is being cooked in Dante's, and Cafe 1853 is still running independently. Dante's has been empty, meanwhile I've heard rumors of people being trampled to get into Locke's (this is, of course, an exaggeration. It's just Locke's, it's not like it's Macy's at opening time the day before Christmas). Is Dante's dead? I hope this week it gets back on its feet. I didn't like it too much to begin with, though.

Locke's looks beautiful now, but I'm afraid that renovations alone can't save it. Time will tell if it will be able to keep up with the quality of food downstairs in Cafe 1853.

3. Since many of my friends are seniors, many of them now live in Overlook. That's the rag-tag building up the street that corners on Waldo Ave. The benefit to living in Overlook is that you get an apartment which includes a kitchen with an oven. No more stove-top baking (has anyone tried that?) and now there's more room for everyone's stuff. (If you click the word "stuff," it will link to a George Carlin schpiel on that exact topic). There are clear differences between the girls' apartments and the guys' apartments. I'm interested in seeing how (and if) entropy takes over as the semester progresses.

4. My schedule is pretty good this semester. I have two 3-hour classes a week, which are Media Criticism on Wednesday night and Web Design on Friday. I don't have class until 12:20 on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, on Wednesday I start at 1:25, and on Friday I start at 10:10. On Wednesday I have a 4 hour block of time between my afternoon class and my night class. The other classes I'm taking are Masterpieces in American Drama, Advanced Reporting and Newswriting, and Intro to Creative Writing.

I like all my professors so far. By the end of this week I think I'll have a good idea of who has what habits. I kind of already do (I have one professor who has trouble sticking to the syllabus and another who strictly adheres to the syllabus).

My biggest concern each semester is getting acclimated. This can take awhile. The word "acclimation" usually makes me think of a deer roaming the woods even in the dead of Winter. What it means for me is just getting used to my professors and my surroundings and my classrooms. Yes, even the classrooms. When you have panic disorder you can have some strange triggers, and some of the biggest ones for me are lighting, temperature, and space. I always try to sit close to the door, either way, and as standard protocol I sent each professor a heads up email in advance. Last week was a little tough for me, especially during my Wednesday night class. I took the Klonopin (my medication fro panic attacks) at around 7:45 AM, and by 6 PM, that sucker's worn off. This week I've scheduled when I should take it, which is about a half hour before my first class starts. Ultimately, I don't put my faith, hope, and trust in this pill. Sometimes it works great and sometimes it's about as effective as taking a tic tac. I rely on God and coping mechanisms. Much doodling has occurred last week.

The first week had it's highs and lows, just like any other week, I suppose (ooh, I rhymed). I won't divulge any more info, as I never know who is reading these things, if anyone.

Adieu :) Have a wonderful week.

-Nicole

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