I finally started school. I didn't know this when I signed up for it, but we needed at least one book, although both selections (we could actually -choose-) were listed as "recommended", so I never bought anything. Fortunately, that can change very quickly.
I like the teacher. He's interesting. Has a lot of energy. I think it's for the best, though. The class is three and a half hours long, and everyone decided it was just done about fifteen minutes early. For all intents and purposes, it was. We had NOTHING else to talk about, since we'd covered the syllabus and every question we had, but I don't know that I like these people. We have a 50-something lady who's talking a lot, but isn't on the same page, and it's kinda awkward. I learned a few things on the first day, though.
Buchanen is (historically) considered to be the worst president
The Women's Suffrage movement started in 1848
Uh... something else happened in 1848... Um...
1865-1877 is the Reconstruction era (I knew the term, didn't know the years other than "post-Civil War")
We also went through the "First Day Activity", which was a little pop quiz on what we knew, and a discussion following it. The teacher, Baracco (no shit), illustrated in exhaustive detail how, in history, the most powerful militaries in the world never really win when it comes to guerrilla fighters, along with a few other recurring themes, and we were asked if history repeated itself. Seems like.
I also got my Financial Aid award whatchahoozits. Unbeknownst to me, I was awarded the same amount of money whether I was going full time, all the way down to half time. I'd thought it would have been less for less time, but no. Then I revisited my schedule. I -will- have to be there til April 2011, because of when certain courses are offered, but... because I started now, I'll only have to go full time (that is, at least twelve credit hours) MAYBE once. MAYBE. Right now, my fall semester's looking like three classes, or eleven credit hours. Okay, not THAT far below full time, but you're looking at Beginning Japanese 1, Astronomy, and... I dunno, some three credit class that's required of my. Maybe History 2520, maybe Sketching, maybe English Composition 1. Probably Sketching, just so I can screw around in the longer semesters. But I don't know yet.
I'll be done with this first class in about a month. That's nuts.
Sean
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Monday, May 4, 2009
FORGET IT!
I just got home from Panera Bread for the second time, because I was done waiting for this U of M interviewer. We've been trying to finagle the interview for over a month, and I've been where I was supposed to both times!! I don't -like- sitting around in Panera looking clueless. I don't even want the money, it's not important, the irresponsibility on their part is ridiculous.
Spent parts of Saturday and Sunday hanging out with Grandpa, and did a little yardwork for him. There's a bush on the side of the house, and Ken and I cut down the biggest few branches (or whatever they are) that weren't producing anything. The privacy fence there was leaning a bit to start with, and I think we made it lean a litte further... I'm not too worried, though. Still, everything was still standing (including Grandpa!), and we had some good chats. I guess I had been volunteered to show Grandpa how to use the DVD player, but when I said "Sure!", he asked me if I brought one... I did not. So that'll have to wait.
Sometimes, I forget how influenced I am by things and people. But that's worked to a great advantage, in my opinion. I was influenced by a missionary who spoke to my Sunday school about Japan. I was later influenced in either an e-mail or a comment from a certain family member (HI MARIAN!!), who had gone to the same school I had, and mentioned how interesting a liguistics class was. Later, a decidedly left-wing website had reading suggestions, and through all of the uninteresting titles and subjects, I found one that stuck out, written by an author whose area of expertise is "cognitive linguistics." All these little points of interest turned into these broad, genuinely fascinating ideas, and they're all shaping up in one way or another to be a part of the plan.
Okay, fine, "the plan" changes virtually every time I talk about it, but a wise green man once said "Always in motion is the future." I shouldn't even really be planning too thoroughly past OCC right now, but it's really easy to do. The closer things are more concrete, the far off are just daydreams. Here's what I'm thinking right at the moment-
Immediate Future- OCC, Associate's Degree of Liberal Arts
Happening, 100% for-sure. I start in two weeks, and HOLY CRAP AM I EXCITED. We're talking about the next two years here, but I am going to do everything in my power to make this happen. The whole POINT of this stage is to serve as a stepping stone, and I'd be pretty SOL without it.
Near-enough future- EMU, Bachelor of Arts, Linguistics/Japanese Language and Culture, Psychology minor
Semi-solid. Gelatinous, even. If it were jello, it would have banana slices in it, representing the double major. Everything else can change however it needs to, but I know absolutely that I want to major in both Japanese and Linguistics. That has been constant. The school has been surprisingly difficult to pin down. I've looked at about a dozen and only two have all the options I want; Oakland University (the four-year counterpart to OCC), and Eastern Michigan University. Places like U of M would have one program (in their case, a fantastic Linguistics department), but not the other. The only downside to Oakland is the fact that they've lumped their Chinese and Japanese programs together, and I don't really want both. It feels kinda weird that EMU is my best choice, though I wouldn't be adverse to going back. The Psychology minor is the newest and least essential part in this step, because it's mostly to lead into...
Yeeeeeaaaars from now- Master of Arts in Cognitive Linguistics
Pure daydreams, less substantial than air. If I ever chose to go this way, I'd like to have that minor in Psych. to aid these studies (though the admission process says you just need a formal background in psychology OR linguistics). I've just been looking, not planning, really. I have no idea how I'll feel if/when I get to the end of the Bachelor's stuff, or what career opportunities will look like. At this point, it's mere possibility.
OCC right now is looking pretty good. From May 19th to June 25th, I'll be taking a history course, and while I was writing this post, I went and registered for the second half of the summer semester (July through August), where I'll see a really easy math class and intro to psychology. I need one four-credit math class and one science lab (here's hoping Astronomy is cool!), which fills out an eight-credit block, and psychology is to fulfill part of my Social Sciences requirement, which I would have just done with more history classes, but it can't all be done "in one discipline." Same reason I'll end up taking a 3 credit sketching course in the fall-- not all of my Japanese courses count toward my Humanities requirement.
After my first class, I'll have already passed more credits at OCC than my one year at EMU.
Sean
Spent parts of Saturday and Sunday hanging out with Grandpa, and did a little yardwork for him. There's a bush on the side of the house, and Ken and I cut down the biggest few branches (or whatever they are) that weren't producing anything. The privacy fence there was leaning a bit to start with, and I think we made it lean a litte further... I'm not too worried, though. Still, everything was still standing (including Grandpa!), and we had some good chats. I guess I had been volunteered to show Grandpa how to use the DVD player, but when I said "Sure!", he asked me if I brought one... I did not. So that'll have to wait.
Sometimes, I forget how influenced I am by things and people. But that's worked to a great advantage, in my opinion. I was influenced by a missionary who spoke to my Sunday school about Japan. I was later influenced in either an e-mail or a comment from a certain family member (HI MARIAN!!), who had gone to the same school I had, and mentioned how interesting a liguistics class was. Later, a decidedly left-wing website had reading suggestions, and through all of the uninteresting titles and subjects, I found one that stuck out, written by an author whose area of expertise is "cognitive linguistics." All these little points of interest turned into these broad, genuinely fascinating ideas, and they're all shaping up in one way or another to be a part of the plan.
Okay, fine, "the plan" changes virtually every time I talk about it, but a wise green man once said "Always in motion is the future." I shouldn't even really be planning too thoroughly past OCC right now, but it's really easy to do. The closer things are more concrete, the far off are just daydreams. Here's what I'm thinking right at the moment-
Immediate Future- OCC, Associate's Degree of Liberal Arts
Happening, 100% for-sure. I start in two weeks, and HOLY CRAP AM I EXCITED. We're talking about the next two years here, but I am going to do everything in my power to make this happen. The whole POINT of this stage is to serve as a stepping stone, and I'd be pretty SOL without it.
Near-enough future- EMU, Bachelor of Arts, Linguistics/Japanese Language and Culture, Psychology minor
Semi-solid. Gelatinous, even. If it were jello, it would have banana slices in it, representing the double major. Everything else can change however it needs to, but I know absolutely that I want to major in both Japanese and Linguistics. That has been constant. The school has been surprisingly difficult to pin down. I've looked at about a dozen and only two have all the options I want; Oakland University (the four-year counterpart to OCC), and Eastern Michigan University. Places like U of M would have one program (in their case, a fantastic Linguistics department), but not the other. The only downside to Oakland is the fact that they've lumped their Chinese and Japanese programs together, and I don't really want both. It feels kinda weird that EMU is my best choice, though I wouldn't be adverse to going back. The Psychology minor is the newest and least essential part in this step, because it's mostly to lead into...
Yeeeeeaaaars from now- Master of Arts in Cognitive Linguistics
Pure daydreams, less substantial than air. If I ever chose to go this way, I'd like to have that minor in Psych. to aid these studies (though the admission process says you just need a formal background in psychology OR linguistics). I've just been looking, not planning, really. I have no idea how I'll feel if/when I get to the end of the Bachelor's stuff, or what career opportunities will look like. At this point, it's mere possibility.
OCC right now is looking pretty good. From May 19th to June 25th, I'll be taking a history course, and while I was writing this post, I went and registered for the second half of the summer semester (July through August), where I'll see a really easy math class and intro to psychology. I need one four-credit math class and one science lab (here's hoping Astronomy is cool!), which fills out an eight-credit block, and psychology is to fulfill part of my Social Sciences requirement, which I would have just done with more history classes, but it can't all be done "in one discipline." Same reason I'll end up taking a 3 credit sketching course in the fall-- not all of my Japanese courses count toward my Humanities requirement.
After my first class, I'll have already passed more credits at OCC than my one year at EMU.
Sean
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