34 posts tagged “school”

I mentioned a few posts back that I'm going back to school to try on a second Bachelor's in Psychology.  I'm going to see how I feel after a semester of psych courses and decide from there whether I want to continue on or find something else to be when I grow up.  But I'm already feeling a lot better about this decision than when I decided to go for a second Bachelor's in English, something I dropped weeks before the semester began when I realized I was unhappy about it before even stepping foot in the classroom.

This morning I had my first class, Lifespan Developmental Psychology, which I think I'm going to enjoy a lot.  I love creative assignments, and a major part of our grade is a life notebook in which we'll create a fictional character and over the course of a semester describe his or her development from birth to death.  It's going to take every ounce of willpower in my body to resist starting this notebook, "My name is Benjamin Button, and I was born under unusual circumstances."

Tonight I have Social Psychology, which I anticipate will be my favorite of the three courses I'm taking this term.  As if one Benjamin Button association wasn't enough for today, while reading my Social Psych textbook I came across the Søren Kierkegaard quote "Life is lived forwards, but understood backwards."  I'm pretty positive this was a tagline for the movie, although I now cannot for the life of me find a poster with that on it.

But the real reason I'm posting now is to share something else I came across in my textbook which reminded me of something I've been turning over in my head for a while.  We hear little bits of practical wisdom/common knowledge every day, and I'm beginning to realize how contradictory they all are.  I've been thinking about how many people I hear throw around quotes that basically amount to "Live like every day is your last day!" but criticize those who live wildly, foolishly, selfishly--but isn't that how you'd act if you had one day to live?  That's maybe not a great example of what I've been pondering, but then I came across this convenient chart in my textbook that lists a number of these bits of contradictory "common knowledge":

Too many cooks spoil the broth or Two heads are better than one?
The pen is mightier than the sword or Actions speak louder than words?
You can't teach an old dog new tricks or You're never too old to learn?

And my personal favorite:
He who hesitates is lost or Look before you leap?

These were included as a way of defending against people's tendency to write off the social sciences as attempts to make obvious social behavior sound science-y.  As the textbook points out, we're all vulnerable to hindsight bias.

And now that I've spent fifteen minutes writing a blog instead of reading my textbook, I better get back to work.

Courtesy o' my pal/brother from another mother Brian (the one that married my best friend, not the one I date).  And really, courtesy of a Mister Ludwig van Beethoven:

If I have a writing assignment in Spanish, I like to put it into Babel Fish just to check to make sure the gist of it is clear (I know online translators are a bit ridiculous, but it's better than nothing).  Here's what happened to one of my sentences because of one wrong letter:

"Nevertheless, my passion and my love always the music composition was AIDS, something I have made all my life."

...Híjole.

I am Joie's Raging Inability to Sleep.  (And Joie, apparently, is still reading or at least thinking about reading Fight Club.)

For the past several weeks, I've been mostly unable to go back to sleep if I'm woken up after about 8 in the morning.  (Okay, I realize lots of people need to be up before that time--I do, too, some days--but I'm a college student, and damn it all, I reserve my right to sleep until 3 in the afternoon whenever I feel like it.)  It's... exceptionally annoying.  But as soon as I wake up inadvertently or am woken up by someone/thing, my head starts going, making a list of what needs to be done, and any hope of remaining blissfully asleep is gone.

Apparently in the days leading up to my recital, this time has been pushed back to 5 in the freaking morning.  No less, on a Sunday.  I give you the big DOUBLE-YOU TEE EFF, brain.  Brian (...a surprising juxtaposition of two words only a letter swap apart [holy shit I know how to use "juxtaposition" at 5 in the morning?!]) called me after returning home from his very late gig, and as soon as I got off the phone my brain started thinking, "You're really not comfortable enough with that Beethoven sonata yet.  You should practice." 

Ok, Brain, I thought back, we'll practice today.  A lot. 
"We should probably go through it, I dunno, a lot of times in a row," nagged Brain. 
Yes, I agree.  We'll get right on that today and do it every day until my recital, Brain.  I proceeded to go back to sleep.
"...Joie?" pestered Brain.  "I think Brian called you before this last time and you said something really stupid out of sleepiness.  I can't remember what it was.  What was it?"
~ a call to Brian to confirm I in fact, did not answer the first time he called and did not say anything stupid related to the dream I was having about Coda, Heather's new baby bunny ~
There, Brain.  Nothing said.  No bunnies mentioned.  Good-night.
"You have to wear a dress and heels today."
Irrelevant information, Brain.  Good-night.
"...You still have to name those three movements of the flute and marimba piece, you know.  I wonder if anyone's at the practice rooms now?"
...Okay, I'm up.

This is the part where I assure you I'm not insane.  But I think it was Nick who noted his affinity for my I-woke-up-ridiculously-early-and-can't-go-back-to-sleep-posts, and this one goes out to him.

Off I go to the music building.  At 5:25.  In the morning.  On a Sunday.

Edited to Add:  Ah, and if you didn't figure it out, I passed my piano jury.  Much drama was involved, including my almost failing it after the first piece I played--a Bach prelude and fugue, bless the man--but after agreeing to drop that piece and recovering pretty well considering how upset I was, they passed me!  I'm glad to be rid of it, honestly.

Edit #2:  The only thing more annoying than waking up at 5 in the morning with an urge to practice is going to the music building at 5:30 in the morning and discovering one's security card apparently won't let you in that early.  And that Captain McResponsible on the University Police has decided that maybe he'll go ahead and do his job this time and lock every door in the building.  A grrr on everyone!!!

Don't you dare act up on me in the next two weeks.  I realize, Body, that you have been especially gracious (especially after this past summer's bout with mono) in remaining well while every other person I knew, even the normally healthy boyfriend, fell victim to some bug or another during the winter months.  I realize how exceptionally kind it was of you to give me this winter off--you refused to succumb to any 72-, 48-, or even 24-hour cold.  But Body, you must understand that the next two weeks are going to be some of the most important in my life thus far.  You need to know that whatever you want to throw at me after April 17th, I will accept, but before then, I cannot deal with any form of illness.  I'm telling you this in the hopes that you will speak to Tonsils, who are beginning to do that funny but disgusting thing they did when I had mono.  I realize how unlikely it is to get mono twice--although the recent pain in my abdomen isn't doing much to quell my fears--but if you could just have a word with Tonsils.  Warn them gently at first, but if they continue to act up, please assure them that I will not hesitate to find a doctor to tear those bad boys out (I hear the rule is having tonsillitis five times in a year = tonsillectomy; I've had it only three times, but I can swing something).  If they don't believe you, advise that they speak with Retinal Tears.  Those bitches never saw it coming.

Sincerely,
Joie, the more abstract counterpart to your physical existence

i has one teh prezidunt's award four exelens in teh wryting!

But on a less lolcat note.  My paper, Embracing Psychedelicism Before The Grateful Dead Made It Cool:  Orchestration in Hector's Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique won one of the two awards for Writing in the Disciplines.  I FEEL IMMENSELY SPECIAL.  Winning this award means praise, esteem, a continuation of the winning streak, ego-boostage...

...and money!!!  :-D eeeeee

I'm such an academic whore.

Surviving this semester will be nothing short of a miracle.

(Can you call it "blogging" if you mostly just keep making brief, pointless posts?)

I always find it hilarious to get a paper back from a professor and find a food stain on said paper.  It's like... "Hey, my professor eats.  And he/she ate while grading my paper.  And got food on my paper."  I'm not sure if it's an insult or a compliment, but it's funny either way.

Piano Jury:  Done.  (An "A" from each juror, btw.  Woot-to-tha-woot.)

3-4 Page Paper on Orchestration in Symphonie Fantastique:  Done.  (And erm, ended up at 6 pages.)

Spanish Final:  Done.

Short Annotated Bibliography of 11 Orchestration Textbooks:  Done.

Does this mean... can it be true?...

I'm done with finals?!

Upon turning in these papers and working my last obscenely late shift at the library tomorrow (at least tomorrow we close at midnight rather than 2), I'll have absolutely nothing to stress about for a solid three weeks.