Year 1 Repost: October

Wednesday October 1st, 2008

Yesterday was my first day on campus since the strike began. I did not enjoy crossing the picket line, it felt wrong, and the campus was so empty. It was very sad to see. I was going to go to the President's speech at Erie, but decided against it in the end.

One of my friends went for the first hour though, and she was not impressed. She thought the students' tones were not very friendly and it wasn't right of them, even though she could understand why they were upset. She also was not impressed with the President's answers and after the first hour of learning nothing she left the "friction filled room". I planned to listen to the taped version of the meeting found on the uwindsor website, but after hearing her recap of things I don't know if it would just be a waste of my time or not.

Classes are already cancelled for Thursday and Friday.

I'm really getting tired of this.

Sunday October 5th, 2008

Let's Try This Again

Classes recommence tomorrow and I've spent the entire day rereading my notes and making sure I'm caught up in all my classes. Although I remember reading that any assignments that were due during the strike will be rescheduled, as well as tests that were missed, I am nervous about when they will be reassigned. I have several assignment and test dates that passed and who's to say that we will not be expected to write a test the day we return? In fact, if I recall correctly, one of my professors told my class that we would write a test first day back from the strike, if the strike did take place. I wonder if that is still in effect, or was he not expecting the strike to last so long?

Midterms can not be within the next two weeks, which is a relief, but with classes not ending until December 12th, I expect our exams will be pushed back as well. Before the schedule change, my last exam of the semester was to take place on December 18th, if everything is pushed back a week, would that mean I am writing an exam on Christmas Day? Is that even legal? I know I shouldn't be worrying about this now, exams are still a couple of months away, and I'm sure the dates will be cleared up long before then, but it does make me anxious. I always go away for Christmas with my family, and now it seems my vacation may be delayed, or possibly canceled.

I can't wait to return to class and get the answers I need. It will be nice to return to my regular schedule, though I'm sure my social time will be taking a hit. I'm going to miss sleeping in...

Wednesday October 8th, 2008

Ode to CAW

The CAW and I have a touch and go kind of relationship. Some days I don't know how I could live without it. I love mornings at the CAW, it's relatively quiet, I get to see some people, and even if I don't the atmosphere is great for reading a chapter of French or typing up my next blog. Then there is noon CAW and we just do not get along. It's crowded, it's noisy and just try and find a friend in the bunch of lunch goers, not to mention a clean table.

On most Wednesdays, I begin by sitting by myself and my friends will come and go, so I pick a one/two person table. I feel guilty if I grab a table that's able to sit four and then later see a group of tray-carrying third years. This means we end up having to search for another table to fit my newly arrived friends. It's literally Mission: Impossible (cue corny spy music here).

So that's where I am right now, the CAW, typing and hoping that someone doesn't run into my chair for the third time. Only an hour or so to go before my beloved CAW returns...if I can hang on that long and not abandon it for Vanier.

Saturday October 11th, 2008

Getting Organized

I've just finished updating my agenda with all my new dates for assignments, midterms and exams. It was a depressing task as I watched day after day become filled. For the rest of October I have only three days that do not have some sort of activity taking place or assignment due. THREE DAYS.

One of them is Thanksgiving.

I know I can keep up (hurray for positive thinking!). I know if I don't procrastinate, I can stay ahead and succeed at this. It just sucks knowing I'm going to have to sacrifice my social life. My friends will understand, I'm sure, I mean, they're all going through the same thing (some of their schedules make mine look like a joke). Still, it would have been nice to have a bit more time. November looks a bit emptier at the moment, but everything in there is worth large portions of my grade.

Don't even get me started on December!

Thursday October 16th, 2008

"Take your time...leave mine alone."

(Title is a quote from Margaret Atwood's "Oryx and Crake", for those of you who still have free reading time, I definitely recommend it.)

It's funny the way that time moves when you're on campus. There are hours that whiz by as if they were seconds, and seconds that drag on into hours. These time anomalies seem to depend on two main factors: your location and who you are with.

Class time passes slower than time spent outside of the classroom, it is an indisputable fact, unless, of course, you are on break by yourself. In this case, your time off seems ten times as long as your class time because not only are you alone, but you are most likely stuck doing more school work. After an hour and a half lecture the last thing you want to do is more school work and so time stretches, until you actually begin to wish for your next class.

Then, the moment one of your friends happen to pass by (which will only be a mere ten minutes before your next class) time passes into hyper speed. You'll be lucky if you manage to get a hello-goodbye in before you're forced to jog to your next class (because when you're traveling to a class, time speeds up...again).

Do not even attempt to do something you enjoy, the time will become such a blur it will leave your head spinning.

And speaking of time, I'm quickly running out of it. Readings, essays, midterms...oh my.

Friday October 24th, 2008

Geek? Who me?

I have officially become a geek. I mean, I was always on the verge of "geekdom", but this has pushed me over that line. I spent the last hour making flashcards to study for my Foundations of Academic Writing I midterm and now have an inch thick pile of little white cards sitting beside me. I'm not saying that making these flashcards or studying makes me a geek, I'm quite aware that this just makes me a responsible, while maybe a little overachieving, university student. No, the issue here is that I have fallen in love with these flashcards. They are beautiful and actually fun to use. Studying is not supposed to be fun, I think I'm doing it wrong.

Anyway, I'm going to get back to studying (and to my beloved flashcards) because my midterm is tomorrow (eeek!) and studying is how I deal with the stress.

Sunday October 26th, 2008

Can I Revoke my Geek Membership?

Studying is no longer fun. The flashcards have taken over my room. I hate them. A lot. But I'm pretty sure I did amazing on my first midterm, which means I either aced it, or failed (my fingers are crossed for the first option) so I guess they're not completely horrible...

I have three more midterms before Halloween and I've spent the entire day studying, twelve hours and counting. I'm going to try and get another half hour in before I crash for the night, tomorrow is going to be busy. Like, I-filled-up-the space-in-my-agenda-for-that-day kind of busy. Not cool.

Anyone who reads this should go check out the concurrent club bake sale in the CAW, there are going to be some yummy goodies up for sell and even cotton candy! Spun sugar on a stick, mmmm it reminds me of summer.

Okay, off to study! Study, study, study....

Wednesday October 29th, 2008

No Title Today Because Meghan Has No Time to Think of One...or is that a Title?

I was going to write this last night, but my mind was pretty much mush thanks to the two midterms I had written back to back. Tomorrow I have my final midterm of the week and then I'll have a whole week to study for my next midterm. This makes me very excited because it means I won't be following the same cramming routine I've been doing for the past week and a half. Constant studying is not fun, and I expect it isn't all that healthy either.

I missed my first class on Tuesday in order to get some extra studying in, but now I'm stressing over what I missed. I'm getting the notes from a friend, but I still can't help but think what if the Prof said something in passing, something that my friend didn't pick up on, and it will be on the exam and oh no what have I done! (P.S. Run-on sentence for the win...) Not to mention we took up our midterms during that class, and I really wanted to know my mark was. :( I think I'll end up going to the Prof's office hours, just to make sure I know everything I need to know. *adds that on to her ever growing to-do list*

Now, on a slightly different note, I hate you Foundations of Academic Writing. Lots of hate. On November 6th I have a very large chunk of marks due for that class. I know that I have to do it, and I'm constantly aware that I need to do it, but because I have twelve¹ other things I need to do before I can get to work on it.

In conclusion, I am very busy, and now only have five more hours of cramming time before I need to get ready for my STEPS session. I'll talk about STEPS in another blog, when I don't have so much fun² midterm stuff to talk about.³

1 No, that's not a random number I chose, I actually have a numbered to-do list and my Foundation assignments are numbers 13 through 16.

2 I use the term 'fun' in a verbally ironic format. That means sarcasm. And yes that is a term I needed to learn for one of my midterms. Who says you can't use what you learn at school in your daily life?

3 Really, I just learned what endnotes are and are practicing them for a final essay I need to write for one of my classes. I'm sure I'll get over my endnote obsession by the next time I blog. Maybe.