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I'll get back to theme days once I find a groove of posting regularly. In the meantime, most of my posts are about some variation of books, bikes, buses, or Broadway. Plus bits about writing, nonprofits, and grief from time to time.

This blog is mostly lighthearted and pretty silly. It's not about the terrible things happening in the world, but please know that I'm not ignoring those things. I just generally don't write about them here.

21 January 2012

First Week


Things have been a bit crazy at the Cheeky house this week, since university is back in session. The short version is, this was not my best first week ever, and included multiple schedule changes. If that's all you want to know, you can skip to the end now. For those interested in details, here's a (long) recap:

The week before class started, I got an email that one of my classes had been cancelled. Bummer. It was one of my rhetoric classes, and one that I have an immediate use for. However, it was not to be, so I scrambled around on the course schedule and found a Shakespeare class to take its place.

On the first day of class (Tuesday), I went to all of my scheduled classes. However, I had a linguistics class called Bad Language. The description said it was about racial and gendered language, so I thought that would be cool to be in. News Flash: It was more about swear words than anything else. Now, I use about three mild (by most standards) swear words that I find meet all of my needs, with no desire to use anything stronger. The instructor had an entire unit planned around the f-word, with the linguistic aspect that it can be used as any part of speech (I find that pretty remarkable, too, truth be told), and with the stated intention that he make the word not special. He also encouraged us to use the words we were studying in class freely, and is using Twitter to gauge in-class participation. I like the idea of the class, but I had to concede that there is no way I can be exposed to that kind of language for three hours a week and walk away not using it. It would have been interesting to be the member of the class who exercised my freedom of speech by not swearing in class, but I couldn't do it. Another scramble to find a replacement, which was: Sign Languages and Signing Communities. After two class sessions (Tuesday & Thursday), I loved it.

On Wednesday I had a meeting with my instructor Do Not Cross (I should get her a new nickname), who is supervising my independent research project. It was a very encouraging, very productive meeting. I have two classes on Wednesday, both rhetoric: Advanced Writing and Rhetoric and the Gospels. The second one was meant to be a placeholder until I could get registered for independent research, but since I'd had some schedule changes already, I decided to go to it just to see if I really wanted to drop it or if I'd rather keep it and drop something else. And of course, that's what I decided to do. So, on Wednesday evening, Shakespeare got the boot from my timetable.

And then I got an email from a local tea shop that included this week's specials, upcoming events, etc... and the jolly news that they are hiring. I was so excited, I dashed (okay, cycled) over on Thursday to pick up an application. On the way back to campus, though, I had to ponder the fact that my schedule at the moment is not particularly job-friendly. In my "one thing at a time" way, I filled in the application and took it back on Friday. A couple of hours later, the owner called me for an interview.

So, very exciting, I'd love to work there, but there was still the problem of my class schedule. I called Chad for backup, and he agreed that if I'm serious about getting this job that I should rearrange my schedule. So, with one hour left in the add/drop period, I went on the course schedule once again, found another linguistics class and another elective that both meet early in the morning, and changed up my classes with 45 minutes to spare.

I'm so glad this is my last semester. And I really hope I get the job, because if I don't, I'm going to feel a bit silly for all this frantic rearranging.

How was your week? Any excitement for you?

6 comments:

Kittie Howard said...

Bravo for dumping the f-bomb. (Of course it can be used as various parts of speech; the instructor's grandstanding!) And bravo again for going for the job - will look good on your resume when you graduate. Sorry Will lost out. If you can, try to take the course later. So much there!

You overcame a really challenging week. Keep up the great work!

Anonymous said...

Good luck.

erica and christy said...

I don't remember getting lost a lot (or ever) in college, but once in awhile I have this dream that I'm wandering around and keep being late for every class, left to fail miserably.

And eewww to the swearing class and yay to the signing class. I have a deaf girl and two spanish speakers in my class and no interpreters, so I'm trying REALLY hard to be trilingual. Umm, I could use your class!! (I've had 2 years of Spanish and 1 semester of sign and can do both at about an 18-month level...)
erica

Su said...

@Kitti: Thanks! This is my last semester, so I probably will never have a formal Shakespeare class. :( What's sad is that I could have stayed in it if I had known there was another schedule change on my horizon!

@Delores: Thanks!

@Erica: Unfortunately, it was a class about signing communities, not about learning sign language. And I'm not in it any longer, regardless-- it was one of the ones I had to change. :(

Joanne Noragon said...

I hope you do have opportunity to learn AMSL some day. For no other reason than its beauty. Thanks for stopping by.

Su said...

Very true! I know a bit, b/c I've taken a class here and there, but haven't studied enough to be even conversational.