A lot has happened since last week, but most of it was just school. One cool thing that we did in Physics was called a Ruben's Tube. It uses the principles of standing sound waves (the same thing that allows low humming noises in showers to be so loud) to created increases in pressure inside a tube. Propane is then allowed to flow through the tube and then the areas of higher pressure (compression) exert more gas and the flame goes higher. It looks really cool! They play different frequencies through the tube so that multiples of one half wavelength fit in the tube, creating a neat pattern. We also listened to music through the tube, and it was somewhat like those equalizers on Window's Media player.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpCquUWqaYw
During the week, I went to band, which is pretty fun although I'm not good at te music yet, so I sound like a fool, not knowing what to do. I have practiced 2 times since last Tuesday though, so hopefully this weeks will go better. Choir is awesome and really fun. We have a great professor and she is really fun! Also, unlike our choir in Whitehall, no offense to anyone in it, everyone can sing great! It was really fun to listen to everyone, because they seem almost as good as me:P
Also, There was a huge snow storm last Wednesday, and I was already at Georgetown, so I got stuck, but it was OK, because my only class the following day was postponed. The roads were really terrible, so the bus that Amy was on to go to the Basketball game got stuck in traffic and she walked a ways back to be with me at Georgetown before Chi Alpha:) It started as slush in the morning, and then gave way to some snow in the afternoon/evening.
Our weekend was pretty full, because we did Friday food again and then went back to Georgetown to watch a movie. The Alumni Lounge was having a grand reopening, so they had food and prizes, so we went over there before Friday Food. The food was delicious and they even had some new ping pong balls, which was good, because I accidentally stepped on one as we were playing:S We also played pool, and Amy did really well! She hit 5 of her balls in on her first turn! Anyway, then we went and prepared the lunches for Friday food, and we went to Dupont Circle to give them out. We met this interesting guy on the street and his name was Tim. We asked him if he was cold, and he said, "Cold is a state of mind." He seemed pretty intelligent and had been around more than some of the homeless that we had come across. We talked to him quite a while and watched him play this game with people. He would sing and just try to catch people's attention to make them smile. It worked on most of the people. He would say, "Where's that smile?" He was a very cheery and pleasant guy.
Saturday was also a little busy, since we studied for a while at American and then went to the Basketball game vs. Lafayette. We got off to a great start and had 17 points in the first 5 minutes with 5 3-pointers. Had it not been for the great start, it would have been a close game, since we scored evenly for most of it. This was a big game, since it was part of the "Phil Bender World Tour," which showcases one game from each sport. There was lots of free pizza and brownies. Amy and I had a good time, and then studied for a couple of hours more. Anya, this girl from Chi Alpha invited Amy to dinner, and she said I could come too. We met them in Adams Morgan at The Diner. THere were 11 girls and them me. I felt a little strange, but they were fun to be around and it wasn't that awkward since I knew most of them from CHi Alpha. Anyway, the dinner was pretty late, and the Georgetown shuttle only runs til 11:45, so they had to get home a different way than usual, I think they just took a Metrobus or Circulator bus. I just went back to American and went to bed.
On Sunday, we did homework at Georgetown and then I went home, because Amy had the last part of her training for her job. She is going to be a mentor for a kid that had a little trouble with the law. They pick them up from the court and then eat dinner with them at the Georgetown Dining room and then help them with their homework and teach them a "life skill." It sounds really fun, and Amy is really looking forward to it.
Today, I did homework. I also ran a while on the treadmill in the fitness center. Amy and I are both trying to get in shape, but so far, she has been exercising more than me, because I'm not motivated enough to get up before class, since the shades are nice and dark. Yes, I could just open the shades, but in the evening they are usually shut since they light reflects of them, so it keeps it lighter in here. Anyway, that is all I have to say for now.
BYE.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Ice Skating at the Sculpture gardens
Saturday was a fairly average Saturday for Amy and I, as we studied, ate some breakfast (I actually just had a bagel that she smuggled out of her lunch room for me), and then Studied some more. We even took a break at 3 and played ping pong in the Alumni Lounge. It is the place where, on the second Friday of Amy's classes, I went to Georgetown and we played Taboo with some people. That was more of a special thing, but the room is often open for activities as you rent out the equipment. They have a pool table, a ping pong table, a foosball table, a big screen TV, a wii, and X box, and some tables for studying or board games. The way to play the things is you give them your ID, then you can rent the equipment, such as pool sticks, pool balls, ping pong things, or board games. It is a really fun place, though the heater is always too much. The ping pong table is really sturdy, and the balls really curvy, and there isn't much padding on the paddles, so it seems much different from playing at home, but it is really fun. Amy and I are both getting better I think. Amy is getting really good now, and can beat me at a single game, though I usually win 2 out of 3. The scores are close.
After playing ping pong, we went to the Leavy Center and got a Subway Sandwich... It was Delicious! We then studied some more in the BUsiness center before meeting to go Ice Skating. We met the rest of the CHi Alpha gang and then rode in a large van over to the Sculpture Gardens. We went a really strange way that was much longer than needed, but it was fun to hang out with those people. Several of the people had never been Ice Skating before, so it was new and it took a while to catch on. We waited in line for a while in the cold and then finally got our stickers. You put the sticker somewhere that is always visible, and then you just skate. There are different colored stickers, so for every hour there can be 2 colors of stickers on the ice. You buy a pass for 2 hours, starting on the hour, so your pass will be good while 2 other sets of colors will be with you. One for the first hour, and then a new batch for the second hour. Before we skated, the Zamboni redid the ice, so it was really smooth as we skated at first. Then it got more and more scuffed up and eventually there was about 3/16ths of an inch of snow like material on the Ice. It was pretty fun, although it was organized. Everyone had to just go in circles. It was really great to Ice Skate again though, since it had been several years since I had done it.
After skating, we went into the building that was nearby. It had expensive food for sale and very delicious brownies! They were very good! Very chocolatey and gooey and wonderful! Anyway, I bought one of them after having tried someone's brownie. We sat in there for a while waiting for the last of the people that were on the ice and also just to get warm. It was about 20 degrees with 50% humidity, so it was pretty cold. We then rode back to Georgetown taking a faster route, and then Amy and I studied some more before I caught the Circulator bus to go to Du Pont Circle.
It was a very good day, and it was fun to Skate with Amy:)
Today, I woke up, got ready, and walked to Church with my French Horn. There are 2 trumpet players in the congregation as well, and we played some songs that were arranged for us. It sounded really awesome, and I was glad to play with them! We even sounded good... according to the around 8 people that talked to me after the service. Amy and I then waited around for a ride and are now studying in the Library. I finished all the work that I can do now, so I got distracted and will now have to get some more calculus to work on.
After playing ping pong, we went to the Leavy Center and got a Subway Sandwich... It was Delicious! We then studied some more in the BUsiness center before meeting to go Ice Skating. We met the rest of the CHi Alpha gang and then rode in a large van over to the Sculpture Gardens. We went a really strange way that was much longer than needed, but it was fun to hang out with those people. Several of the people had never been Ice Skating before, so it was new and it took a while to catch on. We waited in line for a while in the cold and then finally got our stickers. You put the sticker somewhere that is always visible, and then you just skate. There are different colored stickers, so for every hour there can be 2 colors of stickers on the ice. You buy a pass for 2 hours, starting on the hour, so your pass will be good while 2 other sets of colors will be with you. One for the first hour, and then a new batch for the second hour. Before we skated, the Zamboni redid the ice, so it was really smooth as we skated at first. Then it got more and more scuffed up and eventually there was about 3/16ths of an inch of snow like material on the Ice. It was pretty fun, although it was organized. Everyone had to just go in circles. It was really great to Ice Skate again though, since it had been several years since I had done it.
After skating, we went into the building that was nearby. It had expensive food for sale and very delicious brownies! They were very good! Very chocolatey and gooey and wonderful! Anyway, I bought one of them after having tried someone's brownie. We sat in there for a while waiting for the last of the people that were on the ice and also just to get warm. It was about 20 degrees with 50% humidity, so it was pretty cold. We then rode back to Georgetown taking a faster route, and then Amy and I studied some more before I caught the Circulator bus to go to Du Pont Circle.
It was a very good day, and it was fun to Skate with Amy:)
Today, I woke up, got ready, and walked to Church with my French Horn. There are 2 trumpet players in the congregation as well, and we played some songs that were arranged for us. It sounded really awesome, and I was glad to play with them! We even sounded good... according to the around 8 people that talked to me after the service. Amy and I then waited around for a ride and are now studying in the Library. I finished all the work that I can do now, so I got distracted and will now have to get some more calculus to work on.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Week number 2
I'm sorry for the very long delay in writing this blog, but this week was a fairly busy one, although good. On Monday, Amy and I went to the Arlington National Cemetery and saw the thousands of graves and the Tomb of the unknowns. We watched them change guard which was quite interesting. We also saw General Robert E. Lee's house which is in the Cemetery. We then went to the mall to look around, because it is an awesome mall and I went there for that mall assignment for my sociology class. I just wanted to show her. Anyway, we walked and walked all day and were pretty tired by the end of the day. It started raining on my scooter ride home, and it eventually turned to snow/sleet.
Because of the previous day's weather, everyone received an email telling them that everything on campus was canceled until 11 in the Morning, because of the ice. When I went outside to my first class, now at 11:20, I noticed the large amount of ice. There was about a quarter of an inch on everything including the trees and bicycles... Anything that was exposed to the weather. The rest of my classes were alright that day, and then, for the first time I had band and choir. I went to band first and discovered that I was first chair!!! But, I don't think it made the best of relationships between me and the former first chair, especially since I couldn't sight read the music given to us very well. I have lots of rests... After that, I went to Choir, which was AWESOME! We are singing Shenandoah and some other songs, and everyone in there can sing very well, so it is really fun. There are even some community members there, which were part of the Tenor 2's like me. THe music is really fun for the most part, but it also goes really high! I can't sing a G, but it frequently goes up there. We'll see how that goes.
The rest of my week was normal also, until on Friday, I went down to Georgetown. They have something called Friday Food, where we make lunches and then go to Du Ponte Circle to hand them out. There were only 6 of us this time, and since it was really cold, we didn't make as many as the usually do, because fewer homeless people would likely be out. We went there, and it took us quite a while to find anyone. We found one that looked like he was possibly homeless, so we followed him for a ways. He was just walking, possibly to stay warm, but when I finally asked him if he wanted some food, he said, "No Food," and kept on walking. The main point of the program is to get out there and show them that someone cares. They can get food other places if they want, but we were mainly supposed to talk to them. Since he was on the move, it didn't really work. Amy found this one guy that was asking for money on the sidewalk, and gave him the food and tried to tlak, but it was just awkward and didn't last for that long. It was really cold, so we were trying to find people to give the food to, so I gave mine to a guy selling "Street Cents" newspaper, one made by the homeless for the homeless. I didn't think it would work for me to talk much, since he was working at his job of selling papers, but I did give him some food.
Anyway, we studied some more and then had some Macaroni and cheese with beef pieces in it, and then watched Grease. The food was good, and it was really nice to get back inside. Now, I'm going to go to Georgetown and we are going to do lots more homework! I'll try to write again sooner than this time.
Travis
Because of the previous day's weather, everyone received an email telling them that everything on campus was canceled until 11 in the Morning, because of the ice. When I went outside to my first class, now at 11:20, I noticed the large amount of ice. There was about a quarter of an inch on everything including the trees and bicycles... Anything that was exposed to the weather. The rest of my classes were alright that day, and then, for the first time I had band and choir. I went to band first and discovered that I was first chair!!! But, I don't think it made the best of relationships between me and the former first chair, especially since I couldn't sight read the music given to us very well. I have lots of rests... After that, I went to Choir, which was AWESOME! We are singing Shenandoah and some other songs, and everyone in there can sing very well, so it is really fun. There are even some community members there, which were part of the Tenor 2's like me. THe music is really fun for the most part, but it also goes really high! I can't sing a G, but it frequently goes up there. We'll see how that goes.
The rest of my week was normal also, until on Friday, I went down to Georgetown. They have something called Friday Food, where we make lunches and then go to Du Ponte Circle to hand them out. There were only 6 of us this time, and since it was really cold, we didn't make as many as the usually do, because fewer homeless people would likely be out. We went there, and it took us quite a while to find anyone. We found one that looked like he was possibly homeless, so we followed him for a ways. He was just walking, possibly to stay warm, but when I finally asked him if he wanted some food, he said, "No Food," and kept on walking. The main point of the program is to get out there and show them that someone cares. They can get food other places if they want, but we were mainly supposed to talk to them. Since he was on the move, it didn't really work. Amy found this one guy that was asking for money on the sidewalk, and gave him the food and tried to tlak, but it was just awkward and didn't last for that long. It was really cold, so we were trying to find people to give the food to, so I gave mine to a guy selling "Street Cents" newspaper, one made by the homeless for the homeless. I didn't think it would work for me to talk much, since he was working at his job of selling papers, but I did give him some food.
Anyway, we studied some more and then had some Macaroni and cheese with beef pieces in it, and then watched Grease. The food was good, and it was really nice to get back inside. Now, I'm going to go to Georgetown and we are going to do lots more homework! I'll try to write again sooner than this time.
Travis
Sunday, January 16, 2011
The weekend/ scooter fun!
So far, classes have been good, and on Friday, I realized that the History class won't be as boring as I had originally thought. I found it pretty interesting, and took notes like crazy on my laptop. I typed over 1500 words during class! Just on notes. I do, however, take notes in complete sentences for the most part, which would increase the word output, but I find that if I don't I just get too confused. Anyway, after classes on Friday, I walked down to Georgetown again. I met Amy in her dorm and we studied a while before going to her Auditions! She was super nervous, but did well, I imagine:) She even thought she did well, so I bet it was excellent! Spoiler... Anyway, she did get call backs for one of the plays, but she wasn't called back for the play she really wanted:( Tonight, Sunday, she has her call back for Suddenly Last Summer by Tennessee Williams. Anyway, we did a bit of homework, since there was some time between the auditions and the Movie.
We were going to go to the Movie, Social Network, at 7:30, but it was canceled due to technology problems. It was the movie this week at Georgetown and was free:) The movie itself was really good and was about the creation of Facebook by Mark Zuckerberg. He was cast in a pretty bad light in the movie, so I looked it up and found out that much of it was exaggerated. We were ready to watch it at 7:30, but since it wasn't available, we just waited in the building in which it was to be held, and worked on homework for a while. Some of the girls from Chi Alpha were leaving the building, so we talked to them for a little while. It was nice to see some people we knew. Anyway, Brooke told us about a funny video to watch called Ellen Degeneres Here and Now. It is really funny, but we only watched part of it.
We had been taking turns riding Amy's scooter around, since she had had it shipped here. It is pretty fun to ride. The reason I said that was that I then used it to ride home after the movie which got over late! It was a lot faster than walking, or even running, but it gets your legs really tired. I had also received a a text earlier that day saying that my scooter had come in! So, after I was really tired and sweaty from the ride back, I quickly unpacked my box as soon as I could get it to my room. It was tricky to get it there however, since I was carrying Amy's scooter in one hand and the huge 4x1.5x1 in the other. I also had my back pack, so I looked pretty awkward! So I realized that it was pretty awesome as soon as I unpacked it, and was excited to ride it to georgetown the following morning.
On Saturday, I woke up as early as I could, given that I went to bed fairly late, and then went to the Ace Hardware at Tenleytown. It is in the basement by THE CONTAINER STORE parking garage. The reason for my visit to the hardware store was to get some Allen Wrenches to adjust the scooter. So, basically, I had to ride all the way up to Tenleytown, then all the way down Wisconsin and onto 37th to go to Georgetown. It was a good first ride though. I met Amy at the Library and gave her her scooter that I had carried awkwardly in my backpack, and then we studied for a while. We then checked the Drama building several times for the call back postings mentioned earlier and then studied there a while when we found them no where in sight. That whole day, we must have looked quite silly riding around on our scooters all over campus. It isn't at all common to see them around, especially two of them. We got several compliments, but more chucklings as we whizzed by them. I think deep down they were just jealous that they couldn't get around as fast as we could:P So, after finally learning of the call back information, we went to the Leavey Center and watched the rest of Here and Now on Youtube. I then rode My scooter home and it was 22 minutes from the time I left Georgetown to the time I was back at my dorm... 7.8 mph! And it is mostly uphill to get back to American! I was pretty tired, but It was definitely worth it to get the scooter, as it is good exercise and greatly reduces the amount of time to a destination.
Today, I rode my scooter to Church and Amy rode hers, then we rode back to American and studied for a while, I mainly working on my mastering Physics and she reading history. We had some Ritz and Tuna and a can of fruit for lunch and then went to eat at my dining hall for dinner. I just realized how much good food they always have there! There was fried Chicken, and then soup. Also, they just have pizza too, and always something that I like. There was a baked potato bar too, but by the time I saw it, my plate was full, and I knew my stomach would be also. We had a good dinner and then Amy took her scooter and rode back to Georgetown. Her audition is at 8, so from 6:30 until 8, she gets to practice her southern drawl:)
We have been working hard on our homework on Saturday and Sunday, so we can have a fun day on Amy's day off. American has MLK day off as well, but I don't have classes on Monday, so it doesn't do me any added good. We are going to the Arlington National Cemetery, and the Pentagon City mall. We may also see the National Cathedral, but I'm not sure yet.
We were going to go to the Movie, Social Network, at 7:30, but it was canceled due to technology problems. It was the movie this week at Georgetown and was free:) The movie itself was really good and was about the creation of Facebook by Mark Zuckerberg. He was cast in a pretty bad light in the movie, so I looked it up and found out that much of it was exaggerated. We were ready to watch it at 7:30, but since it wasn't available, we just waited in the building in which it was to be held, and worked on homework for a while. Some of the girls from Chi Alpha were leaving the building, so we talked to them for a little while. It was nice to see some people we knew. Anyway, Brooke told us about a funny video to watch called Ellen Degeneres Here and Now. It is really funny, but we only watched part of it.
We had been taking turns riding Amy's scooter around, since she had had it shipped here. It is pretty fun to ride. The reason I said that was that I then used it to ride home after the movie which got over late! It was a lot faster than walking, or even running, but it gets your legs really tired. I had also received a a text earlier that day saying that my scooter had come in! So, after I was really tired and sweaty from the ride back, I quickly unpacked my box as soon as I could get it to my room. It was tricky to get it there however, since I was carrying Amy's scooter in one hand and the huge 4x1.5x1 in the other. I also had my back pack, so I looked pretty awkward! So I realized that it was pretty awesome as soon as I unpacked it, and was excited to ride it to georgetown the following morning.
On Saturday, I woke up as early as I could, given that I went to bed fairly late, and then went to the Ace Hardware at Tenleytown. It is in the basement by THE CONTAINER STORE parking garage. The reason for my visit to the hardware store was to get some Allen Wrenches to adjust the scooter. So, basically, I had to ride all the way up to Tenleytown, then all the way down Wisconsin and onto 37th to go to Georgetown. It was a good first ride though. I met Amy at the Library and gave her her scooter that I had carried awkwardly in my backpack, and then we studied for a while. We then checked the Drama building several times for the call back postings mentioned earlier and then studied there a while when we found them no where in sight. That whole day, we must have looked quite silly riding around on our scooters all over campus. It isn't at all common to see them around, especially two of them. We got several compliments, but more chucklings as we whizzed by them. I think deep down they were just jealous that they couldn't get around as fast as we could:P So, after finally learning of the call back information, we went to the Leavey Center and watched the rest of Here and Now on Youtube. I then rode My scooter home and it was 22 minutes from the time I left Georgetown to the time I was back at my dorm... 7.8 mph! And it is mostly uphill to get back to American! I was pretty tired, but It was definitely worth it to get the scooter, as it is good exercise and greatly reduces the amount of time to a destination.
Today, I rode my scooter to Church and Amy rode hers, then we rode back to American and studied for a while, I mainly working on my mastering Physics and she reading history. We had some Ritz and Tuna and a can of fruit for lunch and then went to eat at my dining hall for dinner. I just realized how much good food they always have there! There was fried Chicken, and then soup. Also, they just have pizza too, and always something that I like. There was a baked potato bar too, but by the time I saw it, my plate was full, and I knew my stomach would be also. We had a good dinner and then Amy took her scooter and rode back to Georgetown. Her audition is at 8, so from 6:30 until 8, she gets to practice her southern drawl:)
We have been working hard on our homework on Saturday and Sunday, so we can have a fun day on Amy's day off. American has MLK day off as well, but I don't have classes on Monday, so it doesn't do me any added good. We are going to the Arlington National Cemetery, and the Pentagon City mall. We may also see the National Cathedral, but I'm not sure yet.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
The first week (or most of it) of classes.
I'll just give you a brief of my classes. So, This semester I am taking for sure Physics 2, Calculus 2, European History, and Global Marketplace.
About the professors: The first class I had on Tuesday morning was Physics. I have Jessica Uscinski as my professor, and I fear that she will not be quite as good as Professor Johnson was. She is a nice lady, but teaches a lot out of the book so far. I also had her once as a sub for Phil, and she taught similarly in there. The grading in Physics 2 will be similar to the grading in Physics 1, as my grade is comprised of 2 tests, a final, class participation, labs, and homework. I was a little too tired to appreciate the teaching I think also.
The next class I had was Calculus 2. Professor Lansky teaches it and I originally thought that it was going to be a little boring, but again, I was just tired and it actually was a little boring, because it was review. The grades in Calculus will be homework, tests, and a final. He is a nice handsome man and got the hot chili pepper rating on rate my professor for being good looking. I walked with him a little ways after class on Wednesday, and he asked me about my classes. I think I will like him.
My next class was somewhat strange in the time leading up to the class, because I had been expecting Professor Lohse who wasn't rated all that well, but then on backboard, I was listed under a section that had a really good teacher. So I got my hopes up a little bit and then realized as I appeared in class that it was actually the Professor who had posted the syllabus and not the other one who was listed on the roster. She is very knowledgeable about the material, but at least on my very tired first day of class, she presented the introduction in the most boring way possible. She read in a monotone voice directly off her notes. I think that I'll eventually like her better, but it might take some time. Another thing that didn't help the presentation was the fact that every sentence she said was said in such a way that it appeared that she was on the verge of tears. ratemyprofessors.com had said that she seemed shy, and I guess that is the thing to which they were referring.
My next class was my block class (2classes in a row, but only once a week) and my professor was gone because of a snow storm, so the head of the International Business department was there instead. I think the class has the potential to be somewhat interesting, but it sounds like he is a very though grader and almost everyone does poorly until the end when he curves everything.
Lab was pretty good this morning, and I have the same lab instructor as last Semester. He is tall and somewhat funny. I also think he has a last name that would barely fit on the standardized tests. His name is David Friedlander-holm. He signed up to do an Iron man competition, except it is a generic one and is a lot cheaper, but the distances are the same. He said that people doing those competitions burn about 20,000 calories in a day! He was a swimmer in college so that part will be easy for him, but he said he would be practicing for it on his spring break. It was really nice, because that was my only class on Thursday!
I also auditioned for two musical things. I auditioned for the Winds Ensemble on Tuesday and met the instructor for that class. I had been practicing my French horn over the Christmas break and I brought it out here in my duffel bag/suitcase. It took up a lot of room, so I was glad that I'll be able to play in the band! He seems pretty nice, and said I'll get a part for sure, but he doesn't know which one yet. I auditioned for choir today and didn't have to prepare anything. I just went in there and sung some arpeggios and such to establish my range. Then she played some notes in succession and I had to sing them back to her. It was pretty easy. Then the most challenging part was the sight reading, since I was by myself and didn't have Torey to listen to. She gave me the starting pitch and then I had to sing the 3 lined song. I just missed one note, going down a 3rd rather than a 5th, but she still said I was great and that I was a definite "yes." I will be singing Tenor 2 for a while, but may drop the class if I get too busy. The community can sing in the ensemble, so she said that most of the other Tenor 2s were community members, so I won't meet many friends that way, but hopefully some...
In my classes... Hmm, in Physics we are studying Harmonic motion, like springs and pendulums and such. THere are lots of equations to go along with that. In the lab today, we used the fact that the period of a pendulum swinging is equal to the square root of the length of the string divided by the gravity to calculate the gravity on earth. We only had a 1 percent error for one of the methods, so we are doing pretty well I think. In European History, I read a book called Giovanni and Lusanna and it is about the marriage laws of Florence in the 1400s. It was a really short book and was pretty interesting. The reason that this particular book came about was that it was one of the most closely documented court cases of the time. In calculus we are reviewing integrals, and will then move on to more difficult integral calculations. In business, I had to read several articles from the Harvard Business School Review. I didn't exactly understand them, but one was discussing different types of arbitrages. Its basically taking advantage of some aspect of a region whether it be culture, geography, or economics, and using that to make a profit.
I had been looking at a scooter to buy, because it is fairly portable and would assist in my travels to Georgetown, and I bought it as soon as I had returned here last Saturday. I just received the confirmation email that it had shipped, so I will hopefully get it soon. It is a razor scooter but has big 8 inch wheels:)
That's all for now.
Travis
About the professors: The first class I had on Tuesday morning was Physics. I have Jessica Uscinski as my professor, and I fear that she will not be quite as good as Professor Johnson was. She is a nice lady, but teaches a lot out of the book so far. I also had her once as a sub for Phil, and she taught similarly in there. The grading in Physics 2 will be similar to the grading in Physics 1, as my grade is comprised of 2 tests, a final, class participation, labs, and homework. I was a little too tired to appreciate the teaching I think also.
The next class I had was Calculus 2. Professor Lansky teaches it and I originally thought that it was going to be a little boring, but again, I was just tired and it actually was a little boring, because it was review. The grades in Calculus will be homework, tests, and a final. He is a nice handsome man and got the hot chili pepper rating on rate my professor for being good looking. I walked with him a little ways after class on Wednesday, and he asked me about my classes. I think I will like him.
My next class was somewhat strange in the time leading up to the class, because I had been expecting Professor Lohse who wasn't rated all that well, but then on backboard, I was listed under a section that had a really good teacher. So I got my hopes up a little bit and then realized as I appeared in class that it was actually the Professor who had posted the syllabus and not the other one who was listed on the roster. She is very knowledgeable about the material, but at least on my very tired first day of class, she presented the introduction in the most boring way possible. She read in a monotone voice directly off her notes. I think that I'll eventually like her better, but it might take some time. Another thing that didn't help the presentation was the fact that every sentence she said was said in such a way that it appeared that she was on the verge of tears. ratemyprofessors.com had said that she seemed shy, and I guess that is the thing to which they were referring.
My next class was my block class (2classes in a row, but only once a week) and my professor was gone because of a snow storm, so the head of the International Business department was there instead. I think the class has the potential to be somewhat interesting, but it sounds like he is a very though grader and almost everyone does poorly until the end when he curves everything.
Lab was pretty good this morning, and I have the same lab instructor as last Semester. He is tall and somewhat funny. I also think he has a last name that would barely fit on the standardized tests. His name is David Friedlander-holm. He signed up to do an Iron man competition, except it is a generic one and is a lot cheaper, but the distances are the same. He said that people doing those competitions burn about 20,000 calories in a day! He was a swimmer in college so that part will be easy for him, but he said he would be practicing for it on his spring break. It was really nice, because that was my only class on Thursday!
I also auditioned for two musical things. I auditioned for the Winds Ensemble on Tuesday and met the instructor for that class. I had been practicing my French horn over the Christmas break and I brought it out here in my duffel bag/suitcase. It took up a lot of room, so I was glad that I'll be able to play in the band! He seems pretty nice, and said I'll get a part for sure, but he doesn't know which one yet. I auditioned for choir today and didn't have to prepare anything. I just went in there and sung some arpeggios and such to establish my range. Then she played some notes in succession and I had to sing them back to her. It was pretty easy. Then the most challenging part was the sight reading, since I was by myself and didn't have Torey to listen to. She gave me the starting pitch and then I had to sing the 3 lined song. I just missed one note, going down a 3rd rather than a 5th, but she still said I was great and that I was a definite "yes." I will be singing Tenor 2 for a while, but may drop the class if I get too busy. The community can sing in the ensemble, so she said that most of the other Tenor 2s were community members, so I won't meet many friends that way, but hopefully some...
In my classes... Hmm, in Physics we are studying Harmonic motion, like springs and pendulums and such. THere are lots of equations to go along with that. In the lab today, we used the fact that the period of a pendulum swinging is equal to the square root of the length of the string divided by the gravity to calculate the gravity on earth. We only had a 1 percent error for one of the methods, so we are doing pretty well I think. In European History, I read a book called Giovanni and Lusanna and it is about the marriage laws of Florence in the 1400s. It was a really short book and was pretty interesting. The reason that this particular book came about was that it was one of the most closely documented court cases of the time. In calculus we are reviewing integrals, and will then move on to more difficult integral calculations. In business, I had to read several articles from the Harvard Business School Review. I didn't exactly understand them, but one was discussing different types of arbitrages. Its basically taking advantage of some aspect of a region whether it be culture, geography, or economics, and using that to make a profit.
I had been looking at a scooter to buy, because it is fairly portable and would assist in my travels to Georgetown, and I bought it as soon as I had returned here last Saturday. I just received the confirmation email that it had shipped, so I will hopefully get it soon. It is a razor scooter but has big 8 inch wheels:)
That's all for now.
Travis
Getting behind already...
So, I'll just write about Monday so I'm a tiny bit caught up. I think tomorrow I will have some more time to write since my class gets done at 11 am and that is all I have.
So, Monday, let's see...
I slept in a while on Monday and then got all of my things ready for classes which started on Tuesday. I then was anxiously hearing about Amy's travel plans. I can't remember too much of what happened, because I was mostly excited to see Amy in the afternoon... when her plane was supposed to arrive... So, I waited around for quite a while in the morning and then talked to Amy about her flight. It turns out that in Bozeman, they couldn't start the heater car that would warm the engine of the jets so they could get up to speed. Amy was supposed to leave Bozeman at 6:25am, but she texted me later and said that the plane was freezing (it had been outside all night and the heater car wasn't working) and that they were still waiting for the car. They finally took off at 9:20 or so and as a result, she was quite late getting into SLC. Her plane arrived at about 10:31, and the departing flight left at 10:30, so she missed it. Bah Humbug! So the next soonest arrival time as opposed to the scheduled 4:30 was 10:58pm. She flew through St. Louis, and then finally got here a bit later. I met her at the airport and then helped her carry her bags. It was about 1:30 by the time I finally fell asleep, and I slept as long as I could before my classes of the following day!
So, Monday, let's see...
I slept in a while on Monday and then got all of my things ready for classes which started on Tuesday. I then was anxiously hearing about Amy's travel plans. I can't remember too much of what happened, because I was mostly excited to see Amy in the afternoon... when her plane was supposed to arrive... So, I waited around for quite a while in the morning and then talked to Amy about her flight. It turns out that in Bozeman, they couldn't start the heater car that would warm the engine of the jets so they could get up to speed. Amy was supposed to leave Bozeman at 6:25am, but she texted me later and said that the plane was freezing (it had been outside all night and the heater car wasn't working) and that they were still waiting for the car. They finally took off at 9:20 or so and as a result, she was quite late getting into SLC. Her plane arrived at about 10:31, and the departing flight left at 10:30, so she missed it. Bah Humbug! So the next soonest arrival time as opposed to the scheduled 4:30 was 10:58pm. She flew through St. Louis, and then finally got here a bit later. I met her at the airport and then helped her carry her bags. It was about 1:30 by the time I finally fell asleep, and I slept as long as I could before my classes of the following day!
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Back in DC
Saturday came all to fast and I found myself packed and ready to leave. By that, I mean that the day had come for my return flight to DC, but I didn't actually want to leave... Ok so we woke at the bright and early hour of 5 O'Clock, stumbled around a bit, and headed to Belgrade to go to the airport. I left my family once again, and cried a little to myself, but I knew that it would be OK in the end! I really do like American University as a matter of fact, but it was greatly clouded by my less than eagerness to leave my family once again. I made it through security without incident, so my family left the airport to do some shopping. Erica, Mom, and Dad had come to the airport with me, but Darcy had a basketball game that evening, so she didn't want to be too tired. My flight was very choppy for the first 10 or 15 minutes of the 57 we were airborn on the flight to Salt Lake City. While unloading the plane, I wasn't in a hurry, because I had an hour and a half until my final flight to Reagan National. As I arrived in the terminal however, I looked at the board, and my flight, 1950, had been delayed due to a late plane arriving. This was fine with me, since I had grown to like this airport since my cancellations on the way home. I waited, but since my flight had been delayed, I thought that the lunch my mother had lovingly packed for me would be insufficient, therefore, I bought one of the best cinnamon rolls in existence! Cinnabon!!!!!! :D After I had finished the cinnamon roll, the lady at the gate at which I was waiting announced that all of the people on my flight would be awarded meal vouchers for 6 dollars to be spent at any place offering food... So, had I waited just 30 minutes, I could have had my Cinnamon roll for free, but alas... I needed to spend 6 dollars More on food:) So, I bought some delicious tortilla soup at the closest restaurant to my gate. I then saved my moms lunch until later:) Anyway, my plane left at 11:55 am instead of 10:30, but I still arrived at Reagan by 6 pm:)
On the flight, they served us food and beverages twice, and I had Biscoff cookies and Sprite each time. They also had screens in the back of the seats, so each person could watch TV or play purchased games. I played the only free game, which was a trivia game played between the members of the plane. Gail, who was sitting 3 rows back and in the right window seat won each time, but I was never last and usually got 3rd out of 5 or so people. I also read some more of my Etiquette for Dummies which I started in the SLC airport. After a fairly long flight, it seemed as though we would land right in the potomac river, but we flew a little further and landed on the runway, just as it should have been.
I carried my backpack and carry-on and then waited for my large bag on the baggage claim. I them made my way outside to the Metro stop. There was a train waiting there, but I had forgotten which station was at the end of the line in the direction I needed to go, so I missed the train. Then I waited 10 minutes in the chilly weather and caught the next one. Travel travel, blah blah... Bam! I made it back to my room while dragging all of my belongings in my 90 pounds of baggage. I then paused a moment in my nice clean room before I began to unpack and dirty it once again. I unpacked everything and put them in their proper places and then decided I would go for a run. I jogged over to the fitness center only to discover that it was closed... OK, so I then ran around the perimeter of campus and went back to my dorm to get my books.
Well, as it often happens, I forgot to tell you about my attempts at getting my books. I had received an email notifying me of my mail, so I went to the front desk to pick up the books I had ordered for my Spring classes. I noticed an error message on the card-swiper, but I still told her my room number and that I had 6 packages. She retrieved them and then scanned them in, but I couldn't swipe my card, so I couldn't receive them. She told me to come back later in 5 or 10 minutes while she restarted the computer to see if that would help. It didn't. I came back, and she told me that it would be a while more. I THEN went for my little run and then picked them up on the way back.
I watched a SNL episode and got game updates from Amy of the Basketball game in Whitehall. I then went to bed. (They switched the bathrooms back to how they had been originally, by the way.)
Today, I woke up, got ready, and went to church. It was somewhat nice to be back, and I especially enjoyed the brisk 20 minute walk! I would have rather had one more Sunday at Home, but anyway, that wasn't possible. After Church, I stayed around and talked, which wasn't usual, because I normally have tons of work to do, but it worked out this time. Then, Brett, this Medical student that is now going to Cambridge (in England), and I went to Lilian and Warren's house for lunch. I'm not exactly sure how he came to be at the church, but I think he lived in DC before College (he knew all the good places to eat on the drive to their house through Bethesda) and had come back to church while he was here for his research. We talked a while and watched an amazing play in the Seahawk's victory over the Saints. This guy ran a 70 yard touchdown by breaking 6 tackles and nearly stumbling once or twice!! We had vegetarian lasagna and some black-eyed pea salad. For desert we had some pumpkin tea bread:) It was really good!
After lunch, I got a ride to the Bethesda Metro Station and then rode it to Columbia Heights to go shopping! I went to Target, and it was packed by the way. I wondered around for quite a while to find the random things I needed and then stumbled upon the Christmas Sale items... Not a good Idea. Anyway, I was forced into buying a lot of candy, because I simply couldn't afford not to get it. I got 5 large Dots boxes and 5 Gobstoppers boxes all for ............................. $.90! I also got a chocolate advent calender for only $.30:) Anyway, I found lots of deals and had a good time shopping. I was out of there in about 2.5 hours and made it back to my room by 7! That was basically my whole day. Now, I'm sitting at my computer and I'm looking up my class information for Tuesday. I have to sign up for my audition tomorrow as well... It will be sometime Tuesday evening.
I'm sorry I haven't written in nearly a month, but here was my vacation for the most part. I went to some Whitehall Basketball games. I went out to eat with Amy and her dad several times. I opened presents at my house and got some cool gifts. (A super adjustable wireless computer mouse, a great duffel bag for coming back to DC, some money, some gift cards to Subway and Hastings:P, a tie, some socks, gummy bears, a nice sweater, a recycled hat made from plastic yarn, some ritz crackers and sausage that are really compact for my dorm, a Daily Bread Book from my church, a book about Jesus's time from the perspective of a follower, some sweet zen magnets, 216 magnets that can be shaped in many ways) I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but that is all I can think of at the moment. I apologize to those whose gifts weren't mentioned, but I really did appreciate them! I went skiing, and helped my dad shovel snow. I also input some patient data for the medical clinic. I helped my family put up some shelves/clean the garage, cut and stack wood, build some DVD cases for our basement, replace some bike tires and move the unneeded ones out of the warehouse. I also went to some hot springs, once with Amy to Norris, and another time to Fairmont with Amy, Marina and her boyfriend Jordan, and Kayla and Carl. It was a good vacation, but it didn't seem quite long enough to me.
On the flight, they served us food and beverages twice, and I had Biscoff cookies and Sprite each time. They also had screens in the back of the seats, so each person could watch TV or play purchased games. I played the only free game, which was a trivia game played between the members of the plane. Gail, who was sitting 3 rows back and in the right window seat won each time, but I was never last and usually got 3rd out of 5 or so people. I also read some more of my Etiquette for Dummies which I started in the SLC airport. After a fairly long flight, it seemed as though we would land right in the potomac river, but we flew a little further and landed on the runway, just as it should have been.
I carried my backpack and carry-on and then waited for my large bag on the baggage claim. I them made my way outside to the Metro stop. There was a train waiting there, but I had forgotten which station was at the end of the line in the direction I needed to go, so I missed the train. Then I waited 10 minutes in the chilly weather and caught the next one. Travel travel, blah blah... Bam! I made it back to my room while dragging all of my belongings in my 90 pounds of baggage. I then paused a moment in my nice clean room before I began to unpack and dirty it once again. I unpacked everything and put them in their proper places and then decided I would go for a run. I jogged over to the fitness center only to discover that it was closed... OK, so I then ran around the perimeter of campus and went back to my dorm to get my books.
Well, as it often happens, I forgot to tell you about my attempts at getting my books. I had received an email notifying me of my mail, so I went to the front desk to pick up the books I had ordered for my Spring classes. I noticed an error message on the card-swiper, but I still told her my room number and that I had 6 packages. She retrieved them and then scanned them in, but I couldn't swipe my card, so I couldn't receive them. She told me to come back later in 5 or 10 minutes while she restarted the computer to see if that would help. It didn't. I came back, and she told me that it would be a while more. I THEN went for my little run and then picked them up on the way back.
I watched a SNL episode and got game updates from Amy of the Basketball game in Whitehall. I then went to bed. (They switched the bathrooms back to how they had been originally, by the way.)
Today, I woke up, got ready, and went to church. It was somewhat nice to be back, and I especially enjoyed the brisk 20 minute walk! I would have rather had one more Sunday at Home, but anyway, that wasn't possible. After Church, I stayed around and talked, which wasn't usual, because I normally have tons of work to do, but it worked out this time. Then, Brett, this Medical student that is now going to Cambridge (in England), and I went to Lilian and Warren's house for lunch. I'm not exactly sure how he came to be at the church, but I think he lived in DC before College (he knew all the good places to eat on the drive to their house through Bethesda) and had come back to church while he was here for his research. We talked a while and watched an amazing play in the Seahawk's victory over the Saints. This guy ran a 70 yard touchdown by breaking 6 tackles and nearly stumbling once or twice!! We had vegetarian lasagna and some black-eyed pea salad. For desert we had some pumpkin tea bread:) It was really good!
After lunch, I got a ride to the Bethesda Metro Station and then rode it to Columbia Heights to go shopping! I went to Target, and it was packed by the way. I wondered around for quite a while to find the random things I needed and then stumbled upon the Christmas Sale items... Not a good Idea. Anyway, I was forced into buying a lot of candy, because I simply couldn't afford not to get it. I got 5 large Dots boxes and 5 Gobstoppers boxes all for ............................. $.90! I also got a chocolate advent calender for only $.30:) Anyway, I found lots of deals and had a good time shopping. I was out of there in about 2.5 hours and made it back to my room by 7! That was basically my whole day. Now, I'm sitting at my computer and I'm looking up my class information for Tuesday. I have to sign up for my audition tomorrow as well... It will be sometime Tuesday evening.
I'm sorry I haven't written in nearly a month, but here was my vacation for the most part. I went to some Whitehall Basketball games. I went out to eat with Amy and her dad several times. I opened presents at my house and got some cool gifts. (A super adjustable wireless computer mouse, a great duffel bag for coming back to DC, some money, some gift cards to Subway and Hastings:P, a tie, some socks, gummy bears, a nice sweater, a recycled hat made from plastic yarn, some ritz crackers and sausage that are really compact for my dorm, a Daily Bread Book from my church, a book about Jesus's time from the perspective of a follower, some sweet zen magnets, 216 magnets that can be shaped in many ways) I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but that is all I can think of at the moment. I apologize to those whose gifts weren't mentioned, but I really did appreciate them! I went skiing, and helped my dad shovel snow. I also input some patient data for the medical clinic. I helped my family put up some shelves/clean the garage, cut and stack wood, build some DVD cases for our basement, replace some bike tires and move the unneeded ones out of the warehouse. I also went to some hot springs, once with Amy to Norris, and another time to Fairmont with Amy, Marina and her boyfriend Jordan, and Kayla and Carl. It was a good vacation, but it didn't seem quite long enough to me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)