Dear Aunt Elaine
Actually, sharing meals was mostly Clinton's idea. I'm still getting settled in to living here, so this week I'm trying harder to cook regular meals. Once that happens I'll worry seriously about meal costs, but yes the plan was to allocate dues based on the cost of each meal (based off the Man/Meal tally sheet from the Impoverished Student's Handbook).
As for school, it's going well, I just need to get caught up on homework (or at least not fall so far behind that I'm missing due dates). I'm taking Japanese 101, which is exciting because I was unsatisfied with my Japanese class in high school (excellent teacher but it was getting phased out so I got passed on to the second year without really being competent). I'm also taking Calc II, which will be interesting because Calc I was mostly review for me, so this year I'll be learning more advanced integration techniques. Linear algebra is really easy so far, but it's a bit weird. I can't really predict where it's going, so I don't know how it's going to get more complex from here, but we'll see. Chem I've got my reservations about. Chem is generally confusing at best, but according to Cole (a friend of mine from AHS) we got a remarkably good chem education, so again I'll wait and see. I'm also taking a CAD class (required for an ME degree) and learning to use Solidworks. I learned to use Autodesk Inventor through Skunkworks, and already I much prefer Inventor over Solidworks. Mostly I just prefer the layout, it's much more intuitive. Solidworks tries to do too much for the user without giving them the option to do it themselves, and relies too much on adaptive windows and toolbars (ie. toolbars that change based on what's selected or what you are doing), while Inventor doesn't change it's toolbars much, and doesn't seem to worry so much about organization. According to Clinton, Inventor uses better physics engines when it's making analyses, but honestly I never learned how to use those tools.
As far as coming home, I'm thinking about trying to get home this next weekend. There's some things I'd like to get from there (like a proper soup-pot), but I suspect that I'll opt not too. Sometime soon I'll have to track down the dates of all the school breaks, but navigating the school website is a pain unique to recruitment and bureaucracy.
- Jay
P.S. You're officially getting more info about school from me than Mum does, so I'm going to copy/paste some of this to the blog she has me writing for that purpose. Hope that's not a problem.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Displacement
Looking out the window of the library just now, the grey sky obscures a distant hill enough that, as it rises above the Palouse, I immediately mistook it for an island. Then reality set in and I knew what I wanted to write about.
I really miss Seattle. I know I complain about living here all the time, and generally it's jokes and hyperbole, but there's more than a grain of truth to it all. I complain about the lack of trees here, and everybody says "but there's trees here!" and I say there aren't. WSU is an island in the middle of a desert. I can see the edge of it from where I'm sitting now. That's not a way to live. If I'm being honest, the general tree saturation here isn't all that different than, say, my neighborhood, but in Seattle you get patches of unused land filled with trees. Here, the trees are corralled and kempt, and if they weren't watered they would likely die. I miss the air back home. I miss not having my mouth and throat constantly dry. Every time I inhale, my nose burns with the dry air, scented by dry, lacquered wood. I especially miss the Sound. Not that I saw it all that often, or that I would think about it or take note very often, but suddenly I have a great urge to see it.
What I don't miss is living at home. I truly enjoy being able to see a mess in the living room, or in my room, or in ANY room, and being able to tackle it on my own without worrying about who's stuff I was misplacing. I like cooking for myself, and shopping for myself, and I really like having the initiative to do it on my own, because when I'm at home I can feel myself turning off.
I know that my present plan is going to take me very far away from home, and that's got me thinking; when does home stop being that house beside the school? Say I do get into JPL. Say I'm happy working there. California is damn far apart from Seattle, both physically and environmentally. At the risk of invoking the demon of Klishay, home is where the heart is, and my heart is definitely in Seattle, so does this mean I'm just doomed to be perpetually discontent by my environment? What about the long term? Can I plan on retiring there? I'd honestly love to become a teacher at AHS one day, but it's my impression that people generally settle down where they land. Maybe I find somewhere I like more than Seattle.
There's not too much point to this train of thought, but it does tend to make me very thirsty.
I really miss Seattle. I know I complain about living here all the time, and generally it's jokes and hyperbole, but there's more than a grain of truth to it all. I complain about the lack of trees here, and everybody says "but there's trees here!" and I say there aren't. WSU is an island in the middle of a desert. I can see the edge of it from where I'm sitting now. That's not a way to live. If I'm being honest, the general tree saturation here isn't all that different than, say, my neighborhood, but in Seattle you get patches of unused land filled with trees. Here, the trees are corralled and kempt, and if they weren't watered they would likely die. I miss the air back home. I miss not having my mouth and throat constantly dry. Every time I inhale, my nose burns with the dry air, scented by dry, lacquered wood. I especially miss the Sound. Not that I saw it all that often, or that I would think about it or take note very often, but suddenly I have a great urge to see it.
What I don't miss is living at home. I truly enjoy being able to see a mess in the living room, or in my room, or in ANY room, and being able to tackle it on my own without worrying about who's stuff I was misplacing. I like cooking for myself, and shopping for myself, and I really like having the initiative to do it on my own, because when I'm at home I can feel myself turning off.
I know that my present plan is going to take me very far away from home, and that's got me thinking; when does home stop being that house beside the school? Say I do get into JPL. Say I'm happy working there. California is damn far apart from Seattle, both physically and environmentally. At the risk of invoking the demon of Klishay, home is where the heart is, and my heart is definitely in Seattle, so does this mean I'm just doomed to be perpetually discontent by my environment? What about the long term? Can I plan on retiring there? I'd honestly love to become a teacher at AHS one day, but it's my impression that people generally settle down where they land. Maybe I find somewhere I like more than Seattle.
There's not too much point to this train of thought, but it does tend to make me very thirsty.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Validation
I am playing a reality-based, horror GURPS game. My character (based off me) has taken Gadgeteer. Once per session I can have whatever it is that I need at the time. Even if I've been searched and had everything taken immediately previous. GURPS is officially > DnD.
I may now no longer take any crap about complaining about the commute between the apartment and campus. I in the week I've been here, I've had to make that commute at least 20 times. Originally I was just worried about the time it would take to go from the library, to my room, and back, and my family told me off about that, now I really AM fed up with the distance. Not only is net elevation change MUCH greater than last year (INCLUDING time spend in the goddamned elevator) the FINAL elevation change is greater!
Worse, you can't go straight ANYWHERE. EVERY SINGLE BUILDING POSSIBLE IS PLACED EXACTLY IN THE WAY. Inevitably, whatever path I take, I've gone at least twice as far as I would have last year.
Now, I don't mean to say I'm fed up or anything. Honestly, I like the amount of exercise I'm getting, and I can deal with the time it takes. Eventually I'm not going to be late for any of my classes. What I am saying is that anybody who wants to give me crap for complaining about this can shove it.
It's hot, I'm tired, and I've already gone to and from campus three times. Up and down a big-ass hill.
I may now no longer take any crap about complaining about the commute between the apartment and campus. I in the week I've been here, I've had to make that commute at least 20 times. Originally I was just worried about the time it would take to go from the library, to my room, and back, and my family told me off about that, now I really AM fed up with the distance. Not only is net elevation change MUCH greater than last year (INCLUDING time spend in the goddamned elevator) the FINAL elevation change is greater!
Worse, you can't go straight ANYWHERE. EVERY SINGLE BUILDING POSSIBLE IS PLACED EXACTLY IN THE WAY. Inevitably, whatever path I take, I've gone at least twice as far as I would have last year.
Now, I don't mean to say I'm fed up or anything. Honestly, I like the amount of exercise I'm getting, and I can deal with the time it takes. Eventually I'm not going to be late for any of my classes. What I am saying is that anybody who wants to give me crap for complaining about this can shove it.
It's hot, I'm tired, and I've already gone to and from campus three times. Up and down a big-ass hill.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Apartment Mom
I find it unsurprising that I am much more responsible and cleanly when I'm out of the house.
I have become the apartment mom. I spent the morning nagging Clinton to stop watching TV and help me tidy the living room. I dragged Thor out of his room to help, and together we got this place looking quite presentable. Of course, I was the one vacuuming after the other two split, but I'm just going to make one of them do that next month. That's another thing. Apparently I'm also the one setting up our chore schedule and our budget sheet (though I admit to not making much advancements on the latter).
My main concern is being able to maintain this habit, but judging from last year, that won't be too much of a problem. Cleaning and tidying are a welcome break from school work, especially when one is able to, with good reason, take the time regardless of workload. It's a mandatory day of rest, which is still productive
I have become the apartment mom. I spent the morning nagging Clinton to stop watching TV and help me tidy the living room. I dragged Thor out of his room to help, and together we got this place looking quite presentable. Of course, I was the one vacuuming after the other two split, but I'm just going to make one of them do that next month. That's another thing. Apparently I'm also the one setting up our chore schedule and our budget sheet (though I admit to not making much advancements on the latter).
My main concern is being able to maintain this habit, but judging from last year, that won't be too much of a problem. Cleaning and tidying are a welcome break from school work, especially when one is able to, with good reason, take the time regardless of workload. It's a mandatory day of rest, which is still productive
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Groceries
All of us here in the apartment are very tired at this point. By "all of us" I mean me and Clinton. His girlfriend had left moments prior, and he and I were mock fighting. I had put a plastic bag on top of (read ON TOP OF not over) his head and was shouting "ASTRONAUT!" gleefully, and he was mock threatening me with stabby violence. He must have still been running on girlfriend mode, because when the altercation came to a close, and I turned back to what I was doing (making dinner), he kissed me lightly (one might almost say lovingly) on the shoulder. I have given him no end of crap about this. He is significantly embarrassed, it really is wonderful to watch.
For the first time in my life, I have bought groceries for my own living separate from Mum. I hate the feeling that I'm spending far too much on everything, but we were very frugal, didn't buy anything we had any chance of not using, and I feel good about it. Living is interesting now, because we talk about how we're going to do the smallest of things, we're building a life of our own. It's interesting. There've been disagreements, like I enjoy the privacy of my room, and I've run a LAN cable up here so I can do hardwire stuff (such as bank accounts) in the convenience of my own room. Clinton worries that Thor and I are going to keep to our rooms, and wants me to take the LAN cable down. He grew up with very little privacy, and wants room mates, and worries that we're just going to become co-habitats. Thor doesn't care and he'll stay to his room if he feels like is. I however, grew up with tons of personal time, and I don't like having it encroached on if I can help it. That said, I noticed that Sister and I don't really do much together because we both keep to our rooms (or rather I do). Still, I don't think that's going to be an issue here because I already spent far too much time being social today (and it's bitten me in the foot).
For the first time in my life, I have bought groceries for my own living separate from Mum. I hate the feeling that I'm spending far too much on everything, but we were very frugal, didn't buy anything we had any chance of not using, and I feel good about it. Living is interesting now, because we talk about how we're going to do the smallest of things, we're building a life of our own. It's interesting. There've been disagreements, like I enjoy the privacy of my room, and I've run a LAN cable up here so I can do hardwire stuff (such as bank accounts) in the convenience of my own room. Clinton worries that Thor and I are going to keep to our rooms, and wants me to take the LAN cable down. He grew up with very little privacy, and wants room mates, and worries that we're just going to become co-habitats. Thor doesn't care and he'll stay to his room if he feels like is. I however, grew up with tons of personal time, and I don't like having it encroached on if I can help it. That said, I noticed that Sister and I don't really do much together because we both keep to our rooms (or rather I do). Still, I don't think that's going to be an issue here because I already spent far too much time being social today (and it's bitten me in the foot).
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