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36 points
I’ve been checking the website once a day. This morning it finally came through. I took 9 credits of classes this past semester. And worked (albeit part time). It may not have been a full-time course load, but it was enough. When I went to UMD the last time, they simply had letter grades with no plusses and minuses. That was implemented (I think) sometime in the late 1990s. So back then if I had an A-, it would still be counted as an A. And worth 4.0 “points.” Nowadays an A- is a 3.7. And an A+, for some weird reason, is also worth 4.0 points. Makes me wonder…
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50 Semesters of Grey…
Everybody knows now. (Note: I started writing this two weeks ago and forgot about it. So assume you’re reading about this back before I even started my finals.) I used Twitter as my testing ground, posting a thread where I announced that I didn’t have a degree but that I was going back to school. I even talked a bit about the stigma surrounding those who don’t have a four year degree and why we should eradicate it (and make college free or heavily subsidized). You can find it here. And then there were rumblings about it where I told people on my birthday in live videos on social media.…
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Not my story…
What I’m about to tell you is not my story. It belongs to someone else who is close to me. If I could, I would ask for her permission to tell it — but she’s not. She grew up in suburbia. Lived in a place which had a significantly smaller Jewish community than my own, but still one with a few area synagogues. She was a shy kid growing up. Oh — and she hated Hebrew school, which she would have to attend on certain afternoons after school. The other girls in her class were mean to her. The teacher didn’t ever do anything about it. And it made her…
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Turned In
Today was my first day back “at school.” Spring Break was longer than originally planned — with an extra week for faculty to get ready to transition everything to an online environment. And while yesterday was technically the first day back, I don’t have classes on Mondays. It didn’t stop me, however, from jumping into my classes this weekend to get ahead of the game. Although it also didn’t stop me from procrastinating with a visual presentation due today at 3:30pm and a draft of a lab report introduction due at 12. I got most of that lab report done last night and put on the finishing touches this morning,…
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One from the vault…
Spring Break was scheduled all last week. But it was extended for another week as faculty began to learn how they were going to adapt the remainder of their semester teaching to an online format. So far I’ve received word from most of my teachers, and they all have plans which I think will work quite well. Biology and Psychology lectures will be pre-recorded, but I’m really hoping to watch them at my standard class times of 8:00 and 9:30. I’d like to remain in the swing of things so I don’t get complacent. Labs are a bit different, and I guess we’ll see how that goes when school resumes…
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A whole new ballgame…
It’s been more than two weeks since I last updated this. It feels like a lifetime. Classes kept on going for a week or so. I found out that my Psychology exam grade was the highest in my lab section. So that was fun. And in that same lab section, we were informed that we would be running another independent study linking stress (our outcome variable) to a causal variable that we chose weeks ago. I chose observing conflict — did all the research and designed a survey which other students completed. (I talked about it here — and how my data did not correlate at all.) Now, using the…
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This is only a test…
Wow! Things get very busy very quickly! Let’s see if I can recap some of the highlights: Last week was a very busy one: It started with my marathon Tuesday as usual. Went to my classes, went to the gym, did a good amount of work/studying in McKeldin Library (I found my comfy spot on the second floor! Lots of power outlets). My Campaign Ethics seminar is where things got quite interesting: we’re working on our personal campaign ideas to implement over the rest of the semester. Mine is (surprise, surprise) reproductive justice related. Still trying to pare it down, but I want to ensure that people of all genders…
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Charge!
It was a bit cold this morning. In fact, the weather has been bizarre this week. On Tuesday I wore a fleece over a flannel shirt in the morning. By the time I headed back to my car at 11:00 am to get my gym stuff I ditched the fleece. I was even fine in just the flannel walking back to the car at about 9:00 pm. But the past two days have been different. Winter coat weather. Which means that things can get a little more complex when you’re navigating entering a classroom, putting down your coffee, taking off your backpack, taking off your coat and putting it on…
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Knowing Me, Knowing You…
Wow! It’s been quite a while since I’ve updated this! A lot happens in two weeks… … which is why I’ve been away. We’ve entered the portion of the semester where things are getting immersive. Couple that with certain side projects I’m juggling (and web hosting issues) and it’s had quite an impact on my time. But I’ve finished my reading for my upcoming seminar (which starts in 90 minutes), so this is as good a time as any to keep you posted. Today’s biology lecture was brought to us by macromolecules. Which, as we all know, consists of proteins, nucleic acids and carbohydrates. (And sort of lipids, but also…
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Running Down a Dream…
The photo up above was taken at about 1:00 pm at the Eppley Rec Center overlooking what once was LaPlata Beach. For those of you who were familiar with North Gym — this is a large rec center right next door. North Gym is now the home of the School of Public Health. And I think also Health and Human Performance, which will soon be moved to the new expansion of Cole Field House. Everybody got that straight?? It’s Tuesday — so that means an incredibly long day with its series of ups and downs. I left the house around 6:40 and drove through the rain to campus with plenty…
