Multitasking

Just a fast note here:

Texting + navigating + bike + balance + conversation + bumpy road = 2 messed up conversations (one on the phone, one with the person walking next to you) and a path of travel worthy of a .25 blood alcohol level.

First Week of University

Purdue is a wreck. The place is something like 150 years old, and the physics building looks like it. The computer system must have been implemented at the same time, because it is dragging around as well. We all have these irritating things called CPS response pads, which look cutting edge and cost a fair penny, but don't work. The theory among the students that have been here for a while is that they are something that Purdue has made to deal with the huge influx of students. Since they are technology, they belong to the ITaP department that runs this ancient batch system that takes care of emails and Resnet (the dorm Internet organization). My recommendation is this. If you find a university with a good website. Compressed and small to load, helpful, follows standard website conventions, such as putting the search bar at the top of the page not the bottom, standardized so that when you have loaded one page, the rest of the pages will load faster, and simple while at the same time being elegant, go to that University. Beg and plead with them to let you in, because if Purdue is anything to go by, the website is a reflection of the state of the school's other computers.

That being said, this place is teaching me a lot more than just your average "this is hydrogen atom. It is a plus one ion" type thing, I am also having to figure out things like how to eat and when to eat and where to eat. Never mind things like laundry and getting to class. So the fact that I have had some of all of these classes at some stage in my high school career is going to simplify the year some. The reason I stressed food so much is because I keep doing stupid things. The latest stupid thing was that on Saturday I didn't eat until about 8 in the evening, and I hadn't eaten since about 6 the night before. So I had gone for a good while without food, and I didn't really notice. The realization that I could starve to death and never notice is a rather disturbing thought.

Laundry is ok. Basically you download one bleach show every other day and then watch them all when you do your laundry. You have about an hour and a half down there, and very little of that time is actually spent poking buttons on machines and juggling laundry basket, clothes and detergent. And seeing as I do about all of my clothes at the same time, I don't really want to loose them. Maybe I'm just paranoid, maybe I'm from Yemen, maybe both. Who knows.

Surprisingly enough (Talle will be amazed at this one) I haven't been lost all that much. Once. And that was also when I took a nap in the middle of the day, my alarm was set wrong, and I slept through part of the class, so I missed it. Incidentally I haven't missed any classes since, and I don't intend to, but it was rather uncool that I missed my very first class. It is kinda funny to say that I managed to sleep through my 1:30 class though.

The reason I haven't been lost all that much is mostly due to orientation, or Boiler Gold Rush, which immediately became called BGR. One "Don't drink. It's dumb." session after another. It got old. I have no desire to burn my brain out. But the relentless pummeling almost made me want to, just so that I could feel like I got my money's worth out of paying for orientation when I wound up in jail for underage drinking and all that stupidity. At any rate, when you are in a milling mound of human paste 5000 people thick like that, its easy to loose your group of 15 by accident. When I say accident, I really mean it. I'm not just being facetious. I wish I was though, because I should have just wandered off for some of that...

My RA (residence assistant) is awesome. He says that its not so much what you know but who you know that will make a difference in life, and I guess he's right. That has relevance because I didn't want to hang out with any of the people in my group except for the people intent on getting into fraternities and such, and I don't want to wind up there either, so I played the aloof silent type. Its a new identity that has been a work in progress. It requires sun glasses to be fully effective. That or digital editing, which I have been enjoying for the last day or two. Adobe has some amazing stuff, and I think I can use some of it for free through my university connection. I haven't really tried yet though. I should.

To get back on track though, I had discovered a whole bunch of people who know how to party. It is done without drugs and alcohol and with some quiet tasteful rock and of all things, board games. Human interaction, lots of yelling, conversation, its awesome. Interesting things happen. Like pancakes. With chocolate chips and peanut butter.

Having said all that negative stuff about Purdue though I don't want to leave you feeling like I hate this. In all reality, its awesome. Dashing to classes, biking from one end of campus to the other, getting into clubs, Church on Sundays and such, the whole existence is intellectually, spiritually, and physically challenging. Isn't trying to get your clicker online by passing it around the classroom through 500 plus students to find a spot where it will work fun? I haven't tried it, but now that I've thought of it, I see no reason not to try it. I have my name written on the back of it, so I should be able to get it back some time. Good fun. Good night.