Lately I've been feeling really good about things. I've not been totally on top of school work, but that helps me stay on my toes. There are times when I remember I have yet to even think about prewriting for the essay due in English in a week, but I have been taking care of business as far as work (blogging some, teaching swim lessons [if these kids were parts of a phospholipid they'd be the tail-hydrophobic! Shucks], getting paid finally for video of frisbee Regional Championships from last May), and I did well on my neuro test, I am setting up meetings with professors for office hours to discuss stuff, and I've been playing music more lately. At the same time I'm kind of narrowing down the types of classes I want to continue taking and not continue taking.
During Environmental Studies yesterday, we were having a really good discussion about overpopulation and solving problems in developing countries, and Professor Shammin kept saying "Oh, I hadn't even thought of that before." It felt good to be a part of the whole thing. People will often say "you guys are the ones who are going to make the difference in the future," 'you guys' meaning our generation or us as concerned students, but during class I really had the feeling that we were the people, like we in the class were the ones who were going to be doing big things. Cool.
Professor Hyman, my Renaissance Lit. professor, was talking about how in the Renaissance, the printing press made it possible to disseminate information faster than it had ever been possible to before, and we were operating on about that speed (increased a little by airplanes and general globalization) until the internet era we are in now. Genius ideas can be spread worldwide (provided they aren't owned by companies) in days, hours, seconds. Along with the great ideas, of course there are millions of the dumbest ideas anyone has ever been ashamed to put into words, but that's the tradeoff. Ignore the dumb stuff.
Things I am excited about:
Classes next semester. Besides returning to the Biological fold, I have no idea what they are going to be, but I'm seriously pumped to find out.
Making stupid Youtube videos. Mikey Silva is... Solid Gold should be done soon. Mad Lib will get done whenever I get the getupandgo to do it.
Renewable energy sources. The possibilities seem like they are getting bigger and bigger. Let's find some that work and put them into use everywhere, now-ish. I can deal with the fact that on my list of things I am excited about I included "classes" and "renewable energy sources" because I have come to grips with the fact that I am a huuuuuuuuuge nerd.
Making a catalog for my sister's bracelet company. Sounds like no fun at all, but it is actually turning out to be a chance to do photography and graphic design and maybe even get paid for it. Unreasonably time-consuming.
Winter Term. I've had some vague ideas about this one recently. I'd love to take the time to make something again, like build a camera or an ornithopter (ideas left over from last year), but we've been talking a lot about sustainable farming in Env. Sci., and I think I might want to start a farm...
Environmental Science. The field is hot like Tabasco right now, and the thing that keeps hitting me when I read articles and hear speakers is the wonderful and hopeful explosion of creativity it involves. They're using urine to power cars, people. That's one better than Dr. Brown in BTTF.
Neuroscience lab.
Things I'm NOT excited about:
Sociology & English class: Not that I dislike the classes at all, I just don't look forward to doing the readings or going to class early in the morning. Renaissance English is a class busting with insightful, well-read Obies, but I'm not doing particularly well in the class, and I kind of want to read some damn Shakespeare already. I am glad (not excited) that I took both of these classes, though, as I now know more about what classes I will not be taking many more of. Remember the decidedly undecided boy who blogged at this same address starting about a year ago? He's becoming a man. A man with hair on his...head, mostly. A man with choices, convictions. A man who probably won't be signing up for another Sociology class next semester.
That's about it. I'm generally very excited about things that are happening in my life now.
Thanks.
