Things Professors Should Never Say

Group projects are how things work in the workforce. They aren't. In the workforce if someone doesn't show up for work, they get fired. If someone in a class project doesn't show up for work they get free points off everyone else's work and a healthy GPA boost.

I welcome different points of view and will grade your paper without bias. Lie. Everyone has a bias, you are always more critical of differing views and new ideas than of old regurgitated ideas. Just once I want to hear a professor say, "I'm biased. I have an opinion. Write a paper that you think will get you a good grade from me." That's what they usually mean anyway.

It's easy once you get the hang of it. Everything is easy once you get the hang of it. The problem is, we're students, which means we're just learning. This is new to us, we do not have "the hang of it". So no. It's not easy. It's hard. It's very hard.

You'll have plenty of time to do this. Both true and a lie. Some people probably will have plenty of time for a massive project or to get an assignment done that evening. The thing is professor...you don't know my work schedule. You don't know what classes I'm taking or how many credits I'm doing. I might have plenty of time or just barely enough time. Don't pretend to know my schedule.

You Have Power! (A celebration of self control)

After some time on the radio, seeing a few music videos and hearing about everyone's surprise about some celebrity's latest behaviors I'm coming to find there is a new theme in the pop music industry. A lot of people are calling this common theme sex. While the message is highly sexualized if not down right pornographic, another dangerous message being shared via undies and boobs: losing control.

There are so many songs based around this idea that you can't control your own body. That you don't have to be in control; you can be impulsive and act however, whenever you want. Being so drunk you can't remember what you did last night is made glamorous.

What is so "freeing" about being out of control? Answer: nothing. There is no liberty in being unable to change, there is no freedom in giving in to addictions, there is no glory in giving up your self-control. We are not so base of beings that we cannot control ourselves and change ourselves and make ourselves more than our appetites and desires.

We are smarter than this. The message to remember through all of the messages broadcast by these so-called artists as you turn off your radios, TV's and leave behind the negative on the Internet...we as humans are capable of progressing and being better. We can rise above baseness. We can make ourselves better people. We don't have to be slaves to our bodies.

Our physical being is just one side of us, our intellect or spirit or however you want to perceive that is another side. The disrespect of our physical being is a sign of neglect of our intellect. We have the ability to foster ourselves and be wondrous beings. We're all capable of greatness.

This is a sticker I have on the side of my guitar case. Good thing to keep in mind. :)

Back at School!

So, here I am. Second week of school survived. After quitting my summer job and starting classes...I'm realizing after I graduate, working is going to be so much easier. Each class is like an individual mini-job, it's a bit intimidating to try and process everything I need to do and everything is so different. Things have gotten a lot better since the general education days where you could go from discussing classic literature to economic theory in a single afternoon. Or worse, Spanish class to any other class where you're back to trying to remember English again and speak intelligently about biology.

At least now I'm only switching from internal auditing information systems to economic statistics to investments. So I guess it's nice to be somewhat in the same realm.

Doesn't this just get you all happy and excited?

We're still trying to work out how we're getting to campus with our one little green Subaru and my sweetheart needing to go off to work.

Bonus! An entire parking lot disappeared over summer...which is very frustrating. I hate watching our university getting hyped up about being so big and having so many students and then not supplying resources for their students. There aren't enough classes for all of the students and even fewer parking spots.

We arrived on campus a half hour before my class started, a half hour, and there wasn't any parking on campus. Any. I mean not a single spot. I've had an easier job parking on the Vegas strip during spring break than parking on campus the first week of school. Now that's terrifying to show up that early for class and be faced with the possibility of being late to class or even unable to attend. Luckily we found something...not on campus...but somewhere. It's a good thing I'm clever.

With our new apartment we're not in a good position for public transportation anymore. I have night classes (with no options for day classes...lame huh?) there is no way I'm standing out on the side of the road in the dark. Not happening.

Well, how about some photos from this past week, eh? I did actually do more than just struggle for parking. Sent my sister off on a mission, went hiking (September is PERFECT hiking weather) and checked out an outdoor concert.

Me and my supermodel sissie!

I think if you look up this concert online you'll find a zillion photos of these lanterns. I think people took more pics of the lanterns than the artists or selfies.

We spent more time playing at the creek than doing actual hiking...