On Geekery and College Majors

Right, I know now why I'm an English major. Well, I've always had an inkling that I might be an English major, but various reasons came to mind in the past - I like writing, I like reading, I like words. But my former choir director said something the other day that kind of made me think about it. He told me that one thing he liked about me is that I'm fascinated with a lot of things. (I was being a bit of a nerd and telling him about my honors essay on Pueblo mythology and death practices in Blood Meridian, and how I couldn't put in a cool detail about a supernova in 1054 AD, recorded only by Chinese scholars and Anasazi artists).

Anyway, that got me thinking about my major. I haven't officially declared yet, but I'm going to declare in English for the reason my choir teacher described. I'm interested in ALL THE THINGS, and lit courses study a lot of things. This semester was Cormac McCarthy, last semester was early Brit Lit (think Beowulf), next semester is King Arthur. I'm typing this on my new iPhone in Barnes and Noble; in front of me is a book on Pope Celestine V, who reigned in the 13th century for a mere 15 weeks before quitting. He was the only Pope to quit for almost 800 years, until the resignation that opened the way for Pope Francis.

Everything is really interesting for me - Popes AND prehistoric cultures AND GSM rights AND DnD AND writing scifi AND knitting geeky items and socks for cats - so it's sort of difficult to pick just one major. I think there are two important things about college: one is to learn how to make your way in the world; the other is to learn all the cool stuff you can. 

What I Learned This Semester

Five Academic Lessons:

1. A supernova occurred during the summer of 1054 AD, which was visible for 23 days, just over the horizon. The only known records of it are Chinese records, Mimbres pottery, and Anasazi cave paintings.
2. "Peace on Earth and Good Will to Men" is not an accurate translation of the Bible. It could read "peace on earth to men of good will." Interesting, yes? 
3. Math Modeling is basically differential equations for stupid people (or, alternatively, people who get intimidated by things like 'calculus' and 'differential equations').
4. Study your economics.
5. Cormac McCarthy is really dark. You should read him. I suggest Blood Meridian, The Sunset Limited, and The Road.

Six Life Lessons:

1. Don't get involved with new romantic partners without officially calling it off with your old romantic partners. It'll save you a lot of stress.
2. Talk about breakups with your current romantic partner before you actually break up with them. The things that could be an issue for you in the relationship could be talked out in that conversation.
3. Study during the afternoons so you can goof off in the evenings. If you goof off in the afternoons and study in the evenings, it will probably screw with your sleep cycle, as evidenced by my roommate, who spent a total of two nights in our room between Thanksgiving and Finals because she crashed with friends in a study room.
4. Talk things out with your roommate. If they're being an ass, bring it up with them. If they're consistently doing stuff with their romantic partner in your room and you're not okay with that, bring it up with them. If they keep doing it, ask to be moved.
5. Don't assume that everything is your fault. Your lack of turning in an assignment is definitely your fault. If you don't see your friends around campus, it might be because you study better alone or because you do most of your studying in the local coffee shop.
6. Don't overdose on coffee. In other words, caffeine after 3:00 is not a good idea if you have an 8:00 exam.

End of Finals

hello!

My apologies for not posting in... three weeks?  I should get on that.

My excuse is that in the last week, I've spent more time in the local coffee shop in a caffeine-induced stupor, trying to remember how to decline Classical Greek nouns and writing an essay about the Anasazi artifacts and Puebloan mythology in Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian. (that was the biggest stressor, because, despite my being an English major and everything... writing 10-15 pages on comparisons is difficult. Even though the topic was really cool).  Anyway, that's what I've been doing.  My last exam was this morning, so I'm packing to go home to real sleep, and hoping that I can get a lot of writing and knitting done over break.

I'm excited.

On the train home (or maybe even tonight, I don't know), I'll do a Semester Recap post.