College: Semester Two, Day Two

Today was an enjoyable day of college...well, as enjoyable as waking up early and spending hours going over syllabus after syllabus can be. Anyway, today I had three new classes in addition to those I had yesterday. Today I had the pleasure of taking Computers, Abnormal Psychology, and Intro to Philosophy.



Let's start with computers.



Computers actually wasn't that bad, just boring. I do like my instructor though so that's a plus. We spent the entire hour and fifteen minutes going over the syllabus. But before we could begin to go over it, in the true nature of a computer class, we had to log in and retrieve our syllabus from the OTC blackboard site. Simple enough. But in case you haven't been awake for the past ten years, my instructor was gracious enough to explain just how we get there and what everything is along the way. For example: who knew the screen that pops up when your computer turns on with all the icons is called a desktop? Thankfully, I did already know this, and I have Mr. Leon Blagg to thank for it. Oh Mr. Blagg, how I miss you and "aa space aa space aa space" Those hours we spent together truly blessed my soul. That's enough reminiscing. Back to my college computer class. After explaining what the desktop was, he went on to explain the start button. Woohoo! Then after that discussion he showed us that the shortcut icon with the picture of the blue "e" with Internet Explorer written beside was indeed the path to the internet. Thank God it worked when I clicked on it...I was worried it would bring up power point or solitaire. After we finally reached the syllabus (I will spare you everything between the internet shortcut icon and the actual syllabus), we went over it word for word...all ten pages of it. Joy. Fortunately after we were done with that and a ten minute lecture on how he can see if we are on Facebook (It will definitely be hard for me to avoid logging on Facebook since I know I will have withdrawls), we were dismissed until the next time we met on Thursday.





Now on to Abnormal Psychology.



I had a fifteen minute wait between computers and abnormal psychology. My psych class was right across the hall from the computer lab, so it took virtually two seconds to get there. Waiting in the hall, I checked my text messages and reviewed my schedule to see where my philosophy class was. Then I just kept waiting and waiting and waiting. And then it was five minutes until class began and the door was still locked and the lights were off. Was I in the right place? Was this some sort of psychological trick to make me worry and show signs of anxiety? Well, after taking one more look at my schedule, I was indeed in the correct place if my schedule was correct. But after two more minutes of waiting, I finally asked the people who were sitting by me in the hall if they were waiting for abnormal psych too. They said yes, and I was instantly relieved. At least I wasn't the only one who was lost. Finally the instructor came, and we entered the class. We spent the class going over the syllabus and starting on the first chapter. My instructor is an older man who explained that he was in the original full time faculty at OTC when it started. He also told us a short bio of himself and his experience in the psychology field. He was a licensed therapist in Kansas for twenty years and then started teaching. I am sure we will hear some fascinating stories as the semester goes on. I am truly excited for this class. Not only will I be able to diagnose some psychological conditions and learn about the crazy people, I will be able to get an idea if I truly want to go into the field of psychology for a living. Hopefully the answer is yes, because I am tired of not knowing what I want to do with my life!





Finally, let's move to Intro to Philosophy.



When I got to philosophy, I had trouble finding a seat. It was a full class. When class began, there weren't any empty seats. As we were sitting there waiting for the instuctor to come in, all of a sudden in a flash, an obviously pregnant women runs in throws her stuff down and runs back out. Finally, she came back and took her place at the front of the room to teach the class. All I can say about philosophy is that I think I am going to love it and the instructor (I have Caron to thank for that one). Unfortunately, she will be leaving around spring break to have her baby. Who knows what the next professor will be like? Knowing my luck, it will be hell on earth. But for now, I will enjoy the random, crazy, funny Debbie Thompson. She cracked me up as she told how pregnant women lose 6% of their brain for gestational purposes and she said she was close to losing probably 9 or 10%. I loved how passionate and random she was as she furiously scribbled notes on the board, telling the story of how Socrates pissed off the Athenian government. I can already tell that she has a personality very similar to mine so we should get along great. Philosophy should be fun for me, because, after all, I am constantly questioning myself. It should be a good semester.



So that was day 2 in a nutshell. Today made me feel a little better about college in general. So I hope this semester will bring about a drive to be in school that I haven't experienced yet. We will just have to wait and see.

Oh Yes, I Do Whatever the Fortune Cookie Tells Me To Do

If you know me, you know that I have really been struggling with what I want to do with my life. For a long time, I had my mind dead set on culinary arts. I was going to be a chef. Then over the summer I started to question whether that was really the career for me. I didn't pay my doubts much thought though because I hadn't even taken any culinary classes yet. "Give it a semester." That's all I heard from everyone I talked to. Well, now the semester is almost up, and I am fairly certain that I don't want to be a chef anymore.

But if not a chef, then what? This question has been haunting me for weeks. I cannot deal with the uncertainty of not knowing what to do with my life. I was really torn. On one hand, I really didn't want to be a chef anymore. On the other, after this semester, I will already be half way there towards my A.A.S. degree in culinary arts. Plus, I know I can probably get a fairly good paying job right out of college, and it could always be my back up. Despite all of these positives, the plain and simple fact is that I am not happy in the culinary arts program. Sure I love to cook, but each day I am in class it only reminds me of the fact that I don't want to cook for a living.

After days of being torn on the subject, I had a plan. I was going to get the culinary degree as a back up and then get the A.A. transfer degree at the same time so I could have all my general eds out of the way for my bachelor's no matter what I decided on. Perfect plan, right? Wrong. You see, I looked up the A.A. program and it was going to be an additional 30 credit hours besides all of the hours for my A.A.S. degree. In other words, it was an extra year at OTC. Ugh. I knew I couldn't do that.

So what do I do? I started looking at other possible careers and the one career that stuck with me was psychology. I just felt like I was being pushed in that direction. I prayed about it every night, asking God to provide me some direction. I thought about becoming a Christian counselor for teens. I still couldn't decide on anything yet though. Part of me couldn't just leave all of the culinary classes I have taken in the dust. Plus, could I really be guaranteed a job in the psychology field right after college? This question scared me too.

With all of that weighing heavily on my shoulders, I went home one weekend and ate Chinese food with my best friend. Once the meal was done, I cracked open my fortune cookie and it read, "Do not play for safety. It's the most dangerous thing in the world." I gasped as I read it. It fit me perfectly. I was viewing the culinary career as a back up, a safety net, so to speak. But the thing was, it was not making me happy. I have to do what makes me happy even if that means taking a risk.

So with the wise words of my fortune cookie still close at heart, I researched into the psychology program at Missouri State. Looking at all of the classes, it is very exciting. Plus, for the degree I would have to have a minor. I can minor in religious studies, which fits what I want to do perfectly.

I was very excited about all of my findings and revelations, but I still wasn't sure. I continued to pray every night about it. Then I realized one day that everytime I thought about the psychology path, I had a sense of peace about it that I never experienced with the culinary arts career. I am content with it.

So what is the plan now? The plan is to trust God. I am a horrible life planner. I never get it right. For now I am planning to get my A.A. transfer degree at OTC and then go on to get my bachelor's in psychology with a minor in religious studies at Missouri State. If there is one thing I have learned though, it is to not let your plans be concrete because it is almost certain that they will change. For now I will trust God to guide me and of course, continue to do whatever fortune cookies tell me to do. :D

Different Day, Same Story

Today I had my oh so wonderful political science class yet again. Nothing out of the ordinary happened in there today. It was just another boring day, but there was one thing the instructor said that I found blog worthy. Someone asked about our midterm and what exactly was required for it. I swear we go over it every single time we have class, but maybe I am wrong.

Anyway, the instructor explained that for our midterm, we have to write three, one page papers. In each of these papers, we have to take a stance on some controversial issue such as abortion or gun control and support our opinion. Then the lady asks how many references we have to have. This is when the instructor surprised me. He said that we didn't have to have any sources. WTF? How can you support your opinion if you don't have to prove that what you are saying is fact. This means I can make anything up...hmmm...I can see it now in someone's paper..."half of all people who buy a gun shoot someone." These papers will turn out to be just like the debate over seatbelts where supposedly according to one of my classmates the same amount of people die wearing their seatbelt as those who don't in car accidents. I am sure they will be interesting papers to read, but let's face it, they probably won't be the best arguments. Oh well, it isn't my job to read them....thankfully.

I told you my paper was amazing...

Remember the paper I posted on here like a week ago? The one about the Russian boy who I became best friends with, but unfortunately he had to travel back to mother Russia? Well, this morning I got my grade on it. I was hoping she didn't grade really hard, because I knew the paper was crap. I wrote it in five minutes, plus I made it all up! But anyway, as I am getting my paper back I see a few blue marks out to the side in the margin, and I was thinking they would be critiques of my work, but no, they were in fact praises. You see, not only did I get a twenty out of twenty points possible, she also wrote that I had a great example and my paper was well written! Go me!

Side note: Besides being absolutely thrilled about my grade today, I also learned to expect hundred percents on everything. She said that if we do the homework, we will get the points! I like her grading system! : D

Oh the Joys of Political Science...

I didn't get a chance to blog yesterday but keeping up with tradition, I figured I needed to blog about my political science class. God bless it. As always, I took notes, and this is how the class played out. Enjoy!

2:30-Instructor is talking with eye patch man about computers and not having used them and having to learn how.

2:33-Class begins. Joy.

2:35-Instructor begins by saying that some people did really well on the last test, and others didn't do so hot. WTF? It was an open book test!

2:40-Went over more of the worksheet that he was giving us answers to the last time we had class.

2:44-Not really paying attention....but instructor says that Jean Jacques Rousseau and Charles de Secondat are the same person....well at least he thinks so. I don't follow the logic of them being the same person...Maybe it's because they had similar beliefs? I don't know.

2:50-And once again, the questions begin from the ladies in the front.

3:06-Instructor hands out more worksheets....when he gets to me, he comments on my shirt (Kansas City Chiefs shirt) by saying that the Chiefs didn't do too well, but at least they did better than the Rams. I nod my head and he chuckles while walking away.

3:14-COLORING TIME! We actually got to color our maps....kind of reminds me of elementary school, but it's coloring so I wasn't going to complain.

3:20-Take notes off overhead....happen to notice that Canada is spelled Canadia...neat.

3:29-Went over the story of Pocohantus....secretly hoping we will get to watch the movie.

3:31-Talk about John Smith and his love affair with Pocohantus. I almost couldn't resist raising my hand to ask if there was a talking willow tree that Pocohantus turned to for guidance. I refrained though.

3:34-Lady in front asks questions about the Pocohantus story....watch the damn movie!

3:45-SWEET FREEDOM! :D

Political Science is Slowly Sucking Out My Soul

As you may have read before, my political science class is an absolute box of fun. I can't think of any other way I would want to spend an hour and fifteen minutes twice a week. Every single day in there is a joy. Here are the notes from today's class:

2:21-Long talk about sharks between the two people in front of me.

2:25-The three chicks next to me all compare to see who has the most key terms done. Apparently it is a fierce competition.

2:27 Two people in front of me start to talk about McDonalds. They get really fired up about it. One chick mentions, "If it tastes good, you should eat it."-I would have to disagree along with the many nutritionists in the world who would go nuts if they heard that statement.

2:30-Instructor walks into room.

2:31-Two ladies in front of room begin to ask questions.

2:37-Instructor says something about how the Chicago police gets the job done and a lot of heads being busted.

2:39-Instructor mentions something about women truck drivers. I note that every single example he gives, I wasn't alive for. He refers to the 70s as being a few years ago.

2:45-We discuss good Japs and bad Japs....and how we should start using gold again instead of paper money. I think I will pass on that one.

2:49:-Two chicks in front of room ask more questions. I am already counting down the days until I am done with this class.

2:51-HUGE debate started over whether or not wearing seatbelts and helmets if driving a motorcycle should be a law. Most of the class thinks it shouldn't be a law....I thank God I am not wearing my Arrive Alive shirt today.

2:53-Healthcare lady in front of room argues with chick in my row (same chick who told me the Constitution quiz was easy.) Healthcare lady argues that it should be a law because we have to absorb the costs of the injuries as we pay insurance premiums.-a valid point I think. The chick in my row argues that it is their choice and if they get in a wreck, they have to deal with the consequences. Healthcare lady tries to point out that in the end we all end up paying for it through insurance. Chick in my row keeps arguing the same thing. She is obviously not getting it....but all the power to her for being opinionated.

2:55-The battle rages on.

2:57-Eye patch man says that there are some places the government shouldn't intervene and seatbelts are one of them.

2:59-Girl in back of room gives the statistic that just as many people die when they are wearing their seatbelts in an accident than when they don't.-What the hell?

3:00-Healthcare lady goes nuts over the previous statement.

3:02-Look at clock. What did I do to deserve this? What kind of sick joke is this?

3:03-Debate switches to be about health insurance.

3:04-Chick in my row says something about how she has a disease and is having to pay ten thousand out of pocket....totally irrelevant to the current discussion...I am sure she isn't paying it either. I am sure it is her parents.

3:07-New debate begins....No Child Left Behind...everyone who voices their opinion is against it, yet somehow they manage to argue with eachother! SHUT UP already!

3:10-Somehow the discussion went from liberals and conservatives to school breakfast.

3:15-Another new debate...lowering the drinking age. Most people agree it should be lower, except chick in my row. She argues that it won't be any better. Guy with no shoes on argues that in Europe they have almost no problems from having a lower drinking age and it would remove the exciting feeling of it being illegal. Girl in my row changes her argument and is now for lowering the drinking age...am I seriously the only one who noticed that she totally changed her opinion?

3:17-Instructor is laughing. He is thrilled at the debate. He says we are his most opinionated class. Yippee.

3:20-Instructor says, "Conservatives and liberals are not evil."-Thank you for clarifying...I was really worried there for a minute.

3:25-Worksheet time!!!!!

3:26-Start to go over worksheet together, which means that the instructor talks about each question and gives the answer. Neat.

3:45-SWEET FREEDOM! God Bless my class.

A Great Day In PLS

Besides Intro to Baking, I also had Political Science. After my baking class, I came home and took a shower before heading back to the college for Political Science. I quickly put on clothes, grabbed my shoes, and ran out the door.

I drove to OTC and got out of the car to walk to class. I started walking and just happened to look down at my feet. I had on one blue shoe and one black shoe! Now tell me that doesn't take talent! I just laughed it off and walked the rest of the way to class.

Once I got to class, I sat down and started to look over the material we had covered on Tuesday. I knew that we had a quiz. After studying a little, the instructor gave us the quiz and told us we could use our notes. Simple enough.

I was quickly done with the quiz and handed it in. In return for handing in my quiz, I received an assignment that was for extra credit. When I sat down and looked over the assignment, it turned out to be a 25 question quiz about the Constitution. I started and quickly realized I couldn't remember hardly anything I learned my freshman year in Coach Madden's class.

I was struggling to think of the right answers, when the instructor announces that once we were done with the extra credit, we were free to leave. With that announcement, I just said screw it about the quiz, after all it was extra credit, quickly finished, and headed out the door. I was in my car by 3:00, which meant I had only been in class for 30 minutes! If class goes like this for the rest of the semester, maybe, just maybe, I might survive!

The First Baking Experience

Today in intro to baking I had my first chance to actually bake. This morning when I went into class we had a short quiz. Then we went down to the kitchen to bake for the first time. When we got down there, we got a brief introduction to the kitchen. After finding out where everything basically was, we got our recipes, and we were on our own.

My partner and I got out the ingredients for our first recipe, double fudgy cake. We prepared it like the directions said, and surprisingly enough, it turned out great! Next we made a flaky pie dough. This recipe required a little more effort seeing as we had to freeze the butter and make sure not to over work the dough. In the end though, it turned out great as we put the dough in the refrigerator to chill.

Next on the agenda was to make a rhubarb filling. In the filling was rhubarb, cinnamon, ginger, orange juice, orange liquer, orange zest, raspberries, strawberries, and sugar. To start with we had to heat the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and rhubarb together. That was my job. It turned out that our rhubarb just turned to mush, but in the end it was amazing.

We poured the filling into containers and set them to the side as we rolled out the pie dough that would form a cookie to go on top. We cut out the individual circles, brushed them with an egg wash, and sprinkled sugar on them. Then we put them in the oven to bake. When they were done, we put the pie dough cookies on top of the filling. Finally, we were able to taste our product! It was fantastic! My first day of baking was definitely a success! I can definitely get used to eating delicious food every week!

A Parking Disaster!

This morning I was on my way to my Human Communication class which started at nine. I was proud of myself for being fifteen minutes early as I pulled into the OTC parking lot. Cruising the first lot, along with a lot of other people, I saw that there weren't any spaces to be had.

Despite the disappointment in the first lot, I traveled over to the second lot. I went down aisle after aisle, but there were still no spaces. So, I went to a third lot. By then I was starting to get worried that I wouldn't find one! I cruised the third lot, and sure enough, there weren't any spaces.

I went back to the second lot and look again, but there were still none. By then it was five minutes until my class started. I was starting to get really angry. I looked for people getting out of class who were going to their cars. There were a few, but there were so many people trying to get parking spots I didn't have any luck at getting one.

I glanced down at the clock in my car and it said it was nine o'clock! I was late, and to top it off, my class is on the third floor! By then I was furious. I finally said screw it and went across the street to park.

I got out of my car praying I wouldn't get a ticket in the fifty minutes I was gone. I had a long hike to my class, and I was already late. I went as fast as I could, but it took me awhile to make it across the treacherous street. I hustled up the two flights of stairs to make it to the third floor. Breathless, I finally entered the class a full ten minutes late. Luckily though, I hadn't missed anything important and the teacher didn't mind.

Apparently from now on I am going to have to arrive at the college at the crack of dawn in order to secure a parking space or else I will be subjected to parking across the street again. Parking is a disaster at OTC, and I can't wait to tackle the same problem every day for the next two years!

Political Science Will Be the Death Of Me...

So today was my second joyous day in political science. I don't think anyone could truly understand how wonderful that class truly is until they actually sat through it with me, but I will try to give you an idea.

2:20-Arrive at class, sit one chair away from a chick who wasn't there last time. She says hi. I say hi back.

2:22-Eye patch man walks in...doesn't sit by me. Yay!

2:25-A friend of the chick sitting next to me walks in and sits directly behind us. They begin talking, and the chick next to me tells the girl to move up by her. The girl replies by saying that another friend is coming and looks at me. I offer to move down so the three musketeers can sit by each other. I am such a nice person.

2:30-Instructor walks in.

2:33-Attendance sheet is passed around

2:34-Start discussion where we left off

2:35-Two older chicks in front of room continually ask questions.

2:43-Two chicks continue to ask questions.

2:50-Instructor says that ten percent of our age group will vote in the next election...that means ten to twelve of us sitting in room will vote. There are only twenty something of us in class. Nice math skills.

2:53-Chicks continue to ask questions...getting on my nerves.

2:55-Had to go over which candidate is conservative and which is liberal.

3:00-Glance at clock. Are you kidding me? Only thirty minutes have gone by? What kind of sick joke is this? God help me.

3:08-Went over what Congress is....Clarified that Congress includes both the Senate AND the House of Representatives.

3:11-Ponder if projector screen cord is long enough to hang myself with.

3:15-Chicks still ask questions...I look around for something to throw at them.

3:18-One of the chicks get fired up about Native American rights...even though we are discussing something entirely different.

3:19-Other chick mentions that we gave Native Americans blankets with smallpox.

3:20-Instructor chuckles and says, "Yes, we did do that."

3:33-Instructor mentions something about a boy in his class not wearing socks and later on in his life he went to jail for murder.

3:40-Instructor says there will be a quiz next time over the material... I am so tempted to raise my hand and ask if the sock thing will be on it, but I refrain.

3:45-SWEET FREEDOM!

And that, was my political science class

Human Communication Round 2

This morning I had Human Communication yet again. It proved to be just as interesting as the last time I had class on Friday. With self introductions and a corn rowed chick sitting next to me, what could be better?!

The class started out with attendance, and I noticed that my partner, Chelsea was not there. After attendance, Susan said that we were going to pick up where we left off with each of us getting up in front of the class to introduce our partners.

The first few groups went, and then I had a chance to ask what I would do since my partner was not there. She asked if I would be willing to introduce myself, and I said that I thought I could handle it. She looked overjoyed that I volunteered to introduce myself.

I got up and went to the front of the room. I told everyone that I was from Willow Springs, and I was currently enrolled in the culinary arts program. I also said that I lived in an apartment with Puggy. In addition to that standard information, we were required to say one interesting thing about ourselves. I couldn't think of anything! So I decided to say that I am currently working on my first book, which is true by the way! Boy if she wasn't happy before, she sure was estatic then!

I took my seat, and we went on with more of the introductions. After the introductions were over, we started going over the first chapter of the reading we were assigned, except apparently it was a suggestion, not an assignment. Before we began to go over it, the instructor asked how many people had a chance to read over the weekend. Note to self: reading assignments=optional at OTC.

Once we were going over the reading, she was asking questions that we would be able to read the answer straight out of the book. Easy enough. Time flew by, and soon it was time to leave. As Susan wrapped up, she thanked us for such great participation. Yes, it did take a lot of effort to say my name in front of the class and read one line directly out of the book. I felt this gratitude was much deserved.

Before walking out of class, the girl sitting directly to my left turned to ask me a question. Before going on with the story, I feel it is necessary to describe this chick. You see, her name is Juanita, but she prefers to be called K. Also, I should mention that she has corn rows in her hair, and no, she is not black. Now on with the story. So K who kind of creeps me out already turns to me and says, "What's your book about?" I reply by saying that it is going to based on my life. She just turned back to her stuff and never said a word back to me. Neat. I don't know if she approved or was repulsed by the idea. I just thought to my self, "Oh well," as I walked out of the room from yet another, wonderful Human Communication class.

Welcome to Human Communication

This morning I only had one fifty minute class, human communication. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but as I walked in, I noticed that for once most of the students appeared to be close to my age. As the instructor walked in, she seemed just a little bit too excited to be there.

She began class by taking attendance, and then she said that we would be going over the syllabus, and if we were lucky, we would get to our first in class activity. Before she started to go over the syllabus, she explained how to log into blackboard. It is really difficult, trust me. Then she brought up the syllabus and started going over it.

When she got to the part about the textbook we were supposed to have, one guy raised his hand and started to give a five minute explanation as to why he didn't have his book. You see, he has been in the hospital for the last three weeks for something to do with his gull bladder, and he was late in filing for his financial aid. When he did file for financial aid, something didn't work out, so he had to file it again. Now he is waiting for the financial aid to come through before he can get his book. If the financial aid doesn't come through, it could be next Wednesday before he can get the book, and he may even have to drop the course. He isn't sure yet. Neat story, I know.

After listening to the story, the instructor told the guy that he would just have to play catch up when he got his book. He replied by saying that he definitely would because he had made sure to write down the assignment. The instructor continued on, and as I watched her, I couldn't help but think that she should have been a kindergarten teacher rather than a college instuctor. She was just too chipper. I am not anti-happy, but there comes a point when you are over doing it and talking in little kid voices. Oh well, better happy than mean I guess.

As the end of the class approached, the instructor said that she had an activity we could start and finish Monday when we have class again. She passed out index cards to each one of us that had a word written on it. What we had to do was find the person with the opposite of our card. For example, I had "day" so I had to find the person with the card that said "night."

Everyone was quiet as she handed out the cards, except for the guy with the gull bladder problem. When she handed him his card which said, "high, " and he immediately yelled out, "I resent that. I use Visine for my allergies." The instructor just smiled and moved on. God bless that man.

Once all the cards were handed out, we found our partners. Mine was a chick named Chelsea who had graduated from Republic in May. She has a boyfriend of two years, and she played softball her freshman year of high school. She was just going for general education classes at OTC, because she doesn't know what she wants to do yet.

I told her about me and tried to think of something interesting about me, but I really couldn't. You see, we have to introduce our partner to the class on Monday, and we have to say one interesting fact about them. I told her that I would have said it was interesting that I have a sweet tattoo on my wrist, but the man in the back, who was covered in tattoos, has me beat on that one. She did not find my comment even remotely amusing.

And so, my time in human communication drew to a close. It was an interesting fifty minutes, and I am sure it will be a class filled with plenty of good writing material throughout the semester.

How to Write a 5 Paragraph Essay....a Journey into Political Science

The second class I had today, was none other than good ol' political science. From looking at the book, I could tell it wouldn't be too difficult. I was just wondering what kind of people would be in my class.

When I first entered the room there were only three or four people in there, but it quickly filled up as more and more people entered. I was just sitting there minding my own business when all of a sudden an old guy with an eye patch walks in. Now I have nothing against people with eyepatches, I just found it rather strange that his highly resembled that of a pirate.

As he walked down the center aisle, I was silently praying he didn't sit next to me. I mean, after all, there were several other empty seats. But low and behold, he did sit right next to me. We didn't say a word the whole class time. He kind of scared me. I did however, have to keep myself from staring at the eye patch. I couldn't help but wonder how it would look if I painted on a skull and crossbones with some white out.

To keep myself from staring, I looked at the other guy who was sitting next to me. He looked to be about my age. He was drawing mountains on his paper. It was neat, I guess.

Finally class started as the instructor took role. He mispronounced my last name even though it isn't that hard. After taking roll, he passed out index cards where we had to write some information about ourselves and give our contact info. Then we went right into going over the syllabus. The syllabus didn't look any different than ones you would see in high school. On it was the basic course objectives and grading scale. There was also the rules for an essay we would have to do.

When we got to the point where we were discussing the essay, he explained that it would be our midterm and a due date would be given later. It was going to be a series of opinion papers. We had to take three controversial issues, pick a side, and write why we believe what we do, supporting it with facts. I was thinking it was going to be difficult until he said that they only had to be a page each, and MLA format was optional. Piece of Cake.

As we continued to go over the syllabus, we came to another portion that said something about writing five essays for a portfolio. The instructor then told us that portfolio was just a fancy term for binder. Then he explained that the five essays were going to be difficult, but we have the whole semester to do them. Then he said the length they had to be and I about cracked up right there. They only have to be 250 words minimum with a 500 word maximum! How hard is that?! Apparently it was hard for some in the past, because he went on to say that he has had people trying to cheat that minimum, but he will catch it.

He then decided to give us his secret method to writing a good paper. Waiting for some intellectual wisdom, I waited eagerly. Then he said, "Write a five paragraph essay." He then proceeded to explain how to write a five paragraph essay and even how to write a paragraph starting with the topic sentence and following with supporting details. Neat. Thank you oh wise sensei of college writing.

As the class progressed, I couldn't help but think that my instructor was exactly like Coach Madden, my 9th grade Civics teacher. In fact, I felt like I was repeating that class over again. I am not trying to be mean. He did seem like a nice guy. He had taught high school for 34 years, and he was now teaching part time at the college. The only problem I had with the class was that I felt like I was back in high school. I came to college looking for something to challenge me, and so far, it's not looking too good. But who knows, I could be surprised in the end.

After one full day of classes, two things are for certain. College will definitely be an experience, and of course, it will be great writing material!

Wikipedia, a Serial Killer, and Weird People....My First Day in Intro to Baking.

Today was my first day of college, and believe me, it was an experience. The first class I had was introduction to baking. I was excited because it was actually a culinary class. Walking into the room, I shook the chef's hand and introduced myself. Before long, everyone was there and class began.

We started by going over the syllabus. As chef was reading through the syllabus, we came to a part that said we would have to do a report over a certified pastry chef. Chef explained that the report had to be enough to please him, which meant about a page and a half. It also had to have the sources cited, but MLA format was not necessary. Oh and let's not forget, Wikipedia is a valid source. As I was sitting there, I couldn't help but think I didn't belong. I am not saying I am extremely intelligent or anything, but even I know that anyone can edit Wikipedia! Heck, I created an article about myself a couple of years ago, and I edited the article for Pomona and Willow Springs!

As class continued, we got to the portion of class where we played the, "get to know your classmates game." One by one, we had to stand up and tell a little bit about ourselves and why we were there. When it got to be my turn to say why I was there, I couldn't help but think, "I don't know, you tell me." Watching each of my classmates give their introductions, each one seemed a little weird to me. I mean, I know I am far from normal but some of these people were way further away from normal on the spectrum than me! I know this maybe a little, ok very sterotypical, but I did make notes about each one of my classmates and how I felt about them:

Girl who sat next to me: Very strange. Kind of ran/skipped everywhere she was walking. Kind of had the emo look going on...wants to bake wedding cakes. I would guess she was around 20 years old.

Chick who sat on the other side of me: Class suck up. She was in my summer online class, and I saw her the one time I had to come in to take a test. She laughed at all the chef's jokes and asked tons of pointless questions....and I thought I was a suck up. She definitely got on my nerves a little. She acted as if she knew everything already.

Random chick down the row: A little slower than everyone else, but still nice all the same. She was going into baking because she baked with her grandma at home.

Artistic wonder: Kind of cute. Acted as if he knew everything already. Has been in school 8 years. First wanted to get an art degree then switched to culinary....only one in uniform for the day....ate peanut m&ms which are gross....plain would have been a much better choice. Drank Dr. Pepper which was a good choice.

Business Lady: She came dressed in business attire. 46 years old, she worked in the corporate world her whole life. Decided it was time for a change....talked to me at fifteen minute break...I don't think she likes me because I am young, as if I control that.

Divorced Woman Harboring Deep Hatred: She stood up and explained in a tone that implied she was harboring rage deep inside that she had just gotten divorced and it was time to do what she wanted to do. I say all the power to her...you go girl.

Nursing Chef: This chick looks my age but is really like 22. She can't decide whether or not she wants to be a nurse or a chef and wants to find a way to incorporate both into her career.

Undying Love Chick: She is the closest to my age. She is 19 and is engaged to her boyfriend. She explained that they have been dating a year and will be married in a year and a half when she turns 21. She will then be moving to Kansas City. Chef said something about rushing into marriage and all of the old people nodded their heads. Undying love chick replied by saying that they will have been together for two and a half years when they are married so that is plenty of time.

35 Years in Manufacturing Lady: She had spent the last 35 years working in manufacturing when the plant closed. Now she felt it is time to do something she really enjoys. Her sister works for Taste of Home...she went into full detail about this and how she could get us all magazines.

Coffee Chick: She carried her mug of coffee like it contained liquid gold. She is originally came from New Hampshire but moved to Springfield for personal reasons. A criminal perhaps?-Note she is not the serial killer...we will get to him later.

39 Year Old Hick Trucker: He had been a trucker for a very long time, but then he hurt his back two times. So, his wife told him to go get his culinary degree. That's why he is there.

Blonde headed guy who looked sleepy: He was obviously too cool to be there. He looked like he thought he was much better than anyone else in the room.

Marketing Guy: He was enrolled in marketing classes at Missouri State, and then he decided to go into culinary. He was very quiet the whole time.

Chick with the Facial Piercings: She bakes a lot of stuff and just gives it away because it is only her husband and her. She seems kind of strange. Mental note: make friends with her so she makes me food.

Serial Killer: He was in the military for eleven years. Wears extremely thick glasses and makes a lot of nervous gestures like he is paranoid. Could potentially hold entire class hostage.


And that, is my beautiful class. : )

Time for School

Tomorrow is my first day of college classes, so I decided that today I would go see where all my classes were. After all, I didn't want to be the idiot running down hallways asking everyone in sight how to get to classes. Ashly decided she wanted to go with me and find hers too.

When we got to OTC, I had to run in the book store to get one final book they had to order for me. Once I had the book in hand, we stood in the long line. I am sure we were quiet entertaining for anyone listening to our conversation. Ashly explained to me that it wasn't that hard to cook, and all you had to do was throw a bunch of ingredients in a pot, add some salt, and stir. She said her grandma could teach me all I needed to know about cooking, and I wouldn't even have to pay for the classes. Then she proceeded to tell me that I was so smart she thought I would become an astronaut, because of course, all smart people become astronauts.

After talking about how I should become an astronaut, she made me promise that I would go to the moon before I die. I said I would see what I could do. Then she told me that not only did she want me to become an astronaut, I had to build the rocket. I told her no biggie like it was no big deal and proceeded to check out.

As I was leaving, I turned around and noticed almost everyone in line was watching us. I am sure they thoroughly enjoyed our conversation in the book store. I could already tell that the short time we were on campus together was going to be interesting.

After running to my car and dropping off my book, we headed to student services so I could get my student id card and Ashly could get her schedule printed off. We got in the huge line and waited our turn. While waiting, an OTC helper came by and asked what we were waiting for. I told her, and she told me that the id card machine was broken at the moment and if we wanted to print Ashly's schedule we could just go to the computer lab as long as she knew her password. Thankfully she did, so we followed another chick who needed her schedule printed up the stairs to the lab.

While we were following the girl, she turned around and said that she had no clue where she was going. So that didn't really help us. We ended up asking someone for help, and they directed us the right way. After about ten minutes of searching, we did eventually find the lab and got Ashly's schedule printed off. We told the chick who had been searching with us goodbye, and we were on our way.

We spent the next hour going all over campus looking for classes, but it was a fun adventure traveling down many hallways that led in a circle and ending up in the wrong place almost everytime. We did eventually locate all of our classes though, so we will be ready come tomorrow when our classes start.