Final Exams: My First Experience

Well, I must say that my first college experience with final exams went well. I took both my French and my history exam on the same evening last Tuesday about thirty minutes apart. Basically, I was testing from around 5:30 p.m. to around 9:20 p.m. since I finished early. I must say, however, that I found it a little disconcerting to be interrupted twice by my history professor with rather trivial questions during the exam. I guess I had the misconception that you were supposed to be allowed the entire testing time with relative quiet without interruption to be able to regurgitate those answers necessary to acquire a satisfactory grade. I was proven sadly wrong. On the first occasion of interruption I was trying to remember the answer for a multiple choice question with something to do about a riot in New York in 1863 caused by a Conscription Act and what other cause. I suddenly had the feeling of someone hovering over me and looked up to see my professor looking at me at which time he asked, "The guy that used to sit by you in class, has he been in class lately?" I must admit I was rather dumbfounded at this question in the midst of trying to take an exam and immediately tried to switch my thoughts from 1863 to the present. I answered something like I thought he had been, but I wasn't sure. He then went and asked my TA and after being satisfied with a good answer from her, continued his walk around the rather large, full classroom (it was probably the fullest it had been since the first day of class). I then turned my attention back to the test and decided on a good answer for the above described question and began again to try to conquer this final. A little later as I was working on an essay on the Reconstruction in the South after The War Between The States, I was yet again interrupted this time by a tapping on my desk with a rolled up unused final. I again looked up to see my professor again standing over me. This time he completely surprised me by asking if I thought I was going to get an A in this course. In the midst of trying to switch tracks from Reconstruction to this question it took me a minute to respond in which I told him that I thought I was going to while in the back of my mind thinking that if he didn't let me finish his final I definitely wouldn't. Satisfied by this response, he proceeded on with his walking around the classroom watching for any possible cheaters. I, of course, was left with the task of trying to switch my brain back into gear. My train of thought doesn't take it so well having to stop suddenly to take on rather unnecessary questions. I was able to remember what I was trying to prove in my argument about Reconstruction and continue on with the exam. I finished the exam with plenty of time to spare and glad to be over with it. The French exam went well though I found it rather strange to hear kids talking about how hard it is to drive while one is high. I must say that that was a strange topic to be discussing when preparing to remember everything we'd learned in our French course. Nonetheless, I was able to conquer that test. After I finished, I walked back to my dorm room about to explode with excitement. However, I waited until I got there because I didn't want to alarm anyone on this cold night by jumping up and down screaming that I'd survived by the grace of God! I also needed to use some caution since it was late at night and I was walking back in the dark. Poor Joy had to endure my excitement while she tried to study for an Interior Design exam. To quiet myself, I turned on a movie with headphones and had some fun snacking. The next morning, I began a Ministry of Silly Walks (as Monty Python would most likely call it) by covering the floor with boxes and other items in an effort to get ready to move back home for three weeks. So, that is where I am right now besides going to work everyday. Ah.....I'm loving this......

You Are What You Eat!

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT!

This was a project done by my roommate at the beginning of the semester. Basically, she had to combine an organic and an inorganic object together to mean something. The result was somewhat humorous to say the least. I'll never forget how funny it was having three girls (my roommate, a friend of ours, and me) trying to pry open Barbie to amputate her legs, arms, and head! We ended up having to use a pick with a hammer trying to undo her. Goodness, when they put Barbie together, they really put her together!

Evening Ponderings

As I sit here taking my vitamins as is my evening ritual before going to bed (I have to try to stay in as an exceptional state of health as possible seeing that on a college campus one can never tell what he might pick up), I can't help but wonder at a rather strange contradiction I've witnessed here at college or is it a misunderstanding? I'm not sure which.

Any of you who know me well enough know that I do not believe in celebrating Christmas. I'm not going to get into that in this particular blog post basically because that wasn't the entire substance of what I'm pondering at the moment. Okay, I am in a choir here at college and as a result, I've recently sung some Christmas carols as they are called (Yes, it a little ironic singing "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" when I don't even celebrate the holiday). What I find strange is that we were allowed to sing such hymns as "Hark, the Herald Angel Sings" and "O Come All Ye Faithful" when just saying the words to a lot of such hymns at a public high school graduation could get one sued since it mentions Jesus Christ and Him being King.

Here on a college campus, it seems there is a constant push to try to make Christianity conform to all the other religions out there or to be more tolerant. When preparing to write my last English paper, in the list of forbidden topics, I was interested to notice that all references to God or the Bible were strictly forbidden. Why then is it all right for our choir to sing these beautiful hymns giving glory to God in front of thousands of people at a ceremony to light a bunch of Christmas lights on campus, but it's not acceptible to mention Him in an English paper?