Returning Again!

Ok, I'm back. I know--I'm the most inconsistent blogger ever. Well, actually, that's probably not true...I inconsistently forget to update! mwahahaha...

ANYWAY.

Life is good! Done with finals, which is a relief. And I decided on a job in Chicago!

...shocked?

Well, here's the story. I had opportunities in multiple cities (Houston, New York City, Cincinnati, Minneapolis, Chicago), and so I had to weigh out the options. While my love for the Twin Cities isn't quite dead, I just know the opportunity I am pursuing is the best for me and my career. It's a very challenging position that will best utilize my Supply Chain knowledge. Score.

Good thing is I don't graduate until June, so I have plenty of time to live out my final days in Columbus. So this is an open forum to suggestions! What should I do with my last days in Columbus? Here is the beginning of my list:

1. Go to a Blue Jackets game
2. Go to COSI
3. Go to Schmidt's in German Village.
4. See a performance in the Southern Theatre (the only theatre I have not seen a performance in)
5. Go to Hocking Hills (again).

And, well...I can't think of anything else. I mean, I've been here five years, and there's only so much to take in throughout Columbus. But if you have any suggestions, feel free to comment and let me know! I only have 187 days left so I gotta make the most of them :-P

They Even Rob Their Education!

I used to have this manager. Whenever someone would do something wrong or quirky or rude, he'd bark out this particular way of saying "unbelievable". He'd hold out the 'un' really long, and then quickly blurt out the 'believable'. "That was unnnnn......believeable." It was his distinct phrase, something everyone at my job would say at really any opportune time.

Right now, in my head, I am hearing his voice say it over and over again. Unnnn...believeable! Unnn....believeable!

Why am I in such a state of disbelief? Because I came across some of the "rigorous" requirements of a certain bible college's classes. What are these awfully difficult class reqs? Well, for a Ph.D level course, 20% of a certain grade comes down to planning a Sunday School lesson. Another, for a Master's course, gives 20% of a students final grade for leaving comments on websites. They even have one unabashedly biased course--"Intelligent Design or Unintelligent Evolution."

What a flagrant perversion of education! What a flippant abandon of the pursuit of truth! Schools like this are just sick, because they are raking in thousands upon thousands of dollars from students, and in return they so horrendously rob them of their education. They hand out unaccredited pieces of paper that are supposed to represent a Bachelor's Degree, but with class selections like this, how can one learn?

I have sat through my fair share of Women's Studies and Sociology classes. Been through my biology, physics and chemistry. Knocked out four classes of Calculus. I have never had a grade handout in college. It has never been easy. But it has rounded me out and opened my eyes to new perspectives and ways of thinking. But if my college degree was based upon the foundation that everyone around me thinks the same way I do, what type of development could I claim? How could I have grown at all?

Specifically one of my professors comes to mind. He was a stout man with a tiny head and huge body. He wore Big Dogs hoodies to lecture. He frequently flirted with the ladies. But his outlook on life was so peculiar and so precise that it forever changed how I read books, how I watch movies and really how I take in anything in life.

I got an A in his class, but it didn't come easy. I read 9 novels, wrote 7 papers (all over 2,000 words), turned in a 20-page thesis paper and didn't miss a single class. There was no extra credit, there weren't take-home exams...and it was a basic GEC! The fact that I have been pushed by my Professors is what has encouraged me to continue to pursue education in every direction I take.

So that is why I am so outraged at this pathetic "institution". (I won't even call it a college or seminary). Writing comments on blogs should never be credit in any college course, much less worth 20% at a Master's level! It is such a disservice to themselves, their students, their institution and even to education itself. I feel horrible for these students. When they graduate they will be no better when they started.

Putting it on Hold.

Most people describe it as their time of blossoming, their four-years of self-discovery. I view college as putting my life on hold. Unfortunately I had no other option. In order to make something out of my life I had to go to college. The days when kids with just a high-school diploma could still make it are really gone by now. So I accepted this fact and at the age of 20 headed off to begin my college career.

To a certain degree I have viewed college as actually bad for me. I think three years ago I was more in love with life. I think I deeply cared for every individual I met. I valued the goodness in every person, whether or not they saw it. It's not that this viewpoint has been completely tarnished, it's just that over the years of monotony that college brings I have fallen away from that raw energy for simple existence. Even at Ohio State--the largest university in the country--there is such an emphasis on you. The college model really makes people think that everything is about them. By condensing the world into a few-acre campus, suddenly your presence is demanded at every event; your viewpoint at a college party is pivotal; your contribution to clubs and sports makes the difference. Suddenly you are the reason that things succeed or fail.

And life just isn't like that. Being that I took two years off before starting college, I knew this going in. But it was inevitable that I would change somehow along the collegiate journey. I just didn't expect it to be this hard. I'm not talking about the all-night study marathons or the difficulty of the class material--I'm talking about the temptation to make everything about me.

By no means have I ever trampled on people in my path or done anything malicious towards others. It's just that college has made me indifferent, a position that in my opinion is worse than good-or-bad, hot-or-cold. With either good or bad you can point to a determined person who knows their place in life; with indifference you don't even bother to try. Indifference is generally the last place I'd ever want to find myself, and that's where I believe college has led me. Maybe it's knowing that in some of my classes 60% of the students will fail or drop-out, and that's just a fact I have to accept. Maybe it's knowing that thousands of students every year abandon their studies and never return to school. Perhaps it's knowing that hundreds of thousands of students will receive rejection letters from graduate programs because the students just weren't good enough. It's these dreadful college statistics that makes me begin to turn cold and indifferent. I wasn't like this before, but now it's just a part of life.

So I'm re-reading my old journals (years before blogging existed!) trying to remember how I treated people. I'm trying to remind myself that my piece of the life puzzle is just a single one out of six billion. I'm doing my best to return to the days when mere existence was enough to overflow my cup. How did I fall away from this? Without shifting too much blame, I'm sure the busy-bee life of an over-committed college student had something to do with it. But as Anne Frank said, "Isn't it wonderful that none of us need wait a moment before starting to change the world?"

It's a good thing that I'm only starting with changing myself. If it only takes a single moment to the change the world, how easy can it be to change ourselves?

Graduation.

Probably the worst idea I have ever had was to play Tee Ball with my sister. The reason why? She was the tee.

Think about that for a second.

I broke her wrist in seven places. Strangely enough, it really had not occurred to either of us that our little game could even remotely be dangerous. It's funny now that I am pursuing a degree in Logistics (read: difficult) and this weekend I will be going to watch my sister graduate with her Master's degree in Education. Obviously, we have come a long way since the times we thought bashing baseball bats on our wrists seemed apropos.

A Two-Year Old Post.

So I was going through my old blog and I found this from two years ago...it made me laugh, so I thought I'd share it :-)

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Do you ever have a moment so magical the time just flies by? Do you ever have such a grand time that you are consumed with the moment? Are you ever so filled with joy and excitement for what you are doing that you never want it to end? Yeah, I'm not talking about that. Today, I'm talking about the absolute worst two hours of my life, where I literally was counting the seconds until it was over.

Today, I had my first Comparative Studies class. God was I in for torture. The class is called "Love in World Literature" and we turned in our first assignment, which was a paper on the meanings and manifestations of love (assigned via e-mail since we did not have class last week). Talk about a 9th grade orientation project. I have never in my life considered getting up and leaving a class because I thought I was actually losing knowledge. God was it a waste of time. For nearly two hours we went around the room and everyone chimed in on what they felt love was. I felt like I was in Self-loathers Anonymous. Everyone was like, "Love is a feeling" to which others would literally reply, "That's so deep." I had no idea I had signed up for a special ed circus of hippies, feminists and socialists discussing the "immense power" of four letter words. One girl literally said, "I am a Women's Studies Major, and I think love and girl should be interchangeable words, since love comes from the mother..." Can someone somehow hurt me so I have a medical excuse to NOT to attend this class?

The most mind-stabbing part of the session was when the Professor was discussing the semantics of the "profound statement" that "God is love". Some kid who is studying international studies (read: future Starbucks Barista), was like, "I consider love to be a prayer", to which the Professor squealed with delight at the inspiring revelation. They continued on for five minutes with a conversation similar to this:

"So, prayer is love?"
"Yes, and God is love."
"So then, would that mean that...prayer is God?"
"No, Prayer is communion with God, since a person who loves God will pray."
"I see! So those who love God will pray, since prayer is love and God is love?"
"Ah yes! However, love is an action, and God is a thing. Hence why prayer is not God."
"So then, love is both an action and a thing--but that would mean prayer is both a love and thing!"
"Ah, very true! So prayer is love, God is love, but love are both! Wonderful!"

FIVE FUCKING MINUTES OF THAT SPEWED DRIVEL. I cannot believe I have ten more weeks of this. I seriously have never been less challenged in my life. I think I'd find more challenge in old copy of Highlights Magazine. (Remember that shit? THE BEST). And, since I always sit in the front row, it's not like I could pull out some homework and just ignore the silly words that were being exchanged. "Love is the fuel to propel the world", that is a literal quote. We talked about it for ten minutes.

*pulls hair out in utmost agony*

Island Casedillas.

Oh, yes. That's how she spelled it alright. I'm cruel, but this video is just HILARIOUS.



Casedillas...bahaha...ok back to my third all-nighter in 5 days...ugh...

Bird's Eye View.

This is an iconic part of The Ohio State University. The Oval is a central common area that serves to connect students to the densest part of campus. Literally millions of people have walked across this patch of land.

The buildings, from left to right, are Page Hall, Hagerty Hall, Mendenhall and Orton Hall. When the weather is nice, hundreds of students flock to The Oval to throw a frisbie, study with friends, take a nap or just walk around and enjoy the frenzy.

In reality millions of people have been to or at least know of The Oval. As the largest university in The United States, think of the thousands of prospective students and their families who have crossed The Oval while on a tour. Think of the myriad of international students whose perspective on America has been shaped by this one location. Consider the millions of memories people have of events that have taken place right here--proposals, breakups, hangtime with friends, study sessions, relaxation time, etc. It's a bold thought when you consider how this one little piece of land has impacted thousands of peoples' lives.

This is why City and Regional Planning matters.

Sonic, Non-Hedgehog, Comes To OSU!

Gah! Just what I need--more temptations to eat terrible "food" at two in morning!

Soon, students can add another restaurant to their checklist of places to eat. A new Sonic Drive-In is under construction on Olentangy River Road, and will open its doors 6 a.m. Oct. 27.

Sonic is a drive-in food chain where customers can pull up to a parking spot, choose their meal at an order station and have a bell-hop in roller skates bring each order on a tray.There is also a drive-thru and patio seating.

At the new location, the drive-in has been customized to represent an OSU atmosphere. Hillwertz said the structure's support poles are usually painted green, but are scarlet to represent OSU colors. Instead of yellow, red and blue alternating outfits, employees wear a scarlet shirt and an official OSU hat.

The new Sonic will be open from 6 a.m. to 12 a.m. every day. Hillwertz said the store may eventually be open 24 hours, but it depends on how busy the new location become.

Who Wants $145,000?

Hey, do you have a really good idea? I mean, like a really good idea? The kind that if you put into a business plan would make millions? Well, you're in luck! At The Ohio State University, my college, the regal and dignified Fisher College of Business, is hosting the 2009 Deloitte Business Plan Competition. The prize? Oh, well, cash and services valued at $145,000. (That's a lot of money.)

In the group you only need one Ohio State Student! So you can bribe me. (I can be bought!) You give me half the money, you come up with the idea and do all the work. Sounds fair, right? ;-)

And just so you know what your competition is, look at last year's winners...

1st Place Team - NanoMed
Offers the proprietary Zip-Disk Gene Delivery System used to genetically modify cells, enabling rapid prototyping of new gene therapies in the biopharmaceutical industry for the development of cures for cancer, autoimmune diseases, and other debilitating disorders.

2nd Place Team - XMRI
A medical device development company that plans to manufacture, achieve FDA approval, and market Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) compatible treadmills for use in Exercise Stress Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (CMR).

3rd Place Team - ThermoBuffer
Provides an innovative new technology that addresses the basic problem of temperature control in containers for foods and liquids, maintaining the temperature in the optimum flavor range.

Yeah. Those are good ideas. Like, really good ideas. *lays cards on table* I think I'm out, but maybe you'll have better luck?

Fabulously Defunct: The Facebook Layout.

Has anyone taken a test run of the new Facebook Layout? Yeah, what a mess. GROSS. I hope they'll be like MySpace and give you the option of either the new layout or the old layout.




If you haven't tried it out, you can check it out here. Just sign in, and if you want to return to the old layout there is an option in the top right-hand corner of the page. Don't worry, it'll only be a few clicks until you decide to revert to the original layout. ;-)