Now that the weather has gotten better here, i think i've been a bit happier. I bet i have seasonal affective disorder. yesterday and today seem so warm that you could fool me into thinking it's summer. On saturday i visited Tijuana again. I went with kurt, james, and james' friend from out of town. We basically went to the same places we went before, and like before, we had a lot of fun. it was a bit busier in tijuana than last time, probably because of the nice weather.
I still don't have my passport. I had to go to CVS and get some 2x2 photos done, but i found a coupon online, so it didnt cost me more than $8. (you should be proud becky!). So i sent those in, and i figure i'll get my passport within the next week or so. Still, even without a passport, i was able to get back in the country. Its not exactly a pleasant experience, going through customs, but i wasnt too worried. I had my liscence and social security card, and i was obviously american. which seems kind of racist because logically it is true that some americans are white, but not all americans are white. And some americans are brown, and not all mexicans are brown. But still, when your standing in line with a bunch of mexican looking people, and you are the only whitey, it seems reasonable to conclude that the whitey is the american. but then theres also other cultural indications, such as the way i dress and speak.
The next day was valentines day, and so we went over to Coronado, which was the first time i visited there. I didn't realize how beautiful that area was. No wonder people come to san diego for vacation. It amazes me that all that is practically in my backyard and i wasnt even aware of it. we went to the beach and walked around. I really liked seeing the hotel del coronado. it reminded me of the kind of hotel that was in the movie "somewhere in time." and when i got back home i looked it up and it turns out that that hotel was the backdrop for the book that the movie was based on.
So we walked around, chilled on the beach. it was a great day to go. everyone was out. its probably more expensive to live in coronado than in beverly hills, so there were a lot of old rich white people everywhere. Then there were also a lot of couples going there because it was valentines day. It is such a beautiful place to visit. i want to go there more often.
i took a lot of pictures, but i gotta find a good way to post them, because posting them one by one on this blog thing takes too long.
even though i had a slight cold throughout the weekend, i still had a good time. this weather is to die for. There' no way i could stay hidden inside. still, i'm a bit under the weather, and i am exauhsted, so that is all i will say.
Hey everyone, i am back now! Sorry i haven't blogged since i got back, but I've been busy, and you guys didn't notice anyway.
When we drove back down we stopped in Hollywood, and we walked around Hollywood for a couple of hours with Joe and his new girlfriend. It was fun but it was rainy. It rained for the first whole week of school, which was ridiculous. Its not supposed to be that way. It is unusual for this area, but i guess the entire state got drenched that week too. James and i stayed at his cousins place, where we just sat around and played more Wii. The day we moved into the dorms it was raining like crazy, but luckily the rain stopped and the sun came out just as we were about to move in, so none of our stuff got wet. Then after we moved in, the rain came back and didn't leave for a while.
The rain went away by Saturday, and since we didn't have much homework. James, kurt (my roommate), and I decided to go to Mexico. We walked over the border into Tijuana, walked down the main streets. It was really cool. a very different atmosphere. but kind of calming as well. We stopped at a little restaurant and i had some authentic Mexican tacos, which were super cheap. Its funny that once you cross the border, all you see is Mexican restaurants, bars, pharmacies, and cigar shops. its very tourist oriented. And yes there were a lot of little kids walking around with Chiclets! haha. Its such a true stereotype. I think it would be funny to stand on our side of the border and offer the entering Mexicans "gum."
Even though i didn't have a passport i got back into the U.S., although the lady did give me the 3rd degree. Like, they frown upon it, but i was so obviously American, they let me in.
After getting back from Mexico we went to the basketball where we were playing against BYU. It was a super fun game because we are actually really good at basketball. still, we lost, so that sucked. We will get you next year! arg!
I've done a lot of real bowling since I've gotten here because we have a bowling alley on campus and it is free for those who live in the dorms. I'm still not as good as i am in Wii. I bowled a 202 game in Wii, but i rarely get above 100 in real life.
I'm still adjusting to my classes, but so far they seem pretty cool. I think my workload isn't quite as hard as it was last semester, so i have been looking for a part time job, slowly though. I need to pick up the pace.
I'm still trying to figure out financial aid, scholarships, the India trip, and signing a lease for the apartments to live in next year, so my mind is busy.
yesterday the school got a bunch of snow blowing machines and made it snow on one of the campus lawns, so we went over there and had a snowball fight. people were also sliding down in sleds. it was pretty cool thing to see in San Diego. it's still kinda cold here, because of the breeze. But it's tolerable enough that you can get away with wearing shorts and sandals. Today we walked across the campus in our shorts and sat in the aquaplex spa for a while.
yeah, so i guess this is what it feels like to do things.
Today is a strange day, and i bet you’ll agree. Instead of the usual San Diego sunshine, it I currently raining down hard with gusty winds, the kind of weather that reminds me of Sacramento. Ironically, yes I have heard that it has snowed in Sacramento. I don’t know whether I’m glad I got to miss the experience of such coldness, or disappointed that I missed one of the few times it ever snows in that region. Since I hate snow, i figure I lucked out.But if it’s that cold this season, I worry about staying a whole month in that garage room, where there is no heating at all…If only there was someone in our family who had home improvement skills, and could find a way to warm that room up…
I’m doing fine in most of my classes. However, in my Political Science class, I am currently getting a B! I know, it’s outrageous! This guy is weird grader. I tried my best to write the required paper by tailoring it to what I thought he wanted. But I guess I failed at figuring out what he wanted. I got a 20 out of 25 on a paper, which is a B. at least it was the last paper, so I don’t have to worry about it anymore. Now, I have to worry about the final. The only way I could get an A in the class is if I get every question, on the 200 question final, right. That’s not going to happen. I may end up with an A- if I still do quite well, like get an 185. But It looks more likely that I’ll get a B+ or B. It’s ironic because that is one of my favorite subjects this semester, and the teacher is really funny to listen to. But he is a tough grader, and as a result my political science class is going to potentially cause me to lose my straight A streak. In various other classes, I’ll probably get an A-, which I’m fine with because it’s really not that different that an actual A. And there are a few that I’ll surely get A’s in. Ironically Biology is one of those. Biology, I hate. It has been the biggest pain this semester, taking up most of my time. I’ve devoted more study time to biology than all of my other classes combined.But thanks to the curved tests, I have a 98%, so I’m not even going to study for the final. That will give me more time to focus on the class that I’m not sure I’ll get an A in.
Last Friday was Deanna Durbin’s birthday. She turned 88 years old. Apparently she still lives in France. To commemorate, I watched the first movie of hers that I ever saw, the one that got me hooked: Spring Parade.I want to write her a letter, but I’m not really sure what to write. Imagine if Elvis or John Wayne were still alive, what would you write to them? “Hey I’m sure you get this a lot, and have gotten this for most of your life, but I’m a huge fan!”…kinda cheesy. I certainly don’t want to waste her time. Still I want to write her soon, because she won’t be around forever, and I would like to show my appreciation for her numerous enjoyable movies.
My contacts have been bothering me lately. They’ve been very irritated. I’ve tried cleaning then tediously, making sure they are clean, but they still often make it feel like there’s a needle jabbing into my retina. I believe they are not fit right.I pretty much stopped wearing my boot. But my foot is still quite stiff, and very sore. The doc gave me some exercises to do, but I haven’t been doing much of them because it’s a chore. I have been spelling the alphabet with my foot though. That one is relatively easy. For the last week I’ve had a mild cold. It’s one of those that just make you feel a bit miserable, and it sticks around a while. This rain isn’t helping it either. I hate winter.I came down to San Diego to get away from this kind of weather! But here it is, it followed me!
I decided that I’ll post some of my papers on my blog, but I’ll do it on the other blog I had (Sophrosyne). So go check out that one if you want to see an A paper.
Today they had another rally on campus, where all the students gather together and march across campus shouting slogans and what not, hoping that something will actually come of it. They were holding signs, wearing buttons, and were led by a few Associated students members, one of them holding a megaphone in one hand and waving an upside-down flag in the other. How much attention they actually got, I don’t know. If it will actually make a difference, I doubt it. The cost of tuition has been raised by almost 40%, enrollment fees have been hiked, they’ve been making teachers take furlough days, they’ve made it harder to get accepted into the college, and they’ve been cutting classes left and right. The cutting of classes will make it harder for me to graduate in 2 years. I looked at the schedule for next semester, and they aren’t even offering most of the classes I will need. I may have to end up taking an equivalent class that focuses on a subject I don’t want to focus on. Realistically, I looks like I’ll end up fulfilling my graduate requirements at the end of fall 2011, instead of spring 2011. The only way I’d be able to make it by spring 2011 is if I got every single class I needed when I need it, and if I took two classes during the summer. Also, I’m sure they will be raising tuition again next year. But hopefully I will be able to get about the same amount of financial aid as I got this year, which will cover it. If they cut financial aid, I don’t know what I’m going to do. These budget cuts really affect people’s ability to get a proper education, and I’m sure that a lot of poor people have been affected to the point where only the rich white kids who only know how to party will be able to afford to get in and go here. Knowing how hard it is to get into this school, it does seem strange why there are so many rich white kids who are dumber than rocks wandering the halls. I was going to talk about health care and my experiences with the student health services, but I think I’ll keep that for another blog, as it deserves its own blog.
The next Doctor Who special aired yesterday. It’s called the Waters of Mars, and it’s supposed to be a scary one. I haven’t watched it yet, but I plan on doing so tonight. I hope its better than the Planet of the Dead; that one was kinda lame. So after this one, there will be a special on Christmas Day, which will end with a cliffhanger that will be resolved in a special that airs on new years. These last two specials will be David Tennant’s last episodes, and will mark the end of this doctor’s journey. So expect it to be good!
Here’s some interesting news I recently found out. Mom and dad, you might like this. The UK show Primeval has been given a second chance, and is now considered NOT cancelled. This is good news, seeing as the last episode that aired left us kind of hanging.
This week my midterms are finishing, so it’s going to be pretty stressful. I just wanna get through it and make it to thanksgiving. I have a presentation in Biolab this week that I’ve been dreading. I hate the teacher and she hates me. That class also sucks because it’s a one unit class, and they make us do more work than I do in my ASL class, which is a four unit class! It’s ridiculous! Tomorrow I have a midterm in my Natural Resource Conservation class, and it is on air and water pollution. I’ve enjoyed learning about water resources. We’ve gone a lot into the history of water in California, the water wars, and the current controversy in the central valley concerning the water shortage and the Delta Smelt. I think I’ll do all right.
I’ve started walking a bit now. I’ve been only using one crutch for a week, and this weekend I found that I can walk without crutches for a short distance. Without a crutch I go very slow and I limp, so It may take a little longer to be able to walk fast enough without a crutch.
Sarah: I’m sure you know this, but I figured that I’d mention it since I have been learning about it in my biology class. The H1N1 flu virus is going around and people who are particularly at risk include women who are pregnant. When you’re pregnant, your immune system is not as efficient because you have a foreign object in ya, so if you get infected with a virus, your immune system will not be able to fight it off as well. This exact thing happened to a women who lives in San Diego. So just to be sure, you might want to ask your doctor it would be smart to get a flu vaccine. Since only 4000 people have died from it, and that is a very low number for a flu virus, it may not be as big a deal. But still, it’s something to be aware of.
I have noticed that all of you are horrible at this blogging thing. You need to start blogging more and commenting more. Do this, or get Skype already! Sheesh.
During the week I am afforded 8 dollars before 4:15pm, and $10.20 after 4:30pm. In the past I had made a habit of getting a 12 inch sub at a place called the Sub Connection, which is on campus and is located near my classes. The Sub Connection is an overpriced sub shop that doesn’t have as good subs as Subway or Quiznos. Eventually I got tired of it, so I stopped getting those for lunch. Instead of getting anything at the other establishments, like taco bell or juice it up, I now wait until all my classes are over, then make a quick stop at the Aztec market, which is also very overpriced, by the residence halls, and I buy a small box of reduced fat Wheat Thins, a 20oz bottle of Gatorade, and a pack of Orbit gum. That has been the preferred lunch for the last few weeks. There is little other choices.
For dinner I often find it best to go to the Dining Hall, which is located above the market. It is overpriced, but it is all you can eat (and it takes up the whole $10.20, so I don’t have to worry about buying little pieces of candy that I don’t eat just to get the most I can out of the money I am allotted for the day). With the Dining hall, you’re pretty much paying for the variety, and choices. However, in my opinion, there are little choices. They have plenty of greasy things, noodles, chips (fries), and pizza. But I prefer to get a meat dish, preferably chicken, that usually comes with potatoes or vegetables. I would prefer to just have a simple baked chicken with no skin, but they gotta be all fancy and cook the chicken like it was some fancy restaurant, which just makes it greasy and unsatisfying for me who likes it simple. I tend to make up for the few choices in entrées by staking up on small things. I’ll take a bunch of little wheat cracker packets, or bread rolls if they have them. And I’ll also get a bunch of apples and bananas, stuff em in my pockets and bring them home with me. They sell apples and bananas at the market for $.75, which is ridiculous. I must get my moneys worth somehow. There are three reasons why I still go to dinner even though what they serve for dinner sucks. 1: Peer pressure 2: lack of other choices 3: cereal. I often go to the dining hall with some friends, or even just my roommate, so that makes it kind of a social thing. If I didn’t go, my only other viable option would be to get more wheat thins and Gatorade at the market. (there is another place called the grill that has food, but the food sucks and its all greasy). And the dining hall consistently has cereal available to eat. If I’m unhappy with the meal, all I have to do is get a bowl of cheerios in non-fat milk. If I’m really unhappy with the meal, I’ll get a bowl of granola cereal in non-fat milk. People think I’m crazy, and I’m sure they’re right.
Because I am not given a food allowance on Saturday or Sunday, I make a trip with my roommate, Kurt, down to the local supermarket, Ralphs. Instead of buying food from fast-food places on the weekends, I think its better to go an buy sandwich makings that I can put together and would last into the week, providing me with buffer food, for when what I get at the dining hall isn’t enough. Ralphs has pretty good prices, especially with loaves of bread. I can buy a huge loaf of wheat French bread, which is sliced, for around $1.47. Last week it was on sale for $1.27, and the slicer messed up on one loaf, squishing it all up, so the lady gave me that loaf for free. I also get some packages of lunch meat (turkey preferably), which ends up costing the most out of all the items purchased on my trip. I then get two big bags of lettuce for $2 each, since I love putting a lot of lettuce on my sandwiches. I then might get a box of cheerios, some Gatorade, or some wheat thins, depending on how much more I want to spend. I allow myself to spend $20 on the trip, and I usually spending around that. So in all, I probably spend $80 a month on food that is an addition to the allowance of food that is given for me during the week. It is within budget. You don’t think that’s too much to spend each month on food is it?
Since the food i have been eating isn't as healthy as I'd really like, amazingly i haven't been gaining any weight (that i can tell). The meds i was taking i think were making me lose weight, but since I've been off them i think i've gone back to where i was before the accident. weird.
Winter break:
There is a guy who lives on my floor that I’ve become good friends with. His name is James, and he is 24. He is a junior, like me, and he is majoring in Geography; natural resources and environmental policy, like me, and he comes from Sacramento, like me. It’s a bit strange about our similarities. Anyways, since he has folks up in Sacramento, he is planning on going up there for winter break. Since he has a car, i asked him if I could tag along. Since it helps out on gas and time, he’s up for it. So I shouldn’t be needing a ride from any of you in Sacramento. Maybe next time! : )
Hypochondria:
I don’t know if it has to do with me taking a biology class, where we talk a lot about human biological processes and how things can go wrong, or if it is because I broke my ankle and am not feeling invulnerable, but I’m quite sure that I have become a hypochondriac. I have a cyst on my side that I thought might be cancer (checked it out with health services: it’s just a cyst), I thought I might have stomach problems as a result of the meds I was taking (I stopped taking them and the nausea has gone away), I’ve gotten sick a few times (just this last weekend I had a runny nose and a brief fever). I’m quite convinced that my eyes are getting worse (and I know now, despite what Dr. baker has said, that there is officially no known method for preventing the progression of karateconus). There’s always someone sick in each of my classes, always someone missing. They say that if we’re sick we just shouldn’t show up, because the whole swine flu thing is pretty serious, especially in the dorms. Sicknesses have been going around, but I don’t know anyone that has gotten swine flu yet, though I have heard that some students have gotten it.With all of this and more, I have spent most of this semester focused on health issues, and I think that this has resulted in me becoming a hypochondriac. I hope I live to see 2010!
Questions:
Mom and Dad) When I get back for Winter break, will my room be converted back into a room? I will need it for like 4 weeks.
Liz and Cam and Mary) are you guys gonna go to sac for Christmas?
Everyone) Why aren't you on Skype yet?
Next time:
Budget cuts, class cuts, health care, Doctor Who, and Primeval.
So last Wednesday i went into the doctor and they x-rayed my foot. They said that it was time that i can start putting some weight on the foot, so they took off the cast and gave me a boot to wear. Now over the next few weeks i will be gradually putting more weight onto my foot, re-teaching my foot how to walk. When i took off the cast my foot still looked pretty bad and swollen, which i think had a lot to do with not using it at all for a month. Can you imagine how crappy it would be to rehabilitate a limb after not using it for a longer period of time, like a year! It's crazy how long you have to spend getting back to normal after hurting yourself. So, make sure that your bones are strong guys, get enough vitamin D and sunlight.
I wouldn't really say that my foot hurts. It is sore sometime, but overall it feels normal. Of course, it might hurt if i walked on it. I have started to walk on it lightly using crutches and so far it has been fine. I think that next week I'll be able to try it without crutches. They say an ankle break usually heals in 6 weeks, and yesterday was my 5 week anniversary of my accident. The most that my foot hurt was the day of and the day after my fall, when i was actually hobbling on it, thinking it was just sprained.
There have been some advantages in being hurt. It is a conversation starter, so i have met new people or gotten better acquainted with some people. People open doors for me, which is nice. I can't carry food in the dining room, so i have friends that help me get my food for me. I actually don't like relying on people so much, so i look forward to being able get my own doors and get my own food. Also, there is a cart service the school has where they pick me up in a golf cart and take me to my class, so i don't have to walk all the way across campus. It is nice, but sometimes it sucks waiting for them to show up. I have also gotten my nickname, which is "cripple" or "stubs," so it's fun to finally have a nickname.
The major downside of being hurt is the inability to go along with my friends to parties on the weekends. The other day was Halloween, and i couldn't really go out with everyone else. But i ended up staying in and watching the Thin Red Line with my friend Shireen, so that was still fun. Plus, there is a chipotle on our campus, and on Halloween they had a deal where if you dressed up as a burrito, you could have a free burrito. So Shireen and i put tin foil on our arms and went and got free burritos, which were huge! very cool. Also, being hurt i haven't been able to participate in any school groups or clubs. And i have missed some lecturers that have come to campus that i wanted to see, like Primatologist Frans De Waal.
Sounds like you guys had a great Halloween, that's good. You should post pictures! Also, if you really don't want to comment on the blog, it's fine if you email me. But really, it's not that hard to comment. Also, Skype is nothing to be scared about. its really easy to set up. If you need help, just ask Becky, she should be able to explain it to you.
Now for more pictures:
My feet the day i got my cast off
My new boot.
A roll i took for the dining hall.
My cast. There is not much writing on it because i didn't know that was going to be my permanent cast.
Firstly, I want to let everyone know that if they want to easily call me, you can do it for free with Skype. Download skype, add my username, which is sophrosyne33, then when i am on press the call button and we can talk over the computer microphones. easy as pie. I should be on on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, so try it out.
The following are the latest pictures i have taken. the first set are from the SDSU vs. BYU game that was on October 17th. And the other set of photos is just me and my good friends hanging out on a Friday night.
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