Welcome to the Jungle
A figurative jungle that is. A jungle aka fall 2006. I am currently taking 19 hours at good ol MTSU. I am taking one RIM core class, four RIM sub core classes, a physics class for my minor, and working in the lab from 12 to 4 am one night a week. That's not all. In addition to that, I am holding down my scholarship job at the women's center and working at the music school for a measly income of $6.25 an hour (and a date out at Widji here or there just to provide a change in scenery). Is this what it is like for everyone preparing to graduate in a year and a half?
I'm calling for a backup. Since I last wrote I was embarking on the excitement that was Maymester. My classes were supercool but one of them was perhaps a little unrealistic for a 3 week course. Music as Popular Culture was fascinating but the two papers and class presentation and all essay final was a bit intense. I think our professor took pity on us and awarded us with A's nonetheless. I learned a different way of thinking in that class that I hope to carry with me through the rest of my life. My other class was the epitome of a summer class. It was the "Art of Soundtrack Design" aka watch a movie, write a short paper about what happened aurally. It was fantastic. We watched a movie one day, wrote a paper and discussed the next. I had a lot of fun with my papers and my professor liked what I wrote. It was a blast and a half. Friday, June 2nd, after scuddling around at the state track meet all week, I took my finals, packed my bags, and moved back home.
Taking no respite whatsoever I turned around and started camp the following Monday. I was assigned to sub for Moonpie who apparently never came back to camp during the summer due to obligations to baseball or something of the like. Translation, I had 11 year old boys all week. This was probably one of the most challenging weeks of camp I've ever experienced. I had never had boys, nonetheless t-bird boys, and I was stuck with a bunch of kids who wanted their old counselor back. After the ball-biting incident and a considerable break-down by me, I stood up and remembered why I like camp so much and actually began to enjoy the rest of my summer. The sophomore summer was a tough one to be honest. There were issues I never thought I would have to deal with, not to mention it was one of the hottest summers on record. You know it's hot when you are profusely sweating by 9 am (and that happened many days this year). I had a good group second session, a rough group third session, and then an amazing veteran group fourth session, followed by an even more incredible newbie group fifth session. During the last session, I had a group of warrior boys that I adored and I remembered once again what kept me going day in and day out. The bus trips needed improvement this year, but I guess I'll know next year how to step up and lead that.
It's amazing how the negative criticism will stick with you. One of the evaluations turned in to our bus site said that the bus counselors "could have been friendlier.." I remember being so hurt by that. Although I knew it was true, I also knew that the parents have the unfortunate pleasure of seeing us probably at our worst--at the beginning of the day before we are awake and at the end of the day when we are worn out beyond belief. I have many things to improve upon for next year and many things to look forward to also.
Assuming all the money gets raised, resident camp will open in 2008, which is conveniently the summer after I graduate.
Ah yes, the G word. Nobody's really asking, but it's the only thing I can really think about these days. I graduate in 14 months. I hope to spend Jan-April 2008 traveling to see my friends around the country and working some full-time job that will pay my bills and give me flexibility in my free time (Wishful thinking huh?). I hope during that time I'll be able to do some freelance writing and really dig into the scene that I love so much. From May to August I hope to work out at camp, possibly doing admin staff for resident camp, although I'm not quite sure yet. That will give me 8 months from when I graduate to hunt down a job that I can tolerate long term while getting to do a job I love in the meantime. The thought of graduation is both absolutely terrifying and acting as my savior at this point. I keep looking towards it thinking that it is not so far away but then I get smacked in the face by all that I have to do before tomorrow and 14 months seems like eternity.
Mainly I have put myself in a pretty dreadful position as far as this semester goes. Without even really knowing it, I signed myself up for classes that would collectively require three group projects, three term papers, one term project, and tests and quizzes interspersed in between. While only having 1 midterm, I still have five finals to take at the end of the semester. Did I mention these so-called group projects are essentially business plans and we all saw how much I stressed about the great entrepreneurship business plan of Spring '06. Luckily that plan was actually pretty minimal in its scale and I was interested in doing it. I've never liked group projects. Although I am relatively confident in my artist management group, I fear that my other group projects may not come together in time. I could go on my rant about group projects here, but that is entirely unnecessary at this time. I think you get the jist. I am not a fan.
The lab hours are a necessary evil. I like to think of it as building character. I've been lame enough to generally get 8-10 hours of sleep every night throughout my college career. This semester I'm lucky if I catch 5. I don't quite know how I did it in high school, but after this semester I know I never want to do it again. 9 hours of sleep is officially my minimum and after this semester I will do what it takes to preserve my precious sleeping time.
The women's center is different with the new director. I think it is headed in a good direction. But I also think I'm going to be glad when my time commitment to the center is done. I would come back and volunteer to do the JSA scholarship processing because I thought that was pretty fun. Alas it is a spring activity. I will get my fair share of it this semester though.
My job at the music school so far has been fun. I really like sitting backstage and hearing all this glorious music (well most of it is glorious). It may not be rock and roll, but so much of it has so much power nonetheless. I also think it's cool how at least one of the other techs really appreciates the music she gets to hear in the course of her job. There are people out there who enjoy art! So far the tasks have been relatively menial and I've established myself as the recital card Nazi simply because I too once had to get recital cards, and I too got burned on it. Once burned, twice shy they say. So if you need a recital card, look for it at the beginning of the show, because you won't get it any other time. Sometimes I kind of dread the time commitment in my already severely time deficit weeks, but usually the nights pay off well enough.
At this point, I know I still have a lot of growing to do before I will be ready to walk across that stage in 14 months. I want nothing more to be ready. But in truth, is anybody ever ready to make huge changes in their lives?
I'm calling for a backup. Since I last wrote I was embarking on the excitement that was Maymester. My classes were supercool but one of them was perhaps a little unrealistic for a 3 week course. Music as Popular Culture was fascinating but the two papers and class presentation and all essay final was a bit intense. I think our professor took pity on us and awarded us with A's nonetheless. I learned a different way of thinking in that class that I hope to carry with me through the rest of my life. My other class was the epitome of a summer class. It was the "Art of Soundtrack Design" aka watch a movie, write a short paper about what happened aurally. It was fantastic. We watched a movie one day, wrote a paper and discussed the next. I had a lot of fun with my papers and my professor liked what I wrote. It was a blast and a half. Friday, June 2nd, after scuddling around at the state track meet all week, I took my finals, packed my bags, and moved back home.
Taking no respite whatsoever I turned around and started camp the following Monday. I was assigned to sub for Moonpie who apparently never came back to camp during the summer due to obligations to baseball or something of the like. Translation, I had 11 year old boys all week. This was probably one of the most challenging weeks of camp I've ever experienced. I had never had boys, nonetheless t-bird boys, and I was stuck with a bunch of kids who wanted their old counselor back. After the ball-biting incident and a considerable break-down by me, I stood up and remembered why I like camp so much and actually began to enjoy the rest of my summer. The sophomore summer was a tough one to be honest. There were issues I never thought I would have to deal with, not to mention it was one of the hottest summers on record. You know it's hot when you are profusely sweating by 9 am (and that happened many days this year). I had a good group second session, a rough group third session, and then an amazing veteran group fourth session, followed by an even more incredible newbie group fifth session. During the last session, I had a group of warrior boys that I adored and I remembered once again what kept me going day in and day out. The bus trips needed improvement this year, but I guess I'll know next year how to step up and lead that.
It's amazing how the negative criticism will stick with you. One of the evaluations turned in to our bus site said that the bus counselors "could have been friendlier.." I remember being so hurt by that. Although I knew it was true, I also knew that the parents have the unfortunate pleasure of seeing us probably at our worst--at the beginning of the day before we are awake and at the end of the day when we are worn out beyond belief. I have many things to improve upon for next year and many things to look forward to also.
Assuming all the money gets raised, resident camp will open in 2008, which is conveniently the summer after I graduate.
Ah yes, the G word. Nobody's really asking, but it's the only thing I can really think about these days. I graduate in 14 months. I hope to spend Jan-April 2008 traveling to see my friends around the country and working some full-time job that will pay my bills and give me flexibility in my free time (Wishful thinking huh?). I hope during that time I'll be able to do some freelance writing and really dig into the scene that I love so much. From May to August I hope to work out at camp, possibly doing admin staff for resident camp, although I'm not quite sure yet. That will give me 8 months from when I graduate to hunt down a job that I can tolerate long term while getting to do a job I love in the meantime. The thought of graduation is both absolutely terrifying and acting as my savior at this point. I keep looking towards it thinking that it is not so far away but then I get smacked in the face by all that I have to do before tomorrow and 14 months seems like eternity.
Mainly I have put myself in a pretty dreadful position as far as this semester goes. Without even really knowing it, I signed myself up for classes that would collectively require three group projects, three term papers, one term project, and tests and quizzes interspersed in between. While only having 1 midterm, I still have five finals to take at the end of the semester. Did I mention these so-called group projects are essentially business plans and we all saw how much I stressed about the great entrepreneurship business plan of Spring '06. Luckily that plan was actually pretty minimal in its scale and I was interested in doing it. I've never liked group projects. Although I am relatively confident in my artist management group, I fear that my other group projects may not come together in time. I could go on my rant about group projects here, but that is entirely unnecessary at this time. I think you get the jist. I am not a fan.
The lab hours are a necessary evil. I like to think of it as building character. I've been lame enough to generally get 8-10 hours of sleep every night throughout my college career. This semester I'm lucky if I catch 5. I don't quite know how I did it in high school, but after this semester I know I never want to do it again. 9 hours of sleep is officially my minimum and after this semester I will do what it takes to preserve my precious sleeping time.
The women's center is different with the new director. I think it is headed in a good direction. But I also think I'm going to be glad when my time commitment to the center is done. I would come back and volunteer to do the JSA scholarship processing because I thought that was pretty fun. Alas it is a spring activity. I will get my fair share of it this semester though.
My job at the music school so far has been fun. I really like sitting backstage and hearing all this glorious music (well most of it is glorious). It may not be rock and roll, but so much of it has so much power nonetheless. I also think it's cool how at least one of the other techs really appreciates the music she gets to hear in the course of her job. There are people out there who enjoy art! So far the tasks have been relatively menial and I've established myself as the recital card Nazi simply because I too once had to get recital cards, and I too got burned on it. Once burned, twice shy they say. So if you need a recital card, look for it at the beginning of the show, because you won't get it any other time. Sometimes I kind of dread the time commitment in my already severely time deficit weeks, but usually the nights pay off well enough.
At this point, I know I still have a lot of growing to do before I will be ready to walk across that stage in 14 months. I want nothing more to be ready. But in truth, is anybody ever ready to make huge changes in their lives?
posted by Ruby @ 8:07 PM
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