09 January 2007

New Semester, New Classes, and No Used Books

I am two days into my second semester of college. Huzzah!

D-1 (Sunday): I was actually able to wake up in time for church. Not bad for my first morning back on campus. I grabbed breakfast and headed for St. James UMC. When I got there, I realized that I don't know what time services start and it looks like one is going on now (and by the lack of people sneaking in to the church, one has been going on for a while). So I ran across town to Athens First UMC (which, as it turns out, is where all of the Greeks go). "It's ok. This is the modern worship service, so nobody will notice the soaking-wet college students in jeans and a t-shirt coming in late," I convinced myself. Wrong. It was the traditional service and as an usher showed me to my seat, all eyes were on my. After church and lunch, I tried to buy my books. Nearly $500 worth. As it turns out, I only have a $500 credit limit, and that $25, the only charge ever put on it, put me over said limit. So after half an hour of holding up the line trying to solve this problem, it took another sprint through the rain, some rearranging of my checking account, and a near-stroke for me to actually be able to purchase my books.

D-Day - First day back and I'm up at 6:30 to make my 8:00 class. For maybe the fourth time since classes finished nearly a month ago, I actually ate breakfast. I go to my German class at eight, and half way through the class, the teacher switched to all German. Then up some stairs to my Political Science class. Meh. Boring. Philosophy, or as the professor (who behaved like William Shatner delivering a dramatic soliloquy) calls it, God 101, using classical arguments on God to examine the basics of philosophy. And here's the fun part: a guarantee from the professor that the highest grade on any of his tests will be a 70. Because tests are not supposed to test knowledge, but be learning experiences...silly me. I thought that's what lectures and discussion groups were. 11:00 rolls around and I get my first break all day. Lunch. Then Macroeconomics, with the professor who is an odd mix of my high school econ teacher and Michael Meyers (yes, the serial killer from Halloween). Two hour break until my History of Rock Music class, taught by the pot-head hippie...dropped.

D+1 = German, 8:00. Finished. With dropping the 3:30-4:30 music class, I am done with classes for today and it's only 9:15. Tuesdays and Thursdays are going to be fun.

Shalom,
Drew