Stupid Lab Report!

Today I think that I somewhat offended someone when I called lab reports "busy work".

I hadn't really put much thought into it until I talked about it with this person, but for Science Majors, these lab reports are their "work". That's what they do... Unlike all those papers about "Symbolism in Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray" and all those other essays that I consider "fun". (I am kind of kidding when it comes to the "fun" thing, but I would rather write that kind of paper than fill out a lab report). But the truth is...

I hate lab reports....

Especially the long, stupid, formal ones.

I've been busy all day and I have been working on this stuff for quite a while:

In this lab report, multiple lab experiments were conducted in order to: (1) become more familiar with Newton’s Laws of Motion, and (2) explore the properties of thermal energy as heat interacts with different substances.

Newton’s laws of motion transformed science into something completely different using his three laws of motion (laws of inertia, action and reaction, and acceleration proportional to force)..... blah blah blah.

(Isaac Newton, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:GodfreyKneller-IsaacNewton-1689.jpg)

And ya know.... sometimes you just have to pick your battles...

This is one battle that I am just going to rush through. I don't care.

I still have a group meeting at 8:15 tonight for another project... Oh, no...

To Do List, Part 2

I forgot... I also have a 5 page (I'm guessing it will be about 5 pages) Lab Report due tomorrow....

Damn...

To Do List

Since I decided not to accomplish anything this weekend...

here is my to do list for today:

Take a Liberating Letters quiz on the Gallileo book (and study for this quiz)
Fill out a resume thing for an award that I was nominated for.
Get pictures of the three groups of people running for Stu. Gov. Pres and V.P
Send those pictures to Marketing and Communications
Figure out my classes
Contact my teacher from high school to get a syllabus
Bring that syllabus to the english department in order to get credit for the course
Go to HR and notify them of my two new jobs.
Talk to Phil about my new job and set up a schedule.
Call Alumni for my Ignite job.
Make a Facebook Group, "Adam Spanier for Student Government 09-10"
Clean my room... it got kinda messy after this weekend
Go to an Honors House meeting tonight.
Meet with my Lib. Letters group about the Trial that starts tomorrow.

And I have to shower.....

And avoid the temptation of playing Killzone 2 all day:

(Image from http://www.marnscda.com/downloads/NerdsGM/wallpaper_killzone_06_1024.jpg)

Spring Cleaning

So I borrowed a vacuum from Devyn today... a crappy little vacuum

And I went all out cleaning... moved my bed, dusted, did windows, arranged my clothes... It's just something I do when I'm really bored...

And then FINALLY, I was done cleaning and reached down to shut the vacuum off... BUT i pressed the wrong button... and...

The bottom of the vacuum fell off and dust fell ALL OVER THE PLACE. It was disgusting.

Grr.....

I also went to the Mall of America today... Bought Killzone 2.. one of the first videogames I have bought in a long time. My brother and I are splitting the price though, which is nice considering how expensive video games are now a'days.. I'll let you know how it is.

Freedom

So I figured out why I didn't fall asleep unitl 2 in the morning last night..... It's because I didn't wake up until 11 in the morning yesterday... (And Nathaniel's snoring didn't help)

Bad Decision.

So yesterday was pretty busy:

Class
I had class from 11:50 to 3. Nothing too exciting... actually, I take that back. In Liberating Letters we had Professor Dallas Liddle come give a guest lecture. He is an expert on the Victorian Era (mostly literature stuff) and he talked to our class about Dorian Gray and aestheticism. Probably one of the most interesting lectures ever...

He showed us this painting:
Turner (http://www.paintinghere.com/painting/The_fighting_Temeraire_tugged_to_her_last_berth_to_be_broken_up_4177.html)

The general consensus with our class: Pretty painting, but not a masterpeice.

Professor Liddle then proceeded to explain the meaning of the painting... (There is no way I can do this story justice... I am sorry)

During the Battle of Trafalgar, the British ships were vastly outnumbered by the numerous battle ships of the French. If the French could just draw the British ships away, Napolean Bonoparte would be able to send forces to Great Britain and take control... so yes, this was a VERY important battle.

Basically, one of Britains most powerful ships was being attacked by three different French ships... the British were getting their butt kicked. But just as the French were about to board the British ship and take over, a little British boat, the Saucy Temeraire, floated inbetween two of the French ships by surprise and, basically, saved the entire British fleet...

That tiny little boat is the subject of Turner's painting:

The Fighting Temeraire tugged to her last Berth to be broken up

Our class then decided that yes, this story makes the painting a little more powerful. Looking at it again,from a different perspective, some people decided that they view the painting in a completely different way and that it could be considered a masterpeice. This theory, that the more ideas a painting symbolizes (morality found in art), the better the actual peice of art will be. Art is more than just lines and colors and beauty... it holds moral importance.

Agree with it or not, I find it a very interesting theory. I wish I could do the lecture some justice...

P.S. That painting up there... the one that our class initially thought was "just pretty"... yeah, in 2005 it was voted to be the greatest painting in the any British art gallery.... How's that for "just pretty"?

Recap

Wednesday
Wednesday was busy... i had class, did homework etc.... and then...

Basketball
I had this very random itch to play some basketball... I never played ball in high school, and I am definitely not good, but I decided to get some guys together to play (of course I picked people who were also bad at basketball... so I wouldn't embarrass myself too bad). We played 4 on 4 for a while... and then 3-3.. and then some other random people that I have never met played with us for a full court 5 on 5 game. I was sooo sore the next day, I felt pathetic. And then that night...

Hard Times Cafe
To celebrate the end of the Student Government term, we all got to go to the Hard Times Cafe and eat... for FREE. I had never been there before, but it was awesome.. The atmosphere of the place was amazing...
(Outside of Hard Times... Picture from: http://www.readthebridge.info/2448)


(Inside Hard Times.... picture from http://www.flickr.com/photos/lithium_glitter/3278097304/)

For those of you who don't know... Hard Times serves only vegetarian food (they do serve egg omelets however... Vegan options are available).

So instead of going for something regular, like a burrito.. I tried something completely new...

Seitan Fajitas: Seitan is made from wheat gluton... yeah, strange. Sam recommended it. and I had faith in him... It was pretty good. The seitan tasted kind of spicy... it was pretty good, but I did not really like its texture.. It had a mushroom-like texture (and I don't like mushrooms). I was satisfied.. but next time I will get something different.

(Seitan Fajitas... from: http://i.pbase.com/o6/25/660225/1/78549462.J5D1ULR8.P1050502.JPG)
I would recommend going to Hard Times on a Friday at about 11:30 at night... I don't think you will find a better atmosphere in the entire Ceder Riverside... It is awesome.

Still Not Sleeping.

It's 1 in the morning. I'm still not sleeping. I can't for some strange reason. I tried to get to bed early. But. I. Can't.

I have a test for marketing tomorrow too (today, i suppose). Which means I'm getting up at 7:30 to finish studying.

I can't wait until 1:15pm. Then I will be free.

Schedules

I'm trying to get ahead of the game and figure out my schedule for next semester a couple weeks early....

So I went and talked to my Film professor and we came to a general consensus that these are the classes I should take next semester:

Shakespeare
Film Production 1
Acting
Readings in African American Literature

Unfortunately.... I came back to my room and realized that both acting and African American Lit take place at the exact same time....

I don't know what I'm going to do and now I am stressed out..... Grr.

Motivation

I've got about 4 solid ideas for movies.

I don't know what has got into me.

And no I won't tell you.

I am writing down everything.

The Last House on the Left

Why is it that when one babysits, it is nearly impossible not to think of the most recent horror flick?

Damn movies.

So I am spending my first Saturday night of spring break babysitting my cousins. It's all good. I actually don't mind at all... I am relaxing... which I don't get much of.

Unfortunately, my plan to read all of The Picture of Dorian Gray tonight failed... I left the book in the wrong car. I am therefore improvising by sitting on Facebook and listening to the Ben Kweller station on Pandora (3 thumbs up).

My schedule today:
Wake up at 8am to pick up my little cousins.
Drive Ashley to her Just for Kix dance thing at 9:30am and sit through the entire show.
Immediately rush to my cousins house to make food for the kids.
Lunch gets cut short... Dad calls and says Mitchell is wrestling earlier than expected. I put the sandwiches in bags and rush to get the three little girls into the car.
Make it to Albany in time to see only one of Mitchell's wrestling matches... good job big brother...
While taking Mitch and the girls to the car after wrestling, I run into two of my old teachers. I need to go to the high school sometime this week and do some catching up...
Drive the four kids to my house in order for Ashley to get packed.
Drive the girls back to my cousins house. Get them all ready for a nap.
I am exhausted... I get ready for a nap.
The girls wake up before me. They force me off the couch so we can have a wrestling tournament. I lose of course.
Dance with my cousin Katie to the song "Single Ladies." She orders me to "Keep dancing!" This song is repeated at least 11 times.
Make dinner.
Dance some more. Then color.
Food is done. Feed the kids. Dishes.
Clean.
Movie time while I clean.
Get them ready for bed.
Call dad. Doesn't answer. Call mom.
Call Grandma. We all say our prayers together, over the phone.
Lay down with Katie until she falls asleep.
They sleep at about 9. I watch 'Milk'. Sean Penn is impressive.
Now go to read Picture of Dorian Gray... crap.. I forgot it. Soo... facebook and this.

Goodnight America.

Synecdoche, New York

It is 12:45am and I just finished watching Synecdoche, New York, Charlie Kauffman's directorial debut.

It is achingly beautiful. I love it, and I have yet to comprehend it.

Ah-mazing.

Seriously.

Spring Break, Day 1

Last night my friends and I had a little get together in my room... We stayed up all night talking, knowing that we wouldnt see eachother for a little more than a week.

So yes, I stayed up really late.

Which resulted in me sleeping through my alarm this morning and missing my only class of the day... And my mom arrived to pick me up around 12 o'clock, asking "Why aren't you all packed up and ready to go home yet?" Little did she know, I only woke up about an hour before she got there....

I am an idiot. It wouldn't have been as bad if I didn't skip Micro, the only class that is challenging me this semester (challenging me in terms of grades... If i do well the rest of the semester, I might get a 4.0 in that class).

Well, I sucked it up, got in the car with my mom, and took the hour and a half drive home.

The first thing I did when I got home was make myself a fried-egg sandwich and then layed in my bed.

It was beautiful.

So tonight I'm not doing anything... I stopped at St. Johns to visit a few buddies, but now it's about 10pm, I'm gunna watch a movie, and then go to bed.

I have to wake up early tomorrow and drive to my uncles house... I will be babysitting all day.

Peace.

Resolution

There is a certain buzz around campus today.

Those working walk the hallways with a certain sense of purpose.

Remember that midnight Student Government meeting? and the numerous gatherings that followed?

Well, something big happened on campus. In an effort to explain, I will start with the basics. First of all:

All students pay a $90 activity fee every semester.
All that money is put into a huge fund to be used for student events and activities. One of Student Government's many responsibilities is making sure that the student activity fund is used in a responsible way and that various organizations on campus receive that money.

Chartered Organizations
Chartered orgs can come to student government and ask for money whenever they would like to. They just have to provide information on their activity and where they are buying things, and then receipts. Paperwork must be filled out and then approved by the Finance Committee (which I am on).

Commissioned Organizations
Commissioned orgs are also student organizations that do activities on campus, but these organizations have a set budget at the beginning of the year. They are given the money requested, and they can always come ask for more money if they overspend.

So here is the situation:
At the end of every year, chartered orgs can apply to be commissioned, they just need to go through an evaluation process. Commissioned orgs go through the same process in order to be recommissioned.

This year, however, student government decided not to recommision two of the biggest organizations on campus, ASAC (Augsburg Student Activity Council) and KAUG (the Augburg radio station).

This was a HUGE decision... after all, the meeting went until 12:45 at night. It was not an easy decision to make. I also had a meeting Monday night, Tuesday afternoon and Tuesday night, and then tonight is the appeal meeting. I have been busy.

A lot of senators had felt that both orgs were taking steps in the wrong direction. I will not get into specifics on this blog, but if anybody would like to chat about it, let me know.

What this means:
ASAC has a budget along the lines of $80,000... that is a lot of money to just take away from an organization. KAUG does not have a budget quite as large, but it still makes an impact on their org. Both organizations will be chartered, will continue to ask for money, and they will continue to host events on campus.

Yes, this will make it more difficult for these organizations to get money, but Student government felt that this decision would provide more pros than cons.

What's next?
Tonight I have a meeting at 7:30. Both orgs are appealing the decision made by stu. gov. and the decision may possibly be overturned....

I'll keep you updated.

Like a Machine

This morning I woke up with one thing on my mind: Productivity.

That's right. I was going to work non-stop today and get things accomplished.

So I woke up around 8:50 am to get ready for Microeconomics which started at 9:10. That went for an hour until 10:10.

I made it back to my room and worked on one of my new goals to read the newspaper every day (We get a free Star Tribune, USA Today, or NY Times everyday... NY Times is my personal favorite). I did that for about 40 minutes.

11:00 rolled around and I took a shower. I cleaned my room a little bit afterwards and then went to lunch.

Lunch lasted until 12:10 when I went to Marketing. Marketing went for an hour.

At about 1:30 i made it back to my room and started reading my book for Liberating Letters to get ahead of things. I read a couple chapters out of "The Picture of Dorian Gray". Unfortunately, I realized at about 7pm that I was in fact supposed to read those chapters anyway, thus not actually "getting ahead" as I intended.

Next, I spent about a half an hour cleaning my room and rearranging laundry stuff. exciting.

Then, i started to be less productive and took a nap... unfortunately. I failed.

I woke up around 4:30 and had an early lunch.

After lunch I went into the honors suite and worked on a paper for a few hours. I then proceeded to work on another project.

And then 8:30 came along... remember how I said last week was my last Senate meeting for the year?.....well it wasnt. "Stuff went down" as I said (I still need to fill you in... it will happen tomorrow) so we had a meeting tonight to go over everything...

And that meeting lasted from 8:30 to now... 10:19pm

And I still have homework to do.

My only goal for today was to get to bed early because I have class from 8am to 3pm tomorrow... (and now after the senate meeting today, i have another meeting at 3pm and then 8:30pm tomorrow night... grr.)

So much for productivity.

Last Senate Meeting

It is 2:30 in the morning...

I had a finance committee meeting for senate at 5:45pm today... which lasted until 7:30pm... which was the starting time for my actual student government meeting...

WHICH LASTED UNTIL 12:45 in the morning!

Yes... I was in the same room having student government meetings for 7 hours....

It went until 12:45 am!!!

And let me tell you... stuff went down.

You will get the update tomorrow (and i know i said that on the last post.. i've been busy and i'm sorry)

ps after our last senate meeting of the year (this term, technically speaking) a few of us went and chilled for an hour or two... ya know, talk about parliamentary procedure and all that jazz :) hence the reason why i'm not going to bed until 2:30 am.

Oh, and i dont have science class tomorrow... which means i dont have class until 1:30

yes.

Untitled

Just worked on homework in the honors suite for 3 hours.

We have our liberating letters trial tomorrow and i am on the prosecution based on the play Galileo by Brecht.

Our Charges: The Church is guilty of indirectly threatening Galileo with bodily harm.
and The Church is guilty of impeding Galileos efforts to advance his theory of heliocentrism

and now i am done and going to bed cause im sick of doin work.

plenty of updates tomorrow.

peace.

Untitled

Just worked on homework in the honors suite for 3 hours.

We have our liberating letters trial tomorrow and i am on the prosecution based on the play Galileo by Brecht.

Our Charges: The Church is guilty of indirectly threatening Galileo with bodily harm.
and The Church is guilty of impeding Galileos efforts to advance his theory of heliocentrism

and now i am done and going to bed cause im sick of doin work.

plenty of updates tomorrow.

peace.