Systems

A closed system is a system where mass cannot enter or leave the system. The only changes in internal energy come from heat transfer (radiation, convection, or conduction) or from work being done on it.

Sometimes college seems like a closed system - you see the same people day in and day out, new things come in in the the forms of information transfer (social media, news, television) and work by outside agencies. In reality, it's more like a fixed volume (open) system - there are people, ideas, mass, matter flowing in and out all the time in the same area, constantly changing the energy present here.

Also, entropy is always pretty evident.

If you can't tell, I'm enjoying my thermodynamics class. *bows, walks off stage*

But wait, there's more!!!

I finished my seasonal job at the Bookstore because now pretty much everyone has the textbooks they need. The pay was decent, but, while the minutes were good, the hours were awful. It was pretty fun while it lasted. I met some interesting people and got to venture into the mysterious realm of bookstore backstock.

It's raining. The street behind my dorm is a river. Sigh.

I got a tour of the Poetry Center with my Humanities class. As part of the tour, we did a writing activity. Mine is in the post below, slightly edited. That was fun and interesting. Apparently we have one of the largest modern poetry centers in the nation, which is pretty cool.

I've picked up yoga. I am not flexible. Namaste with it and get flexible. It really helps me get up in the mornings.

I interviewed for a position as an RA next year. I think it went okay, but I didn't do as good a job as I could have connecting my stories to the job. One moment I am particularly proud of - in response to the inevitable "Why should we hire you?" I answered "I'm the best at what I do - and what I do is pretty nice." (From X-Men Origins - Wolverine - ish) I'm feeling pretty confident that I'll make the next round.

Song of the week, in honor of my interview, is Weird Al's "Mission Statement" - yay buzzwords!

On Tucson

***At a visit with a class to the UA Poetry Center, I wrote a poem based on Tucson and Cathy Park Hong's "Ballad in O". Yes, it was an assignment, but I kinda like the result.***

Well, I'll tell you
The sand and the sun burn hot
While the people move fast,
Heads down,
Hands out,
Holding more bright lights and thumbing away.
The cacti stand idly by
Continuing their slow growth
As they have for ages and centuries past,
Arms raised, pleading to an unrelenting yellow star.
I see them, and I see you
In this red brown misbegotten city
Of a college town,
And it's beautiful and ugly and glorious in the same glance.
I am but a traveler here, stuck
By the endless beach with no ocean in sight.
Won't you look up, see not the dusty array
Of squat buildings and black asphalt,
But see me,
Standing,
Walking,
Talking,
Wanting to see some hope,
Some kindness,
Some love
Here.
Well, I'll tell you this -
It's always there -
Invisible, waiting, hiding -
Here.

There Ain't No Rest

It's over. It's done. The first (almost) full week of school - - - is done. (*collapses*)

Okay, so maybe I'm being a bit over-dramatic. This week wasn't really that bad. It was a bit of an adjustment, as it always is coming back from a break. They say there is no syllabus week in engineering, and that's true for the most part.

So what have I been doing?

I've been working at the bookstore almost every day after class, which is tiring but pretty easy. I stock books and direct people to where stuff is. People are surprisingly polite to me - the worst I've got is some even voiced passive aggressive ranting about how people don't like how the bookstore is laid out or the prices of textbooks, which, arguably, are way to high. So it's been pretty good - I get treated well, the pay is not awful, and I get a bit of a brain break.

We've jumped right into relevant stuff in most of my classes. I'm learning about thermodynamic systems, funky coordinate systems, skeletal alignment, Vitruvius, fish populations, 1920's movies, and Ohm's Law (again). I've had to work hard to keep up with homework and everything, which has been a gargantuan task unto itself.

Rube Goldberg has also started up again, which is great. We're not going to Ohio this year, but we will show it off locally. Biggest new step involves an air pump, tubing, and magnets and looks amazing.

Along the way, this week alone, I applied to be a Resident Assistant for next year (good vibes/prayer welcome), got Safe Zone certified, and read all the books for one of my Gen Eds.

All in all, I don't think it's going to get much worse. I think I just got thrown into the deep end and will probably stay there for the rest of the year. It's kind of a sink or swim situation. That said, I'm looking forward to the rest of the year.

But as of right now, I'm still "White and Nerdy" by Weird Al.

And So It Begins

This is it! I'm back at school with a full course load and a seasonal job at the bookstore. Yes, I am insane (but you all knew that), yes, I am a little daunted (but who wouldn't be?), but I am not partially, not cautiously, but completely and totally optimistic. Chances are good I won't have much of a social life, but I've never really had much of one, anyway, so I'm not missing out on a lot.

This semester, I am being taught by a cast of characters including a troll (in all senses of the word), Sean Connery after 20 years in America, Mr. Smee, a re-tired Southroner (he worked for Bridgestone), the can design guy from Monster's University, and a humanities professor. This semester will definitely be interesting.

I mentioned earlier I have a seasonal job at the bookstore. I have been really busy this week and putting in a lot of hours because I can and because it's really busy there right now. I'm working textbooks on the floor, which mainly involves helping people find books, restocking the shelves, and making things look pretty. It's pretty fun, and really interesting - you wouldn't believe the kinds of classes that are taught here. There's stuff on the rise and fall of capitalism in America next to Latin American Erotica next to an introduction to rocket engines and all sorts of other fascinating books. I'm also making some money and meeting some interesting people, and that's good, too.

In engineering, they say, there is no syllabus week. So far, I've found that to be mostly true - I've already got homework due next week. "On what?" you may be asking, "You've only had three days of class!" Good question. Pretty much all my classes are hitting the ground running - we're leaned about how to create differential equations, defined systems in thermodynamics, gone over some basic kinematics in dynamics, and have readings to do in my gen eds. I mean, engineers are supposedly all about efficiency. Why wait?

This is the semester that really begins the major specific courses, and most of my classes are at least 75-80% male, which was expected. My only female instructor is my dance teacher (I'm taking an Introduction to Modern Dance). These are the classes where we learn how (not) to blow things up and how things really move and work together. I'm also finishing up my gen eds this semester.

With all that, I'm still in Rube Goldberg (it's cathartic) and SWE and hall council, though if things get tough, and they will, I'll pare it back.

So right now I'm feeling in the middle of "Bear Down" and "Here It Goes Again." Wish me luck, Imma need it.

Spring 2015 Class Overview

I am going to go insane next semester - I'm taking 19 units, about half of which are reputedly difficult classes. That's okay, though - I need to be busy, or I end up doing nothing. So, in order of appearance, here's the rundown of what I'm taking this semester.

First up - AME 230 - Thermodynamics.
English translation - stuff gets hot.
This one promises to be interesting, despite the fact that thermodynamics was my least favorite subject in high school physics. The guy who teaches it is an expert in cryogenics, so that should make it interesting. He also has not figured out how to use the school's online portal because he keeps emailing random stuff to me.

Next - HNRS 200 - Thinking Critically About New Media.
English translation - writing about stuff that has been invented in the past 20 years (I think).
Despite it having the longest unabbreviatable title of any class I'm aware of, I'm really looking forward to this class because it's description promises that it looks at music and video game technology among other things. The professor is a founder of a subversive webzine and is supposed to be a really cool guy.

And later - AME 250 - Dynamics.
English translation - stuff moves.
The professor here is (or was?) "on loan from Raytheon." I'm told this class seems deceptively easy because it is another applied physics course, but this time, it's the stuff that everyone thinks they understand. Should be interesting.

Also, Math 254 - Ordinary Differential Equations
English translation - really fancy math.
Supposedly, the math difficulty level peaks at vector calc, so this class should be many times easier. My friend who is a math major swears the professor of this class is the "best guy ever."

And on my odd days - DNC 152A - Intro to Modern Dance
English translation - really fancy walking
My sister loves modern dance, and I liked taking a dance class last semester. Despite it being an 8 AM class, it promises to get me up and moving and learning about a new way of moving my rigidly inflexible body.

HNRS 160D2 - Experiences in the Humanities
English translation - writing about art and stuff
This class is focused on art outside the classroom, including local theater and art exhibitions. The professor has written plays and is supposed to be infinitely cool, and this class is supposed to be supremely easy.

And finally, ECE 207 - Elements of Electrical Engineering
English Translation - Yay circuits!
Promises to be harder for me than physics electricity and magnetism lab because I probably wont get a chance to play with the components. It seems kinda boring, and the teacher gets bad reviews,  but I gotta take it.

So that's the stuff I'm going to be ranting about in the weeks to come.

Catching up

I apologize for neglecting the blog for so long. I was... voluntarily eaten by an anaconda (no, too drastic). I was... called in as a witness in a court case on satire (oh wait - that was in 1988? Oh well). Well, maybe I was just recovering from a vicious attack by flying monkey ninjas (those don't exist? Dammit, I'm trying to make a good excuse!)

Regardless, your usual weekend entertainment is back and rolling after surviving finals, an adventurous cross-state car trip, and excesses of sugar. (Those are all real).

So what has yours truly been up to since my last serious post?
There was Thanksgiving (damn, that was a long time ago). I got to see my not-so-little cousins and my grandparents, and was exceedingly well fed.

There was that final push in the last few weeks of school in which little of note happened, save studying (there's a reason there's 'dying' in there) and a rush to finish the mechanics of the Rube Machine. It's pretty much done barring an easy electrical step that necessitates Christmas lights, which everyone knows.go on sale after Christmas.

Then, finally, finals. I only had three during finals week, but one was about as late as it could have been. I got above a 3.0 GPA and had one of my best semesters so far (no C's!). Dance final was to Footloose.

The trip down back home was eventful - me and the two guys I drove with came up with a plan to make car surfing and self-cleaning closets a reality, and then we blew two tires and had to hobble back to Blythe on one spare and one bad tire. What should have been a 7ish hour drive turned into a 13 hour adventure.

Winter break - got to see a few friends and decorate gingerbread houses courtesy of my amazing mother. I also got to see some family that I don't get to see very much, especially since I 'm in Arizona most of the time.

The final Christmas Eve shrimp tail tally - 33.

And now, I'm sitting back in the good old U of A main library, typing away, in the calm before the storm. I got a job wrangling wild textbooks at the Bookstore, and the people there seem pretty nice, the hours are okay, and (this is huge) I get a discount on textbooks.

Aaaaand, there you have it. I'm considering posting a few extras to make up for lost time (see previous post).

Keep it real, y'all. Grace out.