I Love Being a TA

Besides Women's Chorus and meeting amazing friends, being a TA has probably been one of the most meaningful experiences of my college career! I was completely freaked out about it before I started, but I love love LOVE it. I recommend it to anyone who wants to get more involved in the college scene. If you do well in a class, ask your professor if you can TA for them! Chances are they'll love having your help or at least can point you to someone else who needs it.

Going to a big school like BYU, it can be easy to feel like you're just floating through college till you get the number of credits you need - then you're checked off a master list and sent out into the real world. I've liked being a TA because it makes me feel like I'm contributing to the educational environment and making some small impact at BYU. However slight, it's a good feeling. The students are great, the experience is awesome, the pay is nice, the hours are so reasonable...life is good. :)

There Comes a Time In Every Human's Life...

When they must stop poring over these...



and go do this...



before their brain turns into this:



And with that, I'm off to the testing center.



Inspiration and relief here :)

The Good, The Bad, The Other

I'm a Senior graduating with one hundred-something credits. I've taken a lot of classes! Here's the final verdict on the categorical top 10. :)

1. Most boring - Cognitive Development. DRY dry dry, such a...growing experience.
2. Most influential - Human Development. This class won me over into my major.
3. Most fun - World Dance. I LOVE folk dance!
4. Most memorable - American Heritage. I loved the lectures and it was a great experience to work really hard for a good grade.
5. Most meaningful - Women's Chorus. Hands down. 8 semesters of pure joy.
6. Most frustrating - Advanced Family Processes. I'm in it right now. It's basically a debate class and it's really stretching me. I kind of have no idea what's going on. :)
7. Most useful - Volleyball! My social circle expanded once I decided I wasn't afraid of playing sports in front of people. Life is so much more fun, because sports are fun!
8. Most difficult - NOT stats! :) Probably still Advanced Family Processes.
9. Most interesting - Family and the Law or Adolescent Development.
10. One I'd reccommend the most - Church History with Sister Black.

What's your college top 10?

I Need an Interpreter of Dreams

Seriously, last night's dream was crazy scary. And random.

First, I was with Greg and Michelle and my roommate Rylee in a library-looking room that was part of BYU but that I have never seen before. We walked outside of the room and saw a steely sky with rolling clouds in the distance. Then this happened -



(ignore the shutterstock). The clouds raced towards us, and FAST. Our instincts kicked in - we RAN back into the library room where the noxious clouds smothered us. I seriously felt like I was going to die. After a few agonizing moments that seemed like hours, the smoke cleared. Then the room began to rumble.



Books toppled, roads split, I heard screams but nobody died (thanks to my weak-stomached subconscious).

The scene then cuts to all of us at dinner in a French restaurant.



"What we just experienced," Greg explained calmly, "was a Tableau."

Melinda: "You mean a Tornado?"

Greg and Michelle: "No, a Tableau. It happened because the Needlenose river and Rock Canyon Point collided at the San Andreas fault."

Melinda and Rylee: "Oooohh..."

Upon reflection, I think this whole dream is a result of my being stressed for a huge test I have this Friday. Let's hope I have more knowledge of Advanced Family Processes than Geography. :)

Happy Tuesday.

Undecided

I liked the Hunger Games series. I've been going back and forth on whether or not to see the movies...the books are just - well - they're kind of gruesome! It's easier to read about than to see those things. I can read a World War II book just fine, but watching Pearl Harbor is a different story. No way!



That being said, it looks like it is going to be pretty well done...I still need to determine just how much of a fan I am. If I haven't decided by March 24th, then I guess there's always redbox!

Lately, I've Been Having Quite a Bit of This...

New favorite ice cream. It's probably time to head to the gym. :)

10 Things I've Gotten Really Good At In College

I've been reflecting on the skills (valuable and not-so valuable) I've acquired as a result of going to college.

1. Taking naps - I never really could nap before BYU. It always seemed like a waste of the day, or boring, or frustrating when I still wasn't asleep after 20 minutes, or whatever. Now? I relish the idea of curling up with a soft blanket in a quiet, dark room, and taking a BREAK from HW or social drama. I. Love. Naps.

2. Cranking out papers - I'm actually not a terrible procrastinator, I just never seem to have time to write papers until one to two nights before they're due! As a result, I have gotten REALLY good at writing papers under a time crunch. Just give me a few hours and some good snacks.

3. Baking brownies - I have found my perfect fudginess level. I cook brownies in an 8x8 for 75% of the time the box recommends. I take it out when it's barely done, so it's super fudgy and warm. I love to eat them with ice cream - yummy melty goodness!

4. Sleeping in public - Some people are uncomfortable doing this, but I learned to get over that freshman year when I would stay up till 4 and still have 8 o'clock class. My favorite haunt is the memorial hall. I've also slept on the couches in the women's bathroom, or on benches in the HFAC, or on the floor of the library behind a random bookshelf...you get the idea.

5. Sight-reading - I wasn't the best sight-reader in high school, but I got a lot better after I went to college. It must have been because I was absolutely on my own piano-wise...no more teachers writing in the notes for me, haha!

6. Hiding feelings - College is great, but life gives you some hard knocks sometimes! You learn to have a thick skin, smile, and bear it. I'll admit this isn't always the best thing to do, but it comes in handy sometimes. My thought process is that I can always fix my feelings on my own time, so I don't have to burden someone else by being angsty. Right?

7. Saying "no thanks." - I've learned that you don't have to do everything everyone wants you to! Liberating. Although it's still a good idea to be helpful.

8. Understanding sports - I didn't "get" football or basketball until I started going to the games at the Y. That's the power of the wasatch for ya! GO COUGS! :)

9. Being patient - I'm still a pretty impatient person, but I've learned a couple of important lessons during my time here at the Y. Life's more fun if you are okay with waiting, and it's much happier if you can rejoice in other people's successes.

10. LAUGHING - My life is awesome. :) I have hilarious friends, and I've had such a fun college career. I am a lucky girl.

A Mitch Hedberg quote to part: "I want to get a vending machine, with fun sized candy bars, and the glass in front is a magnifying glass. You'll be mad, but it will be too late."

Haha. :)