Being my final semester, I decided to take a bunch of easy online classes so I could finish easily. This plan has worked well, and I'm finding myself not in the least bit stressed right before finals week. All I have left for the semester is one exam and one presentation. I'm finished with four of my six classes, with an A in every single one. Thank goodness for online learning!
However, as I look back over my education, I think I've officially decided that online learning is inferior to classroom learning. I just plain don't learn as much, and I don't enjoy it as much. Sure, we have tons and TONS of discussion boards so we can "interact" with other students. But a lot of the discussion boards just feel forced. "You must post at least two new threads and comment on other posts." "You must comment on at least five other posts and each of your posts must be at least 250 or 500 words."
In class, this "interaction" is not "required" in any way. It just happens. In classes, it's fun to discuss ideas with the other students. I had so much fun in my little study groups and going to the library and searching through books with my group creating Powerpoint presentations and such. I liked that I knew at any time in any class if I ever had any sort of question all I had to do was raise my hand and BOOM, I'd get an answer or at least a "I don't know but here's something to think about as you search for the answer." Sitting on my bed trying to come up with some way to fake interest in some halfway attempt at a comment written by another student who couldn't care less about what they're doing either is just lame.
I've been studying for my Medical Terminology final today. It's also an online class. The lame thing about this is, there are questions I have that I just want to talk to someone who knows more. The problem with an online class is you're given the material you need for the test and that's all. But I'm reading about neurons and synapses and why injuries to the CNS are irreparable which totally fascinates me, and I'm coming up with all these questions that are too complicated to "just Google." And I feel too weird randomly emailing the teacher asking him to explain this random thing or answer a random question because it's the kind of thing I want to discuss in person with someone who actually knows answers and can explain things... and the teacher's not even in this state. I feel like my learning is slightly stunted.
Not that I think it's "bad" per se. I am still learning. A lot. I still LOVE reading my text books and many of our required discussion boards are good and fun. And I'm definitely learning the idea of "you get out of it what you put into it." It's definitely way easier to slack off and not try to learn in an online class than it is in a classroom class. But still. I've definitely decided, today, once and for all, that no learning can replace classroom learning. Online classes just aren't the same.
(Also, if anyone knows a lot about neuroglia, particularly oligodendrocytes and their functions and such, I would love to talk)
*steps off soapbox*
Showing posts with label BYU-Idaho. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BYU-Idaho. Show all posts
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Grad Fest
Grad Fest was today! It was like a little party thrown for graduates! I got some free stuff... mainly junk, but still. And I got to pick up my gown and TASSEL!!!
I've never had a real tassel before! That's kind of the only part I was excited for. That and the free grad cupcake that was packed with almond flavoring. My dad would have loved it.
Now I'm sitting in my room staring at the gown wondering if it's illegal to try on before graduation.
I kind of don't care. I'll probably do it anyway. :)
Next Friday I will GRADUATE!!!!!!!
Maybe I should have made announcements...
I've never had a real tassel before! That's kind of the only part I was excited for. That and the free grad cupcake that was packed with almond flavoring. My dad would have loved it.
Now I'm sitting in my room staring at the gown wondering if it's illegal to try on before graduation.
I kind of don't care. I'll probably do it anyway. :)
Next Friday I will GRADUATE!!!!!!!
Maybe I should have made announcements...
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Trips, Trips, and Trips
I call them trips because they're not vacation. Vacations are relaxing cruises with no worries or drama. Vacations are going to Disney World and not having to deal with problems. Vacations involve being free of life. Which is nice sometimes, as long as it doesn't involve pills or a razor blade, because that's not at all what I'm talking about.
But trips can be fun and amazing too! So let's see... In 23 days I graduate. In 24 days, I'll be on vacation in Dubois with my family. Then, in exactly 31 days, my mom and I will take off on a trip across the country! We will drive through Rapid City, SD to see Mt. Rushmore. Then we'll stop by Nauvoo and Kirtland and get home to Virginia in 36/37 days depending on traffic and whatever else gets in our way.
I'm not excited at all. :)
Then my next trip will be just a few short weeks later on my way to DISNEY WORLD!!! I'll get to see my grandma, and then check in at the Happiest Place on Earth on my dad's birthday.
Still. Not excited.
Just thought I'd update you guys on my totally awesome life!
But trips can be fun and amazing too! So let's see... In 23 days I graduate. In 24 days, I'll be on vacation in Dubois with my family. Then, in exactly 31 days, my mom and I will take off on a trip across the country! We will drive through Rapid City, SD to see Mt. Rushmore. Then we'll stop by Nauvoo and Kirtland and get home to Virginia in 36/37 days depending on traffic and whatever else gets in our way.
I'm not excited at all. :)
Then my next trip will be just a few short weeks later on my way to DISNEY WORLD!!! I'll get to see my grandma, and then check in at the Happiest Place on Earth on my dad's birthday.
Still. Not excited.
Just thought I'd update you guys on my totally awesome life!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Our Bike Ride
Last Thursday, in the middle of the night, Stanzie woke me up. "Hey. Dianna... you awake?" "Wha?" "I know what we should do on Monday. For Memorial Day." "Wha?" "We should rent bikes. And then bike to Idaho Falls." "..........okay. Sure." "It's gonna be awesome!"
For the record, Idaho Falls takes about 30 minutes by car on the highway to get to. It's not fair to make me agree to things like that in the middle of the night. Stanzie says it's okay, though, since once I woke her up to tell her that it was warmer in Anchorage, Alaska than it was here in Rexburg (this has since happened numerous times, including yesterday when it was a nice 70 degrees in Anchorage and less than 40 degrees here with a wind chill on top). In my defense, this fact totally disgusts me, and I thought Stanzie should know.
But I digress. So yes, yesterday Stanzie and I went to the ORC and rented bikes. And then we rode. And rode. And rode.
We prepared well. We printed the directions on Mapquest so we wouldn't be on the highway. We told everyone where we were going and when we'd be back. We checked the weather and saw the rain in the forecast so we dressed appropriately. I used a lot of ziplock bags and packed towels and such in them. We also packed snacks like fresh veggies and peanut butter. We brought plenty of water, of course. We were soooo prepared. 70 mile bike ride, here we come!
Neither one of us had ridden a bike more than the typical bike riding years of childhood. It had been two years for Stanzie and about four for me since either of us had been on a bicycle. We walked to the ORC and got everything we needed. The first five miles were by far, the hardest. In fact, after the first one or two miles I was wondering if this was going to happen.
On miles 5 through about 20, I felt great! I thought for sure this would happen. This was also the most interesting and fun filled part of the trip. For one thing, this was the sky we were looking at and riding into. We planned for rain in the forecast. But about two minutes after I took this picture I felt something coming out of the sky, but it was definitely not rain.
"Ouch... ow!... OUCH! Stanzie... is it seriously hailing on us!?"
Yes. Indeed it was.
It only hailed for a little while and it wasn't totally terrible. It mainly just stung my face. We both found it more amusing than anything. I mean, seriously. Hail?
Then there were the dogs we had to deal with. The first set of dogs were tiny little yappers. I don't have pictures because despite how tiny they were, we still rode away fast because they were aggressive to the point that I didn't want to learn how aggressive their owners were.
We had actually made a wrong turn for those first dogs. Or, should I say, failed to make the right turn. I was the navigator. In my defense, roads in Idaho all have two names. They have their "number" name, like 4200 South, and then their "real" name, like "Miller Street." Sometimes, my directions would only say "4200 South" and the street name would say "Miller Street" so I just had to guess for the most part. But I will say we didn't go more than two miles out of our way due to these problems. I'm proud of this! There were a LOT of turns.
Anyway, we went back and found the correct road and went down that one. The scenery was gorgeous.
And then we saw the next dog. He was much bigger and actually stalked us. We saw him stalking us. At first we thought he might not attack and then he was right by my tires barking and growling. I was scared out of my mind and pedaled as hard as I could. We rode down about a mile and the road was named "400 South" or something. We were looking for "Archer Highway." However, this road was about where it was supposed to be. Stanzie wanted to ask someone for directions, and I wanted to go back the way we came and look again. We compromised and did both. As we rode back we realized we'd have to cross the evil barking dog again. We pedaled as fast as possible and sure enough he came to attack again. My legs were getting tired and I was wondering how many more dogs we'd have to out run and why owners would let their evil little dogs run wild.
Just past the evil dog's house we saw a little old man by the side of the road. As we got closer, we saw he was picking asparagus. He didn't look too creepy, so we pulled over to ask him. I asked if he knew of the road we needed and he said that the road we were just at (400 South or whatever) was the one that would take us where we wanted to go. Then he started telling us about how he met his wife ten years ago and asked if we wanted some cinnamon. "I've always carried cinnamon in my pocket, just for times like these!" He told us with a smile. Such a cute old man. I still have my cinnamon candy he gave us. There's no way I'm eating it. I'm keeping it forever as a memento of the coolest bike ride EVER!
We told the man our fears about the horrible outdoor dog and he explained a different route we could use that would mean we wouldn't have to go by it a third time. So we did, and shortly thereafter we were in Ririe!
The scenery reminded me a lot of Virginia (except for the insanely ice cold air, disgustingly gray mountains and lack of rolling hills). The things that were similar was the wide stretches of beautiful farmland, green grass, cows, numerous tractors, and farmers out working. We even saw some llamas and a camel!
We rode and rode some more, stopping every now and then for water or to look at something cool. The final turn we made was a bigger "highway" (it had a bike path) that would last 10.8 miles. Then we would be in Idaho Falls. The first few miles were fine. Then, suddenly, it just got harder and harder. My butt hurt more and more, mainly. And the wind on this road was unlike any wind I've ever experienced before. Stanzie and I agreed that had we not been pedaling forward, we'd have been moving backwards. It was soooo hard.
I actually enjoyed it when the cars went past literally two feet away from me because their wind would pull me forward for just one second and it felt sooo good. We stopped for some breaks and the main issue was that of our butts hurting from the bike seats. Neither one of us have biker pants and those seats we tiny!
We knew we were close to the end of this insanely long stretch. My bum couldn't take it anymore so I got off and walked while Stanzie went ahead. She waited for me in a chair at an old antique shop by the side of the road. I caught up to her and sat beside her and we began eating. This is when I told her there was no way I was going to make it all the way back to Rexburg. My bum just couldn't take the pain and the wind was extremely painful both in my ears, and in freezing me. I knew she was in pain, too.
I knew we were close to the Mall (which was our ultimate destination). We were definitely in Idaho Falls. We talked about our options and I eventually made the call to my friend's dad to see if he could come get us. I didn't know the names of the roads, but as I described what I saw around me he knew where we were. Fortunately, he's lived in this area his whole life.
I wanted to go all the way to the Mall and get picked up there. Stanzie wanted him to just drive us back to Ririe so we could bike home from there. Both of us could have gone more miles. I could only go probably about 5 more. Stanzie could have gone 10 or 15 more maybe. But it was ultimately easier for us just to stay put. Kelly's dad doesn't have a cell phone and he was worried about the weather since it was pouring in Rexburg. Plus, if we had gone to the Mall it would have been farther for him to drive. We later found out we were literally two blocks from the end of our 10.8 mile stretch and less than five miles from the Mall.
We had ridden over 30 miles on our bikes in five hours (8:30am until almost 2pm). I, for one, have never been so proud to accomplish half of a goal in my entire life.
As we entered Rexburg the rain was absolutely pouring. Craig drove us not only to return the bikes, but then drove us home. I paid him for the gas and his time. I couldn't even say in words how grateful I was for him. He's so stinkin' sweet!
Neither one of us was tired, or even sore... yet. Our butts just hurt and I was absolutely freezing. I had been frozen the whole time, actually. But I kept telling myself that riding would warm me up. Unfortunately, I think it was the wind, but I never, ever was warmed up. In fact, when we used the bathroom at a gas station we found, I lifted my shirt and saw that the front of my stomach had this blueish/redish splotchy rash on it and when I felt it, I realized it was because it was so cold. Crazy!
Later when I got home, my legs from the knees up were purple as I got into the shower. Purple! I couldn't tell if it was because I had worked them more than they had ever been worked before, or if it was because they were so stinking cold. The purpleness lasted for a couple of hours, though.
Some of the purple color never left and I have random bruises on my knee. Stanzie says it's from that one time I fell off my bike. Yes, I fell off once. Or maybe twice. But it was mainly on purpose. Those were the worst bikes to get on and off in my life and they had these horrible little stirrup things you had to slip your feet into that held them in place. I hated them!
Anyway, we got home around 3pm. We took our showers and I stretched for a while. Then we crashed on the couch and watched Disney movies. The longer I sat still, the more my legs started to hurt. More and more... and Stanzie's too. By the end of the night we were both in so much pain. It was unbelievable and I was even happier I decided to quit when we did.
30 miles is one heck of a bike ride! And what made me feel better was that in the school newspaper today, there was an article about the school's biking team. They do 8-10 miles for beginners, and 20 for the advanced riders. Sometimes, they go up to 30.
Yep. The Stanz and I are pretty much amazing. :)
For the record, Idaho Falls takes about 30 minutes by car on the highway to get to. It's not fair to make me agree to things like that in the middle of the night. Stanzie says it's okay, though, since once I woke her up to tell her that it was warmer in Anchorage, Alaska than it was here in Rexburg (this has since happened numerous times, including yesterday when it was a nice 70 degrees in Anchorage and less than 40 degrees here with a wind chill on top). In my defense, this fact totally disgusts me, and I thought Stanzie should know.
But I digress. So yes, yesterday Stanzie and I went to the ORC and rented bikes. And then we rode. And rode. And rode.
We prepared well. We printed the directions on Mapquest so we wouldn't be on the highway. We told everyone where we were going and when we'd be back. We checked the weather and saw the rain in the forecast so we dressed appropriately. I used a lot of ziplock bags and packed towels and such in them. We also packed snacks like fresh veggies and peanut butter. We brought plenty of water, of course. We were soooo prepared. 70 mile bike ride, here we come!
Neither one of us had ridden a bike more than the typical bike riding years of childhood. It had been two years for Stanzie and about four for me since either of us had been on a bicycle. We walked to the ORC and got everything we needed. The first five miles were by far, the hardest. In fact, after the first one or two miles I was wondering if this was going to happen.
On miles 5 through about 20, I felt great! I thought for sure this would happen. This was also the most interesting and fun filled part of the trip. For one thing, this was the sky we were looking at and riding into. We planned for rain in the forecast. But about two minutes after I took this picture I felt something coming out of the sky, but it was definitely not rain.
"Ouch... ow!... OUCH! Stanzie... is it seriously hailing on us!?"
Yes. Indeed it was.
It only hailed for a little while and it wasn't totally terrible. It mainly just stung my face. We both found it more amusing than anything. I mean, seriously. Hail?
Then there were the dogs we had to deal with. The first set of dogs were tiny little yappers. I don't have pictures because despite how tiny they were, we still rode away fast because they were aggressive to the point that I didn't want to learn how aggressive their owners were.
We had actually made a wrong turn for those first dogs. Or, should I say, failed to make the right turn. I was the navigator. In my defense, roads in Idaho all have two names. They have their "number" name, like 4200 South, and then their "real" name, like "Miller Street." Sometimes, my directions would only say "4200 South" and the street name would say "Miller Street" so I just had to guess for the most part. But I will say we didn't go more than two miles out of our way due to these problems. I'm proud of this! There were a LOT of turns.
Anyway, we went back and found the correct road and went down that one. The scenery was gorgeous.
And then we saw the next dog. He was much bigger and actually stalked us. We saw him stalking us. At first we thought he might not attack and then he was right by my tires barking and growling. I was scared out of my mind and pedaled as hard as I could. We rode down about a mile and the road was named "400 South" or something. We were looking for "Archer Highway." However, this road was about where it was supposed to be. Stanzie wanted to ask someone for directions, and I wanted to go back the way we came and look again. We compromised and did both. As we rode back we realized we'd have to cross the evil barking dog again. We pedaled as fast as possible and sure enough he came to attack again. My legs were getting tired and I was wondering how many more dogs we'd have to out run and why owners would let their evil little dogs run wild.
Just past the evil dog's house we saw a little old man by the side of the road. As we got closer, we saw he was picking asparagus. He didn't look too creepy, so we pulled over to ask him. I asked if he knew of the road we needed and he said that the road we were just at (400 South or whatever) was the one that would take us where we wanted to go. Then he started telling us about how he met his wife ten years ago and asked if we wanted some cinnamon. "I've always carried cinnamon in my pocket, just for times like these!" He told us with a smile. Such a cute old man. I still have my cinnamon candy he gave us. There's no way I'm eating it. I'm keeping it forever as a memento of the coolest bike ride EVER!
We told the man our fears about the horrible outdoor dog and he explained a different route we could use that would mean we wouldn't have to go by it a third time. So we did, and shortly thereafter we were in Ririe!
The scenery reminded me a lot of Virginia (except for the insanely ice cold air, disgustingly gray mountains and lack of rolling hills). The things that were similar was the wide stretches of beautiful farmland, green grass, cows, numerous tractors, and farmers out working. We even saw some llamas and a camel!
We rode and rode some more, stopping every now and then for water or to look at something cool. The final turn we made was a bigger "highway" (it had a bike path) that would last 10.8 miles. Then we would be in Idaho Falls. The first few miles were fine. Then, suddenly, it just got harder and harder. My butt hurt more and more, mainly. And the wind on this road was unlike any wind I've ever experienced before. Stanzie and I agreed that had we not been pedaling forward, we'd have been moving backwards. It was soooo hard.
I actually enjoyed it when the cars went past literally two feet away from me because their wind would pull me forward for just one second and it felt sooo good. We stopped for some breaks and the main issue was that of our butts hurting from the bike seats. Neither one of us have biker pants and those seats we tiny!
We knew we were close to the end of this insanely long stretch. My bum couldn't take it anymore so I got off and walked while Stanzie went ahead. She waited for me in a chair at an old antique shop by the side of the road. I caught up to her and sat beside her and we began eating. This is when I told her there was no way I was going to make it all the way back to Rexburg. My bum just couldn't take the pain and the wind was extremely painful both in my ears, and in freezing me. I knew she was in pain, too.
I knew we were close to the Mall (which was our ultimate destination). We were definitely in Idaho Falls. We talked about our options and I eventually made the call to my friend's dad to see if he could come get us. I didn't know the names of the roads, but as I described what I saw around me he knew where we were. Fortunately, he's lived in this area his whole life.
I wanted to go all the way to the Mall and get picked up there. Stanzie wanted him to just drive us back to Ririe so we could bike home from there. Both of us could have gone more miles. I could only go probably about 5 more. Stanzie could have gone 10 or 15 more maybe. But it was ultimately easier for us just to stay put. Kelly's dad doesn't have a cell phone and he was worried about the weather since it was pouring in Rexburg. Plus, if we had gone to the Mall it would have been farther for him to drive. We later found out we were literally two blocks from the end of our 10.8 mile stretch and less than five miles from the Mall.
We had ridden over 30 miles on our bikes in five hours (8:30am until almost 2pm). I, for one, have never been so proud to accomplish half of a goal in my entire life.
As we entered Rexburg the rain was absolutely pouring. Craig drove us not only to return the bikes, but then drove us home. I paid him for the gas and his time. I couldn't even say in words how grateful I was for him. He's so stinkin' sweet!
Neither one of us was tired, or even sore... yet. Our butts just hurt and I was absolutely freezing. I had been frozen the whole time, actually. But I kept telling myself that riding would warm me up. Unfortunately, I think it was the wind, but I never, ever was warmed up. In fact, when we used the bathroom at a gas station we found, I lifted my shirt and saw that the front of my stomach had this blueish/redish splotchy rash on it and when I felt it, I realized it was because it was so cold. Crazy!
Later when I got home, my legs from the knees up were purple as I got into the shower. Purple! I couldn't tell if it was because I had worked them more than they had ever been worked before, or if it was because they were so stinking cold. The purpleness lasted for a couple of hours, though.
Some of the purple color never left and I have random bruises on my knee. Stanzie says it's from that one time I fell off my bike. Yes, I fell off once. Or maybe twice. But it was mainly on purpose. Those were the worst bikes to get on and off in my life and they had these horrible little stirrup things you had to slip your feet into that held them in place. I hated them!
Anyway, we got home around 3pm. We took our showers and I stretched for a while. Then we crashed on the couch and watched Disney movies. The longer I sat still, the more my legs started to hurt. More and more... and Stanzie's too. By the end of the night we were both in so much pain. It was unbelievable and I was even happier I decided to quit when we did.
30 miles is one heck of a bike ride! And what made me feel better was that in the school newspaper today, there was an article about the school's biking team. They do 8-10 miles for beginners, and 20 for the advanced riders. Sometimes, they go up to 30.
Yep. The Stanz and I are pretty much amazing. :)
Sunday, May 29, 2011
cloudNINE Winter 2011 Video!!!
Because I still can't figure out how to put movies on my blog, here's the link to the video I made.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V03tD9AQXvI
Yeah, I even made a Youtube account to go with it! Enjoy! (this is mainly for you, Ashley!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V03tD9AQXvI
Yeah, I even made a Youtube account to go with it! Enjoy! (this is mainly for you, Ashley!)
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Mini Heart Attack
I got an email from "Graduation" today. It told me there was a "Hold" on my account. I freaked out. Because I'm Dianna.
Then I read the email. They said that because I plan to graduate this semester, they're putting registration hold on my account for future semester so I can no longer register for classes.
Whew. I guess that's okay, then.
Also, I applied for graduation Monday! Hooray!
Then I read the email. They said that because I plan to graduate this semester, they're putting registration hold on my account for future semester so I can no longer register for classes.
Whew. I guess that's okay, then.
Also, I applied for graduation Monday! Hooray!
Friday, May 13, 2011
Trickery
Every week in my Photojournalism class, we have a quiz. Well, every class day but class is only held once a week. Anyway, this last Wednesday I got to class and started asking the students about what we learned last week because, as far as I knew, we didn't learn anything new, really and I was definitely in class. We mainly reviewed what we had already gone over and then went outside and took pictures. We were all trying to figure out what questions he would ask and then finally decided maybe there wouldn't be a quiz since there was no material to quiz on.
The teacher entered and told us to pull out a piece of paper for our quiz. I pulled out my paper and put my name at the top hoping that they were just simple review questions of what we had already learned. He asked something about lenses. We haven't gone over lenses! Every question on the quiz was completely foreign to me. I didn't even understand the language he was using! All the students were looking around at each other completely confused. Finally, one of the students called out, "Are we really supposed to know this stuff? Cuz I'm so lost!"
The teacher chuckled, "Oh, oops. I forgot to tell you. This is the pre-quiz to what we're going over today. We haven't discussed any of this yet, I just wanted to see how much you knew. Pass in your papers with your name on them and you'll get attendance credit today."
That was sooo not funny. And they wonder why we have heart attacks young!
The teacher entered and told us to pull out a piece of paper for our quiz. I pulled out my paper and put my name at the top hoping that they were just simple review questions of what we had already learned. He asked something about lenses. We haven't gone over lenses! Every question on the quiz was completely foreign to me. I didn't even understand the language he was using! All the students were looking around at each other completely confused. Finally, one of the students called out, "Are we really supposed to know this stuff? Cuz I'm so lost!"
The teacher chuckled, "Oh, oops. I forgot to tell you. This is the pre-quiz to what we're going over today. We haven't discussed any of this yet, I just wanted to see how much you knew. Pass in your papers with your name on them and you'll get attendance credit today."
That was sooo not funny. And they wonder why we have heart attacks young!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Miracle of Miracles
I went outside today. Without a coat.
And I wasn't cold.
This is extremely noteworthy.
And I wasn't cold.
This is extremely noteworthy.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Chem Class
My Chem teacher is very negative about us students sometimes. I think since she's been sick lately she's been more frustrated with us when we don't know the answers. The other day she put some problems up on the board and then began to wait while we "figured it out."
After a few minutes she said, "Well, I'm just going to start. I hope that at least some of you were able to find at least part of the answer here. But judging from experiences I often hope in vain."
Buuuuurrrnnnn!
And yes, in this case I actually did have the correct answer.
After a few minutes she said, "Well, I'm just going to start. I hope that at least some of you were able to find at least part of the answer here. But judging from experiences I often hope in vain."
Buuuuurrrnnnn!
And yes, in this case I actually did have the correct answer.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Just Dance
I just wanted to see if this would actually work...
Natalie got this new dance game in the mail today and we tried it out for FHE. Yes, I tried it too... just not in this video.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Pilates
It's very convenient that my final year of college I get to be roommates with one of my favorite roommates ever. Stanzie is more like me than any other roommate I've ever had. Except she's better than I am. She's the person I wish I would be. Which is good because she encourages me to be that good too. Particularly when it comes to exercising.
Tonight, she talked me into going with her to Pilates. I've often thought about doing the on-campus exercise classes, but never really got around to it. Well, I went today. Pilates is like yoga except it focuses on making your muscles stronger, particularly your abs. (By the way, I've never done yoga either... the only reason I compare it to yoga is because that's what the teacher told us at the beginning). Anyway, it was fun but it burned! It was a good burn though, and afterward my legs felt really good... kind of as if they had a massage or something. It made me want to run but I had to go to the Spori and finish a project that's due tomorrow.
I thought I had finished the project... chapters 5 and 6. Then it turned out I found out at the last minute I had to do chapters 7 and 8 as well, and the project can only be completed on campus on the Macs. Blech. Hate it when that happens. But I finished, thank goodness!
Anyway, that's why I only did Pilates and not Pilates and Zumba which is what Stanzie did. Maybe next week I'll attend both. We'll see.
Oh, and by the way, Stanzie's name does not rhyme with "pansy," but it does rhyme with "Fonzie." And yes, she answers to "The Stanz."
Tonight, she talked me into going with her to Pilates. I've often thought about doing the on-campus exercise classes, but never really got around to it. Well, I went today. Pilates is like yoga except it focuses on making your muscles stronger, particularly your abs. (By the way, I've never done yoga either... the only reason I compare it to yoga is because that's what the teacher told us at the beginning). Anyway, it was fun but it burned! It was a good burn though, and afterward my legs felt really good... kind of as if they had a massage or something. It made me want to run but I had to go to the Spori and finish a project that's due tomorrow.
I thought I had finished the project... chapters 5 and 6. Then it turned out I found out at the last minute I had to do chapters 7 and 8 as well, and the project can only be completed on campus on the Macs. Blech. Hate it when that happens. But I finished, thank goodness!
Anyway, that's why I only did Pilates and not Pilates and Zumba which is what Stanzie did. Maybe next week I'll attend both. We'll see.
Oh, and by the way, Stanzie's name does not rhyme with "pansy," but it does rhyme with "Fonzie." And yes, she answers to "The Stanz."
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
It's Too Cold
It was -23 this morning. Cold enough to cancel schools. Public schools that is. Not our school.
When I go outside it takes about three seconds for me to be able to breathe the air. My lungs don't want to take in the cold so they try to cough it out but there's no air in my lungs to cough out so I kind of gag for a few seconds before my body gets used to it.
And this is why I totally plan on living in Florida when this is all over.
The good news is the Groundhog didn't see his shadow! Yay for early spring!
Also, cool random fact. I had a friend in Disney who was from Punxsutawney, PA. The end.
When I go outside it takes about three seconds for me to be able to breathe the air. My lungs don't want to take in the cold so they try to cough it out but there's no air in my lungs to cough out so I kind of gag for a few seconds before my body gets used to it.
And this is why I totally plan on living in Florida when this is all over.
The good news is the Groundhog didn't see his shadow! Yay for early spring!
Also, cool random fact. I had a friend in Disney who was from Punxsutawney, PA. The end.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Bountiful Basket
Exactly the name of something you'd find in Mormonville, USA, right? Bountiful Basket
Our apartment went ahead and bought one and picked it up this morning. The Bountiful Basket is this thing where you basically pay $20 (it's usually $15, but there's a $5 start up fee) and they give you a big basket of fresh fruits and vegetables. Basically the excess of what the farmers sell in the area or something...
It's pretty cool. We got bananas, apples, oranges, spaghetti squash, asparagus, Romaine lettuce, and a ton more. We don't even have enough room in our kitchen for all of it! It's awesome!
If this were an advertising blog (and if anyone in the state of Rexburg read this) I would totally recommend this place!
Our apartment went ahead and bought one and picked it up this morning. The Bountiful Basket is this thing where you basically pay $20 (it's usually $15, but there's a $5 start up fee) and they give you a big basket of fresh fruits and vegetables. Basically the excess of what the farmers sell in the area or something...
It's pretty cool. We got bananas, apples, oranges, spaghetti squash, asparagus, Romaine lettuce, and a ton more. We don't even have enough room in our kitchen for all of it! It's awesome!
If this were an advertising blog (and if anyone in the state of Rexburg read this) I would totally recommend this place!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Electives!
For some reason people have been thinking it's a good idea to tell Dianna horror stories of all the people who thought they were graduated and then found out six months later that surprise! they actually had like five more classes to take.
This is no good because we all know how horror stories freak Dianna out.
So I've been checking my "Degree Audit" and my Catalog book like crazy making sure that I've planned in filling every single requirement. But I was still freaked out I'd run into the issues my sister had or something... even though I've never transferred schools (yeah, logic doesn't take place in my brain when I'm freaking out).
So, anyway, I went to talk to an academic counselor yesterday for the first time since Freshman year when I first changed my major. They said I'm perfectly on track and I brought up every problem I could possibly think of and they calmed each of my fears.
And that's when I realized I had everything figured out correctly from the beginning! So, as of next semester, I will only have 7 more credits worth of classes required for my Major.
Except that since I'll only have 109 credits, I need to take at least 11 credits in order to have enough to graduate.
Except that at that point, tuition is cheaper if I go full time and get my scholarship. But in order to get my scholarship I have to take at least 14 credits.
Which means I have 7 credits of FUN to take next semester! So I've been wasting my time NOT studying for that Chemistry test tomorrow morning, nor working on my big Humanities presentation that's also tomorrow afternoon, but figuring out my fun schedule for next semester!
I have a super long list of electives now that I can't narrow down. I'm thinking most of my classes will be online. In fact, the way I have it planned now is my only class day will be Wednesdays and that's it. Class one day a week! I can't wait! Although I may end up doing T/Th classes as well... but still, gotta love four day weekends!
Of course that means a lot more homework and self motivation on my final semester of college which may be impossible, but hey! As a wise man once said: It's kind of fun to do the impossible! (that would be Walt Disney, by the way!)
This is no good because we all know how horror stories freak Dianna out.
So I've been checking my "Degree Audit" and my Catalog book like crazy making sure that I've planned in filling every single requirement. But I was still freaked out I'd run into the issues my sister had or something... even though I've never transferred schools (yeah, logic doesn't take place in my brain when I'm freaking out).
So, anyway, I went to talk to an academic counselor yesterday for the first time since Freshman year when I first changed my major. They said I'm perfectly on track and I brought up every problem I could possibly think of and they calmed each of my fears.
And that's when I realized I had everything figured out correctly from the beginning! So, as of next semester, I will only have 7 more credits worth of classes required for my Major.
Except that since I'll only have 109 credits, I need to take at least 11 credits in order to have enough to graduate.
Except that at that point, tuition is cheaper if I go full time and get my scholarship. But in order to get my scholarship I have to take at least 14 credits.
Which means I have 7 credits of FUN to take next semester! So I've been wasting my time NOT studying for that Chemistry test tomorrow morning, nor working on my big Humanities presentation that's also tomorrow afternoon, but figuring out my fun schedule for next semester!
I have a super long list of electives now that I can't narrow down. I'm thinking most of my classes will be online. In fact, the way I have it planned now is my only class day will be Wednesdays and that's it. Class one day a week! I can't wait! Although I may end up doing T/Th classes as well... but still, gotta love four day weekends!
Of course that means a lot more homework and self motivation on my final semester of college which may be impossible, but hey! As a wise man once said: It's kind of fun to do the impossible! (that would be Walt Disney, by the way!)
Saturday, January 22, 2011
The... BIC
We had our first Chem lab of the semester yesterday. Basically, it was just going over safety. So the whole lab was basically our teacher lecturing us with things like, "Don't do this because something will blow, and you will die." "Try to do this, because stuff blows up, and you will die." Actually, a lot of her sentences ended with either explosions or death. I'm gonna like this semester!
The new building is open this semester and I'm super excited about it. It's called the BYU-Idaho Center and every single person I know doesn't like the name at all. What are we supposed to call it? The BIC? Really? Whatever. Anyway, there's an indoor track to go running on which is awesome! I way prefer running on a track than the treadmills I've decided because it's harder and I feel like I get more of a workout. There's a walkway (skyway? I don't know what the proper terminology is) from the old gym (the Hart) to the new gym (the... umm... BIC). So I can go to the locker rooms and change and not have to go outside to get to the track (we have to wear BYU approved clothing when we work out, and they just started charging for clothes this semester, too! Fortunately, I already had my own approved workout clothes).
Anyway, the BIC is an enormous building. It includes a giant conference hall thing that compares to the Conference Center in Utah. I think it's supposed to hold 15,000? I don't know how many the one in Utah holds, but I'm pretty sure ours holds somewhere between 14,000 and 15,000 people. Biggest room I've been in in my life!
They hold Devotional there on Thursdays so I've actually started going again! The past few semesters I've just been lazy and listened to it at home and I even (I can't believe I'm admitting this!) skipped a few times! It's a lot more fun to go now that we all fit in one room and it's huge and I almost always find someone I know. It's actually kind of funny cause now every Tuesday around 1:45 every single student on campus begins migrating toward the same building. Awesome!
Anyway, back to the exercise part. Because of this building's size, there's a lot of stairs so today after running I went up and down all the stairs a few times. Ugh, it kills my calves but it's so good afterwards! I like this new building.
Also, they moved the weights room and you have to go through a turnstile to get there. Ahhh, reminds me of Disney!
And in other news, we went to see the new-ish Narnia movie today at the dollar theater. It was actually really good. But surprisingly scary for just a PG movie.
And I think my roommates just turned on the movie Spaceballs. I haven't seen that in years! So yeah, I'm gonna go now.
The new building is open this semester and I'm super excited about it. It's called the BYU-Idaho Center and every single person I know doesn't like the name at all. What are we supposed to call it? The BIC? Really? Whatever. Anyway, there's an indoor track to go running on which is awesome! I way prefer running on a track than the treadmills I've decided because it's harder and I feel like I get more of a workout. There's a walkway (skyway? I don't know what the proper terminology is) from the old gym (the Hart) to the new gym (the... umm... BIC). So I can go to the locker rooms and change and not have to go outside to get to the track (we have to wear BYU approved clothing when we work out, and they just started charging for clothes this semester, too! Fortunately, I already had my own approved workout clothes).
Anyway, the BIC is an enormous building. It includes a giant conference hall thing that compares to the Conference Center in Utah. I think it's supposed to hold 15,000? I don't know how many the one in Utah holds, but I'm pretty sure ours holds somewhere between 14,000 and 15,000 people. Biggest room I've been in in my life!
They hold Devotional there on Thursdays so I've actually started going again! The past few semesters I've just been lazy and listened to it at home and I even (I can't believe I'm admitting this!) skipped a few times! It's a lot more fun to go now that we all fit in one room and it's huge and I almost always find someone I know. It's actually kind of funny cause now every Tuesday around 1:45 every single student on campus begins migrating toward the same building. Awesome!
Anyway, back to the exercise part. Because of this building's size, there's a lot of stairs so today after running I went up and down all the stairs a few times. Ugh, it kills my calves but it's so good afterwards! I like this new building.
Also, they moved the weights room and you have to go through a turnstile to get there. Ahhh, reminds me of Disney!
And in other news, we went to see the new-ish Narnia movie today at the dollar theater. It was actually really good. But surprisingly scary for just a PG movie.
And I think my roommates just turned on the movie Spaceballs. I haven't seen that in years! So yeah, I'm gonna go now.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Snow Boots!
I don't really know how I ever thought it would be a good idea to live in Rexburg without owning boots. But for some silly reason I did.
But then this past week I've gotten sick of coming home from school every day peeling wet, frozen socks off of my soggy feet. So, despite it being my senior year, we went to KMart the other day and Kelly made me buy some boots.
And oh my gosh they're MAGICAL! I can walk through snow now and not even feel it! And I don't slip! It's incredible.
My feet are no longer frozen when I step outside. However, they're insulated so well that once I'm inside and wearing them my feet get really hot.
I approve.
But then this past week I've gotten sick of coming home from school every day peeling wet, frozen socks off of my soggy feet. So, despite it being my senior year, we went to KMart the other day and Kelly made me buy some boots.
And oh my gosh they're MAGICAL! I can walk through snow now and not even feel it! And I don't slip! It's incredible.
My feet are no longer frozen when I step outside. However, they're insulated so well that once I'm inside and wearing them my feet get really hot.
I approve.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
My Nice, Big Bedroom
When I arrived last night, just as I went to open the door, my old bishop came walking out of the apartment with his two counselors. He remembered my name and who I was an everything, which impressed me since I wasn't really that close to him.
Well, I've now met all my roommates. I thought I was cutting it close not getting in until 8pm last night. But my room roommate Stanzie didn't get in until after midnight. She didn't want to wake me up so she slept on the couch which was very nice of her but I was so tired I probably wouldn't have woken up for anything! Here is our room.
You can see how I literally have to climb over my bed just to sit at my desk. And the bottom two drawers on the desk are essentially useless since they can't open.
But it's okay. I like comfy cozy. And I like how the head of my bed is kind of in a cave. And in my little cave I have some little bookshelf things to keep my stereo and books on. And today I'm going to buy a little bed lamp so I can read from my little cave.
Yep, this apartment will do nicely. We even have a Wii!!!
My only complaint is that there's a foot of snow on the ground and I was sweating in 75 degree weather three days ago...
Well, I've now met all my roommates. I thought I was cutting it close not getting in until 8pm last night. But my room roommate Stanzie didn't get in until after midnight. She didn't want to wake me up so she slept on the couch which was very nice of her but I was so tired I probably wouldn't have woken up for anything! Here is our room.
You can see how I literally have to climb over my bed just to sit at my desk. And the bottom two drawers on the desk are essentially useless since they can't open.
But it's okay. I like comfy cozy. And I like how the head of my bed is kind of in a cave. And in my little cave I have some little bookshelf things to keep my stereo and books on. And today I'm going to buy a little bed lamp so I can read from my little cave.
Yep, this apartment will do nicely. We even have a Wii!!!
My only complaint is that there's a foot of snow on the ground and I was sweating in 75 degree weather three days ago...
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Bitter Sweet
As happy as I am to finally be done with Spanish for the rest of my life, and as delighted that I feel that I'm almost finally a Senior and ready to go home and enjoy more adventures, I have to say I'm a little sad too.
With my gift card I decided to go out to eat with my friend Ashley one more time. She's one of my best friends that I've made since being up here and even though we weren't even in the same ward this year, I feel like we hung out more than I did with some roommates even.
We went to Taco Time (surprise surprise) and sat and talked for the longest time. I'm really going to miss her a lot. She graduates Friday and then goes off to grad school at Gonzaga University or something like that. A month from now she'll be in Washington and I'll be in Florida.
I'm gonna miss my roommates too. We're never gonna get to be roommates again for various reasons. I've had such a fantastic semester with them. We've had so much fun and I've made so many friends. I just wish all my friends could just be graduating at the same time as me so that the whole, sad "I'm gonna miss you." thing only happens once with a ton of people instead of being spread through practically every single semester.
Ah well. I'll just keep moving on. I get to go home and visit friends and family I miss there. I'll get to be in better weather and have much more freedom. I can't even wait!
And did I mention I'm done with Spanish forever!?
With my gift card I decided to go out to eat with my friend Ashley one more time. She's one of my best friends that I've made since being up here and even though we weren't even in the same ward this year, I feel like we hung out more than I did with some roommates even.
We went to Taco Time (surprise surprise) and sat and talked for the longest time. I'm really going to miss her a lot. She graduates Friday and then goes off to grad school at Gonzaga University or something like that. A month from now she'll be in Washington and I'll be in Florida.
I'm gonna miss my roommates too. We're never gonna get to be roommates again for various reasons. I've had such a fantastic semester with them. We've had so much fun and I've made so many friends. I just wish all my friends could just be graduating at the same time as me so that the whole, sad "I'm gonna miss you." thing only happens once with a ton of people instead of being spread through practically every single semester.
Ah well. I'll just keep moving on. I get to go home and visit friends and family I miss there. I'll get to be in better weather and have much more freedom. I can't even wait!
And did I mention I'm done with Spanish forever!?
Monday, July 12, 2010
Final Week-ish
It's that time of the semester.
There's only a week and two days left of school.
White glove sheets have been handed out.
People are running out of food.
Illnesses are being handed out more than exam papers.
Students have started cramming.
We've moved into hyper-insanity mode.
The wind is blowing hard than ever.
The paper chains counting down days in people's apartments are getting shorter.
Wish me luck! This is not the kind of roller coaster I enjoy boarding!
There's only a week and two days left of school.
White glove sheets have been handed out.
People are running out of food.
Illnesses are being handed out more than exam papers.
Students have started cramming.
We've moved into hyper-insanity mode.
The wind is blowing hard than ever.
The paper chains counting down days in people's apartments are getting shorter.
Wish me luck! This is not the kind of roller coaster I enjoy boarding!
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