Dear Blog,
Today was a mixed emotion day. Don't worry, I didn't fall to my knees and swear revenge against my arch nemesis or anything that drastic (I just sent him a postcard...that I spilled some Coca-Cola on, muhaha!). I woke up early and took a shower, a near impossible task for me. Day gained a point. I then watched the new "Hope" cinematic trailer for Star Wars: The Old Republic, a MMORPG in development from Lucasarts and Bioware. Yeah, it was epic. Sorry, I mean it was EPIC! Troopers, Sith Warriors, Jedi, Force Powers, great choreography. Simply fantastic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQf1nas8BO4
My day gained three points for that. I went to class and listened to the instructor for the next couple of hours and learned about different variables in experiments and about validity, reliability and scale of measurements. Yeah, it all sounds kinda dry because it all is. But I do enjoy Dr. Williams teaching style. She adds a certain charm to the lessons. And she gives us worksheets to apply what we just talked about. It helps a great deal, to be honest. Most other worksheets in my classes tend to be more hassle than help, but Dr. Williams chooses excellent problems to help solidify the lesson in my mind. Day gains one more point.
Around lunch, I eat at the dining facility where I meet up with Sarah and Nikki. Short conversation and they're off to class. I head back to Kentwood and make and appointment to see David, the summer school hall director, for a one-on-one session. I watch some Torchwood, then see David. We chat about me, him, ideas, questions, random musings.
We touch upon how my RA duties are coming along. I admit I'm not fantastic. In fact, I feel far more inexperienced than any other RA. That's probably because I actually am far more inexperienced than the other RAs. Day loses two points. I realize I have no clue how to go about staff development for July 7th. Day loses another point. But at the end, I show David the "Hope" trailer, at which his responses to the EPIC Jedi v. Sith battle make me happy. He's a self-proclaimed Star Wars buff, as well. Day regains two points. An hour later, we have staff meeting. I listen to notes, ideas, plans. I feel like I'm even farther behind when it comes to being a Resident Assistant. Day has another point lost. The summer school staff consists of an amazing group of people. I know I was chosen because I share similar abilities as these leaders, but when I make side-by-side comparisons, I feel like I share a table with giants. It's true that the table is a round one, but my accolades are not in the same realm as theses fine individuals. In a couple weeks, I might feel equal, but I am still a few steps behind. Patience is key. I must step back and view this new challenge. Nearly everything else I've encountered in the academic realm is, for lack of a better term, easy. Not that I don't try (Psychological Statistics was a struggle), but the procedure to improve is already set in my mind. Being a Resident Assistant requires a new mindset, a new plan of attack, a refined Daniel. Again, patience is key. It's odd to encounter something that I don't fully grasp at first glance, but I know I can understand, which places the goal with my reach. Day gains a point for this revelation, loses one for being a lap behind the pack.
After staff, I had dinner with some of the RAs, David, and Aleigha, hall director of Woods House, the residence hall I'll be a RA in during the next academic year. I feel lucky having her as my future hall director. She's pretty cool, and she's doesn't think I'm too weird, and doesn't mind when I embrace my oddities every now and then. Then the rave for alcohol awareness at 7 in the Kentwood Crystal Ballroom. For two hours, I listened to a variety of music, danced with friends, and had a blast. Not many people came, which was a disappointment, but you can't force residents to attend a program. Nick ballroom danced with me, which made me smile. I sang to some songs (White and Nerdy) and danced like no one was watching. I even ranted a bit to the song "Bedrock" and eventually wore myself out with all my wild flailing, err, "dancing". The day gained three points.
Throughout the day, I texted Victoria. She was feeling really sick around lunchtime. A combination of too much sun and some medicine, she said. Nausea is never fun. Day lost one point for that. And when she felt bad about the abrupt halt in our texting because of her sudden illness, even after my reassurance that she was not in fault at all, I couldn't help but feel like I missed something. An element or something lost in translation because of the impersonal feel of texting. Do I want to stop texting? Of course not, but I wished I could better convey that she's awesome and awesome people do get ill. She then reported a feeling of depression later in the day. Another two points taken from the day.
(And I lack any pants to wear because of the delay of my laundry duties from Tuesday to Wednesday to Thursday. Day loses another point for lack of clean clothes, and another point because I will need to wear shorts tomorrow.)
The number of points by the end of the day totaled a positive number, leading to a good day overall. But I truly wish I could help Victoria while I'm hundreds of miles from her through the use of a transporter (ex. Star Trek). And I wish I could find a magical amulet that granted mystical RA powers to its wearer. But patience plays a role in both areas in the real world.
Until next time,
Daniel Golden
This really is kind of off topic, but your blog titles make me think of Fall Out Boy songs, long and quite interesting. :)
ReplyDeleteWoohoo, I made the blog!!! Friend - you are a better RA than you believe. As your current resident, I feel that I am justified in saying so. The rave was fun - even if I had to leave due to a sudden coughing fit. Huzzah!
ReplyDelete