22 Years Old, 1000+ Visits to My Blog :D

It's quite impressive, but two years ago I started this blog, and even though it hasn't been as actively updated as I originally intended it has managed to reach over 1000 views!

Last Saturday I had a birthday party at my house and about 40 friends came over. To make sure this was a good time I also set it up so that the VTC Music Club would be prepared to play 8 songs at the party. We ended up playing Basketcase, Say it Ain't So, Fade to Black, Creep, Closing Time, Lonely Day, Welcome Home, and Toxicity. The video above is a recording of the Vermont Tech Music Club playing "Closing Time" by Semisonic. It's too bad that you can't hear my solos too well, but the camera was being overloaded from all the sound. We kicked so much ass!! :D

Yesterday was officially my 22nd birthday. Out of all the birthdays I have had yesterday didn't truly feel like my birthday with the exception of having a couple hundred posts on my Facebook wall. There are a couple of great things that have been going on recently, but I won't post about those until things progress a bit further. I don't want to give out too many details, but I am sure that a certain thing is going to change soon, and I am greatly looking forward to it. :D

This week is stressful because it is final exams week AND I am an RA. All buildings and floors on campus are on 24-hour quiet hours right now meaning that residents must be quiet for every hour of every day this week. As an RA, I get to be one of the people to enforce that. It's tough because it seems unreasonable at 3:00 pm to bitch at people to quiet down, but at the same time... everyone has studying to do, and the less stressed out they can be going into an exam the better. I'll be honest. I let some of their noise slide. As important as it is for things to be quiet I also feel like it is important to take breaks and socialize too. I have definitely spoken up about people who were being too loud for this week though. Music is a big problem here because a lot of people in this building have impressive sound systems, and the bass loves to carry down the hallway.

Tomorrow I have my final exam for Object-Oriented Programming, and then on Friday I have my exam for Microcomputer Techniques. I already had my Physics II exam, and I did horribly on it. Oh well though. I know this is college and they expect you to do a lot of studying outside of the lectures and labs, but the fact of the matter is: If your professors suck, then you probably will too.

This semester has been such a nightmare for me. There have been a few things that have made me extremely happy, but overall... there have been a lot of crazy BS things this semester. The good things I LOVE, but the bad things are killing me.

I have ONE awesome professor this semester. I have Skoda for Networks, and though I have only actually met him twice I know that he is a really cool professor, and he even does a great job of teaching us the material even though it is an online course.

My other professors have made me unhappy too many times this year. My first and second year, I loved coming here. This year has been different though. Time management is a huge part of it, but my professors aren't doing anything to help. I am developing a certain level of disgust for this place, and that is probably what I hate most about this semester. I don't think that shitty professors should be allowed to encourage someone like me to start disliking Vermont Tech.

Don't get me wrong. I love it HERE, but I most certainly hate the courses I have this semester, and I think that it is total bullshit because the main challenge in every single one of my courses (except for Networks of course) is that the professors simply cannot teach the material.

I even had one professor say that he has been incredibly lazy this year, overloaded himself with teaching courses, and that the majority of the assignments we had he is just going to give everybody a 100 on because he is too lazy to grade everything. He came right out and told all of his students about this. Yeah, I understand that I am benefiting from this grade-wise, but what am I really getting out of it?

I am not going to lie. I have been doing horrible this semester. Yeah, I have a lot of stuff I am responsible for this semester, but that's not the problem. I think that I have made it very clear as to what the problem is, and I think that it is unfortunate that no matter how loud I make my voice nobody here seems to listen. I am just ONE person. I can bitch all I want, but no action will be taken to change anything unless there is a long period of time where the same shit keeps happening. You know what this means? nothing ever happens to fix what's broken at VTC. Not from what I can see anyway.

As far as I am concerned: Yes, I still love it here, but it's not because of the coursework, and I also don't think that this school deserves its #7 ranking on the top schools in the north east. Not if they let shit like this slide.

Well, I am done ranting about this topic. I think that I have talked about it way too much. This week has been going great, and tonight was a lot of fun. I am going to start focusing more on the fun things because it's almost Christmas break. Soon I will be home, and I can stay there for 3 weeks without all the craziness I have to put up with on campus.

I hope everyone reading this has a great Christmas break etc!!! :D

Change of Heart? Not quite yet.

This semester has been a mixed bag, and I am not entirely sure what I think about that.

I have gone through my first and second years of college at Vermont Tech., and I have loved the place, but I have been feeling a bit differently this semester. Maybe it is just because I am too busy as a person on campus, but I honestly don't think so.

I think the problem is the professors I have to put up with this semester, and Vermont Tech's lack of disciplinary action towards the professors who have proven, countless times throughout history, that they cannot teach the material they are expected to teach. What will Vermont Tech do when one of their students feels the need to speak to the Deans of the college directly about issues regarding a professor? You would think that they would thoroughly investigate the professor's portfolio, look at average grades and pass/fail rates of students throughout the years, and then use that information as evidence that MAYBE, JUST MAYBE they should be given an ultimatum:

Clean up your act, or get the fuck out.

Time to take a break, calm down, and then finish this post later.

...

Okay:

I have to admit though: Maybe as a student I am being too harsh? Maybe I should be more direct with speaking to my professors about my personal issues? I don't know. I guess maybe I worry about them having some kind of future grudge against me, and then the possibility that they will look at me as "that one guy that complains," but who knows.

I still love this place. I started writing this post while I was a bit pissed off at the infamous 'system' but then I decided to take a break, and now I am continuing this post while I am in a more relaxed state. I have a lot on my plate this semester. When I tell people that I am the President of the Music Club, that I am a Resident Assistant, and that I am working on my 3rd year of college they like to look at me as if I am appraising myself too much or something. I really am not that type of person. I mean, I CAN be when I am feeling extra proud of myself, but 90 something percent of the time I am simply stating the fact that I have 3 major responsibilities I have to stay on top of along with other responsibilities that come with life.

For instance on top of all this:

I would really like to finally have a girlfriend for the first time ever. I strongly feel like I NEED and DESERVE a girlfriend (hence the all-caps typing), and I have a slight suspicion that I am making significant progress on this matter, but who knows. I am the nervous and shy type who isn't really on top of their game until I realize I am more than comfortable with the situation. I have a long history of liking different people, but then things get nowhere. Maybe things are going to change soon? I hope so.

So much on my mind, but only so many things that can be thought about at once.

While writing this I have realized something though. I have friends I can vent to, yes, but in my state of 'super-busy-ness' I seem to have forgotten just how much of a stress reliever writing on this blog actually is. I can vent, and it is me talking, and who knows? maybe people are actively reading this. It is just me here.

This was a long post because I haven't updated in a while, but (as mentioned before) I will really try to update more often now. I just need to get other stuff figured out, but I should be back to blogging actively in no time. ...I hope. :D

"A NIGHTMARE IN MOREY"

Week 10 already?!? I find that to be extremely hard to believe, but when I look at my calendar and count up the weeks I know that it must be true. We are almost 2/3 of the way done with this semester, and I have to say that it has been a stressful one. The majority of the stress is due to how busy I have been with being an RA, being President of the Music Club, and of course with doing coursework. Now as far as getting perfect grades this semester, I have failed. This is perfectly fine by me though!

The class that I am doing horribly in is Microcomputer Techniques, but I am not alone! This class has a long history of being waaaay tougher than it needs to be. The main reason why this course is incredibly challenging is because the professor is clearly incapable of doing his job. We are expected to build circuits and then write software which we can then program to our boards, but the professor's very own code rarely works even when he says it will. He rarely helps any out in the labs or lectures, he loves to bring his kids into labs and lectures, and he always shows up at least 5-10 minutes late to each lecture. He makes me question what the hell my family and I are paying for because he is not providing a quality education... hell... he isn't providing any kind of education at all beyond the whole "Hey, I am professor [insert his name here] and I am an asshole."

Well, today I had a meeting with the Acting Dean of Academic Affairs regarding my issues with said professor (and also the issues of others in the class), so I am hoping that things can turn around. The problem is that things need to turn around quickly. Next Monday is the very last day to withdraw from any class and simply receive a 'W' for a grade. This means that it does not affect your GPA, but withdrawing after this date will take whatever grade you left off with and calculate it with your GPA. I know that it is most likely in my best interest to withdraw from the course. The problem is that a "Full Time" student is considered to be a student who is taking at least 12 credit hours for the semester, and dropping Microcomputer Techniques will put me down to 11.

Well, time for other news! I have come up with a great idea for a floor event for my 2nd floor residents! This floor event will be taking place on the night of Halloween. I went out and bought about $45 worth of candy and misc. drinks to increase the odds that my residents will have a great time. We will also be watching a movie, but I am not actually allowed to say what movie we will be watching. I took a picture of the stuff, and you can see it below:

I also had an Object-Oriented Programming mid-term the first week back from our last vacation, and I am pretty sure that I will be finding out the results today when I go to my lecture. This Thursday I have my 2nd hourly exam in Physics II. The Physics II exam will be covering topics related to Wave Motion and Sound.

As an "overview of what's new" I would say that me basically failing Microcomputer Techniques is kinda crappy, but at the same time it should give me plenty more time to get other things sorted out. If I withdraw from the class then I will feel kinda funny about being here, and that is too bad, but I won't have classes on Mondays or Fridays, and then I will only have my Networks lab on Wednesdays. Tuesdays and Thursdays would be the only days that remain as they are now.

Well, that is it for now! Maybe with my new free time I can actually manage to start updating this blog some more. It has been a while since my last post, but time is really flying right by with how busy I am! :P

I'm The Music Club's New President!

Last Thursday the VTC Music Club held an election to determine who would be the President of the club this year. The votes came in and every single one of them ended up being in my favor! I am now the President of the Music Club, and I am quite happy with this.

I made a list of goals during my Freshman year that I expected to have completed by the time I graduated. These goals likely won't be mentioned on the blog until my senior year, but currently this year I have scratched off the "Be an RA" and "Be President of the Music Club" goals! It is pretty cool.

I have some pretty good goals for the club this year. The past couple of years it has been tough for the club to move forward in terms of growth and progress. Everything has been extremely unorganized, and the club was really just a handful of students (including myself) just going down to the Music Room to jam without taking things too seriously. This year I would like things to be different. This year I would progress to made to where we can actually get a band or two going that sounds relatively good and can play in front of crowds for talent shows, coffee houses, and other related events. We likely won't be able to accomplish every goal that I have set forth for the club, but even if we only accomplish a few of them then we still will have succeeded. :D

Well, that is all I really have for an update at this point. I have also been super busy, it is getting late, and it is time for me to return my RA stuff since I am now off duty for the night... the next step is bed! :D

Start of My 3rd Year!!! :D

This year is off to a great start. It is definitely going to be a lot more stressful then my previous years at Vermont Tech., but it has certain perks that I have been enjoying. I really love the fact that I am a Resident Assistant this year even though it puts far more responsibility on my shoulders. I have always been someone who enjoys having a lot of stuff to do. It actually helps me stay focused on whatever work I am expected to complete, and I have actually found that when I only have a couple of things to do that I actually begin to slack off more.

Maybe it is something about having a checklist... all I know is that it really works for me. :P

In other news!

I really like the people who live on my floor in Morey. I know that it is still the beginning of the school year, and I also know that it would be foolish to not expect any future conflicts on my floor, but I have been getting great vibes from my residents. They are very well behaved, and the majority of them are very respectful freshmen. There have been a few different times where I had to stop hall sports (a violation of residence life policy), but so far everyone seems to be having a great time and they are not destroying stuff along the way.

Last year there was a special section of Morey known as "Man Hall" and it was given that evil name because the residents who lived in that section of the building were typically those who didn't bathe regularly. This year I ended up renaming it to "Geek Hall" because I saw that this year's residents are a very different group. They are all really cool people, they all socialize with one another, and they organize their own events even though they just barely met about a week ago. The hall was only name "Geek Hall" for a day or so though. Some of the residents came up with a better name. They suggested that it be renamed to "I.B.A Hall" or "Intellectual Badass Hall." I liked the sound of it so I used some window markers to write "I.B.A Hall" on the door window leading into the hallway.

Well, I have some stuff that I need to get done before I pass out for the night, so I am going to have to cut this post short.

The photo above is of a "rave" party that some residents of my floor set up all on their own. The president of the WVTC radio club lives on my floor, so they ended up setting up his equipment in the Morey conference room. It was a really fun time. I am not one to dance, and I don't really care for techno/electronica, but it was still cool to hang out down there.

Well, that is all for now, but hopefully I will have more to post by next week! :D

Summer Vacation Ending Quickly!

So, here it is nearing the final half hour of August 2nd, 2010. Including tomorrow I have 11 days left of my official vacation. I can honestly say that I have mixed thoughts though.

This past summer has been a whole lot of fun, which was nice, but nobody was hiring... at all. What few jobs there actually were ended up being scooped up by people who heard about them before anyone else. I live in Vershire, VT so I don't hear about jobs too often. This past summer I applied to 6 or 7 different places, and a couple of them let me know that while my resume and application did look impressive, they simply cannot hire anyone for a temporary summer job. They look at me, like my resume and job app, but then see that I am heading back to college in August.

Last summer I worked just over a month and a half painting houses with my uncle, Rick. It pays well, especially for how easy the job is, but it isn't anything I could ever be proud of beyond the simple fact of having a job at that given time. I want to be able to work the first week I am out of college, and stop working the week before I go back, but the opportunity simply hasn't presented itself. Every request for employment has simply been denied. I actually ended up doing my own thing during one week of summer. I hooked up a sound system for a great friend/instructor of mine, repaired a computer at a local childcare center, and even played guitar for pay. I averaged about $20 an hour while doing these three things, but I only worked for 5 hours.

This got me thinking. Next summer I am going to advertise my talents and hobbies. I am going to let people in my area know that I have the skills needed to fix their computers, and I will make sure that I am giving them a great deal on the service. I am obviously going to apply to as many business I can next summer to try and get a real job going, but I am already planning things that I could fall back on. I NEED to be able to work. If the jobs aren't there then it is still up to me to do what I can. I would much rather be working hard at a job then staying at home doing nothing all day.

The good thing is that I will be going back to college in 11 days to start my training as a Resident Assistant. As mentioned before, I am really looking forward to doing this. I am usually an extremely enthusiastic (some would also call this self-motivated) person when it comes to things that can push me forward. Yes, I know that there will likely be certain situations that get out of hand, but I would much rather go into the job smiling and hoping for the best. It is part of the preparation process. I have trained myself to get excited when it comes to accomplishing goals. I have always been a goal-oriented person, so getting excited about having a job as a Resident Assistant will make it more likely that I will be off to a great start.

This weekend I have a party at my house. It will be my last party of the summer before going back to Vermont Tech. I always enjoy seeing my friends. It is funny to say this, but I can't always be sure if the feeling is mutual towards me, but I try my best to make it so people will have fun.

In other news, I have been hanging out with a great friend of mine. Another great friend who, before recently, I haven't seen since 9th grade. He was in the Navy for a couple of years, and now he is interested in going to college. I introduced him to Vermont Tech., and thanks to their "Rolling Admissions" program in the fall he might actually be able to start as soon as this next semester. I really hope that he makes it in, and it will be really cool if he is able to start this next semester. I wrote him a recommendation letter and mailed it out earlier today. I have full confidence that Vermont Tech will accept him into the college, and in my mind it is just a matter of when he starts. The Navy is willing to pay for 80% of the costs, and the other 20% is something he is currently figuring out. I know he will do well there, and of course I will be there to help him out should he ever need or want it. :D

Well, that is it for now! This was a really long post so I probably post again until I am actually back at my college. I will be an RA, so hopefully that will give me more things to talk about!

(Nothing confidential/secret will be shared though, so don't even ask.)

Summer Vacation! - Halfway Complete... :P

So! I am sure that it is well known by now that I don't post anywhere near as often as I used to, but here I am at the middle of my summer vacation, and I am FINALLY posting again!

My summer has been going quite well. A few weeks ago I had a huge college party which 20 college students from 4 different colleges were represented. It was a really fun time, and it is always great hanging out with my friends. We all have common interests, and we are only different where we should be. It was cool having students from 4 different colleges come over to my house and make new friends. I was finally able to meet some really cool students from Champlain College who I have been wanting to meet for a long time, and I previously only really "knew" them from Facebook. Facebook is a great tool, but it is important to understand that it doesn't compare to face-to-face communication.

I have been looking for a legitimate job throughout this summer, but I have yet to find one. It sucks when the economy is bad and nobody is hiring. I am thinking that if I don't get hired soon that I am going to start my own business that will only be operating during the summer months. I am thinking that I could start doing computer repairs, services, sound system setups, and other electronic services for pay instead of doing it for free like I used to. It makes sense because I have been doing stuff like this since I was probably 8 years old. I obviously wasn't really good at it back then, but the point is that I have had an interest in computers and electronics for a much longer time than any other subject. Professional computer repair and service companies charge outrageous amounts of money for simple jobs, but I am thinking that I could make some pretty good money while also giving people amazing deals on services that they can't find elsewhere. I could charge more for when I have to travel long distances, and that should cover the cost of gas and still guarantee profit will be made. It could be fun, and if successful then I could make it a much bigger deal after college.

I really love working with computers, and I really love learning about how all of the individual components actually work. I have found that with the education I have received even to this point from Vermont Tech that I can pinpoint very specific problems within computers that use to take me a much longer time to figure out. I understand the use of electrical power, different voltages as representing different levels of binary data, and how writing a computer program in what is basically the English language can translate to electrical signals that allow the computer to operate. Computer Engineering is an amazing major because it offers so much background to several different topics within the computer industry including circuit design, theory & application, software development, and network administration & information technology. It may be one of the two toughest majors at Vermont Tech., but I am extremely confident that it will pay off... because I already feel like it is.

It is hard to believe that half of my vacation is already complete, but I am really looking forward to going back to Vermont Tech on August 15th to be a Resident Assistant. I have a feeling that I am going to enjoy my campus job next year, and I am sure that on top of coursework this job will offer plenty of new things for me to learn. :D

Schedule for Fall 2010

With summer vacation coming right up I have decided to post my schedule for next semester, Fall 2010. Click on the photo to enlarge. :P

Year Two: FINALS WEEK.

It is only Monday, but this week has been nothing but studying for final exams. Today I had my final exam for Work Energy & Conservation (Physics), and I think that I did well on it.

Tomorrow at 8 am I have my Calculus for Engineering final exam, and then at 3 pm I have my Perl Programming final. This means that I am going to have plenty of studying to do tonight, but then on Wednesday I don't have any exams scheduled. After Calculus and Perl Programming I don't have an exam until Thursday, and that final is for Electronics for Computer Engineers. I am thinking that I am going to do amazingly well on my Electronics final because I have had pretty good grades all semester. I think that my current grade in that class (as in, before the final) is an 84 or an 86, so this final probably won't alter my grade too much.

Out of all of my exams it is the one for Calculus that I am spending the most time studying for. I currently have a 78 in Calculus. That grade isn't too bad, but I hope to bring it up as much as I can with my final exam. I was only 7 points away from being exempt from the final in a class called Calculus for Engineering, so I am still happy with my current grade. The class is quite challenging, but I have really loved it. I love learning new things, and Calculus throws so many new things at me in each and every lecture, so I can't help but like it. My Calculus class was also taught by one of my favorite math professors here. Her name is Professor Sharpe, and she does an amazing job with teaching all the different math topics. I will eventually be taking her Applied Math course, and that happens to be the toughest math course offered at Vermont Tech. My other favorite math professor would be Professor LaCroix (pronounced la-croy). He also does a pretty damn good job of teaching math to people who are new to various concepts. :D

The photo at the top of this post was taken by our Resident Director for Old Dorm, Emma Schumann. Emma is a really cool person, and a lot of people look at her as not only being a friend, but also as being this cool mother figure to the students. She does a great job with making residents of Old Dorm feel right at home, and she was the one who organized the Old Dorm events like the barbecue and group photo that it pictured above. It is cool to have a photo of a lot of the residents of Old Dorm. There were 4 pictures taken. The one that I posted to this blog is the peaceful one because I didn't think I should post the one with people making different obscene gestures to the camera... as funny as that may be. :D

I am really looking forward to getting all of these exams out of the way so I can finally start my summer vacation. I have been trying to find a place to work for over the summer, but it looks like nobody is hiring. I have applied for Staples and Best Buy, but I plan on making a list of several other places, and then apply for those too.

Unacceptable.

Today is April 28, 2010. I have been living in VT my entire life, but I do not remember ever having to put up with this much snow at the end of April. I know that this isn't a lot of snow, but it kinda is when you consider the fact that it is the end of April.

It isn't all bad though. I didn't really think of the possibility that one of my classes might be canceled today until a friend of mine asked me about it. It looks like I don't have Calculus for Engineering today, and quite honestly... I don't have a problem with that! Friday we get grades back from an exam we had last week, and then we have final exams for all of our classes all of next week. It shouldn't actually be too stressful. I am only worried about Calculus because... well... it is Calculus. I think I will do well though. I am just going to have to study for a very long time. I studied for 6.5-7 hours for the last Calculus exam, and that wasn't even the final.

I will have my Physics final on Monday morning, Calculus for Engineering and Perl Programming exams on Tuesday, and then Electronics for Computer Engineers Thursday afternoon. My Electronics and Perl classes both allow for open notes and open book, but Calculus is going to mainly be based on memorization and proficiency in said mathematical torture-- I mean concepts.

Next week I should be getting an e-mail that tells me where I will be placed next year as a Resident Assistant. All of the RAs are extremely curious about where they will be placed. Everyone is pretty much praying that they don't get into the Nutting residence hall. That building gets a lot of criticism for several reasons. There is a floor there that is dedicated to Dairy Farm students. Nothing really against the students themselves, but non-Dairy students have every right to complain about the smell of manure in their residence hall. The building is also weirdly placed away from most of the important buildings. You have to walk up steep paths in order to get anywhere, and it really only benefits you if you have classes in Green or in the Auto. Tech. Center. The building is also known to be a party building. I am not sure why, but it seems like a lot of party-people love to hang out at Nutting. Just some of the many reasons why it is nicknamed "The Nut Hut" and "The Nut House."

Well that is all I really have for now. I plan on updating this blog at least once or twice more before the school year officially ends, but in the mean time I would really like it if this snow would disappear... at least until December.

I'm Gonna Be A Resident Assistant Next Year!!!

S.H.A.P.E Building from Auto Tech. Center

First I was interviewed by 6 different people for a Resident Assistant position for next year. I was interviewed by all four Resident Directors, a Resident Assistant, and the Assistant Dean. I was quite nervous at first, but the RD for Old Dorm made a quick joke and it set me on the right track to kicking the interview's ass.

I was told by multiple people from the interview that I did an amazing job, and then I was well on my way to the second step. The second step was a set of group activities with all of the other applicants. I am not sure as to whether or not I should list the different activities they had us do because they might use the same activities for next year. It might not be okay for me to give future applicants a possible heads up, but who knows. If any of them approach me in the future then I will give them advice.

I am really looking forward to being an RA next year! I am not sure what building I am going to be living in next year, or what floor I will be working on because they won't tell me that until well after everyone else has selected their rooms for next year. They do this to keep students from strategically placing themselves in a hall with a preferred RA is living.

I have a feeling it is going to have its ups and downs, but overall it is going to be an amazing learning experience, and definitely a great thing to include on my resume. :D

Second Semester - Week 11

Photo Taken from Facebook Fan Page

Last week was spring vacation week for my friends and I at Vermont Tech. I enjoyed the break from insane piles of homework, and was enjoying the fact that I could sleep in and dedicate plenty of time to my video games. I was actually focused on one particular assignment over break, and that would be my analytical report assignment for Technical Communications. The report is due this Friday, has to be roughly 8 pages, and mine is focused on the study of Quantum computing.

Quantum computing has been an extremely interesting topic to research because it is the next step for the computer industry. Quantum computing will mean that computers are exponentially faster, and have exponentially more storage space while using far less power consumption. These will likely be the kinds of computers that people will be using when I am 40 or 50 years old, and I am really looking forward to seeing how fast they will operate.

I have a pretty busy week set out for me this week. I started it off by having an interview for one of the Resident Assistant positions for next year. I got back from that interview not too long ago. There were 6 different people interviewing me at the same time, and I am pretty sure that my interview went well. I remember last summer when I was nervous about being interviewed by one person, and now future interviews are going to be much easier for me.

This Friday is when my analytical report is due, and when a huge assignment for my PERL Programming class is due. Lots of work to do... I better get back to doing it. :P

Halfway Through Second Semester!

Image Taken from Vermont Technical College Facebook Fan Page

Hard to believe, but half of this semester is already completed! I am 3/4 of the way to completing my second year of college at Vermont Tech., and things have been going quite well. I know that it has been 5 weeks since I last updated my blog, but I have been super busy they past 5 weeks with studying Calculus for Engineering and Electronics for Computer Engineers.

I wouldn't say that I am kicking ass in Calculus, but I am doing well enough to where I am probably averaging somewhere around a 75. This really isn't too bad for me because math has always been something that I have had minor problems with. The big thing with me is that I seem to master concepts AFTER I have been tested on them, so my grades don't actually reflect my true knowledge of the material. I will take a test on one subject, get somewhere around a 75 or 80 on it, and then a week later it will seem like I have mastery of it! It is kind of a pain in the ass, but I don't let it bother me because the fact that I am learning the material is truly the important factor.

In Calculus we have looked at the various ways to take the derivative of functions, applications using derivatives, solving for tangents and normals, and related rates. For the majority of the class up to this point I was learning the material simply because I knew that it would come in handy for later courses, BUT I wasn't sure exactly how I could use my newly discovered mathematical abilities. Earlier in the week we started looking at "related rates" which is, as it sounds, two or more rates that increase alongside one another. An example of this would be blowing up a balloon. As the balloon inflates the volume increases, the surface area increases, and so does the radius at the center of the balloon. It is pretty cool stuff, and this topic is the first mathematical topic that I have ever been introduced to that actually gave me a sense of newly found power... I think that it is because I had countless ideas popping into my head as to what these mathematical processes could allow me to solve. I was thinking primarily along the lines of circuits because that is the subject within my major where I will be using calculus the most.

Electronics for Computer Engineers has been going amazingly well. It is easily my favorite class because it is perfectly focused on what my major is about. We have been learning how to make circuits that amplify signals, circuits that can add two values and convert to binary output, and how to make switches that toggle on and off based on the conditions we have them wired to operate with.

I have been studying some pretty cool stuff this semester, but the cooler the topics the more advanced they are. I am learning some amazing things, but at the same time my work is getting significantly more challenging. This will continue until graduation, obviously, but I am more than looking forward to it. Bring it on, college! I am ready to kick your ass! :D

Year Two: Semester Two: Week Two! :D

Rocking Out

My first semester for sophomore year has been completed! My GPA is now just over a 3.0, and now I am in more advanced courses. I am taking Calculus for Engineers, Electronics for Computer Engineering Majors, PERL Programming, Technical Communications, and Work Energy and Conservation (Physics).

My courses definitely have been giving me more homework than I was given throughout my last three semesters, but we are learning some pretty cool stuff. It makes sense that as the courses get more challenging that they would also get more interesting.

In Electronics for CEM we are learning more about how the circuits work on an atomic level. My previous circuits courses looked at the basic forms of circuit analysis, but this course seems to pay more attention to the individual components. We learn about how they are constructed, and how their construction allows them to function in the way that they do. It is very interesting stuff because these are the same components that we rely on for every day things. My major will teach me all the ins and outs about all of these components, and by the time I graduate I should be able to have quite a thorough understanding of how they react to one another. :)

My Calculus for Engineering course is also more interesting then I thought it would be. I think that it is because we are exploring an area of math that I haven't explored before. I have been doing extremely well with all of the homework up to this point, but I know that I need to make sure that I stay on top of it because it is really easy to fall behind in that class. We are given a lot of work to do each night, and if we don't build a proper foundation with previous topics then present and future topics will be significantly harder to learn about. College courses are not about learning what you need to learn in order to pass the next exam... they are about developing a thorough understanding of the material being presented, and doing so even if you have to go "out of your way" to learn it.

We haven't done much in PERL Programming yet because that is simply writing programs using a scripting language. The language is great for regular expressions, file handling, and for writing programs in a timely manner.

Work Energy & Conservation is my physics course this semester, and it simply expands on the physics course that I had last semester. We are in the process of reviewing what we learned last semester, so I have yet to experience any of the new topics we are expected to cover.

Technical Communications is a pretty good class. My professor happens to be my all-time favorite English teacher/professor. Technical Communications is basically meant to teach students how to write technical documents. This includes resumes, cover letters, letters of resignation, proposals etc... Throughout this semester we will be writing an analytical report that is 8-10 pages, and covers a topic of our choice based on technology.

I am actually surprised that it took so long for me to update my blog. It has been quite a while since I last did so. I did quite well on all of my exams from last semester, and I ended up passing Technical Math with a B-. Statistically, a student has a single letter grade difference between Technical Math and Calculus for Engineering. This means that if you were to get a B in Technical Math then you should get a C in Calculus. As a final note I would like to present my goal for this semester: I want to beat the statistics. Instead of my grade dropping by a letter grade... I want it to go up by one, pass with an A, and in turn be exempt from the final exam. It is going to take a huge effort on my part... but I am doing quite well with keeping that going so far. ;)