End of the Year

Last week I had a ton of tests, and the marathon oftests concluded with a multivariable test today, along with a draft for english. I got 3 hours of sleep last night and I'm shocked I am not yet tired. I don't know if its the sip of coffee I took this morning, or the beautiful day that is keeping me so awake. Or, maybe I've just become accustomed to not sleeping that much. I kindof like the idea of the later. If I didn't have to sleep I wouldn't have to. Think of all the things you could do if you didn't need to sleep. It would be so easy to get all the hw done, studying, and still have an awesome social life, and do any activity outside of school work. There's so much stuff I'd liketo do if I had the time to. Like play the violin more/ join theVirginia Tech orchestra, draw/water color, do numerous arts and crafts, hang out with friends, do two-a-day work outs every day, volunteer, the possibilities are limitless. But, since I kind of half to sleep, I have to choose to only do the activies that are most important to me. I've even tried to not sleep, or at least sleep as less as possible, but I found that my body forces me to sleep eve if I don't want to. I can fall asleep anywhere if I'm tired and especially if theres a monotone voice. I'm typically always tired too, because I don't sleep in, the latest ever I'd sleep is 9 (unless I didn't go to be till 6 or 7) and so I never catch up on sleep because I stay up late too.
In all honesty though I think the reason why I'm really not tired today is because this weekend and monday I kept falling asleep a lot due to the exhaustion of lack of sleep from the previous week. Monday I wasn't really all that tired but I fell asleep doing work, and went to bed relatively early around midnight, and actually got almost 8 hrs of sleep. This weekend my high school friends came to visit too, and I felt bad for falling a sleep on them around 2 on Friday night. After they left Saturday, I practically collapsed on my bed from walking around all day/sleep deprivation, and with out intending to, slept for 2 hours. That nap though was really beneficial because I didn't really go to bed till 3 that night and got up before 9. Monday, I didn't have too much homework so I went to bed around midnight then as well. Anyways, those are my thoughts on sleep.

This past Tuesday I was doing my multi-variable homework, counting down the minutes till my favorite show NCIS would come on, when I got a text message from my sister. As I read the message I was filled with joy, she had informed me that she was coming to Tech this weekend to visit!! I was so excited. My sister was suppose to come down lst semester as soon as her high school varsity sport of field hockey was over (she couldn't miss Saturday practices, even for college visits). The winter passes, her off season from sports and she still had not made it down to visit. Although, can't say I blame her for not trying too hard during the winter; I'm pretty sure between the cold and the wind she wouldn't want to come back after that experience. Then, spring rolled around and my sister tried out for the varsity soccer team at my high school. She did't think she would mae it o wewere already planning weekends that would be good for her and her best friend to come visit on. But, to everyone's surprise and my sister's delight, she made the varsity soccer team. I was very happy for her but also dissapointed because I really wanted to share that passion that I have for tech with my sister. The weekend began Thursday at 5pm for me, but my sister didn't come till 1am Saturday morning. I decided to celebrate the three day weekend by going camping with some friends. We went about 45 min away because that was the only state campground open nearby, and the drive was breath taking. We drove through a picture book of the country side, it was so picturesque. We didn't even know if we'd be able to camp or not because there were no reservations, just first come first serve, but we decided that even if we couldn't camp the drive was worth all the effort, it was that beautiful. We had no problems with a crowded campsite, we were the only onese taht and it was really creepy, like out of a horror film creepy. My friends and I survived though, and packed up first thing in the morning so as to participate in the rest of the 4/16 events. I went to the picnic and the vidual, which was incredibly moving. I almost cried even though I knew know one who had been affected, it was that touching. The next day my sister came, but unfortuantely it was the Big Event and Icouldn't see her off the back. I usually love doing service, but saturday it was painful mulching a frisbee golf course on mountain sides, not only because of the physical work but because it was taking up the precious time I wanted to spend with my sister. Fortunately, we ended early; I was not the only one who realized that if we worked faster then we could leave sooner. When I got back to campus I really wanted to impress my sister and her best friend, as well has her best friends parents who had brought them down. So, naturally I took the to West End. We had a two hour long lunch it seemed. My sister Chrissie, and her friend Lisa are like dumb and dumber, and take FOREVER to make decisions. They are the definition of dilly dalining (however you spell it). Later, we took their stuff to my room (they spent sat night in my room) and they each had a huge duffle, comforter, and a pilllow. Basically, they had more stuff than I did camping, with all my camping gear including the tent. I love them very much though, both Chrissie and Lisa (Lisa is practically my sister she spends so much time at our house and with our family), and I was very happy the came to visit.

spring

I have no idea what I wantto write about this week, so it will be a cornicopia subjects that are from the thoughts that pass through my head.
Relay for Life was this past Friday, and it was truly incredible. Even with the upper classman's descriptions of the event, it was still more incredible than I thought it would be. The atmosphere was great, and I was especially excited because I was able to camp on the drill field, another thing to cross off the bucket list! When I first came here I wanted to camp on the drill field or by the duck pond, but learned that there was a rule prohbiting it, except for relay for life. I walk for 3 hours straight. My tent was set up a little before 7 and I was walking from then to about 10 when everyone was called over for the ceremony. Walking was great. I talked to friends and said hi to many people I havn't seen in a while. There was also a lot of interesting things people were selling as fundriasers. My favorite I think was either the cotton candy or the rootbeer keg stands. The walking was a blast, the ceremony however was very moving and emmotional. People spoke of those they knew fighting or had died from cancer. The ceremony was also candle lit and all the portable field lights had been turned off for it. Despite the seriousness of the ceremony, the candles were constantly catching their wind-blocking pixie cups on fire. This caused a lot of laughter as people screamed and dropped their candle, or tried to blow it out. After a while people realized that you if you didn't tilt the candles the fires would stop. At the end of the ceremony the speaker listed off relationships of people the audience knew had cancer. As the relationship was called, one blew their candle out. So quickly did the darkness come and people began to make a lap around the track in the darkness in remeberance. By the time the ceremony was over the temperature was in the 30s and the blacksburg wind was haunting the drill field. I was so cold, and convienced my friends to come back to the dorm with me and I took a hot shower to warm up. We then went back out to the drill field and I did another hour of laps before watching my friend perform in the dance-off. It wasn't until 4:30 that I crawled into my tent to try to sleep only tobe woken up at 5:30 for the closing ceremony. The sun was starting to come up, and I had only slept 30min max. It was more of a nap than anything else. I went back to my room and slept for less than 3 hours before waking up because I didn't want to miss the beautiful spring days.
The spring is beautiful here at tech. I wish I had a sketch book that could capture the beauty, my camera does not do the beautiful scene of spring justice. As I write this blog I see the sun setting over the mountains behind Eggleston. The lime green leaves on the trees are emmerging under the golden sunlight. Next to the billiant shade of green is a lovely shad of magneta flower, the same tone as the lime green. Underneath this vibrant colors is the rich deep green of the grass an dthe soft creamy white of the volleyball courts. The sand serves as a reminder to the time where the ground was covered in snow. I actually had forgotten sand lay under the volleyball nets, becuase the whole month of Febuary the sand was not visible. I love the snow, but I'm glad its spring. The cold was lonely and this new warmth is like an old friend, hugging me as I walk about. I'm glad we missed the akward hot cold temperaures for the most part that spring usually brings. Maybe we did have the period of the 50s, but after the 20s and windchill 50 was like the new 70. Whatever it was, I'm glad its so nice out, and stays this nice until finals. Finals I want it to rain nonstop so when I have to study inside I don't get upset that I'm missing the beautiful weather.

blogs

I feel so special now I have 4 followers!! I 'm glad you guys figured out how to become a follower, and I'm sorry I couldn't remeber to tell you. Speaking of blogs though today when I went to go sign into my blog, I realized it wasn't mine! The blog turned out to be my boyfriends blog, even though, according to him, he didn't even have a blog. I realized that because his email is with gmail that blogger opens up with whichever email was lasted used. This weekend I had gone home and was hanging out with my boyfriend; at one point he used my computer to check his email and thats how his email was the last used with gmail. After I had opened his blog I decided to look around it especially since Myron (my boyfriend) said he didn't even have a blog, I was wondering whose blog it really was. Inside the blog there was only one post and I realized that it was from 2007, and that was probably why my boyfriend didn't even remeber having one. I then discovered that there was a picture link on the blog post, and I opened it up to discover the most goffiest picture I have yet to have seen my boyfriend in yet! He had a ridiculous coustume on that was a cross between a super hero outfit and the giant hat napoleon wears. Myron's pose was that of the famous greek "thinker" statue, with an expression on his face that displayed the contemplation of epistemology and other philisophical matters. I immediately sent this picture back to Myron asking if this picutre was him, with the statement that if its not, then he has either an identical twin with the same name as him. A few hours later I received his response. It had all come back to him and he remebered he created a blog page for extra credit in English one year. I was surpised to hear that the picture was from 2007 because Myron pretty much looked the same in that picture as he does not. Although that doesn't really seem like something I should be surpised by, my boyfriend looked completely different in the begining of high school than he did a the end, when we started dating. He was actually in one of my classes freshman year, and I barely remeber him in it becuase he just looks so different from how he looks not that I have trouble picturing him. As a freshman he was skinny asian boy with long hair, relatively tall for a freshman boy. Now, he is very muscular with a buzzed haircut.

tests

The summer is almost here and I can not wiat. These last two weeks since break have been quite a challenge with physics test fri and then for me 2 engineering tests and a chemistry test. Yesterday, I spent 5 hrs doing my airs assignmnet for chemistry, only to realize that the reason why I was having difficulty is because information was actually missing from the problem statement. But, what I didn't realize was that you had to look that information, the Ka or Kb values up in the chemistry textbook. When I found this out I couldn't decided if I was furiated with myself for being so stupid, or if I was just relieved that after 6-7 hours I was finally able to get a hundred on the assignment. I don't even know how the aris assignments plays into my grade. They are not on the gradebook for that class, but I'm hoping they will get added on at the end and that it those hours yesterday were not a complete waste of time. The homework for the class is worth 10%, and the actual homeworks for my chemistry class can be quite challenging at times because my professor's goal in life is to trick us. He says he's preparing us for mcats, but I what I want to know is why I'm preparing for mcats in this class when I don't plan on even taking them. Thats the one downside about professor Trivedi. I love his teaching style, but I wish he would stop being so tricky, in hopes to prepare people for mcats when less than half the class would be taking them. Right now, I don't even need the second half of chemistry, the class I am in now, for my major. I only took it because I might have done biosystems engineering. But, now that I'm not, I really don't know why I'm still in it. I enjoy the class and understand the material, but even if you understand the material chances are your going to fall for a few of trivedi's traps, and thats what your graded on. I hate tests. I'm such a bad test taker, I always fall for the tricks. I would much much much rather just do some huge project of 20page paper than study for a test. Becuase when you write a paper or do a project there are no tarps that you can fall into.

mound bayou more

Mound Bayou

Never mind about the last blogg being for 3/3. My blogg is getting all mixed up and confusing, I guess thats what one gets for trying to do it ahead of time. Well, to make sure I'm on top of the number of blogs I need here is another. GROUP MEMBERS: skip the following parenthesis its a question for Julia. (Julia, if Iwrote 2 blogs one week because I didn't think I'd have time following week would you count the 2nd blog as the blog for the week with out? I hope so because that is what I have done. I have also written mulitple blogs for a week, but they do not amount to 500 words at one time, but overall there is way more than 500 words, is that ok?)

Anyways, over spring break I was down at Mississippi, and the area was so much different to what I was use to . We'd be driving along the rural highway through fields of flat farmland and see a random abandon home. Actually, we thought it was abandoned because no one could possibly live in such a structure that was on the brink of collapsing! Seriously, most of the home had caved in roofs or slanted porches. Then, someone would walk out of this home, a home we thought had been abandoned!! This totally shocked me, especially being an engineer I have a pretty good idea of what is structually sound and what isn't. The people of this are would live in homes that didn't just look bad in appearance, but the stabilty of the sturcture was bad. Even in the best kept home there'd be chipped paint or an over grown yard, but down there that was normal. In the town where we worked at, Mound Bayou, was even more worse than the rest of the area. 85% of the town lived off welfare, and most of the citizens were unempolyed because they could not afford a car or gas to get to work in the next town over. Because everyone in the town was so poor, all of the home were run down. Closed buisness would remain there, the skeleton of the buildings are shadows of the once thriving town. This town was the first town to be established by free slaves in Mississippi after the civil war. It was and still is mainly an African American community, that back in its hay day served as refuge from the Ku Klux Klan. After a couple of bad farming years and depressions and recession the town turned into the very poor area that it currently is. If something happens to a building, abandoned, burned down, storm damages, its just left there. There were more than a handful of lots of where a fire had taken place. Nothing had been done, the building burned down entirely and was left there to look like the fire had just happened only yesterday. This blew my mind away, that these people could just let the remains sit. A hotel had burned down many, many years ago, and the pipes were still in the air, twisted up! Some buildings were boarded up and some weren't. The ones that werent boarded up are now frames with half the walls down and the roof caved in. I had done a service project in New Orleans summer after my sophmore year, and some of these lots looked as though they too had been attacked by hurricane Katrina. (they had not; although Mississippi did received a lot of damages Mound Bayou is located closer to Arkansa than the Gulf of Mexico so the destruction of the buildings was not caused by the hurricane)
As we drove through this town, I wanted nothing more than to just get out of the van and start fixing up the lots. It bothered me so much to just see burned down lots sit there. The whole town was like an archeological site of ruins. But, actually the whole town is an archeological site in the sense that there is a lot of history (the town shouldn't be in ruins though equivalent to that of settlements form the 1600s and 1700s though). I want to go back next year, and hopefully be able to work on those lots. Unfortunately though, not to many people repeat trips, so I do not know if that is because they want to try somehting new or because you have to. By other trips I mean that my trip was one of several Alternative Spring Break Trips. There were also trips to Chicago, Memphis, Flint, and Mexico. There was one to Hadi as well, but it was canceled/postponed due to the earthquake. I want to go to Mexico one year, but I think that will be for junior or senior year. If I can't go to Mexico I think my second choice would be Chicago, but I leave that decision to next year.