Life of a College Freshman

Life has changed dramatically since I arrived to USC in August. I have learned the "in's & out's" of life in the real world, kind of. Although I still look to my mom for money at times, I am still having to provide for myself. I am working and also juggling school work along with a little social life here and there. It's hard to believe that first semester is almost over. After registering for my 2nd semester classes, I can't help but sit here and wonder "where has the time gone?" Finals are approaching and honestly I am scared. I still feel like my study habits are not up to par but I know by next semester I can handle any test thrown my way.
I have truly enjoyed all the different activities I have participated in here at school. Recently I went to see the ballet Dracula with Sally, and I must say, it wasn't that bad. Not saying I would see it again just for the fun of it but still. I will admit though, being here has not only taught me things, but also allowed me to participate in some amazing events.

I love beach music

Yesterday, out of the kindness of my heart, I decided join Bernice and go with her to her Dance Appreciation class. Not that she really needed someone to go with her, but they were learning how to shag dance and Bernice knew I was dying to learn.  So she invited me to come. 

I was big into athletics in high school, but never dance. So learning theses new steps was kind of complicated for me. Bernice laughed at me and helped me through it and I got the hang of it by the end of class.  

Definitely a new experience. Now I'm anxious to get out on the dance floor and shag to some beach music with all the other Southern pros. Except I might need to practice some more first... Yayy for learning new things. College is great. 

No Shave November

Now that it is November, many of the guys on the 9th floor, including myself, have decided to participate in 'No Shave November.' The idea seems simple enough; during the month of November, those of us participating will grow out our facial hair. Once you stop shaving however, it become more complex than it seems. Not looking down on those who display their facial hair year round, but I am personally not a big fan of having facial hair. I can only handle one month out of the year. It comes to a point where it is itchy on your neck, and without trimming the edges of the beard it is messy looking. Not to mention, since I have stopped shaving I have had Emily's hand on my face feeling my facial hair more often than not. Earlier today, some say I 'cracked.' I had to trim the edges of my new grown hair. Though it has only been 10 days, it was starting to look messy. Some say I should be disqualified, but I still have the bulk of the hair growing strong. As November progresses, at least until thanksgiving, I plan to continue to not shave my beard. It should be interesting to how we all look at the end of the month.

Dinner at Dr. Pardun's house

So tonight the Living and Learning Community, along with Stephanie and Lauren, gathered together for dinner at Dr. Pardun's house. It was so much fun! We all got dressed up and helped each other pick out what to wear. When we came downstairs to leave our dorm, our RM Jaime (Nana Shook) wanted to take pictures of us. When we arrived at Dr. Pardun's house, she welcomed us and we all introduced ourselves. She made chicken parmesan as the main entree and it was really good. Oh yeah, this is random, but her house is really pretty. When it came to dessert, we were all like, "OH MY GOSH! THIS IS AMAZING!!" She made a gingerbread cake with homemade whipped cream, it was incredible. We all talked with each other and bonded. We had a really fun time.

Running Club

It took a little bit of time, but I've finally gotten myself involved in a group here at USC. The USC Running Club is a new group that was created this year. I was a runner all throughout high school and really was hoping that there would be a group at USC for me to join. I helped start a small group on campus that met a few times earlier in the year, but it wasn't well known and there was already a larger group being created. But now the two groups have combined and we get together three times a week to go out for runs. I've met some cool people along the way and it will only get better from here. We're going to work on getting some fund raising going so we can enter in races and purchase uniforms. Hopefully it all goes well. 

Journalism Test Take Three.

Tuesday the living and learning community solidered through our third Journalism test. Although this test only covered two chapters, I feared that the details he wanted us to know would be a million times more extensive. One by one we turned in our tests and walked out of the examination room and gathered together waiting for the rest to finish up. After spending a week and a half of hardcore studying, we all were relieved that it was over and we only have one more test to pass until the end of the semester. As each person walked to our living and learning huddle, each face showed some apprehension, but also conveyed smiles. We all feel rather confident. We are finally beginning to perfect our college studying and test taking skills. So what's next? We wait. Tuesday our grades will be posted, but until then....we party.

Journalism Test Take Three.

Birthday cupcakes!

On Monday, I turned 19! I thought it would be weird to celebrate my birthday away from home, but it wasn't too bad. Kristyn surprised me with a crafty collage she made for me and I got a few cards from some of my new friends at school! Unfortunately, I couldn't do too much celebrating because of our Journalism test the next day, but a few of us traveled to Cupcake where I had two amazing cupcakes, Peanut Butter Banana Marshmallow and Cinnamon! I was really happy that my friends could celebrate with me and I appreciated that they still came out, even though most of us had a huge exam the next day. After that, Gabby and I had major crunch time for Wiggins' test and I hope I did well! Getting an A on his exam would be the best birthday present ever!...besides cupcakes, of course.

Lists

After reading "Courage to Lead" I decided to put some of the advice the book offers to work. I figured I would start by writing everything down, just like Charlotte recommends. This seems like a good idea in theory, and could actually be quite helpful... if I only made one list. I currently have twenty running lists scattered everywhere, all with different tasks, assignments, and appointments on them. My desks has sticky notes with lists, my notebooks have lists, the margins of my papers have lists, the back of my hand even has lists on it most days. The lists are overwhelming and more than slightly repetitive. Even though they seem completely unorganized, it still makes me feel better when I cross something off of my many lists.It emphasizes the fact that I have accomplished what needed to get done.