As I scroll through the seemingly endless Facebook news feed, I'm bombarded with a plethora of statuses ranging from baby daddy drama to NCAA championship posts. Most of these I overlook but today and yesterday I've noticed the enormous amount of posts related to the weather. "Yay Spring is finally here!" "What a beautiful Spring day!" "I'm going to ENO because it's Spring and that's the only time it's ideal to ENO." Woot. I'd love to say that I'm as enthusiastic as everyone else about the dramatic weather change in the last two weeks, but I'm just not. Sure, I enjoy not having to wear pants and not having to wear gloves, but for me, Spring brings about some serious negatives.
First off, I should begin by saying that I have chronic Sinusitis (yes, that's a thing). It means that I constantly have a sinus infection, or swelling, of the sinuses. Also, I'm severely allergic to all trees and grasses. You're starting to see how Spring is especially miserable for me, aren't you? Yes, it's a pain in the rear that even my four allergy medications can't alleviate. Today, for instance, is a bad day. I'm sniffling as I type this actually.
Next, with warmer weather brings sweat. And I don't usually sweat that much (at least I used to not) but since coming to college I look like a hot mess walking to every class, especially when I have to trek all the way across campus in ten minutes. It's not that sweat in itself is that uncomfortable, but I get it in really strange places. My head, especially where my hair is, is dripping. My back, where my backpack rests, is moist. Not comfortable; and it makes me look like poop when walking into my classes. I've gotta look good.
Last, but certainly not least, bugs. I hate em. They always seem to find me. ALWAYS. They itch me, irritate me, get in my way, threaten to sting me. Leave me alone you six-legged monsters! This factor especially, combined with the previously mentioned, is the reason why I never wanted to go outside as a child. I'm basically allergic to nature. So yeah.
By this point in the blog you're probably thinking that I hate Spring. That's not entirely true. I love the amazing beauty of watching things grow and bloom. It's magnificent. I just wish I could watch from inside. Can't I just live in a bubble?
God Bless,
Nick Mullins!
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Lackadaisical Attitudes for Spring Semester
It's been a long while since I've blogged. I'd like to have an excuse for why that is. I could say I didn't have time, that I was too busy with school work. But that would be a lie. Since coming back to Tech after Christmas break my study and homework habits have made my grades take an unwanted nosedive into mediocrity. This is coming from the person who never really studied and high school and still had a 4.0 GPA. High school teachers always warn our generation that our first college exam would be a wake-up call. My first college exam was a math exam, I didn't study, and I still made a 100. My second college exam was a Latin test, I didn't study, and made a 95. You see the pattern here. Last semester I figured that I could continue to rely on my natural intellectual abilities to breeze me through college. And last semester, that totally worked, until I made a C (and a low C at that) on an exam in a class where only three exams were taken all semester. Sure, I still got a B in the class, but that really made me realize that I was going to have to buckle down and actually study. We got back from Christmas break to start the Spring semester, and I that B was fresh on my mind. I had to take that class again (the second part of a two semester course) and you better believe I worked hard studying for the first two exams. I made A's on both of them (and you have to make a 95 to make an A, so it's not easy). You're probably thinking, "Wow Nick, you really turned over a new leaf!"
I wish. I'd like to say that I focused on my schoolwork and became a study fiend, but that's just not true. I'm the type of person that I'm not going to change anything about myself unless something drastic happens that makes me want to do it. Sometimes it's a good trait, because it means I'm passionate about the things I commit my time to. It's also a bad thing, because that also means that I'll keep plummeting lower and lower until I have a dramatic epiphany. Sure, I got my act together in that one class, but there are other classes that I am not so committed to. The point of this rant is- I made a D on my first history exam, then dramatically failed a quiz. Of course, dramatically failing a quiz sent me into a frenzy. I just couldn't believe that it had happened, so I figured out that in order for me to get a B in the class (there is no way that I can make an A now), I had to make at least a 90 on the last two exams. We had the first of these last two on Monday, and I studied for at least 5 hours and felt really good about it. About an hour ago I got my grade back, and I made an 88.
As happy as I would've been with this grade at any other time in the semester in any other class, I had a lot riding on that grade, and to me, being two points away from my goal is WAY worse than even twenty points away. To be so close makes me want to punch a wall. Knowing that ONE MORE QUESTION being correct would've been the difference between my happiness and complete frustration makes me want to scream! Seeing as I'm in Sociology class at this very moment (I guess I should be paying attention, but believe you me, this class would make Mickey Mouse question suicide), I figured blogging was the closest I could get to screaming without verbally expressing my feelings of frustration.
On certain Tuesdays and Thursdays during "dead hour", music majors have meetings to perform for each other, critique each other, or listen to guest speakers talk about different aspects of music. Today, some trombone professor from the University of Boston came to speak to us about goals. It was just the kind of push I needed today. He began speaking about how we should have goals in our life and that having smaller goals in between these long term goals will keep us on track. This is nothing I haven't heard before, but today in particular I needed to hear it. I've also been struggling a bit here recently about my decisions in life.
College is stressful, ya'll! Especially being a music major. Not that other majors aren't hard, but with music there are some courses that you either are good at or aren't. There's no amount of studying that a tone deaf person can do to pass Aural Techniques (an ear training and sight-singing class), and if you don't pass your piano proficiency before entering your junior year, BOOM, you're here for whole extra year.
That's an enormous amount of pressure. Somedays it feels like I'm going to throw up when thinking about my future. But as bad as these days are, they always pass. As the speaker today said it, "Sometimes you have to forget about the technique and just have fun!" Sometimes, you do. I know that whatever happens with my life, it's not really my choice. No matter what I feel like sometimes, God's plan has to take over.
Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
And so, after a four month hiatus, I leave you with this song: Keep Holding On
I wish. I'd like to say that I focused on my schoolwork and became a study fiend, but that's just not true. I'm the type of person that I'm not going to change anything about myself unless something drastic happens that makes me want to do it. Sometimes it's a good trait, because it means I'm passionate about the things I commit my time to. It's also a bad thing, because that also means that I'll keep plummeting lower and lower until I have a dramatic epiphany. Sure, I got my act together in that one class, but there are other classes that I am not so committed to. The point of this rant is- I made a D on my first history exam, then dramatically failed a quiz. Of course, dramatically failing a quiz sent me into a frenzy. I just couldn't believe that it had happened, so I figured out that in order for me to get a B in the class (there is no way that I can make an A now), I had to make at least a 90 on the last two exams. We had the first of these last two on Monday, and I studied for at least 5 hours and felt really good about it. About an hour ago I got my grade back, and I made an 88.
As happy as I would've been with this grade at any other time in the semester in any other class, I had a lot riding on that grade, and to me, being two points away from my goal is WAY worse than even twenty points away. To be so close makes me want to punch a wall. Knowing that ONE MORE QUESTION being correct would've been the difference between my happiness and complete frustration makes me want to scream! Seeing as I'm in Sociology class at this very moment (I guess I should be paying attention, but believe you me, this class would make Mickey Mouse question suicide), I figured blogging was the closest I could get to screaming without verbally expressing my feelings of frustration.
On certain Tuesdays and Thursdays during "dead hour", music majors have meetings to perform for each other, critique each other, or listen to guest speakers talk about different aspects of music. Today, some trombone professor from the University of Boston came to speak to us about goals. It was just the kind of push I needed today. He began speaking about how we should have goals in our life and that having smaller goals in between these long term goals will keep us on track. This is nothing I haven't heard before, but today in particular I needed to hear it. I've also been struggling a bit here recently about my decisions in life.
College is stressful, ya'll! Especially being a music major. Not that other majors aren't hard, but with music there are some courses that you either are good at or aren't. There's no amount of studying that a tone deaf person can do to pass Aural Techniques (an ear training and sight-singing class), and if you don't pass your piano proficiency before entering your junior year, BOOM, you're here for whole extra year.
That's an enormous amount of pressure. Somedays it feels like I'm going to throw up when thinking about my future. But as bad as these days are, they always pass. As the speaker today said it, "Sometimes you have to forget about the technique and just have fun!" Sometimes, you do. I know that whatever happens with my life, it's not really my choice. No matter what I feel like sometimes, God's plan has to take over.
Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
And so, after a four month hiatus, I leave you with this song: Keep Holding On
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