Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Rarely do college students in Lubbock become incensed enough about anything to protest, but a girl (Whitney) on my floor informed me she witnessed people sitting at a couple (in the most literal sense of "two") of tables in front of the Student Union building, in defiance of Killer Coke. Whitney got a bumper sticker, a small poster, and a cause. She gave her two "You win a free 1-liter Coke" bottle tops to her boyfriend, Jared, who stood beside her, unmoved, as she listened to an anti-Coke rant. The guy dressed in a bear costume did not deter Jared's convictions, either. But Whitney claims she will never again purchase a Coca-Cola product.
I introduced Whitney to the wonders of the Chitwood/Weymouth dormitory complex computer lab, for her laptop has not Microsoft Office Access or Microsoft Office Publisher, which are required for the material she must complete for her computer class. She caught me at work (though not working; I went there for a drink after working out) and begged me to help her figure out how to print a mail merge.
After reflecting inwardly that I know little beyond how to resize a window, I agreed to help, though thus far I have merely directed her to the lab, which, as mentioned above, supplies the required programs. I brought along Funshine, the Care Bear doll I have carried around since the age of three; she sits atop the CPU, watching the activities of everyone else in the lab (for Whitney and I are sitting in the back row).
I ought to have thought to bring my Latin or German books- I am far behind in both classes, although I caught up a little in Latin. So long as I attend every class until the final, I ought to do well. However, my neglect of German now poses serious problems, for I confuse adjective endings and never memorized the perfect forms of verbs. Ich habe keine Zeit! I might inquire of Eike or Brian for private tutoring sessions next week before class. I also have more direct questions for Eike, such as:
How did you get suckered into attending university in Lubbock, of all the cities in the United States?Dr. Holland noted that someone from my Latin class will take the summer courses, as well, and will be with me for the composition class in the fall. I am in ponderance at the moment of who this mystery Latin fellow could be. I desperately hope it is not someone who is much more intelligent than I am, for in the face of serious competition, I tend to give up.
Different countries have different peeing systems- for example, my aunt, who visited Japan, said the seats are set significantly lower than in most western countries, and in Morocco, she squatted over a hole (while six months pregnant). How does one pee in Germany?
If I cannot find a museum job, do you think I can afford to rent a flat based on income earned working at Starbucks?
You mentioned you are an only child (das Einzelkind). To what degree do your parents and family resent that you choose to live on a remote continent? Note: this may not be expressed verbally, but may be strongly implied.
I referred parenthetically to working out; upon exit of the recreational building I collided (not physically) with a boy, named Jeremy, and his girlfriend, who is nice but whose name I cannot recall, both of whom suggested I play racquetball. They claim it requires little actual effort, but I remain unconvinced. I tire easily playing Ultimate Frisbee. But we shall see.
Whitney received the same e-mail I did about a week ago, referring to a job tutoring students with disabilities, but, unlike me, she followed through with the application. Just now she added, "But I don't know why I applied, because I have a touch of ADHD myself." She made no note of this on the application, however. I told Whitney I would like very much to sit in on one of her tutoring sessions.
I suppose I should put myself to bed.
[Lauree Frances Keith concluded this diatribe at 10:21 PM]