Good Grief

"Katie McCarver is skipping class today to get some work done...how does it even make sense that she has to skip class to get her CLASS work done...good grief..."

I'm not one to quote Facebook frequently, but Katie's status aptly describes the life of the college senior. Photo projects, extensive readings, stories for class and for the Red & Black, internship applications, English papers -- where does it end? 66 days from now, according to my calculations. Including weekends. That's how many days are left this semester and I'm counting down!

But Katie brings up an interesting point -- can skipping class to get work done actually work? Or is this just counterproductive? This is the first semester that I've seriously considered skipping a class to do just that. Coming from someone who never even thinks about skipping a class, this is quite a statement to make. But some days I just feel a little overwhelmed by the amount of work I have. And it doesn't help that I have professors who think their class is the only one I'm taking and therefore I have hours to devote to the subject matter. Hmmm, about that...

66 days and counting...

Today's News: Higher Education Reform and My Dad's Golf Game?

Congress just passed (and the President is about to sign into law) new legislation to change how graduates repay student loans - now the amount you pay back will be based on how much you earn. The "College Cost Reduction and Access Act" also gives more money for Pell Grants and reduces interest rates on loans. This is a great piece of legislation -- why didn't someone think to do this before? I mean, how long have people been paying back student loans? Well, regardless of its timing, I hope this act really does help people making those payments. Check The Red & Black on Thursday for more information...

More surprising than this legislation (well, for me, anyway) is today's feature in the AJC's Travel section. This is one of my favorite sections of the Sunday paper; I really enjoy reading about interesting places to visit and looking at the pictures they provide. But I wasn't expecting to see an article my dad wrote about golfing in France. He went to France in July on his honeymoon and told me about his golfing "adventures," but I didn't expect to see it in the paper.

Story behind the story: I asked him earlier today if he had any articles coming up this week, expecting to hear him mention something more related to his health care beat -- you know, a hospital's attempts to improve long-term patient care, health care insurance changes, something along those lines. When he said he had an article about golfing in the Travel section, I laughed and said, "No, really, Dad -- do you have any stories coming up in the paper?" I was slightly caught off guard when he told me he wasn't kidding. I immediately checked the AJC's website and sure enough, it was there. Check it out! (shameless plugging, I know, but at least I'm admitting it.)

Summer's over. Time to get back to THE OFFICE.

As of today, we are merely 20 days away from the premiere of Season 4 of THE OFFICE, which is, perhaps, one of the greatest shows on TV. If you don't watch it, you should. And if you do watch it? We can still be friends.

"Thanks to the fearless Steve Carell, an ever-stronger supporting cast, and scripts that spew American corporate absurdist vernacular with perfect pitch, this undervalued remake does the near impossible -- it honors Ricky Gervais' original and works on its own terms." -Entertainment Weekly"

"Hey, Can I Take Your Picture?"

That one question sums up how I spent my free time for the past few days. In my photojournalism class, we had to shoot "mugshots" of 36 people we didn't know for our first assignment. This was meant to help us get used to using the camera and to talking to complete strangers. "You can't be shy as a photojournalist," my teacher reminded us.

36 people we didn't know -- this was a little nerve wracking but definitely doable. I started by going to a park near my house in Snellville last Sunday and hitting up parents of little leaguers. I got a few families to agree to help, as well as a few strange looks from passersby. I found the project much easier to complete when I walked around the Tate Student Center yesterday. I decided to start with people standing at tables set up -- why not solicit those who are already soliciting? I had to sign a petition and take a free volleyball poster, but it was worth it. I also stopped by a frat house...that's where I took the majority of my photos.

And having a really nice camera doesn't hurt, either. Every student taking JOUR 3610 gets issued a Canon camera to use throughout the semester. I had to sign a waiver (aka sign my life away to the Grady College) agreeing to their "you break it, you buy it" policy. My camera is worth a whopping $1,400; therefore it's my baby this semester.

This Week's Ramblings

I feel like everything that's been going on in the past two weeks is jumbled in my head...and so my jumbled ramblings are here for you to peruse...

Football ticket pickup was fun. Oh, wait, I'm being sarcastic. I understand the University's attempt to prevent people from skipping classes and fainting on the sidewalk outside Stegman Coliseum by having us line up between 5:00 - 9:00 p.m. instead of at noon, but the 100* heat doesn't really drop significantly until after the sun goes down. And opening the ticket booths on the side of the coliseum that was getting direct sunlight might not have been the best plan.

I suppose I shouldn't complain that much...at least I got tickets.

















On a lighter note, I saw the movie Superbad this past weekend. For those out there who haven't seen it, it's hysterical all the way through. One of the great things about this movie is the fact that they chose actors who actually look like they could be in high school instead of the actors in their mid-20s playing teenagers. I commend the casting director for that. Also, let me say that the main three actors were fantastic. I already liked Michael Cera (left) from his performance in Arrested Development as the awkward George Michael, but the actors who played Seth (center) and Fogell/McLovin (right) were great as well. They had great chemistry. I wouldn't recommend it to those who can't stand vulgar dialogue because it's chock full of it, but if you don't mind it or you enjoy it thoroughly, go see it right now!

Stateside Again

The past few weeks since returning from Oxford have been nothing short of jam-packed. Two days after landing in Atlanta, I returned to Athens to move into my new apartment and get ready for the semester. From there, I went to staff meetings, a Red & Black breakfast, college bookstores, Wal-Mart and the like, my first few classes, North Carolina for my great grandmother's funeral, and back here to Athens. It seems that I jumped right back into my ridiculously busy routine from last semester. Hopefully I'll be able to make it through the semester without too much trouble...

But there are some things I'm definitely looking forward to:

• My photojournalism class. This one should be pretty interesting. I can't say that I wasn't slightly intimidated by the course demands and the complicated lecture today on f-stops, shutter speeds, and ISOs, BUT I think I'll be able to manage if I can keep all that information straight in my head.
  
• Football games. I've said it once and I'll say it again: Football game days in Athens are an experience. Personally, I'm more of a basketball person, having played it myself for years and being part of a family obsessed with the sport. But that doesn't mean I don't look forward to spending a few Saturdays in the 92,000-seat Sanford Stadium cheering on the Georgia Bulldogs.
  
• Breaks and holidays. If you compare the Fall and Spring Semesters, you'll find a considerable number of short holidays in the fall to break up the semester -- Fall Break, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, etc. Spring semester always feels much longer and much more tiring, part of which I attribute to the long periods without a break.

I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane...

"Time it was /
And what a time it was /
It was a time of innocence /
A time of confidences /

Long ago it must be /
I have a photograph /
Preserve your memories /
They're all that's left of you..."
-Simon and Garfunkel, Bookends Theme

So it's here...our last full day in Oxford. I've packed most of my stuff and I've gone to almost all of my favorite places for the last time. I've taken pictures with friends and bought my Trinity College hoodie. We had our final Kavoori class today (and we sang the song above before we left) and we're going to hang out together as a class one more time in University Parks today. But leaving Oxford is going to be difficult.

I guess I should explain the picture as well. This is my friend Kristen's picture (she's on the far left) of some of the girls in our class doing the quintessential Kavoori pose before one of our High Table dinners. I'm going to miss them and the rest of my friends here.

But the bright side? "I'm leaving on a jet plane" and coming back to my friends and family in the States! And I think I'll have a greater appreciation for certain things in America. For example:

• Drinking glasses and ice. The glasses they give you in the dining hall and in restaurants are REALLY small -- they look more like large shot glasses. And when you get water in a restaurant, you get about 2 ice cubes per gallon of water. LAME. I want to go somewhere in the States where I can get a massive cup of something when I get back!
• The value of the dollar. Basically, the dollar is worth NOTHING here in England. The exchange rate is 1 British pound = 2 American dollars. My money will actually mean something again when I go home! Hooray!
• Contact with family and friends. Since my cell phone refuses to cooperate and I'm literally an ocean away, my contact with friends and family has been rather limited. This blog has helped, along with my e-mail and Facebook (for those who use it). But it'll be nice to be able to call people when I want and to see their faces regularly.
  

I can't wait to see my family and friends at the airport!