Dan

There are two breeds of college professor:

Those that actually care about their students and make useful study materials readily available, communicate clearly to the class what is expected of them and what to prepare for for exams, and grade assignments and exams on a timely basis as a tool for students to measure their own progress and performance.

The other variety is those that don't give a fuck about their job as a teacher or their students, whose only available resources consist of a 500page 8 1/2x11" textbook and 16 weeks worth of unstructured sometimes relevant ramblings, and have only two trick question riddled exams be the foundation for your grade in the course. When 90% of the students score less than desirable and the final grades must be curved to make the professor look competent, so be it, but don't expect to have the luxury of knowing that until after final grades have been posted.

Up at 7:40 and no class for 5 hours. This morning is all about making Vitamin D.

It's been a rather fail two weeks.
Last saturday was the last installation dinner of the year, this one was montgomery's. They had a hypnotist. It didn't work on me but it was pretty funny watching everyone else act weird. Apparently I'm still a trustee and engineer there....HA. Jack and Coke's got me through most of the night until the last hour when a new bar tender replaced the old and the new one carded me. Fail.
The next morning woke up in excruciating pain in my right arm. Then drove to East Franklin at 8 AM for 8 hours of Fire officer 1 class. Not fun. at all.
The following monday was my birthday. I had class all day. My arm continued to hurt like a bitch.
Tuesday and Wednesday were exactly like monday aside from the fact that it wasn't my birthday at all.
Thursday I woke up with a swollen face and a lot of pain, now in my arm and my mouth.
Friday I went to an orthopedist about the arm. He took some x-rays and thinks it's a torn rotator cuff. I have to get an MRI to be certain. getting that done tomorrow, get the diagnosis of the whole thing on the 20th. Following my appointment at the orthopedist's office I went back to my oral surgeon for the 5th time regarding my wisdom teeth. he shot me up with Novocaine and cleaned out what was an infection in my right lower jaw. Stitched it back up and sent me on my way with some more pain killers and antibiotics. In b 4 can I have your pain killers, no. I'm still swollen from that although it's (almost) unnoticeable now.
Spent most of the rest of the weekend at home in Montgomery recovering. Sucked.
One week left of fire officer 1. I will be quite glad to get my monday and wednesday nights back.
This theater appreciation class that I'm taking is not as fun as I originally anticipated it being. I had to see a shakespear play on douglass sunday, i slept through most of the first act. I have no idea what went on.

So far this semester I've felt so disconnected from everyone. I've had to commit too much of my time tending to unforeseen complications that I really haven't had any time at all to go out and have fun. I do plan on having some kind of a gathering at my apartment before I have to move out but I still haven't figured out how and when.

my room has become a shithole.
minus the shit.

something really has to be done about this...

Thanksgiving break this year was good though I kind of wish it was longer. For me it was a lot different than last year. Last year I was strongly anticipating thanksgiving because it would mean everyone would come home and there would be some serious rockin out which was a welcomed change from the usual boredom that I endured for the majority of the school year. This year though I just took the time to relax.

Joe's wedding was a blast. Came home hung over to find 20 people in my house, yay. Skipped out from thanksgiving dinner just in time via chimney fire. (Don't get me wrong I like seeing my family, but i'm not one for turkey and stuffing and the whole thanksgiving ceremony takes way to long). Got back and it was time for desert (score). Then later that night we had our little hostage crisis which I'm sure you've all heard about by now.

Friday I worked. Friday night I did nothing. Saturday + saturday night I did nothing significant.
Today I worked all day.

As much as I hated living in monty I realized I missed it a whole lot. (Not having to take a bus everywhere or worry about parking or deal with annoying stop + go traffic). Ready to go back to school but looking forward to a month of winter break (less than 3 weeks away).

My schedule for next semester is rape. 18 credits and no friday classes. = win!

First...
Police surround Somerset County bank after report of someone inside
by The Star-Ledger Continuous News Desk
Thursday November 27, 2008, 9:17 PM

Police are surrounding a PNC Bank in Somerset County tonight after at least one person was spotted inside the bank, police authorities said.

The police operation at the bank on Routes 518 and 601 in Montgomery began at about 8:40 p.m.m Somerset County Prosecutor Wayne Forrest said.

There was no immediate indication if this was a robbery or if there was anyone being held against their will. No shots had been fired, the prosecutor said. It was not immediately clear who spotted the person or persons inside the bank.

The county prosecutor's SWAT team is on the scene and are trying to contact whoever is inside the building, Forrest said.

Then...

Cardboard figure keeps police at bay
by The Star-Ledger Continuous News Desk
Thursday November 27, 2008, 11:00 PM

A cardboard figure of a person inside a Somerset County bank kept police at bay for 90 minutes tonight, authorities said.

The standoff at the PNC Bank on routes 518 and 601 in the Skillman section of Montgomery Township ended at about 10:20 p.m., Somerset County Prosecutor Wayne Forrest said.

Police responded to the bank when an alarm went off about 8:40 p.m.

When officers arrived, they saw what they thought was at least one person through the windows of the bank, which had its blinds drawn, according to authorities.

Police then sealed off the area to traffic and evacuated residents in three nearby apartment buildings .

"I drove in the parking lot (of my apartment building) and see all these guys with guns," said Ross Stout

Authorities tried to make contact with whoever might be in the building. Officers used bullhorns, and then tried to call inside the building, Forrest said.

After failing to get any response from the figure inside, the SWAT team entered.

To their chagrin, they discovered the "person" seen inside the building was a full-size cardboard figure, Forrest said.

RUfags report in.

Schedule for next semester:

Monday:
10:55-12:15 Theater Appreciation (Cook/Douglass)
5:00-6:20 Intro To Environmental Science (Busch)

Tuesday:
1:40-3:00 Prisons and Prisoners (Livingston)
4:30-5:50 Police (College Ave)
7:40-9:00 Math 103 (College Ave)

Wednesday:
5:00-6:20 Intro To Environmental Science (Busch)

Thursday:
10:55-12:15 Theater Appreciation (Cook/Douglass)
1:40-3:00 Prisons and Prisoners (Livingston
4:30-5:50 Police (College Ave)
7:40-9:00 Math 103 (College Ave)

Friday:
None

As of tonight I am finally proud to be an American.

http://www.dailytargum.com/news/supporters_hit_the_streets_after_victory

someone explain to me again why i'm going to class this morning plox

Party until 3 last night.
Exam very soon.

best birthday ever

So I'm at college, although I don't feel like a college student right now. More like a business executive on a very long business trip. My crib is good all things considered. My room is right by the elevator which brings you right to the door you have to go out to get to the buses. The buses run every 40 minutes until 3 am. Classes start tuesday, until then I have the remainder of the time to really get drunk and make new friends, I'd say that's an ok deal? Monday is the Football! game.

My roommate showed up for hotel orientation and then went back home until tomorrow. He's chill, turns 21 in two weeks, not a db. It can get kind of lonely, so come visit!

Twitter Race Results Summer 2008:

1. herbertstrasse - 372
2. Tig_Bitties - 260
3. bearsuit - 244
4. dungatron - 208
5. megaw0lf - 151
6. doctorjessup - 141
7. ashesofthewake - 140
8. ryanoa - 57
9. MonkeysPass - 19
10. jeanis420 - 17

I leave for rutgers a week from today. For those of you who aren't coming with me I hope you come visit as much as possible.

Last night I got sworn in at east franklin. I am really looking forward to running with them, even if it's just one night a week. They seem very professional in everything they do which will be a huge vacation from all the bullshit and lack of interest you get at montgomery and griggstown.

I have off monday, tuesday afternoon, wednesday, and thursday. Lets(everybody reading this now) please do something exciting/epic one of those days or nights. Beach? Dorney park? RaGeR?

The month of august, plus most of july have been pretty dull for me and I don't want to feel like I've wasted the majority of the summer.

Good news: I found out where I'm living, who I'm living with, and when I'm picking my classes.
Bad News: It's still in a hotel until space on campus frees up
Good news: The hotel I'm living in is called the Crown Plaza, it's owned by the Intercontinental chain, and it's fucking nice.
Bad news: It's in somerset 5 miles away from college ave.
Good news: It's got shuffleboard!
Bad news: Still have no indication when I might be moving into a real dorm.

August is going by really quickly, mostly because it's been really boring for the most part. That's almost okay though because I just want to leave montgomery asap. I def feel really disconnected from most of my friends and I'm not sure if that's how I want it to be by the time I leave, but at the same time I don't see a whole lot that I can do about it. So much has changed from the way it was one year ago, and the future will most likely resemble the same pattern.

Def am not prepared to leave, so much shit to take care of, no time to do it since i'm taking every hour I can life guarding since I need money desperately since I know i'm going to run out at school. That's the other thing that's ruining my life, at first I enjoyed my job since it was something new, it paid well, and I still had the energy at the end of the day to go out and have fun. Now it's all I do, there is no fun at the end of they day to be had, and I'm so bored all I can think about at the side of the pool is punching babies.

Oh by the way, rutgers housing fucked up big time and overbooked their on-campus housing so they're taking the majority of their transfer students (since transfer students always get the bottom of the barrel) and putting them in a hotel in somerset until cancellations come through (which according to the unhelpful angry lady behind the counter could be all semester). So until someone decides they don't like rutgers as much as they thought they would that's where I'll be living. They won't even give up the name of the hotel but they play it off to be such a nice place. However nothing in somerset is nice by normal standards. The only good part of the deal is the buses to the hotel run until 3am and I'm allowed to keep my car there.

It seems no matter what blessings come my way I always get fucked in the end anyway. I should have stuck with newark, at least then I'd have a schedule and a dorm assignment by now. Thank you rutgers administration staff, hire more employees because your current operation blows.

Who's going to host the end of the summer rager slammer jammer?
Who's going to start visiting me and jesse at the meadows in hillsborough?
Who's actually going to be around this month?
When is everyone leaving for school?

School approaches. 3 weeks until move in day.

There are some things and some people in montgomery I am going to miss.

There are some things and some people in montgomery I look forward to never having to see or hear mentioned for the next 9 months.

Up to now it's been a bumpy ride, and judging by the e-mail I got from housing yesterday it will continue to be one for the first few weeks of school. Regardless, I don't think anything that Rutgers University can possibly throw at me could possibly be worse than what living in montgomery and commuting to mercer was like.

It's time to go make a list of everything I have to do before school starts, suddenly I feel so unprepared.

I feel like death. I got 4 hours of sleep last night. I really wish this was the kind of job where I could call out of. Maybe i'll be lucky and someone will want my hours. 10 1/2 hour shift today for the lose.

Then i'm working again sunday then I'm done until next monday! Leave for Baltimore this monday. Cosmic hoedown on saturday. Big party aspirations and an open house this weekend.

Rutgers is slow in getting information packets out to their students. I enrolled 2 weeks ago and still haven't gotten any actual hard documents or dates on when to schedule classes or information about where I'm living this year. I know it'll all happen eventually but until then it's only causing me to be extremely stressed.

Time to go fall asleep at the pool.

So today I got a letter in the mail from Rutgers Admissions letting me know that they accepted me from their waiting list..which is awesome.

I called the office this morning and had my enrollment transferred from Newark to New Brunswick. Left a message with housing.

So excited. Next year is going to be so much better than mercer.

'cause I've got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is giving a high five