Well, for all the hard work TechTime and I put into saving my computer's life, it seems that the problem is the motherboard. The tech people tell me a new motherboard is about the same cost as a whole new computer. So. . . yeah. For all my optimism, ultimately my computer is dead. I'll be spending lots of time in the Ball State library until May. R.I.P. dear computer.
Likewise, my thesis is getting me down. I can see it's coming together, but I've been asked to do it differently than I would typically do it. I guess I'm learning a new way to approach a design problem, but in the meantime I'm feeling the stress. I have a midterm presentation in a little over a week. I'll post it on my blog when it's ready so you can see a bit of what an LA thesis looks like. Hopefully it makes sense to more people than just me.
In better news, the weather has been lovely the past few days, and it's a welcomed change. I've noticed that I emotionally respond to the weather more and more as I get older. So for example, on a day when I'm feeling really stressed about
17 February 2011
10 February 2011
The Perks of Being a Ball State Student
Wow, I have a lot to cover this week: TechTime, Student Voluntary Services, the Career Center, and a thesis update. When it rains, it pours! Oh yeah, and I have some photos. Whew!
So first, glory of glories! My computer has been fixed! It's been acting up (read: blue screening every few hours) since December. The grand finale occurred last Sunday when it refused to turn on, instead favoring a black screen with the words "Operating System Not Found." That's a BAD thing! The good news is that Ball State offers FREE computer repair services to its students. So Wednesday I took my misbehaving computer to TechTime. Two hours later my computer had a new operating system installed and was completely repaired! On top of that, because I'm a student, I was able to buy the new OS at a discounted rate-- only $27. Go me! And a HUGE thanks to TechTime staff! You guys are amazing!
While I wasn't battling the technology gods this week, I was searching for a job and trying to figure out my thesis. I decided to look at the Career Center for job opportunities since the market for aspiring landscape architects is rather bleak at the moment. I've used the resources at the Career Center before to practice interviewing, to learn "proper" etiquette at formal meals, for my campus jobs, and I've attended a few career fairs. I've just learned about another of their services: Cardinal Career Link. This system allows me to upload my resume and CV to make it available to prospective employers. It also contains a database of jobs, employers, and other career-related opportunities that I can search for new prospects for after graduation. Perhaps the best part: Career Center staff review any documents I upload and offer feedback on how to improve. I'm hoping this will be a valuable tool as I move forward in my job search.
As far as my thesis. . . There were a few hang-ups last week. They mostly involved miscommunication between my professors and me about certain elements of my project and a misunderstanding of the schedule I should be following. Thankfully, we were all able to meet on Tuesday to figure things out. I'm now spending nearly all my free time working to make up missed time. Which has been a little stressful.
I'm the kind of person who uses volunteering as a stress-management technique, so I've started volunteering with Motivate Our Minds (MOMS). I volunteer as a tutor for students in grades 5-8. So far it's been challenging and fun-- exactly the kind of distraction I need during the week. It's nice to get off campus, interact with people not affiliated with the university, and (hopefully) make a positive difference in the community that's been hosting me the past five years. As a shameless plug: MOMS needs more volunteers!!! Contact SVS if you're interested.
Another distraction that started this week are dance classes. I'm not a dancer. At all. BUT Ball State's Recreation Center offers instructional courses for a small fee. My friend and I signed up for two of the classes, so hopefully by the end of the semester I'll be able to hold my own on the dance floor. I've also bought a fitness pass, which gives me access to any of Ball State's fitness classes. I'm particularly fond of zumba. And of course, I'm still having a BLAST on the climbing wall.
And finally, here are some images from around campus:
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="336" caption="My friend scraping ice."]
[/caption]
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="336" caption="The ice was REALLY thick! "]
[/caption]
Most people reading this will probably remember the ice/snow storm that covered the country last week. Those photos were taken a few days later. Many cars were literally frozen to the ground. The campus staff are STILL working to clear all the sidewalks. It's slowly getting better though.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="336" caption="First year projects brighten up the architecture building."]
[/caption]
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="336" caption="More first year projects."]
[/caption]
These projects are from the CAP First Year program. They've been popping up all over the building. Quite frankly, I think they're lovely!
So first, glory of glories! My computer has been fixed! It's been acting up (read: blue screening every few hours) since December. The grand finale occurred last Sunday when it refused to turn on, instead favoring a black screen with the words "Operating System Not Found." That's a BAD thing! The good news is that Ball State offers FREE computer repair services to its students. So Wednesday I took my misbehaving computer to TechTime. Two hours later my computer had a new operating system installed and was completely repaired! On top of that, because I'm a student, I was able to buy the new OS at a discounted rate-- only $27. Go me! And a HUGE thanks to TechTime staff! You guys are amazing!
While I wasn't battling the technology gods this week, I was searching for a job and trying to figure out my thesis. I decided to look at the Career Center for job opportunities since the market for aspiring landscape architects is rather bleak at the moment. I've used the resources at the Career Center before to practice interviewing, to learn "proper" etiquette at formal meals, for my campus jobs, and I've attended a few career fairs. I've just learned about another of their services: Cardinal Career Link. This system allows me to upload my resume and CV to make it available to prospective employers. It also contains a database of jobs, employers, and other career-related opportunities that I can search for new prospects for after graduation. Perhaps the best part: Career Center staff review any documents I upload and offer feedback on how to improve. I'm hoping this will be a valuable tool as I move forward in my job search.
As far as my thesis. . . There were a few hang-ups last week. They mostly involved miscommunication between my professors and me about certain elements of my project and a misunderstanding of the schedule I should be following. Thankfully, we were all able to meet on Tuesday to figure things out. I'm now spending nearly all my free time working to make up missed time. Which has been a little stressful.
I'm the kind of person who uses volunteering as a stress-management technique, so I've started volunteering with Motivate Our Minds (MOMS). I volunteer as a tutor for students in grades 5-8. So far it's been challenging and fun-- exactly the kind of distraction I need during the week. It's nice to get off campus, interact with people not affiliated with the university, and (hopefully) make a positive difference in the community that's been hosting me the past five years. As a shameless plug: MOMS needs more volunteers!!! Contact SVS if you're interested.
Another distraction that started this week are dance classes. I'm not a dancer. At all. BUT Ball State's Recreation Center offers instructional courses for a small fee. My friend and I signed up for two of the classes, so hopefully by the end of the semester I'll be able to hold my own on the dance floor. I've also bought a fitness pass, which gives me access to any of Ball State's fitness classes. I'm particularly fond of zumba. And of course, I'm still having a BLAST on the climbing wall.
And finally, here are some images from around campus:
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="336" caption="My friend scraping ice."]
[/caption][caption id="" align="alignnone" width="336" caption="The ice was REALLY thick! "]
[/caption]Most people reading this will probably remember the ice/snow storm that covered the country last week. Those photos were taken a few days later. Many cars were literally frozen to the ground. The campus staff are STILL working to clear all the sidewalks. It's slowly getting better though.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="336" caption="First year projects brighten up the architecture building."]
[/caption][caption id="" align="alignnone" width="336" caption="More first year projects."]
[/caption]These projects are from the CAP First Year program. They've been popping up all over the building. Quite frankly, I think they're lovely!
03 February 2011
Cool Academic Opportunity
As promised, here's the explanation of why I was a week late to school: I attended a two week academic seminar in Washington, DC, called Camp David III: Negotiating the Path to Israeli-Palestinian Peace. The program is coordinated by the Washington Center, which is an intern/educational organization separate from Ball State.
Overall, the program was super neat. We spent the first week and a half covering the history of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and the last three days in a peace negotiation simulation. For the simulation each of us represented a real person involved in the conflict. I was Tzipi Livni, who is an Israeli political leader. While the lectures and simulation were interesting, the real value in going to this conference, at least to me, was in hearing our guest lecturers. We went to several embassies in DC including the Israeli, Egyptian, and French embassies, and we went to the home of the Ambassador from Syria. We had speakers from the Israeli far left and far right, and speakers representing the Palestinian interests, even a speaker who studies Hamas. As far as equal representation goes, this program offers a remarkably balanced perspective of the conflict.
All in all, it was a great start to my last semester. The topic ties into my thesis, I met a bunch of really neat people, and I was able to get some travel time into my last year of college. Good times.
Overall, the program was super neat. We spent the first week and a half covering the history of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and the last three days in a peace negotiation simulation. For the simulation each of us represented a real person involved in the conflict. I was Tzipi Livni, who is an Israeli political leader. While the lectures and simulation were interesting, the real value in going to this conference, at least to me, was in hearing our guest lecturers. We went to several embassies in DC including the Israeli, Egyptian, and French embassies, and we went to the home of the Ambassador from Syria. We had speakers from the Israeli far left and far right, and speakers representing the Palestinian interests, even a speaker who studies Hamas. As far as equal representation goes, this program offers a remarkably balanced perspective of the conflict.
All in all, it was a great start to my last semester. The topic ties into my thesis, I met a bunch of really neat people, and I was able to get some travel time into my last year of college. Good times.
Fun Academic Opportunities
As promised, here's the explanation of why I was a week late to school: I attended a two week academic seminar in Washington, DC, called Camp David III: Negotiating the Path to Israeli-Palestinian Peace. The program is coordinated by the Washington Center, which is an intern/educational organization separate from Ball State.
Overall, the program was super neat. We spent the first week and a half covering the history of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and the last three days in a peace negotiation simulation. For the simulation each of us represented a real person involved in the conflict. I was Tzipi Livni, who is an Israeli political leader. While the lectures and simulation were interesting, the real value in going to this conference, at least to me, were
Overall, the program was super neat. We spent the first week and a half covering the history of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and the last three days in a peace negotiation simulation. For the simulation each of us represented a real person involved in the conflict. I was Tzipi Livni, who is an Israeli political leader. While the lectures and simulation were interesting, the real value in going to this conference, at least to me, were
27 January 2011
Ugh. . . Computer Problems. . .
I know I promised an explanation about missing the first week of school, but my computer is completely freaking out. I'll have to update you when I'm on campus with a reliable computer. In the meantime, if anyone knows of good hard drive deals for HP laptops. . . let me know. : P
20 January 2011
The Beginnings of My Final Semester. . .
This is the first of many posts from my final semester!!!! I missed the first week of classes (I'll explain why in my next post), so this week was my first week of this semester. Here are some of my initial thoughts:
1. I have senioritis SOOOOO bad. Remember, I'm in a five year program, so I've been a senior for two years! It's just about killing me at this point. I'm ready to see what's next.
2. My schedule pretty much rocks. I'm taking only 15 credit hours (I've always taken 17-18 in the past), so I have more free time than normal. Tuesdays in particular are exciting: I have only one class from 9:30-12:15, then I'm FREE! I'm hoping to use my extra time to volunteer more this semester. More on Student Voluntary Services later.
3. Planning for my future is a little nerve-wracking. Any seniors in high school out there can relate, I'm sure. Fortunately, we live in a day and age where we can pretty much do whatever we want. Unfortunately, that means we have significantly more options to sift through when making decisions. Currently I'm wrestling with the seemingly huge dilemma of what to do next year: grad school? travel? work? Yeah. . . I have no idea.
4. Spring semesters are so much better than fall semesters. I *love* spring semesters. Granted, they start off snowy and icy and really cold, BUT it goes only uphill from there! Days are getting longer, soon it will get warmer, and before you know it, you're playing Frisbee outside without a care in the world! For some reason it's much, MUCH easier for me to be motivated and focused in the spring as opposed to the fall semester.
5. Building off of my love for spring semester, I also love spring break. Sure, we don't get any breaks between Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the second week of March, but it's so worth it! We get a whole week off of school! In the fall we get only a day or two here and there, and most of those coincide with holidays, so your "free" time is usually pre-planned with lots of family stuff. Spring break is the real student vacation time. There are so many more opportunities for your break when you have an entire week without classes or obligations. For example, this year I'm hoping to travel to Jordan. Yeah, try doing that over a three day weekend. That's right. You can't.
6. Working on a thesis makes my education seem worthwhile. I'm finally learning exactly what I want to be learning. It's so liberating to plan, direct, and complete your own project. The cherries on top are the people I get to work with. I have a thesis adviser and three studio professors. My adviser is the chair of my department, and I respect her immensely. Every time we talk I leave the conversation completely inspired and elated about whatever we'd been talking about. My professors are equally inspiring. I've had two of them before, and I've loved the classes I've had with them. I've been good friends with one of them ever since I went to Mexico-- we've worked on several of the same international projects, and he's helped me a lot with my global networking efforts. The final professor is new from Istanbul. I've spoken with her only once so far, but she's very impressive. She's also offering a valuable perspective on my thesis, which is titled "Rebuilding After Conflict: An Examination of Refugee Camp Design in Jordan."
Those are my initial thoughts. I'll be sure to keep everyone updated on what my tenth semester looks like!! Happy New Year everyone!
1. I have senioritis SOOOOO bad. Remember, I'm in a five year program, so I've been a senior for two years! It's just about killing me at this point. I'm ready to see what's next.
2. My schedule pretty much rocks. I'm taking only 15 credit hours (I've always taken 17-18 in the past), so I have more free time than normal. Tuesdays in particular are exciting: I have only one class from 9:30-12:15, then I'm FREE! I'm hoping to use my extra time to volunteer more this semester. More on Student Voluntary Services later.
3. Planning for my future is a little nerve-wracking. Any seniors in high school out there can relate, I'm sure. Fortunately, we live in a day and age where we can pretty much do whatever we want. Unfortunately, that means we have significantly more options to sift through when making decisions. Currently I'm wrestling with the seemingly huge dilemma of what to do next year: grad school? travel? work? Yeah. . . I have no idea.
4. Spring semesters are so much better than fall semesters. I *love* spring semesters. Granted, they start off snowy and icy and really cold, BUT it goes only uphill from there! Days are getting longer, soon it will get warmer, and before you know it, you're playing Frisbee outside without a care in the world! For some reason it's much, MUCH easier for me to be motivated and focused in the spring as opposed to the fall semester.
5. Building off of my love for spring semester, I also love spring break. Sure, we don't get any breaks between Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the second week of March, but it's so worth it! We get a whole week off of school! In the fall we get only a day or two here and there, and most of those coincide with holidays, so your "free" time is usually pre-planned with lots of family stuff. Spring break is the real student vacation time. There are so many more opportunities for your break when you have an entire week without classes or obligations. For example, this year I'm hoping to travel to Jordan. Yeah, try doing that over a three day weekend. That's right. You can't.
6. Working on a thesis makes my education seem worthwhile. I'm finally learning exactly what I want to be learning. It's so liberating to plan, direct, and complete your own project. The cherries on top are the people I get to work with. I have a thesis adviser and three studio professors. My adviser is the chair of my department, and I respect her immensely. Every time we talk I leave the conversation completely inspired and elated about whatever we'd been talking about. My professors are equally inspiring. I've had two of them before, and I've loved the classes I've had with them. I've been good friends with one of them ever since I went to Mexico-- we've worked on several of the same international projects, and he's helped me a lot with my global networking efforts. The final professor is new from Istanbul. I've spoken with her only once so far, but she's very impressive. She's also offering a valuable perspective on my thesis, which is titled "Rebuilding After Conflict: An Examination of Refugee Camp Design in Jordan."
Those are my initial thoughts. I'll be sure to keep everyone updated on what my tenth semester looks like!! Happy New Year everyone!
07 January 2011
Holiday Cheer
Happy New Year!!!!!!
I don't know about you, but this has been by far one of the best holiday breaks of my life. Let me tell you why. : )
The end of my semester was predictably hectic. I had many, many pages to write for all of my classes
I don't know about you, but this has been by far one of the best holiday breaks of my life. Let me tell you why. : )
The end of my semester was predictably hectic. I had many, many pages to write for all of my classes
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