Ryan Prins' Blog

Alright, I understand that some of you suck at managing your time, I am no different. But, seriously, this is College not High School and there are a different set of responsibilities that come with it. You can’t be asking professors for extensions on every little thing, or asking for points back on everything. So, if you can’t handle it, get out. I’m sick of being held back because you can’t keep up. I mean, you can’t move things around every time you are inconvenienced just to make your life more convenient. Just take it like the majority of college students do, and work for it. You will be glad that you worked for it. Don’t say I didn’t tell you so.

On a final note: I’m glad that people understand me and agree with me on this. If you are curious on what spawned this read a reply I made below to a class list serv.

Current Feeling: Bleeeeeeeaaaaah!!

My response to a proposal to extend the due date for the 1st part of our final lab project:

Ok, as much as I like this initiative, I disagree and feel that the due date of next week on Tuesday should stand. I feel that Professor Blommers has been more than willing to hear us out on extra points for quizzes, points and an extension past labs, and the midterm exam. This project is the last big thing that we have in this class and I feel that it should be treated as such. As you notice we do not have a final scheduled and I am treating this lab as my final chance to improve my grade. I wouldn’t expect a professor to move a final because I have another one the same day and this should be no different.   

While I sympathize with those of you who have not started this lab or are in a bind for time working on this and other coursework, but this date was known for some time and maybe if we did not have the Lab 4 pushed back to be due until tomorrow we would not be asking for an extension like this in the first place.

Many of us have this CSE project that is due next Wednesday but, many of us are not asking for an extension because this is what is expected of us as students. We can’t keep asking for extensions on things in classes because we can; it will more than likely interfere inadvertently with other classes and their works load (like it did now with the extension of Lab 4). Instead, we should be working with the schedule and due dates that we were given and run with it like the students we are. Many of you are looking for some real world experience from this major, well, here is some experience for you. Working on a tight deadline with little time to accomplish what seems an undoable task.

I do not mean to offend anyone who differs on these views, but enough is enough and you will find my group and me working on this lab tomorrow in the TE lab.

Well, I have had better days. Nothing that I can do about it now. I didn’t do my best and all I can do is blame myself. Hopefully I’ll feel better tomorrow.

Current Feeling: Down, but not out.

Sometimes you think you have it all figured out, then something happens and you begin to wonder about things that motivate you to do things. For me, this is school. The last week and a half was full of tests, homework, and projects due. Now, I realize that this is like every week for some people, but not for me. So, I get to this weekend and have a kick-ass time all weekend long, until today/late last night.

Friday was great to hang out w/ Jula & D, Saturday was boring as hell at work, but coffee w/ Jamie and her roommate Jules was a nice lift up for the crap day I was having. Then, well, there was Sunday, if you really want to know, read Jamie’s page. It was a great time, to say the least. The iSchool people rock, and they know it. Then we come to today. I mean, it was literally pissing outside today and there is no bus service on 25th on Sundays or Holidays (in today’s case). So, I had to make the 30 minute walk in the rain to the Micro Lab. Needless to say I was not in the best of moods.

I did a little work for my brother, not as much as promised (sorry). Then again after work, I go to catch the bus to head home. This bus drops me off by U-Village, so it’s as close as I can get on days like today. I ended up standing at the bustop after work, cold, wet, and tired for around 25 minutes. So, I was not too thrilled about that to say the least. Yeah, maybe my bad luck started last night when I thought I might have totalled my PC. I was a complete mess and I ended up staying up until 3am to get the stupid thing fixed. Ahhh!! Well, it is all better now… I think. It acts really lame sometimes, but I won’t go into details because for the 5 of you that read this, 2 of you will understand. Anyways, I’m off… And if I didn’t get to talk to you this weekend (you should know who you are), I’ll try again next weekend.

Current Feeling: Mentally Exausted

Well, I made it. Like I said in my last post, this week was not as bad as I had planned. The CSE test on Friday was alright. I’m just shooting for the mean. But, the weekend is here and it is nice to not have to worry about school for a couple of days. Last night I got to spend some time with Jula and D watching Exorcist and going to the Castle Store (haha). It was good times. They got carded on their way and I asked they guy if he wanted to see mine and he said “nope, you’re ok, I just need to see theirs.” The guy carding looked not a day older than 16. Tonight, I have no idea what is going on. I’ll probably just hang out at home and just r-e-l-a-x. But, Sunday is lake day w/ the iSchool crew, so good times will be found on Sunday.

Anyways, I’m bored as hell here at work right now. But, looking at my schedule for next quarter I notice that I only have 1 class on MWF and 2 TuTh. So, that is a definite score. I guess I should go back to work and to enjoying my bachelor status on Valentines Day.

Current Feeling: Boredom/Relaxation

This week has been much better than expected. I can attribute this to a couple of reasons:

1. Got my netowrking test back and got a 97, which was suprising to me
2. Took the 311 exam and am feeling “confident” about it
3. My CSE project is done before the due date
4. The networking lab is pushed back a week, thank goodness
5. The CSE exam is open book and open note

So, as much as I thought this week would suck, it has not. Things have been going really well this week. I even had time to finish up some work for my brother’s website, midwestskier.com. The weekend should be a nice break from class and tests, a time to relax with friends, but the work will still be coming along in a steady flow. But, overall things are really positive right now, what more could I ask for?

Current Feeling: Elated.

Well, I don’t really know what to say. The networking midterm was interesting. I think I did alright, probably better than most, but still below my standards. *sigh* Oh, well. Also, in another topic of great news this week, I was not accepted the Peer Advising program this summer. So, yeah, summer school here I come. That’s ok, but I was disappointed when I got the nice but rejecting email from FYP. I thought that I was of the material/caliber to do that job, but I guess not. That’s fine, they’re missing out. Their loss.

Anyways, this past week I have found myself listening to a bunch of my old favorite CDs that I have on my iPod. I remember listening to bands like Live, Our Lady Peace, and Sister Hazel on a daily basis. Now, it just seems to be newer stuff that I listen to. But, listening to older music just brings back memories of times that were simpler and easier. Maybe that is why I am listening to them right now? I mean, life is an organized hell right now, this week will be grueling.

So much to do, and only so much time to get it done. I have been setting little goals for myself, but I always seem to come up short recently. Maybe it is because when I become overwhelmed I just shutdown and go into studying hibernation. But, the goal for tonight was to finish off my CSE Project. Well, that didn’t happen, but I went and saw Miracle with Jai. That was well worth the saved anguish. Quality flick if you are into the following: Hockey, Herb Brooks , the 1980 USA Olympic Hockey Team, and well… Hockey. I thought it was sweet because I was friends with a kid back in 5th and 6th grade and his dad was on that team and I got to try on his Gold Medal. So, it was sweet to see this movie and to have some sort of connection with it.

Besides the stellar details above, things are not that bad. I get to hang out with cool people on a daily basis and I have it way easier/better than most. I should be thankful. I’ll just roll with it as things don’t go my way. I’ve done it before, now should be no different.

Thought of the moment: Just Bounce.

I was reading my dailiy humor news from fark.com and  I came across this article about how much people really pass gas. And I quote, “According to the National Institutes of Health, the average person passes intestinal gas from 14 to 23 times a day and produces about 1 to 3 pints of the stuff.” Dang, we pass gas a lot during the day. Now, this goes for the dudes as well as the laides. So, ladies, don’t be shy if you pass gas during the day. The  study says you should at least 14 times. Now, what causes you to pass gas? Well, here are some food items that would do it to you:

• Vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, onions, artichokes, and asparagus
• Beans
• Fruits such as apples, pears, and peaches
• Whole grains, such as whole wheat and bran
• Sodas and fruit drinks
• Foods with sorbitol, often used as a sweetener in sugar-free gums and candies

So, if you are into things like the above, you might pass gas more than most  of us. But, who am I to guess. If you are really embasrassed that you pass  gas during the day it is reccommended that you do the following if you want  to reduce your gas you could try the following:

• Avoiding anything that might increase your chances of swallowing air, such as smoking, drinking through straws, and eating too quickly
• Avoiding or cutting down on problematic foods, such as carbonated drinks, beans, and some raw vegetables
• Considering a food diary. If you can’t figure out what may be causing your increased gas, try keeping a journal of what you eat. You may find one or two foods that seem to increase your symptoms.

There you have it, the real scientific crap on passing gas. Now, go feel specialand don’t be around me when you pass gas, because if you are, I might just fight back.