Tag Archives: My Education

Looking Back

It’s weird looking back.

I had to get information from my old high school for some documentation purposes, and decided to request a copy of my official transcript while I was at it. I closed out high school with a 3.04 grade point average. I was somewhat surprised on this fact, since I was convinced I had done much worse.

Okay, so that’s no longer really all that significant and I don’t care all that much (which is precisely why I’m devoting a blog entry to it). Still, I was pleasantly surprised.

Go me.

Fall Quarter Book List

Larry Mosqueda, the faculty for my class next quarter, was nice enough to e-mail us the book list quite early — I wasn’t expecting to request it for another week, at least. Thanks, Larry!

Here it is:

Howard Zinn, A People�s History of the United States, HarperCollins, 1995,
ISBN 0-06-092643-0 paper

Noam Chomsky, The Chomsky Reader, James Peck, ed., Pantheon Books, 1987, ISBN 0-394-75173-6 (selected readings throughout the quarter) paper

John Locke, Second Treatise on Government, C.B. Macpherson, ed. and Introduction, Hackett Publishing, 1980, ISBN 0-915144-86-7 paper

George Orwell, 1984, with Afterword by Erich Fromm, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich (Signet Classic from New American Library), 1961, ISBN 0-451-52493-4 paper

Angela Davis, The Angela Y. Davis Reader, Joy James, ed., Blackwell Publishers, 1998, ISBN 0-631-20361-3 paper

Thomas J. McCormick, America�s Half Century: United States Foreign Policy in the Cold War and After (second edition), John Hopkins University Press, 1995, ISBN 0-8018-5011-8 paper

Kevin Phillips, American Dynasty: Aristocracy, Fortune, and the Politics of Deceit in the House of Bush, Viking (Penguin), ISBN 0-670-03264-6 (Hardcover only as of July, 2004, get paperback if available by 9/04. Discounted copies available)

Larry Everest, Oil, Power, and Empire: Iraq and the U.S. Global Agenda, Common Courage Press, ISBN 1-56751-246-1 paper

Douglass V. Popora, How Holocausts Happen: The United States in Central America, Temple University Press, 1990, ISBN 0-87722-750-0 paper

Mike Prokosch and Laura Raymond, The Global Activist�s Handbook: Local Ways to Change the World, Nation Books, ISBN 1-56025-401-7 paper

Student subscription to the New York Times

Recommended Books (not seminared upon)

Joan Powell, ed., Education for Action: Undergraduate and Graduate Programs that Focus on Social Change, Food First, ISBN: 0-935028-86-2, 2001, fourth edition

Jennifer Willsea, ed., Alternatives to the Peace Corps, tenth edition,
Food First, ISBN 0-935028-91-9

I probably won’t pick up the recommended books; any book titles in bold above are ones I still need to pick up. The latest of Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States actually seems to be ISBN 0-06-052837-0. This is the copy I picked up, so hopefully it’ll suffice (I suspect, since this is only the book list that was requested from Evergreen’s bookstore, they may carry the same edition).

I’m a glutton for punishment. This book list should make that obvious.

Advertising and Completing the Year

I have to say, I really love television ads that guilt you into doing things. Think Christian Children’s Fund, anything selling “ab-crunching machines” that are “medically proven” to work (anyone knows we can manipulate numbers — it’s called statistics), and weight loss ads. I should also note the extreme sarcasm in that statement.

Really, why do people think that tugging at the heartstrings (or at the fat or at the look or at the wallet) works? Easy. It does. The sooner we stop buying into this stuff, the sooner it all stops. Oh, I don’t disagree with the mission of the Christian Children’s Fund, in fact, I completely understand it; I just don’t believe in the advertising tactics.

Anyway, in case it wasn’t obvious, I’m done for the year. Moved out on Tuesday after going to my evaluation appointment and finding out that I got all 48 credits (plus 4 upper division programming credits) in Data to Information. Thanks to Amanda, I got moved out quite well, though we had some trouble getting everything into the car. That’s my fault for having so much crap in the first place.

Now that I’m home, I’ll just be doing mini-projects all summer and taking care of things that need to be taken care of. Top of my list are getting my room organized and getting my license. I’m hoping it’s a slow-ish summer, though I already have things on my calendar, including going back to the College for a few days this summer and going camping in late July.

Stupid Evergreen Students, Part II

Current Music: the ben taylor band – famous among the barns – rain

It’s as if the Gods smiled upon me and decided to offer me pristine proof when I said Evergreen students were damn stupid. I take it back. It’s not that Evergreen students are stupid — it’s that they’re really damn freaking stupid, to the point where my incredulity can’t take it anymore.

I got back from Bellingham at about 6PM and was talking to Amanda’s grandmother when she pointed out that our peephole seemed to be a little broken. Well, yeah, it was broken — one part of it was hanging out the inside of the door.

Excuse me, it wasn’t broken, it was stolen. Yes, that’s correct, someone took our peephole. More accurately, they took the part of the peephole that sticks to the outside of the door and provides the privacy barrier so that people can’t see into the room. WHAT THE HELL DOES ANYONE ON THIS CAMPUS NEED A HALF OF A PEEPHOLE FOR?!?

So our peephole is now a peephole in that people can see in as well as out. Well, that would be the case if I hadn’t temporarily taped the peephole shut until we can get Facilities to fix the damn thing.

I’m just waiting for lightning to strike me twice.

One, Almost Two

One final down (almost two), and two (almost one) to go. Yay.

Java programming final was real straightforward — I’m just waiting for clarification information on my architecture final before I finish up the few remaining problems there and focus entirely on discrete math.

It’s been real nice to be able to be clear up in Bellingham, work on my finals, but still be able to take a mental break and go out. I could do this down in Olympia, of course, but in some ways, this is better — different scenery, more options available in a shorter distance, etc. Nothing shocking there, I suppose.

As collegiate graduation ceremonies approach for some schools (and have passed for others), we would be wise to listen to Oracle founder Larry Ellison’s thoughts on diplomas.

Milk Cartons

I went up to the College Activities Building this morning on my way to class and got my breakfast and chocolate milk, as I always do (doughnut this time, no croissant or maple bar). I sat down in class and looked at my chocolate milk, noticing the expiry date: June 3rd. As soon as a date begins appearing on milk cartons, I begin to feel a little better. That’s when my class stops meeting for the year, after all.

I could, I suppose, wax philosophical, but that would likely be a precious waste of space, time, and energy. The fact is, the year’s ending, and even the milk cartons know it. Of course, this means finals, finals, more finals, and make-up work (no, not cosmetics), and faculty evaluations and self evaluations and packing and — ugh. What’s left:

  • Discrete Mathematics Homework: Due 5/27 (Thu)
  • Java Programming Final Exam: Due 6/1 (Tue)
  • Computer Architecture Final Exam: Due 6/2 (Wed)
  • Discrete Mathematics Final Exam: Due 6/3 (Thu)
  • Compete Programming Assignments: Due ???
  • Self-Evaluation for Fall/Winter/Spring: probably due 6/4
  • Faculty Evaluation (x2): due at evaluation appointment
  • Pack up for moving out / move out
  • Check out of Housing

Whee. It’ll all be over in about two weeks. I’m looking forward to it.

In addition to that, I’m going to Bellingham and getting the Hell out of Dodge for Memorial Day weekend. Yay.

Why are Evergreen Students so Damn Stupid?

Current Music: James Taylor – Hourglass – Up Er Mei

Okay, I’ve heard what is quite possibly the best example of the absolute stupidity that I’m convinced is genetic on this campus.

A good friend of mine who lives in one of the other dorms on campus reported to me recently that his closet door was stolen. “What?” you say. “Why the hell would anyone steal a closet door?”

That was my exact question. I told him to call Police Services, but after checking with one of my more knowledgeable roommates, changed that advice to calling a Residential Maintenance technician. Oh, and this wasn’t a standard door, either; this was a sliding door from one of the huge walk-in closets we’re provided with. In order to steal one of those, you have to unscrew a small guide in the floor (if you can do so after moving the doors around in a rather haphazard fashion), then completely take the door off its runners. Then you have to be able to leave the room with a very freaking heavy door in your hands.

As it turns out, it wasn’t a burglar, it was another roommate that did this. This is absolute and utter stupidity; not only do they risk exorbitant Facilities charges if they don’t replace it (in the range of about $60-$80 for malicious damage of property), but once the RMs get pissed off during checkout screening, they start noticing every little detail, which ultimately makes damages much more expensive.

I know people on college campuses are supposed to be completely immature, moronic jerkoffs who get drunk and stoned on a nightly basis (though I realize that this is highly stereotypical and very bigoted of me), but come on — you’d think there’d be something better to do at night then steal your own damn closet door for whatever idiot function you happen to be attending (which, around here, it’s usually very loud parties. And let’s make no mistake here — Evergreen was once voted as one of the top schools to get stoned at. No, really.)

I’ll be so glad to get out of here for the summer. I’ll be even happier not living on campus next year.

Update (8:56PM): Apparently, stupidity extends much farther than this campus.

Registration

Fall 2004
May 18, 2004 08:00
Total Credit Hours: 16.000

Power in American Society – PRGM POWAS 01
Associated Term: Fall 2004
CRN: 10090
Status: **Web Registered** on May 18, 2004
Assigned Instructor: Lawrence J. Mosqueda
Grade Mode: Credit/No Credit
Credits: 16.000
Level: Undergraduate
Campus: Olympia

Yay :)

Updates

Current Music: Faith Hill – Fly – Stronger

So, Computability requires an entrance test in order to enroll. I took one look at it, and my reaction was “um.. no.”

So, bye bye Computability. That leaves:

Power in American Society F
500 Years of Globalization WS
OR
Power in American Society F
Nietzsche: Life, Times, Work W
After Nietzsche: Arts, Literature and Philosophy in the Wanderer’s Shadow S
OR
Power in American Society F
Nietzsche: Life, Times, Work W
Marxist Theory S

Eh, that’s okay, though. I really like how the syllabus looks for Power. Should be an interesting year.

On an unrelated note, I get to see Amanda tomorrow, and I get to go home tomorrow for the first time in about three weeks. Bonus! I saw Amanda on Wednesday, since she was down here for the transfer advising day that was going on at the same time as everything else. Got to hang out on the roof of Seminar II and watch the Student Activities Fair (after avoiding a variety of gaming freaks and weirdo vegans). She had to leave for Seattle again, though, so she couldn’t stick around as much as we had hoped. Eh, nothing is perfect.

I used to love SatireWire while it ran. In that spirit, Canada has a warship!

Edit (10:50PM): For those wondering, Amanda’s my girlfriend. Just in case that confused people :)