Aaron - Journal 2

September 17, 2003

"scores of friends"

After three weeks of school, I believe I have adjusted to college life. The school work is tough, but certainly manageable. This semester, I am taking Linear Algebra, Artificial Intelligence, Intermediate German, Ruling Ideas, and Advanced Writing. To be completely honest, the load does not seem to be has heavy as I thought it would be, but then again, the semester is still starting out. Most of my classes are pretty interesting. This week in Artificial Intelligence we discussed how a computer would play tic-tac-toe -- I had no idea the game was that complicated. It would take forever for me to make all the calculations the computer makes in playing the game. In Advanced Writing I wrote a critique for a film production of a play we read called Wit. Having a new professor read and grade my work is a little scary, but I will be a better student and writer for it, I know.

Working on my paper for Honors Seminar under a tree. Having a laptop is such a blessing....

As a morning person, I thoroughly enjoy getting to work early. I leave the dorm at 7, have my quiet time on the hill, eat breakfast, then hit the classes. Of course, waking up early generally means going to bed early, which is not always easy. Almost every night I am neck-deep in something when I notice how late it is, and that I am eating away at my time for sleep.

Dorm life is sometimes awkward, but it isn't too bad. Flexibility can be a challenge, but there's no use in getting irritated at another guy for something trivial. You have to let the small things go, and graciously confront any real problems you have. In general, the guys on my hall of connected well and have a lot of fun together, thanks to our awesome Community Advisor and Ministry Assistant.

Playing ping-pong has become one of our favorite passtimes. The game room is open every evening, so we take advantage of it often. Phil and Cheryl make a good duo.

Somehow I've managed to make scores of friends with in just three and a half weeks. It seems like I've known some of these people for years... I'm not exactly sure why. Perhaps it's because we know we will get to know each other very well over the next 4 years anyway, and we are just getting an early start. At any rate, going to the 'Thrift Store Prom', hitting Dunkin Doughnuts in tacky outfits at 11 pm, and talking in the commons until midnight have all helped to form these deep relationships. I can hardly wait to see what happens next!