This Semester In Review

It's official, folks. Another semester done and finished. The purpose of this post will to go back and recount some of the important life lessons that I have learned. Now, these lessons can each be applied in their own respective circles, and these are by no means a generalized statement on what everyone should spend time learning. In other words, I'm not going to be talking about things that I have sought after but the little lessons in life that we all just happen to come upon. For example, in the movie Remember the Titans, Gary Bertier happened to learn not to get hit by a truck. That's the kind of lesson I'm talking about.

Lesson #1

Longboarders, although a menace to campus, do serve their own comedic purposes.

Lesson #2

When someone else asks "How long do this project take you?" always use hyperbole.

Lesson #3

If being encountered by a final project that is stressing you out, just play video games. You may fail the class, but you may have failed anyway (Adapted from a Deep Thought by Jack Handy).

Lesson #4

Just because I'm an engineer doesn't mean I have to be an engineer.

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Lesson #1 - Anyone who knows me knows how I feel about longboarders on campus. There's something about not having a native braking system that just irks me. One of my dreams in life is to tackle an unsuspecting longboarder for no other reason than I believe it would be hilarious. Although I think they're the bane of college students (well, one of the many banes...others including keggers and homework), I do recognize that they do serve a purpose: so I can laugh at them when they fall. No, I don't think I'm being insensitive. I think it's an inferred contract that every longboarder agrees to when they step on that board the first time: if you fall, people will laugh at you. Cause and effect, people. The only thing funnier than a longboarder eating it on campus is a longboarder eating it on campus because he was trying to impress a girl. When that happens, I know life is good.

Lesson #2 - I think the fear of homework is often more debilitating than homework itself. I'll make a quick note that lessons 2 and 3 are very related, so I'll try not to repeat myself. I tend to be the guy that goes into a project way later than everyone else, and as a result, I'm the guy that asks the question, "So how long have you been working on this?" More often than not, the response is something like "Four hours yesterday, three hours today, and I still think I'm two hours from finished." And then I wet myself. 3 hours later I finish my project, and I realize the interesting strategem by which I had been played (it's entirely possible that the person actually did spend that much time on it, but I'm just saying that it would be a clever tactic to deter competition.)

Lesson #3 - Final projects...gotta love 'em. I had a final project that was worth 15% of my final grade, and although I intended to start it two weeks before it was due...I didn't. Turns out I didn't start it until the day it was due. Smart? No. Not even close. So, two days before it was due, I was freaking out...much. So, what did I do? Played video games. Some may think that I'm ridiculous, and I am. I'll give you that, but it worked out. No, I will not have failed the class. It was actually pretty awesome how it turned out and gave me a nice boost in self-esteem, but I wouldn't recommend this tactic for the average person. If it takes you longer than an hour to write a 1 page paper, don't do this. That's my disclaimer.

Lesson #4 - At first glace, this may one of the more confusing sentences I've written in this blog, but let me explain. There is a definite sterotype that hovers around engineers. Every time I tell someone I'm an electrical engineering major, the first sentence out of their mouth is: you must be smart. When people think of the smart kids, another phrase usually follows: socially awkward. Personally, I would like to think I fall in the first category but not genuinely in the second (some may argue, but it's true). I wrote an entire post about socially akward smart kids I've come across in my classes, so I'll sum it up in a sentence: I don't get excited about the prospect of approaching an attractive woman, saying "you're pretty," and walking away. Nuff said.

That's just a brief glimpse at the lessons I've learned. I could go on, but maybe I'll save some of the others for a later post. Feel free to comment.