Spontaneous Scholar: daquell

Freshmen are immature. Sophomores think they know too much. Juniors are bossy. Seniors are too willing to shed useless advice.

And since I’m now a senior, I’ve got to start sharing useless advice. Well, hopefully not entirely useless. Here are 10 things that I wish I’d known as an incoming freshmen.

1. Buy Early – Start buying supplies, like pencils, paper, bedsheets, as soon as your highschool graduation balloons are tucked into the closet. These items are usually cheaper at the beginning of summer than at the end.
2. Don’t Buy (text)Books Early – Unless you are certain what textbooks to buy, don’t purchase them until commanded by the school. Teachers are apt to change their minds about textbooks, even up until the day school starts. The last thing you want is to be stuck with “167 Arcane Chemicals, A Philosophical Muse” and not be able to sell it! Exception: Buy the following books whenever; just find the cheapest price:
   • Dictionary – Even though there are many free dictionaries online, you will want a hardcopy just in case the campus network goes down. This happens more often than you think. Trust me.
   • Thesaurus – Don’t buy a Thesaurus. I know they want you to, but the online ones are more than sufficient.
3. Read Your Textbooks - Many freshmen, myself included, assume that textbooks are sort of like reference works — useful only at sundry times. Or, you think that the teacher will just give you all you need to know in class. Hint: not true. Read your assigned textbook readings. If you must, get a friend to keep you accountable. You will be thankful when Finals Week rolls around!
4. Quality Time ≠ Quantity Time – Three hours of studying in a noisy room is not as productive as a half-hour of studying in a quiet library. Find a friend-free spot on campus that is within a few minutes of your dorm-room (or somewhere away from your family if you commute). The time you will save is worth the few minutes of travelling. Tip: Don’t bring your laptop along unless you must have it. This will keep you from being distracted by email.
5. Curb Your Email – Set two or three appointed times during the day to check and respond to email. Any more than that is simply a waste of time.
6. Get A Social Life (or restrict your social life) - You must find a happy medium between being with friends and getting to know your textbooks. Don’t be a closet-nerd (like I was), and don’t be a pack leader with a .78 GPA.
7. Early to Bed, Early to Rise – Ben Franklin had it right. Resist the temptation to stay up late studying. Instead, go to bed at a decent hour and study during the morning and afternoon.
8. Remember Your Family – Call home every once in a while (at least once a week). You don’t have to gab for an hour – twenty minutes a week will keep them informed. Make sure you listen as well as talk about yourself.
9. Get A Job – Even if you don’t need to work to pay for tuition, get a job with at least a few hours a week. This will provide for small cash, and it will force you to discipline yourself.
10. Pack Light*** - The *** means that this is incredibly important. When packing for your first year, the tendency is to overpack. Don’t ask, “Will I need this at school?” Ask, “Can I live without this?” Your roommates will thank you, and you’ll have less to sort out and clean up after three months of school.

Well, that’s it. If any of these have helped you in the past, or if you have any to add to this list, please say it in the comments below!

Because Oranges are better than Nuts, an Orange Peel must be better than a Nutshell.

My four most significant events of 2008 follow. While a good blog post will not be written quickly, this one is, purposefully. This way, the four most readily available, or the most impactful, events of 2008 should come to my mind.

1. Africa! Aballah, Cameroon! Only 13 days, but my life will never be the same. The wealthy, the poor, the crowded, the spacious, the Christian and the heathen all together, this first time of leaving the country will be forever cemented in my brain.
2. Pulpit Speech. For this one, I only have three main points and then I’ll be done. 1) We notice the Training of this class. When I finish it in May, hopefully my sermons will be more able to reach God’s people. 2) We notice the Timelessness of this class. The things I learn now will still be in use when I preach as an older man. 3) We notice finally the Teacher of this class. Mr. McGonigal is an amazing man.
3. The blooding. This year, I got my sword. Shortly thereafter, I christnened the blade unplanned when I sliced three fingers, one to the bone. The nerves have not yet grown back, and my piano playing is not where it was. Perhaps not a repeatable experience, but a very memorable one as my roommates helped me do even basic events like getting dressed.
4. I kissed the teen years goodbye. Note that this is logical reckoning. Imaginative reckoning still plants me solidly in the teen league, though I sometimes lapse into fits of adulthood.

As I wipe away a tear for 2008, I look forward to a frabjous 2009. What were some of your most memorable experiences of the past year?

Does the title need any more explanation?

I did not sleep the night before. That is actually a lie, because I did sleep for a couple of hours or so. However, sleep is difficult when one goes to bed three or four hours early. However, sleep or no sleep, when I woke up (or… didn’t, because I wasn’t asleep), it was Christmas!

This is possibly the most enjoyable Christmas I have ever personally experienced. I cannot say it is the best Christmas ever, because that is far too cliche, and also, the best Christmas was the first Christmas, when Christ came to earth to redeem men from their sin. Apart from that Christmas, though, this was the best.

The following items were bestowed upon me:

• The first season of Hogan’s Heroes
• All 17 episodes of the ooold George of the Jungle series (with SuperChicken!)
• Four Don Knotts movies
• A solid pound of gaming dice — see below for explanation
• A happy red shirt (as opposed to the sad red shirt that is pining away in my closet)
• Two ties to complement said shirt
• A pair of jeans

All in all, I got all that I wanted and nothing that I didn’t want.

A note must be inserted concerning the gaming dice. I do not gamble. They are role-playing dice. Some may have trouble rectifying a conservative, Bible-believing pastor-in-training being a Dungeon Master, but I can promise you that one can morally be both. I could even prove it from Scripture. If you cannot role-play in good conscience, though, don’t start doing it for my sake. One of my next posts will present my view of RPGs.

I hope you had a merry Christmas!

It sure seems as if this semester has flown. At a slow rate, of course. Thinking back over everything that has been accomplished, however, it definitely looks full and long. And next semester looms ahead-aaah. Mustn’t think about that now.

Fourteen more days to go until Christmas vacation begins, and much must occur ere the sun sets on this semester. Tests to take, presents to purchase, various graduating friends to bid farewell. And a classical guitar concert… more on that later.

Next up… Movie Review: Enchanted. I pity you guys with no sisters!

Name this dog for: 2,000 cool points

Thanksgiving Break has been a whirlwind tour of home. Besides a number of other events that have gone on (and which will be duly posted), this site finally got a (much-needed) face-lift.

However, it is not complete. If you have any suggestions, please note them now. Or, forever hold your peace.

Finally, I beg forgiveness for not posting much. Personal blogs are a pain, really — not for the writer, but for the reader. Who really cares about my life, anyway? But, for posterity, I shall continue posting. And, I will try to be more frequent about it.