11/29/09 My education and employment history. Part II.

This is a continuation from last week…

Jealousy was a powerful motivator for me to go back to college. I was older and more committed to my education than I was when I went to Foothill. By June 2003, I graduated with an AA in liberal arts. I finally had the celebration and the pomp and circumstance that I wanted. However, I was not satisfied with a degree in liberal arts; it was a common-as-muck field of study. There must have been at least 150 other students who graduated as liberal arts majors. I wanted a challenge.

I saw the counselor again and started to take more speech and communications classes. I had a very high degree of success in those speech classes. My grade in all of those speech classes was ‘A’ except for one ‘B’. By June 2006, I graduated with an AA in Speech Communication. I transferred to SJSU in fall semester 2007 and I resigned my job at De Anza Bookstore.

I transferred to SJSU as a Communications major with a minor in Political Science. This was my concentration for a year and a half. Even though I was earning ‘As’ in comm studies, I was struggling with all the new information. The theories were challenging because I had never dealt with them before. Research is the key component of comm studies classes. I absolutely hate research, and I realized that I didn’t want to do research as my profession. I was really dissatisfied with my decision to be a comm studies major. I made a list of pros and cons about changing my major. Eventually, I flip-flopped my major and minor.

I had a really inspirational professor in my first poli sci class–Professor Gerston. The way he structures his classes coincides with my learning style. I love how he ties lecture concepts to current political events. He also has a really good attitude; I can tell that he enjoys teaching. My first class with him was state politics–poli 102. I remember on the first midterm–hell it was my first midterm at SJSU ever–I got the only ‘A’ in the class. Earning that grade and an overall ‘A’ in the class really boosted my confidence. I have been highly successful in poli sci.

Now I’m approaching graduation. I am really contented with the effort I put into my classes. My current GPA of 3.77 is the highest GPA I’ve ever had, including high school. Since I don’t have a job, I will need to start looking for one soon. It is going to be difficult in this economy to find one. One job that I have wanted in the past is to work in the state governmental bureaucracy. Specifically I want to work in the Registrar of Voters office. I have worked in 10 elections as a precinct inspector so I have some experience. Being a laborer is a big part of my identity and I have missed working in the last three years. I’m looking forward to joining the workforce again.

My vocabulary words are:
Eschew: to avoid (Webster's American pocket dictionary)
Emissary: an agent sent on a mission (Webster's American pocket dictionary)

11/22/09 My education and employment history. Part I.

I am a graduating senior in May 2010. I never thought this day would come. My college years have spanned from 1995-2010. In reality, I have been in school for about 10 years even though school has spanned 15 years.

I spent two years at Foothill College. I went there in 1995, just after high school. At the time, I was not interested in going onto college. I was burned out after high school. My parents were adamant that I go to college. As a compromise, I went to Foothill. I didn’t do very well there because I didn’t have the motivation to succeed in addition to other personal issues going on in my life. After spring quarter 1997, I dropped out with a measly 2.57 GPA.

In Dec. 1994, I had gotten a part time job at a drugstore. After I dropped out of Foothill, I became a full time photo department clerk from 1997-1998. I was successful in that job so I received a promotion in 1998. I became the Supervisor of the Photo Lab. I trained and scheduled lab techs, was in charge of maintenance and machine upkeep, ordered and inventoried supplies, processed customer orders, and forwarded monthly reports to Sacramento. By Jan. 2001, things deteriorated in the lab, so I quit and got a new job.

In Dec. 2000, I started a new job at De Anza College Bookstore as the Customer Service Assistant. I remember that I was late to the interview by about five minutes. After assuring the hiring committee that my lateness was a fluke and that I lived within ten minutes door-to-door of the store, I completed the interview. Two and a half hours later, the Assistant Director called and offered me the job. For a month, my two jobs overlapped; I worked out my two-week notice at the drugstore and at De Anza in Dec. 2000.

In summer quarter 2001, I decided to take a volleyball PE class. For eight months, I had been thinking about returning to school. The class was an easy ‘A’, so I registered for a class in fall quarter 2001. Again, the class was an easy ‘A’, and so the process repeated itself. I worked full time at the Bookstore and took one class a quarter. This accounts for why my college education has spanned 10 years.

My brother had graduated from Yale in 2002. I attended his graduation. As his house, Morse College, conducted its commencement ceremony, I was overcome by a powerful wave of jealousy. I wanted the celebration. I wanted the pomp and circumstance. I wanted to be the center of attention and have the world revolve around me for a day. When I got back from his graduation, I went to see a counselor to assess my classes.


To be continued…

My vocabulary words are:
Eclectic: chosen from various sources (Webster's American pocket dictionary)
Callow: immature (Webster's American pocket dictionary)

11/15/09 Oh man, what a bummer…

I wrote in an earlier blog about a trip to Washington, DC during spring break 2010. This was something I was really looking forward to. It’s been twenty-five years since I’ve been to DC. However, Professor Gerston informed us that the trip had been cancelled. I just don’t understand why this happened. On the surface, there seemed to be a lot of positive feedback about this activity. I am absolutely crushed that this trip is not going to happen.

In reality, only seven people officially signed up and made their initial payment. I had already paid the full $1893 for the trip; this is how serious I was about participating. I was looking forward to the required “class” meetings, the required readings, and the 20-page paper due at the end of the semester.

I just received my reimbursement check yesterday. I consider myself lucky that I got the full total back. As I filled out the application for the trip, I read that the initial deposit of $500 was not refundable–unless trip insurance was purchased for an additional $250. I didn’t buy the insurance because I thought it would be a waste due to the initial amount of interest in the trip. I am really relieved that I got a full refund.

Now that the DC trip is a no-go, what to do, what to do? Being in DC is like living in history. I’m now seriously considering going to DC on my own. I want to see the Supreme Court, the Capitol Mall, the memorials, Arlington National Cemetery, the Washington Monument, the Vietnam War Memorial–the tourist sites are endless!

You know, now that I think about it, I am really convincing myself to do this on my own. Now, if only I know someone who lives there…hang on! My stepsister lives there and works for the DOJ. I wonder if she’ll put me up for a week. Hmmm…

My vocabulary words are:
Pundit: an expert (Webster's American pocket dictionary)
Nefarious: wicked (Webster's American pocket dictionary)

11/08/09 Oscar’s last day in San Jose ☹

This is a continuation from last week’s blog…

‘Ron Weasley’ invited me–Oscar has the same ginger hair and blue eyes as Rupert Grint a.k.a. Ron Weasley of the Harry Potter movies–to attend a Halloween party at his flat. Oscar went all out decorating for the party. ‘Ron’ escorted me to his flat dressed up in his robes and carrying his wand. Periodically, ‘Ron’ would step into the next room and Oscar would come back. Obviously, Oscar is a Potter fan. There was mood lighting (all red), background music, the headless butler, the blobs, and a graveyard. Only three guests arrived, but the party had a very intimate feeling to it.

Oscar ‘complained’ that he had a large amount of American sisters. Since I felt like he was my English ‘brother,’ I told him that he was my American ‘cousin.’ That made him smile. He really is the baby sibling’ that I wanted to have. We had a brief and interesting discussion about the term cousin. He assumed that ‘cousin’ was indicative of a male but he wanted to know what the term was for a female. It took me a second to realize what he was asking. I told him that ‘cousin’ didn’t have a masculine or feminine form–it is gender neutral.

To any student in my 195A, 100W, and 2 classes reading this blog: Oscar was extremely grateful that you filled out a survey. The number of surveys he received amazed him. The food study he’s doing is an extra project in addition to his required schoolwork. The food study is ‘proof’ that he was here and did his schoolwork. Oscar thanks you for your participation.

But as they say, all good things come to an end. Oscar and his mom are on their way back to England. I hope they both enjoyed their time in San Jose. I hope to visit them again sometime in England.

My vocabulary words are:
Salubrious: good for the health (Webster's American pocket dictionary)
Eugenics: a science concerned with improving the genetic traits of the human race (Webster's American pocket dictionary)

11/01/09 Oscar is here visiting from England!

For the last two weeks my English buddy has been in the States visiting. His mom was here working on her doctorate and so he came with her. On Friday the 23rd I took him to Johnny Rocket’s for lunch. For those of you who don’t know, Johnny Rocket’s is a 1950s diner with the best french fries.

Customers can sit at a counter, a table, or a booth. The counter and the booths each have a non-operating tabletop jukebox. The restaurant plays music from the 50s and 60s. I swear, eating there is like taking a trip back in time. When I look around, I can visualize the girls in their poodle skirts and saddle shoes and I can picture the guys in their lettermen sweaters and penny loafers.

The only drawback to Johnny Rocket’s is that Oscar and I are vegetarians. Whenever I go there, I usually eat the salad, but I forgot that Oscar didn’t eat meat. Fortunately, Johnny Rocket’s has the ability to switch the meat patty with a soya burger. We had a great time.

Afterwards, we had some time to kill, so I suggested we go to the Tech Museum. The new Star Trek exhibit just opened that day and I remembered that Oscar loves Dr. Who and Star Wars. So I showed him where the Tech was so he could visit it on his own. I think he went a few days ago. We spent about 45 minutes looking around the Tech store just looking at all the different things. There were a lot of kids there; they must have been on a field trip. Eventually the kids left. Oscar found candy on a stick, so I introduced him to the concept of rock candy. He bought some for his dad. I introduced him to astronaut ice cream. Astronaut food is all freeze dried and he had never seen it, so I bought him a pack. He and his mom were absolutely amazed by how real tasting and “creamy” it was.

The next day there was a reunion for the students who participated in the Summer Bath Program in 2007, 2008, and 2009. We were invited to the home of the professor who led the three groups. It was a very nice evening. Good beverages, good food, and great conversation. Oscar and his mom were the guests of honor. Oscar was acting like a social butterfly.

We also took advantage of the school’s bowling alley. I assumed that he had never gone bowling, so I wanted to introduce him to one of my favorite activities. Turns out, he has bowled before, but that’s ok. We still had a lot of fun even though his scores were less than 70 and I didn’t reach my average.

My vocabulary words are:
Insofar: to such an extent (Webster's American pocket dictionary)
Licentiousness: sexually immoral (Webster's American pocket dictionary)