What I learned on my first day of class

It's the first day of my last semester of undergraduate classes. I shudder as I type that. But I won't get into my post-graduation fear. I decided to take a hodge-podge of classes this semester just to see what was out there, and mostly because I only needed one for my major and UNC won't let me underload and be a full-time student any more.

So here's what the schedule looks like: 10 a.m., American Novel; 12 a.m., Environment and Society; 3 p.m., Chaucer; 4 p.m., Community Journalism. I don't have Tuesday and Thursday classes, so I get to enjoy everything in the span of seven hours.

Here is what I learned in each class. Remember, this is only the first day.

American Novel: if you walk into the first class 10 minutes late, you will have to sit in the last available desk wedged in a corner in the back of the room after being shown the seat by a student waving their arms like one of those guys on an airport runway with the glow sticks.

Environment and Society: Despite the fact that I like all the work he is doing for the environment and global warming, Al Gore is a pompous ass. We watched the special features of his move "An Inconvenient Truth," and it was basically 20 minutes of him talking about how the world is going to melt in the next 50 years, broken up with condescending chuckles.

Chaucer: Not only are we reading Chaucer, but we're reading Chaucer in the original Middle English. Ha ha. No seriously. It's honestly not as hard as it sounds. It's easier to read than it is to unerstand it spoken. Here's a taste: "O our Scots nables wer richt laith/To weet their cork-heiled schoone;/Bot lang owre a' the play wer playd,/Their hats they swam aboone." I'll let you think about that one for a little bit.

Community Journalism: Over 97% of newspapers in the U.S. are considered small (less than 50,000 circulation). And they're thriving. Apparently Asheville has a bunch of them. There are 190 in North Carolina. I guess that's where I'll be looking for a job in a few months.

Overall, a pretty good day. It's not going to be as easy as last semester, but I think I can handle that.

On a quick sidenote, check out this headline from the Washington Post: Economy Made Few Gains in Bush Years. No.... Way to break that big story, WaPo!!!

Now I need to get to all that reading. Yay classes!

Picture from www.backoftheclass.net