Hope everyone has been well since I posted last. From as far as I can tell, it sounds like everyone is having a good start to the semester. We might still be on break and waiting for HW, but everyone seems to be doing fine and enjoying classes. I know I am really enjoying classes, but there's something particularly odd about this semester. Maybe its that fact that I know that if I was one of those people with their shit together i'd be graduating, or the fact that i've just taken a sheer shitload of hours (I thin i'm around 120), or have taken classes in just about every department, but I just seem to be noticing differences lately.
First a glorious difference: The complete and utter opposites that exist between the business college and the college of liberal arts. Last semester I was in (for a while at least) a 20th century US foreign policy history class. Never have I ever been so pissed at life than when I had to force myself to sit and listen to this hippy indoctrination of complete shit. I got to hear about how Teddy Roosevelt (one of my personal favorite presidents) was really a racist pig, who only talked shit and walked tall because he really felt like he was an inadequate woman (no shit...the fuckers in the class actually gobbled it up) and about how FDR was the savior of modern man. Then fast forward to economics. A subject I am happily familiar with, as it is based on numbers, logic, and rules...as opposed to HST (hippy studies). Everything said has proof and justification. Any time my professor mentions why this policy or that policy is better or why Republican values on a particular economic issue (like oh say price controls, minimum wage, low taxes etc) are the proper way to run things, he busts out data to back it up. To get credit you must SHOW with the fucking ECONOMIC INDICATORS that your plans work. In hippy class, the more liberal and fucking retard you sound (Them: "FDR wasn't racist. He was the best president in history" Me: "Explain Japanese internment camps then you fucking complete jackoff"), the higher your discussion grade (and my blood pressure) goes. So again...pleasant.
Another class I absolutely enjoy is my mathematic methods of genetic analysis class. This class has such a diverse mix of people it makes for interesting times. There are three kinds of people in the class. There's the large majority of the class, which are the MBB (molecular biosciences and biotechnology majors...which is code for bioengineers who couldn't hack it in physics/math/engineering, or bioengineers that wanted to go premed and didn't want to risk what physics/math/engineering would do to their GPA). The MBBs take virtually the same courses as the bio majors so while most of them are awesome and down to earth, I pity those who decided on biology because it had no math, and now find themselves in this class. Next are those like me who are computer science or computer systems engineering and are taking this class because it counts as tech elective. We are the part of the class that yawned when the MBBs shit their pants when the first quote of this class was "I hope you all have experience in implementing and analyzing advanced algorithms because that is the majority of the class". The last part is there are some grad students taking the class as part of the new (and improving i'm told) computational biosciences program. Anyways, its an interesting mix of having our second lecture being all genetics, which had all the bio peeps kicking themselves for showing up and the engineers just reminding themselves why they hated biology in HS, and then the rest of the class which is taught like, well, an upper division math class which leaves most of the aforementioned in the dust. Still interesting though.
The thing that really made me think about differences lately was when my applied linear algebra class met in the computer lab. As part of the class we are supposed to meet and learn how to apply all we learn in matlab (engineers after all), and the lab is located in the old most ghetto section of the engineering building. But it is not occupied by any of the college of engineering folks. The hallways go like this: down the right hand side we have math dept. computer labs, and on the left we have department of womens studies offices. Now I could make some cheap bashes on these brilliant sacks, but I don't even need to. I get the pleasure of feeeeeeling their looks of disgust while we wait outside the lab for class to start. I'm sure it's the fact that of my class of 30 there are two girls (and calling them girls is generous), and they give all of us oppressors that stare. You know the stare. It's the stare you get when we look at the posters on their door with a sort of half-snicker half-I-can't-believe-my-tuition-contributes-to-this and they burn us with the ol' "you men don't deserve that money you will be making and you should do more to encourage women in your profession". There was even one professor who blantantly looked around for the women in our class (one was lately) and just counted all the guys and then shook her head and sighed. So to you crazy bitch professor: You want equality?? Me too. Come take our classes with us. Show women the way...pound through all our evil male dominated classes (which ironically are taught by more women then men...but shhhh...it'll ruin the illusion).
Wow...enough BS for now.
