First Day of School

So today was my first day of school. Grad School. Wow. I have been wanting to/thinking about/fretting about grad school for five years. And now I am here. I also applied for school in late January and was accepted and essentially signed up in April. Therefore this decision was made 5-6 months ago. That is a first. I can't remember the last time I made a decision this big that far in advance. So I will list some things.

About being a grad student:

1. People at UofO (University of Oregon) love grad students. The professors, the library people, everyone I've talked to attempting to get a work-study job. They love us. This seems a bit bizarre because I have never heard any of my friends at other institutions speak of this.
2. Undergraduates look like babies. Yes, babies. I keep trying to find one that looks to me like a senior and it is near impossible.
3. Undergraduates seem to all wear the same exact clothes. Like a uniform or something. And the kids love skinny jeans and Vans. Vans with long socks. It reminds me of the Penrod boys at Wesleyan. (Also, people in my program all look sort of outdoorsy which I thought was a grad school thing until today when I went to the architecture school for an ice cream social and met all of the architecture students and they looked like hipsters. Are they cooler then us? Maybe just smarter?)
   
4. Grad school is professional school. I will learn skills and techniques that will make me a more valuable asset in the workplace and that will hopefully land me a better paying job out of the gate.

On State School:

1. I believe that folks on the West Coast are kinder then the East Coast. It is my truth. Except when it comes to dealing with any sort of office: financial aid, registrar, cashier, payroll... They lack all customer service skills. It is shocking.
2. Everything is done on the internet. I mean everything. I wasn't in college that long ago. But seriously, when I go to one of the above mentioned offices to take care of some sort of business the person at the desk pretty much turns their computer to "show me." And then click, click, click, click and then hands me a colored piece of paper with instructions and then sends me on my way. WTF. Seriously. Lets talk, lets do this together, lets ease some bit of nervousness. Whatever... (I will note here I am very grateful of all of Momo's work on this sort of BS while I was at Wes and throw out a thank you to all of the people at North College who made that part of college easy. And all of the love they gave me.)
3. There are a ton of students. I think around 20,000. And I feel it when I walk around.
4. People wear a lot of OREGON gear.
5. And the bike parking is like parking in a city. Totally jammed up. I will try to get a photo on here.

Ok. With that I will now get back to my Planning Analysis reading as I am meeting folks for beers at 9pm

First Impressions

Ok. So lots has happened in the past few weeks: attended my first rodeo, moved to Eugene, started grad school... I have a lot to say and some good pictures which I hope I will share. Blogging sometimes feels like therapy in that if I think about what I am going to say it ends up contrived and I feel like I have already resolved all issues (in therapy) or my astute observations have become unfunny (blogging.)

I just got back from an overnight retreat in the Cascades with the folks in my program first year students and professors. It was nice and simple and Oregon.

1. Many people, perhaps the majority, wore low hiking boots. I think that some of you would assume that I do the same on a regular basis, but I do not. I learned about the fashion sneaker sometime in 2002. There was a hiking option, but LBH, there's no way anyone would hit the trail in their jeans and low hikers.
2. Lots of wedding rings.
3. No one has heard of Wesleyan. And I realize how old/far I've come by not asking everyone where they went to school. More like what have you been up to recently.
4. No one responds negatively to super annoying people. They just don't react at all. I find this super impressive and makes me realize even more the level of professionalism that is grad school.
5. I think people used the word "sustainability" about 50 hundred times over the past two days.
   
6. Everyone was pumped about doing good in the world. For real. Everyone wants to solve problems and make positive change. Awesome. I am excited to be surrounded by these people for the next couple years.

And about Eugene:

1. It has rained only about twice since I've been here about 9 days. It was cold and wet. It makes me fear the "winter rains" which I've heard about on OPB (Oregon Public Broadcasting.)
2. After I make relevant, smart observations about Eugene and its citizenry I often get the response "oh, thats Eugene." I find this annoying and condescending. And it makes me feel out of place and not part of the gang.
3. Everyone bikes here. Everyone sort of judges people who use cars. People love bikes and talking about bikes. I am a happy owner of three.
   

Looking for Housemate

http://eugene.craigslist.org/roo/814471165.html

Hobbies and Interests

I don't know about the rest of you but I am sort of tired of people asking me what I like to do. I just received this profile sheet to match me up with some sort of "buddy" for my grad program. And after the first page of standard items like name and academic interests there is a second page. On that page there are two questions with a lot of space for each: Relevant Work Experience (with an option to attach a resume) and Hobbies and Interests (please list memberships, skills, things you enjoy, etc.)

For the Relevant Work Experience I am going to attach my resume. That is easy enough. Although I do not really like my resume. And for the Hobbies and Interests I don't know. As most of you know the only thing I really have in life is hobbies. So many of them. Should I list them? Its sort of overwhelming even for me if I put them on paper. And if I listed them all I think anyone would think it was bs. And what order should I put them in? Or maybe I should list my top 5 favorite things to do:

1. Obvious
2. Therapy
3. Skinny Dipping
4. Fishing
5. Skiing

***This list was put compiled during my solo 3,600 mile trek across america last September.

My friend, Bernadette, has an older brother that went to Tufts in the 80's. Before heading down for Freshman year he (like most of us small, northeastern, liberal art school attendees) had to send in a photo and list two interests and maybe a potential major. Now for some reason Bern's brother did not complete this. Instead her father (who is a funny bastard) did. He sent in a photo of his son, did not write a potential major and listed dancing as his only interest. Apparently, Bern's brother continues to get shit about this from his buddies even today. So funny. (For the record, correct me if I am wrong here, I put down philosophy as a potential major and interests as hiking and people. Yikes.)

I know this is not going to be any part of a grad school facebook but it is still annoying. I also think I am going to have countless conversations with people this fall about sort of boring stuff like what I like to do and what they like to do. Is this ever going to end? I wish the only thing that happened was the sharing of good stories. Maybe thats what friends are for and who wants to share a good story with an acquaintance.

Another story, my friend Jesse, who is super awkward but very good looking and always seems to lack a woman in his life, recently, picked up a girl at the med school library (who is now his girlfriend and they seem great) and asked her "What do you do for fun?" So awkward. I mean how do you answer that question without sounding stupid. "Uhh. Yeah. I like to watch movies and hang out with friends."

I don't know. I think I am going to write: chess (to sound smart), out-of-doors (because I do), and fun (because that is my ultimate goal.) I hope I get matched up with someone cool.