Since coming on campus, I've gone back and forth about the benefits of walking versus biking. As someone who lives in the Kittredge complex, classes aren't exactly right outside my backdoor. The first few weeks of school, I was all about biking absolutely everywhere. Why walk, I figured, when you could easily ride? But biking brings its own problems...
First there's the fact that campus is on a hill. It's gradual, to be sure, but definitely noticeable when going to class at 8AM. Of course, on the flip-side, riding home is a lot of coasting, but in those first few weeks, I was arriving a lot of places sweaty and slightly winded. Wonderful, I know.
Then there's the people. There's definitely an art to riding through crowds, and within a few days, I was already better at the slow, only-pedal-enough-to-stay-upright type movement. It's difficult to say if a bike bell would help with this. Saying "on your right" isn't failproof either - I've found that many people freeze or even move the wrong way when you say this!
For me, one of the final straws was falling off my bike. This may sound wimpy, but when I hit the pavement and slightly messed up my knee, I got a lot less confident in the benefit of having a pair of wheels to get around. This isn't to say I wouldn't do it anymore, but I learned the dangers and the need for an insane amount of care when riding around campus.
Let me just say, to anyone who does ride regularly, please don't let your guard down. You are as responsible for riding carefully around pedestrians as they are, and who wants to deal with an injury in the first few months of campus? I've already heard of several other bike-related accidents (nothing too serious), but let's just say it's embarrassing and painful and something worth avoiding.
But the final nail in the coffin of my bike riding habit was getting sick. Somehow when you're struggling to breathe simply sitting on the couch, pedaling around doesn't sound so great. I rode my bike one day after being sick (and it happened to be a very cold day), and somehow I didn't find it enjoyable anymore - I found it more work than it was worth.
So for about two weeks now, I've been walking everywhere. I've got my set paths, I think I know what time to leave to get to class (although I've cut it close AND been insanely early several times, so I still need to work on the routine). Most importantly, though, I've found that I really enjoy it! I like the time to myself, the slowness of the movement, the simple moments to enjoy the breeze. I'm currently listening to an audiobook of comedian Craig Ferguson's autobiography (read by the author himself) and... it's proven to be a good time all around.
I'm curious, college students (or people who remember college well enough :D) - How do/did you get around? Bike? Car? Bus? Walking?
I'm not sure what I'll do when winter hits and it's cold, snowy, and icy, but for now, I'm happy walking the walk.
Cheers :)
This blog is sponsored by the CU Book Store, who have an exciting new web site - check it out!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Catching up: apologies for disappearing!
It has been quite a while since I've written about my experiences in college, and for that, I apologize. Quite honestly, this is because I have been positively knee-deep in the whole experience. First I was busy adjusting, then I got sick, and then I was recovering sick and feeling the normal college-student business. But I am back now and even more dedicated to updating this site regularly. I've got a bunch of ideas, but if there's anything YOU, the mysterious reader, would like to read, please let me know.
I knew it would happen, the first dreaded immune system failure of the fall. Between the tradition I seem to have of getting sick in the middle of September, and the abundance of nasty little germs flying around campus, I got knocked down by a cold. I was hoping I wouldn't go down quite so hard, but I am glad it wasn't swine flu, although the prevalence of that illness on campus now seems to finally be lessening.
And then there was last week, and whew, what a week it was. Though I didn't have any formally labeled "midterms," I did have two exams and several big assignments. And perhaps it was just the fact that everyone else had a similar burden, but the week seemed exceptionally stressful.
Which leads us to now, the beginning of October. Can you believe it? Not only are we six weeks through the semester (!!) but it is formally the fall season. And, in keeping with the odd weather I've seen all year in Boulder, the fall can't seem to decide how mild to be. There was that one week of cold, days that seemed like they could be a warm version of December rather than a cool anomaly in September. Then there was the wind, the few rainy days, and a few 80 degrees days here and there. It seems the season is keeping with the Boulder tradition: "If you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes."
There have been moments in the past few weeks when I've wanted to simply stay in my dorm room in PJs (or even more drastic, just go and stay home), and then there were days when the sky was extra blue, classes were extra interesting, and everything seemed fresh and exciting. In a lot of ways, I suppose, college still seems surreal. And yet, at the same time, completely normal, just part of the progression of growing up. Whatever it is, it's part of my life now, which is why I struggle whenever someone says "what do you think of college?" I think it's just like the rest of life: it's got good moments and bad, new experiences and familiarity, fascinating lessons and frustrating homework.
Anyway, now that I have this entry out of the way, I'll be posting again very soon about a variety of topics I've come across recently. Keep checking back!
Cheers :)
I knew it would happen, the first dreaded immune system failure of the fall. Between the tradition I seem to have of getting sick in the middle of September, and the abundance of nasty little germs flying around campus, I got knocked down by a cold. I was hoping I wouldn't go down quite so hard, but I am glad it wasn't swine flu, although the prevalence of that illness on campus now seems to finally be lessening.
And then there was last week, and whew, what a week it was. Though I didn't have any formally labeled "midterms," I did have two exams and several big assignments. And perhaps it was just the fact that everyone else had a similar burden, but the week seemed exceptionally stressful.
Which leads us to now, the beginning of October. Can you believe it? Not only are we six weeks through the semester (!!) but it is formally the fall season. And, in keeping with the odd weather I've seen all year in Boulder, the fall can't seem to decide how mild to be. There was that one week of cold, days that seemed like they could be a warm version of December rather than a cool anomaly in September. Then there was the wind, the few rainy days, and a few 80 degrees days here and there. It seems the season is keeping with the Boulder tradition: "If you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes."
There have been moments in the past few weeks when I've wanted to simply stay in my dorm room in PJs (or even more drastic, just go and stay home), and then there were days when the sky was extra blue, classes were extra interesting, and everything seemed fresh and exciting. In a lot of ways, I suppose, college still seems surreal. And yet, at the same time, completely normal, just part of the progression of growing up. Whatever it is, it's part of my life now, which is why I struggle whenever someone says "what do you think of college?" I think it's just like the rest of life: it's got good moments and bad, new experiences and familiarity, fascinating lessons and frustrating homework.
Anyway, now that I have this entry out of the way, I'll be posting again very soon about a variety of topics I've come across recently. Keep checking back!
Cheers :)
This blog is sponsored by the CU Book Store.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Avoiding assumptions
Assumptions are dangerous. While they are a natural part of life - a coping mechanism for new and unknown experiences - you have to be careful not to rely on preconceptions too much. This seemed to be a theme of classes and experiences last week.
Last Wednesday night, my entire dorm emptied out for our first of a series of monthly symposia. The kick-off speaker was Dr. Dennis Van Gerven, an anthropology professor and dynamic speaker. All I knew going into the talk was that it was about mummies. Thus, I was expecting a kind of "how-to mummify" lecture, describing the gruesome details of Egyptians removing brains through belly buttons and so forth. Or a history focused talk on the importance of mummies in Egyptian culture. In short, something I had heard before. Instead, the Dr. Van Gerven explained the history of the region he's interested in, Nubia, and what he sees when he studies a pile of bones: the details of the lives of people who lived thousands of years ago. He showed slides of hips, arms, skulls, telling us of the diseases these individuals may have had, the kinds of lives they probably led. He described how he gets to be a detective, except his clues are all in bones! It was a fascinating snapshot of an interesting profession.
So, lesson learned, right? Not quite. On last Thursday night, I headed to my evening film class, Honors Women in Film, prepared to face a 3 hour documentary on Leni Riefenstahl, a female director who worked under Hitler. Leading up to watching this film, I was prepared to write her off as a misguided Nazi. Even while watching the film, I was conflicted in trying to understand her motives. Again, I had walked into an experience with a specific expectation; what I experienced was extremely different. Riefenstahl is still one of the best known female directors, even if she did direct Triumph of the Will (a film about the Nazi Party Congress). I had to let go of my assumptions in order to try to understand her.
The reason I bring this up is because it's something I want to avoid. It's so very easy to assume I know what something is going to be like, and in doing so, miss out on the actual experience! This doesn't just apply to classes or scholarly talks... it can be equally problematic to assume you know what someone in your class is like -- you may miss out on a friend!
Anyway, I had a very busy weekend - a lot of work seemed to catch up with me all at once. I hope everyone reading this had a lovely and safe Labor Day, and a good weekend (despite CU losing the football game against CSU). I must say, it was extremely entertaining to watch the tailgating festivities kick into gear right outside my dorm - from cowbells to chanting to barbeque smells wafting in, it made for an interesting Sunday afternoon.
Feel free to leave me comments... Do you have any experiences where you caught yourself forming a preconception? Or where an assumption was completely different from the actual experience? Or know anything about Leni Riefenstahl? Or just want to let me know you're reading this? Have at it! Other than that, I'll be back next week.
Cheers :)
Last Wednesday night, my entire dorm emptied out for our first of a series of monthly symposia. The kick-off speaker was Dr. Dennis Van Gerven, an anthropology professor and dynamic speaker. All I knew going into the talk was that it was about mummies. Thus, I was expecting a kind of "how-to mummify" lecture, describing the gruesome details of Egyptians removing brains through belly buttons and so forth. Or a history focused talk on the importance of mummies in Egyptian culture. In short, something I had heard before. Instead, the Dr. Van Gerven explained the history of the region he's interested in, Nubia, and what he sees when he studies a pile of bones: the details of the lives of people who lived thousands of years ago. He showed slides of hips, arms, skulls, telling us of the diseases these individuals may have had, the kinds of lives they probably led. He described how he gets to be a detective, except his clues are all in bones! It was a fascinating snapshot of an interesting profession.
So, lesson learned, right? Not quite. On last Thursday night, I headed to my evening film class, Honors Women in Film, prepared to face a 3 hour documentary on Leni Riefenstahl, a female director who worked under Hitler. Leading up to watching this film, I was prepared to write her off as a misguided Nazi. Even while watching the film, I was conflicted in trying to understand her motives. Again, I had walked into an experience with a specific expectation; what I experienced was extremely different. Riefenstahl is still one of the best known female directors, even if she did direct Triumph of the Will (a film about the Nazi Party Congress). I had to let go of my assumptions in order to try to understand her.
The reason I bring this up is because it's something I want to avoid. It's so very easy to assume I know what something is going to be like, and in doing so, miss out on the actual experience! This doesn't just apply to classes or scholarly talks... it can be equally problematic to assume you know what someone in your class is like -- you may miss out on a friend!
Anyway, I had a very busy weekend - a lot of work seemed to catch up with me all at once. I hope everyone reading this had a lovely and safe Labor Day, and a good weekend (despite CU losing the football game against CSU). I must say, it was extremely entertaining to watch the tailgating festivities kick into gear right outside my dorm - from cowbells to chanting to barbeque smells wafting in, it made for an interesting Sunday afternoon.
Feel free to leave me comments... Do you have any experiences where you caught yourself forming a preconception? Or where an assumption was completely different from the actual experience? Or know anything about Leni Riefenstahl? Or just want to let me know you're reading this? Have at it! Other than that, I'll be back next week.
Cheers :)
This blog is sponsored by the CU Book Store.
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