The Anti-Exodus

Alright, so the new semester has started! So far I've been in Provo for almost two weeks. Let me just start out by saying that I really like the classes that I'm taking this semester. I'm taking Intro to Ad, Media Writing, Book of Mormon II, Social Dance, Intro to Comms, and First Year Writing Honors. So far they've all been great, if not a little intense, but honestly I'd be fine if they stayed that way. Also, in some amazing irony, my Intro to Ad Prof is named Doyle and the textbook that we need for his class is by a prof named Moriarty. If that isn't the greatest coincidence in the world I don't know what it. My Media prof also reminds me of a journalism version of William Shatner. He looks a little bit like him and he also kind of has that same sort of odd personality. I though it was kind of funny when he was telling us about different ways that he would try to trick people into giving out information but still staying within the rules of journalism. It reminded me of when I was taking forensics and our teacher was telling us about a crime scene that he was at where reporters wouldn't leave him alone so he took an evidence marker and just stuck it a little ways away from the area. All the reporter gathered around it and spent so long trying to figure out what the evidence was that they were able to finish working the crime scene without being annoyed.

I really like my Book of Mormon class so far too. My class last semester was alright, but this one is just so much better. You know how sometimes you just have those Sunday School teachers that are fantastic? That's pretty much what that class is like. Our first assignment in that class is to read the entire second half of the Book of Mormon (Alma 30 to the end) in two weeks. It ends up being about 20 pages a day, and has been keeping me pretty busy, especially when I get a day behind or so, but it's defiantly a good assignment.

Being in all of the Comms pre-recs means that most of the students are in the same classes. It's kind of cool and it reminds me of when I was taking those AP classes and stuff my Junior year, how there was just this little niche of people who were all taking the same classes and we all pretty much knew each other. It's on a lot bigger scale of course, but the idea is pretty much the same. Especially playing into this AP analogy is the fact that I'm taking writing 150, which is the same as the AP English I took Junior year. I tested out of the class from taking AP, but in order to get into the comms department I have to take the class again. Since I've essentially already taken the class, it is a little boring, but it's good practice I guess and even though I've done it before, it was a class I liked, so I think I won't be too bored or anything.

I've also started watching The Big Bang theory, another thing to keep me away from Doctor Who. I enjoy the show, but watching it kind of makes me feel nerdy. Most of the time I know what they're talking about and I get and enjoy their nerdy jokes, be it the time one of the characters dressed up for Halloween as the Doppler effect, or when the characters were arguing over who was the best Robin. What with the caucuses and stuff happening, I've actually found myself taking a larger interest in politics as well. I'll be the first to admit that I'm still woefully uninformed about all of the the issues, but I actually stayed up the other night to find out who won  the Iowa caucus, and I meant to watch the New Hampshire primary thing but ended up forgetting about it until it was over. I'm not sure if I should blame this new interest on age, or the fact that I'm at BYU where almost everyone is conservative, or the fact the I took American Heritage last semester, or most likely, the fact that a few months ago I payed my first bill (electricity) and officially started myself down the long and boring road of adulthood, but no matter what the reason it looks like I've succeeded in taking another step towards being a productive member of society.

Perhaps the most interesting thing that's happened so far this semester is that my roommates asked me to move out. While we've we've always had differences of opinion, (They like to have 3:00 in the morning dance parties on Wednesday nights, leave milk in the fridge for a month, and other similar joys) we've never really fought or even not gotten along before. I suppose even in this case we aren't not getting along, they'd just rather have someone else live with them. One of their friends lives in another apartment in Wyview and they want me to switch with her. I suppose the request wasn't totally unreasonable but still, I found it a little offensive. So I told them no. Mostly because it would be a pain to move all of my stuff, I'd be in a new ward and living in a new place with people I didn't know, I'd have to change my address, and all of the junk, but also because I don't like the idea of being kicked out of my own apartment (I've been informed by an associate that apparently this reaction is just a result of my need to win everything. I however have my doubts about this hypothesis. Either way however, I don't want to leave). My dear roommates took this response with a grain of salt and commenced what I can only assume is their plan to drive me away.

Although the girl that they want to live here can't replace me without my consent, nothing technically can prevent her from being here every waking hour of the day and many of the non waking hours as well. She has clothes, toiletries, textbooks, and essentially everything else a person would need here. I can only assume that her actual apartment has simply turned into some massive storage area for the rest of her things as she doesn't even sleep over there anymore. The small association that my roommates and I had before has also been greatly reduced in the past week. I'm not sure however if this is intentional on their part of if it is simply the result of essentially having a new person living with them. As if these new developments weren't annoying enough, I woke up one morning to discover that my roommate who I share a room with had moved her mattress out of our room and into the room of our other roommate. While this was a little nice in the sense that it essentially gave me my own room, it has in general proved to be much more frustrating since it results in the three of them (on nights when they aren't out until 7:00 in the morning) staying up all night in the room squeeing, blasting music, and generally being more obnoxious than 12 year old girls experiencing the joys of their very first slumber party.

 It was suggested to me by an associate that I enact my revenge by scrubbing out the toilet with their toothbrushes, a particularly vile suggestion considering that the toilet needed to be fixed by maintenance at the time. I haven't however stooped to that level... yet. Anyway, this looks like the makings of an interesting semester! I'll try to keep you all well informed!