December 2000 News
12/12/00
Well, another month has gone by in a flash, and now I have to try and catch up. Oh boy... Since my last entry, I have survived Apple Cup and having two Huskies stay with me (barely), I've experienced my first full week off from school on Thanksgiving, and had the dis-pleasure of witnessing first-hand, post-holiday traffic and snow on Snoqualmie Pass. I am also currently less than two weeks away from finishing my first semester back at college, and I am happy to say I'm still doing well! Believe it or not, I am getting a "B" in my astronohell class, so my GPA might actually be impressive!
But I really should start with the Thanksgiving adventure first....
I should start out by saying that I love my Pathfinder and consider the purchase of said vehicle to be in my top Five best decisions ever made. I'll explain exactly why in a moment.
Thanksgiving holiday started out fabulous. The drive home with two of my friends, Clare and Matt, went very quickly, and was rather painless. I got into town just in time for my sweetie and I to catch some dinner with a friend I met at the phone system training I went to in New York nearly a year ago. Chris was visiting some friends in Seattle and we had made arrangements to meet up before he left. Due to the fact that I had been in a car all day, I wasn't up for a complete re-enactment of the "sports bar adventures in NY", but we had a good visit anyway. I promised I would behave and party like a good little girl if we met up in Vegas sometime soon. :-) (I have every intention of keeping that promise too! I love Vegas!!!)
Thanksgiving dinner was awesome, as usual, and we ended up having two desserts, thanks to a gazillion pies made by a friend of my honey's sister. Unfortunately, both of us came down with a cold after the grand feast day, and spent the weekend napping heavily. This wasn't a big deal, really, except for it affected my departure time back to Pullman on Sunday. (this is the good part...)
Sunday afternoon, around 2pm, with Clare and my cousin, Michelle, in tow, I started the long drive back to Pullman. Little did I know that long was to mean 10+ hours, not the usual five. UGH. As you can guess, the main cause of the slow drive was a little traffic and inclement weather up on the pass. We spent a couple hours stuck, going about 1 mile per hour, watching it snow heavily, and then finally, got going. I had to learn how to drive in the snow quickly at this point. Thankfully, I soon learned that my truck runs VERY WELL in 4-wheel-drive in compact snow and ice. After stopping at the West Summit Best Western (because we didn't want to pee in the snow anymore...long story...) and getting a pep talk from my Dad and my Uncle David, we decided to brave it the rest of the way and after another couple hours of going 30mph or less, we finally made it to Ellensburg! Needless to say, after making it through that mess, I laugh at my previous email proclaiming my fear of snow. BRING IT ON!!! (In fact, since then, we've had several more snow drizzles, and each time, I look out my window in the mornings and just shrug. "That's nothin'!")
Anyhoo, the ride wasn't over yet. After stopping for much needed fast food nourishment, we piled back into the car for a foggy drive through Royal City and Othello. Luckily, after that, it was smooth sailing. At around 12:20am, we finally drove into Pullman. By the time I got to my apartment, I was completely exhausted. Thank goodness for Clare and Michelle, because without them to keep me alert and awake, I don't know if I would have gone past Ellensburg. It was a good learning experience in that I now know how my truck handles in the snow, and I am very comfortable driving in snow. However, if at all possible, I would rather not subject myself to that kind of torture again.
I got smart after that and now I'm flying home for Christmas. HA HA HA!
Of course, before that week, I had a couple Huskies over to the house for Apple Cup. First of all let me start out by saying that NO, I do not know what happened during the Apple Cup, nor do I wish to speculate any further on why things went so terribly wrong, however, I will offer this one thought: I think what happened during that football game proves without a doubt that our drinking team does indeed have a football problem. Enough said. :-)
As I was saying, my friends from Hermanson, Dut and Devin, came over for the historical event, and were almost unbearable after the massacre. I think they felt badly about their brutal beating of my team so to make me feel better, they took me out drinking after the game... Ha ha. Actually, they wanted to see the "exciting" Pullman nightlife, so we went "downtown" to check it out. We ended up at Shermer's bar, where they have pretty good music and dancing, as well as a "drunk bus" so nobody who's had too many drives home. It was quite a sight to behold.. Overall, the weekend was quite fun, and I was happy to have some visitors from home. Even if they were Huskies... Just kidding guys.... :)
This brings me up to now, I guess. This is "dead week", the week before finals. I've got four finals next week. Unfortunately, one is on Friday, so I'll be here until the bitter end. (sigh...) I've got study group sessions planned already, and I am confident that I'll do well on all but my astronomy final. That class is still a pain in my ass, even if I am getting a "B", technically. I did finally talk to the professor himself, and while he was more polite and receptive than I thought he would be, his attitude towards the class and its performance was a tad alarming for me. I'm just praying that I'll do at least "okay" on the final so my grade will stay where it is. We'll see.
This week also marks the filming of the last episode of "Another View" for this semester. Next semester there will be a new cast and crew... I spent most of today making Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls for the show on Wednesday. Ana and I filmed me making the goodies, and during the show, we'll get to show that "package" and eat them. Here's a picture of me and the finished product...
Don't those look YUMMY??? They are very scrumptious, and I cannot believe that I have not eaten half of them yet. Just kidding... I'm not THAT big of a pig!
Well, since there is a good possibility that I might not write much more on the December news page after tonight, I thought I would take a moment to speculate on the last few months and what I've learned, liked, and disliked... this is from an article I recently wrote for the November issue of "The Duct Call".
By the time you all are reading this, I will be two weeks away from finishing my first semester here at Washington State University. I am pleased to say that when I come home for Christmas, I will have just earned the best report card of my collegiate career. I am currently pulling high “A”s in all four of my Communications classes, and thanks to an amazingly generous curve, I am receiving a “B” in my least favorite class, Astronomy.
This first semester back in college has been very challenging. My day may start later than 7am, but it usually does not end until midnight or later, depending on how much homework I have. Textbooks have been, and always will be, some of the most boring literature that anyone will ever be forced to read, regardless of the subject matter. In college, deadlines are absolute, and spelling and grammar DO count, unlike the world of The Duct Call. (hint hint) I am finding that even though I am as old as, or older than, most of the grad student instructors here at WSU, I am still able to blend in with the much younger undergraduate students. (This became very apparent while I was attending a party a friend invited me to and there were guys too young for the beers they were holding giving me their best Joey Tribiani pick up lines. Needless to say, this experience frightened me and I have not been to a party since.) My brain is being worked overtime as I am learning about many new concepts and ideas in the field of communication that I was not previously aware of. (I can tell you all about how different media messages affect people, as well as how most misunderstandings are caused by differences in speaking styles, not conflicting personalities.) I am discovering that financial aid has limits even though my bills do not, and that the “poor & starving” part of being a college student sucks. I am also learning that not having a decent instructor in my (Astronomy) class makes me cranky, gives me headaches, and creates in me a desire to drink large quantities of spirited beverages in order to forget about the fact that I am actually PAYING to be tortured in that class three days a week.
Even though adult college life can be tough, for the most part, I am enjoying this new adventure. For the first time in my life, I am living by myself, and I really like it. I am actually enjoying going to my classes and learning, which is not normal for me. For example, I almost incited a riot in my speech class today when I did a persuasive speech on the evils of Napster. That was fun! I also get people riled up every week on TV as a host on the TV talk show, Another View, a show that is featured on the WSU cable station, Cable 8. I also have my own radio show on KUGR 95 Rock, one of WSU’s radio stations. In a matter of weeks, anyone in the world will be able to hear my alter ego, Rhayna, rant and rave about music that rocks on the World Wide Web. I am also working part time as the marketing coordinator for the school’s Community Service Learning Center, where one of my duties is website maintenance.
As you can see, I keep myself quite busy. I cannot study all the time though. Conveniently, my computer breaks down every two weeks or so, so I have to take a break from the books while my MIS administrator friend comes over and fixes it. :-) Other times, I do something with one of my friends here. Luckily, I have met a small group of smart, fun people that I can laugh with, study with, and if the moment seizes us, be stupid with. Thanks to Apple Cup, I have had other visitors to break the monotony of homework. (Thanks Dut & Devin!) Once the weather gets nicer, I am hoping to have more friends from the West side over to visit so they can see my place and experience the exciting night life that Pullman has to offer. (Did I mention the legendary Shermer’s Drunk Bus???) I hope this has given you a glimpse of my life here in Pullman. Stay tuned for more Cougar news in the next issue!
And on that note, I should probably sign off for the evening. As usual, drop me a line whenever you can. Have a happy holiday season if I don't talk to you before! Take care!
Love,
Jennifer