WELCOME TO ROCTOBER!!!!

DISCLAIMER: Okay, I know it's really OCTOBER, but being that I have been a huge fan of KISW and other rock 'n roll format-type stations, I have the bad habit of adding an "R" in front of it... just to be cheesy.  :-)

October 1, 2000

I cannot even believe that it's already October.  I just about updated the September page!  UGH!  Anyway, seeing as how it has been a while since I wrote anything for the "news" section, I thought I should get off my duff and do it.  :)  

Actually, the main reason why I have been neglecting the website is because I have been trying to study my ass off for all my classes.  Last week I had a record FOUR quizzes/exams.  With the exception of my Astronomy class, I felt very good about my performance on all of them.  My quizzes were in Com 101 and ComSt 102.  The other exam was in my Com 245 class.

Before I go on about last week, I need to take a moment and clarify the Astronomy thing.  Basically, this class bores me to death.  The professor takes the time to do a great PowerPoint presentation, however he does not pause in his lecture for us to take notes or write ANYTHING he says or presents down.  This is very frustrating for someone like me who primarily sees lecture as a time to write notes and LEARN.  As a result of this, and the fact that his lecture style in general puts me to sleep, I learn very little, if anything, in lecture for that class.   Futhermore, the prof posts all of his lecture notes on the internet (which is his excuse for not pausing during lecture) AND just says "oh, read the book for the rest of the material" that we can't cover in class.  SO, not only do I find it hard to get anything out of the class, he makes it nearly impossible to motivate myself to actually WANT to attend class!  UGH!!!

To make things worse, this exam was on SIX chapters of material, that were sort of related in Astronomy terms, but to us beginners, were all very different in content and meaning.  As you can imagine, when one does not get anything out of the lecture, it is very hard to be motivated to try and memorize the book just to try and be successful on the exam.  I did study, and tried to drink in as much as I could, but as I predicted might happen, there were so many little details to everything, I was only able to retain some of it for the exam.  It sucked.  Totally.

To my relief, I am not the only one who is not getting anything out of his lecture.  The exam was on Wednesday.  On Friday, at the beginning of class, he mentioned that he was going to offer study group sessions,  himself and with some of his TAs during various days of the week.  His decision was based on what he had seen on the exam so far.  Since I do not get anything out of his lecture, I doubt I will be meeting for those study groups.  Instead, I will meet with someone else I know in the class, and through note cards and reading, we will study and quiz each other to try and get something out of what is to both of us, a very frustrating class.  Since I do not want a stupid science requirement to ruin my GPA, through study group and/or other methods, I will find a way to retain the information needed to do well on these exams!

Now that I've made you all think that school is hellish and awful, let me talk about my Com classes for a bit.  Since I'm going to be a Com major, these classes, while challenging, are usually pretty interesting to me.  This interest helps on days when the prof isn't making sense or just seems to be off in his rhythm, making the lecture hard to follow.  Naturally, these Com profs all have decent lecturing styles.  They pause after main points to allow us to write stuff down, and they try to explain each point throroughly before moving onto the next point.  Most of what I am learning involves HOW communication works and the theories that revolve around communication.  While much of this is on a "Mass" com level, my Com 245 class has us reading a book that deals mostly with person to person communication, specifically, how different types of communication styles can make or break relationships.  This particular book is fascinating to me in that it sheds light on many of the nuances about other people and how they speak that I have already noticed, subconsciously.  Now I know what I'm looking at, and what to look for in future communication activities with other people, to make sure they succeed, rather than fail.  

For those of you who think I'm speaking in Greek, let me explain something I just read about yesterday.  Let's say that you are speaking to someone and the conversation doesn't seem to be going well.  They seem uninterested in what you are discussing because they never seem to want to add anything to the conversation.  You leave thinking the other person is rude or does not care about what you were trying to discuss.  What was probably happening was that both of you had different communication styles, and therefore, were not picking up on each other's signals on how to proceed or contribute to the conversation.  The other person's lack of input could have been simply that he/she never felt that there was an "opening" in the discussion for him/her to jump in.  Of course, you probably felt like you had given them plenty of chances to jump in and say something, but if your "pause" is different than theirs, there will be a problem. 

Understanding that it was a communication difference, rather than a personal difference, would help to eliminate any negative feelings towards the other person, because the ill-fated conversation was doomed by the differences in speaking style, not necessarily because they dislike you or your ideas.  As you can [hopefully] see, having this understanding of how people communicate could potentially be extremely helpful to ANYONE in any of their relationships, personal or professional.  The next time you have a hard time communicating with someone, you might ask yourself if maybe it was "HOW" things were being said, not necessarily WHAT was being said, that caused the misunderstanding.

Well, that concludes our lesson for today.  I just looked at the clock, and I have to start getting ready to go to a study group for my one exam this Wednesday.  Ooh joy.  Next time I'll try to talk about some more fun stuff, rather than educate you all in the various idiosyncrasies of communication.

Love,

Jennifer

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October 17, 2000

Wow.  I didn't realize that so much time had passed since my last entry.  Ugh.  Obviously, I have been extremely busy, thus my absence.  Classes are keeping me busy the most, and I see no end in sight until the end of the semester.  That's okay - the challenges keep me from being too homesick (most of the time).  My TV show, Another View, has been going well, and my radio show keeps improving each week, which is a very good thing to me.  I am getting very excited about the possibility of working as a DJ back home, so I am really trying to hone my skills while I have the opportunity to do so.  More on that later though...

Because I am still swamped, technically, I am only writing to say that yes, I am still alive, and that I am also about to (hopefully) do something about my horrible Astronomy class.  I have a meeting with the department head tomorrow, (after the 2nd exam of course) to explain my feelings and hopefully, gain some sort of hope for how to deal with the situation.  My frustration level is at an all time high, and for those of you that know me, that is not good.  Thus, my decision to finally try and do something about it.  I'll keep you posted on what happens.  

Well, I had better stop while I know I can.  I need to go finish studying for the exam tomorrow.  :-)  I'll try to write more this weekend... No promises though!  

Love,

Jennifer

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October 31, 2000

I guess since it's the end of the month I should update, huh?  What an insane month this has been.  I think the shock of being in college again has finally hit me, and it wasn't all bad, but it wasn't all good either.  I have good days, where I am happy to be here, rather than working, then I have bad days, when I wish that life would just revert back to when things were SIMPLE!  Work eight hours, go home, eat dinner, hang out, whatever.  No homework, and no shortage of moolah.  

Yes, I believe that the root of my latest stress-episode is directly related to the fact that I am officially now a poor, almost starving, college student.  I miss my paychecks at Hermanson, however, I fully realize that I could not have tried to work full time and attend school anywhere, even back home.  So, I just have to get used to not doing much of anything and really watching every penny I spend.  I am normally pretty budget oriented, but this has been quite an experience - watching the numbers fall and have only small ones coming in... Ouch.  Thankfully, I do have a few supporters at home who help me out here and there, whether it be cash donations (which are always welcome by the way...ha ha) or just through taking me to movies and buying me dinner occasionally.  (wink wink)  I do appreciate all those kind gestures GREATLY - I cannot imagine what I would do without that support.  Thanks!!!

As usual, I am busy.  Today, I met with my advisor, and if all goes well, I have a schedule in mind already for Spring 2001.  I'll be taking two English classes (Shakespeare), one sociology class, one humanities class, and COM 295 - the one class I need to certify and officially "declare" my major.  With this schedule, I believe I have even kept myself to late AM starts as well... I can register in a couple weeks, so I'll keep you posted on what happens there.  I think I'll like this schedule - it will be different, but I think that I'll enjoy all the subject matter.  At least I hope I do!

In other news, I've decided to not do a Cable 8 show next semester.  It has been hectic and crazy doing the show.  Even when it's our "off" week, I'm still doing something for it.   I have enjoyed it thus far, but I really want to have more time to study and just chill out next semester.  With two English classes, I might also be in for more reading than this semester, so I want to have the time to do that.  Besides, Ana won't be producing the show again, so I really have no reason to want to try it again.  Maybe next fall I'll try it again...

For those of you curious as to my radio show, that is something I will NOT be giving up.  It does not take nearly as much time out of my schedule as the TV show does, and besides, I do enjoy it - it's a nice break from studying each week!  Speaking of my radio show, it looks like it will be four weeks until KUGR is online.  :-)  As soon as I get the information on how to connect, I'll forward it on.  The entire staff is really excited about being online.  Not only will this increase our listener-ship, but this is going to force all of us to really get on top of our game.  They are requiring us to sign contracts to stay on the air.  Even though internet is not controlled by the FCC, we want to uphold and respect their rules, thus the contract.   That way nobody can say "I didn't know...."  Personally, I don't have a problem with any restrictions as I have not had a problem with objectionable material on my show...  Regardless, this is an exciting time for KUGR 95 Rock, and I can't wait to get online.  

Once the station is online, PLEASE tune into my show (or others!) and give me feedback!!!  I would love to hear how I sound, if you like the music, etc.  And yes, there is a request line, however, it is long distance from anywhere other than Pullman.  You're still more than welcome to call though... If you want the number, send me a note and I'll give it to  you.  Or check out KUGR's website... 

One other cool thing to mention regarding the radio station: One of the of the other DJs asked me if he could do his own Buttrock show, like a spin-off of mine!  Isn't that cool?!  I might have him come on my show sometime - just to help promote his show, and of course, to help mine.  We'll see what he says...  He might end up doing just an all over rock show, but either way, it was funny to me because  he seems to be one of the more experienced DJs on the station... I also received a big hooray on my flyers up in the studio... I might be posting them elsewhere too to promote our ONLINE status.  Yeah! 

Other than one final a week until Thanksgiving, I don't have much more to report.  I still miss all my friends at home, and can't wait to come back for Turkey Day.  Thanks for checking up on what I'm up to - I'll try to update the site more next month... Thanks!

Love,

Jennifer

PS: I did much better on my last Astronomy exam, HOWEVER, the curve was still horrid.  More on that another day... HA HA.  :-)

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