Walk!

I just did a Walk to Cure Diabetes today in Roanoke.  It was about an hour away from the VT campus, but it was still a lot of fun and I didn't get too lost (only going to Coldstone afterward...).  It was at the Virginia Museum of Transportation, which was really fun because my tiny team and I wandered around, looking at trains and taking funny photographs balancing on railroad ties and such.  (To be posted eventually, hopefully.)  They also had food, which was very good.  Mmmm... Chick-Fil-A brownies!  I love CFA...

I have to say, after all the research I've been doing about Continuous Blood Glucose Monitoring Systems I've done and the blog entries I've read, it felt really good to see so many people show up to support Type 1 Diabetes research.  CGMs may take years to be deemed "medically necessary" and there might not be a cure for a while, but there is support.  And the more support we have, the more it seems possible to live life to the fullest as a diabetic.

Well, even though it was only two miles (and two-and-a-half-ish hours in the car), I'm exhausted.  I should get the rest of my dormwork done and go to sleep.

First Engineering Test Over!

Yay!  It's over!

Now for German homework!

Last Minute Walk-a-thon

Hi!
I'm doing the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes here in Roanoke on Sunday.  If you want to donate to my team ("Hokies for a Cure"), I would be very happy.


Here's the link:  http://walk.jdrf.org/walker.cfm?id=87177414


Of course, if you wanted to come and walk with us, that'd be awesome too.  But donating to help aid Type 1 Diabetes research would be greatly appreciated.  


Thanks!

Yay!

I got a ticket to our homecoming game!  No, all you scalpers out there, I'm not selling it.  (That's a breach of Honor Code, too.)  Totally going, Lord willing.  **happy dance**

Bis Donnerstag Abend!

Well, if you were a freshman Engineering student on the VT campus this week, you'd be a bit nervous.

The first big Engineering test is Thursday night.  So I'll be a bit sparse(r) until then.

So I leave you with some funny stuff I found yesterday and today: (Sorry the pictures are tiny.  If you click on them, they might open slightly larger.  Maybe Thursday after the test I'll be able to figure out how to make them readable... sorry!)

I find it funny that the only non-colloquial word that means “cheesy” has to specify that it actually means “like cheese.”  Which is a funny phrase anyway.  “How does it taste?” “Like cheese!”  Lol lol lol.  I kill me. (This is from my favorite German-English dictionary, by the way.  http://dict.leo.org )

Thank you for telling me you can’t get on the wireless, Windows.  I appreciate the notification.  But it isn’t necessary, since I turned the wireless switch OFF since my dorm room doesn’t get wireless.  No wonder!  =)

Okay, I'm done.  Off to do homework and go to SLEEP before I get sick or loopy.  Or both.  

=)

Hokies just won against UNC!  20 to 17!  WOOHOO!

Arr!

It be Talk like a Pirate Day, mateys!

Though I haven't really done much talking like a pirate today.  University Honors Course of Studies Planner meeting?  Not so great a place to show how piratey you are.  Newman Library, doing a German worksheet?  Also not the greatest place.

Maybe at Intervarsity tonight.  I dunno.  But for those of you who can get away with talking like pirates, go for it.

My First College Fire Drill

Happened at 12:04 AM.  As in, just now.

Thankfully, I was just reading Linear Algebra stuff on the computer.  One of my friends was taking a shower and had to come out in her bathrobe.

Apparently there was another fire drill a week or two ago, but it occurred around 7pm when I was out.  Midnight is a much more reasonable time, no?  More people to drive out of their rooms, more chaos, you know.  Fun times!

In other news, my halogen desk lamp has been deemed unsuitable for living on my desk, according to fire codes.  And since the inspectors apparently had no problem with the boxes I stuck behind our clothes drawers (which are under my roommate's lofted bed with about 2 1/2 feet between them and the wall, perfect for storage), I stuck the now-unmutual desk lamp in one of them.  So... now I need another source of desk light.  I think I'll be hitting Target this weekend.  (Doubly so, since my roommate wants a coffeemaker, and I am not terribly opposed to the idea...)

Anyway.  To the showers, especially since the odds have gone down that I will have to run out in my towel wrap due to a fire drill right in the middle.  *knock on wood*

Your Virginia Tech Information Source: Cars and AC!

Well, after a long hiatus, I checked my Google Analytics page again.  And the search results that get people here, other than the "diabetic waffles" one (lol) seem to be on the topics of whether freshmen at Virginia Tech can have cars and whether the dorms are air conditioned.

So, the answers:
Freshmen can have cars.  You have to get a parking permit, and you can only park in Lane Stadium or the Cage (Duck Pond Lot) if you live on campus, and if you park in Lane, you have to move for football games, but you may have a car.  It's pretty useful; even though the bus system here is pretty good, it's nice to not have to depend on it.  So you can spend as many hours in Wal-mart as you want.

Are the dorms air conditioned?  Only a couple, but unfortunately for freshmen they're pretty much upperclassmen dorms.  I think the RLC theme dorm is in one of them, though, and that's available to freshmen.  But for the most part, no.  But you know what?  It isn't a big deal.  There are lots of places to study and work that are air conditioned (including all dining halls, which rocks), and it really isn't that hot here.  It does get pretty warm some days, but right now, on my fourth week, I am perfectly comfortable in my dorm wearing a t-shirt and jeans.  Of course, it's nearly midnight, but even during the day, having a couple fans on makes it comfortable.

Also keep in mind that even an air-conditioned building will seem warm after you walk five minutes to get there and get all sweaty.  At least in this season.  But after a few minutes, you cool off and it's fine.

But to all people who may become freshmen at VT sometime soon:  bring fans.  That's what helps keep it cool, along with keeping the window open.  In some of the dorms, you can even keep the window open when it is raining without any problems; I live in Slusher Wing and have no problem.  If you put a fan in your window, the room stays cooler.

The question in a few weeks:  When do the radiators turn on, and how hot do the rooms get?

Can't help you there.  Yet.

First Chem Test = Over! Now: Food!

I just took my first real college Chem test! And I think I did pretty well, but we'll see.

In other news, I ordered a salad today at lunch. Which, if you know me, is really odd, since I usually despise salad. This one wasn't too bad, though I'll order different dressing next time (I got Fat Free California, I think?). But for some reason, they throw in large chunks of swiss cheese, velveeta, turkey, and ham shaped like oversized french fries. Most of that was good, but the velveeta could have been left out. And of course, this salad also included red onions, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Which I promptly ate around or pushed to the side. Ick. And I think there were some dandelion leaves in there, which weirded me out. Yeah, they're edible, but I guess you could eat rocks if you wanted to as well.

Yes, I'm a picky eater. Why do you ask? =)

Anyway, I'm going to go to Stammtisch soon, which (if I didn't explain it last week) is where anyone who speaks any German at all can go to dinner/drinks (if you're 21, which I'm not) and speak ONLY German. I'm pretty nervous, like last time, even though last time was fun. I think I was the only freshman there, and the only one taking the section of German that I'm in. And I was one of three people who ordered food. I think I'll eat beforehand this time, especially since this meal is off-campus and therefore not on the meal plan. The food is good, though; if you go to Gillie's in the future, the quesadillas are good. I got mine with black olives, spinach, and mushrooms. Major yum.  Though definitely something worthy of a SWAG bolus.

Well, I'll go get some food, probably after changing my site.  And then go embarrass myself to Stammtisch.  =)

I like smileys, don't I?  Heh.  =)

I survived Engineering Expo!

I started freaking out slightly on Monday night.

About Expo.

It's Virginia Tech's big Engineering career fair. I had not really talked to recruiters before, or at least not with motives of, you know, some day earning my own money and having a career. Real Life still scares me, mainly just because it is unknown.

But at least I know how to talk to recruiters now. I talked to four companies, and I have to say that's pretty good for a painfully shy freshman. Several of the recruiters were surprised to see freshmen out on the floor. I was a bit of an extra surprise, since my name tag actually said I was a sophomore. Why? I got 30 hours of AP credit. Not a bad reason, but I'm still a newbie.

I had heard conflicting opinions on how students were supposed to dress. Lots of people said that business casual was the absolute minimum, and if you overdress a bit, you stand out in a good way. Then I heard an older student say that she was more nervous when she overdressed, so she suggested just wear business casual. I opted for the dressier option; these people came many miles to talk to us and possibly hire us. And they are successful enough to come tell us about what they do and get us excited about it. So I wore my two suit jackets from Ann Taylor Loft and some dressy pants. (One jacket per day. I just realized that that looks like I wore two at once. No, that would be standing out in a bad way.)

Pretty much all the recruiters I talked to were really nice. I didn't get to hand out any résumés, but that's okay. There's an Internship and Co-op fair in the spring, which is more what I'll want. Though now I have fifteen copies of my résumé printed on nice résumé paper with the watermark going the right way (to say nothing of the eight or nine I printed with the watermark backwards...).

Well, I have an assignment to do on the experience. I didn't get any interviews or offered any internships, but I got something a lot more valuable: I learned to talk to the people who can get you those things.

I'm guessing I'll be freaking out about Expo a lot less next year...

Yay!

We just won 20-17! Go Hokies!

Go Hokies! Online!

Oh, I feel like a dork. Since I didn't get a ticket to the GT-VT game, I'm watching a portrayal of the game on ESPN.com with the movements of the ball marked by little rectangles. VT just scored another touchdown! It's now 14-9 VT.

I'll post the hilarious picture of the weirdest Apples to Apples card combination I have ever seen later on.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Aunt G! And Happy (two days ago) Birthday, Hol!
I love you guys!

Seven Years Ago Today

I think we can all remember exactly where we were and what we were doing when we heard. But all we can do now is pray for the families of the lost and be thankful for all we have.

God bless.

Laura = Backwards Compatible?

Well, I just got back from the Math Empo again. I have a proctored Linear Algebra test I have to take by Monday night, so I figured I would do it tomorrow in the six hours between my Engineering Exploration and my Chem class. So I went tonight to learn to use the only calculator program one can use on proctored Empo tests. It's a funny little program called SlideRule. It's one of those calculators where you can't put in a negative sign before a number--the number must be inputted first, then made negative. Same with square roots and other common functions: number first, then function. I'm so used to my TI-89 Titanium (Dad, you really should get one. They ROCK.) that does things the other way around that I decided to go re-learn how to use simpler technology.

Oh, and this one doesn't do fractions or exact answers; just decimals. *sad*

But on the plus side (no pun intended), the Math Empo is full of iMacs. Which is sweet. It almost makes it fun.

I'm sorry!

Man, I feel terrible. Last night, here in Blacksburg, we got some drizzles, probably from Hanna. But on Pig Song I have just learned that, in Herndon, there has been a lot of rain the past few hours, and my (home)(where my parents still live all year) basement flooded. And I was cheering my head off at a football game with wonderful weather, hoping my parents were watching as well. It didn't occur to me that they would be bailing out our basement. Again. I'm sorry! Please pray for them.

GO HOKIES!!!!!

The Hokies just won the VT vs. Furman game 24:7! WOOHOOOOO!

By the way, is it legal to post pictures of the game or of halftime, etc? Because if it is, I have lots of pictures. If not, someone tell me. I don't want to break any laws or anything.

Yay confusion!

I just went to Gobblerfest, and it was pretty intense. There were a gillion organizations, some student-led, some local, some bigger. There were two booths that interested me most, though.

The first one I ran into (not literally) was the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation booth. They were advertising the Roanoke Walk-A-Thon, so I got some information for that. And since for Hypatia we have to do six hours of community service, I might as well. Especially since I support the cause!

The next one I ran into was the Humane Society. I had heard in the Hypatia seminar that some Hypatians a year or two ago volunteered at the Humane Society or at something that was involved with it. I talked to the people in the booth about getting it started and got someone's email address to contact. Which I fully intend to do. I'm just confused about how to do all this. I hope I'm not stretching myself too thin, since I think I'm the only Hypatian who talked to them about it. There are other girls here who want to work with the HS, but I don't know 100% who they are. Please pray for me. I don't know if I'll end up leading this, or whether it will drop off into oblivion, or whether... I don't know. Ack. But I want to help out. I just hope I can make it more than just the thought that counts! I'm confused and admittedly not sure if I can not mess this up.

Oof.

Well, I just got back from my trip to Wally's world. It was good, I got the stuff I needed, and I even got some sugar-free Pop-ice for the freezer. And cheesesticks. And chocolate chips, since I just ran out of chocolate. And, of course, Diet Dr Pepper. (Without caffeine, of course.)

Then I had to get it back here. It was heavy, and I'm still a little unfamiliar with the route to the Cage from Walmart and from the Cage to Slusher Wing. But when I got there, someone held the door open for me. Awesome people.

Well, I'm gonna go check out Gobblerfest, the student organization fair. I'm hoping there's free food. And sorry for the rant, by the way.

Man, how do people get golf carts here? I see lots of people driving them around. I want one!

Zes!

Oh zeah, finished the German. I probablz should take mz kezboard out of German lazout though, since the z and y are switched and the punctuation is funnz. For instance, if I have to tzpe something along the lines of "Iäm feeling hilarious todaz,", I have to remember where the actual apostrophe is. Since the apostrophe kez turns into the ä kez. And semicolons are shift-comma, and that hzphen there was actuallz on the ? kez, and that ? was shift-ß. Which is the American hzphen kez. Ack. Sorrz if this is a bit difficult to read. Bleh. Anzone want to trz pronouncing it?

*pushes shift-alt to get things NORMAL*

Though I do enjoy learning the keyboard, especially since otherwise, I would have to dig around in the Symbols pallete in MSWord to find umlauts and essets. Oh, I miss being able to use Macs for school assignments. All you have to do there is push option-u and whatever you want to have an umlaut, or for the essets, option-s. Easy. Silly Microsoft!

Anyway. I'ma go do more homework. Gobblerfest is tomorrow, and also probably a Walmart trip (before the roads get crazy for THE GAME ON SATURDAY that I have a ticket for! Oh man, if it were gonna be cold on Saturday afternoon, I would totally buy the maroon gloves with little maroon and orange pompoms on each finger. So very cute! But I'm a cheapskate. I'll at least wait until it's cold.

(joking. If I don't use my money sparingly, I will learn firsthand why the stereotype says college students beg their parents for money consistently.)

...?

Oh man, who kept telling me to do my homework on the ratings? Awww.

=)

Miscellaneous Ramblings of Someone who Needs Sleep (did I spell miscellaneous correctly?)

I didn't know I could write so much German. For AP essays, all we had to write was 150 words (there was no extra credit for going over) and edit. But for this assignment for class, I've already written 402 words. And I'm not quite done. It has to be a page long, typed, but thankfully the question(s) are pretty open ended. They're about music. Who can't talk about music forever? I'm guessing I've got maybe 80 words left, so that's a good thing.

Anyway, I have an 8am class tomorrow that goes to 9:30, and then I have six hours before Chemistry. Oh, and then an engineering seminar. The College of Engineering went to all the trouble to schedule "Free Time" for us Freshmen on Thursday nights. Not for us to relax, no. For them to have assemblies. There are so many people there, that they wouldn't notice if a person was missing. The way they find out you attended or not? They'll ask questions on the first Engineering Explorations test. Although the presentation last week was interesting. It was about patents and copyright infringement and stuff. And I took notes, thank goodness. Ooh, and did you know that, trade secrets, even though they aren't regulated like patents or trademarks, are still legally protected? I thought that just if the word got out about the super-special recipe of your great-great-great grandmother's donut icing got out, too bad for you. But no, there is legal protection. (Not that I was going to be giving any super-secret recipes away or anything. Though I should post my cheesecake recipe. When I get home. And have time to remember which of about a gillion I've tried that I like. One hint, though: for a cheesecake, make a shortbread crust. It tastes REALLY good, and it's different than people expect.)

Anyway, I should go to bed. Good night!

SWEeeeeee!

Yay! I just got back from my first Society of Women Engineers meeting. I tried to go to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers meeting, but it was too packed for the tiny classroom they had reserved, so probably one of the few other girls there and I decided to go to SWE. I'm glad I did. They had a lot of info about upcoming events, about Engineering Expo, and... it was just plain awesome. After standing around in a cloud of guys for the MechE meeting, it was refreshing to see so many girls. (There was one guy. Guys can join as well, but not many do.) And they had free pizza, so that was also great.

After the meeting, they had little stations you could go to to get questions answered about stuff. I asked some questions about Expo, and I'm glad I did. I found out what to wear (Business Casual or better, so I might wear a business suit... hmmm... thinking needed here), about the recruiters, how to keep in touch with recruiters (many are Hokie alum anyway and just keep coming back to recruit more Hokies), and other stuff.

Anyway, I'm going to go see if I can figure out how to get a national membership for SWE online. If you want to try the "Reactions" feature from Blogger in Draft, try it below. I think it's kinda cool, at least.

I survived!

And nothing exploded or anything! Sweet.

Chem Lab......

Well, I have my first Chem lab tomorrow at 8:00 AM. I can't say I'm 100% looking forward to it, since during the chem lab I did during the summer program I always seemed to be making mistakes due to being nervous about making mistakes by improperly documenting the boiling of water or something else that would seem entirely trivial were it not done in a laboratory setting. Or something like that. But I'm probably just overreacting. Although I will have to boil water tomorrow... =)

Speaking of which, since we will be using Bunsen burners for several labs, and since there are many, many students who must use Bunsen burners every semester, why does the university make students bring matches or lighters to class? Would it not make sense to invest in some strikers? It feels a bit sketchy (or as native Blacksburgians say, as far as I can tell, sketch) to be carrying a lighter around in my backpack. (FYI, I am very anti-smoking!) But I guess it's understandable; mine cost barely more than a dollar. Still, the semi-implied association makes me squeamish and unjustifiably embarrassed. Although I'm not a lab instructor. Maybe there are regulations or something. If I didn't have homework to do this semester, I might research the reasoning. =) I'm not trying to subvert authority or anything; just curious and a bit weirded out.

Anyway, I should get to bed so I can actually be awake for said Chem lab. Good night!

Okay, fine. I'll cave to pressure.

Okay, I changed the look again. Obviously, the header needs some work. Maybe I'll even try to get an actual picture of a waffle for it soon, custom taken in a dining hall by yours truly. Until then, enjoy the not-turning-on-lightsness of this layout. =)

YES!

Okay, so my German class (3105) had a confusing room situation. I thought the room had moved from an Engineering building to a Business building, but we were still in the Engineering building and I only got there just in time this morning. But it doesn't have a projector, and my German professor wants one. I would too, personally. I like technology. So I just saw in my email that... my German class has moved to the residential side of the Drillfield! The Drillfield has an academic side with a couple of dining options and a residential side (including my dorm) with way more dining halls. And now, we're over here, near where I live. And I will be able to get a good, non-pizza-or-pastry lunch in between Deutsch and whatever else I have after that. Which rocks. And apparently the room is pretty good.

Anyway, the design change may change. I'm not sure about this layout, but who knows.