It is pretty nice that classes start later in college than high school (especially since I had early early morning seminary last year). I was able to pull my things together and spend a few hours on myself.
Today in English, we discussed how to write proposals for our essays. After viewing some examples, we were given some time to work on our own. Then we exchanged and discussed. The girl next to me was kind of embarrassed, since she didn't know we would switch so her paper was more like scattered notes than a coherent proposal. Mine was similar, so that was fine.
Her topic is the difficulties of being a college student as someone who never graduated high school- she's fifteen, and dropped out of high school to come to college. Wow! That's kind of surprising that they let her in. Does that mean she dropped out as a freshman? She must have worked pretty hard. I wonder what scholarships she has, and how far away her parents are, but since one of her notes was "having a roommate who is thirteen years older than you", maybe they don't live too close to campus. My mom didn't want me to skip even one grade if it meant I'd be leaving her a year earlier. I can't imagine skipping like, three or four.
Another of her notes said, "the levels of the classes we have to take in the last years of high school are about the same level as college classes, so what's the point?" Ha. I wonder if this is her first or second semester. Either way, she must be pretty smart and confident in herself. I'm interested in knowing what her criteria is. Is she taking getting As into account, or just passing the class with a C?
I came home to relax and whatnot before my career class. The advisers came and spoke with us today. One of the things they talked about was the Psy Chi honors society club... thing. I asked if there was any point to joining it if we don't plan to go to graduate school (since most of the benefits associated with it seemed to be "these people can write you a letter of recommendation"). I was told that they are legit and would be a good name to have at your back. Joining (well, participating) sounds like it would be utterly miserable, but it's probably something I should look into (They did send me an email inviting me to join them last semester, after all).
I stayed on campus until my interior design class. It's funny how that's the class that always has so many box elder bugs crawling and flying around. On average I've probably seen twelve a day in that room. It must drive the interior design teacher nuts.
We looked at a lot of paintings today that were just white backgrounds with random splotches of color on them (Who pays for these things?) I thought it was funny when he said, "if you walked past this painting, would you think it was top-heavy or bottom-heavy?" I was just sitting there thinking how weirded out I would be that of all the paintings in the world, someone had hung up that one. It was literally a black trapezoid at the top and a few colored rectangles (and one green circle) at the bottom, separated by empty white space. I came to this class to learn how to arrange furniture so it creates a certain affect on people. If anything, I was expecting to discuss feng shui. Frankly, I've been a little disappointed. At least the class hasn't been too much work.
So far, the only lesson I'm learning from all of this is that interior design is very subjective and doesn't relate to psychology and behavior the way I assumed it would. I don't think I've liked any of the rooms he's ever praised- many of them are too big and fancy and give off that "this is for looks, not for using" vibe, and the ones that are for sitting in are for some reason often ugly yellow-green.
I probably won't want to talk much with a designer when I'm moving into my own house. I just prefer practicality over style. For instance, my teacher bashed pretty heavily on a room with two couches facing each other, saying they make the room look stiff and unwelcoming (despite the fact that his "welcoming" example had hard chairs? Okay). He seemed fond of the idea that one couch be removed and replaced with two chairs.
Um... No? My first reaction to seeing couches facing each other is that the environment is for encouraging friendly discussion. Also, I don't really like to draw flat on a desk when I'm sitting, and I don't like to draw lying back on my bed. I like to lean. I want lots of couches in my dream house. Lots of room for everyone to sit next to each other and kick their feet up next to them. I hate being told I can't have my feet on a couch, so I want couches that let me have that.
It's fine if he wants to advise us, but I don't like the way he treats everything he teaches as if his opinions are fact. If he were better at backing it up, that would be different, but instead he just tells us, "This is wrong because it's uninviting". But. Can you explain why, please?
I guess I'll just arrange my living space the way I want to. Maybe I don't like three circular sidetables of different heights that are just for decoration when I could have a single, practical table for holding things instead. If I'm spending money on something, I want it to pull its own weight. I wanted to learn stuff about how and why the color red makes one feel hungry, the color blue calm, what patterns do, or what the psychological effects are on a person who walks into a room with certain decorations as opposed to other decorations. I didn't sign up for a class on interior design so I could discuss paintings that are literally just a bunch of colored lines and blobs.
I've tried to have a good attitude, but I'm starting to grow impatient. I have my likes, my teacher has his. If he wants to hang a painting of a black trapezoid and some scribbles on his wall, then fine. I'll pick my own decorations. I want shelves. Lots and lots of shelves. I want lights that are white, not yellow, at least in my workspace (It's a pain to be in front of my bright computer screen after the sun goes down). I definitely want windowsills wide enough to hold small flowerpots- that's almost nonnegotiable. I want a magnetic fridge (and that IS nonnegotiable). I want plenty of desk space, and maybe a cork board or magnetic whiteboard on the wall nearby. I want a living area with carpet. And no bright blue walls. Basically, I want everything Mom and Dad's house doesn't have. It just doesn't work for me.
I had the rest of my day to myself, though. I did dishes and worked some more on that essay proposal (which is due on Saturday). I was also thinking about something odd today. It doesn't seem like I have a "final" in any of my classes. There doesn't appear to be one for my two-credit career class. In English I have a final paper (that we'll be working on from now until it's due). In interior design, I have some sort of final project (which I doubt will be fun). In abnormal psychology and in stats, I do have tests to take at the end of the semester, but they're both unit tests for the final units, and the math one is a take-home exam. Huh. No wonder this semester has felt lighter than the last one. It's kind of nice, actually.
I stayed on campus until my interior design class. It's funny how that's the class that always has so many box elder bugs crawling and flying around. On average I've probably seen twelve a day in that room. It must drive the interior design teacher nuts.
We looked at a lot of paintings today that were just white backgrounds with random splotches of color on them (Who pays for these things?) I thought it was funny when he said, "if you walked past this painting, would you think it was top-heavy or bottom-heavy?" I was just sitting there thinking how weirded out I would be that of all the paintings in the world, someone had hung up that one. It was literally a black trapezoid at the top and a few colored rectangles (and one green circle) at the bottom, separated by empty white space. I came to this class to learn how to arrange furniture so it creates a certain affect on people. If anything, I was expecting to discuss feng shui. Frankly, I've been a little disappointed. At least the class hasn't been too much work.
So far, the only lesson I'm learning from all of this is that interior design is very subjective and doesn't relate to psychology and behavior the way I assumed it would. I don't think I've liked any of the rooms he's ever praised- many of them are too big and fancy and give off that "this is for looks, not for using" vibe, and the ones that are for sitting in are for some reason often ugly yellow-green.
I probably won't want to talk much with a designer when I'm moving into my own house. I just prefer practicality over style. For instance, my teacher bashed pretty heavily on a room with two couches facing each other, saying they make the room look stiff and unwelcoming (despite the fact that his "welcoming" example had hard chairs? Okay). He seemed fond of the idea that one couch be removed and replaced with two chairs.
Um... No? My first reaction to seeing couches facing each other is that the environment is for encouraging friendly discussion. Also, I don't really like to draw flat on a desk when I'm sitting, and I don't like to draw lying back on my bed. I like to lean. I want lots of couches in my dream house. Lots of room for everyone to sit next to each other and kick their feet up next to them. I hate being told I can't have my feet on a couch, so I want couches that let me have that.
It's fine if he wants to advise us, but I don't like the way he treats everything he teaches as if his opinions are fact. If he were better at backing it up, that would be different, but instead he just tells us, "This is wrong because it's uninviting". But. Can you explain why, please?
I guess I'll just arrange my living space the way I want to. Maybe I don't like three circular sidetables of different heights that are just for decoration when I could have a single, practical table for holding things instead. If I'm spending money on something, I want it to pull its own weight. I wanted to learn stuff about how and why the color red makes one feel hungry, the color blue calm, what patterns do, or what the psychological effects are on a person who walks into a room with certain decorations as opposed to other decorations. I didn't sign up for a class on interior design so I could discuss paintings that are literally just a bunch of colored lines and blobs.
I've tried to have a good attitude, but I'm starting to grow impatient. I have my likes, my teacher has his. If he wants to hang a painting of a black trapezoid and some scribbles on his wall, then fine. I'll pick my own decorations. I want shelves. Lots and lots of shelves. I want lights that are white, not yellow, at least in my workspace (It's a pain to be in front of my bright computer screen after the sun goes down). I definitely want windowsills wide enough to hold small flowerpots- that's almost nonnegotiable. I want a magnetic fridge (and that IS nonnegotiable). I want plenty of desk space, and maybe a cork board or magnetic whiteboard on the wall nearby. I want a living area with carpet. And no bright blue walls. Basically, I want everything Mom and Dad's house doesn't have. It just doesn't work for me.
I had the rest of my day to myself, though. I did dishes and worked some more on that essay proposal (which is due on Saturday). I was also thinking about something odd today. It doesn't seem like I have a "final" in any of my classes. There doesn't appear to be one for my two-credit career class. In English I have a final paper (that we'll be working on from now until it's due). In interior design, I have some sort of final project (which I doubt will be fun). In abnormal psychology and in stats, I do have tests to take at the end of the semester, but they're both unit tests for the final units, and the math one is a take-home exam. Huh. No wonder this semester has felt lighter than the last one. It's kind of nice, actually.
