Back to School

I know school started about two weeks ago, but the start of the new semester coincided perfectly with the crashing of my computer.

The computer spent a week in the "shop," where computer "technicians" racked up countless (and expensive) hours "fixing" my computer's "issues." (All those quotation marks remind me of Chris Farley on SNL's "Weekend Update.")





The computer is now in working order, but missing everything but my music, for which I had to pay one arm and one leg to save.

Now, with two missing appendages, I'm returning to true desktop, push-button publishing. Without a right arm, I'll never be fully accepted in India, and typing will take much longer, but I'll manage. Thanks, Cougar Computer, for wholeheartedly ripping me off.

Okay. I've got that out of my system and can move on to something that relates better to this post's title, "Back to School."

School started two weeks ago and I'm finally taking all the GEs I pushed aside when I decided as a freshman (five years ago) that I wanted to jump right into my major courses.

Naturally, I managed to knock out most of my GEs along the way, but I saved the true 100 level courses for this, my senior year. What courses, you ask? Biology 100 and Physical Science 100, the two most dreaded classes in the GE catalog.

Besides those challenging courses, I'm taking Latin American Studies 495 (my senior seminar), Philosophy 201 (GE/for my minor), and Religion 351 (World Religions in Light of the Restored Gospel).

By the end of the semester, I'll be 15 credits closer to graduating, and as my mother likes to point out, holding up a sign on a street corner that says, "Will Think for Food."

At least, that's what she says Uncle Alan told his son-in-law about majoring in Philosophy. I'll be okay, though, since I'm only minoring in it. My major is Latin American Studies, which is so much more viable. I like to tell people I'm studying to be a Mexican.


(Pancho Villa a.k.a. Pancho Villa, Friend of the Mormons. I bet you didn't know that!)


The more I think about it, the more I realize that the combination of Latin American Studies and Philosophy is going to make for a much more idiosyncratic sign. It will say something like "Will Think in Spanish for Food" or "Will Describe World Poverty and Hunger for Food."

That last one will mean so much more to me, for I, myself, will be starving. How existential.

Watch out, Ghandi.





Roll over, Henry David Thoreau.





Okay, I actually love my major and my minor, and that's why I chose them. Some other time I can blog about my big plans for after graduation. Right now, I just need to "work hard and get good grades," as my father reminds me every time I speak with him (literally). That will secure my graduation and future success. At least it better, 'cause that's what they've been feeding me since the seventh grade.

The first day of school, which was 2 September, Cody (my roommate) and I decided to take some back to school pictures. He's starting his junior core in the accounting program and had to wear a suit on the first day.





I decided to really contrast his style with my Ed Hardy skull tattoo shoes. I really turn heads when I wear them on campus. I thought it was a great way to portray the differences in our majors.





In my defense, I was carrying a copy of the New York Times under my arm. That's something we Latin American Studies majors like to do.





Here's one more interesting contrast between me and Cody.