Opening Day cont'd - Part II

Part II - There

We pass Morewood, where all of the other Pre-College festivities are commencing, and then within seconds we pass an outdoor staircase lined with large red and white balloons leading up to Hamerschlag. We drive around to the vehicle entrance, and as soon as the cab pulls up one of the staff members comes right up to take our luggage. Everyone was so nice and friendly. It was too weird. I checked in and got my ID. Room A206, which is in Tower A. Through the lounge, up the stairs, and down the hallway to the left and we are at my room. I thought I was first there, but I saw my roommates’ bag there, along with claiming the lower bed. So my bed setup is kind of like a cave. The bed is lofted like 6.5 feet, and then my desk and dresser are underneath. I got in, took out my computer and called my mom to tell her that I got in. It had already been a long day, and not sleeping for 24 hours and not being able to get into your bed made it even worse. My roommate finally returned with the rest of her luggage, and left with family again. I had no clue where to start unpacking. It seemed like I needed those hangers urgently all of the sudden. I finally began to get in the swing of finding a place to put everything away, and a few people stop by and introduce themselves. I make several attempts at getting to the top of that bed, but I still couldn’t do it. It sounded like people were having a party or something at the end of the hallway with all of the music that was blasting. It seemed like everyone knew each other already. When I finally finished unpacking, it was only 1:30, and the next activity, the Student Orientation, wasn’t until 3:45. I was wondering what everyone else was doing, and what I should do with myself, but I couldn’t think of anything to do. I don’t have my Andrew ID yet, so I couldn’t get on the internet. I started reading a book, but that got boring fast. I felt like I was doing that again. The that where I go some place, and only stay on my computer when other things are going on, like on the cruise or during robotics trips. But this time, I really didn’t know where everyone was and what they were doing. I got so bored that I even tried napping.

I finally cracked open my physics book and began to read over some interesting material, when finally an RA knocked at my door, along with all of the other loners, and asked if we wanted to go down to the lounge to hang out. To avoid revealing my more than apparent social awkwardness, I said yes. But maybe this was my chance to make some friends. Not really, but it was something to do finally. There were a few vending machines, a pool table, a large TV surrounded by couches, a bunch of other couches, and a table tennis table. I observed for a few minutes, and then picked up a paddle, when someone asked me if I would like to play, but there’s a catch…there is only one paddle. So she lets me start out with the paddle, being that they played with the package that the balls came in earlier. I caught back into the swing of things rather quickly, being that is has been years since I have played. We switched “paddles” and I even managed to do well with the box. Another kid came up and suggested that I use a book or folder folded in half, which sort of worked well, but was uncomfortable to hold. I was fine with the box. I played about 3 different people, each time gaining more confidence in my once, and now again superior mad table tennis skillz. As the time passed, more and more people made their way into the lounge, when finally it was 3:40 and we all left to go to the University Center for the orientation. I remember one of the staff members asking why everyone was so quiet, soon realizing that we had only been there for 6 hours the most, and didn’t really know anyone.

Attendance was called and then we received a blue folder with about 30 pages of information inside. A few policies and expectations were reviewed, along with the purpose and motto, and “This is not summer camp!” mentioned a few times. I found the project roster and saw that I got my first two choices, Electronics and ECE. With 102 participants, 33 juniors and 69 seniors, there was somewhat of an equal distribution. We found out what textbooks to purchase and the activities to come, such as the Symposium on the last day, the weekend trips and outings, and the mandatory (they couldn’t stress mandatory enough) trip to Kennywood Amusement Park on Wednesday, the 4^th. I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t want to go to an amusement park. A few more general overview topics, a little Q & A, and then off to dinner we go. It was in Rangos Hall, across the hall from the Peter Wright McKenna. Two buffet lines of typical picnic-style catered food. Nothing much to talk about. I sat at a table alone, when it soon became populated with a few more people, a mother and son from Illinois, someone from Pittsburgh, and the guy that I shared the cab with, from Columbus, GA. There was the typical awkward small talk, thankfully interrupted by Damian introducing the RAs and making some other announcement. After that I grabbed some dessert. I haven’t had watermelon in years, but it looked so juicy that I just wanted to try a piece. I could insert some sort of obligatory racial slur here, but nothing comes to mind…and there was no fried chicken! I kid, I kid. After the first bite I remembered why I stopped eating watermelon. My table was soon deserted, just as my tasteless desert was, and I was getting ready to leave when a woman from a neighboring table asked if I wished to join theirs. Great, not only do I feel pathetic, but I also look pathetic. I politely rejected, as I was eager to get back and just rest finally.

I take another stab at trying to connect to the internet with some of the guides included in the blue folder, but I still needed that password because I couldn’t authenticate. I am finally determined to get up there and make my bed, as I don’t want to do so at 12 or so when I am read to fall asleep, and my only solution was to pull the mattress down, put the bottom sheet on, and then put the mattress back up again. Not as easy as it sounds, but I got it done fairly quickly, working up a sweat with AC, or a fan yet. After finally managing to climb to the top of the bed with the help of using the dresser as a push-off, I wondered if there was an easier way to get down from the side rather than at the foot of the bed, and climbing on the chair wasn’t an option, as it rocked a little, so that would be more of a disaster if the chair happened to move slightly. From the top I was thinking “oh it’s not really that high up!” even though I hit my head if I sat up straight, and I was like 12 inches away from the ceiling when lying down. So I jumped. BAD IDEA! I felt and heard almost every bone in my foot crack, but that wasn’t even the worse part. The carpet burn of landing feet first and sliding was an even worse feeling. I managed to get up and sit for a few when some of the pain eased away, except I know that the horrible burning sensation on the ball of my feet will take a while to go away. I think the only thing that made my mood a little better after that was going downstairs to get a Dr. Pepper, except for the going downstairs part.

I finish reading the blue folder to pass the time and note some important information. Tomorrow I’ll go to the bookstore to pick up my two textbooks, Physics and Becoming a Master Student, for $142. I also reviewed the junior schedule and tried to figure out exactly how everything worked. As noted in an interruption previously, a RA came to my door to tell me about a Pre-Floor Meeting before the main one and a reminder for the main one. I went back to blogging and straightening up a little before I realized that it was around 7:50 and I should head out. Girls are standing on either side of the hallway, a position making anyone that passes by a little nervous, but I join them. Some people introduce themselves and make small talk when one of the RAs mention that that is the point of the meeting, so we should hold off until everyone arrives. After a few parents leave, down the stairs we go to the already crowded lounge and listen to Damian and the Hall Counselors speak again, explaining the procedures and things to do tomorrow. After about 10 minutes of “This is not a summer camp, you are here to learn, and I guarantee that this will be the best summer experience, we’re here to help, so work hard and enjoy yourself,” we finally split into groups by floor and tower outside. We sat around and played some ice breaker games and talked more in-depth about general stuff. One interesting variation of a type of name game where you have to pass a stuffed animal to someone and name them was quite interesting when rubber duckies were added to the game and it sped up. There was another game where we split into two lines and it involved something with having your eyes closed while squeezing hands if it is head or tales and whoever picks up the bottle at the end first wins a round.

We were the first group finished, and it was getting chilly outside, so everyone ran to get their jackets before we went to the mentalist show. I opted out on a jacket, as I was enjoying the rare 60 degree weather in the middle of summer! After a few more groups arrived in the lounge, we headed over to some auditorium in the University Center, were handed index cards and golf pencils, and waited for a few minutes before we entered. By this point, everyone seemed to have found their set of friends, or at least their roommate to talk to during these odd moments. This was one of these points where I slipped to the side, observing quietly. The doors opened and everyone poured in, taking almost 10 minutes to fill the whole thing with a mix of Pre-College and SAMS students. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many 16-17 year olds gathered so closely, at one place, at one time. The show began and was quite interesting. I wasn’t impressed by a lot of the earlier tricks, as DJs mind games that I faced throughout the past two years helped develop some of my analytical trickery skills. During the “I Know What Card You Have In Your Hand” trick, it appeared as if the most vulnerable people were being picked. The rest of the tricks were more than mind boggling, where he could guess anything, even random numbers and names written on cards being completely blindfolded with silver dollars duct taped in his eye sockets, quadruple covered in duct tape, blindfolded, and then duct taped again. Between making jokes that would make teenagers giggle, it was quite amazing. The show ended around 10:45pm and we all headed back to the dorm in a massive trail and signed in.

I reviewed tomorrow’s schedule again, played a little Stepmania, which I haven’t done in a long time (hence, boredom), and calculated my balances for the day. I set two alarms just in case I didn’t wake up, stuck one in my pocket, and then left my cell phone on the desk so that I would have to climb down and get it. Finally getting in bed to go to sleep, I finally realized how high this bed was, adding a bit of fear and forcing myself to sleep completely still in the middle of the bed.

Saturday, June 30, 2007 - Opening Day

Part I – Getting There

So…I’m at CMU, in my dorm, alone, with my computer. Greeeeaat. I’ve spent most of the day waiting. Waiting to board the plane, waiting for the plane to take off, waiting to get off the plane, waiting for Zone 5 to be called, waiting for the engines to start up, waiting for the plane to start moving, waiting for the plane to start moving faster, waiting to get to Pittsburgh, waiting to get off the plane, waiting for my luggage, waiting in a cab to get to CMU, waiting for the Student Orientation Meeting, waiting for them to get to the point, waiting for people to stop asking redundant, stupid questions, waiting for the miserable dinner to be over, waiting to find a good time to just walk out, waiting for the hall meeting to start (I’m doing that last one now). So, that’s been the gist of my day, but I guess I can go more into detail.

My mother, grandfather, and I leave my grandparents’ house around 3:45ish, stopping at McDonalds along the way. I think I hate their Late Night Menu. They don’t have Snack Wraps! Nonetheless, after eating dry Chicken Selects, we arrive at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport around 4:00am. There is a long line at the AirTran ticket/reservations desk, yet there is no customer service representative there. We get into line, and the line gets longer, and finally two snappy-late-for-work-“I-hate-my-job”-AirTran employees arrive. They yell for everyone to go print out their boarding pass at the kiosk if they haven’t done so already, and then to get back and wait in line. So my mother holds my spot while I print out my boarding pass, and my name for luggage is called instantly. Just made the weight on the bigger bag by 1.5 pounds! The cranky employee didn’t want to give my mother the Gate Pass that had already been reserved, but she ended up doing it anyway with an attitude. Nothing at FLL is open at 4:30 in the morning. Security is just pulling back their gates…and they’re cranky too! In the last 3 days I’ve definitely learned that public service/government jobs = cranky people. Beware of those postal workers lol. So when we get up to the security line, my bag has to get rescanned. Twice.

“WHO’S BAG IS THIS?!” says the disgruntled security worker as she holds up my backpack.

“Um…it’s mine,” I reply shyly.

“Well something looks funny in here, I’m gonna have to run it back again!” she states as she throws my bag on to the conveyor and moves it back and forth, and back once again.

Although I know that I don’t have any illegal/prohibited substances or materials, stuff like this always gets my heart racing. Then I remembered. This always happens to me. My bag always gets reversed on the belt. It’s my bag of goodies inside. Well, it’s just a bunch of cables that I stick in a bag when I travel. But I guess it’s enough to look like a bomb airport unmentionable.

There was a knock at my door from one of the RAs to remind me of the floor meeting at 8:00pm and a pre-floor meeting in the hallway at 7:55pm before the dorm floor meeting. These people are just SO nice.

So we get through security, and the clock says 4:57am. When we reach the area with the gates, we realize two things. No one’s ticket has a gate number, and there aren’t any destinations or flight information on any of the screens at the gate. This lead to a ton of confusion, but it ended up that this flight was the ONLY one open at this time, therefore all of these people were going to Atlanta, and therefore all of these people should park themselves at the gate with the plane in front of it. Why is this whole common sense thing so mind boggling? The gate area fills up rather quickly, and I swear every 5 seconds someone is asking “Is this the gate for Flight 558 to Atlanta?” And the response is always “Attention Passengers: Gate E4 is serving Flight 558 leaving at 5:38 to Atlanta, continuing to Buffalo.” Most people only heard “Flight at 5:58 to Buffalo” which therefore undoubtedly precedes a slew of ignorant questions. “I thought we were leaving at 5:38!” “I’m not going to Buffalo!” “Where’s my gate!” Jeez, just sit the fuck down and be patient.

Shortly after, they begin calling zones.

“Now boarding Zone 1 & 2 for Flight 558 to Atlanta continuing to Buffalo.”

My seat was in Zone 3. I begin to gather my things and my mother’s eyes begin to water. I ask her if she was going to cry (stupid question), and yes, she did…just a little. It seemed like one of those weird scenes from a Hallmark movie. Walking through the jetway waving goodbye to my mother sadly. At some point walking through I realized “Woah! I’m on my own now for 6 weeks.” But that quickly faded away as I walked into the cramped plane. No matter how big the plane, it always feels teeny walking through the aisles. I found my seat, a window seat next to a couple, including a woman that insists on having the air on full blast from all three nozzles and forcing me to freeze for 1.5 hours. At this point I was extremely tired, but I wasn’t ready to go to sleep, although I might have enjoyed a nice nap.

time for that floor meeting + mentalist show

Despite the uncomfortable ride from FLL to ATL, we still arrived more than 20 minutes early. So after speaking with an agent at the gate, I found out that the gate had been changed from D1 to C16. No train ride for me L. But there was more of a shocker when I arrived at the gate. 1.5 hours before scheduled departure and the seating area is packed. Not a single seat. So I lean against a nice hard metal pole and start observing, soon become bored. I wager back and forth with myself about going to get something to eat or even just wandering around. But we were graced with overbooking on this lovely flight to Pittsburgh. “We only need 8 passengers volunteer their seats in exchange for 2 roundtrip tickets to any location that AirTran services.” It was an irresistible offer. You could see the expressions of everyone debating on whether they should keep their seats or wait until 4:30 and then get 2 free tickets. If I didn’t have to be at orientation by 1:30, those tickets would have been mine.

Blah blah normal flight as usual, except it was delayed. There was a problem with the plane, so even though we were supposed to depart at 8:05am, we took off around 9. 1 hour and 15 minutes later and we are roaming over the plush greenery of Pittsburgh. It was so beautiful. Pretty cool airport too. It took like 10 minutes to get off the plane, and as soon as I did I rushed to find something to eat, not because I was hungry, but because mother said so. So I found a Sbarro and got a slice of pizza and a bottle of water. I forgot that the type of water varies in different places, so I was shocked when I didn’t see any Zephyrhills. Poland Springs instead. It tastes like Deer Park. Ugh.

Down the escalator, on a train, to the left, and we are now at Baggage Claim. I figure it’ll be a few so I sit down and eat my pizza, which I must say was delicious. The bell that announces the start of the luggage movement rings just as I take my last bite into the crust, so I finish really quickly and hop up to the side of the carousel. My bags had to have been one of the last ones to come out. I was starting to get nervous with all of the connection nightmares, but my last bag finally came around the side, reliving my worries. While waiting I spotted someone that pulled out a SAMS Handbook, and realized that that was my chance to save $20 on a cab. I asked if he had transportation – No, and then if he wanted to split a cab for $20ish each – Sure. But caught up in the excitement, I realized that there was a finger-sized hole in the top pocket of the large bag. I wasn’t quite to thrilled to see that, along with several other tears and scratches in my brand new luggage. Scratches are one thing, but holes, intolerable. I took some pictures before I even opened the luggage to see if we can submit them and receive anything for the damages.

We walked out to the ground transportation level and to the empty line for cabs. The guy already knew where (or what direction) we were going before we even got in. First thing I noticed about Pittsburgh: locals don’t say CarnEGGie Mellon, but instead CarNAYgie Mellon. The drive seemed quicker than the 45 minute expectation, and the cost was cheaper than the $46 estimate on the cab company’s website. The environment was a lot different than I expected. It wasn’t too hilly or mountainous, but it was hillier than Florida for sure, and the whole area was surrounded by lots of plush, thick greenery. Passing through the Pittsburgh Tunnel was the gateway to the downtown area of the city. There were tons of bridges extending from many directions. Entering the city, you could immediately tell that it was college territory, with UPitt’s Cathedral of Learning in clear view.

INTERNETS!

Finally got my Andrew ID and password stuff straightened out today, so I could finally authenticate my machine and connect to the network. I've been blogging all along though, so I'll post it all at once.

So...

I'm at my grandparents' house now and I'm leaving for the airport in about an hour. Yeah...3:30am...sucks

Dillard is a D school again. Why would I expect any different? Duh, D for Dillard! That has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with my scores. Oh well...they never seem to help anyway. I wonder what's in store for next year. Wait...I don't care...I'm done with the FCAT..."Triple 5s + 6"...whatever haha those scores don't matter anymore either

So...I'm psyched. A little anxious/nervous...but I won't rush anything...

Just checked FLL's site, looks like my flight is on time. They sent me an email so I guess I should go do the whole online check-in thing now...maybe

I suppose I'll update later today when I get to Pittsburgh after all of the interesting/awkward stuff happens.

Packing...Packed...I guess

Ever just finish packing, but you feel like there is still a ton of stuff left to pack? That's how I feel about now. My suitcases are stuffed, the boxes are full, but I still feel like I don't have everything that I need. It's quite an uncomfortable feeling.

I could write about all of the random packing/preparation things that I did today, but that would be boring. I'm sure packing is packing, just that...it never changes. You put clothes and your stuff in a bag or whatever, and then you take it somewhere. Not that interesting at all. Uh, that was weird.

I don't think I'll be sleeping at all on Friday. I think I've figured out the root of the problems with my grandparents' computers, so we purchased an external HD that was on sale and I'll back everything up and wipe the laptop. Shouldn't take too long. We have to leave for the airport at 3:45am to get there 90 minutes ahead of time, although I doubt that there will be that much airport traffic at 5:30. Called AirTran today to confirm some stuff and we ended up getting a gate pass for my mother so that she can see me off, more so because I'm a minor and we asked nicely.

This week started off weird. I knew it would be weird, but like...it really is. My mommy will be all alone, but I hope that she won't miss me too much. It's been nice having her here this week though. I hate to rush things, but when will it finally be Saturday?!

On Wednesday night we planned to go to the beach in the morning. I didn't go to sleep at all on Thursday night to avoid having to wake up early. So I ended up waking up my mom instead of her waking me up. We pack a few snacks, books, iPod, etc., and head out. Less than 30 minutes later we are at the beach. It was a lovely day. We went to Primanti Bros. pizza first, but it just didn't taste as good as it used to. They have 14 locations in Pittsburgh, where they are from, so perhaps I'll find some real pizza up there. Turns out we forgot our sunscreen, so $5.99 for a 3oz. bottle was our penalty for skin cancer prevention. When we crossed the street to get to the beach, I felt like "Is this really it?!" It had been a while since we'd been to Sunrise beach. Beach erosion and hurricanes surely have changed the place.

My mom loves to put her chair right by the shore with a book where the waves crash at her ankles. I regret bringing a towel and not a chair too. The sand was too lumpy from ATV tracks or whatever. I spent a while hopping around in the waves, as I did when I was younger, but I felt lonely. That same lonely feeling from before...no one to play with :(.

I went to the 7-11 across the street to get a Slurpee, but to my luck...just as I switched the lever, nothing was of an icy consistency. I tried every flavor, but nothing but liquid. The only thing left was the new Full Throttle energy one, which was almost completely empty, and Fanta Banana...tons of banana. So I had a banana slurpee. How thrilling. -_- Walking back to the beach, the liquid and iced part of my drink evolved into some disgusting combination that I couldn't bear to drink any longer. I never thought that I would have to say this about my love, but that was the most disgusting slurpee that I've ever had.

So we're relaxing at the beach for maybe another half our and my grandmother calls. She says it's storming over by her, but there wasn't a single dark cloud in sight by the beach. Not even 5 minutes after my mom hangs up assuring my grandmother that it wouldn't pour over by the beach, there is a torrential downpour. It wouldn't stop. A few drops, a consistent stream of rain, and then seconds later we are soaked. And no, it wasn't just passing. But of course it was lovely and clear as soon as we got home.

I could continue the countdown thing until I leave, but, eh...I don't think so. I'm at the point where I am excited, but too much excitement it draining, so I'll just ignore the excitement until I start packing on Monday. Oh, I can't resist...8 days!

A Battle with Laziness

I have come to face it, I am a lazy teenager. I'd like to make that a thing of the past. I hate this aspect of myself. I really am a good student. Everyone thinks so, but I could do SO much better. Of course this was inspired by my horrible report card. This 3.8 isn't sitting too well with me, and neither is sinking to #22. Out of the top ten, out of the top twenty, sunken into mediocrity. Yeah, it's bothering me. I am not incompetent, I am capable of great success, I am Noelle. I don't feel like Noelle. At least this Noelle is ashamed of that Noelle.

I suppose that this is only bothering me because I know that it is my fault, and my fault is the result of laziness. Straight A's 1st semester, 4.56 GPA. Absolutely amazing. A D is now burning, imprinted into my 2nd semester report card, along with a 3.8. A fucking B+ in Chemistry. SOO close to an A, what the fuck happened! It was supposed to average out into an A! Let's just say I hate group projects, especially when there is a presentation involved. I can only blame myself for the Pre-Calc grade. Lack of homework really hurt grades during Jan-March. This whole situation is all my fault, and it sucks, major.

It's time to re-prioritize. Robotics is no longer #1. No extra-curricular will ever be, never again. I will no longer let the constant January - April stress caused by this...thing, effect my academic performance. It's really not worth it. Procrastination is a bitch. A bitch that deserves to die! I think I might kill her. There's no time for her interference. Priority ranking has greatly shifted:

1. Academic Concentration - in school stuff, actually do all homework this year
2. SAT & ACT Prep - starting this summer, hopefully I'll be prepared for the November SAT and ACT in the Spring
3. Extra AP Practice/Prep - also starting this summer, continuing year round
4. Robotics - I'll try to put forth the same effort, but I'll no longer sacrifice school work for this
5. Any other EC/activity - SECME, NTHS, and whatever else I'm involved in
6. Free time - with 4 AP's and robotics...HA!

I'm not too worried about Junior year at all. I learn from my mistakes and try not to make the same ones again. I hate being a disappointment to myself more than anything else. I think everything will be fine for next year. Except for Calculus, my only worry. I've been good at math forever, then I get to Pre-Calculus and die. Same teacher, not too fond of the teaching approach, but it's what I have to deal with for the next two years. I plan to review my precalc work later this summer, and then get a head start on Calc for next year. I've been doing some Physics prep for the past few weeks, and hopefully the course at CMU will be a great intro for the year. Everything else should be a breeze.

On a lighter, less stressful note, I leave for CMU in 11 days. Less than 2 weeks! Wowzers! I have indexed most of the clothes that I own. I know that I'm missing a ton of stuff though, as I've only categorized the 4 loads that I washed this weekend. This should help with my packing/organizational lists. It's as simple as Drag & Drop, or Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V. I should have the boxes ready to ship for Monday or Wednesday, the latest. Still need to buy a fan and a laptop sleeve. Maybe a small mirror if I see one. Only 10 days, 22 hours, and 9 minutes until my 5:38am flight to Atlanta, then Pittsburgh, takes off!!!!!