College Life: Episode 6: Marvelous Marble

For the summer, once a week I'll be sharing a story from my college days at CSU, 1984-1988. I will leave links at the end of each post for previous episodes.

Despite all the joking, pranks, and my lack of ability in physics, I was a really good student in my other classes.  I was also majoring in English along with the math.  Since I was studying two subjects which don't usually go together (that whole right brain/left brain thing) my classes were ALL over campus.  

I received the privilege of inhabiting buildings old and new, large and small.  I had the chance to attend classes in buildings over 100 years old.  Those were the ones that held my attention and fed the history buff in me.  Today we're going on a bit of an exploration to one of them.

The moment I opened the door to what was now the statistics building, I could scent the history of all those years in a way that touched me.  Not musty - but old paper, old machines still in use, it was the sum of thousands up thousands of people going up and down those amazing stairs, caressing that wooden rail with the brass fixtures, which now is narrower and has a patina.

The inlaid marble stairs were indented.  The impact of all those feet had worn deep marks into the design.  In places the big diamond outlining the pattern was just gone, little by little, until only a slight side or small corner remained.  No longer bright and shiny, the stairs were to most people just the stairs.  

"There's no elevator to the third floor?  Isn't that illegal?"

Hurrying by, on their rushed way, they miss it.  I just stopped and watched.  I super-imposed a scene - men dressed in suits and with hats, ladies in dresses and heels and the stockings with the seam in back. (The building had once been utilized in a public, commercial way, and I'd seen pictures in the library archives, though that's a different story, and I will tell it.)  It had been converted from offices to classrooms for our use.

I know I'm weird - math, words, history - but I love it all. Climbing those stairs to the top floor, I thought about someone coming in another time, and seeing the imprint even further into those stairs, only my feet helped make that impact.  One step at a time, we add our bit to the history, whether we appreciate it or not.

~Tina

What "gets" you?  Are you into history?  Does a brand new building make you want to check out whatever the latest and greatest is in design?  Do you see if they're using "green" building products?

~~~~~~~~

P.S Some of you saw two posts Friday.  I had written a totally whiny post about my health again, but had decided against it and to focus on my anniversary.  I forgot to delete the old one.  Sorry about that.  Operator error.  Unstable blogger ;-)

©2014 All Rights Reserved
Episode 1: Rommmates

Episode 2: You've Got To

Episode 3: The Cheerleader and the Boyfriends
Episode 4: Study Buddies
Episode 5: A Physics Prank

College Life: Episode 4: Study Buddies

For the summer, once a week I'll be sharing a story from my college days at CSU, 1984-1988. I will leave links at the end of each post for previous episodes.

Since I was a math major, it meant that a lot of my required classes were taken with scientists and engineers.  For example, the required physics class was PH141, Physics for Scientists and Engineers.  It was held in a theater like setting. Sat about 300.  Five grueling credits.  Met three days a week, then a 2 hour lab.

It was brutal.  I could handle it fine once I got to the equation.  The problem was this was for engineers.  You know, those guys who build and design and invent things and work in the real world.

I guess you could call me Sheldon in that I'm a theoretical mathematician. I like the big ideas, the structure, the language, the possibilities.  I'm not Leonard, who uses all that theory to actually do something.  Just let me play with my numbers.  

Not so in this class.  I knew I was in trouble from the first assignment.  Luckily though, the two guys from my tiny high school who were also at CSU were in this class!  They were willing to tutor, along with their friend.

They were truly patient with me as I was over invading their space with some regularity.  I brought snacks, I attempted to be prepared with what I'd tried, so they'd see I wasn't just free-loading.  They literally dragged me through that class.

It wasn't them just handing me their meticulously completed homework.  No, they took turns sitting down with me and explaining.  There were even moments of joy when THEY were stuck on the equation part and I could help!

There was one more huge obstacle to overcome though.  The testing method.  Have you ever been subjected to the following atrocity?  You start the test with a 0.  You get four points for a correct answer.  You lose one point for a wrong answer.  "No answer" to a question does has no effect on your score.  Do you have any idea how agonizing it is to calculate your confidence in an answer using a system like this?

It was a struggle the entire year.  Yes, I had to take two semesters.  I played with the test formula.  I took risks.  I got a 56% in the class.  It was, however, much to our surprise, graded on a curve.  56% netted me a B.  A B!!!  Unbelievable.  I didn't deserve that, but I took it and ran.

Physics and I are still not friends (except on Big Bang Theory, of course) but I survived.  Next time, a little story of another strategy that made it possible.

~Tina, getting by with a little help from my friends

;-)

©2014 All Rights Reserved

Photo credit: Frustrated student

Photo credit: Students Studying

Episode 1: Rommmates

Episode 2: You've Got To

Episode 3: The Cheerleader and the Boyfriends

College Life: Episode 3: The Cheerleader and The Boyfriends

For the summer, once a week I'll be sharing a story from my college days at CSU, 1984-1988. I will leave links at the end of each post for previous episodes.

@@@

It did get better once The Cheerleader moved in next door. Her "real" name was Tara, and she was actually a cheerleader, for CSU, so somewhat famous on campus, and a bit of a steadying influence on the trio.  We all know how well triads work in female friendships, don't we?  (Guys: it doesn't.  Someone is always on the outside looking in at a much more solid connection, and someone else is being gossiped about.  A lot.)  I think you can see where this trio headed...

She was kinda the cream to the black coffee and sugar, trying to take something a bit bitter, and unpalatable to some, and steady out the "sweetness" of someone trying to please all the people all the time by adding a touch of something smooth, and easier to take.  I did like her, but she was definitely Mary-Jo's type, not mine.

Tara came with a sorority attitude.  This was the year she was going to pledge, and they spent hours on the floor of my room planning which one, discussing the merits, and of course the all important connection each had with a sort of "brother" fraternity, therefore making this decision all the more critical.  

I just went to my math classes.  They went to most of their classes.  They were both psych majors.  Tara was on her third major.  (Can you see how choosing a sorority might take some time when you can't decide what to study?)

Then came the afternoon I couldn't get into my room.  I'd gotten past the front door, because it wasn't after hours yet, and I had my ID and keys (two items I checked for constantly  - did NOT want to be without them in any circumstance.)  However, I couldn't get my room open.  The doorknob key worked just find, but the deadbolt wouldn't turn.  

Puzzled, I knocked on Tara's door.  No answer.  Of course I had no cell phone, so I knocked on my own dorm room door. "Mary-Jo?  Are you in there?"  No answer.  Dead silence. Frustrated, I sat down to formulate a plan.  I don't know how long I was sitting there until I started hearing faint noises from inside MY room.  I decided to wait it out.  She, or someone, was in there, had surely heard me knock, and was maybe thinking about letting me in.

I was still waiting when I met Deanna.  She wandered by, I knew she lived on our floor, and I said hi.

"Oh, the old forgot the tie on the door thing...how rude. Wanna come down to my room and meet my hideously gross roommate while you wait?"

Why not.  I didn't know about ties, but at least there was another person with a rude roommate, and she seemed nice. Anything to pass the time...

©2014 All Rights Reserved

Photo credit

Episode 1: Rommmates

Episode 2: You've Got To

College Life: Episode 2: "You've Got To!"

For the summer, once a week I'll be sharing a story from my college days at CSU, 1984-1988. I will leave links at the end of each post for previous episodes.

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"You're here!  You've got to come meet everyone!  Hi!  I'm Mary-Jo and I just know we're going to become best friends!"

She was a talker, a non-stop whirlwind of energy and gestures and I was overwhelmed.  I still needed to find some territory to call my own, unpack, and try not to freak out about leaving my boyfriend (The Engineer, by the way) behind for three months.

"Hi, I'm Tina."

"I know!  You're from Denver and that's perfect because you'll know a LOT of people here and that will help me get introduced to everyone!  We've got to do that!"

I didn't bother to tell her, at that time, that I was really not a popular person, was in fact a total nerd from a very small school, and she was out of luck if she was looking to find people through me.

"Would it be alright if we talk about some roommate stuff first?  I've got a few questions."

Family discreetly headed off to explore so that we could hammer out some co-existence policies more to my comfort.

Though her sorority girl enthusiam (no offense meant to anyone who enjoyed their sorority life, but it just wasn't something I was even remotely interested in) was overwhelming, she was actually a fairly reasonable person, and did finally understand that though I was willing to share my clothes (she had very few) and my electronics (including one awesome boom box which lasted until just five or so years ago) and my typewriter (pica font, size 14, a treasured item from Grandma Vivian), I did need some space of my own. We divied up closets and drawers.  She moved stuff.  I unpacked stuff.  I felt better.

She immediately spied one of my favorite shirts and asked to borrow it for, "Our very first dinner together in the dorms! Aren't you excited?"  Well, not really.  I was already having food issues, and hadn't really planned to spend my days in her company (read shadow) but agreed that sure, let's do that.

Family then came back, said goodbye, and I was left alone with my whirlwind.  She practically dragged me along as she introduced me to almost every person we passed, whom she'd already met during her first, "Rounds of meet and greet.  Everyone meets everyone as soon as possible.  You've got to!"

Apparently I also had to "get ready for dinner" by fixing my hair and make-up.  "It's what everyone does, you've got to!"  I complied.  I found that a lot of the time when calculating the cost of a decision involving Mary-Jo, it really was just easier to "Just do it."

Dinner was an experience, but I'll spare you. I really am going to tell actual stories, but you had to meet the players first, and this is how it happened. Next time: the cheerleader, and the boyfriends, and getting locked out...

Any stories to share?  Crazy roommates?  Bossy roommates? Good food in your dorm?

~Tina, remembering Cap'n Crunch, which became a staple of my diet, and that there was diet coke available at all times.  Even at breakfast.

©2014 All Rights Reserved

Photo credit

Episode 1: Rommmates