Jimmy

So, I wonder how my Operating Systems professor is going to react to my slightly irreverent style of doing the homework in his class this semester (example: in answer to a chapter review question that asks “what are data structures” [a topic I spent an entire 4-hour-a-week class on last semester], instead of doing the incredibly boring answer I might have given in the past, I instead chose to answer thusly: “data structures are awesome. But more specifically, data structures are ways of organizing or storing data.” [In case it's not obvious: up to this point in my college career I've never seen it possible to use words such as "awesome" in an assignment. This is a small example of the larger style that I've begun to adapt.] Perhaps not the fullest answer [and certainly not the least cheeky answer] one could give to such a question, but who cares?), in fact I’m trying to kinda push things in a lot of my classes this semester, partly to see how my professors will react (although I know and/or have had a bunch of them in class before so I know how they think…um, yeah, if any of you read this blog I mean that in the best possible way) and partly just because I don’t have the time and/or energy to not be somewhat funner in my style of writing (except perhaps in Academic Writing class where I believe my grade rides directly on how willing I am to show that I am a good formal writer, which I’m pretty sure does not include the type of run-on and parentheses studded sentences that I’m so fond of using), anyone who has read this blog knows how I like to write, but it might not be a surprise to learn that in the oh so serious environment of University I’ve been one to [at least try to] make my writing a bit more formal and serious and academic and “good.”

But I’m getting tired of that. I am really very good at writing, be it blogging, e-mailing or school papers, and I’ve always been annoyed at having to be so much more “serious” (read: BORING) when I’m doing school work, so I’ve decided this semester that since it takes me longer to figure out how to BS my way through “good” writing that in the places where I reasonably assess that it’s OK to not be as formal (read: less myself) I’m just not going to [be as formal].

Now that I’ve said all that I’ll probably get burned on my style of doing the OS homework, but we’ll cross that bridge when (and if) we come to it.

Come to think of it, I’m trying to loosen up in a lot of ways (not just in being so concerned about “formal” vs. “less formal” writing in assignments) in relation to school this semester (this might help explain my sudden propensity to turn in assignments way late, a practice that I’ve always done now and again but that I’ve taken to an entirely new level this semester), realizing that I don’t need to be solely focused on grades and assignments and that there are other things in life just as important to my assignments and grades (and in some cases more important, sorry professors) like friends, family life/relations and following God’s will for my life.

This is the semester when I’ve been least tied to my guilt and feeling controlled by my assignments, and being less serious about deadlines and [to some degree] assignment content has really helped me be less of an uptight person, which has helped me gain more friends because I think I’m being a more open and friendly person (less “I will kill you if you disturb me” and more “hey who cares if I turn this in on time or a tiny bit late or a little underdone? Talking with friends is good”). And given the choice between a GPA that’s .1 or .2 points higher or being more friendly with my classmates, I’ll choose my classmates hands down.

With all that said, it is now 11pm on a Sunday evening and I have two overdue assignments and at least one assignment due tomorrow to work on, so I should probably go tackle some of those things.

Cheers.

-j

Posted in: Life, Writing by jimmy2 / Tags: college, school