In a conversation with a very male co-worker...
T: Yeah, the first time I went to college, I just didn't care at all. I just wanted to get wasted with my friends, so I didn't bother with course selection and ended up with some really crappy courses. I took Women's Studies one semester.
Me: Women's Studies? You?
T: Yeah. At first, I thought it was going to be great because my instructor was cute, but then it turned out she was a huge...
*pauses to look at me uncomfortably*
Me: What, T? She was a huge what?
T: Erm...Feminist?
*uncomfortable silence*
T: I sucked at that class.
Poignant, Opinionated, Feral and Female. Be scared. She Squared.
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
A Week for the Books
Today starts a very hectic, tumultuous time of my life. Daddy is arriving tonight. As we speak, he is somewhere over the Atlantic. Here, to be exact:
On Thursday, I am finally graduating. Ten years after beginning my higher education. I'm trying to stay calm, and focus on the fact that it's less than 48 hours away. The truth is, I have this irrational fear that I will never be graduating. It's ridiculous, I know. I'm just fearful that because it's taken me so long, maybe it's never meant to happen. So focus, Lisa: 48 hours.
Saturday is party time, celebratory drinks galore. This past weekend, we hung out in New Hope at the Triumph with some of Barbara's school friends: Nora, Christine, Amy, Kim and Mike. It was a complete riot and I fell so in love with raspberry wheat beer that I brought home 3 flagons of it. So that is definitely on the cards this week, for sure! Oddly enough, I'm looking forward to the party. I'm not much of a partier, but this should be relatively small with the best people money can't buy.
Then, of course, comes Monday. Ah, Monday. The day I officially start work. I'm excited and terrified all at once. I need to impress the BossMan enough to get him to sponsor me, and I'm afraid I can't do it. Because, y'know, what's life without a little pressure, right? I'm sure it'll all be fine, but if you don't hear from us in a while, that's because Barbara's busy slapping the nonsense out of my head. Salut!
On Thursday, I am finally graduating. Ten years after beginning my higher education. I'm trying to stay calm, and focus on the fact that it's less than 48 hours away. The truth is, I have this irrational fear that I will never be graduating. It's ridiculous, I know. I'm just fearful that because it's taken me so long, maybe it's never meant to happen. So focus, Lisa: 48 hours.
Saturday is party time, celebratory drinks galore. This past weekend, we hung out in New Hope at the Triumph with some of Barbara's school friends: Nora, Christine, Amy, Kim and Mike. It was a complete riot and I fell so in love with raspberry wheat beer that I brought home 3 flagons of it. So that is definitely on the cards this week, for sure! Oddly enough, I'm looking forward to the party. I'm not much of a partier, but this should be relatively small with the best people money can't buy.
Then, of course, comes Monday. Ah, Monday. The day I officially start work. I'm excited and terrified all at once. I need to impress the BossMan enough to get him to sponsor me, and I'm afraid I can't do it. Because, y'know, what's life without a little pressure, right? I'm sure it'll all be fine, but if you don't hear from us in a while, that's because Barbara's busy slapping the nonsense out of my head. Salut!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Actually Overheard, To My Chagrin
A hallway inside CFU. Two girls and a boy are talking about how they're all failing a particular class. They are more valley-sounding than any valley girl I ever met. And I've met valley girls.
Girl 1: (to the boy) Wait, aren't you, like, from my career development class?
Boy: Huh huh huh. Yeah.
Girl 2: Like, Oh my God! I totally know where I recognize you from now. At first I was like... "No", but then I was like..."Yeah", then I was like..."No", but now I'm like "Yeah!"
I think I have an inkling why you're failing college, sweetie.
Girl 1: (to the boy) Wait, aren't you, like, from my career development class?
Boy: Huh huh huh. Yeah.
Girl 2: Like, Oh my God! I totally know where I recognize you from now. At first I was like... "No", but then I was like..."Yeah", then I was like..."No", but now I'm like "Yeah!"
I think I have an inkling why you're failing college, sweetie.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Job Update
I've bored you senseless with tales of my stress over this particular job, so it seems only fair that I keep you updated and 'in-the-loop'. See? I'm ready to go back into the business world, I've got the lingo down pat. And Roger.
I was going out of my tiny mind. It's not a far trip, but I was rapidly approaching my destination for a while there last week. On several occasions, I reduced myself to tears by being my very own worst critic. I was ready to throw in the towel. Then, a professor at CFU who I don't actually know happened to walk by my desk while I was oh-so-carefully smashing my skull into it, and offered his assistance. I explained the problem. He decided he wanted to start from scratch with it. I shan't bore you with the details any more than I already have, but essentially, I had a 2-hour intensive brainstorming session with this chap, who ended up working through the problem in the exact same way I did. And reaching a solution.
To be quite honest, if he'd managed to solve the problem any other way, I would have thrown the towel in and not submitted the problem. What's the point, if I didn't do it myself? The fact is though, that he switched a couple of lines of my code around within itself, and made it do what it should do. I was on the right track. I was this close.
Exhilarated and somewhat exhausted, I submitted the project late on Wednesday night, and at 10am the following morning received an email from BossMan, offering me the position. Man, I was ecstatic! Overjoyed, I forwarded his email to my sweetie, and the members of my family, and got to work on finding out what the next step is from here, immigration-wise. I was so excited, in fact, that I forgot to respond to his email.
Yes. In my overwhelmed, overjoyed, over-the-moon state of mind, I forgot to accept the job.
Yesterday, I get a frantic phone call from DR, saying that BossMan wants to know what the hell the deal is, do I want the job or not, will I ever write back? *smacks self* Hard. I responded instantly, although I haven't heard back from him yet.
So...erm...keep your fingers crossed that he doesn't think I'm a complete moron? I'd appreciate it.
I was going out of my tiny mind. It's not a far trip, but I was rapidly approaching my destination for a while there last week. On several occasions, I reduced myself to tears by being my very own worst critic. I was ready to throw in the towel. Then, a professor at CFU who I don't actually know happened to walk by my desk while I was oh-so-carefully smashing my skull into it, and offered his assistance. I explained the problem. He decided he wanted to start from scratch with it. I shan't bore you with the details any more than I already have, but essentially, I had a 2-hour intensive brainstorming session with this chap, who ended up working through the problem in the exact same way I did. And reaching a solution.
To be quite honest, if he'd managed to solve the problem any other way, I would have thrown the towel in and not submitted the problem. What's the point, if I didn't do it myself? The fact is though, that he switched a couple of lines of my code around within itself, and made it do what it should do. I was on the right track. I was this close.
Exhilarated and somewhat exhausted, I submitted the project late on Wednesday night, and at 10am the following morning received an email from BossMan, offering me the position. Man, I was ecstatic! Overjoyed, I forwarded his email to my sweetie, and the members of my family, and got to work on finding out what the next step is from here, immigration-wise. I was so excited, in fact, that I forgot to respond to his email.
Yes. In my overwhelmed, overjoyed, over-the-moon state of mind, I forgot to accept the job.
Yesterday, I get a frantic phone call from DR, saying that BossMan wants to know what the hell the deal is, do I want the job or not, will I ever write back? *smacks self* Hard. I responded instantly, although I haven't heard back from him yet.
So...erm...keep your fingers crossed that he doesn't think I'm a complete moron? I'd appreciate it.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Having the Most Amusing Friends
The below is an excerpt from my poetry course, a little something I wrote concerning Walt Whitman's "O Captain! My Captain!"
"You'll need to color me a little green, as far as American history goes, I'm afraid, but I wonder if there's any importance to the fact that Whitman wrote this just after Lincoln died. Is it possible he's using the ship as a metaphor for all the good that Lincoln managed to bring to the country (remember, please, I don't know what I'm talking about!), and commenting on Lincoln now not being here to enjoy it? Perhaps it was related to slavery?
Actually, I just looked up a basic Abraham Lincoln biography, and it seems his grandfather was a Captain in the revolutionary militia, and shared the same name. I would imagine that's just a coincidence, but it still struck me as interesting. Under that biography, however, I noticed that the Civil War ended just 6 days before Lincoln was shot, and that definitely seems like it could be the subject of O Captain! My Captain."
A few moments later, in a conversation with my buddy Kris, the following transpired:
Me: i'm totally about to cheat...and post one of my old poems to the main threaded discussion
Kris: lol nice
Me: :D Cheater cheater purple people eater
Kris: LMFAO wow Lisa... making reference to Abe Lincoln and learning the purple people eater song all in ONE day, you might as well be a fucking American citizen.
Me: Well done, hon, you just made the blog!
"You'll need to color me a little green, as far as American history goes, I'm afraid, but I wonder if there's any importance to the fact that Whitman wrote this just after Lincoln died. Is it possible he's using the ship as a metaphor for all the good that Lincoln managed to bring to the country (remember, please, I don't know what I'm talking about!), and commenting on Lincoln now not being here to enjoy it? Perhaps it was related to slavery?
Actually, I just looked up a basic Abraham Lincoln biography, and it seems his grandfather was a Captain in the revolutionary militia, and shared the same name. I would imagine that's just a coincidence, but it still struck me as interesting. Under that biography, however, I noticed that the Civil War ended just 6 days before Lincoln was shot, and that definitely seems like it could be the subject of O Captain! My Captain."
A few moments later, in a conversation with my buddy Kris, the following transpired:
Me: i'm totally about to cheat...and post one of my old poems to the main threaded discussion
Kris: lol nice
Me: :D Cheater cheater purple people eater
Kris: LMFAO wow Lisa... making reference to Abe Lincoln and learning the purple people eater song all in ONE day, you might as well be a fucking American citizen.
Me: Well done, hon, you just made the blog!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
On Being Misheard
(A classroom, in a school, somewhere in America)
Indian Professor: Give me an example of data.
British Student: The price of a product.
Indian Professor: Bra support?!
British Student: ...No. That's definitely not what I said.
Indian Professor: Oh, you know, foreign accents can be so confusing.
Indian Professor: Give me an example of data.
British Student: The price of a product.
Indian Professor: Bra support?!
British Student: ...No. That's definitely not what I said.
Indian Professor: Oh, you know, foreign accents can be so confusing.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Employee Inequality
On Tuesday, my entire department at CFU received an email from our boss. Basically, it appears that other staff members around the University have been complaining about our use of the Employee Lounge.
Yes, you read that right.
These workers do not deem us worthy of having the same rights as them, and honestly are suffering from downright rudeness, not even verging on it. Yesterday, one of the women who works in the Admin office said to my friend (and co-worker), A: "You do know this is for employees only, right?"
A, bless her, left and spoke to the boss about it, and sometime I wish I had that restraint. If that had been me in that room, there'd have been pistols at dawn. "Yes, thank you, I am one. Just like you. With the same RIGHTS as you. Except, you get benefits. And a decent paycheck."
For some reason, the entire situation has just gotten my goat in a tizzy. I can't bear inequality of any kind, be it gender, sexual orientation, international, or even something as stupid as arguing over a place to eat. Now some of the people are arguing that it's a 'Faculty Lounge', even though it says 'Employee Lounge' in a sign on the door. And admins aren't faculty either, dumbass. But, I'm withholding my aggression, and have finally reached a point where I can blog about this without screaming. I'm not the most rational person, and I simply cannot tolerate anything I deem as disrespect. This falls under that umbrella for me.
So I keep going over there, putting my stuff in the fridge, sitting down drinking coffee, eating a sandwich, almost daring someone to say something. Come on, pussies, challenge me!
Yes, you read that right.
These workers do not deem us worthy of having the same rights as them, and honestly are suffering from downright rudeness, not even verging on it. Yesterday, one of the women who works in the Admin office said to my friend (and co-worker), A: "You do know this is for employees only, right?"
A, bless her, left and spoke to the boss about it, and sometime I wish I had that restraint. If that had been me in that room, there'd have been pistols at dawn. "Yes, thank you, I am one. Just like you. With the same RIGHTS as you. Except, you get benefits. And a decent paycheck."
For some reason, the entire situation has just gotten my goat in a tizzy. I can't bear inequality of any kind, be it gender, sexual orientation, international, or even something as stupid as arguing over a place to eat. Now some of the people are arguing that it's a 'Faculty Lounge', even though it says 'Employee Lounge' in a sign on the door. And admins aren't faculty either, dumbass. But, I'm withholding my aggression, and have finally reached a point where I can blog about this without screaming. I'm not the most rational person, and I simply cannot tolerate anything I deem as disrespect. This falls under that umbrella for me.
So I keep going over there, putting my stuff in the fridge, sitting down drinking coffee, eating a sandwich, almost daring someone to say something. Come on, pussies, challenge me!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Why you should always ask to whom you're speaking
I work in a small office at CFU, constantly filled with students and a ringing phone. As with most organizations, we have a specific protocol when answering said phone, and transferring it to the correct line if necessary. Anyway, long and short of it, this morning, 8:55am, it rings:
Me: Good morning, CFU, this is Lisa, can I help you?
Voice: Hi, Lisa, is the other Lisa around?
Me: (Certain that this is my boss' friend in another department) Absolutely, let me just transfer you.
Boss: Hello?
Me: Hi, Lisa, I have Marie on the line for you.
< end call on my part >
Cut to 5 minutes later...Boss comes out of her office.
Boss: You did say that was Marie, right?
Me: Yes. It wasn't?
Boss: No, that was Scott.
Oops.
Me: Good morning, CFU, this is Lisa, can I help you?
Voice: Hi, Lisa, is the other Lisa around?
Me: (Certain that this is my boss' friend in another department) Absolutely, let me just transfer you.
Boss: Hello?
Me: Hi, Lisa, I have Marie on the line for you.
< end call on my part >
Cut to 5 minutes later...Boss comes out of her office.
Boss: You did say that was Marie, right?
Me: Yes. It wasn't?
Boss: No, that was Scott.
Oops.
Friday, August 1, 2008
On School and Excuses
I have had almost no time to devote to this blog since going back to school. I’d love to say it was out of sheer laziness, but I’ve actually been working really hard. I’m taking three classes right now that’ll be ending in four weeks. Then I start another two for the following eight weeks. It’s hectic, but honestly, I’m loving being back at school. Every day except for Wednesday, I get to hang out with my friends. And get paid for it. And get the opportunity to work hard on our schoolwork while we chat. It’s great, and oddly enough I missed it during my semester off. That said, if I hadn’t taken the semester off, I wouldn’t have appreciated it as much. It was definitely the right choice for my mental health!
Next Thursday I am going to an Oracle conference in New York City. I’m really excited about it, because it’s the big boys. The real deal. And I get to meet them, and converse, and learn from them. It’s going to be awesome. Plus, it’s in The City, and we all know how MUCH I hate NYC...
I’ve just put in my schedule for Session B to work, and all being well, I’ll cram my 19 hours into Tuesday and Thursday, with a couple on Wednesday afternoon. That’ll be nice, if I manage to pull it off.
In other news, we got a new fridge! OMG. We’re officially adults. And boring adults, at that, for getting excited over a new fridge (that we got at a bargain price, because of its tiny, unnoticeable dent!) Here’s the beautiful beast, in all his glory:
I think Alice is scared of it. But less so than the vacuum. I promise soon there will be exciting posts to come!
Next Thursday I am going to an Oracle conference in New York City. I’m really excited about it, because it’s the big boys. The real deal. And I get to meet them, and converse, and learn from them. It’s going to be awesome. Plus, it’s in The City, and we all know how MUCH I hate NYC...
I’ve just put in my schedule for Session B to work, and all being well, I’ll cram my 19 hours into Tuesday and Thursday, with a couple on Wednesday afternoon. That’ll be nice, if I manage to pull it off.
In other news, we got a new fridge! OMG. We’re officially adults. And boring adults, at that, for getting excited over a new fridge (that we got at a bargain price, because of its tiny, unnoticeable dent!) Here’s the beautiful beast, in all his glory:
I think Alice is scared of it. But less so than the vacuum. I promise soon there will be exciting posts to come!
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