Lauren Georgeson's Insight

Archives for the Month of October 2005 on Lauren Georgeson's Insight

Meeting with Donald Kamalsky...

Suzy, Sheila, and I are researching The Village at 115 for our final group paper. We figure we have a good variety in our group considering Suzy lives in Clark Tower, Sheila lives off campus, and I live at The Village at 115.

Last Wednesday, we had a meeting with Donald Kamalsky, Director of House and Residence Life, to discuss The Village at 115. He actually gave us very good insight into this new apartment-style housing. It was especially interesting to me due to the fact that I got a chance to get all the questions I had regarding this housing answered.

It is amazing how much technology there actually is under the surface. It was very interesting to hear about how they went about putting together their ideas. It was a little like that video clip we watched in class of that group of people writing down their ideas, then discussing them. I'll save the details for an upcoming blog after our group writes the paper. Right now, I'm still revising my other paper!

Thanks Professor Yoo for referring us to him! He was very helpful.

No More Accidents...

I don't know what it is about me and accidents, but I feel like I am always in one. It is absolutely ridiculous!

A little over a year ago, my friend and I decided we should start riding our bikes to get a little exercise. So one beautiful August afternoon, we rode our bikes through the Metro Parks like I used to do when I was a child.

Everything was going well until on our way back... this guy was obviously not yielding to pedestrians, or even paying attention for that fact. My friend and I were about to cross the street. We thought it was clear, since the little white person was displayed across the street signifying it's okay to go, and the new device the city has developed for blind people was saying, "It's okay to cross." Well, we were wrong... BAM! A car was making a right turn on red and only looking to his left for oncoming traffic. The man obviously did not look to his right for any pedestrians. I was in front of my friend, and he ran directly into me. I flipped over my handlebars, right onto the windshield and slid off.

I remember very few things, but I was filled in later by my friend and parents. I remember surrounding pedestrians and cars stopping to see if I was okay. The next thing I knew, there were fire trucks and police everywhere. I went into shock. The firemen thought my arms had tire marks all over them, but they were hives. I have never had hives in my life! My dad and stepmother came to the scene, and my stepmother rode in the ambulance with me (I remember her crying). The worse pain was having to stay so straight on the flat board that it was extremely uncomfortable!

Once I arrived at the hospital, I was examined, x-rayed and given painkillers. My stepmother had called my boyfriend, which I had just begun to date, to inform him of the situation, since I was supposed to meet up with him later that day. Worried, he rushed up to the hospital. I mean, it sounds really horrible when someone says, "Lauren is in the hospital because she got hit by a car while riding her bike." I was so embarrassed because I was kept thinking about those movies where a girl is riding her bike, and she waves to some cute guy and runs right into a parked car, even though in my case it wasn't a parked car, Thank God!

When I got home, I was so drugged up that I just fell asleep. I woke up with my boyfriend next to me. It was the strangest thing because my dad would never ever approve of boys sleeping over. He wouldn't even let a boy in my room if he was over (we slept on the futon in the basement though, he wasn't in my room). I guess he really liked my boyfriend, which is probably one reason why I am still with him today.

I had to call my attorney, make a police report, and go to therapy 3 times a week. The whole situation was chaos!

I was in so much pain; I still am. However, I just finished therapy a little while ago, and then... BAM! I got into another accident this past Saturday.

My friend picked me up, and we were going to grab some lunch in Little Italy. Well, we were turning left into a parking lot, waiting for an opening in the oncoming traffic, when BAM! This huge handicap-accessible van plowed right into us. We looked at each other and didn't know what had happened. We were stopped for a good 10 seconds, so obviously this lady was sight-seeing. I guess that's what happens when people don't see Little Italy everyday of their lives like Case students do!

We pulled into the parking lot, and my friend and I felt immediate pain. It was a good thing we both had our seatbelts on! We exchanged information with the lady, who said she was on her way to a wedding, which was weird because both my friend and I also had weddings to attend.

Anyway, I called 911, and they said if the cars were drivable, and the people in the accident could walk, then to just drive to the police station ourselves to make a report. I have never heard of such a thing! I called my dad, and half way through the conversation, I flipped out and started crying. He didn't know what to do. I just couldn't believe that I was only 20, yet I had the body of a 60-year-old. I just finished therapy and wasn't even fully recovered, and now, I have to go back!

I called my boyfriend, and he took me and my friend to the emergency room where we were examined, x-rayed, and prescribed several painkillers. After several long hours, we headed to the police station to make a report, which took a little over an hour.

The painkillers I was prescribed knocked me out. I was so drained. I called my attorney and told him about the whole situation, and he told me he would take care of everything. He said I needed to go back to therapy and take care of my body. I couldn't believe this was happening again!

I laid around all day at my mom's house on Sunday, and she catered to me. When I got home, I could not stay awake and had to write my biology professor that I didn't feel prepared for the test on Monday (the following day) due to everything. My painkillers had a side effect of drowsiness, and let me tell you... they knocked me out! My professor understood and wanted documentation like I would make something like that up. I guess you never know what people will do to get out of something! My professor told me I could take the exam on Thursday, but there would be no multiple choice; it would be all essay. Great!!

The sad thing is it's already Tuesday, and I am still not prepared. I didn't go to school or work yesterday because I could not get out of bed. I had a math test today, which I was actually able to study a little for. I stayed up with my roommate until 2:30am studying. I don't know how I did it, but I did! I could barely wake up this morning for my 8:30am biology lab, but I did. I did not go to work once again. I feel like I am pushing myself so much, and I am not going to get better!

To top it all off, I have had this sharp pain in my ovaries since Sunday. It sounds funny, but I have two friends who had the same pain, and they both ended up with ovarian cysts. Wonderful! Just another thing to add to my list. Even with the painkillers, I still woke up Sunday night in excruciating pain. It was horrible. I have an appointment scheduled on Thursday for an ultra sound to try and find out the problem. I don't know how I am going to fit in this biology exam and actually be prepared!? I am a M-E-S-S!!!

Hopefully, things will get better soon. They better!!

One Step Closer...

Oh Great!! Another thing has gone wrong with my laptop. All of a sudden, the volume just decided not to work. It was working one minute and the next, it wasn't. I don't know what is going on!? I took my laptop back into Best Buy yesterday, and thankfully, I guess, the Geek Squad could not fix it, so they had to send it back to Toshiba.

Strike 2!! 1 more and here comes my brand new laptop! I am so excited... I just hope something else goes wrong by itself, and I don't have to break it because I wouldn't know where to begin! Although, I have several ideas thanks to my friend, who's a computer genius; Oh, and of course, thanks to Professor Yoo!! Ha Ha!

The only problem is I am without a computer again. It's not easy getting by without a computer as a college student. I feel like I am always on it, and now, what am I going to do?

Oh well, it's worth it in the long run. In the meantime, I have my roommates' computers, my boyfriend's computer and wonderful Nord!

I'm almost there... I'll keep my readers posted.

Exams, Papers, Lab Write-ups...

I cannot believe these past couple of days and don't even want to think about the next upcoming days...

I think I have finally come to the point where I have had enough! I do not know how much more of school I can take. I have had more than my fill of college right now. There have been more exams, papers, and lab write-ups due around the same time than I can handle. I understand all of the professors are on pretty much the same schedule, but this is ridiculous! It is like one test after another, then a paper, then a lab write-up. It's enough to turn the sane, INSANE! As soon as you are done taking one exam, you have to start studying right away for the next one and also fit in writing a paper and a lab write-up in between. It's too hard to study for all these tests at the same time because the information just gets jumbled. Therefore, I try to take one at a time, which doesn't always work considering all the assignments are back-to-back.

Let me just give the reader an idea of what I am taking about (if you are a student, then you probably don't need an explanation because you are in the same shoes)...

It all started last Monday when I had to prepare for an o-chem lab test, which didn't seem too bad until I actually did the study guide. Thank God we were actually provided one, since most teachers leave you in the blue, and you have no idea what to concentrate on. The study guide ended up being 18 pages long once typed! You just had to memorize the information and practice the equations. I went over it and over it until I couldn't take it anymore.

In the middle of studying, I got a phone call from my mom telling me that my aunt had passed away, and the wake was scheduled for tomorrow right before my o-chem test. I had to e-mail my SAGEs professor to inform him that I was not able to attend class due to my aunt's wake. Unfortunately, I had to miss the cake, biscotti and coffee as we finished a book we were reading. The wake was a disaster considering it seems like everyone in my family has some sort of problem with one another. It was so upsetting to see everyone not getting along. I don't think I'll ever get over the way my aunt and my uncle, who is also my godfather, treated me. For some reason, they think their family is above and beyond everyone else's family, and they have this huge attitude! Well, I decided to be the bigger person and approach them to say hi. To say the least, they gave a little nod and completely turned their back to me. I was so hurt, since I never did anything to hurt them, that I had to leave with my boyfriend because I felt the tears swelling up in my eyes. I cannot get over how immature some adults can act!

Getting back to the o-chem lab test (I tend to get off topic)... I knew the material, so I guess it wasn't too bad despite the limited amount of time, which brings me to another point... I don't know what it is this year, but I have not had enough time to finish one of my tests to the best of my ability! It is crazy; I'm always rushing in the last five minutes. Anyway, getting back to the o-chem lab exam, it actually was not that bad. There was a lot of matching, which took up way too much time, and some of the definitions weren't even clear!

Well, that was done and over with. Now, for the actual o-chem lecture test...

I guess you could say chemistry is not my strong point. It used to be in high school, but this is NO COMPARISON! It was enough just to get through reading three whole chapters but to actually apply the material...UGH! I was so fed up by last night that I just decided that a good night's rest was better than staying up all night stressing myself out about this exam, so I went to sleep. Oh, I forgot to mention the fact that I had an o-chem lab at 8:30am the morning of my o-chem lecture exam. The lab is supposed to run three hours but always runs over with our class, since we are the first session to do the experiment. My o-chem lecture professor was informed, and he said we could get there when we wanted. However, we would have to sit in the front row and sign in when we got there, so we would have exactly fifty minutes like the rest of the student, which was fair. In spite of this, I am always very flustered when I get out of lab because I always feel so rushed, so I was determined to get in there and get out, which was exactly what I did. I was the first person finished with my lab, and I cleaned up my stuff and headed to the test, which was at least in the same building. Thank God!

I got to the exam only managing to be about five minutes late. I just went through the exam as quick as I possibly could, since I have been running out of time lately. Well, I just finished the exam in time and headed to work, which is where I am now. Now, I have a biology test on Monday, calculus test and four experiment lab write-up on Tuesday along with a SAGEs paper that I need to redraft. I don't understand why adults say that college was the best years of their life!?!?! I definitely do not see it now, but hopefully I will later in life.

I have SAGEs at 2:45pm, which I have not even read for. I feel like I am so behind in every one of my classes, so I have to go now and read the first two chapters of "Internet Galaxy: Reflections on the internet, business, and society." This book better be more interesting than the others!

I Want a New Laptop!!

I guess I sound a little like a brat, but I have had my laptop since November 2002 and feel that I am due for a new one.

Let me just begin by explaining what I had to go through to get my first laptop...

You know those huge "the day after Thanksgiving sales"? Well, if you don't, they are amazing! Every store has some kind of awesome deal going on, and depending on the item, you usually have to get there super early in order to get the product you want.

One day, as my family and I were looking through the newspaper ads, we came upon a Best Buy one that was advertising a Toshiba laptop for a deal that you couldn't pass up. Of course, there was only a limited amount available, and first come, first serve. My dad looked at me and told me that if I wanted a laptop for college, he would pay for it, but I would have to go at 6am when Best Buy opened the day after Thanksgiving to get the Toshiba laptop. I was very much against getting up so early, but then I had the idea of just staying up all night and going there. BIG MISTAKE!!

Thanksgiving Day started off with the usual fighting with my sisters about who is going to help mom do what. The family came over, we ate, and I went into the usual food coma and took a long nap. For some reason, I always end up going out after I wake up. Well, I ended up going out with my boyfriend (my ex-boyfriend now) and a couple of his friends and my friends. I figured I could convince someone to come with me and wait in that horrible line, which I knew awaited me outside of Best Buy. Boy was I wrong!

After going out, we went back to my boyfriend's friend's house and hung out awhile in his hot tub. Everyone was getting real tired around 4am and wanted to go home. I knew I had to be at Best Buy by at least 5am to get a good spot in line, so I could get my hands on one of those laptops. I could not persuade anyone into going with me, so I had to go alone.

Not surprisingly, it had to start raining. That is just my luck! So now I had to stand in the freezing rain by myself. Well, I got there around 4:45am, and to my amazement, there were already people there camping out. It is astonishing what people will do for a good deal. They had lawn chairs and blankets; they had lunches packed. It was crazy! Needless to say, I obviously did not come prepared!

The workers finally began to go down the line around 6:30am and start shouting out their special offers. I was the third in line, and by this time there was a line wrapped around the building, all the way through the parking lot, which ended at the street! I could not believe my eyes. I asked one worker how many laptops were available, and he told me twenty. I was so excited because I knew one would belong to me!

Sure enough, I received a piece of paper stating that I would get my laptop when the doors opened. When the doors finally opened around 7:30am or so, I rushed in only to find out I had to wait in front of customer service in another crowd of people for my number to be called. Well about two hours later, my number was finally called, and I had to fill out all this paperwork and wait for them to program all these things into my laptop.

I finally got out of there around 11am and headed straight home. My dad and step mom were in the kitchen waiting, and they were so excited and all I wanted to do was go to sleep. I just gave my dad his credit card, said thanks, gave him the rebates to fill out, placed the laptop and all the accessories on the kitchen table, and ran upstairs to go to sleep. I slept all day long, and my sleeping schedule was out-of-whack for a couple of days. I may sound a little dramatic, but that had to be the worst day of my life!!

Getting to the point...as mentioned in one of my earlier blogs, my laptop was recently in the shop for about three and a half weeks right at the beginning of the school year because it refused to turn on. Good thing I purchased the four year warranty plan for my laptop. The "Geek Squad” (that's such a funny name) at Best Buy fixed it for free (they had to install a new motherboard). However, I was hoping to get a brand new one.

The reason why I thought I would get a new one is because my boyfriend bought me a digital camera for Christmas last year, and it would pick and choose when it wanted to power on. Thank God for the four year warranty plan! I guess they discontinued the camera I had, so I got a credit for $400 that I could use on any camera I wanted. I was ecstatic! I got to replace my camera with a brand new one that was even better.

Therefore, I thought maybe since my laptop is so old that they would just give me a credit for a new one, but to my dismay they didn't. They told me in order to get a new one, the laptop had to be in the shop for the same thing three times or for something, which they could not fix. Well, I asked this guy I know from school, who is quite experienced with computers, how I would go about breaking something inside my laptop that they would be unable to fix. After a little bit of thinking, he told me to leave my laptop on, close it, and walk around campus with it. Soon, the little disks that keep the laptop running will get off track from all the bumping, and the laptop will be destroyed.

I told him I didn't know if I could do that and came up with a better idea...I recently noticed a little pigment problem; there are little specks of discoloration on my screen. I decided I am going to bring it in to the "Geek Squad" for those to be looked at and fixed. Then, I would keep finding little things wrong and bring it in before my warranty expires (November 2006). I figure eventually they will get sick of me and want to give me a new laptop to prevent me from coming in all the time! We will see if my plan works!?!?!

PRS Transmitters?!?!?

I have been meaning to write this blog for awhile now...

The week before classes I received this e-mail from both my biology and chemistry professors stating that we needed to buy a PRS transmitter from the bookstore. I was a little confused. I asked my roommates, "What the hell is a PRS transmitter?" They had no idea either, so we all went to the bookstore and bought these transmitters. Then, we had to register them on-line using our Case user id and the number on the back of the actual transmitter. Looking at the transmitters, they appear to be little remotes. There are buttons with numbers and their corresponding letters. They range from 0 through 9 and A through J.

We brought the transmitters to the first day of classes. Our biology class did not have the all the receivers hooked up yet, so the instructor gave us four different colored pieces of paper. Using this paper, we could experiment and get an idea of how these transmitters would work inside the classroom. The teacher put a question up on the projector, and we were to hold up what color paper corresponded with our answer. However, it was still not clear to me how we would use this technological device.

Next, we went to chemistry class where the receivers were actually working. We were asked a question, and then we were to point our transmitters, which came to be known as "clickers," toward the nearest receiver and press the button of our answer. The professor switched back and forth between the question slide and a slide showing all our registered numbers. When our answer went through, our number would turn a different color. We were able to enter how correct we thought our answer was by pressing a button for high confidence as well as for low confidence. There was a limited amount of time, such as 30 seconds, when everyone could enter their answers. When the time expired, the professor displayed a graph on the projector showing how many people chose A, B, C, or D.

It was neat in that it reminded me of the show "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" where the contestant is allowed to ask the audience. It was a little exciting; I'm not going to lie. I thought it would make class more interesting; however, I was wrong. It is actually quite annoying, since our biology professor examines how many times you clicked in during the semester. It was a way for her to determine attendance in such a large lecture room. Sometimes, it is bothersome because our answers do not always go through, since there are probably many people aiming at the same receiver. Although on the other side of the spectrum, it is nice that we are rewarded for going to class in that if we answered 70% of the time, then she will add 10 points to our final exam.

So that's my story on how technology has played a role in my classes this semester. What will they come up with next?!