This One's for you, Kevin!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to Premier in 2D

So they've recently announced that Part I of the finale will be released in 2-D instead of 3-D as formerly promised. Producers pointed to a time crunch which would not allow them to convert to 3-D in time for release. I'm ecstatic. I'm really sick of substandard 3-D releases lately. I spend the extra money, wear the stupid glasses, and get to the end movie only to find myself wondering "So, where exactly was the 3-D part of that?" I really think producers have realized that even if they only put one 3-D effect in a film, they can jack up the price and make more money billing it as a "3-D Experience". Good for you, Warner Brothers, for bucking the trend! For those of you who have not seen the trailer:

Life Before Google

What, like you couldn't drive a half hour (arriving during limited library hours) to use the card catalogue and peruse a bunch of books to possibly locate the information you were looking for?

Can Morality be Numerically Quantified?

So, there's a new book out - "The Moral Landscape" by Sam Harris.  Let me say first that I have not read it, but it was featured on The Daily Show during an interview with the author:

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-october-4-2010/sam-harris

So, I guess the question is, is it possible to quantify moral acts?  I guess in some ways we already do this with the penal and civil courts - awarding money to victims or sentencing time for criminal behaviors.  Could a working scale be developed as a means of establishing a secular moral code?  It's an interesting question - one that had never occurred to me before.  Thoughts?

Gathering

I successfully grew tomatoes!  Only four grape tomatoes, but even so - it's a small step for agriculture but a big step for Stacey. 

I battled against the heat and overexposure of that sunroom all summer and somehow came out the victor.  Of course my agricultural prowess is dwarfed, by the Master Farmers:

Is that the most perfect eggplant you've ever seen or what?



Needless to say, it's been a deliciously yummy fall so far.  If only I knew how to jar and preserve.  I guess there's always next fall.

Blog Challenge Answer - My College Experience

THE QUESTION

So, Nick has issued the following blog challenge question: 

“So I was talking to one of the other faculty the other day about how different we were from undergrad to grad school. It's interesting - both times we were students - and not really that many years difference (in the long run, what's 5 or 10 years?) but were very different people. I bet you could say the same - from your first school experience (Edinboro) to your second school experience (TN).  So anyways, that's my blog topic suggestion. Haha nice and light, right?  I'd be interested to see how your perceptions of your life differ from my perceptions of your life (if at all).”

BACKGROUND

  

For those who don’t know, I attended Edinboro University right out of high school, primarily studying English Lit/History.  Due to loan paperwork problems and course timing/scheduling hurdles, I stopped just a semester short of finishing.  I left for Tennessee where, after some time, I enrolled in Chattanooga State and the University of Tennessee (they had a cooperative program) where I obtained a B.S. in Legal Assisting (Paralegal) Studies. 

Looking back at my experiences, there were certainly some basic differences. 

EDINBORO

I attended Edinboro as a matter of course – the culture of Iroquois pushed the maxim that “smart kids went to college” and I was expected to lock step.  Students were not provided other options, and frankly were met with gaping looks of shock if they entertained them.  My father and boyfriend at the time wanted me to attend Edinboro, so I did – honestly, I was afraid I couldn’t afford to attend anywhere else.  I lived on campus, immersed myself in the college life, worked part-time service jobs, and soaked in every experience I could.  I was always tired, but it was also liberating – for the first time in my life, I had no one to check in with, no one telling me what to do and when to do it.  I knew very well what other people expected, and I vacillated between trying please everyone vs. simply breaking away.  I relished in the freedom of living on campus, but constantly paid the price with all-night cram sessions, desperately trying to force information into my head and hold onto it for the tests. 

Ideas were enormous, and I was swept away by them.  I was an adrenaline junkie for any cause of injustice I stumbled upon.  I would take off and explore constantly.  I fell in love perpetually – with books, songs, trees – if it sat still long enough, I would have an intense connection to it.  I questioned everything and read voraciously.  I discovered the seeds of many things that would become central to me later.  I came out of my shell.  Somehow all of the insecurities of high school melted away, and I learned how to interact with people and have fun.  Throughout this time, I had no idea who I was or what I wanted to be.  I left Edinboro without a degree and saddled with debt, but I had the tools to begin creating who I was. 

UTC

By the time I enrolled in UTC, I was established at a law firm and building my career.  I was had clear objectives:  to master skill sets and get a piece of paper with the least amount of money and effort expended.  Because  I was working 40 hours a week at Luther-Anderson and maintaining 15 credits a semester,  I confined as much schoolwork as possible to the classroom, and began studying ‘smart’ instead of studying ‘hard’.  I stopped scribbling notes, and began listening to what the professor was saying.  I read textbooks for meaning, not note-taking.  I realized that if I could make sense of the material in my head, then I *had* it.  With understanding came memorization, not the other way around – a lesson I really could have used at Edinboro.  I never crammed.  I barely studied.  I just paid attention and did the work on time.  My professors and classmates became colleagues, rather than friends or teachers.  I began to measure my mastery of the material in relation to my classmates’ progress, rather than setting irrational goals of memorizing every footnote. After all, I didn’t need to get 100% of questions right, I just need to do better than roughly half of my classmates and I’d be in a good range for a decent grade.  It was a much more manageable goal.  With the pressure lessened, my mind was free not to just learn, but to master the material.  The GPAs show the difference – at Edinboro I somehow managed a respectable 3.19.  In Tennessee?  3.94.  Only one “B” – the best one ever.  Instead of allowing a capricious jerk of a professor ruin my life, I refused his obnoxious demands, and accepted my “B” happily, not having sacrificed my well-being for his unreasonable expectations.

College was no longer my life, but simply a small part of my life – a means to an end.  I no longer chose courses or completed paperwork lackadaisically.  I was an advocate for myself and fought the administration tooth and nail for transfer credits, fee waivers, graduation requirements, and any other red tape they placed in my path.  I graduated on time.  I no longer saw myself as a student – I was a client.  I had paid for classes and a piece of paper, and I would get what I paid for. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

The experiences were much different, because I was different.  At Edinboro, I was still a kid; at UTC, an adult.  I have many regrets.  I spent way too much time and money figuring out what I wanted.  I pursued a degree that didn’t raise my salary enough to make the financial investment worthwhile.  There were many missteps along the way.  However, if I look back and seek to eradicate either experience, I couldn’t do it.  Edinboro gave me time to grow up a little – it made me question my worldview and come to terms with becoming an adult.  UTC gave me my career.  While the financial benefits may be negligible, I do enjoy my work a lot more and there is room to grow in my chosen field.  In the end, I took the scenic route and I think ultimately it was a good investment.