If you’re actually reading this than I admire your fortitude, as I admit I’ve been rather lazy about updating this blog lately. Well, I’m not quite sure lazy is the word for it, with finals in less than 2 weeks there is very little lazy going on around here, but such is life. Having to struggle to (hopefully) get a B in some of my classes is not a particularly pleasant sensation for me, but in the long run it’s probably a good thing, as now I actually have to learn how to really study. I though AP Physics had tought me that, but I was mistaken, and judging from my classmates a lot of other people are struggling with the same paradigm shift. Ah well, I think my Lin. Al. test went pretty well today, which sort of makes up for the last one, so maybe I’m starting to get the hang of things. I’ve got a French test tomorrow, after which (assuming I survive), I can start attacking my research paper on the complex topology of the Internet. Good stuff :). I also register on Wednesday for next term, which should be interesting. I want to take Data structures, French 204, and an Intro philosophy course, but I have a bad draw number, so I may not get what I want. We’ll see.

Anyway, sorry about the academically orientated post, that’s been what’s on my mind lately. Hopefully I’ll have a chance to post something a little more interesting later this week.
-Ben

Yikes, I haven’t been a particularly good blogger lately. I was shooting for at least once a week, but it looked like that died almost a week ago. I suppose I could play the “I had a cold card” (which would in fact be true), but in the end that would just be a lame excuse. Anyway, now that my readership (all two of you!) has dwindled away, I’ll continue…

Despite the aforementioned cold, I’ve started to get the hang of this college thing. My mood flucuates with the state of my French class, but at the moment things seem to be under control. I’m not really sure how things like grades are going to go (methinks bonus points are a thing of the past), but I feel like I’m keeping up in my classes for the most part.

I’ve also managed to become rather involved in music here (surprise, surprise), and between orchestra, quartet, and private lessons, my cello and I have become reacquainted rather rapidly. Though I’ve enjoyed music here, I do miss some of the people from back home. My private teacher is a pleasant enough fellow, but I miss Dr. Low’s style and wit, and my new quartet just isn’t the same.

I finally made it to fencing club today, which was a lot of fun. I was surprised to see fifteen people there, and it was definitely nice to do something a little more active than studying. Fencing to is different than it was in Omaha, but different isn’t always a bad thing, and I have high hopes.

So there you have it, another vauge and schedule oriented blog post. I’ll try not to let as much time elapse before I post again, but as always, no promises.

It’s been far too long since I’ve updated this, so it’s definitely time to appraise you all of my experiences. I guess I’ve only been at classes for a week now, but it seems like I’ve been here so much longer. There are still a lot of things I have to learn of course, but I can definitely get around and deal with most things that come up.

Classes have been intense, and since it’s only the first week I imagine things will get even more hectic around here. My math and physics seminar have been consistent work, but they’ve been very doable. French on the other hand has been pretty brutal. I just don’t feel comfortable with my vocabulary at this point, so I’ve had to study on my own a lot outside of class. The prof. in that class is really good, but it’s definitely on a different level than French at Millard West.

Orchestra has been okay so far. The group sounds pretty good, but it’s not as close knit as OAYO or even the MW orchestra. That said, I’d forgotten how much I enjoy playing orchestral music, so I’ve been enjoying. For those who care, we’re playing Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2, Bernstein’s Overature to Candide, and Lizst’s Les Preludes (which we played in OAYO a couple of years ago). Good literature, all.

Sorry I haven’t been a very profound blogger lately. Everyone else has been posting on deep topics, and here I am merely regurgitating my schedule. Maybe I’ll think of something significant to say at somepoint, but until then, my regards.

Well here I am, sitting in my dorm room listening to Radiohead and updating my blog. Not the most eventful Friday night in the world, but to be honest I’m glad to have a bit of time to myself. It’s been an eventful week, an enjoyable week, a long week, a stressful week, and just about everything in between. The college has tried very hard to provide activities for freshman during New Student Week, and while I applaud their refusal to let anyone get lost, it’s been difficult to establish a routine of any sort yet. Everyday is different, and its an achievement just to remember where to go when.

I registered today, and I got all of the classes I wanted, which was exciting. This term I’m taking Linear Algebrea, French 103, and my Freshman Seminar, Complexity and Chaos. (For those who think I’m a slacker, 3 classes is a full schedule at Carleton). It seems like so little work, looking at my schedule and realizing I only have one class (French) on Tuesday and Thursday, but I know that such is not the case. There is an awe in people’s voices when they speak of the workload here, and I look forward to Monday with a mixture of excitement and trepidation.

On the extracurricular front, I audition for orchestra tomorrow afternoon. Pretty much any string player can be in orchestra, so the audition is really more for chair placement than anything else. I certainly don’t care about placement, I’m just looking forward to seeing the ensemble repertoire. I also signed up for lessons today, so hopefully those will start soon. I have work orientation (food service) tomorrow as well, so I guess I will soon know all the thrilling secrets of the institutional cafeteria.

Well, I’m back. I returned from the pre-frosh trip in Minneapolis this afternoon tired, but fairly content. The trip was essentially summer camp with fewer rules, which definitely had some good points and some bad points. As a group, we bonded pretty well, and I feel like there are some friendly faces on campus now. That said, one definitely survives summer camp by exploiting its temporary nature (i.e. living out of suitcases), and it didn’t necessarily prepare me much for what’s ahead. There will still be a whole bunch of people here tomorrow, and I still will know very few of them. That said, I’ve found some people I can hang out with, and that is very important in and of itself.

Group dynamics aside, the trip was quite interesting on its own accord. We stayed in an urban retreat center in a “bad” part of Minneapolis and worked at a variety of non-profit service organizations. The twin cities are a very diverse community, and there were a lot of really neat programs to address important social issues and help those caught in the crossfire. One of my favorites was a place called In the Heart of the Beast. It was a puppet and mask theatre that put on shows dealing with various social issues. When I say puppets, I don’t mean little kids stuff, these were really elaborate performance art productions that combine skilled craftmanship, acting, and music. I thought it was really interesting to see the arts were playing an integral in community building.

New Student Week officially starts tomorrow, so I will finally meet my roommate and get some information about the weeks and months ahead. Hopefully I will be able to post my experiences on this blog fairly regurally, though who knows how much time I will have. With that I’m off to bed – it’s been a long day.