Spring quarter has ended and I haven't posted any updates in a while, so here is a mass-update. XP

I've gotten grades for 4/5 of my classes. Not as good as they should be, but I admit, I did slack just a bit this quarter, if you can even call it that, lol.

ARCH 353 // B
ARCH 342 // B+
ARCE 223 // C
ARCE 351 // A-
ARCE 227 // TBA

Sadly, my GPA continues to drop. I just want it to get up to a 3.0, but that seems impossible right now. x_x

So yeah.. I wish I worked harder in studio, but I didn't even go to class for the second half of class, so yeah... I forgot to take pictures of my model, but I'll take some when I get back in SLO and will post them up then.

Anyway, that C in 223 kinda sucks, but whatever. On the final, I thought I did better than my score, but I don't really care to check up on it when I'm back in SLO 'cause I'm lazy. C is passing and that's pretty much all I was hoping for in that class, since I thought I'd fail for the longest time.


During finals week, I actually did not study as much as I should have. On Wednesday night, I cleaned for hours instead of studying for 227 and yeah.. Good news is that my room is almost semi-clean. Bad news is that I pretty much sucked at 227 final -- hopefully I can still get a good grade in there -- probably not the A- I wanted anymore though... =/

I bought a bookshelf on E-Bay last week -- it was like, $50 including shipping, so not too bad -- now I just need to rearrange my room so I can the bookshelf into it. XP Then I can finally unpack the boxes in my room that are still filled with stuff, since there was no room to unpack it at the beginning of the year. Sucks that my room is smaller than my old one -- and has less closet space to hide stuff that I can't unpack. x_x But yes, looking forward to having lots more shelf space! XD And since my roommate isn't gonna be there during the summer, I won't feel as bad moving half my stuff into the living room to make space to rearrange. XP


Headed home on Thursday night -- or should I say Friday morning? I left with Teresa and Jeff -- they were heading to Riverside, but were gonna drop me off at Union Station. We left around 12:45AM and yeah.. The cats were being super troublesome in the car. x_x One of them threw up on Jeff and then we had to stop at a gas station and clean up -- 20 minutes wasted. Then about 15 minutes after that incident, the other cat (who was in the carrier) decided to poop and pee in the carrier, so we had to stop at another gas station and clean up -- almost an hour. x_x So gross, 'cause I was sitting NEXT to the carrier, so I felt some pee go on me when Jeff kinda made a sharp turn and yeah.. Afterwards, the carrier smelt like pee. Ewwww!

Got to Union Station around 4:15 in the morning, and just sat there and read Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon while waiting for the earliest train to San Diego (which was at 6:05AM). Got half-way through the book before the train came, then got on the train and had a debate on whether I should continue reading or go to sleep -- sleep was the victor, so about 2.5 hours of sleep in total, but woke up a bunch of times, 'cause yeah, super uncomfortable sleeping on the train. x_x


After I got off in SD, went on the trolley and took it to the station that is near my house and aznearthdragon picked me up. Unfortunately, she took me hostage and wouldn't even drive me home. x_x Instead, we went to UCSD 'cause she had a final and had to finish studying in the library. So yes, was at UCSD in the library for hours waiting for my sister to while she took her test. I got most of my CSI scholarship essay written during that time, thankfully, so not all was lost. XP

When aznearthdragon finally finished, we went and hung out with three of aznearthdragon's friends. After that, we got some frozen yogurt and went home. Must say that taro frozen yogurt is TEH SHIT! XD I love taro froyo. XD Too bad there is none to be had in SLO or I'd be all over that. XP Sadly, I will be deprived of taro-flavored stuff when I head back up. =( Except at Quickly's, but I don't go there often, so...


Anywayz, didn't do much the few days I've been here in SD. Mostly just stayed home -- I'm so boring, lol. And yeah.. watched basically the whole second season of Greek -- I love that show, lol. I especially love Calvin and think he deserves more air-time. XP But yes, today was the season finale and yeah.. CLIFFHANGER! WHY?! I hate when they do stuff like that, and now we'll have to wait until the next season. =( And I don't even have TV, so more suffering for me. =/


So, not sure if I mentioned it before, but I'm going to CONSTRUCT 2009 in Indianapolis! Flight leaves at 6:40AM -- hope it's super fun. XD I'm gonna get a bunch of free stuff at the product show! XD And hopefully make a lot of contacts so I can get a job/internship later, lol. XP I'm not really good at networking, 'cause I'm a quiet person, but hopefully it goes well.

After Indianapolis, gonna fly back to SLO for summer school. Hopefully it'll be a good summer -- taking studio, so might be kinda stressful. =/ And my CRP 336 class got canceled, so I'm super pissed. x_x LAMENESS! Hopefully I get into this Intro to Shakespeare class for my last GE, or else I have to rearrange my whole schedule I planned out for the rest of my time at Cal Poly. Yes, I'm one of those lame people who have every class and quarter planned out. XP But it was based on taking 336 this summer and if I don't trade in the GE this summer for that class later on, then I'm screwed. I'm basically at 20-ish units each quarter, so I can't just not take the GE this summer and add 336 and the GE in during the year. x_x 2nd on the waitlist, so hopefully I get in. XD


Gotta sleep now, so more updates later! I will totally do a convention report next! And probably be crossposting that into my Cal Poly CSI blog, since I've been neglecting that too...


Laters!


~Remula

The courses I'm taking this quarter, in case you wanted more information on why my life is so hectic all the time. XP

Time Schedule
ARCE 223 // MWF // 1210-1300
ARCH 353 // MWF // 1310-1800
ARCE 351 // T // 0810-1100
ARCE 223 // R // 0810-1100
ARCH 342 // TR // 1310-1400
ARCE 227 // TR // 1410-1500
ARCH 342 // TR // 1610-1800
MLL 103 // Credit By Eamination


ARCH 353 // Architectural Design 3.3
Catalog Description: Development and exploration of architectural theories, building systems, and design processes involved in creating appropriate architecture with an emphasis on socio-cultural and space planning/life safety concerns.
My Take: This is the class I usually refer to as "studio". As an architecture student, I have a studio every quarter, fifteen hours a week. We also get a key to our studios, so I can be in studio at any time, depending on what I have to due and stuff like that. This quarter, my design project for the quarter is to design a winery on a site located in Paso Robles (Central Coast, California).

ARCH 342 // Architectural Practice 3.2
Catalog Description: Concepts, methods and processes pertaining to the preparation of outline specifications, production of design development drawings, life safety, systems integration and cost estimating.
My Take: Another core architecture course. It's broken up into a lecture component and an activity component. I usually refer to the lecture component of this class as either "lecture" or "practice". The lecture portion is just that -- a one-hour lecture two days a week. The activity portion this quarter is with the same professor I have for studio. Usually when this happens, practice activity turns into just a continuation of studio, and that's not any different this quarter.

ARCE 223 // Mechanics of Structural Members
Catalog Description: Advanced topics of stresses in beams. Plastic bending, unsymmetrical bending. Combined stresses. Stress transformation. Buckling. Deflection of beams. Material test laboratory.
My Take: Taking this class for my ARCE minor -- I'm not so hot at ARCE and I haven't taken a real ARCE class for a year, so lots of troubles. There's a lecture and a lab component to this class. The lecture has homework due every Friday with about eight problems per week. For me, eight problems DEFINITELY take more than eight hours. =( 'Cause I suck at ARCE hardcore. =/ Also, another issue I have is that this an ARCE core major class, so all those ARCE students will definitely bring up the curve. =(

ARCE 351 // Structural Computing Analysis
Catalog Description: Computer calculations, programming basics and technical reporting. Emphasis on use of spreadsheets as a tool to analyze structural elements.
My Take: Lab class that is attached to ARCE 223. We're mostly working on Excel in the class, but the labs seem to be super long. =( Also, we have homework excel projects to do every week, so I'm kinda worried it'll take a lot of time. =/

ARCE 227// Structures III
Catalog Description: Advanced topics in two-dimensional and three-dimensional equilibrium of structural building systems.
My Take: Another ARCE major class. The thing is, I'm retaking this class 'cause I failed it last year. x_x I pretty much know most of the information for the class (since I learned it last year, but messed up on the two tests in the class), so I'm hoping that I can do really well this time. The bad news is that the homework is still long, so lots of time will be devoted to this class as well. =/

MLL 103 // Foreign Language III -- Chinese
Catalog Description: Organized group instruction arranged for students who wish to acquire basic skills in a foreign language indicated by subtitle. Laboratory drill required. Language taught in its cultural context.
My Take: The third quarter of Chinese class. I'm taking this credit by examination 'cause the times interfere with my studio. x_x Kinda bad taking it by exam 'cause you don't learn as much as you would in class -- especially since this is a language class. But the thing is, I've gotten through the other two quarters of Chinese, so it would be a waste if I can't even say I completed a year of Chinese. Last quarter, I also took Chinese by examination, but this quarter is super busy with architecture and ARCE, but hopefully I can still do well self-studying Chinese on top of that.


So yeah, there is is. The only major problem I have with my schedule is that I'm taking ARCH major core classes and ARCE major core classes at the SAME TIME. There is obviously problems with the workload because of that, since people from either of those majors would just have the core classes (read: intense workload since it's your major) plus one/two GEs or side classes. I, on the other hand, have double the hardcore workload. x_x Let's just hope I survive with adequate grades.


~Remula