Sunday, April 06, 2008

I Think I Can Do This, Part 2

A couple of weeks ago, I got online and shopped around for a backpack on www.ebags.com, where I'd found a great laptop bag for the Ibook I'd gotten my stepdaughter for Christmas. After looking at a number of them, I picked out a Jansport that cost about 40 bucks.

I've been very pleased with it. Someone must have been taking notes from college students. The straps are padded, as is the back; in backpacks I had in past collegiate forays, straps stucking into my shoulder and books jabbed me in the back. There's also lots of storage space for my ever-needed calculator, plus pens, pencils, little stapler, Post-Its, little pencil sharpener, my reading glasses, notebooks, telephone-book sized textbooks, white-out, scissors, and on top of all of that, I can throw my little Ibook in there, which I can use to tap into the school's free wi-fi to check emails on my break, along with a thermal bag with a can or two of diet Dr. Pepper and my New York Times if I have time on my break after checking email. I'm livin' large, baby!

Buying the backpack was a big step for me. As if two semesters of being a college student again in my late forties wasn't enough to say I'm committed to this. But buying the backpack meant that this is really happening.

And how is it going? I got an A on my Biology midterm, and had a high B in Chemistry. In our conference, my Chemistry professor told me that she felt that if I picked it up some, I could get an A for the course. When she, a notorious hardass, handed my quiz back to me the other day, she half-kiddingly chided me for missing one question and ruining my perfect score. I still got an A on that quiz. Let's hope I can pull that off on the test tomorrow.

One thing I realized, after getting my quiz back on Wednesday, was that my professor always puts me and two other students in another part of the room during tests and quizzes. I didn't notice until the quiz last Monday that it was always the same three of us-- the three that actually understand the material. It dawned on me that she's doing it because she doesn't want the other students in the class copying off of us. I'll take that as word that I'm doing well.

13 comments:

Erik Donald France said...

Congrats, man! I've got a trusty Jansport along the same lines, it's niftyfifty.

Also cool on the Bio and the "weeding" with hand saws. That stuff is truly fun doin'

Cheer34 said...

Congrats on the excellent grades.

SkylersDad said...

Way to go JY!! I fear that if I ever had to do any "learnin" again, I have damaged too many brain cells.

Dr. Monkey Von Monkerstein said...

You're a brown noser. :)

GETkristiLOVE said...

So can you copy off of the other two next time to get a 100%?!

Anonymous said...

The bag I bought a few years back when I took chemistry didn't make it through a semester. Those texts were huge! Any lab accidents?!!

Anonymous said...

Ah...JY,you know, I always say about you , "he always lands on his feet". Yes, you can do this, and more! You know where to come when you need an A&P tutor. Congrats on the A.

Generalissimo (Dictator) for life said...

Well I know who will be my lab partner on high school....

Tenacious S said...

Rock on! I'm telling you, there's nothing better than a nice comment on your paper next to the big fat A. That, my friend, is what makes my world go 'round.

Johnny Yen said...

Erik-
There were sportier bags, but the Jansport kicked ass. I realized that I'd had one my first round of college, 1979 to 1984.

Cheer34-
Thanks!

Skyler's Dad-
Believe me, I've damaged a few, but the remaining ones seem to be working fine. I suspect yours would too.

Monkerstein-
Takes one to know one ; )

Kristi-
Today's test was rough-- I could have used all the help I could get. Talking to the other two, I discovered that they had the same problem I did-- we didn't know how far back the material for the test went. We all struggled with the first part of the test. Fortunately, the teacher grades on a curve and the rest of the class is doing so badly that we'll still look good.

Leazwell-
Yes, they are huge! No major accidents-- a couple of spills and broken beakers.

Anonymous-
Thanks! I may be hitting you up for help in A and P. I may take it in summer school.

Dr. Evil-
If you misbehave, I'll make Uncle Kevin your lab partner. He might blow you and he up while making rocket fuel.

TenS-
No positive comments on the test, but her putting us separate from the others was just as good.

Mnmom said...

We were in college at roughly the same time. Thankfully I finished - by the skin of my teeth. Now I'm subbing and during the last 3 days of subbing in Pre-algebra I'm thinking "Oh NOW I get it!!" Must be a maturity thing.

I still have my LLBean backpack from college - can't beat that lifetime guarantee. It made a great diaper bag for my twins, leaving me hands-free.

Generalissimo (Dictator) for life said...

Thats why we have to have grandpa watching us in school to make sure that almost doesn't happen again...

Joe said...

Good job.

and that is one nice backpack