Not only did I not pass...
Topic: School
my second attempt at the WPE but I now qualify for a special English class (that in no other way counts toward my degree)

ENGL 115 Graduation Writing Requirement Preparation
(4) (CR/NC) Writing practice of extemporaneous expository and argumentative essays under time pressure. Discussion and application of rhetorical and grammatical principles through critical reading of student and professional essays. Satisfactory completion of the course fulfills the Graduate Writing Requirement. Not for baccalaureate credit. Credit/No Credit grading only. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: At least two unsuccessful attempts at the GWR.

Cushing took me aside after class today to an office for one of the GWR people to get me the call number for the class. It's offered TR 5-7 next quarter. So in addition to Analysis II, some GE, and my senior project next quarter, I'll have this stress maker on top of it. I said at the end of Spring 2003 that I would never again take 16 units. Why don't I just drop the GE course and take this bullshit class so I'm down to 12 units you ask? Because I need 12 *graded* units. This fucking special class is credit/no credit only. There's only one way that I can avoid signing up for it: pass the last attempt in my current class in December. Cushing is giving me (and just me as I was the only one to fail *twice*) a third chance on the last day of class.

I would like to take a moment and reiterate my sentiments about the GWR:
Piece of fucking crap that only serves as a measure of how well you can write bullshit on the spot and promotes an unethical skill. A requirement that is only useful if planning on entering a career in which you must constantly write under time pressure.

*ahem*

Well, that should be the last you hear about the GWR for a couple weeks. But I won't promise that.

I got my third English essay and the results of the WPE back today. The WPE was as expected: a no pass. I was closer on the word count though, 430. My professor thought I "wast[ed] half the period recopying" my essay. Apparently he missed my attempt to ADD to the essay. To make it LONGER. Whatever. Third attempt will be on the last day of class. I'll probably be the only one.

Anyway, on to the essay which is the point of this entry. In my opinion, my essays have been getting worse. Maybe it's the fact that they are getting finished closer and closer to the due time, I dunno. But according to Cushing, I'm getting *better.* The latest craptastic essay that I pulled straight out of my ass got a B+.

So apparently the way to get an A on an essay is to have no idea what you're talking about, make up a bunch of bullshit and find quotes that some how relate to your bullshit and put nice, fluffy words around it. Because that's all I'm doing. Too bad this kind of thing doesn't fly in the real world.

I am never going to graduate
Mood:  down
Topic: School
The stupid Graduation Writing Requirement (GWR) is going to keep me from it. The purpose of the GWR is to "assure that students have maintained the ability to write proficiently at the time of graduation and before they enter the professional work force" (http://www.calpoly.edu/~wrtskils/gwr/). There are two ways to fulfill the requirement: 1) take the Writing Proficiency Exam (WPE) or 2) take an upper division GE class and get a C- or better and write a 500 word in-class essay. I was hoping to do option 2 rather than spend an extra $25 and a Saturday morning taking the WPE.

From Cal Poly's WPE site: "The WPE is a two hour expository ( ?giving and explaining information?) essay which tests your ability to organize and develop ideas, to make and support generalizations, and to use language at the level expected of and appropriate for a college graduate." I can do all of that except the part of doing it in 2 hours and writing it by hand. I'm not saying a rely on a spell and grammar checker but rather that my essays tend to be written from the inside out and I tend to re-word. A lot. And that's where a computer comes in handy. One can skip to other parts of the essay and develop those and then come back and develop the beginning some more. One can't do that by hand without taking a lot of time and getting a hand cramp.

And thus, I am never going to graduate. I have now done the in-class essay twice and both times have failed to get over 400 words. The first time, the class got 50 minutes, but I got 75 through the DRC. How anyone managed to write 500 words in 50 minutes is beyond me but a good handful of people did. This time, he gave us 90 minutes (what he believes the WPE takers get) and I still couldn't do it.

I was hurrying through the essay trying to make sure I got a full essay in there. When I reached my conclusion, I only had 300-something words. So I took out a new piece of paper and started to rewrite it in hopes of adding in some quotes or something. If anything, I think I made it more consise. When he said there were only 10 minutes left, I knew it was hopeless so I quickly copied my last few sentences and turned it in. I asked him if he wanted the prompt and the first draft and he said yes. He took my two pages with writing on them and got confused because both had a full front but hardly anything on the back. While fighting tears, I explained that one was a rewrite. Apparently he didn't believe me or something because he asked which one I wanted him to read. I pointed to the slightly more legible rewrite and he said "Okay...." I already knew that my essay wasn't long enough, but the look on his face and the way he said "okay" just confirmed it.

I don't know if he will be giving anyone who didn't pass this time (probably just me) another chance to pass later in the quarter. Not that I think I would be able to pass then either. So I think I can start planning on taking the official WPE next quarter. And the quarter after that, and the quarter after that and every quarter until I die or the state takes pity on me and says "you can write well when at home. That's good enough for us, here's your degree" (yeah, right).

I can understand the logic behind the GWR, but isn't that what the English GE courses are for? To make sure you know how to write? I mean, isn't more important, or at least just as, to be able to write well outside of the class room? I doubt many employers ask for a well thought out and articulate memo written by hand on the spot. They might however ask for an estimate cost of something. So why isn't there a Graduation Mathematics Requirement to make sure students know how to do basic algebra correctly? Why is it that only two Math classes are required to graduate (which can be classes like Algebra and Pre-Algebra) while there are 4 required classes for English (at least one of which is upper division)? My guess is because they want people to leave at some point. See, it's possible to totally bullshit your way through an essay, but you can't do that in Math. So by this logic, the university values our ability to bullshit well over anything else. What a lovely fucking world we live in.

Roommate Woes
Mood:  irritated
Now Playing: Foggy: The Way (Put Your Hand in My Hand)
Topic: Apartment
Don't get me wrong, Kathryn and Julie are very nice people. They are just hard to live with. I doubt I'm easy to live with either but I clean up after myself.

We STILL have utensils in the sink. They have now been there for like 2 weeks now. I know none of them are mine because I use a knife like once a week at most and they are mostly knives in the sink. I also don't use the big mixing spoon. Nor the sharp knives except for breaking apart hamburger patties but I always wash them afterward. I thought that if maybe I left in there, whoever they belonged to would wash them. No such luck apparently. It's getting on my nerves.

Also, the stove top and the counters are pretty dirty. Considering that I make all my dinners (with exception to hamburger patty every once in a while) in the microwave, I think it's fair to say that the majority of the mess is not mine.

Then this morning as I was making my sandwhich, I was getting all my stuff out from my drawer (more on that in a sec) when I pulled it too far out and saw that there was a purple stain along the bottom of the fridge. I have never bought anything purpleish. My guess is that the stain is from the blueberrys both of them bought (separately) that got squashed in the fridge due to mass amounts of food in the fridge.

Then there's the mass amount of food in the fridge. None of it seems to go down, just more things bought. And then one can't find anything in there so instead of taking stuff out to look, more of the same item is bought. I have officially given up on trying to keep in organized. I keep most of the things I need in my precious drawer. That would be bread, turkey and grapes. My diet pepsi and cottage cheese are on the top shelf (the only one not packed to the brim) because that's where they fit. The milk is on the door, the water on the top shelf, the alcohol it the corner (I have *got* to get some friends over for drinking and use that stuff) and the applesauce and the pudding are on top of the eggs, quite easy to find, that never gets moved around. Although now that I have some room in my drawer again (I finished off a previous loaf of bread), I might move them in there for more convience. But my point was that that is all that is mine in the fridge. The rest is the two of them. If you look at my fridge you would be amazed.

The freezer at least has gotten better. They appear to actually be eating some of their stuff in there. Or just using the two medium sized bags of ice in there. Any which way, I can actually see the back of the freezer now. The last time I went through the freezer thought, there was some meat in there from before the summer and a whole bunch of chicken breasts. Julie also has some other things that have been in there all summer. As for anything actually bought by me? The hamburger patties, a few fruit pops and the-at-most-6-at-a-time-because-that's-all-we-have-room-for frozen dinners on the door. Rest is all them.

It's very hard for me to think of myself as the cleanest one. make that nearly impossible. I mean, I even did a little test just a few days. I swept the kitchen floor but I didn't dust bust the pile. I just left it for a few days to see if either of them would get it. I picked it up yesterday.

I understand that we are all very busy people but why should I be the one taking time out of my day to clean up after them? (Okay I lied about the only items in the fridge thing...I just went downstairs to get something and noticed that a lot of the items on the door are mine as well but notice that I am buying more of them until the old one is gone). I won't say that the amount of cleaning I do is ridiculous because what I do actually is very mild (to what actually needs to be done). I will say that it is disproportionate to how much I use the kitchen.

And with all that said, I think I will be spending tomorrow afternoon cleaning up the kitchen. Perhaps if I'm exteremly lucky, I'll be able to vacuum downstairs and the stairs and clean the fridge.

Learning something new
Now Playing: "Understanding (Wash It All Away)" by Evanescence
"With passage of the law [which outlawed smoking indoors in most public places?including bars and restaurants], San Luis Obispo adopted the nation's strictest anti-smoking law at that time and was the first city in the nation to ban smoking in bars."
-The Tribune Friday 10/15/04

Go SLO!

"Mandy? There's a rat outside my door..."
Now Playing: Geto Boys: Die Mother Fuckers
Topic: Apartment
I originally woke up at like 6:05 because my body has been trained to realize that 5 out of 7 days, that's oversleeping. I noticed the time and then went back to sleep. Only to have the phone ring about half an hour later. I was going to tell the person off but it turned out to be my roommate, Julie.

"Mandy? There's a rat outside my door."

That woke me up. I open my door a crack and see the trap Julie set in front of her door not where she left it. A few seconds later, I see something flopping at the other end of the door. It was a very much alive rat partically caught in the trap. I informed Julie of this on the phone. She wasn't sure what to do because she didn't want to open her door. I told her I would put on shoes and hung up. I slipped on my sneakers and went for a closer look.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the rat only had the top part of its mouth in the trap and it was trying desperately trying to get loose. It struggled with the trap every few seconds. I could see how hard it was breathing. The other thing I noticed was that it had a tail. My mind was reeling with what I could possibly use to kill the thing but I couldn't think of anything. Julie and I communicated through her door about some possibilities, mainly trying to kill it but we didn't know how.

I went downstairs and got the cleaning gloves and a big trash bag. I was hoping to kind of drag the rat by the trap into the bag. I started to drag and it started to fight and flop. I realized that this wasn't quite going to work. So I used the middle of the bag and dragged from there. I got the rat inside the bag and closed it up. Julie asked what was going and I told her that I had it and I was now going to run like hell to the trash can.

Which is precisely what I did. It was still fighting in the bag and I could hear it but I flung the bag at the trash can when I got there. I actually missed and the bag went behind the dumpster. I cursed that it was back there and that I didn't tie the bag but decided I didn't care. It was out of our house. I turn to see Juile coming down to the dumpster with a tennis racket. She asked if it had a tail and I told her unfortunately.

We went back inside and checked the two remaining traps. Both were missing their bait. We agreed that the rats are getting desperate. We still don't know where they are coming from. Julie explained that she woke up to the rat shrieking in pain and fighting the trap against her door. She apologized for waking me but I told her that that was an emergency and needed waking. We agreed that we would somehow need to put bait, sticky, probably peanut butter, on the two empty traps and get a couple more traps. Preferably the one like Julie had which was easy to set, no risk of losing a finger. We also agreed that we were very much awake now and that the adrenaline was pumping and we could not go back to sleep.

So we had at least three rats in our apartment. One's dead, one's alive but partially caught in a trap and disposed of, and the last one we know about is still in the apartment but tailless. But at least we're catching them now.

Things to know about Cal Poly's wireless access (aka, answers to frequently asked questions today)
Mood:  don't ask
Topic: Work
It's free.

It's not available in the dorms. You must talk to ResNet about getting a wired connection in the dorms.

You must have your laptop with you to sign up.

It's free.

It's not available in the dorms. You must talk to ResNet about getting a wired connection in the dorms.

You must have a wireless card in your laptop or an external one.

It's free.

It's not available in the dorms. You must talk to ResNet about getting a wired connection in the dorms.

If you live off campus, you must have anti-virus software installed on your computer. If you live on campus, ResNet must check out your computer.

It's free.

It's not available in the dorms. You must talk to ResNet about getting a wired connection in the dorms.

You must have your Cal Poly ID to sign up.

It's free.

It's not available in the dorms. You must talk to ResNet about getting a wired connection in the dorms.

You cannot sign up for your son or daughter.

It's free.

It's not available in the dorms. You must talk to ResNet about getting a wired connection in the dorms.
(are we noticing a pattern yet?)

On the form, list a phone number that you can be reached at.

It's free.

It's not available in the dorms. You must talk to ResNet about getting a wired connection in the dorms.

On the form, list an e-mail address you can be reached at. (although if you haven't changed your EDA yet, your Cal Poly address and the one you listed are basically the same).

It's free.

It's not available in the dorms. You must talk to ResNet about getting a wired connection in the dorms.

We're open until 5 today and then 8 to 5 tomorrow. After that, you can find us in our regular location.

It's free.

It's not available in the dorms. You must talk to ResNet about getting a wired connection in the dorms.

"It's been...
Mood:  lazy
Topic: School
two weeks since you looked at me
Cocked your head to the side
and said you're crazy
Five days since I laughed at you saying
Get that together come back and see me
Hold it now and watch the hoodwink
As I make you stop, think
Trying hard not to smile though I feel bad
Can't understand what I mean?"


This has been a presentation of:
If my research paper could talk

Funky coin
While walking home today, along side the train track I saw a dime so I decided to pick it up. Except that part of it is flattened. Upon closer inspection, and comparison with a good dime, it looks as if my dime is now the size of a penny and also has the impression of the back of a penny on the front of the dime and a fainter impression of the front of a penny on the back of the dime. So it's kind of like an 11? coin. Except not.

Today's lesson: half burnt ass=not fun.
spent about an hour and a half by the pool this afternoon. It was quite relaxing. The pool was somewhat heated too but cold enough to cool me off. As Kathyrn pointed out after I got back, for her last summer, the pool seemed to get hotter as the summer went on but was ice cold after all the senior citizens left. Yes, once again (I would link if I could find it), Valencia has a lot of senior citizens living here over the summer. At least not too many in my area this year. But anyway, I left the pool when I was one of two people under 50 out of like 6 people there. I managed to get some color on my back with a little bit of burns towards the top and by the suit because I couldn't get the sunscreen over there. But I definitely have a tan line on my back. But apparently, that is all the sunscreen I need to get color. I put more on my legs and arms and there is no difference there. I didn't get far enough up on my legs though and managed to burn my ass.