This is How to Spend Your Time

Classes began on Monday. Since 9:00AM that morning (when Rika and I walked to our first lectures in Hammerschlag) I've been keeping busy. Occasionally I've come back to the apartment during a two-hour break to make lunch at home or run some errands, but otherwise I've been spending a lot of time at CMU. By a lot I mean 9AM to 9PM. Sometimes later.

As far as classes go, they all look pretty good. I'm unhappy with some of my TAs, but there's a simple remedy for that. The professors seem better, though, which is a relief after last semester. That's also good because most of my courses this semester are renowned as "hard." The last thing anyone wants in a challenging course is a professor with poor lecturing skills (which could lead the course to be more challenging than it has to be).

I'm already planning to drop a course, however. I'd rather spend more time concentrating on five difficult courses than spreading myself too thin on six. Plus there are other activities in which I'm taking part that are taking up a lot of time (more on those later). At this point, the course in question is programming (15-111). I'm allowing a weekend (and a long one at that!) to mull it over.

Classes only last until 4:30PM or so...so where does all the other time go?

Well, first there's ballroom. Andrey and I teach lessons on Mondays in Beginner 2. Officer's are also supposed to table every now and again, which entails signing in people, answering questions, etc. Then there's the personal enrichment: intermediate and advanced lessons. I feel like I haven't danced in forever.

Then there is SWE, which hasn't really kicked off yet. My role on the executive board is not large, but I've resolved to volunteer for more events and take a more active role in the general body.

I also recently got an on-campus job. It's about as close as you can get to free money. I sit at a desk behind a computer, hand out surveys to people as they come in the Modern Language Resource Center, input the surveys online when they leave, and occasionally attempt to answer their questions. No, I don't have a copy of the Italian I syllabus.

New Apartment Pictures

Andrey helped me get my last box out of storage today, so I've been working on getting the rest of the apartment set up this evening (I'm not very into the "Last Saturday Night Party Before Classes Begin" thing; so I spent it at home, instead). My desk looks like a different world (or at least a number of different cities).

Rika and I also went out last weekend and did some shopping for things to brighten up the apartment. It still needs some work (like the half-hung hammock and the bare walls behind the table), but there are some posters to be hung up yet.

Voila! My "renovated" apartment!:

Yes, I have a ballroom competition number collection. There's one missing that is apparently still attached to someone's shirt...

I will be transported to Rome, Prague, San Francisco, any number of places when I do my Physics homework next semester.

Our seasonal table topped with spring flowers. The garland in the back is nice, but I think we still need something. Maybe just some posters, or Christmas lights (let's see how many seasons we can fit in one picture).
Johnny Depp staring at you when you eat...is that scary or what?
Just wanted to prove that I am not dead, sleep-deprived, or pale. Yet. Classes start on Monday.

Have a great rest of the weekend!

Schedule!

I haven't been doing much this past week and a half. There's only so much tidying up to do around one desk, especially when most of the stuff that's supposed to be there isn't there storage doesn't open til Friday).

The most productive things I've done are gone to an interview for an on-campus job and bought a table cloth with Rika. Our apartment is starting to look even more colorful! Once I figure out how to hook the other side of the hammock up and my stuff comes out of storage, I'll be sure to post more photos. I also danced for the first time in months. Andrey and I are supposed to teach Foxtrot at Beginner 2 lessons starting on Monday. We're still a bit rusty.

I've also finalized my schedule! (Short of the possibility of dropping a class later). No more wait lists! If you are the type of person who enjoys following along, you can click HERE for a link to my schedule. Just don't show up to all my lectures unless you're in them. I might get suspicious.

The Apartment

Classes don't begin until August 25th, but that didn't stop my roommate, Rika, and I from moving into our new apartment two weeks early. Moving in on Sunday took longer than we anticipated, but thankfully we only had to make one trip with the Uhaul to take all our furniture and Rika's things from her summer sublet to the apartment. We've managed to set up our apartment and make it look livable since then, however.

We live in a convenient location: about four blocks from CMU (about 10 minutes walking), about 6 blocks from a large grocery store, and close to a variety of bus routes that can take us all over Pittsburgh. Our 6th floor apartment also has a great view of Shadyside!

The views from our windows. We live behind some train tracks, but I'm already getting used to them.

My side of the bedroom.
The "living room" and my study area. The [extremely heavy, but free] desk broke while we were on the home stretch: while we were exiting the elevator! Fortunately, it still stands.

Living room with a peek at the dining area.


The kitchen. I haven't tried using the oven, yet, but everything else seems to be working properly.

We're still looking for a few more things (I'm looking for a desk chair, for instance). Maybe I can post some more pictures when the apartment is complete.