College: Week One

This week I have learned about the true seductiveness of temptation. Almost sounds redundant, but it's true.

This week was my first full week of college. Technically. Even though my first classes started on Wednesday, I've been living on campus and experiencing college for a full week. So there.

And speaking of temptation...my roommate and I are tempted by a few things already, including Halo: Reach, snack/junk food, and taking breaks from school work. And we have both given in to these temptations. A lot.

Although, we've both been able to get each other to finish homework, even if it was so we could play Reach online for hours. Some motivation is better than no motivation.

I myself have found and given in to another (cliché) temptation: Going home for a weekend [and getting laundry done at home].

It so happens this weekend was my friend John's family's annual cider day, and I just couldn't miss it. So, I packed a vacation bag to go home (an odd thought/feeling), and then worked with apples all day yesterday. Picking, washing, grinding, pressing, straining, pouring, and finally enjoying all-natural cider. Can't be beat, and it was a relaxing (and productive) weekend. Now, back to school!

Also, here are photos of my dorm, for those that have been wanting a taste.

My side of the dorm. The lofted bed adds a lot of room.

Another view of my side, with more of my work zone shown.

An angle looking out of my window, overlooking Bellingham Bay.

Pretty much exact same view, but at night. I love these orange-laden fog banks at night.

Creative Communicating - Roommates

When you live somewhere, you tend to communicate with those around you out of necessity, comfort, and social behavior. And to figure out each other. With roommates, this talking, with or without words, tends to be immediate. Ground rules need to be established (or gradually learned), especially about sharing things, when to fall asleep/wake up, bringing guests to the room, sexiling, hanging out, etc.

Other than that, the communication between flatmates can be sparse, on-the-fly, and second- or even third-handed. I have one solution.

Recently I MacGyvered a simple device to help with one of the levels of communication with a roommate. Whenever I'd come back to my room and my roommate wasn't there, I never knew quite where he was, other than the ambiguous, "out." So, I decided to make an interactive message system for the inside of the door. You just place your name next to where you'll be.

I dub it the Status Board*.

If I find the time/parts, I want to rig a clock to look like my Status Board, but you move a designated hand to "times," which will be substituted with similar phrases. Yes, I know this is from Harry Potter, but mine won't be magic-driven or self-updating.

Also, I'll soon have a system in place for the outside of the door, with coded signs so that we know if the other person is sleeping--and thus needing to enter quieter than usual--or not enter at all because of being sexiled...it'd all be coded because seriously, the "sock on the door" signal is a little conspicuous and scandalous.

Another way to keep up-to-date with your roommate is texting. I use it the most when I'm out and about because it's almost instantaneous, but the Status Board works best at the times you're just down the hall in the bathroom.

Texting can feel too impersonal and too personal at times.

* - The Status Board is made of a piece of cardboard from a surge protector box, Sharpie, statuses, Post-It Notes, and creativity.

Built Up

I moved into my dorm on Saturday, which wasn't as hectic as we thought it would be. There were the ever helpful HELP squad that would unload cars and carry loads of everyone's stuff inside and up the endless flights of stairs.

I had a hard time sleeping in such a new place. New room, new nocturnal sounds, new bed and sheets. Although, the orange-glowing fog bank coming off from the bay really put me in a good mood. That, and hearing the familiar sounds of the BNSF train--That is the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe line that I heard almost nightly growing up in Santa Fe, NM. It's been so long since I heard the train. And then the people down the street started partying. Loudly. With firecrackers.

Sunday I waited in line for bed parts to boost, for like an hour. People ahead of me kept walking out of the storage room with nothing, so I was really confused and wasn't sure if there'd be parts for me. At the end, my roommate and I did get bed parts, really heavy bed parts.

Just to let you know, building up your beds can be rather difficult. And we had to wait for this tool called a "bed wrench," and they didn't say exactly what it was. There were about six of these being shared between six floors, and almost every room was building a bed.

For those of you coming to Western next year and want to prepare, the mysterious tool is a 1/2" socket wrench with a universal joint. Who knows, maybe you can buy one, and rent it out on Move-In/Build Up Day next year?

Now, our beds are boosted a good like four feet up, which gives us room to put things like desks, fridges, and microwaves under the beds and free up space. Sleeping on them last night was a little scary, as they aren't the most stable structures known to man, but they can handle someone getting up and laying still all night.

Experience (3)

After a long line of waiting, sometimes key pieces like ladders and rail guards won't be available. Also, bed parts are heavy and can be difficult to maneuver. Fortunately my roommate's parents were there, and then my girlfriend and her sister showed up. Even then the beds were a little uncooperative, but we got them up.

Advice (3)

Get in line for parts early, and have people there to help

Get in line early; everyone else seems to do so. Make sure you have two or three people there to help transport and help with building. If you don't have parents or friends with you, call on your hall neighbors. If they're busy building, help out, and then they can help you. Teamwork and community building!

Winding down

Now, I have officially ended my internship with the local paper, the La Conner Weekly News. The internship was through the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association (WNPA), and it all started back in March.

(Sorry for the dirge of links).

Today I received the second and final check, which was sent to me after I had completed 240 hours of interning, and I had written an exit-essay/letter to the Internship Board at WNPA. To celebrate, the owners of La Conner Weekly News, Sandy and Cindy, took me out to a very good (and filling) Mexican lunch with one of La Conner's best writers, Jim Smith. Yes, the Jim Smith that writes "Notes from Pull-and-Be Damned" and hangs around and gives "college lectures" the local coffee joints.

This week I also had my last day at the local library...

It feels very weird to be wrapping everything up and moving on to college life. Yesterday I spent a few hours turning the pile of stuff in my room into a bigger mess and pile, and then strategically reordering everything to fit in boxes. Somewhat.

Experience (2):

My roommate and I didn't started talking until a few days ago, and we move in together this week. Before then, he had been on vacation, and I hadn't been able to contact him at all. But it all worked out in the end.

Advice (2):

Once you know who your roommate will be, try and contact your roommate as soon as possible.

Before you move in together, you should get to know them, as well as plan who will bring what, and establishing ground rules, etc. The best part of starting as soon as you can, you have more time to contact them if they happen to be on vacation. Also, a lot of colleges let you request a roommate (if you both request each other), so if you know someone that's going to the same school, you can talk and see if you want to live together. Could be a classmate from high school, someone you met at a concert, or a player from a rival team you happened to befriend. Whatever works.

Countdown to Dormlife!

As of today, there are eight days until I move north to Western Washington University.

I'm excited, nervous, ecstatic, and anxious; and a whole slough of other, random emotions. But overall, I am looking forward to school again. The year off was definitely a great idea! Not only did I dodge the mistake of going to The Art Institute of Seattle (less school than company) and having a huge amount of debt, I also spent time with my girl, worked a bunch, and even expanded my knowledge and interests to include writing for the local paper.

Hopefully in the next several months I can report on my college experience and younger, high school-age kids can read these experiences and use them to better plan their own lives.

---

Experience number one:

If you feel rushed to jump straight into college out of high school, don't do it.!

Last summer I felt stressed out about going to a big, expensive college. I didn't want that crushing debt, and wasn't even completely sure what I wanted to study there.

The more my mom and I talked about it, the plan of taking the year off to work and look for alternative plans sounded more and more appealing, so we did it. I took the extra time to shrug off the stress, take up extra jobs to save money, and research other colleges. By March, I was pretty damn sure of where I wanted to go, and took the appropriate steps to get me there.

Talk with your parents and see what they think of you taking a year off. Don't use this year to sit around and chill out; you still need to work to save money and plan your next steps, but the added months really do help you get priorities in order, as well as try new experiences.

Advice number one:

Don't rush yourself into "the next step." Take your time and figure out what you want to do next.

If you're stressing out about college straight from high school, talk to your parents about it. If you include them in your thought process, they will more than likely support this endeavor. Just don't take the year off to couch-lounge and procrastinate until the following August.

You need to be proactive and productive if your parents are going to let you stay another year. Use the extra months to work and save up money, and find a college or next step that you really want to do.

Now, get offline, take a deep breath, and relax!

Colleges

Lately I've been prepping myself for a new chapter--College!

Been running around gathering things for dorm-life, getting classes settled, trying to contact my roommate, and wondering about my new teachers. And then it hit me, I've already had college experience!

In high school my Creative Writing, Native American Carving, and Computer classes count for college credits, so technically I've taken college classes before. Also, I've had lecture classes--however informal they are. Just today I sat down for twenty minutes and had a mini-lecture from four "life-teachers" that happen to teach over a few cups of "joe" at the La Crema Life College (LCLC, if you will).

Today's class had mini-lectures from Kevin Sunrise, Curt McCauley, Jim Smith, and Fred Owens. Kevin is the only teacher that was new to me today; I've had plenty of Life Lessons with the others. Here's a little brief description about each of today's teachers:

• Kevin Sunrise is a well-known man in town. Until recently, he and his wife Amy ran a free food-exchange in their yard in town. They both love to walk and ride bikes in town.
• Jim Smith is a favorite columnist in the town's paper, who always has some funny story or quote to share with everyone. "History at a Tangent 105" and "Anecdotal History 124" seem to be his favorite subjects.
• Fred Owens is a freelance writer, blogger, and general "go-getter" in town. He just released a book, which is an anthology of blogs he's written the last few years (see link). Usually it's "Current Affairs 125," "Farming News 231," and "Related History 300" with him.
• Curt McCauley is a local artist, who you will most likely find at the coffee shop, drawing on napkins with a brush pen. He tends to focus more on "Art and the Real World 102," "Eastern Philosophy 304," and the occasional "What to Do in Life 245."

Today's lesson included "Sage Advice 239," with the discussion of what parents tell their children--which evolved into a sort of round-table between these four wise and experienced men. Some notable advice included:

"Don't date a girl with bigger problems than your own."

"Don't date a loser."

"Don't waste your time on losers. I don't care if you get your heart broken, as long as it's not a waste of time. If you do get your heart broken, at least you know you're following your heart."

"Find the tallest, smartest, and most beautiful girl in the room, walk up to her, and say: I'm the answer to your prayers."

"You have to tell your kids important stuff when they're ten, because they believe you. By twelve they start to argue, and fifteen everything you say is wrong. You have to imprint it on them--not too much--but while they're younger."

I don't know about you, but it's fun to see that there are teachers like this all around us--and most of it is free of tuition and registration fees. All you need is a comfy seat, good ears, and the occasional beverage of choice.

Typewriter to trade

I recently received an IBM Correcting Selectric III from a neighbor that was moving, and now I am looking to get rid of it.

I'm off to college soon, and I want to give it to someone that will put more attention into it. When I first received it the typewriter could type and everything, but once it got to the end of the row it wouldn't reset itself on the next line.

I don't have time to fix it up or go in-depth with tinkering before college, and I want to give other people a chance to mess with it. So, I will be accepting offers to trade for something else.

As far as trading, you can offer various things, like artwork, a meal, a working manual (non-electric) typewriter, a set of pens, cash, anything! Get creative and maybe I'll accept your offer.

Just know you'd have to cover shipping expenses if you don't live around Skagit County, WA. By the way, its heavy.

I'll put pictures up soon, I'm on my way to bed at the moment.


Comment or email (AlexanderRKramer@gmail.com) your offers.

I love...

...being able to wake up one morning, go to the newspaper to help distribute papers to vendors for an hour, going to the library to get my schedule, and then later that day going to the local art museum to help out with something, and when I go to the post office they know I have three places I work for.

...being able to walk from the office, to the bank, the drug store, the market, go eat lunch at the Channel-side park, go to the post office, and back to the newspaper office before my lunch hour is over.

...being able to walk up to the mayor in the street and him knowing who you are. I swear, he has eidetic memory.


[Added]:

...being able to shake hands with two cops walking during lunch break: One I've had a ride-along with, and the other goes to the Town Council meetings when I do.

...getting tours in the local museums.

Small towns. Gotta love them.

My roots have definitely found good, nurturing soil here, and no matter how far my branches grow, this place is where I'm going to keep drawing from in my mind

More Jones appreciation

I've had my ongoing Jones "Saying of the Day" section on the upper-left column for the last week, and I'm liking it.

Oh, and here is the shirt I got from the appreciative company. Totally rocks! Gonna be showing this one off in the Southwest!

If just looking at this awesome shirt design by Wotto makes your lips dry and your tongue ache for Jones, why don't you just click to their product page here? You know your tongue wants it.

Gotta Love the Manuals

On Fourth of July, there was an estate sale within the area, and I decided to go check it out to see if there was anything good/cool (aka, hopefully a typewriter, rotary phone, or button maker). So, early that morning, my friend woke me up at 7:30 (the sale started at 9...), played some Fourth of July Muppets, and then we went to the sale.

When we drove by, it looked like any other garage sale, but we still checked it out all the same. In front were boxes of rocks, and not like awesome rocks, like geodes, just river rocks. Behind those was a table of airplane models (in boxes), and then the rest of the garage. As I walked through, there was a pile of stuff, and in between the junk I saw keys. Like typewriter keys.

After finding out my haggling/money-saving skills are pretty much zilch, I had another working typewriter in my possession. Behold!

Notice the sleek carrying case, the black-to-red ink toggle (on the right side), and that awesome red button! What does it do, you ask? You press it, and it sounds like a machine gun, and the carriage rattles it's way to the end, and that satisfactory ding sounds. I call it the super-tab button.

That super-tab button makes it that much cooler. My brother isn't really one for typewriters, but he loves that button. Rattatatatatatatatatatat!

This machine, the Olympia Traveller C, is in almost perfect condition, no dust or grit--just a used ribbon--but it still types cleanly. It lacks the personality of my Skyriter, but it feels a lot more...business-y. My brother says I can use the Skyriter for personal letters, and the Traveller C for business letters. Sounds good.

The Traveller C is a relatively new typewriter, from what I've found it's like 2005-ish...I think. There's not really a place that says it outright. All I know for sure is it's not manufactured anymore, and eBay and a few other places has it priced as $109 (which is actually a few times more than what I paid for it at the estate sale).

Anyways...

For comparison, my Skyriter in the same light and position. By the way, the Skyriter is hereby dubbed Magnus and the Traveller C...has no name just yet...

More to come...at some point.