12.5 percent

Week two of school has finished, which technically means I'm 12.5 percent done with the semester. In many regards, it feels like school has just started (I just dropped a class and bought my last textbooks today), but in many others I'm already busy and bogged down with school. Take tonight for instance; I did a couple of mundane and mindless things, started reading about environmental psychology, and fell asleep at 5:30pm. I woke up and continued reading about how living in cities throws tons of stimuli that affects us in seemingly odd but consistent ways, which I couldn't help but agree with. The point of this illustration, however, is the fact that it is a Friday evening and I'm sitting here reading for a course on Social and Cultural Processes in Design, rather than doing anything else that resembles the stereotypical college experience.

What's odd is I almost like what I'm reading this semester. Despite some ridiculousness about chairs, both my Arch 110AC and my CP 110 readings have been engaging and illustrative thus far. I'm excited about both of my term project/papers in both of these classes, and my GSI's are enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and personable. I have those 'intellectual' thoughts and conversations that you see those kids at the ivys and shit in movies having on a pretty regular basis nowadays.

My italian instructor is a wonderful woman, though the class is a bit of work. The section is small - 12 people - and normally I would like that but there are a few European students who talk ENDLESSLY and monopolize the conversation in the class. It makes it difficult for me to practice my oral skills. One of them is always questioning grammar (dude I think the teacher is an expert - she was freakin born and raised there and has been teaching for a while) and all of them criticize Americans and American ways. Sometimes I want to ask them why they are here if everything is much more screwed up here, but I've been able to hold my tongue thus far. I suppose it helps that two of them are molto carino...

My last class, Arch 120, is about professional practice. I don't like the lectures and the readings for the most part (some of it is redundant; much of it seems inapplicable), but I'm relieved to find that Mr. FAIA does not just present one view on licensing, education, and practice. What does make me LQTM every time is his tendency to yell at a student to TURN OFF THEIR PHONE RIGHT NOW because he thinks someone's phone is ringing...but actually it's the Windows startup sound that happens when you turn on your computer. He's still really intimidating when he's yelling though...I would sooo not want to be his kid.

One thing I will say this class did for me, it made me realize that in terms of education, I don't have any compelling reasons as to why I'd want to enter a graduate program in architecture, other than the fact that you need to get an accredited degree (read: mArch) in order to become a licensed architect. That's a very important reason, but it's pretty much a given and not all that compelling to admissions officers. I love working in the profession, but the idea of 2-3 years of studios, GSI-ing, and writing a thesis...they dont appeal to me at all. I don't think I'll know everything I need to know once I graduate Cal, but I'll have my critical thinking and problem solving skills, and in an apprentice-based profession, the rest of the things I'll need to know can be learned best as an intern architect.

Furthermore, when I think about all the things I want to look into, research, and examine in terms of city and regional planning...well I apologize to various friends, because I've already gone on about it for hours. There are so many communities that are mis- or under-represented, forgotten about, and abused. So many issues and flaws to be addressed - though probably never "fixed" completely. I think my background - specifically, being raised in two different unincorporated townships - combined with my architectural interests, have suited me toward the issues of regional planning.

I told this to my mother and she seemed receptive to the idea of me going to planning school; then again, she isn't shelling out the $80k+ to do it, either. I fear my father won't like it as much; he's tremendously proud of me (something I've only realized fairly recently), and being an "architect" carries a certain degree of respect and prestige. Studying city and regional planning can lead to a myriad of professions (in reality, architecture does too, but nobody outside the field notices), none of which are famous in greater society (and especially not in produce-farming circles). I'm not sure if its him or if it's projected expectations I've put on myself, but after having noticed that he puts his faith and dreams into his daughters, I obviously want to do something that he can understand and makes him feel like his $90,000/extra mortgages/loans/tractors (yes he sold some, including the real one) were worthwhile. This, of course, is fairly irrational because he's always supported the decisions I've made (remember the NHS basketball fiasco?)

One thing that is annoying about CP is the relative lack of power that municipal planners have. I can see it being frustrating - you have all this training and expertise, and the politicians looking for votes and the developers looking for money and the short-sighted/ill-informed citizens are the ones who ultimately decide what is best. As an architect, you probably have more direct (and certainly physical) influence on how people live and conduct their lives. One last thing that casts doubt on my ability to utilize a master's in City and Regional Planning is the political aspects of the profession. My personality is, by nature, to avoid direct confrontation. I rubberneck just as much as the next guy ("I was in the kitchen cleaning a dish, i was really cleaning, and I heard it so I came out. What? Shoes? No, no, fuck shoes!"), but I don't like to be in the line of fire. I wouldn't really be in the fight, but being surrounded by a bunch of bickering people and groups could get exhausting after a while. Maybe I feel like this because I've been reading on environmental psychology and stress/stimulus all evening though...who knows.

Brief update on things outside of class:
Tues: Reach! API Recruitment & Retention Center meeting. I don't think I can intern for them and a lot of their programs happen in the spring...but I'm definitely going to be supporting them.
Wed: NSU first general meeting. I'm the APAC rep. I'm freakin excited for Culture Show. Meeting freshmen was a little wierd and CTJ's LOUDNESS was absent, but the meeting was overall fun. Yakisoba (homemade) = YUM. I met a kid I used to live down the street from, he looks kind of like my friend's boyfriend. I think it's the hapa thing.
I also had an unexpected visitor from out of town. It freakin made my week.
Thurs: AIAS first general meeting. Went pretty well, and I'm learning how to chill the fuck out.
Next week: APAC meeting, SASC, Hip-hop practice, more AIAS, and the APAC leadership summit.

And I actually wonder how come I can't find anyone that I want to date that wants to date me back. From a time-management standpoint...I'm beginning to see why I'm not so attractive. =(