Why educate yourself in the sciences?

Does this mean I'm a grown up now?

11 weeks.

Summer used to stretch out forever. Now I know it's only 11 weeks. Was it always that short, and I just didn't know it?

Goodbye to all this?

Junior-itis? Or is it just me?

My best friend is a senior, and he - no surprise - has a bad case of senior-itis. He's more than just a little crazy these days, but he's looking at prom and graduation and a summer job and then the rest of his life...

Me, it's just like I woke up in a new world that on one hand feels so much more serious and full of acronyms (ACT, SAT, GPA, ED, EA) while on the other hand is all about just being a kid (OK, a big kid) just a little while longer. Get a few of us together at lunch, and we are one big pile of crazy.

Is it the pressure? Maybe. Or are we just mature enough to know our days as kids are numbered?

First car accident: lessons learned

Things I did right:  the whole license and insurance exchange thing, after checking to make sure everyone was alright. Taking photos of both cars. Calling my mom.

Things to do next time:  call the police, even if they have said not to because it's minor, on private property etc.

Here's why:  it really wasn't my fault, but it may not matter. My car was hit on the left rear by a car turning from the lane to the left of me. Yes, that's right. And no, I wasn't passing on the right, wasn't on the shoulder, etc. He just decided to turn right and didn't look.

And then, his insurance company decided not to pay, so I had to file it under my insurance - who at least are going to try to get reimbursement through something they call subrogation.

But I have to wonder whether it would have just been easier to insist on a police report, because anyone standing there could see what happened.

Pollen, pollen everywhere

Well, not really, but at some times of the year it sure seems like it. Like now. Oak pollen is everywhere, and Mountain Cedar (Juniper) is still going strong. I found out last year that I'm allergic to both, so I'm pretty miserable these days even with medication.

 I haven't decided whether it helps me to know, but if you think it helps you, there are some great pollen forecast websites around, usually more specific if it's an allergist in your city. At least you can make sure you know why you feel so bad. Sometimes that's something.

links you can try are here, here and here.

One per week

I've been thinking about this blog, and what I'm trying to do here besides just try to get my thoughts down in words. I wish I had found a blog that told me something every week to try. Maybe I would have done better sooner.

I think that trying one new thing a week is just about right, not too much. Even if you just think about it, see if maybe it might be something you want to try, even that amount of thought might be helpful.

It's hard not to be grown up yet, but have to figure it out before you are. It's a lot of pressure.

What's kind of crazy to me is that I look at friends who make things look effortless that I have to really work hard to do, but I also have other friends who think that things come easy to me that they have problems with.

I'm glad that some of these posts seem to be helpful, which means I'm going to keep writing until I run out of things to say.

Breakfast. Seriously.

You might be the exception to the rule. By now I know I'm not. I feel so much better, and DO so much better, when I eat breakfast. And not just any breakfast - a good one. Coffee has almost replaced hot chocolate, plus some fruit like cantaloupe, and for sure some protein:  an omelet, oatmeal with walnuts and raisins, granola and milk, or the breakfast tacos we like here in Texas. Sometimes it's annoying when your mother's right, but that doesn't mean you should skip it.

Relationships, or not

I know that  I learn better and work harder for a teacher I have a good relationship with. Duh, right?

But what I've realized this year is that if I DON'T have a good relationship with a teacher, I let that get in the way of my learning what I need to learn in a class. What I mean is that I don't go to tutoring to get extra help, or even ask questions in class.

The problem is that this hurts me, and has absolutely no effect on the teacher.

So I'm trying to remember that this is MY education, MY grade, MY high school years. And I'm trying on a new approach - that I'm not going to let it get in my way.

I'm also trying to understand why I have great relationships with some teachers, and not so great ones with others. For me, it's all about sarcasm, impatience and irritability. Some of these teachers just aren't very nice people, in class or after class, with me or anyone else as far as I can tell. Some of them don't seem to care much about teaching whatever it is they're here to teach, and some seem to like teaching just fine but not the students.

It makes the nice teachers who seem to care really stand out.

Sometimes this means I have to decide how bad I want the help. But sometimes it means getting a tutor outside of school. Or using online study websites.

Whatever it takes, is my point.

Grocery shopping for the rest of us

I am grocery shopping on my own for the first time these days, now that I can drive, and I've discovered you can wander around a grocery store for a LONG time if you're not careful, looking for what you want to buy. In fact, they're designed that way.

Which is fine, if that's what you have time for - Target is always good for a half hour.

But if you want to get in and get out, try making a list, and put the things on your list together if they're in the same area:  dairy with dairy, etc. And better get a basket, because there's a lot of stuff to try.

Be safe with a safe

Go to Target and look at what are called document safes. They come in different sizes, but the point is to have one you can lock.

So, obviously, someone could pick these safes up and walk out with them, but that's not the point. What you want is a place for the important stuff, so you can keep it in a special place and know where it is:  passport, blank checks, receipts, etc. Stuff you don't want laying around for just anyone to see. Maybe those notes from your first girlfriend in 5th grade. Whatever.

Pockets for all

Basketball shorts are great for comfort but terrible for phones, wallets and keys. Let's hear it for pockets.

Cargo pockets down low on the side of your legs with Velcro are my favorites, or zippers. Not buttons; who has time to button a pocket? Snaps never work for long.

Back pockets are good, and deep side pockets are the best.

Mostly, the more the better.

Yea for duvets

Looking for a shortcut? Get a duvet. It's like a pillowcase for a fluffy blanket. Make your bed in 10 seconds. Bonus is that it's harder to lose socks and stuff. I can see the need for one in my dorm room.

Here, go crazy at Ikea

Paypal debit card

If you carry around gift cards from relatives, you may discover, like I did, that the longer you carry them around the more the fees reduce the balance, until when you finally use it you've only got like $4.26 left to spend. Likewise, gift Mastercards are a problem because if you lose them they spend just like cash.

My new solution is a Paypal debit card, which is PIN protected. Your parent can set it up for you tied to an existing account, then transfer money to your card immediately whenever you need it. Of course, this means that they can monitor how you spend it, but you probably are going to use it for gas and food anyway, right?

More info here

Alarm clocks are better than your mom

Don't want your mom to have to keep waking you up every morning?

Then get serious about alarm clocks. Notice the "s" at the end of clocks.

I am still experimenting, but it looks now like I will need to have the one within reach with multiple snoozes, as usual, but also have to add one out of reach, preferably one that is really annoying.

I may have to get one of the models that moves around, but I really hope it doesn't come to that.

Getting the hang of laundry

OK, I know how to separate the lights and darks. I even know about different water temps. That's not the point.

Here's how to knock it out. Buy the sheets that go in the washer and the dryer. They have the laundry soap for the washer AND the fabric softener for the dryer.

Use cold water for everything. Keeping the really dark stuff separate from the really white stuff is usually best, unless you're in a huge hurry and you don't care.

Hang up the t-shirts straight out of the washer if you don't want them to shrink.

Hang everything up right out of the dryer and you won't look like a wrinkled mess, unless that's the look you're going for.

There, you're done. You're welcome.

No rest for the almost-adults

With some encouragement (OK, a lot of encouragement) I'm planning a summer that, like every summer for the past few years, is a little more work and a little less play. Is this what growing up looks like?

I'm still counting on hanging out by a pool somewhere as often as I can, but I've got a lot of ground to cover.

Getting my drivers license, a week long PSAT prep class, and two different summer camps - one for materials science (where I hope to learn exactly what that is) and the other a two week engineering camp that I actually had to compete to get into BUT the scholarship pays for everything and I get to live in a dorm and see what being an environmental engineer is like.

Eleven weeks seems like a long time at the beginning of summer, doesn't it? I'm going to make this one count.

Comments

Although it's been fun, I'm finding that I just don't have the time to moderate the comments. (Yes, the comments DO need to be moderated, trust me)

I had no idea so many people would be interested, and I'm kind of amazed at all the comments. Sounds like I'm on to something, and even though I enjoy hearing from some of you this isn't something I've got the time to keep doing.

So I've taken down all the comments, and disabled comments for all my posts. Not to be mean, but some of you might need to start your own blogs. Sorry, it was either moderate or stay in school. Email me if you just feel you need to...