Random ponderences revisited:

Life has the ability to be so bitter that it stings the tip of your tongue every time you taste it. Cause you to turn away every time you smell it. Makes you shield your eyes every time you view it. It appears that the only seasoning that can perk up this acidic flavor is to liven it up with any bit of joy and/or happiness that has ever traveled through your system. Remember what the sweetness of that joy tasted like, remember the pleasant aroma that moment gave you, and keep replaying those wonderful thoughts throughout your mind over and over again until it gets to the point where the line between actuality and the past is non-existent.

I miss you Granny!

It's funny how you really don't conceptualize things until you actually go through it. Right now, relying on pleasant memories really helps to get me through the rough spots every now and then. After talking to some friends that are still undergrads and while watching students shuttling back and forth across Sproul to either get to that study group that they hope will have all the magical answers, racing to their room to get out of the rain and just unwind from unloading a semesters worth of material into a painstaking three hour exam, or trying to make it on time to get a seat comfortable enough to sit in for three hours straight (preferably close enough to the end of the row so that you can get up and stretch every now and then, go to the restroom, and/or get some fresh air. Yet far enough away from those who could potentially pose a distraction to you, as you are already on pins and needles, and any slight bump into you, and every suttle creak of their chair mysteriously causes your brain to return to the clean slate that you had when the semester started). As I was watching a few students walking around campus the other day, I couldn't help but be a little envious. On the inside, I was totally yelling, "I MISS BEING AN UNDERGRADUATE!!!" You might think that I'm a little off my rocker for saying this, but I really do, and here's why:
(1.) Deadlines are much more clearer -- when an instructor tells you they want an assignment tomorrow, they want it tomorrow. At work, when something is needed by tomorrow, it's actually needed the same day. (2.) I miss taking notes of intense and interesting lectures. (3.) I miss the support that I got from others going through the same struggles and then some. That understanding mentality sustains you so much. (4.) I miss the Telebears/Inforbears people! Thank you for letting me get into the classes I wanted! (I was truly fortunate in that, as others were not always so lucky.). And, last but certainly not least...(5.) Getting grades back (when they were good). Don't get me wrong, as I know that having that "I'm shooting for A+s, so get the hell outta my way" mind set is not cool, but when you have pushed yourself all semester, and your classmates have been behind you, and your family and friends are so supportive in your efforts, and that instructor or TA does all they can to encourage you to succeed, you can't help but gloat a bit in the end. So shooting for that B+ to A+ range isn't so bad after all :)