It Is Better To Be Thought A Fool in Silence . . .

     I was occasioned to remember a quote that I heard when I was a child.  It has been reworked many times but, essentially, the passage is, "It is better t be thought a fool in silence, then to speak and remove all doubt."(Abraham Lincoln or Socrates).  The reason why this is the subject of my post, today is that, during my college career and in life, I have come to the realization that I don't know ANYTHING.  This is true for most people.  Now, I don't mean that people are stupid, it is just that we don't seek information that could be detrimental to our world view.

     An example of this is a person who I have become recently acquainted with who lives in my dorm.  This comes from a very sheltered home life and has a very limited view of the world.  Anytime that you try to introduce a new side of an argument/statement/discussion with him, he tries to make it fit his view of things, even if he is wrong.  You could tell him something that is a fact, a verifiable fact, and he will get upset and say that you are calling him ignorant and being dismissive.  I told him that I wasn't criticizing him, I was just letting him know that he was misinformed and pointing him to the truth.

     Another example of this is someone who makes up facts just to fit their argument.  I get furious when someone is making an argument and you can just see them making up the "fact" just to make their point.  Instead of admitting they may not have the full answer, they will just plow through, trying to justify themselves.

     However, more directly, I see this in my classes.  I see this a great deal.  Especially with the younger kiddos.  The will argue with people with PhDs over things that are a settled fact/theory just because it doesn't go with the "thing my brother's best friend's sister who worked as a secretary for so-and-so said".  It is funny how they want to be right in the face of being wrong.

      In these cases, you have people who are trying to make an argument with incomplete/missing information.  Many of us have been guilty of this, myself included.  The difference is, if you don't know, say you don't know.  Because, when everything comes out, you end up just looking stupid if you don't have your facts right.  And even when we are wrong, we should be able to admit it.  It makes you look more intelligent by acknowledging that you were not correct and that you are open to changing.

     That's my take.

Awkward Older Pervyness

     We will call her Christina.
  
     She could be of any race.  I will only say the Christina is 18 and smoking hot.  Or 21 and smoking hot.  Just know that she is young (to me).  She sits next to me in class or I met her through classmates.  Or she chatted me up in a in a bar.  We parlay.  

     I am always upfront about my age and status.  She makes the comment that age is not a big issue.  She says that I don’t look thirty-five.  I take the compliment.  I return same, in a non-sexual way.  She mentions that her parents are in their early forties.  I say, “Cool.”  I make jokes that I am close to her parents’ age.  She says it doesn't bother her.  We can still hang out.  I say, “O.K.”  We exchange numbers.  

     She wants to know what’s up with me. 

     I am just trying to keep it cool and on the friend level.  

     And I am responsible. And adult.  But, at times, I can’t help thinking...,

     “Dammit, you are freaking hot.”  

     I am so glad I am not me in my 20’s.  At least . . . that is what I tell myself.

     *Awkward*

So, I missed a deadline?

O.K. So I missed my first deadline for posting.  I promise to be better about that.  But, hey!  I am new to writing deadlines for things that I am not required to do.  But to make up for that, this will be a double post week.  I may even do that today.  YAY!!!

                So…speaking of missing deadlines, I messed up major.  I had a paper due last Monday.  Consequence of e-mailing it in late was a 20% reduction in grade, OFF THE TOP.  Mid week, of the week it was due, I e-mail the professor about his stipulation for “scholarly sources” using a news/journal website as an example.  I also asked him his definition of scholarly. He said the journal was fine and news sources were great.  So, I wrote this paper, sourced the paper and had it ready to turn in.  On the due day, I go to class.  For some reason, in the e-mail I sent the professor, I neglected to ask him to clarify what he meant by scholarly sources, exactly.  So, in class, I asked him.  He wanted six, peer-reviewed, journal citations.

  “OH $h!t”, went through my mind.  

     I only had two and many newspaper/magazine sources.  This paper was due at midnight of due day.  E-mailed.  This class is all electronic.  So, at seven in the evening, I am in the library trying to find sources.  At eleven, I am back in the dorm accessing the online electronic journals.  At two in the morning, after reading/skimming HUNDREDS of pages of journals, trying to find relative sources, I am twenty minutes away from finishing the paper.  The entire time, I am praying that the professor will give leeway/consideration to the fact it was in before s/he woke up.    As I am accessing my last journal, the screen responds, “Webpage Unavailable.  No internet connection.  Would you like to run a diagnosis?”

$hHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

     This fail was brought to you mostly by me, because I didn’t completely follow through on my assignment as early as I should have.  But I would be remiss if I didn’t thank the internet service that is provided by a company that services the internet to the dorms.  Who I won’t name.  But it starts with and “A” and its name means, “The point in an orbit around the Earth that is most distant from the Earth.”

Proper Preparation Prevents (Piss) Poor Performance. 

PEACE!!

Musings on Financial Aid

     I am on financial aid.  I am not ashamed to admit it.  In order to try to graduate in a timely manner, I am taking aid fort the last 1 1/2 years of school.  Why 1 1/2?  Because, like many older students, I put myself through community college while working full time.  I got my Associates Degree.  Now, I am at University. 

     So, I opened up my school e-mail to find that I am close to my maximum credit limit and am in danger of falling out of the Financial Aid program.  Scratching my head, I walked over to the Financial Aid Office to find out what was going on.  This semester was the second semester that I have taken aid.  How could I be over the limit?

      Some of you who are reading this are probably wondering what cap I'm talking about.

     It goes like this.  As a student, if you are eligible to receive aid (Pell Grants and scholarships) you have to graduate with under a certain amount of credits, depending on your major (if you are Pre-med, your cap would be higher).  I was approaching that cap.  I asked how could I be approaching that cap since I have never taken aid before?  Well here is the scoop.  Perhaps some of you failed out of school the first time and this is your second shot at school (like me).  But here is something they don't tell you:  If you retake classes you failed, even if you paid for them out of pocket, they still count towards your credit cap for aid.  Even if you have NEVER taken it before.  It is a catch twenty-two.  They want us to go to school, but you don't get credit for not leaching of aid while doing it.  However, people can be on aid for six years before they graduate.  Money they don't have to pay back or pay back on generous terms.  And if you want to appeal the cap, you have to have a very compelling reason (death in the family, traumatizing event at school, etc.).  Where is the parity in that?

     So, what does that mean for yours truly?  My aid will run out in Spring 2011, 1 1/2 semesters short of graduation.  Which means that I will have to get a job, or a paid internship.  I am not opposed.  Except, the way the formula tends to work is based on income.  You can be penalized for making too much money, even though you are going to school full time.  Which means you don't get as much aid.  Which means you may not finish as fast as you want because you can't afford it.  Or, you take out massive loans. 

     It is kinda like the welfare system.  Penalize people for trying not to use too much, reward those who won't try.

     Welcome to another wonderful part of being an older student.  Enjoy your stay.