post first-class jitters

its nice having classes that your interested in. i mean, i will survive without chemistry and the like in my schedule. but its also scary. scary because you get those major related professors who use their class as a means to entertain themselves because they've dropped out of their professions. they've taught the same classes for the past 13 years. professors who just love to make girls like me cry. they're on a major power trip...they can do whatever they want to your grade and you can't stop them. why? because they're on tenure. i've had two actually claim that. those two are my print media and macroecon classes (although econ is a core class).

my econ professor did nothing but joke the whole fifteen minutes we were in there thursday. and its an honors class. he commented many times about how he can't keep a job...the reason i have yet to discover (but i'm sure it will become the topical discussion in a future class). "75% of what i say is to entertain myself" and "i say whatever the little man on my left eyebrow tells me to" and "don't get a bad haircut because you never know how many you have left" were just a few of the things he said. believe me, there were weirder ones. so anyway, as far as i can tell, that class is gonna be entertaining but either the tests a piece of cake, or he just isn't going to teach and then make the tests downright impossible to pass. i'm sure i'll keep you posted.

then theres the print media professor. this is a 300 person class (aka, weed out class for journalism) and he is actually going to take roll. i don't see how thats gonna work out...perhaps turnstiles or a name-stating hug before each class? on the fourth absence, you drop a letter grade. on the fifth, you get a wf (withdrawal failure, which haunts your transcript forever...you probrably can't even get a job with one). here's just a taste of his sick sense of humor (from his class website...copy and paste. and if he somehow stumbles upon this blog, i'm guessing the material is in some way copyrighted. after all, he is an ex-journalist. i give all credit for the following to him. please don't sue me):

• A 10-page paper sounds easy, but keep in mind I am a cruel-hearted and bitter old professor who loves nothing better than to destroy the lives and self esteem of those who take my class. It's how I get my jollies. Or, in other words, don't hand in a 10-page crapper and expect an easy grade. Do good research, write well, and edit edit edit. After that, edit. Otherwise, do it on something interesting. (i don't think i write crappers, but the beginning of that makes me shudder)
• I will do whatever it takes to get you to do more than just sit on your butt and listen, taking dutiful notes, and regurgitating everything back on test day. Boring. (yessssss. fabulous.)
• Cheating in my classroom may be harmful to your health. I have tenure, I write horror fiction, and you are at my mercy. Imagine the possibilities should I catch you in the act. Not pretty. (not that i'm a cheater, but man...)
• Cell phones will be turned off before class starts. If one goes off, I reserve the right to answer it myself and to invent things about your social life that will lead either to embarrassment or an improvement in your reputation, depending on where you are at this moment. Don't let this happen. But if a cell phone must go off, at least try to have a decent tune playing. Springsteen is good. Led Zepplin. The Stones. No fruity tunes, please. Disco will result in your death and instant cremation. (in other words, you don't want to call me mwf between 11:15-12:05 or a "cruel-hearted and bitter old professor" will give you a frightful greeting)
• And more policies are here. Otherwise, the message is don't break the rules cause we write them. You can't win. We own you. (*sing it* shoo fly don't bother me, for i belong to somebody)

just a taste, i tell you. its very likely he's not really as cruel as he sounds. its actually kinda funny...in a sick kind of way. because this is my life we're talking about...so it isn't. anyway, i obviously am a bit nervous about some of my classes. i'll get to test the waters of both my majors and see if they're worth pursuing. thats always good, right?