Drake needs a stricter selection process

It is a good thing I am trying to make my hair blonde, because I have had many blonde moments recently.

I always see people in my classes and wonder how they made it into Drake. Lately, however, people probably think I am one of them. One such example of this is my Information Systems final today.

I studied really hard for this final and I felt moderately prepared going into it. I can honestly say I put a good 20 or so hours into it, just so I could shoot for an A. I still needed a 96. Possible? Yes. Plausible. Probably not. But I fought for it, anyway.

I started the exam, which has a test packet and a scantron. I always fill out my answers on the test first. Then, I finish the test and fill out the scantron. Then, I turn in both. Easy enough.

I took FOREVER on this exam. I wanted to read everything carefully, because my biggest issue with exams is reading the questions too quickly. I took so long that there were only three groups of people still left in the exam:

• Those that obviously didn't study and were still on the first 25% of the test, trying to remember the name of the course
• Those that predominantly speak another language and therefore have to read carefully to understand the test
• Me

When I got done, I felt okay about the exam. The excessive studying definitely helped, but probably not enough. I turned in my test and went on my way. 

I got home and something hit me: I didn't put my name on the scantron. Seriously. This really happened to me. How is he supposed to grade my exam without my name on the scantron? So, what was possibly an A-B exam will probably be a nice F. My only hope is that he kept my scantron and test together. I can only hope.

I emailed the professor about my issue, not expecting anything. He's super nice and understanding, but what if he thinks I am trying to cheat the system? What if 10 people forgot their names?

Seriously, Drake should have a stonger selction process. 

How you can tell it is almost the end of the school year

1. I have successfully suppressed TWO panic attacks in the last two days. I am overly stressed. On a positive note, I am getting better at handling them.
2. I had a dream about SIFE nationals. We were head-to-head with Drury in the finals. We had to walk out in a parade before the final round a la Hunger Games style. I sang. And danced. It wasn't pretty.
3. I have cold. My immune system is suffering due to the stress.
4. I think in terms of extra credit, "A" material, and a 4.0 scale.
5. My apartment looks more like something on hoarders than I would like to admit.
6. I am forgoing naps for homework and caffeine. What once made me jittery now barely gets me through a few hours of the day.
7. I would rather do ANYTHING than begin studying for finals. I am even getting ahead on homework for the first time in about a month.
8. I have already figured out what scores I need on my finals to about a tenth of a point to receive an A in the classes. Unfortunately, I can only get an 88.67 in one class :(
9. My classes are getting barer and barer each day
10. This is my first blog in a month.

Finally Finals

Yep, it is that time of the semester again. These are the days I wish I was still in middle school listening to my Fall out Boy and worrying about how I looked in everything I wore. Those days when I had my CD player to listen to music on the bus, and when the most difficult subject was Algebra 1. Ah, those sure were the days.

Here is some Fall Out Boy for you to relive those memories, as well.

Keep quiet,
Nothing comes as easy as you.
Can I lay in your bed all day?
I'll be your best kept secret
And your biggest mistake.
The hand behind this pen relives a failure every day.

Saturday Before Finals Week

Oh how uneventful my life is at this moment in time. Because I want each of you to feel that same feeling, I shall share. What I did today (abridged): 

• Woke up
• Studied
• Took a shower
• Got some bagels
• ...and Caribou coffee
• Studied
• Got some frozen yogurt
• ...and groceries
• Studied
• Ate a sandwich
• Watched an episode of The Office
• Became annoyed by all the Tweets and Facebook posts about the presidential debate
• Studied
• Ate some kettle corn while studying
• Complained that my butt hurts from sitting on it all day
• Studied
• Called the Walmart hotline to find out if my soda has any caffeine, only to find out the hotline is closed on weekends, and that my soda probably has caffeine

Now that is what I call a quality day.

Iowa City

Yesterday Kaila and I took a little trip to Iowa City to take a final for our online history class. We had to have an approved proctor watch us take our online final exam. Apparently Drake is not considered good enough for a small town community college. The University of Iowa was! So, we made a little road trip.

http://facilities.uiowa.edu/mlagm/downtownIC.jpg

It was about two hours straight east from Des Moines and we were pumped to go to a new city in Iowa. Once we arrived, we couldn't believe how beautiful the city was. There were huge beautiful trees and clear sidewalks. Because Iowa City was the capital once upon a time, it had old historic buildings and even the historic capitol building.

Unfortuntately, we were there for work and not play, otherwise we would have strolled around downtown a bit. The funniest part was that my final took about an hour. I drove four hours total for an hour final. Odd.....

We did get the chance to eat at Which Wich. That was definitely the highlight of my day in Iowa City. I had no clue they had any locations in Iowa! It was just as tasty as I remember Which Wich being in my past.

I could see myself living in Iowa City one day. I don't know why I have never been there before. I will surely visit again, even if it is only to walk around and shop. It was a lovely trip.

[Photo Note: Kaila took a few photos, but I don't have those. I used photos from Wikipedia and from the University of Iowa's website.]