Sam’s Blog

And I’m still in the same chair. But I finished my last (second) essay of the semester in one sitting except for the conclusion, so it’s all good. The essay only has to be 5-6 pages, but I’m a pretty slow writer and had to read up on the Cold War and anti-intellectualism (if you don’t know what those are then don’t worry about it). I’ll finish it tomorrow since my brain is officially fried now…So happy that it’s pretty much done. Seth is being awesome and proofreading it for me tomorrow, so this is also a very good thing. ^_^

Now I am getting out of this chair right now!  It is a nice chair, but I am rather tired of it since I have been sitting here since I got out of class at 2:15.

Alternately titled,
A Short Guide:
Surviving in a Small Town in Oklahoma and Making Everyone Love You
Manners:
Be polite to everything. If it moves or you’re reasonably sure that it’s human, then be polite to it. This includes opening doors for everyone, smiling at everyone, and saying “Excuse me” even if it’s not your fault. It is also a good idea to let people in the tiny spot in front of you in the busy highway. (Giant trucks with dual wheels in the back are scary in traffic, especially when they want in a spot too small for them.)

Elderly People:
A corollary to Manners. I stopped at the store Friday afternoon, and happened to strike up a discussion with an elderly man as we were leaving the store. He called me “little lady” and told me that I made his day by talking to him. Always make eye contact and smile when you see an old person. If you have at least 5 minutes to spend talking to them outside the store then ask “How are you?” Most of them will actually tell you how they are, instead of the customary “fine” of our generation. Then they will be genuinely interested in your condition. If you have 10+ minutes, ask them their name. This is seen as a gesture of friendship. They will be very happy old people, and will talk to you for ages outside the store.

Cows:
Know your cows. More specifically, learn to recognize what is a bull and what is not. All cows are big, and most of them are wild and do not like people. Forget dairy cows. Think rodeo bulls. This only applies if you are the adventurous type or have friends with a farm.

Local Wildlife:
*If you see a small, black and white striped animal that is not a cat, stay at least 30 feet away from it. Your friends and family will shun you if you get sprayed by a skunk. This also applies when a skunk is crossing the road. The smell *will* come inside your vehicle for an extended stay.
*The local people are quite used to seeing all manner of animals, so remarking that you saw one deer will not give much reaction. If you see more than 5, then this is worth a discussion. If you saw 15, then tell everyone you see; they will be much amused. If someone spots an animal that they do not recognize this is cause for interest. Once my grandma saw something that might have been a weasel. Or perhaps a ferret? We are still not sure, but we remember it years afterwards and mention the sighting occasionally.

Local Dialect: The phrase “going to town” has acquired the meaning “I am driving somewhere in order to make purchases.” If you live in a forest, making any sort of purchase requires driving to a town. Therefore, you are going to town. “Fixin’ to” means “someone or something is about to do ____.” “Something awful” may be used to mean that something happens to a great extent. “That plant sheds something awful” = “That plant sheds a great deal, and I rather dislike it for shedding so much.”

This random post was inspired by a trip home for Thanksgiving. Many of these suggestions do not apply to cities, but it is always a good idea to be nice to elderly people. It makes them happy, and will make your day as well.

My family celebrated Thanksgiving today since everyone was busy yesterday. I ate a LOT of food and visited with relatives for a few hours. Jensen, my 9 month old second cousin, took an immediate liking to me. (This was the first time we’d met.) As soon as she saw me she grinned a toothless grin and held out her arms to be carried around. I like babies. And for unknown reasons, most of them seem to like me. ^_^

I saw 5 deer this morning. I also saw a roadrunner on the way back from my Grandma’s house. I miss seeing wild animals when I am in Norman…

OU’s sprinkler system is possessed. *watches the sprinklers water the concrete*

On an unrelated note, if you Google “samrhodes” this blog is on the first page.  ^_^

The crazies are back again, and they have signs. Big ones. Like…12 feet tall and 6 feet wide. According to them, *all* of us are going to Hell, even the Christians. I still harbor the suspicion that many of these “evangelists” are actually athiests trying to deconvert people. At least cold weather discourages Preacher Gary, who only shows up during the spring and early fall. :/

The athiests laugh, the borderline people slip closer to the edge, and the Christians resist the urge to tackle them and burn their signs. Bah.

In other news (since I am using the computer lab’s compy right now), I discovered that Seth’s anti-IE popup works and that advertisements are annoying. :P Anyway, when I get home where I will not be attacked with the popup, I will link you to Seth’s post about these people.

Just to end this post on a happy note…
I DON’T HAVE ENGLISH TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *does a happy dance*
It is not a hard class, just boring.

EDIT:  http://sethkinast.com/blog/archive/2005/09/01/bludgeon/

The television disturbs me greatly sometimes…That is why I do not watch it on purpose.

Some back story: I made A’s on my first three organic chemistry tests and have another A for the quizzes (those count as one test grade). The final counts as two test grades.

The news: My current combination of grades will allow me to make a C on the final and still have an A in the class. (I spoke to my professor today to make sure.) I plan to study my brains out anyway, but this news makes me feel much less nervous about this semester’s round of final exams.  The only bad thing is that our final is on a Friday.  This means that I will be in Norman after most of my friends have left for Christmas break.    Ah well…less time to get bored over break, I suppose. 

I work during the semester so that I can have a nice grade cushion to make finals week less stressful. I will try to make A’s on my finals because A’s are nice and I’m an over-achiever like that. But it is nice to know that I do not have to get an A on any of my finals.

30 mile/hour wind from the north + bicycle trying to go into the wind + 40F + windchill of 30F = Sad Frozen Sam

Seriously…today the wind blew hard enough to make me walk at an angle.  40mph gusts of freezing cold air are not fun.  Although, when I got home I really appreciated my nice warm blanket.  *snuggles the fuzzy blanket* 

I was waiting at a stop sign today after church when suddenly I heard “CRASH!!!!” and felt my truck jump forward a bit. After we realized that someone had hit us, Tina and I got out of my truck to investigate the damage. A teen boy stepped out of his car looking extremely shaken and guilty. I am not sure if he wasn’t looking, or if he just didn’t hit his brakes fast enough to avoid hitting the little white truck stopped at the intersection. (I suspect he was distracted by the pretty girl riding in the car with him.) His car was scratched a bit, but no damage other than that. Truck’s bumper, on the other hand, is now pointed down at a 60 degree angle. I called Daddy immediately since I wasn’t sure what to do. He talked to the church’s youth pastor since the kid didn’t know what to do either. Truck wasn’t pretty in the first place, so my dad is going to be VERY nice to the kid and not make the kid’s insurance pay. He and my grandpa will fix truck’s backside when I go home for Thanksgiving.

On a lighter note, Tina and I spotted a pigeon using the crosswalk this afternoon! We saw the bird when it was about halfway across the street. It stayed on the crosswalk until it had finished crossing the street, just as traffic started back up. This was cause for much hilarity.

This is Toonsis the Lucky Speech Kitty with his Sombrero of Awesomeness.

Wub him.

On Friday my Spanish class was cancelled so that those who wanted could meet at Los Dos Amigos for a Mexican breakfast. Since I don’t like beans and eggs don’t like me, I decided to sit in on Dr. Solo’s Organic Chemistry class. He does not explain things nearly as thoroughly as my current ochem prof, but the class should not be too bad. He has a fun accent that is not hard to decipher, and makes funny Ukranian jokes. (Some of you might remember when I was grumbling about Glatzhofer not teaching ochem 2 next semester.)

Oh, and on the way to the Union this morning my foot slipped off my bike pedal and I smashed my shin into the pointy bits of the foot grip.  Now I have 2 fun knots on my shin.  Yay?