What are you thinking?

I kind of feel like it really depends on where you go. My first school (Western Michigan) was a diploma mill. The classes were so easy (the problem was that I had undiagnosed and unmedicated bipolar) and if I’d stayed, I probably would have sailed through.

Nowadays I’m at the University of Michigan-Flint. UM-Flint takes the fact that it’s a branch of the University of Michigan quite seriously and so even the 100 level classes are so much more work intensive than any other place I’ve been. They say ad nauseum that your degree from UM-Flint isn’t any different from a degree from UM Ann Arbor (which it probably is). They’ve even designed the diploma so you have to look closely at a UM-Flint degree to tell that it’s from the Flint campus:

 

I really need to work on looking more natural in front of a camera if I'm gonna get better grades on my journalism work.... but what do I even do with my hands? I never know where to put them lol. Gotta work on keeping my focus as well, kept accidentally glancing at walls today during a filming shoot because it just feels so unnatural to keep your focus either on the camera or interviewer (usually depends on the kind of shoot as to which you are meant to stay focused on).

 

UGH, some scruffy looking black guy asked me for money at the store and I gave in. That dollar could have gone to charity, plus with him following me like that, I seriously thought he might mug me and take my merchandise. Last time I give that store business. In fact, that whole part of town is crawling with bums, so I'll have to rethink my haunt...

 

tired of waiting to get in with a specialist. I guess I just have to suffer

 

The holidays just remind me how badly I'm addicted to buying cute wrapping paper.

Never leave me alone in a gift wrap aisle at a store.

 

I'm so so happy! I think the person that I like might like me back!

 

I have two takeaways from Christmas shopping. 1) I went way overboard this year and I'm not done yet. 2) I suck at wrapping presents.

 

I actually get my whole weekend off. Holy balls. How long has it been since that's happened?

 

Annoying neighbors... Every. Single. Day.

 

About how I wish I weren't black and gay.

 

She said I could come to Japan with her after her first break from the Navy, she's enlisting in 3 days and it's practically the point of no return right now
And I wish there was a Mood option of both "Heartbroken" and "In Love" because I love her so damn much but I don't even know how many months it'll be until her first break, how many months it'll be until I get to see her again. She's going to text me once she's enlisted and we'll just have to go from there, I guess…I'd give anything to be in high school again and just have more time

 

Ugh I can't wait for this semester to be over. Im so tired of going to school. If my certificate program doesn't work out next semester then I will just find an entry level job.

 

I’m so tired today.

 

I wish I had more time to catch up on here! So much has happened since I've last been on. Being at school is like a parallel universe...it's intense but really good all at the same time and I went on 2 more school trips. The guide was officially boring me to tears (as she was everyone else) and I was worried that my teaching buddy wasn't going to make it as she's pregnant.

Found out that my brother isn't keen on me being gay so I haven't made much progress since I came out and my auntie hasn't got long to live

 

I am thinking of having a haircut, curls ain't fun anymore, I miss combing my hair. LOL

 

Omg im soooo happy that League of Legends released a gay lover story <3

 

I suspect that many aren't ware that the majority of doctoral students in the U.S. don't pay tuition, so this issue in the tax bill might seem a little esoteric to some. But I find it somewhat inscrutable myself. Why are we "charged" tuition in the first place, only to have the university pay itself on our behalf? Wouldn't it be easier to just waive tuition for us, never "charging" us in the first place? It's clear why we don't pay; as TAs and instructors, we provide an essential service to the university. We are employees as well as students. The university works because we do.

Here's an interesting article on the subject of why universities maintain the fiction of tuition for grad students:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...gops-grad-student-tax/?utm_term=.e1041ca6941f

If they didn't charge us for tuition in the first place, perhaps they could protect grad students at an institutional level from the so-called "grad student tax".

So, yeah, sorry for the obscure rant I'll just let myself out now...