09.28.07

First Day of Class, Congress in Action, Sights and Sounds

Posted in Uncategorized at 7:39 am by Nate

Well today I began back at UCR with a long day of classes. It was quite a long day (8am – 6pm), but it was exciting to be back in there…

I felt pretty old, especially since I was taking a couple of freshman type courses that I needed to fulfill, but I think that being a bit more mature and experience can only be positive.
I decided I was going to be a much more confident student and try and speak more during class when a professor asks a question or does one of those trailing out, fill-in-the-blank type statements where we can shout out to him or her. Today I managed to get something out during my Environmental Science lecture and thankfully I was correct. A good way to begin. I feel pretty confident, and do not think that it will wain soon, probably not at all.
Some things are still the same…there are still many Razor scooters abound, being used in lieu of feet and dignity to get across our relatively small campus. Other things haven’t changed as well. Books are pricey, but I guess you have to figure that fees would be worse if they were to drop the prices, the money has to come from somewhere…

Speaking of money, today members Congress joined in bi-partisan defiance and got the SCHIP bill to the President’s desk despite his veto threats. I find it interesting that Republicans in Congress felt it in their hearts that the well-being and health of the children covered by this program is important enough to defy their party leader, yet the ability to ensure the well-being of roughly 168,000 Americans in Iraq, they can’t seem to find the courage to cast the right vote to make a withdrawal bill veto-proof as well. In a week where we condemned another nation’s leader (which I agree with) we still manage to demonstrate the inability of this country to move forward and restore our own credibility.

Well back to the original topic, I am excited to be an academic player again and I am set on dedicating these few years to ensure I can give my contribution to the ideas and nation I love.

Travis, the blog inspirer shares his love with a good idea here
Album of the day is Springsteen’s Born to Run. I listened to it in preparation for my return to school, its a top album for me and is pretty good at getting me inspired and ready to go, plenty of fist-pumps. A classic.

The YouTube video(s) of the day is President Kennedy’s inaugural address, I think its fitting because these were his first words to the citizens of the United States and the world. I definitely do not aim to compare myself to President Kennedy, or his words, but this little place on the internet of mine is my first real attempt at sharing my own thoughts and words I am at the beginning as well. I hope you enjoy this bit of history. It is in two parts…

Part 1

Part 2

This weekend we move to a new place, I’ll cover some of that.
Thanks to those who’ve read.

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