Sooo... I've been in class for two weeks now, while you SHU brats are still sleeping in and staying up all night, enjoying your break. I'm looking forward to my return to the Hill, 1/23, around 4 pm, because going to other schools REALLY makes me miss the Hill.
Why?
Let's just say that Seton Hill is really special, and there are a lot of reasons, from our professors to students. Let's face it, I'm an old weirdo, and even I feel completely at ease and peaceful when I'm on the Hill. There is an aura of friendliness and simplicity about SHU that other schools just do not have. One college I am attending now is completely humorless.. I have a great professor, and sit in a class with 10 girls, none of which have one molecule of personality. I find my professor and I talking to eachother throughout the class, nobody else even raises their hand. Ever walk into a classroom a few minutes before the class starts and have it be as quiet as a tomb? I'm used to the SHU chaos before the prof comes... everyone talking, laughing, flirting, joking with eachother, etc. At the one school I go to, this seems VERBOTEN! I keep looking around for Katie Lambert to smack and be smacked by, or anyone cute that I can flirt with, but I see nothing.. except like.. 19 and 20 year olds acting like they are 45 years old, prim and proper and married.
ARRRGH!!! And.. it's NOT just the class I have!!! I walk past about a half dozen classrooms on my way to mine, and looking in, I see the same thing.. it's like.. really weird... talk about feeling uncomfortable. SHU seems a million miles away from this place. Maybe because SHU has such a high percentage of creative people?? A kick-ass English department, strong Art and Drama scenes, lots of students working on becoming teachers? Hmm... it's what I am thinking. Throw in the simple serenity of the Hill, as a world removed from everything else, up there, picturesque and beautiful and I think that plays a part in it as well. This other school that I speak of has become extremely chaotic, big and impersonal over the years.. they add like a new building or something every year. I am sure that like... 14 years ago.. it was a lot like the Hill, but now???
Sigh.
So anyways, I attend ANOTHER school, asides from the humorless/impersonal institution which I just mentioned... this other place is like high school. Exactly like high school. I have a nice prof., and really happy that a female friend from SHU is in my class... but we are like.. alone in this world of hootchies and wanna-be frat boys. There is no problem here with social activities.. it goes on even during the class. Half the girls in my class are sending text messages via cell-phone throughout the 50 minutes we are in there, the other half sit there vacantly biting their nails and looking at the wall. The guys joke around like... gym class. In the halls, it is all the same, a high-school fashion show, with everyone fake tanning and bleaching their hair til it falls like snow. Everyone is on the phone, everyone wears the same jeans with the faded out ass and thighs, with the heels dragging on the ground. Everyone has a small silver phone pressed towards their head immediately after class, in the halls, outside, etc.
How much are these phone bills?? Jeez.
Anyways, everyone looks the same, even more so than usual. It's funny that when you can wear anything you want, everyone looks exactly alike. When I had my practicum at Central last semester, and those kids had uniforms... they ALL LOOKED DIFFERENT- the girls would all have different hair, socks, shoes, etc. The boys would somehow pull off different looks as well. I dunno.
Anyways, the best quote came today, at this college. The professor was talking about a British writer, long ago, a true scholar and intellectual.. amazing guy, quite revolutionary. Professor asked.. "Girls, how many of you would want to marry an intellectual," just for fun, she had a point to make, since this guy's wife could not even read.
Not a single hand went up. The girls, redundant in orange skin and bleached white hair and silver cell phones looked at eachother and were like....
"ewww, no way."
The guys all started laughing and were muttering things like "That's not gonna be me, hah hah... I'm no scholar, hah hah..."
I looked at my friend from SHU, seated right behind me (it's us against this place, LOL) and we shared the same thought.
It's no damn wonder why we are both single.
this world of hootchies and wanna-be frat boys, nice. I would marry an intellectual! Anyway though, I was searching information about the "Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Somehow that brought me here. So, do you know anything about it? Thoughs insite that sort of thing. I don't know if you can Email me or anything but.. if you could.. thanks
Jessie
Yellow Wallpaper.. you see that Jerz? This is something that you need to bring up sometime in the next semester, when you get your blog newbies pumped about bloggin'. I've not posted anything about this in well over a year and a half.
Jessie...
I'll email you soon.
Posted by: Mike at January 19, 2006 10:37 PMI see it! I know that everyone won't respond to blogging the same way, but the more people there are sharing their enthusiasm for blogging, the better the experience will be for everyone.
Posted by: Dennis G. Jerz at January 20, 2006 12:50 PMAMEN, my intellectual brother! Appreciated your diatribe. As your “female friend” from “ANOTHER school", I’m glad to NOT be – singularly - ranting to the wind, like I did last term. While the vacuousness- or lack of intellectual spark is discouraging, the professor is multi-dimensional (and, in my opinion, worthy of respect) and the tuition is cheap. All-in-all, not a bad deal (and I’m not just saying that because I’m on the adjunct faculty…)
…and, as tempting as it is… I’m not getting into hairstyles, piercing, tattoos and small, silver accessories, but, you are absolutely correct: if it weren’t for the “ANOTHER” school, I wouldn’t be looking for intelligent life at SHU, either!
D.
You're beautiful, and a world away from the idiots in our class, especially that one that was never taught to raise her hand in class.
M.
PS - The prof is cool- I love walking down the hall after class with her and talking about whatever, she belongs somewhere better.
Posted by: Mike at January 22, 2006 01:55 AM