Back to School

Guess where I am. Yes, I'm in Charlottesville, which shouldn't be much of a surprise to those of you who followed my overwhelming two posts over the summer (gome! sorry in Japanese!). However the excitement factor comes in because I am in my dorm!

RAs and "alternates" (They are people who had the potential to become RAs but couldn't because there were no space-- they are on a waitlist.) come back a week early and participate in grueling training called O-Week to be the great, supportive team for you when you arrive on Grounds. I'm really excited for this year's staff, because we have a fantastic mix of new, inquisitive RAs who bring a lot of energy and experienced, talented returning RAs. We also have great "kisma," which is my combination word of "charisma" (meaning compelling charm that can inspire devotion in others) and "kismet" (meaning fate or destiny). You can guess what it means. ;)

Already we have hilarious inside jokes and quotes. My favorite ones are:

• "Hey, so because I'm new in this area, are there any great eating places around here? Y'know, like 7-11?"
• "JESSIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!" *shakes banana in the air like Stephen Colbert talking about his arch nemesis, Rain*
• Y: "Wait, so why did you stroke my knee?"; V: "Because it was shiiiiiiny."
  

If these aren't funny to you, then it's not because I'm not funny. I'm sorry to say, but inside jokes aren't meant to be funny for people who don't know the inside joke.

Along with that quip, I am going to leave you with this clip, which gives you a taste of how I get pumped for O-Week: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR3rK0kZFkg.

Stop Micromanaging, Idiot!

I tend to talk to myself, so yes, the title is directed towards me and not other micromanaging idiots out there. This terrible habit reveals itself in my emails.

(Side note, as I tend to have many of these: College is all about being on top of your emails. If you are going to involved that you are considering reading books on how to manage your time, I say hit up the how-to books about emails. UVA has list-serv emails, which range from having three to hundreds of members, and can encourage using it for the force of good-- i.e. forwarding great opportunities-- as well as the force of evil-- spamming. In one hour, I have seen my inbox go to 36 unread emails. I could write a whole other entry about little things you can do to about this, but my two-liner-of-advice is filters and folders.)

I am a compulsive email-checker. I refresh often, I am constantly on chat, and I will spontaneously send you an email if I think of something. Therefore, when I remembered something before a BBQ that the RAs was hosting, I sent my supervisor a reminder email. "Don't forget to remind the new RAs that the BBQ is happening!" it said cheerfully. The reply was grateful and simply said, "Thanks." This is an example of an okay reminder email.

It becomes micromanaging when I sent my supervisor a reminder email after the BBQ, saying "Don't forget to thank the RAs who came!" He testily replied that yes he did thank them verbally and I sound like his supervisor--- and worse, I thought, like a nagging wife!

You know it's bad when your supervisor is complaining about a switch-a-roo of roles... and you sound like a 50-year-old grouchy woman. I need to let it go.

T-Minus 20 Hours

Recently, noise levels have gone up in my hall... As an RA, I need to enforce Quiet Hours. For those of you who don't know or haven't lived on Grounds since first year, during finals, there is a rule called Quiet Hours. Essentially, in dorms everyone needs a quiet atmosphere to study because the libraries are packed. Therefore, conversations in the hall should be a whisper, you cannot blast music in your room, and common areas are limited to quiet conversations. Penalties for violating quiet hours are pretty severe, with the first violation being a conversation with your Area Coordinator and a possible UJC trial. Yes, a UJC trial.

As an RA, I have informed my residents about this rule and I enforce it. It is a serious rule, and most people follow it, because everyone is studying hard for their finals. It makes sense, no? Well, recently my ressies have been very loud. Why? Because they're done.

I. Am. Jealous.

As a student, asking someone to quiet down because other people (including I) are studying and then finding out that the reason they are loud and happy is because they're done is a new low. (That was a long sentence!) Don't get me wrong, as an RA I will do it. As a student though, I am pretty miserably envious.

With my last final in T-minus 20 hours, I am ready to be out of here. I started last Monday with a History final, had two essays, a portfolio due, and will end tomorrow with three finals under my belt. I am ready to bounce!