50 Things I learned my Freshman Year of College

Hello everyone!

Needless to say, it has been a very long and challenging school year. I had no idea what to expect out of college (regardless of what I saw on television, which, by the way, is very misleading. Don't fall victim to the dramatized programming, for you will be very disappointed. I learned that when I got to middle school and realized it was nothing like Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide. But, I digress). I will publicly admit that I miss high school. End of story. It was a difficult year knowing that the familiar faces I saw regularly at school and at youth group were not going to be around all the time, save winter, spring, and summer breaks. But seeing said friends during said breaks has only strengthened our friendships even more, leading to more adventurous "chill timez," as they are referred to by me and my boys Charlie and Carson. Before I proceed, below are some photos from my recent adventures with said friends.

Charlie photographing art on Dekalb Avenue

Photo by Charlie

Feminist street art on Forsyth Street by
Tatyana Fazlalizadeh

Intersection of Forsyth and Mitchell Street

Forsyth Street

Dekalb Avenue - Photo by Charlie

Ladybug :-)

More photographs can be found on my Instagram. Moving on...

After a grueling first year at college, I have learned the following:

1. Commuting sucks.
2. ...and by commuting, I mean MARTA. Though I'm sure driving to campus is almost as miserable.
3. Prerequisite courses are annoying when you're as anxious as me to begin Major classes.
4. I should have taken more AP classes so I wouldn't have take so many prerequisite classes. (Just kidding, I would have died if I took more AP classes. After AP Language and Composition, all I could think was "hell naw, I'm not doing that again!")
5. Don't take the maximum credit hours (18). I didn't, but some of my friends did. It hurt to see them suffer. Just don't.
6. Being a film major is awesome because we really don't need all that extra math. Have fun, engineering majors. :-)
7. Just because you aren't sitting in class for 7 hours a day, doesn't mean you have all the free time in the world. Curse you, procrastination...
8. Yoga pants are extraordinarily comfortable, even if they are not the most flattering. 
9. Yoga pants are convenient for fools like me who take 8:00 a.m. classes...
10. ...don't take 8:00 a.m. classes. You might have been able to do that in high school, but it's different in college. Just don't.
11. Dorm life is awesome, because freedom.
12. Naps are the most heavenly things besides microwavable pizza.
13. You don't have to have a Ramen diet. Really. 
14. Caffeine is helpful during finals week... but you don't need it if you don't procrastinate! We are all guilty of procrastinating. Time management is muy importante.
15. Don't rush or "b.s." writing assignments. Seriously. You might have been able to get away with that in high school, but in college, this could make or break you in class. (This is more advice than experience... I personally rocked all my writing assignments.)
16. Laundry on campus is terrible. Have fun doing a 2-hour task over the course of 5 hours.
17. RateMyProfessors.com is such a useful resource when registering for classes.
18. Don't wait until the last minute to register for classes. If possible, register as soon as you are allowed.
19. College is expensive. 
20. Study hard. (DUHHHHHHH)
21. Go to class. Many teachers count attendance toward your final grade. Besides, you're paying for college-- get your money's worth!!! 
22. The Freshman 15 is real. (I personally didn't gain 15 pounds, but I did gain like, 5.)
23. Don't lose any scholarships you have. If this means not going to that party or not spending an evening watching your favorite show (*cough* Desperate Housewives *cough*) on Netflix, then do it. Studying is the ultimate key to success in college.
24. Saving money is difficult. Making money is even more difficult, if you're jobless. (That was a no-brainer.)
25. Paramore was being sarcastic in their song "Ain't it Fun [living in the real world]"... but it is, however, good living on your own.
26. Dorm fire drills/alarms at 4 a.m. are the worst.
27. Dorm fire drills/alarms at any hour are annoying. But instead of complaining, follow all instructions given by the authorities evacuating you. Safety first-- you never know if there may actually be a fire!
28. Your student fees are probably going toward the fitness center, health clinic, and counseling center. Make use of them, even if you don't have any problems. Exercise is great, keeping your health in check regularly is great, and talking to someone when you're down is great. 
29. If you have to take out student loans, do it. You are investing in your future.
30. Don't wait until the last minute to get your textbooks.
31. Rent your textbooks. It is cheaper than purchasing a book that you may not need again.
32. Buy used if there aren't any rental textbooks available. That'll save you some money.
33. Don't sell your textbooks back to the bookstore. Instead, try selling to another student who plans to take the class which requires said book. If you're desperate for cash, then go ahead and sell it to the book store. Just be wary. 
34. Watching The Walking Dead is 10 times more fun when you watch it with your new college buddies.
35. High school never ends. There will still be drama junkies who carry on the drama that we all thought we left behind in high school. Don't be one of those people.
36. Not having class on Fridays is really awesome. Who doesn't love a 3-day weekend?
37. Going to a college within 15 miles of where your alma mater is located will most definitely be the high school reunion you didn't sign up for.
38. Walking to class in the rain isn't fun, especially if you go to school in a windy downtown area. 
39. In the event of rain, have a rain coat and sturdy umbrella. If it's a cheap umbrella, that wind will blow it away... and might even take you with it.
40. If you go to a college in a downtown area, avoid standing too close to the street when walking around campus during a rainstorm. You may get viciously splashed by a vehicle who drives through a puddle...
41. Organization is key.
42. Loud roommates are undesirable. 
43. Dorm room walls and ceilings are not soundproof. 'Nuff said.
44. People will smoke in their dorms regardless of the rules. Sigh. Nothing like a dorm hallway reeking of tobacco, or in some cases, marijuana... *shakes head disapprovingly*
45. Snow days + dorm life = fun fun fun fun fun
46. If you want to make friends, you have to get involved somehow. Whether it's saying hello to someone you pass regularly on the way to class, joining the theatre, or engaging in intramural sports teams. You'll find someone similar to you and thus form new bonds. 
47. If you need help, just ask.
48. USE YOUR RESOURCES!
49. Growing up is difficult, but definitely something we need to learn to do. There's a time and a place to be a kid, but we must know how to conduct ourselves in certain settings.
50. Life goes on. Don't sweat the small stuff. Work hard. Stay strong. You've got this!

Here's to another 3+ years! I am currently taking a May-mester class which ends the first week of June, but I am otherwise on summer break! Here's to long summer nights by the pool, cruising with friends, blowing our money on delivery pizza, and sleeping in... unless, of course, you have a job, in which case you may have to kiss sleeping in "goodbye" and get to bed early (yeah, right). Happy almost summer!

Until next time,

Kelsey

Why I am destined for film

Happy Monday, people!

Spring break is just days away-- in fact, it begins after class on Thursday (for me, at least)!

I won't be traveling, but the break alone will be good regardless. I did have the opportunity to go to Universal, but that offer was for this week. It's a bummer that my spring break doesn't line up with my cousins' spring break! 

I've had a pretty good week since my last update. I attended a film festival, a dance competition, and wandered the city with some of my old high school friends (from my graduated class). There were many pictures, lots of laughter, and much more. I will talk about the film festival later in this post. 

Before I proceed, I would like to announce (for those who haven't heard) that my braces are finally gone! Back to eating pizza like a normal human being without cutting it up with a fork and knife! :-P 

The obligatory selfie, post-braces.

After a long night with Edith at a very disappointing dance competition, we went back to my dorm to watch a movie and eat popcorn. We stayed up until 2 and she headed back to her room afterward. We had to get up early in the morning to meet with our friend who attends UGA, who'd be arriving at 8:30 a.m. by bus. We initially planned to have breakfast together and then part ways, but it turned out to be an adventure around the city. 

Upon her arrival from the bus station to our local Marta station, we greeted our friend and began walking to Dunkin' Donuts. While on the way there, a couple with their young daughter stopped us to ask if we could direct them to the aquarium. We agreed to walk them part of the way there, so we passed by the Westin and went all the way to Centennial Park, where the aquarium can be seen. They thanked us and went on their way, and we went back toward campus. When we got to Dunkin Donuts, I picked up an Oreo Mint Creme Donut. One word... delicious. 

A Coca-Cola painting next to the Tabernacle
More photos from my walk around the city can be
found on my Instagram here.

It's a shame I left my DSLR back at my dorm, because I could have captured many neat shots. Instead I relied on my phone to take photos. 

We decided to walk all the way to the Hilton Hotel to ride the elevator. I had attempted it before, but realized you cannot access the very top without a hotel card. We instead only went about halfway up the elevator, but got a great view of the city from it. Next time, we'll have to go to the top of the Westin together (something I've already done). I filmed a little bit of my view from the elevator. You can view it here. 

Later, we walked back to my dorm to cook a late breakfast before venturing out again. We made pancakes and bacon and lounged around a bit, waiting for the temperature to warm up outside...

...and boy did it get warm! 

We want all the way to 5 Points to shop, and while we were by the Marta station, we saw a cute pair singing and playing guitar in front of the station. To view a clip of the two singing "For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic" by Paramore, click here. They were a very talented pair. A man walked by and handed them what looked like a can of soup and canned tuna, to which they responded, "oh sir, we don't need this, we do this from the heart!" as they tried to pass it back to the man. It was hard to make out what the man said back, but something to the effect of "you may need it in the long run." 

After shopping at Rainbow for what seemed like forever, we walked to Underground Atlanta to explore some shops and booths. I discovered a chocolate shop in Underground and was pretty excited about it. Sadly, it didn't live up to my expectations, as it doesn't compare to The Chocolate Fetish in Asheville, NC, nor did it compare to Kilwin's in Black Mountain, NC...but hey, it was chocolate. 

We decided to wrap up our time together by going to Johnny Rockets. Edith and Neeharika shared a Coke float, while I enjoyed a Cookies n' Creme milkshake. I love the atmosphere at Johnny Rockets, because they play strictly oldies in the background. I swear, I was born in the wrong decade! I was singing along to the music while my friends just sat there, clueless as to who Sonny and Cher were. Needless to say, I know where I want to spend my 19th birthday this year. :-)

On Thursday evening, I attended a film festival hosted by Campus Movie Fest. I'd heard about it just a little too late, so unfortunately I did not have anything to submit. I went to the festival alone, and was third in line at the red carpet outside the auditorium where we would be viewing the films. One of the crew members wore a black shirt which read, "Keep Calm and Film On" (a spin-off of Keep Calm and Carry On). The two girls in front of me were having a conversation with him and learned that he graduated from our college with a major in film. He expressed how much he enjoyed his job, which made me even more excited about advancing in film. Somehow, I got to talking with the two girls in front of me, and learned that one is a film major and the other a theatre major. Jasmine and Quinn were their names, and they told me they submitted a film for the festival and hoped to see it in the top 16. If you would like to see their film, visit this YouTube link. After talking for a bit, Quinn noticed my hat and commented on how she too loved Panic! at the Disco. We had the best conversation about the band and similar artists, and we decided to sit together in the auditorium. We sat through some incredible films, and let's just say... boy, does our college have talent! We exchanged phone numbers and plan to hang out after spring break. 

Back when I was in middle school, I was so sure of going into interior design or architecture, since I loved to design spaces. I would spend hours on an online interior design software, creating floor plans of my dream house. I can't tell you how many times I've recreated the design, but I will say that each floor plan improved every time. After taking an interior design class in 9th grade, I learned more about design elements and color. I really enjoyed the class even though it was a lot of work. 

Over the years, I considered the pay I would get and my likelihood of making a life-long career out of it. I decided in 11th grade that I was too wrapped up in designing for my dream house that I probably wouldn't be the best interior designer in that I would struggle to please clients. From watching shows on HGTV, I understand that pleasing a client can be a hit or a miss! Instead, I began to lean toward architecture. I had thought about it a lot in middle school, but I leaned more on the interior aspect of the design. I figured an engineering career would be better for me, but after having a hard time in math class throughout high school, I decided by senior year that it was something I couldn't pull off. Even though I spent a good chunk of my childhood making floor plans and designing roller coasters on the game "Roller Coaster Tycoon," I just couldn't see myself succeeding in that. I grew up with a camera in my hands constantly. So... film major it is! I had thought about photography, but I would be better off having that as a minor, since I still have a lot to learn about it, and I feel more opportune in the film and video major. 

Photo by Monica - August 2013

Also in middle school, I had this YouTube channel where I vlogged and made short comedic videos. Most of those are gone now, but my huge cooking show production my old Girl Scout troop made is still available on my channel. My drive to make videos for YouTube came from when my grandfather gave me a Flip video camera for my 13th birthday. I took it with me everywhere I went. Most of my middle school years are documented solely on film, until I later picked up a digital camera again during 8th grade. I plan to vlog again soon, but this time on a brand new channel. 

Photo by Natalie - June 2012 - Montreat, NC

My brother and I recently talked about the things we were both destined to do for the rest of our lives. He's a very dedicated baseball player, so I'm pretty sure you readers could figure out what he's aspiring to be. Yes, that's right, he wants to get drafted into Major League Baseball. He works hard at it, day and day out, practicing for long hours between homework and other things. We agreed that it must be these things-- these hobbies-- with which we have stuck for many years, that ultimately hint at what we want to or are destined to do. This isn't always the case for some people, but for us, we know it's true. It is in our hearts. I want to work on a film set; he wants to work on a baseball diamond. They say, "if you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life." I hope I find that to be true when I get my dream job. 

So what is my goal with film? Well, to be honest, I haven't quite figured that out yet. I've considered two different paths-- one being directing, the other being a film editor. Both would be incredible jobs, but ultimately I hope to get to work with a camera directly. I hope in the near future I will find a job on set of The Walking Dead, or perhaps intern over at Jackson Spalding.

Below is a photograph of me sitting in my late grandfather's lap, holding his video camera. One of his many hobbies (besides wood-working and completing crossword puzzles) was film and photography. Last year, I created a Facebook fan page for his work which can be found here: Robert C. Kirk Photography. Speaking of my grandfather, in about 9 days we will have reached three years since he passed away. It is so hard to believe it's been that long...

Bob and Kelsey, Easter 1997 (?)

Have a great Monday, ya'll. Get out there and make your dreams come true. 

Until next time, 

Kelsey


P.S. The new Song of the Week is Panic! at the Disco's "This is Gospel." It is one of the best music videos I have ever seen, and evokes all sorts of emotions. I find it very fitting, at the moment. Enjoy. 

Snow Day and the Social Butterfly

Happy Wednesday! 

WARNING: Due to the inclement weather, there will be plenty of pictures on this blog. Brace yourselves! 

Before I get into talking about snow, I would like to wish one of my best friends a happy birthday-- so, happy 18th birthday to my bro, Carson! Hope your day has been swell. 

June 2013 - Left to right: Carson, me, and Charlie
Photo by Matthew

How about that weather, Atlanta? It is no doubt cold and horrendous, but I am looking at it from a beautiful perspective. This is the first time I've experienced snow whilst downtown, and it has been incredible. It fell from about 11:00 a.m. yesterday through about 9:00 p.m. or so. It was quite a sight-- not only the snowfall itself, but the traffic! As I perused my Facebook feed last night, I came across some interesting links regarding this "snowpocalypse"... one article which compares the traffic in Atlanta to a sort of "Walking Dead" scenario (which couldn't be a more fitting description considering downtown is home to the first few episodes of the show; not to mention I'm a huge fan). The article can be found here. 

Yesterday, with the knowledge of the impending weather, class was still going on in the morning. I woke up at my usual Tuesday-Thursday time of 5:45 a.m. to get ready for my 8 a.m. American Government class. I dressed to stay warm and headed to class in the windy city. Like every cold morning, it wasn't the most pleasant walk, but I got a workout nonetheless. After my first class I proceed to English class, which was shortened because of the potential snow storm. I walked back to my dorm after it was over. As I got closer I noticed very little flurries and shook it off as just that-- a flurry. When I settled in, I began to start reading some material for my 2:30 class as I ate lunch. After about noon I received a text from my mother to let me know it was snowing where she worked. I asked if it was really snowing or if it was simply a flurry. 

It was snowing.

See the little flurries? Notice it sticking
on the bushes.

You know you're in Atlanta when...

I hadn't looked out the window in awhile, with blinds pulled down and all (though still open), so I got up to check and to my surprise the light flurry turned into a thicker flurry and was slowly accumulating. I got in touch with one of my high school friends who lives in my building and she came up to join me and to check out my view. 

When Nithya got to my room we were awestruck by the snow since it had been a few years since we last experienced a snowfall quite like this. Already there were some traffic backups present. We debated whether or not to go out in the courtyard for some snowball fighting or sledding. We met up with her room mate, Meera, and went outside. Later, another friend of ours from high school joined us. Edith tried sledding for the first time, but it wasn't very successful since others had been sledding where we were hoping to slide around. 

We got hungry and decided to walk to Pizza Hut just a block away to pick up a cheese pizza. 20 minutes later we were walking out with a warm box of pizza which smelled wonderful. During the whole trek back to the dorms, all I could think of was that one Spongebob episode where Spongebob had to deliver a Krusty Krab pizza whilst trekking on uncharted territory to deliver the pizza in an obscure town. Of course, I began to sing Spongebob's little song... 

"The Krusty Krab pizza, is the pizza, for you and...
MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

We went back to Nithya and Meera's dorm to chow down on pizza and drink hot chocolate. 

Pizza Hut!

Afterward, we headed outside to brave the cold and to watch other residents attempt sledding. A group of guys in the courtyard filled a laundry basket of snowballs and ambushed the wannabe sledders and shredders. Luckily, none of us were hit by the strangers. 

The courtyard

Sledding!

Southern Snowman. Pretty pathetic, I know. 

Nithya, me, and Meera

Nithya, Meera, me, and Edith

We decided to go check out the other dorms nextdoor, which is where Edith recently moved. We spent a couple hours in her room listening to a variety of music and even got to watch her dance! Edith really knows how to groove! I tried to teach her a thing or two about swing dancing, but, it didn't go too well. Still, I exposed my friends to some Glenn Miller! 

After spending a few hours with Edith, we walked back to our dorms and spent a few hours in my room. There was supposed to be free pizza on every floor around 8 p.m. that night, but it kept getting delayed, so eventually we got tired of waiting and had breakfast for dinner at my place. We listened to music, laughed a lot, and I even taught them how to play Apples to Apples. Just wait 'til I break out the Cards Against Humanity game... 

Walking back to my place.

Being silly.

We stayed up until almost 2 a.m., because class was cancelled today and is cancelled for Thursday as well. 

Snowy day skyline - Atlanta, GA
Isn't my view just fabulous?

Today was another lazy day, but my friends and I still got out to brave the cold. I was up pretty early, despite my very late night, but it wasn't until 1:00 p.m. that Nithya, Meera, and I finally walked to Waffle House for lunch (which was originally supposed to be a brunch). It was a slippery walk, but we were able to walk on the street a good ways since it was such an apocalyptic void. The food was great and so was the service, as usual in my experiences at Waffle House. Kudos to our waitress, who'd been there since 8 a.m. yesterday. Needless to say, we tipped well. 

Good morning, Atlanta.

Walking to Waffle House.

Lunch time at Waffle House!

We bummed around for hours at Nithya's dorm, and hours flew by and we decided to venture out again. We walked all the way to Landmark Diner, where we enjoyed mozzarella sticks and cake. Yum. Need I say more?

Wrote my nickname in the snow.

Meera and Nithya enjoying tiramisu and chocolate cake.

We walked back to the dorms again one last time for the night and while I hit the books, presumably they did, too. It's been a great snow week and I am so glad I've been on my weekend since Tuesday, mid-day. 

Before I finish up this post, I figured I would take a step back and share a little about my weekend, pre-snowpocalypse. 

I went home Friday morning (January 24th) to finally take my driver's test! I will save all the details about the test, but I will say that it was as easy as my friends have made it out to be. I didn't believe it at first, but I was pretty calm when I took the test... and I passed! Later that evening I went to the pizza cafe with my brother to catch up and we had a really good conversation which isn't something that usually happens. Afterward, I drove us home and watched The Heat with my mother. It's a hysterical movie starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy. My brother is a big Hangover series fan, and he admitted he enjoyed The Heat more than The Hangover: Part III. My mother dozed off about halfway through the  movie, but it was still an enjoyable night. The next day was spent running errands and taking my dog to the park before I went to a sitting job that evening.

No shame in taking selfies with Ruby!

I returned to campus Sunday afternoon and tried to get some homework done before class the next day. ASL is a blast (and a breeze right now, considering the background I have with it) and our class on Monday was very engaging. We're starting to work on WH-questions with each other. I've been signing a bit too fast for those with whom I've partnered up for group activities, but I'm trying to slow it down for those new to ASL. It is really great to be surrounded by 20 or more students wanting to learn such a beautiful language together. I'm loving it!

After class, I went to the counseling center (finally!) to meet with one of the counselors there. I went back in early December to see what I could do about getting some help in coping with depression. I'd dug myself pretty deep and was under a lot of stress and worry. When I met with my assigned counselor, she was impressed by my strength and asked where it was coming from. I had to think on that for a moment, because I've been strong for years up until last semester where my strength began to decline, but I suppose moving out and shifting my focus has helped build my strength up. But I answered her question with "my grandfather. I get my strength from him." Though he is passed, just the thought of him encourages me to go on, because if he were still physically here he would be motivating me. The counselor had a little trouble pinpointing exactly what help I was looking for, now that the notes she wrote the other day were few in comparison to the notes taken by the other counselor last month. Basically, I've requested grief counseling and possibly some group therapy so I can meet others who relate and are wanting to feel better, too.

Positive quote in the counseling center

Well, folks, I have updated the song of the week to Dean Martin's "Let it Snow." I say it's fitting, considering the weather. :-)

Until next time,

Kelsey