I'm sorry for not updating everyone last week but things have been a little crazy and some Sundays I need more recovery than others. I am cautiously optimistic about this semester as I am loving it so far and am only mostly overwhelmed so far. Through no intention of my own, I ended up with a course load of 14 credits at school (to be eligible for the small scholarship I was offered) yet somehow things don't seem quite as difficult as they were last semester. The weather has been great out in Rexburg, if not a little too warm. I find myself sweating by the time I get home for a lunch break. The weather still dips low and gets cold every once in a while but thankfully snow isn't really part of the picture anymore. Here's my first update from the Spring Semester.
Technical Communication (CS 308)
This class still has me a bit puzzled because I'm not completely sure what to expect but so far we have spent a lot of time talking about employment skills. We have talked about good job-searching skills, good interviewing skills, and how to create a good resume. All of this is a great review and useful information but I am not really sure what else the course entails. I know that it will start to require more work outside of class fairly soon but it's still a bit of a mystery for me.
Front-End Web Development (CIT 230)
This class has mostly been focused on getting ourselves set up. This involves installing software on our computers to edit web documents and transfer those documents between the server and our local machine. The software we are using to edit and upload is called Netbeans and the software that we use to download and synchronize documents is Filezilla. My impression is that much of our learning about actual HTML and PHP coding will be learned by reading from our book but the pace of the class is fairly comfortable so far. As a requirement for the course, I purchased a web domain where I will post my work for the course. I was asked to decide on a type of web site which I would like to create over the course of the semester and opted to create a professional portfolio for use in job-searching. I'm still a little uncertain of what content I can put there but I figured that I could speak with my previous instructors for input once I had the website framework established. I am now the proud owner of jonathanokleberry.net.
*A side note about this class, this class is on the 4th floor and that seemed to be a bit of a nuisance for me at first but then I saw the view. Outside the window I have the pleasure of looking at an unobstructed view of the temple. It can be a sight for sore eyes some days and that view made the climb worth it for sure. Here's a picture from roughly the same angle that I see it just much closer and at night.
Data Structures (CS 235)
This is the continuation of my C++ learning and is quite challenging. At the recommendation of a classmate, I opted to take this class online because someone he knows has tried both in class and online options for the course and found the online to be a much better option. Thankfully I am able to work alongside a previous classmate and to benefit from better focus in the process. My first week didn't fare so well but this week went much better.
Family Foundations (FDREL 200)
This is my last required "foundations" course for my degree at BYU-Idaho. We have started off with a lot of discussion about how important the family is but will soon begin discussing topics related to being a good parent such as finances and interacting with a spouse, etc. I actually really like this course even if some of the work seems a little like busy work. Every 2 weeks we meet with other classes on the same topic and have a large group meeting and discussion.
Social Dance (MUSIC180)
I needed one more credit to reach full time status as a student. When I was putting together my schedule last semester I made a list of courses that I might like to take if I needed a credit or two and the courses for my degree didn't make as much sense (such as creating too heavy a course load). Well, I'm not going to lie, I did look into archery before this class but that one apparently fills up within hours of registration opening. This was a perfect fit, a single credit course that wouldn't have any homework and would actually balance out my studies with something physical and something musical. I was excited to start this class and have been loving it so far. One aspect of the class is that there is a big emphasis on learning your dance partner's name. I've only been in the class for 2 weeks and I know more than half of the girls in the class by name now. It's even more fun when I see them outside of class somewhere such as ballroom dancing on Friday nights (which I coaxed my roommates to join me for last Friday - it will definitely happen again). I have made more friends and connections in the last 2 weeks than I had over most of the previous 2 semesters. I am grateful to my friends (Kira, Natalie, and others) who would take me out dancing with them back home because I have had more than one dance partner mention that it was obvious that I had "done this before." It has been good to review moves with the Foxtrot so far and to begin learning swing as a group. I may need to learn the specifics of Swing because I might have incorrectly labeled some swing as East Coast that might have been more along the lines of Lindy Hop. I'm excited to become more proficient. For now I have learned the following:
Fox Trot:
The Basic
Left Rock-Step
Right turn
Promenade
Promenade Arch
Swing Step
Swing (Single Step?):
The Basic
The Arch & Loop
*I am loving this class and have enjoyed a side-effect. I can now flesh out my music playlists with new songs for each style of dance. For instance, the Pink Panther theme works well for Foxtrot as well as "Down" by Taio Cruz. I stumbled across a good website for this too: http://www.promotedancing.com/home/index
Group Vocal (MUSIC 108)
After reaching my 12 credit full-time status I found out that I was eligible for some scholarship. This was not the full-time scholarship I was hoping for (there's a bit of GPA inflation here) but I knew that I would still be better off financially to take on the 2 additional credits that are required for academic scholarships. It was really just a matter of whether I can handle the course load but I opted to take the leap of faith. I looked at my list of "filler" classes and opted to take a vocal lesson course. I was starting the course a week late because I wanted to think over the decision so I was playing catch up once Monday hit. So far I am really enjoying the class and have a bit more faith in my potential as a singer. My instructor was testing my range by having me follow notes on the piano and we were both surprised at how long I could follow as she kept playing higher notes. For the course I will learn and perform 3 songs and 2 of them are from a textbook. I opted for "Fields of Gold" by Sting and "Puttin' on the Ritz" for my textbook songs but I have spent a fair bit of time just trying to figure out my third song. If I can find a good fit, I thought it would be appropriate to perform one of Dad's favorites as a tribute but so far I haven't found that song and have felt pretty good about others so we will see. I have actually enjoyed spending a bit of time in the practice rooms on campus because it provides me a space where I can just belt out a few notes and not think about anything else for a while- it has been good therapy. The expectation for this course involves a weekly writing assignment (less than a page and hardly structured) as well as 30 minutes, M-F of vocal practice outside of class- that's it.
The Rest of Life
Aside from all of the schoolwork I have had a bit of fun and been out of the house. One funny thing about my schedule is that I don't have any 2 classes in the same building so I have a lot of time to walk around and enjoy the good weather. Aside from that, my roommates and I excitedly awaited the release of the Avengers: Age of Ultron and and pre-orderd our tickets for a show on Friday. In celebration, we watched the 2nd Thor and Captain America movies as well as the first Avengers movie. My former roommate Jeffrey has been over every day this week and instigated the movie watching as well as hours of games so the apartment has been a lot louder this week. A big thank you to Jake for the noise-canceling headphones. In addition to all of that, I (alone since my roommates ditched me) attended a speed-dating event. I didn't have any amazing connections but I exchanged phone numbers with a girl from Washougal, WA to see about going on a hike some time or maybe dancing. The nice thing is that there is several options for dancing. Wednesdays there is Country and Swing dancing while Friday is Ballroom and Latin. There are other options off campus too like Blues dancing though I think that style resembles West Coast Swing but I'm still a bit ignorant of the style. Other than all of that I'm just trying to keep up with the work and keep up my sanity. So far it is not a terrible balancing act and I remain cautiously optimistic about taking on the 14 credits ahead of me. Miranda and I still keep in touch and are back to exchanging letters again so that is a plus. She will have been in the mission field 6 months as of the 5th so that is a major milestone. She will be returning in about a year- a crazy thought indeed. I hope you all are well and enjoying life.
P.S. I believe there is a way to comment on my blog posts so feel free to ask questions, make comments, etc. there or via Email. I didn't necessarily mean for this to be a one-sided update but a solid attempt at keeping everyone up on my student life.
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