I Got By (With a Little Help from My Friends)

Me: "...then I stopped doing Math because I'd rather do Physics all day."
Brady: "Sheesh...SOMEBODY goes to Mines."

Dear Everybody,

I think you are awesome.

I think you are so awesome, that you are one of the greatest reasons I'm glad I came here. You are the reason I made it out of freshman year alive (except the grace of God...but I think He let me know you all). You made me get by with fun, encouragement, advice, goofiness, and everything else. You kept me sane and insane when the school would've eaten me. So if I haven't said it before: Thank you.

This post is long overdue, so now it's more of a 'I miss you guys' post.

Thanks to the best floor I could ask for, the inaugural floor of Maple First North. We were all quite different, and not all of us formed friendships, but somehow it ended up being an awesome jumble of #1stNorthSwag. First, I had the best roommate ever. This is inarguable. Thanks for being a beautiful person inside and out, the times outside doing homework, the long conversations late at night.

Me: "Sigh...I just want to go to bed."
Rima: "NO. Katerina....sleep...is something for people in liberal arts colleges. We are engineering students!"

Hallmates and other Maplians: you were mostly all awesome, save my shady neighbors that got kicked out after one semester. Thanks for leaving your door open. For having a comfy futon. For the Nerf wars in the hallway and throwing other things. For staying up late studying, but more for the study breaks in between. For being dependably in the same places every night. Distractions, such as Youtube videos, or simply being there. Diggerden runs, and ramen breaks. That time I thought I failed SolidWorks and the Physics test was looming. For listening to my complaints about everything...all the time.

Kyle: "I'm done reading Eragon."
Me: "I'm almost done reading Moneyball."
Jayden: "I'm almost done reading the internet."

InterVarsity: Thanks for being the craziest, awesomest group of people who love Jesus. For the cupcakes. The friendships. The journeys. The sarcastic comments during movie nights. The hugs, needed or not. For looking out for me and being a good bunch of people to hang out with.

"Your opinion doesn't matter, Katerina! Make me a sandwich" ~Ben and Nate

The rest of the Miners: I met you all different ways, from Slate, Playfair, ice cream, SUMMET, to Humans versus Zombies and beyond. A lot of you I met in class and a few of you shared my exact schedule 1st semester (cough, cough, Geophysicists). Thanks for the homework help, making fun of shared professors (and their socks), letting me sleep first semester, ganging up on the jerk in PA dodgeball, surviving as my lab partner, being a cool and reliable EPICS team (gasp! Yes, it can happen), and being goofy during physics studio. For random jam sessions. Trips to get froyo. For advice on classes (especially when to skip), and advice on not selling tickets to the Baseball games. For helping pass the time during said ticket selling with chit chat. The hilarious inappropriate awkwardness in DiggerDen everyday (this is also for IV). Matching sweaters. For helping each other out getting an assignment done, literally, last minute. For sharing in the complaining about everything, even if all of us went overboard.

For making the M stand for home.

I miss you guys.

I started collecting these quotes 2nd semester (so don't be mad if I forgot a lot)....quotes that, to me, said "Mines" in a couple sentences. Some people are quoted more frequently than others because of the amount of time spent late at night high on caffeine with them. So as time approaches infinity, coupled with caffeine use increasing, the quotability of conversations increases exponentially. Or something. Need a graph? Naw, I didn't thing so. So here are the Quotes of Mines Freshman Year:

"My physics TA has a reverse mohawk. I was like wow, you're such a physicist!" ~ Nathaniel

Me: "I should just screw NHV and become a horrible engineer. Then I will kill people with my seismic waves."
Rebecca: "Well I can kill more people as a BioChemE. Then I can implant defective heart pacemakers. MUAHAHAHAHAAHA!!"

"So I've watched 4 seasons of Prison Break, and I've been studying a lot of calculus. So my dream was that I had to do Calc to break out of prison." ~ Brandon

"Geophysicists are like the pimps for Petroleums..." ~ Connor

Me: "I just don't know how to talk to this CSU kid, Rima."
Rima: "Give me a lattee."

Clinton: "I'm freaking out for these tests!"
Me: "You need baseball in your life, Clinton."

(before the torque test):

Nate: "You look like a dog-"
Me: "About to get shot?"
Nate: "No just anxious."

"Hey guys, let's pull an all-nighter!" ~ Rebecca

"He's trying to ask you out. He's trying to ask you out because you're a female with a heartbeat....Back away slowly and wave your arms in the air screaming...make yourself as large as possible...Boyfriending adverted. " ~ Connor as the French Dude at Soiree

"Jesus is like a trip. I don't know what he's on!" ~ Me

"I'm getting really tired of thinking." ~ Matt

"I'm getting senioritis again." ~ Brandon

"So as you can see here, Kay Olin becomes Mus Covite. It's kind of like a sex change."
~ Prof. Duncan, on metamorphic rocks during the only believed instance in which his class laughed

‎"That brings us to Integration by Parts. That's what your book calls it, but I call it witchcraft." ..."So the formula for your integral is ultra-violet minus super voo-doo." ~ Prof. Jane Walker

"Clearly, more logic gates equals more fun!" ~ Prof. Hellman

"Who took the last donut for our learning group?"
"Probably a ChemE."
"#&$%ing ChemEs." ~ Angry People in CompSci Class

"...Next thing you know, they'll be letting girls into Engineering School." ~ Jayden, to me, Andrew, and Dr. Kuo

"Do you guys have stalkers?" ~ UNC girls to me and Rebecca, on being a Mines girl

"So if we can't help you guys with romantic relationships, we can at least help you guys with Physics relationships." ~ Levi the Physics TA

"We know you're married to baseball!!" ~ Clinton, to me

"Smells like....sweaty engineering students." ~ Ethan, after walking into one of the Brown study rooms

"Who are we missing?"
"That one kid who smells like pot."
"I don't know his name." ~ People in CompSci class

"For the rest of studio we should just lon-ygag: lollygag on Lon-Capa until we get the worksheet. You look like you have study-d: ADD while studying." ~ Adam, my physics studio partner

"Curse my continuous partial attention!" ~ Matt, making an NHV reference

Brady: "Do you want to crack my back, Storm?"
Brandon: "If you want me to"
Brady: "Yeah, I'd like that. No homo."
Me: "Hahaha. I'm totally quoting you guys on this."
Brady: "Make sure you don't forget the 'No homo' part."

"Look at those rocks. They're so cute!" ~ Rima

Marilyn: "If there was a sarcasm font, what would it be?"
Nate: "Comic Sans."

"Screw everything!" ~ Me (often used)

"Now most people will look at it, see it's 2 a.m. and say '[F***], it's 2 a.m.' 
I look at it and say 'Hey, I've got 8 more hours! :D'" ~ Brandon

P.S. I miss you guys.

Bright Lights

It is Day 34 without school... I have done a whole lot, and then a whole lot of nothing. Which has been great.

I've also taken a vacation from blogging, as you might have noticed, but have no fear. I intend to wrap up the year with great quotes from crazy Mines kids (my friends), tales from Mines Athletics, a recap of things put in dry-erase, and a post involving my conglomeration of t-shirts acquired after one year. I think. I hope. I will get to it, okay?

And then in July I will begin new adventures, as I will be an RA for MEP's (Multicultural Engineering Program) Challenge Program. Challenge is for incoming freshman to prepare them for Mines to happen to them. That is, they will live in the dorms and take pre-classes to prepare them. I'm really excited to work with MEP, as I was a SUMMET kid in 2010. I'm also really excited to meet some of the Class of 2016.

And then school will start soon after that. But for now, let me rewind and drop a couple pictures of what I've been doing the last couple of weeks:

Visiting NY was great. We did everything we wanted to, going non-stop for seven days walking and walking. The lights are bright, and they sing you can make it anywhere if you can make it there (to which I object with "Try making it at Mines"). Seven days was nice to spend and get a taste of the Big Apple. But it confirmed to me I don't want to live anywhere except Colorado.

Maybe it's because I'm missing everything. (Well, mostly Golden and the people. The studies can wait a few weeks). New York City is too humid for me, too loud, smells on some street corners of trash. There are people everywhere, a lot of them, although I don't have to talk to any of them. Of course they are awake at 3am, which is nice, as opposed to the time at school when I'd be alone at 3am and there would be no food places open.

But I miss looking at Mt. Zion and the Table Mountains everyday, all around. I miss looking at people's faces and recognizing most of them. It's going to be so great to see how pretty Golden is in the summer again, although I think it looks (and Colorado in general) best in Fall and Spring.

I don't ever want to leave.

Good Riddance/The Time of Your Life

I'm having a lot of mixed emotions.
I want to do well in my finals, but then I'm sick of them. I don't want to study anymore.
Then I just want to hang out with everyone before we have to leave each other.
Then I realize I can hang out with them by studying with them.
Oh well.

I don't want to pack because that means I'm leaving soon.
And I don't want to pack because I don't want to pack.

***
There's something I don't like about having to take a final that's 14 pages thick and pretty difficult. It's worse when you just said goodbye to the first people who left the floor- the baseball guys. 1st North Swag is coming to an end. Hail, hail,  the gang's not here.

But really?! I finished that stupid test and didn't even feel like it was summer. I should feel accomplished (and will after I go to sleep before 1 am in the first time in forever), but it's bittersweet 'cause I know we'll never be freshman together again.
Stop living in the past, I guess.

***
I packed up sooner than I had thought I would. But I still had a lot of junk.
I took down my Rocktober poster again. Weird.

Maple was half-empty (or half-full) when I left. I said goodbye to the remaining people and walked out.
Probably not for the last time. But I turned in my keys and made it official that I wouldn't be living there again (as far as I can see). The days of us freshies living our lives in the dorms were certainly over.
I snapped some pix as I said goodbye to Maple Hall. It was good to me. I was happy there.

***
So we're driving up with our truck filled with stuff when I kinda realize it's summer. And that is a good thing. I realize I don't have homework, but I don't think it's set in yet. And in a week I'll be going crazy from lack of it. It's good to be done though. I feel accomplished, and so should you. We need to get away. We need to catch up on sleep (I'm looking at you, although I am very guilty). See and talk to 'normal' people. We can't stay freshman forever. So we rid ourselves, but it's a good riddance.

It's crazy how quickly nine months has passed yet how much has happened in that nine months. We've grown to wide-eyed freshman to somewhat-prepared-for-what's-next sophomores. That person who didn't think they were going to pass Calculus? Passed. Shy to approach anyone about anything? Outgoing. Didn't think anyone understood them? Not anymore. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into, and through all the sweat, tears, lost sleep, energy drinks and eraser remnants yet smiles, nerdy inside jokes, green boxes, energy drinks, passed tests and late nights we've somehow found ourselves having the time of our lives.

Yeah, it was hard. If I could tell incoming freshman me how hard it was, it might have scared me more. But of course it was doable. Just add in a few 4am nights. And for what it's worth, it was worth all the while.

So yeah, it was a great year. But I know it doesn't stop here. There's more things to learn. I know next year will change me more, as these past nine months have. And I'll fight through it. With Nerf guns and 'mallows. And stuff.

'Cause I'm a ramblin' wreck from Golden Tech, a helluva engineer.

A Mile High, Miles Low, Fifty Billion Miles to Go

(I don't know, I just felt like adding this picture. Taken April 30 on a floor trip to the game.) 

Here, I am, mere days from completing my freshman year at Mines.

I'm in the midst of trying to ace the physics final. Long story. But yeah.
I should've started a week ago, except stupid homework got in the way. I don't even know if it's possible. But I'm sayin'....there's a chance.

So it's Dead Day.
Classes are done, everything's coming to an end.
I ran a mile in PA and didn't die, my NHV prof got us donuts, and everyone else gave us their speech of how great of a class we were. I made copies for the Athletics office for possibly the last time. Besides finals, I'm pretty much done being a freshman.

There's not enough time to try to get A's in my classes, and there's not enough time to end freshman year on a high note with my friends.
It's all coming to an end.

It's so weird.
We feel happy. But sad at the same time. A mile high, miles low. And then people complain about how stressed they are.

It's so weird.
Seniors are graduating.
We're getting older. But are reminded we have so much to go.
But it's coming quickly at the same time.

I'm so tired.
I'm sick of studying. Of staying up until three.
But I know I'll miss it- the late night digger den trips, the stories in between studying at three. The screw everything moments. The green box moments.
That's about it.
(I'm kidding.)

I'm so gonna die. So help us all this weekend.

Stuff for dead week. Brady's knee is seen in the background.

A Semester-Long Battle With Physics

It began with the chirp of a droid....

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO"

Then there was homework...

MissleDefense.Problem

GREEN BOXES YAY!

And studio....

"OM NOM NOM NOM NOM"

And studying...

And the Kinematics Exam...I was stoked.

(I was actually nervous inside.)

My grade before the exam.

Then Lon-Capa's all:

And I'm like:

Then we started torque...

Awesome TA's are awesome.

And I started getting less and less sleep.

People needed help with homework on Sunday night...

and I fought on until the Torque Test.

And then we saw it. And were like:

My life is a failure and surely I got an F or G!

People were mad...

Yeah, we mad, bro.

Then I got the test back and Lon-Capa said

"How'd the test go?"

Then I was all 

Heck, yeah. I got this stuff.

I studied hard. Sometimes I needed help.

I knew I could do really well and get an A if I tried (and didn't sleep). So I woke up early the day of the test and went to 8a.m. studio.

"If you don't define a system or axes or write equations in their general forms,
you're gonna have a bad time."

I was wrong.

You know, sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. 

And I had the worst luck for the Energy Test (stupid conceptual questions).

But upon further review, I shouldn't have had to rely on luck that much in the first place.

There were a few questions I had to make last second choices on. 

And when I woke up, I realized

It would now take a miracle to pull an A in physics.

I became angry and emotional.

Well, more angry and emotional than usual.

I got sad texts and awesome news from others. But I was stuck in the middle: the average, or right above it.

All week I went back and forth between wanting to try to ace the final so someone can make an inspirational movie about me or giving up and screwing physics and forgetting all the people that might want to study with me but focusing on other classes. I'm pretty sure I did a million calculations.

I still don't know what to do. 

But I'm proud. 

For: "I have fought the good fight, I have (nearly) finished the course, I have kept the faith." ~ II Timothy 4:7

And I only need a 35 on the final to keep my lovely B.