Boxer Step, Bell, Scissors...

The easiest "tricks" of all time.  Jumper simply hops backwards and forwards, side to side, or crosses and uncrosses legs as the torso and head stay in a relatively stationary position.  These can become incredibly boring... (click here for a visual of the "boxer step")

This semester so far has been a little bit of a boxer step.

As in, if things don't start picking up in levels of difficulty then I might be just a little bit bored.

Last semester kept me pleasantly busy.  Not too stressful and not too easy.  I spent plenty of time working on assignments, yet I still had time for a Jamba Juice run every now and again AND I still had a social life.

Okay, okay, maybe I lacked a little bit in the social life.  You'd have to check with my best buds on that one, but I did make sure I had time for Jamba!  And in my defense, the fourth floor of the library is a great place and it kept me out of trouble!  I loved studying up there; I was basking in the wonderful feeling of accomplishment!

Speaking of the library...I sincerely miss that place.  I've only been there twice this semester, hence the boring part of this semester.  My classes have limited assigned readings and they are short when they do get assigned.  Nor have I had tons of papers due.  (I'm beginning to hope that I'm not jinxing myself by writing this post and dooming myself to the hardest semester ever beginning next week) So because I haven't been up to the fourth floor I'm really starting to miss the spinney chairs and big windows.  The fourth floor is almost like a big party room for us students.

WAIT! I take that back 'cause it is not actually a big party room!!! I'm telling you, the people up there on the fourth floor are study-sticklers.  I would know cause I was one of them up there last semester.  If you do so much as whisper you'll get a death glare that'll put you six-feet-under-and-pushing-daisies.

Once I accidentally dropped my phone.  I promise, it was a complete accident!  Problem was, it wasn't just a "clunk" onto the floor.  I dropped it right square onto the metal stand of the table.  You almost wouldn't believe it, but a small plastic phone dropped on a  circular piece of metal sounds like a Japanese gong.  And not a little cymbal-sized gong, this was like the huge Japanese gong from Cars 2.  I'm pretty sure it was loud enough to create an echo.

Loud enough to make me laugh actually, which, now that I think of it, may have had more to do with the death glares than the dropping of the cellular device.

But I digress.  Back to the subject at hand.

Thus far, this semester has been pretty chill.  I maybe read 20 pages on any given day from all my texts combined and then prep for a quiz.   As a comparison, last semester I had at least 30 pages of daily reading for History plus a chapter for Biology every now and again.  AND for English I always had a paper to work on...Plus Dance class and Health and Institute.  Yep, I kept pretty busy.

Though I guess I shouldn't be complaining.  Like I said above, this bad attitude might come back and give me a good swift kick at the beginning of next week.

I guess I should just be grateful for the way it's been thus far.  If it stays like this I'll have tons of time to study my scriptures, read Preach My Gospel and True to the Faith, and maybe still even get to bed on time!

Here's to the most boxer-stepping semester ever.

Double Dutch

two ropes spin in opposite directions around a single void and alternate hitting the ground at an even pace.  Standing within this void enables a jump-roper to alternate jumping over both ropes while performing stunts.

Trying to find a place to sit on the fourth floor of the library today was like trying to jump into a Double Dutch formation.

There haven’t been this many people on the fourth floor since the first week of school!

Now, I know that finals are coming up, and that papers, projects, and presentations are soon due.  But why should those of us who have consistently studied on the fourth floor suddenly have to find a new way to sit down at a table so as not to distract all the new-comers?

I’m not trying to complain—these new-comers are quiet and respectful and they have a right to be here too.  I’m just saying things have gotten a little complicated.

This is why I felt like I was trying to enter a Double Dutch formation when I really should have been sitting down at a table.

Please note the similarities:

Entering a Double Dutch Formation

1) Decide on point of entry. Double Dutch can either be entered perpendicular to the spinning ropes or from the side at a near-parallel to the ropes approach.  If desired it can also be entered from a full parallel approach by doing a leap-frog kind of jump over one of the people turning the ropes.

2) Get the rhythm.  If you have no clue at what speed you’re going to jump after you’ve entered there’s no point in even making an attempt at an entrance.

3) Enter. Be sure to clear that first rope that takes most people by surprise.

4) Jump at the established rhythm.  Jumping too fast or slow will mess up the ropes within three seconds.  I find it easier to jump by alternating feat, rather than jumping with both feet at double speed.

Sitting at a Table Today on the Fourth Floor

1) Decide on a table.  This was extremely strange for me because usually there are open tables everywhere. And not just everywhere.  EVERYWHERE.  For example, last week there were only two or three tables that were taken by one person each.  Today, not a single one was empty.  To make matters more difficult, Unspoken Rule #1 on the fourth floor is that if there are open tables one must find and sit at his or her own table.  It’s not that we can’t share our tables, it’s that we don’t like to.

2) Get the courage.  Basically you’ve got to figure out how to sit down casually, but not so casually that an I’m-already-sitting-here kind of person gets the vibe that you have no knowledge of Unspoken Rule #1. Courage and casualness has to be well planned, especially if the selected table has an attractive person of the opposite gender.

3) Enter.  Be sure to clear that first angry glare by giving a nice smile.

4) Sit down and get to work.  No eye contact with or staring at the person already at the table or else they’ll think you’re a creeper.  You’d be outta there within three seconds if someone were to keep staring at you. I found it easier to work at double speed so that I didn't feel like I was intruding on their table for too long. There are few things worse than an uninvited guest who overstays his welcome.

With all these complicated procedures I think next semester I’ll just go outside and work on my Double Dutch rather than my research paper.

Or maybe I’ll go find wherever these people came from.  They must have left someplace on campus completely empty to be able to pack a room this big completely full…