Let the classes begin!

My group of 30 has a 45 minute break right now as we wait for the round robin sessions to switch so I'm using the time to write about things so far.  My group's consolation for not getting to go home early (yesterday, another group had "free study" time last; today, the second group has that time last; we don't get it last) will be getting our papers returned to us first.  I'm not sure that's a consolation but what can you do.

After a restless night on Thursday because of nerves and excitement, I dragged out of bed at 6:00 a.m. to get ready for back to school.  This is the first time I've been the student in 7 years.  I didn't realize it had been that long until I looked at my transcript from UNM when I was getting my graduate school paperwork together, which confirmed that my last class was summer 2002.  Time really does fly--if you had asked me a couple of months ago, I would have said it was more like five, even though I know I was finished with my library certification before I became the school librarian and this is my 6th year in that position.  I was given a pep talk by Donna, who also filled up my water bottle and made me a chai latte before scooting me out the door at 6:45.  We weren't sure what traffic would be like between her house and Denton plus I needed to stop by the parking office to pick up a temporary pass.  I had plenty of time since I got to Denton by 7:15.  As an aside observation, the sun comes up really late here.  It's not daylight at home at that time of the morning but it is much brighter by then.  I know why but it's one of those things you forget about until you're there.

Parking permit was obtained with little ado and I found my way to the classroom in a building that wasn't here when I was a student 15 years ago (it was built/dedicated in 2001 according to a plaque).  I spent the first two hours of class having a serious panic attack about this.  I honestly felt like I was two steps behind everyone else--some had come with the syllabus printed out from a website that I didn't know about and I didn't know my ID to log in to the UNT system and it was all very frustrating and disheartening and if I could have cried without anyone seeing, I probably would have.  But I'm in a room with about 100 other people so I'm fairly certain I couldn't do that.  I did, however, frantically text Donna to see if she could get onto the UNT site at her house to find out all my information for me.  After just a bit, she texted back with all the information I needed, I got onto the UNT system, found the mysterious website, and felt myself calm down enough to listen to the lecture that had been going on the entire time.

And I found myself really interested.  I am such a nerd but I LOVE this stuff.  The class that I'm on campus for is on information organization and we're going to spend the semester creating a database of information for a hypothetical collection.  I know eyes will glaze over when I talk about that but I think it's cool.  My other class is on information resources development and from the syllabus, it seems to be about, well, developing information resources.  All the stuff to acquire collections, collection development, evaluating different resources, etc., etc.  I do that already in my day job and I'm hoping that I'll be able to use information from there in the class.  I've got to email the instructor to make certain that it is allowable.  If not, I'll get even chummier with some of my colleagues in the district and use their library collections.  Or maybe use a combination of the two.

I know that I need to get a big calendar and write out all the due dates for everything.  I've got to work on my time management skills again.  The past seven years of managing my sitting time with my productive time hasn't exactly been very taxing and I'm thinking it will be a 180 degree shift very soon.  The second class seems to will allow for more independent pacing as long as I have the assignments in on time (and don't wait until the last minute to do them!).  This class that I'm on campus for will require more specific work and online chat times.  Paul will be happy that I'm busy in the evenings again so he won't feel guilty when he has to work so much.

It is very surreal being back on the UNT campus.  When I was walking to lunch yesterday, I went by Maple Hall, my dorm at UNT, and got a little sentimental.  I did a quick drive around campus yesterday afternoon and just a flood of memories came back--mostly good, lots of funny ones, some a little bittersweet.  I was, of course, reminded of my seriously crazy roommate from freshman year--Kathie with all her crazy Aladdin and Disney paraphernalia including a glow-in-the-dark Aladdin poster and all the Disney princes (her boyfriend had all the princesses) and the 35 pictures of her boyfriend plastered around the room and her cartoon in the bathroom.  Meeting our friend Peter whose dorm room overlooked the sidewalk from Maple to the main part of campus.  Jacqueline, Debbie, Teri, Tina, Nicole, Katie, Christine (Steph's roommate), and Diana (my roommate when Kathie finally moved out).  Our friend Bryan who casually knew Kathie in high school and didn't really like her but stuck around with me and Steph.  Spending way too much time at the Delta Sig house.  Being so sick while trying to take finals in December.  Never quite knowing what to do about Ray.  Kathie's cookies being made with "a double dose of love."  Steph, Xavier, and I inviting our professor Dr. Bruner to coffee because it seemed like the thing to do (he just had that aura about him) and then nearly choking because I'd never had coffee before.  Imbibing just a bit too much at a party in Peter's room and getting pathetically weepy with Steph.  Getting written up for playing Beastie Boys too loud after quiet hours.  Not really knowing what to expect with my mom being sick in the spring.  All the laughs and fights and tears that come when you stick a bunch of girls together in closely confined space.  I remember being so homesick during the year and desperately wanting to transfer to Texas Tech to be closer to home but not wanting to because I didn't want to leave my friends at UNT.  Most of those friendships didn't stick after I moved but I'm really glad for the one that did because she reminds me of that very crazy year of life when I was so ready to conquer the world but utterly clueless and unequipped about how to do it.  And she can verify so much of the things that happened and remind me of the things I've forgotten.  I love her for all those things and for being a friend for the past 15 years.  And since I'm making myself all mushy and sentimental and weepy while writing about freshman year, I'm going to stop.  It's time to get back to the work at hand anyway.