Alison, ‘12

____In terms of workload, this has quite possibly been the easiest week of my entire college career. My Spanish class, Peoples and Cultures of Latin America, was canceled because the professor is unable to return for the rest of the semester. We were given the option to chose between taking a half unit for the class and receiving a grade of “pass” or to take a full unit upon completion of a graded independent research project. For those who are unfamiliar with the unit system, one unit is equivalent to 3.5 semester hours and most classes are one unit. I chose the second option, and haven’t had to attend class all week…nor will I have to attend class at all…again. Because of fall break and a Chemistry conference out of town, my lab was canceled for the week, leaving me with yet another free block of time to fill as I saw fit.____After having nothing to do except work ahead (and let’s face it, that just doesn’t happen), I decided it was time to fill the week with a little adventure. My friend Sarah and I went out for one of our chik-fil-a picnics down by the James River, aka the Riv, and wasted an entire afternoon scampering across rocks, climbing trees, dangling from vines, and confusing all the dog walkers. The air smelled like crisp, fallen leaves and cool earth. I believe the word Sarah repeatedly used to describe it was “delightful.”___The forecast predicted a sunny, 80 degree day. While it was sunny, it didn’t quite hit 80 degrees. By that I mean, it hovered at around 65. We certainly weren’t freezing, but needless to say both of us were glad that we hadn’t decided to attempt tanning and wear a bathing suit! The place we went, Pony Pasture, is about a five minute drive from campus. You could walk it, but I doubt you’d want to. And, just an FYI, there aren’t any ponies. When we first showed up, we were basically alone. By the time we’d snarfed down the last of our waffle fries, the place had started filling up with families being professionally photographed, couples acting romantic (which we watched awkwardly), and classes of students. I took the liberty of yelling “helloooo” and waving dramatically at one of the classes as we drove away, and Sarah immediately swore she would never allow me in her vehicle again. It reminded me how, on our 10-hour trek to her house, my friend Mallory kept getting mad at me for waving at truck drivers haha.____In other news, this week was advising week, and everyone is busy picking out classes for next semester. I’m hoping to take Organic Chemistry I, Comparative Animal Physiology, Genetics, and Literary Spain. Unfortunately, those are all offered on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings and the three science classes each come with one three-hour afternoon lab a-piece. Although I can do a bit of finagling, I have a hunch that my Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays are going to be jam-packed.  At least I’ll have easy Tuesdays and Thursdays! Scheduling for me is October 30^th, and after that I’ll need to concern myself with Study Abroad plans for next year. Exciting!!___I apologize again for the awkward lack of spacing. The domain I use to post with is not cooperating or saving my spaces between paragraphs!