The Life and Times of an Engineering Student at an All-Women's Liberal Arts College

My life, as defined by the title above, might be particularly unique despite my white skin, freckles, and middle-class background.
I grew up in New England and have attended private schools my entire life.  My mother is a resident alien to this country.  I have dual citizenship with the United States and Canada.  I am of Scottish and French descent.  My skin is a very red white.  I am overweight.  I have a technical brain and embrace the "nerdiness" I emote.  I am good at talking to people.  When put in leadership situations I feel very comfortable.  I'm not going to succeed as an engineer who sits behind a desk and pops out amazing code or complicated modelling applications.  Instead, I am going to interact with people.  I am going to have the knowledge to speak with other educated people about why they should invest in my co-workers code and modelling techniques.  I'll get it, but probably not create new technologies.  I will have the people skills and intelligence to keep technology successful and correctly implemented.
Though sometimes I am jealous that I'm no genius, I am starting to appreciate the skills I do have.  Many of my peers often comment on how much better I am at talking.
Recognizing strengths is an important skill. and I am proud to be realizing where I have potential and where I don't.
My degree is just in general engineering science.  Sometimes I resent that as I thought it wouldn't prepare me as well as specialized degrees do-the kind larger school's offer.  I am beginning to realize that the specialized degree is going to be beneficial in the Engineering Management type career I can see myself pursuing.

It's a good day when you can see a life ahead of yourself that you're excited to live.
I welcome these days to happen more often.  It's good to record them when they happen so I can look back at it and relax on day unlike today.

Have I mentioned how much I like having a blog that no one reads?  It's so therapeutic and not risky.  I can say what I want---how I feel, and not worry about it interfering with my job or causing drama.

I love Marcus Aurelius's views on Taxation.
Just saying.

Story of my life.

     Last night I watched Waiting for Superman, one of the movies I rented from the Redbox.  I spent the first three quarters of the movie holding back tears-granted I started it around midnight.  In the last quarter of the documentary I couldn't hold back anymore. I bawled.
      It was such a humbling experience for me.  It left me asking what I could do to solve the problems of our failing education system in America.  I wanted to get a PhD in education and change the way we do things.  I wanted to become a politician and make real change.
      It made me worry what I'll do with my children one day.  Where will I send them to school?  Oh, right... not in America.  I made that decision a long time ago.
      This country is failing compared to the other developed nations in the world.  This "great empire" will soon fall, I predict.

     I was so lucky.  My parents put me in pre-school.  From there they looked into the best school system to get me into.  Since the local public school wasn't supposed to be very great, they had me visit a local K-8 Montessori school: The Cornerstone School.
     I still remember sitting down in that blue chair at the properly scaled round table, playing with colorful, glittery beads.  Afterwards, when my mom asked me if I wanted to go there I said "no".  My mom, surely confused, asked me "why?"  To which I replied "It's too good".
     Do you know that feeling?  When the sheets are too soft they tickle you, leaving you tense?  It's a human response I'm quite used to.  I've learned, over the years, that pleasure only leads to pain.  When you fall for something it only means that you can get hurt.  Don't trust and you won't be let down.  Don't want and you'll never be disappointed.  There are several aspects of my life I've shut down to like this.  In others I've begun to crave dualities and extremes.
     Lust, for one, is something I crave.  I fall in love about 8 times a day.  No one is immune from my affections at some point or another.  Some people look down on me for this, saying it weakens the meaning for any individual crush I have.  The reasons I do this are probably all typical and could be judged accurately by anyone who has watched enough television or taken a general psychology course.
     That's one reason I like the Tao so much.  It is so right about everything.  When I love, I get my heart broken, as predicted by the Tao.  I am happiest and calmest when I just keep to the middle.

Introduction

This blog is for me.
I am starting it at the end of Spring break my Sophomore year in undergrad at Smith College.
I am here to get my B.S. in Engineering Science.
I plan on attending graduate school for Water Quality Engineering once I graduate here and earn my PhD.
I've faced many different kinds of battles in my life, and I'm using this blog to sort it all out-to give me a place to speak without being heard.

Let's blog it out.