Book Review: U Chic by Christie Garton

ISBN: 1402215088
Published: April 1st, 2009
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Read from April 23rd to May 1st, 2012
Synopsis from Goodreads:

The Complete Guide to a Fabulous College LifeFrom the day you set foot on campus until the day you wear a cap and gown, get advice from a source you can trust: the expert team of all-star college students and recent grads behind U Chic. This indispensible college resource has everything you need to know, including: Getting Started: First week advice and tuning out the homesick blues Sharing Space: A fashionista's tips for fitting it all in Healthy and Happy: Common campus ailments, staying fit on dorm food, and Sex Ed 101 Sorority Chic: The ins and outs of going Greek Love Life: Love vs. hookups and surviving long-distance relationships Head of the Class: Picking the right major, getting ready for finals, and studying tips and tricks.

Review:

Why I Read Non-Fiction

I don't think many people read non-fiction for fun.  I know there are people out there who do, but I'm pretty sure they don't make up near the number of people who read fiction for fun.  I've never understood why that is.  Then again, I'm the person who tried to read the entire dictionary when I was younger, and I have a set of Childcraft encyclopedias that I read the entire way through.  I'll read practically anything if I find it remotely interesting, and I seem to find a lot of things interesting that others don't.  (One time, my friend Summer and I were talking on the phone when bees were somehow mentioned.  I wound up on the bee Wikipedia page, and I became so interested that I spent at least the next half hour informing Summer of many awesome bee facts while she tried to change the subject.  My definition of interesting is definitely different from most people.)

For me, learning things is fun.  It doesn't even really matter to me what it is.  If it's new information, I'll probably find it interesting.  (I hate bees, but I still spent at least half an hour on that Wikipedia page.)  That doesn't necessarily mean I always enjoy school.  (Homework isn't the same as discovering information at your own pace.)  I do love being able to read a book full of amazing information that I would never discover otherwise, and I've never really understood why other people don't get that same enjoyment.  I have so many non-fiction books sitting around that others wouldn't ever dare read because they'd find them boring but just thinking of all the information in those books and the new things I could learn from them makes me excited.

I think school makes people associate learning with boredom, which is just really too bad.  There's so much knowledge out there that you can get from books (and that applies to fiction as well as non-fiction), and so many non-fiction books are well-written and incredibly interesting.  I think non-fiction in general is greatly under-appreciated.  It really is too bad that more people don't read it just for the pleasure of it.

Leaving My Room Behind

One of the things I think will be incredibly strange and sad about going to college is the fact that I won't have access to my own private room anymore.  To be completely honest the idea of having a roommate scares me a little bit.  I'm not exactly a people-person, and I could see things going horribly wrong.  I'm sure I'll get along with them fine, but inside I'll be really stressed out by the fact that I don't have a place to go to get away from absolutely everybody.  Maybe I'll realize that I don't actually need that space, but I'm not sure that will happen. Being my introverted self, if I go a day without alone time I feel as if I'm losing my mind a little bit, and dorms with communal bathrooms aren't exactly great places for alone time.  I'm sure I'll have some amount of alone time, but will it be enough to keep me from going crazy?  I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Then, we also have the sentimental factor.  I'm not entirely sure when my grandmother's old room became mine.  I'm pretty sure it was roughly about a year before her death which means I was about thirteen years old.  (My grandma could no longer climb the stairs, so she was moved downstairs and it was decided my sister would keep our old room and I'd take grandma's old one.)  My sister and I had shared my previous bedroom for about nine years before that, and I cried about moving out of that room.  (As in I literally went crying to my parents because of my distress and then I cried myself to sleep that night.)  Now, I've been in this room for about five years, which a little more than half of the time I spent in the last room, but I feel no less attached to it.  Plus, I'll be leaving the rest of the house behind for most of the year as well.  (In addition to family, friends, etc.)  Yeah, this fall is going to be tough...

It Really is Close to the End

I think my cold is finally getting better! I was actually able to get a good night's sleep last night, so that's definitely a good sign.

We had our last test in AP U.S. History today that won't be an open book test. (We're running short on time, so we're having two open book tests for the last two chapters later this week.) It's hard to believe we're that close to the end of the school year. We're also going over the last lesson we're doing in probability and statistics tomorrow.

Speaking over being bear the end of the year, our yearbook deadline for all of our pages (except graduation and a very few others) is Friday. I'm excited to get it done, but it's going to be hectic getting it done. We're having a bit of a problem with several pages for various reasons, and I just hope we can get it done.

I almost forgot that we're basically done in psychology too! It really is the end if the year... The fact that I'm graduating hasn't fully sunk in yet.

Another clue it's the end of the year: we had a meeting of all the AP students today to fill out our AP student packets and things. I have to say, that's one thing I won't miss after doing it for three years. I'm just not a fan of filling in all of those bubbles. And while I'd never say I'm excited about the AP tests per se, I am excited to take them and never have to take an AP test again.

LoK Episode 4 The Voice in the Night Review

It's been a while since I wrote a post on my phone. Let's see how this goes...

Tarrlock is annoying. I really hope he isn't in too many episodes because that might drive me a little insane. Also, sending a ton of expensive presents to a 16-year-old could be seen as creepy...

I felt so bad for Korra when she was basically pressured into joining the task force because they made her feel guilty. She definitely does need to work on airbending, and she shouldn't have joined the task force. It really frustrates me that everyone in the city seems to overlook how young she is, but I suppose there are many similar instances in the "real world."

I'm not sure how I feel about Asami yet. For some reason I have very negative feelings towards her, yet I don't see anything wrong with her. I think most of it has to do with the fact I'm already kind of shipping Makkora (even though I keep telling myself it's too early), and I only dislike her because of her relationship with Mako. Asami and Mako's relationship just further complicates the whole romance part of the show though. This episodes had hints that Bolin likes Korra; we know Korra likes Mako; and now Mako and Asami are in a relationship. I have a feeling this is going to get complicated... (Especially when you factor in that Mako and Bolin are brothers.) I'm not sure I like where all that's going.

I'm glad that the Fire Ferrets are going to be able to compete in the championship (even though I knew they'd be able to). Also, random little comment: I keep comparing Mr. Sato to Henry Ford even though there's no reason for it other than a really shallow one. It's just that when Asami told Mako she was taking him to meet her dad, I kind of mentally went, "He's meeting that universe's Henry Ford." I have a feeling that shows how big of a history nerd I am.

I don't even know where to begin talking about the end of the episode. I'm incredibly sure that all three of the people shown in those quick flashes were Sokka, Toph, and Aang (Sokka's the only one I have a bit of doubt about and even that doubt is basically nonexistent), and I'm so happy about that brief scene that it's ridiculous. I just don't understand what it means! Did Amon show it to her? Did Korra see it on her own and it was related to vein the Avatar? I don't know, and it's driving me insane! I have a feeling this question will be bothering me for a ling time...

Next week's episode can't come quickly enough!