Obesity, fire safety, and how to use a treadmill

Today felt like a very productive day. I slept in until 10:30, so I didn't actually do too much this morning. I did continue my graduate school research, until I got really frustrated and decided to stop. I might need to take a break from that for a few days. Melisa and I got together for lunch, and chilled for a while. We studied for the GRE yet again, and then I had to go to class.

It's funny, but I was kind of dreading class. I don't have it very often, and I get bored, so you'd think that I'd be excited about it. But really, when you never have it, it's kind of hard to want to go. Plus it rained a lot today, and that was just annoying. The worst part is that the grass gets really wet. You see, the sidewalks here are a lot like sidewalks at Ripon. There are no direct paths to where you want to go. They are windy, curvy paths where you practically have to do a figure 8 to get anywhere. I like to cut across the grass to Melisa's dorm, because the sidewalks take me down a little hill and back up. But when it gets muddy, it's just not worth it!

So, I went to class. I always feel guilty when I miss class anyway. And here, it's only 6 hours. If I can't handle that, I think there is something wrong with me. Today was the seminar, and we split into groups of about 10 people. I really liked it, because discussing in small groups meant that people talked to me! It sounds funny, and a little pathetic, but it's true. People don't talk to me before or after class, and I don't see anyone outside of class, so it's kind of hard to make friends. Anyway, we have been breaking our one assignment down into small bits, so today we talked about how to define obesity, and why it's a problem. And my group also discussed the differences between school in the UK and school in the US. We talked about health care differences, and US health care reform. It was really nice to just sit and talk to people, because I don't have many opportunities to do that here. It put me in a really good mood :) Also, I learned some random facts about college here that I found interesting. For example, their grades from their first year DON'T COUNT. I'm not sure why, but they don't. No wonder these students don't care, and just party all the time. It doesn't even matter? Also, they do have graduate programs like MA and PhD, but not many jobs here require them. They are a little behind in that, since in the US a bachelor's degree in psychology isn't worth much at all...

Then Melisa and I, along with a whole bunch of other new students, had to attend this mandatory fire safety meeting. Apparently they have a lot of problems here. Drunk people pull the fire alarm; drunk people try to cook food but pass out. I think the problem MIGHT be drinking, but I guess that's just what I see. Anyway, we talked about a lot of common sense things, and watched videos about how fast fire spreads. After that was dinner, and then our gym induction! We talked a tiny bit about safety, but mostly we were given a tour of the gym, and then our instructor showed us how to use different machines. It was obvious that our group didn't really pay too much attention. Well, it was obvious that the guys in the group didn't pay attention. Granted, I already know how to use a treadmill, and a bike, and all that stuff. But I wasn't rude about it! And now Melisa and I have made plans to go work out in the morning before she has class :) I'm more than a little excited. I think a good run is exactly what I need.