A Gamecock by Nature

Poker is one of my favorite pastimes from high school.  My friends and I used to play house games almost every weekend at different people’s homes.  Since I got home for break, my friend Gavin (’09 UF) organized an 11 person house game with a $10 buy-in.  As usual I was the only girl to show up for the intense card game, but I don't mind that one bit.  

I hadn’t played with everyone at the table, which definitely wasn’t to my advantage because I didn’t know how each person normally played.  I didn’t let this bother me though.  A few hands into the game my friend Richmond (’09 USF) went all-in!  Normally I would fold being that the pot was not worth potentially being knocked out of the game early in the evening.  However, on this particular Friday night I was feeling lucky since I knew I’d already flopped a flush!  Richmond was quite disheartened to find out that I’d won the hand and he’d have to sit and watch the rest of the game without any chips! 

The night progressed and I watched my friends go all-in and lose all their chips.  It was kind of amusing to me because a few of my friends at the table call me “luck box” or “lucky” Lydia because I tend to get the cards I need – all the time!  Eventually it came down to just me and my friend Jon (’09 USF).  He went all-in with an ace and a queen and I called him with an ace and a jack!  No one of course was surprised when a jack showed up on the flop to secure my win.  I walked away with $60 and a smile on my face! 

I wish I could be one of the women at the World Poker Tour, but I think that might be pushing it.  I think I’ll just stick to the books for now. 

Posted by Lydia at 07:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It’s Tuesday afternoon and all of my grades are finally posted!! Can I have a drum roll please? 

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to maintain my priceless 4.0, but for the difficulty level of my semester I am proud of my performance.  I was able to earn four “As”.  I earned an “A” in MGSC 290, POLI 315, FREN 310 and in my 1 credit RA (Resident Advisor) class.  I made a “B+” in ACCT 225 and a “B” in ECON 221.  Not too shabby, but this is definitely my motivation for next semester.  I’m hoping to make up for it by getting an “A” in the next level of accounting and the other half of economics. 

It’s a relief that this semester is over and I can finally relax!!  I left Columbia on Monday morning and arrived back in Tampa Monday afternoon.  My planes actually boarded and left on time!!  I was thrilled!  I left a quiet campus excited to see my family and friends and have a chance to get excited about Christmas!  I finally looked at the calendar and Christmas is now just a few days away!!  Where did the year go? 

I hope you all ended your first semester's well and that the college applications are looking good!

Posted by Lydia at 07:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

“The ‘Brary” as I like to call it is Thomas Cooper Library, located in the middle of campus.  During exam week all levels of the ‘brary are open 24 hours.  For a week solid the library is packed with college students studying everything from Organic Chemistry to History to Accounting.  Everyone is sitting at tables studying collectively on the main floor or on floors 1 through 5 (which are underground) studying individually. 

Unfortunately I had 5 exams to study for and I needed an “A” on every single one of them to make “As” in my classes.  I want to keep my 4.0 intact, but that’s only possible if I really crank out as much as possible a few days before each exam.  I decided that besides studying like a maniac that I would need to keep a positive attitude throughout it all.  My first exam was French 310 on Tuesday afternoon.  My professor informed the class that it would be on a news clip located online and that we could prepare ourselves by listening ahead of time.  I listened to the five possible segments multiple times.  When I got to the exam, I got the date I understood the best and I knew I did well!  I can’t wait to find out my results for French!

On Thursday I had my MGSC 290 (Management Science – teaches you how to use Excel) exam and my Accounting 225 exam.  My MGSC exam was a cinch and I found out my results instantly since it’s on the computer.  I got a 93% and ended up with a 96% in the class!  That’s one “A” under my belt.  My accounting exam on the other hand was not easy.  I’m not joking when I tell you that I studied a week straight for this test.  I revisited my 2 old tests with my professor, I reread the 3 most recent chapters, I redid all the old homework problems, and I completed a 59 page exam review packet.  I felt very confident going into the exam, but I was thrown for a loop when I was faced with about 10 questions on Cash Flows off the bat.  I’m hoping I pulled at least a “B” and I will just have to probably settle for a “B” or “B+” in the class.

Friday was the exam I was most worried about.  Economics 221 has been my nemesis all semester.  The only possible way for me to pull of an “A” was to flat out ace the exam.  I reread the chapters, completed practice questions and even looked back at my old AP Review book from high school.  I’m pretty anxious to see how I did on the test because to my delight it wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated. 

Finally, Saturday morning arrived and I was able to take my last exam!   Political Science 315 (Introduction to International Relations) was a multiple choice and matching test!  Before the exam, I calculated that I needed to answer at least 36/40 questions correctly to get an A.  I must have studied the right way because I think I did extremely well on the test.  I’ll let you know once my grade is posted!

Now that my exams are behind me I’m anxiously awaiting the postings of my grades!  For now it’s time to catch up on some lost sleep! 

Posted by Lydia at 05:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Exam week means living in the library, so it’s a great idea to mix up studying with some fun before things get to be too hectic.  The Friday that classes ended my friend Joanne (’09 Pre-Med/Pre-Business) went with me to the mall and we got our nails done!  We treated ourselves to lovely white tips and got Starbucks!  I mean if I’ve got to be in the library studying and making flashcards at least my nails should look good! 

The weekend before exams I went with a bunch of people from Capstone to the movies!  We went to Richland Mall and saw “The Holiday” with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet.  It was absolutely amazing!  The movie was hilarious and reminded me of my own life when I was in Tours, France this past summer.  It was the first movie I’d seen at a theater since August! How pathetic is that! 

Throughout exam week I went to the gym almost daily to break up long hours at the library and treated myself to Starbucks to keep the engine going for long hours at a time.  The people at Starbucks know me by name now!  They even put extra chocolate on top of my Java Chip frappachino!  This drink is like heaven on earth. 

Now that I’ve got coffee in my system, it’s time to hit the books!

Posted by Lydia at 05:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For those of you who may not know, I am obsessed with playing basketball.  I pretty much play everyday with the guys at the Strom.  However, recently I haven't been playing well and it's been making my days more frustrating instead of more enjoyable.  So I did something that made peoples' heads turn....I took Tuesday off.  I didn't go to the gym at all! 

I have been working out a lot more lately.  I have been lifting weights, doing abdominal workouts and using the step machine.  Apparently this has paid off, because when I made my "big return" to the courts Wednesday afternoon I was back to my good old self!  I was hitting my normal set shots from the baseline and boxing out for rebounds.  I made 3 out of 4 shots it one game and my friend Mark ('09 Connecticut) was on the sideline screaming "Sue Bird".  It just made me grin from ear to ear!  On top of that, the gym was packed because there was the huge Holiday Dodgeball Competition yesterday with over 400 people participating!  What a great audience!

To continue this great day, I met some friends for dinner at Patterson which is now the healthy food dining facility on campus.  I ate tri-colored pasta and blackened salmon.  I know that usually students worry about any form of fish from a cafeteria, but this was absolutely incredible!  My friend Bobby ('10 South Carolina) got his stir fry for free because he performed the dance to "Chicken Noodle Soup" for the cashier!  It was hilarious!  I think Bobby made this lady's day! 

Well, Wednesday night is my last "duty" night of the semester!  This is part of my Resident Mentor requirements.  I am unable to leave the building and I take two rounds throughout the building checking for maintenance concerns and enforcing policies such as quiet hours.  Hopefully no one will call for a lock out tonight.   

Posted by Lydia at 02:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The worst feeling in the world is waking up on your own after you've already turned off your alarm clock more than an hour prior! Tuesday morning was exactly that.  I had set my alarm for 8 am and after turning it off I thought it'd be a great idea to just set my phone alarm for 8:15 am.  This would have worked if I hadn't accidently pressed 5:15 am!!  So 9:30 am rolled around and I lunged out of bed in a panic!  I had to be at my Management Science test at 9:30!  Good thing I'd straightened my hair the day before because I literally threw on clothes and ran to the BA (Moore School of Business).  Needless to say I was able to take my test and I actually made a "B" on the test. 

As stressful as my day started out, it did get progressively better.  When I went to accounting in the afternoon I found out my quiz was pushed back to Thursday.  This was a drop of good fortune since I know I really need to spend time reviewing. 

The highlight of my day though was my trip to Wally World (aka Wal-Mart) with Joanne ('09 USC).  I had to buy a gift for my "secret snowflake" and do a little bit of shopping for myself.  Usually when I've had a bad day I treat myself to some form of chocolate, but today was an "unusual" day.  I made my way back to the sporting goods department and bought two 3-lb walking weights!  They are the coolest things ever!  Now I can work out on the way to Starbucks! 

Hopefully Wednesday will be better!  Good luck on finishing up classes!

Posted by Lydia at 01:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)