Apr 19, 2010

Four Major Accomplishments

Since last I blogged, I have had quite a few eventful things happen... here are some of them...

1) I finally got registered for all the classes that I need for this next semester. This may seem like an easy sit down and click the mouse a few times, then presto! you are done kind of project. Let me assure anyone who is operating under these delusions that it is not an easy sit down at computer and press a few buttons kind of project. It is, in fact, a long and drawn out process.

The first hurtle in this process that one must first cross is the "Pay your Student Insurance" hurtle. This hurtle looks like a little pop-up on your screen that says something like "Registration for some or all of the classes you have requested has been blocked by error 1163547: Student Insurance Fee Owing". After having read this, I proceed to try and find the page where I pay for my student insurance. Luckily, all things designed to accept money are easy to find, and never hard to understand, this did not take very long. I then proceeded to return to the registration page. After having selected all the classes I need for the semester, I once again press the GO button. Up on my screen again pops the "Pay your Student Insurance Fee blocker message. So, I pulled out my phone and called the school to try and figure out why I still could not register after I had paid the insurance. I now know that it is apparently standard procedure to put anyone who calls with a specific question on hold for an hour, and then transfer them to kingdom come and back before they are told that the person that can help them is unavailable, and will need to call them back. At this point, I am frustrated, but agree to have the person call me back. Several hours later the person calls me back and tells me that their system needs me to declare that I will be continuing to use BYUI's student insurance and that I can then register.

I go the page and declare that I will be covered by BYUI for another semester, and the proceed to register. At this point, it has taken several days to get the Insurance all straightened out, and so there are not a lot of 100 level classes open for me to register for. So I quickly scan for classes still open that are required for my major. I got into a Book of Mormon class, and a science class. Then I tried to register for my music classes, and I couldn't register for any them. So I called the school again to figure out why I could not register for all the classes that I really wanted to be in. Apparently I had to email all the professors and get them to give me permission to be in their class. So I did. I got into all the classes I wanted no problem, except one. The class that I needed to is taught by a Professor who decided to take a semester leave from teaching. (This professor also happens to be my favorite teacher.) So I emailed the professor he directed me to, and asked him if I could get into the second semester of class for the subject I needed. We emailed back and forth for a couple days, and he ended up not deciding that I really needed to take the first semester class before I take the semester class. So now I am one credit down from being able to keep my scholarships, and desperately looking for any class that I can get into. I emailed several teachers in the music department to find out if i could get into a composition class, or into a conducting class, both of which were 300 level classes. No, I couldn't get into either of those classes. So I just started looking for any class that I thought would be good to take, and saw a Music Technology class. I emailed the professor and asked him to let me into the class, even though it was full. He did. Finally, I had all the credits I needed, and all classes that could count toward our major.
Whew...

2)I got my first set of stitches about two weeks ago. I was helping to lift a 450-500 lbs copy/printer for the High School. I put my hand under the machine, and was feeling for a good place to lift from. The other guys started lifting before I was ready, and pinned my hand under the machine. The weight of the machine pressure cut the skin right away from the bone, and kept it from bleeding. The cut was right in the second knuckle on my middle finger of my right hand. Because of were it was, we took it into the emergency room to make sure that I hadn't damaged or cut the tendon. Fortunately, I hadn't. They put four stitches in, and sent me home. We didn't go back to have them out.

3)I went on a choir tour. We went down to SUU, did a master class with the professors there, performed at George Wythe, then went down to Dixie college, and did a master class there, then hiked Zions all day Saturday, then came home. It was great.

4) I am back in Idaho, and almost ready to start another semester tomorrow. I thought I would be excited, but right now I am not. Oh well... as soon as music classes start, I bet that will change.

Don't forget your daily dose of music!

3 comments:

Kate said...

Woo hoo! Those are major happenings! I agree. The registration system is a nightmare and a half.I had to deal with a couple non-existant blocks too. For being a church school, I think it's odd that they allow the devil to run the website. :) Can't wait to see you. We'll have to meet up for lunch or something.

Sam said...

The Devil indeed!

Lindy-Lou said...

You lucky guy. What an eventful and blessed life you live. Can't wait to hear about your classes. You could have handled the 300 classes, yes? Congrats on persisting to the victory.