So man, I’ve met some interesting people this semester.  There are a lot of 18-20-somethings on campus, still living with mom and dad, still listed as a dependent (mind you, absolutely nothing wrong with that. . .kudos to you for staying focused on your educational pathways), but I’m seeing more and more people around campus who are fighting to keep their heads above the water:  single moms, layoffs, independents who work full time and go to school full time.  I’m really feeling some serious empathy for these people.  There’s a girl in one of my classes with three kids, a full-time job at MCG, and a fair load this semester in school as well.  She’s also waiting for a decision from MCG about the nursing program.  Now seriously, for most of us, a denial from MCG is not the end of the world. . .I’m sure it won’t be for her either. . .but there’s much more riding on that decision for people like her.  Plus, on top of that, if she DOES get into MCG, she’s probably going to have to find a night job to support her family while she goes to school, even though every advisor I’ve spoken with has vehemently opposed working while being in nursing school.  For those of you still living with mom and/or dad or who otherwise don’t have hugh amounts of responsibility outside of school, I encourage you to non-judgmentally step outside of your comfort zone from time to time and take strides to appreciate that we all have different circumstances in life.  And a quick note before moving on:  On a daily basis, we probably encounter more people who need a word of encouragement than we’re ever aware.  Think about it.

In other news, I had my proverbial rear end handed to me in a friendly game of poker a few nights back.  Have you ever walked into a place where you immediately knew you either weren’t welcome, or even in the absence of the unwelcome vibe, otherwise felt like Screech from Saved By The Bell among a deluge of O’Doyle’s from Billy Madison?  How in the name of Mary do the big dog players do it?  Let me explain the levels of poker on the surface in random order:  assessment of your current deal of cards, assessment of the probability that you have a winning hand given the cards presented on the table, assessment of the odds that another player has a better hand than you given the cards presented at the table, consideration of where you are sitting at the table (yes, it makes a significant difference), calculation of the pot odds (what you must contribute to the pot versus what’s already in the pot), when to bluff, when to fold, which blind you are posting, how much blind you are posting, when you are dealing, and last but not least, the physical traits of the players around you which might give away their bluffs, and all this must sometimes be considered in as little as fifteen seconds.  By that point, I’m slapping my chest and banging my head against the table whilst muttering random soliloquys.  First person out in a tournament of about fifteen players.  Nice.  Las Vegas, here I come.  Cheers.

Other Posts by Tripp

• Stressbuster
• Weekends and Brokeness
• Bunsen Burns and Vaccinations
• Weekends and Lab Practicals from Hell
• Intros and Ramblings