You can kill my school, but you can’t kill my memories of it. I know people are coming to my site about my comments about Armstrong. Here is a sample of many of the memories I wrote down.
2002-05-31
Funny thing happened at Armstrong on my way to the bookstore. ABC22 News – I think- was doing a story for the Sunday night’s news. The female reporter stopped me and asked that I walk in the shot to make the campus look busy, even when it”s in-between semesters. I did that take three times. My back will be in a news story!
I forgot about this, believe it or not. It wasn’t the first time I was on TV for a reason or another at Armstrong.
2003-10-08
Funny, free booty fits so well with my school. After all, we’re the Armstrong Atlantic State University Pirates.
Today was Celebrate AASU Day! It’s a mini fair to celebrate the school and the many activities the school has to offer. This was the third one I attended. I attended one in 1998 and one last year. The big deal about the whole thing is each student gets a free t-shirt. This year’s shirt is red. I like last year’s shirt better. Also, one booth gave away free ice cream and there’s an endless supply of hot dogs and soda. The wait on hot dogs and soda comes from the lines and cooking of the dogs.
Also, you can get free goodies like pens. The student loan companies each have a table and give away pens, pads of paper, highlighters and other goodies. You come away like a bandit just from them. I must have gotten 15 pens from them. I also got a few pads of paper. My bank offered a travel Band-Aid cover. However, Bank Of America gives on the best goodies. I scored a pen, a pencil, a big water bottle, and a pack of playing cards from them.
Stopped by the Honors booth but again, not impressive. It didn’t scream “STOP!” at me like some of the other booths did. This year’s theme was Greek. For students that are supposed to the be brightest Armstrong has to offer, they have no creativity in promotion. Hiding in the corner like they did this year does not promote them well. Hardly anyone was stopping by. It’s good if you’re smart but students don’t like smart students come across as being smug. I guess that’s why our lei campaign worked. We were just regular College students that just happened to be in the honors program.
The only sad thing about to today is I had no one to be with. Oh well, complaining about no in-town friends and no boyfriend should be left to another post. I did, however, speak to one of the girls from my Math 1113 course and gave her my e-mail.
This day held year year was the best day on campus for many people. The lei campaign of 1998 was frowned upon by many. People thought it was sexist and demeaning. If it was demeaning, I wouldn’t have been a part of it. It was a pun of “get laid.” We sold leis for a dollar. We sold out and made some money for the Honors Program. Besides, I wore a Hawaiian shirt and hula skirt with the get lei’d sign. I was having fun.
When I attempted to go back to Armstrong, my Mother had called the school to look for accommodations for my mental issues, she mentioned that I was shy, yet could be outgoing when the time was right. Apparently, this stint was a good way to get me out of my shell for a few hours. I don’t know to whom she talked to, but the person said they remembered the stint 6 years later.
2004-05-07
Well, last night, the concert was fun. Just remind me not to ever go to a small venue again for an act geared to the teenage/young 20-year-old age group. As soon as Maroon 5 opened the show, people started standing up and girls dressed in skimpy outfits rushed to the stage. The same happened a few years ago at the LFO concert I had to attend at the Civic Center. But, like that LFO concert, I didn’t have a bad seat. This time, I was on the left side of the fine arts hall, on the left center aisle seat in the 12th row. I could see the lead singer sitting or standing. To me, I think the opening act, Sara Bareilles the best part. It was her first time in Georgia, since she is a west coast act. Beth wanted her CD but we didn’t have any extra cash on hand last night. I didn’t tell Beth but I wanted her CD, too. I will have to download her MP3s off her site when I have a chance.
Maroon 5 played at Armstrong in 2004. It was the hottest ticket in town that year. I am pretty certain Sara sang “Love Song” on that night. When it came out in 2008, I knew a lot of that song. I remember there was on song that night she did that kept going on in my head the next few days and “Love Song” is catchy.
2004-09-16
Sorry, my mind is drifting on other things today. I’ll start by talking about my classes. In Theater, I must work on a 3 minute comedy for class on Tuesday. My group is working on one based on “Cinderella” and features Martha Stewart. I get to be Martha. As the professor was giving directions for the assignment, I thought about Johnny Appleseed and how we could pull that one off. I just started laughing in class all about it.
I met one of my friends named Heather in this class. I miss her so much. She, along with our mutual friend, Wes, we could have a great time talking. I miss Wes, too. I miss a lot of my friends that don’t live in town. I miss the ones that do and we don’t have time to visit anymore.
2004-09-23
According To My Co-Workers I am a Republican! One of my co-workers watched the local news last night and there was an article about Sen. Eric Johnson at the campus and the College Republican fundraiser. I knew there was a news crew there but I didn’t think they were filming at the time I was there talking to Gennie. Well, they were. So, the joke at the Center is that I am a Republican.
I’ve made reference to this story before. A good story about what you see in news clips on TV may be manipulated.
2005-10-11
Yes, I have a defiant streak. Yes, it gets me in trouble at times. However, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. It’s part of my personality and it helps me stay unique in this world. Higher education has only made me embrace my personality even more and tell the rest of the world to shove it.
My response to one of my brother’s English professors at Armstrong threatening my brother on charges of violating the school’s honor code. My brother seemed to write in a paper or quiz that what he was reading depressing and he didn’t want to read about cannibalism. My thought on such an issue is that the professor was stifling my brother’s right to find the subject objectionable and encouraging my brother to shove his opinions in the background. I can’t remember who the professor was. My parents taught us to question anything and to speak out if something is wrong. I think this professor was in the wrong. Maybe his feelings were hurt. How dare my brother disagree with him!
College is about opening up to new worlds. Professors expect that students be a little more open minded. I think it’s time professors do the same as well. Not all students want to be clones of their professors. Some students go to college to challenge and be challenged.
As for the comment I made about myself, I may still be shy and meek to a degree, but I am a lot more assertive in many ways. It was the BAD professors, and not the good ones, that caused me get a tougher skin and flip them off behind their backs.
2005-12-02
And the only thing I can say I took out of my Economics class yesterday was that I need to get a passport.
I have my passport, now. Even when I didn’t have one, this remark stayed in my mind. I didn’t enjoy the subject of microeconomics, but I did take a lot of life knowledge from this class.
Three days after this entry, my mother died. Dr. McGrath told me to skip the final; he’d weigh my previous tests accordingly. My grade in his class didn’t matter in the long run. The advice he gave me that day was the same my mother would have told me: take the grade and go. That conversation still brings tears to my eyes to this day. A small, yet powerful meeting in my life at a devastating time.
2006-02-26
“So Don’t Mind If I Fall Apart / There’s More Room In A Broken Heart”
I’m home from the GWSM retreat. I’ll have pictures uploaded as soon as I can. I broke the camera as we were about to leave Camp Glisson. I’ll have to take in tomorrow when I have a chance to get it fixed and get the pictures off the card. Maybe someone at school can do that for me. However, I have as few snapshots in the moblog.
I had a lot of fun. We AASU people stuck together. It was an all-female crew. We didn’t get into Dahlonega until 9PM on Friday. It’s a long trip to there from here. We didn’t get to bed until after midnight. We got to Friday’s worship sermon as soon as we got there. The speakers for the weekend were the Reverends Denise Watson and Marty McLeod. Rev. Watson spoke Friday night and Saturday morning. Rev. McLeod perform a music set Saturday night and worship service this morning. They were as different as different can be, but they both have great messages.
The theme of this year’s retreat was about back to the basics. Fitting it took place as a camp in the North Georgia mountains, complete with trees, a creek, and a waterfall. There were 4 workshops. We could attended two. I attended the ones on Art and Spirituality and Grace. I decorated a scrapbook/journal in the Art workshop. Stressed in the decoration, I added some baseball and rabbit stickers. I wrote the lyrics of two Céline Dion songs, “Ten Days” and “Dans Un Autre Monde.” “Ten Days” is in English. It’s about getting through the tough times and making it to the other side. “Dans Un Autre Monde” is in French and about moving on to better things. It’s in French. One of the Mercer girls thought I could speak French. I also added my favorite line from Amy Grant’s “The Water,” a line from Carly Simon’s “Coming Around Again,” a poem and a quote handed out during the art session, a name tag, signatures from my schoolmates Sheronda, Ashlee, and Leslie. Other stuff’s in it and I plan on adding to it.
Speaking of Carly Simon, I heard “Coming Around Again” while in downtown Dahlonega, where we spent some free time. I lost it in the store I heard it in. At the same time the song was on the radio, I found a music stand that my mother would have loved. About 30 minutes earlier, I heard Anne Murray’s “You Needed Me” in the fudge shop. For those that don’t know, I’ve been supersensitive to “You Needed Me” since I was 4-years-old and my mother would play it on piano. Having heard those songs when I was a child, I just thought about my mother and was missing her. Later, during the Grace workshop, memories of my mother flooded back into my mind. I had to leave that workshop for a minute. My mother would have enjoyed the message Melissa was delivering in it. After the workshop, Melissa could see I was upset and sat down with me. Another girl, a Claire from Valdosta State, saw my 180 mood swing and came to comfort me after the session. My mother would have been smiling seeing it.
My mother would like Melissa, the campus minister, and her family. Melissa’s husband, Chris, and her baby son go to all the events. Chris watches the baby and drives us college kids to these events. Melissa and Chris remind me of my parents. My mother’s thing was Girl Scouts. My dad, when he wasn’t out-of-town or overseas for the Army, would help my mother with Girl Scout events and watch Matthew and Beth. Melissa and Chris are positive people to be around. They are a good force to have in my life.
Except for the sadness of missing my mother, the weekend was great. It was refreshing to be around other students focused on living a decent life, being kind to others, and having a relationship with God. My relationship with God is not as forthcoming and extroverted as others. Maybe that’s the Catholic in me. However, I’m not beating myself over my life after this weekend. I don’t know how long that will last. At the moment, I feel like I’m on the right path.
I’m tired. I think I’ll get some sleep. I had a bad dream last night that stems from my missing my mother.
This was the first trip I made after my mother had died. I was a wreck. Sure, I looked strong on the outside, and I probably was strong, but I felt so alone on the inside. I was lost, confused, hurt, and angry. Being active in Wesley Foundation was a rock I needed in college.
2007-01-22
Today’s Wesley lunch was fun. Jessie, some of the guys, and I somehow got into a conversation about the Duggar family. Mainly, we all had a bunch of question we couldn’t answer about having 16 kids. As for the sermon, it came from Luke 4:16-21. At the end of lunch, Jessie asked if we would come to an animal benefit concert at The Sentient Bean on Saturday. Jessie’s passionate about animals. I’m not a coffee house person, but I don’t mind helping animals.
I’m sorry, Jessie, I never made it to the fundraiser! But we’ve had great time in Wesley and I need to visit you again. I met many friends through Wesley.
2007-12-08
Well, I finally did it. I finally earned a college degree. I have a Bachelor of Information Technology, pending on grades from this semester being posted. I have no doubt I have that degree. I only have one project for one class left to complete and turn in next week. The class doesn’t even matter for my degree, but I want to get an A in that class and make the Dean’s List. Joey says my life is shaped on how I perform academically, and he’s right. I am not satisfied with Cs. I want those As. My other classes, the ones that really matter for my degree, are complete.
I didn’t get a degree today; instead, I got a diploma cover stating I’ll get my degree in a few weeks. At practice yesterday, they said it would be February before we get the diplomas in the mail. I was the only one in the School of Computing to graduate Magna Cum Laude. A few others, like sweet Daniel, graduated Cum Laude in the School.
This picture highlighted is one taken before the ceremony began. The graduates lined up in two different lines that would snake into the arena. With the way seating and presentation of departments went, I was second in line, overall, for line A. The IT department was split up into the two different lines. 5 of us were in A. 6 were over in B. So, as we’re waiting to start the ceremony, Joey came over and snapped this picture of Will, Sean, Duy, and me in line. I like how it looked. Believe it or not, the IT department is a very close department. We may hate each other and want to kill each other, but we’re a big family. We help each other when needed. I’m going to miss them all.
The pictures from today are okay. The ceremony ended just after 11, so the pictures from after it are hard to see. The sun was directly overhead and even using my circular polarization filter couldn’t stop washout in the photos. I have the Dean of the School of Computing asking me for photos. He could see me from the stage and saw I was taking pictures during the ceremony. He wants a few from them. He was also glad to see me graduate. He had me 9 years ago during my failed attempt at college. He knows how far I fell and how far I came back. My Computer Ethics professor told me she was sad to see me leaving Armstrong. I wasn’t just a great student, but I’m a pleasant person to have around the department. My Data Com professor asked me when I was going to start the graduate program. I told her I needed a break. However, the department was so glad and proud to see me and the others graduate.
After the ceremony and the after ceremony talks, my family, Matthew’s girlfriend Jessica, Joey, Lindsey, and Chris all celebrated my graduation at lunch. We went to Cracker Barrel and had a good time. Lindsey got me a gift for birthday/graduation. She got me Hymns For The Journey, a compilation of Amy Grant hymns from Rock of Ages and Legacy… Hymns & Faith.. It’s funny she chose that CD, and that’s where we had lunch. When I was there with Joey last week for lunch, I was looking over the CD and thinking of getting it. Those two know me well. I will miss seeing them everyday like I got use to since June.
Joey is out of my life, but my friendship with Lindsey is still strong. I’m verklempt re-reading that Dr. Jodis saw me at my lowest and and my highest.
2008-06-23
Can Some Calculate This Probability For Me? Today was my first day at work. It was mainly a general orientation on how to use company computer systems for payroll, time sheets, e-mail, and getting our badges. It was like being at college again.
And in a way, it was. Just before the day started, I went to the restroom. As I walked out, I saw a person checking in at the reception desk. I glanced over the guy and realized I knew him! And he knew me! It was a college classmate of mine that graduated the same day as me. He had already moved to Atlanta since his wife got a job here and her family is around here. I was still in Savannah. We both were contacted by this company about employment and we both were hired. We were both shocked at seeing each other and couldn’t believe of all the people that could have been hired, they chose 2 graduates from Armstrong for the position.
Just shows to me that even in the recession, the Armstrong name and classes we 2 took meant something to a company. I was found via the network through Career Services. When I went on the interview and offered my transcripts, the client declined and told me they had looked into my grades already. I had never heard of them until they contacted me.
2008-12-17
This Christmas card from Ashlee, the girl pictured, had my eyes swelling when I read it tonight:
Dear Shawn,
Thanks so much for the Christmas card. It’s great that you are celebrating Christmas this year. I know that you have had it rough there past few years, but along with the bad there always come good. You have been to many places and met many people, graduated from college and now you are holding down a good job in Atlanta. What a great opportunity! I know your mother must be proud of you and wants you to be happy. You have your whole life full of opportunities and exciting things to come. Remember to trust in God and keep Him first in life. I wish you a wonderful Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
I met Ashlee at Wesley Foundation at Armstrong. Like me, she did nearly everything with the group. She such a bright light and has taught me many things. The biggest lesson learn from this girl is nothing let anything stop you.
All these years later, Ashlee is still an inspiration. If it weren’t for Armstrong, I would never had met Lindsey, Jessie, Ashlee, Shannon, Melinda, and many more dear and near friends I have.
Just a sample of memories, but a sampling of life experiences that Armstrong opened to me. Things that the Board of Regents and their little buddies are Armstrong that pushed a merger can’t steal from me.
