I start school tomorrow. I am so freaking excited.

I have done a lot of preparation, or at the very least, a lot of what I can think of. I have maps of all three floors on my tablet, plus a text file version of my schedule which includes the time I have to be at the bus stop each day to catch the 405 which will take me to KPU.

I am inordinately proud of myself for thinking to do that last thing.

Plus, Joe gave me some binders full of paper, so I will be able to take notes if I so choose. I am also taking along the boring paperwork I need to complete so that if things begin to drag too much, I can do the paperwork and listen to the lecture at the same time. I can do that kind of thing, and it will look, at least superficially, like I am taking notes.

I still have no idea what my class sizes are like. I thought I could look it up on the website, but I can’t find it now. Maybe it was an illusion, I don’t know. So I have a series of surprises to look forward to this week.

Of course, I am hoping for small class sizes. I would much rather have a course that feels more intimate and direct, rather than impersonally broadcasted. But I know that KPU is somewhat of an education factory, so I am prepared to accept that some of all of my classes might be way bigger than I am used to experiencing.

Because that’s the thing : I have never been in a class larger than 30ish people. To me, 30 is the “normal” class size. That is roughly the class size I had all through regular schooling.^[1] And UPEI is too small a university to have really huge classes.

There was one ampitheater where there could be classes of like, 100 people, but I never took anything there.

My favorite class at UPEI was Phenomenology, and it was just me, the prof, and six other hardcore philosophy student. That was awesome. It was more like a meeting of like-minded individuals than a top-down information delivery system. It reminded me of images of the students of philosophers sitting around in their togas, listening to the wisdom of their elders.

So if I end up in one of these enormous classes where the professor is a dot on the horizon, I will have to learn to live with that. I won’t like it, but I will adapt.

That brings up the whole “sitting up front” thing. My instinct is always to do so, because, like I said before, I need to be in front to see and to ask the occasional question to keep my mind focused.

And seeing as my appetite for mental stimulation has only increased due to being regularly satiated by the Internet, I might need to ask those questions all the more.

On the other hand, if I am sitting right up front doing my paperwork, the teacher might notice, and… that would be bad.

Meh. I will figure it out as I go.

I will take the bus there for now, even though I could totally walk there and back if I wanted to do so. It’s only like six blocks or so. And who knows, maybe some day I will finish class and decide it’s a nice day and I will walk home. Maybe run an errand or two on the way.

Doubt I will ever walk there, though. It’s complicated.

One thing that didn’t really click for me until Felicity brought it up was that Kwantlen is right next door to Landowne Mall. That will definitely come in handy. Especially if there’s a grocery store in there somewhere.

I have been telling myself that I need to get more good, decent, healthy food in my life, but I am too lazy to go grocery shopping on my own. But if I’m next door to it for class anyhow, I might just be able to convince myself to pop in and get myself something to eat that isn’t my usual meal of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a piece of fruit, and a bowl of junk food.

That shit is just not enough to keep anyone healthy. It’s better than some people’s diets, but that doesn’t mean it’s enough. When it comes to nutrition, there are no relative measures. You are either getting enough or you aren’t.

And I cannot possibly be getting enough protein or calcium.

What else… I am going to be showing up 45ish minutes early for tomorrow’s initiation. I would like to say that is entirely because I am an intelligent person with fully adult powers of forethought and sensibility who knows he will need the extra time in order to find his classes at his band new school, but honestly, that’s not the whole picture.

It is also because the stupid 405 bus that is to be my chariot of the proletariat for school travel only shows up at quarter after the hour and quarter TO the hour, and showing up with like ten minutes to class seems pretty stupid.

I am a little worried about having to get from my first class on the first floor to my second on the third for in only ten minutes, but I have looked over the maps and don’t think it will be too hard.

I hope elevators are an option, though.

Well I guess that’s it. The next time you and I talk, Dear Listener, I will be six hours of education smarter.

As always, I will talk to you nice people again tomorrow.