NMSU Astro II: Day 30

This morning, I woke up at 8:40. I usually wake up at 8:30. I have to get to the class by 8:50, so I jump off my bed. I quickly brush my teeth and wash my face and hair. I put on new clean clothes. I am quickly running out of clean shorts, so I wear a pair that I had borrowed from Angelo weeks ago. I put on a moisturizer, body cream, and deodorant, then walk out the door quickly.

My eyes flinch at the sun’s rays — my roommate Ze and I keep the blinds closed in our room, creating an environment of darkness . I jump down the stairs five at a time and fling the door of Pinon Hall open. I start walking quickly through the grass. Up ahead, I see visitors. It seems that the students have arrived at campus for their school year. I have complete indifference towards them. I begin my walk towards the Biology Annex.

I get around 100 feet from the Corbett Student Center when I check my phone: 8:53. I sigh to myself, realizing my foolish mistake. I begin my jog to the class, which I oddly enjoy. I get to the Biology Annex with time to spare before our morning lecture. I set my stuff down and slump into my seat. I look around the room and see a sea of masks. I sigh and collect one from the front of the room.

The staff gave lectures on their interests and fields from 9:00 to 12:00. Dr. Hawes talked about her biophysics PhD, which was more biology than physics. Taylor discussed linguistics, and Mateo and I were able to make fun “mmmm”s and “aahh”s with our mouths. Marcus gave a talk on aerospace engineering; I noticed he shaved his mustache, which few were a fan of.

The participants arrived at lunch and there was a mass of students. The lines nearly tripled, so I just jumped in the burger line. It’s quick, and I got enough meat to satisfy my hunger. I sat down with Angelo, Ze, and Harry. We discussed the upcoming participant talks. I am secretly excited for them, but I try not to let anyone else know my true feelings.

The class convenes at 1:00 and the participant talks begin. The staff connected a Zoom call for Yuen Kai, who got COVID-19. I bet he had fun watching it from his quarantine room, cozy in his bed. My happiness for him has no end. My favorite presentations were: Sarah, who talked about self-improvement; Mateo, who discussed a computer virus and how to combat it; and JP, who talked about the effect of “momentum” in NFL games.

After we finished presentations, we wrote letters to SSP donors. I wrote my letter describing how SSP has changed my interests and the great experience it’s given me. After that, I walk to my dorm and crash on the bed. I wake at 4:55 and decide to take a shower, shampooing my hair. I put on my favorite polo with khakis. I look in the mirror and feel joyful. I exit my room and walk to dinner.

The dining hall served sloppy joes tonight. I ate with Angelo, Mateo, and Nathan. We discussed the nature of spacetime, one of my deeper dinner conversations. We finish up, head back to dorms, and get back to the classroom for announcements.

After, I finished up my presentation and went over it with Dr. D for accuracy. I have to present tomorrow, so I have been trying to make sure I know what I’m talking about. Once that was done, I called my parents outside as the sun set over the buildings. I talk to them and get homesick. They start telling me what we’re going to do once I fly back. I feel lighter and say bye to them. I checked the time and an hour passed. I feel a little stupid for taking so long, but some things are worth more than time.

Marcus pulls me aside once I get back in the classroom for my talent show emcee interview. At the end, he starts walking backwards into the dark of the parking lot, saying he was “gaining arra” (he can’t pronounce the word properly). I laugh as I walk back in, masking my pity. A few minutes later, Parnika and I are announced as the talent show emcees. I’m confident we will do a great job.

My group put together our MPC data and submitted it. We then chose out the ring nebula for our color imaging. We had a little trouble with our LCO submissions but Dr. F showed us that we were supposed to do three separate requests. This is because we need to get red, green, and blue for our image, which requires three different filters on the telescopes.

So, here I am, writing my blog post at 11:27 in the night. My eyes are dropping and my attention has entirely faded away. Everyone else is hard at work, but I am not here. Nevertheless, I put on my headphones and type away.