Basketball From Morning to Night

Columbia Basketball Court

So after yesterday’s mishap with my daily routine- actually it was just me being lazy that day- I decided to utilize Columbia’s Dodge Fitness Center. I think I picked a pretty good time to work-out; not many students are up at 7 AM working a sweat. Anyway, I just showed up to the gym not knowing to do until I asked for a basketball. And low and behold I had the whole basketball court to myself! It was so nice to play by myself; to have no one watch you is definitely less nerve wrecking than having observers.

So after a nice one hour exercise session, I sadly departed with the basketball and refreshed myself for breakfast. I think I’m managing my time pretty well now; I wasn’t as tired this morning and I didn’t have to review last night’s material. My mind actually remembered the contents and even the analysis I came to the prior night. So I walked into class today relaxed and ready to participate- not that I don’t do that on a regular basis. Today’s discussion was very interesting in terms of subject. We talked about Thomas Jefferson and his political ideologies. Due to the Louisiana Purchase, Jefferson is often criticized for abandoning his views of strict constructionism and pro-states’ rights. But the document that we read argued that Jefferson should not be criticized for his choice because he worked toward the bigger picture of the nation- Republicanism. I found the argument of buying Louisiana benefiting for the foundation of the republic due to the issue of national security. Self-interest is always a factor the nation should take into account, so for me Jefferson was justified in buying the territory while not appearing as a hypocrite.

After our discussion, a guest speaker, Kelly, came to talk. She majored in political science and she spoke of what she dos as a career. So far, she’s worked in Chicago for a campaign for Obama and a few people in her office ended up for the president’s administration. When she finished her talk, she had us do an exercise on how politics work from different viewpoints. She divided us into mayors of New York, businessmen, and consumers of New York. We discussed the different perspectives the three groups had on a policy the Health Department is trying to pass in New York- the sixteen ounce limit on soda and coffee. The mini debate was definitely thought-provoking; Morvarid and I turned it into a Policy debate if anything. We thought that the goal of lowering obesity standards was significant but soda limit, we feel, would not have the impact. There are too many loopholes in the proposed policy and we felt that it could be easily disregarded.

So after a stimulating discussion, we decided to head down for lunch. The dorm food really isn’t as bad as some people say it is; as long as it’s free and we can have our fill, it’s definitely fine. Once I had my fill, I went to my dorm to start early on my homework. Highlighters and naps are my new best friends during midday break.

 

Second Class Materials

As I headed to Butler Library, I decided to start my search of the needed materials for my research papers. Yes the picture to the left is how many books I had to look for. And the library filled with so many stacks of bookshelves I spent a good forty minutes finding the appropriate books. So far I’ve picked up, “Flawed Giant” and “Harry S Truman” by Robert Dallek, “The FDR Years” by William E. Leuchtenburg, and “Assessing the George W. Bush Washington Presidency. So much reading and research to do! I really wish I could take these back to my dorm but unfortunately Columbia university has a hold-only policy. So I can only read the books in the library and have it hold the books for me. I’ve been reading so far about FDR and it’s very interesting to know the legacy he left behind. During the time, people criticized him for his policies but now it seems people have realized the great work he has done during his time.

After a nice reading session at Butler, we met up once again with Ms. L to recap our day. Today we talked about the upcoming dinner with current Columbia students. Then we talked about a few old matters such as the textbook situation with the Constitutional Law students and going on trips with RA’s.

When our quick talk ended, we waited until the dining hall to open. As we grabbed food and ate, friends that we made slowly tricked their way to our table. The conversation lasted for two hours; laughs and jokes were made about each other, we even taught our new friend Brittany, from Texas, Californian slang. Rowland finally met the “famous” Lucas! It wasn’t surprising at all to see them converse so casually due to their mass similarities.

So before the dining hall could kick us out, Morvarid invited Adrianne, Lenny, Brittany, Rowland and me to watch the NBA draft in here dorm due to her television access. Now the moment of summer I’ve been anticipating has finally came and I am very pleased with the picks. Golden State Warriors got the needed small forward in Harrison Barnes.

Now that the draft is over, I can finally get some needed rest for tomorrow. The next day shall be jam packed with Maroon 5 in the morning and a dinner with Columbia students in the night.