2016/11/28 [DMFA #1713] - Unexpected free time

[Tapewolf]

In the UK, college is usually a 2-year staging area between school and university.  At the one I went to, if the class didn't start within the first 15 minutes, it was cancelled.

In other news, the monitor on my spare machine at home is very dark and it looked like Fa'Lina was also dressed in black at first.

[Merlin]

In the UK, college is usually a 2-year staging area between school and university.  At the one I went to, if the class didn't start within the first 15 minutes, it was cancelled.

Oh hey, same as Tasmania and the ACT (but no other part of Australia)

Aary's got some fine shiny goin on

[Tapewolf]

Aary's got some fine shiny goin on

Reckon she's done the garment conjuration course?

[MSpears]

At the one I went to, if the class didn't start within the first 15 minutes, it was cancelled.

In other news, the monitor on my spare machine at home is very dark and it looked like Fa'Lina was also dressed in black at first.

Most American universities do that as well, though some professors like to trick you.  For example, one of the bigger lecture halls at my university had a storage closet where they kept things like overhead projectors and such.  One of my professors once sat in the closet for 14 minutes and 50 seconds before announcing his presence.  Everyone who left slightly before the 15 minutes was actually up, missed out on bonus credit.

On the other hand, there was also the time when one of my absent-minded professors failed to show up, entirely by accident.  He lived within walking distance of the university; on this particular day, it was very windy, and he was a pipe smoker.  He got halfway to the classroom, had to turn around to light his pipe, and then came to the conclusion that since he was already facing the way he came, the class must already be over, and went home.  Needless to say, we waited the requisite 15 minutes and left.

In other news... that does happen to monitors, especially the old CRT monitors.  Over a period of about five years, they lose about half the brightness that they had when new.  LCD monitors don't lose as much, but it happens even to them.  It's just not as noticeable.

P.S., didn't someone in the thread for DMFA #1712 want to know how "Faaaaaaaaaaaa-" ended?  Well, now you know.   

[Cassi-kun]

P.S., didn't someone in the thread for DMFA #1712 want to know how "Faaaaaaaaaaaa-" ended?  Well, now you know.   

Somebody even guessed it would be "Fa'Lina"!

[Puyon]

Dude, I don't understand skipping class. My high school did have the same rule of "wait 15 minutes and if the teacher isn't there, go to study hall or something until your next class", which did happen a few times only... I never stopped waiting in front of the classroom?? All the other dudes would leave but I'm still standing there for the full 80 minutes, waiting for the teacher because I was always paranoid that as soon as I left I would get in trouble for cutting. Gotta love that sweet anxiety

I understand cutting class at colleges even less. You're going to pay an absurd amount of money to apply to the school, pay tuition, buy al your books and take out student loans... only to blow it off?? Like there's nothing wrong with a sick day or maybe taking a day or two off for mental health, but I can never possibly fathom doing it at the drop of a hat because there's gotta be something more exciting to do! That's so much money going to waste if you're so flippant about skipping classes!! That's a humongous debt you could find yourself stuck in because---

*storms off, continuing rant about the expenses of American higher education*

[PalmettoPaladin]

Dude, I don't understand skipping class. My high school did have the same rule of "wait 15 minutes and if the teacher isn't there, go to study hall or something until your next class", which did happen a few times only... I never stopped waiting in front of the classroom?? All the other dudes would leave but I'm still standing there for the full 80 minutes, waiting for the teacher because I was always paranoid that as soon as I left I would get in trouble for cutting. Gotta love that sweet anxiety

I understand cutting class at colleges even less. You're going to pay an absurd amount of money to apply to the school, pay tuition, buy al your books and take out student loans... only to blow it off?? Like there's nothing wrong with a sick day or maybe taking a day or two off for mental health, but I can never possibly fathom doing it at the drop of a hat because there's gotta be something more exciting to do! That's so much money going to waste if you're so flippant about skipping classes!! That's a humongous debt you could find yourself stuck in because---

*storms off, continuing rant about the expenses of American higher education*

If you that's bad. My high school had a senior cut day but hardly anyone ever cut. When I became a senior, all my friends said they would cut on senior cut day.  I said that I wouldn't cut as I found it silly.

However the next day, when I got up in the morning to go to school, my feet got tangled in my bed sheets causing me to fall and hit my head against the edge of the dresser, cut my eyelid. So I had fo miss my first class so the doctors could use surgical glue to close the wound.  So the guy who said he wouldn't cut class was forced to cut his first period on account of a bleeding eyelid!  Lol!  It's a bit funny but not that funny. 

Back on topic now: I'm actually surprised that Amber did a scene change.  I was so interested in hearing Illiath and Taun's reaction to Dan's reaction! 

Also: mental note to self: download all of the DMFA radio play!

[Qwex1]

P.S., didn't someone in the thread for DMFA #1712 want to know how "Faaaaaaaaaaaa-" ended?  Well, now you know.   

Somebody even guessed it would be "Fa'Lina"!

But which came first? The plan or the guess?

[Merlin]

Dude, I don't understand skipping class. My high school did have the same rule of "wait 15 minutes and if the teacher isn't there, go to study hall or something until your next class", which did happen a few times only... I never stopped waiting in front of the classroom?? All the other dudes would leave but I'm still standing there for the full 80 minutes, waiting for the teacher because I was always paranoid that as soon as I left I would get in trouble for cutting. Gotta love that sweet anxiety

I understand cutting class at colleges even less. You're going to pay an absurd amount of money to apply to the school, pay tuition, buy al your books and take out student loans... only to blow it off?? Like there's nothing wrong with a sick day or maybe taking a day or two off for mental health, but I can never possibly fathom doing it at the drop of a hat because there's gotta be something more exciting to do! That's so much money going to waste if you're so flippant about skipping classes!! That's a humongous debt you could find yourself stuck in because---

*storms off, continuing rant about the expenses of American higher education*

I didn't skip much at college, but I skipped a lot of classes in university, haha... I had too many courses so I skipped a lot of lectures to work on assignments. Especially non-honour maths, because they just covered stuff that semester 1 honours maths did?? what a waste of time. Exams are most of what matters anyway.

[Cassi-kun]

I missed a lot of high school being sick. I still have dreams that I've missed so many classes that I'm too embarrassed to complete the course at all (this never actually happened, but I did get low grades in classes I was otherwise good at).

[MSpears]

I understand cutting class at colleges even less. You're going to pay an absurd amount of money to apply to the school, pay tuition, buy al your books and take out student loans... only to blow it off??

Yes.  Because the university I attended specifically told us during orientation that if the professor was more than 15 minutes late, to go ahead and leave.

The explanation is that if the professor is sick, he calls in and tells the office... but the office doesn't always remember to tell all the students (e.g. they might forget that he was supposed to teach two classes that day, so the first class is told to leave; the second class ends up waiting 15 minutes, and then leaves).  So there's simply no point in waiting around, though I played it safe and stayed an extra 5 minutes.  Both times, I was the last one to leave my seat.

It doesn't happen often.  In my four years at university, it happened exactly twice... and one of those two times was the absent-minded professor that I told you about.  The second time was because the professor had actually died that morning.  I'm pretty confident that he wasn't going to show up 30 minutes late and start the class.  Even the office didn't find out until later, when his wife managed to gather her wits enough to call them.  It's not like they're going to get a phone call saying "Hey, guys, this is Professor <insert name>.  I wanted you to know I had a heart attack last night, so I'm calling in dead." 

I would like to point out that if you are somehow able to pay for your own education, what you do with your money is your business.  If you want to pay the tuition, buy all your books, and then skip as many classes as you can and do just enough work to get a passing grade... that's your prerogative.  I think you're wasting your money, but the point is that it is your money, not mine.  So if you choose to waste it, that's your business.  Now, if mum or dad are paying for it (as mine did), then they may have higher expectations...

[MSpears]

I didn't skip much at college, but I skipped a lot of classes in university, haha... I had too many courses so I skipped a lot of lectures to work on assignments. Especially non-honour maths, because they just covered stuff that semester 1 honours maths did?? what a waste of time. Exams are most of what matters anyway.

On this side of the pond, that tends to work better in graduate-level courses (people who are working on their master's or doctorate degrees).  Skipping undergraduate courses is usually a bad thing, unless specifically told to leave.  University policy where I went to school was that if you miss a class more than six times without a valid reason (such as being in the hospital), the professor can drop you from the class, and you will not receive a tuition refund.  Some professors were more strict about that policy than others, though.

Graduate-level professors, on the other hand, expected students to miss a few days; though in part, that's because graduate students are more likely to also be holding down a full-time job and/or working on their thesis.  Sometimes, life gets in the way, and the professors understand that.  I remember one student who showed up for a particular class four times during the entire semester... and he was told by students who had already taken the class, "you worked too hard".  If you already knew the material, the only two days you had to go were the first day, for the course syllabus, and the last day, to take the final exam.

[MSpears]

I missed a lot of high school being sick. I still have dreams that I've missed so many classes that I'm too embarrassed to complete the course at all (this never actually happened, but I did get low grades in classes I was otherwise good at).

I tend to get the ones where I'm at work or at class, and I'm so far behind in my work that I'm afraid I'm never going to catch up, and trying to find a way to cover my butt in order to keep my job or save my grades, depending on the dream.

At least I don't get the ones where I'm picking at a hole in my teeth, and the hole keeps getting bigger and bigger, until I'm doing horrible things to my mouth and all that's left is a terrible mess.  That would really freak me out after all the money I had to spend to correct my orthodontic problems (braces are not cheap).

[Cassi-kun]

At least I don't get the ones where I'm picking at my teeth until all that's left is a horrible mess.  That would really freak me out after all the money I had to spend to correct my orthodontic problems (braces are not cheap).

I have recurring dreams about one specific tooth either being loose or falling out. Just the one. They're never traumatic dreams, just "oh no, how embarrassing for me, siiigh" or "golly, this is uncomfortable," but I keep having them.

[Tapewolf]

We don't actually know how tuition fees work in SAIA - especially given that it's a safe haven where someone like Abel or Mink could remain the rest of their lives if they so chose.
In theory it might be a free service to 'Cubi, though you'd still have expenses in running the place - non 'Cubi staff might want a salary, and likely also need feeding.

[Cassi-kun]

We know that there is a formal application process, including medical history. I forget when - I think when Abel was showing Dan around? - but it's mentioned that there are cafeterias for those who "need or want" to eat and we have seen a few meals take place on SAIA grounds.

Edit: Abel's Story, part 2, p44. Also Mink's first appearance!

[PalmettoPaladin]

That's true.  I remember in Abel's origin comic that Abel's dad was scolded by a warp aci for not having Abel with him. 

Hm...now that I think about it I think Amber needs to do a bonus comic of either:

A) Cyra pre-ascension and how she became a clan leader plus her horror at what she did

Or...

B) A story about how Seme and Siar fell in love

[Tuyu]

I don't know if it's a private college thing, but when I was in school, classes were almost never canceled. We had a 20-minute rule, but they'd always find someone to cover the class, and if you missed too many classes, you were out with an 'F'. We were told they had to do that to maintain accreditation.

[PalmettoPaladin]

Hmm...come to think of it, I wonder what the outfits being designed are.

I thought earlier today that if someone made a high tech battlesuit that would be awesome.  But then I thought Wait...would a cubi even wear a battlesuit?  Could they even wear one?  What would be implications of cubi wearing battlesuits?

Ouch my head hurts now.  Well there's always the internet for neat medieval like outfits.

[Hodgelett]

My first year of Uni we had 3 lectures in a row. First semester we realised very quickly the lecturer was reading out from the handout, so instead of arriving for 9am we would arrive 9:55, grab the handout, and settle in for the next lecture. They also forgot to actually put in our schedules a different 9am lecture, so nobody turned up the first week.
They did say though that you 'read' law, and everything was available in the textbooks (especially the one written by the head of the school), so if you chose to teach yourself that was your prerogative as long as you attended the seminars.

Concerning the SAIA staff, it must be something similar to military or working abroad provisions: we house and (if you wish) feed you, so anything they did earn would only be for luxuries. But a few of Amber's characters seem to have trust funds - Dark Pegasus was free to experiment while Kria opted to be a teacher in her youth, perhaps living on their parents' employment as Zinuth security, or just inherited wealth as one of Zinuth's premier families. That, or it was all the side work we saw in Abel's Story. Wildy doesn't seem to work either, adventuring appears to be more like a hobby, so again may be supported on a regular stipend from her father (which then regularly runs out). Dan again seems more to be an adventurer for the good of it rather than any financial reward, unless adventurer guilds pay their members and are funded by the towns? He's also retired, so it's probably a good thing the only things he consumes is Alexsi's beer and coffee, with only one robe to dry-clean (and the fancy green number), he's pretty low maintainance.

[Tapewolf]

Dan again seems more to be an adventurer for the good of it rather than any financial reward, unless adventurer guilds pay their members and are funded by the towns? He's also retired, so it's probably a good thing the only things he consumes is Alexsi's beer and coffee, with only one robe to dry-clean (and the fancy green number), he's pretty low maintainance.

Dan saved a kingdom several times.  It's not impossible that the reward would set him up for life (or so he thought until his lifespan was shown to be considerably longer than he assumed).

[PalmettoPaladin]

Dan again seems more to be an adventurer for the good of it rather than any financial reward, unless adventurer guilds pay their members and are funded by the towns? He's also retired, so it's probably a good thing the only things he consumes is Alexsi's beer and coffee, with only one robe to dry-clean (and the fancy green number), he's pretty low maintainance.

Dan saved a kingdom several times.  It's not impossible that the reward would set him up for life (or so he thought until his lifespan was shown to be considerably longer than he assumed).

Indeed...although from the looks of things he seems to be working at the inn/tavern.  Wonder if his sister gives him a paycheck...

Now that I think about it, what classes is Dan enrolled in?