Regrets, I've had a few...

[pefxr]

So yeah. Everyone makes mistakes, everyone does things that in the light of hindsight they later regret. I am no exception to this. In fact, if anything I've spent more time regretting poor choices recently than the average person

Comments

[imlac]

You should check out "Stumbling on Happiness" by Dan Gilbert. It's all about why people do such a poor job predicting what will make them happy, and how we can do a better job.

And for what it's worth, and while I realize you said you weren't asking for validation, what's true must be said: I said to the girl you dated at UCSC several times that I would want to hang out with you and be friends even if the two of you weren't together.

[lowercasedee]

Huh...that sounds like an intriguing read. I may take your suggestion and look it up for myself.

And P, dissected and discussed. Amusing how we're so often of similar opinion about our experiences.

[fiatlouis]

I appreciate your honesty and forthrightness in writing this down for all to see. I think too often we don't bring up these difficult subjects, and I am always interested to see what people are thinking. It sounds like you are pretty happy with where you are know, which I am glad to hear. And as for the university thing, I have talked to a lot of people who were disappointed about academics seeming to not be the first priority, not matter what school they went to. A friend went to USC for an honors program, and ended up leaving after one year and going to the Coast Guard Academy, because she wanted more structure and value for academics (sadly, even the Coast Guard Academy didn't quite live up to her expectations). It sounds like your current schooling may fit the bill better than many.

[pefxr]

I don't want to discount UCSC, I know many people enjoyed their time there and felt that they got a satisfying education just not me.
I started to feel frustrated in my junior year when I couldn't find any classes in my major that were about what I wanted to learn about! I wanted to study Dead White Europeans and the pictures they left behind. However all the upper division classes were about sticks being rubbed together with mud, and held up on the same level as the Sistine Chapel.
I went to UW Madison (my financees undergrad alma mater) and I visited Matt C. a few times at Indiana and the feeling of academia was palpable. It turns out I like stone buildings with Latin mottos above the doors.
I've heard USC is a little sketchy for undergraduate academically. Its the University of Southern California, its all about who you know here, not what you know!

[1hoser]

Dude, you should have studied philosophy - we're up to our bollocks in dead white guys!

[pefxr]

Well, I -thought- art history was chock full of dead white guys!

[gingeranne]

Imagine, a place where academics are at the forefront of the institution as opposed to being stymied by fear of offending some group of people somewhere.

Wow, that would have been nice. I went to a hypersensitive college where people would go absolutely berserk over the littlest things.

You seem to be doing well at this point in your life and happy. You shouldn't have to put up with the kind of friends who would talk badly about you whenever you weren't present.

[pefxr]

I took what I feel was an unnecessary amount of shit at UCSC based on the providence of my birth. I encountered the attitude of "We're open to and love every race, sexual orientation, religion, creed, lifestyle choice, diet, species, etc, except YOU Patrick!" I found this to be hypocritical in the extreme. I was being judged and cast aside based on my physical appearance and the fact I'm just not too into the whole buttfucking thing.
I got grief from people too when they found out I'm from Southern California. Conversation went like this: "Hi, I'm Patrick, I'm from Los Angeles" "Oh...". I figure I'd get about the same response by saying "Hi, I'm Patrick and I think Hitler was right"

[1hoser]

I'm a straight white male and I had a great time at UCSC. I mostly just laughed at its eccentricities, though some people get treated worse than others. I have a friend who was a pro-life Republican when he was in the dorms at UCSC and I'm guessing Osama bin Laden would probably have been treated more kindly by the students.

"Opposites attract" is bullshit. People want to be around people like themselves, even if they believe on some intellectual level that we should tolerate everybody.

[pefxr]

I've always felt that this was liberal thoughts greatest flaw: "We're so open minded that you can't be anything else!"