I feel inclined to express some thoughts that have been manifesting in my mind since the start of the semester. I notice that I tend to understand myself and others more if I am able to convey my thoughts through writing. Yet I fear that my patience for the subject at hand is so thin, that I might abandon all efforts to mete it out. Last semester in college, my second full semester since returning to university, I formed some strong friendships with people I actually find interesting and enjoyable. This is a difficult thing for me to do since I am terrifically shy. However, my anti-anxiety medication has aided greatly in subduing this problem. Now, most of these friends are men, over the age of 25, and either divorced or single. This is not a problem for my husband, nor the other males as they have all met and get along famously (of course this could be a fantastic delusion on my part, but everything seems fine). I did form a bond with a girl last semester who is a Spanish literature grad student from Costa Rica. And although her intellectual level is beyond that of many of my undergrad friends, she is nonetheless, very young and not privy to the ways of the world. Not that I am old enough to have formulated a jaded POV of life, but I've been seen some stuff! ;) And although I am still quite young and full of hope and expectations, I also have a realistic outlook and a mature grasp on life. This brings me to my point. This semester proves to be quite a struggle in terms of social relations. I seem to be thrown into a mix of the standard stock of college students who think they know everything about anything and are not afraid to say so. My dad's dad always quoted the saying, "You can always tell a teenager, but you can't tell 'em much." And although a few of the students are barely out of their teens, this saying holds true. I often wonder what judgements the professors make about such students. Do they, as I, secretly sneer at them and sadly shake their head at the thought that these children are the future? I hope so. Because I feel that if anyone can get through to these kids, its a college professor. Students respect them more than they know and are begging for some guidance, someone to bounce ideas off of who will offer some valid feedback. Professors seem to be the only adults in the world that kids trust and don't automatically assume are full of shit.