80 Prompts: 7. What were your best and worst subjects in school or college?

What were your best and worst subjects in school or college?

There are several ways that I could answer this question...I've never really done poorly academically, so I don't really have anything to say about having a "worst" subject. There were subjects that I enjoyed and subjects that I didn't enjoy very much, however.

Best:

Art, language classes, linguistics, lit classes, theology classes, geometry, earth/environmental sciences, biology, and history. Basically anything that has large amounts of reading or writing interesting things and/0r useful things associated with it . Also, if I can practically apply it to my life somehow (like geometry and biology), I will enjoy it and do well in it. I like courses that have complex thoughts and ideas about life and I love metaphor (I really do love metaphor, I'm not just using the word "love" here to sound cool).

Worst:

Algebra and chemistry. Balancing chemical equations and solving x in complex equations has never been useful to me in real life (aside from helping me understand xkcd comics from time to time). At least geometry is helpful with craft projects and designing and arranging things, algebra does very little in practicality. I appreciate algebra and chemistry and understand that they are useful in the areas to which they apply, but my life doesn't intersect with those areas very often (well...on a level where I am required to know what's going on in a technical sense...chemistry and algebra are always going on around us, we just never really realize it...).

80 Prompts: 6. What is the most annoying sound you have ever heard?

What is the most annoying sound you have ever heard?

There are so many! Aside from nails on a chalkboard, rap, heavy metal, country music, out of tune orchestras and bands (especially out of tune saxophone sections...I just can't handle them for some reason), Sid the Sloth's voice in Ice Age, and various high pitched noises, I would have to say people talking really loudly in libraries...particularly people who talk loudly on cell phones in the library. Seriously! What makes it acceptable in any way to interrupt everyone else's peaceful studies by yelling at your mom about (insert personal problem here) on your phone for 15 minutes? I don't mind quiet, 5 minute phone conversations, no one can really avoid those, but long rants about bodily infections are slightly disturbing and socially unacceptable.

As for people talking loudly, most libraries have areas for quiet study and areas for reasonably-toned conversations. I don't mind people having meetings, working on projects and studying in group sessions in the library, kudos for using the resources available for your studies! I do mind people who shout and make a ruckus and laugh loudly for long periods of time. I understand that sometimes things are funny and you just have to laugh, but braying like a donkey for 10 minutes while the people around you are obviously disturbed by your presence and incessant noise is simply rude. Maybe I've just contracted the librarian low-noise-tolerance virus, but maybe I'm not the only person this bothers.

So, there's my rant on annoying things for the day. There will be two posts today, since I missed yesterday. A week before finals joy to you all!