Biology Class Obs (m & f)

[SusieQusie]

Well, unfortunately, I don’t believe that my Biology class could ever top Twister’s, but I did witness some jam-packed obs in my 4:00 class on Monday. I mean, everyone was sneezing, and unfortunately my note taking skills were suffering because of it. But who cares right? How often do I get to be there to see this many people sneeze in one room during one hour? It was amazing.

My obs here first start with me…in my usual place, right here in my dorm room. I had returned from a meeting and I was just in here, relaxing and watching TV until I had to walk over to the science building. I sat here, I can’t remember what I was watching…but I was rubbing my nose and sniffling a lot, and we all know what follows these sort of actions. I sneezed three times. Dry, not really very desperate, just sort of “routine” sneezes, if that makes any sense. I sniffled a couple of times, and then decided to walk over there 15 minutes before I actually had to. Kind of early, but I decided that I could sit there and work on my drawing before class starts.

As I stepped outside, the smell of freshly mown grass tickled my nasal cavities and made my eyes water a little. I sniffled and rubbed both my nose and my eyes and then sniffled some more and wiggled my nose and sneezed once into my cupped hands. I don’t think anyone noticed. Students were sitting on benches talking on cell phones and throwing a football around with their friends and stuff. I walked the rest of the way to the science building, passing the biggest field and around the corner. I was headed down the steps towards the door, feeling a second sneeze coming, when I heard a male voice call my name from behind me…Justin, was surprisingly talkative…even while he was chatting away on his cell phone…I never thought we were really that close. I choked out a “hi” to him, thinking for certain that I would sneeze in mid-sentence, but the feeling disappeared. He asked me how I was and what class I was headed to, and we both got on the elevator talked a little bit about some politics and things we’re going to do this weekend and other stuff like that. I got off on the floor before him, so I told him I’d see him later and walked down the hallway to my class.

I actually got there semi-on time, so there were a lot of students in there already. I grabbed from the pile what everyone else was going though, which was my old quiz scantron paper, and took my usual seat on the right side of the room towards the middle, next to this guy that I think is in Young Dems with me. I don’t know, I just have a feeling I’ve seen him before outside of this class. I glanced over my scantron sheet wondering why she was giving us this…if there was something I missed, which I was pretty sure there was. I pulled out my drawing (self portrait, by the way) and began to work on that, when mystery guy that I just mentioned spoke to me, asking if I studied. A quiz! God damn it! I decided to be flatly honest in my answer…no matter how embarssed I was, or how much I felt like I was blushing....no, I didn’t. I continued with my drawing, until I suddenly heard an unexpected male sneeze from behind me, diagonally as in over my right shoulder. The class, is one of those usual college classes that you see in movies…with the stairs going up to the back of the room and stuff like that….just to give you an idea. I casually glanced back and saw the guy breathe out slowly and then rub his nose and sniffle, but that was his only sneeze. No matter, there would be more to come from everyone else.

My professor got the class started, and began to talk about this quiz and then the upcoming make-up test for those who wished to re-take it. I sat there, half-listening, but still scrawling away at my drawing, when I heard another male sneeze coming from the very back of the left side of the room. He sneezed once, a full “uhhh—chhiiish!” And again, I had to glance back, and lucky for me, I saw him prepare for a second sneeze. He was a thin guy, wearing a hat, and his nose was really pink. In preparation, he cupped his hands to his face and sneezed once again into them. Afterwards, he just sat there with his hands still up to his face as if he was waiting for another one, but eventually he put them down and sniffled and sighed. I finally realized that I had been staring and quickly looked down the row at someone else and then back at what I was doing.

My professor continued explaining directions, when a blonde girl down in the very front row on the left side of the room sneezed twice, both stifled and a guy sitting to her left blessed her. Not much else to say about that, I couldn’t see any facial expressions since I was kind of far away and behind her.

She handed out the quizzes and the room fell silent, except for my mystery friend who asked me for a pencil. I gave him one, and started to bubble in my answers…or guesses really, since I hadn’t studied. My professor weaved in and out of the aisles, I guess to make sure that nobody was cheating, which was new…hadn’t seen her….or any college professor for that matter, do that in a long time. Down my row, next to my buddy using my pencil, a thin, Asian girl sneezed once, not stifled, but kind of a soft “chiuuuush!” into her hand. Pencil buddy blessed her, and she thanked him and sniffled a little before going back to her test. Quiet room = lots and lots of sniffles heard clearly throughout, including my own. All of them, both male and female seemed to echo throughout the place. I also found myself rubbing my nose a lot, was hoping not to sneeze when it was all quiet in there…but I did have an itchy nose.

The next thing I heard was someone tearing up paper, and I glanced up to see Dr. Wolfe ripping up a student’s answer sheet. Hmm… cheating’s bad, mmmkay.

Towards the end, a girl sitting down at the very front on my side of the room, who I think is actually one of my lab partners, sneezed once. All I could see was her head bobbing forward as she caught the sneeze in her hand.

The quiz was now over and we all passed up out question and answer sheets. As we did this, a guy who was sitting on the row behind me, directly over my right shoulder, who I actually know as my friend’s boyfriend, sneezed once, a very deep and masculine sneeze. And although Laura was sitting right next to him, he was blessed by mystery pencil buddy.

We started going over the quiz answers, and then the same adorable second guy I mentioned before sneezed twice more again. I didn’t have a chance to see him sneeze this time, but I glanced up afterwards, just in time to see him cough a couple of times and rub his nose sideways and sniffle. Those of you who are into colds, he was adorable, my absolute favorite sneezer in the room, even I, the lover of all allergies, can see that.

Later a girl somewhere on the other side of the room stifled twice. I didn’t see her, she was well hidden…I just know she stifled and then someone blessed her.

Meanwhile, I was fighting off my own sneezes. Not surprisingly. Something in this class always makes my nose itchy. I rubbed it and sniffled a lot. My professor was in a walking mood today I guess, she strutted up and down lecturing, when suddenly she stopped at my row to answer a question from…you guessed it, mystery pencil buddy. Someday, I will find out his name. I was cornered. I sniffled discretely and slowly brought my left hand up as my eyes squinted and I almost sneezed…but the urge flew out as quickly as it came. However, once the guy started speaking, I sneezed once…a small, well-covered “heh-chiiiishh!” Nobody noticed, nobody blessed me. No problem.

Dr. Wolfe went back down to the front of the room and started her lecture with the PowerPoint Presentation. As I was digging out my notebook, a girl sitting directly behind me stifled once, a high pitched “hih—mmmph!” And not a second later, I think the guy sitting right next to that previous girl sneezed once, a perfect “HUH-chuuuushhh!” I just remember smiling to myself and thinking of how perfect it sounded.

The last person to sneeze was me, of course. Professor was still lecturing, and I got a surprise sneeze sneak up on me, but I did at least have time to lay down my pen and cover with both hands “HUH—chiiiiisshhhooo!” The grand finale of Biology.

By the way, I sneezed about 6 times while I was writing this. It’ll be in a wav soon.

[Enkidom]

As always with your observations Susie, so much attention to detail one could have been there. Thank you so much . Lol..Ah for the days of quiet lecture theatres!

[southernlad]

graet obs as usual susie thanks for sharing, i look forward to that wav and bless u!!

[tma]

lovely- thanks!

*misses being in classes *

[High on Lullabies]

Beautifully descriptive as always, Susie. From you, I have come to expect no less. Thanks very much for sharing

[Jemmabean]

Lecture halls aren't the best places for really good obs, though. I'm doing the foundation year program (think classical literature + english, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, psychology and history all rolled into one subject worth 4 credits ) and there's 300 people in my first year class. The lecture hall always sounds like an allergy clinic, there's so many sneezes and coughs echoing around, but I barely ever get to see who's sneezing, much less catch facial expressions.

Maybe that could be because I pay rapt attention to the lecturer and take 3500-5000 words of notes for each two hour lecture (hooray for laptops!) but sneezes in lecture always just seem to disappoint me.

[Guest Tingle]

Funfunfun! Don't think i'd have been able to concentrate either.

Well written, thanks for sharing