Here I Am, Over Here

Sorry I haven't been around!

I'm finally beginning to feel normal again, whatever that is.

I got a 91 on my algebra test and a 93 on my Human Services test. I won't know how I did on that crazy midterm until Monday night, but for now I refuse to think about it. Instead, I'm currently putting together my Spring schedule. It looks like it will essentially be the same as it is now in terms of times. I'll be taking Abnormal Psych, Topics in Contemporary Math, Intro to Sociology, and perhaps Politics of Social Welfare. I have to run the latter by my advisor tomorrow. The math class will be the first math class that will actually count as a math elective; the others were remedial, catch-up courses. I need to take the Contemporary Math instead of Intermediate Algebra because it sets me up for Statistics, which I have to take for my major. When I considered returning to college, I hated the thought of taking a single math class. By the time I'm done, I will have taken 4! At least I like it now.

I would write about something other than school, but I don't have much going on outside of it, other than work. And work hasn't been particularly interesting either, so this is what you get for now.

I have to go read a chapter for my Human Services class, and then I'm going to visit your blogs and see what you're up to. Sorry I've been so negligent, but if it makes you feel any better, my husband has only received about 30 minutes of my attention a night for the past couple of weeks, usually when he was putting food in front of me to remind me to eat. I'm glad I bought this laptop, so at least I can ignore him while in the same room...

Happy Halloween!

Still Haven't Slept

But I'm heading that way once I've finished this entry. Going back a few days...

I had to do my weekly computer assignment; they are becoming progressively more evil. I have to create business-like spreadsheets using lots of formulas to calculate profit margins, gross net income, etc. I'm not a business person. I'm barely aware of what some of these things are, let alone how they should be calculated. This is info I need to know in order to complete my assignments at this point. It sucks. As does the professor who has yet to respond to an email I sent over a week ago, and who hasn't posted any of our grades in a month. I could go on, and probably will again another time. But for now, moving on....

I also had to complete the take home portion of my midterm exam for Psych of Adjustment. This included writing an essay- with illustrations- about how technology helps or hinders my progress as I go about my day. In a darkly ironic twist, my printer died when I sent my document to it. Though I've had it for less than a year, the only solution they could offer was to bring it in to have it serviced. This was Sunday afternoon; there was no time to wait to have it serviced. I had to run to Torrington to buy a new one, then come home and get it set up. By the time all was said and done and I was able to resume work on my essay, it was 5 PM. I had 7 more short essays to write, a collage to create and a survival kit for Freshmen as they try to adjust to the stress of college life. I worked nonstop through the night, sending the last of it to the printer as the alarm clock went off to wake me from the bed I never actually slept in.

It isn't some of my best work, but it isn't my worst either, and it's done. I tried to do it earlier, I really did. But because of two other tests, my computer assignment and my work schedule, well, I did the best I could.

I went to work after I posted yesterday morning. Within 5 minutes of arriving, I learned that a friend had unexpectedly died of a heart attack while working in his yard on Sunday; he was in his 30's. Some of you who read this blog will know him: Tom, from Mountainside Cafe. I still can't believe it. He was always so nice and funny; he was a happy guy. The good news is that he died clean and sober, doing something he really enjoyed doing.

I went about my day, studying for the in-class portion of my midterm, which I had to take tonight. I only made it about 3/4 through the 9 chapters the test covered, and quite honestly I was freaking out. I think I did okay over all, but beyond that I can't begin to guess. That would require expending brain energy, and I'm fresh out.

When I arrived at school, a kid from my summer class came running up to me. It turns out that a young woman who died in a terrible, tragic car accident on Friday was one of our classmates. I really liked her. She was only 23, attended college in Hartford. She and her mother were devoted to one another, and Toby was on her way home to visit. A tractor trailer jack-knifed, hitting her car and killing her.

I can't believe it. It still hasn't sunk in.

I don't know. I need to go to bed. Maybe I can process it better after some sleep.

That Blur is Me

I know you haven't heard from me in a couple of days, and you're not really hearing from me now. I've been up for almost 24 straight hours now--- never went to bed--- and am about to get ready to go to work. I won't get home until around 10 tonight, if I don't fall asleep behind the wheel of the car.

I'll explain it all tonight. No worries- no tragedies. Just intense scholastic insanity...

Help?

More Hurdles Crossed

The algebra test didn't seem to go too badly, and I'm sure I passed. Same with my Human Services test, taken this afternoon. I was freaking out over that one because she told us it was all going to be short-answer questions, and I have trouble with those. Too much room for brain-fartage. I spent hours copying things out of the text, creating anagrams and such to drill the info in my head so that when I had to list something, I would know it cold. For example,

egosadp=
- empathy
- genuineness
- objective/subjective balance
- self awareness
- acceptance
- desire to help
- patience

In case you're wondering: no, I don't know why it is that I could remember "egosadp" instead of the list, but I could. And in case you were wondering what that list was (because the whole "egosadp" thing didn't faze you), it's the list of characteristics shared by good therapists.

Anyway, in the end the entire test was True/False or multiple choice. All that build-up for a nice easy let down. I'm sure I did better on the test, though, than if I had known that she had changed her mind about the test format.

I was also able to get copies of my full transcript history so I can review it with my advisor next week. The sad/interesting/funny part is that, while looking at my transcript from the last school I attended before dropping out of college to drink full-time, I honestly can't remember even taking some of those classes!

It would explain why I failed them, eh?

I'm Slipping

I only got a B+ on my career paper; I failed to detail my exact school plan. As you know, I want to go to Trinity College if I can get the financial aid; otherwise I'll probably attend Central CT. State University. Once I've obtained my BA, I want to transfer into the Psy.D. program at the University of Hartford.

But I didn't write all of that in my paper; for some reason, I didn't think I was supposed to. I thought I was just supposed to write the general educational requirements that I would have to meet to achieve my goals. She wanted those details included, though, so my grade went down. She's also my advisor, and wrote a note on my paper about needing to iron out the educational details so that we can work out a scholastic plan for me. I spoke with her after class, letting her know that I do in fact have a plan. I told her what it is, and she's relieved. The next step is for me to obtain a full, official transcript of all classes I've taken in the past, whether my current college accepted the transfer credits or not. My future colleges might accept things which NCCC didn't, so she wants to review it all. Then we'll develop my plan of attack.

I'm still really bummed about that B+ though.

I have to get back to studying now. I have a math test tomorrow night, and I fell behind in math while working on that stupid, B+ career paper. The fact that both of those things are my own fault does not help at all.

Wish me luck- I'm going to need it this time!

Because I also have a test in the "career paper" class on Thursday. When it rains, and all that...

Love and Marriage

The Western world (individualistic societies) values marrying for love, while many Eastern countries, such as India (communal societies) view arranged marriages as the norm. This is a very foreign thought to modern Americans, for example.

It's interesting to note, therefore, that most arranged marriages last, while marriages for love often don't. I have statistics to back that up but, frankly, I'm too tired and lazy to get off my butt and look it up in my textbook at the moment.

This (the marriages, not my laziness) is perhaps due in part to the familial and cultural pressures which led to the arranged marriage in the first place. Most of these couples do claim to come to love their partners.

In the Western world, however, it is relatively easy to obtain divorces, and with little of the stigma which it used to carry.

Any thoughts?

What Do You Think?

"Are Internet relationships more superficial than face-to-face ones? Research to date suggests that virtual relationships are just as intimate as face-to-face ones and are sometimes even closer." from Psychology Applied to Modern Life- The Psychology of Adjustment

Though this passage doesn't make it clear, the book was referencing friendships as well as romantic attachments. It goes on to say that 54% of people who "meet" online eventually meet face-to-face, usually after contacting one another via snail mail and/or phone calls.

What do you think?

Financing, Not Financial Aid

I've done it- I've bought my new sofa with movable chaise, and chair. Although the chair can be turned into the chaise as well. Cool, eh? It is The Most Comfortable Furniture Ever.

Seriously.

I already had the financing lined up, so I went ahead and got it.

Unlike my financial aid. Apparently the gov't. thinks that I have half of Randy's annual income at my disposal, because that's what they expect me to kick in before they award me anything.

So I won't be getting anything from them.

I can't even get a subsidized Stafford loan. I have to get an unsubsidized one instead, which means that I'll either have to pay the interest as I go along, or tack it on to the payments at the end of my education, at a much greater rate. I'm still looking at scholarships, though I think it's too late for the Spring semester. What I may end up doing is putting the Spring semester on my credit card- gulp! - and then pay the credit card down during the semester. I don't know; I'll do it if I have to. Either way, I'll be filling out applications and writing essays for scholarships this spring.

I'm not dropping out. It's not even an option.

Twigs and Needles

Aravis, Psy.D.

Paper done. I refuse to be stressed about anything, to rush to accomplish anything, and I especially refuse to do anything scholastic. Tonight is all about vegging in front of the t.v. in a mindless stupor.

To answer your questions, I chose a career as a clinical psychologist, going for a Psy.D. (a doctoral specifically for psychologists). A Ph.D. emphasizes research, whereas a Psy.D. is more interested in applying the science, counseling, that sort of thing. They still research, but it isn't their main focus.

Ultimately, I would like to work in a hospital or mental health clinic, with a private practice on the side. I might retire from the hospital and maintain a private practice, who knows? But that's the plan at the moment.

Of course, first I have to line up financial aid for next semester, and beyond. I need to be accepted at a 4-year school (I'm hoping to get that scholarship to Trinity College in Hartford; Vassar won't accept transfer students who have already completed 4 semesters of college work) and then, finagle my way into a graduate program. There's stiff competition to get into those, and I really only have one option for graduate school if I get my Psy.D., and that's the University of Hartford. The next closest graduate school which offers the degree is in Boston, and that's too far to commute! If I can't get in at U of H, then I'll have to try for a Ph.D. at UConn.

So, that's my paper in a nutshell. There was a lot more to it, of course, and I'm happy to answer any questions from intrepid readers, but if you don't have any, I understand. *G*

Paper Chase

My professor was handing back Career papers to those who handed them in last week. Class had just ended and I had a question, so I walked over to her. She expressed surprise that I hadn't chosen to hand my paper in last week. In all honesty, I've been feeling badly because I didn't do so either. She didn't sound accusatory really; I'm projecting.

But now, more than ever, I feel the need to write the perfect paper.

I'm off to do so.

Observations

My Psych of Adjustment class was fun tonight. We were discussing the chapter on communication, so our professor took our class across the road to Dunkin' Donuts, and then McDonald's, in order to people watch. We were observing both verbal and non-verbal interactions. I watched an old man lean over to listen to a little girl- no relation- while she chattered away; her mother was nearby picking something up. I watched a waitress smile while dealing with a customer, only to have her face fall into solemn, exhausted lines once the customer walked away. Many customers looked at us curiously as they walked in or out. Our proximity to the college probably left them believing that we were a study group.

It's such a great class. We actually discuss points of view and use practical applications of things we learned.

I'm becoming too absorbed by my field of study, however.

Yesterday Randy and I were waiting in a Burger King drive-thru (because let's face it, they have the best fast-food burgers) and it was taking a long time. As I sat there, I noticed 20 blackbirds (Randy counted them) sitting on phone wires. They were all facing the same direction, all still. If one started grooming its feathers, the others closest to it did the same, with those further away joining in more sporadically. Then a white dove landed further down the wire, facing the opposite direction. I applauded it for its bravery in its individuality. After a while, though, it turned and faced the same direction as the others. Then it, too, started to follow the grooming patterns of the others.

Even birds, it seems, cave in to peer pressure.

Needles in the Sky

How to Avoid Aggravation

If you ever find yourself taking a class which involves software at a time when the software has recently been upgraded....

don't.

I have spent two days trying to make a spreadsheet presentable because I'm using Excel '07, but it has to be saved as compatible with '03, because that's what most of the class seems to be using. The problem is that there are a lot more features in '07, or things from '03 have been phased out or integrated with other features. So I make a beautiful spreadsheet, only to have it look like crap once it's saved. I think I have a presentable one now, but it hasn't been a fun project- and it could have been!- and I'm worried about further complications with the software as I continue on.

So yeah, don't do what I did. Unless the bald- look is in.

Fur

My brain feels as fuzzy as Wheezy's fur.

How "Pooh" are You?

Take the 100 Acre Personality Quiz!

Thanks to LazyGal for this quiz.

Wonder Pet Stew

I need to get something off my chest:

Nickelodeon's t.v. show, Wonder Pets!, bugs me.

Most, if not all, of you will have no idea what I'm talking about, and you're lucky. I have trouble falling asleep at night, and silence makes it worse. So I sleep with the tv on, tuned in to Nick at Night (part of Nickelodeon channel). But Nick at Night turns into Nick. Jr. in the morning, and that's where things go wrong: I wake up to Wonder Pets! For you uninitiated, allow me to initiate you:

Wonder Pets! is about 3 pets in a Little Red Schoolhouse. They are Linny ( a guinea pig, and the seeming leader), Tuck (a turtle) and the truly annoying Ming Ming (a duckling). Each episode begins with the kids getting out of school. One little child's voice tells a parent what they learned that day.

The moment the school is cleared, a telephone rings. It's for the Wonder Pets! Someone is in trouble! A baby elephant's trunk is stuck in the mud. A chimp is lost in space and is about to get hit by a meteor. A baby crane won't leave its nest despite the fact that a nearby volcano is going to erupt imminently, etc. And let's pause here for a moment and ask ourselves why these baby animals only find themselves in trouble the very instant school is out for the children, and it's safe to call? A meteor waits for no school marm; that chimp would have been toast.

The Wonder Pets must work as a team (they are forever singing "What's gonna work? Team work!") to save whatever hapless baby animal is in trouble, inevitably using something relating to what that child's voice (you know, that one heard at the very beginning of the episode) was talking about. Ming Ming the Annoying is annoying both for trying to do everything by herself, and even more so for speaking in baby talk.

But even Ming Ming isn't the cause for my ire.

What really ticks me off is that as soon as the Wonder Pets save the baby animal, the parents finally appear out of nowhere and thank the Wonder Pets for saving their baby.

Just where the hell were they while their baby was in trouble? Couldn't have been far if the very instant the baby is safe, they return to the scene.

Those babies need to be removed from the care of the father Pigeon or the mother Triceratops and put into protective custody pending an investigation and counseling.

Once that's taken care of, we can discuss selling Ming Ming to a Chinese food take-out...

Not Enough to Do

Another night of feeling overwhelmed. Our math prof heaped homework on us, I've got work to do still on my Career paper, I have reading to do for my human services class, and research to do on Madonna for a group project in my Psych of Adjustment class. I also have to read the chapter on Excel and create a spreadsheet as well as a couple of other little things for my computer class, due on Sunday. I have spent the night working constantly on something... although that's not really true. When I got home after school and work today, I allowed myself to watch Bones and House. But from 10 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. I've done nothing but homework.

I can look forward to more of the same tomorrow (now today), with the delightful addition of a dental appointment.

There's one thing I can say: at least I'm not bored.

They Need a 12 Step Program

We were recently given a bag of sample-size "Temptations" kitty treats. The cats love them. Wheezy pesters me from the time I wake up until the time I go to sleep, with little reprieve. Patches caught on to the treat thing (he has a weight problem and really shouldn't have too many) and he has become a pest, too. He, the timid one who runs if you so much as breathe the wrong way, will not only gobble down his share, but then tries to steal Wheezy's too.

We now refer to this stuff as "Kitty Crack."

When we got low on our supply, I thought I might finally get some peace. But then my MIL brought over another bag, and my fate was sealed until this bag, too, is gone. If I ignore Wheezy's demands for too long, she tries to help herself, tearing the bag apart and then trying to chew through the packets to get to the treats. This doesn't usually work, but she has been successful once or twice, just enough to keep her at it. See for yourself:

When she sees me near her stash, she comes closer to see what I'm up to, and what the potential for a fix is...

Then, thinking that she might actually score, she makes her move-

My cats need a rehab.

Making Rain

As I've mentioned before, we desperately need rain. Yesterday some clouds moved in, but the sun kept coming back out.

Then I had an ingenious idea.

Using Murphy's Law to my advantage, I deliberately left my car windows down. If anything was going to attract rain, this would. Nothing happened. Then, around three in the morning, it dawned on me that I was hearing rain falling softly at first, and then with more conviction. My sleepy mind registered this, and then I realized that my car windows were down. So I went outside and put them up, then went back to bed.

Within five minutes, it stopped raining, thus proving my open-car-windows theory.

But it is definitely cloudy outside now, cold and breezy. The weather forecast is calling for rain for the next few days. Maybe this time they'll actually be right.

So if you live in this area and are reading this, kindly leave your car windows open; we need the rain.

Battling Rabid Porcupines

Here in the NW corner of CT, we get a lot of weekend New Yorkers.

I should stop here for a moment and say that I love NYC and most of its citizens.

But the ones we get around here I can usually do without. They are condescending, rude and obnoxious. They come to our "quaint" little county to get away from it all, and then become angry and scornful when we don't have the sort of amenities they get in the city. We're backwoods, small town people who probably aren't very bright. And our rules? They shouldn't apply to them. Don't we know how Important They Are? These are the rich, powerful denizens of the Big Apple. It should also be noted that we get many very nice weekenders, but it's harder to notice them because

a) they blend in well here and
b) they're overshadowed by their less pleasant neighbors from NYC.

Anyway, I had a very long day of dealing with the Evil Weekenders at work today, which left me gritting my teeth even more than usual. When a friend came in, I took the opportunity to vent for a minute. He sympathized, saying

"I'd rather tangle with a rabid porcupine than deal with a New Yorker."

That about summed it up for me.

Gift to Myself

I'm writing to you from my new laptop. I'm still playing with it, getting used to it. I like it so far, though. Now I just have to transfer everything onto it.

I rushed home from school, knowing that it was due today. When I got home, though, there was a notice telling me that a signature was required, and that they would try again tomorrow. Disappointed, I went to work. While there, a UPS driver came in for a snack. On the off chance that he might have it, I asked him if he had tried to make a delivery just down the road. When he said yes, we established that it was my laptop, so he went out to get it for me. :0)

Well, I have a lot to do so I'll sign off for now.

Ciao!

Table Body, Dead Body

Another "A," this time on my math test. On the other hand, I did the table assignment, but now there's a question of whether or not I did it right. I did do it right according to the directions she originally gave, but then when she clarified a point for someone else, she made the assignment sound different, as though I should have found a pre-existing table and just reproduced it. I've emailed her but if I don't hear back soon, I have to post what I've done as is. I'm in school, and at work, all day tomorrow. Hey, I followed the directions she initially posted- not my fault. I'm not the only one, either.

Grr.

Ew, nasty decomposed body of a diver found on CSI: NY. How entertaining... must go...

T.V. and Tests

Is anyone else watching the new NBC show, Chuck? And if not, why not? Hilarious, with a great soundtrack. Last night's episode was set to the Violent Femmes. I've always liked Adam Baldwin, and as it turns out, he does comedy well. NBC is now showing episodes online, so check it out if you haven't yet.

Despite my television viewing, I got an A on my human services test last week, and am feeling good about that math test. I'll find out about that one tomorrow. All A's in my computer class so far, but I'm a bit stuck on this week's assignment. We're supposed to find a page either from a book/magazine/newspaper, or find one online, and create a table from the information found on it. The prof used film development info for her example. I just can't think of anything, and it's due on Thursday. It'll probably hit me around midnight tomorrow night, with the way I've been going.

Why can't inspiration strike when I want it to?

From Under a Pile of Textbooks

I love school and work is going well, but I have to say that I've been missing you all. It's all I can do some days to post an entry, and then I feel badly when I don't get to visit yours each day. Just know that I'm thinking about you and wondering what I'm missing out on when I can't read your blogs some days. :0(

I took my first Intro. to Human Services test last week and will find out tomorrow how I did. I've also got to get to work on my Career paper, due on the 11^th. I have a computer assignment due Thursday, and another on Sunday. I took my first elementary algebra test tonight, and am sure I did well. I can you right now that the problem I got wrong was such a basic thing that I'm kicking myself. I started out doing it right, and then had a brain fart and decided that I was doing it wrong, so I redid it. And now it's wrong, I'm pretty sure. There was a second problem that I know I'll at least get partial credit for. I worked it out correctly but- brain fart!- I couldn't remember the term "no solution" to write in the answer block. I'll get credit for noting that -4 does not equal 4 at least. See how smart I am? All of the other problems were far more difficult, solving equations and such, and I had absolutely no trouble with those. It's those little things which will get me every time. I can't really complain, though, as I'm sure I did very well on the test overall.

That's it. I've got to go read a chapter for my Human Services class. G'night!