So it has been a little over two months from my last blog. I'm guessing no one missed me, but if you did, awwwww,thanks! The trouble is, I just haven't had that much to say. Maybe I'm mellowing with age, or there just isn't enough going on in my life that I need to vent about. That's good, and well, who am I kidding, there's always something to vent about. I just haven't had the motivation to write about it.
We are building a house. We are very close to signing a contract, and I imagine we'll do that in the next week or two. It's at the lawyer's office now (the contract), being checked for some weird or bizarre thing that would come back to bite us in the keister later on. Scott and I are really getting into the whole thing now, and are past the sticker shock of how much it costs to build a house. We have the lot, paid for in full, just waiting for action. It's a nice lot, level, bigger than our current lot, and I'm finding that I'm really looking forward to the building process. I know it is supposed to be a very stressful time, and I think it will be, but I'm really anticipating getting this done. We were talking about where stuff is going and laying out the house yesterday, and it really started hitting home for me. This is it, once we sign, we'll be put in the builder's queue and off we go!
We are building an ICF home. Insulated Concrete Form house. They will build the "frame" out of foam sections, pour in concrete between the form walls, and let it set. Both the foundation and the exterior walls will be made this way. Then, the interior walls will be traditional, except for the wall between the LR and master BR. That will have sound dampening insulation in it. Mainly so Scott can play his video games later at night after I go to bed. One of the hazards of waking up at 4am, is that I got to bed around 9pm. Scott doesn't go to bed that early, so yeah, he's doing his gaming thing or watching tv. Anyway... ICF will also make the media room almost sound proof so he can crank that 120lb sub-woofer all he wants and the neighbors shouldn't hear a thing.
I will be doing the painting, when it gets to that point. My hope is that I can get in there to paint before they put in the flooring, wood trim, doors, or anything else we don't want painted. Then, I can just tape off the windows, and the use a sprayer to prime and paint hopefully in two weeks time. It's a bigger ranch style house, so it will take some time to paint. And prime. I haven't forgotten how much paint is sucked up with new drywall. Luckily, the lot is only six miles south of us, so it shouldn't be a big problem to go there right after work to get stuff done, check on progress, and take pictures. It should be interesting to see how things go together.
I am not looking forward to the actual move. We have a lot of stuff that needs going through, sorting, and packing. I think we'll be getting a POD or container of some sort and then packing that, moving it and unpacking at our pace. The furniture, big stuff, appliances, and bulky, heavy stuff we are going to have moved professionally. Neither of us will be lifting that stuff.
I can't wait to set up my room. I can finally put stuff in a permanent system of organization instead of just leaving things in bags and waiting. Plus, I have a lot of stuff in my room now that doesn't belong in here, that is taking up space, and needs to be in other parts of the house. That will be nice to get my room organized so when I have friends over, we can actually do project stuff in my room instead of crowding at the DR table.
So, that's about it for now. I will have pics and stories as they come through, and it will be interesting to see if I will be as positive about the whole process once we're done. Hopefully, 2016 will be the year of the move, gone smoothly, and our old house will sell within a week. Well, we'll see about that...
Sunday, November 8, 2015
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Yeah, it's going to hurt a lot....
I like the doctor I see for my elbows. He's a nice guy and he tells you like it is. Yesterday (Aug 11), I got my third, and probably final, shot in my elbow. It is extremely painful. Unlike a knee or shoulder (I've had both) shot, there is no lidocaine in the elbow shot because there isn't enough space for both that and the medicine. So, he's just pretty much ramming in medicine in a space not meant for anything to be rammed in to. He tells me, "yeah, it's going to hurt a lot." And, it did. However, the upside is that after a few days, the tendinitis disappears for hopefully forever, but I know it will come back. So I enjoy the pain-free time as long as I have it. When the first twinges of inflammation come back, I know the ride is done. Then it becomes the battle of how long I want to put up with the pain until I do something about it.
He suspects, well, actually knows that my chain mailling (CM) is the culprit to my elbow woes. I'm inclined to believe that there are other things that are causing my problems, but I don't disagree that CM is also contributing. My right elbow started bothering me last November when I was snow shoveling. That never bothered me before that even though I've been CM for years. I have come to believe that it is a mixture of house work, carrying in heavy bags, and pulling weeds that are the big culprits to my issues. Why? Because those activities hurt the most when I do them. My elbows don't really hurt when I CM. After I'm done, yes, but not while I'm doing the actual work. When I pull a weed, it hurts right away.
I have been working on a project that I would like to eventually enter into the Bead Dreams contest through Bead & Button. I was hoping for a 2016 entry, but I'm not so sure I can CM for the length of time I have left. So maybe 2017. It is a chain maille shawl, done in cobalt blue anodized aluminum rings 19g 3/16" inner diameter (ID). I've never made clothing before, so I'm going from the view point of making squares for the body of the shawl and then I'll have to figure out how to make the neck. I'd also like to put a hood on it, but I'll have to see if I have enough rings.
I made the mistake of ordering rings in two different orders, and yep, they are two different colors. I'm not sure how noticeable it will be in the final piece, but I can see it, and so can Scott and the PT person. She asked me if I made the stripes on purpose. So, I think that piece will have to go on a sleeve or part that isn't looked at first. I spent an hour yesterday opening all 175 remaining packets of 500 rings each and mixed them all together in a big bucket. That way, any color differences will be mixed in and will not be noticeable.
I haven't been told to give-up CM. So, now that I have both elbows under some control, I'm going to try and keep them that way. I have warm-up exercises and time limits so that hopefully, I can continue in my favorite hobby for a long time yet. We gain pleasure in life by doing things we love. And if this hobby of mine becomes too painful, that's going to be a very sad day for me, indeed. And a day that will hurt more than getting a shot in my elbow. Yeah, that day, it's going to hurt a lot...
He suspects, well, actually knows that my chain mailling (CM) is the culprit to my elbow woes. I'm inclined to believe that there are other things that are causing my problems, but I don't disagree that CM is also contributing. My right elbow started bothering me last November when I was snow shoveling. That never bothered me before that even though I've been CM for years. I have come to believe that it is a mixture of house work, carrying in heavy bags, and pulling weeds that are the big culprits to my issues. Why? Because those activities hurt the most when I do them. My elbows don't really hurt when I CM. After I'm done, yes, but not while I'm doing the actual work. When I pull a weed, it hurts right away.
I have been working on a project that I would like to eventually enter into the Bead Dreams contest through Bead & Button. I was hoping for a 2016 entry, but I'm not so sure I can CM for the length of time I have left. So maybe 2017. It is a chain maille shawl, done in cobalt blue anodized aluminum rings 19g 3/16" inner diameter (ID). I've never made clothing before, so I'm going from the view point of making squares for the body of the shawl and then I'll have to figure out how to make the neck. I'd also like to put a hood on it, but I'll have to see if I have enough rings.
I made the mistake of ordering rings in two different orders, and yep, they are two different colors. I'm not sure how noticeable it will be in the final piece, but I can see it, and so can Scott and the PT person. She asked me if I made the stripes on purpose. So, I think that piece will have to go on a sleeve or part that isn't looked at first. I spent an hour yesterday opening all 175 remaining packets of 500 rings each and mixed them all together in a big bucket. That way, any color differences will be mixed in and will not be noticeable.
I haven't been told to give-up CM. So, now that I have both elbows under some control, I'm going to try and keep them that way. I have warm-up exercises and time limits so that hopefully, I can continue in my favorite hobby for a long time yet. We gain pleasure in life by doing things we love. And if this hobby of mine becomes too painful, that's going to be a very sad day for me, indeed. And a day that will hurt more than getting a shot in my elbow. Yeah, that day, it's going to hurt a lot...
Saturday, July 4, 2015
Enjoying the summer
It's been over a month since I've written anything, but in my defense, I have been, well, very lazy. It's the first summer in seven years where I haven't had a summer class and, quite frankly, I've been putzing around doing house chores, yard work, car stuff, and, well, starting to build a house. We closed on a lot on May 15th and will be moving to Belgium (Wisconsin, not the country). A small town of about 2200 people in northern Ozaukee county. About 1000 more people than Random Lake, so that will be a bit different. We can see Lake Michigan from out lot as we're only about 2 miles away. Now we have to find a builder.
We've met with one already and rough-sketched out a house. We are waiting for prices now. We will be meeting with another in the next week or so and will repeat the same process. They all have their own plans and we'll have to customize what we want to one of their plans. I think we are going to meet with four builders just to make sure we are within price ranges and are consistent in what we want to do. Everyone we talk to tells us horror stories about building, but I'm kind of looking forward to seeing all the choices and how a house is built. I'm lucky in that I will be passing by on my way home (Scott, too) and will get to stop several times a week to see how things are progressing. I plan on taking lots of pictures and will be doing some of the finish work like painting. We are hoping to be in the house by next year.
What I'm not looking forward to is moving. OMG. We have a lot of stuff, and I'm terrible at packing, sorting, and boxing. It was a nightmare moving from our apartment in Grafton to the house in Random 22 years ago, and we have a crap-load more stuff now. What I am thinking of doing is getting a container from one of those moving container companies and just loading that thing up and having them move the container. We'll hire movers for the big and heavy stuff, but our breakable and highly collectable stuff we'll move ourselves. Oyo. We plan on selling our current house when it is empty because it is small and looks crowded when it has stuff in it. And, then I can do a complete clean so that potential buyers will be impressed with that, too. I know when we were looking for houses, the ones that were spotless were more attractive to us than the ones that needed some help. I know it is a psychological thing, but it made a difference.
I saw my first "back-to-school" sign yesterday. My heart jumped for a split second until I realized, "it's not for me!" I also got official word last week that UWM has given me the final clearance for my degree. It's official and my diploma will be mailed in a few weeks. That is good news, indeed. I'm really enjoying not having to do homework in the summer and am slowly getting back to doing the things I used to do every summer. Both cars are washed and waxed, I'm starting to get the deadwood out of the hedges and lilacs, I'm weeding my gardens, and things are looking a bit less shabby. This weekend I'm tackling the snack bar and dining room table. Oh, the projects we make for ourselves...
Happy 4th of July everyone! Party safe, and beware of home made fireworks....
We've met with one already and rough-sketched out a house. We are waiting for prices now. We will be meeting with another in the next week or so and will repeat the same process. They all have their own plans and we'll have to customize what we want to one of their plans. I think we are going to meet with four builders just to make sure we are within price ranges and are consistent in what we want to do. Everyone we talk to tells us horror stories about building, but I'm kind of looking forward to seeing all the choices and how a house is built. I'm lucky in that I will be passing by on my way home (Scott, too) and will get to stop several times a week to see how things are progressing. I plan on taking lots of pictures and will be doing some of the finish work like painting. We are hoping to be in the house by next year.
What I'm not looking forward to is moving. OMG. We have a lot of stuff, and I'm terrible at packing, sorting, and boxing. It was a nightmare moving from our apartment in Grafton to the house in Random 22 years ago, and we have a crap-load more stuff now. What I am thinking of doing is getting a container from one of those moving container companies and just loading that thing up and having them move the container. We'll hire movers for the big and heavy stuff, but our breakable and highly collectable stuff we'll move ourselves. Oyo. We plan on selling our current house when it is empty because it is small and looks crowded when it has stuff in it. And, then I can do a complete clean so that potential buyers will be impressed with that, too. I know when we were looking for houses, the ones that were spotless were more attractive to us than the ones that needed some help. I know it is a psychological thing, but it made a difference.
I saw my first "back-to-school" sign yesterday. My heart jumped for a split second until I realized, "it's not for me!" I also got official word last week that UWM has given me the final clearance for my degree. It's official and my diploma will be mailed in a few weeks. That is good news, indeed. I'm really enjoying not having to do homework in the summer and am slowly getting back to doing the things I used to do every summer. Both cars are washed and waxed, I'm starting to get the deadwood out of the hedges and lilacs, I'm weeding my gardens, and things are looking a bit less shabby. This weekend I'm tackling the snack bar and dining room table. Oh, the projects we make for ourselves...
Happy 4th of July everyone! Party safe, and beware of home made fireworks....
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Graduation, Anniversary, and Party Planning
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| May 2015 UWM Graduation Nicki and Scott |
On June 9th, Scott and I will celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. Yes, I was a wee tot when I got married... Anyway, we decided to have a combined party for both big events because people aren't going to want to come to two parties in a short span of time. Especially the out of towners. So, we have a cross-section of folks coming and we'll have to have name tags for everyone. Odd, but it should be interesting. Planning a party is not so much fun, and I'm looking forward to the day. It is going to be outside at Virmond Park on June 6th and hopefully, it will not rain. We have a shelter, but if it rains hard, that might just spoil things. Although, there's beer, food, and games, so maybe not.
Now that I'm done with school, I have had almost every person I tell that to ask me what I'm going to do in "all my free time?" I'm never sure how to answer this, because as a non-traditional student, I have the same responsibilities and life commitments as they do. Work, home, husband, family, bills, lawn work, car crap, and all the other things make life, life. I had them before, during, and will have them after college, too. Just like they did. We are going to be building a house, so that's usually my answer to the question, but I still feel like they are expecting something more or different. I didn't go to college to get a different job. I went to correct a life mistake I could still correct, but when you tell people that, they get uncomfortable. I don't know if they have issues they feel they should fix, or if they can't believe someone my age would go to college just to go. I would say that education is never a waste of time or energy, but I get the feeling that some feel it is. That I could have somehow done something "better" with that time and money. I guess one could argue about the money issue, but when a life is examined, would it be better to "waste" money on college or something else entirely, like gambling, or cars, or clothes, or vacations, or even interior decorations. It comes down to what you value in your life. I value intelligence and knowledge. I really don't care if I have an older car or clothing, or don't have the latest in home interior decorating. I really don't need $50 throw pillows. But our society has placed value on these things, so I still get judged by those qualities, or lack of them.
I do know that I will pick-up my hobbies I had to abandon when I went back. I was an avid quilter, and I love scrap-booking, and, of course, chain maille. I have completed several projects and am going back to a long-term project of making a shawl. If it's good enough, I want to enter it into the Bead & Button Show's competition they have every year. I have to complete the project first, and figure out how to seam the shoulders and neck onto the piece. Tricky, tricky.
What am I going to do with all that "free" time? Read. Quilt. Chain maille. Scrap. Build a house. Sell my current house. See my friends and family. Time with Scott. Life.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
I am done!
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| 2015 UWM Honors Convocation |
I have used this blog to complain, sometimes bitterly, over the past years about school. It was an excellent way for me to vent without necessarily having to chew my friends, or Scott's ears off. And, they always want to help, and sometimes, I just want to vent. This blog is a result from my Eng 102 class, and I'll never forget that. I like blogging, even if no one reads these. Or, at least leaves comments.
I am checking a big thing off my bucket list. Now, on to the next chapter of my life, which involves more money than college cost, and lots of wood, nails, dry-wall, carpet, tile, and fixtures. We are building a house. That will definitely take some time, and I'm really glad we didn't try to do that while I had homework to do. No, I will not miss homework in the least. Not at all. I really liked going to classes, but no one misses homework. And tests, and giant papers. I know I won't miss the tests.
So, this will be the last of the school entries. I thank anyone who is still reading this, and have been reading it for the past seven years. Now, onto the house-building chapter...
Sunday, May 3, 2015
0% Happy
I took an online "fun" quiz yesterday and was shocked at the results. This was a quiz that one of my facebook friends took and she shared her result. She got 50% happy. The name of this quiz was, "How Happy Are You?" I figured if she got 50% happy, I'd get at least in the upper 90s because I have so many things to be happy about. I answered all the questions as truthfully as possible and I was stunned that mine came back at 0% happy. 0. 0%. Zero. WTH? How is that even possible?
It's just a fun thing that isn't by any means to be taken seriously, but I was still shocked by that. I thought for sure I'd get in the upper percentile. My friend has had a terrible year with breaking up with a long-term serious boyfriend and an injury that side-lined her passion for running. That's some serious unhappiness right there. She is openly grieving her break-up on facebook, and yeah, she's unhappy. But she still got 50%! I'm celebrating two big events this month and next month, and I get 0?? I'm graduating college with Honors and have a wedding anniversary milestone of 25 years, both things that people are happy about, but apparently, I'm not.
This got me to thinking about happiness in general. I've always thought I was a happy person. We all deal with crap in our lives, and serious crap that makes us unhappy. I've certainly had my share, but I've always felt that I've dealt with it and moved on. But I wonder if I have? Apparently, the quiz thinks I haven't and that makes me wonder. I don't even know where to start making myself happy because I really didn't think I was that unhappy. What makes a person happy?
Making chain maille makes me happy, and that was one of the questions. It asked if I had hobbies. Yes! Of course I do. So why didn't I get some points for that? Maybe it knew that my elbows are giving me problems and with the crapload of homework from school, I haven't been able to make much of anything this semester. I haven't made a quilt since going back to school, and I really miss that. Nor have I scrapbooked anything, not to mention putting our vacations on hold until I'm out of school. Hmmm, maybe I wouldn't have scored as high as I thought. But I know that I will return to these hobbies once I don't have the pressing doom of homework deadlines crashing in on me. I'll just give myself some points for that. Yeah, who needs the stuupie test to tell me that...
0% happy. I need to find the how unhappy test out there and see what I score on that. I hate failing tests. That makes me unhappy. I still cringe inwardly when I think of my Spanish oral exam that I failed. That was three years ago! I hate failing things. That makes me unhappy. But, this week, on May 7th, I will have corrected a huge failing in my life and will complete my Bachelor's degree. I really think that should count for something. I am happy about that, no matter what the stupid online test tells me.
It's just a fun thing that isn't by any means to be taken seriously, but I was still shocked by that. I thought for sure I'd get in the upper percentile. My friend has had a terrible year with breaking up with a long-term serious boyfriend and an injury that side-lined her passion for running. That's some serious unhappiness right there. She is openly grieving her break-up on facebook, and yeah, she's unhappy. But she still got 50%! I'm celebrating two big events this month and next month, and I get 0?? I'm graduating college with Honors and have a wedding anniversary milestone of 25 years, both things that people are happy about, but apparently, I'm not.
This got me to thinking about happiness in general. I've always thought I was a happy person. We all deal with crap in our lives, and serious crap that makes us unhappy. I've certainly had my share, but I've always felt that I've dealt with it and moved on. But I wonder if I have? Apparently, the quiz thinks I haven't and that makes me wonder. I don't even know where to start making myself happy because I really didn't think I was that unhappy. What makes a person happy?
Making chain maille makes me happy, and that was one of the questions. It asked if I had hobbies. Yes! Of course I do. So why didn't I get some points for that? Maybe it knew that my elbows are giving me problems and with the crapload of homework from school, I haven't been able to make much of anything this semester. I haven't made a quilt since going back to school, and I really miss that. Nor have I scrapbooked anything, not to mention putting our vacations on hold until I'm out of school. Hmmm, maybe I wouldn't have scored as high as I thought. But I know that I will return to these hobbies once I don't have the pressing doom of homework deadlines crashing in on me. I'll just give myself some points for that. Yeah, who needs the stuupie test to tell me that...
0% happy. I need to find the how unhappy test out there and see what I score on that. I hate failing tests. That makes me unhappy. I still cringe inwardly when I think of my Spanish oral exam that I failed. That was three years ago! I hate failing things. That makes me unhappy. But, this week, on May 7th, I will have corrected a huge failing in my life and will complete my Bachelor's degree. I really think that should count for something. I am happy about that, no matter what the stupid online test tells me.
Monday, April 27, 2015
Things I Learned in Seven Years of College
I did something similar to this when I finished my two semesters of Spanish and I was surprised by the long list. So here goes.
There is a huge difference between the two-year and four-year schools. Not just in classes, but in students and teachers. I really enjoyed being at UW Sheboygan, but not so much at UWM. I made friends at UWM, and I liked most of my classes, but it was more exhausting and emotionally draining.
There is never enough time to study.
I hate carrying backpacks.
I really do love libraries.
Test anxiety sucks.
Older younglings don't like cookies as much as the younger younglings, but when they think no one is watching they will wolf down a half-dozen cookies without blinking an eye.
I have favorite teachers that I'll miss seeing, and feel a bit sad that I can't be friends with them. Time, distance, circumstances all get in the way.
I don't mind writing papers. Guess being an English major was a good choice.
I still suck at Spanish and am thankful that I took it at UW Sheboygan (Thank you Kyle). I don't think I would have made it through at UWM.
I actually kinda like Shakespeare (Thank you Mark).
I really liked writing creative non-fiction (Thank you Carolyn).
I have found a new well of motivation I didn't realize I had. Not to mention finally... finally being able to put to rest dropping out of college. Not only will I graduate, but I will graduate with Commencement Honors and Honors in the Major. Take that 1986 self.
Seven years is a long time. I may be seven years older, and seven years grayer, but I'm so glad I stuck with it. In re-reading some of my blogs about not continuing on after UW Sheboygan, I'm so glad that I didn't give in to the exhaustion of the moment. I still have three large projects to finish yet, but then that's it. I'm done. And that, my friends, is all she wrote.
Things I learned in seven years of college:
There is a huge difference between the two-year and four-year schools. Not just in classes, but in students and teachers. I really enjoyed being at UW Sheboygan, but not so much at UWM. I made friends at UWM, and I liked most of my classes, but it was more exhausting and emotionally draining.
There is never enough time to study.
I hate carrying backpacks.
I really do love libraries.
Test anxiety sucks.
Older younglings don't like cookies as much as the younger younglings, but when they think no one is watching they will wolf down a half-dozen cookies without blinking an eye.
I have favorite teachers that I'll miss seeing, and feel a bit sad that I can't be friends with them. Time, distance, circumstances all get in the way.
I don't mind writing papers. Guess being an English major was a good choice.
I still suck at Spanish and am thankful that I took it at UW Sheboygan (Thank you Kyle). I don't think I would have made it through at UWM.
I actually kinda like Shakespeare (Thank you Mark).
I really liked writing creative non-fiction (Thank you Carolyn).
I have found a new well of motivation I didn't realize I had. Not to mention finally... finally being able to put to rest dropping out of college. Not only will I graduate, but I will graduate with Commencement Honors and Honors in the Major. Take that 1986 self.
Seven years is a long time. I may be seven years older, and seven years grayer, but I'm so glad I stuck with it. In re-reading some of my blogs about not continuing on after UW Sheboygan, I'm so glad that I didn't give in to the exhaustion of the moment. I still have three large projects to finish yet, but then that's it. I'm done. And that, my friends, is all she wrote.
Sunday, April 26, 2015
The Last Two Weeks
It is the last two weeks of school. I'm anxious for it to be over and not as sad as I thought I was going to be. My perspective is very different from the younglings who are graduating, but I'm looking forward to just working an 8 hour day and then having some time to concentrate on my home, our possible building a new home, and all the crap that goes with building and moving. No lot yet, but we are still going back and forth with offers and counter-offers.
I have two massive projects I need to finish for school yet. Fifteen pages for my fiction class, and the comprehensive editing project for tech editing. And, I have no motivation to finish either one. But, I will, I always do, and it is part of being an adult. You finish what you start. I ended up not liking the fiction class as much as I thought I was going to. I know now that type of writing is not what I want to do and that I really do have a talent for creative non-fiction. I'll stick with that. And, even though I will use my editing skills in all my future work, I really don't want to be an editor, either. I'm very thankful that I have a job I like, and I've come to realize that I really don't want to leave pharmacy.
I'm writing stuff for the department now because our accreditation for Joint Commission requires us to write EVERYTHING down. That's going to take some time and then it has to be updated continually. I will inherit that job because it seems a natural fit. I don't mind.
Scott and I have decided to have a combined graduation/anniversary party on June 6th. It seemed silly to have two parties and invite the same people again. So, I'm calling it the granniversary party and it will be my graduation and our 25th wedding anniversary party. We are having it in a park and I hope it doesn't rain. Should be fun and even though it will be a lot of work, I'm really looking forward to it.
Well, that's enough of my boring blog. I really need to get to writing my story for Eng 415. I just need a big burst of motivation and that will be that. After seven years of high motivation, it gets more difficult to dig that deep. Two weeks... Two weeks.
I have two massive projects I need to finish for school yet. Fifteen pages for my fiction class, and the comprehensive editing project for tech editing. And, I have no motivation to finish either one. But, I will, I always do, and it is part of being an adult. You finish what you start. I ended up not liking the fiction class as much as I thought I was going to. I know now that type of writing is not what I want to do and that I really do have a talent for creative non-fiction. I'll stick with that. And, even though I will use my editing skills in all my future work, I really don't want to be an editor, either. I'm very thankful that I have a job I like, and I've come to realize that I really don't want to leave pharmacy.
I'm writing stuff for the department now because our accreditation for Joint Commission requires us to write EVERYTHING down. That's going to take some time and then it has to be updated continually. I will inherit that job because it seems a natural fit. I don't mind.
Scott and I have decided to have a combined graduation/anniversary party on June 6th. It seemed silly to have two parties and invite the same people again. So, I'm calling it the granniversary party and it will be my graduation and our 25th wedding anniversary party. We are having it in a park and I hope it doesn't rain. Should be fun and even though it will be a lot of work, I'm really looking forward to it.
Well, that's enough of my boring blog. I really need to get to writing my story for Eng 415. I just need a big burst of motivation and that will be that. After seven years of high motivation, it gets more difficult to dig that deep. Two weeks... Two weeks.
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Week 10
It is week 10 already. I always keep count of the weeks of the semester, mainly because homework is easily managed in weekly chunks. Beyond that, however, is a psychological boost for me because I assign week 10 as my I-think-I'm-going-to-make-it week. Since the start of school and their regimented weekly schedules, there is something about this week that changes everything. For one, it is usually the first week past the final date for dropping a class. It's almost as if the students realize they will have to finish it now and for some, just relax and go with it. I'm one of those students. I know I'm locked in at this point unless something so drastic happens that I need to put the class on academic hold. It would have to be a medical or family issue as I can't think of anything else that would qualify for doing that. In any case, I know there are six weeks left in the semester and I have an idea of how I'm doing and what will be needed to finish strong.
My friend Natalie said to me the other night that I'm so much more relaxed this semester than any other she's seen me go through yet. I agreed with her, and said that it just feels different knowing it is my last semester. I know this is it and when I finish I will have done something worth while (to me, anyway) and that I did my best. I got the official word that I will be graduating with Commencement Honors and I'm absolutely thrilled with that. One of my goals in coming back to college was that not only was I going to finish my bachelor's, but I was going to excel. I really wanted to make the Dean's List, but UWM doesn't recognize part-time students for that honor. I think that really, really sucks. But, I'll settle for graduating with Honors.
I can't wait to graduate. It has been a long struggle, both for me and for Scott. We have started serious talk of building a house again, and I think he was waiting for me to finish school so that he didn't have to go it alone. I kept saying I would help, but homework comes first. But, I'll be done soon and I won't have to face several hours of homework after a day of working anymore, too. I won't miss that one bit. And, I have so many projects lined up that I don't even know where to start. I have so much cleaning and organizing to do, it feels a bit overwhelming. But, keep your fingers crossed, maybe those projects will turn into cleaning, sorting, and PACKING! We are looking at a lot that we saw months ago and are debating whether to put a bid in or not. I hope we will as it's a really nice lot and we can offer with contingencies that should prevent us from getting into a money trap. We just have to make the call. Kinda scary, but it's time. We've been looking for 10 years now. The house we are in was supposed to be a starter home, and it is, but we need something more custom for us now.
With any luck I'll be jumping from the pan of school into the fire of building a new house. Rest? I don't need no stinkin' rest.... anybody got some tape and boxes?
My friend Natalie said to me the other night that I'm so much more relaxed this semester than any other she's seen me go through yet. I agreed with her, and said that it just feels different knowing it is my last semester. I know this is it and when I finish I will have done something worth while (to me, anyway) and that I did my best. I got the official word that I will be graduating with Commencement Honors and I'm absolutely thrilled with that. One of my goals in coming back to college was that not only was I going to finish my bachelor's, but I was going to excel. I really wanted to make the Dean's List, but UWM doesn't recognize part-time students for that honor. I think that really, really sucks. But, I'll settle for graduating with Honors.
I can't wait to graduate. It has been a long struggle, both for me and for Scott. We have started serious talk of building a house again, and I think he was waiting for me to finish school so that he didn't have to go it alone. I kept saying I would help, but homework comes first. But, I'll be done soon and I won't have to face several hours of homework after a day of working anymore, too. I won't miss that one bit. And, I have so many projects lined up that I don't even know where to start. I have so much cleaning and organizing to do, it feels a bit overwhelming. But, keep your fingers crossed, maybe those projects will turn into cleaning, sorting, and PACKING! We are looking at a lot that we saw months ago and are debating whether to put a bid in or not. I hope we will as it's a really nice lot and we can offer with contingencies that should prevent us from getting into a money trap. We just have to make the call. Kinda scary, but it's time. We've been looking for 10 years now. The house we are in was supposed to be a starter home, and it is, but we need something more custom for us now.
With any luck I'll be jumping from the pan of school into the fire of building a new house. Rest? I don't need no stinkin' rest.... anybody got some tape and boxes?
Saturday, January 31, 2015
The Start of the End
I started my last semester of college this past Monday. God-willing, I will finish in May. Graduation is May 17, 2015 at 9:00a.m. I am eager to finish, and have begun to think of life in terms of before and after college. As in next Christmas should be less stressful because I won't have finals two days before Christmas Eve and I can get my baking, shopping, and decorating done like other normal people. I won't have to be in summer school this year and maybe, just maybe, I can work in my yard more and make it look much better. And, maybe, just maybe, I can get the garage cleaned out, too. Yeah, we'll see about that.
I'm taking two classes this semester, Eng 444 Technical Editing and Eng 415 Fiction Writing Workshop. I need Eng 444 for my last credits for my major and Eng 415 is my last elective. I decided in a fit of fancy to take a fiction writing class because it was so different from tech writing and because I thought it was going to be fun. I really should have thought about that because there are few classes in college that are fun. We meet once a week, on Thursdays, so this last Thursday was our first class.
I don't know anyone in this grouping because I'm not in that track for the English major. A few kids knew each other, just the same as I know quite a few in my technical/professional writing (TPW) circle. We travel in packs at this point. I am the only TPW in this class, and I should have realized that. Anyway... Most of the kids, and yes, they are kids, are about half-way through to thier varying degrees in fiction writing, poetry, and literature studies. They are clearly of a different mind-set than I am, but that can be fine. I've had these types before. What I didn't expect, was the level of snobbery and narcissism from a few of them.
As I mentioned, Thursday was our first class. After all the perfunctory stuff, the teacher had us read a sample of a student's writing and he wanted our feedback. He chose me first to give that feedback. I've been taught from day one of TPW to give good feedback before constructive criticism. So I did. I explained what I liked about the piece, and I did like the piece, and then a few suggestions for improvement. I wanted to know more in-depth details about the characters, a more detailed plot line, and less "bogginess" in some of the more adjective heavy descriptions. Nothing that I felt was horrible or mean-spirited. After I had finished, the hipster-doofus emo kid told me I was completely wrong, he didn't agree with me at all, and that I was "lacking in understanding of what good fiction is." Oooookaaaayyyyy. I didn't reply to him because I didn't trust what would have come out of my mouth. Despite his youth and rudness, he is entitled to his opinion. I felt he was extremely rude and uncivil, but he had the right to state what he did. But then, some of the other younglings started to trash the piece (thankfully, not me) and just like sharks who smell blood, they pounced on this poor story and ripped it to shreds.
I was bothered by how vehemently they tore the piece apart. As I sat there thinking I had made a huge mistake, I got the thought that the teacher had written this story. He kept saying that they were being a little too harsh, that the writer wanted nothing more than to entertain them, and that he was a human being with feelings, too. It was at that point I fully realized what he was doing. This is a workshop class meaning all of us will submit work for class discussion. There is a right way and a wrong way to give criticism, and he was teaching us a lesson. Half the class didn't even say anything. After the blood-bath abated, he turned to me and asked if I wanted to change my opinion. I said no, I stand by what I said, and that I didn't feel it was as bad as what the others were saying it was. With some small revisions, it would be a good story. That's all fiction should ever really be.
He took a deep breath and told them that what had happened would never happen again. This was an early piece he had written when he was in college (he's probably in his late 50's or early 60's) and that everyone should take notice of how I gave my criticism in that it was the correct way to give feedback. You could have heard a pin drop from several floors below. All these kids who were flaming on the piece were in shock. I'm not sure why they didn't think of him as the author to begin with, but I blame the internet for what they did. Let me explain.
On any forum, discussion group, or other sites, people feel they can trash-talk, flame, yell, saying incredibly mean things and other bad behavior because they are not face-to-face with the person they are criticizing. They are so used to just saying, "it sucks" with no reasoning, that is how they give feedback. Now they are in a class setting and just like any forum, one right after another, ganged up and fed off of hipster doofus' rant against me. No civility, no recognition of the writer as a human being with human feelings, and no realization that they too will be under the microscope in the context of this class. No golden rule here. They just trashed with the arrogance that their writing is going to be prefect. It never occurred to them that some one will be doing the exact same thing to them. I'm not sure why they haven't learned to give appropriate feedback at this point in college, but I'm guessing it's because they haven't finished their upper level classes yet where they will be judged on their work.
I'm not so sure I want to take this class now. I thought it would be a good compliment to my technical editing, but I think I prefer the world of grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure. We are at least a little more civil to each other. Maybe this is why writers are so very often loners.
I'm taking two classes this semester, Eng 444 Technical Editing and Eng 415 Fiction Writing Workshop. I need Eng 444 for my last credits for my major and Eng 415 is my last elective. I decided in a fit of fancy to take a fiction writing class because it was so different from tech writing and because I thought it was going to be fun. I really should have thought about that because there are few classes in college that are fun. We meet once a week, on Thursdays, so this last Thursday was our first class.
I don't know anyone in this grouping because I'm not in that track for the English major. A few kids knew each other, just the same as I know quite a few in my technical/professional writing (TPW) circle. We travel in packs at this point. I am the only TPW in this class, and I should have realized that. Anyway... Most of the kids, and yes, they are kids, are about half-way through to thier varying degrees in fiction writing, poetry, and literature studies. They are clearly of a different mind-set than I am, but that can be fine. I've had these types before. What I didn't expect, was the level of snobbery and narcissism from a few of them.
As I mentioned, Thursday was our first class. After all the perfunctory stuff, the teacher had us read a sample of a student's writing and he wanted our feedback. He chose me first to give that feedback. I've been taught from day one of TPW to give good feedback before constructive criticism. So I did. I explained what I liked about the piece, and I did like the piece, and then a few suggestions for improvement. I wanted to know more in-depth details about the characters, a more detailed plot line, and less "bogginess" in some of the more adjective heavy descriptions. Nothing that I felt was horrible or mean-spirited. After I had finished, the hipster-doofus emo kid told me I was completely wrong, he didn't agree with me at all, and that I was "lacking in understanding of what good fiction is." Oooookaaaayyyyy. I didn't reply to him because I didn't trust what would have come out of my mouth. Despite his youth and rudness, he is entitled to his opinion. I felt he was extremely rude and uncivil, but he had the right to state what he did. But then, some of the other younglings started to trash the piece (thankfully, not me) and just like sharks who smell blood, they pounced on this poor story and ripped it to shreds.
I was bothered by how vehemently they tore the piece apart. As I sat there thinking I had made a huge mistake, I got the thought that the teacher had written this story. He kept saying that they were being a little too harsh, that the writer wanted nothing more than to entertain them, and that he was a human being with feelings, too. It was at that point I fully realized what he was doing. This is a workshop class meaning all of us will submit work for class discussion. There is a right way and a wrong way to give criticism, and he was teaching us a lesson. Half the class didn't even say anything. After the blood-bath abated, he turned to me and asked if I wanted to change my opinion. I said no, I stand by what I said, and that I didn't feel it was as bad as what the others were saying it was. With some small revisions, it would be a good story. That's all fiction should ever really be.
He took a deep breath and told them that what had happened would never happen again. This was an early piece he had written when he was in college (he's probably in his late 50's or early 60's) and that everyone should take notice of how I gave my criticism in that it was the correct way to give feedback. You could have heard a pin drop from several floors below. All these kids who were flaming on the piece were in shock. I'm not sure why they didn't think of him as the author to begin with, but I blame the internet for what they did. Let me explain.
On any forum, discussion group, or other sites, people feel they can trash-talk, flame, yell, saying incredibly mean things and other bad behavior because they are not face-to-face with the person they are criticizing. They are so used to just saying, "it sucks" with no reasoning, that is how they give feedback. Now they are in a class setting and just like any forum, one right after another, ganged up and fed off of hipster doofus' rant against me. No civility, no recognition of the writer as a human being with human feelings, and no realization that they too will be under the microscope in the context of this class. No golden rule here. They just trashed with the arrogance that their writing is going to be prefect. It never occurred to them that some one will be doing the exact same thing to them. I'm not sure why they haven't learned to give appropriate feedback at this point in college, but I'm guessing it's because they haven't finished their upper level classes yet where they will be judged on their work.
I'm not so sure I want to take this class now. I thought it would be a good compliment to my technical editing, but I think I prefer the world of grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure. We are at least a little more civil to each other. Maybe this is why writers are so very often loners.
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