Hey y'all.
So it's definitely been an interesting week. I didn't figure I'd be bored with six classes this quarter and I figured right! Wow! :)
So....the rundown:
Creative Writing is so far okay. I'm not entirely thrilled yet but it's the first week so....whaddya want, right? I am a little peeved that week 2 is starting and we're reading Hemingway. I reiterate my earlier complaint that there are fantastic female writers that can be featured too. But....looks like we're sticking with the "classic" males - yuck. For the record - I hate Hemingway with a fiery passion. What.ever. We also have to keep a journal in this class. That....kinda bugs. Not a favorite thing for me to do and not a way I like to write but....c'est la vie. First assignments were pretty mellow, we'll see how it goes.
World Geography - this is definitely going to be a class that irritates me this quarter. The instructor already has my back up based on the first discussion post. She put together a slideshow about quotes by famous people (all incredibly dated, by the way), stating how important the study of geography is and how stupid Americans are for not knowing it or studying it anymore. Then the discussion was to post which you liked best and why and explain. And everyone jumped on the anti-American bandwagon so fast it made my head spin. Now, I'll grant you, I haven't actually taken a "geography" class since junior high, but the concepts we're learning I have been exposed to through other courses and that other thing called....ummmm....what is it?.....oh yeah - LIFE! Hello??!! My argument on the boards was that with the world getting smaller due to technology and the Internet, you have to work really, really hard to be ignorant of other cultures and the issues around the world. Doesn't mean people aren't, just that you have to work at it. I did not receive any replies. Everyone else was just "oh yeah, we Americans are so stupid and I don't know anything about geography and ZOMG! how did I ever live without this class??!!" and I....threw up a little in my mouth. 10th generation American here people. America, she has her issues, but don't dog my country. Seriously - that's a road straight to an ass kicking. So....it's just the overall highbrow tone of it all that just rubbed me the wrong way. I'm keeping an open mind going into week 2. We shall see what occurs from there.
College Algebra is exactly the problem I anticipated. I haven't had a math class in 22 years y'all and we're doing this pre-algebra review thing this week and all I can tell you is we aren't reviewing anything I ever learned! Also? Remember when you were forced to take algebra in school and you asked the teacher why you had to and he/she said that some day it would come in really handy in later life? Well....I'm in later life y'all and that shit is pure D bull crap. I've never used it once! But....I don't make the rules. Luckily, there is a SmarThinking tutoring service online that helped me with one problem and I'm getting through okay. Honestly, I think it's more I psych myself out about the whole thing and that makes it difficult. That and I have zero, no, patience at all. It's just not a virtue I was gifted with so when I try to do things that I consider chores and they frustrate me, it makes me want to rip my own face off. But, I'm handling it and I am doing okay. It's just....frustrating.
Astronomy.....astronomy has some s'plaining to do, let me tell you. I apparently got the answers to our first discussion posting wrong and have posted a reply/question to the instructor asking why. As of yet, two days later, no answer. Grrr! Anyway, the questions were 1. to rank by size the following: planet, star, solar system, galaxy, galaxy cluster. Then 2) to determine which were within one light-year of Earth and which within 100 light-years. So....I looked on the NASA site suggested and that is a hot mess, let me tell you. I tried the Hubble site - made by the same people. I even turned to Google - no joy. I dunno if it was my search parameters or what, but I did not find the answers. So....went to the book and all I could find was a picture that I went off of and apparently that was wrong. Apparently stars are bigger than planets. Did you know that? Well, if not, congratulations! - you learned something new today. My question for the instructor is what the deal is, then, with all the pictures I've ever seen showing planets as bigger than stars and if size is relative like some planets are bigger than others - are maybe some stars bigger than others and thereby possibly smaller than planets? We'll see if he replies. At this point, I'm about out of give a damn on this one.
Fundamentals of Web Authoring and Design....y'all, I love my school, I really do, but if I have one beef with it it is this - classes like this tend to cater to those who know the most and leave behind the newbies. The problem with that? - this is a FUNDAMENTALS CLASS - c'mon already! We've got one absolute asshat who is already annoying the crap out of me bitching and complaining that he hates-Dreamweaver-and-ZOMG!-HTML-rocks-y'all!-and-why-the-hell-do-we-have-to-use-this-book-and-why-haven't-we-made-up-our-profiles-with-our-pictures and seriously? I want him to shut up and go far, far away - I really, really do. For our first assignment we had to use HTML to hand-code a web page about our hometown. There were some tutorials linked on the course's resource page and a couple paragraphs lecture and that was it. Y'all, I've never seen or touched HTML in my life! So....I'm struggling through and put together a site that probably sucks beyond the telling, while the rest of the class is on the forum all complaining/defending HTML vs. Dreamweaver vs. other tools and it all just makes me tired. ::le sigh:: We'll see how it all shakes out. We also have a final project that we'll work on all quarter, similar to Typography, building a website for a service business. It could be real or fictional and I chose a fictional bakery. We'll see if he approves it.
And finally, my favorite class (you knew it would be) 3D Animation. How do I love this stuff? Let me count the ways!! :) Pretty much the same people as last class, same instructor, and just a good vibe overall. That said, helluva lot of work this quarter! W.O.W.! o.O We're doing individual projects this quarter, which I prefer to last quarter. I would be pissed if we had to rely on people who don't show up again! Our final project consists of a movie of 12 storyboarded scenes. In addition, we have a research paper and a solar system project due. So....needless to say, I'm gonna be spending a LOT of time on campus working on that. I am still so extremely irritated that we do not get this software with this class, but I'm hopeful maybe sometime that might change. Until then, as I do not trust sites like Bit Torrent, I'll commute to the school and keep it all safe and above-board to get my work done.
So....that's the first week in a nutshell. I'm a bit tired and really kinda cranky cuz I've been trying to get through the last of the algebra due tomorrow. Might be part of the crank factor here. The rest is just legitimate irritation with some issues/situations. All that being said, I am actually enjoying the learning and looking forward to seeing how the rest of the quarter plays out. And on that note, I think it's time to call it a night. Catch you next week for another exciting episode of Going Back To School When You're Ancient. Peace!
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