Transitions

Hi all.

Well....it has been a while, hasn't it? :) A lot has happened since my last entry, so let's see if I can recap it all.

First, I did very well on all of my mid-terms. My Acting monologue went fabulously and I really enjoyed the experience.

Second, the rest of my classes went well and the semester was a fun one. My final acting assignment was a challenge in terms of having to work with a partner that I really didn't care for, but it all turned out well. I ended the semester with 4 A's and a B+ in Liberal Arts Math, so it was all good.

Third, I am officially a graduate of College of Central Florida! Woot! I was so happy and felt so accomplished the night of graduation. My mom, stepdad, brother and sister-in-law all came to graduation and it was just a great experience. My first college graduation was kind of lame. I had finished my two-year program in a year and happened to be in the same town when graduation rolled around, so I walked with the class, but had never made any friends with anyone or any of the instructors, so it was kind of hollow. This time around I had some friends, faculty I really liked and admired, family and it was great. It was a beautiful night and a really special time.

Fourth, things on the transfer front have gotten....interesting. I was all accepted and prepared to go to MSU, but then it turned out that the "scholarship" they were offering for my mother being an alumni was being taken out of my financial aid, so it wasn't really a scholarship at all - I was still basically being charged out-of-state tuition. Then, they weren't going to accept any of my coursework as anything other than electives, so to be able to pursue my Animation degree I would have had to start at square one and it would have taken me another four years. Add in to that moving from Florida to Missouri, trying to find jobs in tiny Springfield, etc. and it just wasn't feeling right. So....I applied and have been accepted to University of Central Florida for the fall. I feel very good about this, but it's also proving to be a challenge.

Staying in Florida means that my credits will transfer and they will accept my AA with no problems. But, prior to orientation at campus I'm having to do some major hoop jumping. I am specifically running around trying to get bloodwork done to prove I've had all of my immunizations (which kind of makes me feel like a dog). I've had blood drawn twice now as the first time the lab screwed it up and it's just a bunch of craziness. Also, the financial aid awards have been limited so I'm going to be struggling to find a decent place to live in Orlando. And the job market is not being kind to me. I know I am not alone, but I have NEVER been looking for a job this long and it is really starting to get to me. I'm educated, experienced, and hardworking, but there just don't seem to be any jobs anywhere. I've applied for everything and haven't even been called for an interview. So....that's difficult.

But, I'm just trying to work on my writing and rebuilding my Etsy shop in the meantime and getting things prepared for moving to Orlando here in a couple of months. I think that once I'm back in school and getting closer to my degree and what I want to do with my life, things will be better. I'm trying to stay positive about everything at any rate. At my age, to be in the position I'm in, with no job, it just really feels like utter failure. Again, I know I'm not alone and that thousands of people are in the same boat I am, but still....it does a number on the ego and heart for sure.

Another new development is that I have decided to change majors a bit. I'm planning to major in technical writing and minor in digital media. UCF seems to have a really great technical writing program and it's work I've done before and that I know I am good at. With the degree, it opens up a lot more possibilities in the job market, and I still get my minor for my digital education. I think this is the best decision as with the job market the way it is currently, the animation degree is so specific and the job market there so tough....I think the technical writing degree will work better for me when it comes to being employable. I have hope anyway.

I'm still considering the benefits of also going to graduate school once I have my Bachelor's, we'll just have to see where things are in a couple of years. Until then....this is where things stand. I will be starting at UCF in the fall and until then, things will be pretty quiet. Thanks for hanging in there with me all and I'll see everyone from a new city and new campus here soon.

Cheers! :) Have great summers!

Mid-Terms Once Again

Hey all.

So, like I said in my last post, this is one exceptionally busy semester so time to post here is hard to find. But, I'm studying for mid-terms and needed a bit of a break so here I am. :)

This semester is flying by just like I thought it would. It's a lot of work and keeps me going non-stop, but it's all good. I'm enjoying my classes for the most part and the grades so far are good.

First major bit of news is that due to my 4.0 last semester, I was invited to join the Phi Theta Kappa honor society. I was surprised and delighted and really proud of myself. The organization has a lot of positive aspects to it and I'm looking forward to receiving all the official information and going to the official induction ceremony. Plus - they have scholarships that you can apply for and being a member is something you can put on a job application and resume that really makes an impact so....yay me. :)

I'm also proud of myself in that Liberal Arts Math is not, as I feared, kicking my butt so bad. The instructor took some warming up, but he's a nice guy overall and the class is going well. I've made Bs on all of my tests so....things are going okay there.

Acting is a lot of fun. I'm really enjoying it and the more the class goes on the more I like it. The instructor is really enthusiastic and fun and so far, so good. We have a big monologue assignment that is our mid-term so....that happens on Wednesday. Wish me luck. I feel really prepared so we'll see how it goes. :)

Biology and Biology lab are kind of weird. The instructor is elderly, as I said before, and has a bunch of medical appointments that he keeps canceling classes for. As such, it's really hard to get used to my schedule this semester because it changes from week to week. We're covering a lot (LOT) of information every class and seeing as I haven't had a science class of any kind in, oh, 20 years or so....it's keeping me on my toes to be sure. The sexist comments continue, as do his inappropriate stories and what-not, but as long as I pass the class, I don't care. We're starting up a lot of debates on hot-topic issues following spring break. Why we are doing this kind of thing in a science class I don't know, but whatever. I usually do very well in those types of settings so....I'm hopeful it will all go well....as long as the rest of my group doesn't screw me over. I never have good luck with group work.

Wellness class still irritates me, but it's just another class I'm trying to survive. I'm doing okay in it and I think it'll be okay overall. My Wellness plan for the semester was approved and basically all I have to do is try to eat three times a day and get to the pool three times a week and I'm golden. Of course, these things will be challenges as I usually only eat once a day and finding the time to get to the pool will take some work but....it's all good. I haven't participated in a single gym day yet and considering that they do not count for much for the overall grade, I may just call in sick those days altogether. We shall see.

Aside from all of that, I'm just focusing on moving forward with admittance to MSU. Since my mother is an alumni from there, I qualify for in-state instead of out-of-state tuition, which is a huge savings! My application is in for evaluation and I've sent off the requests for all of the transcripts. Now I just have to wait to have everything evaluated and see if they admit me. It will all depend on how much of my previous work they want to give me credit for. We shall see.

Anyhoo....that's the latest. I'm finding this whole back-to-school experience to be very interesting to say the least. I'm realizing a few things about myself through it.

1) I take a hella lot of notes. Probably too many, but I don't know what else to do.

2) I am appreciating the experience a lot more than I would have when I was 18 or whatever. College the first time for me when I was 16 and 17 was just about getting through the program, getting done, and moving on with life. Now I am able to really appreciate the educational experience and enjoy the learning.

3) Things have changed a LOT since the last time I took a science class. :)

4) If I give myself permission to not be so grown-up and tight-laced, a lot of things like my acting class are really fun. Choosing to take that class has been really good for me on a lot of levels.

5) I'm a lot more capable than I thought I would be and I am constantly surprising myself.

6) I don't give myself enough credit. I tend to doubt myself and my abilities a lot. I need to work on that.

So....the experience moves on. We'll see how mid-terms go and hopefully I'll hear from MSU soon.

Cheers all!

Who Says You Can't Go Home Again?

Greetings all. :)

Hope everyone had good Turkey Days. Mine was filled with homework, homework, and then, for a change of pace, some homework. :) Finals time is upon us. This upcoming week is the last of regular classes, then it's finals week, then a nice winter break until classes start again on the 5th of January. The workload is crazy and I'm pretty much just focusing on Spanish. I feel very confident in my Microcomputer Applications class so....that's kind of a gimme grade. :) It's always nice to have one of those every semester. Comp II is going well, I think, but I have not as yet received my research paper grade. I do know that my group got the highest score on our poetry unit test so...that's all going well. I'm not worried about passing that class. I'm currently putting the finishing touches on my Humanities paper on Hannah Senesh. Then it's just a matter of studying for that final. Luckily, some of it will come from the mid-term so that helps. I feel fairly confident about that test and class. Spanish is my trouble spot. Our recent three-unit test really kicked my ass. I'm having so much trouble with the uses of ser and estar and the preterite tenses....woe is me. I did have an A in the class before that test, which I got a 74 on. Happily, she graded on a curve and I noticed much, much worse grades than mine so....hope springs eternal. We have one last vocab test on Tuesday that can help bolster a grade, and I'm getting 100's on all of my homework so....keep your fingers crossed on that for me.

My classes for next semester are already scheduled and then sometime mid-January I will fill out the paperwork to graduate and will then have an Associates Degree in Liberal Arts in May. :) My diploma I got in Business Computer Applications back in '90 does not seem like a real college degree of any kind (and isn't counted as one either), so this will be my first real college degree and I'm very excited. This experience at CF has been really good. I'm looking forward to next semester and the classes. Liberal Arts Math....maybe not so much. Nor their "Personal Wellness" class. But I always enjoyed science classes in lower school years, so I'm looking forward to Biology and the lab. I'm also curious to see how my Acting class goes. I'm hoping that class will be fun.

As for the future, there have been more developments in that department. Truth be told, I have never had any desire, whatsoever, to live in Orlando. I don't even like driving down there. But for the purpose of the future, I resigned myself to Orlando and UCF because I am determined to complete my education and get into animated film. However, like Rasmussen (grrr!), UCF's programming is not animation specific. It is a digital media program that employs aspects like web design (which I hate), and regular design classes which do not interest me. So....I've been not exactly excited about the future of my education, but more accepting that UCF would be a better fit than UF or any of the other schools here. I had checked out programming back in Seattle (home! I miss you!!) and other parts of the country, and UCF seemed to be the better deal. UNTIL....I had a discussion with my mother. I don't know what prompted it, but we were discussing education and the subject of SMSU came up. That is the university she went to in Springfield, Missouri and she enjoyed going there. It has recently come to my attention that the education I received in the Springfield public school system was exemplary and head and shoulders above anything offered here in Florida by far. Anyhow, when she mentioned SMS (now MSU) I decided to check them out online. WHAT A STROKE OF LUCK!!!! For a small-town school, they have an AMAZING program for Computer Animation that is just about computer animation. Capstone projects that are computer animation. AND they offer a Screenwriting minor! The course descriptions and coursework are so exciting and so much better than UCF! Plus, honestly, I hate Florida, I always have. It's simply where I've ended up at this point in life, but it's certainly not somewhere I have any desire to remain. But I am an Ozark Mountain girl at heart and would like to live somewhere with four real seasons again.

So....instead of heading to UCF next fall, I will be moving back to mighty MO and starting classes at MSU. They, like UCF, give priority admission to those transfer students with a completed Associates degree so I feel fairly confident about admission. I'm excited to head to a school with better educational opportunity and a program more tailored to exactly the type of work I want to be doing upon graduation. So....we'll see if it's true that you can't go home again. :) I have not been back to Springfield in well over 20 years so it will be interesting so see how things have changed. But the eye is still on the prize - - completing my degree and then hopefully interning somewhere like Pixar, then eventually moving on to completing my own animated films and living back in my beloved Seattle. So...changes are afoot as always.

Wish me luck with these finals y'all - I need it! Cheers!