Oops! Bad Me!! Bad!!

So....hi. :) Well....all y'all who read this are probably like "WTH? Did she die? Fall off the planet? WTF?" All I can say is...oops. :)

I'll be really, really honest here that life has been a bit on the complicated side as of late, and if I'm being really, really, REALLY honest, I've kind of been dialing it in a bit this quarter. I kinda lost my mojo there for a while. I don't know why. Just seems like this quarter has been weird for me. I dunno if it's the amount of classes, or the fact that a couple of them annoy me beyond the telling, but I've been having some motivational issues. I do, however, believe that whatever academic funk I fell into I have crawled out of and I will endeavor to do better about updating things. I'm bad, I know, smack my hand, whatever, moving on. :)

So....when last we left things it was the end of Week 2 and I had just posted Week 1's grades. We are now approaching the end of Week 6. Eek! I am so seriously, seriously behind.

So....week 2's grades went like this:

World Geography

Maps Assignment: 90%
Week 2 Discussion: 100%
Written Assignment Place Essay: 100%

Overall: 97.5%

Creative Writing

Week 2 Discussion: 100%
Week 2 Journal Entry: 100%
Week 2 Story Analysis: 100%

Overall: 100%

College Algebra

Week 2 Algebra Problems: 96%
Week 2 Discussion: 100%
Week 2 Test: 90%

Overall: 95%

Astronomy

Week 2 Exploration: 100%
Week 2 Discussion: 90%

Overall: 95.71%

Fundamentals of Web Authoring and Design

Week 2 Discussion: 85%
Week 2 Lab: 100%

Overall: 98%

Week 2 was a while ago, but as you can see, things weren't sucking too bad. Yeah, you can tell by the tone that things have changed. Did you doubt it? PLEASE! I have College Algebra this quarter - things suck beyond the telling! So - highlights of Week 2 to post for you: My Place Essay from World Geography (on Seattle) and my Story Analysis from Creative Writing on Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway (whose writing I hate with a fiery passion). Enjoy!

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World Geography - Place Essay (this was supposed to be an essay suggesting a travel destination of our favorite choice for someone. Naturally, I chose Seattle cuz....well...have you met me? :) )

A wonderful travel destination is the city of Seattle, Washington in the United States of America. Located in the lush evergreen mountains, Seattle is a city surrounded by clear, blue water and rich with culture. Native American and Asian cultural influences abound in Seattle, from the Japanese Gardens and Chinatown areas, to the many Native American tribes located in and around the city including the Sammamish, the Snoqualmie, the Puyallup, and the Tulalip. Seattle is also a wonderful place to visit for outdoor activities like hiking, mountain climbing, mountain biking, and kayaking. All of your outdoor equipment needs can be met at the large REI shop located in the beautiful downtown area, which features a rock climbing wall and the ability to try out the merchandise in the store before buying it.
Seattle’s rich cultural life includes the Pioneer Square neighborhood, with its underground tour of the city and its informative markers and museums relating to Seattle’s history as a pioneering town. The Seattle Monorail, Seattle Art Museum, the Pike Place Market, the Experience Music Project, the Ballard Locks, the Seattle Aquarium, and the many wonderful performances at Benaroyal Hall by the Seattle Symphony and the Seattle Ballet make for wonderful places to visit and soak in some of Seattle’s art and cultural offerings. Favorite tourist destinations include the Seattle Space Needle and the Fremont Troll. The environment in Seattle is rich with the smell of coffee and clean air, and vibrant within the many interconnected neighborhoods and communities from the hippie culture of Fremont to the Victorian houses in Queen Anne, to the museums and edgy shops of the University District. Seattle has many small, independently owned shops, bookstores, and independent marketplaces that are encouraged to thrive by the city’s populace, which vocally opposes any infiltration by the more established larger chain retailers. Seattle works to maintain its independence and culture and makes a wonderful destination for anyone to visit.

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Creative Writing - Story Analysis – More Hills Like White Elephants (just to let you know that I keep it real everywhere).

1. In one or two sentences, summarize the plot of the story.

The basic plot of the story revolves around a man and a woman discussing whether or not the woman should have an abortion. Throughout the story, the man is basically rationalizing why getting the abortion is no big deal, and the woman is essentially following his lead.

2. What is the major conflict in the story and how is it resolved?

As stated above, the major conflict is the issue of whether or not the girl should get the abortion. The male character is playing the typical male role of father figure, characterized by Hemingway naming him, yet referring to the female character simply as The Girl. The male character basically browbeats and manipulates the situation into the girl finally agreeing to undergo the procedure.

3. What is the position of the main character at the beginning of the story and at the end? Is there a gain or loss?

Assuming that Robert is considered the main character in the story, his position at the beginning of the story is as a manipulator, trying to talk his girlfriend into aborting a child he doesn’t want. For all intents and purposes, he gains at the end by getting the girl to agree.

4. Explain how plot is entwined with character in this story. In your answer, share whether or not you feel the two characters are acting naturally to what happens. To what extent do their character traits actually determine what happens in the plot?

The plot and character are intertwined in the story by the entire story being about the characters and their discussion of whether or not she should have the abortion. I don’t think the characters act naturally to what happens, but I believe most of that is due to Hemingway’s not really fleshing out the characters very much. There’s nothing about them to make the reader invested in their struggle. Both characters come off as detached and indifferent to the entire situation. The characters traits entirely determine what happens in the plot. Robert plays the role of wheedling manipulator, Hadley plays the role of the weak female willing to do anything do make her man happy.

5. Can you imagine another good ending for the story? Why or why not?

As a hardcore feminist, I can imagine a lot of better endings for this story. Hadley actually growing a spine and a character and standing up for herself would have been lovely. Robert being less pushy and less unwilling to actually discuss the issue at hand rather than push his own agenda would have been nice too. I would have preferred a better interaction and more realistic dialogue in the story for the situation. But as the story is, it’s entirely Hemingway and his version of the male/female dynamic, which I personally despise.

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Okay so....that was Week 2. Week 3 went like this:

World Geography

Maps Assignment: 93.33%
Exam 1: 80.85% (something went wrong with this assignment online so this grade is null and void but....this is what I got on it anyway)

Overall: 88.98%

Creative Writing

Week 3 Journal Entry Discussion: 100%
Week 3 Written Assignment - Name Character: 100%
The Fiction Project - Outline Plot from Journal: 100%

Overall: 100% (sensing a trend here?)

College Algebra

Week 3 Algebra Problems: 88%
Week 3 Test on Chapter 1: 65%
Week 3 Discussion: 100%

Overall: I didn't get at the time and it's cumulative so....sorry.

Astronomy

Week 3 Exploration - Composition of the Giants: 86%
Week 3 Discussion - Jupiter the Great: 100% (for this discussion assignment we were supposed to hypothesize what would happen if the Earth were the size of Jupiter and how it would effect mankind's evolution. Aside from myself and one other person, everyone in the class claimed Armageddon would be upon us - depressing and scary people there.)

Overall: 93.81%

Fundamentals of Web Authoring and Design

Week 3 Discussion: 95%
Week 3 Updating Joe's Deli Lab: 85%

Overall: 95.24% (this instructor is this quarter's Typography guy - he's an absolute asshat).

Nothing majorly interesting to share with y'all from Week 3. Sorry. On to Week 4!

World Geography

Week 4 Research Assignment - Rwandan Genocide: 94%
Maps Assignment: 100%
Discussion - Interpreting Movement: 80% (this was the worst discussion assignment ever. She did not clearly explain what she wanted and it was absolutely ridiculous. We all tanked it. Did she take into account maybe she didn't explain it well? Nah! We're all just too dumb. What. Ever.)

Overall: 90.79%

Creative Writing

Week 4 Journal Entry: 100%
Week 4 Story Analysis: 100%
Fiction Project - Build Characters: 100%

Overall: 100%

College Algebra

Week 4 Chapter Problems: 96%
Test on Chapter 2: 60%
Week 4 Discussion: 100%

Overall: 81.05% (I can do okay getting the problems done, but for some reason the tests just kick my ass)

Astronomy

Week 4 Exploration: 90%
Week 4 Discussion: 100%
Week 4 Quiz: 90%

Fundamentals of Web Authoring and Design

Week 4 Design Project - Site Architecture: 100% (his comments? "ok looks fine" Gee - thanks for the feedback)
Week 4 Discussion: 95% (his comments? "good work" No explanation on the discount on my grade)
Week 4 Lab - Joe's Deli: 90%

Overall: 94.75%

So....for Week 4's World Geography class we had to write a research paper on the Rwandan Genocide. I didn't get a 100% on this because I did no in-text citations (which I never do - I think they're tacky) but aside from that, I think I approached the subject well and honestly - judge for yourself:

World Geography - Week 4 Rwandan Genocide Research Paper

In 1994, the two main factions of the Rwandan people declared yet another war on each other, resulting in the deaths of over 800,000 people. The war was the result of decades of ongoing tensions between the Tutsi and Hutu tribes in Rwanda. As far as laying blame for the conflict, the main blame belongs to the Rwandan people themselves. Rather than attempt to work out differences between one another in a civilized manner, they chose to attempt to exterminate each other. The history of the region basically states that the Belgian government took over Rwanda from the Germans after World War I. They chose to offer benefits such as wealth, cattle and status to the Tutsi minority, and the Hutu majority was left as the lower income working class. This caused tensions that sparked conflicts between tribes well before the 1994 incident.

In answer to the question of whether or not the United States or the United Nations could have done anything to help, my answer would be no. This is a similar situation, in my mind, to that faced with the Palestinian versus Jewish conflict in the Middle East. Both sides are convinced that they are right and that there is no recourse other than wiping out the other. Rather than have United States or United Nations servicemen and women killed, I believe it is best to stay out of these kinds of conflicts and focus more on our own country and dealing with our issues before trying to police the world. It was suggested in my reading that the United States or United Nations could have threatened to impose sanctions to get the Hutu people to fall back into line, but based on this history of this region, I believe that it would only have been a matter of time before all out war was declared.

As to how I would handle living in such an environment, while the United States is not a third-world nation, we do have our own inner conflicts that still exist to this day. Living in a southern state in America, it is not hard to see that ethnic hatred and intolerance exist here. It would be remiss and ridiculous to assume that we are by any means free of the same kinds of hatred and violent predilection that exist in Rwanda. The Ku Klux Klan is still in operation, and more and more people are factioning themselves off and turning on one another based on race, religion, sexual preference, or economic disparity. Living in a country like Rwanda would be a difficult life, with no real options for education or future growth unless you were part of the more privileged minority. It is hard to speculate on what a life in these types of countries is like. If you are part of the majority, without power or education, then you will believe what your leaders tell you and act accordingly. If you are part of the privileged minority, then you will be raised with an “us-versus-them” mentality and a preconceived theory of entitlement over your fellow man.

As to why these kinds of conflicts arise, very simply they are based on ignorance, intolerance, hatred, and the absolute belief of one side that they are right and the other is wrong. Without the tolerance to allow all peoples to exist, regardless of whether or not your beliefs are the same, there will always be conflicts and war. Add to that issue the circumstances present in the Rwandan conflict of a privileged minority discriminating and trying to hold down the lesser majority, and you have the perfect ingredients for conflict and war. Deep-seeded notions of entitlement, hatred, intolerance, ignorance and anger are passed down generation to generation, and without the education and understanding that other conflict resolutions are possible; people become mired in a status quo of destruction and death.

I believe all people have the right to live freely. I believe all people are responsible for their own actions and that the circumstances in which you are raised are simply that, circumstances. It is up to the individual to believe what they are taught, or to try to find a different way. Some of the Hutu people believed differently than their brethren and tried to help the Tutsi people. The United Nations sent peacekeepers to try to show the people of Rwanda that there were other options besides war. Once those people made their determination that extinction was the only answer, I firmly believe the United Nations and the Unites States were right in pulling their people out of Rwanda. In situations like this, as in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, when people are determined no matter what that war is the only solution, it goes beyond anything any outside agency or governing body can control. I for one do not believe there will ever be peace in the Middle East. Both sides are completely certain that they are right and that the other side has no place in their world or their country. These people will continue to fight until they either obliterate the other or themselves. Similarly, the Hutu and Tutsi people in Rwanda have been having altercations and wars since their country’s beginning. The world can look on and say tragedy took place and lament the losses, but the fact is that those people chose to turn on one another, and the odds are, they will choose at some later point to do it again. The United States and United Nations can counsel, they can try to help people to see other options in a situation, but barring that, I believe it to be the height of arrogance and stupidity to interfere in an ethnic war not of our making or understanding.
 
Resources

Anderson, T. (2009). RWANDEN GENOCIDE. Rwandan Genocide, 1-3. http://search.ebscohost.com
(2009). The difficulty of trying to stop it happening ever again. Economist, 390(8626), 45-46. http://search.ebscohost.com
Baldauf, S. (2009, April 7). Why the US didn’t intervene in the Rwandan genocide. Christian Science Monitor, p. 6. http://search.ebscohost.com

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So....that was Week 4. For Week 5, it's a good thing I decided to go and update this because I had to go and look for my grades and found that my Web Authoring dick of a teacher did not grade my discussions properly - he gave me a zero for one saying I did no posts - dumbass. So....sent him a little e-mail requesting he remove head from sphincter, then grade (but actually nicely and respectfully asked he re-check - still - same overall sentiment). Ugh. Anyhoo....aside from that, here's how the rest broke down:

World Geography

Week 5 Discussion: 100% (this discussion was over whether environment, culture or both effect how a society prospers. I said environment. Whatever.)

Overall: 95% (this will be my mid-term grade so....solid A there)

Creative Writing

Week 5 Discussion: 100%
Week 5 Journal Entry: 100%
Fiction Project - Describe the Setting: 100%

Overall: 100% (again, solid A here. Nothing major to post. I'm not going to post my journal entries here because they're personal and as for the Fiction Project, I'm just going to wait and post the final result.) :)

College Algebra

Week 5 Discussion: 100%
Week 5 Test on Chapter 3: 55% (now, this was after I finally scheduled regular tutoring sessions for every week in this class - for some reason, I am having serious disconnect on these quizzes!)
Week 5 Algebra Problems: 95%

Overall: 82.41 (this - I think is actually close to C territory. I will be honest people, I simply want to pass this class, that is all - just pass it and not have to retake it. As long as I'm above 70%, I think I'm okay.)

Astronomy

Week 5 Exploration: 96%
Week 5 Discussion: 100%

Overall: About 93% (he graded something of Week 6's already so it's thrown off the cumulative. Still an A- though.)

So - again, nothing really postable this week and I'm going to have to wait for clarification on the Web Authoring grade. Ugh. :( See - here's how I know I've been down in a funk - last couple of quarters, I stalked my grades every week. This quarter - if I hadn't gone to update this and checked them, I would not have caught that discrepancy. It's weird - and totally unlike me. But, as I say, I think I have a handle on things now and the rest of the quarter should be better. Life has been really stressful and crazy and I have been fighting some depressive issues so - overall, I think I'm doing pretty good. And as I say - I have found my way back to the light. :)

I have a load of papers I have to complete for all of my classes and lots of quizzes coming up. As I say, we are nearing the end of Week 6 and Monday starts Week 7. I am going to try to be better about updating this as it's for my own good as well as to keep all you friendlies informed. :) Sorry I've been behind. Guess I did kinda fall off the planet there for a while, but I'm back now. :) Okay so....until Week 6's grades arrive - cheers! ;)

P.S. - It should go without saying, but, again, everything written here belongs to ME and ME alone!!!! Don't be a loser and steal my stuff. You don't have the snark, and you know it.

P.P.S - Almost forgot - things are going well in my 3D Animation class. My grade is an A, but I won't have anything to post really until our final paper and projects are finished - but it's all good! :)

End of Week 2/Week 1 Grades

Hi all.

So far it's been a pretty good week. I've gotten a better handle on my time organization now that I have a week under my belt with all six classes. It's a juggle, but I'm doing alright. :) Yay.

Assignments this week are going well, aside from the reading in my Creative Writing book. Y'all, I don't know if there's something in the paper or ink of that book or what, but I kid you not, when I open it to read it, I can't read past the second paragraph without my eyes immediately closing. I close that book and I wake right up. It is seriously, seriously weird. :)

With the end of Week 2, Week 1's grades have finally been posted and so....without further ado, here are my grades for Week 1 of classes:

World Geography - we only had a discussion posting assigned for Week 1 so....that was kind of easy. I got 100%.

Creative Writing - we had a discussion post, two journal entries, and a quiz on our reading. I got 100% on all of them.

College Algebra - we had two tutorials we had to do to learn how to correctly put together and submit our homework. One in MS Equation Editor and one in MS Graph Chart - I got 100% on both. Then we had a discussion posting which was us answering and submitting our answer to one problem for the initial post, and then checking the work of a classmate for our reply post. I got 100% on this as well. Then we had our assigned problems we had to work out and submit on our chapter. I got 92%! I was so freaking happy with that I cannot even fully express it! So far, so good!

Astronomy - we had a discussion in this class that I referenced in previous posts. Seems that asking the follow-up question got me some more points on that. My discussion grade was 90%. We also had a written assignment and my grade on that was 96%. So....this class is kind of a struggle for me but I'm doing the best I can.

Web Authoring & Design - we had a discussion post on HTML vs. Dreamweaver that I referenced earlier here. I managed to not sound like a complete idiot apparently and I got 100% on that. I also got my project idea approved and 100% on the proposal. Lastly we had our hand-coded HTML webpage that I was really, really worried about, but it turned out I got 100% on it. Yay. :)

So....my class percentages are currently as follows:

World Geography: 100%
Creative Writing: 100%
College Algebra: 97.33%
Astronomy: 94.29%
Web Authoring & Design: 100%

I'm going to have to work on and watch that Astronomy grade because the cutoff for an A is 93%. I so want to get my 4.0 this quarter, y'all! Please, please, please!! The six classes are a LOT of work, as I anticipated, but also like I anticipated, I can handle it just fine. I'm learning lots of new things and it's all getting very interesting. There are no grades currently for 3D Animation because the way class is structured, we're working on pieces of our final projects to submit. Our first piece is our completed storyboards and they are due to be presented this coming Wednesday night, along with preliminary modeling and texturing. I'll keep you apprised as to the results.

As far as assignments to share with you, this first week really didn't have anything shareable, but the assignments I'm working on this week show a little more promise. As always, watch this space! :) Cheers all.

End of Week 1 - WOW! o.O

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!

This Makes Me Feel a Little Better

Hey everybody!

Well....Fall Quarter starts on Monday! Actually, the online classes will be available at 12:01 a.m. Sunday/Monday so....I'll be up to get online and check it all out! :)

I have good news! Despite the issue with my Drawing Design grade, I still managed to make the Dean's List and also made the Perfect Attendance List - two quarters in a row! Didn't make the Director's List (again) but there's always Fall Quarter, right? :) This makes me feel a bit better. My overall GPA for two quarters is 3.84, which really isn't that bad. Right? Sure. Okay. Moving on....

I have been reading ahead in all of my course books. I'm going to have some problems with the Astronomy one, I can tell you right now. Partly because I keep confusing the word Astronomy with Astrology, and partly because I'm not sure I buy some of the stuff they are selling. How do they know all this stuff about billions of light years from us and all that jazz? I will be interested in seeing some PROOF!! :)

My World Geography book and atlas are MASSIVE! And very detailed. Pretty much this quarter's Intro to Business reading. Large pages, small print, very small margins so there's lots to read on a page, and interminably long chapters. Oy! But, it is kind of interesting. I think I'll learn a lot.

The Creative Writing book I mentioned in a previous post. I'm not really impressed with it. I hope the lecture and assignments in that class make up for how much the book sucks. We shall see.

My new 3DS Max book is chock full of lots of cool stuff, but the best part of that class has never been the book, it's the class. I really enjoy it and am looking forward to diving back in again. The only downside? It's on Wednesday nights which means I miss Glee. :( Sad. But, luckily there's Hulu so...moving on! :)

College Algebra is going to be a hot mess no matter what. I watched the first couple of tutorials and it makes sense, which worries me. Math and I, we've never been close. We'll see what kind of relationship builds over this quarter. Again, I think that's a class that's going to be made or broken by the lectures, assignments, and instructor.

Web Design book is all about Dreamweaver. It's the one I'm trying to work my way through now. So far, it's interesting. I'm trying to read as far ahead as I can in case I'm in a class with people who already know the program. The one downfall I have found in some of my classes it that the instructors skew to those who know the most, not those who know the least. Makes for a lot of outside-of-class work if you're on the lower end of the scale.

So....that's the latest. I am somewhat pacified by making both lists again for Summer Quarter. I'm still ticked about that grade, but I'm trying to get it go. It's a process. :) Anyhoo....that's the latest. I'll be back after classes start with all the latest news! Cheers until then!

Saying I'm Pissed is the Understatement of the Century!

Hi all.

Well....it's the beginning of the second week of break. Fall Quarter starts next Monday.

I have lots of news, but we'll start with what is making me see red this morning. They finally posted grades for the Summer Quarter and my Drawing Design and Art Theory grade went from a B at Mid-Term to a B- at the final. Basically, this has jacked my GPA to 3.84 overall. I am not a happy person right now. For one thing, I'd like to know why the hell the instructor never answered the two e-mails I sent asking for my final project and class grades. He said to send an e-mail and he would reply LAST MONDAY and never replied to anything. So that ticked me off from the start. Second, WTF is with my grade going DOWN when he and everyone else in the class said I'd made the most progress in the course???!!! I'm just.....uuuugggghhh! Grrrrrr!!! Not a happy person AT ALL!!! >:( So, needless to say, that's seriously got my back up this morning. Happy Monday to me. :( The rest of my grades for the quarter were as expected, A in E-Commerce, A in Intro to Business, A in Intro to 3D Arts and Animation. So....yeah....whatever.

Moving on.....I have received my books for next quarter and WOW! that's a lotta stuff! Breaking it down for ya:

College Algebra has a massive book, massive workbook, 9-disc tutorial and 5-disc problem thingy. Needless to say, this is going to be my rough class this quarter.

World Geography has a giant book and a giant atlas book that goes with it. Geography has always been something I have trouble with so....this will be a challenge as well.

Astronomy (which I keep confusing with Astrology), has just one book and it's mostly pictures. Very pretty pictures at that. I have a feeling that class will have lots of lecture, otherwise it's going to be hard to learn online. We shall see.

Creative Writing has one little book with it. I read the first chapter and it's okay. I just really wish that some of these writing books, specifically those written by women, would use more female writers than always falling back on the same male writers we've all read a million times before. Can't we move forward and realize women have been writing, and writing astounding works, just as long as men and try to highlight some of that? Is it asking too much? Apparently so. :( Ah well....we shall see. It's more of the same highbrow crap that drives me nuts too. I'm not much for the flowery writing, I like honest, straightforward, real prose. I dunno. It'll be interesting to see if that instructor is male or female.

Fundmentals of Web Authoring and Design has a Teach Yourself Dreamweaver in 24 Hours book that goes with it. Since the only web authoring I've ever done has been on Microsoft Front Page, and the only coding a severely basic smattering of HTML and then a ton of Visual Basic, suffice it to say that I've got some learning to do on this software. :)

Our book for our next level 3D Animation class is very interesting. It's an older book, but it does have more in it about stuff than our last book so....combined together and with the lecture and lab work, I think it'll be another fun class. I like working in 3DS Max and I like modeling - I could totally see myself doing that all day.

So....that's the latest. I am very, very, very unhappy about the grade I got in Drawing Design, but it's done and there's nothing I can do about it now. :( Time to move on to the next exciting quarter. In the meantime, I know I'll be spending a good portion of this week online playing Evony and Plants vs. Zombies, which I have gotten addicted to. I expect the intervention will commence any day now. "Amy, step away from the computer...." :)

I shall return next week with all the latest news from the new Fall Quarter. Cheers until then!