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!

Moving Forward

Greetings all! And a very Happy New Year to you and yours!

All in all, 2010 was not the worst ever for me. I made some major life changes and moved schools, had some interesting experiences and learned a lot. Going back to school was a very intimidating thought for me in the beginning, but now I feel much more confident in my learning and studying abilities and for the most part I’m enjoying the educational experience.

Last semester was very intense. My Comp II class was very challenging for me, and Spanish I was a whole new experience in torture, but I persevered and managed to end the semester with a 4.0. :) I was very, very excited and happy with that.

I am now moving into my final semester at CF. In all honesty, switching to CF from Rasmussen was pretty much the best decision I’ve made educationally. Rasmussen was not able to give me the kind of education I was looking for, and CF has allowed me to ease back into the real college environment and get prepared for transferring to a regular four-year college. I’ve had issues with wrangling with financial aid, and some of my instructors have been a bit hmmm....not great, but the actual experience and education at CF is heads and shoulders above anything Rasmussen could have hoped to offer and I am really, really happy.

Moving forward, classes have now begun for my last semester at CF. I’m both excited by this and a little anxious. I know that these next couple of months will be challenging, but also that they will fly by and I will be dealing with moving schools, moving states, trying to find work and a place to live and things are going to be very, very crazy. That aspect of things I am not looking forward to. But I am looking forward to moving on in my education and getting closer to my educational goals.

I made the most of my time off from school during winter break by picking up some writing books and got some really great writing done over the break. I also spent some time with the family and was able to enjoy the Christmas holiday with my family all together for the first time in about 14 years. So it was a good break, very palate cleansing, and I have returned to classes refreshed and ready to learn.

My first classes were Liberal Arts Math and Acting I. From the syllabus posted online, I had the feeling that my Liberal Arts Math instructor might be a bit of a dick, and he didn’t disappoint in our first lecture and going over the syllabus. However, he did explain things in a very knowledgeable manner and I’m hopeful that as the semester progresses, he will warm up to us and us to him. We have already covered the first chapter and will have our first exam next Wednesday. I have already had to make use of the math lab on campus and am asking lots and lots and lots of questions during the chapter reviews before the test. He’s been very helpful and knowledgeable in answering the questions so....I have hope that I can survive this class this semester.

My Acting class so far has been fun and I’m looking forward to getting more and more involved in that class. I think it’s definitely a better choice than yet another public speaking class. I’ve taken tons of those and there’s no challenge in it for me. This class will have some challenges involved, which will be nice. All of the other people in the class are sooooo young though. They’re shiny and new and just....way too energetic. There are some getting-to-know you game activities that remind me of team-building exercises from when I worked at various jobs (and I am not comfortable with those kinds of exercises), but I am trying to play along and allow myself a little freedom. Most of all, I hope this class helps me get a handle on voice, movement, blocking, and other aspects for my animating in the future, and also helps me with being able to perform my own poetry and short stories at slams and readings. Wish me luck!

My Biology and Wellness classes are the banes of my existence this semester and really irritate me personally on many levels. To start off with, my Biology professor is about 70, getting ready to retire, and just really doesn’t want to work anymore. Every lecture is a series of vignettes and stories he tells where he gets off topic, and they are very sexist and insulting on many levels. He also has “offered” people opt-outs on the final if you a) do 20 hours of community service, b) give blood, c) agree to be an organ donor, or d) engage in a weight loss program during the semester. Well....I’m not a convict and I have limited amounts of time so option A is out for me. I do not believe in giving blood or organ donation/transplants so B and C are out and as far as D is concerned, that is just really inappropriately getting into people’s personal business in my opinion. He’s already informed us that he’s been a coach for however long and loves to call people fat, etc. and that.....is just not the kind of stuff to say around me. I don’t appreciate the sexism and I don’t appreciate a professor using a position of authority to pass judgments on others. Especially not for a class I am paying for. However, I am holding my tongue and just keeping my head down, doing the work and trying to make it through the semester. Unfortunately, this instructor is also the instructor for my lab class so....woe is me.

This “Wellness” class is yet another serious irritation point for me. I’m a bit offended (actually, a LOT offended) by being required, at a state college, to pay for a class that is pushing agendas from the insurance and drug lobbies. The instructor for this class also requires gym days and I have already spoken to her about the fact that unless she is an M.D. with the credentials to back up dealing with my injuries, I’m not doing anything against my well-being. This course REQUIRES you to create a “wellness plan,” and engage in enacting it during the class. This just....irks me on many levels. If I want to change anything about my life, I will do so on my own. I don’t appreciate paying my good money to be forced to take a class that intrudes on my privacy and personal business. It just....really rubs me the wrong way. Plus, I’m almost 40 damn years old – if I wanted to take gym, I’d go back to high school. Ugh. The instructor is all very into the propaganda being enacted in our society through the Big Brother Just Wants You To Be Healthy campaigns, which is just another way for the government and insurance and drug lobbies to keep Americans occupied getting into one another’s business rather than noticing what is being done, and not done, in our country.

Not sure what I’m talking about? Here’s an example. Big Brother tells you to blame the fatties for the high costs of insurance – it costs so much to keep fatties alive right? WRONG! I’ve worked for insurance companies and THEY are the ones creating the BMI charts NOT the government. The insurance lobby pays to have the government enact these BMI charts as what is healthy and what is not. Check out the following for a little eye-opening example of what I’m talking about:

http://kateharding.net/bmi-illustrated/

So....insurance companies are telling everyone to blame fat people for their rising costs of insurance rates. Well...here’s a little newsflash – that’s all bullshit. Fat people can’t get insurance in most cases and if they do, they are paying 3-4 times what everyone else is paying. Also, doctors are so fat-phobic that right now, trying to find a decent doctor is almost impossible, which helps to encourage fat people not to see the doctor. When and if emergencies arise, fat people are treated at the hospital and then go bankrupt when they receive the bills. This, in NO WAY affects anyone’s insurance costs. But the insurance companies won’t tell you that. They’re not about to stand up and say, “Hey! We’re a bunch of money-grubbing greedy bastards and we’re changing the BMI charts and raising costs just because we feel like it and want more money! If we change the BMI charts, we can charge more of you more for your insurance because you’re technically ‘overweight’ or ‘obese’ now – okay? Thanks!” No, they’re going to say, “Hey! Don’t blame us for your costs increasing! Blame those fatties!” All the while skipping to the bank while everyday Americans turn on each other and spend more time getting into everyone else’s business and judging one another rather than paying attention to how things are really functioning in the country. WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!!

So....yeah....I have issues with being REQUIRED to PAY GOOD MONEY to be FORCED to take this stupid, intrusive class where all of this government-sanctioned PROPAGANDA is being shoved down everyone’s throats. *Ahem* (Sorry about that....let me just get off of my soapbox here and put it back in the corner....) So....yeah. Again, I’m just trying to stay cool, keep my head down, and survive the semester. Wish me luck y’all.

So....that is the latest here. Lots and lots of homework this semester with five classes, one being a math class and two being science classes so....updates will be sparse. But as things progress I’m sure I’ll wander by with little tidbits and anecdotes. So....until then...back to the Biology reading and note-taking.

Cheers all – thanks for reading.

Contemplation

Hey all.

Sorry it's been a while but life has been busy. CF really is a different world from any college I've attended before and seems to be a good transitional experience to a regular four-year university. As such, the workload is hella intense and keeps me busy.

We've just passed mid-term week. I only had one "real" mid-term. That was in my Humanities class. That class has not really improved over time. Mostly we sit and listen to the instructor drone over Powerpoint presentations for the entire class time and you can literally feel the minutes of your life slipping away. The mid-term was a fill-in-the-blank type test instead of the standard Scantron, so that sucked fairly majorly. Twelve chapters of information to study to figure out what is required for 20 questions. Even with a review day, it was still way too much to process. I think I maybe scraped a C, but I won't know until Tuesday. Everyone in my class agrees that while no one likes a quiz after every chapter or whatever, a little reinforcement at the end of every chapter would help to get the information straight in our minds. We'll see what comes of it all once the grades come out. Luckily, the mid-term was just practice and doesn't count toward our grade. We are only given scores for a research paper and our final exam so....I need to kick out one hella good paper and study like a crazy woman for the final. I'm getting to know some people in the class and we have a good time.

English Comp II is a bit of a challenge. Our instructor is kind of a world-class wench and tends to change her mind on what she wants from day to day. Makes the writing assignments a little difficult. We didn't have a mid-term per se, but we were tested this week on the end of the short story fiction section of the class. I feel pretty confident on my test. She is very different from my previous writing instructors in that she is obsessive about word count. She also like a lot of in-text citation, which I was always instructed was lazy writing so....my usual happy place this class is not. We have a major paper due in that class as well that I am still struggling to come up with a thesis about. I have the book I'm going to use, but it's not really one of my choosing and so finding something to write about, in conjunction with 10 (10!) literary criticisms which she requires as research is a bit difficult. I've never had an instructor ask for more than 5 sources for any paper so....yeah. That's going on.

My Microcomputer class is pretty much lab time every week. I have a solid 100% and I don't touch any of it until class time. I'm so far ahead of the rest of the class that I will be out of things to do entirely very soon, but the instructor is cool and just lets me work ahead. No worries on that front.

Spanish is going well. I have a solid A and if I am very, very lucky, this will be the last Spanish class I will have to take. I feel confident about the class so that's good and I'm making friends in that class too.

The financial aid situation at CF continues to be an on-going struggle. They are not good at all when it comes to communicating with students and one must continually check in with them to make sure they are processing your file. I finally found one person to meet with and she introduced me to an actual counselor who helped me to see what classes remain for me to get my AA and also helped me to realize that the admissions people had put me in the wrong major. Good info to know. Scheduling will begin for Spring semester soon. I'm actually enjoying my time at CF. With the amount of classes I need, I will have three more semesters to get my AA. It's a longer wait to get to UCF, but you get priority admission in Florida with the AA so it's well worth it. I also discovered that I can take some alternative classes for requirements that I did not know about. For example, for my Oral Communications requirement I can take the Public Speaking the admissions rep told me about OR I can take a writing class OR an acting class. So....options, I likes them. ;)

All the present focus on required courses and general education requirements kind of makes me feel like my design muscles are going to atrophy, but the more time passes, the more I find myself wondering about the path of my future. UCF's Digital Media program is still the current goal, but I have always had other interests and I am wondering now if perhaps tweaking my goals might make better sense in the long run.

I still feel very passionately about the power of the film media and animated film in particular. I also think education is extremely important and being in Florida, and having worked in their elementary education system, I can foresee the death of public education as we have all known it in the very near future. That said, what of digital media in a newer age with more home or private schooling? Won't education need to become more dynamic to keep interest and convey messages? I think it will and I would be interested in being a part of that movement.

Education has always interested me. I've always thought it might be interesting to teach somewhere around the 7th-9th grade English classes. Having been exposed to the Second Step educational materials, knowing the impact those kinds of lessons can have on young minds, and seeing the recent waves of teens suicides, it makes me wonder if a new kind of curriculum and learning isn't desperately needed. I would be very interested in being a part of something that works for the greater good.

I come from a family of worker bees. Being particularly artistic without any final dollar amount of income in mind has never really been encouraged. I tend to be the family black sheep who marches to the beat of her own drummer. As such, I can totally see working as a teacher for minimal income if I know I am making a difference in the world. Working at Pixar making beaucoup de bucks would be sweet, but in reality, even filmmaking in my mind needs to have a purpose, a message, something positive sent out in the world to educate and impact and inform. So....I am wondering about majors, minors and other courses, plus trying to learn of some new ways forward. All this while trying to work on my own writing and art and studying and such. Life is full, even without calls about jobs. C'est la vie.

I'm not a religious person, but I do consider myself to be spiritual and I do have faith. As such, I feel with great conviction that at this moment, I am on exactly the path I am meant to be following, and that I have everything I need, even if not everything I want. And in that much, I'm contented and after my recent dark period, it's a very good feeling. :)

Education goes on. Finals are in December and then a long break until mid-January and Spring semester. In the meantime, it's pretty much the same old same old. Even with all the financial aid mayhem and drama, I'm still very glad I left Rasmussen when I did and that I am at CF. I am making friends and enjoying the campus and a real college experience, even if I am a couple of decades late in having it. Until later y'all! Peace!

Fall Semester 2010

Hey there.

So....there is news. :)

First of all, I did not flunk Spanish II. I got a D, but I did not actually get an F. However, the D was not good enough for admittance to UCF (duh) so I am currently still enrolled at CFCC/CCF/CF/Whatever-they're-calling-themselves-now.

After many visits, phone calls, etc., they have finally gotten financial aid worked out and I am taking a full schedule of courses. Interestingly enough, to get the AA degree that they offer to prep students for transferring to a 4-year college, I only need 2 semesters of coursework so it looks like that is what I will do, Fall and Spring at CF and then transfer to UCF for next fall.

My schedule for this semester is as follows:

Microcomputer Applications. This is basically a Microsoft Office 2007 course. I already know this stuff, but it's a requirement and hopefully an easy A class. It meets in one of CF's computer labs and their labs are 8 million percent better than anything Rasmussen had to offer. I still feel so ripped off by Rasmussen. If there was a way, I'd try to get my money back. The teacher is an older lady, but seems super nice and the coursework should not be too hard at all. I never actually took any classes on Access so I'm hoping I might learn something there. We shall see.

Freshman Composition II. Another required class. I always enjoy English and writing classes so this should be good. The teacher is another older lady who also teaches at one of the local high schools. She's been teaching close to 30 years and it shows. You can tell she's the teacher the high school kids hope they don't get. All in all though, should be a good class, I hope.

Spanish I. Back to the Spanish drawing board. Same teacher as my online Spanish II class last semester and it actually meets in the same classroom I had Statistics in (little bit of trivia there). Looks like it's going to be intensive, but I found some books she recommended at the college library (which, incidentally, is an AWESOME library!), so I'm feeling good about starting over here.

Introduction to the Humanities. Yet one more required course. While waiting for the classroom to open, myself and another older student noticed this skinny, ponytailed dude in all black being led around by an administrative aide explaining things to him and we both had a sinking feeling he was going to be our instructor. Yep, he was. When he wrote his name on the board, I got another sinking feeling as he is a Rev. Dr. and has a fruity, hippy name. Turns out he's a "minister" at "an interfaith church" where "we love everyone equally" and I....threw up a little in my mouth. Ugh. He's a real space cadet this one. He thinks he's amusing and gets upset when people don't laugh at his not-funny jokes and comments. There are a LOT of young kids in this class (I feel so old) and so this is going to be the hard class this semester I can tell. Surviving these lectures is going to be hard. Just the first intro meeting class was the longest hour and a half of my life. I hope he gets organized and can get things on track, otherwise I'm going to have to invest in no-doze. The class has the potential to be interesting, and the book looks very interesting so....we'll see if he can step it up at all. And also as a side note - a ponytail? Really? Dude, the 60's called - they want their look back.

So....that's the situation currently. CF is actually more like a "real" college than anywhere I've attended before, so I think these two semesters will help me transition better to a four-year college. Now that the financial aid seems to be all squared away, I was able to get my books and have everything I need. As with Rasmussen, I'll post and share what I can as the semester continues. But things are looking up and I'm really feeling much better, more motivated, and more excited about learning again. Yay! That's the latest! Cheers!

Quick Fly-By

Hi all.

I know, it's been a while. Life is kind of crazed at the moment. Last quarter was so much easier with not having a job! Work is taking up a lot of my time, which is okay because they are giving me money. :) However, it cuts into having time to blog and such. I do still plan to get on here this weekend and post some of my stuff. Lots is going on.

First and foremost, let me tell y'all that I am in a Drawing Design and Art Theory class with world-class artists and illustrators and it is KILLING me!! These people are so f-ing talented and I am the weak link fer sure!!! I'm working on getting better, but in the meantime, you'll have lots to chuckle about when I post some of my sketches.

Intro to 3D animation is awesome! Loving that class. We're already working toward our final project and laying the groundwork. We cover so much in that class each week! And I can only do my homework at school since that's where the $3500 3ds Max software lives. But I will get stuff up - promise.

E-Commerce and Intro to Business are boring as hell! No real shock there. This week is all about micro- and macro-economics. Bo-ring! Quite the snoozefest. I don't even remember what E-Commerce was about this week, I just know I finished my assignments.

So far, and we're going into Week 4 here, I have straight A's. Yay! Let's hope it stays that way.

Also - I'm thinking about trying to double-major in both Digital Design and Animation and Game Design. I'm going to the school to talk to my counselor tomorrow.

Also also - tomorrow is my birthday! Yay me! Already bought the booze!! :)

So....that's the latest. I will return - promise - watch this space! Laters!