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!

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.

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!

End of the Quarter and All That Jazz

Hey again all.

So....this quarter has not been very conducive to the blogging, that's for sure. Six classes is a crazy lot and leaves no time for any kind of life; especially not when College Algebra is part of the schedule. So....sorry I've been so lax here as of late. First and foremost, let me say that I am extremely glad this quarter is over. It was long and hard and fast and crazy, all at the same time. It definitely felt different than my previous two quarters. I did not have nearly enough time to fully concentrate on everything I wanted to, and I had a great deal of frustration this quarter. I also was very sick twice this quarter, plus had a great deal of family and personal life drama going on so....yeah....it's been a wild and weird 11 weeks. But, it is over! Huzzah!! I have determined that I am going back to a regular four class schedule and told all of my nearest and dearest that if they ever hear me mention increasing my courseload again, they have my permission to slap me completely senseless. So....there's that.

Final grades are still coming in, but I have three I can share with you and some projects from all of them. As more come online, I'll be back to update you.

First, let's go ahead and discuss algebra. This class was the bane of my existence this quarter. I am not a math person - at all. I can spell anything you want me to, and I'm a pretty good writer, but math is not my thing. Oddly enough, I can program mathematical calculations in programs like Excel and make wonderful things result, but your basic mathematics is not for me. It took about two weeks of me trying to get through all that nonsense on my own to realize that I couldn't and needed some serious help. Luckily, the tutor center at school had someone on staff who was awesome and got me through the quarter. It was also a very, very difficult class to take online. In a classroom setting, if you have questions you can ask the instructor right then and get the concepts explained to you. Online, you're at the liberty of your instructor's life schedule and ours admitted that we were her third job, and she had a family so....guess where we came in? She did the best she could and was very helpful and understanding, but it was a really difficult class to take online.

Almost as difficult as actually working out the problems was entering them in the Word document using Equation Editor and Graph Editor for submissions. The graphing part was an absolute nightmare and I kept getting things lost in the translation. Another really difficult part for me was all of the online quizzes. It's really hard to work off of the computer screen like that for me. I also had serious problems with the quizzes timing out on me and eating all of my work while I was taking the time to work the problems out on paper. So....about halfway through the quarter I started writing out the quizzes, then going back and entering the answers after I'd worked the problems out. It improved my grade immensely and kept the system from booting me so much. I had similar booting problems with other quizzes in my other classes, no matter which browser I tried to use. Since I've yet to have a quiz that is not open book, I really wish the quizzes came with a print option so you could print them out and work them on paper and then submit the answers. None of them are timed either so....I don't see why that can't be added it. But, whatever. Either way, thanks to writing those out, getting tutoring help from tutor girl and the SmarThinking online tutoring, I managed to get a solid C in that class. I passed and never have to take that again! And there was much rejoicing!!! :)

Second class to discuss - Fundamentals of Web Authoring and Design. This class was the class that put the nail in the coffin of me ever taking design classes online ever again. I thought no instructor could be worse than my Typography instructor from my first quarter - I was so wrong. This guy was just....where to begin? Unprofessional does not seem a strong enough word. His version of feedback on something was "ok, looks good". WTH is that??!! He would say "great job!" on a discussion grade, but only give 95% with no explanation of why there were percentage points taken off. When he did post in the forums, which was rare, it was usually some snotty comment. There was a big issue with an assignment that in his mind was a big research paper but read as a regular written assignment and he couldn't understand why us stupid students couldn't figure it out. He asked me for clarification, which I gave (and very politely too tyvm - I want a cookie and a gold star for that) and he still wanted to argue the point and then just said "I don't get it but, whatever." He gave no lecture notes and only linked Adobe tutorials which you can find on your own. Our book was Teach Yourself Dreamweaver in 24 Hours, and that's what we did. We taught ourselves and he dialed it in and did the least amount possible to pull down the paycheck. For less than I paid for this class, I could have bought the damn book myself and gotten the same experience, but without the snotty commentary from the instructor. And when we had a problem with linking our final projects and were told to contact our instructor, what did he say? Pay $4 on our own for some web space cuz he didn't know either. And who was his favorite student? The guy who used sexist female imagery on his final project of course! Is there something I'm missing here about graphic design? Is every guy in graphic design a sexist asshat or am I just getting lucky here with these instructors?

Either way, I have made it very clear I will not pay for anymore classes with this instructor and I will not take anymore design classes online. They are completely ineffectual and the instructors do not do the job when it comes to helping students to understand the concepts; it was just utterly useless. However, I do have a final project to link and for never having done anything in web design and teaching myself, I'm pretty proud of it. Naturally, the instructor hated it. According to him:

"Not bad, Amy. Your navigation works. Your external link works. I'll count your order form as a feedback form, though they aren't the same thing. Your layout and design is weaker than I'd like though. The overall look of your site isn't quite professional yet. Your buttons are HUGE and your layout is just blog style which is all dead giveaways for amateur web design. Work on that and you'll go far."

Huh - maybe if I'd had a decent instructor to, oh, I dunno, EXPLAIN some things, I might have been able to do better. Anyhow....I got a B in that class. Here is my final project: http://sotd.us/amyburns/HomePage.html

And here is the project by the class star pupil: http://www.ocalanightlife.com/

Now, personally, living in this town, I know this Ocala Nightlife thing has been around for years. I'm not sure how much of this he actually did himself and how much he took from what already existed, but....whatever. Don't you love the images? (puke, gag, retch) I'll give him that it looks professional, but it's also incredibly offensive and pedestrian. But he's got an A for sure cuz all those male instructors seem to just love to objectify women. }:(

Last of the three classes I have a final grade for is 3D Animation. My grade is an A. I still love this stuff so much. However, this quarter was really difficult. Unlike last quarter when there was no one in the computer lab and there was plenty of time to get in there and work, including on the weekends, this quarter it seemed like every person in every other major decided the computer lab was an extension of the student lounge where they could come in there and play on MySpace and Facebook and blare music out of headphones and talk and horse around and act like idiots. When that wasn't happening, the computers were glitching. It made working on my project really, really difficult. The weekends unfortunately were not any better as there were continually people bringing their kids in and having loud conversations, letting their kids on the computers (which they aren't supposed to do) and being disruptive. For the amount of money I'm paying for these classes y'all, I think the computer lab should be off limits to anyone not in the Design program so we have a place to go and work. I would have loved to have had the 3DS Max software at home this quarter so I could work in peace and quiet and on my hours. But....didn't happen. So....with all that, I still managed. Yay me. I'm actually pretty proud of my final projects. Or I was until I went and saw Avatar and now they just look really amateur and stupid. But, I just remind myself that this is only my second animation-type class and that I'm only in my third quarter of my first year so....give myself a break. So....first project was our Course Assessment. We had to design a solar system, make the light source come from the sun, apply materials to our planets, make them rotate around the sun, and add in a flythrough camera path. So....here it is:



Our final project was an animation of our own creation. I went through a lot of different ideas and storyboards, but finally came up with this. I call it Snow Shock. See what you think:



We also had a final paper to complete, but it's not worth posting. We simply had to choose a kind of animation to discuss and write a paper about it. I chose claymation. It was just your basic research paper, blah, blah, blah.

So....that's all I have so far for grades. Still waiting for final grades from World Geography, Creative Writing, and Astronomy. As they come online I will be back with more to share with you.

Next quarter should be interesting and quieter, I hope. I'm taking two on campus classes and two online classes. Monday nights on campus is Figure Drawing, which will be with the same instructor who I had Drawing Design and Art Theory with, so I will get a chance to ask him wth happened with my final grade there. Wednesday nights is Digital Media Production which should be with my same instructor from my two 3D Animation classes and a lot of those classmates so....that should be good. A lot of my classmates from 3D Animation should be in Figure Drawing too so it'll be nice to know some people. Online I will be taking Introduction to Literature and Visual Communication in the Media. Those should hopefully be easy classes. We shall see.

Aside from that, I'm just enjoying the downtime from this quarter and the break before next. Next quarter starts my sophomore year so I'm making progress and school seems to be going by pretty quickly. I'm hoping that this next quarter kind of renews my warm fuzzy feeling toward my school. I've had a lot of concerns about things here lately, not the least of which is whether or not they are fully accredited, whether or not potential employers will consider it a "real" degree or an online degree, and whether or not I am getting the best educational experience for my dollar. I went online to the Pixar site to check things out and they use a completely different software called Maya that according to all my reading in the course catalog, my school does not even have or teach so....looks like I'm headed to the Internet for info on that one. As I say, we shall see how this quarter works out. I've been researching other schools and if I don't feel like things are moving in the right direction, I'll transfer what I can somewhere else. But then, there's another concern - will any of these credits even transfer somewhere else? Suffice it to say that in my mind, Rasmussen is on probation with me right now. We'll see how next quarter and the future go.

So....that's it for now. More to come in follow-up as more grades come online. Also - on a non-school note - if you haven't seen Avatar yet - GO SEE IT!!! That is the most visually stunning and amazing film I've seen in a long time. It totally reminded me of why I returned to school and what I want to be able to do when I get out. I'm already working on a couple of screenplays and stories and have so much I want to do. I just need to get the skills and knowledge to do it. So....cheers for now all!

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!

Next Quarter's Finalized Schedule

Hi all.

Well....it's hard to believe it, but my second quarter here at Rasmussen is almost over. Seems like the time is flying! :) Things are going well. I think I will survive this quarter with 3 A's and one B. At least that's my hope. I can't see myself pulling off better than a B in my Drawing Design class. I'm lucky I've got the B I think. :)

So....came into school today and met with the registrar and financial aid (both a couple of times actually), and finally have my schedule for next quarter finalized. I started out with four design classes and two gen ed classes, but my financial aid wouldn't jive with that, so now it's four gen ed classes and two design. Five are online, only one on campus. This will indeed be an interesting quarter with taking 6 courses and 22 credit hours - wowza! I think I'm insane. We shall see. Anyhoo....here's how it's shaking out:

Fundamentals of Web Authoring and Design
Introduction to Astronomy
Creative Writing
World Geography
College Algebra
3-Dimensional Animation

Overall, I like this schedule and think it will be interesting. I know absolutely nothing about astronomy other than what the Big Dipper looks like in the sky so I'll be learning all new things there - cool!

Fundamentals of Web Authoring and Design should be interesting. All about setting up and coding web pages.

Creative Writing should be really fun and interesting. By the end of the class we have to have written a 6,000 word project.

World Geography should be interesting too. I'm a bit geography-challenged, so I'm excited to have a chance to really learn that stuff. I always miss the geography questions on Jeopardy!

College Algebra will more than likely kick my ass. Luckily, there is tutoring help here at school that I am sure I will utilize. I suck with numbers.

3-Dimensional Animation is the next step up from the Intro class I'm taking this quarter. I really love these Animation courses, so I'm stoked to get going with the next one. Also - a good portion of the people in my class this quarter will probably be in that class, so it will be nice to already know some people. It's my only on campus class next quarter.

I'll be almost out of lower level gen ed courses after this one, so I'm going to have to work with financial aid in squaring away enough aid to cover the design heavy quarters that will follow until I get to upper level classes. But, things should be interesting next quarter. I'll be excited to get my new books! I always am.

So...that's the latest. More to come later as things progress. Laters!

Final GPA

Well, my final GPA for the first quarter is officially 3.95. I'm bummed. I really wanted my 4.0. Stupid Typography instructor and his stupid A-!!! :( grrrrrr!! But, all in all, I should be happy, I know. School is difficult for perfectionists, let me tell you. :)

I received my books and they are really interesting! My two books for my Drawing Design and Art Theory class are cool and kind of Drawing for Dummies, so I know I'm in the right place! :) Then, in addition to the books we got a drawing kit that's a real Drawing for Dummies kit! :) Has a little wooden model in it and everything! So - that should be a really cool class.

For my Introduction to 3D Animation class, it's a new software program - 3ds Max. I downloaded the trial version of the software because to run the tutorial disc you have to have the software. My poor little computer just doesn't have enough memory to run it properly - I need an upgrade - but what I have been able to try is really cool. I'm looking forward to that class.

My Intro to Business class book is ginormous!! Seriously huge book with small print that fills up pages with really, really small margins - the text practically fills the entire page! Also came with 4 CDs containing chapter audio notes - that's going to be a serious class with serious tests and stuff - I can tell.

My E-Commerce book is also pretty detailed. It's another class that I think is going to be serious and have real tests and stuff.

So....I'm working and reading ahead for the second quarter. I'm excited!!

More to come later!

Summer Schedule Is Out!

Hey all!

Hope everyone had a good Memorial Day weekend and thanked a vet! :)

Classes this week are pretty quiet. I guess the instructors decided to give themselves a quieter week with the holiday, so assignments are pretty light. Success Strategies had a dorky quiz and discussion. Intro to Computer Graphics is all about color this week and making up color palettes. Nothing worth posting. For English Composition this week, we have to go online and find two reviews for the same movie and evaluate them. Again, not really worth posting. Typography this week is the flyer that goes along with our Final Project. I will be completing that today or tomorrow and posting it. :) So....pretty quiet week school-wise.

New schedules for Summer Quarter came out today. I've already confirmed mine and new classes start July 6th. We have about three weeks off between quarters. That will give me time to play with these Adobe programs some more, and also to play around on a bunch of different design and tutorial sites that I've found through Twitter. There are some awesome design peeps on Twitter posting some great info!

So....my schedule for Summer Quarter includes my first campus classes. I decided not to take an extra class, but to stick with the standard full-time four-class schedule to evaluate how I do with it before adding anymore. Success Strategies wasn't really much of a class this quarter so....I want to make sure I can handle the real, full course load before adding anything to the mix. That said, my four classes for Summer are:

Drawing Design and Art Theory (campus class - 6:00 p.m. on Tuesdays)
E-Commerce (online class)
Introduction to 3D Arts and Animation (campus class - 6:00 p.m. on Fridays)
Introduction to Business (online class)

I think the Intro to Business class will be a bit of a snoozer, as may E-Commerce. I do hope to get some extra ideas from both for help with my Etsy and Artfire businesses though. Drawing Design and Art Theory should be very challenging for me. I'm not a good freehand drawer so....we'll see how that one goes. :) Intro to 3D Arts and Animation is an integral course for my major so I'm very, very excited about that class!

So....Summer Quarter schedule looks good to me. I should be receiving my books for those classes shortly and will be spending my time between quarters studying them, working on learning my software better, and browsing all those good design sites.

I feel I made the right choice in choosing Digital Design and Animation for my major. It's interesting, challenging, and keeps me on my toes. I certainly haven't lost interest in my classes or become bored (Success Strategies notwithstanding). I have been frustrated and challenged, yes - but this is a good thing. School has always been easy for me, so having challenge involved has been excellent. I'm looking forward to moving on with my studies!

That's the latest from here. Back later to post my Typography Flyer. Cheers!