I haven't followed up on the trip to the pumpkin patch. I'm in a bad mood, so this is going to be short and right to the point. Whenever I refer to my son (... my boy... my apple falling from the tree...), imagine a father with clenched fists, teeth and hair prompted to grey at the slightest hesitation.
Sucked big time. My son annoys me and he did a wonderful job of it at the patch.
When we went to leave in the morning (had to be there to meet with others at 9:30), my... boy... threw a rather large hissy fit because he wanted Mommy to take him --not Daddy. Mommy had to work, but that ws unacceptable to him... it took 20 minutes to convince him to get in the car and by that point I didn't want to go. Go we did, and eventually got there. About 20 minutes' late, of course. We paid the $6 for the hayride out to the pumpkin patch and saw there was plenty to choose from. The rules are: This is a ride for the kids, so it's up to the kid to pick a pumpkin and carry it to the tractor. My son picked up a pumpkin looking rather more like an orange than a pumpkin, so I encouraged him to pick out another one.
One we could preferrably stick a knife into without the blade immediately coming out the other side. So, he walked over and picked up a rather manageable one, but when he took a few steps he discovered that pumpkins have a natural flaw...
Please remember we're talking about a very rough boy here.
My son... (remember the gritting teeth) put the pumpkin. It turns out, to him, that pumpkins grow in a field... of dirt... and when they get wet, that dirt tends to stick to the bottom of the pumpkin waiting to rub off onto the unsuspecting palms of whomever picks up the hapless pumpkin. Upon discovering... dirt... on his hands, my son decided this was not the pumpkin for him. So, I told him we'd find another one (hoping he wouldn't pick another small one where any carving would look like some torturous massacre instead of a festive face). Nope, not going to do that. He'd had enough.
"I don't want a pumpkin." He says.
I guess I reacted a little louder than I'd expected becasue a couple parents asked if everything was okay. "Oh, he doesn't want a pumpkin," I replied. To which, most parents also winced at. Yeah, the really broke guy just $6 to take his son on a 5-foot hayride to look at pumpkins.. Why pick one up, eh?
So, eventually we made it home. No pumpkin for the family. And nothing but fond memories... if he remembers.
My daughter has a school field trip to the same patch next week. She'll probably outdo herself making up for our current lack of pumpkins. Such a sweetie.
Monday, October 09, 2006
Shifting Mood
[note: the previous post: 'phoot!' was written earlier today when I was in a fairly good mood... ah, the good ol' days]
Today is Thanksgiving in Canada. We get it out of the way early so as to enjoy the nice weather. I'm pretty sure my comprades in Ontario can relate to decent weather right now, but today was a gorgeous day. Plenty to be thankful for.
But if I could have late-this-afternoon back, I'd be plenty more thankful.
After our Thanksgiving meal at the in-laws, my wife was taking our son to get his picture taken. My daughter was going along to help encourage the boy and I... well, I was looking forward to some time away from the children I've been taking care of since I finished school. Not to be, as my wife was quite insistent I come along.
Just for the record, my son has not had a studio picture taken in over 18 months. He likes to cry whenever we try it, so most previous attempts have failed... miserably.
Today was no different. He was a great kid, staying awake the entire trip there and waiting quite patiently to go into the studio. Once we were ready for him to sit on the rug for his portrait, 'Mr. Hyde' arrived and the next 40 minutes was a gruelling attempt to get him to either sit or stand for one bleedin' picture. Nothing doing.
He cried and whined and crawled around to hide. He'd do anything except stay still long enough for the photographer to take his picture.
So, we decided to go... obviously he wanted nothing to do with getting his picture taken, right?
Wrong, apparently. His minor hissy fit in the studio turned into a full blown one as we tried to leave. Like, seriously, I was waiting for someone to call the police because we were attempting to abduct our own child. If not for the little girl next to us rolling her eyes at how annoying her brother was, we'd probably be in jail by now...
It got worse the closer to the car we walked. And, of course, the "closest" parking spot was about 6 from the end of the lot and 40+ spots away from the store. Every step we had to drag him kicking and screaming. Every step. Now picture a screaming child stretching his legs to stop anyone from putting him in a childseat. And he's still screaming, only now he's added "I'm scared! I'm scared!" to the screams. I really don't know how we didn't end up in jail. So, a 20-minute Hellish drive later and I drop the family off at home. I need 3 things: time alone, quiet space, and a tank of gas in my car.
So, was it really bad day? Yes.
And the lady who drove into my car right next to the gas station didn't help matters either.
My head's about to pop.
Today is Thanksgiving in Canada. We get it out of the way early so as to enjoy the nice weather. I'm pretty sure my comprades in Ontario can relate to decent weather right now, but today was a gorgeous day. Plenty to be thankful for.
But if I could have late-this-afternoon back, I'd be plenty more thankful.
After our Thanksgiving meal at the in-laws, my wife was taking our son to get his picture taken. My daughter was going along to help encourage the boy and I... well, I was looking forward to some time away from the children I've been taking care of since I finished school. Not to be, as my wife was quite insistent I come along.
Just for the record, my son has not had a studio picture taken in over 18 months. He likes to cry whenever we try it, so most previous attempts have failed... miserably.
Today was no different. He was a great kid, staying awake the entire trip there and waiting quite patiently to go into the studio. Once we were ready for him to sit on the rug for his portrait, 'Mr. Hyde' arrived and the next 40 minutes was a gruelling attempt to get him to either sit or stand for one bleedin' picture. Nothing doing.
He cried and whined and crawled around to hide. He'd do anything except stay still long enough for the photographer to take his picture.
So, we decided to go... obviously he wanted nothing to do with getting his picture taken, right?
Wrong, apparently. His minor hissy fit in the studio turned into a full blown one as we tried to leave. Like, seriously, I was waiting for someone to call the police because we were attempting to abduct our own child. If not for the little girl next to us rolling her eyes at how annoying her brother was, we'd probably be in jail by now...
It got worse the closer to the car we walked. And, of course, the "closest" parking spot was about 6 from the end of the lot and 40+ spots away from the store. Every step we had to drag him kicking and screaming. Every step. Now picture a screaming child stretching his legs to stop anyone from putting him in a childseat. And he's still screaming, only now he's added "I'm scared! I'm scared!" to the screams. I really don't know how we didn't end up in jail. So, a 20-minute Hellish drive later and I drop the family off at home. I need 3 things: time alone, quiet space, and a tank of gas in my car.
So, was it really bad day? Yes.
And the lady who drove into my car right next to the gas station didn't help matters either.
My head's about to pop.
Phoot!
So, a few years back, I went to the doctor because I kept losing my voice. This was at a time when I needed to talk at work. Constantly. Losing my voice meant not going to work and as appealing as that was, I knew corrective measures in my health were necessary before corrective measures at work were taken instead.
What was discovered was instead of my known allergy to cut grass, I had a flurry of other allergies that really cut into my diet and such. It made sense, because I'd always known there were some foods that made me feel a little "off" even when I'd been feeling fine.
So, on doctor's orders, (and this was just as I was starting my health kick) I had to drop several types of food:
I went to see a nutritionist and if she's like any other nutritionist, I'll never bother again. For the record: My cholesterol is fine. LDL, HDL, triglycerides: all good. Everything is good. So, when I see the nutritionist, I'm armed with my cholesterol numbers and voice my concern about having to cut fruits and vegetables from my diet. I want suggestions for alternatives, not a suggestion on how to cut down on my... cholesterol. So, yep, she spent hours suggesting foods that will help me cut down my cholesterol.
I guess the only way to talk to a nutritionist is to have bad cholesterol.
A somewhat recent problem I've been having is with a little something no one really likes to discuss.... well, okay, no one except for boys and most men. Gas.
I've been getting bloaty more and more over the past few months and I'm almost always belching or... erupting down below. So, it's time to looke into it, yes?
Well, the advice is: cut down on carbohydrates. Not cutting them out completely, but enough to "ease" the pain. So, it's time to stop eating:
Coffee. Black. And keep it coming!
What was discovered was instead of my known allergy to cut grass, I had a flurry of other allergies that really cut into my diet and such. It made sense, because I'd always known there were some foods that made me feel a little "off" even when I'd been feeling fine.
So, on doctor's orders, (and this was just as I was starting my health kick) I had to drop several types of food:
- whole wheat bread
- carrots
- corn
- apples
- peaches
- pears
- almonds
- celery
- anything with gluten
I went to see a nutritionist and if she's like any other nutritionist, I'll never bother again. For the record: My cholesterol is fine. LDL, HDL, triglycerides: all good. Everything is good. So, when I see the nutritionist, I'm armed with my cholesterol numbers and voice my concern about having to cut fruits and vegetables from my diet. I want suggestions for alternatives, not a suggestion on how to cut down on my... cholesterol. So, yep, she spent hours suggesting foods that will help me cut down my cholesterol.
I guess the only way to talk to a nutritionist is to have bad cholesterol.
A somewhat recent problem I've been having is with a little something no one really likes to discuss.... well, okay, no one except for boys and most men. Gas.
I've been getting bloaty more and more over the past few months and I'm almost always belching or... erupting down below. So, it's time to looke into it, yes?
Well, the advice is: cut down on carbohydrates. Not cutting them out completely, but enough to "ease" the pain. So, it's time to stop eating:
- dairy
- broccoli
- peas
- beans
- radishes
- cabbage
- cauliflower
- apples (done, allergic!)
- raisins
- prunes
- bananas.
- no fatty meats
- no fried foods
- no soda pop
- decrease fibre.
Coffee. Black. And keep it coming!
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Run
I joined my daughter at her school on Friday for the Terry Fox Run. I got there late thanks to my inability to lock my in-laws' front door. I had to run to the school just to take part in... the run.
But with 1,000+ kids running, I had no idea where to find my little girl. "She's the one in pink!" I kept telling myself (only to discover 30 minutes later she was wearing peach and blue --oops). She wasn't running with the majority of the kids, with whom I did 2 laps before discovering the "young'uns" run around the school's track. So, in I went and found here there eventually. By that point, I was huffing and puffing and my daughter asked me if I was ready to start.
Ready to collapse was more like it. It's been months since I've done any strenuous exercise!!
I did a few more laps with my little girl and was just happy to be there for her when I haven't had enough time for my kids over the past 18 months. The guilt's a good feeling, though, because I'm making up for it in some ways.
This week, my son & I are off the the pumpkin patch.
But with 1,000+ kids running, I had no idea where to find my little girl. "She's the one in pink!" I kept telling myself (only to discover 30 minutes later she was wearing peach and blue --oops). She wasn't running with the majority of the kids, with whom I did 2 laps before discovering the "young'uns" run around the school's track. So, in I went and found here there eventually. By that point, I was huffing and puffing and my daughter asked me if I was ready to start.
Ready to collapse was more like it. It's been months since I've done any strenuous exercise!!
I did a few more laps with my little girl and was just happy to be there for her when I haven't had enough time for my kids over the past 18 months. The guilt's a good feeling, though, because I'm making up for it in some ways.
This week, my son & I are off the the pumpkin patch.
Thursday, September 28, 2006
All Quiet on the Western Front
So, employment prospects are pretty bleak at the moment.... sucky time to graduate apparently. 2007 is supposed to be better... I put 2008 originally, then realized I'd missed a year.
I think something's wrong with my brain.
I'm updating my 'professional' website on a fairly regular basis, but realized today that I haven't bothered to LIST what's been updated if people were to check back on a regular basis. I'm an idiot too, apparently.
Oh well, not losing hope on future employment... not yet :)
I think something's wrong with my brain.
I'm updating my 'professional' website on a fairly regular basis, but realized today that I haven't bothered to LIST what's been updated if people were to check back on a regular basis. I'm an idiot too, apparently.
Oh well, not losing hope on future employment... not yet :)
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Fait Accompli
It's done. Over. Finished.
I've officially graduated with a 3.40 GPA and am now resting at home trying to recover from some intense final weeks. I think I've earned my rest, but others may disagree.
So, what's next? After resting?
The job hunt begins, because there's never a guarantee that a "sure thing" will actually come to anything. I have people helping me (yay!) but there's still work to be done.
I'm setting up some tasks to hel me improve my own work so that hopefully I can start submitting newer and more interesting items to different companies in the very near future.
But now, rest. I really need the rest.
I've officially graduated with a 3.40 GPA and am now resting at home trying to recover from some intense final weeks. I think I've earned my rest, but others may disagree.
So, what's next? After resting?
The job hunt begins, because there's never a guarantee that a "sure thing" will actually come to anything. I have people helping me (yay!) but there's still work to be done.
I'm setting up some tasks to hel me improve my own work so that hopefully I can start submitting newer and more interesting items to different companies in the very near future.
But now, rest. I really need the rest.
Monday, September 18, 2006
NEVER AGAIN
I've been printing things out for my "grad showcase" tomorrow and it's been one Hell of a frustrating night. I have business card templates, DVD cover templates & CD label templates from Avery, Fellowes/Neato.... everywhere.
They're all crap. So's my printer.
Never again am I going to try and print off my own stuff. I cannot believe how much paper I've wasted because the print is off by inches when it's transporting from Word to my HP printer.
Or PhotoShop to my printer...
Or the Neato Media software to my printer...
$30 for an ink cartridge and apparently the black and the tri-color cartridges I bought on Wednesday are both running low now.
And to think I've also paid nearly $200 for professional printing...
Never again.
They're all crap. So's my printer.
Never again am I going to try and print off my own stuff. I cannot believe how much paper I've wasted because the print is off by inches when it's transporting from Word to my HP printer.
Or PhotoShop to my printer...
Or the Neato Media software to my printer...
$30 for an ink cartridge and apparently the black and the tri-color cartridges I bought on Wednesday are both running low now.
And to think I've also paid nearly $200 for professional printing...
Never again.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Tired
You'd think, after reading my post title, that this is about sleep. It's not. Although I am physically beat, this is actually a post about...
Tires.
After getting my flat on Friday afternoon, the writing on the wall was officially flaming and crackling as opposed to just being an annoyance. The car dealership where I get servicing had threatened months ago to hold my car if I came in with bald tires again. So, yeah, I've been avoiding them because I had too many other concerns to worry about my tires.
But one 'pop' on Friday afternoon changed all that.
Honestly, I'd planned on getting down to the tire change later this week. I'm officially, officially done school 8pm Monday night, so Tuesday is like my "Day of Freedom" or something. So, yeah, time to spend money that I don't have!! Whoo-hoo!?
Anyway, the tire thing obviously needed to be pushed up to a closer date and today was the best day for it.
I worked late again last night, because there's still "stuff to do" in order to get ready for tomorrow's finale grad showcase. I"m almost ready but the Friday flat meant I missed the closing of the print shop for my DVD labels and other printed materials, so now I have to drive for an hour-plus on Monday morning to pick everything up, then finalize it all before heading into school for an 8-hour "celebration" (their words, trust me).
So, fortunately, dropping my car off today for Noon was no big deal, only I got held up at the last minute and was about 10 minutes late in arriving. I had to then wait for a couple deciding on servicing for their pick-up truck and they were asking stupid questions (and obviously had been for a while because the annoyed teenage clerk was quite abrupt with their next question: what's the difference between this service and that one? "Five dollars" he quipped.) I actually knew the couple. Years ago I wrote a piece on "convenient friends" (can't find it, otherwise I'd link to it), people who only call you for things like Tupperware and Avaon parties immediately after speaking to you in public for the first time in years. Needless to say, I avoided speaking to the couple and let them go on their merry way once they'd paid for their brand new tires.
I took care of everything I needed to and joined the family for lunch waaayyyy on the other side of the strip mall. It was abut a 10-minute walk, but the exercise is good. I was told it would be about an hour until my car was ready. So, lunch is just over an hour and I head back. I see my car is still up on the hoist, so I decided to look around in the various shops and head back in 15 minutes or so.
Why I didn't go in and see how much longer it would be, I don't know.
It turns out, when I did finally return, that the couple ahead of me bought 2 tires that were supposed to be set aside for me. So, one of their service people had to drive 30 minutes away to their next shop and pick up some... spares. So, instead of 1 hours, it was actually almost 3 hours.
I wasn't mad, though. I'm too tired right now to actually get mad about something like that. I think, in some ways, it's leading me to 2 paths:
Still tired, though.
Tires.
After getting my flat on Friday afternoon, the writing on the wall was officially flaming and crackling as opposed to just being an annoyance. The car dealership where I get servicing had threatened months ago to hold my car if I came in with bald tires again. So, yeah, I've been avoiding them because I had too many other concerns to worry about my tires.
But one 'pop' on Friday afternoon changed all that.
Honestly, I'd planned on getting down to the tire change later this week. I'm officially, officially done school 8pm Monday night, so Tuesday is like my "Day of Freedom" or something. So, yeah, time to spend money that I don't have!! Whoo-hoo!?
Anyway, the tire thing obviously needed to be pushed up to a closer date and today was the best day for it.
I worked late again last night, because there's still "stuff to do" in order to get ready for tomorrow's finale grad showcase. I"m almost ready but the Friday flat meant I missed the closing of the print shop for my DVD labels and other printed materials, so now I have to drive for an hour-plus on Monday morning to pick everything up, then finalize it all before heading into school for an 8-hour "celebration" (their words, trust me).
So, fortunately, dropping my car off today for Noon was no big deal, only I got held up at the last minute and was about 10 minutes late in arriving. I had to then wait for a couple deciding on servicing for their pick-up truck and they were asking stupid questions (and obviously had been for a while because the annoyed teenage clerk was quite abrupt with their next question: what's the difference between this service and that one? "Five dollars" he quipped.) I actually knew the couple. Years ago I wrote a piece on "convenient friends" (can't find it, otherwise I'd link to it), people who only call you for things like Tupperware and Avaon parties immediately after speaking to you in public for the first time in years. Needless to say, I avoided speaking to the couple and let them go on their merry way once they'd paid for their brand new tires.
I took care of everything I needed to and joined the family for lunch waaayyyy on the other side of the strip mall. It was abut a 10-minute walk, but the exercise is good. I was told it would be about an hour until my car was ready. So, lunch is just over an hour and I head back. I see my car is still up on the hoist, so I decided to look around in the various shops and head back in 15 minutes or so.
Why I didn't go in and see how much longer it would be, I don't know.
It turns out, when I did finally return, that the couple ahead of me bought 2 tires that were supposed to be set aside for me. So, one of their service people had to drive 30 minutes away to their next shop and pick up some... spares. So, instead of 1 hours, it was actually almost 3 hours.
I wasn't mad, though. I'm too tired right now to actually get mad about something like that. I think, in some ways, it's leading me to 2 paths:
- I'm so frigging used to things going wrong instead of right, that the news didn't even faze me.
- I'm a complete and total pushover now.
Still tired, though.
Friday, September 15, 2006
Commuter Hell
So, yesterday class finished at 12:30, but there was a company coming out to meet with people and 'recruit' for their expanding offices right afterward. I got in to see them and discussed a few things (but don't expect me to announce a move to Montreal anytime soon!) with the HR guy.
I then bolted from the scene at 1pm, knowing I had to pick up my daughter at school at 2:30. I basically gave myself just enough time to get to her school to pick her up. At 2pm, I had to call the school and tell them either I'd be very late picking her up ~or~ one of her grandparents would be by to get her before 3pm. Since I'd been on the road for an hour and hadn't made it to the halfway point yet, I wasn't expecting to make it the rest of the way in 30 minutes.
Yep, 1pm on Thursday afternoon and traffic stopped, then crawled. It was raining for the first time in weeks, so the roads were slick, but as I found out later in the evening, it was a single car in the ditch at the 3/4 mark of my commute that had backed traffic up for a long, long way.
My parents, fortunately, were available to pick up my daughter, even though they had to drive a fair bit to get her. They were also on hand to pick up my son at 3 when I finally hit that 3/4 mark (although by that point I'd switched to a side road and was making better progress).
3 hours to get home. When I finally did get home there was an email message waiting for me. My 2 final papers were due at 5pm today instead of the original time given of 1pm Friday. My instructor emailed me 5 minutes after I'd logged out at school.
I should've stayed to write the papers.
But wait! There's more!
That was Thursday's nightmare and today's Friday! If traffic was that bad on a Thursday...
Around the same spot where I'd stopped and began the 'crawler commute' on Thursday, we heard a bang by the car. Not sure what it was, we joked about how sucky it would be to get a flat tire during the Friday commute. As we crawled along for another hour, I noticed the car was feeling like it was drifting to the left a bit. As we eventually made it to my side road offramp, we squaeled around the ramp at a very low speed. So, off I pulled into the gas station.
I have a big *^#$ing screw sticking out of my tire.
So, tomorrow I'm now buying the new tires I'd planned on purchasing on Tuesday.
Oh, and with the lameass spare on, we had to drive slower on the way home.
2 days and 6 hours of commuting. Enough already!!
I then bolted from the scene at 1pm, knowing I had to pick up my daughter at school at 2:30. I basically gave myself just enough time to get to her school to pick her up. At 2pm, I had to call the school and tell them either I'd be very late picking her up ~or~ one of her grandparents would be by to get her before 3pm. Since I'd been on the road for an hour and hadn't made it to the halfway point yet, I wasn't expecting to make it the rest of the way in 30 minutes.
Yep, 1pm on Thursday afternoon and traffic stopped, then crawled. It was raining for the first time in weeks, so the roads were slick, but as I found out later in the evening, it was a single car in the ditch at the 3/4 mark of my commute that had backed traffic up for a long, long way.
My parents, fortunately, were available to pick up my daughter, even though they had to drive a fair bit to get her. They were also on hand to pick up my son at 3 when I finally hit that 3/4 mark (although by that point I'd switched to a side road and was making better progress).
3 hours to get home. When I finally did get home there was an email message waiting for me. My 2 final papers were due at 5pm today instead of the original time given of 1pm Friday. My instructor emailed me 5 minutes after I'd logged out at school.
I should've stayed to write the papers.
But wait! There's more!
That was Thursday's nightmare and today's Friday! If traffic was that bad on a Thursday...
Around the same spot where I'd stopped and began the 'crawler commute' on Thursday, we heard a bang by the car. Not sure what it was, we joked about how sucky it would be to get a flat tire during the Friday commute. As we crawled along for another hour, I noticed the car was feeling like it was drifting to the left a bit. As we eventually made it to my side road offramp, we squaeled around the ramp at a very low speed. So, off I pulled into the gas station.
I have a big *^#$ing screw sticking out of my tire.
So, tomorrow I'm now buying the new tires I'd planned on purchasing on Tuesday.
Oh, and with the lameass spare on, we had to drive slower on the way home.
2 days and 6 hours of commuting. Enough already!!
Thursday, September 14, 2006
12,953
Twelve thousand nine hundred and fifty-three points. That's how many points I have in the new promotional campaign on my favorite radio station. I'm 47 points away from 13,000 points and when I hit that number there's a special 'bargain bin' item I'm planning on purchasing --for 13,000 points.
As the website states:
Seriously, I figure I've put on around 30 pounds since I started this program 18 months ago. I haven't been eating healthy and over half my liquid consumption has been Coca Cola and Energy Drinks (and I don't need that much sugar! Ever!). So, a quick talk with my wife and she's excited to see that I can participate in something (an almost $300 something!) and not have to pay for it!
Essentially you receive points for listening to the radio and hearing special codes that you then enter on the site. Codes can be worth anywhere from 1 point to 1000 points... and with a special Dessert of the Day code, I just leaped over the 13,000 point mark!
Boot Camp here I come!!
As the website states:
Cardio-Core Bootcamp!
Get your butt in gear!
Cardio-Core Boot Camp will get you in shape. You'll get a gift certificate worth $265! That's good for a 4-week, 5 sessions per week program!!
Seriously, I figure I've put on around 30 pounds since I started this program 18 months ago. I haven't been eating healthy and over half my liquid consumption has been Coca Cola and Energy Drinks (and I don't need that much sugar! Ever!). So, a quick talk with my wife and she's excited to see that I can participate in something (an almost $300 something!) and not have to pay for it!
Essentially you receive points for listening to the radio and hearing special codes that you then enter on the site. Codes can be worth anywhere from 1 point to 1000 points... and with a special Dessert of the Day code, I just leaped over the 13,000 point mark!
Boot Camp here I come!!
Post-Fight
Yes, I had to fight a little. 3 of 4 people were satisfied with where I was (recognizing the workload for our production, which apparently counts for squat for graduation) and one, the one who made the ultimate decision, who wasn't. I did threaten to cancel our presentation for Friday (yep, tomorrow) if the decision was I hadn't done enough. Bull. I'd done more than my share.
Anyway, long-ish story short: I'm done with a presentation for our production tomorrow and the grad showcase on Monday.
Then I don't have to come back. Ever.
It's a mixed emotion time for me. There's a little regret in taking this program (although now that I've experienced it, I know what to expect in the future if I ever opt to do something like this again). There's a good dose of frustration with how negative some aspects of the program were handled. There's also a mixture of anger and sadness as I know of 3 classmates who ultimately failed. 2 of them were just plain lazy and although I'm sad that they've been with us for 18 months and now have to spend another 3 months here. The 3rd person, well she got into a situation with our production which killed her portfolio schedule. I asked her to take on more responsibility, which she did, and now I feel bad because she's failed her portfolio. She's super-talented and super-smart, but she didn't get it done in the end. She's made her decision not to come back and finish her diploma (yowch!) as she's had enough of this place. She'll probably get ajob faster than most of the rest of us.
So, that's where I am right now.
Anyway, long-ish story short: I'm done with a presentation for our production tomorrow and the grad showcase on Monday.
Then I don't have to come back. Ever.
It's a mixed emotion time for me. There's a little regret in taking this program (although now that I've experienced it, I know what to expect in the future if I ever opt to do something like this again). There's a good dose of frustration with how negative some aspects of the program were handled. There's also a mixture of anger and sadness as I know of 3 classmates who ultimately failed. 2 of them were just plain lazy and although I'm sad that they've been with us for 18 months and now have to spend another 3 months here. The 3rd person, well she got into a situation with our production which killed her portfolio schedule. I asked her to take on more responsibility, which she did, and now I feel bad because she's failed her portfolio. She's super-talented and super-smart, but she didn't get it done in the end. She's made her decision not to come back and finish her diploma (yowch!) as she's had enough of this place. She'll probably get ajob faster than most of the rest of us.
So, that's where I am right now.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Fight!
Today, technically, I should have all my work done for the semester --and the program.
I don't. Our big production commences until this Friday and it ate into my time late last week and over the weekend as well. Sick of it.
I am gearing up for a big fight today because my other work's slipped with the production getting in the way. I had two new tasks thrown at me last week for the production, which hampered even more "progress" on my graduation project. So, my concern today is I'm going to be informed I'm not graduating on Monday because I'm behind in my work.
I'm behind because they keep piling more work on me for extra projects: make up your mind which project you want me on! And, at this rate, if they decide I"m not graduating, then I walk away --today-- from everything. No more production: nothing. I'd be willing to give it up in a heartbeat.
During our production class last week, 5 of us were forced to continue working on the production while everyone else was permitted to work on their additional projects.
For 3 hours.
3 bloody hours that people essentially finished off any last-minute work they needed to do for today or tomorrow (depending on when they meet with the graduation advisor).
The 5 of us who had to work on the production? We're all behind the 8-ball on our graduation requirements. Life is so fair.
So, I'm ready for a fight. I have 45 minutes until I meet with the advisor.
I don't. Our big production commences until this Friday and it ate into my time late last week and over the weekend as well. Sick of it.
I am gearing up for a big fight today because my other work's slipped with the production getting in the way. I had two new tasks thrown at me last week for the production, which hampered even more "progress" on my graduation project. So, my concern today is I'm going to be informed I'm not graduating on Monday because I'm behind in my work.
I'm behind because they keep piling more work on me for extra projects: make up your mind which project you want me on! And, at this rate, if they decide I"m not graduating, then I walk away --today-- from everything. No more production: nothing. I'd be willing to give it up in a heartbeat.
During our production class last week, 5 of us were forced to continue working on the production while everyone else was permitted to work on their additional projects.
For 3 hours.
3 bloody hours that people essentially finished off any last-minute work they needed to do for today or tomorrow (depending on when they meet with the graduation advisor).
The 5 of us who had to work on the production? We're all behind the 8-ball on our graduation requirements. Life is so fair.
So, I'm ready for a fight. I have 45 minutes until I meet with the advisor.
Llama
I'm carpooling with a classmate right now. He lost his licence (long story) and he lives a few blocks off my regular commute. Besides, the $20 a week he chips in for gas (and my renewed ability to use the HOV lane) makes it worthwhile.
Driving to his place this morning, it was quite foggy. Every once in a while there was a break in the fog andin one of those instances, I was quite surprised to see a llama all alone in the middle of a field. Llamas are common on famrs in the area --our weather suits them, but I never noticed one there before and it's been on my regular commute for 18 months.
I wonder if he was lost.
Driving to his place this morning, it was quite foggy. Every once in a while there was a break in the fog andin one of those instances, I was quite surprised to see a llama all alone in the middle of a field. Llamas are common on famrs in the area --our weather suits them, but I never noticed one there before and it's been on my regular commute for 18 months.
I wonder if he was lost.
Friday, September 08, 2006
Counting on Fingers
It's September 8th... Almost the 9th.
My official last day of school is September 18. That means I can count the days on my fingers now. 10 days... Almost 9.
I'm incredibly sick of the place and can't wait. This is my final marathon weekend and hopefully I'll have everything completed before my final Monday morning class on the 11th. Yes, I'm behind and I've let everyone know it too.
Next Friday is the "do or die" presentation and up until a few weeks ago, I truly had all my hopes hinging on it. I'm almost completely over the anxiety of speaking in front of so many potential employers and am leaning more and more towards the "screw it, just get it over with" attitude.
A part of me really wanted to push myself and make this a huge deal, but as I saw others slack off around me and more work piled onto a few of us while they got to move onto other pressing items (those of us still working on the big production have let everything else slip horribly), I knew I could think of this as me stepping back and letting failure take over. I just have a different attitude now. If this goes well, it was meant to go well. If it bombs, it bombs.
Life goes on. And I have the fingers to prove it.
My official last day of school is September 18. That means I can count the days on my fingers now. 10 days... Almost 9.
I'm incredibly sick of the place and can't wait. This is my final marathon weekend and hopefully I'll have everything completed before my final Monday morning class on the 11th. Yes, I'm behind and I've let everyone know it too.
Next Friday is the "do or die" presentation and up until a few weeks ago, I truly had all my hopes hinging on it. I'm almost completely over the anxiety of speaking in front of so many potential employers and am leaning more and more towards the "screw it, just get it over with" attitude.
A part of me really wanted to push myself and make this a huge deal, but as I saw others slack off around me and more work piled onto a few of us while they got to move onto other pressing items (those of us still working on the big production have let everything else slip horribly), I knew I could think of this as me stepping back and letting failure take over. I just have a different attitude now. If this goes well, it was meant to go well. If it bombs, it bombs.
Life goes on. And I have the fingers to prove it.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Crikey!
[This is my 3rd attempt at writing this and all my attempts not to sound "wrong" just haven't worked, so bear with me...]
I was relieved when I heard how The Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, died. [Told you it would sound wrong.]
Someone like Irwin, constantly surrounded by deadly animals. Crocodiles usually kill with one snap of their jaws. Usually. What does happen is their prey is dragged below water where if it isn't dead already, it will eventually drown even as it bleeds out from some of the most horrible wounds imaginable.
To hear Steve Irwin is dead, the image that immediately popped into my mind is one of the crocs finally caught up to him and all I could think was that his death was grisly. So, needless to say I was relieved to hear his death was quick with his heart pierced by a stingray.
Steve Irwin had a passion for animals, deadly animals sure, but a passion for their conservation and he had an uncanny ability to teach people how to be safe around such creatures. I watched him in documentaries where he saved crocs from environments that were harmful to their health and as concerned as he was for his crew, he was equally concerned with the welfare of the animals. This man had a passion and he lived that passion daily. We should all be so lucky.
Steve Irwin died the way he lived. He was in his element and faced with danger when he left this world. He saw his passion through right to the end of his 44 years. 44 years where he lived his dream. I'm sure he's done more in 44 years than most people could dream of. He's left a legacy for his family and his country and has made the world aware of the importance of every creature, no matter how deadly, in our planet's ecosystem.
I can only hope I can live --and die-- with the same passion he had.
I was relieved when I heard how The Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, died. [Told you it would sound wrong.]
Someone like Irwin, constantly surrounded by deadly animals. Crocodiles usually kill with one snap of their jaws. Usually. What does happen is their prey is dragged below water where if it isn't dead already, it will eventually drown even as it bleeds out from some of the most horrible wounds imaginable.
To hear Steve Irwin is dead, the image that immediately popped into my mind is one of the crocs finally caught up to him and all I could think was that his death was grisly. So, needless to say I was relieved to hear his death was quick with his heart pierced by a stingray.
Steve Irwin had a passion for animals, deadly animals sure, but a passion for their conservation and he had an uncanny ability to teach people how to be safe around such creatures. I watched him in documentaries where he saved crocs from environments that were harmful to their health and as concerned as he was for his crew, he was equally concerned with the welfare of the animals. This man had a passion and he lived that passion daily. We should all be so lucky.
Steve Irwin died the way he lived. He was in his element and faced with danger when he left this world. He saw his passion through right to the end of his 44 years. 44 years where he lived his dream. I'm sure he's done more in 44 years than most people could dream of. He's left a legacy for his family and his country and has made the world aware of the importance of every creature, no matter how deadly, in our planet's ecosystem.
I can only hope I can live --and die-- with the same passion he had.
Whore!
You'd never know it, reading some of my blog entries, but I do have an eye for details and can usually catch spelling mistakes and typoes in other people's work. Kind of like that killer paper I had to read and re-read over 2 dozen times last semester and I ripped it apart everytime.
Hottie was showing me some of her work for graduation (yep, she gets to go too!) and I noticed she had a typo in her email address. No more hotmail, but 'hormail.' It was a good laugh. She'd get hired right away, I'm sure ;)
Hottie was showing me some of her work for graduation (yep, she gets to go too!) and I noticed she had a typo in her email address. No more hotmail, but 'hormail.' It was a good laugh. She'd get hired right away, I'm sure ;)
Monday, September 04, 2006
4 Day Weekend suddenly becomes a 3 Day Weekend
I have to say, if anyone's really good at killing a day off, I have to hand it to my school. Tuesday's are my day off and have been all semester. It's great. It's the best day for me to sit down and work throughout the day in order to finish my work. It help cut down on extremely late nights (which, as I did 2 weeks ago, can be a hindrance to my health) and it means that anything that needs doing around the homefront has a day dedicated to it too.
Like, say, my daughter's first day of school.
But no, no! I have my school to think of as well and once again they've decided to hold a 1-hour meeting on Tuesday. Friggin' Tuesday!!
Nope, can't meet on Wednesday when we're all there... Nope, can't meet on Thursday when we're all there... Nope, can't meet on Friday when... well, you can figure it out.
Let's meet on Tuesday when half of us don't have classes. Some of us have to spend $10+ on gas to go in for a frickin' 1-hour (one single hour!!) meeting.
Why? To get the various departments to sign off on us in order to graduate. Yep, the registration office signs off stating we're good to go. Accounting signs off saying we're paid in full. The Library signs off because we're not holding onto any books (although ironically we can then go back to the library and sign one out).
Yeah, 2 weeks to go and I hate the place more and more each day.
Like, say, my daughter's first day of school.
But no, no! I have my school to think of as well and once again they've decided to hold a 1-hour meeting on Tuesday. Friggin' Tuesday!!
Nope, can't meet on Wednesday when we're all there... Nope, can't meet on Thursday when we're all there... Nope, can't meet on Friday when... well, you can figure it out.
Let's meet on Tuesday when half of us don't have classes. Some of us have to spend $10+ on gas to go in for a frickin' 1-hour (one single hour!!) meeting.
Why? To get the various departments to sign off on us in order to graduate. Yep, the registration office signs off stating we're good to go. Accounting signs off saying we're paid in full. The Library signs off because we're not holding onto any books (although ironically we can then go back to the library and sign one out).
Yeah, 2 weeks to go and I hate the place more and more each day.
Second Time Around
So, Friday afternoon I finally got my "do-over" for the presentation that bombed and nearly killed me the week before.
Yes, I was tired.
Yes, I lost about 10 pounds between presentations.
Yes, I needed lots of water to continue speaking.
And, fortunately, yes, the presentation went much, much better.
Now that this presentation is out of the way.... I have to rehearse for the final presentation on September 15th. My instructor's making me do it over and over again until I get it right (or he likes it anyway).
So, even moreso, I'm not looking forward to my final 2 weeks of school.
The presentation will be in front of 200+ people and I'm supposed to be enthusiastic, clear (duh), and really blow em all away. I can guarantee I'll be tired, clear (duh!) and if anyone annoys me... I'll probably be tempted to blow em away ;)
Yes, I was tired.
Yes, I lost about 10 pounds between presentations.
Yes, I needed lots of water to continue speaking.
And, fortunately, yes, the presentation went much, much better.
Now that this presentation is out of the way.... I have to rehearse for the final presentation on September 15th. My instructor's making me do it over and over again until I get it right (or he likes it anyway).
So, even moreso, I'm not looking forward to my final 2 weeks of school.
The presentation will be in front of 200+ people and I'm supposed to be enthusiastic, clear (duh), and really blow em all away. I can guarantee I'll be tired, clear (duh!) and if anyone annoys me... I'll probably be tempted to blow em away ;)
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Not.... NOW
Yeah, I knew it would happen... It was a good 5 months but last week's marathon leading to disaster pummeled me, health-wise. It feels like the same throat infection I had, coincidentally, 5 months ago.
I'm extremely tired, tried sleeping pretty much all day yesterday (although had I counted, I'm sure my kids managed to wake me up at least 100 times). My throat is killing me and I can't anything. In fact, I can barely drink because it hurts so much when I swallow.
Yeah, I oughta be fine for the presentation on Friday :(
I'm extremely tired, tried sleeping pretty much all day yesterday (although had I counted, I'm sure my kids managed to wake me up at least 100 times). My throat is killing me and I can't anything. In fact, I can barely drink because it hurts so much when I swallow.
Yeah, I oughta be fine for the presentation on Friday :(
Saturday, August 26, 2006
When Things go Wrong
Y'know.... "wrong" doesn't quite cut it. Horribly wrong is a bit better.
Friday was the big presentation day for our production. I was up with a few others, working on last minute things and, in my case, ensuring that the individuals who'd slacked off and delayed everything for weeks paid some penance. One didn't bother to show up until after 10pm and the other whined (seriously!) about having to be there after 10pm. I made him stay 'til 3 and the other slacked and watched movies more than anything and I ended up making the fixes myself... if you want it done right...
I was a little annoyed that out of the 20 people in our group, only 5 of us were working and 4 of them needed to be there. I could have been sleeping, but I knew I wouldn't sleep no knowing where our production would end up. I was up for over 24 hours and some of the others were probably awake for 36+. Except for the 2 slackers.
When presentation time hit everything fell apart. My presentation was only so-so (I was a nervous wreck and mentally, physically & emotionally exhausted) but the technical side of it completely blew and I mean that almost literally. The computer couldn't handle it and it died a horrible, horrible death.
With me standing there trying to present it.
I'm incredibly disheartened, completely disillusioned and extremely tempted to pack it in. I"m supposed to be working on my graduation portfolio and this B.S. ate into my time severely.
Can I throw away 17 months of work?
Friday was the big presentation day for our production. I was up with a few others, working on last minute things and, in my case, ensuring that the individuals who'd slacked off and delayed everything for weeks paid some penance. One didn't bother to show up until after 10pm and the other whined (seriously!) about having to be there after 10pm. I made him stay 'til 3 and the other slacked and watched movies more than anything and I ended up making the fixes myself... if you want it done right...
I was a little annoyed that out of the 20 people in our group, only 5 of us were working and 4 of them needed to be there. I could have been sleeping, but I knew I wouldn't sleep no knowing where our production would end up. I was up for over 24 hours and some of the others were probably awake for 36+. Except for the 2 slackers.
When presentation time hit everything fell apart. My presentation was only so-so (I was a nervous wreck and mentally, physically & emotionally exhausted) but the technical side of it completely blew and I mean that almost literally. The computer couldn't handle it and it died a horrible, horrible death.
With me standing there trying to present it.
I'm incredibly disheartened, completely disillusioned and extremely tempted to pack it in. I"m supposed to be working on my graduation portfolio and this B.S. ate into my time severely.
Can I throw away 17 months of work?
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