Staring at a blank piece of paper doesn't inspire me.........

(Bing images)

I've actually used this image before......and I'm annoyed that this happens whenever I have a paper to write.  

I have some data.

Printed out a map.

But I have yet to write a single word.  This paper is due in 8 days.  It has to be 6 - 8 pages long.  The best thing about this paper is that it represents the final assignment.  Then I will be free of this class that is soooo depressing.  Because basically it is about the injustices that exist in the world, have always existed, and probably will always exist.  Humph.

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In other news, Romeo has obtained his interim license to teach and can now apply for a teaching position.  He has been substitue teaching at least 2 days a week.  The pay for substitute teaching is abismal, but he has to have at least one job a week to maintain his interim license.  Once school is out for summer he won't have to worry about it, as he has already been told that because of the budget issues for APS (Albuquerque Public Schools) they won't be using substitute teachers.  In one of the schools he was at last week, the EA (educational assistant) mentioned he didn't see how that was going to work, but hey!  I'm sure that the bureaucracy knows what they are doing.  Right?  Sure.

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My honors application is in, and now I'm just waiting for them to approve it so that I can register for the class this fall.  It is being held from 1pm-2:15pm on Mondays and Wednesdays.  I haven't discussed it yet with my co-workers, so I guess I am assuming they will be ok with me being out for two hours twice a week.  I had sent a request to the Anthropology department to please consider non-traditional students when they decide when to hold the honors class.  Looks like I was completely ignored.  What a surprise.  If my co-workers don't agree, I guess I just won't take the honors class, and find something else to do/take.  

Well, gotta get busy.  Love, 365

In honor of dragons........

Bing images search....wish I could draw like this

Game of Thrones, anyone???  We are eagerly anticipating the season premier tomorrow.  We are sooo ready.  We've been watching some of the older seasons to catch up, and it's amazing the details you notice the second time around.  Of course, I love the dragons.  Too bad they are not under Danerous control any longer....but that should be interesting as well.

Bing images....

In other news, I thought I was going to have to shell out major dough to repair my aging SUV.  Wednesday night I noticed my 4 wheel drive indicator was blinking.  It wasn't fully engaged, nor would it fully engage.  Stuck.  So, I called my son who is a mechanic, and he tried all he knew to try and disengage it, to no avail.  I called a tow truck at about 5:40.  They didn't make it to us until 8:10, so I didn't get home until about 8:30.  Nearly 3 hours of frustration and irritation.  I don't know what was going on ~ maybe there were a ton of accidents and broken down vehicles?  I was pretty ticked off though.  If the tow company had been honest with me with a real time frame, Romeo and I would have gone down the street and had dinner while waiting.  But because they kept saying 30-45 minutes, I was concerned that we would be gone when they arrived, thereby leaving me up the creek again.  So....there you go. 

The next morning just as I woke up, I remembered that at luch Wednesday, I was sitting in my SUV, eating lunch and going through my mail, I had taken off my shoes, and was resting my left foot on the dash....near the 4 wheel drive button.  I must have pressed on it with my foot although I don't recall for sure, but I must have!  How else would it have happened?  I've conveniently left off that recollection and not shared with Romeo or my son.  I simply can't admit that I might have pressed that dratted button with my foot.  Nope.  No way.

As it turns out, the jostling of being loaded and off loaded on the tow must have helped disengage the 4 wheel drive, because when the shop started it the next morning, all was well.  But I was sweating it out that we might have a 2-3 thousand dollar repair bill no thanks to me and my stupid left foot.

In sadder news, my eldest called me to let me know that it looks like the marriage is over.  He is looking for an apartment this weekend, and will probably move out next weekend.  I am so sad, but can do nothing but support my son.  I don't live close enough to them to know all the details.  My son is rather upset about it, and all I can do is mutter platitudes over the phone.  Frustrating.  However, I'm happy enough to listen, and offer advise if asked.  Now, what to do with being Facebook friends with my soon to be ex-daughter-in-law??  I have been considering contacting her on FB messenger letting her know that to preserve her privacy on FB, I will be "unfriending" her so that I don't have to read her posts, and she doesn't have to worry about me reading them either.  I don't know the protocol here....what would you do?

Love, 365

I survived......

Here I am in my "blue mood", ha ha

I managed to get through my presentation without embarrasing myself, which I thought was a "win". Right now our printer doesn't work ~ so I e-mailed both my power point presentation and the notes that were supposed to accompany it.  The power point made it, but unfortunately my notes didn't, so I spent my 20 min lunch highlighting in orange the points I wanted to make.  It worked out OK.  It was strictly voluntary, for extra points, so I didn't have to worry about being "correct" in my interpretation.  Holy cow, it was a bitch to read.  I truly dislike "academic writing".  I swear that there is some sort of app that you can run your paper through that will replace some words with fancy ones that make a reader such as myself (and I'm pretty well read, if I do say so myself) have a dictionary handy and use it at least 5-10 times on each page.  I was a bit tempted to put a vocabulary list on one slide of the power point to make my point, but I don't think my Prof. would have found it funny.  

I had a rather disappointing morning at work ~ the Doc wasn't happy with how I scheduled a patient, and although I was able to re-arrange things to suit him, I still felt terrible about it.  He and I just don't speak the same language, and without much feedback, I'm at a loss.  I guess I will need to take the upper hand and try talking to him more often.  It's kind of weird to feel uncomfortable talking to one of my bosses, as I usually don't have a problem talking to anyone ~ at least one on one.  

Well, gotta run, bills to pay, etc! 

Love, 365

Nothing says spring like......snow

Spring snow....Bing images

We have had temp's in the 60's and 70's all week.  Until today, of course.  As I write this, it's 44 degrees, and sprinkling now, but when I left the house this morning at 8:30 it was snowing.  Not enough to blanket the ground.  But rather disappointing.  I was really hoping for some nice warm weather so that I could open the windows and air out the house.  Oh, well, maybe next weekend.

I am feeling much better, and haven't felt the need to take ibuprofen every day as I was for awhile.  But wow, is this allergy season horrible.  I've never had problems like this before!  I am still using the Flonase and it does seem to help, but I'm sick of the congestion and the nose blowing, coughing that is the result.  Hopefully the rain will lesson the effects of the pollen and dust.

Romeo is working on taxes, as we have a weekend reprieve thanks to some obscure "holiday" this past Friday that is apparently only a day off in Washington D.C. ~ Emancipation Day.  Apparently other states observe it on different days....maybe to celebrate it on the signing day for each state???  Ah, who cares, as it extended our filing date.  I hate tax season.

In the meantime, I need to prepare my presentation for Monday.  One saving grace is that we simply get points, and we aren't "graded", since this project is voluntary.  

Have a great weekend, and thanks for visiting!

Love, 365

Sick of being sick

"Cough, sniff, sneeze, blow nose.....repeat" (Bing images)

On Monday, March 28th, I sat at the desk in class preparing to take my mid-term ~ for which I had spent the majority of Easter weekend studying for.  One of the students was to give a presentation just prior to the exam, so I figured I would do a quick review while he was talking.....only he didn't prepare for the correct topic, so our prof. decided to go directly to the exam.  Dolt.  I immediately felt a surge of adrenaline, and a headache.  I stumbled through the exam, barely able to see.  One fill in the bland question completely eluded me, so as I usually do, I did eveything else and came back to it.....and finally decided on an answer, although it just didn't seem right.  

So began the last two weeks of just feeling miserable.  I was taking ibuprophen every day, just to get through it.  Then I decided it must be allergies, as anyone with a nose seems to be suffering from an unusually tough allergy season....although I never take any allergy meds, and haven't had any serious problems since that 3 year period when we lived in Eugene, Oregon.  (The mold, omg, the mold!).  So on Wednesday I ran to Target at lunch and bought some Flonase.  Which takes 3-5 days to truly be effective (damn it!).  Finally by Thursday I decided I had a sinus infection and asked one of my Doc's to prescribe an antibiotic.  Now, four days later, I am finally feeling better.

I never realized how awful sinus infections are, never having had one before.  The low grade fever, the constant headaches from sinus pressure, a general feeling of crappiness. 

On Monday the 4th of April, I had to skip class as one of my co-workers fell off a ladder over the weekend, and tore the ligaments out of her knee (she will need surgery), so I texted my Prof. to let her know, and asked about my exam ~ and found out that I ACED it, and had the highest grade in the class.  You could have knocked me over with a feather.  So, even though I felt like shit, it seems my brain can still churn out the answers....whew.  

Love, 365

The world of machismo......

This photo came up in Bing when I searched for photos of machismo..

Abuse and control over women is part of it.

Another photo that popped up.

Being "everything" is not all it's cracked up to be, it's a lot of pressure.

The positive side of machismo is that they work hard to provide for their families.

The downside: Latino boys in school might be unwilling to ask questions 

in school, because of appearances (I guess asking questions makes you look dumb).

Men may avoid preventive medical care, especially colorectal screenings

out of misinformation, lack of knowledge.  As a result, U.S. Hispanics have 

the fastest growing rate of CRC (colorectal cancer).

There are many more negatives than positives.  I enjoyed reading "Machismo - a Latino Opinion"  Here's a quote:

"The Machismo that I feel is unique to the Latino community is the cultural acceptance of the pretension by both males and females that the man is actually in charge".

And yet, the first thing I thought of was my parents.  My Dad strutted like a peacock, but Mom definitely wore the pants, so I suppose his assumption is wrong.  My family is as white as they come, being German-Irish.  It did make me giggle a bit.

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Yeah, working on my degree is annoying, thrilling, a lot of hard work, and sometimes just drivel.  I recall asking my algebra professor "Why are we learning this?  How will I use it in the real world?" and what a mistake that was, as I was rewarded with a 20 minute long lecture that lost me after 5, and the rest of the class glaring at me as though to say "What, you stupid bitch, compelled you to ask him THAT?"  I learned an important lesson that day ~ never ask a mathematician that type of question.  Ever, lol.

Even though the Health in NM is a giant pain in the butt, I am expanding my awareness of other cultures and different viewpoints.  It's making me a better person, not because I've changed my mind, but because I can take my viewpoint and compare it to what I'm learning....and decide if the opinions I've always had have merit.  

No, I'm not lost.  The journey is amazing.

Love, 365

P.S. I got my raise, and it was more than I hoped for.  Whew.