The last 21 days.........

Hey, I see a little blue sky there.....

Somehow I have survived the last 21 days of class, and just one more to go.  One more chapter, a few more video lectures, a final exam on Wednesday and my 6-8 page final paper due in one week.  Today I realized that this will be my last summer class, and no one is happier about that than me.  Oh, wait, Romeo might be happy too.  Then instead of holed up in my office we could actually spend our evenings together.  Or maybe plan a weekend trip.  

I really don't understand why UNM (and probably many other colleges) even have summer classes.  It's really stupid to cram a 16 week course into 4 weeks of total craziness.  There is no reason to restrict summer classes to 4 weeks.  The spring semester ends in early May.  We could have taken a leisurely 8 weeks and finished up 3 weeks before fall classes start.  It's a mystery.....

Although we had some nice rain, it has become unbearably hot again.  The humidity is up because of the rain, which just makes it worse.  I miss the summers we had here when we first moved here 20+ years ago, where we rarely had 100 degree days.  We've had lots of those this year, and will have them again Saturday and Sunday.  We're only at 99 today.  Whew!  I am ready for fall weather.....

Romeo reminded me that I need a new piece of luggage since our old rolling one died last year.  We had it for almost 20 years, so I guess we got our moneys worth on it.  Macy's had a sale I went to today, and purchased a nice one for less than $100.  It is a tad bit smaller than the original one, but that's ok with me.  It's lightweight too, which will be a bonus.  The last one weighed in at 20 lbs, and this one is less than 9 lbs.  Probably won't last as long though, although it has a 10 year "limited" warranty, which probably doesn't include the wheels.  I figure those will be the first things to break.

Love, 365

Missing my boys....

Son #1 on left, #2 on right (duh)

While looking for a photo of the two of them together, I realize I need to take another one when I visit in Sept.  Son #2 really hates having his photo taken, although it's not #1's favorite thing either.  My youngest and I were chatting via text yesterday, and mentioned he was at a restaurant that serves a darn good carne guisada and has a reputation for hot and spicy salsa.  He said his nose was running, and it was so good it made him miss New Mexico.  =sigh=. I miss them both. 

I have been slowing down a bit on the class, I think I've used up all my enthusiasm and now feel like I'm slogging through mud.  

Sadly, Anderson is not doing well against Djokovic.  I thought the game would be closer than it is.  I think all the errors are a culmination of exhaustion and nerves.  Of course, it's easy to criticize when you're just watching, haha.  Seems I was right in predicting that Kerber would win over Williams though.

Happy Sunday, y'all.

Love, 365

Soldiering on.......

While I was watching all the blather on Wimbledon, Romeo washed the windows outside, set the sheets into the wash, and just finished replacing the faucet in the downstairs bathroom.  All this activity set me into motion to get dressed (haha), slip in the contacts and begin working on my essay. All week long I thought the essay was due today, but after checking, discovered it's due tomorrow.  Even if I finish it today, I won't submit it until tomorrow.  It never hurts to check it after you've finished it up.

I was so sad that Nadal couldn't pull off a win against Djokovic.  It was an exciting game to watch though.  Sometime today ~ which I didn't realize until later that Wimbledon will go on and on all day long until the women final begins.  It will be interesting to see if Kerber will win against Williams.  If her game is really on, Kerber should win.  Williams is gaining in the rankings, but she still has a ways to go before her game returns to her previously unbeatable level.  Honestly, it was great to see other players rise in the standings while Williams was off on maternity leave.  I know that a great many people dislike watching tennis because of the noises some players make as they hit the ball.  I say they should just mute the tv (unless you like the commentary) and watch a game that is really entertaining.  Golf?  Please.  It has the entertainment value of watching a slug crawl, although I should mention I don't enjoy golf.  What's really funny is that my Mom likes to watch it, and she never played.  Well, she says she likes to watch, but I think it's her caregiver who will watch any sport on tv ~ except tennis.  Their loss, I say.

Well, break time is over, and I need to get back to work.  Darn it.

Love, 365

Nobody's home.....

Since one of our Docs is on vacation, there is no one working today ~ each one alternates Friday's and Monday's, so this is the Doc on vacation's Friday.  No one complained.....haha

I have already made the bed, tidied up the kitchen a bit, made coffee & enjoyed a lovely bowl of oatmeal with blueberries, walnuts and sweetened just a tad with a bit of maple syrup.  Then had to wait 30 minutes for updates to install on my aging computer.  Romeo wants me to buy a new one in December, and I suppose I should before I graduate, as college students receive a discount at Apple.  The truth is I've never had to show anything more than my ID card which doesn't have an expiration date, so I probably don't need to worry about it......but still. 

The tv is playing the Wimbledon semi finals with Anderson and Isner battling it out on the grassy courts of the Queens Club.  It has been an extremely close game so far, each have won one set.  They are very alike, tall and lanky.  It'll be interesting to see the final.  But later today is the match I'm wanting to see ~ Nadal and Djokovick.  I hope Nadal whips his butt, Djokovick is such a whiney asshole (although a great tennis player).  I will be playing some racquetball later, so I may have to watch the replay, as Romeo subscribed to the ESPN+ app so that I wouldn't miss the games.  

It's been great having the ESPN+ as they have an hour long recap of the day's play, so I have been able to eat dinner while watching that and then retire to my office to write, write, write.  I have been keeping up with the accelerated pace of the class.  I finished reading the chapters, took the exam on Wednesday (I missed the first 3 multiple choice questions, but got all the rest and now waiting for the short answer questions to be graded), wrote the chapter reflection and the group discussion posts yesterday.  All I have left to do is write the essay that is due tomorrow.  Technically I am half way through, so a couple more weeks and it will be over.....

We have entered our "monsoon season" here in New Mexico, so when the conditions are right we see rain in the afternoons and evenings.  We need a good season to help with the fire dangers here, but of course thunderstorms produce lightening which is a fire danger ~ ironic or contradictory or something in-between.  

And now Anderson is pulling ahead.....darn, I was rooting for Isner.

Have a wonderful day, y'all.

Love, 365

Gahhhhhhh........

And so the sun sets on another day....

I am working so hard to get rid of the just under the surface frustration I have with this class. 

Two weeks or so after I registered for this class I checked to see if we needed to buy or rent a book.  The UNM bookstore said there were no required texts.  So, stock up on ink, because I figured we'd be printing a lot (like the spring class, that was ridiculous).  Four days into the class, I see that there's nothing to print out, and she keeps mentioning the book.  I don't understand why she didn't send us an e-mail letting us know we will need the book.  I rent it from Amazon.  $21 or so.  No big deal, except that I would have started reading chapters 4-7 starting on Friday.  The book arrived on Saturday at about 7pm.  And no, I was too tired by then to crack that sucker open.  

This instructor simply made the online class available without changing anything until the class started on Monday.  When I first printed the syllabus, it didn't even have her name on it.  Slowly she has been "updating" it.  Basically, she was likely told that most everything was ready.  But it wasn't, and then I saw "Graduate Student and Instructor" under her name.  Which explains a lot.  Because they (grad students) go through hell, and why not drag your class through hell along with you?  Yeah, why not?  That's what I experienced last semester with the grad student who taught that class too.  Gah.

I've already posted all the shit for this week.  I'm sort of reaching my saturation point, and very nearly ready to just push it by doing the minimum amount of work.  Which is stupid, because by not giving it my all it only hurts me.  Gah. 

One comment asked me how I have time to post.  I would go crazy if I didn't write it down.  So this is my therapy and stress release, since I don't have time to go to the gym.  And please don't even ask me about the diet.  That project is on hold ~ along with everything else until 7/27, when my last assignment is due.  

Thank you, Ami, for introducing me to the word in my title :-)

Love, 365

Just a bit ticked off.....

Typical....rain that never reaches us....so so dry here.

So, I'm truly bummed out this morning. 

I woke up with the back of my head on fire, stumbled downstairs for a couple Advil and then in my favorite, most comfortable chair to wait for it to go away.  It's Sunday funday, where a my group of buddies gets together for two hours of racquetball.  I had left my phone upstairs to charge on my desk, and I could hear the crickets start to go off.  I really need to change that notification sound to something else......

By this time my head is feeling much better, so I stumble back upstairs (it's a talent, all this stumbling) and read the texts where one after another, everyone is backing out of playing today.  One said she had too much to do today, another was at her Grandson's wedding & bowed out, another just returned from a cruise.  That leaves only 3, and 2 of them prefer to play doubles.  So, no game today.  I was so looking forward to playing, as it's a real stress reliever, and I'm in desperate need of stress relief.  

This is the list of what I need to do this week.  I have watched the first 4 video lectures.  I haven't read all of the readings yet.  The exam that is scheduled for Wednesday isn't on the list, and the reflection papers are both due on Thursday.  

I think this instructor is insane.

I can't withdraw from this class because I have a graduation schedule.  If I could, I would, because I don't see having any free time (for anything) until it's over.  

Well, guess I better get to it. 

Love, 365

Linear movement.........

Although this is White Sands, New Mexico, it almost looks like a beach scene, doesn't it?

Once we hit 50 (or 45 for some) we begin our lament.  Our youth is behind us.  Our joints begin to ache, our hair is thinner, we have more wrinkles.  

Oh, aging is a bitch!  We should just end it all now!  Woe is me, I'm getting OLD!!

In many cases, it seems like this lament is a way to connect with those that are of a similar age as us.  It's a conversation opener.  Sort of like the weather, when you get sick of complaining about that, haha.  This seems true the older we are.  There are even jokes about it :-)

I miss the way my body looked when I was young too.  How easy it was to get back into shape after slacking off for a few weeks.  These days, a two week break from the gym takes 4 weeks to recuperate from.  My deep set eyes look like black holes in my head, especially if I don't get enough sleep or have a headache.

However, sometimes hearing all of this negativity about the aging process annoys me.  We're alive.  We can still enjoy life.  We can make a difference.

Do we really expect to look like we did in our 30s when we're in our 60s?  There's a term for that too.  Denial.

I'm sure that the art of complaining about how old we are all getting (thats right, we're all getting older every single second) will only improve with age.  Just don't expect me to listen.

Love, 365

Oh, what have I done......

My cutie pie Grandson....

My class started this Monday, and I am already cancelling stuff I had planned to do.  I have at least 6 video lectures, three chapters to read, and an exam next Wednesday.  Holy crap on a cracker......

It is definitely vacation season.  Yesterday we had 7 people out on vacation ~ mostly because one of the Docs is out for two weeks, which is the best time to be out of the office.  Even though we were "on the schedule" to work, my boss took today off, so no one is working.  

I am currently sitting out on the patio, happily enjoying the deck, which is mostly finished.  He still has final touches to do.  I hope he doesn't lose interest in doing those, or it'll be like this for years, haha.  It's really not like him to leave projects unfinished, so I'm likely fretting for no reason.  

Well, I can hear those video lectures calling to me.  I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend!

Love, 365

My bad.......

For $9.99 ~ OK, lets just say 10 bucks right?  I am an avid reader.  I read every.single.day.  Usually this is how I end my day, for 30 minutes to an hour.  So, the kindle unlimited plan sounded pretty darn good.  Unlimited......although not every book is included.  That new Bernard Cornwell book you've been dying to read?  Not included.  To be fair, I figured that hugely popular new releases wouldn't be included, and there are lots of titles to choose from. So, I was happily reading book after book, when I decided I'd rather spend the 10 bucks on books I choose.  And figured that I would likely spend about the same amount over the course of a year.

There are free books too, lets make that clear.  Usually new authors, or older books.  I search through for hidden gems and find those occasionally.  If you like romances (which I don't) there are literally hundreds of them.  If you enjoy science fiction (which I do) there are plenty of those as well.

But I have wandered away from the rant I was building up to.  I went online and cancelled the subscription.  I realized I was reading a book from the unlimited plan when I received confirmation of the cancellation.  I figured they'd let me finish it right?  Nope.  Not only that, but they removed ALL the books I had read on the unlimited plan.  ALL OF THEM.  Which kinda pissed me off, I mean, I had paid the subscription payment.  And at the end of that I lost all the books I had read.  Yeah, I might not have ever gone back and read them again.  I do re-read books I enjoy.  After 2 or 3 years, I'll go back and read a favorite again.  So, although I enjoyed the books I read, having them all ripped away torqued my jaw.

Just a heads up to all you kindle readers.

Love, 365

It's gonna be a weird Sunday.....

Last week's Ladies Night Racquetball...."Munchkin" and I on the left.

Some nights we have twice the number of players on Wednesday, and other times we only have 5 or 6.  There is a group of us that play on Sunday, but today there won't be enough of us to play.  One is on a cruise, two are not able to come today, so playtime is cancelled for today.  What I should do is go to the market where Munchkin is selling bread, and buy some home grown tomatoes and other veggies......but I probably won't, it's been so hot and I'd rather bake at home.  Oh, yeah, and I should clean house today.  Or maybe not :-)

My work week is four days ~ I think I've mentioned this before.  And a few weeks ago I mentioned to one of my coworkers that if she wants to take a day off to ask me if I want to cover for her, as Ms. Loud (remember her??) always pipes up and claims the extra workday before I get a chance.  So last Monday I received a message from her asking if I could work for her this last Friday.  She is off next week and hoped to get an early start to it, so I agreed.  So, instead of 4 days I had a 5 day workweek, which I don't normally have.  It was rough getting up on Friday morning, especially since that is the one day a week Dr. S starts at 7am, so my alarm went off an hour earlier than normal......Friday was Dr S's last day of work before his two week vacation, so the number of patients kept climbing........and it was the last day of the month, so I had to "close" the month.  But the truth is it was all easy except for the alarm part, which I fixed with coffee on my way out the door.  And my paycheck had a nice little bonus to it.   

Speaking of work, next week will be really strange, since we have the 4th holiday on Wednesday.  My boss will be out on Friday the 6th, so I'm only working Tuesday and Thursday.  Now, why didn't I think of taking those two days off?  Drat!!

Tomorrow my online communication class begins.  Because it is a 4 week class, I'm a bit concerned that it will be jam packed with a lot of work.  It would be nice to discover I was wrong, but not counting on it.  I think I also mentioned how few classes are being offered at UNM this summer.  I suppose most of the under 25 students go home for the summer so there are fewer students to register for the classes offered, and I shouldn't be surprised at the lackluster offering during summer vacation time.

I purchased my ticket to visit the family & attend my high school reunion at the end of Sept.  The ticket was a bargain, and my sister offered to come pick me up ~ no small offer since she lives in Comfort and the plane lands in Austin.  That's probably a four hour long drive roundtrip.  Yeah, she's pretty special.  My favorite sister.  My only sister, haha.

Have a great Sunday, y'all...

Love, 365

Wandering the labyrinth.....

The Golden Ratio of a pine cone....

I always have great ideas for writing here when I'm doing something else.  Laundry, drifting off to sleep, driving.  Once I sit down in front of the computer, I struggle to remember those awesome ideas.  Sometimes I do recall them, but when I begin to write they seem uninteresting.  Or menial.  Or completely without any focus.  ~sigh~

It has been so hot here ~ the first day of summer lacked notoriety because it's felt like summer for weeks already.  Last week I noticed that the evaporative cooler (affectionately called a swamp cooler out here) was literally running all day although it was only just cool enough in the house to be comfortable ~ if you weren't doing anything.  I mentioned to Romeo that I suspect that the fancy pads he put in don't seem to be working.  (really, I know he just didn't want to get up on the roof and change them out). I mentioned that it's ridiculous that the damned thing is running all day and not cooling very well.  So, he replaced them with the traditional "aspen pads", which are woven from aspen fibers and immediately we were cool again.  What a relief.  I haven't seen the electric bill yet, but I'm preparing myself for it, lol.

This next week represents the last week of freedom from reading and writing assignments, quizzes and tests.  My communication class starts on July 2nd.  Happy enough not to have to buy a book, and figuring I will have lots of material to print out.  I very nearly lost my spot as I totally forgot to pay for the class, but caught it just in time.  This is an online class that I've considered taking in the past, so I'm looking forward to it.  Please remind me that I said that when I complain.... :-D

One of my racquetball friends ~ who doesn't really play anymore due to an illness she has.  I don't recall what the name of it is, maybe Raynaud's?  At any rate, she invited me to go to Chaco Canyon with her and her niece on July 14th.  I have agreed to go with reservations ~ it is terribly hot there this time of year and a day trip means that we will get there after 10.  There are no trees, just some shrub. Since we haven't had much rain, there likely won't be much plant life.    I am going because any opportunity to go when I don't have to drive is a plus.  The road to Chaco is awful.  Romeo prefers I not drive there anymore as he's concerned about damage to my aging vehicle...and some of the car rental companies require you sign a lease stating specifically that you won't drive to Chaco ~ yeah, that's how awful the road is.  Even with the heat and the road (not to mention my car sickness issues) I am excited, because it's just that magical.....

Have a great week!

Love, 365