Online class blues....

My Sis used to have just these plastic chickens, but now they have real ones!  That lay actual eggs!

In reference to the above photo, I have no idea why my Sis and her husband would put plastic chickens in their yard.  They do live in the country....and have cows......but plastic chickens?  The logic escapes me ~ but there is an ironic humor here that I do appreciate!

If you read yesterdays blog post, you know that I didn't do well on my stats test.  However, I've been doing swimmingly in my forensic anthropology class.  We've had 3 quizzes and I've made A's on all of those.  But, there's a little trouble in paradise.  It appears that our instructor is missing.
I've read no less than 5 posts by classmates that mention they have sent an e-mail or two and even after 4 to 5 days haven't heard anything from her.   Yesterday I decided to send an e-mail as well, because I have been unable to view the quizzes.  Which means that in the future when we have our mid-term, I won't have those to help me study.
I've taken a lot of online classes.  They are convenient, I can work on the classwork when it suits me, I don't have to drive to a class (I actually miss the UNM campus, which is really nice, but there weren't any classes that fit my schedule).  In the past classes, we were always allowed to view the quiz ~ at least for awhile, and I take exception to the fact that she says we can "view" the quiz and then when I attempt it, I can't.  Hence the e-mail.  Only I decided to send them to the "teacher assistant".
Now, that was a shocker, because there are no less than 3!  For an online class?  One of my friends is a history teacher at CNM, and when we discussed online classes, she complained bitterly that they were much more work than an actual classroom, which makes no sense to me.  The computer automatically grades the quizzes.  The powerpoint's and pdf's must be set up in advance.  I'm not even sure they need to formulate new questions for the quizzes every semester, although perhaps they would on the mid-term and final.  Really, except for answering e-mail questions, or checking on discussion questions, the entire course could conceivably run without an instructor.

~I recently sent an e-mail to the Dean of Students, letting them know that firstly I'm really not happy paying a higher price per credit hour simply because I'm a part time student, and that CNM discontinued the practice of charging extra $ just because you're taking an online class, but UNM is still doing so.   A few days later I received an e-mail encouraging me to apply for financial aid.  Coincidence?  I think not.

~Why am I paying more for an instructor that isn't available to answer questions?  Maybe those teacher's assistant's are really expensive....(not!)

***************

I did get started on painting the bathroom, a really lovely light blue.  Unfortunately, the spot I painted is probably 1' by 1'.  So, not much of a start, but I plan to do more tomorrow on my day off.  

**************

I'm having key lime pie for breakfast.

*************

Love, 365

Ahhh, it's the weekend!

Couldn't get rid of the reflections, but a cool poster

First the sad news (my sad news, anyway) ~ I really blew my test, and ended up with a 72.  On the plus side, it's passing, but I had hoped for a B.  Waaahhhh....

Ami, I guess it's not possible to bribe yourself, although I did my best.  Unfortunately my best in statistics isn't very good.

We have been having wonderful weather, all sunny and warm.  Feels like spring, and we haven't had a lot of wind (yet).  I'm considering getting a pedicure and wearing my sandals this weekend.  I feel for you guys who are experiencing the record breaking snowfall and cold, icy weather.  It is horribly dry and dusty out west, and many of us are having allergy issues.  At work it sounds like a TB ward with all the coughing & whatnot.

On tap for the weekend: painting!  I am (at last) going to start on the master bath remodel project. I am sort of starting with the easiest change - paint.  I still need to find a new sink, figure out if I'm going to refinish the existing crappy cabinets or consider replacing them, and find a new counter top.  I just don't want tile, and granite is too expensive, although I haven't had a quote yet.  I might go with a nice laminate.  At least there won't be grout lines to clean.  I do also hope to replace the door with a pocket door.  That bathroom is so small, having a pocket door would actually make the room seem more spacious....a friend of mine does small remodel projects, so I'm going to get an estimate on what it would cost.  

Our local news reports are filled with fire danger alerts, and we've already had a few, mostly in the bosque (a group of trees near a river ~ in this case the Rio Grande, which isn't so grande these days).  We don't live in a wooded area, but we do live in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains, which is filled with dead trees and pines.  There hasn't been a fire near us since we've lived here, but this year it seems like it's a ticking bomb, waiting to go off.  We are all hoping for some rain......

Love, 365

Winter Olympics & my 4 year anniversary.....

Courtesy of Bing Images

4 years ago, I was recuperating from breast cancer surgery & watching the Winter Olympics, high on pain meds, enjoying the time off from work (crazy to be happy about having surgery just to get a day off from work, lol).  So far, I'm doing OK ~ I am still cancer free.  I have one more year of hormone blockers, then I'm free of those & the oncologist (unless there's a once a year visit they haven't mentioned).  At my last visit, the Dr mentioned that studies suggest a 10 year regimen on the hormone blockers might be recommended...what ever it takes to prevent the return, I'm willing to do. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Last Tuesday I took my first statistics test.....and may I say "ARGHHH!".  It was tough.  I studied hard, and did the best I could.  I thought I would have the results on Thursday, but the first thing the teacher told us was that he wouldn't have them ready to return until next Tuesday.  I felt very let down.  I had spent the whole day steeling myself to accept whatever grade I earned on the test, and now I have to wait for 5 more days.....although I haven't been thinking about it too much.  I'm spending my time crossing my fingers that I did better than I think I did.......sigh.

We have been having record breaking warm weather down here in the Southwest.  Yesterday our temps were in the 70's!  In February!  The local weather people are still believing that winter weather will return, and I agree....the trees will start budding out and then they'll be frozen.  Stupid trees.

Have a wonderful week!

Love, 365

Today I'm just....me

Chaco Canyon, NM  

Speaking of crap (OK, we weren't), my boss has a small sticky notepad that has CRAP right on the top.  Then, so that you might further refine the crap there are six boxes for you to check that say things like, boring crap, useless crap, crappy crap and so on, well here's a picture.  (especially love the "cut the crap" at the bottom)

Then there's this one....

You can find these at:Knock Knock

They even have one that gives the ol one finger salute (although I think it would be exceedingly bad to use that one at work), and the usual OMG, WTF, and another fav of mine: Seriously?.  

I am studying for my Statistics test (or exam, but I like test better - exam sounds so horribly ominous) which is on Tuesday.  I promised myself that if I can make an A on the exam, I will go out over the weekend and purchase a new purse.  I've been looking for awhile (a year, but in my defense, I'm extremely picky), and the deal is that I will buy it even if it costs more than I want to spend. It's a treat, a reward for work done well.....and a little bit of a bribe.  Can you bribe yourself?  I guess I'll find out.....

We have had some really weird weather.  50's one day, then snow for the next two, and then mid 50's again.  Of course, we are horribly dry, and we always celebrate when there is rain or snow.  How about you?  

Have a great week...Love, 365    

I know what I should be doing...but I'm doing this instead....

Flying above the clouds....

Actually I'm studying for my test on Thursday....

I've been studying for an hour, and then, I decided to check out everyone's blogs from the weekend.  I was reading Lime's blog, and she has this wonderful entry about women and beauty and her poem was truly moving and wonderful.  You should go there and watch the video and read it.  

When I reach a point of maximum stress, I play games on my phone, read blogs and write on my own, or watch TV.  The latter is when I'm really out of ideas, lol.

It helps that I scored 100 on my quiz in my Anthropology class (which is the gruesome Forensic Anthropology, bones, murder, death and all that).  The quiz was on the skeleton, which thankfully I have been somewhat knowledgeable seeing that I have one.  Skeleton that is.  Still, it boosts my confidence somewhat.  In a little while I will shower and fix my hair (which is frightful right now) and go to the tutoring lab for help studying Statistics, chapters 2 - 4.  

Have a wonderful week!  Love, 365

7 things about me......

The road less well traveled.......

1) I am not a morning person.  This is not to say that I sleep all morning.  I get up fairly early on the weekend (6:30 ~ 7:30 or so).  Actually when I think about it I guess I would put myself in the category of "mid-afternoon person" when I'm really hitting my stride....ha ha

2) I'm a "seat of the pants" kind of girl.  I have abandoned my previous uptight, organizer & planner personality with glee.   And I love it, although it horrifies many of my friends.

3) I find myself avoiding contact with angry, confrontational, (and irritating) people.  Life is just too short, ya know?  

4) I enjoy all types of music except: opera and twangy country music.

5) Although I enjoy both cats and dogs, I prefer dogs.  They're happy and goofy and require that I get off my ass and take them for walks.

6) I wish I could speak/read another language, but so far can only say a few things in Spanish, like "Hola (hello), adios (good by), & la mierda del toro (bull shit).  Ok, I actually know a few more, but I didn't want to bore you with it.

7) I love my family!  They are supportive and funny and frustratiting at times....but they're mine, and I am theirs.  

I'm gonna throw up.......

Does this make sense to you?  Me neither......

Three weeks into the stats class, and I'm already freaking out.  The problem above is exactly what we use to figure out the standard variation (except it should be n-1 instead of n).  It's gonna be a struggle. I was talking to a woman I know casually, who is working on her degree in art history.  She said she ended up with a C in stats.  Which worries me, unless she's unconcerned about maintaining an A average.  She has the luxury of going to classes during the day, because her husband is a successful oral surgeon.  (do you sense a wee bit of jealousy?)

Today is house cleaning day.  I had to resort to Saturdays because I like my Sunday racquetball.  I really hate chores.  I recall feeling this way when I was 6 and had to pass my Mom's high standard of what she considered "clean" ~ like wiping her finger over my blinds to see if there was any dust, or looking under my bed for dirty clothes.  So, at least I'm consistent with my whining, ha ha.

Meanwhile, on Facebook, one of my friends posted this:

And usually in January.....

And I thought this was clever and funny....

I don't know how effective this would be, but what they hey!  It might work.....

From Scientific American, this photo...

If you want to read more, go here

Ok, well, I'm off to vacuum, dust and mop.  Have a wonderful weekend!!!

Love, 365

Of dogs & homework.....

 Brodie

Sioux

These are our two house dogs.  They stay outside while we aren't home...but are otherwise inside dogs.  They are good dogs, who don't chew up stuff (other than the designated dog toy) inside the house.  However, anything that's outside is fair game.  My husband tried to make the dog house more comfy by nailing down a carpet remnant, but Sioux made it her personal challenge to see if she could rip out all the carpet.  She succeeded, and it took an hour to pick up all the little pieces of carpet, scattered everywhere.  Still, even with the "challenges" of being a dog family, I can't imagine a life without one (or two).  

~Yesterday I took a few minutes and called my Mom & Sister (who live in Texas).  Everyone seems to be doing fine, except my Mom, who is having trouble with her back.  Her Dr prescribed Celebrex, which she later researched & discovered that it is contraindicated with some of her heart medications ~ I asked her if that particular Dr is her main physician that prescribed her other meds, and it turns out she is.  What the hell?  Don't Dr's even check to see if the medication they are prescribing might pose some sort of risk to their patients?  I was disappointed to say the least.  In the meantime, she continues to try and cope with the pain.  It just pisses me off, I suppose because I feel so powerless to help.

~In the meantime, the statistics class is plodding along.  Our instructor is originally from Sweden, and has a very charming accent.  He did warn us that the class starts out rather easy and becomes difficult quickly.  I have some homework that I plan to start on when I'm done with this.....which is probably why I keep trying to think of other banalities to bore you with so I can keep putting it off, ha ha.  

~My birthday is the 20th, and once every seven years, I get to share it with Martin Luther King Day, as I do this year.  I had planned on getting my drivers license renewed, and then I realized they will be closed.  Crap. We generally renew our license for 8 years, and the state doesn't send you a reminder that your license will expire soon, as my husband found out this year while traveling.  He was traveling for work, and was at the Enterprise car rental, when he discovered he couldn't rent a car because his license would expire before his scheduled return of the car.  Hey, I don't look at my expiration date!!  Now I put a reminder on my calendar to remind me.....the computer/phone calendars are so handy....

~Well, it looks like I've rambled on long enough, I hope you all enjoy your weekend!

Love, 365

I'm living the illusion!! Join me!

Tiger @ the ABQ Zoo, Oct. 2013

I'm so happy this week is over.  It was a long and difficult week, due to the absence of a co-worker who was quite sick this week with the flu (?) or something.  So, I've planned to go to Costco & get my flu shot today.  They are offering it for $14.99, which seems to be a good bargain.  I only hope they aren't out of it.  

My statistics/probabilities class started this week, and the instructor seems to be a very nice person.  He was late to class, but we all discovered that he works in Santa Fe during the day & comes home to Albuquerque & teaches our class in the evenings, which explains his late arrival.  Received my first homework assignment, which I'll be working on tonight.  My forensic anthropology class starts on the 20th....someone I know has taken this class & said it was great, so I have high expectations.  Unfortunately, I didn't get the info on what materials (like books & stuff) until this week.  Luckily it's fairly cheap through Amazon.  

Suldog posed 11 questions that I shall attempt to answer:

Have you ever voluntarily put anything up your nose aside from drugs?

~No, although I had to remove various objects from my kids noses.  I always wondered why they believe this is an acceptable storage place for buttons, marbles, and small action figures.  You've got a pocket, use it!

 Is it still there?

~No, and I have the Dr receipts to prove it.

How many real teeth (that is, not store bought) do you have in your mouth?

~28, I had my wisdom teeth removed one at a time to maximize the pain.

If you could take any two things on the planet and staple them together, what would they be?

~Well, I enjoyed Ami's answer to this one, so I'll go with that.  I still don't understand why he would have anything to do with Kim Jong Un.  What a sleaze bag.

Do you think plants can hear you think?

~Yes....that's why I make all my plants live outside.

How many rocks are in your house?

~The only rocks I have are the ones the dogs sometimes drag in (teeny ones stuck in their paw pads).  I think rocks can read thoughts, so like plants, I make them live outside.

If I asked you to shove a toy surprise up my ass and call me Crackerjack, would you compare and contrast Napoleon's march on Moscow with Ritchie Blackmore's guitar solo on Highway Star?

~I can't answer this question.  It's waaay too much like school, and I'm not getting any credit, so to hell with it......

Why are you still reading this?

~Because.......

Do you think it's going to get better?

~How will we know unless we continue?  Follow the pursuit of the silly, I say.....

Why is a kumquat not entirely unlike a porcupine?

~They are both squishy on the inside...

When do you think the world will end?

~According the the Maya, it has already.....personally I'm enjoying the illusion of the life I'm currently experiencing.  

Love, 365

I've already broken my resolution....

Naw, I'm not this cute...

Has anyone noticed the trend of your "friends" on Facebook posting their workouts?  I see these posts  a few times each week.  I don't get it.  I don't post my workouts on Facebook, because WHY WOULD ANYONE GIVE A SHIT???  What I should do is post something about it, but I do dearly love some of these people.  I don't want to hurt thier feelings.  Sometimes I think Facebook is a giant waste of time....oh, wait.  It is a giant waste of time, but it does keep me connected with friends that I don't see very often.  Maybe I should post a "I'm taking a break from Facebook, because I just can't deal with the daily banality".  I'm sure everyone will understand--right?   Yeah.....

Love, 365

What the heck????

Have you seen this on TV??

Yesterday I saw this ad on TV.....really????  First of all, I love bacon.  I rarely eat it, but I admit that there are some recipes that simply must have bacon.  OK, maybe many more than call for it!  There is one recipe I love called beef carbonade ~ rather like a stew, served over egg noodles.  It's really fabulous....but it only has 3 strips of bacon in the entire dish, but it wouldn't be the dish I love without those lovely strips of smokey meat.  **I have 2 issues with the "bacon bowl".  Firstly, you could do the same thing in a muffin pan, so there's really no reason to buy a special contraption to make them, although I suppose that those of us who love kitchen gadgets might want them just because.  Secondly, it's the first of the year and the first thing you think is that you have to have food served to you in a bowl of bacon????   I think we all know that having bacon daily is probably not a great idea. (On the other hand, as Fukushima is currently continuing to spew radioactive waste into our oceans, bacon might be healthier than fish.) 

Ah, America.  Home of the "bacon bowl". 

Love, 365