Oh, man... I am soooo sore!

It's not the walking to school that's going to kill me, it's the pain I feel in my back that probably will. I told Larry today I might be in traction by the end of all this. He thinks I'll be healthier from all the walking, and that may be true. But it's a long, long way to the end of July...

I had homework today, which I expected. What I didn't expect was Ben, Larry's colleague from the broadcasting school, to be in my Music Video Production class. I had a heads up that Ben would be there, but it was still a surprise when I walked into class, and there sat Ben, looking like he was going to a GQ photo shoot after class.

And I think I've seen my math prof at WalMart a few times. She looked really familiar when I walked into her class this morning.

When I get a little cash, I'm going to get mad amounts of Gatorade, and lots of body lotion to keep my skin from drying out from all the showers I'm going to be taking.

It's going to be in the 90's tomorrow... Lord help me!

help me dry off?

That's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

The All-Nighter?

Maybe not, but sometime in the next week, I'm going to be one exhausted grrl!

I may need some help in getting some things done, homework-wise. Or else, stuff is going to suffer.

I really need to go to bed, but I'm not tired yet.

I need to go somewhere where I'm not tempted by other things. Maybe I'll make a trip to the Rose State library tomorrow later today.

The essay that is due Monday in English Comp I is done. Still working on the group project stuff. It has to be presented on the 14th. It's something like 50 percent of our grade, and I have an A in there now.


That's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

The hurrieder I go, the behinder I get

That's how I'm feeling about the studying, the homework, and the English Comp project from hell...

I need something to calm me down and mellow me out.

I already asked someone for a massage, but the timing is off...

damn.

So in the morning, after I run my errands and stuff, it's back to hittin' the books.

And, the books hit back!

cowboy, take me away. always, cowgal

That's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

Not enough time on my hands...

Or so it seems.

I'm trying to recreate all the research for my English Comp project for the person who up and left us with nothing to work with. I keep hoping to get an email from one of the other members of my group saying that they now have this gal's research, and all we have to do is put it in outline form, and we'll be done. Until then (which I'm now convinced will NOT happen), I'll be writing my ass off probably right up to the 14th when this thing is due.

I have a quiz in US History in about an hour. That final is the 16th, I think (I'll have to double check that though).

And, I still have an editing project to finish.

I need a break. I watched all of about an hour of TV last night, then it was right back to hitting the books, and the internet looking for information about the Nazi's persecution of Jews during the Holocaust. There are a LOT of places on the internet to find that information, but also, a LOT of sites for hate groups and groups who deny the Holocaust ever happened. I stay away from those like the plague!

That's what our now missing member was writing about: the Holocaust. And it's the first thing in our talking document (an oral final, how nice).

I wish I had a printer here at the house, instead of having to go to the library to print stuff out.

Help?!

cowboy, can u come out and play and clear my head for a little while?

That's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

Bringing up the slack... and I'm not exactly thrilled with it

I'm part of this group in my English Comp class that has this huge project due at the end of the semester. It's actually part of our final exam. Each member of the group has a specific thing that he or she was to write about.

One member of the group I'm in decided that she needed to drop out of school in the middle of this and not tell anyone, not give us the work she'd done to that point, and not answer the emails that she's been sent. I know this gal's called at least two of her instructors, because I have both of those classes.

Now the three of us that remain have to start her part from scratch, which will put us behind by about three weeks, and i'm not looking forward to doing it. Fortunately, we were able to equally divide the work between us. It's the extra work I don't appreciate, but I guess this gal thought she had no choice but to leave. But geez, at least don't make us do everything from the git go!
=====

There's this one guy in one of my broadcasting classes who thinks that he should be treated special because he's "trying". He argues with the instructor constantly about stupid little things. If he'd just shut the hell up and just do the work that he's been assigned, maybe he might pass the class.

He accused one of my classmates of not having to work as hard because she was awarded a scholarship for getting good grades. She disagreed, saying that she works two jobs AND is also a full time student. She gets good grades because she works hard at it. He's just sloughing off and hopes to get a C, because that's "good enough".

"Good enough" is why I am in college working my ass off for a 4.0 at the age of 43. Because when I was younger, I thought "good enough" was good enough. When I got out into the real world, I got the shock of my life, because I didn't know as much as I thought I did.

And this kid will figure that out when he stops making excuses.
=====



That's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

ISO: Sleep

I did manage to get a short snooze this afternoon, but then Mom called to tell me something (what, I don't remember right off hand), and shot that all to hell.

Now it's dinner time: I need to pop those pork ribs into the oven here in a sec.

Hmmm...someone's been workin' late...

Seems that my homework is never completely done. I have a little more tweaking to do on my portion of the "talking document" for my English Comp class, then I have to email it (10+ pages and a Works Cited page-- and that's just MY share of it!) to the group leader sometime over the weekend.

And there's a new editing project to do. It's the last one for the semester (Yay!).

There's another quiz in US History on Wednesday (5/2), then the final is about ten or so days after that.

I'll just get over all that when the Summer session starts June 4th. Go. Me.

And Paul sent me another email. He wants a recent picture of me. I don't know what he's up to, but it can't be good...

Maybe I need some, um, protection or deflection or I don't know what. What possibly could motivate a 60 year old man to want to... I think I know, but I really don't want to think about it. The whole idea gives me, um, pause (I guess that's as good a word as any). He's 1700 miles and a time zone away.

And I hope he stays there.

And someone else to come over here and see my big, blue, comfy couch.

Yes, cowboy, I'm talkin' 'bout you. Your ears burnin' yet?

That's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

I'm so tired!

I slept past dinner... I'm so mad!

I don't like to eat past a certain time, like 8 or 9 pm, because a full stomach so late causes me to be wide awake instead of sleeping. But, I was starving, so I went and made fish and chips at 10pm. Now, I'm going to be up later than I want to be.

Just as long as I can sleep til 7:45am tomorrow morning...
===

Yesterday, I got my US History quiz back and learned that I got all 25 questions right, in addition to four of the five bonus questions. I knew the answer to the fifth one, but was hesitant to write it down, so sure I was that I was wrong. Turns out that I wasn't. I should have just written it down!

The thing that gets me is that some of my classmates were talking about not studying for this quiz, and still getting what they felt were "decent" scores. Coming to class regularly and taking notes (and not talking to the girl next to you while the prof is lecturing), does help.

But, I guess that they will figure that out much later. As long as mommy and daddy are paying their way, they don't really care about grades. So why in the hell are they in school to begin with? Probably because their parents expect them to go on to college.

Daniel didn't go to college after high school. That was his choice. I wasn't sitting there bugging him to go if he was not ready to move on to that next step. It would've been nice that he went, but if he wasn't ready, then what's the point? Now, he says he's ready, but worries about the costs. I told him that if he's serious, to look into financial aid, or maybe go part time so he can still work full time.

On the other hand, Jeff went to college after high school... for a year. He liked it, but I think that he was still a little overwhelmed by the college experience, even at UCO. He might go back someday, if not at UCO, then somewhere else.

Clearly, some of my classmates are only in school for the social and monetary aspects. Attending classes is not real high on their priority list. Of course not all teenagers/early 20 somethings fall into this category. Some work their butts off. They have a plan, a goal they want to reach. At Rose State, a 2 year school, it's to go on to the bigger 4 year schools like OU and OSU.

Whether I do that or not is not really a concern at the moment. Maybe I don't need that Bachelor's degree. I don't know yet. After all, if I graduate when they say I will, I'll be 45 years old! I want the Associates. That's a given. After that, I don't know.


That's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

"Gettin' Busy"

It's sad that simple, innocent phrases like "gettin' busy" have such, um, dubious connotations these days.

To most people of a certain age (mine, 43), it means you're getting busy doing something, like homework, or cleaning out the garage.

To a lot of people I know, it means having sex.

Did I miss the transition between what I think and what everyone under 25 thinks? Because somewhere between my separation/divorce and starting at Rose State, it took on a whole new meaning. So I missed something somewhere down the line.

My dad liked to say "getting down to brass tacks". To him, it meant get busy and get things done. Or else.

Now I need to go finish up something, so I'm going to get busy doing that.


That's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

Nothing seems to be going right today...

I had troubles with my editing project today, so I ended up taking it home with me.

I meant to take the laptop to school today, but I left it at home at the last second. Turned out that I really did need it today. Now I have to go in and finish my project early in the morning. Grrrr!

Nothing has come out of my mouth, or thru the keyboard, that makes any sense to anyone but me.

I need to eat something, and Chinese sounds like just the ticket. But the place that delievers in my neighborhood has a $12 minimum, and I just don't feel like ordering that much just to get delivery. There is a place on Midwest Blvd. that I might check out. I saw it when I was at IHOP recently (the day of the hornet in my car episode).

Why do I feel so... weird?



That's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

Essay's done, but I still didn't get the answer to my question

My essay that is due Monday is done. It's probably not the best piece of work I've ever produced, but I still hope it gets a decent grade.

Except for one small problem...

My English Comp class requires essays to have in-text citations and a "works cited" page. The works cited page was no problem. The problem lies in how to cite two articles with the same title (no author listed). I found nothing in my textbook and nothing on a website my professor gave us in class that addresses this. So, I sent her an email to ask.

She writes back that she didn't know the answer, but would look it up and get back to me. As of tonight, she hasn't. Our class is the third of three English Comp I classes she teaches, and she had a lot of previous essays to grade. I'll turn it in as is, and hope what I did to differentiate between the two articles is enough.

But I'd still like to know the correct way to do it, if there is one.


That's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

Best thing I've seen all day

When I was at WalMart (yes, I practically live there, just like the one in Edmond near Mom's house), I saw a man with this on the back of his shirt:

I WAS THERE
THE BIG SWING
DEC. 30, 2006 6AM
SADDAM HUSSEIN
1937-2006

I should have taken a picture of it, but I left my phone at home (of all the times to do that!).
===

Better get busy and finish my essay. It ain't gonna write itself.

That's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

Welcome to Hell, er, Tornado Alley... nice place if you don't mind the wind, the rain, and the wrath of God

Or, here we go again.

The sirens were going for the longest time. When it was thought it would head up into Midwest City from Norman, I actually packed up the laptop and hid in the bathroom.

And it rained like there was no tomorrow! I was waiting for the water to come up over the curbs. It hasn't so far.

I hope this is all of it for now. I have a paper due Monday and I can't go hiding in the bathroom every time I turn around. Though it would be an interesting story to say that I completed it in the middle of a tornado sitting in my bathtub wrapped in a blanket.


That's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

Now that I've survived spring break, it's back to the academic grind

And found out that my version of Word (2007, that came with my computer) is not compatible with the computers at school. When I tried to print my extra credit essay this morning, I got gibberish instead of words! So I couldn't turn it in this morning.

However, my English professor is allowing me to turn it in late when I explained to her what had happened. I hope I can still get the extra credit points for it.

Now I have to work on the biography essay. The rough draft is due Wednesday, and the final draft is due Friday.

Friday is Jeff's 21st birthday. At least I will not be staying up all night to see if he comes home sober. Jeff has no real interest in drinking. He's gotten all the good things from his dad. Jeff is the man I wish Jon had been. Sadly, Jon will never be able to hold a candle to his any of his sons.


That's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

The lovely view outside my window at 1:25am

Light traffic on I-40
The neighbors playing music just loud enough for me to still hear
My car is still in the parking lot (I didn't go anywhere yesterday)
Someone's out walking their dog

Things I have to do today--
Take the movies back to Blockbuster
Laundry
Vacuuming
and fun stuff like that.

Today is my ex landlord Paul's 60th birthday. I think I sent him an e-card.

I need to go to bed and dream about Hurricane Katrina again. I watched the rest of When the Levees Broke. Now I have to finish the paper I'm doing for extra credit. It's due Monday.


That's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

When the Levees Broke: Acts I & II

I watched the first of two dvds last night when I spent the night at Mom's house.

Several New Orleanians were interviewed during the course of the film, interspersed with file news footage of the Katrina coverage on various news outlets in the days leading up to the storm hitting the Gulf Coast. Then, as the storm hit the city, and the devastating aftermath of confusion, finger pointing, cries for help, the slow federal response (Condi buying shoes and taking in a Broadway show while all this is going on-- unacceptable!!!), who knew what, who had what authority over whom, and on and on and on...

Every time Bush came on the screen, and said something stupid ("Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job", when "Brownie" hadn't done a damn thing yet but show up), I wanted to throw up.

Act 2 ended with a montage of dead, bloated, and abandoned bodies. Men. Women. Children. Forgotten as they lay or float where they died. And I sat there on the couch in my mother's living room, in the friggin U.S. of A., still not believing that this happened here.

I still have to watch acts 3 and 4. The dvds are due back at Blockbuster on Saturday. The paper's due Monday.

This is not an easy film to watch, because if you have any humanity in you at all, it will piss you off. It will make you cry. It will make your heart ache.

See it anyway. If you saw it on HBO, see it again. Talk about it. Share it with people.

This is why I chose this movie over a theatrical film of a real event. These people lived it, experienced it, and deal with it even to this day. It will take years for New Orleans and the Gulf Coast to come back to their pre-Katrina state, but it can be done.





That's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

If I'd known I'd be driving all over the damned Metro for this movie...

I'd have bought the damn thing at the first place I went to.

Or... "In Search of When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts"

Yesterday, I called about three Blockbusters stores looking for this movie. I'm doing an extra credit paper in my English Comp class, and watching this movie during spring break is what I'm writing it on.

At the fourth store, in Del City, I found, I thought.

When I get there, turns out that they only had it for sale. I didn't want to buy it, just rent it. I asked them if they could call one of their nearby locations to see if they had it for rent.

The Blockbuster guy called a couple of places, and found it at a store in Oklahoma City. They agreed to hold a copy for me.

This place was just about 4 miles down SE 44th from where I was, so I drove over there. Babydoll behaved herself, and we got there and home okay.

So now I have until next Saturday to watch the movie... all four hours of it! It was a documentary on HBO last summer, and was surprised it was even on DVD.

I think I'll watch it Monday afternoon. I'll let you know how it was. After all, it's about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It's not going to be easy to watch. I wonder if this is going to be the video version of a book I've never been able to finish because I get so pissed off at the government's malaise about taking care of a "problem". Same thing with Hurricane Katrina. It took so much time for the federal government to respond, as if the Gulf Coast was unimportant.

I better stop. The subject of Hurricane Katrina and that moron living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue still makes me mad.



That's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

The essay that was kicking my butt is now in the capable hands of my professor

Hopefully, I didn't screw it up too badly.

No homework this weekend, but I do have a midterm in US History that I need to study for. It's worth 100 points! How come I have this feeling the whole test will be over World War I?

Better bone up on some names, dates, and other fun stuff. It's all essay questions. Fun.

I need to find a portable DVD player somewhere. I have a movie to watch during Spring Break. I found one at CVS in Edmond for about $40. I wonder if it's a good one or a piece of crap.

And maybe I'll check out the car show this weekend, if my 23 year old son remembers to pick me up!




That's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

Okay, so I've been running around today and...

all in all, it wasn't worth missing class for.

First up, this mandatory meeting I attended to continue to receive unemployment. The job search thing isn't going as well as I'd like, but I'm still plugging away at it.

Then, I got to see the dentist, and she wanted $100 to pull a tooth! Doc, how 'bout I keep the tooth and you do something to make the pain go away, like last time. She said it wasn't a lost filling, but some kind of misalignment.

So, more money than I wanted to part with later, I have this special toothpaste like concoction that lessens the pain, a new toothbrush, and a follow up appointment the Tuesday of Spring Break, because as I told the receptionist, I didn't want to have to miss any more school for this dumb tooth!

Then, I finally got my hair cut. See? (updated 3.9.07 @13:49)








And I still have homework to do.

Oh. Joy.


That's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

Back to the essay that is kicking my butt...

Second draft is due Wednesday. Oh. Joy.

I did find out today that I have an A in the class so far. Go me!!! Woot! LOL

US History-- we had a test. I think I missed two questions. Just drew a blank on a couple of names. I hate when I do that. I'll find out how I did on Wednesday.

My editing project is DONE! Yay! Not due til Wednesday. So I am ahead of the game.

The enchiladas I made Saturday were good. I still have some, because there is no way I can eat 13 of them in one day. Some are in the fridge, and a couple of servings are in the freezer.

I might make chili later in the week.

Yes, cowboy, I can cook. You oughta come and check out Chez Stef sometime.

Check out the food, not the chef... unless you want to check out the chef, of course!




That's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

This essay is kicking my ass...

It's not the subject or the writing of it that's giving me fits; it's the footnotes and parentheticals that is driving me up the proverbial wall.

When I write, usually I have a pretty good idea of what I'm writing, that it's all coming out of my imagination or my experience. I haven't written a true essay since high school, and I sure as hell don't remember having to do MLA styling. Footnotes, yes. That's a piece of cake once I remember it, but to cite a source in the body of the essay is something I don't recall ever having to do before.

I've become rather intimate with my text book, The College Writer, and as sure as I sit here, I'll know MLA styling backward, forwards, and as well as I know the various adventures of Dirk Pitt.

(Okay, to be fair, I've had nearly three decades reading Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt novels. I don't have that long to become one with MLA.)

I have the first draft written, but not yet typed. It will be typed by the time class starts tomorrow. I have a couple more things to do before then.


That's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--