Mid-term Jubilation

I heard today in my Anatomy and Physiology Lab that there are approximately five weeks of class left for this semester. The accuracy of this statement isn't proven, mostly because I'm too lazy to look up a few dates, but it made me so happy. When last I left you I was just about to graduate from my first collegiate home with an Associate of Arts degree, which I did. I am now attending school at another, slightly larger institution not far from home. This semester has been exciting, but I confess that it has been more of an exercise in treading water. I'm just keeping my head above the surface as far as grades and stress go. However, I would not trade it. I'm enjoying the challenges that these classes are offering, especially my chemistry class. My current line-up is as follows:

Anatomy and Physiology II
Organic Chemistry -Short Course
Computer Fundamentals for Business Management
Introduction to Visual Arts

The last class is definitely the "fun" course for this semester. I had been signed up for a ceramics studio class, but being an upper-level elective it would have required a LOT of time outside of the class. With the two science classes and their labs (and maintaining enough hours at work to not leave all of the bills up to D) that studio course would have been too much. The Intro to Visual Arts is a two-hour class that meets once a week on Monday evenings. Earlier in the semester the drive home was through the downtown area, windows down, tuned in to public radio, and washes of peach, violet, and cyan in the early dusk. With the time change it is now the drive to class that frames the sun's decline in my windshield. Lovely. The class itself really helps keep the mood going.

I recently read something about the beauty of God, which I can't completely wrap my brain around outside of looking at creation, but I love the beauty of the things of nature. And as much as I love nature, I also admire the juxtaposition of the man-made buildings with their natural surroundings. Yeah, I probably should be doing some homework. I just wanted to assure the reader that I am still around, somewhere. God bless!

7 More Days

I will be graduating with my first college degree in seven days!

"Temptation, thy name is P.O.D."

I recently came into a bit of money, the refund of my Pell Grant for the spring semester, and am going to try to put it in my savings and sit on it. Three things that will most likely immediately draw from this little bit of money are an oil change for my car, the graduation fees for college, and some more paper for my classes.

However, as parsimonious as I may seem to other people, though not many, I find that the fact that I have a little extra money tends to make me feel that I am free to spend what little extra money I have. This would not be a healthy thing to do as I don't know how much I will make each pay period. The best idea would be to save this money in case I have to miss some hours at work and don't have enough for rent, the electric bill, gas, and food (why gas before food? As most college students will attest, Ramen noodles are cheap and easy to fix).

So, as much as I love my music, it will have to wait until I myself can afford to purchase it, which is at it should be. I don't think the new secretary of the treasury or my fellow tax payers really want to foot the bill for music that would probably not be as aesthetically pleasing to them.

REFLECTION:

This may be a whole post unto itself in a few days,
but I would like to reflect on the passing of Coretta Scott King.
We lost Rosa Parks last year.
That generation that won so many
freedoms and civil liberties
for so many
who had gone without them for so long is all but gone.
As many people have been saying on the news,
and will doubtless continue to expound upon,
it is now falling to the subsequent generations to
grab hold of the human rights torch and carry it
flaming into the future.
I hope to do my part.

Nutrition, Religion, and Music - Oh my (pounding headache)!

All gears are definitely switched into school and work mode. Just beginning the second week of classes I am feeling quite content, happy even, to be back in school. I honestly missed the demands of reading and writing as well as the pleasures of class lectures and discussions.

For those of you who are curious, I am taking Nutrition, Intro to Music, World Religions, and World Literature 1650 to present. These are just your regular old core classes, but it's so much fun to be introduced to all this new information. In Nutrition we are building our base for the semester by discussing the Daily Food Guides and nutritional recommendations set forth by the government and health experts.

This morning in World Lit we discussed A Modest Proposal by Jonathon Swift. My goodness! Who would want to eat babies?! The discussion was definitely rich and explored the reasons behind his writing this piece, which was originally a pamphlet. It definitely would have gotten my attention. Another thing to be happy about is that I know some of the other students in the class, in particular a friend of mine for many years. Sharing a class is a good excuse to get to see her more often.

And that pretty much measures my academic life to this point in the semester. Now I have to run to the bookstore and see if they have received a shipment of the books needed for said World Lit class lest I fall behind and post lots of frowny faces on here. For today, a happy face :)

New Rockin' Hair Colour

Okay, that is not an objective view on the current state of colouration on my crown, but it is temporarily not itself. Yes, in honor of the New Year, my sister and I both used a temporary hair dye on New Year's Eve. The picture is not a shot of either of our noggins, but it does somewhat illustrate the hue. The name of the colour was "Chill Plum," one of the shades in the L'Oreal Color Pulse line of temporary hair color mousse.


On their website, the color shows up as being more purple, which is what I was hoping for, but our hair came out more red. This was actually a nice result for both of us as our natural hair color has some red highlights, especially my sister. The color is also complimentary to our fair skin tones. It was fun and inexpensive, coming in at just under $5. Another nice thing about going the temporary route is that the dye shouldn't damage healthy hair as it has no ammonia or peroxide. My natural hair color is wonderful, but I just occassionally feel the need to have some fun with it.

In other news, I have finished my schedule for the upcoming Spring semester and revised my 5-year plan from becoming Registered Nurse to becoming a Doctor of Physical Therapy. I'm trying to still look around and see what my options are, while maintaining some grounding and not being blown by every new breeze of an idea that comes my way. (Thankfully I'm of a stout young woman and not easily moved.) The decision to change my course of study came with some degree of serious consideration. I had been planning on nursing mostly because that was the way I had been nudged for a while. Nursing would probably be challenging and fulfilling, but I think that I would enjoy and be more challenged and fulfilled by Physical Therapy. I will still keep my eyes and ears open. Thankfully I have a plethora (buzzword of 2000 anyone?) of advisors to gain insight, wisdom, and the understanding that I shouldn't try to do some things on my own.