Last One..

Had my last final today.  EMR, so I had an oral practical and a written.  Pretty sure I aced the oral practical, but I needed 80% or better on the final to certify.  Only got 79%. Figures.  One question and I don't even know what I did wrong. Sigh.
Looks like I got an A- in art, which is better than I thought I would.  Still no word on public speaking, but I'm not overly worried about it. Especially since my math score is sitting at a B+ after the final.  No official grades until next week, but I'm all done.
And the graduation ceremony is friday!  My dad's trying to see if he has time to go see the newest Star Wars movie before it starts.
My mom gave me her cold! Not cool the day before my last final!  But I'm doing what I can to get rid of it fast.  Not the sort of thing I can call in sick to work over, given that its mainly just a stuffy nose, sore throat and mild cough.  Should be gone by tomorrow-I hope.
Three days and counting...

One Week

Sounds like a quote from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy doesn't it?  But I have one final next week, one opens tomorrow, the math final opens thursday-85% on the last test for that one-and my art final project is due wednesday.  Currently working on the last one, as in fighting the printers who either will not take paper or have nozzles clogged. Figures.
Scary thing happened while I was sleeping last week, which meant I got two days of not really sleeping and then completely blacked out friday night as a result. Felt and heard something moving my sheets but when I opened my eyes the room was dark and empty save for me.  Creepy.
Video recorded my last speech with my dad and sister's help-had to use her iPad and he helped me get it onto my computer-last night and finished turning it in this morning.  The final for that class opens tomorrow.  Which means the only class I have to worry about for finals week is EMR.
Went over my pictures three times to find ones that will work for my project.  And had the teacher go over them twice to see if they agreed.  Then I had to mess with a few to make sure they all fit the idea.
Math I'll have to find time to study as there's only two days to review for class left.  But with that last test score I'm in very good shape.  Finally.
So yeah, that's where I'm at for the last of the semester. First print that went through came out orange and streaky instead of red and clear.  Only thirteen to print though, so no rush right now.

Two Weeks to go...

Sigh. This week is not going so well as the only day off I have is saturday and all the other days I'm working a minimum of 5 hours.  Monday I had to run home, grab something for lunch, change, and run to work.  Plus I closed and had to get up at six am the next morning.  Yesterday was a shorter shift but not by much.  And it was crazier than monday-monday was very boring-so I got off a bit late.  Today was a thankfully short class day as we're trying to work on our last project but I still have work right after it was supposed to get out normally.
But my grades are holding.  Still a solid B in math and art, a low B in EMR and a solid C in public speaking.  Down to the last assignments.  One more speech-that I have to do at home and record for the teacher to see-and a test for public speaking.  This last project for art-no test as far as I know-that's due next wednesday.  Just took the last quiz-80%-for math and have the last test tomorrow.  The final is next week.  And then EMR has one quiz, skills test, and the final I think. Plus workbooks are due tomorrow.
Got a few inches of snow monday, which made the whole straight from school to work thing highly interesting but not fun.  Then it froze into tuesday so I had ice to deal with.  Today it warmed up so no ice but it is still rather cold.  I am very glad my parents talked me into the new tires, as I doubt I would have made it anywhere given the road conditions.  Really makes me want winter boots now, as my shoes don't handle snow at all.
Got to 50,000 words for NANO before work yesterday! Funny thing is that I feel I only got half way through the story when I got that count.  But I turned it in and its official. Not to mention a day early.  Here I was thinking I wouldn't have time this year...

Well That's Just Great....

Changing soups at work saturday and managed to strain my left shoulder.  Had to go see the doctor yesterday and then a follow up today-which made me late for art, but I was able to email the teacher a heads up so they knew what was going on and didn't ding me for it-to make sure it wasn't worse than that.  Funny thing about it was that it didn't hurt at the time-just a funky pooping sound and feeling-but started aching when I got home.  Yesterday was the worst pain wise, so I spent most of the day outside of church trying to ice it.  Feels better today but I'm still icing it.  Supposed to start using heat tomorrow and I have exercises for the week-that's how long I'm supposed to 'favor' it-so it can loosen the muscles and help them heal.
Speech didn't go so well, but I'm still passing the class.  Have one more to go, though it's supposed to be an online thing that I have to record rather than a face to face.  Need five people to watch the live thing though. And one last test for it as well.
Art book was popular with my classmates but my teacher hated my binding method-I thought loose leaf three ring binder clips worked well with the subject but whatever-but I still got a B on it.  Last one's due in December.  No final tests with that class that I know of.
Math has one more quiz-last one was only a 60% but the 100% before that kind of made up for it-one more test, and then the final.  After the 3rd test we're just reviewing so no more new stuff.  Too bad the final has to be comprehensive where the tests were not.  But I'm still a solid B there too.
Not sure what's going on with EMR though we have workbooks due tomorrow.  No class at all last week, and only one this week.  Need to work on my practice emergencies too.

Getting There....

For some crazy reason I decided to try and do Nano despite the ever increasing workload of school and work.  I'm up to 22,500 words, which means I'm about 2,000 behind where I need to be. Plus the 2,000 I need to write today...
3rd speech yesterday and the last one I have to come to school for.  The fourth and final one we're supposed to do ourselves at wherever with five people watching.  Meaning I might have to bug my dad to help me record it and get it online so the teacher can see it. Called a digital dependent delivery. Fun.  First I have to go over yesterday's and write a report on it.
Currently trying to print my second to last art project, which I had to change as my original idea lacked needed pictured but I had enough photo's to make a new one along similar lines.  Spent at least 30 minutes arguing with a printer that wouldn't take the paper so  classmate and I set up a new one that's working now.
And I have less than an hour to try and print 34 pages.  And one of them has text which I'm not sure how that will work. I don't know that this computer has a word processor. Guess I'll find out.

Fun....

Getting that last of the garden cleared out is taking longer than expected.  Takes me an hour to get one row done. And I've still got one left to go-plus two plant from a row I didn't get to finish-before it snows.  And I've got to get the pipes organized too.
We finally had our skills pass off in EMR on thursday, so I've got half of them signed off.  Still have to work on the practice assessments so I have the 40 I need.  But that won't be as hard as the 100 I had to do for EMT.
Math quiz scores dropped a bit, but they are going back up now.  Only three more to go and one test before the final.  Two chapters though....
NANO is back, and I'm 1000 words behind where I need to be.  For once I'm ahead of my mom, but she's doing a collaboration story with my dad for it and so she can't just sit and write this year.  She has to wait for him and such.
Trying to work on my next art project and not having much luck.  Supposed to try and catch people taking photos-the more generic type of kids and fountains and such-with phones and such and take pictures of them. Only got 2 so far. Sigh.
Entering the final month of the semester....

HALLOWEEN!!!

Not that anybody does trick or treating anymore.  Kind of sad, as that was the best part for me growing up.  But people still dress up for it, though I see a lot of costumes earlier in the month rather than later. Sigh.
Got a 91% on my second math test! And an 84% on my EMR midterm.  My next art project has 2 & 1/2 weeks to do, but its the 'big book' one.  We can either do 500 page minimum, or 17 inches one side. Sigh.  My dad gave me a starting idea but I've got to figure out which kind I'm doing.
And that project is due the same week as my next speech-figures-so I've got to keep that in mind. Sigh....

Fine...

Well, my second speech was, but my art project(due tomorrow of course) is not.  Have to keep fighting the stupid printer to get anything out of it.  And my poor dad spent close to an hour sunday trying to fix that issue. Sigh.  Don't think I'll tell him yet, but I have figured out a temporary way to make it work.  Not sure if it will keep for the long run. Sigh.
But I got both copies of my book printed, just have to go through organization and then cut, paste, and cover them.  Loads of fun since we have to crease-precrease sot he pages don't open all the way to the spine and mess up the binding since it's a perfect(no, not in how I did it, that's what the style is called)binding.  And I've got plenty of time for it to dry, just not a lot of time to get it to that point. Figures.
But midterms is over, which covered the second speech, my second math test-won't get that til thursday at best-this current art project and my EMR midterm-still have to take-for that fun stuff.
Garden is half way torn up so it can be ready for next year, but I still have to organize the pipes, get the good tomatoes-if any-and pull them up, and store the smaller pipes in the garage.  Have to find one of the end pieces, as it got swallowed by the black berry bushes while I was disconnecting them.

Cold.....

Getting to the freezing point at night I hear.  Which means the garden is basically done.  Have to see what tomatoes I can get and grab the last zucchini as I got everything else.  Then I get to take down all the watering pipes and pull up the plants so there won't be anything in the way for spring.
Blaze died yesterday.  We were going to take him to a vet to see if he needed to be put down but he died before we got that far.  My sister in law said he might not make it, so she was right.  Sad though, and my brother was there watching him die.  I guess it meant he didn't die alone, but I think it was rather hard on my brother. Then we had fun trying to dig a hole-I didn't help, actually was helping get dinner started at the time-to bury him in as the cold made the ground uncooperative. Figures.  Hope the other cats don't get the same thing he did, because he suffered a lot it seemed towards the end. At least its over now.
Test 2 for math this week, and I'm a little nervous about it.  Stuff still makes sense but its getting harder to keep it all straight.  The teacher mentioned that one of the earlier sections was the hardest and if you got through that alright you'd be fine.  But I'm not sure that's how its going to work for me. Guess I'll find out.
Working on my second speech, which I hope goes better, or that I'll have better control of my nerves. Also something I'll have to wait and see on.
Midterms.......

Canadian Thanksgiving!

I know it may seem weird to have it over a month before the 'real' one, but as my dad went to Canada on his mission and always wants to go back-plus the insanity surrounding the 'real' one-we celebrate this one as a family so that those of us with in-laws can go to those in-laws on the 'real' one without having to worry about who they should go to every year.  Kind of wish I had some in-laws, but not yet.
Had to harvest all the butternut, the two big watermelons, the nearly ripe cantelope, as well as the usual bunch of tomatoes saturday as the squash and melons were getting black leaves.  Not sure why, as the zucchini, acorn, tomatoes, and the pepper plants all seem fine.  But they may be hardier than the others.
Stupid printer will not communicate with my computer! had to go to a preliminary critique for our next project with one photo as that's all I could get. Sigh. But got some good ideas for more photo's and how to make it interesting so I can have fun with all the junk emails I keep getting.
Another public speaking test this week, and I still don't have the book-kind of gave up on it at this point-so I may study the lecture notes the teacher puts on the site. Hopefully be more informative than the study guides.

Sigh...

Week was going well.  I have bad habit of getting very nervous when I have to stand up and talk in front of a group.  particularly one I've never met before but full of my peers.  Go figure that I can do it in front of younger kids but not people my same age.  I guess it has to do with the fact that little kids tend to trust you, and I have two nieces so I feel I can relate to them. Not sure why I'm not so nervous around junior high students either.
But my first speech is done, and I've got to view the recording today and critique myself-still cringing at the idea, got way too nervous when I got up so I don't think I did that well-as the final part of that assignment.  Though there is a small consolation in that we were all nervous.  Everyone used the 'um' sound at least once.  But I may have been one who did it the most.  Good thing passing this class is not crucial.
Got back my second art project yesterday-teacher kept them over the weekend-and tossed around our ideas for the third one.  We need 2 copies of a 40 page(double sided) book not including a cover by the 26th.  The teacher is providing half the paper, but we have to get the other half for ourselves.
Math is still going strong(did I mention the 83% on the first test?) which is a relief.  Strange that it's taken this long for things to start to make sense.  Told my dad he jinxed or cursed me, though I don't know if that counts when its a good thing.
EMR is funny when I don't have to worry about memorizing the acronym's like the rest of the class-even remembered how to do a full body assessment-and we're supposed to learn how to take blood pressure on thursday. Wonder how the teacher will react when I show them that.
General Conference!!! Pity we were babysitting my nieces and missed most of the second and third sessions.  Heard President Monson being announced but couldn't hear much of it at all.  So I'm really looking forward to when I get the hard copy.
Here's hoping math and art stay strong....

YES!!!

Finally got graduation back on track.  Had to email 2 different people about it but now I'm all set to graduate once I pass everything.  And the nerves just kicked back in....
Had to take that test for the public speaking class and while I didn't totally bomb, I certainly didn't do as well as I'd hoped.  Oh well.  First speech is coming up so I can't dwell on it too much.  Here's hoping the test's don't count for as much as the speeches.
Finally got graded on our workbooks for EMR and then we got to practice the assessments for the first time-for my classmates anyway, I was more of a coach and trying to see what they may have changed on it.  My partner was rather glad that I was able to help them get through it for the first time.
Got to see the premier of Studio C last night! Granted I wound up dropping my mom off, then running back to grab my sister before going myself.  It was fun.  We had Stacy and Natalie at ours. But they sat right in front of us.
Trying to print my current art project and the printer keeps failing to finish.  Got about half of it printed, but I wanted to get it bound before work today. Sigh....

I Need to Stop Doing That...

Got new tires on my truck and I can tell the difference.  Now if I can bleed the clutch-which should solve the rattle during idling problem-my truck should be just fine. I hope. But I need to stop waiting until the stuff is worn out or broken before fixing it-novel concept, finding stuff before it breaks-so that my truck lasts longer.  Though it is almost 20 years old so I can't hope for too much.
Got a 90% on my math quiz but no word on my test. Sigh.  Hoping for more good news like the quiz though I may have to wait until tomorrow.  Teacher probably wants to hand them back during class and then go over stuff.
Second art project is back underway, meaning I have the photo's printed out.  Just need to find a place that will spiral bind the final product.  Teacher saw them and really liked the idea behind them. Plus there's the wording to go along with each shot.  Still working out the title...
First public speaking test due this week and I don't have the book to study with.  Have to take it on campus too. Guess I'll have to hope it's common sense stuff or something I'm familiar with otherwise I'm toast.
My boss called about another store needing help this morning, right as I was getting ready for class. They of course had no illusions about me skipping-given that we went over the next project I'm glad-to help them out, but I still felt bad.
One of my watermelons exploded, so I picked it and it's now adding to the mulch. Rain will do that to them, I'm told.

Always Waiting....

So it seems anyway.  Right now I'm waiting to meet with my art teacher about my second project for the class.  Have a bit of a rough draft ready, but still plenty I can ask them about.  Ran into my cousin on the way up the road-walking to the bus stop, as I let my sister use my truck to get to work-so they gave me a ride to school.  Meant I got here way early and had time to go bug the english department-again-about my graduation requirements.  Because now my portfolio and public reading are missing. I did that stuff spring 2015! Sigh....
Math's still going well, so far I have an 85% average.  First test and 3rd quiz tomorrow will make things interesting.  And I've got to get the homework for all that done when I get home.  Get dinner going first as it's a crock pot thing and should leave me most of the after noon for homework.
Talked to the night shift manager about learning to make sandwiches and such when my fellow cashier is done with their training and they said they'd be happy to arrange that.  Pretty sure my coworker is just about done so it shouldn't be too long.
So that's week 4 in the middle.

Week 3 and 9/11

Strange to think that even after 15 years I can remember that morning so well.  It felt so confusing but at the same time everyone seemed to get a little closer emotionally.  Plus to think of how many lives were lost and yet how many came together over that tragedy.  We tried to give cookies to firefighters but so far haven't made it.
So week three generally means the first art project is assigned or turned in-for this semester we turned it in yesterday(and I was getting the final touches done right before leaving for class-hate doing that!)-usually quizes and homework for other classes.  English types may have turned in a very short assignment or assigned a bigger one.  For math we had our first quiz last week.
For the garden we got over half a dozen-didn't get a good count-of the butternut squash harvested.  Also got 3 cantelope and 2 zucchini. And the usual handful of tomatoes, mostly the cherry type.  Corn's getting iffy, but the watermelon's gotten huge. Tried to move one yesterday that's been threatening to squash a tomato plant. Kale needs another harvest, otherwise the deer might go after it again. Hope it's not too cold for them yet, but I could see my breath on the way to class this morning. Sigh.....

End of the Second Week

Parking is much better now(of course).  Traffic can get hairy if I leave around 8 a.m.(not doing that again). Textbooks have been taken care of, which leaves more time for homework and such. Block party(start of the new semester thing that happens the first friday of the semester)makes getting around to classes interesting, but thankfully I don't have classes on friday.
I wonder when the EMS started making it so that anyone who calls 911 with their cell phone has any calls and texts blocked for five minutes after hanging up.  Drove past a rather scary grass fire on the highway after school yesterday and wanted to make sure they knew.  Guess they'd already heard because the person who answered asked right up front if it was about the fire.  Then they hung up. Seems they were either busy or tired of getting calls about that.
First math quiz is done, Got an 80% but had to spend nearly an hour getting the school homework site to upload the pictures(we do it on paper, take a picture, and send the teacher that)for the quiz.  Had to try several things to get it to finally work. Grr.
My EMR class is getting a touch boring thanks to my EMT-Basic training.  Feels like a review.  Walked into DCAP-BTLS and SAMPLE yesterday and didn't bother writing down the meaning.  Just reviewed in my head and the teacher noticed and grinned at me.  They also mentioned that it must feel like a review to me.  Some of the stuff is going to be new, as it has been a few years.  But most is old.

Things about the first day(s)

Of a semester I forgot: Parking, especially for fall semester, is insane. Spent a half hour yesterday trying to find a spot. Today wasn't so bad, but I got there a lot earlier than yesterday. Felt bad for those who were looking when I went by between classes.
Bookstore has a line that winds through the whole store and nearly back out the door just for textbooks. At least they gave us candy for the wait(sounded like someone ran off with two of the cashiers).
Remember that are nice: 90% of classes on the first day and sometimes the first week end early. Ones that don't are either 50 min(mon, wed, friday types) or institute(really don't mind that one). Art classes usually end early for the first week. 'Academic' classes are usually first day only. not very early, but a good 15-20 minutes. Art was an hour.
Lot of businesses come in with free stuff and contests. Like a credit union doing a 'guess how much' thing for free stuff.
For fall its the blood battle with another university!  Today went rather well, considering last time I tried I couldn't give a full one.  The worker commented that my veins wanted to bleed, as the finger they stuck for iron testing bled through the band aid and was threatening to go through the second one they put over it.  Then the main site bled through the gauze I held over it so they rolled up another one and put that down with a band aid and then the wrap.
Not so nice things that shouldn't happen on the first week: Alarm failing to go off so you wake up at 6:50 for a 7:30 class.
Failure to secure needed textbooks before class starts. So I had to buy some today. Sigh....
And finding out your vehicle has a broken power steering reservoir cap and that's why it keeps running out. I can afford a new one though.

Even in Refreshers

you can still learn something.  The teacher taught us a trick for solving quadratic equations without doing trial and error on the rather hard ones.  Still takes work, but its much better than trying to guess multiple times. And I only needed a few tries at it to get the hang of it.  I did write it down in my notes to ensure I'll remember it for the semester.
Got my first substitute teaching offer, though it's for a fifth grade class and only half a day.  But it'll be my first time unless something sooner comes up-its not until the 20th of september-and I can be nervous about that.
My parents helped me out with this semester's tuition, and gave me more than I'd hoped for.  So now I've got breathing room regarding textbooks-really only for math so far-should I need to get them.  And the teacher responded about my textbook and says I really need the latest edition.  I think I can get it used online for less than $20. Would be nice.
Would really like to get my truck to stop leaking power steering fluid.  Having to crank it may be a good workout but it's a little scary on the highways and such.

Hmmm.

Had a story idea I want to do for nanowrimo this year.  Just have to remember to write it down-can't type it yet or I can't count what I've typed for nano-so I can remember the details I've worked out. Need to find a notebook I haven't already written in the back of.  Need it for the prerequisite math class thing anyway.
Got the last interview for my endowments done yesterday-took a lot longer than the usual interview I've done before, so I was late to class as a result(they don't schedule before 6 and the class starts at 6:30)not that the teacher seems to mind. Plus my grandma paid for all the clothing stuff and my dad got me a suitcase/bag for me to carry it in(have no idea how you're supposed to carry it all otherwise) so I'm ready for saturday material wise but can't get rid of the butterflies so far. Sigh.
The class is fairly simple.  No homework, but a lot of in class review and work.  Was late monday because of picking out my clothing stuff, but yesterday was later.  The teacher has a sheet that we put our names on so they know we are there. Had five of us monday, went up to six yesterday.  The lower level one had more, but I bet it's mostly just out of high school kids,
Set up the grasshopper trap, now I get to see if it actually works.  Wonder why they want a glass jar? I used a plastic mayo container per my mom's request-can't blame her for not wanting to give up a good mason jar, we use those for other stuff-and I don't know if that makes a difference.  Plus I didn't have time to bury it either.

Ouch...

Kind of hard to not wince when you hear about people not getting great customer service at work-though not at your location-and hoping to clear up the bad feelings.  Happened with be connected to the new store that opened a few months ago, and I got one of those disgruntled customers yesterday.  We were able to help them and hopefully give them a better view of the store.
Today we got a 2 to 3 p.m. rush which left a bunch of customers upset as we were a bit short on employees-manager had to meet with an inspector(we passed that part thankfully)-and so it was taking a lot longer than usual. Got through that and then someone managed to freeze the computer screen I was using for orders so I couldn't log out or clock out.  And I wound up staying an hour later to help out.
Got tomatoes!  Mostly cherry right now.  Got far enough into the weeds that it takes nearly an hour to get a full bucket as they are so small. Cantelope is getting close and I'm keeping an eye on the corn-going to be small even if I can harvest them-they have a lot of cobs showing up. Butternut is still not ready, but we're going to get a bunch when I can finally harvest it.
My mom got me a cute shirt yesterday after she dropped my brother off at job corps-apparently a 'soggy' moment according to my dad-which I'm saving for school.

Deer!!!

They ate my lettuce! gah.  So worried about them eating my cantelope and watermelon I never thought they'd go for the lettuce.  And it was almost ready to harvest. At least those two are still safe, though I may have to redo my deer scarer as it doesn't seem to be working. And I need to set up a grasshopper trap-as even if I get rid of the deer they may still go after that stuff-as I now have a bottle I can try with.
Guess I shocked my dad yesterday by snagging his dark chocolate pomegranate treats while they were sitting right next to me.  I didn't ask but I did tell him.  I guess I let a rather frustrating week and a lousy day get the better of me.  So I gave them back and apologized, but I'm not sure he's forgiven me. He did give me some later, but hasn't said anything other than he's lost faith in me. Sigh...
May have to reschedule my endowments-part of the frustration, as well as having issues communicating with the bishop and my boss-so that I can do the prerequisite class for math.  Rather not, but I may not have any other option.
My mom wants me to go shopping with her, though I don't have money at the moment.  Oh well.

Muggy

I wish it would rain! Sheesh.  So humid I rather miss the hot dry days.  At least a little anyway.  Both have their own reasons for not being fun.
Trying to figure out a deer deterrent for my melons, not big enough to attract them yet, but they will be soon enough.  Very frustrating to come out to a huge chomp in a water melon or bits left of a cantelope.  Not sure why they don't ever eat the whole watermelon, though my mom thinks it may be a not quite what they wanted thing.  But it ruins the whole melon as it rots after that.  I suppose its good they eat the whole cantelope, but they tend to stomp on the plant a bit which can ruin other melons.  Funny they don't like butternut or zucchini.
Getting nervous about endowments, though I had to call the temple 3 times-first time the scheduling desk hung up on me(or my phone did, I'm not sure which)second time went to messaging and then hung up(grr) third time I got them.  Same poor lady on the phone had to help me each time.  She was very patient though.  My grandma's very excited.
School's coming up, and they started a new thing that means I won't have to take a test to get into my math class!  just take a new refresher course thing they just started doing.  Costs more than the test, but is a better guarantee about getting in. Plus I'm not good at testing in math...
Just have to work with my boss to ensure I can do both my endowment and the class(same week in the evenings-go figure) which I'm trying to do now.

Hair

I noticed the other day that sunday is like my hair brush.  Throughout the week I collect dirt and stuff from the world that can weight me down and build up until I'm worn out.  But if I clean the 'brush' out once a week it never gets that far.  Like going to church on sunday and spending time with family after.  It cleans out all the junk in my head and heart and lets me carry on for another week.  May not feel that way for everyone, but it does for me.
The garden's finally kicking off on production.  Harvested 2 zucchini on friday and another today.  Also picked a butternut but it may have been too early.  Got a whole bag full of kale-which I thought was long gone-and we've been using that for green shakes.  Even two cantelope growing, and a watermelon.  May need to re-harvest the lettuce soon.  And I've still got one onion.  The other two have vanished.
My brothers are supposedly weeding the garden before I get out there, but I'm seeing loads of weeds trying to choke the plants so I don't know where they are pulling. Sigh.
Pulled three 7 hour minimum shifts thursday, friday, and saturday.  Not that I mind too much, as I need the hours.  But my feet hated me after.  Had to ice my heels-hate bursitis-before they calmed down a bit.

Okay....

Getting extra hours at work is nice for saving for my last semester of school.  Not so nice on my feet after 5.5 and a 7.5 hour shift. But I need what I can get for now.  Plus my boss likes to throw in some treats and stuff as they feel bad for making me work so long.
Managed to get a rather nasty sunburn next to my armpit which sadly rubs when I wear my work uniform and is another thing that makes long hours unpleasant for now.  But it's getting better fast so not for long at all.
My dad had a solution to the birds attacking my ear wig traps-they'd eat the bugs out of it and somehow get the can all the way to the grass in the process-by using tent stakes to nail it in place.  Can't complain about them eating the bugs, as the point was to kill the bugs to begin with.  But having to replace the bait due to the birds dumping it out is not helpful.  Now I've just got to get some that won't pull up easy or get in the way of the birds eating.
Waking up with a headache again, though getting up early for work seemed to have diminished it a bit today.  Wish I could afford better pillows, the ones at the trailer-where we went last week-were very nice.
Now I need to go see if the butternut has taken over that one pepper plant and how big the zucchini have gotten.

Bleh

Loads of fun getting home from a two day vacation to find the house so humid you feel drenched just walking in the door.  Even turning on a fan didn't help much.  Plus it was nearly 3 a.m. so I was tired.  I took a shower hoping it would help me fall asleep-it didn't work.
I guess it was such a shock given we'd been up north so things got a lot colder at night.  No fans needed there, just an open window.  There was plenty of cool breeze.
Trip was fun, though I was hoping to go tubing down a nearby river but there just wasn't time.  I got a new swimsuit anyway, as there is a family pool party coming up. I'd like to go swimming sooner, but oh well.
Set up my interview to get my endowments!  Had to chase down the ward secretary though, swear the person would disappear before I even got close.  But I found them and got it all ready.  Trying not to let my nerves talk me out of it.  If anything, that convinces me that I'm going in a good direction. They usually warn me against those type of 'risks'.
I really want ice cream right now....

Happy Birthday

To me....to quote the Frozen Fever short.  I'm now the same age my mom was when she gave birth to me.  That's not a weird feeling at all.  But ti was fun though a bit of a roller coaster.  My older-not the oldest-sister forgot and then spent a few texts telling me how bad she felt about it.  I spent about a half hour telling her to stop beating herself up. My sister in law and brother got some rather upsetting bad news so they kind of hid in their room to avoid ruining my day-wouldn't have blamed them for it though...-. Still a nice day.  Got to do baptisms-really cool scene where a visually impaired brother was both baptized and baptizing right before us-so my hair was damp for the rest of the night.  Took my mom to Denny's for breakfast, which we were not impressed.  Would have preferred Kneaders by the time we left. But the Spaghetti Factory made up for it.  And I got to spend the whole day with my mom-poor dad had to work until we went to the temple, so not nearly as much time with him-and she got my eyebrows waxed.  But I think they are finally to where she's happy with them.
Got to harvest the only lettuce we got yesterday!  Not sure when it will get eaten, but it's washed and in the fridge.  More blackberries too-of course-.  Peppers are still very small.  But the butternut is really going nuts. Already have one about four inches long.
Need to get a swimsuit soon....

Mornings...

Verses evenings at work.  A coworker asked me saturday which I preferred.  Thinking about it now, mornings are crazier so it doesn't feel as long, but I tend to get stuck on the register and nothing else.  Evenings are slower, but I get to do drive and expo a lot more.  So I don't really know.
Garden's really getting going, for what actually grew.  My boss mentioned that it being my first time I shouldn't beat myself up too much.  Plus I can't exactly control the stupid crickets or what ever that are eating the smaller plants to death and ruining the larger ones.  And then something took the top off two of the bigger corn plants-I think they'll survive, but I don't think it was the crickets-so I'm getting annoyed.
One of the other pepper plants grew, and its big enough to survive! The only problem is it's very close to one my mom bought and I planted.  Right now its too small to cause problems, but when both of them get bigger it will be. So I may need to move the smaller one while the roots are still in the peat moss starter thing.  If they still are that is....

Oops...

Turns out the berries are black berries, not raspberries.  But we still used them for a fruit salad last night and today's green-turned it purple-shake. Not many more getting ripe yet, but my sister in law was a bit disappointed.  She thinks we got them from our neighbor who has a whole crop of the plants.  Wouldn't surprise me given the way the birds have reseeded stuff in the garden and the lawn that was not there to begin with.
The burn on my finger from sunday-leave it to me to give myself a nasty burn while cooking a cake for my sister-turned into a blister yesterday and I popped it while weeding today.  And I thought doing that to regular blisters hurt...
My poor mom ripped most of her pinky toenail off so I had to help her get the rest off before it caused more damage.  Funny that she's leary of me messing with her toes given how much my dad plays with them. Or maybe that's why she's so touchy about them....

Independence Day!!!

Not that I've got huge plans or anything, but it is an excuse to set things on fire that can blow up-in some cases-and get together with family.  Granted, I've been hearing fireworks for the past few days.  Kind of wish I could get some of my own, but if there are some at the barbecue that'll work just fine.
The raspberries are ripe! at least some are.  I got all the ones that were ready I could find-and the bushes got me a bit for it in the process-as well as the spinach that was starting to seed.  Not sure about the kale, have to see when my mom gets home. But I got to harvest something!
Made a cake for my sister's birthday yesterday that took far longer than I thought it would.  But she liked it.  It was a first for me so I wasn't satisfied.  Supposed to be chocolate with a chocolate lemon flavored topping-actually three different types of topping, one for the layers, one for the outside, and a final layer to kind of stick it all together-but the lemon didn't really come through.  And I burned the second layer a bit while melting the chocolate part of it. And I forgot the lemon slices to garnish it.  But I guess I can do that part today when we sing to her(I hope).
Here's to the birth of the nation!

Not Cool....

Went on a young single adult trip for the past few days, and came back to a bit of a mess.  I think its mainly due to the visit of my niece starting sunday, and its not as bad as it could be.  The garden's worse.  Weeds went mad as nobody else had time to keep them down. I think I may have identified which plants are the cauliflower, as they are showing up about where they should.  But they are a lot bigger than I expected.
Raspberries are ripening! not quite ready yet, but they are getting very dark.  And the corn is really coming in now.  Poor squash and tomatoes are still struggling but the onions and other stuff are hanging in there.
Got lots of fun pictures from the trip-even some of me thanks to fellow travelers insisting on using it and talking me into stuff like paddle boarding(which is fun), tubing though not rough, and such.  Need to give those to whoever is making the slideshow of the trip....

Love Triangles

These bug me in books and movies but probably not for the same reason they bug others.  I'm one of those who can't get much interest beyond a first day from one man, let alone trying to deal with two.  I just wish I didn't scare men off or whatever it is I do.  Would be a nice change from weeding, working, and school stuff.  But I guess that's what I'm stuck with for now.
Job interview went well, but I'm not sure about taking it.  Working with kids? awsome.  for less pay and roughly the same hours I've got now? not so good...
Well, just keep trying at it.

Okay...

Turns out my niece was here until 7 p.m. yesterday, not sunday so we did get to see her before she went back to her mom.  She was in a weird mood though.
Work was a bit more of the late night rush so we were ahead on cleaning stuff-even found some unusual stuff to clean-until we got a series of rushes and had people coming in around 9:45.  Thankfully the 9 cashier working with me stayed to help close due to the volume of latecomers.  Still barely got done before 11 on the closing cleanup.
Popped a large blister on my pinky and so pulling weeds was loads of fun this morning. Had to be a bit inventive about it.  Heard back from 2 jobs I applied for.  One didn't pan out beyond a phone call-figures-but the other I have an interview for tomorrow!  Its a preschool teaching type job, but sounds fun.
So hot today, supposed to get triple digits.  Not cool....

Ow.

Got most of the garden cleared to the west end like my dad wanted.  Now we can enjoy the flowers better at least.  But right at the end of it there is a rose bush and the largest raspberry bush so far.  Right around each other.  My mom wants the rose bush out, along with the other weeds.  Haven't gotten to it just yet, but got all the weeds around it.  The raspberry bush got both my brother and I along our arms in the process too.  Rather painful blister on my pinky on top of that. Figures.
Nice weekend.  Took my dad to breakfast at work, and finally got to clean my room.  My niece was able to visit for Father's Day-Yay!-but then her dad took her to visit her cousins and we didn't see her before she had to go back home.  Had fun making dinner for my dad, though my second oldest brother tried to cook ribs and a steak and the steak was over done and the ribs were under done in weird spots.  Stupid grill....

Aww Man.....

A movie rental store near my house is closing.  One of the last few it seems.  They lasted a lot longer than Blockbuster though.  And they had a much wider selection too.  But they're selling all of it now and closing down. Sad.
Trying to set up payroll for the school district and having issues.  Won't let me use my password for some reason. And the security questions are wrong somehow.
Finished planting tomatoes yesterday, which means we had to mess with the watering line pressure to ensure all of them are getting enough water.  Poor squash plants were looking a bit forlorn.  Also had to do some weeding as they were taking over one or two of the rows already.
Heating back up rather quickly, after the rain on monday and the wind for the past two days. Fun....

Rain!

Got quite the rainstorm on saturday, which I hope really got the plants growing in the garden.  The one butternut squash plant seemed to explode, as its more than three times what it was last week.  I think we've got a cantelope as well as a spinach by the looks of things.  Unfortunately three seed packets got soaked(cantelope, okra, and celery) so I set up more stuff for those to be planted.  My mom is really hoping to get tomatoes today, so I have a row ready for that as well.
The rain made it a bit crazy at work, and we had a very good pastry night.  Still had leftover fruit tarts, but were down to two german chocolate brownines, one ooye gooey bar, and cookies for the most part.  But I think it made up for leaving early on Thursday so I'm still on track for my hours this period.
My poor niece (borther's daughter) got pink eye! and she was spending time with her cousins yesterday so their mom is understandably concerned.  The eye is all swollen too.
My glasses have the same scratch on both pairs.  I'm going to have take them in to find out whats up with that as there is no way I did that. Sigh.......

Yes!

Finally heard back from the school district about being a substitute!  I do have to go in and finish up the process, but its just a background check and stuff.  Not hard.  Granted, its not a big earner but I think it'll give me experience for going into actual teaching.
So hot.....and humid still.  So I go outside for less than an hour and I'm dying.  Gave myself a blister pulling weeds this morning.  Working on a strawberry patch in the front yard, in hopes that we get some this year.
Got my new glasses! which is good, but for some reason they're making me a bit dizzy and queasy. I wonder if that's normal for a new prescription?.... Otherwise I can see better than even the first pair let me.  And I don't have to worry about these falling off. They sit just right.

Why Not?

Turns out the plants I was looking at happen to look just like the weeds growing in that area.  Cauliflower looks like some weird leafy thing we get, and Lettuce looks far too much like dandelions until it darkens to red-we did romaine-so we have to let both grow until we know for sure. Sigh...
At least we got rain for about 15 minutes last night-right when I needed to leave for work of course-which made the ground a bit softer for weeding.  Not much though, given the bigger weeds still fought me on coming out and trying to break off before I got the roots.  So now my fingers are sore.  Managed to avoid the raspberries-I think, at least I wasn't bleeding-while clearing them out.
Trying to finish a quiz thing for work.  Down to one smoothie I can't get right for it.  Why is it that I got salads down quick and everything else, but I can't get smoothies?  Up to 80% so far but I need 100%. sigh....

Bleh....

Hot and humid. Great.  Hopefully it rains so the temperature drops a bit, but we're supposed to be in the 90's all week.
But I'm hoping stuff's finally growing in the garden, I've just got to check on what the seedlings are supposed to look like.  Not sure about cauliflower or lettuce, which are the two I'm thinking are growing at the moment.

And They're Back...

Its so much fun digging weeds out of the garden to plant what we want to grow there, then to turn around and see more weeds coming back where the plants are(not).  My dad got a huge pile of mulch so we're laying that down to slow the weed return after removing them.
Humid today, which made it even better.  Would really be nice if it rained, that may kick start some of the newly planted seeds.  I think we've got a squash growing now, in addition to the kale.  Might have some cauliflower, but I need to check what the sprouts look like.
I really hope the birds are not getting to the seeds...

Ow...

Who knew weeding and planting could be so hard on the legs?  got up to seven rows planted, with another row almost cleared of weeds to plant.  Not sure what to put there though.  We're now up to two rows of peppers, four hills of squash-still room for something else on that row-and the full row of kale in addition to the first three I did.
Rain over the weekend made it easier to get the seventh row in yesterday, and all of my brothers went out there for a while-hence the extra row nearly ready.  Might be two actually.  My mom wants tomatoes but we have to get the plants first.  No seeds on that one.
Debating on zucchini, cantelope, and watermelon for the leftover hills.  Don't know if we have the seeds though.

Getting hot...

Been digging out the weeds in the garden for the past three weeks and today it was rather hard to get the same amount done due to the heat.  Its even a bit cloudy and still hot.  But I got another row ready for planting.
Not much luck job hunting, though I was able to talk to my boss about increasing my hours so I can save more for school.
My mom got her hummingbird feeder up, and the same one(we think) is monopolizing it so we only see that one. Sigh.
Tried playing horse and what she calls train with my niece on monday and regretted it later.  Horse I think is self explanatory, train is just a piggyback ride.  Both affect my back.

Hmmm

Ow. Spent most of my spare time this week either helping my uncle clear out his storage shed-lot of heavy stuff and much use of my truck or my mom's hatchback-or digging weeds out of the garden.  Finally cleared enough to plant three rows yesterday.  One row of cauliflower first, a split row of lettuce and spinach next, and a row of onions-may be late for them, but I can hope.
Also had to set up the watering system before planting so I knew where to put them.  That was mainly digging around for the right pipes and connections.  Then testing the pressure so it dripped out instead of blowing the pipes off.  Now to get more rows ready and keep those clear of weeds...

Last but not Least

And A- in experimental! Which raised my GPA a whole .01 percent, but its still good.  If I pass everything next semester I may graduate with a 3.0 which would be fun.
Sigh.  Going to have to get a second job the way my current job is going.  Didn't work my shift last night due to overstaffing, was supposed to cover for a coworker this morning and that didn't go either. Sigh.  Say a rather funny ad for a job that I might go for, but its full time and might not work with my last semester of college.  Wouldn't hurt to try though...

YES!!!!

So far I'm passing!  An A in Studio Lighting-which I was worried about-and I wasn't expecting that high of a grade.  Maybe he's not as much of a stickler about the classes after seminar?  Seminar is a B+! Yes!!! Granted, I was also worried about that one, though I was not warned about failing at all so I must have been doing a lot better somehow.  Intro to Teaching is also an A, but that's no surprise.  It's a beginner level course and so aside from the field experience was rather easy compared to photo stuff.
However, still no word on my Experimental class! Well, that was the last final I took, so it may take longer.  I really hope I got a good grade.  Be nice to have my GPA be close to a 3.0.  Thanks to my grades from this semester so far I'm almost to a 2.8.
Had a very nasty wind storm over the weekend, which also did not help the cold I caught-now getting over thankfully, as I've got work tonight-and so I wasn't much help on the cleanup.  We didn't lose any trees, though my brother would argue about the three weed trees along the back fence that snapped as counting.  Our neighbors did, and one of them had several large branches fall as well.  We just got a bunch of small branches and pine needles mixed with cones all over the yard. Spent over an hour trying to clear that up but my cold wouldn't let me do much more.  My siblings got most of the rest, but we still have the hill and the back to do.
My niece was with us from sunday night to this morning, but due to my cold I could't play with her much.  Don't want to get her sick as she has some lung problems already.  My sister in law was also sick, and yesterday it evolved into a real problem with breathing so that my brother ran her to the E.R.  Still not sure what's wrong, but they got her on meds that are helping.

And it's Done!

For the semester anyway.  Last final yesterday, then a interview and clearing out my locker from school.  Then picking up stuff-like that photo from the contest-and making sure I didn't forget anything.  Which was a lot.  Nearly forgot the photo, then had to go back for the sweet tarts I brought for my class in hopes of cheering them up for our 7 a.m. final.  Worked better than I thought.  Nearly all my classmates wanted some.
Tuesday was a crazy long morning shift, which I could live with as it made it so I could do my studio lighting final.  I'm still worried about it, even though my grades so far are great.  Lowest is actually Seminar, and that's a solid B for the moment.  We were able to get snacks from a party downstairs so no one was grouchy and hangry for the crit.  I really wish my photos had turned out better though...
After my last final I had the interview for that on campus job which would pay the majority of my last semester's tuition.  I had fun, but I'm not sure if I'll get it.
Then all afternoon yesterday was helping my brother and his wife move out of their apartment, which meant I didn't get to bed til after midnight-none of us did-and so I crashed this morning until after 10.  Given that I have nothing to do until work, except clear out my truck of their stuff, I can't say it was a wasted morning.
Still hoping I passed everything...

Two Down...

and two to go on finals.  So far I know I got an a in intro to education, but the other classes are still up in the air.  Seminar final today went well, but we did have to rush a bit so everyone had a chance.  only have done with experimental, but I don't go til wednesday and I have to keep track of my project as I've lost three prints so far due to them falling down-or in one case being taken down and moved around twice-and the janitors throwing them away.  Saved four from that, and found the one but have to reprint the three and stick those up. Sigh....
At least I've got all but one ready of my studio final, and that one I have time tonight to do.  Should be interesting as I got an assortment of poses for the last one, and I'm not sure which one I want to use.
Got an interview for an on campus job that should pay for 90% of my last semester's tuition!  This is one I'd really like to do, as it uses my photo skills and lets me play around a bit.  But I don't get directly paid so I still have to keep my other job if I get this one.  Which I was planning to anyway.
Ah well, those prints are done so I get to run around with tape and put them back up.  Here's hoping they stay this time!

Grumble...

Have not been sleeping well the past to nights and I fear it has made me very cranky, which means I have to watch it or I'm biting people's heads off. Sigh....
The contest thing went well, though my dad teased me about only using 1:35 of the allotted 5 minutes to speak.  And I only got fourth place, which meant a gift card an a book on local history.  Not bad for a first time though.  Been teasing my mom, she just heard from a literary agent about one of her books-they want to read it!
Felt like I was twiddling my thumbs all weekend due to not being able to work on homework.  But I got lights yesterday and managed 5 of 6 shots for my studio lighting final.  Got through my preliminary crit for experimental yesterday, which was good.  They want me to change 2 photos and unify them somehow.  Already did that for the good ones, and reshot one of the two.  Couldn't get the other though.
Seminar was a bit sparse, but it is the week before finals.  So we didn't get to the reading we were supposed to cover or the final crit on our artist statements.  But those of us who had them got points for it.
Studio lighting was working on the class photo, which is fun but we wound up using 8 different ones to create the final 'shot'.  Looks good-though I have to laugh at a 'phantom' torch that no one is holding-and we were all working on it.
Getting close and I so wish it was over....

Well...

Monday after seminar I felt like Po in Kung Fu Panda the first one. Where he's dragging the noodle cart up the stairs and despite all his efforts doesn't get more than a few steps up.  I borrowed a set of lights for my final studio lighting project and had to drag them up a long set of outdoor stairs to get to my truck. Unlike Po, I did not have to balance dishes on a unsteady cart while doing so and I got to the top with all my effort.  But I still feel his pain.  Bringing it back today wasn't nearly as hard, but I was wincing as it went down the stairs for fear that the wheels would break or something.  Thankfully nothing of the sort happened.
In a rather ironic turn of events, my family went to see Kung Fu Panda 3 after my second(my brother's little one)niece went home.  She is soooo cute!  But we got to see it for free due to a local martial arts business being there and trying to advertise.   Wish I could afford it...
Used said lights yesterday with my mom and a crib for my project.  That didn't take long but I had work so I only got one of four needed shoots done. Sigh...
Work so so unbearably slow that even with the assistant manager creating a cleaning list we ran out of stuff to do.  Best way to explain it is we had cinnamon rolls at 8:30 p.m.  Almost never happens.  So I got in to work late-at the manager's request-and left a half hour early.
Got a first set of prints for my experimental class done today.  University was doing a carnival to celebrate a large set of donations over the past few years, but I didn't get to see much due to classes.  Rained all day too.
Now I've got to finish my prep for studio before class, and then I leave early for the contest thing. Soo nervous....

Wow...

I want to be excited, but I'm also so nervous that I don't know how to feel.  Found out yesterday that I was a winner in a contest I entered, which means I get a prize, but they also want me to talk about it for 5 minutes at the presentation-I think that's what it is-and bring in a framed version for it. Plus I can bring family along.  And I'd have to leave class early for it too(good news is it doesn't conflict with work at all).
Have what looks like a bruise from donating, but it doesn't hurt.  Just makes my arm look a little weird-very odd spot for a bruise-and me a little self conscious about it.
Shooting the class project today, which seems to have everyone nervous.  I'm judging that based on the number of texts that keep coming through the group text I suspect the teacher set up for that reason.  Glad my phone's on vibrate, given I'm in a library and my text alert tends to be rather loud.
Hope dinner works out today...

A First...

my school and institute was having a blood drive today and I had time to donate.  Unfortunately it didn't work as the flow kept stopping so I fell short of a full donation.  They can still use it for research and stuff, just not for patients.  Figures.  But I tried.  Means I'm way tired after hauling a rather bulky fan around for use in a class project-part of the witch thing-so I have to be careful.
General Conference was the last few days, and I got to listen to most of it-missed the last little bit of the saturday afternoon one, but they were nearly done-despite having work.  Some interesting topics.  Was expecting the refugee one, but family counsels? not something I'd have thought to do. Was a bit ironic considering the one my family had last wednesday.
I forgot two assignments over the weekend! gah!  Supposed to submit a proposal for my exp class as my final project-turned it in after I got to school today-and then we spent the whole class discussing everyone's to see if we can get some details worked out.
Then I forgot we needed to have an artist statement 1st draft for seminar as well.  Funny that only two of my classmates remembered out of all of us. So it was moved to wednesday.  Now I've got to work one out with the new direction my project's taken.  Or just rework the free write I did to cover it more.  We'll see.
Supposed to finally crit the last assignment in studio lighting-not the final, just the last big assignment before the final and the class project-today.  Glad I got that done a week ago.

Not Good

It seems there's a bug going through my professors this week.  The early morning one is starting to feel sick, the other has been sick and is getting worse so monday's late class ended early and yesterday's late class was cancelled.  At least I've got my project done for crit so no worries there.  But hopefully it won't spread much more.  I'd rather not have anyone else get it.
My classmates think I've finally got a specific thing going for seminar-which I don't object too, just a little worried that the teacher wants me to have more by monday when my next crit isn't until the next week-and my experimental project went well.  Lots for stairs involved in all of them though.
Got to plant seeds yesterday-double checked them today to ensure they'd set properly-inside the greenhouse so they'll be ready for when the weather finally warms up and stays that way.  Hopefully can get the garden ready today or tomorrow.  Cloudy but not much rain today so there's hope for tomorrow at least.
Trying for an after school art teaching job nearby, but they want my portfolio...which means I've got to make one up.  Have plenty of stuff, just put it together-and find it-for them.  Would be fun though...

Ever Notice?

I've found that every time I log into my email or school site I get a note from that site mentioning that I'm not on the same computer as last time.  When I'm at school I can't use the same computer every time as there really is no need to and I can't ensure that given how many other students could be using it. At home is different, but its just interesting.
Rain, sleet and mainly snow all day today so far, which means I'm delaying going outside so my coat has more time to dry. The snow stuck to everything except the sidewalk and roads, so everything so wet and very cold. My classmates are a little mad, but what can they do about it?  I almost wish it would stay til dark as I wanted to see if it would affect my night shots, but at the same time getting wet for it is asking to get sick.
Easter! Missed Women's Conference-we talked about it last night which was nice-due to work, it actually made work crazy(that and Easter) so getting the store clean was a bit of a struggle.  We ran out of just about everything though, so it made it a good night in that regard.
My boss collaborated with another store owner to give all their employees a free viewing of Batman vs. Superman that night, which was kind of 3 days of late night early morning counting today.  Not bad though.  Not sure I like that idea of Batman, but I think it was good.  Lex was definitely insane, which is his role from what I understand.
My parents were baby sitting my nieces over friday night so we got to take them to the family Easter Egg Hunt-just a local one at my aunt's house-so that was fun.  Had to convince the oldest not to eat all of her candy afterwards.  Youngest had fun finding and opening eggs, not so into eating stuff that day.
One more shot for my studio class project that I need to do today. Have the stuff for my other two already done for wednesday.
I really wanted to stay in bed this morning, but it has been fun catching snowflakes on my tongue between classes to try and wake myself up.

Hrm...

My dad made a comment about the current political delegates reminding him of a story in the Book of Mormon.  If you can guess, you feel the same way(probably). I'd rather not mention it as it was a rather uncanny thought.
Got my book done, though not as well as I'd like.  The front cover is larger than the back, and the pages somehow got misaligned after I put the cover on so the top and side are not straight.  Figures that the bottom is.  But the spare pages glued well and its not that bad.  The teacher noted that we all did a different cover.  Not just color but overall design.
Seminar was more photoshop then lab time-I was looking into solo dance moves to try for my project-so not much to do there.  Got to talk to my classmate about the homeless shelter thing.  Lots of cute pictures and we had fun doing it.  They are going to send me some as a memento.  And we got extra credit for it-hey, it was fun and we got to do service.  Extra credit is a bonus-which is good.
Now I've got to try and get time for the light as meaning project-due next week thankfully, but I need 6 shots of different stuff-today and hopefully wednesday.

Crazy.

The weather from sunday through today is most certainly.  We got rain through monday morning, snow after that, a very short sprinkle in the afternoon, and hail before my last class.  Kind of been snow since.  Not really sticking, and if it is it's melting very fast-ground's too warm for it to stay-but makes driving fun.
Did a costume check for the class project yesterday, which was fun but some of those costumes are really itchy for long wear.  A few members were missing, so they will either not be in it or have to get some later.  The performing arts department-figures that the photography department wouldn't have much of a selection of that stuff-set them aside for us so we don't have to store them until the shoot.
Today was normal, though the presentators seemed rather nervous-I totally understand, can be very unsettling for those who are not used to it(spent 3 years of college getting used to the idea, and I'm still very nervous beforehand)-but they managed to pull it off.
Now for lunch....

Hmmm.

My mom and I had a rather interesting conversation about these new lights they put up along the highway where we live.  They are about 100 feet from the traffic lights and flash when the lights are about to change and stop when it turns green.  We were debating as to whether it was for accident prevention or to stop people from running red lights.
In institute we got a bit off the lesson plan-not really off subject though-when a classmate asked about the difference between doing something because your hearts in it and doing it because you believe you're supposed to.  Went a bit over time talking about it, and it related to the lesson so no one complained.  I for one have no problems spending a little extra time in that class.  They felt bad as the teacher had to do a kind of 'summary in 60' to get the last of the lesson in.
Got paper from my teacher for experimental so I have the prints for my book and I've got them folded.  Now I need to 'stitch' them together, and glue it all up.
Had fun messing around with a bunch of flashlights, my sister's extra origami paper, and the stairs in my house.  Made for a bit of a 'rave' series according to a classmate.
Supposed to be getting fitted for the class project in studio, so this should be interesting.

Sigh...

Got to love having to clean up after dogs when they don't wait to get outside.  At least the liquid is somewhat easier to take care of compared to the solid stuff.  And that's most of the problem too.  Scrubbed every area I could with bleach wipes to see if it'll discourage some of it.  Might be a while before I can tell.
Got to go to a stake women's conference with my mom this morning, which was fun.  Had a cool talk about staying strong and finding happiness in the hard times. Made me think about what I hope for: a good man who is not perfect, just that he tries, as well as children of my own to hold.  But I don't know how long I have to wait for that.
I did get my elementary visit done on thursday, which I felt bad as it was the secretary who had to help me with that given the principal never seemed to be there.  But it was fun.  Got to help this time, with a bunch of 2nd graders learning basic poetry.  Rather entertaining I will admit.
Yesterday I helped my brother take on the messy circle in our front yard-he was just cutting stuff down, not trying to trim anything-and then I moved to the 2 apple trees and the pollinator: the plum tree.  They had quite a few suckers that I took care of.  Didn't do more than that and clearing the smaller dead branches in hopes of boosting the tree's production.
Even that gave me a few scrapes. Fun.

Snow?

We got some yesterday and it stuck, which means its still melting today.  Rather cold, but we do need some moisture.  But at least it wasn't bad enough to cancel visiting my second cousin-who's in town for training on their new job, not sure what's its supposed to be called so I'm leaving it at that-which was fun as we saw Music and the Spoken Word then went around town.
Spring Break!  Means I got to sleep in after the late night+early morning yesterday, and I was way tired after that.  Of course I still have plenty to do, and I don't know if I've got the time to do all of it. Sigh.  As a classmate says, the teachers at school seem to think of it as the week we either catch up or get ahead, not actually take a break.  Not that they gave us tons of homework, but they don't give us any slack for the week.
Hopefully I can get new shoes this week, and maybe pillows-waking up all last week with a stiff neck does not help with paying attention in class-while I have time.  And get most of the school visits taken care of.  Would help a lot if that happened.

Okay,

Last week was kind of crazy, so I didn't get anything past the 22.  Lighting was a group project that we nearly finished-after my group had to wait for the other two to finish so we could move on to what they were doing.  Reason we didn't finish was twofold: first we ran out of time, and second the lights we were using required a battery pack and that ran out of juice before we really got started. Figures.
Group teaching presentation on tuesday that was fun, though I was running around finishing the latest project for experimental before and after.  They really liked the glow stick thing.  And who doesn't know about Dr. Seuss-the activity I was in charge of-so that made them a bit more interested.
The presentations on wednesday went well too, with my photo's for experimental being more consistent than the first one.  The seminar class liked my new direction just as much as the teacher.  Now I have to continue and follow where it goes.
Didn't get my group project done-we tried to meet but just didn't get there early enough-but it was okay.  The teacher knew we weren't done-still are not-and we actually cleaned up the studio and then worked on the class project.  We had to each come up with an idea and then decide on one person's.  Wound up with a witch burning scene that should use the entire class and maybe a few extras. I'm going to be a falsely accused witch screaming in pain while the real witch is being creepy nearby-still in debate as to whether she's tied to a stake as well, or in the crowd-and there's another false witch also burning with me.  Not going to really burn us, but they may use a real fire in front.
Got to visit a school-junior high, makes me think of a Studio C episode-friday, so I was busy then too.  Was fun.  Sat in on a photography class that had a sub, and an english teacher who just finished their three year trial run.  Arranged to go back this friday to finish that set.
Saturday was evil wild rose bush trimming, which means my hands look like I tried to corner a wild cat as gloves don't work for me.
At least I've got the pictures I want to use for the book project in experimental, just have to decide how to print them.  Should be fun.

They Like It!

My seminar teacher got a look at my latest set of contact sheets for my project and they liked the new idea.  Even gave me a few suggestions for which ones to print.  Didn't do all of the ones they suggested, but I did print a few, as well as some of my own pick.  But that's a good sign.  Plus I like the way this one is going...
Experimental is still holding on, though today was a bit dicey.  Had only two of the four pictures ready and can't find a physical picture to use.  Not to mention I still need one specifically taken for the project. Sigh.  But a classmate was very nice to split the brand new sheet of paper they'd just bought with me after asking if I needed some.  I'd told them that I did, but lacked the funds to get it.  So they bought it and shared.  That classmate just rose quite a few points in my book...
My truck decided to act up over the weekend-may have mentioned it's failure to start before work friday-so saturday I took the battery out to test it.  That wasn't the problem.  Cleaned the terminals and clamps then reconnected it.  It started then, but when I tried to use it for church it failed to start. Sigh.  My dad and second oldest brother very nicley helped me figure out why last night so I could use it for school today.  The positive terminal wiring had gotten gunk under the clamp-which I didn't get to while cleaning saturday-and was opening the circuit and preventing power from reaching the starter.  So once more it was taken apart-further this time-cleaned and put back together. Started fine this morning so hopefully that will be the only problem for now.

Yep, Again.

Wanted to take pictures using a medium format but I don't have the film.  So either I turn it in late, or I use view camera, which is a lot harder to do what I was hoping to.  Figures.  At least I'm trying, just have to figure it out as it supposedly due next wednesday.  I'll find out I guess.
Got a lot of pictures for my new project while going to the new Provo City Center Temple wednesday.  Also got some of the temple and the grounds too, which should be fun to see if they will work for crit.
Crazy snow storm yesterday, with a hail like blizzard one minute and clear skies the next.  Coated the ground then melted partly into a slushy mush which made driving interesting.  Certainly made work a bit chaotic.
Got set up to do the first of my school visits next friday, hopefully to get most of the four hours I need at that level.  I may not be able to actually go to the board meeting like I'm supposed to, but they do record them so I may be able to do that.  If the teacher agrees to count it.
Got things set for the class presentation next week in the educ class with my group.  Just need references and some big sheets of paper.

Sigh...

Think I know just what to do for my seminar project-may still go with the rebel idea for a bit, but got a better one later.  Just going to take a lot of time.  And doing medium format should be fun.  Still need to do the pictures for that one exhibition...
Did not get a lot of sleep from sunday to monday-really hate all night cramps-so I was rather out of it all day.  Got my taxes filed and accepted, so now I'm just waiting for the 'refund' stuff.  Most of the snow has melted, which is a bit sad but also kind of expected due to the possibility of a early spring.
Need to get things arranged for visiting schools this week, but that will take time.
Temple open house tomorrow!

Fog, Fog, and More Fog

Both yesterday and today we had very thick fog-partly a yucky inversion-that is really cool to look at but no much fun to drive through.  Got really thick right before the mouth of a canyon on my way to school yesterday, and then cleared right up after that.  And looked not to far off a hurricane type during the clear part.  Did something similar today, but without the near whiteout before clearing.  Got some fun pictures on the bus though.
I guess I should mention that the reason I don't want to hang out with that classmate is this particular one likes to find graphic road kill and mess around with it.  And they make me uncomfortable just being around them in class and viewing their work.  They want me to be uncomfortable it seems, yet I'm uncomfortable just in class with them.
At least I have Institute-which is right after that class, yay!-and intro to teaching, as I may be pushed to 'get out there' but not by doing stuff that is not only gross but likely to get me in a lot of trouble.  I am worried as there is a large class project coming up in studio lighting-a lot of the same classmates in addition to the same teacher-which everyone has input on.  And everyone else already has some unpleasant ideas. Sigh....

Really?

My seminar teacher is doing it again.  Guess what their suggestion was for my project today.  Roll in poop-not they didn't mention what kind-strap a gopro on my forehead and stroll though a crowded area to get the reaction.  Can't think of a word that truly describes my feelings on the subject.  Its either that or run around with a classmate asking people awkward questions.  Yeah right.  Had a better idea that I would much rather do, but may be too 'rebellious' in terms of what they want. Not sure I really care, but don't want to push too hard either.
At least experimental is still fun.  We learned how to make 2 different kinds of book binding and covers.  Really want to try that stuff now...
Oh well, I'll deal with the teacher for one last period-downside of having the same one for 2 classes- and then I have a whole week off.  So want to just relax....

Well....

Forgot about a scene in experimental photography yesterday.  I was listening to a classmate tell another classmate that they wanted to find out what makes silver nitrate and ammonium citrate-or whatever the platinum process ingredient is-light sensitive so they could try and find another method. The teacher overheard and informed them that it was a bad idea.  Especially given that all the methods we currently use took roughly 150 years to cement down.  They are still planning to find out either way.
Should be interesting to see what comes of it...

Not Good...

Got to bed rather late last night, but was fine once I got to school.  Early classes were normal-somehow a classmate forgot to clean up after using silver nitrate so I've got a brown splotch on my right hand-with learning platinum/palladium process for printmaking.  At least I made it on time for this one.
Seminar was going over exhibitions and where to find them online.  Have two in mind I need to get more info about.  A classmate was really excited about one they found and showed it to me.  Might do it, but not sure yet. only 30 photos for this weeks crit due to some issues with my camera's memory card.
Then came institute, which is the only class I feel relaxed in, enough so that when the teacher turned off the lights for a slide show I started falling asleep! Gah! Sigh.  Nearly ran to the library-had a reading assignment and response due tomorrow, now done-trying to wake back up for studio lighting.  Feel so bad, as I really wanted to be involved in that class...
Another mercy is I got my assignment for lighting done Friday, and talked my second oldest brother into modeling for a possible seminar idea.  May have to change it again, but this one might actually go somewhere. also got the photos onto my flash drive so I won't have to pull out my memory card again.
Thinking a chicken cordon bleu soup for wedneday's crock pot dinner. I think we have all the stuff, but I don't have the recipe yet.  I've got my sister's, but that's not a crock pot one.

Not the Best Idea, but Not the Worst

If you've seen RED you know that quote.  Decided to donate blood after my class ended early yesterday, which meant I missed my usual buss and had to wait for a later one.  Also meant work was ignoring my stomach after the first few hours and hoping I didn't get dizzy.  Was on drive so I could take it a bit easy, though I was still running around.
Studio lighting keeps heating things up-joke on how the lights make the room a bearable temperature given how hot they can get-on monday, and there were six of us making portraits for the assignment due next monday.  Still need stuff for my still life, though I have and idea for the modern representation.  Need the movie shots too, which I hope to get done today.
Exp project was okay, though the teacher wants me to reprint the darker ones so they have more to go on.  We're supposed to move on to platinum from salt prints next monday, so this should be interesting.
Seminar was crit, which means we got out early.  Had some interesting shots to show, but all of us have a long way to go on our projects.  Would help if I wasn't so tired right now...
Made a asian chicken recipe for the slow cooker this morning, which meant I was on time to class for once. Need to find simpler recipes like that one so they don't take as long.  Sad part is that means my mom has to finish getting it together before they can eat it....

That was sooo Cold!

This morning had mild snow fall combined with heavy winds that made the temperature feel like it was in the negatives.  It grabbed the already fallen snow from saturday and last night-I think-and blew it around with what was coming down so just walking for five minutes to class I couldn't hold anything as my hands were numb.  My face went rather fast too.
Had fun-sort of given the snow-helping my aunt with her moulds on saturday before work.  The shelves she stored them on were collapsing so she needed other temporary storage for them.  She has quite a few.  Including a set for a christmas scene my great grandmother made.  My sister and I want to make our own scene using said moulds so we went to help.
Work was a crazy pastry night, as I was scheduled til 9 and got off just before 10. Figures.  But I kind of need all the hours I can get, so other than being very tiring I won't complain too much.  Would rather stay late than leave it all for the two cashiers who were scheduled to close.  They have this new dark chocolate cherry almond scone I really want to try...
School was okay, as it got me out of the above snow, but I managed to get silver nitrate on my fingers so three have black splatters and another two have brown ones.  Got the first assignment done, though not as good as I'd like it to be. Sigh...
Didn't get to finish lunch before institute-enough to keep my stomach silent for the class-so I'm going to before the last class of the day. Get to try and get that assignment done today too.

Sigh...

Well, this week has been crazy trying to keep up with homework that I didn't realize was due.  Had an assignment due yesterday apparently that I thought was due next tuesday, so now it's late.  But its in. Gr.
Photography is getting complicated.  Have the studio stuff due next wednesday that I've got plans for, but no pictures yet.  Have pictures ready to print as negatives for monday-need to get the paper so I can print the stuff-which should be fun.  Have to revamp my seminar project, due to lack of crowds.  Finding awkward moments might be a better option, but I might also have to create some of them.  We'll see.
Supposed to snow today, which has pros and cons given I have work today. And and rapidly shortening list of stuff to do for school.

Yuck...

Got sick again last week, and so spent the weekend not feeling so great.  Made work friday and saturday a bit tense.  Did not help that another coworker was feeling under the weather and we clashed a bit-rather stupid really, but neither of us was thinking clearly-and had to make amends later.  Snow that same night-saturday-made getting home loads of fun in my truck with nearly no traction.  But I made it in one piece.
Had some issues getting school stuff done, but so far I'm still on top of it.  Got a free shirt for completing one of the teaching class assignments.  At least I wasn't really sick then.  Still have to bug the teacher as I still have a zero for that same assignment. Sigh...
Getting over the cold now, which means I feel like I'm coughing non stop to get stuff out that is no longer allowed. Loads of fun...
Got to make a photo print page today, though the teacher did most of it.  On to more homework...

Crazy....

Yesterday was snow off and on with anywhere from near blizzard conditions to not at all-and everywhere in between-so once more we broke out the snow shovels.  Got some homework done while watching it fall.
Then I went to work and the snow really did it's work.  We had lines at both the drive through and front counter for almost the entire night, which meant a lot of scrambling around to get things cleaned and take care of customers.  Then a coworker had a nasty asthma attack, another one got sick, and both the manager and assistant manager had to step out to help them.  Leaving the only other coworker and I on our own for a bit.  I didn't even notice until the sick one came back to explain things.  Made sense as to why I wound up running from drive to expo and back trying to keep up and not seeing any one else for that whole time.
Then a customer had a mess happen with an uneaten sandwich-they got a new one without issues, but they also didn't blame us as they dropped it-I had a salad explode on me all over the counter.  So just one of those days....

End of Week One...

So far I've gotten some idea for projects, but I'm not sure about the experimental stuff.  We haven't gotten to details about them yet.  Studio lighting was fun, and we're actually glad that it's cold in the classroom as those lights get HOT. Which in this case was a very good thing as it made it warm enough to work in there.  But I swear it dropped 20 degrees the instant we turned them all back off. Sigh...
Teaching class is fun, but we haven't really had much to do so far.  Got snow this morning, enough that we had to shovel the driveway in order for it to melt off before it froze.

Sooo Tired....

The only real downer about this semester is finding time for sleep.  And getting my body used to 'early to bed and early to rise' when it really doesn't want to.  Getting mixed results so far.
Set it up so that the rest of my family will be able to eat a dinner I made while I'm at school without me leaving early to make it than coming back.  Solution:crock pot!  Used two to make a chicken chili recipe my mom found.  Will have to look into more of those, like soups and maybe pulled meat sandwich stuff.  Wouldn't want to wear them out on soup stuff.  Have to see.
Been carrying my camera around in hopes of getting a head start on my seminar assignment, which I may have mentioned earlier but I'm not sure.  Still have it with me but not having much luck with material.  At least my classmates like the idea.  Just have to be careful of composition.
Entered the student exhibition today, using that photo I framed for my new sister in law over the break.  She's fine with it as long as I get it back-so I can't list it as for sale, but I wouldn't anyway-because she wants to hang it in their house.  Not sure when, but I will get it back!
Get to play with studio lighting today, with my group.  Brought a stuffed animal and a gift bag to use in the still life we're supposed to create for the event.  Should be fun, just as long as no one gets burned-those lights get hot!

Starting to Look up-Sort of....

Yesterday I was trying not to be grouchy all morning, which I can make no promises as to my level of success due to how tired I was.  The first two classes got out early-both photography-so I had time to check into the teaching thing before institute started.  Got all excited as at first I was told I'd only need three classes to get a certificate added to my bachelor's.  Go back to clarify something and find out that those are actually prerequisites for a post graduate teaching certification program.  So I have to options if I want to get it at my current college.  Change my major and stay at school for another 2.5 years-not kidding at all, we checked twice-which I'm not really wanting to do.  Or graduate and come back-maybe get a master's while I'm at it-and get it then.  That side would only take a few more semesters, and so far seems the better option.
I can of course find another option at a different university and see if I can get it while finishing at the current university.  But that's more money and I'm not sure if it's possible. Sigh.....
Today was better.  Got to school fine-despite the freezing wind this morning, stepped out of my truck at the park in ride and lost the feeling in my fingers(reminds me of day after tomorrow in a not very nice way) within seconds.  Class was fun, met a few classmates who are a bit entertaining. Met a few old friends on the bus-big surprise-so I wasn't bored during the ride.
Thought there would be issues with my payment plan, and for a bit it seemed like it.  But now it seems to have sorted itself out.  Though my next paycheck is way gone and I won't get that until next week.
This is going to be interesting....

Day 1

And so far things are looking complicated. Sigh.  The class I arranged to take to graduate this semester was cancelled, so now I'm stuck waiting another semester for it. Wound up taking a few teaching classes so I'm still full time.  But paying for it is getting hard.
My grandma was excited anyway, as she wanted me to go into teaching certification before I graduated.  It's not far off, given that most of the requirements also count for generals so I've got nearly all of those.  Then there's the student teaching....
At least now its not so hard to get work in around school.  No longer have a later class on tuesday's and thursday's so those day are open for whenever they need me.  Given that at least one of my coworker's is also a college student and others are still in high school its hard to get all that organized.  So I'm a bit freer for them.
Expiramental is looking fun but time consuming-then again, when is photography quick and easy?-so is seminar.  Studio lighting I don't know.  Have to retest for math to make sure I can get in the class next time...

One Week Left

before I go back to school for what might be my last semester.  Have some stuff to do this week for that-my photography teacher asked me to practice with a certain video program before class starts as I didn't get the intro class for it and I'm taking the advanced-so I'm not exactly going to be sitting around doing nothing.  Also want to look into some stuff my grandma suggested for before I graduate.
Had kind of a sore throat all weekend and I'm not sure why.  Did the usual dusty cleaning and afterwards felt like I had a cold.  Going away slowly. Sigh.  I've got work this evening and my parents are taking one of my brothers out to dinner.  I can come if I can pay, but they don't want to wait for me to get off. Sigh. Means I probably can't make it anyway.
It's so cold!!! Been in the single digits for pretty much the last week. Not helping my little cold, I must say.  At least my sister's dog was willing to let me walk them this morning, so they're good for a while.  Plus the cold makes them hurry more than they would in the summer, so we all spend less time outside.
It's 2016! And so begins a new year!

Happy New Year! It's 2016!

Sent that to my siblings last night, as well as my grandma after midnight.  Got a few responses, but I think some of them were at work or not paying attention to their phones-imagine that-so only those few.  I hope my brother-on of those I suspect was at work-was able to watch the ball drop, but it depends on his breaks.
I had to work too, and despite my supervisor's thoughts, we did get a few crowds.  Several large family type groups with large orders for that matter.  By the time I got off I didn't want to go to the singles party-a good 20 minute drive away-so I caught a ride to my aunt and uncle's house with my parents.  I kind of prefer the quieter party anyway....
Fireworks I'm sure were fun, but it was so cold I couldn't stay out there for longer than five minutes as it went right through my coat. My uncle was letting some off and my mom and I just watched from inside as best we could.  He was disappointed because the sparklers wouldn't light.  But it was nice anyway.