Back in the saddle

I'm a student again attending University of Phoenix (UOP) on-line. It's been over 6 months since I've been an on-line student, but fortunately it's all coming back like I never left.

I enjoy learning in both the on-line and in the traditional school formats. But, with life being as unpredictable as it is right now, the on-line format is great since I just take school with me where ever I happen to be.

Currently I'm taking Financial Accounting II. It's 5 weeks long and each week is broken down into different materials and assignments. I've completed all of week one's assignments. The UOP school week starts on Tuesday and ends on Monday, with most assignments typically due on Sunday and/or Monday. Usually I do the bulk of my studies on the weekends, but since I have a little extra time during the week I'm trying to work ahead because hopefully I'll have another full-time commitment soon.

Bliss

The hubby has finally come around. After the house ordeal, lack of gainful employment (hell any employment!) and other miseries and mishaps he has finally decided that we'll return to CA. I've been ready to go back for quite some time now. I knew I wouldn't be able to convince him, that he'd have to come to this conclusion all on his own. I'm just happy he finally has.

I realize moving back to CA will entail a number of obstacles and challenges. I know it won't be a cake walk. I understand the expenses involved in making this all happen. But, all the same, I can't wait.

I'll certainly miss all the great people we've met and created relationships with. I'll miss the gorgeous landscapes (lush, green mountains, rivers and lakes, etc.), but CA has many interesting landscapes to entertain us with and many of our friends are there.

I'm looking forward to being able to admit that I do not belong to any organized religion and not fearing that such an admittance will bar me from employment, that being my true self will alter in someone's mind that my abilities and skills are lacking simply because on Sunday mornings I do not attend church. I'm looking forward to being able to be honest without fear that the truth will not set me free, but rather exclude me from the "club." Granted, I have no desire to be in the "club" but being treated as a second class citizen sucks.

I miss the diversity that CA offers. I miss hearing and seeing different languages proudly displayed. I miss being a part of a community. I miss me.

NOT Comcastic

Well, I had a nice long summary of our trip to FL along with links and such, but Comcast buggered out on us and I lost everything. This is all I have left...

My favorite poem

With Every Rising of the Sun

With every rising of the sun
Think of your life as just begun.

The past has shrived and buried deep
All yesterdays-there let them sleep...

Concern yourself with but today,
Woo it and teach it to obey,

Your wish and will. Since time began
Today has been the friend of man....

You and today! a soul sublime
And the great pregnant hour of time.

With God between to bind the twain-
Go forth I say -- attain--attain.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Thankful

Well, not working has given me time to get sick, so I'm thankful for that. Congestion is not overrated, good times my friends. If you haven't been congested and achy-all-over in a while, you're overdue and should submit to it immediately.

I feel like crap, but at least I don't have get up early, drive, and spend 8+ hours pretending to feel great. I'm really thankful for that.

Yippie, it's time for the next round of drugs. Gotta go get dopey, which I'm VERY thankful for. Meds... just what the doctor ordered.

Not a mind reader

I am not a mind reader. I never was, I never will be.

If you ask for the "ABC partnership agreement" I'm going to give you the ABC partnership agreement. If you really meant "ABC purchase agreement" then please state you need the "ABC purchase agreement." If you don't know what you want, don't expect me to know.

On Monday you requested something be done a particular way, so I complied. However, on Thursday, you wanted the same thing done a different way. Fine, I again complied. So, on Tuesdays which will it be? Does it change with each phase of the moon or am I supposed to magically figure it out. If there is no consistency, then do not expect me to be consistent. If I ask clarifying questions it is not to annoy you, but to ensure that I accurately perform the needed tasks correctly at that exact moment in time.

Without direction or guidance I will not be able to achieve that which you desire. I will do the best I can, but clearly that was not enough.

Vague, ambiguous statements like, "We not going in the right direction" aren't helpful, so I wish you luck in finding a mind reader, though you may consider making up your mind first.

Beautiful Sunday Morning

This lovely morning we slept in, then my darling when to Dunkin' Donuts (my very guilty pleasure) and procured for us some wonderful breakfast fare. My big contribution was making the coffee. Anyway, we then proceed to the great almost-outdoors (the screened in porch). We enjoyed our breakfast and read while seated in the swing. It was wonderful.

The cats explored the porch while the dogs sniffed around the yard. We were all together, yet individualistic in our approach to appreciating our environment, each doing what we wanted.

At some point the hubby and I would like to obtain a small bistro table so we can delight in more peachy moments like this morning's. Being tableless isn't horrible, but does hinder one's ability eat, drink, and enjoy other leisure activities which are substantially increased with the use of a solid surface. Maybe this afternoon we can explore some stores... if we can ever find our way to the showers to clean up first!

Music

The hubby gave me a short and dirty music lesson. Since I am completely musically-challenged it is difficult for me to understand much about music. I like listening to it, but heck if I can name more than 3 instruments that are being played in any particular piece. The hubby said, "don't you just love how the ____ and the ____ do ____, then ____ ..." um, sure? I don't get it, I hear pretty noise. I'm not able to discern between notes or sharps or flats or whatever it is that is happening in the song. I'm lucky if I can figure out who the artist is.

My dude then played short snippets of Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven - not necessarily in that order. Anyway, he dissected each piece for me and helped to discover the true beauty behind each lovely sound. He then went on to explain when each piece was created and what each composer's available tools included, how instruments are costly to construct, how they work together, how the composer's effort to put to paper then to sound the illustrations they envision. Very powerful stuff.

This mini-lesson was inspired by our trip to the Montessori school yesterday when Carl and I "played" with the sound cylinders. We started with four cylinders, and shook each to listen to its unique sound. We continued to shake them until we matched them up. Very easy when there is only four cylinders with a total of two sounds to differentiate between. When we moved on to twelve cylinders total with six distinct sounds total... I was blown away. It was quite challenging. The differences were very subtle. I had to rely on the weight of the cylinder and tried to figure out from other senses which cylinders matched up with one another.

Music is so beautiful and I would not want to imagine life without it, but dang if I can truly understand all the acute, penetrating, and elusive notes. Maybe someday.

WOW

Today I visited the New Horizon Montessori School that is run by some friends. What an incredible experience. I'm still reading Montessori, The Science Behind The Genius (it's hard for me to just read it as I get so mad at how our current schooling institutions are run)... anyway, all the various tools and materials (like the Pink Tower, the Brown Stair, the Gold Beads, etc.) that the book discusses I got to see and touch. I saw some of the work these children are doing and I was amazed.

There is a child who wants to work on molecules next year when she begins kindergarten?! MOLECULES!!!! Molecules at age 5? Um, lets see... in the traditional school I attended I don't think molecules were ever mentioned until I was in middle school - at least age 11!

The New Horizon Montessori School (probably all Montessori schools actually) have tools that help children learn about, are you ready for this, I'm NOT making it up, algebra, geometry and trigonometry. Yep, that's right, you read correctly. These small little beings (aged 3 - 6) are working on the foundational elements of advanced math that even at age 32 I wouldn't dream of attempting!

Argh. I hate "traditional" schools. Makes me want to scream at every molecule in the universe.

I can't wait to go back to New Horizon and visit again. My friend Maggie expressed an interest so I'm trying to set up a time when she and I can go. Aleta (who runs the school, along with her husband Carl) suggested we come, if possible, when the children are learning. I'd love that, but with work I'm afraid I'll only be able to visit on the weekends... but it's still worth it.

What an amazing experience... I wonder if Montessori children realize how fortunate they are.

Andrew Carnegie

The hubby wrote a very interesting 1,500 word article on Andrew Carnegie for Reality Check. He has since whittled it down to 1,100 words. It will be available (via reality Check and his blog) in late March. It's well worth the read, regardless of the word count. Title: Profile in Humanism: Andrew Carnegie. If you can't wait the 3-4 weeks for the article, here are some links should you be so inclined to learn more about the man:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carnegie/

http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/aa/Carnegie

http://www.carnegie.org/sub/about/biography.html

I did not realize what an extraordinary man Carnegie was. His fame still lingers today, but his good deeds (colleges, endowments, libraries, etc.) also still preserve.

BookCrossing

What is BookCrossing?
bookcrossing
n. the practice of leaving a book in a public place to be picked up and read by others, who then do likewise. (added to the Concise Oxford English Dictionary in August 2004)

I just found out about BookCrossing from this blog. The hubby and I LOVE to read and have more books than we can manage... this seems like the perfect solution to our book storage dilemma. Whoever created BookCrossing is a genius.