Posts (page 2)

Writing Your Life Story by Bernard Selling (I bought this at the poetry reading and want to put it to work)

Unconditional Parenting by Alfie Kohn

Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall B. Rosenberg

Stranger Music: Selected Poems and Songs by Leonard Cohen

Love Life by Bobbie Ann Mason

The Love Song of J. Edgar Hoover by Kinky Friedman

When Jonathan Died by Tony Duvert (this received much praise overseas and was shunned here because of subject
matter, so I look forward to reading it)

Fear of Flying by Erica Jong (this received a glowing review by John Updike, so I'm especially looking forward to reading it)

Spite Fences by Trudy Krisher

Modern Baptists by James Wilcox

Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi

Another Roadside Attraction, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, Still Life with Woodpecker, Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas, Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates, and Villa Incognito all by Tom Robbins

Possibilities:

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

Stranger In A Strange Land by Robert Heinlein (for the 3rd - I think - time.  I love this book)

I'll keep the list updated.  I'm sure I'll find more that I want to read, and I'm sure I'll breeze through these in short order.  I consume books.  On Spring Break, I read 5 novels and studied for several tests as well.  So, I know this list looks long, but I don't think I'll have trouble getting right through it.  And I just remembered that Tom Robbins has something new out that I haven't read.  I'm going to add that.  OK, so I was wrong, the new book isn't out yet, but he does have a lot that I haven't read, so I'm adding him to the list.

What personality trait has gotten you in the most trouble? 

My insatiable curiosity as well as my flirtatious nature have gotten me in more trouble than anything else. 

I have always wanted to know why something works the way it does or why people think the way - and the things - they think, and that tends to be off-putting for some.

Not everyone can take flirtation as flirtation for flirtation's sake.  That's not to say I'm a tease, because I'm not.  But I do enjoy a friendly flirt, and that's gotten me in trouble more than once.

This is a really good question because it's making me reflect on my personality and the things that don't serve me well and how I can change those things about myself. 

Things I'd like to change/work on over the next few months:
Listen more
Talk less
Be slower to anger with those I love
Don't jump to conclusions
Be gentle
Love love love
Be supportive - help to achieve goals in a positive, non-punitive manner

Tonight I went out for a wild time.  Actually, it was a poetry reading.  The poet was pretty good, though she was better the last time I saw her when she read on campus.  A group of people who are part of the Literary Society met there for the reading, and then we went to dinner.  Afterwards, we walked to the home of another member and talked for a long time.  It was very nice to be involved in discussion with adults about adult things that had nothing to do with my children.  It was all intellectual, and I really enjoyed it.  Basked in it, even.

I got to thinking about the first time I met TC.  There was a literary thing going on on campus last semester and one of the other instructors was hanging posters for it.  I saw him in the act and asked about it.  He told me that he didn't know a lot about it, but that he could take me to someone who would.  We walked over to TC's building and to his office, and this instructor asked if he had time to talk to me about the function.  He said yes, and we talked for what felt like an hour.  He answered all my questions and chatted with me, which I thought was very generous of him.  I corresponded with him a little after that and gave him a couple of poems to look at.  Then when I had to register for classes for this semester, I was determined that I was taking a class from him whether the credit transferred or not.  Luckily, it transfers.

So, the reason I was thinking about this is that I saw the instructor tonight that introduced me to TC.  He didn't remember me and that's OK because I know how it is with a million students in classes and this being end of the semester as well.  The conclusion I came to was that we have an effect on the people that pass through our lives, no matter how briefly, or whether we realize it at the time.  I want to keep that in mind.

Do you believe in ghosts? If so, have you ever seen one?

I do believe in spirits, and though I haven't *seen* one, I've definitely *felt* one.  More than once.

Maybe he deserves more than one, though. 

Let me explain.  All semester, I've taken great joy in his predisposition to blushing with little provocation.  I've provoked the delightful reddening on several occasions.  Today, I dropped off a gift - sort of a "Thank you for being so awesome".  It was an anthology of Leonard Cohen's poetry and some brownies fresh out of the oven.  When I gave him the bag, he got a mischievous grin on his face and said something that made me blush.  Nothing inappropriate or even blush-worthy, so he may indeed deserve more than one point.  Props to you, TC!

Ever since I got home today from my last Final, I've been at loose ends, not knowing what to do with myself.  I sat on the sofa for a while making random noises with my mouth at the cats, most likely scaring them.  They still snuggled me though.  Then I walked around the house a few times.  Looked in the pantry and refrigerator for something to nibble on, finding nothing.  Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of things that need to be done - things that have gone wanting because I was too focused on schoolwork to take care of them.  But I think I was having an intellectual meltdown. 

I called L at work and we arranged to go on a date.  He had assumed I would crash and burn when I got home and sleep until tomorrow morning, but I was filled with restless energy.  So, he picked me up about 6:30 tonight and we went to see "Forgetting Sarah Marshall".  I have to say, that was the funniest movie I have seen in a long time, which is admittedly not saying much since I've not been such the moviegoer in some time.  However, I laughed so hard I cried, several times.  It was just what I needed.  L even laughed really hard several times, so I know I wasn't just giddy.  I recommend it definitely.  Another one I want to see before it leaves theaters is "Deception".  OK, so for one thing, Ewan McGregor is totally hot and I won't be crude here, but well, anyway.  For another, Hugh Jackman?  Also not hard on the eyes.  What?  I can't be shallow every once in a while?  I appreciate them for more than just their physical appearance... I'm just saying - it adds to it.  And, I think the movie will be really good.  It sounds yummy, anyway, and that's definitely something I need more of in my life.  Gimme the Yummy!

So we got home about 9:30ish, and I'm pleased to say the teens made it through our date without killing each other or calling us, and were actually getting along when we got home.  A step forward. 

Ugh, I'm tired.  I think I'm going to bed now.  I'm going to make brownies tomorrow and take them to my 2 favorite instructors.  I realized that my brownies are peanut allergy safe, which was exciting for me (yes, I'm a geek).  So Mrs. M and TC are getting brownies tomorrow.  I hope they like them.  I think I'll make some for Rola and Courtney as well.

Whose house (besides your own) were you in last and why?

Rola's, to study for our Speech Final.

I can’t believe Finals are over! I finished a little after 9 this morning with an 85 on my PreCalculus Final - that’s a respectable B, by the way. A week or so ago Mrs. M told me I had to make 80 or more on the final in order to make an A in the class, and that was before she had all the work for grades, so I feel pretty confident that I’ve earned an A in that class. Confident enough, in fact, that I’m going to go ahead and plug it into the trusty spreadsheet.

When I got home, I stripped and have been nude on the couch ever since then, stunned and making random noises to the cats until a short while ago when it was almost time for kids to be home. Reluctantly, I got dressed again, but in my comfies.

Now? I don’t know. What am I supposed to do now? I don’t have any exams to study for, no assignments to work on… I’m drifting.

I’m dying to know what I got on my Lit Final, but I don’t want to pester TC, so I will try to wait till tomorrow when I see him.

I got my scores last night for A&P - I made a 96.5 on my Final, bringing me to 94 for the class!  I am so pleased with myself!  The class is 4 credit hours, so it carries more weight than a 3 credit hour class, obviously, and will do a good job bringing my GPA up.   Dr. S was the best!

I spoke with Keyboarding and from the way it looks right now, I have an A in that class as well.  She hasn’t graded my final, but all the lab-work and timings were averaged (100 and 101) and my attendance grade was in too (99), so she said unless I totally flubbed the final, which she didn’t think was likely, I have an A in there.

I’m not sure when I’ll know what I made on my Lit Final.  I’m a little concerned that I didn’t do nearly as well as I would have liked because I was sick when I read several of the selections from this exam.  I re-read them, but they didn’t stick quite as nicely as I would have liked, and I didn’t have time to re-read them more than once before the Final.  But, I got a 95 on my Analytical Paper, and that brought a huge smile to my face which is still there.

 I turned in my Speech Final and completed an essay for the college.  She grades her class strangely - on a total points system, rather than an average system like virtually everyone else.  So, while I know how many points I have out of how many points were possible and I know what that averages out to, I don’t know how that will be represented when my final grades are posted.  I have 1327 points out of 1420, and that averages to a 93.45, which in most courses would be an A.  According to her syllabus, though, it’s a B.  I spoke with her after class and she said that’s not really how she grades and to just take a breath and relax… which, seems pretty easy to say, and less easy to do when there is so much at stake.  However, we’ll see what happens.

I have yet to take my PreCalculus Final.  I am supposed to be studying today for that, and will definitely spend the larger portion of the day doing so.  I had planned on going up to the college to study outside of Mrs. M’s office, but I think I’m going to stay home instead in my jammies where I can be comfortable.  I think more clearly the fewer clothes I have on.  *shock* 

I guess probably my favorite class this semester has been my Lit class.  I have to admit, too, that I may not have liked it as much without the Instructor that taught it.  After all, the whole reason I took that particular English during that slot was because he was teaching it.  I was right to take it, because I have immensely enjoyed it.  It was the first night class I’ve taken since I’ve been back in school, and though the kids were not ecstatic about me being out of their clutches, I liked having the time to myself, if you can call sitting in a class with 20 something other people ‘time to myself’.  At any rate, Thank you, TC, for a wonderful semester, and for opening up so many new ideas and mental pathways.  I’ve started writing again (creatively!) because of you.  That’s awesome, I think.  There ought to be a dedication somewhere in that!

The most surprising class this semester has been PreCal.  I really thought I was not going to like the class or the teacher, but I have ended up loving both.  The second day of class was very frustrating and I ended up crying on the front row, for everyone to see.  Mrs. M, sweet soul that she is, asked me to stay after and asked me if I was OK, if I was under a lot of stress (16 hour load plus three kids and a husband), and if I had anyone to talk to.  I was really embarrassed and wanted to get out of there before I cried again, but I was really touched that she wanted to make sure I was OK.  Since then, I’ve really come to like her a lot, both as a teacher and as a person.  She’s been the best math teacher I’ve ever had, hands down, and she’s a really cool person as well.  I hope I’m able to keep in contact with her after the semester ends.

Alright, enough fooling around for one morning.  Time to get busy with the studying.  I’ve worked too hard this semester to throw it away now!  One more final, and then it’s nakey time!

I took three finals today, wrote an essay and a literary analysis, studied for  Wednesday’s final, and had a really good conversation with my favorite instructor.  Oh, and I wrote another poem.