Positive scorecard

I tried to blog last night but blogger is not being very cooperative. I had good news to share.

First and foremost-my mother in-law's health situation and surgery went well. She gave us all a scare but came through with flying colors. Yeah!!! Stress and worry level decreased by about 90% after we got the call that everything is ok. Today I talked to her on the phone and she sounded good. That erased the other 10% of worry I was still carrying.

Second, I got a huge chunk of my EPP done last night. I only have 3 more commentaries and then some editing and then that is getting submitted with no looking back. After that I think I only have 2 major assignments in that class and two in my elective class. The rest is just daily/weekly stuff. Countdown is on!

Thirdly, Ryan ripped up the carpet and got the floor all prepped for the new flooring. Looks like the floor is going to be beautiful. The 20 boxes arrived yesterday. Of course we had to pull a couple boards out and look at them. I guess it is time to learn how to post pictures so I can show the progress.

That is all for now...

Blogger is being a witch tonight

So I had a great post. Ok, it wasn't great but at least it was a post. It just didn't want to publish yet it showed in my "published posts" area. I refreshed my cache, played around with some things, and decided since I couldn't "view" it I would "delete" it. If that sucker shows up tomorrow I will be amazed.

As for now...this is going to have to be a lame post. Too frustrated to expend any more energy.

One down...4 still swimmin'

Well, I am sad to report that one fish didn't make it but he was old and had a nice tumor growing on him. It was the last of the originals. The other one that I was worried about was one of my big fish and he appeared to be doing just fine today. Looks like I will be keeping them a little longer. The cat sure loves the commotion and a new view of the fish in the kitchen. That way she can look out the window and see lizards and ducks and keep an eye on those fish. Yeah, what a life she lives.

Productive Sunday?

I started my EPP today! I got all 10 artifacts chosen and wrote 2 summaries. Have a ways to go but at least it is started. My midterms are complete-need a little proof-reading and they are ready to be turned in (Monday or Tuesday). Time to start on Unit 6 but it should be a nice slow unit so I can get ahead on that EPP and maybe even one more paper or so.

I trimmed the bushes out front (my hibiscus were almost up to the roof...well about 2 ft. shy). I also pulled up two plants that died due to some stupid ugly ducks thinking they made perfect nesting and hatching areas for their babies. A toad jumped out and scared the living crap out of me today. After a short blood curdling scream and run for the rake, I showed him along. I almost felt bad when he flopped on the driveway and made a thudding sound but then I remembered they are poisonous to my dog and was hoping I did a little brain damage and he would hop into the lake and commit suicide.

I made a trip to target for a new bra and underwear. I know, hold back your excitement. Then I came home and helped Ryan move the fish tank to the kitchen. We are getting new floors and need to rip up the carpet. I was at a huge debate as whether I should just kill them and start over or try to keep them alive during this process. I might have made my decision easier...two are floating on their sides/upside down. I hope they are just a little shocked and will come back but if they are floating without breathing in the morning-my decision was made for me. I will let you know the status of my fish in the morning.

Misc. Day

Yesterday I "worked from home" to get a midterm started. Well, I literally worked from home and didn't get very far. I am a little sick to my stomach over that. So today I am going to try to start my other midterm and spend tomorrow fixing them both up. I wanted to start my EPP but that doesn't look like it is going to happen.

I was a good girl this morning and got up and cleaned out my closet (another large bag is going to Goodwill), sorted laundry, watered my plants and filled my fish tank back up. I also cleaned the green off the sides of the tank. My cleaner fish bit the dust a couple weeks ago and I honestly have been in this huge debate as to whether I want to keep them alive, get new fish, or just call it quits. I love having a tank and have had one most my life. When I married my hubby, his old roommate left us his huge 55 gallon tank. I have one fish left from him (pushing 3 or 4 years old which is old for fish) and 4 of my own that are giants! That is where the problem lies. They are territorial and massive so even if I bought more of the same kind, they would eat them or terrorize them. I am not that cruel.

Maybe I will suck it up and clean the filter-you know the once a month is more like once every 4 months here. I am convinced nothing can kill these fish. They survived hurricane Wilma when we didn't have power for over a week. We had a tiny air pump thing for fishing we put in and it gave them a few bubbles of air. Troopers is what they are. We are putting in new flooring soon so if they can hold off a few more weeks, maybe I will clean them then.

Time to get to writing. Yucky!

Good tv night

For as long as I can remember, Thursday night has been good tv night. My friends knew not to call between the hours of 7 and 10 pm CT. When I was 21, they also knew that I would not go to a bar on Thursday night until after ER ended at 10 pm CT. The funny thing is that I never watched Friends until I moved to Florida (22 years old and they must have been in one of their last seasons). I learned to like Friends from their reruns. So when Grey's Anatomy came out, I decided I would not get addicted to another tv show. I hear it is now on Thursday nights and such a great show. Maybe I will buy the dvd's next year and play catch up. I am still a devote ER fan even though they have had some horrible seasons. Last year they really came back so I am going to stand by for one more season. Earl is a hoot and I just recently became an Office fan. I can't wait for school to end because maybe I will play catch up on shows and start watching new ones. I was bummed when they canceled Reunion-who killed the one character? There should be a rule that if they cancel a show mid-season, they have to release the dvd's with the finale.

Anyhow, 7 minutes till show time! I can't wait!

Teacher assistance

I had to break down and ask a teacher for help last night. The assignment was beyond my comprehension since I stated it was written in Greek or Code. She quicky responded with an example that helped tremendously. What I don't understand is that she knew the reading material was horrid and that it needed to be clarified. Wouldn't a proactive teacher present that to the class rather than wait for a million inquiries? Oh well.

I have a long weekend of paper writing ahead of me. I was going to start one tonight but I had to cook supper (hubby was working late) and then redo yesterday's homework that I was off base on. It is so hard for me to start a paper at 9:00 pm. I literally saved a paper with the title page, the heading, the reference page and the rubrics attached. Now I just need to write the darn paper.

Oh well. What's a girl to do?

It's about that time

Today my official panic and stress set in with my final classes. I have been keeping up if not ahead in both and feeling pretty confident. This weeks assignment just sent me in a tizzy. It is the methodology and analysis phase of my research for this term. We were given an article to read that literally was in Greek. OK, it wasn't in Greek but it was practically written in code. I am completely confused and had to ask the teacher for help. Now I am wondering how I am going to write the actual paper since I couldn't even answer the discussion board questions. I know....deep breaths. I hate midterms, two papers due, little guidance and then our final papers are due in another couple weeks. It goes so fast.

On a happier note, work was pretty good today. My boss and I accomplished a ton and felt like we made positive progress rather than fighting fires on existing problems. Score one for decent days at work this month!

Runner's High...

Runner's high...where are you? My husband and our friend Jess had a bet about who could beat their personal best time in a 5K. They have been bantering back and forth for weeks now. Well, today was the day of reckoning and...Ryan won. He only beat Jess by a little but I think she was the one who actually had a runner's high because she is a runner and in shape. Ryan has only "trained" for about a month.

Jess's husband and I decided to tag along so we could get a free breakfast out of the deal. Then after 5 beers last night I decided...I am going to do the race too. I figured I would walk most of it since I haven't done any physical activity in about a month. I did run a mile twice since August but that is about it. Once we got to the park where the race was at, I decided I had to run most of the race because it was full of "real" runners and I didn't see them promoting much walking. You will have to check Jess's or Ryan's blog for the highlights of humor (crazy announcer, the beautiful sunrise that gave him a tickle in his shorts, the horse riding lady, the hotty with hardly enough fabric to cover her crack, the fact that we were literally up at the crack of dawn and then saw Dawn's crack...etc.)

The low down of the race once it finally started (20 minutes later which in Florida means the damn sun was coming up and the humidity was rising) was this. Ryan took off like a bullet, Jess was a good ways ahead of me but I could see her for the first mile or so, and then me and the other out of shape people trudging along. I ran my first mile in about 10 minutes which was an improvement from when I ran the corporate run 2 years ago. Then I started thinking my head was going to explode (I think this is where the hydration they speak so highly of set in...beer-even miller lite, doesn't count as water). I kept telling myself I could make it two miles but at about the 1.5 I took a good 1/4 mile stroll. Once the feeling came back in my legs and my head didn't pound so bad, I started running again. I ran past the 2 mile mark (saw Ryan and Jess doubling back already which was the last I would see them until I finished) and decided at about 2 1/4 it was time for another breather. That walk was much shorter and then I ran the rest of the way. I finished in 38 minutes and 10 seconds. I must say, for not having run in a while I did pretty good.

The difference between this run and the corporate run was this-no preparation = blister on toe, shorts that rode up and chaffed my thighs, and very stiff/sore hips. Surprisingly my shins and knees held up. When I finished the race, Ryan and Jess already had cooled down quite a bit so I felt a little woozy compared to them. I drank my water and we headed out for breakfast.

It has been 3 hours and I am still waiting for my runner's high...will it come this afternoon, tomorrow, next race? I plan on doing the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving but before then, it is time to get training a little, a new bra, some shorts, and decent socks. With those essentials, I should be able to run the whole thing. Yeah, it was the faulty clothing that held me back this time.

Soppy Saturday

Man, it is raining like a hurricane out there! I always like rainy days for doing homework because then I don't feel guilty sitting inside all day. The bummer is that when it rains here, it is always accompanied by thunder and lightening. I am so close to being done with school, I would hate to have my computer fried at this point in time.

So, I haven't posted a list in a while because I have been very successful at completing them (related to homework). I made my list for this weekend and the upcoming week. I think it is time to play the "personal day" or "sick day" card at work. I need a good day or two to start working on my final EPP project and some other finals. I noticed that this term the classes are not set up the best way for time management purposes. They also don't explain what the assignments really are. None of the rubrics match the assignments so I feel like I am always writing two papers for one assignment. One that matches the "assignment" and one that matches the contents of the "rubric." Oh well, only 5 more weeks now!

Friday night

What a wonderful Friday. Usually my Friday's are worse than Monday's and I get stuck putting out fires at work. Today was glorious...I got a ton of work done, only had to attend 2 meetings, left work at 4:50pm rather than 6:50pm, and decided I am not doing one darn bit of homework tonight. I went to the mall and got a Clinique special (of course they roped me into spending $17.50 more to get my "free" items but that's ok). Then the hubby and I had dinner and are back home to veg in front of the tv. Ah...just think, in 6 more weeks, every night will be like this - No Homework!

Burn-out, Sarcasm, and Humor

So I doubled up a post and had a brain of mush that couldn't read the delete function. This was caused by burn-out at work. I still had enough common sense to filter my sarcastic reponse to Jess. In my mushy brain, it was humorous. Does anyone think that stress/burn-out, sarcasm, and humor are the three stages leading up to a pure breakdown? I haven't cried yet so I know I have one more level to go. I just might complete my masters without a school related break down.

Work has been really stressful because there are too many things going on for me to comfortably manage plus huge issues that keep arising. I know I am managing them but like I said, not in my comfort level. This leads to a very tired girl who then comes home after 12 hour work days to do homework. The type of things at work cause way too much thinking so not only am I physically tired, I am mentally exhausted. Since it is my final term, I am eager to finish but don't want to give up my 4.0 which leads to extra pressure on myself. I know...don't lecture me. I have been dealing with my own perfection for years now.

To top all of this off, I know I have been a bad wife. Please, heads out of the gutter. I have been bad at holding up my end of the "equal" part of marriage. I seldom cook, I don't get groceries anymore, and even my cleaning has dwindled (I know that is hard for some of you to believe). Laundry...well, I never really did that from the beginning so I don't feel remorseful there. I do know that I don't spend much time with my hubby but he seems to enjoy that.

Tonight there was a new video game and dvd's sitting on the table when I came home. Not to mention he has resumed his remote control airplane and car racing hobbies that sat unused or thought of prior to me going back to school. Little does he know...those days are numbered. 6 weeks baby...then I will be back to full nagging and annoying stage!

I am in a funk that I hope will lift soon. I am on a committee at work (not by choice) and that adds a minimum of 8 hours of additional work to my work week without any relief of my normal duties. Tomorrow is going to be a long day since I have to prepare for my weekly update on Friday. Normally, I would be eager and hopping on this because I really enjoy it but this week has sucked too much for anything to be fun.

Sorry for the downer post. I needed to vent.

Manic Monday redux

I posted this once and blogger was funny. I hope it doesn't post twice now.

I won't even begin to bore you with the details of my day at work but get this one...my teacher told me in class that I have triple A type personality and that I should pursue my doctorate! I quickly told her what my husband's thoughts were on me continuing my schooling. She said her's threatened divorce too if she pursued a second PhD. I think I will sit this next round out for a few years....hmmm....a doctor...of what? I have too many interests....art history, education, sociology, design, marketing, vetrinarian....not like I use the three degress I now have. What's a doctorate going to get me? Plus, book smart people lose all common sense.

Manic Monday

I won't bore you with the details about my crappy Monday at work but get this one...I was in my class tonight and the teacher told me I had triple A type personality and that I should pursue a doctorate! Oh my...is that a threat, a compliment, or plain obscurity? I quickly told her my hubby would divorce me for even thinking about more school. She said her's threatened her the same way if she pursued a second PhD. Hmmm....I think I will sit this one out for a few years and then consider it. I don't have a specialty or any main interest. What would I become a doctor of? Is it too late to become a medical doctor or veterinarian...PhD in Education....Sociology...Art History....oh the possibilities!

Weekend already

The week seemed like it would never end and now Saturday has come and almost passed. I was a pretty good student today but still have a little left to do tonight related to the homework front. I am going to be spending most of the day tomorrow entertaining (baby shower for a close friend). I am excited to get together with the girls and oh and ah over cute baby stuff. The bummer is I have to finish cleaning the house-yuck!

Sorry I haven't been keeping up on my posts. Work has been crazy and honestly, I have nothing to blog about.

Surveys

For my research class I had to do a needs assessment survey. I crafted an 11 question survey this weekend and sent it to approximately 11 or 12 people. (The requirement was only 10 so I built in a little cushion). I have had a pretty good response rate so far with only 2 people not replying so far and the deadline is for tomorrow. I guess when you send surveys to other educators who know the value of a survey, they feel more compelled to fill them out and return them.

I usually try to do diligence when I receive a survey in the mail. If I can answer the questions in 5-10 minutes, fine. Phone surveys are another issue. I can't stand talking to a telemarketer who gets paid by the leads they trap or surveys they complete. I feel really bad for them and truly try to cut them off before they get started. I think the reason I usually end those surveys early is they always catch me at an inopportune time.

When I was unemployed and looking for a job (when I first moved to FL) I was at the mall and was asked to take a survey on underwear. I then agreed to participate in a study and took three different styles of underwear and wore them, documenting and charting different things for a week or two. I got to keep the underwear and I think I received $10 in the mail or something. I actually enjoyed participating because I was fresh out of school and had just completed my own research and thesis. The funny thing is that it is 5 years later and I still have the underwear! They are actually quite comfortable and I think that they heard my suggestions because the production ones in the stores fit even better!

Labor Day Weekend

This was a great 3 day weekend. I accomplished a ton of school work on Saturday, completed a couple errands on Sunday and went to a BBQ, and then today I made it to the beach and took a nap! What a glorious weekend. Of course I have a list of chores that I would like to do but they are above and beyond the usual so I think I will put them off one more weekend (you know, trimming trees, potting new plants, cleaning out closets...yuck!).

I have an interesting question for you readers...can all of you float in the ocean? I spent a good time in the water floating and riding the waves (it stormed today so there were some good ones). My hubby claims he can't float. Now, looking at us, you can probably tell that I have a lot more fat to keep me as a flotation device but I don't think that is truly the answer. I remember back in the day taking swimming lessons where I would dive underwater and literally pop up to the top! I was skin and bones then so I couldn't blame my buoyancy on my body fat back then. Maybe I am a natural floater...hmmm....

I figure it is time to enjoy my weekend a little longer because soon it will be Tuesday morning and the work week will hit full force. Luckily, I am sitting pretty in the homework department so no real stress from that angle has hit yet.

Sense of accomplishment...only half

Today isn't over but so far I have been halfway productive. I have completed my discussion question responses for Unit 2 in both classes (the replies to my peers). In my elective class I was able to read my chapter for Unit 3, did some web research, completed my discussion questions for Unit 3, and wrote my paper. Tomorrow or Monday will be a proofreading day for the two papers I have written for that class.

Now I am at a debate to write my discussion questions for Unit 3 for my capstone class and finish my survey or call it a day. I think I will take a look at them and see what I can accomplish in the next hour. After that it is time for the long weekend to begin!

3 Day Weekend

Last weekend I spaced a little bit of homework out over each day. I am debating if I spend all of Saturday locked in solitude to complete all of this week's homework or if I try to space it out over 3 days...tonight I feel like tackling it all tomorrow and having two full days of rest. We will see how I feel tomorrow morning.

If you notice the time stamp, I just got home from work. Today was the work day from hell even though nothing was that out of the ordinary; it just all blew up after 3:00pm today. I have to pat myself on the back for unveiling a huge problem that many other's over looked today and running a very successful meeting that I felt I did a horrible job on. I am a good planner and organizer but my meeting "facilitator" skills are a little rough. Hearing from two sources that I did an excellent job made me feel much better on such a craptastic day.

Oh, and yesterday I got my mile run in plus a half mile walk. If it weren't raining, I would actually like to run again tonight because I have so much frustration that beating my body up actually sounds motivating. I think I will settle for drinking a ton of tasty Miller Lites and calling it a night. Yeah, I lead a twisted life.