Typical Monday

Typical Monday at work. One person is out on vacation. Her backup got called for jury duty. So I was the only one in the office besides the secretary. I swear every one of my clients called me today... wanting *something*. Since I was covering for two other people plus trying to get my own stuff done, I was in a rush to get everything done before I had to leave early for my class.

That brings me to my class update. As you know from the previous entry, I had a test tonight. 15 short essay questions. There were at least 3 I flew by the seat of my pants. The others I'm confident on. One I didn't have a clue. The instructor wasn't even there! I'll get the results tomorrow night. I hope I at least get a B. Since the instructor wasn't there, we got to leave right after the test.

Since I got to be home early, guess what I did? I worked on Freedom. 81.75 hours into it so far. Remember the stitching I did yesterday? Well, I sat outside in the shade while I stitched. The weather was beautiful! Somehow, I managed to get a sunburn sitting in the shade.

Sighing in Relief... Or is it Frustration?

School
I can finally breathe somewhat easy. I have managed to write 5 papers, summarize 15 chapters into notes and timelines, and have my presentation in somewhat order. Now all I need to do is review, review, review for the test tomorrow night. Nora Roberts' "Come Away With Me" is excellent to listen to while studying!

Electronics
Last summer I bought a Pioneer surround system from my old neighbor. Works great... when you can figure it out. It's a complicated system to hook up and if you push the wrong buttons on the remote, there's a good possibility of screwing up the sound coming out of the speakers. TV electronics tech I am not! Someone (either me or my niece) pushed the wrong buttons and no sound was coming out of the surround speakers, just out of the central ones. In addition, I could barely hear it above the hissing background noise. Well, I got tired of hearing the hissing sound so I decided to unhook the surround and hook the DVD player up to the TV. Do ya think I could figure that out?? NO! So now, everything is all disconnected... wires everywhere... and all I can do is watch TV and movies with no sound. Woe is me.

My Neighbor
It's been about 3 months now since my neighbor and her 8yr old grandson moved in. Within those 3 months, the grandson & neighborhood kids have managed to break the rope swing and the tire swing off the play fort in the yard. Mind you, I asked them NOT to play on those things. What really irks me is that they "politely" laid the rope on the floor of the fort for me to find -and- after breaking the tire swing... neatly laid everything beside the fort, without even apologizing or telling me about it! When asked "Who broke the tire swing?", the answer I got is "I don't know." Uh-huh. Shall we talk about the grass mowing? Oh yes, let's! For some illogical, unnamed reason... the neighbor lady mows the back part of the back yard only. She will mow the front part of the backyard right up to the edge of where my car is parked but not the little area in front or beside my side of the porch. Nor does she mow the front yard! I am oh-so itchin to ask why she does that! When I mow, or my neice mows for me, we do the ENTIRE yard. *sigh* Did I mention the constant slamming of doors every time the grandson goes in and out their side of the townhouse? The entire building shakes! And then there's the loud stomping up and down the stairs at all hours of the evening because he hasn't been taught to tread lightly. LOL, sometimes when I get really irritated with this I will intentionally and very loudly stomp up and down the stairs. (Naughty, ain't I?) Just a few more reasons why I need to find a house of my own.

Stitching
I have done very little stitching over the past several weeks with the Music in the USA class monopolizing my time. I have decided that after I clean up the kitchen, I am going to sit down and do some! I need to de-stress, I think!

Just A Blur

The past couple weeks have been a blur. I finished up my Lit class and then started a Music in the USA class the following week. We finished up the 2nd week last night. Over the weekend, I have to write 4 more papers called Listening Logs. I have to listen to 5 songs from the two CD’s provided with the textbook and write a 1-page paper on each which includes history of the composer/performer, analysis of 3 musical components, and why we liked/disliked the piece based on the musical components. I have one done. I also have to write a paper on a live performance I listened to, using the same format. Luckily, when I went to the 8th graduation of 3 nieces that the band played a song and I was smart enough to bring a tape recorder to “refresh” my memory. What’s more I have to prepare a 15-minute presentation on a piece of music for the class. Lastly, I have to study for our 2nd test (which is next Monday) that covers our entire textbook – which we covered in 2 days of class this week. It discussed music from the 1920’s to the present. A lot of information? Yes, yes, and yes! Am I overwhelmed? You darn tootin’ I am! After all those things, we *still* have one more test to take. I’m guessing it’s at the end of next week sometime. The instructor is being a big vague on that one…

Needless to say, I haven’t really been accomplishing much of anything other than eating, sleeping, working, studying, and going to class.

I have noticed that the trees are green and flowers are blooming, though. I have taken time to literally smell the roses, so to speak. The college campus is beautiful with lots of trees and flora. There’s even a Japanese-like Zen garden.

Speeding Is Never A Good Idea

Especially speeding in Rock County. A sheriff’s deputy pulled over a car for speeding. What the deputy found in the back seat was beyond belief. Duct tape covered the license plates as well as the make/model icons on the car. What was in the back seat? Along with a screwdriver and pair of gloves was…. An ATM machine! Yes, the driver had stolen an ATM machine two hours earlier from a truck stop in Milton, WI. Pried it right off the wall of the truck stop! This is a true story. I heard it on news talk radio this morning. Criminals aren’t very smart, are they?

Life is tough. It's even tougher when you're stupid.

My Philosophy On Life

Recently, I was talking with a a girlfriend who was having man troubles. Actually, she has "man troubles" with every guy she dates. The way I see it, she tries to become what each guy wants her to be. Eventually, she gets frustrated and the relationship goes downhill. In reality, a woman who doesn't reveal her true self from the get go is going to have troubles. In light of this conversation, I thought I'd share my philosophy on life:

• Honesty, Integrity, & Honor. They are important.

• Live, Learn, Love... What else matters?

• Take me as I am, or don't take me at all.

• I will survive... I may not enjoy it, but I will survive.

• You never know what you get until it's in front of your face. Have fun, but don't overdo it.

• Some of the most extraordinary things can be found in ordinary places and packages. You just have to look for them. Isn't looking half the fun?

• I can be crabby. I can be moody. I can even be depressed. However, self pity is not an option. I'd rather be happy... We can try, but we can't always be that, can we?

• Everyone has the power to make things happen. If you want something done... DO it. If you want to be something.. BE it. The power of change comes from within.