I have the best of good intentions...and, then, nothing. Like today, I was going to do ALL my homework for the next week. I haven't even done the homework that's due tonight. *sigh* I'm too tired.

I didn't go to sleep yesterday until almost midnight and then a thunderstorm (yay?) woke me up at 2:30 (not so yay) and then I had to get up at 5. ug. Anyway...

It's a nice day out today. Blue skies, green grass and trees, pleasant air. I'm expecting a UPS package any time now...

I really, really should do that homework...

but, when did I ever do what I should?



It'll get done...

eventually.
 

I really should be working on my homework that is due tonight... but, I really don't want to!!!

It's really warm out (80) and it's kinda cloudy. I wonder if we will get a little rain later on. It isn't in the forecast but we all know that that doesn't mean anything. The weather will do whatever it wants to regardless of what we say it should do.

I went to the movies yesterday! I hadn't been in ages. The last movie I saw was Ghost Rider, that was what in February? Yeah, it's been a little while. Anyway, I saw "Lucky You." I'm on the cusp of liking it and being disappointed. Drew Barrymore really wasn't in it all that much (she was fourth down in the credits too). The last half of the movie was about the poker tournament. I like poker so it was okay, but I thought it was a little excessive (unless you're {i]really into poker). They went through, like, every elimination! (Starting with over 800 players.) It was still a good movie though. Just not exactly what I was expecting.


*************

I cannot believe it! It's nigh on to being 90!!! I can't believe how HOT it is! A month ago we had snow and now it's practically 90 degrees out!!! (Weather.com says it is 89.)

Insane!!
 

Well....DHL is supposed to come today, sometime, so I am just waiting, and waiting, and waiting for them to come... I was going to go out today but the package is signature required and someone has to be here to accept it...

Oh, well. Save myself a little gas. I cannot believe the hike the gas prices have taken and all the while the price of crude oil has gone down!!! It's insane. They've made up some story about refineries but I would think the drop in crude oil prices would off set that...but, no they have to stick it to us every chance they get!! The last time I filled up my tank it was $2.77 a gallon and now it's $3.19 a gallon. I still have half a tank thankfully but it's starting to get to the point where I need to think about getting some more....

*sigh* Oh, well...that's life ain't it? I wish we could be like the air liners and buy futures...like DHL!!!!

DHL just came!!!! YAY! I'm free now to go do stuff!! whooo-hooo!!

uh...what was I saying? Oh, yeah, gas futures. I would like to be able to buy, oh, say a gift card for 50 gallons when the price is $2.85. I would pay $142.50 for the card and then it would deduct gallons instead of dollars when I put gas in at the gas station. Wouldn't that be nice? And you could stock up and get like 200 gallons when the price bottoms out and then, when the price sky rockets, you'd have the gallons pre-purchased and wouldn't have to worry about gas being $4/gallon...until your card ran out that is. Wouldn't that be nice? It'll never happen though....

Oh, well.
 

Had class yesterday...ugg. Actually a pretty good deal. 4 Saturdays written to go from 9-5 but actually run 9-12 and the last saturday is optional!!! whoo-hoo!! The last two saturdays are slotted for presentations so if we get them done we don't have to go the last day. AND, the class convinced her that we should get the test now rather than next class so we won't have everything due at once! It's short for a take home too!!! Whoo-hoo!!

When I got home, my uncle and aunt were here. They stopped by for a few hours on their way to her cousins. We had a nice visit. Caught up on what's going on with all my cousins and what-not. Saw pictures of a little cousin I wasn't even aware existed!! It had been a long time since I had seen them. It was nice.

The DHL shipment is my sister's class ring...they are supposed to stop by tomorrow...

we'll see...
 

It's a beautiful morning...ahh...think I'll take a walk outside..

Everybody sing along!

Just kidding...

I know I've heard that song somewhere but it seems like just from a commercial or something...hmm....

Anyway.

It is absolutely beautiful outside. And it smells divine too! The grass was just cut yesterday so it still smells like freshly mown lawn and the lilacs smell divine and it's just fabulous!!! I picked a few lilacs to bring in. Unfortunately, the frost and snow did get to some of the flowers so they are rather small this time around. Still beautiful though.

Apparently, while I was outside picking lilacs, DHL snuck in and left an attempted deliver notice. I have very good hearing and our street is rather quiet and it's easy to hear the trucks going down the road. I did not hear him stop. I was only outside for 10 minutes. I couldn't make out the writing on the notice so I called the number. When I got to the human voice, she promptly put me on hold. I couldn't make out the waybill # (it's supposed to be all digits no letters but I swear the middle two look like Wl. So she looked it up by my addy and said it hadn't come through yet. So he must have stopped while I was outside. She was going to call the driver and ask him to go back!


I'm not even expecting a DHL delivery...


I wonder what it could be...


Stay tuned to find out!!!



******

2 pm...still no delivery...I'm starting to wonder...

 

Good grief. It is absolutely beautiful outside...blue sky, 70 degrees...and I can't enjoy it. I have a monster of a headache. It feels like my head is going to implode!
There's a giant standing over me...he has his hands on my head...he's squeeeeezing...trying to crush my skull....
That's kinda how it feels. My eyes even hurt.
I wish it was raining. That would make me feel better. Oh, well.
It should be as nice or nicer tomorrow and I will be able to enjoy the weather then. My lilacs should be ready to be picked tomorrow as well...
 

Well, Jane has been vindicated! She also has decided to stay!! If you don't know the whole story about what has been plaguing Jane you can read about it in "Invalid Item" .

Furthermore, my lilacs are in bloom!!! They smell absolutely devine. I could die of pure joy when I smell them! It's a good day. Yeah, a good day.

It's cool and cloudy. But, basically, no chance of rain for awhile. That's my bummer...

Anyway, I worked so hard the past two days that I ran out of stuff to do!!! Seriously. So, I get to spend the day with you!!!

Aren't you lucky?
 

I am drop dead tired and in denial over its being May already. Had my first spring class tonight after getting up before 5 this morning to be at work at 6 a.m. Worked until 2:30, grabbed a bite to eat, got home about a quarter of 4; grabbed a shower; and left at a quarter after 5. Class ended at a quarter of 9. I was on my feet all day and, boy, are they protesting!!

The computer wasn't even on yesterday if you can believe it. Had a lot to do at work. It's amazing how tired you get in the evening when you get up at 5 in the morning. The moon was beautiful this morning; it was also beautiful this evening. Full and beautiful.

I updated my sig shoppe, checked and replied to e-mail, and updated my blog like my e-mail told me to so now I'm off...I'd say to sleep but that isn't happening. No, I'll read until I can't hold my eyes open anymore (which isn't saying much as my eye lids are drooping now) and then I'll go to sleep. Shouldn't take long tonight consider how exhausted I feel.

Oh, by the by, while I'm here, that class I wrote the essay for...don't know what I was worried about. He (the teach) said it is a tool for us to discover more about the book and ourselves and we will not be graded on whether or not we agree or conform. No, we will be graded on the "thought process." Can anyone say "instant A"?

Good night!

...zzzzzzzzzzzz
 

Just a quick entry to sum things up before I attempt to go to sleep. I have to get up really early in the morning.

The concert went well. There were some "sweet" songs and the Godzilla whatever you call it was "cute". They played their music to a slide show in which Godzilla attacks Las Vegas and a group of "Elvi" "defeat" Godzilla. Or, so they think. In the end of the slide show, the celebrators hear the familiar sounds of Godzilla and it is left open for a possible sequel. I didn't see it but I read the program.

Spring semester starts on Tuesday and my sister graduates in two weeks. It is absolutely insane. I am tired because I didn't really sleep last night. I hate hotels. Someone decided to do laundry after midnight and had something in the dryer that sounded like they were drying bottle caps (if you can imagine). It was quickly taken care of but the night never got remotely quiet as people were coming and going with doors opening and slamming shut at all hours of the night. The beds were horrible too. But, then again, I'm a little spoiled. I've always been partial to sleeping in my own bed. Although, half the time I don't actually sleep there either. I'm just a bad sleeper. Oh well.

That's the way it goes. My sister has always been able to fall asleep the moment her head hits the pillow and I have always had problems. I think it's a virgo thing...

http://www.cafepress.com/virgotopia

My sister made the main picture on the computer.
 

My sister has a concert tonight. I came over with our mom to visit her. Mom went to the concert while I stayed at the hotel. I don't care for the band director's style. It's too loud and discordant. It's very chaotic and (to me) distressing. My sister seems to like it though. To each her own, right?

Anyway, I have a pre-assignment due Tuesday that I am supposed to be working on. Instead, I'm watching a movie on USA ("Kiss the Girls") and blogging!!! Who ever heard of assignments due before a class starts the semester anyway? I'll get it done though...eventually!

Oh, alright... I'll get to it. It's only a 300 word essay on some stupid videos; how long can it take?

Catcha around!

**************************

I finished my essay like half an hour ago. I could have bs-ed my way through 500 words! I never give myself enough credit when I start essays like this. But, we'll see what kind of a grade I get on it! It's a reaction essay for crying out loud...how do you grade something like that? Each paper is probably different and how can you tell someone that they didn't react properly?

Stay tuned!!!

 

Today's blog entry is for shleprock.

She has been wrongly accused of fraud and stealing and is being virtually run out of WDC. She has been an inspiration and will be sorely missed. Read "Invalid Item"  for more detailed information. Also, stop by her port or drop her an e-mail to encourage and support her. She deserves all your thoughts, cares, and love.

It seems as she is steadfastly committed to leaving WDC where it appears she is no longer welcome. I wish there was something we could do to get her to stay but she insists there isn't. So, we can only wish her well in all her future endeavors.

Jane, you will be missed!
 

Well, it did rain most of the morning. It has tapered off for now. No thunderstorms yet. There's another batch going to come through this afternoon though...I'm hoping for some thunder!

My sister, Gina, is expecting a little boy in June. It's her first and she is very excited. My dad is too; it's his first boy in the family. He has four daughters and (currently) two grand-daughters. He is ecstatic to be welcoming a boy to the family.

My eldest sister's eldest daughter will be 12 on Friday and her youngest will be 7 at the end of May. She called my dad yesterday to tell him that she too is expecting a little bundle of joy in December. I could not have been more surprised when I found out. There's a long story there that I won't get into!

Lots of changes this year. The end of the year will see two additions and my younger sister and I are both getting our bachelors degrees.

Crazy times...
 

It was a perfectly rainy day today! I was quite please (and a little tired, too) with the grey day. How I love listening to the rain!

Tomorrow, we are supposed to get thunderstorms....oooooohhh. Wouldn't that be lovely to wake up to!? The gentle pattering of rain coupled with the distant rumbling of thunder...utterly divine!!!

I only wish that it were raining right now. But, alas, the rain is still someways off. The weekend should be perfectly sunny.

What a lovely week!
 

So, now you've asked yourself the question "when isn't an "A" enough?" When you're crazy like me is when. I wrote a couple weeks ago about my strategic management class and the presentation I had to give to an outside panel. Well, I got an "A" on both the paper and the presentation. The teacher graded the paper while the panelists evaluated the presentation. That should be enough right? Nope. Why? Because I barely got the "A" and that bothers me. I got a 90% on both the paper and the presentation and it reeks of conspiracy to me. No, it won't negatively affect my GPA and yes, it still counts as an "A" but I'm upset about the whole thing. It's very stupid. I thought I did better than that.

I did my paper the same as the other two I did. I got 97% (average) on the first two and then a 90% on the third. I didn't do anything differently. I feel like I was ambushed or something. I did better on my second than on my first but my third wasn't as good as the first two. It just isn't right!! The one panelist did not write a thing on my evaluation one way or another and he barely even looked at me as I was presenting. The other panelist raved about how good I was but I still only got 90%. It's the stupid system. The presentation is worth 50 points. There are five sections each worth five points. One point is equivalent to 20%! It's absurd. One part wasn't quite good enough so instead of 100% on that part I get 80%. It drags the whole grade down! Not to mention that the teacher makes each panelist's evaluation worth 50 points. So, whatever they scored you he multiplies it by 2 then adds the two scores up and divides that number by 2. It's ludicrous. I'm upset about the whole thing.

He (the teacher) talks about things we (as a class) didn't get but he never actually covered any of the material. He started talking about other things and then at the beginning of the semester we had the first paper due (which is comprehensive and covers the entire book) before we had a chance to go over anything. We had to go through the book ourselves and try to figure it out on our own. What is the point of having a teacher if you have to teach yourself!? I got the "A" though. That's all that matters, right?

It just doesn't feel like enough.

The whole thing has been bugging me since yesterday and everyone is frustrated and "hates" me for quibbling (you're probably not to enthused yourself right now). A lot of my classmates didn't get the "A." I understand that. I should be happy with it. The semester is over and done with. I should move on...that man (the teacher) has been irritating me since September though. It's just kinda been building. He just rubs me the wrong way. He answers questions with as few syllables as possible; he's not a personable person; I feel like he's annoyed with having to spend time trying to make his students understand without actually teaching them anything. Last semester was "Consumer Behavior" and not once did he actually cover any material concerning consumer behavior. We had a couple of case studies that we presented and the tests which were take home (we looked up the answers in the book). I feel cheated!!

I think that's what gets me. I'm paying all this money and spending all this time and for what? Teachers that don't teach, (mostly) easy A's, and I'm barely learning anything. What happens when I get my degree? Will it be worth the paper it's printed on? It's supposed to stand for something. But I hardly have anything to back it up with. I'm nervous about not being prepared enough. They aren't teaching me anything. It's like I bought my degree. I don't like that feeling. It feels underhanded somehow.

I don't feel worthy in anything I do...

is it them or is it me? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

*********************************

I've been feeling a little blue lately and I figure that a lot of other people feel blue every now and then too. I mean doesn't everyone feel down sometimes? So I decided to create a forum where anyone can come and post pretty much whatever they want. A place where people can seek refuge and know that there are people who understand what they are going through and can help brighten their day a little. So, if you get the chance stop by and say hello. If you need help, I will certainly try. If not, you might be able to brighten someone's day.

"Blue Funk" 
 

It is so windy out! The temperature is very pleasant (73F) but you can hardly walk out of doors! Seriously, we have a wind advisory because it is so windy! Sustained winds around 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph. I barely made it to the mailbox and back! It's insane.

I was watching the weather on the news last night. They did this "future trak" (their spelling not mine) thing which showed the rain dissipating before it got here. Then they forecasted rain and possible thunderstorms. They contradict their own forecasts for the day! It's really pathetic. Anyway, it did not rain. All this wind is supposed to usher through the low pressure front that was supposed to bring us rain last night/this morning out. We're supposed to get a little colder after that. Then a warm front is supposed to go through bringing huge thunderstorms. WDC needs an evil smile for me to put right there. >:) Or, something.

I love thunderstorms.

They're so...electric.

 

I watched a positively alarming show (on Dateline) today about a guy name Eric Volz. http://insidedateline.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/04/21/162228.aspx
If you've heard about him, you know what I am talking about. If not, check it out.

http://www.friendsofericvolz.com/

This man (a 27 yr old American) was accused, "tried," and found guilty of murdering his ex-girlfriend in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. The judge who "tried" the case found him guilty because she threw out the testimonies of ten people who confirmed that he was in his office two hours away in Managua when the murder was committed. She also ignored the fact that no physical evidence found at the crime scene could be connected to Eric. What she did admit was that a drunk guy was arrested and later testified that he had seen Eric exiting from the victim's store (where she was murdered). After his made this statement all charges against him were dropped.

This is a horrific injustice. Not only has an innocent man been incarcerated but the real killer is free to roam the streets. There is no evidence to connect Eric to the crime; quite the contrary, all the evidence points to his innocence. But why? Why was Eric accused and wrongly convicted? Is it because he was a wealthy American in a poor foreign town? Did the victim's mother (who is the only one who actively pushed to get Eric convicted) have some sort of vendetta? The whole thing is an atrocity.

You can find more information including what you can do at the above mentioned website. You can also read the basic idea of the epidode that aired today by clicking on the first link.
 

I don't know where I picked up the phrase "It doesn't signify" but I keep saying it! I'm starting to annoy myself! But, it doesn't signify.

It's another beautiful day. It's already above 70F!!! The weatherpeople are predicting that it will start raining Tuesday night which will progress to thunderstorms all day Wednesday which will taper off Thursday morning/afternoon. I could go for a good 'ole thunderstorm!! We'll see.....

I love the way the air smells after a rain storm...


********************

I was out for about 20 minutes and thought I was being roasted in an oven! The mercury is pushing for 80 and that sun sure is warm!! I trimmed the dead off the lilac and the rhododenrons. A bee thought I was a flower...and I had a run in with an elder bug! Good grief if I don't hate those things!! It really felt like summer. I was ready to lie in the sun in my shorts and tank listening to some music.

But, for now, I've had enough of the sun. I came in to wash my hands; I was leaning over the sink, enjoying the feel of the water running over my hands, when something tickled my cheek! In my infinite paranoia, I jumped and swatted at my face with my drenched hands and splashed myself with water. The something was not, in fact, a bug. It was my earring. I can be so over-dramatic!

I love these earrings though. I never wear them. I have enough earrings to wear one pair a day for a year and not wear the same pair twice! (Okay, not quite, but you get my drift...I love jewelry!!!) They're like 3 inches long, chained gold with brown (wooden-esk?) beads all hanging down. That doesn't begin to describe them but you can make your own picture.

I hate bugs!!

 

We all had a great time last night! We (minus one who was giving her presentation and came a little later) got to the restaurant at 7 and left just before 9. It was a lot of fun. One of the girls went furniture shopping with her husband instead of coming with us because the Art Van sale ended last night. One of the guys in the class came with us instead of heading to the bar with the other group. (Imagine this if you can...the group of older students (40+) went to the bar while the younger students (23-25) went to a regular restaurant.) He headed over to the bar after we were done and had paid our checks. It was the most fun I have had in a long time! Laughing, talking, eating, and sprinkling of sentiment because a couple of the girls are officially done and will not be continuing in our classes through June. Occasionally, it was like the end of the world. It was rather humorous.

The weather today is divine to say the least. Another sunny cloudless day. It's already 60F! The sun feels fantastic! I could spend half my day outside, maybe. It's really nice. I was really tired of the clouds, cold, and snow. I like this much better.

I have found a great website that is a lot of fun and you can make a little (I mean little too...although I'm sure it depends on your demographics) cash. It's surveyspot.com and you (occasionally) get paid for your opinions. They e-mail you survey invitations and if you qualify to complete the survey you generally get $3 but sometimes they have surveys worth up to $10. It adds up after awhile. Once you accumulate $5 you can request payment. I just got a check today for $23. The surveys are a lot of fun too. Even if you don't qualify to complete a survey, you get entrys into their sweepstakes. You don't get points for referalls or anything so I don't get anything (material) out of referring people. If you're interested...
https://www.surveyspot.com/join/Join.faces?VendorID=33&OptInSource=usgen&lo...

That's all for now....


 

It is another beautiful day though the breeze is a trifle cool. It is a sunny, sunny day. My final yesterday went very well. I knew almost all the answers! There were just a couple questions that I had to mull over. All in all, 91 questions took about 35-40 minutes! It was mostly multiple choice with about 10 short answer. Tonight is my last business ethics class!! Whoo-hoo!! A few of the other girls and I are going out to dinner afterwards. It's gonna be great! I'm excited.

No more business ethics, no more business ethics, no more business ethics.. HA!

*sigh* That class sucked in the best way possible. I hated going but didn't have to do anything. There were 100 points possible for attendance (not participation mind you, for signing your name on the sign in sheet) and 100 points possible for the ethics paper (which is due today that I finished last week). That's it. Easy right? But we hated going. We sat there and he read to us. Not from the book mind you. Excerpts from other books. He'd start in the middle of a random book and read a few pages or a chapter. No discussion, just reading. (Rumor has it he used to be a Catholic priest which, I think, explains the reading.) It drove us crazy.

However, it was a great opportunity to do homework for other classes. Class would start at 6 and he would read for 45 minutes to an hour and then take a 15 or 20 minute break and let everyone go at 7:30. It was ridiculous. What is the point of taking a 15 minute break, coming back at 7:15 and leaving 15 minutes later at 7:30!? Everyone would go and wander around during break. All the smokers would all go outside and get stinky. Some of us just didn't come back. I managed to make it through one whole class. I have a 25 minute drive. By the time they get back from break, I'm almost home. They leave shortly after; what's the point of hanging around? I wasn't the first and I certainly wasn't the only one. I don't know that he ever noticed. He sat at our level and had his head down, reading, the entire time. He had no clue who anyone was.

Anyway, it's over!!! Three more classes....I will be finished June 21!!! Yay.

I feel cheated somehow. It was too easy. My sister has fought and worked and toiled for her bachelors. Granted, she is majoring in biology which is way harder than business. Nonetheless, it just seems to easy. Like I've been tricked somehow. I'll have my classes done that are required for my business major (with a concentration in marketing--the school is weird that way) and one day someone will call me and say "I'm sorry. You didn't work hard enough or you didn't do enough or long enough or whatever and you can't have your piece of paper." I just doesn't seem like it can be real. Maybe I'm just crazy.

Who knows? It just doesn't feel right somehow. I was terrified when I started because everyone kept telling me how hard it was and how much work and effort I would have to put in. And, I didn't. My classmates put in a lot more than I did. I have a very weird feeling about it all. Everyone is really excited. They have one or two classes to take in the spring but they are all walking in May. I'm not. They don't understand why. I made something up about a previous engagement. I just don't think I deserve to walk. I didn't do anything to earn it. What does it signify? I walked in high school. I didn't really get it then either. I must have missed the memo on the importance of commencement. Oh, well.

I'm still excited about tonight...really, I am. It's a small sort of achievement I suppose. Oh, well. I need to go to the post office because the mail carrier went early this morning and I missed the mail. I wish he (Jeff) would stick to some sort of schedule! Usually, he doesn't come until later (any time after 11). But every now and then he goes early. Like today, the mail came before 10:30. Maybe it was the sub, Karen. I didn't actually see the mail go today. They should conference so that when she does the mail route she does it the same way he does so that she goes at the same time he does so I don't miss the mail and have to go to the post office! No, it cannot wait until tomorrow. (Financial aid stuffs that I didn't know I had to fill out for the summer. The school doesn't have the same financial aid setup for the summer classes as they do for the fall and winter ones. It's very bizarre to me.)

I'm done. OH! No, I'm not. What is with people telling people how horrible and terrifying something is when it isn't? People were telling horror stories about my strategic management class and it was easy! (And it isn't just me that thinks that.) We were sitting in class yesterday and we were talking about how much easier the class was than we had anticipated. We were terrified about the prospect of presenting to an outside panel but everyone's went really well. We're all glad of course; it's just a little odd. Like, erm...that was easier than anyone gave me an idea of it being...did I do something wrong? or something...I'm done really, I am...for now anyway.

LUNCH!

 

The weather is beautiful! I wish I could enjoy it more. I have my final exam in marketing tonight. I really should be studying.

I feel so bad for the Virgina Tech students. Especially with the scare they had this morning. As if everything wasn't bad enough, they had a scare that most likely set back recovery. I don't know how you recover from something like that.

Hindsight is 20/20 but it just seems like so many things are happening that it seems could have been prevented. All the warning signs were there. People told him to get help but do they know if he did? Maybe it couldn't have been prevented but I think the school could have done a better job keeping it contained. I think the school may have been able to prevent the second shooting.

Either way, it's past blame time. Everyone in the school is going to be needing a lot of help. The Prime Minister of Australia was talking about US gun control. This made me recall Bush letting the bans on automatic assault weapons lapse. What do we need automatic or semi-automatic weapons for? No good can come of them. You don't go hunting (animals) with an automatic weapon. There is only one evil purpose behind automatic and semi-automatic weapons.

It's a sad week in America. Maybe now we can wake up and start changing for the better.