Carolyn

Not much going on here - yes, am doing Nano but dang it, despite the fact I am currently not working, time seems to skitter away from me - spent the weekend helping my friend Cid move to her new place, and most of the rest of my free time was spent reading a school reading assignment, The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon.

This book has intrigued me for an unexpected reason - I finished reading part II this evening, but what has absolutely fascinated me, and caught my imagination, is how I can readily apply the dynamics of a revolution (colonized v. colonizer) to my current fantasy wip (the one that I haven't started yet, so probably isn't a wip quite yet). I have long planned to write Jax's world as an occupied one, but until this book (and this class, which focuses on culture and empire), I didn't have the meat so to speak that I needed to detail a believable scenario. I have it now. While reading part II especially, I found myself fictionalizing it in my mind, which of my characters would be doing what (and why, the all important WHY). I could see what roles my Oppressors should play (and WHY), and have found myself totally caught up in the possibilities for writing I am gleaning from this required reading.

Good times.

Been emailing my classmate Ethan all evening about it - study-group-via-email? - oh yeah, why not? He was going to drop out of this class, despite having a solid B and making an A on the midterm, as he was letting it get to him, how difficult it is (demanding more than difficult, really - the professor IS rather awesome), but I was so happy that he decided to stay in. There isn't much time left after all!

I've signed up for my next class, another special-topics history class. Should be a good one - European history, race, religion and politics, yo.

After that, I only have Algebra, a communications class, and to test out of the computer and English Comp II classes. Need to get my hands on a study guide of some sort for the computer competency test. Not sure when I will take those.

If I could just knock out the communications class this summer, I could conceivably graduate in December! *thunk*

And after that? My heart and brain and love of history tell me to keep going, dammit - Masters in History, oh yeah, at UTA. Double oh yeah. I have a weird vision of just going and going and going with this...I think it started when I read my professor's dissertation and I thought "oh good grief, I could do this." Um. Yeah. LOL!!! And how awesome it would be too. So we'll see...the future has lots of possibilities.

Son went to Austin tonight with friends to see Slayer. You bet I am freaked out and worried to death but trying to be chill and calm and all that. Oh man... *bites nails*

Daughter is at work, and is sad she can't afford to take any additional classes in the spring, even one. I am sad too, as I sincerely hate that I can't help her any. While I am very grateful to be on unemployment, I am horrificly distressed about it, too. If there was only something I could do at home that would bring in a guaranteed 2k a month... LOL. Yeah. I know.

Every day except today I've made myself get out of the house, go to Starbucks, and be around people. That has helped but I hate this feeling of "I am not worthy of enjoying this time off because I should not be unemployed." Okay enough of that. Those of you who have been there, know this all too well.

What else? Not much else. I hope to finish up this homework reading tomorrow morning so I can write my discussion questions and finally get back to work on writing. The rewrite is going slow, but I love all two scenes I've finished...

As for my book that is out there, I have no idea how it is doing. I don't want to know, as I did see some comments that make me groan (comparisons to the first book are many, and complaints the 2nd is not like the first - no, it isn't, because no book will ever be like that first book - I am no longer that person, THANK THE STARS).

And that is all for now. Hope all of you guys are doing well.

The wedding was FABULOUS. I am pretty sure that Tiff will end up applying at University of Minnesota to be with her friends, especially as they and all the family up there are begging her to. It could work out, so I am all for her going for it. Even if it would take her far away--really, the flight is under 300, and is a quick flight. Very painless (though the turbulence was a bit icky going up).

Had a wonderful time with my sunshine boy too. Um, I mean my son. He is a little old to call that now? We all went to see the Rangers v. the Twins (argh, Rangers lost), and WOW Twins fans are crazy. LOL. We got right in front of a group of boarding school boys and they had no one with them...security was called at one point, and some other boys got taken away for drinking. One kid was shaking like crazy when security demanded to see his ID. Meep. The ballpark is in the heart of Minn., which is cool.

Also cool? The weather! I kinda underdressed! Brrr! Had to borrow a jacket. At one point I actually missed the heat! Crazy me.

The wedding itself went great--the family drama stayed chilled for the ceremony and afterparty, which was really nice (and boy is there drama in that family!)--and I flitted around and had fun talking to everyone. I also rather looked stunning in my two dresses I wore, if I do say so myself... :) :) Oh yeah. LOL! I felt like a million, even if I was shivering a bit. All in all a great time, though I nearly killed my Blackberry--it kinda fell in the toilet. I grabbed it out fast and dried it off using one of those super duper hand dryers. Fortunately, it is fine! WHEW!!!

Today I went to UTA to find out my fate, and learned that I am officially an idiot. OMG. I have six classes to account for, two of which are English Comp I (how the HELL did I miss taking that?) and lol the computer literacy class required by UTA. Both of those I will take the test to get out of.

I also get to trade-in three of my F's (why yes, I had five, okay...) for no-grades. WHEE! That brings my GPA up to a whopping 2.5! GO ME!!

And then? Guess how many classes I have left to take in order to graduate. Go on, guess.

Four.

FOUR.

ONLY FOUR. Two upper level history, Speech (ha ha) and Algebra I. Not II, but Algebra I. They counted the junk math I already had taken so I only need Algebra I! YES!!!!!

The heartbreaker for me though is if I could just go to school in the fall and not work, I could finish by December. Unfortunately, because I had too many hours, I am not eligible. I am pretty sad, dammit. So, the gameplan is a history class in the fall, history and speech in the spring, and then finish up with the Algebra class the next fall, graduating December 2013 2012.

I probably more than likely will take a European history class of some sort. I'd love to take something like German history (pre WWI and II, if such exists). I'll be figuring that out tomorrow. Night classes though! I'm pretty excited about it all though, really am. So excited I am adding a new tag tonight! WOOT!!

Also excited about getting to go see Nick for sure, last part of July. Oh yeah. :)