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Monday, January 29, 2007
I am here. Sort of.
Thank you, Denise, for sending me a "I hope you're not dead" (roughly paraphrased) comment and obligating me to prove that I do indeed have a pulse and measurable brain waves by writing an actual post. (Seriously, there was a time, when I was really involved in this thing and posted every day, sometimes more than once a day, when I used to actually devote some time to wondering how my survivors would let my vast blogging public -- um, sarcasm -- know if I were to drop dead suddenly. And you thought only melodramatic fourteen-year-olds played out those kinds of scenarios!)
So. Here's what's been happening.
History class is going well. I am actually really liking it. I am using index cards and taking actual notes. I almost never did this in high school (and truly never, with the index cards). About the only classes where I really took any notes were math and science ones, and in those classes I would randomly find a piece of paper or open a notebook to a random page, write the date so I'd know what day the assignment was for (because I honestly usually believed that I would do my homework. Does that fit the oft-used definition of insanity, do you think?), and take down whatever the teacher taught that day. Then I would never look at those notes again.
I can feel all of you college-educated teachery types shuddering from here.
Anyway, the night class is a lot of fun. I probably don't have to work as hard as I do, because the teacher (do you call them professors if they have master's degrees and are teaching one night class for a community college but teach junior high history during the day? Someone honestly please fill me in. I've been just calling him a teacher) gives all indications of being not only the world's easiest grader, but also he outright says that he will tell us on review days exactly what will be on the test, sometimes including answers to specific questions. So I have a friend who mocks me for studying so hard, but you know what, I don't have to be doing this at all. My husband could continue to support me, I don't have to have a job or a career or any further education than I do right now. I'm doing this because I want to, and the main reason I want to is that I enjoy learning and I enjoy a challenge. Also, I can pretty much guarantee that at some point I will have a class that's not so easy, and if I don't establish some sort of organized study habits, that will be Analytic Geometry, sixth period, spring semester 1992 all over again. And we don't want that, do we.
Plus I fully intend to have the kids quiz me with my index cards and that will lead to discussions that will count as their US History lessons too. Two birds with one stone and all that.
OK. Enough about school. On to the real news.
MY IPOD IS BROKEN.
I am so, so sad. It charged and did its little sync routine thing Saturday morning, and I ejected it properly and all that, and then when I went to use it, it wouldn't turn on (and no, the Hold switch was not on). So I plugged it into the computer and the only thing it would do was give me this "Please Wait, Very Low Battery" message, even though the battery was fully charged. The computer won't even SEE it. (My theory is that it crashed because I got it too close to full. It had about 400M of its 4G capacity free, and it was the fullest I'd ever made it.) It's under warranty, so the Apple people are going to take care of it, but in the meanwhile, folding laundry is much, much less fun.
Um, what else. Jenn and Debi and I are embarking on a Beth Moore online study, "Believing God". I really truly need this right now. We should be blogging about it on Fridays or Saturdays.
Also, I am almost out of Librivox projects, and we can't have that, so I just signed up to read O Pioneers! for them. I won't bother posting about it here, but I'll post when it's done. Or if you're absolutely bored and you have nothing else to do at all you can follow its progress here. "Listen" links will show up as I finish and upload chapters.
I am knitting a cotton sweater for C. I am having a wonderful time with it. Cotton is SO SO NICE. I also bought some actual real wool, to make a scarf and hat for myself (and teach myself cabling), but i haven't started those yet.
And I think that's all. I have a ton of things I should be doing, so I'll go do them.
Comments
I am really enjoying the class too. I have actually having fun studying and doing homework!! =) Let me know when you finish O pioneers as I would like to download that. I did like that book.. I think the Bible study will be great too. something I totally need right now.
Speaking of flash cards!! LOL.. I need to be going over mine right now instead of sitting here. =) See you tomrrow night!!
Posted by: debi at January 29, 2007 10:04 AM
Yay! It worked! Seriously, I was a bit concerned, but I was hoping it had to do with your class and stuff. I'm glad you're enjoying it. Very sorry about the Ipod..those magical things are so small and fragile, are they not?
So, would you say the sweater you're knitting is easy or intermediate? I really want to make a sweater for my soon to be born nephew, but I'm pretty much still in the knit/purl stage of knitting. I've never tried increasing or decreasing or k2tog or anything.
Anyway, glad you updated!
Posted by: Denise at January 29, 2007 01:08 PM
My husband the professor says yes, you call that guy a professor. I probably would call him a teacher, too, so maybe that's just professional courtesy. :)
That is TERRIBLE about your iPod. I hope it comes back as good as new, ASAP.
I may have to download your O Pioneers! I used to go to the Willa Cather branch of the library and have actually never read anything of hers. I could put it on my iPod! And listen while I work or walk!
Posted by: mary at January 29, 2007 08:06 PM
Denise, I would classify the sweater as intermediate. I'm using it as a learning experience. I am learning how to do stripes (the pattern actually calls for block colors for the body but I wanted to do stripes), sleeves (I have heard it's great to do both at once. I might try it), increasing at ends of rows, changing colors, making a neckline (haven't got there yet), and RIPPING OUT THREE INCHES OF SLEEVE WHEN I MAKE A STUPID MISTAKE READING THE PATTERN AHEM. Seriously, though, I am really liking it. I calculated my own pattern for size, because C is bigger than the biggest size given for the pattern which is here. (you have to sign up at their site to be able to view the free patterns, I just remembered that, but they have a ton of nice ones). Claire's sweater is six rows of blue, two rows of yellow, six rows of white, two rows of yellow, repeat.
Mary: I like Willa Cather more than I thought I might; you might too. And thank G for the advice re: the professor. I think to his face I'll just call him Mr. Roberts (which is, of course, his name). :)
Posted by: Rachel at January 30, 2007 12:34 AM
Thank you, Rachel, for the link and the info on the sweater. I might, possibly, maybe, be brave enough to try it, if I succeed at a beginner sweater first. Do you have a pattern you can recommend?
Posted by: Denise at January 30, 2007 11:40 PM
Wool is even nicer than cotton, because it stetches more. Acrylic is yucky to knit with. I've started a top-down ribbed sweater, inventing some of it as I go, and just frogged about five rows last night just because some of the increases were too holey.
Posted by: dichroic at February 1, 2007 11:34 PM
