Ten on Tuesday

1. My first week of classes was punctuated by an unwelcome case of strep throat. Wouldn't you know that on my first day back to school, I would feel absolutely miserable. It was by far the worst case I have had in recent memory, to the extent that I could hardly eat or sleep due to throat pain, which inevitably led to a not-so-pleasant attitude in my first classes on Monday morning. (I tend to get crabby when I'm very tired or hungry, as I think most people do.) Praise the Lord, I was able to get into my doctor Monday afternoon and get started on antibiotics. By Tuesday night, I was able to eat an actual meal instead of the soup/Jello/Gatorade diet I had been on for the two days prior. So, a not-so great start to the semester, but thankfully, I am on the mend!

2. My classes all went well last week...I started with Ancient Arts & Cultures on Monday morning. This class is pretty easy, if only for the fact that it isn't too stressful on the workload front. If you remember from way back when, my professor for this class is the same professor I had for my Early American History class that I took back during my senior year. Back then, I thought she was, shall we say, eccentric? But I also had a limited experience with professors at that point in life, so I didn't know if that was merely par for the course. Turns out, the lady is still "eccentric" and that it is not normal at all...awesome. I think I can deal with this for a semester, so I'll get over it...and sit in the back of class. Differential Equations is a nice change of pace. My professor is awesome. She is actually an engineer by trade, so she has a wealth of knowledge about real-world applications and WHY we need to learn differentiation and integration, etc. It has already been a much more pleasant experience than my Calc II class last semester! Even better, it isn't five days a week, so I can really get used to this!

3. As for my TR classes, I have Statistics and Psychology. My Stats class is taught by one of my PLC sponsors, and she does a great job of keeping it interesting. Even better, my cousin Liz is in the class with me, so it's a win-win-win experience so far! It is refreshing to have a math class that doesn't involve any form of algebra or calculus, and just straight numbers. Ahh!! Psychology is somewhat in the same vein as my arts & cultures class, mostly because it is an elective. Granted, it is a more interesting/relevant elective, but still, it isn't that time-intensive. My professor for that class is the husband of my Stats professor, so I'm doubling up on them! So far, the worst part of that class is the guy in the back of the class who insists on commenting on any and everything possible, to an irritating extent. His enthusiasm is nice, but a bit much for my taste. Such is life. Otherwise, the teacher keeps it moving and interesting, so I can't rag on the class too much.

4. So far, I haven't done much any running since my last post about it. Strep really has a way of zapping your energy, and I've been more concerned with getting back into good health rather than getting into good shape. Good shape ultimately hinges on good health, so I'm pretty sure that my priorities are in the right place! In due time...

5. My t-shirt quilting class is on Saturday morning, and I am very excited about that! I will have to give you an update about how that goes...I'm sure it will be a great day!

6. Since November, my boss has tasked me with the job of tabulating surveys regarding student opinion of the tutoring lab. I really hadn't made significant progress on the matter last semester, but I am happy to say that, after five hours at home of doing some intensive work, I am done with them!!!!!!!! I counted a total of about 550 surveys, and it is fair to say that I don't wish to pursue a career in data analysis. Ever. I am over it! I did enjoy getting to figure percentages after counting all of the surveys, but when it came to tallying the data, no way. Thankfully, the data was a positive reflection of our role on campus, and there very few negative remarks, so our jobs in the tutoring lab are very secure! Good news all around!

7. I had a nice sister's day on Saturday with Gina & Emily. Cole tagged along also, so I guess it wasn't totally a girls' day, but he was a welcome addition! A good family friend had a baby shower in OKC, so we spent the better part of the day down there. It was great to catch up with my sisters and spend some fun time together. I am very grateful for days like those!

8. I am not built for cold weather. At all. I am ready for spring already, when I don't have to bundle up just to run outside to get something from my vehicle. I am ready to not have to worry about hats and gloves and scarves and coats and other things like that. I just want to be able to wear a light jacket with jeans, is that too much to ask? I know, complaining does no good, but still...

9. This is only the second week back at school, and I am already packed down with obligations. It really doesn't help matters that it is Homecoming week, but I have to buck up and move on. One of the events from today entailed a luncheon with the "higher-ups" from the college...i.e. the president, regents, etc. The last time we met with them, I ended up hitting it off really well with one of the regents. I was lucky enough to get to sit at her table again today, and have a good conversation with her. I greatly admire her for rising to the top of her profession as a woman, and consider her to be a mentor. I was happy to know that she actually remembered me, and, even better, was willing to give me her contact information to use in the event that I need a letter of recommendation, etc. I am very, very, very blessed indeed!!!

10. As far as I can tell, I have been admitted to OSU, although I really wasn't concerned about that. I'm still more concerned about getting good scholarships, but that is yet to be seen. I don't think that they even start awarding anything until after February, so I just have to wait and see. I hate waiting. I do believe that tomorrow (hopefully) I will be able to get in contact with a lady from the College of Education and have her answer some of my questions. I am excited about making this next step, although I am incredibly nervous to make the transition! I guess that I'll keep plugging on, and hopefully much good will come of it!

Have a great week!!!