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Oh oh oh oh oh!!! Guess who I get to meet when I go to JournalCon in October?

KIM.

That's right, you know who she is, even though she's always disappearing and changing names, you know who Kim is and I GET TO MEET HER. She's one of my Top Five Computer Friends I Most Want to Meet and I get to meet her. I'm in Heaven right now.

URGENT! HELP NEEDED!

Okay folks, I need your help NOW. I have to have at least 50 people answer ten questions on a survey I made for science and I need the answers by Tuesday. So could you all pleeeeeeeease answer them for me? It's in my diary right now. Then email the ten little answers (just the letter next to the answer, how hard is that? Plus your name and city/state) to pischina AT diaryland.com. I will love you forever. You don't even know.

Good lord I want to blow up this picture and kiss it on the mouth.
If I lived in New York I would totally stalk that woman. My love for her knows no bounds. RAAAAWWWRRRRR!!!!!!

(Thanks Itsy!)

At 2:30 I get to sign up for my classes for Fall.(Yay!)
Tonight Scott comes over (Yay!) then I just have to read 20 more pages of Science (Boo) answer questions for World Lit (Boo) finish editing my final draft essay in American Lit (Boo) finish my rough draft for World Lit (Boo) and... I think that's it. haha.

So I will see ya'll at the end of the week!

New entry up.

A house on our street just burned down about three hours ago.

I just had to write my very first poem ever, not counting silly little haiku, for one of my classes. It's not a graded poem, it was just part of an assignment, but even though I was scared to death to even attempt it (I do NOT write poems!) I did it and I kind of like it.

So here it is:

Breathe

I breathe
I inhale I exhale
I gasp gulp and gasp again
So easily done
For ordinary people
They breathe air
They sit and watch TV
They do their chores they pay their bills
Behind the glass windows
Outside I consume their dinner smells

In one two
Out one
In one two
Out one

I breathe
I gasp I gulp
My lungs on fire
They cannot contract
My heart does not pound
Just a solid presence
Keeping me alive
My lungs cannot keep up
They inhale - not enough
They exhale - not fast enough

In one two
Out one
In one two
Out one

The air is cold
It burns it freezes
Fills me with life
Keeps me from death
Heart wordlessly pounds on
I cannot hear it
Cannot feel it
Focus on breathing
Inhaling, Exhaling

In one two
Out one

Gasping
Gulping
Living

I decide to run another mile.

Gosh I need a nap

I have been wiped out by midterms this week. There's still one more month of school left but I'm ready for it to be OVER already. It seems every semester as soon as the new class schedule comes out I get anxious for the current classes to be done so I can start the next ones.

I'm definitely going to sign up for all four classes.
Spanish I
Algebra II
Engl Lit I
Interpersonal Communications
(otherwise known as "speech")

So, 16 units to try for. I'll do it.

And I'll have my first degree in 13 months, 6 months before I turn 40.

Plant a tree or pick up garbage or something today!

Happy Earth Day!!!
Do something good for the Earth today!

So should I take 16 units next semester?

HAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

*choke*

So this is my plan for Fall:

Intermediate Algebra (5 units)
Spanish A (5 units)
English Literature (3 units)

And then I may, just may, take Interpersonal Communications (3 units).
If I don't, my plan had been to take some communications class (which I need) over winter break, but that means going to actual class every day after work for three hours each evening, for three weeks straight.

Can you say Party House?

So if I take it during the semester I only have to be gone one day a week. I can do it if there's not much work outside of class. I think this particular class is light on outside work. WHY can't we see the syllabii before classes start??? It would make schedule planning so much easier!!!

So, why not just arrange babysitters for the teenagers over winter break and take it then?

Because of the budget cuts. The class may not even be available in the winter. Yesterday there were demonstrators at my college and at San Jose State University, protesting the fee hikes (150% at my school, going 100% higher in a year) and the budget cuts (20% cut - no wonder I have no english classes available!!!). So if I wait for winter, it may not be around, and that's a class I must have to graduate.

So I'll probably sign up for it, and see what happens. Just cross my fingers, that's all I can do.

Well, the history exam was hard, as usual. No matter how prepared I think I am, she has the hardest questions on the test. She give us three essay questions the week before the exam so we can study before, then she picks one for the exam. Every single time, this is the fifth exam I have had with her, she ALWAYS picks the one essay question I'm not sure about.

Anyway, I think I got about 70% on the exam but somehow pulled an essay out of my butt and hopefully will average a B.

I think I'll be getting 3 A's and one B this semester.

But I have a science exam tomorrow that I haven't even cracked the book for, so I have to go. WHY WHY WHY do all exams have to be in the same week? There's no TIME!!!!!

Happy Wednesday some more!

Okay, more diary updates!

Wednesday morning

My essay is 1042 words so far and I still need a conclusion - due tomorrow evening, I'm doing great!
History exam this evening, I've got the chapters down, studying for the essay question today at work.
Science exam tomorrow evening - I'll be cramming the entire chapter in tomorrow at work.
One more 1500 word essay due next Thursday, I'll do that this weekend.

I'm on a roll! And then it's easy from there - only about 4-5 weeks of school left!

Repairman says "Washing machine is ancient JC Penny's brand, cannot get parts any more, all rusted, get rid of it."

But he fixed the oven and we made bisquits last night, yummmm!!!

Scott is in the shower. I need to go study for History.

See ya Guys Later!

Yesterday we took my paycheck and bought groceries. Yay for groceries!!! also, I wrote over 600 words for my essay. Yay for over halfway there! I can write the rest at work... Sssshhhhhh don't tell. I'm writing about a poem called "Movie" by Muriel Rukeyser. I like it.

Scott comes over tonight. Yay for Scott! We will have a good stir-fry dinner. Possibly the oven will be fixed by the repairman today, and maybe even more possibly the washing machine too.

Kids start swim practice this week. BOOO swim practice and having to pick them up every evening. Gas is $2.69 here, I think the kids can ride their bikes the 1.5 miles home, don't you?

I'm going to make a bagel. And eat it.

So I don't know if any of you looooong-time readers remember this, but waaay back in the day I wrote a lot about "Jeff", a pretty big love of mine who I still work with. And then "Sarah" started working as my officemate, her and Jeff had known each other a long time, and started going out again, and giving me a complete headache about it, and then she immediately got pregnant and then came the shotgun wedding... do any of you remember? I don't know if you do because I ended up having to delete most entries about it after Sarah, not the brightest bulb in the chandelier, managed to discover I had an online journal. So to remind you, I was completely against this wedding because I knew she was out for one thing, his money, which he had worked very hard for, and she quickly got pregnant a second time and managed to make his life miserable because she really is a spoiled brat, and complained constantly that they never had any money even though she quit her job immediately upon the birth of the first child, and "Jeff" took a second job, meaning he drove from his house 90 minutes to this job, worked 9 hours, and then worked a second job as Security at the HP Pavilion downtown, then drove the commute back home, only to do it again and again and again. She calls him easily 30 times a day just to bitch at him, it's really quite unbelievable since he owned a house when he married her, rented that one out and bought a bigger one to make her happy, she drives a brand new Volvo and pretty much gets anything she wants, including plenty of big vacations all year long.

Without going into even more details, the marriage went on word for word exactly how I called it.

And now I hear he has filed for divorce. He is terrified of losing his kids, even of just having them weekends, and I don't know any other details of the divorce, but I am really really happy for him. Not seeing his kids every day is going to kill him, but it's better he get out of this marriage NOW. I am pretty proud of him for doing this. Cut your loses Dude.

And for the record, I care about him very much, but left him because I knew it would never ever work with us, so there is no danger of me EVER leaving Scott for him (the idea is quite laughable really) but I cared enough to not want his life ruined, and now that she's done a good job of it, I'm glad he's getting out.

That's it for now.

I am a little big angry right now

Dear Buffy and Spike:

Hey, when the appliance repairman was here to fix the oven it would have been really really great if, like you had been instructed on the phone five minutes before, you had mentioned the goshdarn WASHING MACHINE that he could have fixed in a total of five entire minutes, but you know, I understand you didn't have time to mention four little words, "ALSO THE WASHING MACHINE", I mean they are multi syllabic words, and besides that, I really don't mind spending ten bucks and 90 minutes at the laundromat today, it's not like I have two 1500 word essays, a history exam and a science exam all due this week, so anyway, no big deal, "also the washing machine" was just too much trouble, I understand.

Love,
Mom

Okay, it's not huge or anything, just exciting news for me:

I was invited to be a panelist at JournalCon. So if anyone would like to go to San Diego in October and meet me, please please do come, because I don't want to be milling around a bunch of people I don't know. Come on Folks, come to Sunny California and be my friend for a weekend. Just look for the lost woman carrying a bunch of school books with her.

He owes me two girl movies now

Scott rented this movie last night, Dark Blue with Kurt Russel, and ya know what? It was about as bad as I expected. I couldn't believe Scott was so shocked that it sucked.

It sucked, Folks. Don't rent it.

Time to go to work, and then weekend in Aptos. Bringing my history book along so I can quickly read four chapters before Wednesday, yet I also have to read a chapter for science and two stories for my literature classes.

I think I got an A on each of my science tests last night. WOOOO!

I will see ya'll Sunday afternoon.

Also, just because no one but Murphy even considered saying they would like to go to JournalCon, not only do you all get kitty poo thrown at you, but I'm going to go ALL BY MYSELF.

PBBBBBBBBTTTTTTT!!!!!

I don't need any of you!!!

The Apprentice

Did anyone else see the previews for tonight's Apprentice where they claimed, "It's not the task, it's not the reward, it's not who gets fired... it's WHAT happens AFTER the BoardRoom!" and then an audio clip of Kendra saying "OMIGOD".

So are you now telling me that after a week of those previews the THING that happens after the boardroom is that Chris breaks out in tears?

Oh come ON.

Poor guy.

I'm no fan of Chris, but he's a human being, he has anger/temper/rage issues, but he was never cruel to anyone else. That was kind of a low blow.

All right, anyone out there going to JournalCon this year?

It's in San Diego.
Murph? Kim? Bueller... Bueller?

I may go and I may have a special announcement about it. But I want to know who else is or may go first.

Tell me or I'll throw kitty poo at you.

Ugh, History Quiz tomorrow and I didn't realize it. I thought it was NEXT Wednesday. Not exactly prepared. But such is how History has been going for me this semester, ha.

Whoa, ups and downs today!

First, I got an email response from the Dean today, basically telling me "So sorry, better luck next time, oh and hey - good luck finding classes at other schools!"

Aargh. So that got me pretty down pretty quickly. She explained that the english classes just aren't that popular and with the budget cuts (Thanks again, Governor Schwartzennblegger!) she had to consider how many students needed the basics instead. That she may possibly alternate American Lit and English Lit online every other year.

Fat lot of good that would do ME, heh.

I emailed her back one more time that maybe in the future she could consider scheduling an evening English Lit class when an on-line class wasn't available - since it's REQUIRED and all, in a major they OFFER, and I would bet a good lot of their students have JOBS.

Only I said it nicely. Really, really nicely.

And my curt reply from her was something like "Thanks for your concerns. You have given me much to think about with scheduling."

So I figured, Now I've pissed off the Dean. Go me!

Heh.

But this evening I got an email from my professor saying that I had written a very good letter.... and it worked! That the Dean is going to speak to the President about putting Creative Writing back on schedule for this summer, and that I'll probably be able to take English Lit from her in the Fall, AND she's going to enroll me in her on campus English Lit B class in the Spring and create an online syllabus just for me!

Does this blow your mind or what???

So she asked me to help her find a couple more students, she wants a class of four "good students" who will complete the class and get A's, because she's "not getting full pay for this, that means I'm not teaching grammar :-)"

She said Scott could join!!!

I emailed one other student so far, and hopefully the Professor can find one or two more. But it looks like my education has been saved, by a professor who really cares.

Guess I'll have to dedicate my first book to her, eh?

I've spent most of today wrapped up in the warm fuzzies that come when you know someone cares enough to pay special attention. Yeah, I'm talking school, haha. I was pretty distraught last night, researching on-line English Lit courses all over California, and when I woke up this morning that was the first thing on my mind, that my entire educational plan was up in smoke. Then turning on the computer and seeing that my professor, who has a Phd in English, is willing to conduct two private classes with just me. Private classes with a Doctor in English!!! Although we're going to try to get some other students involved, to make it a workshop, we can still do it with just me. She could have said Sorry Charlie and went about her business, but she's trying to help.

I wrote my letter to the Dean. It was a nice letter, but I let her know these cancellations were delaying and/or preventing my graduation, that I cannot get an AA and I cannot even transfer as an English major without them. My professor said to make sure I told her I was considering taking classes at other schools, so I did. And I mentioned that even if she couldn't change the schedule, I just wanted her to know that there were students out here who needed them and counted on them. That scheduling a Core Class only in the morning prevented any adult with a 40 hour job from graduating. And I told her how most adults in my on-line classes were only back in college because of those classes. That we depended on them.

My professor said she should hear from the Dean tomorrow, I don't know when or if I will hear from her. She asked me to not mention the independent study courses - and to not tell her where I got her email address from, lol! As if she's not going to make that connection? lol! So hopefully I will have some very very good news tomorrow.

If not, West Valley here I come.

What a great way to wake up today!

School update:
I received an email today from my english professor who said she has just written a letter to the Dean herself, AND she is willing to do an independent study with me for at least Creative Writing AND English Lit!

WHOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Now I just need one more english elective!

Okay. Wow. It appears as if a direct result of Arghhnold being our governor is that half the English classes (and many others) have been dropped from both the colleges I go to, because of cuts he has made. I will be missing one class to get an English AA, because the electives needed are not available!!! Can you believe that??? I can still transfer, but not with a degree...
Only get this... I may not be able to directly transfer as an English Major because the last core class I need, English Lit, is only scheduled for one class, on weekday mornings. Apparentely no one who has a job will be able to transfer as an English Major.
Wow. I don't even know what to say.

I am still taking Creative Writing from West Valley, and I actually found an online English Lit class at Los Angeles Harbor College, lol, but I don't know if that will work.

Are you allowed to take several different classes all from different schools? lol...

Okay, I'm off to go bang my head against the wall.

Okay, fine, Itsy wins again.

Okay, fine, Itsy wins again. There's a picture of me up at Flickr now.

Friday Six from Megs

1. Do you watch what you eat or do you eat what you want? I pretty much eat what I want - but I don't pig out or crave really fatty foods ever. If there's chocolate around I will eat it. I'll have seconds at dinner, but I won't sit around with an entire bag of cookies.

2. Do you sample other's foods? No, not ever, EXCEPT when Scott and I go out to eat we usually taste what the other ordered.

3. What are your personal staples (i.e. food you keep around all the time)? Milk, eggs, cheese, tortillas, tomatoes, garlic, PASTA, olive oil.

4. What foods do you eat that you know you should not? Well, I guess I shouldn't eat chocolate, but it's not like I sit down with a bottle of chocolate syrup and drink it down. I pretty much eat healthy.

5. What foods to you absolutely hate! mushrooms.

6. What foods do you loooove but don't get a chance to eat very often? Quiche.

So what has almost turned

So what has almost turned into a disaster for my educational plan has instead turned into something very exciting for me.

I was supposed to take Creative Writing and Women's Lit this summer, my last classes to complete my major. But according to the new schedule those classes have been cut. Thank you Governor Schwartzenblacht. So I checked the summer schedule at West Valley College, which is kind of far from me but I had researched them before and knew they offered online courses, and actually I was very interested in one of their Creative Writing teachers. And it turns out that they are offering Creative Writing online this summer, with that particular teacher.

Not only that, but this particular Creative Writing class is accepted as transferable to San Jose State University, and my current schools do not have an acceptable Creative Writing class.

So I have already faxed over my application to WVC and hopefully I will make it into that class. I was already excited that I was going to take Creative Writing, but the fact that I may get to take it with Ms. Schulter is even more exciting to me.

What is so special about Ms. Schulter?

Well here is her webpage. Nothing much special, right? She grew up in Los Gatos, studied Music Therapy, got her BA in Creative Writing from UC Santa Cruz, became a teacher's aide for students with learning disabilities, received her MFA at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and went on to teach at several colleges in this area. She's also a classically trained flautist, loves ornithology and likes to hike.

Still nothing special, you say?

Well here is the web page for Jonca... her guide dog. That's right, she's blind.

Blind, teaches college, plays the flute, hikes, studies birds, and teaches online creative writing courses.

If that isn't an inspiration to us all, I don't know what is.

From Galaxy:

"Two squirrels came up to my front door this morning, stared straight at me through the glass with very blatant "Give me a peanut" looks on their faces. "Give me a peanut why aren't you giving me a peanut why aren't there peanuts out here I want a peanut." I stuck a peanut-filled fist out, and one of them was so excited it lunged at me and nearly bit my entire hand off. Silly things. I adore them."

I love that girl!

Dare I say that things are going well?

Science was canceled today due to a sick teacher - WHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
My first canceled class! I was pretty thrilled because I had a really interesting project in World Lit that I wanted to work on. I decided I could go to the gym on the way home, but then I remembered the front lawn that could be mowed. I figured mowing with the push mower would be a good workout.

Wow! Was it! It took me a good half hour to mow the front lawn and I was totally huffing and puffing and sweating. With a big ole smile on my face as I watched the lawn get mowed. WHHHHRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.... I loved that sound. I came inside, could barely walk or move my arms, and fell into my computer chair, completely out of breath.

LOVED it!!!

Worked on my project, loved that too - computer crashed right in the middle of it but I calmly shut it down, rebooted and spent an hour clearing the crap off it, and now it works fine again.

All in all, things are just going well. Except for the power still being out in half the house and now the oven is broken too... Overall, the important things are getting taken care of.

Things are pretty good right now, poorness and all.

Please, House, don't burn down. Just let me be happy and calm and peaceful for a few months, okay?

Mini Update

We have really wierd weather here lately. Rainy for 3 days, super sunshiney for 2 days, rainy again for 2-3 days, sunny...

I am so super excited about my lawnmower. Lawnmowers have always made me happy, I love them. I just wish I knew how to fix them! But push mowers are fun, and this one is really cool.

Now the rain needs to stop so I can mow the front lawn.

It's funny that I have this new ridiculously high bill I have to pay off now, and yet I can do it and we still have some money left over and everything is going to be good now. I know, no one has any idea what I'm talking about, and we're still poor, but the light really is there at the end of the tunnel now.

Just keep the car running for the next six months and we'll be fine.

I have science this evening. I am prepared for the test. OH that reminds me, we're supposed to bring baggies of soil from our garden today. I probably should have dug that up last night when it was sunny - now it's pouring rain.

I put up a photo of ComputerGuy on the flickr account and he's already the third most viewed pic. I told ya'll he was cute. How can you be mad when he just randomly kills your computer? Especially when he fixes it ever so more often.

The cat wants to sit in my lap. But I have to do my hair now.

See ya later, Dudes.

Tadaaahhhh!!!!

My new mower!!!!

On sale for $99, and it turns out I had $167 in my credit union account. Spike already happily mowed the back yard, running all over the place, and this weekend we'll get the rest of the yard done. The neighbors won't hate us anymore!!!

Scott didn't understand why we didn't just get the gas mower fixed - but the damn thing is broken ALL THE TIME, I don't know how to fix any machine, and it was costing money always getting it fixed. Now we have a back to basics, sturdy, environmentally friendly, quiet mower that I can use at 6am, 9pm, and isn't likely to break or run out of gas.

Our lawn is safe again. Bring on the sprinklers.

If anyone would like to buy me this wonderful non-breakable, environmentaly friendly mower, I would really really appreciate it. My neighbors would appreciate it too. And look, it's on sale! And free shipping!

Updates! Two!

There are two new diary updates in the last 24 hours. I don't know why Flickr isn't working today though. Maybe it didn't like my pictures.
:-)

Okay guys, I created a Flickr account and the best part is I can email my pictures from the phone directly to the website. So I can update it from anywhere!!!

So now you can go HERE to see what I'm doing during the day.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO My new phone! FREE for renewing my contract with Cingular!
And... It's a camera phone!!! And I think I get free text messaging too, but I've just barely unpacked it and plugged it in, so I'll let you all know later.

For now I am getting ready for a short day at work and then drive Buffy to her church retreat in, (SO convenient!), Aptos! So I'll see ya all later!

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Recent Entries
Now I REALLY have to get in shape!
URGENT! HELP NEEDED!
Catie and Itsy will have to wait for kisses while I look for Tina
School School, it's almost done - then we begin again
Journal Update!
Breathe, my pathetic little poem
Gosh I need a nap
Plant a tree or pick up garbage or something today!
And apologize to God for the chicken taco entry, that may help my chances, heee
Catching my breath for a second

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