N-O-O-O-O-O-O-OOOOOOOOO..............!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I got an A minus in English. Bummer. I am really upset though; with all the people in my life asking me how I'm doing in school, I was getting rather fond of saying I had a "Four point Oh" at Cal Poly, of all places!!!

Oh well, guess I'll just have to do the very best I can -- wait a second, that's what I have been doing!!! Can't fault myself for trying, right? So, for all you fellow OVERachievers out there, give yourself a break. I am.

No blood, NO FOUL!!!

Can't say I exactly went through finals week with a box-full of enthusiasm and a lack of stress (I was so stressed, it was coming out my earballs, yes earballs.)

I am, however, happy to say that I got credit for one credit/no credit course and an A in BIOPSYCHOLOGY!!! My English grade has yet to be determined (the poetry writing class) but I'll keep everyone updated. If I get an A in that course, I'll continue my 4.0 Cal Poly GPA. Yay God, and yay me!

To all of you who have asked how I was doing and dealt with the sideways "I'm stressed" glances and responses: I thank you from the bottom of my heart. It is people like you and my Biopsych Professor Laura Freberg (who was the Anonymous comment on the last post) who keep me going. I am blessed...

Finals? And I'm not even homicidal!

Ha-ha, to all you college students who KNOW what I'm talking about... it's Finals week. The week where everything seems to have text written on it and no one seems to be saying anything worthwhile unless they're speaking in the vocabulary of the class I'm preparing to take a Final in.

Thanks to wise class choices given me at the beginning of the quarter, I ended up with 3 classes for a total of 10 units. However, my English class required a Final Portfolio in lieu of taking a Final during Finals week (yes, I'm trying to see how many times I can squeeze the word "Final" into this post) and another one of my classes didn't even have a Final. So, for all you math majors and (out there in the "real world"-- accountants,) that only leaves me with one Final to take! Yay me!

So, given that I already have over 100% in that class -- Biopsychology -- which I am extremely proud of I might add, I am using my procrastination skills to my advantage and blogging on my own site rather than to review the material at this point. But, this being Tuesday and the Final being on Friday, I've got plenty of time, right? All you procrastinators are snickering right now. Thanks for your support.

Whoops...

I neglected to finetune my brain during midterms, and forgot that my Biopsychology instructor has a thread on her blog that links to mine, therefore giving ample opportunity for everyone in that class (including Ms. Freberg -- sorry!!!) to view my admission of my not-so-stellar studying techniques.

To be perfectly honest, I actually wrote down a list of all the things (that require my time, appointment-making/attending skills, or attention) and the LIST (mind you, it was a list, not an essay on the list itself) and it took up an entire page!!!

So, I'd say I have a lot going on, wouldn't you? To top it off, this is a post-midterm state I'm in. Pray for me -- I sure could use it!!!

The power of prayer -- and of studying like a crazy woman

So, I didn't really study as well as I could have for my second Biopsychology midterm. HOWEVER, I solicited prayers from everyone I thought God would listen to (he he) including my child, who's under ten....

And studied like no one's ever seen me study before -- okay, that's not entirely true. I study like that whenever I'm in a panic. And it worked. I got an 89% which is pretty good considering it covered everything from neurotransmitters to the sexual disorders and how they come about (XY genotype, XYY genotype, Kleinfelter's syndrome, Androgen-Insensitivity, etc.).

So, I guess you could say, for the first time in a looooooooong time, I'm pretty happy with a B.
Yay me!

Check out the survey....

In my mode of "avoid avoid avoid studying for my midterm" I have added a somewhat-interesting survey to the bottom of my page. Hope you enjoy it! Gotta (actually) study -- again -- now!

Where am I, a rubber room?

Although I should be sanctioned to the aforementioned cube, the reason I wrote the headline is to get people's attention for the following:

COMMENT ON MY BLOG, PEOPLE!

This blog wasn't simply created for my amusement -- rather, it's a tool to remind me that I actually DO exist outside the student sector of the planet. THEREFORE, it is mandatory I receive contact with the outside world for this to take place. So, in that light, comment or email me at will. Thanks!

Just checking in...

My adoring fan (singular, ha ha) reminded me that I have a blog yesterday, so I feel compelled to write.

Must I write? I just completed three assignments for two other classes including an essay for my Poetry Writing Class on "Why I hated the poet I just went to watch on Sunday" (I didn't really name it that, but it sounded more interesting than "Poetry Reading Report"). It was supposed to be 500 words, by the way. And just to add extra emphasis to the fact that I have terminal verbal diarrhea, it turned out to be closer to 950 words. OOPS.

Anyways, chronic over-achiever that I am, I had a meltdown yesterday. Seems that when I was attending community college, I got into a habit, albeit a routine, of taking naps whenever and wherever necessary (even in my car in the parking lot of the local library). Since I decided to be a full-fledged Poly Dolly, I've suddenly decided that I should try to function sans nap. NOT A GOOD IDEA. So, I dropped everything, and I mean everything to nap yesterday. Day went much much better, thank you very much.

I am hoping this, however: to all students, previous, present and future -- I welcome any suggestions, however small, as to how to balance this bucket of chaos I call my life and all the accompaniments thereof. This includes children, school, doctor's appointments, grocery shopping, housecleaning, cooking, etc. etc. ETC. HELP!

I'm gonna get extra credit for this???

So, since I routinely have to give myself a little breathing room when it comes to my grades, I chose to take one of my professors up on a little EX CRED challenge: posting comments to her blog online. (It's a good site! Check out www.laurafreberg.com !)

The assignment is simple: read a blog entry and post a comment that contains more than the words "that's cool...". So, I chose to comment on her "The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat" post. It's all about how we strive to win, even though people will say [read: lie] about how it really isn't all about winning. Here goes:

"I couldn't agree more with Garrett [USC's athletic director.] Ever since I was a child, I learned about the Psychology of parenting by observing my own. My mom always TOLD me that I needed to be a good sport (apparently I had inherited the competitive gene from my dad) whilst my father would SHOW me how to win (i.e. "keep your eye on the ball"). I can't imagine that anything in life is worth doing unless it's worth doing well. And, in order to do that, you have to try to win.

It is the basic psychological principle of positive reinforcement. We try to win, because of all the accolades we receive when we do so -- the trophies, the pats on the back, the cash money, the "atta girls (or boys, for the guys)." Thus, the rewards for winning reinforce our behavior to such an extent that we try to continue the same behavior over and over again to receive the reward.

Unfortunately, one cannot control all the factors involved with any given scenario (such as the weather, competitors, or controlling exactly what one ate that day and how many milliliters of water one consumed). So you get our Marion Joneses of our generation, trying to up their edge by injecting chemicals to make them have the edge biologically. Why would one go to such lengths? It MUST be all about winning..."

My, oh my, whatever am I to do???

So, like, this school thing is really taking a toll on my social life... Just kidding -- actually, I really have to say that I am getting used to PRACTICING balancing my life out: school, kids, personal commitments (after all, I DO have to deal with me all day whilst I behave like a rabid bunny looking for victims; I seriously remind myself of the Tasmanian Devil sometimes.)

If there's anything I've learned from Cal Poly, it's this: you must PRIORITIZE. If I don't make time for schoolwork, I have no time for anything else because I'm too busy stressing myself out about my unfinished schoolwork to concentrate on anything else, much less enjoy myself. Even one of my kids is feeling the strain (I swear, words that should never come out of a kid's mouth: "I didn't have time to get it done." What's even more slave-driver-ish of me is that the statement keeps on being TRUE!!!)

So, back to the splinter-infested drawing board I go: let's take another whack at this thing called life...

My brain, for breakfast

Not to make mention of a line from the movie "Heathers" (which was one of THE best black comedies ever filmed -- stars: Christian Slater, my first celeb love and Winona Ryder, the first celeb shoplifter) but my brain may as well be a breakfast treat for random stray dogs at this point.

The first week back at school has been murder on my mind -- however, I am managing and obviously this post made it up on my blog, so I've still some brain cells to spare.

A little useless trivia: the fact that we as humans only use 10% of our brain space is A MYTH; we use it all, even if it's not all at the same time.

A little more useless trivia: there is a "reward center" located in the brain that was discovered by Olds & Milner in 1954. The reason it was discovered is that they trapped laboratory animals in a setting which would require them to cross an electrical field to get to their food and water. The animals chose to starve themselves (probably to death, considering PETA wouldn't have a cause if it weren't for the deaths of many fuzzy rats and bunnies). But when they were given the choice to cross the electrical field to have the "reward center" of their brain stimulated, they heartily moved forward with gusto! This reward center is one and the same with the area of the brain that is stimulated through METHAMPHETAMINE USE. Bad side effects, though. So, do we have an epidemic for no reason? Apparently not.

JUST THOUGHT YOU'D WANNA KNOW THAT. I, for one, found it fascinating -- especially since I learned it in my Biopsychology class. Go figure.

Alright, NOW WHAT?

So, now I'm in between quarters and it has been recently brought to my attention by one of my adoring fans (har har) that I have neglected my blog. Quite right, my friend, quite right! I tried to explain that I had gotten burnt out at about the sixth week of the 8-week Summer quarter, but just ended up talking out the side of my neck.

Truth be told, I was figuratively holding my breath throughout that first quarter at Cal Poly and now my skin has a figuratively bluish tint to it. I just exhaled after the quarter was over and ran in the opposite direction of educational responsibility is all.

Well, now I have less than a week before the Fall Quarter of 2007 starts and they're saying (although I have no idea who "they" are) that there are going to be 16,000 students in attendance this quarter. So much for sanity. Or my tolerance level tapering off much either. Oh well. I give -- NOT! The day I give into the world of money-grubbing-daddy's-credit-card-using-not-attending-class-wannabe college students is the day I LITERALLY hold my breath for an entire quarter. At least I won't be alive to see it... and obviously my sarcastic wit is still in tact after all this time.

Got my books, now in search of THE backpack of a lifetime. Wow, my world has gotten so small. Tee-hee, I'm loving it all the way.

duh...what's my name?

I have a cold--for the first time in over TWO YEARS. This is a SIGN. I am stressed. I cannot think straight. I must be in college. Two plus Two is definitely starting to look like 22, and my brain is mush with over 3 weeks to go. Didn't think I was that tired or stressed, but apparently, being a Cal Poly student AND having a life is not possible for this woman. Although I try -- let's see what else I can fit onto my plate. Aw, heck, just gimme a platter!

THE THINGS WE DO FOR SCIENCE

As if I don't feel enough like an experiment in my daily life, I'm sitting here in the public library (sans home internet connection, which I am very sad about -- well, okay, I'm permanently pouting over it) producing another entry for this blog as I sit with 3 other windows up on the computer.

I'm in the process of trying-really-hard-to-not-try-too-hard to do my extra credit assignment for my "Culinary Science" class (at least that's my newfound nickname for it.) The instructor wants us to look up what "conching and tempering" of chocolate mean. Hey, at least it's mildly interesting, since it focuses on one of my major obsessions: sweets.

On another note: I just spoke with a woman whom I shall call "S," who was a former Cal Poly Student, Graduate Student, and is in the throes of trying-real-hard-to-figure-out-how-to-write-a-thesis-and-have-a-life.

S. and I share one thing in common: domestic responsibilities. Having been a re-entry student and acclimating myself to the fact that I obviously don't look like a re-entry student (e.g. no one glances at me twice on campus even though I exceeded the normal undergraduate age about seven years ago), I am now pursuing the arduous task of figuring out how to balance a FULL home life with a student schedule. I realize that I am not the average Poly student. I know this (hence, the reason for this blog.) However, as was pointed out to me by S., it is within the realm of reason to assume no one -- outside of my immediate circle of friends and acquaintances-- cares. Not that they should. I'm sure at this hour, most of my classmates are busy figuring out which color and style of shirt will show the least amount of beer stains from the kegger patrol they plan on appointing themselves to for the evening.

Ha -- NOW I feel better -- poking fun at the true Poly Dollies always fixes me just fine.

So, boys and girls, can you spell i.g.n.o.r.a.c.e.i.s.b.l.i.s.s.????

Done, I'm done and on to the next one...

Gotta apply for scholarships now... at the reference area of the Cal Poly library... still totally disoriented by the fact that I am actually here (it's kinda like an aftershock -- I was just in class yesterday and the instructor started talking about graduate school classes and the unique-ness of the class we, as students, were taking at a "Cal State University" and I went "Oh WOW. I'm at Cal Poly!" -- again.) I'm assuming this type of mental behavior will continue to take over my brain at various unspecified moments.

For now, I must focus. Let's begin the process of sucking up for college money, shall we?

If I ran any faster, I would be nvisible

For what it's worth, I'm scrambling my own brain just to keep my mind preoccupied and off the panic that is ensuing per my upcoming "big girl" college starting date. It's only 11 days away, and I've ordered the main texts, purchased the instructor-written/published documents from the college bookstore, taken my daughter to the campus (just so she could see where mommy's going to go to school), and dug my old bookbag out of my closet in preparation for riding the bus to and from school. I even bought a thermos to take yogurt and such with me to school to avoid laughing hysterically at the on-campus restaurant's food prices.

With so much preparation, I might be turning into a topical hemorrhoid treatment here any day (ANY AND ALL PUNS INTENDED, THANK YOU VERY MUCH). For now though, I'm just gonna sign off and try to relax. Until we meet again...

More of the same...

Just another day in the life of a Cal Poly Dolly --he he. Only TODAY, my financial aid finally came through! (It's amazing how much time hand-wringing can actually occupy).

Now that my mind is freed up for more real-life stuff, and while we're on the topic of school, my child is in the process of completing the last week at school and our 30-mile roundtrip commute will now be coming to a close, thank you very much. I know 30 miles isn't much by big-city standards, but this small-town girl is beat! I never knew how much commuting really takes out of you! Until now...

We're both happy the drive is over. Maybe I can get some things done on my house. But we'll just see about that. I've decided to count down the days until the quarter begins. So here we go folks!

Today marks: 15 days to mental impalement. Just kidding. But 15 days, nevertheless.

PRE-pre-planning

I'm going to attempt to contact my instructors today to see if they are using new books this quarter. I gotta get used to saying "quarter" instead of "semester" since I've been on the life-installment plan of neverending semesters since circa 1994.

I'm grateful the books I checked out at the bookstore were both under 30 bucks a piece. That's a STEAL in Cal Poly-land. I also talked to a future-grad-coming-this-quarter yesterday afternoon. She claims that the Cal Poly Dollys aren't ALL that way. Hard to believe but we'll see. Of course, my cynicism stretches from years of being out of high school and being a single mom trying to put myself through college. But, WE'LL SEE. ;-)

Seconds, anyone?

As if I don't have enough on my plate already... and I'm having a hard enough time getting this thing called a blog up on the internet for the world to see...
I am now officially official (at least to me) as a Cal Poly Dolly. Blech.

I'm not one for socializing in the first place. Let alone with the "I-have-my-daddy's-credit-card-so-I-can-do-anything-I-ignorantly-flail-at-the-general-public-and-get-away-with-it" mentality. Watching them drive around in shiny cars while mine has two noteworthy dents collectively the size of Pittsburgh is enough. Now I have to deal with those people?!

However, being a re-entry student as it were definitely has its perks. Getting extra kudos from the society at large is one of them. Being able to juggle maintaining a home, being of service to the community, and raising a family is another. It's a skill I didn't possess---or rather, didn't try to hone --- ten-plus years ago.

So, we'll see how it goes. Welcome to my life as a Cal Poly Dolly!

DISCLAIMER: Any material posted on this blog is for educational and recreational purposes only. Any attempt to hold me to anything posted on this site is null and void upon utterance. ;-)