Well, it's that time again.
Midterms
Time to crack open the books,
read the chapters,
go over the copious amounts of notes,
and then,
hope for the best.
Took an exam in my nuclear class today and
I got a 95
I got a 95
I got a 95
Monday, May 2, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
USPS update
Today is Monday, April 18th, 2011
Still no book.
According to the delivery confirmation barcode it's still in Tennessee.
Still no book.
According to the delivery confirmation barcode it's still in Tennessee.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Just who is the idiot?
I purchased a book through Amazon. It was a used book. I ordered it for research for a college paper. The seller was very accommodating to my schedule and immediately put the book in the mail to me on April 1st. Today, the 14th, I went to Amazon's website to track the package and found this:
April 4, 2011 05:38:00 AM Georgetown TN Arrival Scan
April 2, 2011 10:58:00 PM Atlanta GA Departure Scan
April 2, 2011 12:12:00 AM Warrendale PA Departure Scan
April 1, 2011 10:49:00 AM Ashland OH Shipment received by carrier
April 1, 2011 --- --- Shipment has left seller facility and is in transit
So, did USPS make an error and send the package to a post office in Tenessee? or
did the bookseller mail it to the wrong customer? THAT is the question. Hhhmmmm.
April 4, 2011 05:38:00 AM Georgetown TN Arrival Scan
April 2, 2011 10:58:00 PM Atlanta GA Departure Scan
April 2, 2011 12:12:00 AM Warrendale PA Departure Scan
April 1, 2011 10:49:00 AM Ashland OH Shipment received by carrier
April 1, 2011 --- --- Shipment has left seller facility and is in transit
So, did USPS make an error and send the package to a post office in Tenessee? or
did the bookseller mail it to the wrong customer? THAT is the question. Hhhmmmm.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Nuclear Lunch ?
My school schedule has me on campus Monday through Thursday. Therefore, I usually use Friday as a day to study at home without having to make the commute to the campus. However, Southern Company hosted a luncheon for the Nuclear Engineering Technology students on Friday of last week.
99.99% of my life I am early for appointments with plenty of time to spare, but you heard it from me, the fact that I forgot to take my daughter to school 2 out of 2 days in one week. This happened due to the fact that I was obsessing about Physics and truly focused on my academic success.
So this week, I was very nervous that I would get caught up in my studies and lose track of time and be late or totally miss the luncheon.
99.99% of my life I am early for appointments with plenty of time to spare, but you heard it from me, the fact that I forgot to take my daughter to school 2 out of 2 days in one week. This happened due to the fact that I was obsessing about Physics and truly focused on my academic success.
So this week, I was very nervous that I would get caught up in my studies and lose track of time and be late or totally miss the luncheon.
Miranda
(my cheeky teenaged daughter)
posted this on my door as a reminder:
(my cheeky teenaged daughter)
posted this on my door as a reminder:
I don't know why it posted vertically.
I'll try to fidure it out.
Anyway, today she made cookies for me
to take to my oral presentation
on Pressurized Water Reactors.
Too cute.
So cheeky !
Do you think anyone will eat them?
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Here comes March
The weather is unseasonably warm, which prompted the make over of the front porch.
The winter scheme just didn't feel right with this 70* weather we've been enjoying.
Just need a cup of tea and a scone.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Test 2
I stopped in my Nuclear 1000 instructor's office this morning. I had some time to kill before Physics class. Since I had memorized the Physics summary for the day and was prepared for the quiz, I thought I'd check in on the results of Monday's Test 2 from Nuclear 1000 class.
I tapped on Mr. C's closed door. Mr. C. opened the door and greeted me with, "Oh good, I've a bone to pick with you." Although the words were spoken with a cheerful voice, I began racking my brain to figure out what preposterous thing I had done to make a nuisance of myself. Oh good grief, did I totally blow the test and am now being told I don't look like I have what it takes to make it through the program?
He didn't let me suffer long. Turns out he was nearly done grading the tests when he came along to my test paper. After seeing my paper and my answer, he had to go back through each test and give credit for either answer. A question on page three of the four pages seemed to have two answers to it, which made me think they were looking for something specific. I pondered on it a while and tried to assume what exactly it was they were looking for. Not satisfied that I might lose four points on the question, I wrote in the margin the two specific points I felt were relevant to the question. I didn't expect to be given credit for a wrong answer, but I didn't want to be regarded as uninformed about the very program of which I am currently enrolled.
The question asked something like, "Which agency is responsible for the nuclear curriculum?" Well, according to the material which we were given to study, and the lectures given by guest speakers, one agency is responsible for the accreditation and another agency the policy that we must maintain a B or better average in the nuclear classes to be eligible for a certificate. The certificate demonstrates our qualifications in the nuclear fields, which in turn makes us marketable at any nuclear location, and a nicer starting salary than those without the certificate, but I digress.
So, Mr. C. says something to the effect that it was very intuitive of me to identify the question as being unclear, and states that nuclear professionals considers it mandatory that persons in the nuclear field identify and correct anything that may be vague or left to interpretation. It is a critical part of the work force. Clarity is very important when running and maintaining a nuclear facility.
So, anywho. . . we just started a new module on Monday which identifies being proactive a big part of the subject they wanted us to understand. Because I identified the question as possibly being interpreted as having two possible answers, they feel this identifies me as someone who is thorough and proactive. Hey, that beats the title of "troublemaker" any day, whew!
So, tomorrow I will be speaking in front of the class explaining to them why there are two possible answers to that one test problem and how those two agencies play a part in the Nuclear Engineering Technician course.
Oh, and Mr. C. gave me +4 points for my answer.
I got a 96%.
I tapped on Mr. C's closed door. Mr. C. opened the door and greeted me with, "Oh good, I've a bone to pick with you." Although the words were spoken with a cheerful voice, I began racking my brain to figure out what preposterous thing I had done to make a nuisance of myself. Oh good grief, did I totally blow the test and am now being told I don't look like I have what it takes to make it through the program?
He didn't let me suffer long. Turns out he was nearly done grading the tests when he came along to my test paper. After seeing my paper and my answer, he had to go back through each test and give credit for either answer. A question on page three of the four pages seemed to have two answers to it, which made me think they were looking for something specific. I pondered on it a while and tried to assume what exactly it was they were looking for. Not satisfied that I might lose four points on the question, I wrote in the margin the two specific points I felt were relevant to the question. I didn't expect to be given credit for a wrong answer, but I didn't want to be regarded as uninformed about the very program of which I am currently enrolled.
The question asked something like, "Which agency is responsible for the nuclear curriculum?" Well, according to the material which we were given to study, and the lectures given by guest speakers, one agency is responsible for the accreditation and another agency the policy that we must maintain a B or better average in the nuclear classes to be eligible for a certificate. The certificate demonstrates our qualifications in the nuclear fields, which in turn makes us marketable at any nuclear location, and a nicer starting salary than those without the certificate, but I digress.
So, Mr. C. says something to the effect that it was very intuitive of me to identify the question as being unclear, and states that nuclear professionals considers it mandatory that persons in the nuclear field identify and correct anything that may be vague or left to interpretation. It is a critical part of the work force. Clarity is very important when running and maintaining a nuclear facility.
So, anywho. . . we just started a new module on Monday which identifies being proactive a big part of the subject they wanted us to understand. Because I identified the question as possibly being interpreted as having two possible answers, they feel this identifies me as someone who is thorough and proactive. Hey, that beats the title of "troublemaker" any day, whew!
So, tomorrow I will be speaking in front of the class explaining to them why there are two possible answers to that one test problem and how those two agencies play a part in the Nuclear Engineering Technician course.
Oh, and Mr. C. gave me +4 points for my answer.
I got a 96%.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Past My Bedtime
Even though I am a full-time college student and have to devote most of my free time to studying, I do like to have a book to read in the evening before I turn out the lights. I follow several Blogs, and Ree Drummond is one of them. I look forward to opening up her blog every morning before I head out to school. It never fails to put a smile on my face. Well, Ree has published a book on the story of how she met and married her husband. According to Ree, she had previously blogged increments of the story, but was encouraged to go publish it. I am glad she did.
Last night I climbed into bed after my 11:00 p.m. bedtime due to Physics homework that could not wait until morning. Normally, I am very strict about my 11 pm bedtime because I like to feel refreshed in the morning rather than weeping at the idea of getting out of bed. Well, I couldn't resist "just one chapter" before turning off my light. The "one chapter" turned into several chapters because I had to know if she took the great apartment in Chicago. It was after midnight before I came to the end of section one, which forced me to stop reading.
Anyway, the book is available in print or the new digital format. Grab a copy, but pace yourself and make it last. Good reads like this don't come around all that often.
Last night I climbed into bed after my 11:00 p.m. bedtime due to Physics homework that could not wait until morning. Normally, I am very strict about my 11 pm bedtime because I like to feel refreshed in the morning rather than weeping at the idea of getting out of bed. Well, I couldn't resist "just one chapter" before turning off my light. The "one chapter" turned into several chapters because I had to know if she took the great apartment in Chicago. It was after midnight before I came to the end of section one, which forced me to stop reading.
Anyway, the book is available in print or the new digital format. Grab a copy, but pace yourself and make it last. Good reads like this don't come around all that often.
Her website is: http://thepioneerwoman.com/
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Super Powers
The following list contains items that can only be performed by someone highly competent, skilled, and mature. At least I assume that is the reason, because I'm the only one doing them. So, here is a list of things that only a mom can do:
Refill the napkin holder
Pick up the newspaper from the driveway
Change the hand towel in the guest bathroom
Erase messages from the answering machine so the beeping stops
Change a light bulb
Put the trash out to the curb the night before trash day
Realize the lawn needs mowed
Hear the dryer buzz repeatly because the load is done
Purchase postage stamps
Refill the napkin holder
Pick up the newspaper from the driveway
Change the hand towel in the guest bathroom
Erase messages from the answering machine so the beeping stops
Change a light bulb
Put the trash out to the curb the night before trash day
Realize the lawn needs mowed
Hear the dryer buzz repeatly because the load is done
Purchase postage stamps
Sunday, February 6, 2011
I Shoulda Known. . .
Today I decided to change the cartridge on the master bath shower because the dripping has been driving me insane. I looked up directions on the internet, gathered my tools and went to work.
Step 1. Turn off the water to the house. check.
Step 2. Remove the handle of the faucet via the small set screw.
uh, use the small allen wrench
yah, maybe some WD-40 will help
hmmm. can't seem to budge it, give me a flashlight
yea, small set screw to loosen
I'll try these other five allen wrenches
nothing
aw crap
I'll have to hire my plumber to do this stupid job just cause I can't loosen the set screw.
I'll go turn the water back on to the house.
Hmm, the handle doesn't seem to want to turn. . .
That's wierd, it turned so easily to turn the water off. I'll get my gloves.
That's still not budging, I'll get my adjustable wrench. . .
It's turning.
No water. Guess there must be air in the lines. I'll let it run.
Hmmm. nothing.
aw crap
Now I have to call the water company to come out to turn the water back on because the valve is not working.
Just shoot me now.
Just had the water company out here.
They informed me that the valve is on the property owner side of the meter and therefore they can not touch it. I must have a plumber do it.
It's Sunday afternoon.
Super Bowl Sunday afternoon.
Step 1. Turn off the water to the house. check.
Step 2. Remove the handle of the faucet via the small set screw.
uh, use the small allen wrench
yah, maybe some WD-40 will help
hmmm. can't seem to budge it, give me a flashlight
yea, small set screw to loosen
I'll try these other five allen wrenches
nothing
aw crap
I'll have to hire my plumber to do this stupid job just cause I can't loosen the set screw.
I'll go turn the water back on to the house.
Hmm, the handle doesn't seem to want to turn. . .
That's wierd, it turned so easily to turn the water off. I'll get my gloves.
That's still not budging, I'll get my adjustable wrench. . .
It's turning.
No water. Guess there must be air in the lines. I'll let it run.
Hmmm. nothing.
aw crap
Now I have to call the water company to come out to turn the water back on because the valve is not working.
Just shoot me now.
Just had the water company out here.
They informed me that the valve is on the property owner side of the meter and therefore they can not touch it. I must have a plumber do it.
It's Sunday afternoon.
Super Bowl Sunday afternoon.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
What's the Price to be Frustration-free?
I'm feeling overwhelmed.
I must study 22 Physics problems this weekend in order to prepare for test on Monday morning. I am not feeling confident in this subject dealing with converging and diverging lenses and magnification. It's all quite muddled in my brain right now. I studied 18 hours for my last Physics test and received 20 out of a possible 20 points. I have made A's on everything I have worked on in that class, so to feel muddled right now is frustrating.
The fact that I just received a 78% on my first test in my nuclear class has me discouraged, perhaps that is contributing to the feelings of being overwhelmed. Now, we have been assigned an enormous amount of work to memorize for a test this Wednesday. Frankly, if the test is as detail oriented as the first, I really don't see how I'll pass it. I may have to walk away from the nuclear program if they continue their unrealistic assignments.
I also had my first test in Inorganic Chemistry. It was hard, but hopefully I didn't embarrass myself there. I enjoy the class, but the material requires a good bit of study time. I'll receive the results on Monday night. Gosh, I hope I did A or B work, or I may crawl under a blanket and stay there for days.
It's been raining for days which raised the water level in the pool. Today, Miranda and I went out, vacuumed a good bit of water out of the pool, and brought it back down to its proper level. While draining the water, I noticed the water came up out of the ground and into the waste drain, which means that there must be a broken/cracked drainpipe underground. Oh, joy. That means that I'll be digging up pipe come Springtime. I'm sure my back will be thanking me for that. Perhaps I'd better start back into my aerobics program to prepare.
In addition to the crappy tests, a muddled brain, and broken drainpipes, my shower is dripping which will require me to turn off the water to the entire house, remove the current faucet pieces, and replace the offending bits on the cartridge. If I dork it up, I do have a good plumber to help me out. I just thought I'd try to save myself some money.
I was trying to save money recently when I chose to replace the guts to the toilet in the half bath. Although the job was not complicated, it did bring me to tears with frustration. That speaks volumes because I rarely cry, maybe once every five years… Anyway, the nut underneath the tank near the wall had been over tightened, and I ended up having to drill the piece apart from inside the tank. Yes, good memories. But, I did save money. The question is, at what point do you pay someone to save you from frustration? I'm sure I'll be finding out in the near future when I attempt to repair the shower, and again in the Spring when I am digging up drain pipes.
I must study 22 Physics problems this weekend in order to prepare for test on Monday morning. I am not feeling confident in this subject dealing with converging and diverging lenses and magnification. It's all quite muddled in my brain right now. I studied 18 hours for my last Physics test and received 20 out of a possible 20 points. I have made A's on everything I have worked on in that class, so to feel muddled right now is frustrating.
The fact that I just received a 78% on my first test in my nuclear class has me discouraged, perhaps that is contributing to the feelings of being overwhelmed. Now, we have been assigned an enormous amount of work to memorize for a test this Wednesday. Frankly, if the test is as detail oriented as the first, I really don't see how I'll pass it. I may have to walk away from the nuclear program if they continue their unrealistic assignments.
I also had my first test in Inorganic Chemistry. It was hard, but hopefully I didn't embarrass myself there. I enjoy the class, but the material requires a good bit of study time. I'll receive the results on Monday night. Gosh, I hope I did A or B work, or I may crawl under a blanket and stay there for days.
It's been raining for days which raised the water level in the pool. Today, Miranda and I went out, vacuumed a good bit of water out of the pool, and brought it back down to its proper level. While draining the water, I noticed the water came up out of the ground and into the waste drain, which means that there must be a broken/cracked drainpipe underground. Oh, joy. That means that I'll be digging up pipe come Springtime. I'm sure my back will be thanking me for that. Perhaps I'd better start back into my aerobics program to prepare.
In addition to the crappy tests, a muddled brain, and broken drainpipes, my shower is dripping which will require me to turn off the water to the entire house, remove the current faucet pieces, and replace the offending bits on the cartridge. If I dork it up, I do have a good plumber to help me out. I just thought I'd try to save myself some money.
I was trying to save money recently when I chose to replace the guts to the toilet in the half bath. Although the job was not complicated, it did bring me to tears with frustration. That speaks volumes because I rarely cry, maybe once every five years… Anyway, the nut underneath the tank near the wall had been over tightened, and I ended up having to drill the piece apart from inside the tank. Yes, good memories. But, I did save money. The question is, at what point do you pay someone to save you from frustration? I'm sure I'll be finding out in the near future when I attempt to repair the shower, and again in the Spring when I am digging up drain pipes.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
What Kind Of Mother Am I?
I am a college student. My two daughters are also college students.
Actually, my youngest daughter is a dual-enrollment student. She attends the same college as I do, except she only attends two days a week, Mondays and Wednesdays.
I am taking a Physics class which I adore. I am not naturally gifted in Math or Science, like so many of the other students, so I have to work SO much harder than they do to achieve positive results. Well, we have been studying Simple Pendulum, Restoring Force, Harmonic Oscillations, Wave Propagation, Geometric Optics with Laws of Reflection, Refraction and such. On Thursday of last week, we knew we would have our first test of the Quarter on the upcoming Monday at 9:15 a.m.
On Thursday, I get out of school at 10:05 a.m. Therefore, I had at my disposal:
Thursday: 13 hours
Friday: 24 hours
Saturday: 24 hours
Sunday 24 hours
for a total of 85 hours to study the 23 practice problems our instructor had given us.
I may not possess a natural ability in Math and Science, but I am a hard worker. Even though I did procrastinate a bit on Thursday by using two or three hours to give my house a good cleaning, I still made good use of the 80-ish hours I had remaining by, runnning errands, playing SIMS on my computer, reading emails, sending emails, reading the many Blogs I follow, and generally wasting my entire day. I just couldn't get myself to the dining room table to study. I know, shame on me. So Thursday was a wash.
On Friday I studied for seven hours straight. 11:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m., maybe longer than that.
On Saturday, I studied for another six to seven hours and felt great about what I had covered and learned. Then I went to a friend's house for dinner and to watch a few episodes of SG-1. :-)
On Sunday, we went to church and after changing into comfy clothes, I went right back to the dining room table to continue my studies because I felt I really needed to be able to complete the 23 practice problems we were given without looking at any of my notes. I worked for about four hours and felt I would be able to do well on the test.
On Monday morning, I got up at 6:15 a.m. in order to spend time practicing the summary before heading to school. I had my foo foo coffee using frothed milk from my Breville Milk Frother, yum. That's another Blog entirely. I ate my piece of toasted wheat bread with peanut butter, and sat at the dining room table to study. At 8:30 a.m., I packed my backpack, brushed my teeth, picked up my cell phone and set it to vibrate, grabbed my keys and headed off to school at 8:40 a.m.
According to the Rand McNally website and its driving directions program, it is 13.7 miles to school and takes 21 minutes and 50 seconds. I find that to be an accurate account of my drive.
It was during during the last 50 seconds of the drive that it occurred to me that I had left the house without my daughter.
Actually, my youngest daughter is a dual-enrollment student. She attends the same college as I do, except she only attends two days a week, Mondays and Wednesdays.
I am taking a Physics class which I adore. I am not naturally gifted in Math or Science, like so many of the other students, so I have to work SO much harder than they do to achieve positive results. Well, we have been studying Simple Pendulum, Restoring Force, Harmonic Oscillations, Wave Propagation, Geometric Optics with Laws of Reflection, Refraction and such. On Thursday of last week, we knew we would have our first test of the Quarter on the upcoming Monday at 9:15 a.m.
On Thursday, I get out of school at 10:05 a.m. Therefore, I had at my disposal:
Thursday: 13 hours
Friday: 24 hours
Saturday: 24 hours
Sunday 24 hours
for a total of 85 hours to study the 23 practice problems our instructor had given us.
I may not possess a natural ability in Math and Science, but I am a hard worker. Even though I did procrastinate a bit on Thursday by using two or three hours to give my house a good cleaning, I still made good use of the 80-ish hours I had remaining by, runnning errands, playing SIMS on my computer, reading emails, sending emails, reading the many Blogs I follow, and generally wasting my entire day. I just couldn't get myself to the dining room table to study. I know, shame on me. So Thursday was a wash.
On Friday I studied for seven hours straight. 11:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m., maybe longer than that.
On Saturday, I studied for another six to seven hours and felt great about what I had covered and learned. Then I went to a friend's house for dinner and to watch a few episodes of SG-1. :-)
On Sunday, we went to church and after changing into comfy clothes, I went right back to the dining room table to continue my studies because I felt I really needed to be able to complete the 23 practice problems we were given without looking at any of my notes. I worked for about four hours and felt I would be able to do well on the test.
On Monday morning, I got up at 6:15 a.m. in order to spend time practicing the summary before heading to school. I had my foo foo coffee using frothed milk from my Breville Milk Frother, yum. That's another Blog entirely. I ate my piece of toasted wheat bread with peanut butter, and sat at the dining room table to study. At 8:30 a.m., I packed my backpack, brushed my teeth, picked up my cell phone and set it to vibrate, grabbed my keys and headed off to school at 8:40 a.m.
According to the Rand McNally website and its driving directions program, it is 13.7 miles to school and takes 21 minutes and 50 seconds. I find that to be an accurate account of my drive.
It was during during the last 50 seconds of the drive that it occurred to me that I had left the house without my daughter.
I left the house without my daughter!
She only has a learner's permit, and no car to drive, so it's rather necessary that I drive her to school. The primary reason she is attending this college for her dual-enrollment is so she can ride along to school WITH me.
Needless to say, when I got out of my car, I grabbed the cellphone from my backpack and sure enough, there was a voicemail from her, "Um, did you forget something?" Fortunately, her older sister does not have class on Monday and Wednesday mornings and was able to drive her to school. I should note here that she rides with me to my 9:15 a.m. class, but does not have her class until 10:30 a.m., so she had plenty of time to get there. WHEW!
I COULD NOT BELIEVE I DID THAT!
Tuesday morning, I dropped her off at a friend's house where she does housekeeping twice a month. When I got home from school, I spent a lot of time on my homework, which consisted of memorizing an 8.5 X 11 page summary of Physics formulas. These summaries are a regular occurrence in my Physics class and they count as a Quiz grade since we have to write them all from memory when we arrive in class. The summaries can be quite complex. In the past, I always considered memorizing my home phone number a challenge, so I always feel intimidated with the prospect of memorizing new summaries. It is my routine to wake up two hours early on the day of a Physics Quiz in order to rewrite the summary several times before arriving at school.
Fast forward to Wednesday morning. . .
I got up at 6:15 a.m. in order to spend my time practicing the Summary before heading to school. I had my foo foo coffee using the frothed milk from my Breville Milk Frother. I ate my piece of toasted wheat bread with peanut butter, and sat down at the dining room table to study. At 8:30 a.m., I packed my backpack, brushed my teeth, picked up my cellphone and set it to vibrate, grabbed my keys and headed off to school at 8:40 a.m.
It was during the last 50 seconds of the drive that it occurred to me that I left the house without my daughter.
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