School time again

Well, I've started school again.  Getting used to that schedule would be the reason for the recent gap in posts.  Luckily, it seems like I should do just fine with my classes this semester.

• I have an accounting class two nights a week that I love my professor for.  Also, accounting has always just clicked with me, so I'm hoping that it stays that way as I make my way through the various levels.
• I have a microcomputer business applications class, which is the dullest class I'm sure I will ever take...but VERY easy.
• I have a math class that I am going to for the first time tonight, but it's math with business applications, so I am expecting that to be easy as well.
• Lastly, I have an online contemporary business class that has a decent amount of homework attached, but again, it seems fairly simple as long as I keep up with it.

Other than school, I just got a new job yesterday via the temp agency I have been working with.  I'll be making calls for the American Cancer Society and trying to recruit anyone who might be interested in the 5k walk that is done in May.  If I find anyone that is interested, there is a breakfast meeting they can attend in March, then between the meeting and the walk, I will be in charge of coordinating all the files and information for anyone who committed to walking and/or donating.  So, from now until May, I have a job that'll bring in some decent cash as a supplemental income to my financial aid spill over from classes.

So far things seem to be going well.  Now, all I can ask for is that the apartment searching will deliver.

Oddly enough, I have no homework due that I have yet to finish (the wonderful piece of the beginning of the semester, especially for 100 level courses) and I am sitting here debating on what to do with my time.  I would LOVE to sleep some more before I have to go to class tonight as I am exhausted (for no apparent reason-I slept plenty last night), but I SHOULD work on my cross stitch.

...decisions, decisions.  

Been away

Well, I've been away for a while.  This has been due to the new strain of flu that's been going around.  Let's see....as of now I've had the flu for 6 days...I've still to put up with it for another 6-8 according to the doctor.  The frustrating part about it all is that this is the first year I've gotten sick after not receiving a vaccination (which I've never gone to get one, at least not a flu vaccine).  Moreover, this is the first year that I had an appointment scheduled to receive a vaccination and something came up - I can't for the life of me remember what it was - and I had to cancel.  I forgot to reschedule my appointment.  With my track record on getting sick, or lack there of, I was not too worried about it.  Clearly, my nonchalant attitude was a mistake.

Because of this virus, I have missed 2 school orientations, I've put off making many phone calls that should have been done about a week ago seeing as my voice comes and goes, and I've been living on my family's couch because if I lay down, the prospect of breathing goes away.  All in all, I feel like I've been hit by a truck, I have a thick and fuzzy piece of fabric stuck down my throat, and I have an elephant sitting on my chest.

As of this morning, my voice has returned and feels as though it will stay put.  I called my school bookstore to take care of a few questions I had and ordered my books.  I am glad that I have that piece of the returning to school puzzle over with even though it put me back about $600.  Now, $600 isn't a whole lot on the grand scheme of things, but at the moment I have $700 to my name and am still between jobs, so the grip on what's left in my bank account has gotten considerably tighter since I clicked the 'complete order' button a few hours ago.

With my voice back, I feel comfortable continuing to apply for jobs again, which I will promptly start to do as soon as the website I am using for such matters is done being under construction.  For everyone wanting CNAs, I'm having quite a time finding someone who wants me to fill a CNA position.  I suppose I was naive to think that I'd find a job quickly.

Between job searching, I've been working on catching up with my reading.  I realized that I left my book at my boyfriend's house, so I picked up another from my shelf: Mansfield Park by Jane Austen.  I must say, I am pleasantly surprised to find the reading of this one much easier than I remember my last attempt at Jane Austen to be.  I'm not certain if it was the story, the mood I was in, or the age at which I tried to read a novel of her's last, but I am quite certain that I am enjoying Mansfield Park and wish my fatigued body could focus on reading longer than it's allowing me to at the moment.

I predict that I will have something to say on the matter of Mansfield Park once I get a little bit further into the story and will probably post something.  Until then, off I go to job hunt among other things to try to keep myself busy during my quarantine 

At long last

I believe I am finally going to get out of my parents' home.  My love has landed the job he has been looking for and I am hoping to get a call back for a job that I have recently applied to.  With these new developments, he has been looking for an apartment and found one.  He called me today to let me know that he found something and is thinking that he can move in by the beginning of next month.  He, his uncle, and I will be rooming together.  I doubt I will be able to move in right away because I'll need to make sure that I am settled down with my job first  But having some sort of a time table here makes me feel so much better.

I know that this really means nothing to anyone except myself, but I am exponentially relieved.

The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton

I just finished reading The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton.  I am not certain what all of the hype was about that book.  It was a good story, yes; however, nothing extraordinary.  I took me until a little less than half way through the book to really feel like I wanted to continue reading it.  That being said, there is nothing wrong with the book.  It is a young adult's story of misfits and outcasts and what it is that makes us all the same no matter how left out we feel.  Maybe it's because I'm tired of the moral that the story focused on, or maybe it's because my friend talked it up so much that there's no way it ever would have lived up to the hype.  She told me that The Outsiders possibly changed her entire outlook on life.  I don't think that I took into consideration the fact that she read this book for the first time years ago when the message that this book drives home was probably new to her.  My reading for the first time as the jaded and cynical person that I am, I'm sure took away some of the magic of this story.  I guess, I just don't really know what to think of it...

My Book Discussions Page

Friends not Family

Well, here I am again.  I just spent the last hour in a bath reading and realizing that for not really doing anything today, a lot happened.

I went to visit my grandmother, which, in and of itself is a chore.  Insanely long back-story that I would be glad to share if anyone ever reads this and is interested, but for now, let's just say that my family isn't exactly close.  So anyhow...I've been pushing this visit off for a while now and finally just went over there.  I wasn't there for very long - maybe two or three hours - but in that time my grandmother said something that really made me think.

While I was there, my aunt came over to visit for a few minutes before she had to go to work, and to drop off her son (my little cousin).  My little cousin said the pre-lunch prayer and in it he thanked God for having a friend over to visit.  I didn't think anything of it, my cousin knows that I am his cousin and I was flattered to think that he sees me as a friend.  My grandmother; however, clearly does not agree with that sentiment.  She said to him "Kate's not your friend, she's your family".

I was glad that I was walking to get more water out of the refrigerator when she said that; I couldn't help the grief-stricken look on my face when I heard those words.  I've known since I was young (probably too young) that my family has its problems and the members of it, their disagreements.  But that statement today was a testament to how my family works.  To many people, the word 'family' means more than the word 'friend' and I'm sure often 'family' means 'friend' plus much more.  It was made clear to me today that in my family, the word 'family' does not include friendship.  No, this is not news to me, but when it is made so abundantly clear over and over again and I am reminded of this fact, it is depressing.  My cousin is not even 9 yet and this is the kind of thing he hears.  I fear for how he will respond.

I was relieved to spend a few moments with my cousin doing what he loves, playing the Wii, before I mercifully was able to return home.  I get to my house only to have fifteen minutes of quiet before my delinquent 14 year old brother comes home from school with his friend.  The first thing they do is go out on our porch and have a cigarette.  After my parents get home I am bombarded with the list of things that he has done wrong in school.  It was not directly given to me, I overheard the yelling and arguing happening between my parents and my little brother.  I want to say I don't care, and maybe, to an extent it is true.  I don't care if he gets bad grades because I have tried to help and he won't take it.  I don't care if he thinks I'm a horrible big sister because I know that the sibling he idolizes (my step brother) is a horrible person and an even worse influence.

It takes all I have to relax and think about the fact that I should be financially able to move out soon and that all of this will be behind me.

Sorry excuse for basketball

Well...3 minutes left and 19 points down.  Miami, you have disappointed me tonight, but more than me, you have disappointed my love who went to the Bucks' stadium to watch you play.  He idolizes every one of the players on your team and what I saw tonight was a disgrace.

On the lighter side of life, I think I dodged an expensive bullet.  It looks like I just have to add brake fluid to my car in order to get the clutch working again.  I really hope that something this simple will fix my problem rather than having to pay an arm and a leg to fix a car that's only worth $1700.

My parents returned at 6 tonight.  I had dinner ready for them and the laundry finished.  I hope it was a nice relaxing night for them after a 16 hour drive back from D.C.

I now am longing over the various sewing/embroidery combo machines that I might be able to work towards buying for myself and my lover to have when we finally get a place together.

Jumping back to the original point Heat: 85 Bucks: 104  Final score still down 19 points.  I am quite sad for my dear one who has wanted to watch his heroes play ball since Dwayne Wade joined the Miami Heat after leaving Marquette.  This game is all that he's talked about since he received the tickets as a present.  I am sorry it was not a better night for you.

I suppose that is all I have to say for the night.  Good night all and maybe Miami will get their shit together for the next game.

First try

I am not a blogger, but I need somewhere to get my thoughts out, so I figured I would give this a try.

I've been home alone for a week since my family is out of town visiting other family members for Christmas.  I've always assumed that I would feel relieved having my own place, but I never imagined how much so.  My...for lack of a better term...fiance has been staying with me every night except last, and knowing that I will have to go back to normal life tomorrow night - living with my family and my fiance living with his - is excruciating.

I was planning on making us a nice romantic dinner for the last night we have to ourselves, but plans changed, as they are wont to do.  He has some family business to attend to that should have been taken care of long ago.  Not for lack of trying, he is left with little time to complete his task and hopefully will do so tonight.  Forgive me for being vague, but there are legal issues connected with this task and information should not be shared in such a public manner, therefore, no details will be given.

I feel as though I am whining and the longer I sit here typing, the sillier I feel.  I am going to continue with this, however, because I very much so miss the days when I could just sit down and write a story that I was proud of.  I have talked to many writers and they have told me that my problem is quite possibly that I have gotten out of the habit of writing, and that if I designate just five minutes a day to writing (I've been told that anything will do, I just have to be sure that I am consistently writing) that I will be much more able to let my thoughts flow through my fingers.

I suppose that for now, I will return to my mundane life as I have forgotten everything that I felt the need to write before I sat down at my computer.  I might be back later today if I have another burst of artistic feeling that I would like to ruin by making my thoughts visible and realizing their lack of importance.  Until next time...