.:: Yolospat ::.

Mom went home today. She’s flying on a plane right now. She texted me before she left letting me know the plane was leaving late. She’s so excited about her new (my old) iPhone. She’s texting me left and right, she’s taking pictures of things and sending them to me, she’s just so excited she can get her email all the time. She’s quite addicted to her email. I’m proud of her for learning all this fan-dangled technology (her words, isn’t she cute?)

On the way back from the airport Brendan and I went by Harry’s Whole Foods and got some yummy guacamole and blue corn chips that are really good. Oh ya, and cereal. OMG, this cereal is so good. I don’t remember the name but I’ll take a look at it later.

Now that I’m officially withdrawn from university I have more time for WoW. My priest is up 65 (Cumbersome) that I leveled mainly for the guild, since I already have a 70 priest on horde side. Found out today one of our officers who has a shadow priest and told me they didn’t want to do anything other than shadow (thus the reason for me making a holy priest) just respec’d holy in my absence (since my Mother was here). Ahhhh. Such a nice backstab. Feels fucking great. Lots of guilds need priests, so at least I have that in my favor. Moving on.

I’m getting daily use out of my kindle. I didn’t think I’d be using it as much as I have been. It’s become as close to me as my MacBook Pro. Speaking of mac, I’ve been working on some cocoa programming using xcode. I somehow feel completely free now that I’m not in school. It feels great, my doctor was right. That was too much stress for right now.

I’m still recovering from feeling like dog shit at the end of last week and over the weekend. Health complications, as usual.

I’m bombarded with make up assignments in school after missing the last few assignments in my Java class and with my nose to the grind I’m trying to get those completed both tonight and tomorrow before I have another class that begins. Ugh. I’m also on call for work somewhere this week. I also haven’t made an appointment for my treatment day. Ugh. So much to do, so little resources.

Now to get started hoping that there isn’t an emergency at work …

Am I sure glad it’s Friday. Altho I didn’t go to work 3 days this week I did work from home which granted me the privilege to get a hell of a lot done. It’s been a hard week when it comes to health. Ever since I moved away from where I was born and raised I’ve run into nothing but problems with the health care system, and I long to have my old doctor back. Going back to Colorado however, isn’t an option and I must seek and find what I’m looking for here. It’s just going to take time and energy, the two most non-abundant things in my life.

I haven’t gotten a chance to catch up with my RSS feeds yet. I can usually keep up daily with them but with the amount of school work I’ve been up against I haven’t even played WoW. I don’t usually during the quarter but when I have a little bit of time I at least log on. Not this quarter, however, and I fear it’s going to reflect the rest of my degree program. Onward and upward, someday I’ll be happy I did it. Right?

I truly do love education and I love learning. In fact I would probably go to school the rest of my life if I didn’t have any other responsibilities or family to provide for. Things being how they are, I’m looking forward to that time I can actually have to sit down for a while after coming home from work. It only makes me stronger I suppose, and I’m learning those time management skills I always wanted to know. I didn’t exactly want to be forced into learning those however, lol.

I don’t have to work this weekend so I have the next 48 hours to do with as I please, in a very responsible manner. I was fully expecting to be working this weekend so it was a nice surprise. I have two movies from Netflix to watch … which I might do as I’m looking up information for my System Administration class.

Might as well get started.

Right now I’m arguing with myself on what to do. It’s already 1 AM but I feel like I need to get more homework done. Do I jump into some java code, or do I jump into a 5-10 page paper about system administration? Or do I simply go to bed and feel defeated?

With all the mess from the medical stuff I’m far behind and I want to catch up. I’m finding my time becomes less and less lately and it’s stressing me out in such a bad way that my health is failing. There really isn’t much I can do about it at this point in time, so I have to carry on and try my best.

Both projects that are due are pretty huge. I have to be semi-coherent for both which I am right now, I just don’t know which to choose. Sleep is something I haven’t been getting enough of obviously, but I don’t want to feel like I’ve not gotten anything done. I’ve been on call this week for work and tonight has been a busy work night for me too, which again pushed school off to the side. Sigh. I think I’ll start my paper …

Well, it was sort of made of win. Pepper went to the vets to get his cast off today. After taking xrays his vet decided that his little bone isn’t quite healed good enough and they put another cast back on him for the next 2 or 4 weeks. Poor little guy, I’m sure he’s forgotten he even has 4 legs.

Other than that, it was a great day at work. I’m getting a lot done, and I have some huge projects on my plate for the week which feels great. I also got a raise, and I happen to be one of the two in my department that aren’t … :: cough :: … leaving the company not by their choice soon (if you know what I mean).

So what does that mean? That means I get more money, and they think I’m a smart valuable cookie. That makes me feel good
Got Brendan a new phone today too since he put his through the wash. It’s an LG Shine (black). It’s amazing how phones really haven’t come super far, of course when they aren’t iPhones.
Finals going on today and tomorrow. I haven’t been playing WoW because of this, and because I have to pull off at least a B in these classes. I miss WoW

So, I broke down and bought another power adapter for my Macbook Pro aka Lexi. See, Lexi goes everywhere with me. I don’t go many places. I don’t have much of a life other then work and school. When I’m not at work, you can find me in my front room office working away on homework consisting of some Java program while pulling out my hair but eventually the light bulb goes off. This meant I was unplugging my power adapter to lug it to work where I would plug it right back in. After a few months of doing this I’ve noticed a lot of wear on my power adapter. It’s just so much easier to unplug while leaving the power adapter plugged in and simply plugging into a new power adapter at work. It’s going to save my wear and tear too, and I’ll stop hitting my head on the bottom of my desk when I’m either plugging or unplugging from the power strip.

I’m trying to make my life easier, I really am.

Speaking of Mac products, I got a mighty mouse for my MBP and after a few weeks it would stop scrolling down. I was within my 30 days of purchase so I simply took it back to Bestbuy and got a new one. Then this new one did the same thing. I should have googled it the first time, but it’s a simple fix. The little roller-ball gets dirty see, so to make it clean I did this:

1. Turned mouse off so it didn’t cause havoc all over my screen.
2. Got a new blank piece of printer paper and laid it flat on my desk.
3. Turned the mighty mouse upside down and went up and down the sheet of paper with the roller ball.
4. I’m horrible at explanation, here watch this video.

Thanks little man. I just might subscribe to you.

I’m still sick, but I think (knock on wood) I’m actually feeling better. My husband ran to the store this morning to pick me up some cough syrup which really helped, and I’m still blowing out loads of snot, but maybe that means I’m getting better. I haven’t completely coughed my lungs “out” yet. I’ll take what I can get, heh.

I got an email today from one of my classmates. He said he reviewed my recentdiscussion board posting and Java program.

Hi Jenny,
I see that you did an awesome job on the last db. Seems like you are an experienced program writer. I’m writing you because I would like some direction on that IP that was due yesterday. I still cannot send mine, because there was no db and I’m sooooooooooo new to this. Can you please send me something that will help me through the whole thing with minimal explanation, because I don’t understand what’s asked to be done. I wrote the teacher and he’s not responded yet, so please help anyway you can.
Thank you in advance.

So, is he really asking me to send him my code? I mean, that’s what it seems like to me. The last assignment wasn’t easy for me either, it took me nearly 48 straight hours to complete (and understand). To be perfectly honest I haven’t done the assignment that was due Friday because our Professor hasn’t had access to the internet so we haven’t even had lecture about it yet so I don’t think it will be due until he gets internet access back. I think I’ll just write him back and tell him we’ll just wait for the Professor. Heh.

One of the talents I greatly lack is my ability to deal with stress. Pepper went back to the vets today because he managed to wiggle out of his cast. It was really do to him walking around and trying to jump up on things. It’s extremely difficult to keep a 3 month old kitten in one place let alone keeping him calm. All the movement was jarring the cast loose till it practically slipped off.

To the sound of $250 later (they had to give him anesthesia to re-cast) a very groggy Pepper came home. The vet said that Pepper needs to remain confined in a kennel and have as little movement as possible. So he’s in Jonah’s dog crate right now with the cone collar (so he doesn’t chew on the cast) crying his head off. Each time he cries my heart breaks because I want to scoop him up and cuddle him but I know this is best for him. My heart and logic don’t always speak the same language.

Between the constant crying, having less than 5 hours to get my 10 page report done for class, and trying to hold it together my stress level is skyrocketing. I think if I get one more punch in the gut or anything of the like I’m liable to exploded into a million tiny pieces.

This has been a rather easy quarter for me. I have one class to worry about and it’s a lame spreadsheets class that doesn’t take much effort or thought on my part. Next quarter is going to be different and my time will be reduced to even less then I have now. So I’m preparing for the one that will take most of my time.

I have Systems Administration and Java. I’m Java challenged right now. I started taking these classes in January but due to illness and my arm injury I dropped both of these classes to try and mend myself. I’ve always had this love/hate relationship with Java. I love when it works, I hate when it doesn’t. My determination to make it work is out-weighing my procrastination to say “screw it” because the fact is, I WANT to “get it” and learn it and manipulate it like clay. So I’m currently going through one of my Java books I had at home to give me a jump start. I’m doing both the Self-Test Questions of every chapter as well as the Programming Exercises. Doing it this way I’m actually learning more of the basic’s then I learned in class last quarter.

This is what I have learned about school. I need to find what works for me, and do it my way. Everyone has a way of learning that works best for them, and I’m just starting on that path of realizing what works best for me.

Time seems to be against me, however. Never enough time.

I had to take incomplete’s for my two classes this quarter (IT362 & IT254) due to my temporary medical issues. I’m not exactly sure how long I have to get all my assignments done and turned in (something I need to look up and/or ask my instructors) but new classes start for me on January 6th, 2008 and I’m hoping to have all my IT362 & IT254 assignments done by then so I’m not completely overwhelmed. My instructors have been very kind and understanding about it, so I’m certainly thankful for that.

I’m very excited for this next quarter. I’ll be taking:

IT170 - Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming
IT382 - Systems Administration

The Systems Administration class is going to be more of a refresher course for me I think, but I’m hoping to learn new things. I’m nearly giddy about my Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming class however, because it’s the first core class that follows my degree concentration (Software Engineering). I don’t know what programming language it will be in, but I’m fairly certain it will be Java. Time to break out those java beans!

I can log into my classes at CTU on my iPhone:

I got a B+ in UNIX.

Fuck.

Next quarter I have one class that looks pretty fun, however, I have another class that I just have a feeling I’m going to hate.

ENG 202 - Professional Writing and Composition
IT 242 - Operating Systems and Practical Networks

Can you guess which one I’m going to hate? If you’ve picked out the English class, you are correct! My mind was made for more coding then writing. When I write, things get so jumbled around in such a disorganized fashion. This is where my ADD mind goes haywire. Ironically, simply just reading a book can cause the same effect, but I love to read so I force my way through it. I can’t force my way through English Comp, and it kills me. I’m pretty scared I will do horrible in the class, and I can’t give up this 4.0 GPA yet, I’m not ready to let it go. I’m surprised I’m doing so well in school however. This wouldn’t have been possible in high school or my first few years of college. The real reason I quit before finishing my degree was because they were starting to make me really get my nose inside my studies and I couldn’t wing it anymore. I’ve been able to wing school my whole life, until now. Now, I’m working my fucking ass off, but the payoff is amazing, even though I’m putting in twice the energy as some college students. I have to. It takes me so much longer to get around my ADD brick walls that point me off to other distractions, and I have to pull myself back on the straight line and push through it. God it’s hard. But I’m doing it.

I’m working the night shift this whole week, which means my days will be nights and my nights will be my days. I don’t mind, I’m actually looking a little forward to it. It’s going to be a pain to turn those nights and days around next week however.

Since I just got done with my group project in UNIX I’m going to treat myself to my own distraction.

Having some problems getting to my homework tonight .. focus Jen, focus!

So, to take a little break from my ADD mind, I ran an errand. I love pictures.

The more I’m tootin’ around the interwebs and such, the more excited I am about my degree. I see so many job opportunities out there that not only require a BS but they focus on Software Engineering as a specialty, which is what my area of concentration will be when I’m done. It makes me excited because those job opportunities have always been out of reach for me. Not because I didn’t have the knowledge in some area’s (especially web development) but because I didn’t have that special piece of paper.

Hard to believe I’m finally doing what I want in life … instead of just wishing I could.

Lots going on. My Neves is at the vets, recovering from getting de-clawed. I don’t believe in de-clawing, I hate the thought of it, the process of it, but the brand new carpet in my house, and the cost of getting it replaced eventually because Neves has scratched it up outweighs what I believe. I pick him up tomorrow. The vet said that he’s hissing and growling at them, so he must be feeling better.

Cam and I have been talking about getting a dedicated server for our interweb stuffs. We each have several domains, and we want to be root. Ya. So, we’re looking into plans. I know we definitely want cPanel.

School, it’s going great. Grades thus far:

Lemme see. Oh ya, SunPass in Florida sucks. I have the little device that you stick on your window so you can go through the SunPass only lanes. Anyway, their scanner thing didn’t pick up at one of their check in points, and they gave me a ticket. I tried to fight it, saying I was able to go through check points both to and back from the Florida Keys, but then I got a letter in the mail saying my licence would be suspended if I didn’t pay the fine. Sigh. Ya, so what am I left to do? I just paid the fine. Fuckers.

I’m trying to get myself out of the early morning shift at work too. I’m up too late, usually with homework and I end up not getting enough sleep. That’s gotta change. I’m starting to wear myself out, and I’m starting to exhaust myself. Doesn’t help when dealing with other people. I end up having a very short fuse and I get annoyed very easily.

There is so much more, I already forget tho …

When I sat down last night to re-install xp, I realized that I had run out of time. I had to be to work by 7, and it was already 9pm, which meant I needed to be in bed by 10 at least, or around that time, which isn’t enough time to back up and reinstall XP. So, I didn’t. I tried one of the fixes I read about yesterday in the forums, and ironically, it worked. I put my computer into sleep mode, then took it out of sleep mode, and walla. Internet. Ugh, that’s so dumb. I also read that this has been a problem since Vista was in beta. Um, why hasn’t that been fixed yet? So, until I have a bit more time under my belt, Vista is staying, but only due to time constraints.

I have some possible raids this weekend too. Only if I get my school work done. I have a project due tonight, that I have to convert to XHTML compliant, and and and, I just have a lot to do. And I’m sidetracked, and disorganized with the move, and that makes my already lacking attention span worse. A lot worse.

I do have the weekend off …

Really, I just can’t handle it anymore. This is going to last another 2 days, and the only way of preventing myself from suffering through this would be to unplug myself from the internets. Ya, that’s not going to happen.

Don’t get me wrong, I will be one of those very early risers that show up at the Cingular AT&T store first thing in the morning to wait in line for this glorious device. I’m not getting the 8 GB however. This time, I’m going to settle for the smaller one, and that’s fine with me. Not saying things might change by the time I get there however. For us gadget geek’s, this is torture.

I handed in my very last paper to my class today. Yay, it’s over and done with! I didn’t like that class anyway. Too much .. common sense and not enough interest. My next class is Algebra. Yay. Math. We’ll see how that goes. I’m usually good at math, and I pick up on it very easy especially since it’s been 10 years since I’ve had an Algebra class. I hope it’s like riding a bike.

As for our Travel adventures, Brendan and I made it to Georgia but not without some suffering. Our first flight was canceled, so we had to take a late flight which put us into Atlanta around 10:30pm. I think we waited on our bags for something like 45 minutes to an hour before the panic really set it that they lost our luggage. Come to find out, our bags went out on another flight and were sitting in an over flow baggage area. When we got to Budget car rental, they ran out of cars. We were upgraded for free to a mini-van complete with DVD and screen. It’s actually very nice, even if I’m having wicked flashbacks of my Mother carting me and my volleyball/softball/swimming/diving team around everywhere.

As for work, my boss is still here in Georgia. He was supposed to be back in Florida this week, but he decided to stay. The chaos continues and the tornado surrounding the lack of organization still whirlwinds around him. I’m not sure why I thought that would change. It’s stressful however. I’m pretty full on stress at the moment.

The house! Brendan is in love with it. Closing is this Thursday at 3pm. I’m so excited I could burst. I wish we had all our things moved in and we were unloading boxes. I’m so sick of moving, I’m so glad this is our last time in a long long long time. I wouldn’t mind it being our last time forever. We still need to go out and get a washer/dryer/fridge and have those things delivered Friday. I want to get the cable and TV hooked up Friday too so everything is ready when we arrive with the moving van next week. I can’t wait for Jonah to see his back yard, and Neves is going to have a million places to hide.

Just a few more days … just a few more.