School starts a week from today. In the past I have always been very, very full of anxiety in the couple weeks before the start of the semester. Right now I am anxious...but in a different way. I wish school was starting today! This has been one boring summer! Raine came to visit twice...that was good...her second visit we went to the county fair...this was fun. Raine's visits have been the highlights of the summer. We have basically done nothing at all. No Bass lake this year, Diana started a new job at the end of April...so no time off to go do things...AND...an empty house 5 days a week. Of course there is also the money factor...never enough of it! Sooo...pretty much all I have been doing is reading, and little projects around the house. I have managed to stick with the most critical parts of the schedule I made...getting up, eating, some house work, and going to bed on time. However, I now have to re-adjust my schedule for school...getting up at 7 am won't work when my ride leaves at 6:45 am!

So this time next week I will be at school...probably not in class though, because my first Wednesday class is a lab, and they won't have lab before the first lecture. This will give me time to track down my Bio adviser though, since he is the instructor for that class/lab. Hopefully the rec center will be open, because I will have a very long time until my official first class...it starts at 2pm.

Today I am waiting for the mail to arrive...it's the earliest possible day for my financial aid check to arrive. If it comes today, I have several things I need to get for school...most notably...MY BOOKS!! I like to have them at least a few days before classes start, so I can get the first chapters read...if I know which book we are reading first when there's more than 1 book. Fortunately, there's only 1 Bio book. 1 of my other classes is taught by my Soc adviser, so I can email her and ask which book first. The other class, there is only two books...I may just skim the first chapter of each.

Anyway...I am bored...there's no one ever online anymore...I'm out of leisure reading material again...my house is pretty clean...laundry is done...my office isn't clean but I've already been working on it and needed a break. So...that's my current life in a nutshell!

S

I haven't posted in a while so I guess it's time for a general update.

From June 1st - 25th I was TA'ing the summer session Human Physiology course. This kept me very busy! Summer session classes are so intense! 1 week of material every day...a midterm every Thursday and 2 lab practicals as well! It was fun...and a lot of physio "stuff" was really solidified for me because answering questions, explaining, trying to come up with examples and analogies, and of course, GRADING EXAMS...really keeps a person on their toes, and requires real understanding of the material. I think it was good for me.

My grades for the spring semester were good...3.914 GPA...that works out to 10 units of A and 4 units of A-. I am happy with this...and I did not freak out when a letter arrived from the Dean of Science and Technology...I already knew what it was, congratulations on making the Dean's list. After the Fall semester, I got the same letter and had some major anxiety before opening it...seems silly now, but it wasn't at the time.

Starting tomorrow, I have a written schedule for the rest of the summer. The counselor at school and I worked on a list f things for the schedule and then I put it together. The idea is that having a schedule will help me to not slide back into bad habits that cause decline in everything. I really don't do well with large amounts of unstructured time. The time is not completely structured, there are lots of spaces of free time...in fact, evenings are completely open from dinner to bed time. I also have a list of things that I can do for fun, to pick from for the open times. What I scheduled were some pretty basic things...times I need to get up, eating, exercise, houshold chores, regular appointments, and bedtime. All but the regular appointments are things that can quickly become an issue for me...so hopefully this helps.

I hope everyone is enjoying summer.

S

End of the semester

Well...it's all done! My last final was at 3pm today. Now I have to clean my house, which hasn't been done in ages. Raine will be here Friday (I think), to spend the weekend. After that I get a few days of nothing to do then right back to campus! Why you ask? One of the Biology professors asked me to TA his Human Physio summer session class. Which by the way is a PAID position! It's not much pay, but not much is better than nothing. So for 4 weeks, 4 days a week, I will be in Physio lab in the afternoons and grading midterms every weekend.

Also, I was seeing a Psych grad student for a "class" called Psychotherapy experience (Psych 494). It's one unit of upper division Psych credit for me...and counseling experience for the grad student. That was actually working out really well. I would see the grad student once a week and everyone else would see our regular T once a week. I concentrated on the school stress type stuff and the other stuff could be concentrated on in regular t...at least that was the theory, I'm not sure the "other stuff" got worked on, but I assume it did. So anyway, this was for 10 weeks and it ended a few weeks ago. The grad student is now an intern in the campus psych services. Starting in June, I will be seeing her again!

next week I will be able to relax somewhat and get around to blogs again...call my sis-in-law... maybe ride my bike I got in January for the first time!

S

The research proposal is now officially done. Two research papers (much shorter) and one presentation to go!

S

Spring break was pretty nice. We had a little trouble getting out of town on the 10th at the time we wanted too...ie. we left hours later than planned! However, we made good time to D's mom's in the S. Central valley. The next morning we managed to get the car loaded and get D's mom and brother both out the door a few minutes ahead of schedule. The trip through Bakersfield, into the San Fernando Valley and over to Marina Del Rey was mostly uneventful, and again we made good time. The 405 (parking lot ;)) was pretty slow and busy, but not really any worse then going through the East Bay area (in our neck of the woods). Anyway, we only had to go 22 miles on the 405.

So, the wedding was fabulous, the hotel was pretty nice, the weather cooperated nicely...all very nice. My favorite Aunt picked me up the day after the wedding, and we went to Venice Beach for the day. That was so much fun! It was REALLY busy...great people watching there! My Aunt worked half-days in the morning the next two days so that we could spend the rest of the day together. We went to Ventura Harbor one day and Old Town Camarillo the next. Both days just walking around, checking out interesting shops, and talking. It was really nice, and very relaxing. The trip home sucked, but we made it and learned that we will choose another way to get home next time!

Now it's reality check time...

Spring break is over and school is full-steam ahead. Looking at the work remaining I am overwhelmed...substantially overwhelmed, no "a little bit" going on here. I have to reading responses, a facilitaton/presentation, and the final for Classical Theory (thats the "easy class"). I need to finish designing a survey, administer the survey, code and analyse the survey, write up my study (which we are currently learning how to do), and prepare to present my study to the class, for Research Methods. And, for Microbiology...a quiz, outline due, and report on a field trip, all due this Friday. Next Friday we have a lab practical and a midterm. There are two more quizes and the final. Plus, finish trying to figure out what my "unknown culture" is, write up that report (with research/references), finish (okay, really start) researching my chosen topic and prepare a web page with my lab partner, and write up the report, prepare for my presentaton on the topic. Then there are still several podcasts and vcasts on the class web page to review and respond to! WAAAAYYY too much work in that calss. I need a nap just from writing about it.

S

Spring Break Pics

Such an L.A. shot...it was begging to be taken.
This was Marina Del Rey, about 1 mile from Venice Beach.

"The Canals", right before Venice Beach.

Venice Beach!! Woo Hoo! This was early in the day (still had to park several blocks away), it was really packed later, especially along the walk with the shops.

A Venice beach alley/landmark! 'Nuf said.

This was right outside Ventura Harbor...a wave for Kate!

These two were as the sun was setting. Very pretty...and very cold...what's up with that?!?

L.A. wildlife...the original beach bums?

More L.A. wildlife.

And this one is proof that nature WILL prevail! This pretty, little plant was literally growing out of a crack in the cement wall.

A little late...

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month