.:reflections of twilight:.

Last night was the initiation ceremony for the Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society. It was a nice little ceremony with a speaker and punch and cake. Since it’s a Greek Society that’s been around for over 100 years, there was naturally a bit of pomp to go with it. The initiates stood before the officers and listened while they recited the creed of the society and we had to repeat a few phrases. I joked to mom later that I thought they’d prick my finger to make a blood oath or something. We were called up individually to pick up our certificates and a handbook and then we had some group pictures taken. It was pretty nice.






I have a week and a half left of classes and it’s getting crunch time. I’m working on my PowerPoint presentation right now since I can do that on and off during the day. It’s not hard, it’s just time consuming to put together. Then I have to film an instructional video to later edit and post as well as type up a rationale. That’s coming later in the week. I just hope I don’t crash and burn to the point that my overall GPA suffers. I need to maintain a GPA of 3.5 in order to continue with being a member of KDP. No pressure or anything. The summer will be a nice time to relax a little before starting my final semester. I have a load of admiration for those who can work 40+ hours a week and still go to school full time. I know I could never do it.

I hope everyone had a nice Easter, if you celebrate it. Mom and I had some ham, potatoes and corn for dinner, which were all very delicious.

I received an invitation to join the Education International Honor Society, Kappa Delta Pi. Looking it up, it’s extended to the students in the top 20th percentile, grade-wise, who are Education Majors. Undergrads need a GPA of 3.0 and Graduate Students need one of 3.25. Mine is 3.7, so I guess I qualify. There’s a ceremony on the 20th of April that I need to attend in person (as well as pay the necessary fees) in order to be inducted. It’s kind of flattering, really. I’ve never been in an honor society before. I just hope I don’t cave under pressure and let my GPA drop. Since I don’t have very much time left in this semester and only one more to go next fall, it should be fine. I am a little worried about the seminar class I have to take next semester, which I hear is pretty difficult. I’ll just do the best that I can do and go from there.

I talked to dad today for Easter and he said they’re coming down in this area sometime in the fall and that they want to go to Washington DC sometime. They invited me to go with them and I hope I can go, depending on my schedule. I love DC and the last time I was there in 2008 and I hear that there are some additional sites. Plus, the weather is better in the fall as opposed to the summer, which was when I was there the last two times.

Mom and I went on food stamps recently. I know for some people it may seem shameful or embarrassing, but since neither of us is working right now, any little bit can help. It’s only for edible food items as well as plants that can grow food, like tomato plants.

We got a new neighbor. A young guy who looks to be in his mid to late twenties/early thirties. Mom kind of net him once, but she never found out his name. Tonight we ‘observed’ him moving a few more things in and by the looks of it there are two children with him. One looks to be a girl about 10-ish or so and the other one is a kid about 5-ish. I haven’t seen a wife or girlfriend yet. I dunno if he’s a single father or what. Yes, I know we’re nosy…

Soooo, I had a bit of an incident last night/early this morning. Before turning in, I went downstairs because I thought I had forgotten something. I guess I had a misstep and I tripped on the bottom landing on my left knee pretty hard and jamming the middle finger of my left hand, which I used to try and break my fall. I was stunned, but no other injuries occurred. I didn’t even hit my head.

So I crawled up the stairs and made my way to the bathroom in order to tend to my knee and I sat down on the toilet when I started to feel dizzy and lightheaded. Apparently, I leaned against the wall and slid and fell between the wall and the toilet (dislodging the toilet slightly). Mom said she heard me fall and so she came in to see what was happening and she said I turned to her and mumbled something about being a dream. Then I blacked out and landed on the floor.

The next thing I remember is waking up on the bathroom floor with my mom standing over me. I was a little wet due to having knocked over the cats’ water dish and I was a little shaken. After a little time passed to regulate my breathing (since I was panicking some), mom brought some dry pajamas and started to clean my skinned knee. She gave me some water and then helped me to bed. She got the blood pressure cuff we have and took my blood pressure to make sure it was within normal range. It was good, 99/75, but I had a bit of a low heart rate.

So I drank a little bit of apple juice and mom stayed with me awhile to make sure I didn’t involuntarily slip into unconsciousness, which I didn’t. I had to sleep sitting up for the rest of the night, which since I’m a side sleeper was kinda difficult. I feel fine now except the swelling on my finger makes it hard to bend, but I know it’s not broken since I can move it and it’s not painful to the touch.

In other, better news, I met with my Graduate Advisor on Friday to go over all that I needed to do to graduate in December. After this semester, I have one regular class to take, a one credit hour seminar and my Practicum, which is 200 hours in a school library. One hundred is in an elementary school and the other 100 is in a secondary school, like a high school or middle school. I have to file for my intent to graduate before September 1st. I also have to take two Praxis exams. One is the Praxis PLT, which is the Principles of Teaching and Learning and then the other one is the 5311, which is the one specifically for School Library Media. I looked at some of the sample questions online and it’s mostly teaching theory and practical applications as well as history and philosophical methods. Not a lot of math, it looks like, which is a relief. Then, before I graduate, I need to do an Oral Presentation with my advisor and one other instructor basically going over all I’ve learned and letting them know that I remember most of what I learned over the course of the past semesters.

Once all of that is done and I graduate and finish my Praxis, I have to contact someone at the school and apply for my certification. After that is finished, I will officially be a School Librarian! Pretty exciting! So, it looks like the Fall 2015 semester is going to be pretty busy!

I seem to be noticing a “once-a-month-update” pattern lately. It’s not a deliberate thing, it’s just the way it is.

Anyhoodle, other than school and medical stuff, not much has been going on. We had a major snowstorm happen a week ago, so we had a nice couple of days where there was a lot of snow on the ground. Schools were closed for almost a week in some areas, including the university. I was going to have my Remicade last Thursday, but due to weather, it was moved to tomorrow.

Mom and I did get a chance to go and take some pictures of the snow-covered historical area that we frequent sometimes, so that was neat.







In other news, I’ve been doing some research on International Schools. It’s an idea in the back of my mind to be a librarian at one maybe. My main concern would be my medical treatments, but sometimes you need to do things out of the box once in a while I still have some more research to do and all that important stuff, but it’s a possibility. I have a meeting with my advisor on the 20th to see what all I need to do in order to finish my schooling.

I did my FAFSA done and processed for next semester, so at least that’s out of the way. I’m trying not to think of the debt I’m racking up at the moment. -_-

Sorry I haven’t been posting much lately. Time seems to get away from me sometimes…

I didn’t do a Year in Review post like I usually do, mostly because I forgot and also because I don’t know how many people are actually still reading this journal anyway.

My GI doctor wanted to put me back on Remicade again, so I had my first treatment in well over a year two weeks ago and it went fine. I slept through most of it since they give me Benadryl so prevent any allergic reactions and the like. I was supposed to have another one Wednesday, but I was supposed to have lab work done apparently (even though we asked the nurse TWICE if I needed it and she said no), so I had to reschedule. So, mom and I went to Target to get me some more long sleeved shirts and then to Books A Million to browse (and to buy, who are we kidding here). Then we had lunch at my favorite Chinese place before going back home. I’ve rescheduled my appointment for next week and I will make sure to have my labs done well ahead of time.

I also went to my allergist Monday, and he gave me a prescription for an EpiPen for my shellfish allergy. He said that even though I won’t consciously eat shellfish, there is always a chance for cross contamination. He also said I can start getting allergy shots, so I have an appointment set up for that in a few weeks. I used to do them myself a few years ago, but here they have a place to go to to get them done. I also started doing Neti Pot rinses and I can tell a major difference when I do! It does feel weird, though and I have to position my head just so, so I don’t dribble water down the front of me.

Classes started up again on Tuesday. I had to drop one class and register for another when I realized I got one I really didn’t want. Things should be all set now. So, after this one, I just have one more semester to go before graduation and then my Praxis exam (which I am NOT looking forward to in the slightest). Luckily, next fall I only have to take one class in addition to my Practicum, so that will be easier for me since the Practicum will take up a lot of my time. For those who don’t know, the Practicum is the School Librarian version of student teaching. We go into a school library, one-half in an elementary school and the other half in a secondary school. Sort of like a hands-on approach. I need to talk to my advisor about what I’d need to do to possibly get a certification to work in a public library in order to increase my employment chances.

I’ve been knitting some. I had to take a bit of a break since I hurt my arm somehow, but I may start up again soon since it’s feeling better. I made two scarves for my Tonner Jasper and Alice dolls, and now I’m making one for me. I have no pattern to follow, just basic stockinet stitching. I did buy a book of basic patterns, so hopefully I can attempt to make something other than scarves.

I started reading a new manga series called Vinland Saga by Makoto Yukimura. It’s about Vikings in the 11th-Century set around Danish occupied England and Iceland. It’s pretty good so far and the art is amazing! I’ve always been impressed with these series where the manga-ka does a ton of research and puts a lot of details in their work. Plus, Vikings!

I did get a phone upgrade since I was due for one and my other one was acting up. I went from an iPhone 5 to an iPhone 6. Gold colored! I like it. The screen is bigger and it has a few new features that I like, such as the fingerprint identification to unlock the phone. I need to find a way to reset my iPod so that I can go back to factory setting so that I can reload it with my music and podcasts and not much else. However, I have it registered to my old email address from my Florida ISP, and I can’t remember the password in order to change it. So it’s a bit frustrating.

I’m signing off for now. Hopefully, I’ll be back on here sooner rather than later.

I've decided I'm doing something a weeee bit different this year. I still plan on sending out Christmas letters, but I'm also posting it online for people to read who I don't have a physical address for or that I know checks my Facebook page on a regular basis. That way, it cuts down on how much I mail out. If anyone still wants me to send out a physical letter to them, just let me know and I'll message you for your address (as well as mine if you want to send a card). My email will be fine too. It's danielle.bates32@gmail.com

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It's pretty short. We've had a pretty low-key year.

I also finished all of my classwork for my classes for this semester. The hardest one was the Research Proposal I had to write. I don't know what sort of grade I'll get but at least I finished it. I also have an interview for a GA position at the on-campus laboratory school library on Thursday. I don't know if I'll get the position or not, but here's hoping. Maybe I'll be a GA once again and hopefully I won't screw this one up!

Well, here we are, my third week of school and things are going pretty good so far. I have to tell myself not to get too ahead of myself and panic about stuff and to take things one project at a time. I have no doubt that a number of my classmates are way ahead of me, but as long as I get things done by the deadline, I’ll be fine. Going to the public library for a few hours a week helps since it provides fewer distractions than at home.

I did start going to the gym again this week. It may take me only one or two days a week for around an hour or so, but it’s progress!! I just need to be disciplined and stick with it.

My dad and stepmom will be coming later on next week and stay for a little over nine days. I’m looking forward to them visiting, since it’ll get me out of the house more. Due to the timing, I think if I can get my assignments for the next two weeks finished earlier in the week, I can have more time to spend with them and not worry about school stuff.

I was able to get my brakes fixed finally! A former co-worker of mom’s whom she keeps in contact with on Facebook had her husband stop by (who used to be a mechanic) and take care of them. It’s so nice to have brakes again! And according to him, it was none too soon since one of the brake rotors was worn down so thin that if I had driven on them for much longer, I’d have had a blowout! Yikes!

Now, tomorrow, mom is getting tires for her car so we can at least move it to the garage so that the HOA will stop putting notices on it threatening to tow it. There is still something wrong with it that we haven’t pinpointed yet, but I hope we can get it figured out soon so that I can have my car to myself once again.

That’s all there is for now. Things have been a little busy with school and all so I hope to be able to keep updated soon.

Sorry I haven’t been posting a great deal lately. This being the summertime and with mom still being out of work and classes not starting for another few weeks, things have been very low key. Plus, my car is acting up and we don’t want to drive it too much until I can get the money to get it fixed. Luckily I’ll be getting my student loan soon and will be able to get my car fixed as well as a few other things that have been neglected. I look forward to being able to go places since I feel like I’ve been trapped in my house for months on end.

I’m trying to gently prod mom to be more proactive in finding another job. I know there’s an element of disillusionment on her part, but unfortunately, she has to find a job and sometime soon. Maybe once we get her a set of wheels, she’ll be more inclined to get out more… and out of my hair.

I did apply for a GA position at the campus library, which would’ve been perfect for me, but alas, I didn’t get it. I was told they’d hang onto my application until next semester in case another spot opens up, so there’s still hope.

I saw ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ on Saturday (I did have at least a little bit of money to be able to see that), and it was friggin’ AWESOME!!! Fun and action packed and the soundtrack is amazing (and I’m totally gonna buy it when I get the chance). If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly suggest that you do!

Dad called me for my birthday last week and it was nice to talk to him. He did invite mom and I to go to Mackinac Island with them next summer, which excites us both since we’ve never been and mom’s always wanted to be able to go for quite some time. He said there’s also a train that goes into Canada during certain times of the year, which he said we’d go on. It sounds exciting and I’m looking forward to it.

I did contact a Financial Advisor to set up some sort of investment plan for the future, which is a major step for me towards actual adulthood. My main priority is having a decent retirement fund so that I don’t have to work until I’m in my 70’s or something. Plus, I’d like to be able to enjoy my retirement and all of that stuff. Maybe buy a house or something.

Our A/C was fixed, allegedly. It was working fine for a while, but now it’s getting hot in the house again. It doesn’t help matters any that our sliding doors have full on Southern exposure and it gets pretty hot pretty fast. Needless to say, I’m looking forward to autumn.

I had a nice birthday. Since mom and I are tight on money, we didn’t do anything, but we said we’d make up for it later on, for both of us since hers was in June and we didn’t do anything for hers either. I did get my annual birthday stash from my dad. I got a Hufflepuff scarf, a phone case that looks like a mini book, and the Blu-ray set of the ‘Twilight’ movies (I know, I know. Everyone has a guilty pleasure. Mine are lame romances… some of which aren’t so lame). I did receive a very nice gift card from a friend (thank you, rosehiptea) from Barnes & Noble which I used on books (of course).

I had a colonoscopy in early July. It went well. I still dislike the prep, but that’s part of the process, unfortunately. The GI doc wants to do another one in two years. I have an appointment with him on the 18th, and we’ll see where things progress after that. He did say that he doesn’t want to put me back on Remicade for the time being. He said there is medication that is between that and what I’m taking now, so I hope that will work well.

That pretty much it for now. Maybe in the next few weeks or so there will be more to report.

Well, mom got fired today. It seems she took too many sick days. Apparently at her company no one is allowed more than two call in days per year, which I think is a profoundly stupid policy (it may be as high as three. It’s still a stupid policy). Mom missed five, all due to illness and not just for the hell of it. I guess this last one was one too many and so she was fired. I mean, we still have her Social Security checks and my annuity coming in, so we’ll still have some income coming in, but it’ll still be tight. Hopefully she can find something better fairly soon. And I hope I can get another GA position once school starts, which would help tremendously.

Personally, I was wondering how long the company was going to hang onto the employees it has already. In the past few weeks, they already lost three employees (not counting mom) and may lose another due to having to take care of her brother because of health reasons. There was a managerial change recently, and that usually begins the downfall. It happened with the last company we were with as well. Maybe this will enable mom to get a job she likes better, like at the VA. So I’m going to be off of Facebook and Twitter for a bit because I can’t deal with people right now…

My back started acting up again, which is the last thing I need right now.

When it rains, it pours…

Well, my laptop decided to upchuck on me today. It’s doing the same thing mom’s did which means it’s not booting up. Luckily I have my Surface (which I am currently using) and my desktop to use. However, mom was time sharing with me and now that might be a bit more difficult. Lucky me.

I’m mostly upset about not having access to some of my programs and pictures. I told myself that I was going to transfer my pictures to my external hard drive, but I never did and now I’m kicking myself for not doing it. If we can figure out what the deal is with mom’s, maybe I can figure out what is going on with mine. I at least want to be able to transfer my photos.

This weekend looks to be a busy one, but fun. There’s a thing called “Wooly Days” at one of the historical sites and there will be sheep and lambs and lots of interesting stuff going on. Also, the college campus is having a Bluegrass Concert which we also wasn’t to go to. Sounds like fun!

School is going well! My grades look to be good. I just have to finish these next few weeks and pass my finals and I’ll be good to go! I hope to be able to go to my high school reunion this summer. I have some money I got from my tax return, so I could pay for it, but I want mom to come to since I know she’d like to see people (not to my actual reunion, just to Florida with me). So, hopefully we can pull it off.

Spring is here!! I love it! All the flowers and the green trees! Here are the pictures I took of some of the flowering trees that are around. It’s a lot nicer than being in Florida (at least for me) since it’s more than simply “hot and slightly less hot”.

Signing off for now. Hopefully I can still see everyone around.