snapdragon76: (Alphonse Mucha)
Spring is just around the corner. For the first time in what seems like forever, I'm actually looking forward to it.

I never used to think much of Spring. For one thing, I lived in Florida for almost thirty years are there are really only two seasons there: hot and slightly less hot. OK, and maybe rain. There was a lot of pollen which aggravated my allergies, and that was what Spring in Florida was like for me.

Now that we moved to a place that has noticeable seasons, I think I'm going to see Spring the way it's meant to be seen. As green and flowery and new. I can already see the buds on the trees and the flowers that are just waiting for the time to pop open. And after the winter we've had, it'll be a nice change.

I'm trying not to be passive-aggressive toward our neighbors, but it's becoming very difficult. It's primarily a young couple in their twenties, I'd say. Every weekend they have people over to drink and listen to obnoxiously loud music and talk at high volume to anyone within earshot. Unfortunately, our houses are extremely close to each other, and my bedroom window is right above their porch, where a lot of noise is coming from. I'm trying to not go over there and tell them to knock it off or to at least be considerate of other people, but do I really want to become the crotchety young person who has to shake my cane and tell people to get off of my lawn? I'm afraid it might get worse as the weather gets warmer.

At present, they're cleaning out the garage/basement/condo of a bunch of stuff (which I PRAY means they're in the process of moving), and naturally they have to make it into a party. Maybe we should say something to the HOA about it due to noise violation or some such. I don't know. I've never dealt with an HOA before so I don't understand the protocol.

School is going pretty well. I never thought I'd be having to read children's books in order to analyze them for lesson content. I don't think every single book that is in a school library is for the purpose of 'learning something'. Sometimes you read just to read. For an escape into another world. Why does there have to be a lesson involved? Oh well...

Speaking of books, I went on a bit of a book binge the other day and bought a decent stack from the bookstore. I got a few manga as well as YA books (which I still enjoy even though I am not anywhere close to the target age group). I'm in the middle of (or actually almost finished with) a book called Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. It's been a good, engrossing read so far. It mentions a lot about being in a fandom and having an active role in it, in this case, fanfic. It's a Harry Potter expy, but it could be any kind of fandom that has a decent enough following to have tons of fanfic written about it.

I was never much for fanfic. I've read a bit, if I knew the author or if I liked the pairing or the fandom or the writing style. I only ever once wrote a fanfic myself, and it was for the Trigun fandom. It was a small fluff piece with the main paring I liked, and it wasn't too bad IMHO. Not a lot of people read it, and I was never inspired to write anything else, so that's the only one I ever wrote.

I also know officially have health insurance thanks to the ACA (i.e. Obamacare). A lot of people are totally against Obamacare because they think the government shouldn't have a hand in the health care industry. Like it or not, it's happening, and it does give people who don't have insurance, a chance to actually get coverage. I just wish that the health care issue wasn't such a big damn deal here in the US. I think everyone should have a chance to have health insurance if they need it.

Whatever...

I'm feeling sleepy, so I might take a nap for a little bit. That is, if I can sleep over the noise from next door...
snapdragon76: (Alphonse Mucha)
It seems as if I can't hold onto my friendships as of late. First it was the girl that I had been friends with since childhood that turned into a bitter and angry person and so I voluntarily cut ties with her. Now, it's a good friend whom I haven't known as long and we now have differing philosophies that are coming between us.

It started on Sunday when I posted on my Facebook page an image I saw that another friend of mine posted in regards to religious extremists (I forget the exact wording that was used). I added that I thought any sort of extremist, including religious extremists like Christians, Muslims and even Jews, were dangerous. I received a rather terse comment back:

Wow. This is really so wrong. You do realize he (John Cleese) is a Socialist? The same group that Marxist and true extremist come from? And, the link is from an atheist group does not surprise me. They are the same groups that want to kill anyone that does not agree with them... Jews, Christians, anyone that follows God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And, you're agreeing with it? I pray for your eyes to be opened. This is a dangerous path you're following.


She never used to be this narrow minded and unreasonable. She follows the Messianic Judaism teachings and an ultra-Conservative one at that. I didn't reply back because I didn't want to start a flame war on my Facebook page, but I'm not going to delete it either. I do thank [personal profile] coastal_spirit for leaving a nice comment that agreed with me (although I did warn her that there might be an inflammatory return comment).

Now, she's being very passive-aggressive in her own Facebook postings and posting all kinds of diatribes and verses and passages that support her view like she's going to change my mind or something. It's very disappointing.

The think is, she never used to be like this until she got married and got more and more involved with this way of thinking and the ultra-Conservative, survivalist, homesteading point-of-view. Mom and I used to have a lot of fun with her and her husband before this all got started and now all that's changed! it's also affecting mom at work since mom and her work together and she's been giving mom the cold shoulder. My mom has nothing to do with it! Maybe it's because my mom agrees with me? She never public said so on the post, but she told me in private she thinks I have a good point.

I'd hate to lose the friendship, but if it's meant to be, maybe I should just let it happen? Sometimes relationships with others aren't meant to be forever. Sometimes someone is in your life only for a certain amount of time and then it's time for them to leave. Although it would be a shame since she's one of the few people around here we know...

I'm not going to end things just yet. I'll ride it out and see how it goes and if it can't be saved, I guess it's really the end.
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snapdragon76: (Alphonse Mucha)
I'm almost finished with my first week of Grad School, and other than a few anxious moments, things are going pretty well so far. I just wish that authors wouldn't write such dry textbooks though. Getting through them can be a real chore. I also wish I'd get the one textbook I'm still missing soon. I ordered it from Amazon originally like I did with all of my other ones, except they said they had no idea when I'd be getting it. Then I looked on Barnes and Noble.com and they had it and said it'd be shipped to me sometime this week. I'm still waiting. Hopefully I can get it before the assignment I need from it is due. I did email my instructor and explained the situation to her, so she's aware of it at least.

The GA position is going pretty good as well. I like the professor I work for and she's easy to get a long with and she explains what she needs pretty clearly so I know exactly what I need to do. I'm supposed to be farmed out to some of the other offices sometime, but I don't know when or anything, so I'm playing it by ear right now. I've had to leave early almost the entire time I've been working for some reason or another. Friday I was done early, so I could leave. Monday was no school, yesterday I had some issues with my HR paperwork and I had to get that taken care of within a certain time frame and today I had to leave so I could pick up mom from work sine she was sick. I was able to finish all of my tasks though, but I'm supposed to be there for four hours and I haven't made it that long as of yet. Hopefully from now on I can...

We got some snowfall lately. Not as much as some places, but it still made driving pretty interesting, I gotta say. No close calls thus far!

I did some shopping this past weekend and got some new underwear, which I desperately needed. I got fitted for new bras too and apparently I grew a cup size. Who knew! Only now, the bras I got tend to poke me and it's pretty uncomfortable. Such is the life of a woman, I guess. Maybe I can find something that gives the support without the poky bits.

Aside from everything I just mentioned, not much is going on. Watched the first episode of the third season of Sherlock last weekend and I loved it! Had a few laugh out loud moments here and there, which I loved. I live tweeted a little while watching as well. Looking forward to next Sunday when the second episode airs. I also got a few new books after a long dry spell. I was very restrained when it came to book buying, for which I'm immensely proud since I tend to go a little over board when it comes to book buying. The books I got were Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children Graphic Novel. I really liked it. I think the recently released sequel will eventually get a graphic novel format as well based on the preview at the end. I also got the fourth volume of the color version of Scott Pilgrim. Trust me, there are several more books on my wish list I want to read.

Well, I'm getting a little hungry and a little sleepy, so I might fix me some lunch and then lie down for a little bit since I finished my studies for the day.
snapdragon76: (Tamaki and Haruhi)
I do have a year in review post coming, but it's taking me longer to put together than I thought, so it'll get posted whenever I have a chance.

Classes start on Thursday, and I'm trying not to go into panic mode about it. My Anxiety does not like doing new, unknown things and so it has to start showing up about now. I think once I get my new routine in place, things will calm down. A primary concern is money related, of course. I decided that I needed to have some money in order to get books and supplies and such since my GA position only covers tuition. I'm pretty sure I filled out everything I was supposed to, but I haven't heard anything about dispersal as of yet, and it's starting to worry me a little since I need to get books and supplies before Thursday.

I also haven't heard back about when and what time I start my GA job. I just love all of this bureaucracy involved in going to Grad School. I just have to keep focused and hope that it'll all pay off in the end. I email my professors to keep them in the loop, which is basically all I can do at this point. I had to fill out a paper in regards to the status of my residency. Most likely because since the school is paying for my tuition, they want to do it at a lower cost with me as an 'in-state' resident.

And February will be ten years since I started this journal. Looking back, it's interesting to see my growth as a person and a 'writer' of sorts. I may do something to commemorate as of yet, but I don't know what.

I did finally get to see Frozen and The Hobbit 2 a few weeks ago. I really liked both of them and will likely see them again at some point.

I still plan on sending out New Year letters, once I get my student loan and can afford to print them off, that is. I also hope to get my car tuned up and possibly a new washer and dryer since our old ones are shot. I know it's not 'technically' a school related expense, but clean clothes are an important priority, I think.

I also hope to be able to find a decent health insurance, either through the school or independent company since I need to restart my Remicade treatment again. I've been lucky enough that I haven't had any major health issues (aside from the pneumonia a few months ago), so I haven't needed to seek medical treatment. My medications seem to be doing the trick, I just hope I can get coverage before I run out. I just LOVE the healthcare issues in this country, but I'm not gonna get into that here.

I'm trying to find more time to read than I have been, since I miss it and there are a lot of books I'd like to catch up on, not to mention the school related reading I'll have to do. Frankly, I wish I had more time to do a lot more things, but I don't and I have to try and deal with it as best that I can.

It's late and I should get to bed probably. I'll try to work on the YIR post I've been working on so I can finally get it posted and to also take down the Christmas decorations once and for all.
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snapdragon76: My Chinese Zodiac sign (Japanese dragon)
I hope everyone had a nice Christmas, those of you who celebrate that is.

Ours was very low key, but still pretty special.

Mom and I slept out in the living room Christmas Eve since we keep the lights on all night. I like doing it because it's kinda neat in a way. Sleeping under the Christmas tree with all the lights on. It's kinda magical.

I was the only one who got gifts since mom and I will be having our own Christmas celebration in late January due to having more of an income flow by then. Mine were from my dad, and I was very pleased.

I got the 25th Anniversary set of Mystery Science Theater 3000, the Hyperbole and a Half book by Allie Brosh (huge fan of her blog), the How To Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting To Kill You book by The Oatmeal and a Cat Lady 'action' figure, which is a testament to my dad's weird sense of humor.

We didn't go to church services this year. It was a little strange not going, but I think we're still on the search for a full time church home. The one we've been going to a few times before was pretty nice, but I don't really know the reasoning for us not going back. Who can say...

We had a meal of ham, mashed potatoes and corn. It was minimalist, but since it was just the two of us, it served our purposes just fine. I'd have liked some rolls or pie for after, but our money is very tight right now and we couldn't afford it. We do have plenty of ham left over though.

Our microwave quit on us again. And it's the same problem as our last one had, strangely enough. The power works and everything, it just won't heat anything. We let the landlord know about it, but he hasn't contacted us about it yet. Hopefully it can get replaced soon since even though we can reheat things on the stove top, microwaving is so much easier.

This time of year is also a difficult one for mom especially. My older sister died the day after Christmas in 1979 and even though it's been 34 years, it's still rather melancholy. I try to cheer mom up a little, but I don't know if I help or not. I know that there are things that can't be helped, but I still like to try anyway.

I have no plans for New Year's other than what I usually do, which is stay home and watch the ball drop on TV and maybe have some sparkling cider. Mom and I did make plans to go to the movies on New Year's Day, so hopefully that's still on the agenda. I'd like to go and see Frozen and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug if possible. I'm not looking forward to the party our neighbors are more than likely gonna throw on New Year's Eve which will undoubtedly be loud and obnoxious. -_-

My classes start in another couple of weeks or so, and I'm hoping I'll be able to get the things I need before then. I don't know when the GA position starts officially and I'm assuming I'll be contacted with more information once everyone at the school returns from Winter break. I did find out what books I'll be needing, and one of them costs almost $200.00!! Yikes! I think I can find a used on for cheaper, and if not, there is the option of renting if need be. My GA job will pay for my tuition, but not my books or any other expenses.

Mom seems to be settling into her new job fairly well. She still has more training to do, and she needs to be trained on the company wide computer system, but that won't be until January 8th since they only do them on Wednesdays and they have two Wednesdays off in a row. I hope she'll take a picture or two of her work area since I don't think I'll be able to see it in person.

That's all for now. I still plan on sending out letters, but it may not be until after the New Year since I have to get ink for my printer as well as stamps. So rather than a Christmas letter, it'll be more like a New Year's letter.

Take care, and stay warm all of you in the colder climates!!
snapdragon76: (Last Unicorn)
I gotta say, I've been jumping through so many hoops these past few days, I feel like I should join a circus.

Apparently there are absolutely no records of me having gotten my MMR immunizations from when I went to undergrad. I know for certain I had boosters done in '99, but UCF doesn't keep records longer than seven years. Naturally I can't sign up for my final class unless I have this dealt with, as I explained in more detail in my last post.

We searched high and low (literally, since we have files both upstairs and in the basement) for these damn things, only to come up empty. So I thought I'd go and get the MMR Titer test done so that they can see that I did indeed get my immunizations, only to discover that they damn thing costs $107.00! Screw that!!

So, I thought I'd just bite the bullet and go to the Health Department and get immunized again so that there can be documentation that I'm not riddled with disease. I called them (which I loathe since I have to talk on the phone with my voice the way it is) and talked to someone who made me an 'appointment' for today at 9:00.

I show up, and after it took them awhile to even find me in the system (turns out whoever I talked to on the phone took down my birth date wrong), I discovered my appointment wasn't until TOMORROW at 9:00.

Now, I distinctly heard the lady on the phone say "Tuesday at 9:00", which I even put in my calendar on my phone so I'd remember. How the hell they had me down for tomorrow I'll never even know.

And now I have to traipse alllll the way back to the health department tomorrow to get injections which I've had twice already, then haul ass back to the school so that they can have documentation that I did all of this, just so I can FINALLY finish registering for classes and am eligible for the GA job I'm pretty sure is in the bag. That is, if this whole debacle hasn't sabotaged my chances.

*siiiiiiiiiigh*

I just gotta keep focus on the larger goal here, which is to get my Master's Degree and have a career that I actually might enjoy rather than a soul killing job.

Then I find out that the kid who shot up his school in Colorado this past week was looking for the school librarian... Fantastic.

Remind me not to head the debate team.

In better news, I did manage to get the Christmas tree up and decorated a mere eleven days before Christmas. Which means it'll probably stay up until April.



And no, it's not crooked. It's just the angle at which I took the picture.

I'll probably not be able to send out the letters until the New Year, since I need to buy ink so I can print them off. Maybe next year I can actually send out cards instead of lame-o letters...
snapdragon76: Did I mention that I like reading? (books)
There seems to be a strange ritual with my neighbors where they feel it necessary to have parties in their condo until the wee hours of the morning every weekend. They're a couple, I'd say in their early twenties or so, who invite their buddies over for a night of drinking and loud music. There may be food involved as well, I don't really know. During college football season, it's much worse. I guess I should be thankful they don't do it during the week, but every freakin' weekend? I think they have regular jobs they go too since both of them are gone for the majority of the day during the week and at least one of them goes to the local university.

Still, I don't suppose it would be prudent of them to maybe rotate houses for this weekly ritual of theirs. I mean, this is literally every. weekend. It's especially bad for me since my bedroom window faces their porch, where the guys (it's usually the guys) go out and shoot the breeze while talking loudly and drinking beer (it's mostly beer).

I officially registered for my classes on Thursday, only to come across yet ANOTHER road block. It seems one cannot register for the full nine hours of coursework one needs to be qualified for a GA position unless all their immunizations are up to date. Well, guess what? I can't seem to find the records of my immunizations (specifically my MMR)! I had boosters done in '99 before entering undergrad, but when we contacted the school, they only had the Measles and Rubella, not the Mumps one. Now, I'm preeeeeetty sure I had all the immunizations done, so why my Mumps one isn't in there, is a mystery. And of course, the university only hold records for seven years.

So, now I have to try and find ANY sort of documentation to prove I did have my immunizations done, or go to the student health clinic and get a Titer (I think), which is related to a Mumps booster I believe. That takes three to five days to get results since it has to be sent to an off campus lab for results. My mind is a little fuzzy on the specifics of it. In any event, I need to get this done in the next week or so so that I can get the results in my records by the time classes start, so that I can register for my final class AND be eligible for the GA position I interviewed for on Tuesday.

Speaking of which, it went really well, I thought. The lady interviewing me was very nice and personable and she seemed to like me. She told me the job would basically be me inputting stuff into the computer for her that she's not always able to do herself since she's out of her office a lot doing student teacher evaluations. And I'd be helping her organize things as well as make presentations and help her try to figure out how to use her iPad. I don't have an iPad, but since I have an iPhone and the OS is pretty much the same, I can figure it out.

So, I have to wait and hear back from the person in charge of the hiring to see if I officially get the position or not. I'd also mostly likely be shared with another professor since they tend to split duties between various Ga's. Not a problem. Although I would have to get up and drop mom off at work since we're currently sharing one car. Hopefully we can figure out what the deal is with mom's car so that we can both have our own vehicles back for us to use and can come and go as we please.
snapdragon76: Starlight by Muse (starlight)
First of all, I am MASSIVELY annoyed with my computer right now. For some reason, the power cord doesn't want to make a connection so it's using the battery which tends to lose power fairly quickly. I haven't figure out why it does this, but it seems that even if I make the slightest movement, it disconnects. Maybe the power cord is bad or something. I don't know really. (ETA: Yeah, it IS the power cord. I'm using mom's right now).

So, I have to retype my post that I was working on before since I had to restart my computer, and I never have the wherewithal to actually SAVE the drafts to my client. *grumble*

I've been accepted into Graduate School!

Granted, it's a conditional acceptance. Basically, it means I have to get a 3.0 or above during my first 12 credit hours (basically two semesters). I'm pretty sure I can do it if I put my mind to it. I'm a little out of practice, but it'll probably come back to me. So now I have to go to the campus and get my ID and parking permit and all of that jazz. Classes start on the 16th, and I need to get my financial aid straightened out before that. I have an interview on Tuesday for a GA position, and if I get it, the school will pay for my tuition for a semester, which will help a lot! Since I'm technically an 'out of state' student until June, it'd be more per credit hour. But, if I get the GA position, then the following Fall I'd be an 'in state' student and the tuition would be a lot less. Plus, I'd get a monthly stipend which will help tremendously.

If I do get the GA job, I'd have to be on campus for 20 hours a week, which I can handle I think. I used to work 40 hours a week at my old job, so this will probably four hours or so per day. I don't know what it entails to be a GA, but I'm assuming it'll be to help out the professor I'm placed with. I guess we'll find out...

I'll also need to learn to drive in the wintertime since I'll have to be on campus for the job. My classes are all online, so that won't be a problem.

Mom's been laid up for a week with some sort of viral infection. We think she got it during Thanksgiving. The husband of our hostess was feeling under the weather that day which they had initially attributed to food poisoning. Later on, it was found out that there was an 'epidemic' of sorts going on at her work, which is where it likely came from. I just hope she feels better by the time she starts work on the 16th. Ideally before that since she has to go for her drug testing on Monday. Plus, she'd just like to feel better.

We've been having some weird weather recently. Yesterday I was able to wash the car outside while I was wearing shorts and a T-shirt. Of course, the hose had dry rot, so I had to rinse the car with buckets of water. Mom had forgotten that since we moved up here now, that the hose needs to be brought inside for fall and winter. Oops.

I finished typing up my Holiday letter, now I just need to get some more ink in order to print it off. If you still want one, just let me know, and I'll drop one in the mail. You can give me your address via email or drop me a message. If you'd like mine, let me know, and I'll send a message.

I'm currently rereading High School Debut for the umpteenth time. I love it. It's so adorable. There are a few orphaned series that I wish would've been bought by another company, or seen continued. Like Sky Blue Shore form TokyoPop. But, since they stopped publishing manga (or most of it anyway), it was discontinued after only two volumes. It's a shame. I started to like that series and I can't find any translations of it anywhere. Another series that was stopped (bizarrely with only two volumes left to go), was Papillion published by Kondansha. When they switched ownership, they dropped it for some reason. I kinda wish they'd at least have published the remaining volumes so it would be a completed series.

Farewell for now!
snapdragon76: from the New Moon trailer.  (Fursplode!)
There are times where I love technology and other times, not so much. This is one of those times.

My laptop decided to take a dump on me for some reason unknown to me. It was doing perfectly fine all of yesterday morning, when it shut itself off. I tried turning it back on only for the exact same thing happen. So I decided to let it sit for a bit to see if that would do anything.

Nope!!

I’d like to do a recovery or a diagnostic or something, but since it can’t stay on long enough for me to do it, I can’t figure out the problem. It’s only three years old and should not be doing this. It’s incredibly frustrating.

To make matters worse, since mom’s laptop upchucked on her, she’d been using mine in order for her to check her emails and stuff for when she applied for jobs. Now, she can’t do that either! My desktop is working fine for the time being, so hopefully that can hold out. I’d like to be able to figure out what the issue is and get it fixed since a lot of my stuff is on there and I’d still like to be able to use it. I have recovery disks somewhere, I just gotta find ‘em.

Right now I’m typing on my Surface that I got with some money I got from the State of Florida (which I’m not gonna mention to anyone on Facebook since I did whinge a bit about lack of funds, which is still true). I got it mostly to use for school so I could have something small and lightweight for when or if I needed to go onto campus for anything. But, it’s very limiting with what it can do as a regular laptop.

I also got a few items from Amazon that I had my eye on, like some rings and a new optical wireless mouse since my other one was being spastic. I also got some winter stuff, like a scarf, hat and gloves as well as a pair of boots and a coat.

I’d like to go and see Catching Fire if possible and I’ve been hearing lots of good things about it. I still have some money left over, so we’ll see. Movies here are so expensive for some reason. Much more so than in Florida, oddly enough.

Mom hasn’t heard anything back from the place she had the interview with. She talked to a friend of ours who works for the same company and she told mom that it sometimes takes a little bit of time. I do hope she gets this job, not only for the money but for mom’s self-confidence. She feels very discouraged about it.

Our washing machine broke down, so we had to go to the Laundromat and do laundry. We dried them at home though since the dryer works fine. We think it may be a thrown belt, since the agitator won’t work, but then it stopped draining water, so we have no idea what it might be. If it’s not one thing, it’s something else…

Here’s hoping things can get on the right track fairly soon.
snapdragon76: (Alphonse Mucha)

  • I sometimes fancy myself as a hobbyist photographer. My mom gave me one of her older cameras for me to use and I'm trying to get the hang of it still.



the rest... )

I think for some of them I was scraping the bottom of the barrel, but they're all true!
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snapdragon76: (Tamaki and Haruhi)
Tuesday I experience my first snowfall in several years. Unless you count the brief foray from last year as an aftereffect from Sandy in the higher elevations. Which I don't, really.

None of it stuck to the ground, but there were snow flurries for the majority of the day and it was pretty neat to watch actually.



I took a lot of pictures of it since I was a dork.



Mom even took a picture of some of it in my hair.



I thought it was rather neat, myself.





Let's throw in some random cat pictures for the fun of it!

I took my GRE today. I didn't really feel all that nervous about it. Actually, I'm more nervous as to what the results will mean than I was about taking the test itself. I don't know what the score expectancy is for the program I want to apply to. I guess I'll have to wait and see...

I did feel like I was entering a high security office building though. We got to the testing center and before signing in, I was given a sheet of paper that had the regulations and stuff on it. Then I had to write an entire friggin' paragraph IN CURSIVE at the bottom! I haven't written in cursive for decades, actually. It showed too. It looked like a third grader wrote it.

Then, I was given a key to a locker for me to put my stuff in since we're not allowed to bring anything except for testing center supplied scratch paper and pencils (which we HAD to return when finished). Next came the 'official' check in. I sat in front of a desk where the proctor sat, and he asked me a few questions, like verifying my address and my email address. I had my picture taken to make sure it matched against the ID picture (which, coincidentally, I wore the same shirt). And then I had to stand up and be 'wanded'.

Yes, I had a metal detector run over me to make sure I wasn't smuggling in anything. I had to check my pockets and under my pants legs and up my sleeves. I'm surprised I wasn't full on frisked while they were at it.

They did this when we got finished with our breaks as well.

The testing room is set up like a cubicle farm. There were about three per side for a total of six. Not all of them were full. I sat on the farthest end away from the door. The proctor sat behind a large window watching us and the computer monitor where we were being recorded.

There were these large earmuffs like the kind you wear at a shooting range. I think I was the only one who wore them since there was a loud-ish thrumming sound in the room, probably from an air conditioner of some sort.

It didn't take me the full three hours to take the test. The Quantitative part I basically guessed at and got a 135 on. You get 130 points for just showing up. Yeah... But I knew I was gonna fail that part, and I told them so at the Graduate Office a week ago.

The Verbal wasn't too bad, except for the two essays I had to write. Essays are not my strong point, especially on subjects I have no real interest in. I got 152 on that (not counting the essay scores, which get added up later). So all total I got a 287, again not counting the essay. Utter failure is 260, so I barely passed. I just hope it's enough to get me accepted into the program. I'd rather not have to take it all over again.

Mom has a job interview on Monday with the large medical corporation that's here locally. We both hope it leads to something since we're tired of being broke all the time. I'm holding out for a little while until I find out what happens with school. I'd like to be able to see the movies that are coming out for the holidays, like Thor The Dark World, The Hobbit The Desolation of Smaug, Catching Fire, the new Disney film Frozen. And I'd like to get some of the DVD's I've been wanting, like Iron Man 3, Monsters University and Man of Steel.

Here's hoping!
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snapdragon76: Did I mention that I like reading? (books)
I broke my Facebook and Twitter hiatus today officially. I'm gonna ease my way back in and try not to be on quite as long or check in as often as I did. That way I can still have more time to do other things also.

I had a meeting with the Dean of graduate studies, the Assistant Dean and the head of the department of the program I wish to apply to yesterday afternoon. I think things went pretty well. I didn't freeze up or stumble over my words like I tend to do when talking to people of authority. I said my main concern was that my GRE Quantitative scores would probably not be all that high due to my learning disability and that I didn't want it to hinder my acceptance. They eased my concerns and said that the scores were only a fraction of what they take into consideration when admitting students and that based on my other information it probably wouldn't be difficult for me to get in the program. The head of the program also said that the only math-based course I'd be taking was more of a Statistics type course and that if I register with the students with disabilities office, I could get the additional help I needed (which I had planned to do anyway). They do have a copy of my testing that I had done when I was in Community College, so that will help also.

I made an appointment to take the GRE for next Thursday for 1:30 in the afternoon. It's in Bristol since there were no openings on the campus for anytime in November. It's about 45 or so minutes away, and we need to be there a half an hour beforehand so I can register. So, hopefully my mind won't go blank when it comes to actually take the test. And it takes a total of four hours to take it, with a ten minute break halfway through. It'll be a loooong afternoon.

The weather is gonna take a dip for a few days next week. Enough that we may even get frost and even snow. I do need to see about getting some winter clothes in the near future. Mostly thermal undies and some boots and coats. It will be kind of nice to have a Christmas that actually feels Christmasy though.

We're trying to conserve gas, so we haven't been going very many places, and it can get kind of boring after awhile to be stuck inside the house all day. Hopefully mom will be able to find a job soon so that we can have some income coming in and actually afford to do more things around here. Here's hoping for the best!!
snapdragon76: Zach rocking the 360 cameras at the MTV Movie Awards (Zach 360)
So far I've been doing well with my "no social media for a bit" plan. I've been able to do a lot more online than I usually do because I'm almost always scrolling through the tons of stuff on my Facebook news feed (which makes me think I should pare down on some of the stuff I follow once I return). Plus, I get to miss the whole local election crap that is probably everywhere. Ugh. It's brought a new clarity of mind. I've been learning to not post the minutiae of my life or have a knee-jerk reaction to post things when I'm highly emotional until I cool down a bit.

I do admit to posting things on my Evernote app whenever I have a thought that would make a good Twitter status. There will probably be an avalanche of tweets when I do return and for that I apologize in advance. I'll warn everyone ahead of time...

I've been going over my GRE study guide a little each day and getting the hang of the testing procedures and what is expected. I do look forward to see what the results of my meeting on Friday will mean for me in regards to it. I have a feeling I will still have to take it, but I hope they'll take my learning disability in consideration when going over the test results when it comes time to accept me into the program or not. I hope I can at least get a conditional acceptance where you take half the credit hours and keep a specific GPA before they'll accept you fully into the program. If I can get that, it's a foot in the door and then we can talk to the folks over at Financial Aide.

I think for Christmas this year, I'm gonna send out letters instead of cards. Letters are cheaper to mass produce. Some of you on here may get a lot of the same info I post on here, but there might be some differences.

I'll be doing an address post in a few weeks so that if anyone wants one, I can send them one and if anyone wants my address, they can have it as well.

I hope everyone had a pleasant Halloween and a good Thanksgiving to come (those of us in the US that is). I had a scary movie mini marathon (yes, you heard me) of Halloween, Halloween III Season of the Witch (which was highly amusing BTW), and The Fog (the original, not the remake). See, I can handle creepy and suspenseful movies, but not ones with a lot of gore or body horror (so no The Thing for me, thankyouverymuch).

I did forget to watch The Nightmare Before Christmas, which is a fave of mine. But, since it technically covers two holidays, I can watch it around Christmastime.
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snapdragon76: <3 Kenshin! (Kenshin)
Well, I know I said in my last post that I had a bad case of bronchitis. Turns out, it was much worse. I have full blown pneumonia.

After all of the hullabaloo at the Urgent Care Center, I was still coughing by the end of the week and all the antibiotics I was taking were doing was giving me diarrhea, so mom and I went on Monday to the Urgent Care place we had originally wanted to go to (but didn't since they were closed). I was still examined by a Nurse Practitioner, but this one seemed to be a bit more on the ball than the previous one.

She listened to my chest and then had me take a chest x-ray, which was why mom had wanted me to go there in the first place. After waiting for what seemed to be an eternity for the results, she came in and declared I most definitely had pneumonia. She described it as a communal case, which means I got it while being surrounded by a massive crowd of people.

So, yes. Dragon*Con gave me pneumonia...

She prescribed some Levaquin as well as an inhaler and a cough suppressant. My insurance paid for the Levaquin... not so much for the others. So I had to make do.

I took one of the Levaquin as soon as I got home, and by the evening, I felt a marked improvement. Not enough where I could try to Skype my dad for his birthday yesterday since I kept losing my voice and unable to speak much above a whisper lest my lungs start bitching me out.

However, this was not the end of the happy fun times. Oh no. I woke up this morning with a nice bright rash all over my chest, arms, neck and face. Guess I'm allergic to the Levaquin. Luckily this rash doesn't itch like the one I got when I was on Diflucan. It's still rather an annoyance. The NP wanted me to come back in a couple of days anyway for a bit of a follow-up. Good thing, too. I could get my meds switched... again, and deal with this rash I now have.

So, luckily my insurance WILL cover the new meds and I get to take Benadryl for the next few days to try and be rid of the rash. I swear to God, this thing better be resolved soon. My health and I are not the best of friends right at this moment. Plus, it's officially Autumn now, and there are fun things to do on the horizon. Like Fall Festivals and corn mazes and pumpkin patches to romp through!

Hopefully all of this home care will prevent me from winding up in the hospital, because I definitely don't wanna be stuck with the bill for THAT!

On the school front, there are only a few things I need to do before I can officially hand in my application for the Spring 2014 semester. I'm hoping that things will fall into place since I don't really have much of a back-up plan unless get another dead end job that I loathe.

I guess it's a good thing I'm not working now since I've been practically bedridden for almost two weeks and now I look like I have the Plague.

I love my life...
snapdragon76: (Last Unicorn)
Well, I've been laid up since Friday with what turned out to be a case of bronchitis. Hence my longer than anticipated absence. I had a nice Dragon*Con post almost completed when I somehow deleted it without saving a draft. It was a pretty well written one too. Hopefully I can get back into the right mindset again in order to rewrite it.

So this weekend was a pretty brutal one. I had had a bit of a nagging cough since the middle of the week or thereabouts but I didn't really think anything of it. I just attributed it to seasonal allergies as per usual. But, it kept getting more and more persistent and then Friday I was feeling very hot and I found out I was running a slight temperature. I took some OTC stuff to help rein it in somewhat, but it didn't really do much except dilute the symptoms.

Friday, mom had gone to a cemetery in order to take a photograph for Find A Grave, and I went with her because I was a little curious about the whole process. Yes, it's basically taking a picture of a headstone, but there are parameters that have to be followed it turns out. Pretty interesting. I was feeling so-so buy the time we started, but back to feeling miserable by the time we ended and having to stop in at Walgreens for Mucinex for me to take.

By Sunday, I was over it. I was tired of the coughing and the yo-yo temperatures and the sleeplessness, so mom went to see if my COBRA was caught up for September to see if I could get into a Walk-In Clinic somewhere and nip this thing in the bud. It was, so we did.

I've never had bronchitis before, so I had no idea what it all entailed. Something with the lungs, I think? Anyway, since I tend to be a massive hypochondriac I was thinking I had all kinds of things. Tuberculosis. Yellow Fever. The Plague. ANYTHING!! All I knew is that I wanted this thing GONE! I did wonder a little if it was a case of the Con Crud, but I didn't hear that my companion I went with had been sick, so it most likely wasn't that.

We found the urgent care place, which is open until 6:00 on weekends, and signed in. Mom called ahead of time to double check that they took my insurance since it's out of state, which luckily for me they did. So while in the waiting room, I had to fill out a phone book's size amount of paperwork before the long wait. Luckily the wait wasn't terrible or anything, not like some places I've seen.

I was called back and taken to an exam room and had my vitals taken. I did find out I lost some weight since being up here, probably due to hauling ass up and down the stairs everyday. Then I waited some more. Then the student Nurse Practitioner came in, did a small exam, took some notes and then left. Finally, the provider on call came in, who was a regular Nurse Practitioner and she examined me and I got a diagnosis and she wrote me some prescriptions. Luckily there was a 24 Hour Walgreens not too far where I could get them filled so I didn't have to wait until the next day to fill them since it was early evening and most everything else was closed. Mom and I wandered around the place while they were getting filled. I saw a cute stuffed Jack Skellington in there that I wanted and dammit if I shouldn't have gotten it!

So today I've been taking my meds and taking it easy and I've started to feel a little perkier, except for the damn cough. I don't know why coughs feel the need to hang around longer than necessary. Especially the hacking kind of coughs where you feel like you're gonna rupture something every time you cough.
snapdragon76: Did I mention that I like reading? (books)
I had a very pleasant Fourth of July weekend. Mom and I did our traditional watching of 1776 in the morning and later that afternoon we went to a really neat museum called Rocky Mount Living History Museum. There's a house on the property that belonged to one of the early settlers in the area. It was really interesting, and I learned a few new things actually.

Friday we went with a friend of ours to eat lunch as the local German restaurant located in the historic downtown district (which is really neat in and of itself) and then went to see The Lone Ranger.

Saturday I chilled out basically while mom was getting over a stomachache from the night before. She was feeling better later on and we went to eat at a cool family style restaurant called The Farmer's Daughter. The way they serve the food is that you choose two meats and they bring those out as well as the sides for that day. It also includes deserts, which most everybody else had to take home except for me since I didn't have as many sides. Being a picky eater can sometimes have it's advantages.

Next door to the restaurant is a bulk food store that has a lot of good prices for homemade goods, like jams and bread mixes and the like. They also have all kinds of cooking ingredients like spices and various types of flours and herbs. Mom and I bought a few things while we were in there.

Sunday was our second Sunday at the church we've been going to. I like it so far. We talked with the minister for a bit after the service, and he was very personable. Afterward, mom and I wanted to check out the local mall to see what sort of stores they had to offer, and there were quite a few I recognized, there were some others that weren't in the mall back in Florida. I think once I get a job, I'll go there to update some of my wardrobe. I've been wearing the same shirts for awhile, and I need a bit of a variety.

Speaking of jobs, there's one at the university library that looks promising that I'm in the midst of applying for. All that's left to do is getting my college transcripts and attach them to the application. So, hopefully it won't take too long to get all of that straightened out. There's no guarantee they'll even consider me, but hopefully I'll be in the system and maybe I'll be considered for other jobs. It involves computers, but even though I'm not ignorant when it comes to computers, it's something that I need to know Linux for and if I am looked at, maybe it's something I can learn. *crosses fingers*
snapdragon76: from the New Moon trailer.  (Fursplode!)
Having a chronic illness that needs to have expensive medical treatments really sucks sometimes. I've been unemployed for over a month now, and while it's been nice having the time off and everything, not having medical insurance really bites. This is one reason why I support a nationwide medical care like many countries have. Yes, I know it has it's own issues and all of that stuff, but why does it have to be so hard to get decent medical care for people who are unemployed, self-employed, full time students ect?

Sorry, didn't mean to complain. I don't have any regrets moving here. I love the area. I love our home. I'm just worried I'm going to have to settle for a dead-end job that I'm miserable in just so I can have health benefits. I know I need to have patience and trust in God to lead me in the direction He wants me to go, but faith and anxiety issues don't go well together.

Ideally, I'd like to work at the college so that I can be on campus for classes and such, but there is nothing for someone like me in a non-faculty office position. At least, nothing that I've found so far. It'll be hard enough to go to school full time as well as work full time. I know people who are able to do it and I think it's wonderful! However, sometimes I have the attention span of a fruit fly and find it hard to focus a lot. Plus, I don't do well under a lot of pressure. When I was an undergrad, it was easier because 1. I was younger then, 2. I didn't have the health issues I do now, and 3. I wasn't working. That made things easier.

I do think this is something I'm supposed to be doing, but time is ticking away and I need to find something to be able to support myself on. I'm really trying not to stress out too much about it, but it's easier said than done.

Otherwise, things are coming together. I've gotten more of my room set up and the living and dining rooms are looking like actual living spaces and not a box depot. We're slowly working on the stuff in the garage. Mom and I put a bunch of boxes of books (mostly mine) down in the basement. It's nice to have an actual basement. There are still more things to go down there, but the main focus is the main part of the house so that maybe we can actually have people over sometime.

We got our car tags and drivers licenses the other day, so we're 'officially' Tennesseans. Of course, to be counted as a resident for school, you have to live here for a year. *facepalm*

I got a new battery for my car, so maybe it will stop dying on me. I have a few things from the move still in there that I hope to be able to take out before I drive it too much. Maybe I can figure out a place to put some of it once we get more organized.

I'll try to be more positive in my next post. Honestly.
snapdragon76: (Tamaki and Haruhi)
Well, here I am, laying on my bed in my new bedroom in Tennessee. It's very nice. It seems bigger than my other room in Florida, but it could be because I don't have as much in it as I did down there. Mostly because there's not really the room for it, but also because it's set up a little differently.

I will say this, though. I never want to move again for a loooooooong time. It's really the worst. The day we loaded, last Thursday, was hot as hell and a little scattered. But, we had mostly teenagers helping out and they tend to not be the most responsible group. Still, they got the job done. I didn't do a lot of the physical stuff due to my back wanting to give out on me and the temperature. I mostly directed the guys moving and packed up a few last minute things. The girl who was supposed to help us out by cleaning did a rather piss poor job of it. We had to have a friend of ours (who was actually riding with mom on the way up) come over on Friday morning and help us clean out the refrigerator.

We ended up tossing away a few things at the last minute, like the vacuum cleaner, the brooms, the majority of the food in the refrigerator, the pots and pans, the cleaning supplies, because they 'supposedly' wouldn't fit in the truck. Mom said later on that she though they probably would've, but by that point we were over packing and loading that we didn't give much of a damn about anything.

Then, I had a brief emotional breakdown a few hours before we left due to the build up of stress and frustration and anxiety and all of that other crap. So I was sitting on my luggage bawling my eyes out, while the carpet cleaners were cleaning the apartment. It was rather cathartic now that I think about it. Added to it all was the fact that my car wouldn't start and we needed it to in order to load it onto the car trailer on the back of the moving truck. We eventually had to repower the battery and got it started enough to get it on. It's dead again, of course, but I think it's because I need a completely new battery since I just had the car tuned up not long before we left.

The trip up itself wasn't so bad. we drove straight through, although we had thought we might have to stop overnight at some friends of ours, but we were making good time so we didn't need to. We did pull in after midnight, so I needed to stay overnight with friends before coming to the condo the next morning. Once we got the key, we unlocked everything and once more people arrived, began to unload. The unloading seemed to go much smoother I think because we had all adults helping and the weather wasn't as monstrous as in Florida. Yes, it was hot but not ungodly like it was on Thursday.

We're gradually beginning to unpack everything and set things up the way we want them to be. We did have to buy some things, like a new vacuum, pots and pans, cleaning supplies, food, ect. We want to try to get things on the inside set up before trying to tackle the things in the garage and basement. THAT will be the fun part.

The cats seems to have adjusted quite well already. They like to run up and down the stairs and explore things. We do have to make sure that the basement and garage doors are closed so that no wandering kitties will appear... and then disappear.

Here are some pictures I took of the inside of the new place. I wanted to get them before we started loading a bunch of boxes and stuff inside. I hope to take more once we get everything all put into place.

One of my goals is to try to go back to school and get my Master's Degree in Library Science at Eastern Tennessee State University. I never tried to do school and work at the same time because I knew I couldn't do both. Hopefully I can get a job on campus as a Graduate or Research Assistant so I can pay a lower tuition. It's knowing where to start is the tricky thing. But, hopefully it'll work out. I want to try to avoid getting the same kind of job I had in Florida, because it wasn't fulfilling, and I'd like to try to avoid getting a job out of necessity rather than enjoyment if I can help it. Wish me luck!
snapdragon76: this is made of win and awesome (Default)
I'm feeling very emotionally overwhelmed and vulnerable right now for some reason. I don't know if I'm heading for another depressive episode or not. Maybe it's an anxiety attack creeping up. I just know something feels... off right now.

We're starting our final really big push toward finishing up things to load up on Thursday. I know I've been doing things, but I feel like a lazy slug compared to mom and that worries me. I know it shouldn't, but anxiety doesn't make sense the majority of the time.

I have no reason to be depressed, but the stress of moving might be tweaking my anxiety and it's starting to come to a head. I just need to find a release for it somehow.

We're turning in our cable boxes and the modem tomorrow, so this may be the last time I post for awhile. I'll still read replies from my phone though.
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snapdragon76: Starlight by Muse (starlight)
As those of you who follow me on Facebook may have guessed by now, mom and I are in Tennessee looking for housing. It took as almost the entire day yesterday (Friday) to find something, but I think we may have struck pay dirt.

It's nothing fancy, but it's very charming and has a spectacular view of the mountains from the living room window. That in and of itself may just be worth it. It has smaller bedrooms that what we have now and MUCH smaller closets as well as one full bathroom (which means I have to share. After having my own bathroom for four years, I got a little spoiled), but it has a very large basement which looks like it can hold quite a bit of stuff, especially if we condense it.

Besides, if we find another place we like better after a year, we can move again, but I honestly don't see that happening. For one thing, I don't think I'd want to move again for a very long time. Nothing is official as of yet, but we filled out applications (we both had to) and hopefully it'll get processed and approved so that we can move out by the time we need to be out of our Florida place. There are a few minor things we need to do as of yet, like finish up the packing, find someone to drive the truck for us while we drive the car and tow the other car (which in actuality will be behind the moving truck) and finish up some things before we make the move.

Monday I have a meeting with a financial adviser about rolling over my 401(k) to an IRA and then we have to take our older cat to the vet to get her shots updated and then receive copies of her records for a vet up here. Then the rest of the week will probably be more packing...

We did go to the movies today. We went to see Now You See Me which is about a group of magicians who rob banks and give the cash to the less fortunate. It's a lot more complex than that, but I can't really describe it any better. The theater we went to is very nice. Nice large curved screen. I told mom that when the second Hobbit movie comes out as well as Catching Fire we need to see it in that theater. It's a bit out of the way though, but most everything is here. I have to get used to finding my way around once we move up. I'm used to things being more close together where we are now.

We went to this quaint little bakery in downtown Bristol, VA (which is a hop, skip and a jump from here). It had very good pastries for reasonable prices. I debated on getting an elephant ear, but I stuck to a couple of donuts instead.

Later today we went to other friends of ours in Piney Flats to have a nice little cookout and swim in the lake nearby. It was a lot of fun, but I almost had a panic attack getting into the lake since the access point we have is very steep and a bit slippery. I eventually made it in though and had some fun.

I think I'll turn in now since it's been a long day and we need to head out in the morning. Hopefully I'll have more to report later on.