Meltdown

So this week is not going to be fun. All of my practicum stuff is due on Thursday (AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!), I have my first book club meeting on Thursday night but I don't think anyone is going to show up nor have I re-read the book (The Devil Wears Prada), I have a 2 day workshop the next morning which will require me to wake up around 5 am and drive 3 hours in order to get there, I should have gotten a parking pass for it but I didn't, I should have rented a room for Friday night but I haven't, I have a 1 page book review to write for the workshop, also have to put together a 3 minute booktalk for the second day of the workshop, oh, yeah, also need to read the textbook and a novella (An Uncommon Reader) before the first day (have already read the Uncommon Reader and loved it and have skimmed through the textbook but that was almost a year ago), and, on top of all of that, I have to do the "fun" assignment for my stupid class which is 21 in-depth (aka really hard and involved) questions as well as participating in the online discussions regularly. So I'm thinking of hiding in a hole with my knitting, curled in the fetal position . . . .

I'll post again after this week is over! Might even have pictures of the various projects I've been working on.

Paper? What paper?

Once again I find myself needing to write a final paper for a class. So am I studiously reading literature on my chosen subject? Dutifully typing a rough draft? Mulling over my future words of wisdom? Ha! Yeah, right. I'm being distracted by the internet and Ravelry, instead.

The subject is a fascinating one and has so much information out there about it. See, the paper is supposed to be a "library trends" paper, discussing a trend that is changing the library world. I'm writing about the library catalog and how they should evolve using Web 2.0 tools. Those of you who remember my little catalog rant will understand why I am interested in this subject. I cannot, however, bring myself to concentrate on anything at the moment and really don't want to be reading any professional literature of any sort. Problem is that this paper is due on Thursday so I really can't put it off for much longer. Stupid school. Messing with my knitting time.

Schoolness

Why is it that you can write so much more easily for a short paper but it is like sweating blood when you try to write a long paper? I finally got my short paper for my England class done. There just wasn't a feeling of "Ahhhhhh! This paper is due tomorrow!!!! Must write!" even though the paper was due tomorrow (well, it is due today but you know what I mean). I found it a little difficult not to write little asides in the paper. They probably wouldn't be appreciated in a scholarly work. I'm just glad it is over and now I have to concentrate on the long paper. Fun-ness.

!!!!!

I got into the study abroad program for which I applied! I am going to be doing a graduate level class in London for a couple of weeks during July. The class is worth 6 credit hours which hopefully will transfer entirely to my MLIS program. If it does, I only need to have 2 more classes then I would be done! I can't wait to go travelling again!

You can't break into a locked closet with a library card

I finished the extremely long single-spaced paper. It turned out to be 12 pages including the reference page. I think it is a B range paper. You could tell I just didn't care. Also didn't proofread it, oops. Right. All I have left to do is the one page summary of it due tomorrow (blah) and a 5-7 page one that I could now right in my sleep.

Speaking of sleep . . . Guess who woke up at 3.30 this morning and couldn't go back to bed? I was so tired last night that I went to sleep early intending to get up at 5.30 and work on the paper some more. Instead, I woke up at 3.30! Let me tell you, there isn't much going on at that hour. I just lay in bed listening to a book on tape and thinking about how nice and warm it was wrapped up in the comforter. I think it is going to be a long day today.

Probably because of the lack of sleep I forgot my work keys at home today. It isn't too big of a deal as long as someone else has them. The only problem is that one of my coworkers leaves for school at 1 and the other one went to lunch at 1. That means that I have no way of getting into the locked closet where we keep our stuff. I actually tried to pop the lock using a blank library card. (Didn't work, by the way). *sigh* Things are not working out well today.

Knitting news . . . nothing much. I made a cute pair of cat ears which I will have to take pictures of tomorrow. I haven't had time (or inclination) to work on the shawl Saturday or Sunday. I took a break from paperage on Friday and went to the knitting store where I knitted for an hour with the people there. I've reached a point at which I am bored with the thing. I think I would like it more if I was using the mohair or if the end was nearer.

I am going to start the arrrrglyes today at lunch (or take a nap). Makes sense for the last sock of October. I won't get very far by the 31st but at least they will be started.

Yarn! Yarn! Yarn!

DeStash is a very bad thing. Very. So that is why I check it every morning religously (I love Bloglines!). The beautiful green mohair blend arrived yesterday. I've decided to make the Forest Canopy Shoulder Shrug from I'm Knitting As Fast As I Can. It will be the first time I have tried making lace so we will see how it goes. I might try it first with some of the other yarn I have around the house. Just for practice.

I am still working on the yoga socks. Turns out I didn't have enough leftover yarn from the last pair of socks to make a full pair of yoga socks. So I've made the top of the sock out of that yarn and the foot part out of the lime green yarn from my green knee-highs from a while ago. The colors are ok together. I'll post a picture of them once both are done. Instead of doing them both at once, I started them one at a time.

I'll probably get a lot done in the car tonight on the way to school. Thank goodness Sarah is driving because something is going wrong with my car. Lovely. Whenever I press the brakes, there is a grinding sound and the car is sluggish to respond. Dad is getting it inspected for responding to his fire runs tonight so he is going to drive around a little to see what is wrong. We are probably going to take it in tomorrow. I think my car is protesting and telling me that it is tired. I mean, it was originally Dad's, then Mom drove it back and forth to Columbus, now I commute to work and school in it. It is feeling its 11 years. Poor car that must keep working until my schooling is over!

One down, _____ to go



I finished my paper on Friday and got it turned in at 4:30 pm not 11:55 pm. You have no idea how impressive that is! I am the one who is usually finishing their conclusion 10 minutes before it is due. I probably could have gotten the paper done earlier if I hadn't been at work and hadn't been distracted by shiny objects.



Anyway, that is one paper down. Today is being spent reading all of the assigned articles for this week's online session and writing a 1-2 page (single spaced, of course) paper about the articles and the discussions about them. This one is due at noon on Wednesday. I have to finish reading one more article and write about it. So I am pretty happy about this.



I still need to do a follow-up response for my assigned article this week (ugh). I should do it next but I just don't want to settle on it.



I also need to post a discussion about the articles which are assigned for my Foundations class. We are going on a field trip to the archives of a state-wide paper. Because we are going on a field trip, we won't be discussing the readings so that is the reason for the posting to the online discussion board. Of course, this means that I actually have to do the reading.



I finished another pair of socks. I love the colors soooo much. Aren't they pretty? I think I might steal these for myself. I'll just have to make the person they are for something else.

I found a pattern for some yoga socks using the sock yarn leftovers. Yoga socks are socks which don't have toes or heels so you can still grip the mat. They keep your feet warmer than just bare feet. The pattern is written for a top-down sock and on DPN. I'll have to adjust it because I am not sure how much yarn I have left from these socks. I also want to make them on circulars. The pattern will get posted once I make them.

Umm, paper, right.

So that paper I was working on . . . Due today yet I am only on the 7th page and I work today. This ought to be a fun day. At least I still have more to say in the paper unlike some that I have written.

Three down . . .

Reached the third page! Cookie for me ;) I just hope that I have enough to keep writing about!

It is bad that I bore myself?

OK, I am only a page and a half into this 10 page paper and already I am boring myself. Is that a bad thing? I am sure it will thrill the teacher. Oh, well. I have to get it done by Friday (hmm, I wonder if there is a time deadline, too). My goal is to write 3 pages today, 3 tomorrow and three on Wednesday. Halfway there today. Must. Keep. Writing. Though I keep getting distracted by things like cleaning out the refrigerator. Hmmm. Not a good sign.

Wow, it's been a while

It feels like I have been doing a lot but not much seems to have gotten done. I finished two pairs of socks, both of which are Christmas presents. I really like the way the one pair turned out. I have a good amount of yarn left and I might make some ankle socks for myself. The other pair isn't as great but they will do. Socktoberfest is well on its way.

I have also discovered mini socks. I heart the mini sock. The idea came from the Socknitters yahoo group. I've made a two now and given one of them away. I think I might make some decorations of them. Possibly a Christmas tree decoration? Hmm, I will have to think about that.

The next project is to learn how to knit two socks in one. So far it is pretty easy. The most difficult part is the casting on. I bet once I get to the heel, I will have a different opinion.

I've started keeping track of the books I have read. Of course, I only started keeping track midway through the month of September. Eh, I'll have to keep better track. I've been counting the books on tape and CD that I listen to while in the car. Audiobooks are also lovely to listen to while knitting or cleaning your room.

The cat is adorable as usual. She puts up with so much from us, all of the adoring and praising! Poor kitty.

School is school. I can't believe it is almost time for the online class to be over! The end of this month it will be finished! I still have two papers to write, one for the online class and the other for the online workshop. I should be working on the workshop one because it is due on the 13th but am writing this post instead. Procrastination is a wonderful thing!

My friend, Carol, has been trying to sell her horse for a long time now. Bud is a nice horse but not the horse for her. His personality is a lot stronger than Carol's so they've never clicked. She called me yesterday and told me that Pam, the owner of the riding stable where Bud is kept, is going to be taking 4 horses to the high school riding team's show in two weekends. The problem is that Pam sold her trailer on eBay a few months ago. She has one two-horse trailer to use and would like to use our's. If I can get the weekend off, I think I will drive it up and take more pictures of Bud in action and some more video.

Eh, I think that is it for now. Off to procrastinate!

Moderately Confused

I found this comic today very funny. Depressing but funny.

And classes begin again

Tomorrow will be my first day of class in a couple of months. Both of the classes (the online and in-person classes) have their syllabus online so I can see the assignments before the first night of class. The Foundations of Library Science program has four assignments which are worth 80% of the final grade (participation is 20%).

I started to look at the description of the assignments and really got excited about doing them. Showing my true nerdy colors, I have actaully begun the first assignment. I am 3/4 of the way done with the 500 word essay. It is along the lines of the NPR segment "This I believe" in which people state what they believe. The NPR essays cover the serious (love, war, etc) to the flipant (barbeque). The essay for class has to be posted to the online discussion board by September 12th. I think I will be able to handle it. My plan is to write about friendship.

The second assignment has two options: a) interview a librarian or b) visit a library. Sure, the assignment is more complicated than that but, hey, it is only 5-7 pages. Can you believe that? It will take me maybe an hour or two to do the entire assignment. I will, of course, interview someone because I love interviewing and oral history.

The thrid assignment consists of contributing to a class wiki! Could this get any easier?! My god.

The fourth assignment is a partner powerpoint presentation. This is the only one which might constitute a problem. True, I hate doing group projects but that is not the problem. The presenations will be given from November 12 - December 12. I will be in the country for only two of those 4 class meetings; the first and the last. Hmm, have to make sure my partner and I present on the right day.

The online class is going to be a little bit more labor intensive because we have to do so many responses to questions and do follow-up posts to our fellow classmates' responses. The responses, however, only have to be 150 words. That will be a whole lot of BS. I am not looking forward to writing the paper, though.

And to the knitting . . . :)

I started (and finished one half) of a pair of knee-high socks. I really love the yarn but I can't get it to pattern up right. It is made from the toe up. The yarn does pattern up at the gusset area where there are more stitches and at the top of the leg where there are more stitches. I started the second half of the pair on #2 needles to see if the increase in size helped. (It did not.) I guess I will just keep playing and frog the one sock if it needs it.

In the meantime, I've started another pair of socks (big surprise). This time the yarn is patterning up quite nicely. It is a bright blue, dark blue, white and black striped yarn this time. I've finished one sock and am well on the way with the other.

Still haven't blocked the light sweater I finished 2 or 3 weeks ago. This is my problem. I never quite finish a project. I will get it mostly done but not entirely. Oh, well. That will give me something to do while I avoid doing the readings for class.

I've been trying to upload pictures of the socks in various stages of completion but something seems to be wrong with blogger. Guess I will try later.

Freeload Press

Have you read this article? http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14362735/ It talks about reducing textbook costs by including ads in the textbook. I don't know about you but I would more than willing to have a couple of ads in my book if it meant I wasn't spending 60 bucks on a thin paperback!