Sometimes life throws you curves

Well the new semester has started, and I'm already stressed.  I'm good at being stressed.  It's one of my talents. 

18th century English lit is neither 18th century (it's actually 1660-1860) nor English (it's mostly Anglo-American and British) nor lit (it's interdisciplinary).  It's all about the question "What is nature?"  Which left me with a cacophony of emotions, from annoyed to stressed to bummed to everything in between.  There are weekly seminars which are mandatory which take the place of class, but are an hour AFTER class, which means I can't attend any of the Thursday seminars because of my other class, and of course most of the seminars are on Thursdays.  So.  I'll be spending many hours watching the seminars online.  Why, you may ask, do I not drop the class?  Well I was actually going to.  But then I went to class, and the teacher seems really good, and it seems mondo informative and good for my brain.  Plus we don't have to read ALL of Moby Dick.   Heh.  Besides, I already talked to my professor about my creative project and she loves my idea (I'm going to do a presentation at the Discovery Center, where I volunteer). 

Then my intermediate fiction writing class is NOT being taught by my teacher from last semester as originally planned, which bums me excessively.  He just had some major opportunities come up that are going to be taking him all around the world, so he's passing up teaching for 1 semester.  I'm happy for him but bummed for me.  The young lady they have replacing him is supposed to be good, but she's requiring a ton of outside things, like readings and poetry slams and service learning.  Which I would love if I weren't so busy this semester already and if I didn't live so far away.  She seems SUPER nice though (almost too nice) and she's open to different writing projects, so it'll be good. 

The other thing that is stressing me out is barbershop.  My perfectionism really hurts me here, because there is SO MUCH to do to sing well -- breathing/supporting properly, controlling your throat and keeping your voice in the right place, staying on pitch, keeping the right tempo, enunciating properly, on top of memorizing the music and the words and the choreography.  ET CETERA.  And I don't practice as much as I should, so every time Andy (our director) says anything I get stressed because I take it all so personally.  ARGH.  Next weekend we have retreat where we will be intensely cleaning up the choreo and music, February I'm in a quartet doing singing valentines, and we go to Spokane for competition in March, right at the beginning of Spring Break.  It's crazy. 

So basically, I'm doing the same things I did last semester -- 2 classes and barbershop.  But all of them involve so much more than they did before that I am scared, because I don't believe in myself, that I can do it.  I think Heavenly Father is trying to help me grow and teach me that I CAN do it.  I just need to have faith and stop being such a lily-livered chicken.  And pace myself, prioritize, do my homework and my practicing, and I can do it.  baby steps baby steps baby steps. 

Drumroll please.....

I got my grades for the semester...and they are....straight As!  Well, an A and an A-, but I can live with that (ok the A- bugs me a little.  Especially because they dock my G.P.A. for it, but they don't bonus my G.P.A. for the A+ I got last semester!  Gypped!).  I thought for sure I would be getting a B in Book Arts but all my hard work paid off!  Hooray!

I'm already rewarding myself too much.  We've given into pressure ("Did you lose your little 32" TV yet?  Something so little is bound to get lost.") to buy a bigger TV so we found a super good deal on Amazon and bought a 60" 3D plasma.  I'm waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay excited about it.  Even though I don't watch that much TV. 

I'm also super excited because my brother Justin and his family are moving to Utah!  They've lived in Minnesota for years and years and I've never got to go see them, so I'm super stoked they are going to be so close now!  YAY!  More nephews and a niece to spoil and people to visit!  Eeee!

There was something else I wanted to say but I forgot what it was.  Dangit.  Everybody out there have a merry Christmas!

The semester is over!

I don't know how I did in my classes -- I just barely turned in my last paper 5 minutes ago -- but I feel relief for finishing.  And I think I did pretty well with the chapters of my book that I turned in for fiction writing, if I do say so myself.  If anyone is interested in reading them, let me know.

Now to get back to the housework I've been neglecting for the past few weeks in favor of school.  Ick.

Why you don't get a Christmas present from us this year

OK, in case you didn't know, we have cats.  Because we can't have kids, these cats are very dear to us.  Unfortunately, though, they are not insured.  We have a discount program with our vet (my uncle David Ormond), but that's the best we do.  Usually it's not too bad.  However, while we were gone for Thanksgiving, our cat Squeaker got in a fight with some other cat and by the time we got home it was abscessed.  So, some knocking out, head-shaving, stitches, antibiotics, over $500 and a very mad kitty later, we thought he was going to be better.  But no, he didn't like those stitches, so he pulled them out and got another abscess that was so bad that it swelled his right eye shut.  I think he's taking revenge on us for not getting him a Christmas present.  So Dave came out again and had to do even more cleanup on the poor kitty and THIS time he got a collar (aka 'cone of shame') to keep him away from the stitches and he's not allowed outside.  Multiple antibiotic visits because he won't take medicine orally (not even when mixed with treats) and over $700 this time.  He's even more mad at us and he's not pretty, as you can see.  But he should heal this time.  The other cats have mixed reactions to him -- mostly variations of fear.  Wouldn't you if a kitty came up to you looking like this?  We'll have to pay it off with our tax return -- which will also be going for cleaning the cats' teeth.  Sigh.  The things we do for love. 

Writing and schoolwork

I got my 2nd draft back today and I did pretty well.  I just struggle with keeping the reader connected to the story through the narrator, with actual descriptions.  You have to do this CONSTANTLY and it's hard!  But I'm getting better and that's good, especially because my teacher says that I have a firm grasp of many other things with my writing.

My book arts class is still pretty fun though I have a ton to read before Friday.  I'm worried about my final project...it needs to be something of substance, and I have to make 20 copies!  We'll see what I come up with.

In other news, I voted today for the local mayor and city council positions.  We have the most influence there, so we all need to vote on days like today.  Now I'll have the right to complain.  :)