Award Season

It's award season again.  I've been inviting some friends over to see Oscar noms from Netflix.  I saw The Black Swan with Jean Jeanie last week.  I thought it was really good.  Not so sure about all the fantasy elements.  I think I'll have another Oscar Party with ballots and prizes.  I'm waiting for my transcript from Nature U. to get uploaded.  I'm sure my grades will be fine.  I just want some closure on the semester.  Fall 2010 semester was nearly a disaster as I was moving during part of it and took on too many classes at first.  Life is going pretty good.  I ordered this book, Order From Chaos, and it is helping me get organized, potentially.  So I'm trying this new system.  I think I'll give the book to my Pastor, as she has problems staying on top of things too.  That was one of her goals, better scheduling.  We are doing goals/resolutions in the adult youth group at church.  My idea.  Of course!  Well, I have blogging on my to-do list for today.  Guess I should put it on other days as well.  All for now!

"reality continues to ruin my life"

I found that cross-stitched on one of my Flickr groups.  I figured out tonight I have to take 10 more classes plus do a Master's Thesis to get my Master's Degree in Interfaith.  Four of those are creative approaches to traditional religions, the rest are regular classes, all general electives except for one.  I'm finishing up one class right now or it'd be 11 classes.  I'm closest to getting my Divination Certificate, but even that will be awhile.  Almost 3 more years for Ancient Rites, Shamanism.  I haven't made any progress on Modern Rituals, Shamanism, for months now.  And here I am gleefully considering getting my MFA. :) I don't think I'll be applying for that until I finish something!  I feel kind of pathetic.  People are always asking when I'm going to get my degree or what am I gonna do with it. When is anybody's guess. Frame it and hang it on the wall!  This is all happening, or not happening, depending on your POV, because I take whatever I'm interested in.  Actually, I take "degree" programs in what I'm interested in.  And also because I pace myself and don't take 5 classes at once.  Well, I sorta am taking 5 classes at once, but not really...  Ancient Rites, I Ching, Runes, Prehistory, (Modern Rituals).  More like 4.  I must be nuts!  Oh yeah...

Spooky Weekend

What to talk about?  School I guess.  I'm having a hard time getting motivated to do my schoolwork.  I may be a little depressed.  Plus things are piling up on me.  Halloween!  Our adult youth group is going to have a pumpkin bowling booth at the convention center for the kids on Halloween.  I'm going to watch a scary movie tonight and a slightly less scary one on Halloween night.  Still not getting along with Star.  I hope she's OK.  I'm listening to AC/DC and blogging.  Hee hee!  A missionary had a presentation at church last night.  It was pretty interesting and not the usual message.  All for today.

Anne

Oh Deer!

This month's Happiness Project is much easier.  For August I'm doing Spirituality.  Literally taking action if you want to call it that.  The four things I'm trying to do every day are:  have some quiet time, do a reading, pray and read a self-help book.  I have a few self-help books so I don't think I'll run out for awhile.  I'm currently reading Earth Magic by Steven D. Farmer.  It's pretty good if a little bit out there. I know, I know, I'm the one taking Shamanism!  A friend of mine once said "If you keep an open mind, people will throw junk in it."  I don't subscribe to that attitude. I took some pictures of the deer in my front yard yesterday.  Here is one:

Class registration is starting.  I'm going to take the I-Ching year-long course if its offered and Runes 5.  I haven't yet registered.  I'm going to wait a little bit.  I know, I should be taking proper classes, not just Divination, but with my independent study Interfaith and the Shamanism stuff, there's no way. Of course the degrees offered at Nature U. are a little different than when they were first offered!  Dean Dharma has added credits needed and a Master's Thesis to all the programs.  Still not sure how all that will effect my degree progress. Low tide is at 3:56pm tomorrow.  Now, why is that relevant?  You'll see!

Looking Forward

I just read the new catalog for Nature U.  Dean Dharma has completely redone my major, so I'm not sure if I'm going to have to take all different classes or not.  She added credits to almost every major.  I'll be going to school forever at this rate. Well, I was going to go to school forever anyway, now it'll be forever and a day!  It looks really serious, with big words and the same rules.  I reread them anyway.  I have good news!  Good for me at least.  I turned in the paper for this unit of Ancient Rites.  I didn't wait until the deadline, July 31st, but got it in early.  Must be a fluke or the lingering effects of the Full Moon or something like that. 

I went to a dinner party tonight with my NAMI friends.  Jean Jeanie brought her fiance/boyfriend.  That was kind of a shock.  I didn't realize they planned on getting married.  It seems like she just met him, but they have known each other for many years, actually.  I'm friends with Star again, yay!  We've been best friends for so long, it's rough when one of us "goes off the reservation" and writes something stupid.  Email is not the best way to communicate. I've been kind of lax with my blogging this summer.  I'm supposed to go to town tomorrow with my mom.  We'll see. I'm not sleepy and it's what, 3:20am.  I will have to order yarrow sticks for I-Ching class in the Fall.  The class runs all school year.  64 Hexagrams, that's a lot to learn about.  I wonder if I get to write poetic responses to each one.  We'll see!

Zombieland

I didn't do a whole lot today. Didn't feel good and no energy. Made chili dogs for dinner, my brother came over and we watched Zombieland. Entertaining, but unrealistic, even for a zombie movie. I did some embroidery on a tote bag, a drum kit. Didn't finish it though. About 11pm I got a surge of energy, Moon in Scorpio?, anyway I started organizing and planning. It doesn't matter if my planning doesn't work out quite the way I envision, it makes me feel better. A certain friend is being more unreliable than usual. Amazing! I'm probably going to be pretty busy tomorrow if I have any energy at all. This is the last week for Runes 4. I also have a paper due for Ancient Rites, on Friday. I need to write the next proposal for Prehistory. Why aren't I tired? It's almost 12:30am. Well, I'm a little tired, but not enough to go to bed. Big sigh! bye

Unwell

So I'm not going to my employment counselor appt. or the Employment Support Group meeting this week. This new drug kicking my ass, up one side of the street and down the other. Mostly nausea, but a couple other side effects as well. I'm not good with stomach pain. I already have acid reflux so this is in addition to that. Take pills for that too. Well, enough about that.

I still have to finish my application for Peer Counselor Training. Will probably get to it sometime today and mail it off tomorrow. Went to a NAMI meeting last night. Lots of personal politics. I guess people without mental problems still like drama in their lives. Kind of disillusioning. The parents outweighed the consumers last night.

Indy wants her treats. I usually give her some kitty treats around noontime. As far as Nature U. goes, Runes 4 has started. We get to do readings for others and ourselves too, with Runes. That should be a good time. The only other person who's posted a question/query is another student, Glenda. I wonder what happens if no one does a reading for you. I guess you just do your own reading and call it good. I haven't done many Rune readings so this is all pretty new to me.

Not making much progress on Prehistory. I guess feeling like shit isn't conducive to getting things done. I was gonna write about something else... Oh well! All for now! Bye

Attitude Adjustment

I found a great graduate school site on About.com. They even had a project planner which I downloaded and used already. I have a Rune poetry book project and an upcoming Prehistory project that I planned out. I decided to just work on the content of the poetry book and do the self-publishing as a separate project. I take graduate school seriously, but I can't say the same about my family and friends. One reason is that I don't talk about it much. Another is that the studying and writing I do for classes is not visible to them. I do it mostly on my own time. I'm not so sure all the students at my online seminary take it that seriously either. I'm not pointing fingers, I'm readjusting my attitude so that I'll get a degree eventually, finally, hopefully. :)

I realize I've been piling a lot of commitments on, whether actual commitments or just things that take a lot of time, like crafts. Plus I'm seeing a job counselor so I can get a part-time job. I'm just so much happier when I'm busy. When I get a job, there will have to be an adjustment in my scheduling. Understatement.

I've started taking down the travel picture wall in my bedroom, for when the house sells. I just rip off pictures every day. I think I'll leave the butterfly decorations up in the bathroom. They are such an improvement.

I'm waiting for my mom to come by. I need a lemon to go with the salmon I'm going to bake in the oven for dinner. We are going to walk to the post office if it's not raining. It's been raining off and on today, with some sunshine breaks. That's all for now! bye

A Going to Town Day

I make so many decisions according to how I feel, from what I wear to what I do. I haven't been wearing makeup lately or zip-up pants. Well, I did today because I had an appointment. I guess normal changes from year to year or season to season. I know since I've gained some weight I haven't felt as good about myself. I have all these jeans in my closet that are too small. Lame! I'm actually feeling better today, probably because I got out of the house for more than going to the PO and put on makeup and jeans, etc. I've been thinking way too much about my situation. I'm gonna have to move one of these days and find an apartment that takes kitties, not in that order. :) My dishwasher is broken too. So I actually washed some dishes by hand today. I'm kind of spoiled. I like to be as comfortable as possible on my fixed income. Maybe it's my Mars in the 4th house, but I tend to do a lot of stuff at home, plus decorating. Not into housework though, that gene didn't get passed along, the cleanfreak gene.

Today was a going to town, shopping and appointment type day. My mom always has to go like 8 places, only 6 today. Still, when I got home I took a nap. Muy exhausted. I live in the boonies, so the nearest "big" town is 20 miles away. It's always a trek, whenever we head for civilization. I live in a town without even one stoplight. We have a roundabout now though. Oh my! Lots of wildlife though. One of my cats killed a baby mole the other day. Poor little thing. It was left at the bottom of the steps by one of the kitties. The thing about days like today is I have no energy for anything else. I did do a little embroidery. My brother, Jed, was here for a couple hours using my computer. He mostly just reads news stories, weird news, or watches kitty videos. We visit. I do housework. It's nice having him over, most of the time.

I suppose I should say something about school. Mmmmmm... I think I'm too serious about school. It's one of the ways I motivate myself, like it's life or death if I turn my homework in on time. I need new ways to motivate myself, I guess. Have to work on that. All for now! bye

Crafts are keeping me sane.

Crafts are keeping me sane. I'm not kidding. I haven't been sleeping well. It seems like I'm getting all the bad side effects of anti-depressants without the good effects. Well, usually I'm OK and not depressed, on this one at least. But then there's the weight gain and the sleep disturbances. Might have to change...

Nature U. has 3 kinds of classes. The chats, which aren't offered very often, and are a fun and easy way to get credit, then there's my favorite, even if nerve-wracking at times, regular classes, which have deadlines, which I love. Deadlines are very motivating for me. Then there are the classes for those who have inner drive and motivation, the self-study, go at your own pace classes. Excuse me! I don't do well in those. It's too easy for me to put stuff off. I guess I'm actually "taking" a fourth kind of class, creative self-study classes. I put taking in quotations because I'm putting that off, for this week at least. I'm not as strong as the stress monster. I admit it!

Astrological digression. Mars is in Leo, retrograde. All this has done for me is make me very creative, almost to the point of obsession. I spent last night finding and looking for hand embroidery patterns, cool ones. Now, my embroidery skills are at a very basic level, so this is an exercise in frustration on the one hand. On the other hand, I love possibilities. Possibilities are like oxygen to me. The more possibilities there are, the happier I am. I put some of my ideas down in my Scanner Daybook, so I can save them for later. Mars in Leo is transiting my 12th house. I'm not sure what that means; maybe I should work in isolation. Something along those lines.

I'm listening to the Beatles on WMP. Tomorrow, Jean Jeanie is coming over and I'm going to help her put music on her new 2G MP3 player. She is bringing over some of her favorite CDs, which I'll rip and synch to her player. If all goes according to plan. :) Mom invited her to our Italian Valentine's Day dinner on Sunday. I think we might play Spite & Malice afterwards. Fun!

I got the class schedule for Spring Semester today. I'll either register for a Goddess class or Runes, both short classes. Haven't decided yet. I keep straying off the path. "Not all who wander are lost". Some exciting stuff is coming up Fall Semester. That seems so far away. It will be here before I know it. That's how time works. You think you are in today, then all of a sudden 5 years have passed and your in a totally different today, even if the sets are the same. Wow, I'm downright philosophical tonight! That's all for now! Bye

Miss Thing

One thing I have learned about using computers--simpler is better. I was having problems with Windows Media Player, it wouldn't recognize the CD I wanted to rip, so I started looking at all the help information. When I got to the part about changing registry values, I thought "maybe not". Instead I restarted the computer, I'll call her Miss Thing, because she's quite temperamental, and that worked. Often, if I'm having problems I just log off or restart and that works. I'm kinda mad at myself for taking an hour of fiddling with WMP and searching help menus before figuring that out.

Decisions have been made. I'm helping out my mom financially. She is in dire straits or this wouldn't happen. I finally got Star's number so I can call her if I want. It's unlikely that I'll get to Olympia this month, so visiting her is out of the question. Not sure if she can have visitors once she gets on the chemical dependency unit.

I've been extremely stressed out lately. I haven't been able to read. This has settled down some tonight. I read a chapter in Refuse to Choose by Barbara Sher, an excellent book. I summarize each chapter on one of my creativity websites. Maybe I can get Chapter 4 done tomorrow. I made chocolate chip cookies today, from a 2 pound tub of cookie dough. They turned out really good. I gave most of them to my family.

I have 3 craft projects going for my mom and best friend. Coasters, floursack towels, and an afghan are all in the works. I need to do a project for myself. I have these rune bookmarks started, just simple lines, but I'm hankering for a new project. Have to think about that.

I'm wondering if I should announce this blog on Facebook, my creativity and divination websites, and the Nature U. website. It might be nice to get some comments. On the other hand, maybe I should wait til the current crisis(plural) blow over. Sigh. What to do, what to do? That's all for now! Bye!

Friend-Sitting

I haven't been doing any studying or anything like that for the last two days. I've been friend-sitting Star. She is going to AA and I'm very proud of her. I'm also exhausted! She was talking about drinking and feelings and remembering stuff. Then we went and visited Bean and Stubby, and they talked about God. Plus Star was angry about stuff and I could feel the anger coming off of her. Luckily, we had some chuckles and I was glad to be there for her. I don't know how much help I was, but she said I was being a good friend so that's OK.

I got my new couch and Indy, my cat, really likes it. My other cat, Smoky, doesn't seem too impressed. This is kind of fun! I'm even changing my cats names. They are incognito, so their cat friends don't know what they're up to. They don't really have any other kitty friends. Smoky, especially, hates the neighbor kitty.

I guess I should say something about Nature U. I'm on vacation for another month. But I'm still working on stuff, or at least I should get around to it pretty soon. I'm really tired. Bye for now!