Friday, August 31, 2012
bracing myself.
My braces go back on in 10 days. I'm trying to eat my favorite nut things right now, because nuts (along with hard things like chips) are verboten and can make the brackets snack off. Right now, it's black walnut ice cream. This will be interesting.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
yay!
I made a 100% on my first A&P II quiz today, and last night I made 100% on my first Macroeconomics quiz. It's a good start.
First A&P lab we went over safety requirements and then had to focus the microscope. I had mine focused in about 5 seconds and we got to leave the class after maybe 15 minutes, the first ones dismissed. I'm going to like being in a smaller lab this time, I think. :)
First A&P lab we went over safety requirements and then had to focus the microscope. I had mine focused in about 5 seconds and we got to leave the class after maybe 15 minutes, the first ones dismissed. I'm going to like being in a smaller lab this time, I think. :)
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
ukulele and girl soothe the savage beastie
My dear friend Lin sent me this video of a drowsy kitten being lulled to lalaland by the dulcet tones of a young lady singing and playing ukulele. Very cute!
For one brief moment, I thought it would be nifty if the puppies sang along when I play guitar or ukulele, but then I realized that once started, they would likely never stop helping mommy.
The nice songstress in the video is Sarah Donner who is an indie folkpop star who fosters kittens and must be an awfully great gal. :) Anyone who can subdue kittens thusly could surely herd them!
For one brief moment, I thought it would be nifty if the puppies sang along when I play guitar or ukulele, but then I realized that once started, they would likely never stop helping mommy.
The nice songstress in the video is Sarah Donner who is an indie folkpop star who fosters kittens and must be an awfully great gal. :) Anyone who can subdue kittens thusly could surely herd them!
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Syrio Forel demonstrates why we say NO CAPES!
I am quite taken with Game Of Thrones in general, but I really love Arya and her sword instructor Syrio Forel. I am no expert on this kind of fighting, but the choreography here looks very well executed to me. I also love how he uses an opponent's cape against him, and all the while he seems very balanced, watchful and calm.
Syrio is brilliantly played by sword master and instructor Miltos Yerolemou.
I also notice as Arya runs away, we hear the fight ensue, but a metal sword clangs to the stone floor. I hope this means Syrio will appear again.
Syrio is brilliantly played by sword master and instructor Miltos Yerolemou.
I also notice as Arya runs away, we hear the fight ensue, but a metal sword clangs to the stone floor. I hope this means Syrio will appear again.
Monday, August 27, 2012
The new semester has arrived.
I'm excited because the two courses I have scheduled should be more sanely manageable than those hideous condensed summer courses I took, even though I expect these will both be challenging courses.
About the beastly professor I had in the summer session: I do take great umbrage at her ass-ery, but I know not to deal with her again, and I've left a true and damning comment for her on ratemyprofessors.com.
Here's a brief rundown of [the worst of] what happened: the class was reading-heavy, report-heavy and generally incredibly dense and demanding. Wanting to do well as ever, I attempted an additional credit report for the course which might have yielded 2% increase in final score-- well worth the effort. The syllabus stated the professor "prefers" papers submitted in Word format. When I submitted a paper which took me 4 hours to research and compose, she did not grade it. I contacted her to ask I why I was given no assessment on my work, and she replied she didn't think it was long enough based on the file size in that non-Word format. I responded that my paper was a mere 20 words less than the sample paper she'd put forth as an example and mine actually contained about 50 more characters-- I used bigger words. She responded that if I resubmitted the paper in Word she would look at it. In other words-- she lied in her syllabus: this would best be characterized as professor "REQUIRES" papers submitted in Word, rather than "PREFERS."
I did not respond. I can deal with very specific information that tells me of the professor's expectation, but I actively detest passive-aggressive scenarios in which someone wheedles that they prefer things this one way but can't commit to saying it must be done that particular way or will not be considered for grading. What I think was at play here was that the professor could not require students to buy a particular Word processing program, so she had to use the mealy-mouthed term "prefers" when in fact, she had absolutely no intention of considering a paper submitted in any other format.
Bitch.
Via email, I reached out to a classmate who was very vocal in participating in the class' online discussions. We volleyed a few emails and I gathered she was working full-time and had several small children and was struggling to better her lot in life and was afraid of not even passing the course, and that her extra credit offerings had been given a 0 as well. :( I felt worse for her than I do for myself-- I knew I'd get a B at the minimum.
This professor must feel great about herself, that she could be so condescending to honest, decent people who are trying to better themselves in life. She really should tug on her ears until she sees daylight, because she's not inspiring a quality educational experience, and she is NOT improving the world. If dispensing condescension from the lofty confines of her ivory tower is her idea of making the world a better place, then she truly is a stark-raving solipsistic jerk.
Considering about halfway down her syllabus contained dates from the Spring semester, I knew she had a much more exacting set of standards by which she judged student submissions than that to which she holds herself. I then deemed my previous extra credit efforts to have been a fool's errand, and I wasted no more time on attempting extra credit papers.
There was other bullshittery afoot on her part, but, again, it was too late to opt for another class or another professor, so I had only to make the best of it. In the end, I earned an A all under my own steam and I got a lesson in sociology, alright: I learned firsthand that malevolent dictatrixes suck big green donkey whongers.
Good riddance.
About the beastly professor I had in the summer session: I do take great umbrage at her ass-ery, but I know not to deal with her again, and I've left a true and damning comment for her on ratemyprofessors.com.
Here's a brief rundown of [the worst of] what happened: the class was reading-heavy, report-heavy and generally incredibly dense and demanding. Wanting to do well as ever, I attempted an additional credit report for the course which might have yielded 2% increase in final score-- well worth the effort. The syllabus stated the professor "prefers" papers submitted in Word format. When I submitted a paper which took me 4 hours to research and compose, she did not grade it. I contacted her to ask I why I was given no assessment on my work, and she replied she didn't think it was long enough based on the file size in that non-Word format. I responded that my paper was a mere 20 words less than the sample paper she'd put forth as an example and mine actually contained about 50 more characters-- I used bigger words. She responded that if I resubmitted the paper in Word she would look at it. In other words-- she lied in her syllabus: this would best be characterized as professor "REQUIRES" papers submitted in Word, rather than "PREFERS."
I did not respond. I can deal with very specific information that tells me of the professor's expectation, but I actively detest passive-aggressive scenarios in which someone wheedles that they prefer things this one way but can't commit to saying it must be done that particular way or will not be considered for grading. What I think was at play here was that the professor could not require students to buy a particular Word processing program, so she had to use the mealy-mouthed term "prefers" when in fact, she had absolutely no intention of considering a paper submitted in any other format.
Bitch.
Via email, I reached out to a classmate who was very vocal in participating in the class' online discussions. We volleyed a few emails and I gathered she was working full-time and had several small children and was struggling to better her lot in life and was afraid of not even passing the course, and that her extra credit offerings had been given a 0 as well. :( I felt worse for her than I do for myself-- I knew I'd get a B at the minimum.
This professor must feel great about herself, that she could be so condescending to honest, decent people who are trying to better themselves in life. She really should tug on her ears until she sees daylight, because she's not inspiring a quality educational experience, and she is NOT improving the world. If dispensing condescension from the lofty confines of her ivory tower is her idea of making the world a better place, then she truly is a stark-raving solipsistic jerk.
Considering about halfway down her syllabus contained dates from the Spring semester, I knew she had a much more exacting set of standards by which she judged student submissions than that to which she holds herself. I then deemed my previous extra credit efforts to have been a fool's errand, and I wasted no more time on attempting extra credit papers.
There was other bullshittery afoot on her part, but, again, it was too late to opt for another class or another professor, so I had only to make the best of it. In the end, I earned an A all under my own steam and I got a lesson in sociology, alright: I learned firsthand that malevolent dictatrixes suck big green donkey whongers.
Good riddance.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Sunday, Puppy Sunday: Heidi and Chuy
Saturday, August 25, 2012
We got comp'nay!!!
The lovely couple that is Jennifer and Evyl Robot arrived at Chez Phlegm yesterday with the always delightful Heidi. Himself made his wonderful chicken taco soup and we generally had a grand time. Know you are itching to hear so I'll tell you: Jennifer was wearing glossy nook-yoo-lar green sandals with (at least) 4" stacked leather heels. They coordinated with her green linen top and white stingray holster beautifully.
The fellows got a fire roiling in the chimenea and I drank more bloody marys than was seemly. Then I inflicted some ukulele on everyone. We laughed aplenty and I had a wonderful time.
They brought some bacon-stuffed olives which are absolutely glorious!
Tonight we are for karaoke in town, and I expect there will be a footwear photo. We may go to the range for snooty(er, shooty) goodness, and there may be a pedicure in there somewhere. For now, though, I'm going back to sleep.
:)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
The fellows got a fire roiling in the chimenea and I drank more bloody marys than was seemly. Then I inflicted some ukulele on everyone. We laughed aplenty and I had a wonderful time.
They brought some bacon-stuffed olives which are absolutely glorious!
Tonight we are for karaoke in town, and I expect there will be a footwear photo. We may go to the range for snooty(er, shooty) goodness, and there may be a pedicure in there somewhere. For now, though, I'm going back to sleep.
:)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Friday, August 24, 2012
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Let's play "which shoes will Phlegmmy wear today?"
Well, fancy that! My vote wins!!!
Yee haw!
Today I celebrate Thursday with superlative footwear.
Yays!
...or maybe I'll wear the ones with the pandas.
hmmm...
meanwhile, I'm still thinkin'...
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
tediousness.
You know what one of my favorite things at work is? I just LOVE when a dim-witted person-- usually trailing great swags of malapropisms-- treats me like a moron. I know that probably reads as sarcasm, but I'm completely serious.
You see, we have a policy of resolving the issue the caller has on the first call in. This just makes good sense, and if I were running the show, I'd admantly hold with just such a policy-- it's the only way to give good service.
Tuesday a man called up and asked my name. I told him "Rita" and he said "Well, Rina..." He sputtered about a bit and I finally was able to divine through the tangle of incomplete sentences what he was trying to achieve with the call. My gut told me that the answer to this riddle would be found in the notes of my colleagues who spoke with him earlier.
"Bear with me, sir" I said so I could read the notes, at which he immediately launched into another harangue, not allowing me a moment to think clearly. I sat silently, listening to him and then I asked him to bear with me again. I gave him the answer to his (sort of) question, which was apparently Not What He Wanted To Hear. I did not mince words, but suggested a resolution which to me made sense, even though it would mean I'd be spending the better portion of the next hour engineering a good outcome for the customer.
He then said "meaning you no disrespect, Rina, but I'd like to talk to Julia on this subject again, because I think she will be able to speak intelligently on this matter."
I was more than happy for him to get his happy ending elsewhere-- I was utterly off the hook. By all means. Find someone smarter than me. :) Break my heart. Heigh ho!
You see, we have a policy of resolving the issue the caller has on the first call in. This just makes good sense, and if I were running the show, I'd admantly hold with just such a policy-- it's the only way to give good service.
Tuesday a man called up and asked my name. I told him "Rita" and he said "Well, Rina..." He sputtered about a bit and I finally was able to divine through the tangle of incomplete sentences what he was trying to achieve with the call. My gut told me that the answer to this riddle would be found in the notes of my colleagues who spoke with him earlier.
"Bear with me, sir" I said so I could read the notes, at which he immediately launched into another harangue, not allowing me a moment to think clearly. I sat silently, listening to him and then I asked him to bear with me again. I gave him the answer to his (sort of) question, which was apparently Not What He Wanted To Hear. I did not mince words, but suggested a resolution which to me made sense, even though it would mean I'd be spending the better portion of the next hour engineering a good outcome for the customer.
He then said "meaning you no disrespect, Rina, but I'd like to talk to Julia on this subject again, because I think she will be able to speak intelligently on this matter."
I was more than happy for him to get his happy ending elsewhere-- I was utterly off the hook. By all means. Find someone smarter than me. :) Break my heart. Heigh ho!
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
This was one of the most thrilling events I've attended. The conference was called Yaa Halla, Y'all! and next year I hope to go to more than one evening. All the dancers were gorgeous, and there was an impressive array of ages and styles on display. There were lots of vendors with bellydance gear for sale, too.
First was a group of 27 individual professional dancers competing, and then troupes from parts far and wide. I did not envy the judges their painful task of selecting the topmost acts of the evening, because everyone was a pleasure to watch. Then finally there was a handful of some of the finest superstars of bellydance. To my delight, the luscious Ansuya performed:
...and I nearly levitated when I found out the Friday evening performance roster would conclude with the ever-delightful Sadie.
I had a grand time and am looking forward to the one next year.
First was a group of 27 individual professional dancers competing, and then troupes from parts far and wide. I did not envy the judges their painful task of selecting the topmost acts of the evening, because everyone was a pleasure to watch. Then finally there was a handful of some of the finest superstars of bellydance. To my delight, the luscious Ansuya performed:
...and I nearly levitated when I found out the Friday evening performance roster would conclude with the ever-delightful Sadie.
I had a grand time and am looking forward to the one next year.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Internet issues...
Will hopefully be resolved today. Puppy Monday post to come, hopefully! Blogger can be persnickety about allowing me to post photos from my phone.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Friday, August 17, 2012
Dry cleaning.
Yup, gonna crab about dry cleaning. I don't think it really cleans clothes, do you? I had a skirt dry cleaned in June, pulled out of the closet today and it smells bad. Some weird chemical thing, I think.
Meh.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Meh.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Thursday, August 16, 2012
one certain pup is teething
Miss Mochi is prone to chewing everything. By everything I mean EVERYTHING. She came up with my guitar tuner one day. My capo is missing and I suspect her. Somewhere she must have a little magpie cache of shiny crap wot she stole.
One good teething toy I've gotten for her is a Kong Teething Stick. I've not smeared peanut butter or shaving cheese into the grooves like they recommend, but she seems quite pleased to gnaw on it at length anyway. Still, I'm worried about her uneven bite and how the baby teeth don't seem to be falling out. The big canines are coming in but the little baby ones seem like they don't plan to go anywhere anytime soon. poor little lamb. I hope they don't need to be surgically removed, but I suppose that could happen when shes getting fixed.
One good teething toy I've gotten for her is a Kong Teething Stick. I've not smeared peanut butter or shaving cheese into the grooves like they recommend, but she seems quite pleased to gnaw on it at length anyway. Still, I'm worried about her uneven bite and how the baby teeth don't seem to be falling out. The big canines are coming in but the little baby ones seem like they don't plan to go anywhere anytime soon. poor little lamb. I hope they don't need to be surgically removed, but I suppose that could happen when shes getting fixed.
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