I *LIKE* Being Old!

Well, let me correct that. I *LIKE* have 60 years of memories to draw from. I *DON'T* like it that my body is aging and showing wear and tear from my not taking care of it.

I like being in a idea-rich environment such as college. I am able to give first-hand accounts of events that to others in the class are ancient history! (Sometimes I wish I had paid more attention to what was the same old boring news but is now History.) I like the ability to pull ideas from my experience and show how they can apply in other situations. (I have no specific examples off-hand.) I like not being afraid of my teachers so that I can interject ideas as I see fit! My teachers all seem, if not receptive to my comments, at least tolerant. I am able to express my smart-alecky streak!

I remember a comment by a speaker at a business meeting. He said that when he said "Good morning" to a business group, they responded "Good morning." When he said it to a college group, they took notes!

(I told the staff at the North Carolina Aquarium where I volunteer that I don't like people, but I like learning stuff and I like showing off what I know. It works out. :-) That is not quite true. I sometimes work hard at getting a pre-school child to touch something in the touch tank. I have them touch a dry, empty shell, then a wet, empty shell, then a wet shell with a critter in it, and sometimes they even touch the critter -- a hermit crab, whelk, or something like that. I get quite a sense of accomplishment. A heart-felt "thank you" from the mom makes me feel really good!)

Looking back on my life I seem to have had a rather conventional life. I have been a white-collar wage-slave (corporate employee) for most of my life, been married, had a child, house, cars, etc. Yet my experiences (I include reading and paying attention to the world around me as experiences.) are sufficiently broad and deep that I am able to contribute. This does not make me special as all the other students, and especially the teachers, bring their own experiences to bear. I guess I am trying to say that I am just happy that I have something useful to share and that I am still learning.

Happy Holidays everyone!

My Grades This Semester

When I registered, I signed up for a couple of things that I wouldn't have if I had known better. I took Public Speaking as what is called a mini-course. That is a complete course done in 1/2 a semester. I signed up for 17 credits, but doing one course as a mini was like taking 20 credits the first half and 14 credits the 2nd half. I won't do THAT again!

I also took a Pre-calculus which is what I wanted. It turns out that it is a complete semester of algebra and a complete semester of trig in one course. Since it was a review I could generally keep up with the material, but there sure was a lot of homework! No more double courses, thank you!

As I mentioned on Facebook, I got a C in Public Speaking because I did not turn in an assignment. This was the course that was done as a mini-session.

I got B's in Pre-calculus and Expository Writing (freshman English, part I). The final was a "common final". In our 50 minute class period we had to write a 5-paragraph essay comparing and contrasting two articles that we received a few weeks before. The essay had to have a particular format as well, including a "thesis statement" as the last sentence of the first paragraph. We spent the intervening class time reviewing these essays. (One was Al Gore's Nobel speech.) The teacher worked hard at getting us ready. I got a 97 on mine -- I missed some commas! The dang things are so small that you wouldn't think they were so important!

I got A's in Psychology and Critical Thinking. Our Critical Thinking teacher spent most of his time trying to prove there was a god and rambling about other pet peeves. I argued with him a little and got a boost for "class participation." I had done some reading about psychology before, so that class went pretty easily for me.

I am on break until January when I will take Calculus, Intro to American Lit, and Argument-based research (Freshman English part II). This is a much lighter load than last semester.

The math classes are a test for myself. With all the drinking I did, did I fry my brain so much that I can't do math? Passing Calculus will be the test. Since I was able to keep up with the Pre-calculus, I do not expect any problems as long as I do the work. I was also worried about having pickled my memory cells. Since I passed all my courses, I didn't hurt my memory *too* badly. I feel better about myself.

And that's the news from Lake Greenfield (A lake downtown complete with alligators!)

Happy Holidays to all!