 |
|
![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) alteredboi | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
And in other news, I dropped Calculus I. It wasn't due to any difficulties with the class - I got 10/10 on my first quiz - but because I just couldn't focus myself. I completely burned myself out Spring quarter. Of the four classes I took, two were writing intensive and one required a project, paper, and presentation. The fourth was Trigonometry and it became my easiest class. I passed them all with A's, but toward the end of the quarter I was getting apathetic and frustrated. I needed a break between quarters, but as it turned out, I only got a weekend between the two and that was spent visiting family and friends in Kentucky. It wasn't enough. Once Summer quarter started, I found I was understanding the Calculus, but I couldn't motivate myself to do the practice problems they suggested. I got my homework done, but always at the last minute, and the labs frustrated and irritated me. Then, I discovered that because Calc I is only 5 credits, I wasn't even considered part-time. This meant that my student loans wouldn't cover the cost of the class. I could either pay out the additional $500+ not covered by grants or pick up another class to get me over 6 credits. Seeing as I was having enough trouble with one class, I didn't think adding another would be an improvement. I discussed it with Damnen and mentioned my desire to drop it and she agreed. She said if I needed the break that badly, then I should take it while I had the opportunity to do so. After waffling for a while and feeling guilty about it, I finally dropped it. I want to write some over the summer. I want to veg out at the computer and in front of the TV. I want to relax. I want to get the house straightened up. I want to be doing everything that isn't school right now. Then, once we'd decided to buy a house, there was no way I'd have time to focus on that and Calculus at the same time. That was the major deciding factor. So I will pick Calculus I up again during Winter quarter. I'd like to take it in the Fall, so there's not so much time away from math, but I have a required Geology class that's from 4-8pm. Calculus I is only offered in the morning and I do not want to be on campus for 12 hours. Instead, I'm taking the Geology, Statistics, and an Honors Medieval History course that sounds really interesting. Hopefully, come Winter quarter, the Geology will be at a more reasonable time and I'll be able to return to a more comfortable schedule and fit the Calculus in. Unfortunately, this means I will not be receiving a check over the summer and will have to tolerate my poor, slow computer a little longer. It's getting to where I can't run three programs at once or it will slow to a crawl or one of the programs will crash. Anything memory intensive is out. I spend a lot of time waiting for things to process. I was going to take my check and build a new computer, but now I will have to wait. Oh, and my cd-rom died, too. I just noticed that the other day when I tried to get it to eject. I'm not even sure if there's a cd in there, but it wouldn't open up or even attempt to read whatever might be in there. It's frustrating, but I'll make do. Since I dropped Calculus, I've finished chapter 36 of my poor, neglected book. I plan to start 37 tomorrow. I've also reread a favorite book and gotten started on a series that my niece has been hounding me to read for some time now. It's Simon R. Green's Nightside series. It's okay, so far. I'm mostly just irritated by how often he says "in the Nightside" or some derivation thereof. It happens about twice a page or more. I like repetition, but not when it seems that contrived. Hopefully, the next books will be a bit better. There are other things I'd like to read, but one of them will have to be loaded to Damnen's computer and emailed to me, since my cd-rom is down. I have a stack of journal articles I've been saving for when I have time. And a library full of books. I'd also like to go fossil hunting some time soon. I recently learned of the cephalopod layer in the quarry that I had not previously investigated. And we went on a field trip to the Germantown Dam, where the Waynesville Formation is exposed. It is loaded with excellent fossils. I'd like to go back. I wouldn't mind heading down to Caesar's Creek, too. Mostly, I'm just pretty happy to sit at the computer, listen to music, and zone out. It's a nice respite and a much needed one, as well. Though soon I should try to get caught up on correspondence. I've let that fall to the wayside for too long. I also intend to write a future-dated introductory post for this journal that explicitly warns people that I'm not around much, so they know what they're getting into. It seems only fair. Tags: books, calculus, college, computer, damnen, fossils, writing
mood swing: keep tight with me
mental jukebox: Peter Murphy - Subway
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
alteredboi | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Farmersville house fell through, but not for lack of trying on our part. The guy who owned the house told us to meet him at the house on a Sunday to go over the paperwork, sign it, and put down our deposit. We showed up to find his son there mowing the lawn, but no sign of him. His son called him and told us he'd forgotten about our meeting and he would get in touch with us during the week to set up another time. We agreed to this and looked around the house some more to get an idea of where furniture might go and what would need to be done before we moved in. We discovered two 3-4 foot black snakes in the kitchen. Damnen grabbed one and the son took it outside; the other slithered behind the dishwasher. A week passed with no word from the guy again, so we called him. He said he'd hurt his leg and been out of work all week, but he'd get the paperwork together and give us a call back. Another week passed and nothing. And then he wouldn't return our phone calls or emails. We assume he just didn't want to rent to us, but wasn't willing or perhaps legally allowed to say so. We even wonder now if the snakes were planted in the kitchen on purpose in hopes that they would scare us off. It seemed a bit odd to find two of them right in the middle of the floor. Maybe if he'd used poisonous snakes, but I can't say either of us are particularly scared of black snakes. So, we sat down and reconsidered our plans to move, and discussed our options, and decided we would face the aggravation and potential disappointment of trying to buy a house again. We are sick to the bone of dealing with landlords and worrying about the cats getting us in trouble and worrying if the house will go up for sale or be foreclosed on and we lose our home. Damnen applied and was pre-approved for a loan. We have contacted our previous realtor and she's available. We have gathered together a list of houses to look at and we'll be getting started on that Monday. Initially, we were looking at houses out in the country or small towns because we'd like to get out of Dayton and we'd prefer the privacy of living in the middle of nowhere. Then Damnen pointed out that with gas prices rising inevitably, people are going to be moving back to the cities to cut down their commutes. This means that a house in the country will be hard to sell in a few years. A house in town, though, might go quickly. Assuming this is the case, it would allow us to sell our city house faster and have a good choice of country houses available when we move back to Kentucky. Once we're back in Kentucky, we intend to stay put for a long while, so it doesn't matter if there's no strong market for our house there. We still want out of Dayton, though, so we're looking at Fairborn and Springfield. We considered Kettering, Oakwood, and Beavercreek, but in Kettering we can only afford homes in the bad areas, and Oakwood and Beavercreek are absolutely out of our price range. And really, I find the fact that those three cities are attached to the malignant, festering tumor that is Dayton a little too close for comfort. Our friend Dave has lived in Springfield for about 20 years (as I recall) and he loves it there. He is doing his best to influence us to move there. After much careful consideration, we are hesitantly willing to move there, but we're still going out on Sunday with him to tour the town and check out the neighborhoods. As it turns out, there are two houses we really like on his street and we're going to see them with the realtor on Monday. Springfield, though, is about half an hour from school and we aren't sure about the strength of the housing market there. As for Fairborn... well, aside from downtown Fairborn, it doesn't impress us much. The houses are mostly the cracker box style that was very popular in the 50s and 60s or that strange Flintstone's style that was big in the 70s. They are very small houses. They aren't very pretty, either, and there's not much to be done to make them look any better. However, Fairborn is a few miles from school, so we would save a ton on gas. It is also right next to the quarry where I like to dig for fossils. It would be extremely convenient and the house would probably have a decent resale. There are still a few houses out in the country that we haven't ruled out yet. On Monday we are going to try to fit in the four houses we like best in Springfield and Fairborn. We have an FHA loan, so the house has to be in decent condition or we can't get the loan. If the four we like best aren't up to par, we'll take a look at the rest of our list. Here's the first one we're going to see. We're kind of hoping we'll only have to see this one, but I always worry about the things they don't show in the photographs... like the bathroom, which could look like a war zone. We'll see on Monday, I suppose. Tags: damnen, dayton, fairborn, farmersville, house buying, springfield
mood swing: and then...
mental jukebox: This Mortal Coil - Ruddy and Wretched
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small}
not so cold now, mate
before