I’ve come to the conclusion that perhaps my expectations are a bit too high these days.  This evening my mark was returned for my Enviro Chem paper and I nearly cried.  It’s the lowest mark I’ve received on any assignment or paper since I returned to university (discounting the disasters that my exams always turn out to be).  Considering the struggles I have with understanding Enviro Chem, I shouldn’t be so surprised that my marks are – at least according to me this evening – substandard.

That said, I squeaked out an A- on my paper.  I have a feeling that I should be satisfied with it and continue moving forward in the hopes of improving as the weeks progress.  I’m just worried that if I can’t keep up a minimum 3.7/4.0 average that I won’t make it into grad school.  Scratch that.  I’m worried that I won’t make it to 3.7.  I’ve got two stinky 2.7s (B-)  and two 3.0s (B) on my transcripts from courses I completed before I transfered to RMC.  They haunt me.  I see B’s dancing around my head in my nightmares.

I’m feeling very overwhelmed at the moment.  Perhaps it’ll pass next week when I’m roaming the halls at ISSOTL.  I’m super excited about next week.  First, I’ve taken the whole week off so I can concentrate on school papers and assignments for a few days.  Second, I’m attending my first major education related conference.  I’ve been to a number of technical conferences over the years, but I’ve been told that an ed. conference is distinctly different.  Third, I’m a co-author (but not presenter) of one of the papers being presented at ISSOTL this year.  Yep, I have another notch on my curriculum vitae.  Perhaps this will motivate me to write a few other papers over the next few months to try and increase my publishing credits while I’m still working on my undergrad degree.

In a few days I’ll be registering for my winter courses.  Perhaps that explains my current feelings.  I checked my course plan this evening and see so many blank areas indicating courses left to be completed.  It’s like I’m swimming in glue.  I know I’m moving forward but it certainly feels like I’m treading water at the moment.

Worrying comes natural to me.  That said, I do need to get my butt in gear for my current courses.  I have two more papers and multiple assignments due before the end of the month.  Which brings me back to my happy feelings about the much needed days off next week.

Instead of heading to my neighbours to borrow their BBQ on Friday I ended up catching up on some much needed sleep.  Good intentions and all that.  It was early when I wrote my post and no one was home yet.  So I decided to take a nice little nap while I was waiting.  I ended up sleeping until Saturday morning with a small interruption to tell Loxley that I would not be attending karaoke – too busy sleeping!

Why is this sleeping commentary important?  Because I didn’t manage to let my neighbour know about the over-sized garbage can complaint I’d received in the mail.  When I woke up on Saturday I crossed over to L and J’s for a visit and noticed that R’s gigantic garbage can on wheels was gone and in it’s place was one the same size as what we use.  I figured someone in the neighbourhood must have read my blog and passed on the message.  When I commented on the new can to R, he noted that during the night someone had “stolen” his brand new garbage can and replaced it with this little one.  Since the city package I was provided indicated a sticker was supposed to be placed on a can for replacement – and R definitely hadn’t placed a sticker on his can – he has no idea who made of with his garbage can.  Or why.  I suspect an overzealous garbage collector.  I could be wrong.

However, someone else making off with a garbage can is likely to leave a brand new can as a replacement.

R was semi annoyed about his loss of garbage can.  He had just recently purchased it with the  intend to use it in the backyard as a place to gather his cans and bottles.  A giant tan coloured blue bin if you will.  Someone, either his wife or son, accidentally put the can and it’s collection of recyclables out for garbage collection on Friday.

While makes us all wonder about the content of the written complaint.  It specified that the oversize can was too heavy to lift.  But if the garbage can was filled with beer cans the contents would not have been heavy.

Obviously, we don’t have enough excitement in the back alley of late.  I haven’t been mistaken for a fleeing suspect – despite the cops having watched me walk DOWN the alley in their direction and Drew hasn’t tackled a knife-wielding teen lately.  Suspected theft of garbage can is all we’re left with…

This I know despite not putting out the trash.  And how do I know this?  Well, I got a nice little notice in the mail informing me that my (a) garbage can is too big, (b) the contents weighed too much, (c) I was in violation of bylaw number something or other and (d) I could get a new smaller can from the city for free if I stuck a sticker on the can when I put it out next garbage day.

Here again I remind you that I, organized woman that I am, completely forgot that it was garbage day today and didn’t put the trash out last night.  The cans are in exactly the same location and state as they were when I dropped Drew off at the airport on Monday.  What can I say?  When you’re eating sandwiches and all the leftovers in your fridge you don’t accumulate much in the way of garbage.

Guess I need to trott over to the neighbours house to let him know he needs to lighten his load – or expand to using two small cans instead of one gianormous one.  He often puts his cans beside ours because the garbage collectors often don’t see his cans when he places them on his side of the fence.  They tend to come a-collecting an hour or so before he and his crew leave for work and his cans are hidden behind his work truck.  It was bound to happen.  His can dwarfs ours.

Something will need to be done or I’ll likely get yet another reminder in the mail.  After XX number of reminders, the news claims the collectors won’t take the garbage away anymore.  Not good.  Granted, when I called the city hot-line, they didn’t know what the magical XX of warnings was before your house is put on the naughty list.  Never a good sign when the bureaucrats don’t know what they’re doing.

Joy –

It seems like we’ve been getting calls from every telemarketer on the planet for the past few months and I, for one, am thrilled that Canada finally has it’s own DNC list.  I’m tired of calls from people trying to sell me something at 9 and 10 o’clock at night.  I’m tired of the calls that start at 8am and don’t end until late in the evening.  No, I don’t want a new credit card.  No, I don’t want my non-existent carpets cleaned. No. No. No.

Despite their earlier success nearly overwhelming the registration site, I’m happy to report that our numbers are now registered with the Do Not Call list.  Sure we still have to wait the 31 days for it to kick in and deal with the exempted businesses but I can live with that.  Light at the end of the tunnel.

Pain –

Brunswick News is reprinting Dad’s memoriam tomorrow. Better late than never I guess…

Sunshine –

I’m on track for finishing my Psych paper by Friday and have managed to connect with a tonne of old friends this week.  Who are these old friends you ask?  Long ago when the earth was green I used to haven.  Think IRC on a geekier scale.  Many of us traveled throughout the continent (and across the pond) to meet face to face.  We had weddings, conventions, late night parties, Denny’s runs, and trips to the Waffle House.  As sometimes happens when you grow up and move through life I lost track of a large number of fellow haveners over the past decade. Through the magic of Facebook (laying it on thick, I know), I’d landed back in touch with a few haven buddies last year.  After a wild evening of tagging and commenting on old party pictures late last week, I succumbed to the evil whispering of others (Munchie) and created a Facebook group for Haveners.  We’re 80+ strong and the story swapping has been a hoot.  Catching up with old friends and reconnecting with acquaintences has made for a fun few days tripping down memory lane.

Our social director is working on a meet and greet on the west coast.  Havens are becoming populated again and I’m tweeting like crazy since I bowed to the pressure (Diva Zaf!) and registered for an account.

Not to be outdone, this morning Darcey announced Buddy Guy’s upcoming concert over at the Broom.  If you’re a broomer you can get your tickets early.  I’ve got 3rd row seats.  Darcey managed to scrounge seats in the first row.  Yes.  That is jealousy you’re reading.

Rain –

Twitter and havening make procrastination far too easy.  I really need to focus to ensure I continue to stay on track in all my courses.

I was planning on continuing to avoid blogging while I desperately attempt to make my Enviro Chem paper deadline (tonight) but it was not to be.

My father passed away two years ago today.  Some days I forget he’s gone and pick up the phone to call and talk to him.  I hope others do this as I’d hate to think I’m some sort of loony that hasn’t learned to let go… I miss him a lot.  He was my go-to guy for advice.  The person I wanted to grow up and be like. All that.

When my dad died the local newspaper screwed up and didn’t publish his obituary until the morning of his funeral (which took place on a Saturday).  When the error was first caught (day 1) the Funeral Home contacted the paper to correct it for the following day. A second day passed with no obituary. It was one of those things that you expect to go smoothly and it’s quite disturbing when it doesn’t.

Due to the lack of notice few people had realized he’d died.  I’m sure fewer still were even aware that he was ill.  We spent quite a bit of time afterward explaining to people when he’d died, when the funeral had been, and why they might not have seen the notice in the paper.  It was stressful to say the least. And yes, I’m still a tad bit bitter about the whole thing.

In the few years since then, I’ve been contacting the paper well in advance in order to place the Memoriam notice.  I’m delusional.  I like to think they’ll get it right.  This year I didn’t receive a call to arrange for payment after placing the order.  I waited 2 or 3 days and then contacted the paper again.  I had a few days before the cut-off period for the notice and wasn’t too concerned.  They claimed never to have received the order, so I resubmitted it and made payment.  I received confirmation and *whoosh* a few short minutes later the payment was processed.  I figured all would be well.  This year, the notice would appear.

I should have known better.  Don’t get me wrong.  My dad’s Memoriam was printed.  It’s just that it appeared in the Moncton paper instead of the Saint John paper.  It’s the equivalent of placing a notice in a Calgary paper for an Edmonton audience.  I’m not amused.  Hell, I’m downright disappointed.  If I were the paranoid type, I’d wonder what the hell my family had ever done to deserve this…

Upperdate 1:40pm: 2 hours ago I notified the paper of it’s error in writing – via email, but in writing none the less.  When I wanted to place the ad and contacted them (the second time) they got back to me in less than 30 minutes.  I haven’t heard a peep out Brunswick News Inc yet.  Wonder how long it’ll take before they acknowledge my complaint… or if they’ll wait until I call to complain?