Yeah I know. I missed a day. Life intervenes on occasion.

Spent yesterday in a training class for a piece of software that I’ve been using for months. Didn’t learn anything new but certainly ended the day feeling dismissed, patronized, and condescended to by the Trainer. Checked with some other co-workers and found they felt the same way after the session. There was a clear bias (although, he categorization of people was unsupported by facts and based on his own unchecked assumptions) between the favoured group and the “others” and us “others” certainly noticed it.

Big storm blew through Edm last night and now I get to dig out. Oh joy. Where’s a snow shoveling fairy when you need one?

There’s an abandoned shopping cart on the sidewalk in front of my house. I am not amused. It makes shoveling difficult and looks like an eyesore. I have no idea who left it here. I didn’t check earlier but I’m going to see if the store name is listed on it so I can call tem to come retrieve their cart. I have no idea what I’m going to do if it doesn’t have any identifying marks on it or if the store refuses to come get it. All I know is that it can’t stay here.

Got multiple papers due Friday evening so it’s time to buckle down and write like a madwoman. Don’t expect to see or hear from me over the next few days.

I’ve had some problems figuring out a Stats formula based on the description in my course notes. Today I stopped in at a coworker’s office for help. G spent years teaching Stats – or so I’m told – and knew what I was babbling about. He helped me hunt down an easier formula to try and when I headed home I retried my homework. Surprise, surprise (or maybe not) the math now works and I’m finally starting to understand this chunk of the course materials.

Now if only I could find such a simple resolution to searching for appropriate articles for my other classes. I like rhw library but I think I’m spending way too much time there of late. And the more hours spent there & en route the fewer hours I have to write my papers that are due Friday.

Guess I know what I’m doing after work for the next few days…Hope everyone else is having a more exciting week.

I spent a bit of time this morning on the phone with an EI service representative. Apparently EI does not normally pay benefits to anyone who is not actively seeking full-time work. Attending school full-time would disqualify me from receiving benefits.

However, since I’ve spent the last few years attending part-time while holding down a full-time job, I should be able to continue attending part-time while receiving benefits. Then again, EI may choose to deny an application based on part-time university attendance being considered a potential hindrance to employment availability.

[Insert mental rant here]

Gee thanks government safety net that our family has been forced to pay into for decades. Some help you’re turning out to be.

[/rant]

I don’t want (nor qualify for) a student loan in order to continue with the degree. So now I must search bursary and scholarship programs if I want to go to school full-time after the lay off. Seems far more likely that I’ll continue to be working full-time – if I can find a job – while I continue pursuing the degree part-time.

Back to the drawing board.  It appears I need a new fall back position plan.

Completely shocking news when it comes to my co-workers today. I’m still in my mini-limbo waiting to see what will happen on the job hunt. I did send my resume off for a student internship position but it’s a long shot. I’m enrolled at a different university and the group hiring isn’t sure if they can interview “outsiders”. I’m hoping that they’re willing to go out on a limb and consider me. The intership could last as long as 16 months. While it pays less than my current position, it’s not a huge difference. Best of all, it’s in my field and would help give me some great experience while I continue working on my degree.

I was hoping today’s mail would bring the letter Drew wrote to me. A nice Valentine’s day message. No joy. I wonder if the last package and/or letter I sent to him has arrived in KAF yet?

Monday is a holiday here and I’ll be spending the day working my way through readings and my Stats homework. I’m a bit distracted when it comes to school at the moment but I really need to get back on track before my whole semester starts going off the rails.

Tonight’s TV treadmill time is sponsored by the return on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Joss Whedon’s (he of Firefly and Dr. Horrible fame) new show Dollhouse. I’ll be getting lots of exercise tonight!

Here’s hoping next week is an improvement on this one.

…but I just submitted it on Friday night…

*gasp* *sputter* *swoon*

I got paper #1 in my Experimental Psych class back this morning. As you can imagine this speedy return was completely unexpected since I’m used to a 2 week turnaround (at minimum) on grades/feedback at RMC. Then again, I’m taking this class elsewhere since RMC isn’t offering it, so they may have different norms surrounding marking that I’m not aware of. Whatever the case may be I certainly wasn’t expecting to log into my course site this morning and find a graded paper. The sun didn’t shine on my parade very long.  Not only wasn’t I expecting the paper back this soon, I also wasn’t expecting a B. Yep. Loxley can return to her days of heckling me and peppering my desk with B shaped objects. I have finally managed to slide lower than an A- on a course.

Actually, I think I’d received a B on my first paper history paper a few semesters ago.  It ended relatively well since I did manage to squeak through with an A- as a final grade in that course.  I’ll have to go digging in my records to check.  Someday.

There is hope.  The first paper is only worth 10% so if I pay attention to the feedback I’m sure I can improve the grade over the next few papers.  Or so I’m going to keep telling myself.

Friday night at Karaoke was interesting.  We had both dare rounds and pick a song from a hat rounds.  People put songs they would normally sing into a hat and others had to sing them. I didn’t fare too badly – Alanis Morrisette’s Head Over Feet was my hat song. Loxley ended up with Alabama’s I’m in a Hurry (And Don’t Know Why) while L sang Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit.  Highlight of the singing was L’s interpretation of the ending. In Denial. In Denial. Etc. Etc. I guess you had to be there. The dare round was, as always, evil.  Loxley submitted Iron Maiden’s Butterfly’s In A Gadda Da Vida for me to sing. After that I had no guilt about having thrown her name into the hat to sing Nena’s 99 Red Balloons.  I did go easy on her though and chose the English version. ‘Twas an interesting night.

Last night we went out to celebrate Boo’s “Big Night Out/Not Birthday Party”. Her friend C made her two amazing cheese cakes that tasted like mini slices of heaven. We learned that her friend A lives just up the street from me and seems to know everyone who works on Whyte Ave.

Now Sunday is here it’s time to finish off yet another assignment for MilPsych and modify a course site for work. So much for hibernating for the day and recovering.  Drew should be calling tonight which will make my day complete.

UPPERDATE: School work is taking longer than expected so I’ve decided NOT to work OT to finish up the work related work this afternoon. 8am Monday morning is soon enough!