I was thinking today about how much my life has changed in a relatively short time. Actually, I think about that alot so it's really no surprise. But today, instead of focusing on the last 3 years, I was really only thinking about the last 6 months. 6 months ago I was working more than fulltime, was never home, stressed beyond belief, fighting pain every minute of every day and usually losing, and just felt like I was going nowhere. Since I quit my job, I've had way more time at home, plenty of time with my family and church family, started school again which was a major feat, started playing my piano again which was just a matter of confidence, I get to help alot of the families in our church who need me, my sisters and I are directing another church musical, still fight pain every minute of every day but I'm winning more often, oh, and I turned 21. Even though my busy-ness level hasn't really changed since the fall, I am not stressed out anymore and actually feel like I have more time. Maybe because I'm actually in control of my schedule and the things I decide to do. And, my blood pressure has decreased by 35% since I quit working. Yeah. Stress has just fallen off.
We leave on Friday for WholeHearted Mother in Dallas! Why, you ask, and I going to a mother's conference? Hm...I guess you haven't been reading my blog for very long. I go *every* year to watch the tiny babies so the moms who are still nursing can attend. This year I have 6 babies and will have 2 or 3 other girls to help me this time. I love babies and it's always nice to get away and spend a weekend in a hotel. It's a good time to get homework done too, when the babies are napping. This year I'm rooming with Stephanie and Tiffany which means our room is going to be the FUN room! Everyone will be jealous of how cool we are.
Funny story from school today: In my algebra class, the prof wrote a problem up on the board that looked pretty complex because of how many numbers were involved. It was something about multiplying around 17 numbers together and dividing it by another 13 numbers multiplied. Hidden in the first set was a zero, so I automatically knew that I didn't have to work out the problem. No one else seemed to catch on and it took everyone about 8 minutes to frantically figure out the answer. So as I'm sitting there waiting, the girl next to me leans over and says, "Did you get zero for part of your first answer?" I told her that it was my whole answer. She said, "Yeah, I know it's zero, but is that negative zero or positive zero?" All I could say was, "Ummm..." which I guess she interpreted as confusion. She confidently whispered, "Just put negative zero, I'm sure that's the answer." I could not respond.
I am currently trying to write a paper for my psychology class on "hope." It's supposed to be 10 pages and I'm just not very happy about it. He said to make it personal, but because that topic is SO personal to me, I don't think I can make it personal without it being TMI. Our friend Trish gave me some good ideas which I've already started working on, but still...I wish I could have gotten a neutral topic like...I don't know.
Well, I guess I'll go start writing instead of complaining about writing.
2/11/08
2/7/08
out of place
At Bible study last night, several people asked me to blog more crazy stories about school. I tried to do it when I got home, but nothing came to me. Either people have calmed down or I'm just tuning them out. The thing that bothers me the most right now is that I seem to be the only one out of 10,000 students who will not vote for Obama or Clinton in the general election. Seriously, I have yet to meet or even overhear one other person who will vote even semi-conservatively. I have a hard time keeping my mouth shut when issues come up in class, but knowing that I have not one person to back me up and knowing that my opinions will do nothing to change the situation, I have to stay quiet.
Yesterday was Ash Wednesday so naturally, everyone but Beth and me came to school with ashes all over their foreheads. Of course, I looked like the unpious, sacrilegious, going-straight-to-hell girl because of my ashless face. Even my professors left class for 30 minutes each to get ashed...or whatever you call it. More than a few people asked me if I was leaving class anytime to soon to go to the nearest St. Something. When I politely replied that I was not going, some girl with a cigarette (standing next to the sign that says "Smoke Free Campus!") and an obsene tshirt explained the importance of the ashes and how if I didn't follow the diet and get ashed, I couldn't know for sure where I would go when I die. I said something about not needing ashes to give my soul peace and I absolutely knew where I would be when I die. She looked at me with a very confused face and said, "But....you don't have the f-ing ashes..." I'm not sure she understood.
Actually, it was sad to have a visual reminder of just how many people don't understand. The poor girls can say and do whatever they want, but as long as they get their ashes and get an HIV test every year, they're safe. (This is literally what one of the girls in A&P said.) I walked around staring at ashen heads all day and was overcome with joy and thankfulness that my eyes have been opened to the Truth of the Gospel and that I don't need a priest from St. Something to assure me of my salvation. Christ is THE priest and has made our salvation sure. Beth's and my clean foreheads served as a visual reminder, at least for us, that we do indeed walk the narrow path.
Yesterday was Ash Wednesday so naturally, everyone but Beth and me came to school with ashes all over their foreheads. Of course, I looked like the unpious, sacrilegious, going-straight-to-hell girl because of my ashless face. Even my professors left class for 30 minutes each to get ashed...or whatever you call it. More than a few people asked me if I was leaving class anytime to soon to go to the nearest St. Something. When I politely replied that I was not going, some girl with a cigarette (standing next to the sign that says "Smoke Free Campus!") and an obsene tshirt explained the importance of the ashes and how if I didn't follow the diet and get ashed, I couldn't know for sure where I would go when I die. I said something about not needing ashes to give my soul peace and I absolutely knew where I would be when I die. She looked at me with a very confused face and said, "But....you don't have the f-ing ashes..." I'm not sure she understood.
Actually, it was sad to have a visual reminder of just how many people don't understand. The poor girls can say and do whatever they want, but as long as they get their ashes and get an HIV test every year, they're safe. (This is literally what one of the girls in A&P said.) I walked around staring at ashen heads all day and was overcome with joy and thankfulness that my eyes have been opened to the Truth of the Gospel and that I don't need a priest from St. Something to assure me of my salvation. Christ is THE priest and has made our salvation sure. Beth's and my clean foreheads served as a visual reminder, at least for us, that we do indeed walk the narrow path.
1/28/08
psych-o
Because I know you're just dying to know what I learned in psychology class today, I am here to tell you.
>>plants and amoebas (not to mention all animals) have minds and a conscience. it's the missing link!
>>we can get an A on a paper--without actually turning it in. maybe we get A's just for being ourselves. awww....
>>polygraphs are scientific instruments and accurately measure lies. (forget what you've ever learned about how the peripheral nervous system and the central nervous system are completely different entities.)
>>and my favorite: your mind and your body are NOT connected. that is, your body can physically be in San Antonio and your mind can physically be in northern Virginia, completely separated from your actual body. in other words, a mind can function without a body anywhere near it, and vice versa. all that talk about my mind being gone...it's actually true.
The Dr. has been teaching this stuff at this school for almost 20 years. That means he must be right...right?
>>plants and amoebas (not to mention all animals) have minds and a conscience. it's the missing link!
>>we can get an A on a paper--without actually turning it in. maybe we get A's just for being ourselves. awww....
>>polygraphs are scientific instruments and accurately measure lies. (forget what you've ever learned about how the peripheral nervous system and the central nervous system are completely different entities.)
>>and my favorite: your mind and your body are NOT connected. that is, your body can physically be in San Antonio and your mind can physically be in northern Virginia, completely separated from your actual body. in other words, a mind can function without a body anywhere near it, and vice versa. all that talk about my mind being gone...it's actually true.
The Dr. has been teaching this stuff at this school for almost 20 years. That means he must be right...right?
1/27/08
a meme?
Um, Johanna tagged me. I think it's supposed to be 6 weird things about me. I had to ask Beth for most of these. Now you know how cool I am.
1) I don't have favorite foods. I have favorite foods for "this week." Last week it was special K, green beans, tuna helper, and asparagus. This week it's cheerios, anything with cream cheese, any kind of fruit ever, and grape juice. Oh, and last week's foods? I will never eat them again.
2) My normal temperature is 95.5 degrees (seriously). Now you know why I'm always wearing a sweater, even in the summer.
3) Speaking of being cold, I have 2 down comforters, 1 fleece blanket, and 2 quilts on my bed. I sleep under them all.
4) There are currently 14 rx drugs in my medicine drawer that I take daily. And about 20 full bottles of stuff that my doctors think I took but I actually never even started. (The side effects on drugs.com looked unbearable)
5) The bottom half of my brain is as flat as a pancake and I still have the highest grades in my classes.
6) I make the best homemade bread that ever existed.
1) I don't have favorite foods. I have favorite foods for "this week." Last week it was special K, green beans, tuna helper, and asparagus. This week it's cheerios, anything with cream cheese, any kind of fruit ever, and grape juice. Oh, and last week's foods? I will never eat them again.
2) My normal temperature is 95.5 degrees (seriously). Now you know why I'm always wearing a sweater, even in the summer.
3) Speaking of being cold, I have 2 down comforters, 1 fleece blanket, and 2 quilts on my bed. I sleep under them all.
4) There are currently 14 rx drugs in my medicine drawer that I take daily. And about 20 full bottles of stuff that my doctors think I took but I actually never even started. (The side effects on drugs.com looked unbearable)
5) The bottom half of my brain is as flat as a pancake and I still have the highest grades in my classes.
6) I make the best homemade bread that ever existed.
1/26/08
there she is...
So the girls and I are almost crying right now because Miss Michigan won the Miss America pageant about 11 minutes ago. Did anyone besides us watch it?
Now, before you San Antonio ladies get upset, we did NOT have our annual Miss America party this year. Aubrey is in Virginia and since she is the natural planner of the event, it kind of fell through. SO, we don't hate you, and you will be invited next year to what we hope will be a better show than tonight's.
But us Warren girls are Miss America junkies, so we couldn't resist watching it anyway, even without a party. Shelley, Beth, and I watched here at the house and Aubrey, Kristen, and Annie watched together from Virginia. As is our custom, we took turns calling each other during each commercial break to vote for our favorites, talk smack about each other's favorites, and just to have an excuse for all 6 sisters to talk on speaker phone.
Since the show is never very good anymore (but yes, we are compelled to watch anyway), we have to create our own highlights.
>>Miss Michigan (the unfortunate winner) murdered the song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and was by far the worst in the talent competition. Kristen called right after that performance to tell us that Miss Michigan sounded just like me. How nice.
>>We called the older girls to comment on how a certain girl's dress resembled a lawn and leaf trash bag, but unfortunately we didn't know that it was the older girls' favorite dress. They hung up on us.
>>We had a great opportunity to quote all the lines from "Drop Dead Gorgeous." If you haven't seen it, watch it.
>>How every girl was Nathan's FAVORITE... And how he saw opportunities for, um, "offspring" in each girl.
>>We came to the sad, sad realization that Tennessee maybe isn't always the best state at everything. (Sorry Blair.)
>>The only good thing about Mormons is that they wear one piece swimsuits.
>>Separately, on an unrelated note, the Mormon girl was the only one in which Nathan could find no offspring potential.
The older girls will have to add their own and I'm sure their's are funnier because they were watching with Molly in the room... :)
Now, before you San Antonio ladies get upset, we did NOT have our annual Miss America party this year. Aubrey is in Virginia and since she is the natural planner of the event, it kind of fell through. SO, we don't hate you, and you will be invited next year to what we hope will be a better show than tonight's.
But us Warren girls are Miss America junkies, so we couldn't resist watching it anyway, even without a party. Shelley, Beth, and I watched here at the house and Aubrey, Kristen, and Annie watched together from Virginia. As is our custom, we took turns calling each other during each commercial break to vote for our favorites, talk smack about each other's favorites, and just to have an excuse for all 6 sisters to talk on speaker phone.
Since the show is never very good anymore (but yes, we are compelled to watch anyway), we have to create our own highlights.
>>Miss Michigan (the unfortunate winner) murdered the song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and was by far the worst in the talent competition. Kristen called right after that performance to tell us that Miss Michigan sounded just like me. How nice.
>>We called the older girls to comment on how a certain girl's dress resembled a lawn and leaf trash bag, but unfortunately we didn't know that it was the older girls' favorite dress. They hung up on us.
>>We had a great opportunity to quote all the lines from "Drop Dead Gorgeous." If you haven't seen it, watch it.
>>How every girl was Nathan's FAVORITE... And how he saw opportunities for, um, "offspring" in each girl.
>>We came to the sad, sad realization that Tennessee maybe isn't always the best state at everything. (Sorry Blair.)
>>The only good thing about Mormons is that they wear one piece swimsuits.
>>Separately, on an unrelated note, the Mormon girl was the only one in which Nathan could find no offspring potential.
The older girls will have to add their own and I'm sure their's are funnier because they were watching with Molly in the room... :)
1/25/08
more madness
The horrors of Intro to Psych.
Ok, I've always been interested in psychology. Before I went into the nursing program, I was going to major in psych. Even after I chose to go the nursing route, I wanted to take several psych classes, thinking it would help me as a nurse. My dad always asks, "I wonder why people aren't more like us...?" That's a good psychology question. Anyway, I'm taking intro to psych (yes, again. please don't laugh at me.) and I thought I'd share a few of the things that make it my "furthest class" which in WarrenSpeak means, the worst.
Instead of grading by traditional methods, my professor is grading all of us on a point system. 350 possible points for the entire semester (kind of like basketball?) and we better start racking them up.
We all STARTED the semester with 70 points, which I guess is about 20% of the total grade. If we want to KEEP these points in our grade, by the end of the semester, all 40 students have to still be registered in the class and having a passing grade. If 95% of the students are still in by May, we get 60 points and so on. The prof says that this is his way of getting us to try to keep our classmates in the class instead of dropping. So far, we all have 7 of the points left, and I currently have a D in the class.
Is it just me or should I not be responsible for my own work and attendance instead of everyone else's?
Our homework this week was to watch the premier of the new game show, "The Moment of Truth" on Fox. It's all a load of you-know-what where they allegedly hook up the contestant to a polygraph and make them answer grotesquely personal questions. If they answer "truthfully" they win so much money.
In class on Monday, we will be given a quiz about the show so he can be sure we watched it.
The really funny thing about the class is that all of our grades get posted on the wall of the classroom for everyone to see. So I can see everyone else's grade and they can see mine. Isn't that special? At least we're all failing right now because so many people have dropped out, so it's not a big deal to see all of our names and then a row of D's.
Oh, and another thing. You know how in normal psych classes you learn about the mind and behaviors and perceptions and emotions and disorders and whatnot? We're not doing any of that. We're only learning about "positive psychology." Now, I have no problem talking about hope, love, friendships, and happiness. But is that really what you pay for when you register for a psychology class?
And the class objective, as stated in the syllabus. "To learn what truth is, and what truth is not."
Seriously.
Ok, I've always been interested in psychology. Before I went into the nursing program, I was going to major in psych. Even after I chose to go the nursing route, I wanted to take several psych classes, thinking it would help me as a nurse. My dad always asks, "I wonder why people aren't more like us...?" That's a good psychology question. Anyway, I'm taking intro to psych (yes, again. please don't laugh at me.) and I thought I'd share a few of the things that make it my "furthest class" which in WarrenSpeak means, the worst.
Instead of grading by traditional methods, my professor is grading all of us on a point system. 350 possible points for the entire semester (kind of like basketball?) and we better start racking them up.
We all STARTED the semester with 70 points, which I guess is about 20% of the total grade. If we want to KEEP these points in our grade, by the end of the semester, all 40 students have to still be registered in the class and having a passing grade. If 95% of the students are still in by May, we get 60 points and so on. The prof says that this is his way of getting us to try to keep our classmates in the class instead of dropping. So far, we all have 7 of the points left, and I currently have a D in the class.
Is it just me or should I not be responsible for my own work and attendance instead of everyone else's?
Our homework this week was to watch the premier of the new game show, "The Moment of Truth" on Fox. It's all a load of you-know-what where they allegedly hook up the contestant to a polygraph and make them answer grotesquely personal questions. If they answer "truthfully" they win so much money.
In class on Monday, we will be given a quiz about the show so he can be sure we watched it.
The really funny thing about the class is that all of our grades get posted on the wall of the classroom for everyone to see. So I can see everyone else's grade and they can see mine. Isn't that special? At least we're all failing right now because so many people have dropped out, so it's not a big deal to see all of our names and then a row of D's.
Oh, and another thing. You know how in normal psych classes you learn about the mind and behaviors and perceptions and emotions and disorders and whatnot? We're not doing any of that. We're only learning about "positive psychology." Now, I have no problem talking about hope, love, friendships, and happiness. But is that really what you pay for when you register for a psychology class?
And the class objective, as stated in the syllabus. "To learn what truth is, and what truth is not."
Seriously.
1/23/08
it's a mad mad mad mad world
Today I realized that I am not as dumb as I thought I was. This is not necessarily a good thing, as it means that the intelligence of the general public has greatly decreased in the last 3 years. Here are conversations from 4 classes, all from today.
2nd grade math...I mean, Algebra, in which I learned the real function of the number line.
Instructor: I know that class just started a few minutes ago, but I'm going to stop talking now and you can just work on the homework for this section and you can leave whenever you want to.
[half of class leaves, half of us start on homework]
Some guy sitting at my table: Hey Cathryn, what did you get for number 3?
Me: Uh...I'm pretty sure that -7 is less than 7. But don't take my word for it.
Girl across the table: Well I thought that it was greater than 7 because it's before it on the number line.
Seriously.
Psychology, in which I learned that getting an zero on a paper better than a 40.
Instructor: Go ahead and hand in your papers before I start lecturing.
Girl across the table: Cathryn, did you write your paper?
Me: Yeah, I was really mad that it could only be 1 page, because I wrote 6 pages and had to cut it all out. Who assigns just 1 page papers??
Same girl: Why in the world would you write 6 pages? I didn't even bring my paper because I could only think of about 3 sentences to write. And since we could only use a 12 point font, I just didn't do it because I don't want to get a bad grade.
Anatomy&Physiology, in which I learned that lectures are actually important.
Instructor: Ok, so last week we talked about the ANS and we're going to finish that up and move in the Endocrine system today.
Girl in front of me: Um, Dr, would you mind going back over the whole ANS again? I forgot most of it.
Instructor: Did you not take notes or study?
Same girl: Well, I just wasn't aware that we were going to be quizzed on the lecture material.
Instructor: Are you in the right class?
Same girl: Yeah, I just didn't know we had to take notes because I didn't know that we were going to have tests.
Instructor: Oh, I see. Common misconception. Cathryn will let you borrow her notes.
Anatomy&Physiology Lab, in which I learned that bribing the profs is a good way to get 100 on the exam.
Instructor: Ok everybody, this is the first quiz. Take your time because I'm not going to help you.
[30 minutes later]
Girl at my table wearing almost no clothes: Um, hehehe, excuse me Dr, did your wife get back from Iraq yet?
Instructor: No, but that's not a question on your exam so you should be quiet and work.
Same girl: Ooohh, hehehe, well, um, me and my, hehehe, friends were like wondering like if you wanted to, hehehe, like come to a party with us tonight after school. hehehe!
Instructor: Not really a question for exam time.
Same girl: Oh, hehehe, like, could you like come over here and like totally help me with this lame problem? And I can tell you, hehee, like about like all the things that we like do at the parties! heheee
2nd grade math...I mean, Algebra, in which I learned the real function of the number line.
Instructor: I know that class just started a few minutes ago, but I'm going to stop talking now and you can just work on the homework for this section and you can leave whenever you want to.
[half of class leaves, half of us start on homework]
Some guy sitting at my table: Hey Cathryn, what did you get for number 3?
Me: Uh...I'm pretty sure that -7 is less than 7. But don't take my word for it.
Girl across the table: Well I thought that it was greater than 7 because it's before it on the number line.
Seriously.
Psychology, in which I learned that getting an zero on a paper better than a 40.
Instructor: Go ahead and hand in your papers before I start lecturing.
Girl across the table: Cathryn, did you write your paper?
Me: Yeah, I was really mad that it could only be 1 page, because I wrote 6 pages and had to cut it all out. Who assigns just 1 page papers??
Same girl: Why in the world would you write 6 pages? I didn't even bring my paper because I could only think of about 3 sentences to write. And since we could only use a 12 point font, I just didn't do it because I don't want to get a bad grade.
Anatomy&Physiology, in which I learned that lectures are actually important.
Instructor: Ok, so last week we talked about the ANS and we're going to finish that up and move in the Endocrine system today.
Girl in front of me: Um, Dr, would you mind going back over the whole ANS again? I forgot most of it.
Instructor: Did you not take notes or study?
Same girl: Well, I just wasn't aware that we were going to be quizzed on the lecture material.
Instructor: Are you in the right class?
Same girl: Yeah, I just didn't know we had to take notes because I didn't know that we were going to have tests.
Instructor: Oh, I see. Common misconception. Cathryn will let you borrow her notes.
Anatomy&Physiology Lab, in which I learned that bribing the profs is a good way to get 100 on the exam.
Instructor: Ok everybody, this is the first quiz. Take your time because I'm not going to help you.
[30 minutes later]
Girl at my table wearing almost no clothes: Um, hehehe, excuse me Dr, did your wife get back from Iraq yet?
Instructor: No, but that's not a question on your exam so you should be quiet and work.
Same girl: Ooohh, hehehe, well, um, me and my, hehehe, friends were like wondering like if you wanted to, hehehe, like come to a party with us tonight after school. hehehe!
Instructor: Not really a question for exam time.
Same girl: Oh, hehehe, like, could you like come over here and like totally help me with this lame problem? And I can tell you, hehee, like about like all the things that we like do at the parties! heheee
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