Who, ME?

So today has been a productive day.  I hadn't thought so entirely, but I'm going to check it off as one.  I did some laundry while I was doing homework.  The homework was to analyze and compile the surveys my group did for our Community Nursing class.  I made pie charts out of everything and was in absolute heaven.  Yes, I'm a geek and I own it. 

On the way to pick up my daughter from her friend's house (my neighbor and I have rotating Thursdays/Fridays for them our girls to play together), I got the mail.  "Junk, junk, bill, more junk, oh and likely more junk" was what I thought when I was looking at the sender names.  Two were form the University:  One was from the bookstore about Graduate Gifts (To the Family of the Graduate) trying to sucker my family into buying things that I don't need; the other from the Alumni Association (who has definitely already started asking me for money even though I haven't even graduated yet).  I then remembered that I had applied for scholarships this year, but didn't know who the letters of denial would be coming from.  I have applied for multiple scholarships through the years, but always get denied due to my husband's income hence I hadn't applied for any recently and decided to give it one last ditch effort before I graduate this December.  

I opened the letter and started reading:

Dear [Graduate],
Congratulations!  You have been awarded the [Scholarship] sponsored by the Senior Alumni, for the 2012-2013 academic year. 

:: INSERT HAPPY DANCE, WHOOPING SHOUT, AND JUMP INTO THE AIR HERE ::  (Yes, I did all three things at once and I'm not ashamed to own it)

The Scholarship is actually worth $1750, but it's divided over 2 semesters and I only have one left.  I'll take $875 and run with it, no problem.  That's $875 less that I have to take out a Private Student Loan for (I don't qualify for any grants or much in subsidized loans, so I always have unsubsidized loans plus a hefty Private Loan each semester).  The biggest plus is, since I'm only in school for one semester, I may not HAVE to take out a Private Loan due to this Scholarship. 

Yes, today has been productive indeed. 

Absence

I did not realize, until today, how long it had been since I'd posted.  Spring Break has come and gone and I've been back in class for a week already.  There wasn't anything spectacular about my break ... just a lot of work and housework.  I had to go back to work to escape the housework! 

Spring Break was nothing like a “break.”  I ran practically every day.  It also reiterated why I detest fb … a lot of people I know traveled this SB and went to warmer weather.  It snowed here … rained … and we have a bunch of ice in the driveway.  I love snow … as long as it shows up in December and January.  Not like the crappy winter we’ve had … then we get hammered in March with storms.  Not. Fun.  I never even looked at my skis this year, though my daughter did go a lot of times (seasons passes are great). 

My SB consisted of work, including some overtime, so that was nice … and homework, that was not-so-nice.  I am writing a paper about Substance Abuse Policy and how it has evolved (and how it still doesn’t work).  My research has been very enlightening.  Did you know that it used to be legal to buy Morphine in a kit that was tailored to help people self-inject it?  It was sold in the Sears Roebuck catalog (where else?) in 1897 for $1.50 each.  Granted, they hadn’t discovered how addictive Morphine was (yet) … but that’s kind of amazing.  I don’t have a link to cite it (it can be found by googling DOI: Io.or17/Soozz226Xoioo6z89), it was an article I had access to by being a University student.  The name of the article was US Prohibition and the Origins of the Drug Trade in Mexico by Gabriela Recio.  If you’re able to find it, I highly recommend it. 

The last few days of SB was spent preparing for my daughter’s 12^th birthday.  Already?  Wow.  She had a couple friends sleep over.  I made pizza and cut up fruit for "make your own fruit salad."  They ended up just bringing every bowl of fruit into the living room and munching.  My friend decorated the cake for me after I made it and the frosting.  I just didn't have the time [or interest] to decorate.  My mom always did ours, and I know how [I have done many cakes over the years], but this year just didn't fit with everything else I was doing.  I refuse to buy a store cake, since I grew up with homemade they just don't taste right.  My friend loves to decorate them, but hates the mess of making them.  DEAL!  Plus, I brought her coffee and cinnamon rolls for breakfast when I picked it up. 

The girls played Just Dance 3 on the Wii for about 4 hours, with only one short break.  They definitely slept well that night!  I always make breakfast, usually pancakes.  This year we also had what was left of the fruit to go along.  They danced some more before lunch and then it was time for me to do errands so the friends went home.

I accomplished a lot of homework at work during break also.  I'm one who loves to check things off my list of school work ...

Case study [not due till Apr 12th] - done! 

Care plan [not due till Apr 5th] - draft done!

Community vital stats [not due till Apr 11th] - done!

Self assessment paper [not due till Apr 3rd] - drafted, but still working

NCLEX questions to prep for 4 exams - ongoing till I drop

I look forward to next winter when I will have graduated.  It’s been a long road, but I will finally graduate before Christmas this year.  That will be a total of 5.5 years, and a lot of year-round school in the beginning (yes, that means a lot of summer school).   I will be on a Carribean cruise by next January.  Well-deserved and earned.