(Post 52)

Today is the last day of regular classes. The time went by so fast. I guess now is a good time for reflection. I have a lot to be thankful for. I am grateful that I have 4 wonderful children and one grandson whom I adore . I also have a wonderful husband that I have been married to for over thirty years. I am also grateful that I am able to return to school after so many years and I feel comfortable at the school. I have had great Professors.

I am very lucky and blessed.

Tuesday (Post 51)

I cant believe this is the last week of regular classes. The semester went by so fast. I feel I just got used to all my classes and I am comfortable with the work load. Now everything will change. I hate change. I like today to be just the same as yesterday. I like order. My sister finds this so strange. She hates everything to be the same. She says I like order because I have the need to control everything. I think she is right. I know it is something I have to work on.

Monday (Post 50)

I got back my religion exam and I received a 100. I was very happy. We were also given the final. It is a take home test and it is going to be very difficult. While I was going into class I thought how important exams were. But it turned out that exams are not important at all.

At the end of class Professor McC. pointed to a chair. The chair was empty. The woman who sits there is an older student (like me). She sits at another table so I didn't get to know her, other than a hi, or bye. Professor McC said she was not here because she suffered a horrible personal event in her life. He went on to say there was an article in the newspaper some of us may have read. He also said if any of us are inclined to pray than maybe we could put her in our prayers.

I read the article last week. I knew what he was talking about. A young CCCC student was killed last week in an auto accident. Although he didn't say, I guess this was the woman's child. I really don't know what to say. I am speechless. I want to cry for this woman, this woman I don't know but shared a semester with.

I will keep her and her family in my prayers.

Christmas Tree (Post 49)

Last night we put up our Christmas tree and today the cats and dog are going crazy. Hopefully, the tree will last until Christmas. I usually make gingerbread men and hang them on the tree, but I am not sure that is a good idea this year. last last couple of years we put the tree up on Thanksgiving. It gives the kids something to do while I am cooking. This year we didn't. I like the tree up early but I also like to take it down early. We usually have it all packed up the day after Christmas.

I wonder if it will snow in December this year. I hate the snow so I don't even care if it snows fro Christmas. I guess I can be a scrooge sometimes.

Taoism Notes for Exam (Post 48)

Taoism

“The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao” there is no way to tell someone what Tao is.

Confucianism notes for exam (Post 47)

Confucianism- more of a social philosophy than a religion

1) Confucius-

I had a bunch of notes that I wrote about Confucius but I could not post them because the format wouldn't let me. I thought it would be easier to write in word and then copy and paste but it didn't work.

Test (Post 46)

Well I did horrible on my religion exam. I swear I have a mental block whenever I take these exams. I studied and I knew everything that was on the exam. But I did stupid things. The first mistake I did was to forget to put BC after the year 563 for the date of Buddha's birth. The other stupid thing I did was I didn't fill in 3 answers. The question was, Name the four noble truths of Buddhism.....EASY!

First- to be is to be unhappy, suffering, the second, the cause of suffering is desire, the third, the conquest of desire will cease the suffering, the fourth is the 8 fold path to nirvana, right view,hope, speech, conduct, work, effort, mindfulness and concentration.

For some reason I ran right to the forth and listed the 8 "rights". I look at the exam now and I can't believe I didn't fill in the other three.

It's embarrassing.

I am also taking Freshman seminar and one of the things my Professor was explaining to the class was the importance sleep has on the brain. She said if you get less than 7 hours a night your brain gets "stupid". The last couple of weeks I have only been getting about 5 hours a night. Maybe this is the reason.

Reserch Paper (Post 45)

I am so happy! My research paper is finished. I am not totally satisfied with it. I think there are areas that are a little vague but I did put a lot of time into it. I also went over and over and over it again and again. I think I stress too much about things and that is why I am so happy it is finished. My next paper is about cyberbullying. I feel so bad for the kids today. They have to deal with so much more than I ever had to deal with, cyberbullying is just one of them. I do not like Facebook or MySpace,.I feel it is so public. Where is the privacy? It is gone. This generation doesn't even know what they lost.

Quiz (Post 44)

Today I have a quiz in English. The quiz is about sentence clarity. The chapter talks about how to make writing as clear as possible. A way to make writing clearer is to make sentences not excessively long. I think sometimes I tend to do that. It also says to avoid unnecessary repetition. I think I tend to do that too. The chapter also says a writer should not be noun heavy and instead should be more verbal. The chapter lists conjunctions. they are, however, consequently, therefor,thus, hence, furthermore, afterward...etc. The list of parallelism words are both/and either/or neither/nor only/but also. I can see how using parallelism makes a sentence interesting to the reader.

Math Moves You (Post 43)

Yesterday I went to an all day math event with the Girl Scouts. We had a great time. The girls went to three workshops. The first one was learning how to run a computer program. The second one was building a structure out of marshmellows and spaghetti. The third one was building a windmill that lights up a little light. The event was held at Bristol College. The girls were very excited to go and take classes at a college. This is the second time we brought them to a college. The other time we went to MIT. They loved it. We are hoping to make them feel that going to college is something they should do if they want to and not to be intimidated.

8 Fold Path (Post 42)

There are four noble truths of Buddhism. this is the heart and soul of Buddhism. From McCullough's lecture.

1) To be is to be unhappy (suffering)

2) The cause of suffering is craving/wanting/desire

3) The craving which is caused by the suffering ceases with the conquest of desire and non- attachments to things of this world.

4) The 8 fold path -formula to attain nirvana

A) Right Views- Be careful what praise or insults do to you

B) Right Hope- Be sure the things you hope for are the right things

C) Right Speech- If what you are saying is not better than silence, son't say it.

D) Right Conduct (dharma) -Do not kill, steal, lie, drink, etc,

E) Right Work- it is better to be a nurse than a hit man

F) Right Effort. Avoid spending time that is unproductive, drugs, bad people, etc

G) Right mindfulness- If you take care of your mind, everything will take care or itself.

H) Right Concentration- Focus through meditation.

The 8 fold path is like an 8 lane highway. No priority. Can do more than one at a time but usually only do one at a time.

Three Marks of Existence

1) Suffering (Dukkha)

2) Absence of Soul (Anatta)

3) Impermanence (Anicca)

Buddhism (Post 41)

When Siddhartha Gautama meditated under the Bodhi tree he went through three temptations. One of the temptations was from the demon Mara. Mara sent beautiful woman to tempt Siddhartha Gautama. This was the temptation of the flesh. Siddhartha Gautama was not tempted. Another temptation was the temptation of the spirit. Ferocious demons tried to frighten him by lighting bolts and missiles. Siddhartha Gautama touched the ground showing he had the right to stay where he was. Another temptation was the temptation of pride. Mara told Siddhartha Gautama it would be pointless and profitless to try and teach others. Siddhartha Gautama again resisted. After Siddhartha Gautama resisted all temptations he passed through all stages of awareness. He achieved the goal and became enlightened. He became the Buddha.

Religion Vocabulary Words(Post 39)

Vocabulary Words for Eastern Religion Class. I have an exam on Monday so I decided to take all my notes and rewrite them. While I was rewriting my notes, I took out key words to look up and write a definition. Here is the list of words.

Buddha-Enlightened or Awakened one

Samsara_The wheel of life, death , and rebirth

Nirvana-To extinguish

Dhammapada-Buddha text

Dukkha-Out of joint,suffering

Tanha-Drive for private fulfillment

8 Fold Path-intentional living opposed to random living

Karuna-Compassion

Anatta-No Soul

Atta-Atman-Soul

Anicca-Impermanence

Arhat-One who has attained nirvana and no longer subject to the cycle of rebirth

Bodhi-Wisdom

Birthday (Post 38)

Yesterday was my birthday. I had a lot of fun. My sister and her husband, my four children, my husband, ,my grandson and my mother were all at my house last night. We just hung around and played the WII and my daughter made dinner.The day started off with coffee in bed. My daughter put up signs saying, "It's all about me today...don't anyone ask me to do anything, If you make a mess clean it up yourself." I love that sign. It was a no stress birthday. No running around crazy, just a nice day at home. Yesterday was also a day off from school because it was Veteran's Day.

Today is Friday and I noticed my sign has a new line written on the bottom.

It reads,"This paper is only good for one day...the day of you birthday." Too bad, I was hoping for a birthday week.

Quiz chapters 14 and 15 (Post 37)

Tomorrow I have a quiz in comp 101 on chapters 14 and 15. The first thing the chapter talks about is modifiers and how to properly place them in a sentence. "the modifiers should be placed as close as possible to the words they want to modify. " I think that makes sense. The chapter also advises to "put lengtly modifiers at the beginning or the end of a sentence."' (I think I tend to put them in the middle, I'll have to watch that.) Two other potential problems are splitting modifiers and dangling modifiers.
Chapter 15 is about Faulty Shifts. the book says, "when writing, it is best to use the same verb tense throughout ." This too makes sense. then it goes on to talk about avoiding mixed constructions and to create consistency between subjects and predicates.

New format(Post 36 )

I am doing a format so I can make sure I do all my blog entries for my English Comp class. I need to have fifty entries. I decided to make all fifty entires and number them. Now all I have to do is open each one up and write a blog post. I believe this will work for me because I can see how much I have written, and how much I still have to write. I decided to do this because almost two weeks went by without me writing a blog entry and I did not want to end up at the end of the semester writing to catch up. I also think it defeats the purpose of having a blog. The purpose is to get us (the class) to write daily in order to make us better writers. If we wait and do all the entries at once it will not have the effect on our writing.

Siddartha Gautama Continued(Post 35)

The four things that Siddartha Gautama saw that led to his enlightenment was:

1. A decrepit old man with a cane.

2. A very sick man in the gutter.

3. A human corpse.

4. A Monk sitting quietly and peaceful amongst all the turmoil that surrounded him.

Siddartha Gautama left home to study with wise Hindu Bramins and learn what "it all" meant. After years of studying, he came away unsatisfied so he went out on his own in search of the truth. Professor McCullough says he believes this is when Siddartha Gautama took his first true steps to become the Buddha.

Siddartha Gautama (Post 34)

We are learning about Buddhism this week in Eastern Religions. the first Buddhist was Siddartha Gautama. Siddartha Gautama was born into the Kshartrias class. The Kshartrias class is part of the caste system that dates back to early Hinduism and was in the Vedas. If you are born into the Kshartrias you were from a wealthy family. In fact, Siddartha Gautama's family were nobles. When Siddartha Gautama was born, his father was told that his son would either be a great ruler or a great teacher. If his son knew suffering he would become a great teacher. His father wanted him to became a great ruler so he tried to keep him from seeing any suffering. He was raised in luxury and he was kept from knowing about sickness, poverty or death. But, when Siddartha did venture out when he was around 20 he came upon 4 things that changed his life and put him on the path to enlightenment.

Field Trip (Post 33)

Tonight Ana and I have a girl scout meeting and we will be talking about the upcoming field trip to Middlesex Community College. The college is sponsoring an event called “Math Moves You.” This is a day long workshop that will involve the girls doing puzzles, experiments and having fun with math. Some girls do not like math, think it is too hard, or even think that boys are better than girls at math. We are trying is show them that math can be fun, and girls can defiantly be good at math if they choose to be. The trip is On November 14.

Pottery Goddess (Post 32)

Ana and I brought our girls scout troop to the Pottery Goddess last Friday night. The girls learned how to make pottery by modeling the clay and making shapes. Some made bowls. Others made plates or plaques. The girls are so talented! It is amazing what they can do. The woman who owns the Pottery Goddess talked about how she opened her own business, and how much she loves what she is doing for a career. Our job as leaders is to expose them to as many different events as possible so they realize that they can do anything they dream to do. They can be a business owner if that is what they want. Next week we are going back to glaze the pottery. I can’t wait to see the results!

Parades (Post 31)

I haven’t posted in awhile because it has been crazy for the last two weeks. All of a sudden everything was due and I had two major exams. I am looking forward to next week when we have a day off. Veteran’s day is next Thursday and the college is closed and the schools are closed too. It is also my birthday. I usually march in the Veteran’s Day parade with the girl scout troop but I am not sure if I will this year. Our troop usually marches in the Christmas parade also. Last year the girls came in first place. They made a gingerbread house that they pulled on a wagon and they each made cardboard gingerbread costumes. They were so cute!

Kittens in the woods (post 30)

Last week when Danny and Dave were walking in the woods they found six kittens. Someone had dumped them in the woods. I cannot understand why someone would do that. Where we live there are coyotes. If Dave and Danny didn’t find them they would not have lasted. I sent out a mass email to everyone in my email address book. I am happy to say that all six kittens found nice homes and it only took three days. I wish the person that dumped them had tried to find the kittens homes because it really isn’t hard. The kittens were adorable. All but one had double paws. We could not keep any because we already have two cats. But if we didn’t find homes for all I never would have sent them to the pound.

GIT 110 (Post #29)

Today in GIT 110 we are learning how to insert a table into a document. I know how to do this but the Professor is showing us the right way to do it. I really like this class because I am learning a lot about how different programs work and all the little tips that makes using the programs easier. We have also been learning how to set up a multiple page document. I know this knowledge will come in handy when I write my research papers. We are learning about page breaks and sections breaks and proofreading on the computer with office 2007. I like Office 2007 much better than Office 2003, it just takes time to get used to it. I know if I didn't take this class I wouldn't use or even know all the cool features it has.

Learning with Lunch (Post # 28)

Yesterday I went to the learning with lunch," How to write a research paper. "I thought it was very good and I came out with some useful information. Professor Allen ran the seminar. This is a two part class and the second class is next Wednesday. I will defiantly go to that one also even though it is very hard to come to school on Wednesday. One of the tips she gave us was to write down twenty questions about what we are writing about and then try and answer them in the research paper. She also told us how to organized our research. Another tip was to ask friends and family what they would like to know about what we are researching about. For instance, one student was writing about the underground railroad. She should ask , "What would you like to know about the underground railroad? " from several people and that should give her a start in what will make the paper interesting.

MLA (Post # 27)

Today in Comp 101 we are having a quiz on MLA Documentation. The chapter tells how the style is set up for in text citation and works cited . This is a great chapter in the book I can use for a reference when I do any papers and I need to know how to cite an author. The beginning of the chapter reminds the danger of plagiarism. In text citation means anything that is not in my own words has to be acknowledged by ( ), quotation marks or italicised. Even if I paraphrase I have to give credit to where I found the information.
The work cited page is in alphabetical order and contains all the source I use in my paper. It tells how to cite any book, magazine author, web page etc. Professor Kershner told us we don't have to memorize how to do it but he wants us to know where to go to find out how to do it.
The is also a web link mla.org I can check out to see if there are any changes to MLA. I think most of the recent changes has to do with how you cite anything fro the Internet.
The book then give a sample research paper and shows how it should be set up in MLA stlye.

Fall Clean up (Post #26)

Today is Tuesday and I am back to school after a long weekend. The weather was beautiful for the last couple of days. My family worked on the yard doing fall clean up and putting away summer chairs. We also closed the pool up. I always hate closing up the pool because I hate the winter and the thought of snow. When we close the pool it just reminds me that winter is coming and there is nothing I can do to stop it. But we got a lot done and at least I don't have to worry about it. We still left some of the furniture out because there still may be a couple of good days left. I also transplanted a lot of bushes that I started from cutting last year. They are just big enough to live on their own. This is a great time of year to transplant. The shock is less because the weather is not too how but the nights are cool.

Cranberry Festival (Post #19 - #25) 719 words

I went to the Cranberry Festival Saturday with my mother and Paige. We met my friend Ana, and her two kids, Daniela and Ethan, there. The Cranberry Festival is a lot of fun. In my opinion, it is the most organized and well thought out event I have ever been too. They considered everything. When we first got there, we parked our car. The parking lot is far from the village where they hold the festival, so the organizers have buses scheduled every 15 minutes that bring visitors from the parking lot to the village. The bus ride is about five minutes long because it takes a longer route through the back woods. This accomplishes two things. First, by going through the woods it saves extra traffic on the main road. Second, it allows the guide to talk to the visitors a little about the festival and answer any questions. The guide also talks about the Makepeace Family and how cranberries are grown and harvested. Then we are dropped off at the gate. The cost to get into the festival is 2 dollars each, or you can give 2 canned goods, which in turn they donate to the food pantry. (another great idea) After paying and receiving our map of the grounds, we proceed to the first of many giant tents. This first tent had craft tables for kids to makes things , like beads and hat visors. Everything in this tent was free. There was also educational exhibits geared towards children. The next tent had tickets for helicopter, boat, pony, bouncy bounce and train rides. These events had an additional cost, but there was still plenty of other things that were free to do. In fact, if we brought two canned goods, we could have spent the entire day not spending any money, which to me, is amazing. The next tent was the musical tent. Grace Morrison was playing with her band while we were there. She was fantastic. Further up was another longer bus ride that brought us up to the cranberry bogs. This bus ride took about ten minutes. Another guide was on the bus. He told as more about the cranberry industry as we rode through the woods. He also answered questions. I found the guide very interesting. When we arrived at the bogs we went to another tent that had live owl exhibitions. The kids loved seeing the owls and learning about their habitats. Next door was a building that had films about the cranberry industry. Out back there was workers harvesting the cranberries. The public was encouraged to watch and ask questions. The red of the berries against the green of the trees and the blue sky made everything look absolutely beautiful. This is where the helicopter rides were. I went on the helicopter with my mother while the kids went with Ana to and play on a huge sand pile. This was the first time my mother was ever on a helicopter. She was never on a plane either so it was very special for her and for me to go on with her. Then we went back to the village and had a delicious sandwich made of chicken salad and cranberries. Sounds like a crazy combination but it was very good. We stopped by another tent that had venders selling their goods. Another building had a cranberry demonstration that was hands on for the kids. There was so much at the festival to do, but the pace was relaxed. It felt like an old fashioned fair. Around the grounds were golf carts going back and forth from one end of the festival to the other. They were taking visitors who needed a ride to where they were going. I thought this was another great idea because by this time my mother was tired so I asked if they could give a ride to the bus. The driver drove us to the bus and we then were driven to our car. It was a relief to me knowing that when my mother got tired I didn’t have to make her walk. I had a great time with my mother, daughter, my friend, and her kids and I really appreciated how the organizers thought of everything possible to ensure the guests had a good time.

Test Update (Post #18)

I had my Eastern religion exam last Monday. Just like every test Of Professor McC I have no idea how I did. I know I studied and I knew the material. There is just something about taking his exams. I can't explain it. Everything in my head just goes blank. I second guess everything and I over analyze every question. I guess I'm just nuts.

We have next Monday off so I wont know for two weeks. At least it will give me plenty of time to read ahead and make study sheets for the next exam....

Meditation (Post #17)

Today I went to a meditation group. Professor Kershner leads the group and they meet every Wednesday from 12 to 12:30 - 1:00 on the third floor of the library. I enjoyed the meditation, but my mind did wonder a little and thoughts kept jumping in trying to get my attention. I tried my hardest to not "think" and just take a few minutes for myself. I feel like I am running from the moment I wake up until when I collapse on my pillow a night. (Just like a million other people in this world) I can defiantly see the benefits of just relaxing for 30 minutes and try to let all the stress leave you. I think it is a skill that has to be worked on, just like anything else I need to learn. I can understand why Professor Kershner seams so calm and relaxed all the time, he is an inspiration.

Volcabulary Words (Post #15)

atmavidya means the truth is subjective and with in us. It is how you see it. Looking at your own sole.
Anicca means changing, an illusion
Maya means illusion
Dasana means one's world view. One philosophy. Ancient word, "to see" to understand to "get it"
Huston Smith is the author of our book, The World's Religions. On the exam we have the first section. to summarize the section: Huston Smith talks about how he will right the book. He wrote he wants to focus on ideas. Since he cant write everything , he will concentrate on the largest numbers of peoples in each type of religion. He wants to write about values and religion at its best. It is not a book on comparisons. He says people of other religions face problems much like our own. We need to rid our mind of preconceptions, the the "veil may change to gauze"
Radhakrishmnan life was 1888-1987. He was born and raised in India. He was a Professor who taught Eastern thought and world philosophy. He was a professor a Oxford University, and Vice Chancellor of Andara University. He became the ambassador to the Soviet Union. He was the Vice President of India and President of India. He was known as "the teacher"

Principles 5-8 (Post #14)

The fifth principle is, Insufficiency of reason. Logic and reason cannot lead us to the truth or happiness. the truth only comes when we abandon reason. It doesn't mean worthless, it just means not enough. We were given the example of the rich uncle giving 19,000 for a 20,000.
The sixth principle is Acceptance of Authority. Tradition and words of ancient men are essential. If someone is old they are worthy to listen to, pay attention, learn from. It is the way it was done that makes it right. We have always done this way.
The seventh Principle Tolerance of other's religion. There is one God, Men call him from different names. We were given an example that said, the missionaries went to speak to the Buddhas and told them all about Jesus. They listened and thought what they were told was beautiful but they didn't want to become a Christian. When they told the Christians about the Buddha they were shocked the Christians didn't say the same thing to them. Instead they told them they were wrong. Another example is how do you cook an egg? If our ways are different it doesn't make one way right and one way wrong.
The eighth principle Synthetic. the emphasis is on unification and oneness, not diversity. Western pride themselves on being individuals and different. If a western walks in a room full of people he will describe how each one is different. An Eastern will say the room is full of humans.Eastern

Principles 1 - 4 (Post #13)

The first principle is Reality is ultimately spiritual. This means you are not made up of just molecules. It is more important for you to love someone than to have someone love you. Jesus said: Do not keep physical treasures, keep spiritual treasures.
All non spiritual reality is anicca ( changing an illusion) the Physical is world is no the reality we think it is. Everything is changing.
The second princilpe is Philosophy and Life are and inseperable and joined. It is not enough to know the truth, you must live the truth. The futher apart these are the more likely you are torn apart (mental illness)
The third principle is Totally introspective attitude toward truth. The truth is subjective and within us. Atmavidya means to look at your own sole. the only place you will find the truth is inside you, the truth is not outside you. You cant see the world from someone elses eyes.Westerns see the truth outside.
The fourth principle is Monistic Idealism. The truth is one and it is in the world of ideas. Ultimate truths are singular and simple. When things get complicated the futhur from the truth you get. When S. Hawlking was asked his phiolsophy on life he answered, "Do your best". His answer was simple. Evil is always complicated and confusing. Everytime you are in the presence of evil it is complicated and confusing but that does not mean if someone is complicated and confusing he is evil. This principle is closely related to the first principle. You will find more truth in loving someone than a surgeon will learn if he operates on that person.

(Post # 12)

Todays test is on Radhikrishhnanls Principles. I made up an acramin to remember the 8 principles. It is RPTMIATS. Which is Rip Time I Al Terri Steven.
R _Stands for Reality is untimalty Spiritual.
P _means, Philosophy and Life are inseperablr and joined.
T _means , totally intropective attituse toward truth.
M_ means Monistic Idealism.
I _means Insufficiency of Reason,
A_ means Acceptance of Authority,
T_ means Tolerence od other's religions and
S_ means Synthetic.

(Post#11)

Today is my first Eastern Religion Exam. I am nervous because last semester I had profess McC for his Intro to Philosophy class and his exams were very hard. I would study for hours. I would always make the questions too complicated in my head and I would over think every answer. My first two exams were terrible. The other exams I did excellent on, but I would go crazy worrying about how I did. It is not that I did not know the material, I did. Plus I went to a tutor every week. I ended up getting a A in the class because he drops the lowest exam and the last exam we were given extra credit. But now, whenever I have an exam or a quiz , I get nervous even though I study. I guess this doesn't make sense.

Library (Post #11)

I have a few minutes to so I thought I would write a quick blog. Today we went to the library to learn about the resources we have available to us. It was very informative and I am glad we went. I learned how to access the online resources. In order to use the library and to get the most out it I need a student ID and a bar code. I already have a student ID and a bar code, therefore I am all set. We also had to take a quiz. I know I will be spending a lot of time in the future at the library!

Summer is gone (Post # 10)

It's a raining day and it is also the last day of September. Boy that month went by fast. It seamed like it was just yesterday when the kids spent most of their days in the swimming pool, sleeping late and hanging around. At the end of every summer, the kids (and the adults too) start to feel board. We may not admit it, but we look forward to the beginning of school. I think we enjoy schedules, after a few months of not following one. But the newness wears off by the time October comes and we all just want the the easy going summer days back!

Quiz 3 Plagiarism (post #9)

Today we have quix #3. the quiz is about avoiding plagiarism. It basically says that when doing research you should only choose from reliable sources that end in org, edu,net,mil . Also when ever you use anything that you did not write yourself you have to give credit to who did. You also have to site your source so if anyone wants to be able to find where you found your information they will be able to follow your information and view where you found it. Also it suggests to use quote sparingly because it can break up the flow of your paper.
I hope I do well on the quiz. ( I never know when to use well or when to use good....I will have to ask that question the next time we do the cards)

Radhakrishnan (Post #8)

I'm at the school and I just finished my last class with Professor McCullough. It is after 5 and I am waiting for Jenny to finish her last class. Next Monday we have an exam on Radhikrishnan. I will write about what is on his autobiography and hopefully it will help me to remember about him. Most of what I say next is on my study sheet.

Radhakrishnan was born in India. He was a professor of Philosophy. He taught Eastern philosophy. He also taught Eastern Religion and Ethics at Oxford.He became the President of India. He was also the author of many books on Hindu and Buddhist thought. He described himself as a "teacher". Professor McCullough admires him greatly.

Red Sox (Post #7)

I am watching the Red Sox and Yankee baseball game. The Red Sox killed the Yankee's for the last two games but it is bittersweet. After a year of countless injuries there is no way the Red Sox will get into the post season. To tell the truth, I am sick of the front office not going out and getting the team what it needs. When Ellsbury, Padria and Youkills went down, they thought we didn't have a chance, but I believe we did. To think we are doing as well as we are with most of the team being players from Pawtucket. If we only added a player or two at the trade deadline......Oh well, all I can hope for now is that the Yankees lose to Tampa Bay.

Honey, Lucky and Ember (Post #6)

I just came back from a walk in the woods with my husband and our dog. We are trying to train her not to run off when we walk. This was the first time we went in the woods and took her collar off. We were both surprised to see that she did stay with us and she did not run doff. Her name is Honey. My husband named her and he adores her! I am more of a cat person. We have 2 cats. Their names are Lucky and Ember. Lucky is mostly all black and he is about 10 years old. Ember is a Maine Coon cat. He is a little over a year old and he is orange. the way we know he is a Main Coon cat is because he has a "M" on his head and a long bushy tail. He is also crazy.

Danny's car and job....maybe (Post #5)

Dave and Danny went to look for a used car for Danny. Danny turned 18 in August and he would really like to have a car and my husband, Dave, is on a mission to find him one. They are on their way to Quincy to look at a Sebring. The Sebring needs a lot of work but Danny can only afford a cheap car. We figured he can learn to drive on this car and then maybe this spring he can get a much better car. We would also like to see him get a part time job. I feel bad for him because he applied everywhere and no one is hiring. I remember when I was a kid there were jobs everywhere. Now, unless you know someone, it is almost impossible to get a job. I am not talking about a great job, I am talking about, Walmart, Target, Waterwizz, Stop and Shop...etc. those are some of the places he has applied. Most places today make you take an online personality test after you complete the application. Most of the time you never get to talk to a real person.

Times have changed!

Girl Scout Parent Meeting (Post # 4)

Tonight I have a parent meeting for the Girl Scouts. This is the start of a new year. The leader of the troop, Ana, likes to have an annual meeting to let the parents know everything we will be doing with the girls. I am the co-leader and this will be the third year we have been doing this. It is a lot of fun for the girls (and a lot of fun for us). Most of the girls in our troop have been together for 5 years. We hope the girls will have lasting friendships together.

This year, we are planning on having 2 overnights. One will be at the Green Briar Heritage Museums and Gardens, in Sandwich and the other will be at the African American Museum. The program at the African American Museum will be about the underground railroad and the girls will learn what is was like to be a slave.

The girls will also choose a few community service projects. Last year they made bread for the needy and served a meal at the church for the homeless. They also sang for the church and at a nursing home.

Weymouth (Post # 3)

Today is Wednesday. I am feeling the pressure today of school and home life and how to fit everything in a 24 hour day. Even though I didn't have school today, I was unable (so far) do do any work that needs to be done for school. I spent most of the day with my mother. She had a dentist appointment in Weymouth. We left at 9:00 and we just got back at 2:30. My mother moved in with me about 4 years ago. She used to live in Weymouth, that is why her dentist is in Weymouth. I don't want to ask her to change dentists because I know she already gave up a lot to come live with me in Wareham. It would be convenient if she changed but I won't ask her to. My son, Danny, got home a few minutes after I came home and I made him a quick bite to eat. I thought I would get a journal entry in before my youngest daughter got off the bus at 3:20. Then it will be snack, laundry, homework, dinner, clean up, cheer leading, walk with the dog then I can get some of my school work done. I don't know how everyone that goes to school does it!

Quiz (Post #2)

Today we have a quiz in Comp 101 so I thought I would study and write a blog about it. That way I am doing two things a once. I guess the first thing I have to decide is what to do my research paper on. I am not 100 % sure what I will choose, but for now, I will say that I am doing my paper on the effects on pre teen age girls that go to girl scouts, and if there are positive effects that will help them socially when they go to middle school and high school. The text tells me I should do primary and secondary research. Primary, is interviewing, field observation etc. Secondary is finding published sources. The text goes on to say that I should make a schedule and create a notebook. Both are good advice. Being organized is always a good idea. I also need to create a bibliography of all the sources I use in order to avoid plagiarism. The book next tells me to use the library's data base and the Internet and how to do searches. I am pretty good at knowing how to do that, as most people are. I am also warned to use legitimate sources. "Everything on the web is not true".......A quote my foundations in writing teacher used to say. After researching, I need to write a thesis statement and write a draft. This is just the begining.

Crazy first day (Post #1)

Today is my first blog entry for my Comp 101 class. One of my assignments for this class is to write 50 journal entries, each 100 words long, by the end of the semester. Today I guess I will write about my day. This morning I woke up at 6:30. I didn't want to get up, but I knew I had to get Danny up or the whole family would be late. If he is late for school it is like a domino effect for the rest of the day. I manage to get him out of bed by 6:55. He takes a quick shower, eats a little cereal and the two of us are off by 7:10 to make our daily trip to Wareham High School. If our timing is off ,even by a few minutes, I will be stuck behind every school bus in town. Even when I time everything perfectly, the usual 10 minute drive, always seems to take 25 minutes. I rush back home and Paige, my youngest daughter, is usually showered and dressed and ready for breakfast. After she eats a little cereal the two of us dash out of the house by 7:55 in order to catch the school bus. A little hug goodbye and I am rushing back into the house. By now it is about 8:05 and Jenny, my oldest daughter, is waiting for me. We both go to CCCC and we car pool together. She is enrolled in the Dental Hygiene program and her first class is at 9:00 so if we are not in the car by 8:15 she has a heart attack. So even though I have been up for the last hour and a half, I haven't done much to get myself ready. I learned to get everything ready the night before so I wont forget anything. My first class is at 9:30 and I have classes until 1:45. This part of my day is the most relaxing. It is kind of nice not to have to concentrate on anything else except learning. Since Jenny's last class ends at 3:30 I will hang out at the computer lab (writing this blog) and finish up an assignment for computer class. We will probably leave the school around 3:40 and get back to Wareham by 4:05. Danny and Paige will already be home waiting to be fed. My husband gets home around 4:15. The two of us will take the dog for a quick walk, go home, eat dinner and then it is off to cheer leading practice for Paige. I like when she is at cheer leading because I get to relax a little. I can watch her practice, take a walk, read, or do some homework. Tonight we should be back home by 6:30. Then, I will probably take my mother on some errands. (my mother lives with us) By 8:30 I am usually done for the day....hooray!!