Winter Break 2009

I just had to overhaul my blog. Sometime between 18 November and the first part of December, something went all wonky with my layout and formatting. I'm guessing the Universe was just telling me it was time to change it up a bit. So I did.

I just got done with one of the worst school terms since I started school the Fall of 2003. Seriously. Maybe it was because I took 4 graduate level classes, or maybe it was the whole distance learning thing. Either way, I was constantly doing homework. Did I have a life outside of school? Yes, but it was hard to notice. Luckily for me, I decided to do a bigger version of my normal calendar:



This setup worked really well for keeping all my assignment due dates straight. Too bad I didn't think of it until this last term, because it sure would've come in handy for other semesters. The good news is that I only have a couple more classes left.

For JTerm (or Winter IM term, or whatever the heck UW-M calls it), I'm taking 2 classes: The History of African American Literature for Children, taught by the professor from whom I took Multicultural Literature Fall 2009; and something about Current Issues: Freedom of Speech. Each are for 1 month, and are worth 1 credit each. Apparently, according to some UW-M classmates, taking 2 JTerm classes is tantamount to signing up for a month of hell. Well, considering I just finished 4 months of hell, I'm pretty sure I'll do just fine. If not, well, I can take comfort in the fact that it'll be done by 25 January.

For Spring term, I'm taking another 1 credit class, GLBTQ Literature for YA from the same professor I had for YA Lit this Fall 2009 term. I'm also taking the last of the stupid UW-M core classes, the 511 one. The one where I got transfer credit for the 711 upper division class, but not the lower one (511) which is a prereq for the higher one. I know. Don't ask. It's very aggravating. The good (?) news is that UW-M put all St Kate's expats in the same class, and the professor will come meet with us, and then design a special class just for us. Yay. My first reaction was, "Well, that's just great. Now we won't have to cover the same stuff" but now I'm thinking that easy is sometimes good too.

Yes, I know. "But didn't you just have 2 more classes to take? Why in the world are you taking 4 then?" I really wanted to take the GLBTQ lit class, and thought the History of African American lit would be interesting--so I had to throw in that other 1 credit one to make up the difference. I could have taken geneaology, but I didn't.

I'm also taking the competency test this spring. Then I can graduate in May. Finally. I'm sort of grateful to have gotten to take interesting classes this year, but I'm more frustrated that I've had to take 3 out of 4 of the UW-M core classes too.

I just have to remember that it's almost over FOR REAL this time, and soon I will be free. (Free at last, free at last. Good God Almighty, free at last...)