IU East: You Rock my Socks!
I’m sitting here in a semi-daze, stunned. I’m not used to receiving phenomenally good news. Actually, it’s usually the opposite. Life has been a little crazy lately. As I previously mentioned, I’ve had to file several appeals with my university, because I was initially told that almost 90 credit hours would be accepted as transfers-in. That would’ve meant that I could’ve graduated in May of 2016- a bit earlier than what would’ve been considered “standard”. (By about a year.) So I was pretty excited by that news a year ago, and that was part of the reason why I chose my school: IU East. It’s a top-notch school- one of the best in the state, in fact.
So again, when my adviser told me (only 4 months ago) that my previous advisers had made a mistake, and that they would now have to take away almost 30 of my credit hours, I lost it, understandably. I don’t have $11,000 for the remaining credit hours. Plus, it would’ve meant that I would have had to put off my graduation date by another year. Needless to say, all of this has taken away my academic shine and I began thinking that taking a year off was probably in store for me in the immediate future. In short, I was disenchanted altogether- to say the least.
My adviser told me that she had tried to plead with the graduation board on my behalf, but came back with the news that they “never make an exception”. I may as well not even try, and count my losses with my wins along the way in this academic journey. And, for a little while, I felt myself giving up. I just didn’t have it in me to put up a fight, really. At least, in the beginning. But as time drew on, I became angry. I couldn’t believe that a school could commit such an egregious oversight and tell me to clean up the mess, as it were. It just didn’t seem fair!
Really, I was supposed to contact my adviser and go through that channel. But when things get serious, I like to handle matters myself. So, I filed an appeal. I didn’t even tell my adviser. I just did it. I pleaded my case and provided documents to substantiate my claims. And then I waited.
That was several weeks ago. I had already decided to drop my Statistics course a few weeks ago, and then filed a refund appeal, because I felt my professor was entirely incompetent. I lost the appeal due to “insufficient evidence”, although I provided the committee with 9 accompanying documents. Perhaps that was a bit much. Live and learn!
That was an $800 loss, no biggie. So when I checked my school email today, I wasn’t expecting to find what I did. I heard back from the 2nd appeal committee and they relayed to me that they had decided to make an exception (!) and shaved 6 classes off of my advising worksheet/audit, meaning, instead of needing to take 11 more classes to graduate, right now, I only need 5. This is a huge victory!
From what I know, this has never happened in the history of this school. It’s unbelievable. That will save me roughly $6,000- $7,000 off my tuition. I have a total of $4,100 for my spring semester, so that means that I’ll need to pitch in a grand or so for my remaining class, and if I push for the summit and take 5 classes in the spring (January-May of 2016), I’ll be able to graduate with my B.S. in Psychology then, in May, and begin working on my Master’s in Forensic Psychology the following semester, in August of 2016.
This is the best news I’ve received in a long time. 🙂
And I have to say it: IU East, you just changed my entire life’s course. THANK YOU.
And Al, if you’re reading this, a million thank you’s for encouraging me to file that appeal. You have no idea how much I appreciate your support. And, I wish you much continued success in the future and have no doubt that you’ll continue having many more successful solo exhibits. 😉
Slamming Coffee at 1:00 a.m.
Life is whirling by way too fast these days!
Josh and I just returned from a late steak dinner (or early, depending on which end of the clock you’re watching) and I probably shouldn’t have had almost 3 cups of coffee this late. I’ve been working at a frenzied pace, finishing up my semester, and taking on side projects as well, for others, mostly. I have to say, life is pretty sweet these days. 🙂
I want to get back to my art, but that too will be on hold for another 6 months or so. I’m salivating at the thought of taking a year off for my art and music before beginning work on my Master’s degree. There just aren’t enough arms on my body or hours in the day.
I’m dabbling with the idea of opening a semi-organic lollipop shop; it’s still just a thought as an embryonic idea, but I could see it growing over the next few years. And then there’s my children’s book. (Sigh.) I really wanted to move that around a bit but I’ve been so busy with school- it’s practically consumed my life for five years.
I think five years in is a good time to take a break, however. After next (spring) semester, I’ll be able to take some down time, relax, and just make art. Josh, being the genius that he is, modified my Lensbaby (as if a Lensbaby needs any more modification) adding a disc-shaped cardboard cutout- replicating a pinhole a bit, causing the edges of the frame to be less exaggerated but heavier on the in-cam blur.
The result is a dreamy, romantic quality to the sides of the frames, such as seen in this river pic from last week:
Time for late night cuddles with my baby. ♥
(7:00 a.m. comes way too early.)
College Statistics: Not for the Faint of Heart
I. Hate. Statistics.
So much.
Lately, I’ve felt like my brain is utterly fried- doing 12 hours of statistics at a time. Some of the problems are 4 and 5 parts long and take nearly an hour- per problem. This class is harder than Algebra I & II and College Algebra combined. After a while, you feel like a rat’s chewing your brain out and rational thoughts cease to exist.
For example, after taking 23 pages of Statistic notes yesterday (z-scores, normal distributions, random variables and so on), I tried to sleep. My youngest daughter is staying with us for a bit, so Josh and I are piled up on the couch- his feet all twisted up on my lap. Rather than trying to continue to sleep, I decided to do some surfing around online. Where did I end up? Right back at my Statistics home site, doing miscellaneous problems- FOR FUN – at 5:00 a.m.
Pure madness. I think it’s winning.
Worst. Class. Ever. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<———-
Cross Dressing and other Interesting Things
So I’m reading my psychology chapter for the week, and we’re covering Pavlovian conditioning. Anybody who knows anything about psychology knows a good bit about Pavlov already: I first studied him five years ago or so. I’m reading a part of the chapter that mentions paraphilias, which translates as “incorrect love”. A paraphilia is anything relating to love or desire that is deemed “unfit” by society or a culture. Needless to say, what is considered a paraphiliac behavior by one social group will not be considered weird or creepy to another, but considered “normal”. So really, it depends on each society particularly.
Anyway, I was reading in my chapter about various types of paraphilas and one mentioned voyeurism. Ok. I agree. That’s creepy. And weird. Not ok. Then the next thing mentioned is transvestism or “cross dressing”. (Yes, my 2015 psychology book just listed cross dressing as a paraphilia.) What blows me away by this is that men who wear “women’s clothing” are considered to be perverted. The book just said so! But women who wear “men’s clothing” are considered “normal”. There’s clearly a biased double standard here. How can this be alright to say, think, and believe? Isn’t what’s good for the goose, good for the gander? Where’s the equality?
Rather than label a man who wears “women’s clothing” weird, how about we eradicate the ideal that a person who wears the “opposite sex’s clothing” be considered perverted? Do clothes have genders?
Clothes are clothes! If a man wears a skirt, it doesn’t mean he’s wearing a “woman’s skirt”. It means he’s wearing a man’s skirt, because he’s a man. Consider a Scottish kilt. Right.
I can’t condone the labeling and mistreatment of people based on his or her clothing. So inappropriate!
That’s my psychology rant for the day. Carry on chickens!
Josh in a cornfield- Lensbaby Composer
It’s Back! Lensbaby Composer
Josh and I are running out the door for an impromptu photoshoot with my Lensbaby. I’ll be bringing back a round of shots later after we hit up an abandoned factory and several old farmhouses. The Lensbaby is an amazing lens that has built-in capabilities to stretch the sides of the frame in a range from slightly skewed and blurred effects to mega-wild stretching.
I’ve been without my Lensbaby for more than a year so this is cause for major celebration (which will probably include a shot or two of blackberry whiskey).
I’m off to go hunting!
Lensbaby Composer f/4- Moses Josh- lost in thought, taken this morning
The Importance of Biblical Essays in College Classrooms
I remember when I was a college freshman back in 2010; I was in English Comp. I. My professor (name withheld for confidentiality purposes) had no use for APA (American Psychological Association) formatting, being an English professor, naturally, and so he was introducing us all to MLA (Modern Language Association) formatting. For anyone who happens upon this post, APA is for academic applications pertaining to the social sciences (such as psychology, psychiatry, anthropology, etc.) MLA formatting refers literature, linguistics, political science and many other majors and areas that exclude social sciences. Areas such as Forensic Anthroplogy and similar majors are interchangeable between the two formats.
Our job for one particular essay we were to write, included writing about any essay topic we wanted to choose, just as long as we didn’t cite the Bible. Anyone who knows me well automatically knows that I would have a huge problem with that. The Bible, to some, is merely a book of “mythological collections” of stories and things, made up from a group on men that may or may not have been influenced by God. Using that philosophy, my professor explained that the Bible had no place in academic writings! I was offended and utterly shocked that he would discredit a book that is more than a collection of stories to millions of people: It is the manual to the very core of what many people believe in, stand for, and try to live by. I was prepared to fight for my stand and rights in this area!
I wrote my professor privately, imploring him to change his mind and stated that the Bible has its place in the world of academia, just as much as Shakespeare and other works. I was particularly offended that he didn’t ban the Koran, or any other religious works other than the Bible. In fact, he didn’t discredit anything at all other than the Bible.
I could tell that my battle was not going to be easy but I wanted to reach the professor on his level. The only way I was going to get through to him would be to speak his language. So, I decided to write my essay about the importance of using the Bible in college essays. Sneaky sneaky. 🙂
But it worked! I wrote m essay using a collection of quotes and saying from my professor’s very cohorts- other professors from Princeton, Yale and superior colleges and their views on using the Bible as an academic citation and its importance. If he didn’t listen to me, then perhaps he would consider the thoughts and feelings of his peers.
After reading my essay, my professor issued a public apology in the announcements section stating that he had decided to revise his instructions, and that now the Bible would be allowed to be used for citations in academic writings. He also emailed me privately and apologized, telling me that he changed his curriculum- even the syllabus- to include that information.
That’s huge! I was greatly comforted knowing that future Christian students (and nonChristian students- anybody) would be allowed to use the Bible in their writings and cite it. Major victory.
And for anyone who might want to read my essay- one of the first of my academic papers- I’m publishing it below. This is for educational purposes only and anyone who considers taking it and using it for their own paper should know that most reputable and accredited colleges use Turnitin- an academic plagiarizing system. Any essay/peer review/college paper that you submit is run through this filtering system. If so much as 5 words used consecutively pop up together- it’ll link it back to my essay here and you’ll be busted. If your school doesn’t use Turnitin (or anything similar) – run fast and far away from that school; it’s worthless.
Enjoy!
By the way, I received an A. 😉
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The Importance of Biblical Citations in College Essays
When researching how to cite from the Bible using MLA style, it is noteworthy to include that more than five-hundred pages appear immediately on Google’s search engine with the instructional information. Clearly, it is evident that Biblical citations are of great importance in college essays. A student need not attend a Christian college to write a paper that requires Biblical references any more than a person needs to be a priest in order to pray over his or her food. Disallowing the Bible as a direct source or reference in college essays can be compared to scholastic surgery and academic amputation. By prohibiting students the use of what is considered by many to be the most important book ever written, an instructor is prohibiting not only the access and use of the Bible, but the very belief system of the student. Packed with codes and ethics, parables and proverbs, the Bible is, for many, not just a book, but a life manual.
Greek and Roman Mythology has long been considered acceptable academic college curriculum, but there seems to be an undisputable amount of professors who are in favor of using Biblical works in the college classroom as well. Gerald Bruns, an English professor at Notre Dame said, “You can’t really study Western literature intelligently or coherently without starting with the Bible. . . . You’re simply ignorant of yourself,” (Wachlin). One might conclude that if the Bible is considered acceptable college curriculum, using the Bible for citations and references is not only acceptable, but practical. When asked to compile a list of concentrations that would enrich their students significantly by reading the Bible, the professors produced the following:
- Doing everything or almost everything with texts.
- Studying all subsequent literature and culture.
- Being richer more sophisticated readers.
- Recognizing literary allusions, references, typology and echoes.
- Understanding how characterization in novels and thematic levels in poetry are linked to Biblical allusions.
- Grasping things directly without having to make the three-way connection through footnotes, through explanatory things.
- Understanding and recognizing the idea of the Christ figure.
- Reading specific authors.
- Hearing Toni Morrison’s “voice.”
- Finding their way around a text.
- Possessing a solid advantage in understanding Victorian art and literature.
- Not needing translation when learning Old English.
- Understanding the parable genre.
- Doing literary analysis.
- Understanding questions of canonicity and non-Biblical literature.
- Appreciating the tone of the politics of the 16th and 17th centuries.
- Making personal connections.
- Discussing “meaning” and “values” with understanding and insight.
Again, it is noteworthy to point out that the professors work in secular colleges that are not Christian or faith based. Professor Goldsmith of Berkeley College had this to say, “I’m always impressed by how excited students are, in part because when you take a literary approach to the Bible and read the text closely, the text itself is so fascinating and strange that students are amazed when they encounter it. . . .They come to it with a whole set of preconceptions; they have ideas either from religious training, or because they’ve avoided religious training. But when they actually sit down to read the Bible, they’re fascinated. I know that’s a class where I can get students hooked in the first week,” (Wachlin). Without the ability to cite directly from the Bible, it is still possible to write an essay or research paper about the Bible, but the references will be watered down in comparison if in fact, a passage or Biblical quotation is needed.
When a college professor disallows the Bible to be used for citations, he or she might also be saying, “You may not discuss anything pertaining to God, for you will not be allowed to cite it.” Such an infraction can be considered an infringement of the student’s rights. A professor should not strip away the rights of a student any more than he or she should be allowed to infringe upon them. The banning of the Bible in the college classroom is not only heinously one-sided; but a perpetuation of ignorance. For example, if a student were to write a paper on Biblical statutes pertaining to the law circa 2,000 B.C., he or she would have to rely on Encyclopedia articles or website information; but not be allowed to go to the very source of information where the statutes originate. More than 2,000 years of history is immediately cut off from the student when the Bible is forbidden as a citation resource. David Humpal, the author of “The Importance of God’s Word”, raised a valid point when he said, “The Bible is not just one big book, but actually a collection of 66 smaller books written over a period of at least 1600 years by about 40 different authors. Everything they wrote was inspired by God,” (Humpal). By prohibiting students to use the Bible as a reference in college essays, professors are actually forbidding the students access to sixty six individual books, full of detailed, historical information covering everything from recorded births and deaths, to ongoing precepts and laws.
Humpal adds in a bulleted reference, Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away,” (Humpal), taken from the Holy Bible. According to Humpal’s reference, heaven and earth will one day become void, but the words in the Bible will continue on. This is even more reason to believe that the Bible should not be banned from college works, considering that many literary works that are used in the classroom are based on Biblical passages, such as Shakespeare and Hemingway.
Considering that the very foundation of many literary works comes from Biblical references, it should not have to be said that the Bible holds great value in the college classroom. To disallow such a precious resource is to rob a student of his or her literary maturity and thwart their potential progress in many areas. Removing the Bible from the list of citable works adds one more notch in the belt of hypocrisy in the classroom. For if you ban God and His Word, so too must you ban the devil and his literary works as well, and no man can be the judge and appoint himself such a high seat as that.
Works Cited
Wachlin, Marie. “SBL Publications.” Society of Biblical Literature. Society of Biblical Literature, 2012. Web. 17 Mar. 2012. <http://www.sbl-site.org/publications/article.aspx?articleId=757>.
Humpal, David. “The Importance of God’s Word.” The Importance of God’s Word. 1997. Web. 17 Mar. 2012. <http://www.hurtingchristian.org/PastorsSite/topicalstudies/godswo.htm>.
Darwin, Depression, and Dark Days
It’s just past 11:00 a.m. and already 82 degrees. Josh is getting ready for work (I seem to have kidnapped him again) and I’m up with the chickens (hey, 11:00 a.m. is early for me!) and have decided to reset my sleep cycle once again. For the past few months, I’ve been up all night an sleeping during the days. I love my nights! Night time is dark, cool, and it feels like all the world is dead and I’m on a little island to myself. I can come and go as I please- do my shopping (you’d be surprised how man people shop at Walmart at 3 a.m.) and just really connect with my nocturnal surroundings. I really can’t stand mornings or getting up early and I’m used to getting things done at night. So it’s a sacrifice for me, to say the least, to flip my script entirely and give up my nights. Even my dream environments are night time- I haven’t dreamed of daylight (or day time) in years, except for once or twice.
I’ve noticed, though, that I’ve becomes increasingly depressed over the past few weeks- and that’s just not normal for me. I lead a pretty fearless life. I don’t stress out about things- I’m literally never anxious- and I stay consistently level and upbeat, for the most part. But lately, I’ve felt a few complex fears pressing in and feelings that I might not succeed. (Again, highly unusual for me. I’m a serious go-getter.) I’ve learned to section off and compartmentalize my “layers of self” to discern just where my problematic sources might be. Are they economic? Spiritual? Emotional? Environmental? Nutritional? And so, after much seeking, I’ve realized that my depression has been a combination of artificial sleep (Ambien) + a lack of exercise and sunshine. I’ve decided to cut Ambien out of my life, because although it does help in getting a person to sleep, it does little to assist in REM sleep and allowing a person to have the full benefits of natural sleep. Last night, I slept naturally and woke up refreshed at 8:30 a.m. (or thereabouts). Today, I have 50 pages to absorb (Darwin in Chapter 1- Pavlov- Chapter 2), 3 quizzes (two psychology quizzes and one statistics quiz) and 40 or so Statistics problems to work out. This is not necessarily a heavy workload.
I’ve been missing my mother and my kids but keep telling myself that I’ll see them just as soon as I catch up. Life has a funny way of choking the living &^%$ out of you, doesn’t it?
My kitchen sink has been defunct for a month now, and I’m sure that has lent a hand in my acute depression. Thankfully, Josh is going to help me fix it today. I haven’t been able to update my blog regularly for some time now, but I haven’t been in a good head space lately. Studying psychology is sort of like being under a self-reflecting microscope 24/7. At first, it’s easy to see how psychological applications apply to everybody you know, but theories and perspectives about the mind can easily be compared to certain Scriptures in the Bible about and such. At first, you can see everyone else’s ailments and how best they might be helped, etc. but at some point, you really have to apply all of that stuff to yourself. So, in an interesting way, I’ve been my pwn therapist and patient for several years now.
I could use a good vacation from myself. :0/
Going Home: The Series
I generally don’t share my guy, Josh’s, story with many people. I respect his privacy, and although I used to take the liberty of posting anything-to-everything about our relationship here in my blog, I no longer do that. I feel that he has a right to his privacy and if he wanted to share some of the deepest parts of himself, he’d probably have his own blog. So, last year, I went through many of my blog posts and made the ones pertaining to him private. I do still have a few up, but I basically made private the gut-wrenching posts that I should have used more discretion with. But live and learn, eh?
That said, I decided to revisit one of my photo series called Going Home; in which I told a story about a man (Josh) who had begun his journey to return home after a long time away. In this series, he sets out with a heavy heart, longing to return home. The word home evokes such strong feelings. It represents comfort, acceptance, peace, relaxation, and ultimately, love.
I created the Going Home series 6 or 7 years ago and submitted it to a photo contest. I won a camera for it (my 4th one) and gave that to my daughter, Brianna, who ended up becoming a talented photographer herself. (But she’ll never admit to that. She’s far too modest when it comes to her many talents. She’s also a piano prodigy, immensely gifted singer, a writer and self-taught multilinguist- the list is long. The kid is amazing!) But all of my kids are. 🙂
I love the Going Home series because it tells the metaphorical story of each and every one of us in this world; all traveling onward to an unknown (and sometimes very much known) destination. I know Josh doesn’t mind my sharing this part of his own story, which ties into the series perfectly.
I’ve never known anybody, apart from my oldest daughter, Heidi, who’s had such an incredible life story. I’ll share a bit of his story with you- for those of you who are new to it.
Josh’s mother was murdered by her boyfriend when he was only 7. For the next 7 years, he and his sister lived with their father. Unfortunately, his father died of a heart attack when Josh was only 14. He and his sister were sent to live with their grandmother, but she wasn’t capable of taking care of them for long, so Josh and his sister went off to live in one foster home after another. The two eventually split up and lived in separate homes, slowly drifting apart. After being shipped off from one place to the next, longing to fit in and really belong somewhere, Josh finally turned 18 and was no longer a ward of the state. He was given a small apartment and after so many years of living with somebody else, he was finally able to call his new place “home”. It was shortly after that that I was introduced to Josh from my brother. My brother had brought him over one day, and we clicked immediately. He stayed with us for the next few years: we adopted him straightaway! That was 10 years ago.
I can say with ease that I was an immature girl when we met, and although there was an 18 year age gap between us, we clicked on every level and became the very best of friends. I’ll always owe Josh a debt of gratitude for stepping into the very large shoes of “father figure” to my children. He was just a kid himself, but he was a sober, brilliant-minded “bruddy” to my son (a combination of brother and buddy) who took the time out of his life to be a great example to my children. It was understood that he wasn’t replacing their father, but his contributions to my little family are innumerable. I could never repay him for all that he’s given to me and my children. I like to think he feels the same way about us. 🙂
Josh is still my best friend. We have an unspoken understanding that we are not “boyfriend/girlfriend” and we don’t hold hands and stroll on the beach together with stars in our eyes. We have a much stronger bond than if we were married. We know that no matter what- we have each other’s backs, and we know that we can trust one another with each other’s very lives. I don’t think one could ask for more than that in a life partner. 🙂
Back to the series! I wanted to visually express Josh’s journey of longing for that ever-elusive place that he could finally call home. (The last pic at the bottom of the collection isn’t part of the series, but it fit in nicely, I thought. I was looking through the window into that same abandoned house, which actually tells what happened in real life, again, metaphorically. Also, I was still cutting my Photoshop and Lightroom teeth back then and might’ve gotten a little slap happy the editing here. My apologies!)
And so began his journey:
Traveling Man
Crossroads
Hostel
Last Dance [camera-winning photo]
Undone [He was still a baby here!]
Porthole [Me, looking through the window- 10 second self-timer]
Icing on the Cake
Just in- invite only: Will definitely help with grad school. 🙂
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Society membership, exclusively by invitation or nomination from our campus faculty, gives you access to leadership certification that is a valuable asset to your professional resume and a life changing personal development tool. Sigma Alpha Pi is a leadership honor society (not a fraternity/sorority) available to select students on campus. Your invitation is a nationally recognized achievement of honorable distinction based on academic accomplishment, leadership potential, or nomination from our campus faculty.
Society membership places you among the top student leaders on campus and gives you an edge in the employment market through professional leadership training. The National Society of Leadership and Success is one of the largest college leadership honor societies in the United States with hundreds of chapters. Membership gives you access to over $200,000 in awards and scholarships, leadership certification (a valuable asset to your resume), exclusive events on campus, employer recruitment, an exclusive online job bank, networking with other top students on campus, and discounts that can save you hundreds of dollars on computers, textbooks, car insurance and grad school prep courses.
Congratulations on your outstanding achievements and selection to The National Society of Leadership and Success. Your next step is to activate your nomination code, #####-###-#####, atwww.societyleadership.org and process your registration payment. We look forward to welcoming you as a member.
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Sweetness!
Sleep Deprivation= Cheap Buzz
Tomorrow is my last day of the semester. I love this floaty, surreal, semi- twilight existence that goes along with sleep deprivation. I’ve been awake for 30 hours now; not too bad. I’ve seen plenty worse. (It involved hospitalization and wide awake REM states- no place for the faint of heart, m’ friend.) I’m good for powering through a final exam and an 8 page paper in a day, however, which is what my day consisted of- just as long as I get a 12 hour power sleep beforehand. I wouldn’t recommend trying this at home, kiddies! But it’s a way of life for me, and I seem to be at my best when my world is slightly ethereal with the soft fuzzies of sleep deprivation. It pushes me over the edge ever-so-slightly so that I get a much-needed blast of adrenaline. It’s better than coffee. 🙂 (And let’s face it, it’s a free buzz that carries with it no guilt.)
I’m managing to hold on to my A still in my Serial Killers class–which I finished an hour or so ago– and as long as I receive a good score on my final paper in my Forensic Anthropology course, I’ll have an A in that as well. I have a good feeling about it so I’m betting I’ll come away from it with my two A’s in tact.
I would write more, but I’m starting to teeter over onto the floor a bit- and I don’t think I’m supposed to be doing that.
Netflix is calling.
My vacation starts tomorrow evening (a whole 9 days to myself-YES) and I can’t wait to go to some ole boring park and take pics of absolutely nothing at all. That sounds like paradise!
Out with the Old…
…in with the new. Semester, that is. My summer classes are almost over. I can hardly believe another year has flown by so quickly!
And so goes college life.
I’ll either be taking 5 classes this fall, or 3- depending on how much aid I receive; it’s yet to be determined. Technically, I’m only two semesters away from receiving my B.S. in Psych. and I can either knock it out in two consecutive throat-choking semesters, or spread it out for another year and a half (and keep most of my sanity in tact!). I’d rather get it over with, however, quickly.
I still have one quiz, 3 discussion boards, both final exams and an 8-10 page paper to write- and yes, that’s just one week of school! I’ve been keeping up this ridiculous pace for 5 weeks now and I think I remember what all of my children look like. 😦
I haven’t seen my oldest daughter in half a year now and although my mother only lives 2 miles from me, haven’t seen her much more. She’s working doggedly herself 6 days a week; but we do get to talk often and she’s recently joined the rest of the texting world and has hopped on board and texts with the speed (and emojis) of a 20 year old. Too cute.
I’ll have a 10 day break in between my semesters, so if anybody’s reading this who actually wants to see me- there’s your official notice! Before you know it, I’ll be up to my eyeballs in 3 psych. classes, a biology (addictions) course and a Statistics course. It’s going to be one of those semesters.
Alas, as I wrap up my summer semester and prepare to dive into fall, I love all of you, my friends- old and new- and miss you all terribly. I’ll be popping in from time to time, as always. Before we know it, it’ll be 2016!
Summer is dying and I must say, I’m going to actually miss it this time! Special thanks to my BFF and the love of my life: Josh, for giving me the best summer of my life. 🙂
My back deck- summer of ’14- first leaves falling- my beloved Helios 44-2 film lens/Canon Rebel XSI
Blur
That pretty much sizes up my mood right now. I think I’ve reached my serial killer threshold.
My alternator finally died (for good) and so I had little choice but to sell my lenses. Not my camera! Just the lenses. The good side is that I’ve fixed my car. The bad side is that I’m stuck with one 28 MM film lens which doesn’t even attach to my camera. Yeah. Hard times!
Nevertheless, I force myself to see this as a positive situation; with much everything else. Having to hold my lens up to my camera, I discovered that I can bend the light in Hitchcockian fashion, if I do it juuuuust right. I get a good amount of blur (which I love) and heavier in-camera contrast. Not a bad thing. The downside is that it really sucks having to hold your lens up to your camera manually.
Alas, it served its purpose, which was to distract me from having to write my 6 page term paper today. About…you guessed it! Serial killers. I can’t believe I’m actually looking forward to beginning my psychology classes again next month. A person can handle studying only so many paraphiliacs before the brain begins to involuntarily shut down.
Which is what’s happening in my case.
On to my paper…
Shot in monochrome- today’s batch of pics: YUS 28 MM film/Canon Rebel XSI- back deck
Are you a Psycho?
Clearly, I am not a psychopath. Which is amazing. Because I actually share quite a few traits with many of them:
- Bedwetting as a child (and adolescent)
- Was a wee bit experimental and unkind to animals as a child
- Lied a good bit as a child
I don’t have in interest in pyromania, though (not even a bit- and never have), which is a major characteristic of many psychopaths/sociopaths. For starters, I think it’s wrong to destroy someone else’s property. I used to wonder about sharing several traits with psychopaths, understandably, seeing how I was grossly abused as a child. I remember my thoughts being “abnormal” growing up- at best.
However, I was raised to acknowledge right from wrong and was always hyper-aware of my conscience. This is what distinguishes a “normal person” from a psychopath; knowing right from wrong and choosing to remain within those non-impulsive and non-reactionary boundaries.
I’m learning some fascinating things in my classes. One of the most interesting things I’ve learned is that most people have a good bit of activity going on in their prefrontal cortexes. The prefrontal cortex (located in the frontal lobe of the brain- behind the forehead) regulates impulse, aggression, judgment- and fear, most importantly. A “normal person” ‘s brain shows activity in this brain area; a psychopath’s does not. Psychopaths and sociopaths show little to absolutely no activity in their prefrontal cortexes- at all. That’s some pretty solid evidence that psychopaths are genetically hard-wired for long-term sociopathy, including the development of becoming a serial killer.
There are 3 main traits that serial killer’s share, according to academicians and researchers:
- Childhood (physical, emotional, psychological, and/or sexual) abuse
- A brain injury of some sort (whether developmental or congenital)
- Mental illness
When a person has two or more of these characteristics in childhood, the chances of developing the third one is pretty great. If a person exhibits all three of these characteristics, the chances are that much greater that a serial killer is in the making. That’s not to say that all people who share these three characteristics are or are going to be serial killers. But interestingly enough, the majority of all serial killers do have these three key characteristics in common.
I took this psychopath quiz a few minutes ago: it’s certainly not standardized and it’s not APA-affiliated or approved; it’s a 25 or so question quiz that sheds some insight into what percentage you fall into when compared to the national median. If you score 30% or more, chances are, you’re a psycho!
I scored 5%. I can sleep tonight. 😉
Results
You scored 5. Scores above 30 indicate psychopathy, of course only a professional, which this test is not, can make a true assessment. This test was made just for fun.
Below is a graph of how other people who have taken this test have scored:
5.5% of people score higher than 30.
You can take the quiz here- (results are immediate):
It’s Pure Madness: And I Love It
So I’ve just gone over my syllabi for the semester: I’m cramming 4 months of classes into 6 weeks. That alone is madness.
My work for this week constitutes the following:
5 chapters in Forensic Anthropology
5 chapters in The Human Bone Manual
1 study guide that requires the memorization of the names and locations of 100+ bones in the human body
2 videos
5 Powerpoints/Lectures
Multiple discussion board postings + citations, etc.
2 quizzes
And that’s just one class.
Multiply that times 2 and then you know what I’m up against.
But I love it. 🙂
(See you when I come up for air!)
xo
Isn’t it Funny when…
…you’re a kid and see Freddy Mercury singing “We are the Champions” in his black and white outfit, dancing in the white smoke and think, “That’s so Cool!”
And then at like- 45- you see it again, and you’re like:
“His 1/2 black and 1/2 white suit is probably indicative of his devotion to the Illuminati and duality, in general, and MAN that’s a lot of cocaine!”
I still love you, Freddy. 🙂
I’ve Planned Out the Next Six Years of my Life
It’s a great time in my life.
Josh and I are still best buds; Mandy Tator Tots is making home made biscuits and gravy tonight and Josh will be joining us. (Mandy Tator Tots is my son’s girlfriend and I absolutely love her to death. She’s pure gold, that one.)
My summer classes begin in 10 days, and so I’ve plotted my course in life for the next 6 years or so. When I wrap up my Bachelor’s in Psychology, it’ll be the spring/summer of 2016. From there, I’ll move on to my Master’s in Forensic Psychology (at a school with the # 2 Forensic Psychology program in the nation). The Master’s will be 35 credit hours and will take two years. I’ll then transfer my entire Master’s degree over to Spalding University (they accept up to 30 credit hours of a Master’s) so I will have only lost out on a total of 5 credit hours. Not a bad deal. Plus, getting my Master’s first and then transferring it will save me 50% of my costs, rather than going straight into my doctorate. After transferring my Master’s to Spalding, I’ll begin my doctorate (PsyD) in Clinical Psychology with an Emphasis in Forensic Psychology/Corrections. Voila! 6 years.
Don’t know about anybody else, but I’m locking this thing down with eagle focus and an insane drive. (I have to get my GPA up from 3.5 to at least a 3.8 though, or higher.)
Nothing, and I mean NOTHING will stop me.
So, that about wraps up my semi-periodic update here! Time to get into school mode again. My vacation is officially over. 🙂
Topics in Criminal Justice: Serial Killers
I just found out that I’ve been given a partial Perkins loan ($750) to pay for more than half of my 2 summer courses. Woot! I’m so super stoked. I like psychology- but I’m madly passionate about criminology– it really is my thing.
This is what my textbook looks like for my (serial killers) course:
In Forensic Anthropology, we’ll be studying human remains in disaster settings, as well as reconstructing crime scenes. It’s going to be an interesting semester. 🙂
Down to the Wire
I can hardly believe a whole month has passed by since I’ve posted anything here. I can’t say I’ve been busy, really; just enjoying my summer vacation, mostly. I’ve had a little too much time on my hands lately and have been feeling restless. Part of that restlessness is knowing that I have just over $6,000 remaining in financial aid for 2015-2016- and 13 classes to go. If I’m really careful, it can be done. (By the skin of my teeth- maybe.) But I was just thrown a serious curve ball by my school. I was assigned a new adviser- a real sweetheart- who caught an egregious oversight in my records. When I transferred my Associates Degree in Behavioral Sciences (and CPC in Substance Abuse) from Vincennes University, I was allowed 92 of those credit hours in to IU East. That was pretty generous, I thought. However, my new adviser pointed out that they’d made a terrible mistake and only 64 credit hours were allowed. And I was told this a whole year later!
That alone should have given me clemency, I thought. That’s not a light mistake, because that effected my financial aid and how many classes I chose to take per semester, etc. My adviser took the matter to the graduation committee and pleaded on my behalf, but they told her that they never make exceptions. Nice. Now I’m having to rethink my entire next 3 semesters and facing the possibility of having to graduate in the summer to fall of 2016 rather than in the spring of 2016. Frustrating! Not only that, I may not have the financial aid I need for all of my remaining classes- it’s just so tight. I’m having to work all of this out with my Isuzu Rodeo starter dying half the time and my water heater bursting open and gushing through my son’s walls. It’s…challenging, to say the least. But, as always, quitting is not an option. That’s just not in my vocabulary- not when it comes to college, anyway.
So now, despite the fact that I’ve got 111 credit hours under my belt, I now have 36-39 more to go. My heart actually sank for a moment when I got the news, but I’ve been in survival mode for so long; I can’t afford to focus on any negativity. I applied for a Federal Perkins Loan so that I can take two summer II courses to get an early start on my last batch of classes. If not, I’m going to have to bulk up my fall and spring semesters to 5 courses each term. Fingers crossed that I get that loan!
If I’m able to take the two summer classes (starting in July), they will be:
Forensic Anthropology
Topics in Criminal Justice: Serial Killers
-both upper level courses. Yes, they actually have a serial killers course! I’m so there. Forensic Anthropology is the study and analyzation of human remains at crime scenes. These classes are right up my alley! I’m so ready to get back to work.
Seed pods- taken early this morning with the Carl Zeiss Jena Flektogon 35/2.4 vintage film lens
Man Trouble
How a single girl like me (who doesn’t even have a Facebook- or a boyfriend) has man trouble is beyond me- but honey, I got ’em!
And I ain’t complaining. 🙂
Too much time alone isn’t good for the soul.
And on that note, today’s catch:
Is it just me, or is there an Indian’s face in those trees?
m o n o c h r o m e j u n k i e † 