Whew!! Done.

Yes.... my first term back in school is finally over. I'm fairly certain that I got A's on both my Algebra/Trig and Chemistry finals. I'm just hoping that I can pull a B in Biology. There was a posting on the site about what I got on the final, but I have a feeling it was a typo. It says 124.5 points out of 100. Yes... I know. I went through this before, but that was in Chemistry. I don't think there was any extra credit in this test. The professor also specifically said that the final was worth 112 points. So now I'm confused, but I don't want to ask anybody, because if its a mistake.... its one in my favor. I'm just gonna wait till I see the results next week.

So I have a week off and then I start summer school. Anatomy and Physiology is the only classroom course I'm taking. I'm also taking an independent course of Psychology "Human Development". Should be an interesting summer.

Ugh!!

I just got back from Biology Exam #4. I don't want to even tell you how I did. It was bad. REALLY bad. I knew going in that it wasn't going to be good, but I guess I hoped that I would have been able to pull something out. Nope. Not the case. The last 2 weeks have been slowly getting to me. I think I've hit a wall. Hopefully, this set back can get me focused again. It's finals next week. Biology is the one I'm just really worried about. I honestly don't think I can even pull out a B. Which is really disappointing. I'm on the edge of an A in Algebra/Trig. A 90.8%. Which means I basically need to pull an A To get an A in the class. I'm at 97% in Chemistry. I got an 88% on the last test. That's when the downward spiral started. My studying the last 2 weeks hasn't been very focuse. I have a hard time getting into it. I need to get a head start now and just dig in. *sigh*

Cruisin Along...

Whew....

Just got back the rusults of Chem Exam 3. Looks like she dropped a 3 point question. That put my percentage at around 99%. Darn.... my first exam under 100%. heheh. No.... I'm really glad. There were about 3 questions I wasn't sure about... and I totally didn't get the extra credit. At least I didn't get an answer. I attempted it... but... I really didn't know what I was doing. It was crazy last weekend. I had SO MUCH to do for Biology that the studying for this test had to be on the back burner most of the time. Most of my studying took place Wednesday and Thursday of the prior week. All I could afford to do was do some brushing up and skimming of my notes over the weekend.

After the test I had mentioned to "Mel" that I didn't get the extra credit question. She and her friend "Sam" were both glad, because then they didn't feel bad that they didn't get it either. haha. I'm feeling so much more comfortable here at the school.

Last Saturday I went out with a bunch of the old MHCC Theatre gang. It was to celebrate Mr. Zimmer's last hurrah at MHCC.

IT WAS A BLAST!!!

So much fun. Look on my Facebook for pics.

Ok..... Biology.... Ready.... Set.... Go!!!

Will I ever grow up??

I've made a new friend at school. I'll call her Mel. Short for Mellencamp. As in "John Cougar". She isn't a traditional cougar. In fact she's not a cougar at all. She's only 20 years old. The joke is that she has a boyfriend that is still in high school. From what she has told me. Her friends call her that. As a joke of course.

Mel is in my Chemistry class. We met a few weeks ago after the first exam. We were both upstairs getting extra credit for Chemistry by getting a stamp on our homework in the Learning Center. That's when I told her I got all the answers right PLUS the extra credit. Was I boasting?? Maybe a little bit, but really I could't help but share my own amazement at my score. So when I got 76.5/75 on the next exam she was even more impressed.

Now she thinks I'm some braniac, but I have to keep telling her that I got those scores because I basically worked my butt off studying.

I wish I could say the same about Biology..... Ugh!!

We meet up every now and then in the Library to study together.

Her big mission is trying to find out my age, because I won't tell her it. It's funny because she will dig for any little info hoping I'll slip up. Silly girl. What does she take me for.

I do tell her that I look young for my age, and that I'm old enough not to tell it. Ha!

"I don't get what the big deal is!!"

"Well," I pause for a moment of reflection, " I really don't care, but... " I look at her with a

silly grin, "... I really want you to stay friends with me." We both laugh.

I have a big weekend coming up. I have another Chemistry Exam on Tuesday AND another paper for Biology. TOO MUCH TO DO!!

Hmmmm.... so this is Average.

Ugh...

I took my 2nd Biology exam today.

I knew I wasn't fully ready, but I ran out of time. I ended up getting a 76%. I really don't feel good about it.

I'm taking this class online. I don't think I can do another one. It's too easy to get behind in ...... EVERYTHING.

This last weekend I had so many things to do just for this class alone.... not to mention studying for the exam. Which obviously I didn't do enough of. It's so frustrating!!

It's also frustrating because this class is so mixed up. The Labs don't seem to coincide with the lecture. We do a lab that has to do with Mitosis. While studying for an exam that includes things we learned almost 3 weeks ago. So to prepare for the Lab you have to read ahead.... while your trying to study for things you've already forgotten from the previous Labs. ARGH!! I'm just venting.

Small World....

Remember the girl I whispered to in Algebra class on the first day of school. I'll call her party girl. Does she party alot?? I really don't know, but I do know that when she's not in class its usually on a Monday or Friday. Either she left early to go to Eugene or Corvallis or she stayed an extra day over there. She constantly skips. I do tease her when she decides to attend. "Well.... well.... well.... lookie who decided to show up.... " I'd say with a smile.

Last Friday she didn't want to be in Algebra, but came because it was announced that we were going to have a quiz on that day. She said that she needed to leave early because she had to go to work.

" Where do you work?" I asked.

" Elmers''.

"Elmers. Really.... which one?"

"The one on Airport way?"

"Oh... yeah.... I live near there?"

"Yeah.... I don't live far from there either."

This surprised me, because I thought that she had mentioned that she had lived closer to the Hollywood district. The Hollywood district is closer to 39th and Sandy Blvd. When most of SE Portland had a blackout for most of the day we both mentioned that our power had both gone out.

"Really?? I thought you lived more in town. I live close to that Costco."

"Yeah.... Really???

"Yeah.... but not in that industrial part of course.... It's on the other side of Sandy Blvd."

"We live there too. Do you know where Argay Park is"

My spidey sense started Tingling!! Because only people from Argay know about Argay park.

"OK!! Waitaminute!! Where Do you LIVE??!!!" I asked with growing intensity.

"Uh... well... you know where Alton Court is?

"Uh... Yeah!! I drive it every day.... its the only way to get into our part of the neighborhood."

"Well you drive down that street and take the first left.... then you--"

"--get to the cul-de-sac."

"Well... we actually live in the cul-de-sac."

I became giddy and flabbergasted at the same time.

"OH MY GAWD!!! We live a BLOCK from EACH OTHER!!!

People around us started laughing at my over the top revelation. We both started laughing at the strangeness of it all. Talked how the school boundaries of Reynolds and Parkrose were so close to our mutual houses. All she could say how small a world it can be.

Today in Algebra class we got back our first Exams. Most everyone didn't think they did very good, and from their looks they didn't. I'm happy to say I felt good about my testing. I was expecting an A..... would be disappointed with a B.... and Shocked if it was anything lower. I got a 94%. Cool Beans!!

Party girl wasn't in class today. Well.... it was a Monday. =)

It just keeps getting harder....

Well... it is Saturday night and I've officially spent the whole day in my room catching up on homework and studying for the next exam. I took my Biology exam last Tuesday. I made a fatal mistake and memorized a definition wrong which botched not just one answer but 3. I ended up getting 88% on the test. Still... bummed cuz I felt that I should have gotten at least 94%. I took my Algebra test yesterday. I feel pretty good, but I don't know how she grades. I will say that considering how I was on the first day... I'm feeling pretty good about the Algebra test.

The first day of school felt crazy to me. I was in Los Angeles just 5 days prior. Getting ready for my journey back to Portland. Was this happening too fast?? I walked onto campus. When I took the acting classes 8 years ago I never ventured to this side of the campus. I just stayed near the theatre. I really only went to the Library once to check out a script that Rick Zimmer had on hold. Those acting classes seem so long ago. Now I was taking a "Real" class. A class with serious homework. Math 95 is basically Algebra II with some Trigonometry. I took them in high school, but I wasn't good in either of them. I sat down at a desk and was surprised to find that the class had to share a table with other students. Apparently this is to encourage the students to work and help each other on problems. Our teacher wanted to see where we were in the class and she asked us to turn to a page in the book and work out some problems. They were all review problems for people that had taken Math 65. I stared at the problems and realized...... that I had no idea where to start. I looked around the room... and saw everyone working away. The room was quiet, because no one really knew each other yet. I muttered to the the girl next to me.

"Do you know how to do this??"

She showed me her paper and it gave me some hints. It was then that I noticed the teacher looking at my blank piece of paper. Should I even be in this class.... I thought. I must have been crazy telling the counselor that I was a quick learner. We later went over the problems as a class, but I honestly felt distracted, because I was barely catching on. It didn't help that every time I blurted out an answer when she asked for one..... it was wrong. Ugh. I felt like I was in grade school all over again. We still had an hour of class left and I was already wanting the class to be over.

When I got home I immediately went to work and tackled the homework. I was determined. Slowly.... as I got through each set of problems I started to regain my confidence. When I finished the whole assignment, three hours later, I felt a sense of relief. My fear was that I would just be lost as I tried to tackle it, but I had finished it all.

Over the last month the fear that I originally felt is gone. I've been going to the tutoring center on a regular basis. It is a TREMENDOUS help to me. It just feels great to be able to ask someone for help. The tutors are incredible. I always used to feel to proud to use tutoring centers. What was I thinking!!! I'm so glad that I got over that feeling that I didn't need any help. Most of the time I don't really need any help, but I sit there and do homework anyway. That way if I have a question there is someone there that can answer my questions.

Cleared the first hurdle......

Most of my day is spent in the Library either doing my homework, or upstairs in the tutoring center.... doing my homework. After a long day of homework and class. I got home to check my email and read that my Chemistry Exam results were in. I went online to the portal (This is so different than it was back in the day.). Looked for my code number and looked for my score. I found it...... 77.5. ARGH!! I groaned to myself. I thought for sure that I did well on the test. I looked closer at all the results and realized that a lot of people did worse than I did. There were a lot of 60's and even 50's type scores. Well... if they graded on a curve maybe I didn't do so bad. Then I looked at the bottom of the list and saw what the total possible score was: 75. What!! I actually Aced the test AND got the extra credit on top of it all!!! YES!! The closest score behind me was a 77. How awesome is that!!!

A new beginning....

Welcome. This is the start of my new journey. I am not a nurse, but I do live in the Northwest. I've recently moved back to the great city of Portland OR. from the crowded city of Los Angeles CA. I was one of those dreamers that ran out of dream steam. I also started to run out of cash. In LA I worked as a Nursing Assistant (CNA) to help pay the bills while also doing the occasional Background job. However, doing background was never really the dream. An opportunity came up for me to move back home and actually try to be an actual Registered Nurse. So.... here I go. I'm currently enrolled in a local community college taking pre-requisite classes that are needed to be accepted in the Nursing program. I'm taking Chemistry, Biology, and Intermediate Algebra. I know... it sounds crazy. It is considering that I haven't been in school taking "REAL" classes for (it seems like) forever!!! The acting classes don't count.

I just took my first Chemistry Exam this morning.... we shall see how I do.