That Annoying Little Brick Wall

I have been to UNF for my degree evaluation a total of THREE TIMES after today. I have taken all my courses there excepting two, SO WHY ARE TWO BLEEPING COURSES CAUSING ME SO MUCH GRIEF? I went the first time for the basic evaluation with my advisor. I went the second time to clear up a course that was supposed to transfer from FSU. They thought giving me a hard time because I wanted to transfer an undergraduate level course for a graduate level course (but it's the same stupid course, people!!!). Fortunately, it was a prerequisite, so that one got cleared.

The other course was a similar transfer situation. I thought it was cleared that same day as well. OF COURSE NOT. THAT MIGHT MAKE MY LIFE EASIER. So I went back today to fix that one. I THINK it is correct now. It's pending the advisement office actually putting it in the evaluation, but the program director agreed to it. I'm just disturbed because everyone was in such a hurry to get to some meeting that it was a quick, "Yeah, sure okay." I don't like it that way.

I want it in writing, now. Preferably in blood. I've been working on this Master's for FIVE YEARS. It is time, people!!!

Okay, glad to get that off my chest. Let's hope the next time you hear of it I'm telling everyone I'm cleared to walk across the stage in December.

Imaginary

I haven't anything useful to contribute to my blog today, because I'm suddenly in a sort of "down" mood. Could be the rain outside, could be the quiet here. At any rate, I think it'd be more useful for me to post some lyrics. This is one of my favorite songs and at the moment they are actually quite accurate.

Imaginary by Evanescence

Paper flowers
Paper flowers

I linger in the doorway
Of alarm clock screaming monsters
Calling my name
Let me stay
Where the wind will whisper to me
Where the raindrops as they’re falling tell a story

In my field of paper flowers
And candy clouds of lullaby
I lie inside myself for hours
And watch my purple sky fly over me

Don’t say I’m out of touch
With this rampant chaos - your reality
I know well what lies beyond my sleeping refuge
The nightmare I built my own world to escape

In my field of paper flowers
And candy clouds of lullaby
I lie inside myself for hours
And watch my purple sky fly over me

Swallowed up in the sound of my screaming
Cannot cease for the fear of silent nights
Oh how I long for the deep sleep dreaming
The goddess of imaginary light

In my field of paper flowers
And candy clouds of lullaby
I lie inside myself for hours
And watch my purple sky fly over me

Paper flowers
Paper flowers

New Kids Around the Block, Old Men Around the Corner

Ok, so I know my posts have been revolving around music lately, but I just couldn't not mention this. I watch the top 20 countdown on VH1 every week, just to be "in the know" about what music is on top. The majority of the show I tend to put on mute or don't watch much anymore, but occasionally a good song comes on.

Seems this week the majority of it stayed on mute while I played something else on the PC. What I find extremely disturbing, however is that these guys are back. And bot only are they back, they've been on the top of the countdown for at least the last 3 weeks!!! Now, I'm sorry if this sort of thing floats your boat, but man, it sinks mine! Come on, they don't play any instruments, I don't think they write any music of their own, I think they have a drum loop going...

...you get the idea. I was just wondering if anyone else is as disturbed about this as I am.

My Cool Merchandise

Hey everyone, look at the cool Evanescence item I bought off Ebay. No, this isn't the link to the actual EBay item, because I was having some issues with Ebay's link having all my info on it.

This 2-disc CD has all the rare Evanescence tunes-lots of piano/Amy Lee demos and some outtakes from the two mainstream albums. There are also some live tracks. Although I could do without the cover on Korn's "Thoughtless," which is just a little too much for my taste, the majority of these songs (at least in my opinion) are keepers.

Yeah, I know, I'm obsessed. But it's not often I can find an artist whose CDs I can pretty much listen to from start to finish without skipping a track.

I am also currently bidding on the "Origin" CD, which is no longer in print. Wish me luck. :)

Michael Savage is the "Moron"

Ok, I'm pretty passionate about the work I do and I totally love the children that I work with. I'm interested in anything newsworthy in autism research and I even keep up with a local message board for teachers/parents of children with autism.

Which is how I came upon this piece of uneducated talk radio. Now I wouldn't classify myself as an "expert" on all things autism, but I've been working with these kids over two years and I can tell you right now that autism is not a fraud. It is a serious, complex disorder that can affect children in a wide range of ways. The disorder always affects language and social interaction.

So are these just a bunch of kids who need to be taught how to behave? Well yeah, sure, you can teach them to behave. Does that mean they aren't ever going to have public meltdowns? No, it doesn't. Does that mean we can make them talk instead of being silent? Not necessarily, but we can give them outlets to communicate even without speech.

The lack of compassion and education in this entire matter is disturbing to me. I hope the ASA hangs him out to rot.

Awesome Music AND Sense of Humor!!!

OK, I don't know HOW I missed all the songs by this band until now. I pride myself with being pretty eclectic, but lately I'm deciding I wasn't so much as I originally thought. Granted, the lyrics in Evanescence's songs can be fairly dark, I credit them with one major thing: What they sing is REAL. This is the sort of stuff that a music therapist craves when dealing with lyric analysis sessions.

I mean, analyze lyrics like those in "Everybody's Fool." Or "Weight of the World." Or my favorite of all of them, "Hello." The songs actually SAY SOMETHING.

Who knew there were those out there who could still write stuff like that with all the latest crap on the market?

And besides, WHO COULDN'T love a band whose lead singer can write and sing as she does and then take herself so unseriously????

I love it.

A Cruel Summer

Well, obviously I haven't posted in over a month. Reason why? As if my life isn't already boring enough, now I'm on summer break and I didn't get the summer school position with the county. So I've been sitting here doing pretty much nothing. Aside from some IM chats and watching four seasons of "Lost" (thank you very much, you know who you are), I've been totally idle. Granted, I took and passed the PreKindergarten endorsement test (don't laugh, it's really not as easy as it sounds) and have been by the school a couple of times to check up on my students and my classroom. I've got to get stuff together so that I can set up a brand new classroom in August. I'm working on clearing myself for graduation with my Masters in December.

But no visits anywhere or by anyone else. No social functions. Few phone calls. I feel like what I do during the year is so important, and then it all comes crashing down now that I finally realize my students and my work is about all I've got. I won't even have college after December.

I'm back to the "I need a life" thing. Sure, I blame myself for this quite a bit. I don't like to go out alot and I HATE going out by myself. I'm a transplant from Tennessee so I still don't know alot of people here (especially considering several years since we moved I spent at FSU). I'm not good with being alone, yet because I'm alone I fear going out somewhere alone. It's a catch 22, and a pain at that.

So I'm sure those of you who actually read here were really looking forward to read my rant about being lonely this summer after I haven't posted for a month.

But at least now you know why.