"Much Ado about Nothing"

Hello!!!!!!

How is everyone?  We are doing pretty good.
I have taken on what feels like a Herculean Task this semester.
As you might know, I am working on my Masters in English degree at WKU in Kentucky.
This semester I became a full fledged Grad student by taking the GRE and passing the English and the writing.

The semester started in August and I took only one class, because that is all I can afford - thanks Progressive for this semester... (You can call me on that one... lol)

I go to my first class and get a phone call the next day offering me the Graduate Assistant spot that had opened up.  As I had JUST begged all my teacher friends to write recommendation letters so that I could become a Graduate Assistant.  You know, those annoying graduate level students who teach the 100 level English classes or are teaching the labs for your 150 student math class.  Yup, me.

Well, I'm several weeks in now and I must be crazy. I really only need to survive this semester and next semester and then I am free to relax again.
I'm teaching three FULL 90/91 classes at Sky.  (Asked not to do that next semester.)
AND I'm now taking 3 classes  - as that is part of the Grad Assistant deal - AND I have to work in the writing lab at school.

I am sorry to share to all my friends that I no longer work at the mall (good thing I got out when I did.)
Soooo, I no longer have that fabulous discount. Boooo.  

Life is hard and Tom is not thrilled with my hours or crankiness. I often have the urge to say, "I'm too old for this shit."

Anyway - we are surviving and Kayaking is very much on the back burner for the next 9 months. I think we may survive.......

But, Friday night we saw a play. I was soooo happy - Shakespeare is my main man.
Western Kentucky University presented - "Much Ado about Nothing."

"Much Ado about Nothing" is such a funny play, I still love "12th Night" but "Much ado" has some good stuff.

The student actors did a good job. It was Friday and probably their first real night. They did not have the awareness to slow down a little and breathe while the audience is laughing. More than a few lines were lost in the laughter.  Also the beginning was a little fast, so the first set of snipes out of the main characters were lost.
The poor guy playing the town sheriff had the attitude, but not the line delivery. Some of the words were not as clear, so the audience could not tell that he was using the wrong words in a very wrong way - which is why he is supposed to be so funny.

If I had not seen the movie several times, I do believe I could have been as lost as some other ladies at intermission. It took Tom about 15 minutes to catch up to what in the world is going on.
It is hard for the actors to remember, most people have never read the play and need you the actor to get all of it across.
 I'm sure the rest of their shows could only get better.  They did a great job.

2016 New Year

Happy New Year

    We survived the annual trip to Michigan. We stayed 2 whole weeks and tried to see as many people as possible.  Weather grounded us for one day, but overall it was a successful visit.  Thank you soooo much to everyone who invited us to their homes to hang out and play games. It was also really great to eat dinners with so many people.  Too often our trips to places includes us spending tons of money on eating out.  We went out about 3 or 4 times and those were nice too.  Boston Market was one place we had to hit.  I can not believe how much we miss that franchise down here.  KFC doesn't do it for me as well.
  
   I finally spent a little time to add up how many miles I kayaked in 2015.  I thought I had done a few more, but no - it was only 357 miles.  100 of that was on the Paddle Georgia trip in June.  We did that 100 miles over the course of 7 days.  Tom and I are going back this year (if we get in) and plan to take Uncle T with us too. 
 
   I finally figured out how their Canoe-a-thon fundraiser works.  I ask all of you for money and if I hit a certain amount -  NEXT YEAR 2017 - I will get a special code that makes it possible for me to get on the trip automatically and I do not have to worry about fighting everyone else for a spot.  I am NOT asking for anyone to pay my WAY on this trip.  We only wish to give the group some money - as they do an AMAZING job and they support education and stewardship of the lakes and rivers in the State of Georgia.  They have worked hard to help clean up a few bad spots that industry had made a mess of on the rivers.  They have also done some major work to create good maps and books about the rivers in Georgia and all the places people can paddle.
   So, PLEASE - donate a few dollars-  Like I'm selling you candy - because this is very much candy to me.  It's all online and easy to do. 
http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/TammyFrederick/paddle-georgia-canoeathon-2016

Plans for 2016 -  

    That is a really good question.   Tom has his job and things are going well.  It looks like we will be here a few more years and I am happy about that.  I still love working at the community college.  This is my 8th semester teaching here. Things are going to change some over the next year, so I had to decide what I was going to do.  It looks like I am going back to get a 2nd Masters Degree.   This time in English.  I have a ton of stuff to do before I'm completely in the program, but that all should start in the fall.  I'm scheduled for a class that starts later this month.  Hopefully that goes well.

   We haven't made vacation plans - except for Paddle Georgia, Basically because our tenants are moving out at the end of January and we really need the house to sell quickly.  We are hoping that it will sell once they move out.  Hopefully we will not have to do a bunch of work to make it look decent.  And Hopefully they will not leave it a mess.
     Please let there not be a TON of snow in February this year. I'm sure we will have to make more than one trip back up to Michigan. Let's not make that be our epic snow journey.

Star Wars.........

      Have you seen it??  Are you going to???  Do you even care??
It was great.  I'd love to go on about it - but several other people do a really great job.  One guy tore apart a stupid click bait article on it.  That was a fun read.
It is enjoyable. :~)

Have a great day.
 

Graduate English Class

How long have you known me?   Think about that for a second.

I just need to tell you now at the MIDDLE of this semester that I may be in over my head.  I signed up for my first Master's level English class in August.  I was a little wigged out about finding one to take, that I probably wasn't nearly as picky as I should have been....  Or more likely, the class I really wanted was scheduled at the same time as the ONE class I teach at night for the community college.

I am pretty sure I have done what is expected of me up to this point.  Finish reading the books we have been given, for the date we are discussing them.  Along with answering all the questions she has given us about the books.  Along with trying to discern anything -ISM about the book that I could recognize on my own.   
That last thing - not doing as well with it.

What do I mean by -ISM?   If you have taken any lit classes, you might have run across that term.  It is supposed to make you think about what categories you could place the book in- romanticism, socialism, Feminism, Deconstructionism, and any other -ism you could imagine.  This is something I DO NOT DO while reading books.  I missed out on this particular type of class in Undergrad or during my teacher instruction classes.

I totally see why I missed out on these types of classes.  Actually, come to think of it, I do believe I took one Literature class and NOW I understand why the teacher hated my paper.  I could not figure out what in the world she wanted from me.  Now, I think I know from just 6 weeks in an actual ENGLISH Literature class.

Anyway, Next week I'm to give a presentation on the next book we are to have read for class. I am supposed to point out the -isms found in the book.  I am also supposed to compare the book to the one we just recently read before hand.  I am also supposed to make a worksheet to hand out to class.  JOY.   Tomorrow, I must dive in deep to do this work.   I have at least managed to read the whole story, so now I can read stuff about the story in order to make some ideas and meanings come out of the craziness of ENGLISH Lit.

Do you know any English Literature PHd holders?  I have gotten to know my first and I can sincerely tell you that I had no idea.  She specializes in a couple authors from a very specific time period and WOW, the amount of background work she has done on them is absolutely amazing.  Traveling to other countries to spend several months over several years to do research is pretty darn amazing.  

I am just glad to see that she is a pretty good teacher to go along with all that research and dedication to what she knows.  When someone tells you that you should probably go find the original thing and check that out, there are really compelling reasons for that. 
It's too late for me, but I will try to get to know the people I meet who have done it.

Sorry, no pictures today.  Maybe I'll post stuff I learn about the book I'm doing next week.

Just thought you might like to know what strange and amazing thing I'd gotten myself into this year.........