The Program

Each attendee was also given a program of events:

Souvenir

Each attendee was given a souvenir bookmark commemorating the day. I guess they assume that since we are smart, we read.

Awards Banquet

Matthew and I just returned home about an hour ago from my scholarship banquet. There are about 13 different items to put up here, so it may take me awhile to scan them all.

Since there are so many of them, I am going to label each one separately so that you know what is what.

We had a good time and had a good meal and my tuition is now officially free, so life is good!

First Publication

This was published through @ Pima News, a weekly publication for Pima Community College Employees. My Chemistry teacher was nice enough to print me off a copy.
I had no idea that I had made it to the second team and what that means I also still don't know. I have heard that it may involve more money and a medal.

Future Wildcat!

Yeah!!

Another Invitation...Aren't I Popular?

We finally checked the mail today and I received another invite in regards to my scholarship, this time to the Board of Governors public meeting. Please see below:

Scholarship Invitation

Pima called a few days ago and asked me to drop by and pick up the invitation for the scholarship banquet in a few weeks. See below:

Consumer Letter

I read this and laughed out loud! I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.
CAUTION: Strong Language
Redistributed without permission, no infringement intended!

PC Magazine's 2007 editors' choice for best webmail-award-winning letter.

Sent to Proctor and Gamble regarding their feminine products.
She really gets rolling after the first paragraph...

Dear Mr. Thatcher,

I have been a loyal user of your 'Always' maxi pads for over 20 years and I
appreciate many of their features. Why, without the Leak Guard Core or
Dri-Weave absorbency, I'd probably never go horseback riding or salsa
dancing, and I'd certainly steer clear of running up and down the beach in
tight, white shorts.
But my favorite feature has to be your revolutionary Flexi-Wings. Kudos on
being the only company smart enough to realize how crucial it is that maxi
pads be aerodynamic. I can't tell you how safe and secure I feel each month
knowing there's a little F-16 in my pants. Have you ever had a menstrual
period, Mr. Thatcher? Ever suffered from 'the curse'? I'm guessing you
haven't. Well, my time of the month is starting right now. As I type, I can
already feel hormonal forces violently surging through my body. Just a few
minutes from now, my body will adjust and I'll be transformed into what my
husband likes to call 'an inbred hillbilly with knife skills.' Isn't the
human body amazing?

As Brand Manager in the Feminine-Hygiene Division, you've no doubt seen
quite a bit of research on what exactly happens during your customers
monthly visits from 'Aunt Flo'. Therefore, you must know about the bloating,
puffiness, and cramping we endure, and about our intense mood swings,
crying, jags, and out-of-control behavior. You surely realize it's a tough
time for most women. In fact, only last week, my friend Jennifer fought the
violent urge to shove her boyfriend's testicles into a George Foreman Grill
just be cause he told her he thought Grey's Anatomy was written by drunken
chimps. Crazy!

The point is, sir, you of all people must realize that America is just
crawling with homicidal maniacs in Capri pants... Which brings me to the
reason for my letter. Last month, while in the throes of cramping so painful
I wanted to reach inside my body and yank out my uterus, I opened an Always
maxi-pad, and there, printed on the adhesive backing, were these words:
'Have a Happy Period.' Are you fu**ing kidding me? What I mean is, does any
part of your tiny middle-manager brain really think happiness - actual
smiling, laughing happiness, is possible during a menstrual period? Did
anything mentioned above sound the least bit pleasurable? Well, did it,
James?FYI, unless you're some kind of sick S&M freak girl, there will never
be anything 'happy' about a day in which you have to jack yourself up on
Motrin and Kahlua and lock yourself in your house just so you don't march
down to the local Walgreen's armed with a hunting rifle and a sketchy plan
to end your life in a blaze of glory.

For the love of God, pull your head out, man! If you just have to slap a
moronic message on a maxi pad, wouldn't it make more sense to say something
that's actually pertinent, like 'Put down the Hammer' or 'Vehicular
Manslaughter is Wrong', or are you just picking on us?

Sir, please inform your Accounting Department that, effective immediately,
there will be an $8 drop in monthly profits, for I have chosen to take my
maxi-pad business elsewhere. And though I will certainly miss your
Flex-Wings, I will not for one minute miss your brand of condescending bull
sh*t. And that's a promise I will keep.
Always!.

Best wishes,
Wendi Aarons
Austin , TX

The First Day of School and My Last Semester at Pima

School started bright and early this morning and other than the initial shock of being up before the sunshine, it went rather well.

I had my graduation interview this afternoon to confirm that I have and am enrolled in all the classes that I need to be. Now, God willing, if I pass Calculus I and Chemistry 152 I will graduate with an Associates in Science and an Associates in Liberal Arts in May. If I don't pass one or both of those classes I will simply graduate with an Associates in Liberal Arts. Essentially it doesn't matter, I will graduate either way, it is all about pride now.

I finished my application to the U of A, just need my STU 210 teacher to take a look at it before submitting it. One very irritating aspect to the application is the need to furnish the University with my parents' information. I am 28 (almost 29) years old, lived on my own for almost 9 years, and have been married for almost 3 years, exactly when do I get to be independent and not need to rely on Mommy and Daddy's financial information?

Gotta run, unfortunately I have homework assigned already and must get back to it.

Take Care!!

We're Moving!

I wanted to wait until everything was finalized and the paperwork completed before I started to tell people that we are moving again. The lease was signed today, so I guess that makes it final. Our first day in our new (rental) home will be February 9th, 2008 and our final day in our Rita Ranch (rental) house will be February 24, 2008, plenty of time to get both houses ready!

We have been in our Rita Ranch home for 3 years but with my impending transfer to the U of A, it was time to make a change. After looking at some real crap-hole houses over the past couple months in the university area, we finally were able to find a nice 1350 square foot home with a block wall around the backyard for the dogs. We originally were turned down for this house because we have Piper (the cat) but after a week and the previous people backing out at the last minute because they couldn't afford the deposit, the landlords gave us a call and agreed to rent us the house.

The new place is at Grant and 1st Avenue, not the greatest part of town, but according to TPD's website, not any worse than where we are at. It is about a mile and a half to the U of A which seems like a feasible distance to bike. It sure beats fighting for parking and paying for a parking permit. It will also put Matt much closer to work and hopefully cut his commute time from 2 hours per day to 45 minutes total. Another plus is that it is close to the Sausage Deli (and a ton of other places) which is absolutely wonderful.

Matt and I are a combination of excited and stressed...we are going to be so happy saving time and money but the next three weeks are going to be difficult and strenuous, in addition I start school on Tuesday which will greatly limit the time I have to pack and prepare. At least this is happening at the beginning of the semester and not at the end during finals.

One minor set back was that we didn't get the call from the new landlords until after I had registered for my last semester at Pima...East Campus. So, for one semester I will be commuting from Central Tucson to the East side. On the other hand, I am required to take a transfer course called STU 210 and half of those classes are held at the university. Awesome!

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As for my final grades from Fall 2007 they are listed below:

Sociology A
Trigonometry A
Chemistry A
Literature A

I honest to God have no idea how the A in both Trig and Chem took place since I know I earned B's, must have been a curve situation. I'll take it!
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This semester looks like this:

Astronomy East Campus
Astronomy Lab East Campus
Calculus I East Campus
Chemistry w/Lab Desert Vista Campus
STU 210 East Campus/ U of A
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I am finally getting excited about going to the U, it has taken awhile but I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel, I am almost done with Pima!!!!!! I think it will be even more real in February when I attend the awards ceremony for my scholarship. When I get more info on that I will let you all know.

Alright, gotta run, Arizona basketball is on in a couple hours and I have chores to do!

TTFN

Odds and Ends

Scholarship Confirmation:
I finally received confirmation from Pima that I was nominated for the All-USA team and that I won the scholarship for my campus. Click the below image to read the letter.





I also added a new page called "videos". The video I have posted now is my creation from the television show Farscape and although I have made many videos, this one is my pride and joy. If you haven't seen the show and I am supposing that many of you haven't than it might not be as good, but the lyrics fit the scenes perfectly. I am trying to find another inspirational song, but it hasn't hit me yet, but when it does, I will post it in that section.

--KP

It's Finally Over!

I have been home for about an hour and completed my last final this morning. It was a three hour chemistry test and my brain feels like a bowl of Jello-o or perhaps a pile of mush. I have determined that three hours is about two hours too long to be looking at chemistry. I had confidence on the first portion of the test which was the National 70 multiple choice question assessment, until I realized I had only mere moments to finish and was only 3/4 of the way complete. I had to guess on the last 1/4. I suppose I learned an important lesson, don't do each one in order and work them out completely...go through the test first, answer the obvious ones, and than go back and work on the hard ones. I tend to believe, however, that the creators of the test make it so that to complete the test accurately is close to impossible.

The last portion of the test was my teacher's version of the final which was supposed to be easy but after looking at two hours of multiple choice questions, I began to second guess myself and forgot formulas. In addition, formulas and equations that we didn't have to memorize throughout the semester suddenly were supposed to be memorized BUT we didn't know that. Let's just say that test didn't go well. My teacher said not to worry, so for once, I am not going to. I worked my tushie off in that class and it will be the hardest earned 'B' I ever got. If she decides to grade on a curve than I may have a chance at an 'A'...I should know in a couple days.

My other finals were less eventful, thank goodness!

I received all 'B's on my tests in Trig and my final was a take home which I am hoping was an 'A'...that would mean that with my homework and quizzes I might have pulled an 'A' in that class after all. I take it back, that was the hardest earned grade so far....so many hours of studying at home, getting help from the tutors, and asking Matt questions. I can only hope that I am prepared for Calculus next semester.

Sociology was a breeze. I already know that I got an 'A' in that class. I am glad it is over but I also am realistic enough to know that it was probably my last easy 'A'.

I also know that I got an 'A' in my Literature class. My final paper (which I will either put here on the website or email to you directly) was an 'A'.

So this is how this semester appears to be wrapping up:

Sociology A
Trigonometry B
Chemistry B
Literature A

Next semester will be:

Astronomy 101
Calculus I
Chemistry 152
STU 210 (transfer course for the U of A)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Matt and I are looking to move again. We have decided (again) to put off purchasing a house until I am done at the U of A. Instead of buying we intend to rent again but somewhere close to the University. After discussing it for weeks we decided that to live close to the U was much more cost effective than buying a house elsewhere and having to pay for gas and a parking permit (every year). Plus the expense that we incur every day with Matt driving 65 miles a day is getting to be too much. If we move close to the U, and I mean close enough to ride my bike to, than I won't need to drive, I won't need a parking permit (because I will bike to school), and Matt will be that much closer to work. It is a win/win situation for both of us, except that we will be paying rent instead of earning equity in a house, but who can afford a house near the U?
Amazing how a little thing like gasoline can change your entire life. Our next door neighbor sold his truck and bought a car because he can't afford gas anymore and Matt and I have traded vehicles (he drives the Hyundai and I drive the truck) because the car gets better gas mileage. I wonder how much longer it will be before we will just have to sell the truck all together because we cannot afford $4.00 a gallon?

With the potential move to the University side of town also means that I will be switching Pima campuses my final semester. I will still have to attend the Desert Vista campus for chemistry since they don't offer it at Downtown, the campus nearest the U. I was kind of bummed at first until I found out my friend Brittney (that I met at East campus) got a job at the Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind and will be moving to their dorms and attending Downtown campus too. Kind of weird how that all worked out...we might be able to even get a couple of our classes together. So, the month of December will be busy for Matt and I as we try to work out all the fine details of the move.
________________________________________________________________________________________________

As for additional plans over the holiday break, I am happy to say I have nothing huge planned. I want to clean my house, organize the garage, scrapbook a little, play lots of video games, catch up on my soap opera, visit my friends, and watch a lot of Stargate.

I cannot wait to sleep in tomorrow!

I hope you are enjoying your day and that you are doing well. We will see you soon!

XXOO

Final Literature Paper

Literature 261

4 December 2007

The Lost Generation and the City of Light

The introduction of political, social, and technological changes during the turn of the century ushered in a new era called Modernism. Modernism was expressed in art, music, and especially literature. Few had as much impact on Modern literature as the expatriate writers of the 1920s, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Sylvia Beach, and Gertrude Stein. Their self imposed alienation from their home country and their common destination of Paris, France altered the confines of literature and helped to shape Modern literature as we know it today.

“The Lost Generation” of writers, as they would later be known, were born and raised during the first two decades of the 20^th century with the rigid discipline of Victorian morals (Curnutt 12). These morals and values included a deep seeded belief in the Protestant work ethic that hard work and deferred gratification would lead to security and peace (Thompson 435). By 1918 the future expatriates’ sense of society and self had been shattered by trench warfare and World War I. Many of the expatriates either lived through or witnessed first hand the devastation of World War I and its many casualties (Badertscher). One such writer was F. Scott Fitzgerald who in his first novel, This Side of Paradise, summed up his despondency stating “a new generation…grown up to find all Gods dead, all wars fought, all faiths in man shaken” (Fitzgerald 213). This devastation led to a tremendous feeling of loss, disruption, and disillusionment. American society was in constant transition and upheaval and the expatriates no longer believed that the Protestant work ethic was valid. Furthermore, the expatriates had lost faith in their elders, believing the older generation had transformed society without having given the younger generation any viable substitute (Curnutt 20). John F. Carter stated:

The older generation pretty well ruined this world before passing it onto us. My generation is disillusioned and, I think, brutalized, by the cataclysm which their complacent folly engendered…And now they are surprised that a great many of us, because they have taken away our apple-cheeked ideals, are seriously considering whether or not their game be worth our candle (Curnutt 20).

In addition to the feelings of loss and disruption, expatriate writers had an overall dissatisfaction with American literature. Before Modernism, literature was controlled by structure and organization. As the world around them changed, the expatriates desperately sought to create literature that reflected the turmoil they saw around them. Some of the literary styles that spawned from this were fragmentation, juxtaposition, and stream of consciousness (Curnutt 11). The increase in foreign travel from the United States to Europe during the 1920s also had a momentous affect on American literature. As more travelers began visiting abroad, a common consensus that American literature was not as traditional or diverse as other countries became commonplace (Curnutt 68). This belief was strongly endorsed by many expatriate writers. Additionally, expatriate writers also viewed the landscape of the United States as stagnant and lacking character therefore making it more difficult for them to create appealing works of literature (Curnutt 69). Finally, they believed with all sincerity that their written work was underappreciated and that the American public and literary scholars were “indifferent to their contributions to American culture” (Curnutt 71). The expatriates saw all of these factors as signs that they no longer belonged within the confines of the United States. These disillusionments quickly led to the voluntary migration and alienation of expatriate writers from the United States to Paris, France.

Paris, France, also known as the City of Light, was well known by travelers and writers alike as a welcoming and accepting city. Paris was known for its embracement of developing new ideas, producing new values, investigating unconventional behaviors and the undertaking of radical experimentation. Writers from all over the world converged on the Left Bank of the Seine which quickly became the central hub of creativity (“Geniuses”). One very influential author named Gertrude Stein hosted gatherings, also known as salons, in which artists and writers would congregate to discuss art and inspiration (Lovelady). The neighborhood, Montparnasse, was lined with cafes and bookstores, allowing expatriate writers to communicate and exchange ideas freely and easily (“Geniuses”). Some of these bookstores became paramount in the development of Modern literature. One of the most famous bookstores, “Shakespeare and Company”, was owned and run by expatriate writer Sylvia Beach. “Shakespeare and Company” was not simply a place of commerce, but in addition served as a lending library to other expatriate writers and was often used as a forwarding address for those leaving the United States (“Geniuses”). “Shakespeare and Company” would later gain more fame when Beach agreed to publish works of literature that were unable to be published any other way (“Geniuses”). With the increased presence of expatriate writers came an increase in alternative presses. This was one of Paris’ defining contributions to Modern literature. Small and alternative presses enabled expatriates to distribute their sometimes controversial and progressive novels, stories, and poetry to the general public. Paris had yet another endearing quality during this period of time, the money exchange rate. The cost of living was far more affordable in Paris than in the United States, allowing writers to live Bohemian, yet comfortable lifestyles without much sacrifice (Mills). This, too, afforded the alienated writers to focus on their writing and creativity and not worry about the day to day restrictions of the American work ethic.

The expatriates did not begin the Modern literature era however they were the most influential part of it. The changes they experienced and witnessed in the United States and their vocalization of their disenchantment changed literature forever. Writers such as Sylvia Beach, Gertrude Stein, and F. Scott Fitzgerald never gave up their nationalism, but rather changed locations to better serve themselves and their art. In Paris they were able to find a camaraderie, acceptance, and diversity that were not possible in America. The establishment of alternative presses allowed for creative and expressive works that have withstood the test of time. Upon reflection the expatriate writers of the United States altered the boundaries of literature and shaped Modern literature to what it is today, while simultaneously giving readers a meaningful and accurate view of the Modern era.