It's in the Books...

The worst semester of my academic career is officially over as of today and I couldn't be happier! This has been the longest and most difficult semester yet and although I have so much more to go, I feel very accomplished today.

Final grades are not posted yet so I don't have any final tallies for you, so I thought I would look back to my post on January 21st, where I prophesied what the semester would be like. Won't you join me? The blue text is from January, the red text from today.

ANTH 235 - PRINCIPLES IN ARCHAEOLOGY

• The teacher is hilarious and very well educated in his field. The tests are not cumulative which gives the students the advantage but there is a 12 page paper due by April 30th. I anticipate that I will enjoy this class tremendously.
• This teacher wasn't just hilarious, he was absolutely brilliant! I mean literally brilliant, he graduated with his PhD before he was 21 years old. He changed my world when it comes to archaeology. Additionally, he is just an outstanding human being. The tests were difficult but fair and the paper was a true challenge.
  

MCB 182R - INTRODUCTORY BIOLOGY II

• Again, the teacher is hilarious and loves plants (a little too much if you ask me, plants just aren't that interesting). I have heard his tests are tricky but all the material comes from his Powerpoint presentations. This class focuses on biology at the macro scale rather than the micro scale like last semester. Thus, I anticipate that I will enjoy this class about 50% of the time (unlike last semester which I enjoyed the class 0% of the time).
• I will be honest, I didn't like this class much more than I did the first biology class. Perhaps that is just another reason why switching my major was a good move. His tests were VERY tricky and difficult, which I think is not an accurate assessment of your knowledge of the material. Switching one word of a sentence tests your ability to MEMORIZE, not your ability to conceptualize the material.
  

MCB 182L - INTRO BIOLOGY II LAB

• I have formed no opinion at this point as the class begins tomorrow and I haven't yet met my TA (teaching assistant).
• I formed a very close friendship with my lab partner in this class, a friendship I hope to continue for a long time. Other than that, this class was a joke. The dissections were kind of cool, but ultimately I have a difficult time rationalizing the deliberate murder of harmless animals. English was not my TA's native language, so understanding her was an extreme challenge. She was nice, but not organized.
  

ANTH 395D - SPECIAL TOPICS IN BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY

• Oh dear God, I think I might die. This class is all about Charles Darwin's life and legacy. We are currently reading his first book, "The Voyage of the Beagle" of which I have read over 200 pages in the first week. The remainder of the book will be completed next week (supposedly). The three other books of Darwin will be completed by the end of the semester. In addition a 20 page paper is due at the end of the semester as well as an oral report. This class is crazy but the teacher knows Dr. Dobyns, so it can't be all bad. I anticipate this class kicking my butt!
• Wow, I wasn't too far off on this one. This class did kick my butt, the lecture material was dry and boring a majority of the time, the books were a snooze, but the presentation/20 page paper was actually the highlight of the semester. We were allowed to choose our own topic, of which I picked forensic anthropology. I am fascinated by the subject which made the presentation and paper a breeze.
  

CHEM 241B - LECTURE ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

• Would it be bad to say "oh dear God, I think I might die" again? The professor is witty and is always out to make fun of people, which pleases me. On the other hand, he is TOUGH to the extreme. I have been told his tests are ridiculous and the averages are very low. On the other hand, I have learned more in the first two days in his class than I did in O Chem all last semester. He claims we will learn over 300 reactions and the class will be all-consuming. I anticipate getting a 'C' in this class and that will be by the grace of God.
• I will be retaking this class in the fall. The professor was witty and lectures were fun but his tests were impossible. I am not exaggerating, impossible! There was no good way to prepare them and every technique I used to try to study for them always failed miserably. I hope to have a different teacher in the fall.
  

CHEM 243B - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY LAB

• This class is taught by a TA who has dreadlocks and piercings in his face. I must admit, in my old age, that I was slightly taken-aback. However, once the initial shock wore off, he seems to be a nice guy. He stayed after class today to help a few of us with some questions and he likes to play music during the labs to break up the monotony. I anticipate this class will be difficult but laid back.
• The class was difficult and laid back but the TA was a complete jerk. He is in his early twenties and already in the chemistry PhD program, so he thinks he is hot stuff. He deliberately singled me out and was difficult on me in terms of grading because he sensed my nervousness and uneasiness. He was kind of like the bully who picks on the smallest and weakest to make himself feel better. Towards the end of the semester I started being a real jerk back to him and he laid off. Just goes to show you that the school yard politics don't change just because you are in college.

Well that sums up my semester in a not very short post. I enjoyed this little experiment and may do it again next semester, we'll have to see!

Garden Update

A couple of weeks ago I decided to start a vegetable garden. Since our backyard is very small and the owners will not allow us to plant anything, my vegetable garden is being grown in pots. I currently have 2 pots of radishes, 1 pot of lettuce, 2 pots of green onions, 1 pot of cucumbers, and 1 large pot of corn. Well, at least I did have corn. I went out this morning to water to find that my dogs (I suspect Trudy) had eaten all my corn plants. I was worried about pests, I didn't know I needed to be worried about the four-legged kind. Now we are on to plan B....how to keep the dogs out of my veggies!

Baby Bird Update...but Not Really

I called the animal rehabilitation center this morning to check on the status of my baby bird. Unfortunately, the woman who runs the establishment said that she had no idea if my baby bird survived or not since she keeps all the birds together and doesn't tag them and visually cannot tell them apart.

Well that was kind of anticlimactic...

I guess I will just have to believe that he survived...

Just Another Day Trying to Save Every Animal in the World

My biology lab partner and I worked on our final experiment/lab report/presentation all last week, and during the course of collecting data, I ran across this sad, broken little bird which fell out of a Saguaro cactus near my house. I brought him home, phoned a place called "Wild Forever" where they rehabilitate wild animals and release them back into the wild. I dropped him off and gave the sanctuary some money, hoping that it was enough to temporarily get him fixed up. I haven't heard from them yet regarding his condition, but I am praying that he survived. Isn't he tiny and adorable?

A Sign from the Great Beyond

Matthew and I went to a celebration at a local bar and grill last night to commemorate Joe Titone's 35th birthday. There was family, friends, beer, pool, and music, altogether a night Joe would have really enjoyed. At 5:50 PM, the exact time Joe was born, we toasted to his memory. At that same exact moment on the jukebox Jimmy Buffet's Margarittaville song came on. Joe was a huge Jimmy Buffet fan! None of us requested the song, nor did we find anyone who did. If you ask me it was Joe letting us know that he was there!!

Don't be Fooled by the Commercial...

This post is for all the women out there who read my blog, although you men should care about this too. It is in regards to this pharmaceutical called Gardasil. Gardasil apparently prevents cervical cancer and is being pushed to young girls and women as some sort of miracle vaccine.

I want to urge all of you to not get this vaccination. At least not right now!

1. Gardasil hasn't been out that long and hasn't been tested to know its long term side effects or consequences.

2. The average age of woman who are diagnosed with cervical cancer is 48, so why is the drug being pimped to young women and girls who have a very, very, very slight chance of getting it? Why not to women in the age bracket most likely to be affected?

3. Merck's agenda should be closely scrutinized as they are also trying to push legislation that would require this vaccine be given to all girls above middle school age. Again, why?

4. The vaccines (a course of 3 shots) are extremely expensive ($360), most insurance companies will cover it, until the woman turns 18, than it isn't considered necessary.

5. The vaccine doesn't work for life. There are booster shots that need to be administered. Of course, these booster shots would be at the woman's expense (after age 18) if she chose to continue treatment.

6. I have been unable to find any proof that cervical cancer, in any way, has been avoided in the age group of 9-26.

Further studies and long term consequences of this drug need to be investigated before mass legislation is passed to require this vaccination in all young women and girls. I urge any of you who are considering this vaccination to do a little research and read about it...don't just trust what the commercial tells you!

Where is My Bail-Out Mr. Obama?

There is an old saying that "knowledge is power". I am beginning to believe that knowledge leads the way to hopelessness and despair. I say this only because after listening to two weeks of Jerry Doyle (see the previous post) and getting the straight skinny on what is happening in the world of politics and our federal government...well...we ALL are so screwed.

Remember all those billions of dollars the taxpayers "agreed" to give to the banks, TARP money as it is called? Remember how that was supposed to help the common person? Remember how people were going to keep their houses and their jobs? Remember how this bail-out was going to keep kids going to college?

Well, from my vantage point in little ol' Tucson, Arizona, that isn't happening!

I just got my financial aid notice for next year. Hey, guess what, the Federal Government (with whom I get my student loans) has offered me money, but not enough to cover the outrageous tuition hike that U of A imposed on its students. Thanks!

Oh, and Bank of America has decided that my 7% interest rate on my credit card (used for buying school books, additional fees that U of A secretly adds that loans won't cover, and parking permits) isn't enough money for them, so they have notified me that they will be increasing my interest rate to 14% effective May 1st. Might I add that this isn't just me, this is thousands upon thousands of loyal and trustworthy consumers who have never missed a payment and have never been late. This is 100% a money making decision (and a desperate attempt to screw over the consumer before legislation is passed that would prevent exactly this happening)...OH, AND BANK OF AMERICA ACCEPTED TARP MONEY FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT! Why exactly do they need to raise their rates if they received bail-out money????

So, Mr. Obama, I don't have enough money to go to school next year and I can't use my credit card, so where exactly is my bail-out?

Jerry Doyle

Part of my birthday gift from hubby this year was a year subscription to the Jerry Doyle radio program. This entitles me to download his radio program to my iPod so that I can listen at my convenience, since I am NEVER in the car when he is broadcasting.

Most of you have probably never heard of him (you ubber geeks out there will remember him as Michael Garibaldi from Babylon 5), and I am guessing most of you probably won't like what he has to say, but I think he is fantastic. He says what he thinks, he pulls no punches, he cowers to no one, and he is about as politically incorrect as you can get on the radio. I love it.

I got an opportunity to listen to him speak yesterday at the Desert Diamond Casino and very much enjoyed it. I even convinced my sister and Tim to come along and they seemed to really respond to what he had to say.

If any of you run across his program (in Tucson on 104.1 FM) I urge you to give him five minutes of your time, I think you will learn a lot.

Thirty and Exhausted

I refuse to believe it has been over a month since I last posted. It feels like just yesterday. So much has happened since than.

#1, I turned thirty.
I didn't think it was much of a big deal until a week before it happened and Matthew was ribbing me about how I was going to be old now, and I broke down crying. I don't know who was more surprised, him or me. I had a great birthday with family and friends, and I must admit everyone was so wonderful to me, there was very little "over the hill" talk or greeting cards speaking of geriatrics. For that I am most grateful!

#2, I had a nervous breakdown. Not the hospitalizing kind, just the kind that prevents you from functioning like a normal human being. In hindsight this was probably exacerbated by the whole thirty thing, but mostly it was school. I 100% underestimated the toll the U of A would take on my sanity, my time, my confidence, but mostly my relationships. I honestly don't know how people do it. Every waking hour of my day is preparing for tests, studying for quizzes, writing papers, doing presentations, and writing lab reports. I have nothing else in my life and it drove me (and continues to drive me) crazy.

This, of course, brings me to #3. I changed my major and minor, or more accurately, I flip-flopped them. My major is now Anthropology and my minor is Biology. This came about for more reasons that I can begin to list, but mostly because I love anthropology and archaeology and I am tired, after 2 (full time) years at Pima and 1 year at U of A, of taking very few classes that I like. Plus, if I have to take another minute of chemistry, I might start taking hostages. I don't love biology but anthropology requires that I establish a minor and since I already have so many biology classes, it makes logical sense to make that my minor instead of starting over. The switch doesn't decrease, nor does it increase my time at the U of A, which is still estimated at 2 more years. If I was going to make the switch, now was the time.

I have to thank Matthew and my sister for being the voice of reason over the past month and for tolerating my incessant whining and crying. They stayed positive, reasonable, and understanding when I probably didn't deserve it, and for that I am eternally grateful. It is those two who lifted me up and dragged me along until I could support myself.

#4. [removed by request]

#5, as many of you have already heard, is the news that Matthew's Grandma Eileen and Aunt Sharon were hurt terribly in a car accident in New Mexico almost a week ago. Matthew is driving to Albuquerque as I write this to be with his family. The prognosis is better today than it was just a few short days ago.

The information, as I have it is, that Aunt Sharon was driving (Grandma Eileen the passenger) on the freeway, when either a collision or a near collision caused Aunt Sharon to swerve. The swerve caused them to enter the ditch in between the lanes of traffic, where the car flipped. The air bags did not deploy.

Grandma Eileen has a broken vertebrae in her neck (which they will be unable to fix due to her young age of 89), her arm is broken in 3 places (it is our understanding it is all three bones in one arm), and she had bleeding on the brain. Grandma's surgery on her arm took place yesterday and she did astoundingly well!

Aunt Sharon is considerably worse. She had multiple lacerations to her face due to broken glass, her jaw is broken in two places (they intend to repair this today, I believe), both eye sockets are broken, and a bone which leads from the cheek to near her ear is also broken. Due to this broken bone they are concerned about deafness. Until yesterday she was under heavy sedation, although I am told she woke up yesterday, very confused, and when asked if she was in pain, she nodded her head. This is so good on so many levels, she can hear (at least out of one ear) and her brain hasn't been affected to such an extent that she cannot communicate.

They both remain in critical condition and we anticipate their recovery to be long and arduous.
Your thoughts and prayers are much appreciated at this time, as we all hope they make the type of recovery that will allow them full and happy lives.

As you can see, never a dull moment in the Phillips' household.

I shall take my leave now, and promise to update again soon, but I am sure most of you have been around long enough to know, that is a lie.

Until Next Time!

Oscar Night 2009

Here are a couple of pictures from Oscar Night before we left for the big event. Teresa has more pictures on her cell phone from when we were on the red carpet that I will try to get from her and post. Overall we had a great time and Kate Winslet won an oscar! The only downside was there was a heckler who sat behind us saying very nasty things. Who goes to an Oscar party to heckle is my question?

Our New Phones

Matthew and I were fed up with the crappy Razor cell phones we purchased over three years ago. The batteries died after a five minute phone call and hung up on whoever you were talking to. In addition the minutes we had were not sufficient for the amount of talking my sister and I do. So...after weeks of searching and trying to find the best plan, we went to T-Mobile last night and signed up. We each got a Dash, seen below:



We each have 5 people which we can talk unlimited too. In addition we have 700 minutes to split amongst everyone else. We also have text messaging! The phones are quite impressive and I see why my sister loves her Blackberry so much.

It's amazing how much it changes your life when you get a phone that works and has features you can use!

It's Back!!!

There are only a select few of you (Curtis and Tom) who will care about this news, but Matthew and I are ecstatic!

SCI FI Wire confirmed today that a contract has been signed with CBS/Paramount to reopen the Star Trek The Experience exhibit in Las Vegas on May 8 —starting with at least a new restaurant and retail shop—to coincide with the opening of J.J. Abram's Star Trek movie.

"It is a bit premature to talk about it, but I can confirm that a contract has been signed," Liz Kalodner, executive vice president and general manager of CBS consumer products in New York, told SCI FI Wire exclusively. "I do not have any further comment."

Las Vegas city public information officer Jace Radke confirmed to SCI FI Wire that Star Trek The Experience, which closed at its home at the Las Vegas Hilton, will move downtown to the Neonopolis Center. "This is going to be a major part of the downtown redevelopment we have been working on, and the city department of business development has been trying to encourage attractions like this to the area," he said.

The costumes, the historic timeline, models of the ships and other items at the Star Trek The Experience exhibit will be moved to a museum that is planned for the new location, but much of the exhibit probably won't be opened until the end of 2010.

"I wouldn't expect the cool stuff for about a year," Hansel said. "A lot of it also depends on the popularity of the movie and how well it does, but the trailer looks like it's going to be pretty great." He added: "The price is going to be cheaper, maybe $20 or $25, and there may be package deals or year-long memberships, that kind of thing."

http://scifiwire.com/2009/02/confirmed-new-contract-to-keep-star-trek-the-experience-alive-in-vegas.php#more

We will finally be able to return to Las Vegas for our summer vacation!

It's Time to Come Clean...

I honestly had no idea that almost a month had gone by since my last post. How time flies when you aren't having fun.

So...my sister dropped by yesterday to show me the new dress that she purchased for our Oscar Night Extravaganza and she confessed that she accidentally told someone something that she didn't realize was a secret (or at least something that I hadn't openly shared with anyone). She felt really bad, but I assured her that it is about time I just come out with it. So here it is...

I lost my scholarship after just one semester.

Hmmm...that didn't feel as good as I expected it to.

In my defense I didn't realize that I lost it until about three weeks ago. Due to some miscommunications between myself and the U of A, I was under the impression that everything was fine, but apparently it was not. I now have student debt just like 90% of the rest of the people who go there, but I'll be honest, it has been a most uncomfortable and disgruntling three weeks.

Obviously I lost my scholarship due to poor grades. Those grades were:

Organic Chemistry Lab A
Biology 181 Lab A
Organic Chemistry Lecture C
Biology 181 Lecture/Honors C (Not much of an honors student, am I?)

This added up to a GPA of 2.44 (the lowest I have ever had). This is not the 3.25 GPA I needed to maintain my scholarship. I do have the option of reapplying for the scholarship when my GPA goes up but that is unlikely as I just found out I failed my first organic chemistry test of this semester.

Needless to say when it comes to school I lack the ability to achieve at the university level and seriously doubt that graduation will be anything other than a distant dream. But I chug along each day, wishing for it to be over, and praying that summer gets here soon.